By Paul "Grindin" Tilton
A new opportunity to learn! Cultural exchange! What a wonderful opportunity to spend the day at SnakeU and our friends in Zimeya. If I was to succinctly sum up the experience: Snekromancy rules, all other departments drool.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. After a welcome by 3 professors to SnakeU, we took a brief and inscrutable questionnaire to sort us into three houses: Snekromancy, Snistory, and Snarkeology (Unfortunately the study of artifacts, and not snide remarks). That really set the tone for the level of puns we were subjected to throughout the day. Having been sorted, we were led indoors to our departments’ tables, where we read some background on Zimeyan culture, got to see the Ziggurat in the center of the hall, and received our first assignments.
Snekromancy was the first out of the hall, and down into the catacombs. We delved into an ancient crypt, filled with puzzles, hidden runes, moons, and the need to complete a ritual. Alas, that ritual was not completed successfully by the end of our hour’s time, but we sure did get close. Along the way we received our silver Artifact of Ascension, and a smattering of energy, both of which we needed to try and ascend the Ziggurat.
In our first break, we were fed soup! A delicious soup that some people had some level of moral quandary about, but I was focused more on the spinning of the Artifact of Ascension, so that we could clearly show everyone the excellence of Snekromancy. Unfortunately, we had not gotten much energy, and fell behind. I knew that if we tried harder next time, that we could make up the difference.
Our next adventure was delving into some catacombs. We freed some spirits via some puzzles, we energized some wisps and made them fly, then the diseased and possessed guardian of the catacomb was accidentally thrown into a lava river. Then we used the wisps to collect a box out of the lava river, in which was the spirit familiar of the aforementioned guardian. Realizing our unforeseeable mistake, we retrieved his body, performed the well known ritual of singing twinkle twinkle little star, and exorcised him. I truly wish Gary the best at all his future Catacoomb defending ventures.
The next break was a “salad” course, of spring and sushi rolls. I’m unaware of any moral objections to this course. And of course, this was when the Snistory team struck a blow against Snekromancy. Whilst traversing the Ziggurat, we fell down a snake, falling even further behind. And then… Snistory played a card that caused that setback to be even worse. Little did they know, that was the most deadly mistake they could have made. I declared war, they argued that they “had” to play the card, because they bought it (patently false). By the end of our second break, Snekromancy was far behind our competition, and things were looking grim.
Our final assignment was doing something with a burial ritual in another cavern. Honestly, I did not interact with anything, other than trying to hold off an unending assault of undead. Ask Swift if you want more details.
Which gets us to our final break period. 3 Delicious goops were served. Special shoutout to the staff of SnakeU for making too much food, so that I could bring leftovers back to Highmarket and keep eating it all week.
Our unparalleled success on our final mission (I assume) procured the Snekromancy department much energy. Some may say it was because the spirits of the land felt bad for how far back we were, but I know it was based solely on merit. Armed with so much energy, and such a distance to traverse, we knew there was only one move: Prevent Snistory from winning. We purchased cards in the hopes of finding detriments, and detriments did we find. We halved their movement, we stole energy, and hoped for them to land on a snake so that we could send them back a further 5 spaces.
With dwindling energy reserves, both our friends in Snarkeology and the evil Snistory departments neared the top, but could not quite finish the deal, as they needed exact numbers to summit the Ziggurat. I glanced back at our massive pile of energy (some of which were stolen, but hey, they were ours now). My mental math was quick: we had done enough to the competition, and it was time to make a break for the top. And sprint up the Ziggurat we did. As we passed the final snake, we knew that nothing but unfortunate dice rolls could stop us. Each member of Snekromancy took a turn spinning, hoping for a 2 to finish our ascent. On our second to last roll, I took another spin… and managed to land a 2! Against all odds, and the treachery and deceit of the Snistory department, Snekromancy had emerged victorious. The Ziggurat opened, and spilled out its various treasures, which were quickly shared about the room, as all rivalries were forgotten in the revels of treasure (Much love to our yet again friends in Snistory).
A wonderful time was had by all, even if there were a few rumblings about burning the cooks at the stake for some perceived slight.
By: Dustin "Gwynplaine" Mack
Ah Neden, a wretched hive of scum and villainy… no wait, that’s that other place. Neden is a land of undead and hijinx. I always have a fun time visiting Neden. Hydration challenges, fighting pizza monsters, and surviving hordes of undead. But this time, we’re going for a party.
Why do I want to go? It’s my clownly duty to attend little Timmy’s birthday. This way, even if this Earl Von Hurl bozo gets away with stealing Timmy’s party, at least he’ll still have a clown. But that’s not gonna happen. Homie don’t play that! We’ll get the party back from that joker. So come join this insane clown’s posse and help little Timmy get the birthday he deserves. It could be another 27 years before you have this much fun.
OOC: Neden puts on really fun events with lots of humor and spirit. I have never had a bad time at one and I go to as many as I can. I don’t know what Ethan has in store but I’m confident it’ll be entertaining. And it’s the last real questing before that cold white stuff comes back.
A few years back the adventurers of the lands brushed against the veil of death for fae, where they fought eternally in Tir Na Nog as their reward. This day of Black and White they returned, the boundaries marked with flowers. Along with fighting them adventurers could solve other problems in Fae.
Leon Hunura - Adam Huneke, when asked what others missed from Black and White:
"Well, I recall fighting fae spirits (friendly, but really wanted to fight) that were leading us to a village who's name was "lost in the wind." once we got closer to the town, we started fighting that wind, and it dropped various pieces of names, way too many for them all to be included in the town name. When we got to the town we also saw a fae-metal structure with the symbol/rune for The Inventor on it. It had two hatches that were sealed shut, Kiddo used piercing on one of them and was able to grab a letter from inside. (I don't remember what it said, but it was in futhark and was from 'X'). Later, at night, I and a few others revisited the structure and we learned it was a diving bell. There was also something going around regarding the Curse Rune ((Midoru)). I don't think I can say they're not related, but I don't know how they would be. I don't know if we ever resolved what was going on with the town's name."
Blue wasn't killing everybody? Shocked everyone
Black and White Court:
Squire Griffin won Champion of Chimeron
Sir Aelias, Sir Daekara, and Highlord Temorse were given token’s of the King’s esteem
Order of the Peacock announced: The new fashion for the next year is head pieces
Highlord Temorse won the desert contest with s'mores brownies.
Sir Wil took on Griffin as a Squire to the Avatars of Chimeron
King Orion promoted Azimuth from Page to Squire
King Orion took on High Mage Irri as a Ward for the next year
Sir Tirvanel completed the final task for becoming Champion of Aurora
Sir Sagart announced the Order of the Crescent as a group for diplomacy and peaceful relations in the Realms, open to those interested to come talk to members.
Sir Avendar took on Evie as a Squire to the Knights of the Sable Dragon
Mayumi took on Johan as an apprentice to the Order of the Spoon.
Sir Bright was inducted into the Order of the Spoon
Margaret was inducted into the Magi of the Realms
The Nation of Zimeya announced the Feassst of the Gorgon and Aiden Penclaw, Forgemaster of Invictus announced his 30th crafted chainmail shirt and his gratitude to his dear friend and the community for getting him started and encouraging his work over the years.
At Fae Court Raindrop was Knighted to Knight Protectors of Fae and now goes by Dame Raindrop.
