This custom Wordle-adjacent-puzzle features a 5-letter word that is particularly relevant to the Realms.
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Like regular Wordle you can copy your result's (but only if you follow the link), so paste them or a screenshot onto social media to let us know how you did. But no spoilers!
Written by: Dan "N" Hudon
Aftermath Report: The Overgrowth Incident
In a small village near the site of the 29th Annual Feast of Chimeron, the rapid growth and animation of a forest led to great peril for its inhabitants. Those in attendance of the feast were thankfully able to deal with the issue, which we refer to as the "Overgrowth Incident", but the area must still recover from its effects.
As the sun rose over the Realms the day after the feast, a large amount of severed vines cluttered the village, many withered by a mysterious power.
We spoke with a local, who had this to say:
"I'm glad they can't grab me anymore, those things were terrible! My house is covered in them, but at least they're dead. I've been researching vine-based recipes - vine burgers, vine stew, vine salad, vine wine… they were kind of chewy at first, but they're growing on me. Maybe I can open a restaurant… Ooh, I can call it Vine and Dine!"
Upon surveying the forest, ecologists have noticed a conspicuous decrease in moss populations, in contrast to the unbridled growth caused to other species by the incident. The lichen population has expanded and filled in the niche, with reports of the word "lichen!" echoing through the forest. They will continue monitoring the local ecosystem to see how these changes affect the wildlife.
In other news, a gathering of tree ents has assembled outside the village to protest the use of wood as a building material, declaring it "inhumane" and "an affront to our species". Despite violence breaking out earlier during the incident, recent protests have remained peaceful as the ents have grown less bold after the death of their leader, the "Growverlord". There are rumors of an upcoming summit between remaining members of the movement and village elders. The tree ents declined a request to comment.
We also spoke with an elderly man who has lived in the area for many years, introducing himself as "Herm the Hermit". He had this to say:
"Those darn trees, causin' a ruckus ever since they pulled their roots outta the ground and started walkin' about. They stole my peg leg, the nerve! I've had Peggy since I was fifteen years old! Lost my leg in an accident, and we didn't have any of that fancy healin' magic around, we had to make do! Now I can't imagine life without 'er! Some of them youngsters from the other day tried to heal my leg too, but I wouldn't let that happen - I didn't need no magic before, and I don't need it now! They got my Peggy back for me though, so gotta give them some credit, even if some 'a them were sympathizin' with the trees a bit."
Tensions are high, but the immediate danger has passed, and hopefully things will return to normal in the coming weeks.
Another in our continuing series! In the below picture there is a Realmsie-shaped black hole. Can you figure out who it is based only on the profile? Tell us on social media if you think you know who it is! The answer will be revealed later in the day.
The View from Valehaven would like to take a brief moment to remember and say thank you to the brave men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. We will be back with our regularly scheduled content on Tuesday.
What year was your knighthood formed?
We don't have an exact date, but Prince Nigel says 1995 and as he was a founding member we'll agree with him. The order faded away for a while in the mid aughts, and was reformed again in the teens with Twenaria at the helm. This reboot has seen us move more towards an inclusive attitude with more OOC focus on helping grow the immersive environment of the Realms.
What does your knighthood stand for?
We are an IC/OOC order dedicated to raising the bar of immersion, and recognizing those who have done such. Over the years we've grown away somewhat from where the order started. We have shifted our focus away from just being fancy and well mannered, and more towards adding to the overall immersion of the Realms whether that be through crafting, RP, event holding, inclusion initiatives, etc.
What are your tenets?
N/A
What is your symbol?
While we do not have an 'official symbol', we have been using a stylized linework peacock on our awards.
Do you have a traditional knightly power? If so, what is it?
N/A
What do you look for when selecting squires?
We do not currently have squires, so I will answer for selecting members instead.
We look for someone who adds to the overall immersion of the Realms. There are so many ways of doing that, and we are trying to fill our ranks with that in mind. A good representation of different styles of contributions can already be seen in the order, but we want to add even more! On an OOC level we look for people who are inclusive of others, active in realms related activities, are willing to help out with projects and ideas, and who's goals for immersion in the game align with ours. On an IC level, we look for someone who is true to themselves, helps other people be true to themselves, and adds to everyone's enjoyment of activities within the Realms through their RP.
What is your squiring process like?
We have taken squires in the past but not recently, though that is something we wish to change soon! We are in the process of reorganizing a bit under new leadership, but hopefully soon we will reveal a new and improved apprenticeship program.
Who is your current Knight Commander?
Madam Steward Zarine is currently our Head Hen. She was elevated in the pecking order at Black and White 2022.
Who are your currently active Knights?
Sara Jessop / Madam Steward Zarine
Kelly Bonci / Twenaria
Steven Matulewicz /Sagart
Megan Matulewicz /Kyomi
Bethany Tozier / Freesia
Derek Booke / Hygar
Amber Fox / Tarnisha
Arthur Granger / Aiden
Casey Lemay / Kharma
John Rescigno / Gordon
Do you have any interesting stories from your knighthood's past?
From Kelly 'Twenaria' Bonci:
I mean, I got (Zarine) drunk so I could get (her) in the order to pass it on. That's a pretty great long con, if I do say so myself.
From Sara 'Zarine' Jessop:
So there I was at Cecil's Uncle's Crazy Cabin, or whatever we called it back in 1019, and I had had quite a few to drink. I vaguely remember being honored for something. Later on in the powder room, Twen and I were in there drunk-girling and I looked down and was wearing a really nice necklace. I was all like 'this is pretty, where did this come from?', and she was all like, 'Zarine! I gave that to you!' Apparently Twen had given it to me like an hour earlier when they INDUCTED ME INTO THE ORDER OF THE GODDAMN PEACOCK! So yeah, that the story of how I became a peacock. And this is not shortened for the article, that is literally all I remember.
