March 2007

From BNN:

Vesper (BNN) - Over the span of the last week, merchant ships and fishing boats have reported a large demon roaming the western shores of the Windemere, a remote area known more for reapers, harpies and the occasional stray ogre.

"'Tis the most fearsome beast I ever seen with me own eyes," said Barnardo, a fisherman who has sailed the Windemere for the past 30 years. "It had orange skin and muscles twice the size of any man! Once I seen it was a watchin' me, I sailed off in the other direction."

The demon is alleged to be over 10 feet tall, with wings that span more than the breadth of a dragon ship at its widest point.

The city guard of both Vesper and Minoc are on alert in case this demon ranges close to either town, and all travelers going east from Minoc or north out of Vesper are being warned of the danger.

from Martyna Z'muir:

Greetings, citizens of Britannia and her Territories! I, Martyna Z’muir, would like to formally introduce myself to you. I am a lead investigative reporter with the Britannian News Network’s Public Affairs Department. It is my duty to report on the special events, notable personages, and criminal mischief in our world.

from Syndar Tenabrae:

Strangers and Friends of Trammel,

Monday evening at the High Council meeting saw the brief revelation of the work of the past few weeks. The journal by the Rhysart of Sinthia and I's home facet revealed that Kazola was cloned in your year 335 BY. It was as a result of this clone spell that our entire facet was created in a distorted mirror of what the clone witnessed in her time spent in your world.

However, the spell was meant to be temporary only. Parts of the scroll the spell was cast from were missing: warnings and full details of the spell's terrible power. The clone was supposed to have been killed, and with her, our home would have vanished. Now, however, with the magic holding my world together apparently at its breaking point, our Kazola was pulled back to our facet to destroy it herself, thus was born the Green Witch, who now ravages our home.

The wizard guarding Rhysart's journal revealed that only by undoing the spell, can the witch be stopped. The connection the clone created between our facets must be severed.

This may destroy our homeland. Or, it may save it and put it on a 'corrected' timeline, so to speak.. or it may have completely unknown consequences.

Myself, Sinthia, and others working to solve the plight threatening my homeland simply do not know. But we hope to find out.

On Wednesday we will be assembling at Kazola's Tavern at 8pm under the central skies for one final quest: To find any surviving copy of the ritual of cloning spell and use it to sever the bond between our facets.

I do not know if this will be our salvation or our damnation, but I hope to see you all for this final task.

Blessings to you, my friends. As always, you bring hope to my spirits for your aid.

With best regards,

Syndar Tenebrae
House Tenebrae of Dupria, New Sosaria

The Great Lakes Women of Roleplay 2008 Calendar is more than just a mouthful, It's coming to Great Lakes in December. The calendar is themed after "A day at the faire" and will feature many of Great Lakes most prominent roleplaying females.

The Calendar is being produced in a collaborative effort by Carde of Skara Brae and Elder Klaitu. It will feature 12 indivudual "moments in time" at the faire. The calendars will be produced in both high-resolution digital format, and in high-quality physical format.

The project is in the beginning stages now, but it has an official website where you can obtain more information about the calendar:

http://ds180.net/calendar

From BNN:

Thanks to the valiant efforts of the citizens of Moonglow and the generous assistance of adventurers across Sosaria, the Dark Wisp invasion has been pushed back, and the Lycaeum is now secure. The librarians, who had planned to go into seclusion eariler this week to concentrate on sorting the false Books of Truth, have rescheduled for Monday the 26th - if you have business with them, it is now safe to visit the Lycaeum and conclude it before they become unavailable.

from Silverbrook:

This month Lady Silverbrook and the Magincia Library and Museum will pay tribute to the poetry form of limericks. It will be held on Tuesday, March 27th at 8pm cst at the Magincia Library. Any and all are encouraged to participate in this event or merely to attend and listen to the limericks. All poems will be read before the audience by their respective author... and please have prepared a copy of your limerick to present the night of the reading.