By Josh "Silva"
"The demon Seeker was found lurking around after a brief confrontation they second chances away leaving behind a series of skulls found to contain imprisoned souls. It was found out that the souls were being collected in order to be fed to a spider-themed demon. With the assistance of James Swift and Alpacasaurus the souls were freed and sent to their rest."
Much fun was had by all, as is the norm at Black and White, and Death claimed no lives.
The View from Valehaven, would like to take a moment to thank the veterans in our community for their service.
Thank you for your service, and thank you for being a part of our community.
By Kieran/Kyra Barry
[Trips on the way to the weekend and spills copies of Conspiracy MONTHLY from pockets]
By Sarah "Evitta Jainrose" Fournier and Aiden "Ace" Emeric
A Splinter in the Heart of the Earth was a fantastic adventure, let me share my perspective on what you missed!
I arrived at the Church of Aurora on All Hallow’s Eve to see a rousing celebration had already begun. The church was filled with everything a good party needs: a bustling bar, an assortment of food, a casino, music, and a crowd. A magical aura emanated throughout the land, allowing the attendees to shape shift at will, so there were many entertaining creatures to behold, most notably a gigantic chicken. The Blackthorn Bar, operated by Alder with assistance from Grarr served up a wide variety of hot and cold drinks, all equally delicious. I found myself immediately drawn to the Chimeron Casino table, where I played Let It Ride to pass some time.
After a short while, the Queen of All Hallow’s Eve [the Hallowed Queen] made her entrance, formally welcoming us to her party. She excitedly introduced us to a famous bard she hired for the occasion, a quirky character named Merv. Merv had prepared a poem for the celebration, but as they concluded the performance with a chant of “Bagagwa, Bagagwa, Bagagwa!” [editor's note: The name Bagagwa had been used in the poem three times to act as a summoning tool by calling the name thrice innocuously], a figure appeared out of thin air and snatched the Queen’s crown off of her head! In shock, the Queen begged us to chase after the fiend and retrieve her crown, for all of her power was stored within it. Of course, us adventurers grabbed our swords and headed out into the night.
Within just a minute of walking, we ran into hostile creatures covered in candy. Since I was told there would be trick or treating on this night, I had a candy bucket equipped, and as we downed the creatures, I said “trick or treat!” and looted many-a-sweet off of them.
As we continued our journey down the path, we discovered a wizard alchemist in need of assistance. He wished to complete his potion, but was in need of a few ingredients including a fallen star, a pumpkin grown from a soul, a gift freely given, and a light. We excitedly went on our quests to collect the items, which didn’t take too long.
After we had gathered all that was needed, he informed us that he could not stir the potion without his special broom stick. We searched high and low for the broomstick, with trick or treaters harassing us for candy all the while, and discovered it in the hands of a 7-year old candy seeker. I asked if he would be willing to trade some candy for it, but he had grown quite attached to it. Someone else resorted to violence, and got final striked for their treachery. I asked the child why he liked the broom so much, and he said it made him feel safe, and there were scary things in the night. I assured him that if he lets the alchemist borrow the broom for just a moment, we would be able to make the land safe again. He begrudgingly agreed to give the broom back, but only if we agreed to play tag with him… I’m not a runner but I chased that kid down and tackled him to the ground. Unfortunately that wasn’t enough and he wanted to play 2 more times… I was too out of breath for that…
Anyway, someone played his game with him again, retrieved the broom, and brought it back to the alchemist. With relief, the alchemist took back his broom, and stirred the potion, illuminating the cauldron in beautiful colors. Finally, the potion was ready for consumption. As the questing party ate the potion (which became cupcakes), a commotion could be heard in the distance.
Merv had manifested before us, in a pentagram circle with spooky lights surrounding them and the Queen’s crown upon their head. Quickly, Styx disrupted all of the lights, and Merv was vulnerable, but knocked us back every time we tried to approach. Then seemingly out of nowhere, the Bagagwa appeared and swallowed Merv whole! It was quite the sight. The Bagagwa was a massive presence with a pumpkin for a head. We attacked the Bagagwa to no avail; its body was invulnerable. Finally a blow landed on the pumpkin head, and we realized what must be done. We rained strike after strike on that pumpkin head, until it exploded into a pile of candy! We picked up all of the candy, and the Queen’s crown, and made our journey back to the Church of Aurora to celebrate our win with drinks, hot food, and lots of socializing.
When we rose in the morning, we were greeted by a worshipper of Gaia by the name of Aspen. He informed us that Gaia had graced him with a vision the night before. A shard of the Progenitor’s Blade permeated her heart, causing all manner of chaos. The creatures of her grove were inflicted with uncontrolled growth magic, and we needed to retrieve the shard from her heart to grant Gaia and her creatures relief. Aspen led us to Gaia’s Grove within the basement of the Church of Aurora, where we found a seal with a symbol of Gaia. In order to open the seal, followers of Gaia needed to complete a ritual. Within the questing party, I was the only one who called themselves a follower of Gaia, but Traveller had recently become acquainted with her, and had vowed to serve her for a year, so they stepped up to the plate to complete the task. I stood for nature, Aspen stood for healing, and Traveller stood for the hunt, three of Gaia’s domains. We used our collective magics to open a crater in the earth, and one by one we jumped in.
We landed in the Chimeron city sewers… filled with rats. It was absolutely disgusting and Orion, if you’re reading this, please hire some sanitation workers. As we slew rat upon rat, we realized that to continue through the sewer tunnels, we would need to collect keys. It took forever, but we unlocked each tunnel one key at a time. Magnus and Kitty were integral to keeping the quest going, and diligently unlocked the majority of the tunnels. At one point, a few adventurers were sucked into a sewer rat abomination ball, and started hunting down the rest of the questing party. Nearly everyone was consumed and I watched on in horror. The sight of 20+ bodies congealed into a ball and rolling swiftly towards me honestly should’ve caused nightmares, but we persist. After a lot of stabbing, everyone was freed from the rat ball and we resurrected them to continue our quest.
When we broke out of the last tunnel, we were greeted by cave miners who needed our help getting their pickaxes back from some rude goblins. Sounds like an easy task, but it was rough! The goblins had a crazy power to make our limbs extremely heavy and practically unusable. The only way to break that curse was to hack away at our limbs 200 times. After getting afflicted with that a few times, I was wiped out, but eventually we were able to get the pickaxes, and get on our merry way.
Next we encountered a rushing underground river. Luckily we didn’t have to make our own boats, there were some ready for us! I hopped into a boat with Avendar, Pawldo, Nestra, Niamh, and Second, and we quickly sailed away. Goblins stalked us and tried to attack from the shore, and boulders fell from the caverns above us! Thankfully we escaped relatively unscathed, and made it to our next destination with the rest of the group.
At this destination, we were met with a pillar that had 5 empty seals, each inscribed with words written in High Auroran. Thank Gaia we had Magus Margaret with us! She didn't know what the words meant; she isn’t fluent in High Auroran. But she is super smart, and eventually worked out that the words were Birth, Growth, Life, Death, and Decay. The cycle of life. Makes sense!