Then the next year at Cecil's Discordant Cabin of Chaos (no really, it was a virtual event because of ye olde plague) and we were running a contest for the most festive background. Now, you would think being in my own home I wouldn't get so schnockered, right? Wrong. I was trying to ask who we were liking for a winner, and well... Nothing I typed were words. So far that ridiculous post has been my greatest contribution to the order.
Anything else you'd like to add?
N/A
by Jason "Aeston" Rosa
Going forward, this will be the parent brand of the Rhiassa Tube and Rhiassa Tube (W) as well as any future blade materials, but in particular I am taking this occasion to introduce a new product to the Realms: Lioncast Hilts.
Lioncast Hilts are a product line of ready-made handle parts for crafting swords. Our offerings include quillons (cross guards) and pommels of different styles.
Each piece is laser-cut out of two pieces of 1/2” EVA foam which are meant to be glued together over the weapon core material that you are using to make hilt parts that are 1” thick overall. The groove left in the middle assumes the core you are using will be 1/2” in diameter. The groove has been specially designed with textured indentations that will create a snug fit and accommodate adhesive to make an extremely robust connection with the core of the weapon.
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| The construction of a dagger showing how a Lioncast Hilt is added. |
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| Adding a Lioncast Filigree to a weapon and painting them. |
Written by: Kelly “Fern” Perfetto, Jay “Odd” Weil, & Travis “Elwin” Wilcox
A lot happened at Lostpeak. Odd and I have written one summary, and Elwin has shared his perspective. As a scholar, I would encourage everyone to read both articles. As a person who knows how busy saving the world can be, we have provided a quick summary. ~ Fern
Fern: After a group ritual of renewal Friday, Daekara was inducted into the Knights of the Eternal Flame. Grarr was sworn to Voraniss. Merrix became a Druid of Voraniss and Evie became the Archdruid. At Lostpeak, we traveled through many teleportation circles to finally reach the Aberrant Gate and the ghost of the former Knight Commander. With squire swords bestowed to four of us, we escaped the corrupted court, bringing the Knight Commander’s casket with us, upon his request.
Odd: Sunday, all of the allied groups we know assembled and took on students from the adventurers present. During our time with them, we learned new skills and what each of their orders were about. Irri was named the leader of the newly created Circle, and Fern was named Knight Commander of the new Knights of the Aberrant Gate, bestowing Benevolence to Pilpus.
Friday
Fern: As has become tradition, we gathered in Voraniss the night before we set out to deal with the Knights of the Aberrant Gate. Before dusk fell, we socialized and enjoyed the food everyone had brought. The Church of Aurora and the Church of Vandor had competing dishes of meatballs and pulled pork, while many others competed in an appetizer challenge. As it grew dark, Voraniss called all to court around a large fire.
Merrix opened with the Voranian springtime ritual of renewal, speaking of reinforcing beliefs in ones community and in oneself. After those who wished to do so spoke of renewed commitments, winners of competitions were announced. For appetizers, Odd took first place, and Guilliam won the Boar Pits.
Tony stood to announce his new position as the High Priest of the Church of Arius, and his commitment of bringing new life to the church.
Cronin announced the beginning of the Voranian Museum of Fine Arts, a traveling museum that will display the artistic culture of Voraniss.
The Knights of the Eternal Flame were called up next, to induct their newest member, Daekara. I wish I could repeat each and every one of the Knights’ speeches about Daekara’s commitments, convictions, and willingness to grow and improve. I think for now though, his place among peers and his own actions can speak for themselves and show why he deserves to stand with the Knights of the Eternal Flame.
Voraniss then had their own inductions to make. As of Friday, Grarr is an Oathsworn of Voraniss, and both Voraniss and I are glad he has found a home there.
Kindrianna called Merrix forward, and asked him to join the Druids of Voraniss. I think the aptness of the title Druid of the Old Ways can be illustrated by the fact that many of us already saw him as a Druid. Evie was also asked to be the Archdruid of the order, leading them all into the future of their nation.
After court, things turned a little more dire. Those who had become corrupted were finally able to be aided in overcoming Sir Edwyn Raincourt’s influence. Meanwhile, a demon who shall not be named set its sights on some of those present. Luckily, that being did not seem present after the spirits of Voraniss whisked us away to Lostpeak.
Saturday
Fern: We entered the lands of Lostpeak with the help of the spirits, and met up with our ally Percival, and his colleague Nerilynn. For those who do not know, Lostpeak is an ancient ruined city far to the west of the Realms. The lands are alive with magical energy. This is the site of the Aberrant Gate, which was physically destroyed by the Knights of the Aberrant Gate. We knew this threat could be awoken with magic at any time. To travel across the lands of Lostpeak we had to activate teleportation pads. Our ultimate goal was to reach the tomb of the Knight Commander of the Knights of the Aberrant Gate. There his spirit held tools to help us defeat the corrupted court that were his former siblings in arms.
Our first challenge was connecting massive wires to charge the focus of the teleportation system. After a few magical explosions we were able to charge it properly. In the process, we learned of the color coding system for the magics of the area. We teleported into a large area filled with local goblins and more of the blue magical creatures that we had already been fighting. A ghost moved about, asking what the most important virtue was, and saying wrong to every answer. I kept at it, as did many others, and after ‘virtues’ such as lust, proper nutrition, and extra dry socks were proposed, I suggested “me”. After I repeated a few times, the ghost said “you are learning” and left. I was not able to tell anyone at the time, but the deeper meaning to the question was about tenacity and perseverance. Personally I liked my first answer of confidence.
The challenge to connect the next portal increased as we found out more about the area. The magic creatures would absorb magic we were casting to heal themselves, the goblins started stealing magic items, and then the Revenants appeared. Pilpus was attacked by one of the beings, but Blackwood brought him back after the Revenant finally left.
The next teleportation circle split our group. The area I was in was an enclosed space with a bottomless pit. Only by killing the magical creations did we manage to traverse the area, by essentially walking across puddles of floating magic. I do not know much about what happened to the other group, but I think our bottomless pit that put us back at the beginning if we fell in was more pleasant than the mud pit they described.