What is a limerick? Here is an example:

There was a young lady named Bright,
Who traveled much faster than light.
She started one day
In the relative way,
And returned on the previous night.
-- Anonymous

There will be three prizes given throughout the night as all entries will be judged. The grand prize winner shall take home the sum of 2 million gold pieces. Second place will be awarded 1 million gold, and Third place will win 500 thousand gold. We hope to see you there!

from Syndar Tenabrae:

Friends and strangers alike,

Tonight, upon the end of the meeting of the High Council, a small group of hardened souls joined me in recovering the journal of Rhysart Hyden-Rylar.

Kazola, Carde, Elwynn, and Alec Deleon along with myself and Sinthia traveled to Moonglow's hedges. Going on our only clue, the phrase "Speak lies in the maze of truth," we stood for a moment, pondering what action to take. Then, it dawned on us to literally speak lies. So with Kazola claiming her hair was purple, the lich appeared.

She seemed reluctant to help us, as none of us was Rhysart, but did admit she held the journal of Rhysart. When we stated that he tasked us with retrieving his journal, she agreed to hand the journal over in four pieces after we completed four quests for her.

The first was to bring her the head of Illidan. We tried to reason with her, but she would have none of it. Eventually she repeated the demand once more and then disappeared. Only the appearance of Woodrow later and his suggestion of simply giving the lich a head found on a zombie would allow us to continue.

So that is exactly what we did. She took the head we found on the remains of a zombie, seemed to look it over, and nodded in approval. We then had the first of the four books.

Next, she demanded one of us sacrifice ourselves to 'feed' her undead bretheren in the graveyard south of Moonglow. After a few mishaps and sorrowful deaths, we returned to her and had the second book.

The next two tasks seemed to be questions designed to test our knowledge and our beliefs. These were quickly answered as well and we then had all four pieces to the journal.

Myself, Kazola, Alec Deleon, Carde, and Elwynn have copies. As for myself, I wait to read them. Many of you may have heard before--any from my land who discover the secret between your world and mine have gone mad--as though my world itself does not wish anyone to know the truth.

So I await reading the journal until a time when I am not alone. May we meet soon so that we can use the information contained within to help my ailing homeland.

I would also like to thank all of you for your aid. Even to those who were unable to attend. Your thoughts and willingness to listen to strangers' tales warms my heart.

Syndar Tenebrae
House Tenebrae of Durpia, New Sosaria

From Syndar Tenebrae:

Friends and Strangers alike of Trammel,

Over the course of the past week, I have spoken to many of you about the plight facing my homeland. In the past month, a heinous and wretched witch has ravaged my land. My friends, my family, and most of the men and women I have fought along side are all gone. And so, I have come to your land for aid.

Though all I have cared about, save my companion Sinthia, are now beyond hope, I still have a home, and I still wish to see that home saved. I have little to go on other than the ramblings of a mad man who visited your country some twenty years ago.

I know also that many of you have your own troubles. Thievery and murder plots plague your land, and I endeaver to do what I can to aid you with the little time I have available to me. But my time is short, and my need dire. I know you are a virtous people, and although you may not know me well, I know you do care for what happens to the people in your country.. even strangers, such as myself.

So I ask you, all who are able, to assemble Sunday evening at the lady Kazola's Tavern in Yew on the 18th. I will relate my tale to the best of my abilities and lay forth all the clues myself and Sinthia have.

I ask only a few hours beginning at 8 under the central skies. And though my name may be new to you, I hope you find compassion in your heart and know that in aiding a stranger, you are still aiding a Britannian.

Until then,

~Syndar Tenebrae~
House Tenebrae of Durpia,
New Sosaria

via BNN:

A host of dark wisps has infiltrated the hallowed halls of Moonglow’s beloved library. Swarms of the vile creatures are fighting en masse, easily overcoming the city guards and rendering the building’s feeble defenses useless. Even now they tear through the thousands of books waiting examination by the scholars. These are unlike any dark wisps seen before; could this chaos be but a diversion to seek out the Book of Truth? All men and women of arms are called forward: defend the Lycaeum!

from Alec DeLeon:

Hail and greetings to you councilmen, ladies and gentlemen.