Stone golems resided by the pillar, and told us that in order to pass, we must unlock all of the seals. Others in the party taught the stone golems about the joys of life, witnessed birth and witnessed growth. I spent most of my time speaking with an elder named Boulder, who had a deep connection with Gaia. Boulder told me that in order to unlock one of the seals, a great personal and permanent sacrifice was required. At this point, my very close friend and fellow Gaia devotee Twenaria arrived. After some contemplation, Twen and I decided that we would each sacrifice 50 soul points to unlock the seal. Others within the questing party were also willing to take on a similar burden on a smaller scale, and I am very grateful to them, but the sacrifice had to be larger than we initially gathered. This was a difficult and yet easy decision for Twen and I. We would both do anything for Mother Gaia. Our sacrifice was deemed worthy, and the seal of Death was obtained. Once Twen and I placed the seal, we sought out where many of our fellow adventurers had headed off to; a graveyard in the distance. This was where we’d find the seal of Decay.
The graveyard was swimming with undead, seemingly impossible to keep down. Twen and I called out to Mother to smite the unnatural foes, and we had a realization: we had to kill undead beings next to their gravestones to end their cycle of undeath, and begin their cycle of decay. We relayed that information to the rest of the group and quickly all of the undead were smote. Well, all except Zombithy (sounds like Timothy except he’s a zombie). Zombithy had been enslaved, I mean befriended by Jasper and Jasper had run off! So we shouted across the way to Jasper that he had to sacrifice his new friend, and that’s what happened. With all of the undead slain, the final seal was obtained and we were ready for one more ritual.
With Twen, Raindrop, Styx, Kitty, Traveller and I surrounding the pillar, we called out to Gaia once more, sharing our tales of the cycle of life and swearing to remove the Shard of the Progenitor’s Blade from her heart. With a whoosh, the 5 seals lit up, and the chamber was opened.
Within Gaia’s Heart, Gaia made her appearance. We approached her in awe. The feeling of seeing her before me was nearly indescribable. A joy unlike any joy I’d felt before. Like the first sip of the best hot apple cider after a long day in the cold. Or the feeling of a hug from your closest friend, only 1000 times better. She was adorned with beautiful fall leaves, and the kindest smile. But I couldn't help noticing a corrupted aura about her. The shard of the Progenitor’s blade had been spreading rampant growth uncontrollably, and she was unable to contain it because it is not of this plane. She asked us to retrieve the shard from her heart, and the questing party enthusiastically agreed to complete the task. We bid Mother farewell, and went off into the night.
Within the dark, we were met with a gigantic and monstrous creature, defending a terrifying hooded figure with a face that could only be described as mind-bending. It shone in 1000 different colors, ever-changing and confusing. I imagine that it was the Progenitor’s Blade’s power personified. The defender had incredible strength, killing anyone it hit with a single blow. We focused our attacks on it, and when we had stunned it, the Avatar became vulnerable. We alternated between killing the defender and the avatar, until finally, both fell. Left in the wake of the avatar was the shard that had caused the chaos we’d been facing all day. Not even 5 minutes after we collected the shard, we were surrounded by a new opponent.
They called themselves the Apostles of the End, led by Lieutenant Sylvain. They were there to collect the shard for their master, Morgan Aster. Many of us were apprehensive about this due to the extremely dangerous nature of the shard. It had corrupted Gaia and had the potential power to destroy the world if combined with the rest of the shards. Most of us had decided that the shard needed to be cleansed or destroyed. The Lieutenant agreed to allow us adventurers to cleanse the shard, but claimed that it could only be done with entropic magic, which none of us were willing to invoke. Margaret lead a fiery ritual to try and purify the shard, but it was disrupted by the Apostles, and unfortunately resulted in a lot of people turning into goo. I rushed in after the fact to try and revive Twen, but as I worked to heal her, the Lieutenant grabbed the Shard from the ground under me and ran off. I chased after him but don’t remember how that ended… Eventually my soul was retrieved and I was resurrected, but the Apostles were gone, nowhere to be seen. We couldn’t let them get away with the shard, it was too dangerous!
Raindrop invoked an awe-inspiring summoning power and Lieutenant Sylvain materialized before us, holding the Shard of the Progenitor’s Blade. We argued back and forth for a bit, the adventurers insisting that we take the shard as we had defeated its avatar and defender (and also we didn’t trust these people). Sir Avendar challenged the Lieutenant to honorable combat, and won. They seemed to reach an agreement to act honorably and truthfully, and the conversation continued with less hostility.
The adventurers and Sylvain talked and talked, but a resolution was hard to come by. Finally, it was suggested that this shard go to the Apostles, and that us adventurers would take the next one that surfaces. An agreement would be made that each party would be communicative about shards surfacing, and they would be split evenly between the Apostles and us. Considering that the Shard was placed within Gaia’s heart for over a year and was imbued with her power, I was not super thrilled about this idea. However, we needed to make our way out of the Heart of Gaia as the Apostles had invoked entropy to cleanse the shard themselves, and it resulted in some terrifying entropic creatures hunting us down.
With a tentative pact of peace, we all fled the Heart of Gaia and started making our way to the surface. Sylvain journeyed with us, and Twen and I got to know him a bit. We told him that we didn’t want a relic of Gaia to be lost, and we wished it to be brought to Gaia’s Grove to be wielded by Gaia’s Champion once they are named. He told us about his master, Morgan Aster, and explained that he didn’t have much of a sense of humor. If Sylvain returned to him without the shard, he would be as good as dead. Honestly, Sylvain was a very likeable guy, so we wanted to work it out. We requested an audience with his master, and the look on Sylvain’s face was pretty concerning. He didn’t want to piss off his master, but this was important to us! He said he would be able to arrange it. Honestly I was pretty nervous about what we would be facing, but don’t worry dear reader, we lived! I’m writing this article!
We traversed through the caverns, fighting entropic creatures along the way, and Twen and I contemplated what we would say to this terrifying Morgan Aster. I’m grateful to the adventuring party for getting us through the caverns because I didn’t do much to contribute here besides heal a bit and worry about how that conversation would go. After an arduous journey, we reached the Church of Aurora once more, where we found Laika and other followers of Aurora, including Makhta, had been overcome with entropic magic. They had to be slain and rendered soulless by a shard of the Progenitor’s Blade to be cleansed. Thankfully Pawldo with his shard dagger, and Jasper, borrowing the newest shard from Sylvain, took up their arms and completed the grisly task. With the entropic magic stopped, and our friends back to normal, the party’s quest was complete, and Twen and I braced ourselves to meet the Master.
His presence was intimidating, but his demeanor was surprisingly normal. He patiently listened as we explained our devotion to our Goddess, and our concerns about relinquishing the Shard of the Progenitor’s Blade which had become imbued with Gaia’s own magic. The adventurers had already agreed that this shard would go with the Apostles, but for us to let go of a piece of Gaia felt completely impossible. Graciously, the Master explained that he could remove all of the Gaian ties from the shard, so that her magic could be returned to her. Twen and I agreed, and watched as he conducted the ritual before us. With a sigh of relief, we bid farewell to Sylvain and Morgan, and took a nap on Mom’s lap (the ground).
I’m still exhausted just thinking about the events of the weekend, but I am ever so glad that I did not miss it. It is abundantly clear how dangerous the Progenitor’s Blade and Entropy are, and we must do everything we can to ensure that all of that power does not fall into the wrong hands. Although this missive is written from my perspective, I must stress that the things I did and witnessed were not all of the important parts of this story, and I’m sure I missed some things in the chaos. Countless adventurers stepped up to the plate to ensure our success. My sincerest thanks go out to all who journeyed to the Heart of Gaia to defend my Goddess and bring balance to the Grove once more. It is a kindness I will not soon forget.