Odd: The rest of the party was teleported to a site that seemed to be some kind of ancient laboratory underneath the mud. In the center was a massive automaton that had a space on its arm to input a command code. While the automaton was currently unresponsive and violent, strewn about the lab were ancient sheets of paper detailing breakthroughs made for the creation and controlling of it. Along with the massive automaton were more of the blue magical creatures and a new creature that functioned as a sort of ‘mana leech’, stealing circles of magic from those who had it. While able to be warded and enfeebled, this creature proved enough of an annoyance to be remembered beyond the laboratory.
While the more combat inclined members of our group fought to keep the monsters at bay, myself and a few others began attempting to find a way to control the automaton. The bottoms of the aforementioned pages had messages written in an unfamiliar set of runes. After a look at Hedda’s rune book, it was determined that these were runes none of us had ever seen. After a Séance to the original creator of the automaton, the rune set was revealed and we were able to input the code needed for control.
During the fighting and puzzling, more of the spirits of the KotAG asked some difficult questions. One was inquiring about the people we were traveling with, who they were and what they meant to those that were asked. The second was asking us to bring forth the individual we most disliked, and speak three good things about them. While I did not have a good answer - I spoke on the nasty weather - I have heard talk that Lord Sir Elwin’s was particularly funny. The third ghost asked whether the word of the law or the good of the people was most important. Most I spoke to answered the good of the people. Though the ghost gave no indication, I believe we were all correct.
With the puzzle completed, we were able to power up another teleportation pad, and rejoin the rest of the party.
Fern: We all converged once again in the same spot. A horrible teleportation box mimic taunted many of us as we struggled for a while to retrieve important documents from inside of its toothy maw. Somehow it was finally defeated so that we could teleport away. Meanwhile, ghosts of the squires of the Knights of the Aberrant Gate asked challenging questions, trying to determine who might be worthy to wield their swords.
Most of our group teleported away, though I and some others stayed behind to deal with other matters. Apparently there was a two headed ettin that had been collecting the magic items the goblins had stolen. Everyone looked a little singed after that.
Odd: I stayed behind working on other matters as well - namely the pages retrieved from the mimic, which turned out to be pages of a spell book. Learning these runes proved invaluable for the oncoming location. I plan to share the script with as many as I can.
Fern: I caught up as the others were teleporting… and I found myself in a small prison cell with about ten other people. As we shouted to the others, we saw the lovely familiar faces of Dame Carrion - followed by new cultists - and Rev as they came to speak to us. Apparently the teleportation had been set up centuries ago by one of their order, and they had rerouted us into a prison above the Aberrant Gate. In my cell, Saegan, Irri, Liana, and Liselle worked to solve our way out and coordinate with the others. I heard Elizah and Hedda doing a lot of the solving and coordinating as well. I am glad they were all there. We ran deeper into the catacombs, pursued mainly by Dame Carrion’s… I’m not sure if it was sobs or laughter.
Next we encountered another pit, this time only seventy feet deep. I believe in my last View article I wrote about the virtues of bringing rope on a quest and never regretting it. Friends, bring rope. Incredible tool.
The Aberrant Gate is… abrupt. I rounded a corner, avoiding vicious undead, and was overcome with nausea as my eyes landed on it. The stone gate appeared suspended in the moment it was destroyed, massive boulders floating in the air as if weightless, green energy emanating from the center. It felt as if any moment the pieces could continue in their trajectory, impaling us all with shrapnel. What’s more, I could see our negative energy and our magic flowing into it and empowering it. I began moving throughout the area, asking people to share their positive emotions and share calm with others. Meanwhile, some among our group approached Sir Edwyn’s sword. Upon touching it, they would be transported to a fight with Edwyn himself. Even as more of our friends appeared destroyed after their battles, I could see calm radiating outward. I was not alone in the work. Every single person who I spoke to spoke with others to calm and bolster them. Two people stood out to me especially. Swift used angelic powers to ease fears, and Irri… well, was Irri. I could see the path she traced as well, and I could see others feeling better and being prepared to share after talking with her.
Odd: While some worked on how to remove Edwyn’s sword - named Absolution as we would soon learn - from its resting place, others began working in parallel with Fern to downpower the gate. Aelias, Mistral, Liselle, Swift and a few others worked a ritual bolstered by Divine favor that waned the gate’s energy, further aiding our escape. The ritual completed just as Elwin emerged victorious from Absolution, claiming the sword as his own. I feel that both the ritual and the claiming of Absolution were instrumental in allowing us to reach Sir Wilmot’s resting place.
Fern: We left, Elwin with Edwyn’s sword in hand, and the Gate diminishing in power. One of our more time-aligned mages informed us it was just after one in the morning.
Finally, finally, we approached the resting place of Sir Wilmot. His casket was there, covered in symbols of his order and candles. And his spirit was there, to ask four of us to become sword bearers and guide his order into the future. Valiance, for Vesper. Conviction, for Tony. Exaltation, for Gordon. And Benevolence, for me.
As soon as the last sword was given, I saw Dame Carrion entering my periphery. As instructed, some of us got Sir Wilmot’s casket out of the tomb immediately. I do not know all of what happened, but as I ran back I saw most people exiting, and Roman throwing Pilpus out of the tomb. From what I hear, it was total chaos the instant Sir Edwyn and his corrupted court entered.
Still, we escaped with everyone we had entered with. We now had an additional body within a casket, which was declared the Triumph of Saint Wilmot. Six swords of the order were now with us, one still in Sir Wilmot’s hands. We rested.
Sunday
Odd: After awakening from our rest, those of us remaining were greeted by Angelique of the Order of the Saintly Shadow, Percival of the Enlightened Quill Society, Squire Raelynn of the Silverwing Justicar and Sir Wilmot. Sir Wilmot (Saint Wilmot now? I am not sure how best to refer to him) thanked us for keeping his final resting place out of Edwyn’s hands, and Angelique stated that despite the Saintly Shadow’s desire to finish things on their own, other groups allied to our cause would be needed. It was upon this statement that a group of bards rolled up beside the pavilion we were sheltered in, playing loud music from the back of their ‘tour bus’. They introduced themselves as ‘Crossbows and Roses’, a group which I’d had a brief correspondence with. Once introductions had been completed, and Grimpaw - the leader of the Circle of Crows - arrived, each of the groups chose students to take on, teaching them valuable new skills that would aid us in the coming battles. Sir Magus Kara and I were taken on by Crossbows and Roses, where we learned how to harness the power of song in order to give boons to our allies.
Once all of the students had been taught and tasked with how to advance their knowledge, a final meeting was called. Each group shared what had been learned, and several made further announcements. Irri was named the leader of the circle that had just been formed, and announced the discovery of Group Prophecy. Next, those who carried the Squires’ Swords and Sir Wilmot spoke. Wilmot stated that he wished for the Knights of the Aberrant Gate to be made anew, and that to do so, a new Knight Commander would have to be named. Fern was chosen to lead, and bestowed their Squire Sword, Benevolence, to Sir Pilpus of Blackwood.
There is hope in the air, I can feel it. This was a victory unlike any other in this journey to defeat Edwyn. Our efforts will continue. They will not be in vain.
((OOC: Thank you so much to the Voraniss Questing team for another great event! I had a wonderful time and am super excited for the next installment. The amount of work that goes into every combat, puzzle, prop, and NPC is evident, and it is always incredible to participate in such an engaging story. Can’t wait for next time! - Jay))
Travis: Greetings friends, I would like to just put this OOC piece in here before the whole, what-you-missed-part. I can’t say enough good things about this staff and I would like to personally thank each one of them for providing an amazing time for us through all the challenges that we faced. I will give you a hint, it was the weather, and the special effects that they apparently went overboard on last year and needed to use up some more supplies this year. First, Renee, I would like to say thank you for the wonderful story that has been written here. You did an amazing job as always and I look forward to more to come. It was compelling and moving. Derek, your props were absolutely on point. From the commissioned 3D printed crystals to the absolutely amazing gate I can’t imagine how you are going to top this but I am really looking forward to it. Josh, the sound set up was great as usual and seeing the hard work you put into your scrolls, runes and all the random paperwork we could find was on point as usual. To the rest of the staff, I wish I could take the time to sing your praises individually but I fear that this would get far too long as an intro. So thank you NPC’s for your great fighting, amazing RP and hilarious antics. Thank you behind the scenes staff for the beautifully made weapons, and the hard work put into getting everything set up and torn down between areas. Thank you Shandar/Josh for reminding me I am old as hell and can’t run anywhere close to the way I used to. Thank you all. Another great event on the books and something people should aspire to compete with.
Post-Outing Field report by Lord Sir Elwin O’Bearikin of Stonewood
We arrived in Voraniss for their Ritual of Renewal. Members of their nation spoke of what they were proud of for themselves and invited others to do the same. It was wonderful to hear people able to see the good within and share it with others. This was not done in arrogance but instead in affirmation.
In addition to that Squire Grarr Seawoods was added to the list of Oathswarn in Voraniss. He placed his mark and swore his oath at the Oathstone. It was good to see him enter as a full member of their ranks.
Three other orders of business came up within the Voraniss ranks. Merrix Oreryn was given the name Druid of the Old Ways and Evitta Jainrose Blackthorne was promoted to the rank of Archdruid. Finally Warlord Cronin Barbara was returned the sword Azurewrath after some time apart from it.
Also, Squire Anthony Warder of Stonewood, took up the mantle of High Priest of Arius with hopes of spreading the word of truth and growing the church. I wish him the best of luck in this endeavor.
The Knights of the Eternal Flame had two orders of business. The first was to award Tulkhan a Fireball. After hearing the kind words from Shandar, all of which were true in my opinion, Tulkhan turned down the Fireball. I quote his statement here: ((This is also OOC)) “While I appreciate the recognition and acknowledgement for my work I could not accept. I have grown up in the realms, looking up to the Knights of the Eternal Flame and watching the knighthood grow as I have. Yet through the years I have seen faults in the knighthood. Achievements earned yet then the fire to strive for better no longer there. It's these faults that I do not want to happen to me, and my fear is that if I said yes they would. So until I can see a change in the knighthood to ensure that it won't, I had to politely decline. With respect, Adam”
Next they inducted a new Knight into their ranks. With many heartfelt words and praise Daekara was given his belt and the honors that come with it.
In addition to all this we can not forget that Evie’s Tavern was open for business, providing drinks for all. They had a couple of interesting bubbly drinks and one, special drink that had people raving about it, whether they wanted to or not.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that the whole of the group came together to cleanse the horrible corruption that has been plaguing Sir Bones and Sir Elizah. In a great ritual the two of them had the corruption removed. It was an act of unity with nearly everyone present that was able to purge them. It has been a long time coming and I can say I am relieved to know they are both well and sound of mind again.
The night wound down and we settled in knowing that in the morning the true challenges would begin.
In the morning we woke and had breakfast. The Wyvern College provided food for those in need and it was a good fare. I strapped on my armor and weapons and prepared to face our day, rain or shine. It was rain. With our first venture out we found a strange large crystal and a bunch of cables. A scholarly lady by the name of Nerilynn was already at the site when we got there. We deduced that we needed to string the cables from individual power points and then connect them to the crystal itself. From there we had to cast a spell at the power point of the correct type to power up the crystal so that we could activate the control pad that controlled a teleporter. I won’t lie, I didn’t understand half of what was going on beyond connecting the crystal. I did have my helmet on after all. What I do remember is needing to be the bridge between the cable and the crystal while sending a lightning bolt through it. After some mishaps we got the crystal working and that drew the attention of some unwanted guests. While we fought off what I can only describe as mana constructs, the others worked on getting the control panel working. From my understanding after much work on the panel Aelias called out for Divine Intervention to Luna for aid. In frenzy it seemed like a craze surged through him and he began tearing the panel apart finally revealing our first teleporter pad. We all began to pass through the teleporter to travel to another area of Lostpeak.