May the ground underfoot be steady, and the wind be at your back,
Druid Evitta Jainrose Blackthorn
Captain of the Broken Spears
Squire to the Order of the Sable Dragon
Initiate to the Order of the Lunar Aegis
By: Timothy "James Swift" Suitor
A busy summer has at last come to an end, and though I gladly quest until the last quest is done, the quieter months are now upon us. With these quieter months, I can turn my focus more greatly upon my studies, with a focus on the Necromancy I’ve been learning.
Luckily though, someone recently brought a missive to me! SnakeU is hosting an academic conference on the Obsidian Necropolis, its mysteries, and leading expeditions within? As quick as my pen could write I issued an RSVP and began gathering my kit.
Alternating expeditions with time for research, rest, and refreshments throughout the day is a brilliant way to keep our bodies strong for the fight, and our minds keen for uncovering more about this Ziggarut. Whether or not you have an interest in Necromancy, I hope many of you will join us, many eyes will be able to pick up on details some of us may miss, and it takes many hands to lift a boulder, so to speak. …and literally. Ahem.
If the field of study doesn’t suit you, consider that this is one of the last adventures you may be likely to have until the spring thaw, so close out a year of questing with a great huzzah. You will be fed by a new team of chefs looking to make their mark, and that in of itself can be an adventure!
I hope to see many of you out there this weekend!
Ever the Student,
Magus Prime, Sir James Swift
((While I myself will be taking the whole thing way too seriously, this team has proven to do exceptionally well at fun and light content, mixed with some good depth. The wording around the food they’ve described has me excited to see what they come up with, and I’m sure they will have some high quality standard fare for the less adventurous of us.
And really, this is one of the last chances to quest side by side with one another for a good while, so it will be great to see whoever can make it!
Looking forward to seeing you out there,
Timothy Suitor))
Greetings friends, I'm back with your irregularly scheduled predictions. I hope nothing too spooky happened last month. I'm sure all the scary stuff is over now. Lets see what the month of "thinking of others" brings.
Air
Your future focuses on emotions and attitudes
Fall should look for anger
Spring will see happiness
Summer should find moments of kindness
Winter may see importance in fear
Day will find theirs in an enemy. Night will show it themselves.
Earth
The color yellow will affect you soon
Fall may see it on a weapon
Spring will find heraldry
Summer should look for something with fur
Winter will see a hat
Day may find the color used by an ally, while Night will see it on a foe.
Fire
A day of the week holds your fate
Fall T̶̢̛̳̗͓̫̼̭̘͎̘̣̎̃́̐̑̾͐̂̅̋͑͝͝ẖ̵͈̗̳̤̯̝̭̠̜̙͈͚̑̈́́̄̇̿̿̽̔̂̕ę̵̢̧̛̹͚̠͚̱̟͋͊̎͆́̏͑̀̂̈́̿͝ͅ ̵̲͔́̓̅͝s̴͇̞͙̼̲̘͖̠̝͖̪͓͖͉̩͙̽͂̌̂̒̃͗̔͛͋͜u̶̢͚͎̗͖̯̙͌̍̎̾̈́̎͗̉̓̅́͂̈́̌͆ͅn̵̢̗̞͖͉̟̼͔͈͍̱̖͖͎̈́͛̓̅͠ͅ ̵̭̪̩̙̯̞͕͂̏̿̽̑̊̋̀̒̓͑̕͠͠i̴̡̩̭͔̗̝̦̰̪͙̝̹͓̠̦͓̾s̴̯̞̖̠͎̙̆̂͆͛̍͆̈́̓̃̊̔͐̽̅̋̏͘ ̴̲̙̖̼͎̻͙̙̼̈́̾̅̽͐̋̎̄̋̃̍̈́̎͑ĥ̵̟͔̺͜ä̷̘́̐ţ̵͕͙̠͇͚̹̳͈̳̀̍̾̓̓̀͘c̸̢̢̮͎̫͎̥͇̩̞̣̯̣͉̻͊͆̍͒̔͒̈́̕͝ẖ̶̝̣͎̆̉̂̏̈̔͗͒̓̐̔̀̎̚͝͠i̷̢̨̨̯͕͕̹̺̠͉̲͚͔̳͐͌̀͊͂̍͊̀̍n̵̨̛̟̹̈́̐͑́͋̈́̈́́̅̏͒̽̕̚͠͝g̷̡̨̛͇͔̗͙͉̩͇͕̀̄̓̾͑̊͒
Spring T̶̢̛̳̗͓̫̼̭̘͎̘̣̎̃́̐̑̾͐̂̅̋͑͝͝ẖ̵͈̗̳̤̯̝̭̠̜̙͈͚̑̈́́̄̇̿̿̽̔̂̕ę̵̢̧̛̹͚̠͚̱̟͋͊̎͆́̏͑̀̂̈́̿͝ͅ ̵̲͔́̓̅͝s̴͇̞͙̼̲̘͖̠̝͖̪͓͖͉̩͙̽͂̌̂̒̃͗̔͛͋͜u̶̢͚͎̗͖̯̙͌̍̎̾̈́̎͗̉̓̅́͂̈́̌͆ͅn̵̢̗̞͖͉̟̼͔͈͍̱̖͖͎̈́͛̓̅͠ͅ ̵̭̪̩̙̯̞͕͂̏̿̽̑̊̋̀̒̓͑̕͠͠i̴̡̩̭͔̗̝̦̰̪͙̝̹͓̠̦͓̾s̴̯̞̖̠͎̙̆̂͆͛̍͆̈́̓̃̊̔͐̽̅̋̏͘ ̴̲̙̖̼͎̻͙̙̼̈́̾̅̽͐̋̎̄̋̃̍̈́̎͑ĥ̵̟͔̺͜ä̷̘́̐ţ̵͕͙̠͇͚̹̳͈̳̀̍̾̓̓̀͘c̸̢̢̮͎̫͎̥͇̩̞̣̯̣͉̻͊͆̍͒̔͒̈́̕͝ẖ̶̝̣͎̆̉̂̏̈̔͗͒̓̐̔̀̎̚͝͠i̷̢̨̨̯͕͕̹̺̠͉̲͚͔̳͐͌̀͊͂̍͊̀̍n̵̨̛̟̹̈́̐͑́͋̈́̈́́̅̏͒̽̕̚͠͝g̷̡̨̛͇͔̗͙͉̩͇͕̀̄̓̾͑̊͒
Summer T̶̢̛̳̗͓̫̼̭̘͎̘̣̎̃́̐̑̾͐̂̅̋͑͝͝ẖ̵͈̗̳̤̯̝̭̠̜̙͈͚̑̈́́̄̇̿̿̽̔̂̕ę̵̢̧̛̹͚̠͚̱̟͋͊̎͆́̏͑̀̂̈́̿͝ͅ ̵̲͔́̓̅͝s̴͇̞͙̼̲̘͖̠̝͖̪͓͖͉̩͙̽͂̌̂̒̃͗̔͛͋͜u̶̢͚͎̗͖̯̙͌̍̎̾̈́̎͗̉̓̅́͂̈́̌͆ͅn̵̢̗̞͖͉̟̼͔͈͍̱̖͖͎̈́͛̓̅͠ͅ ̵̭̪̩̙̯̞͕͂̏̿̽̑̊̋̀̒̓͑̕͠͠i̴̡̩̭͔̗̝̦̰̪͙̝̹͓̠̦͓̾s̴̯̞̖̠͎̙̆̂͆͛̍͆̈́̓̃̊̔͐̽̅̋̏͘ ̴̲̙̖̼͎̻͙̙̼̈́̾̅̽͐̋̎̄̋̃̍̈́̎͑ĥ̵̟͔̺͜ä̷̘́̐ţ̵͕͙̠͇͚̹̳͈̳̀̍̾̓̓̀͘c̸̢̢̮͎̫͎̥͇̩̞̣̯̣͉̻͊͆̍͒̔͒̈́̕͝ẖ̶̝̣͎̆̉̂̏̈̔͗͒̓̐̔̀̎̚͝͠i̷̢̨̨̯͕͕̹̺̠͉̲͚͔̳͐͌̀͊͂̍͊̀̍n̵̨̛̟̹̈́̐͑́͋̈́̈́́̅̏͒̽̕̚͠͝g̷̡̨̛͇͔̗͙͉̩͇͕̀̄̓̾͑̊͒
Winter T̶̢̛̳̗͓̫̼̭̘͎̘̣̎̃́̐̑̾͐̂̅̋͑͝͝ẖ̵͈̗̳̤̯̝̭̠̜̙͈͚̑̈́́̄̇̿̿̽̔̂̕ę̵̢̧̛̹͚̠͚̱̟͋͊̎͆́̏͑̀̂̈́̿͝ͅ ̵̲͔́̓̅͝s̴͇̞͙̼̲̘͖̠̝͖̪͓͖͉̩͙̽͂̌̂̒̃͗̔͛͋͜u̶̢͚͎̗͖̯̙͌̍̎̾̈́̎͗̉̓̅́͂̈́̌͆ͅn̵̢̗̞͖͉̟̼͔͈͍̱̖͖͎̈́͛̓̅͠ͅ ̵̭̪̩̙̯̞͕͂̏̿̽̑̊̋̀̒̓͑̕͠͠i̴̡̩̭͔̗̝̦̰̪͙̝̹͓̠̦͓̾s̴̯̞̖̠͎̙̆̂͆͛̍͆̈́̓̃̊̔͐̽̅̋̏͘ ̴̲̙̖̼͎̻͙̙̼̈́̾̅̽͐̋̎̄̋̃̍̈́̎͑ĥ̵̟͔̺͜ä̷̘́̐ţ̵͕͙̠͇͚̹̳͈̳̀̍̾̓̓̀͘c̸̢̢̮͎̫͎̥͇̩̞̣̯̣͉̻͊͆̍͒̔͒̈́̕͝ẖ̶̝̣͎̆̉̂̏̈̔͗͒̓̐̔̀̎̚͝͠i̷̢̨̨̯͕͕̹̺̠͉̲͚͔̳͐͌̀͊͂̍͊̀̍n̵̨̛̟̹̈́̐͑́͋̈́̈́́̅̏͒̽̕̚͠͝g̷̡̨̛͇͔̗͙͉̩͇͕̀̄̓̾͑̊͒
Day should prepare for the morning and Night will see happenings in the afternoon.
Metal
Your future lies in the weather
Fall may find fate on a sunny day
Spring will see theirs in the cold
Summer should watch for rain
Winter could see something on a windy day
Day is destined to have an accident. Night will see good luck.