When we arrived at our new destination there were goblins everywhere. For the most part they were just normal scavenging goblins but that would turn bad very quickly. While they were possessive of everything around they were particularly interested in magic. Unfortunately we let our guard down far lower than we should have around goblins and I was killed and robbed by one of the little buggers. The goblins proved to be trickier than most of the ones we have faced in the past and took true advantage of our distractions of trying to activate the next teleport pad and fighting off the mana constructs. They killed several more of our allies and stole more magic items from them. It was alarming how many they acquired. With some divination cast we found that they were being delivered to their boss. After some light interrogation I found out that their boss was a two headed ogre mage. It was during this time that we faced the spirits of the Squires of the Aberrant Gate. They asked many of us questions and I could tell we were being tested. Little did I know how deep the tests would actually be. All the while we had mana constructs and goblins. When we finally assembled the teleporter pad we jumped to our next location.
Arriving at our location we found that the party had been split. I honestly can’t say what happened on the other side but we found ourselves looking down a massive pit. There were goblins with hats that let them fly as well as more mana constructs. We found that if we killed the mana constructs over the pit they would form a sort of a tile of force that we could stand on. In true adventurer fashion we began slaughtering them to make our walkway across the pit. This went swimmingly until we found out that the goblins could steal the magic away and drop us down into the very deep pit. We eventually made our way across the pit with a few mishaps. On the other side was another control panel that we had to activate to teleport out again.
When we arrived at our new destination we found a Mimic. It held several treasures within but would only part with them at a trade for, “food.” We also discovered that it was the next teleporter pad. Needless to say, deals were made and in the end we were able to convince the Mimic to let us pass.
I was running behind the rest of the group when it came to making this transition. I was in need of food so I took a couple minutes to grab a snack. When I arrived on the other side of the teleporter I found a bunch of dead adventurers, magic items that were previously taken strewn everywhere, and a two-headed ogre mage summoning fireballs from all directions. The ogre mage was also absorbing magic every time it was hit with it. When it filled up, it released its “ULTIMATE POWER!!!!” and had swirling death around it and even more fireballs flying around. The loss of life to this creature was staggering to say the least. The fight was very tough but in the end we felled the beast and recovered all of the items that the goblins had stolen from us.
Now, at this point I would love to say that things got better and we downed the great beast that tormented the area, but that would be a lie. We managed to open another teleporter and things just went from bad to worse. Little did we know that the creator of these teleporter pads was also sitting on the Corrupted Court. When we passed through the teleporter we all found ourselves in jail cells. I found myself in a jail cell with Grarr, Percival and one other from Creathrone whose name escapes me, I apologize for that. In our room we found a single red crystal and a stack of weird papers. After a moment we deduced that they were the runes we have been seeing around. Fortunately for us, I remember a very important thing. I am terrible at runes and was going to be absolutely no help here. I am however very good at barking orders loudly. I also remembered that Odd knows this runeset by heart. We started calling out what we had in the most crude way I think is possible and like a champion Odd was able to interpret my babble and give me good solid answers. This went on for a good long time until we had all of our runes decoded. To make things more difficult of course we had to contend with Dame Carrion and her broken madness. In addition to that Rev had been present as well. He proved to be useful to some, and as I hear, detrimental to others. I will cut this section of the report a bit short as some hijinks ensued with Vesper running around and helping people as well as others hiding when they escaped. When all was said and done we decoded the runes, said our word and the bars unlocked. When all of them unlocked we found an escape route out the back and took it.
We continued down into the structure in which we were captured with hopes that we could get to the Aberrant Gate, as well as find the remains of Sir Wilmot, before Sir Edwyn arrived. We came upon a large drop off and with the combined efforts of every circle caster available and probably more, they linked their ropes together so we could repel down. When we made it to the bottom we had found our first goal as well as a dear friend. Standing before us was a sight I have never seen in such spectacular and horrifying detail, the remains of the Aberrant Gate. Standing opposite it was the Spirit of Sir Wilmot and at his feet, Absolution, the blade of Sir Edwyn. With the gate sucking in our magic and causing all sorts of chaos as well as the threat of it opening we set to power down the gate. Sir Aelias Softshadow led a group in a ritual of faith to remove power from the gate and allow us a respite in our fear of it opening. He was joined by Liselle Silvermaple, Magus Prime James Swift, Squire Anthony Warder and Mistril. With their ritual it drove back the power of the gate and saved us from a most horrible fate. The fear of the gate opening was real and it was with them that we ensured we didn’t let that happen. On the other side was Sir Wilmot. He stood in front of Absolution, formerly Sir Edwyn’s sword before he fell to the darkness. By the time we got there however we found Hedda and Sir Makhta dead and soulfired on the ground. After a long conversation with Sir Wilmot we found that the sword was a challenge. Ser Gordon Lightfoot took up the challenge and touched the sword, he was asked to choose one. He chose me. With, I’m sure, a look of shock on my face, we were teleported spiritually into the sword where we faced off against an imprint of Sir Edwyn. With short work he dispatched us and chewed up parts of our soul. The words he said stuck with me though. “Who are you, that I should listen to you?” After recovering thanks to the grace of Seraphym, I thought on the situation. “Choose one. Who are you, that I should listen to you?” I waited for Sir Wilmot to have a break with the conversations he was having to ask him, “If I do this challenge, will you go with me?” He agreed and we faced the imprint of Sir Edwyn together. It saddened me to see the disappointment on Sir Wilmot’s face and the sadness of his words when he spoke to Sir Edwyn. A fight broke out, and the two clashed. I waited for the opportunity and struck true, vanquishing the image. In a flash I was standing back out in the hall, Sir Wilmot gone, and my hand grasping the handle of Absolution. The blade flared to life and the exit from the room opened. I was in shock. Shaking out of the daze I made my exit after everyone else had left.