Water
People will shape your destiny
Fall will be impacted by a blacksmith
Spring will find a healer to be important
Summer should look for a fletcher
Winter may want to be aware of clowns
Day will be lead to fortune, but Night will have doom brought to them.
Got your morning cup of coffee and a few minutes? Great! We're trying out a new feature at the View - we're going to be asking a series of questions and we want to know your answers! The question is posted below. So while you sip your morning beverage of choice, ruminate on this one:
You've just come in from a brisk fall quest, what is your go to cozy drink and meal you choose to warm yourself up?
TLDR; The Order of the Spoon is helping to organize assistance during the upcoming uncertainty of food assistance benefits, if you could use assistance with meals or groceries or you would like to volunteer to help, please click HERE. To donate funds please click HERE. __________________________________________________
The Order of the Spoon has taken pride in feeding the people of The Realms for decades, from grand feasts to quest snacks, the order has provided countless meals to our community. Now more than ever we are planning to serve up the community, both in game and in real life. With changes and uncertainty surrounding food assistance programs across the US, we want to make sure that no member of our community goes without.
In that spirit, The Order of the Spoon, with inspiration from Becky Baron, is organizing an effort to raise funds and deliver home-cooked meals to members of our community who may be affected by this shutdown.
If you or someone you know could use a hand, whether that’s a warm meal, groceries, or a little extra help getting by; please fill out the form linked HERE
All submissions will only been seen by select members of the orders administrative council, and only the necessary delivery details will be shared with volunteers helping to prepare and deliver meals.
If you would like to help cook or deliver meals, you can also sign up through the same form linked above, every pair of hands and every bit of care helps keep this community strong. If you would like to donate to the fund, please do so HERE. We will also be hosting a bake sale to help raise donations at Feassst of the Gorgon on November 8th, 2025.
In addition to this, we would like to take a moment to remind the community about the Paladins Fund, if you need further financial assistance, please do not hesitate to contact Kelly Bonci.
[Editor’s note; You can learn a little bit about the Paladins Fund in this article]
Now more than ever, we have the chance to live up to the ideals we play for: resilience, compassion, and community. The Realms community has always been there for each other, I'm certain this time will be no different.
In service,
Dani Lacasse
The Order of the Spoon
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me directly via discord or messenger.
Organized by James "Tao" Murphy
Please physically describe your shield; style, Heraldry colors etc?
My shield is a coffin/teardrop style punch shield, with a black border and background, and a gold dragon with its wings spread. The gold dragon is the symbol of Gold Squad, a subsection of the Chimeron militia that Ryu and I started, along with some other, when we joined. I've considered making a new shield or replacing the heraldry, but it really speaks to where I started from, and Hannah made such a fantastic little dragon that I don't really want to at this point.
How long have you had your shield?
The first picture I can find of it is paired with my newbie sword in mid-December 2021, so since then! Considering I started playing in October of 2021, that's almost my whole Realms career so far.
Is this your preferred shield style?
Frankly, a bigger shield just usually makes sense to me. It feels like the multi-tool of shields, I can be solid and steady, or I can take off after people without too much effort. The punch design rather than strap shield is also my preference, again for perceived versatility. I have and have used larger shields though, and those feel like something to lug around half the time. This size coffin shield makes the most sense for the way I play right now.
Have you ever tried a different style of shield?
Yep, I've got a 3' round, an 18" buckler, both punch style. I've also got a larger plywood strap shield, that one's definitely a door, albeit a small door. I've fought with all of them, they just don't hit that fighting sweet spot.
Who made it?
I made my shield! Stephen (Laika) invited Zack (Tony) and I over to his home in November/December of 2021 to help us make our first shields. He even got most of the materials for us, and cut out the designs on his Cricut.
Have you ever had to fix/repair/refoam it since it's original creation?
Yup, I have had to refoam (and thus retape) it once before. I think it's got another round of that coming up soon, though I try to store it well to avoid too much need for repair. I have to keep tightening the screws too, which like slowly backing out and turning the shield into a tambourine with the rattling washers. I'm pleased that the only part that I've had to replace so far has been the foam and tape!
What is your favorite move with the shield?
I am sure that I have a repertoire of moves that I do, but I haven't really spent the time to categorize and sort them. I do really enjoy when I fight folks who don't know me well and I get a small advantage due to them being surprised at the amount of forward aggressive movement I can have, rather than the expected solidity shield fighters often have. I have been trying to better learn and implement the move where you deflect a weapon to the shield, lift the shield, and come up to get your opponent in the chest. Perhaps I shouldn’t be giving away the moves I’m working on, but I’m very excited every time I pull it off so I’ve found myself telling folks anyways!
Do you have any interesting stories about the shield?
I have found that the shield is quite useful in helping me hide. Black is actually not as advantageous to hiding at night as some people think, but it certainly helps in a pinch when enemies are rushing by and the trees are already helping. The first time I deliberately hid behind it, I had regenerated near an incredibly difficult enemy, and I was all alone on the night quest. I started sneaking out of the area, ran, and we’ll say I deliberately and tactically went down into a dip in the ground. As the NPC was approaching I flipped my shield around so the gold was hidden. That bit of hiding bought me time so that allies could unknowingly distract the NPC from me. It felt really cool, to be able to use the tools I had for more than their intended purpose.
Written by: Heath "Styx" Sainio
Unto the Realms,
In recent months, central Chimeron has found itself with a new and dangerous problem:
uncontrolled growth, of both plants and animals. Creatures are changing in strange ways, healing
magic is going haywire and the very earth has shook. This is all due to an out-of-control artifact
from another, a so-called Shard of the Progenitor's Blade that has gone rampant.
To fix this, we must go down deep into the earth under Chimeron City to retrieve the
shard and bring it under control. Based on what we have seen so far, this is looking to be a
treacherous expedition and I would welcome all those who would join us. Please bring your best
hammers, stoutest pickaxes and finest explosives.
That said, even once we make it to the shard, we will still have much to contend with. No
doubt strange magics will be needed to bring the shard under control, and who knows what lies
that far down below, waiting for us. To make matters even more complicated, we are not the only
ones who seek this shard. The Apostles of the End, who wield Entropic magic and seek to rid the
world of corruption (as they see it). It is still not yet clear whether we will talk or fight, but surely
we adventurers can put our heads together and figure things out.
The path ahead is complex and fraught, but I believe with everyone's help, we can make
it through.
- Styx of Gryphon Hall
P.S. On Friday we're having a shapeshifting contest or something at the Church of Aurora in
Chimeron City. I'm not really sure what's going on, but maybe I'll shapeshift into insurance
paperwork or something.
P.P.S. Apparently Makhta, Jasper and Vesper are starting a speakeasy and got their booze stolen.
I figure stealing back -ahem- reallocating the alcohol might be a good way to destress after the
heavy saving the world stuff.
P.P.P.S Cast Immunity to Poison on Makhta when she starts drinking. It'll be funny, I promise.
OOC: This event is looking like a great time, with one day of intense questing book ended by 2
days of chaos and shenanigans. I've been following Dan's plot since he started it and I'm really
excited for his first full event!
In connections your job is to find the groups of 4 cards that all relate around a single theme. Open the link below to attempt to solve this puzzle and let us know how you did on social media!
This custom Wordle-adjacent-puzzle features a 5-letter word that is particularly relevant to the Realms.
If the embedded page isn't working below you can click this link to get to the puzzle.
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!
In this continuing View feature, we show you a picture of a theoretical magic item. Then you go back to Facebook and in the comments, invent your idea for the powers that this item would have.
Here is this week's item:
By Kieran/Kyra Barry
Or rather, why do WE the community want to go to Black and White?
“Poison punch, dancing, wild hunt, aaaalll the food." - Megan "Cimone"
"Because I want to. Because it's fun." - Beth "Freesia"
Because I like the food and because I like the people." - Eric "Johan"
“Best part of working in the kitchen at Black and White? 'Aw this thing is broken and it can't go out. Nom.'" - Beth "Freesia" again.
"So my kids can run around and so I can ignore them. And it's fun dressing up" - Jess "Pirate J"
"Because I have to... because everyone else would be sad if there wasn't food" - Ian "Bright", and he’s right.
Because of all this and because when I asked the community why they wanted to go, they readily answered.
“Fun tournaments! Delicious food! Plot developments! Auction stuff! Dancing!” - Kathy "Mahkta"
“To tell people what to wear for the next year.” - Sara "Zarine"
“I’m super excited to experience my second B&W. The first is was super whimsical but now that I understand the game and know how to navigate, I feel like there is so much to look forward to!” - Nixon "Jasper"
“It’s a great event for newbies with low-intensity daytime content, socialization, food, court, garb, and roleplay! An excellent into to our community putting its best foot forward” - John "Gordon"
To me Black and White is the quintessential autumnal event. The crisp fall air pairs nicely with a cup of ever popular poison punch. Event Holders and Plot Runners love it for the opportunity to share low stakes plot hooks at an event that scores of players attend. The pre-reg list is over a hundred strong, and that doesn’t account for the people who show up day of, either as returning players or folks who’ve never sneezed in the direction of a LARP before.
Kelly who plays Fern heads the baking competition, and as last year’s winner I look forward to judging this year’s category of brownies! Bring all but the helpful house folk, except as friends, not food. The dessert table will be showcasing treats from the community, something I somehow find room for after the delicious fare that the kitchen provides all day.
Plus there will be fae plot abounding in particular. Something to do if you find the myriad of other activities not drawing your attention as much. Test your skill at tournaments, try your luck at stacked decks, and dance with Death at Chimeron's Masquerade!
By: Keith "Harkle" Palmer-Poirier & Becca "Nestra" Shields
Greetings Individuals of the Realms.
For those of you unable to travel to Archendell, Blackavar, or other places, myself (Harkel), and Nestra have prepared a report of the events that occurred recently.
Friday night:
Arriving in Archendell, as per the concerns of Wilma Wilmot and Baron Kurt Gautier, we were informed that some of the locals had gone missing alongside the appearance of strange portals from which Harrowed Ones were appearing out of. Sir Darion Gautier guided the group of adventurers to the portals, where we began combat against the Harrowed Ones present while working through the field, breaking portals in pairs based on the color of the portal.
Once the field was cleared, we moved back to town, finding that a door had disappeared. While fighting Harrowed Ones that appeared from where the door was, we had a portion of our group searching for the fragments of the door. In this process, they also met a speaking doorknob, which was a component of the door. With a final push, we managed to secure the doorway and rebuild it, speaking to the doorknob and securing the area. After the area was secure, the being known as Danny appeared and spoke with the group. With that, we were done for the night.
Saturday:
Hey friends, Nestra here! I’m popping in to tell you guys about some of cool stuff that I got to do at KoSD Questing 3 on Saturday:
At the start of the day, my friends and I were sent to help a village overrun by snakes, wolves, and bears. The guards were missing, so we fought through the enemies, found keys to unlock houses, and rescued trapped villagers who had been robbed. We returned what items we could and promised to help them however possible.