After our hasty retreat we knew Sir Edwyn was on our tail. We had to ensure the safety of Sir Wilmot’s body. We returned to the building that we had escaped and continued further down. Entering, we saw Sir Wilmot standing over his Ark in a beautifully decorated room. He welcomed us and I was relieved to see he was unharmed, well as unharmed as a disembodied spirit of a man slain long ago by horrible aberrations from beyond a dark portal can be. After speaking with him, heartfelt words were exchanged and he began to name those who had shined during the challenges faced throughout the day. Those who stood out were gifted the blades of the Squires. Fern, Tony, Vesper, and Gordon each received a blade. Shortly after the ceremony, Sir Edwyn arrived. I hadn’t noticed at the time but Liselle and a handful of others grabbed the Ark and made a swift retreat. We stood our ground against Sir Edwyn and his Corrupted Court and for the first time, we dealt damage. We were still no match for them at the time and many of us fell. I am told that we were allowed to leave due to some bargain being struck by Sir Pilpus. I am not exactly sure what deal was made but we are thankful it was.
After we returned back to the encampment, Sir Wilmot revived the dead, and restored the very dead. We all took some much needed rest for the night and prepared for what the next day would bring.
As we all gathered in the morning we found that some of the allied orders had formed. The Order of the Saintly Shadow, The Silver Wing Justicars, The Enlightened Quill Society, the Circle of Crows, and the newly come, Crossbows and Roses were all gathered and were taking members in. I took time to speak with Sir Wilmot when the other orders were off learning and practicing. Those who had Squire Blades were given the task to choose a new Knight Commander of the Knights of the Aberrant Gate and after much hard discussion they chose Knight Commander Fern. Fern handed their blade off to Sir Pilpus when they took up Sir Wilmot’s blade, Officium. With that final act and warm goodbyes we departed the lands and made our ways home.
This concludes my field report. I am sure there are details that were missed and for that I apologize. I am sure there are others who have their own accounts and will fill in the gaps that I may have missed. Be well all and may your adventures always lead you home.
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Written by: Keith "Saegan" Cronyn
From raising gods, to warring with chickens, Feast of Chimeron was packed with delights and adventure like no other.
I was sort of all over the place with this event, I honestly got to partake in a lot of adventure, tournament, and feasting.
The feasting and court itself was great. There was a constant day board, for ambient snacking. It seemed wherever I happened to be, the appetizers came to find me, whether it was tourneying or questing, and honestly I can say that you can tell there was a lot of care and thought that went into the food. I did particularly love the scones, and I am a sucker for a twice baked potato, so that was fantastic for me.
Court itself, well run as always, was short and sweet, with Sayeh presenting an invitation to King Cecil, and Amawar, soul of Chan, being welcomed back into Darkvale.
As far as tournaments went, I have to say they were well marshaled, and I had a great time. My only complaint would be that they needed more competitors. I love the idea of the belted and unbelted brackets. It makes the competition pretty fierce, and genuinely, if people enjoy a challenging fight they should consider supporting it. Genuinely I had some great fights this weekend, that I will probably be thinking about for the rest of the year, and I can only appreciate the staff and competitors for giving me the opportunity to earn those memories.
I did a fair amount of questing, and as a fighter I’m often confused about what’s going on, because I run off killing things, and then I come back and catch snippets of what we’re trying to solve to move forward.
Friday night; we found a circle of hallucinations that ended up being the birth of gods. At one point I’m seeing libraries, and two steps to the left demons in chains. It was kind of jarring, and not as messy as I thought a god’s birth would be.
Friday night we also had locals being changed into beasts. Temorse’ summarized this adventure as shouting animal names in the dark. Which is a fair summation; as we needed to find totems of a sort in the wild, and identify the tracks they were marked with. The beast people were warped into fighting us, and while I will say I’ve fought bulls with similar power before, I don’t recall facing such fearsome chickens in my time. If I didn’t know they were people, I’d say make them into tenders because they’re too powerful to roam free range.
While I’m fairly certain we were able to correct all the corrupted totems, I don’t actually know if we figured out the cause for the corruption. Who or what placed it. It’s entirely possible that I missed it.
Saturday adventures I also only caught snippets of what we were doing. More of nature being corrupted. Plants this time, though I’m not confident that the source was the same. Some tree people accused a Gaian of being a tree-murderer. There was another tree person called the “Groverlord” and he and his minions were crushing us under the weight of their heavy trunks. We were able to defeat them and obtain a piece of a sword that identified as “the shard of the progenitor’s blade”. Some nasties immediately tried to claim it from us. They nearly wiped the questing party out, and would have taken the shard, if Liselle through arcane power, and shear guile, hadn’t thought to merge with a tree, and then intervene to give the shard to her god. With the leader gone, and the shard gone, the cronies left.
During the day the gods began to take shape, people were hearing their voices, and empowering them by making symbols and objects that represented them. For example, Liana make Takanakat a book with burning pages, which for a time he fluttered around as, like a weirdly calm burning butterfly. I don’t put much stake in gods. They are powerful beings, and relationships with them can get you places, but it’s not really a me thing. So I didn’t spend much time with them, because they were seeking worship, and I wasn’t going to.
The evening lead to us fighting various undead and trying to create shrines for the gods we wanted to help. So I was fighting undead. We managed to fight our way into a room where we empowered something, again that wasn’t my job, so I don’t really know. I know there was a lot of undead, and I was very grateful that Anton was able to make my sword extra sharp for me, so I could cut them down more efficiently. Later we were moving powerful orbs to empower shrines and fighting more undead.
Somewhere around this point I had a change in mood. These gods were standing among us now, trying to vie for worship. But it’s weird right, like these gods aren’t invisible beings, knowing all, able to fix the problem, but choosing not to. These are children, on the corner offering cookies ( small power,) in exchange for gold ( worship), and what’s worse, their actual lives depended on it. I couldn’t bring myself to worship someone, life of a child or not. But I will say, I’m glad that some of them were able to live on. Takanakat, of Beginings and Ends, Amanita, the Mushroom and decay, and Waymaker, of the Journey. Maybe you’ll think of them at an appropriate time, worship or not.
I think that about wraps up my experiences; I left Chimeron on Sunday after the awards ceremony, having had a great time.
Onward to the next field,
Saegan.
Written by: Zack "Anthony" Emmert
IC:
Heroes and Adventurers of the Realms,
In a few days time, we travel far to the west, to the ruins of Lostpeak. This was the site of thel ast battle between the Knights of the Aberrant Gate, and the Miscreations that lie beyond that very gate. It was here that each of the Knights, save Sir Willmot D’Aubert and Sir Edwyn Raincourt, split up and left the site of the battle. Sirs Willmot and Edwyn fought against the miscreations together, and while they were able to destroy the physical structure of the Gate, Sir Willmot fell in battle. Several of the miscreations escaped the site of the battle, who later killed Sir Edwyn’s family. The combined loss of his family and his Knight Commander was the tipping point that drove him to become the lich we now face.
The Enlightened Quill Society and the Silvering Justicar have established an archeological dig site at the ruins, and we hope to recover artifacts and information that will help us as this conflict evolves. The Knights of the Aberrant Gate do not yet know that this is our destination, and we hope to keep it this way as long as possible. I hope to see you all there.
Good luck and godspeed,
Anthony Warder of Stonewood
OOC:
This questing series is my one-stop shop for story driven questing with deep and expansive lore, and never fails to get me fired up and ready to fight for my life. With each passing event, the plot staff have blown me away more and more with their dedication to their craft. From the costuming and props that bring the world to life (I’m looking at you, Flesh Blanket™), to the immersive roleplaying and top-notch NPCing, to the cohesive and well-crafted worldbuilding, Voraniss Questing is easily one of my favorite quest series in the Realms. I’m looking forward to seeing what the plot team has in store for us next!
See you all at Lostpeak,
Zack Emmert
Written by: Nataliya "Shader" Kostenko
This past Saturday I had a ton of fun attending the third annual Clontarf Shuffle (with Stacked Deck Final Table). I’m not normally one for gambling with gold–only with my life and well-being–but I was immediately drawn to the new Rhiassan-and-Saurabian collab game, Dino Racing! To participate, one places bets on the very real dinos that Lord Aeston keeps locked up in highly humane kennels (where they are sustained on a diet of only the freshest spider milk). You can even hedge your bets by placing additional gold down on the dinosaurs after they’ve already left the starting gate. Here’s a tip for anyone interested in making some big time dino dollars: first, you can always bet on the black and yellow ‘saurs. Those are safe (but also cool, stylish) colors. Second, if Sir Orion is at the table, the safer strategy actually becomes to bet on whichever dinosaurs he does not choose. You’re welcome in advance for these wealth-generating suggestions.
I–along with several other adventurers–was torn away from the racing by a fellow with a really cool hat (but sadly no whip, that I could see) who goes by Blackwood Joe. ‘Ole BJ is an archaeologist who managed to get himself into some trouble with a sapphire collarbone. In that his collarbone was actually turning to sapphire. He also said something about a dragon, or rumors of one, but I didn’t fully hear him over the sound of all the dino chips I was raking in. Anyway, a small but effective party set forth to help Blackwood Joe out with this. While Omri, Anton, Eldritch, Irri, Aelias, and a few others kept some mole crabs (that made very interesting noises) at bay, Liselle, Baron Diamonde, and I tried to get a strange-looking door open. Our great enemy, a gentle breeze, kept blowing away all our progress on door-assembly, but eventually we got there. After that, I’m not really sure what happened because I died in front of a completely normal and in no way suspicious-looking door. Irri and Anton raised my armor-less ass probably twenty-seven more times while the rest of the party fought valiantly to drain the batteries out of some golems. In the end, we were triumphant! We escaped a mighty avalanche and got a huge (draconic?) wishbone for our efforts. Luckily for ‘ole Blackwood Joe, it broke in his favor and he was able to wish himself back to normal.
Meanwhile, inside, the nail-biting Stacked Deck finale concluded with a victory by Zatara! I don’t know much about poker, but with a large crowd gathered around observing it looked like a close and well-played game. Jacques came in second, followed up by Bright and then Runaris. The runners up got hefty pouches of gold to gamble further with and the first place prize was some kind of (very nifty I’m sure) artifact. Also inside, Dame Kyomi’s cooking filled the whole hall with a delicious aroma–the lamb and potatoes were particular favorites for me, but she had tons of excellent snacks on offer. Despite being weighed down with lamb, we also managed to get through some (Advanced) Huntress practice. Then, the day’s festivities wrapped up with the ticket raffle. Many interesting prizes. I’d remember what some of them were if Sir Tao hadn’t nailed me in the head with the coins that he was also throwing out as part of the day’s winnings. To elevate a great day even further, we ended up raising quite a bit of money for a great cause. I will certainly be looking forward to future Shuffles!
Crudely drawn and poorly spelled posters have been nailed to seemingly random trees in the more remote and wild places of the Realms. With some difficulty the posters are interpreted to say “Join Raging Rodents! Meet at Mid-Realm!”
A great earthquake has struck Blackavar! Many homes have been damaged, and locals fear new terrors now stalk in the night, with green eyes glowing in the darkness. Old Man Franklin even reported seeing a flaming circle erupt out of nowhere!
Peasants in Chimeron have noticed a particular forest has recently been undergoing rapid growth, with trees sprouting overnight, thick vines blocking paths, and strange plant monsters causing chaos. Some were quick to blame fae shenanigans or new fertilizer, but strange cloaked figures taking an interest in the phenomenon make it seem like there’s something more going on. They have been helping push back the overgrowth with mysterious powers of decay, but what do they really want?