Next, we found the missing guards at a fighting ring centered around an undefeated chipmunk waiting to battle another woodland creature. To shut the ring down, Timm—our only woodland creature—fought the chipmunk “to the pain” and won. After healing the chipmunk and ending the ring, we regrouped at the tavern.
We were then tasked with handling a group of imagined dragons. After defeating some of the adult dragons, we met baby dragons who gave us various tasks to complete. Nearby, a mysterious chalice called to all of the dragons in our own group, offering each of us power over all Blackavar dragons. We gathered song lyrics from the baby dragons and sang it to empower the chalice to contain the sleeping dragons. When we did, it erupted into a pillar of fire—showing our success.
Later, a group of orcs asked for help recovering lost blacksmithing materials. To earn access to their forge, we fought them in the orc pits using matched weapon combos. After winning, we helped them retrieve the materials and forged swords of Blackavar steel, a material stronger than regular steel.
Saturday capped quest:
As the forging ended, I joined a smaller group on a quest to recover J’ortsa’s soul from Death. A being named Nightmare appeared and challenged us, vulnerable only to magic and requiring a new person to strike him every time he was killed. After defeating him, we met Death’s granddaughter, who guided us through more battles until we finally faced Death himself.
Death offered a deal: if we beat him in a card game, he’d return J’ortsa’s soul, but another adventurer had to be bound to him. We quickly learned that Death played by his own set of rules and not the ones he laid out for the rest of us. So, after several failed attempts to get Death out—and some card swapping between Bogen and Timm to keep all of ourselves in—Bogen cast Deus Ex Machina to erase Death’s last move. With no tricks left, Death was forced to concede.
Finally, we discussed who should take the bond. Since it had to be someone unaffiliated with Chimeron, Crane volunteered. We agreed she was the right choice, and she accepted the bond and its boon.
I’m signing off and sending you guys back over to Harkel for the rest of the weekend’s activities. See you guys out there!
Nestra
Upon the rest of the group finishing our forging, we rejoined with a member of the Woodland Alliance who was contracted by the Tauntons and made our way to the crypt of Friedrich Bardus, the original knight commander of the Knights of the Sable Dragon. On our way, we found a large spider named Charlotte who spoke to many of our party. While some of the group entered her web, the rest of us continued to the crypt, entering and finding a painting that needed completing. Once done, while a group of us warded off the Harrowed Ones, the room was shaking, and then changed. Inside the changed room, there was a bust of Friedrich Bardus’s head and an urn, which inflicted some of our ranks with Harrowed. Additionally, there was a scroll container with a family lineage within.
Saturday night:
Returning to the village, we saw Sir Darion Gautier being lured away by an individual with a green apple. As he was second chance-ed to the Harrowed Lands, we moved to pursue using the door we had constructed the prior night. Entering the land, we once more encounter Charlotte. After a duration of negotiations, we were able to convince her to divulge the location of Sir Gautier. Making our way through her web, we encountered a series of branching paths in which we had to make a decision based on our values. Once a decision was made, we were restricted for the duration of our time along that path.
Reaching a clearing after multiple of such questions, we encountered the entity known as War who gave us one final question. When we declared our use of anger during battle, War’s soldiers set upon us, killing us all while we were unable to harm them. Being brought back, we were in a clearing where, after some combat against more Harrowed Ones, we found Sir Darion Gautier and managed to escape from the Harrowed lands through the door from which we entered.
Sunday:
Nixon’s mod:
Traveling to the village which, while recently visited, now appeared long abandoned, we encountered a hoard of undead surrounding glimpses of individuals who we could not interact with. Following their path, we found our way to a village in which we could see the townsfolk, yet they were not fully there. Instead, it appeared as though the residents were stuck in a time loop of some form, and the only way to remove them from the loop was to do their duties for them, such as forging a sword for the blacksmith or killing the kobolds who attacked the village in the correct order, rather than the guard. Once we completed each task, we received a puzzle piece, obtaining all of which allowed us to break the loop and free the village.
Matthew’s mod:
Traveling through the Lauralins, we entered the version of Hell tied to that land. Seeing ice and fire creatures fighting, we made our way across the battlefield before being confronted by a door which maintained a record of those who had crossed through. Upon the door opening, we were faced with plant creatures which we rapidly fought our way through, though not without some of our allies being infected with the Blooming, a plant based virus which we had been called to attempt to remove from a villager. Arriving at the village, we found the sickly child alongside destroyed houses and a stronger creature which, when heavily injured, fell to the ground for a moment, still alive, before once more getting up, stronger than before. After a duration of fighting, we killed it and, taking the villagers with us, returned to the portal where the Blooming was transferred from the child to one of our own. With that, the door opened and we were able to leave.
Kyra’s mod:
Entering a tavern, we met with the Order of the Red Wings, an order of dragon hunters including a veteran hunter named Arthun. He requested our aid in dealing with dragons nearby which he claimed were wreaking havoc on the village. Moving forwards, we encountered orcs and other beings which were defending the dragon’s mountain. Denying our request to move forwards, we fought our way through the hostile beings until entering the mountain after catching a glimpse of a dragon. Entering the mountain, the ground collapsed into lava behind us, spurting bubbles of lava as we worked to clear the cave in ahead. Once fully inside the mountain, we encountered two dragons Miasma and Briggsy, as well as a clutch. Arthun reappeared as we made progress in speaking to the dragons and, after some arguing, revealed that he was behind much of the harm coming to the village, though some was also due to the odd choice of livestock by the villagers.
After he became outwardly hostile, Arthun used trade secrets to undergo a draconian transformation, summoning Cadmasian soldiers to fight alongside him against us. After a long battle that included adding teeth to our weapons so that we were able to harm him, we felled Arthun and managed to help the dragons and other villagers come to an understanding that would lead to them being able to coexist.
That is all,
Harkel
A grasping claw of evil spreads across the land, a god of magic and knowledge turned to wrath in the face of loss, a familiar but new magic system to explore. Will you heed Ihrin's call for aid?
By Jasper "Ihrin"
Greetings, fellow adventures:
Once again we venture forth into the lands of Blackwood. Strange new magic is brewing and the autumn air is crisp and enticing. The time for feasting will be upon us again soon but It seems that what came to pass in New Fjallhom is still following us and the Ork-ne threat cannot be ignored. Their soul mounds are most concerning and cannot be allowed to spread any further than they already have. The powerful magics of the Arcanum seem to be our best chance at defeating them once and for all. There is much to learn and much we still do not understand but with our brave heroes and the Arcanum Corps working in tandem, I'm sure that there is much that can and will be achieved.
I have heard much about Shadowdragon from Elizah but this will be my first time visiting myself. I certainly wish it were under better circumstances but the Spears shall always answer when the horn is sounded. I look forward to exploring these lands and ensuring the safety of all who dwell within. Together we will surely see this through.
In service,
Ihrin
Quartermaster of the Broken Spears Free Company
By: Bri "Margaret" Meisser
Disability is something that encompasses every aspect of one's life. I was given a task to write 3 articles about my disability and how it impacts my ability to engage with the Realms. I will be splitting this series into 3 distinct sections. Bri The Player, Margaret The Character, and Bri The Event Holder. My hope is that by the end of this series, you will have a better respect for some of the struggles our disabled players go through in order to continue to play this game we love. Becoming disabled is the only minority group anyone can join at any time, and we will all deal with health related issues as we age. But maybe by working together, we can create a game that’s more accommodating and understanding to those issues. I am only one disabled individual, and everyone’s experiences are unique. But here are mine. This is Bri the Player.