~~~
Increased activity around the subterranean portal to Gi followed a small delegation of native Gidans traveling to the Realms. Folks who are close to militia stationed around the portal say the visitors were members of the Resistance delivering intelligence on locations to be scouted by adventurers from the Realms.
Written by: Tucker "Temorse" Noyes
This weekend marks the twenty ninth Feast of Chimeron, and with it brings all the promise that its former iterations have held, plus some new things. Feast of Chimeron XII was my second event so it holds a special place of nostalgia in my heart, and over the years the shine has not worn off. This year we have a wide variety of things to look forward to. The delicious food will be in abundance as usual, the Tournaments of the Branch make their return on Sunday, and it seems like there will be a variety of questing available throughout the weekend.
Friday night will start the event surrounding the small gods, and it will continue throughout the weekend. In the past we have competed or quested to obtain divine power to help entities take form to become gods. In the past this has resulted in gods like Vesta, the Pale Queen, the Dealer and Autumn Rose. It is up to the adventurers present as to who takes form from this event that happens only once every seven years.
Saturday will see a variety of happenings, but most importantly, food. Feast of Chimeron has a long history of delicious meals, and I expect that this year will be no exception from Dame Cimones Kitchen. There also appears to be some sort of investigation needed in the underground tunnels and caverns beneath the city. And of course, what would a Feast of Chimeron be without court? I look forward to catching up on some of the political and community happenings that I may have missed over the winter.
Saturday and Sunday harkens the return of the Tournaments of the Branch, a tournament I have greatly enjoyed in their past iterations. Having the competitions split into different tiers have made them greatly more competitive as well as accessible for newer folks looking to show their skills. The breadth of the tournaments is also impressive, in the past ranging from combat to engineering to theoretical tactics. I am looking forward to the tournaments with great anticipation.
Organized by: Justin "J'ortsa" Thibeault
1. What is your OOC name?
Amber Fox
2. What is your character's name?
Lady Tarnisha of Darkvale
3. What crafting mediums do you typically work in?
Fabric, trim, floss, beads & pearls // Sewing, quilting, and some jewelry making and embroidery.
Photo provided by Amber
4. What is your favorite medium to work with? Why is it your favorite?
I love Garb-making! What is a character without clothing? Destined to land on an IRL Sex-offender registry, that's what! I love giving myself access to the Clothing befitting my noble station- no way I could afford that IRL and off the shelf. I love helping others elevate their look, Christmas trim snagged 2 Januarys ago makes a huge difference. I love making my cute kid even more adorable with fancy garb or a custom Halloween costume. I love transforming a clearance tablecloth into a beautiful gown with sweeping sleeves. I love the challenge of researching a new historic garment and making it come to life.
Photo provided by Amber
5. What is the most challenging part of working with this medium for you? How did you overcome it?
My first major challenge was understanding how to sew the middle seam of pants-- that is some advanced 3-D geometric manipulation! (Or, it is for me) I needed to look it up and carefully follow instructions on how to arrange the 2 leg-pieces each time --just Trust the instructions. That gave me How. After a while of watching How in action, understanding the Why started to grow. The same was true of how curved pieces come together and how to tweak them in the way that altered the shape the way I wanted. So much seam ripping on many different practice pieces.
6. What is the piece you are most proud of? Why?
My wedding dress-- a white silk Hoop-skirted dress with green trim. I'd practiced on several similar dresses, or parts of dresses, before and the one for the wedding came out great. The silk was unforgiving of re-stitching. The corded trim couldn't do what my design asked it too, but I overcame the challenges. Everything was Just right for my Special Day.
Photo provided by Amber
7. What is the piece you have done most recently that you are allowed to share? Tell us about it!
I just delivered 15 servant sashes to Lord Aeston at FoLev. Before that I was thrilled to have been allowed to do the repair work upon one of the historic Darkvale tabards. I also used strung pearls to add Darkvale heraldry to the dress I wore to B&W this year.
8. What is the earliest piece you made? How long ago did you make it?
My first no-sew garb was in late HS. A satin pillowcase wrapped and folded around a Legal sized Manilla folder rolled into a cone, *stapled* together with a polyester scarf coming out of the top to make a "princess hat" (a Hollywood style Hennin). There was a matching bedsheet I tied with a rope and secured with safety pins into a empire waisted skirt, over leggings and a Cami, then with a lacy topped, sheer-skirted overdress I found at a flea market. I was ready for the Renn faire! My first Guided project was my red-lined green cloak in Nov of '97. I went to W.Mass for Thxgiving break with an older Realmsies and we worked on it over the weekend. My first solo-ish project was a set of 4 side-lacing dresses due for the summer of '00. My favorite of the batch (Half blue, half a warm color-shifting medium brown) was turned into a sideless surcoat and donated to the Peacock table for re-homing 2 years ago.
Photo provided by Amber
9. What medium do you wish to learn more about or have been interested in?
I want to do small metal working. Chasing and Repousse' (metal engraving from both sides) making belt findings, maybe Pewter casting. Really kick my custom jewelry-making up a notch.
10. What advice do you have for the rest of the community when it comes to crafting and making?
Dive right in! Give it a try. Don't be afraid of using free or cheap materials. If you can't get access to a Sewing Machine, a plain needle and thread has worked for millennium.
Photo provided by Amber
11. What inspires you to do what you do?
The results, The intellectual challenge. Or Love for the community, via yards and yards of seams.
12. Is there anything else you really wanna share with us? Any upcoming projects, etc.?
I have so many would-be sewing projects in my stash, it's hard to find the time to bring them to life. But I think the one that will win the next slot is a 14th century open hood. However, those beaded place mats have been begging to go upon a fancy hoop skirt for a while. --- I have tried dozens of different crafts - furniture making, narrow weaving, chain maille knitting, Japanese cord making. I dabbled in leatherworking and basket weaving. Each gives me options for overcoming future challenges, even if I can't see how right now. Even if I didn't love that craft forever, it was still worth learning.
If you have any questions or would like to be inter
viewed, please send a DM to Justin Thibeault (spartan_a239 on Discord)