For those who don’t know me, I’m Bri Meisser and I play Margaret August. I have several different medical conditions and disabilities. But the one that impacts me the most is something called POTS. Postural Orthostatic Tachycarida Syndrome. I’m not the only one in the community who has this condition, and everyone’s severity levels are different. But I can speak to how it impacts me. When I stand up, my heart races. I feel fatigued and dizzy. If it’s really bad I may faint. I’m intolerant to the heat, and the brutal summer weather has made it difficult for me to enjoy those events. I take over a dozen meds a day to try and manage symptoms, as well as infusions multiple times a week. When you see me at events, I may look fine, but I’m usually managing dozens of symptoms while trying to put on a smile. I also have a connective tissue disorder. Walking can be challenging for me at times as my ankles try to roll with every step, and the way I have to fight and hold a sword may look funny. My joints ache and swell when it rains. I’m in constant pain. I can’t hold a pen right, and may struggle with certain dexterity based tasks. All of these things are challenging in our WISIWYG game which requires a lot of athleticism. In spite of this, I show up to events. A lot of them. I play this game because I love it, and it is worth it to me even when I am in pain and struggling for the joy it brings me. I can quest, I can socialize with friends. I can throw events and tell beautiful stories. I may not be able to solve all the problems in the real world, but in our world anyone can be a hero, even me. And that matters.
I am writing this article from a hospital bed having just missed one of my favorite event series. I say this not to gain sympathy, but to establish a difficult fact that I’ve had to learn. Disability requires sacrifice. It can be given willingly or it can be forcefully taken. But when you are disabled your body or your mind will take its due. You may be able to delay this for a time, you may push off the struggle, but the more you push the worse the crash will be. And sometimes this is worth it. Am I willing to spend a week recovering from an event is a constant calculation I have to make. And I’ve had an amazing time at events that I’ve paid for later. But sometimes even if you are willing to pay the price you hit the end of the line. And that’s where I am right now.
I was hospitalized last week with sepsis. It was really scary, but I did my due diligence and took all my antibiotics as prescribed. My doctors cleared me and told me I had recovered enough to make it to KoSD questing. I was so excited that I spent all week doing preparations and planning with the event team on accommodations. But when my fever and chills came roaring back on the Friday of the event, I knew my choice was to go to the hospital myself, or to be taken there in an ambulance during the event. And it wasn’t really a choice at all.
In the section about Margaret the Character I will discuss more about how I get through the events I can make. But the events I can’t make impact me just as much as those I can. People sometimes like to jokingly make fun of me for my war councils and being over prepared for events. But part of why I put in so much preparation before events is that I never know if I’m going to have to miss an event. And even if I miss an event, I want to be able to say I contributed to the success of the questing party. That is the kind of player I want to be and the kind of legacy I want to leave behind in this game.
I’m in a weird situation where my disability has developed since I started playing the game. And part of me is lucky, because I don’t think I’d be here if it hadn’t. But that has been really hard in its own ways. I’m constantly comparing what I’m able to do now to what I was able to do when I first started playing. It can be incredibly disheartening at times. However, it can also be sort of strangely validating in other ways. It’s very difficult to measure the progression of disability day to day because it happens slowly and isn’t always linear. There are crashes and periods of recovery. Internalized ableism is very real and sometimes I ask myself if I’m actually disabled or if I’m faking it. But even with all of my meds and other interventions, if I tried to do what I did at DI2 today it would land me in the hospital if I wasn’t already here. This is a fact I have to live with, and it shapes everything about how I play this game.
Being disabled in our game requires an incredible amount of resilience. Quite frankly, if I was already disabled when I started I don’t think I would be here today. I wouldn’t have the same community ties or support network to make it work. As is, I’ve considered quitting on multiple occasions when it’s felt like the obstacles were too much to overcome. I have so many more things I need to consider when choosing my events to attend than most people do. Just a few of the questions I have to ask myself include:
How far away is the event? Do I have the energy to drive myself there? To drive home?
Will I be able to eat at the event? Do I need to bring my own food? Order out?
What is the parking situation? Will I be able to get back to my car safely? Will I be able to access my mobility aids if I need to swap halfway through an event?
If it’s a full weekend is the event close enough to commute? Do I have friends nearby I can stay with? If I stay on site, what is the food, bed, and bathroom situation and is this suitable for my needs?
What’s the weather like? Is it too hot or too rainy? Do I need to bring my heated or cooling vest? Heated gloves? Raincoat? How many layers and how many pairs of socks? Is there indoor space I can go to warm up/cool down?
What level of mobility aids will I need to get through an event? (This will depend on the weather too). Is the site accessible for a wheelchair or walker? Can I still participate in content if I’m using my aids? Is the level of content I can participate in worth the effort and cost?
What are the Covid/Flu levels in the community right now? Is it safe enough for me to attend this event?
And I have to ask all of these questions for the ~20 events a year I attend, as well as the dozen or so more I miss. It’s exhausting constantly making these mental calculations. I always feel bad about missing an event because I want to support the event holders in our community the same way they’ve helped support me. Part of me feels like I should staff and NPC more often, but it’s super challenging to balance when I desperately need the weekends I don’t play as recovery weekends.
In my first year I attended nearly every event on the calendar. But as events became more frequent and my health worsened, I began having to pick and choose more often. I took time to learn which event series I deeply cared about and which I would be okay missing. Not because I want to miss events but because I have to. I used to get really bad FOMO about missing stuff, because everything was so new to me and I wanted to experience it all. And I still do. But I’ve had to come to terms with the fact that I will miss content. I will miss content that I care about a lot. But I also have developed a network of friends who will help me get caught up on what I need to know. And if anyone else has to miss content they care about, I will do my best to give them that same courtesy.
I’ve talked a lot about the struggles I’ve faced. And they are very real and sometimes feel impossible. But it is not all grim. In spite of all of this I’m still here. And in many ways even as I grow sicker, I have become a more happy and fulfilled person thanks to Realms. Even my OOC family have commented with praise and admiration on my support system, which spans all of New England.
When I need help, I have people I can turn to. It was a realmsie who brought me to the hospital and advocated for me when I needed it, and it was a realmsie who took me home when I was released. It was realmsies who called to try and make me laugh even as I was sad about missing content I care about. When my roommate was sick and I wanted to keep myself healthy due to my risk factors, it was a realmsie who opened a spare room for me. When I arrived at my apartment too tired to unload my car, I had half a dozen people waiting to help me unload because they wanted to help. I have had event holders modify content so that I could play. I have had feastocrats make me a special meal so I wouldn’t go hungry. I have had an NPC assigned to push my wheelchair on a difficult site so that I could participate in a module that was important to me. I have had people offer to carry my bags on quests when they’ve become too heavy, and even to carry me if necessary. I have been shown so much kindness from this community it would take a lifetime to repay it back. And so I am grateful.
Next time, I will discuss how being disabled impacts my ability to play my character. From my spellbuild to roleplay decisions. And how Margaret handles being disabled in a world full of magic due to the WISIWYG nature of our game.
Until then,
Bri Meisser