Just this past week I stood before you and made a proposal. A proposal to reinstate the Royal Britannian Kilted Police. I am not a longwinded orator, and so I made my announcement as brief as possible. It is here, then that I share with you the details of my proposal, so that you, councilors and the public might know specifically of which I speak.

Quite simply, the RBKP would act as Britannia's domestic police force. It would not be concerned with enemies of the state or foreign lands, except so far as to venture there in the course of investigation. The jurisdiction of the RBKP would cover all of Britannia, but it would not be directly involved with local crimes unless assistance were requested by the local authority.

Insofar as organization, the RBKP would be part of the Executive Branch of the High Council. It would be treated in a similar manner to a branch of the Britannian Armed Forces, except that its focus is domestic concerns and its ranking officer shall not be considered in the rotation for Grand Marshall.

The specific missions of the RBKP would be the following:
- Slay the inhuman monsters which lurk in our dungeons and wildernesses.
- Free our roads and forests of the Bandits which prey upon Wayfarers.
- Protect true Commerce which shall yield prosperity for all citizens.
- Counter the domestic intelligence efforts of Britannia's enemies.
- Assist in the security arrangements for the Lawful Britannian Government.

It is my earnest desire that my proposal meets with the approval of all.

Alec DeLeon
Citizen of Trinsic

This time Carde has really outdone himself, he has turned out yet another fantastic work, the subject of the work this time is everyone's favorite gal pal, Goldberry!

via BNN:

Much to the delight of the Yew Prison Guards, Inu “the Crone” was released on her own recognizance late last night.

For those who do not know, early this winter, during the infamous Ricardo Trial, Inu stormed proceedings and was arrested for contempt of court and placed in the Yew Prison for an untold period of time.

“See here, she’s harmless, she’s done her time and well, frankly, she’s difficult to listen to”, quipped Gavin Klink, a stout, grey bearded Guard with over 20 years tenure at the Yew Prison facility.

The necessity for Inu’s continued incarceration came under intense scrutiny this week, soon after she began shouting about ‘new visions’.

“She kept the strangest hours”, added Klink, “pacing in her cell late at night, ranting at the top of her lungs about the great candle and an onslaught of hate. We tried everything to quiet her down, but she wasn’t going to stop.”

The weary guard wiped his brow, let out a sigh of relief and a quiet chuckle, “We’re just glad that Justice Verina decided to let her go.”

In a rare quiet moment, Inu reportedly promised the guards and Justice Verina that she was headed back to Tokuno.

Our humble, local sketch artist has done it again. This time, with a style and impressive, bold colors. The "Digital Painting" style is one of the new tricks Carde has up his sleeve.

The subject of the artwork this time around? Velturus Viaxus, complete with skeletal hand! (That's got to be uncomfortable)

From Lionel Alazraham:

Hail one and all!

Carde of Skara Brae has finished his first artwork in what we hope is a long list of collaborations. The first subject? Lord Blackthorn, the friend of Britannia.

Carde's work on this particular portrait is something called "Digital Painting", I don't profess to know what that is, but the results speak for themselves.

To compliment the new piece, we've updated Lord Blackthorn's Entry in the Hall of Historical Figures, including some notes from my own grandfather.

We invite one and all to come and learn about the noble Lord Blackthorn.

Click here for the Hansonian Entry

"My kitty ran away!" proclaimed Suzanna, daughter of the local shipwright. "The kilted man found him in the blacksmith's tree, and he brought kitty back to me!"

Seaman Yacob had an encounter with this same man: "All these blasted Elder Mages, Legendary Mages, BAH! I used to own a frigate, most beautiful ship you ever did see! Kept me business goin' shippin stuff from Lost Hope Bay-- you know, Minoc and Vesper, but these days all them fancy operations have some mage on staff to transport their products by moongate! Quicker and easier they say.. I was a bum on the dock lookin for work when this kilted joe comes up to me and sits down right besides me and offers me a meal of milk an' pot pie... and if that ain't enough, he takes me down to the shipwright, see, and sets me to helpin design the riggin'. Ain't no joe knows riggin like Yacob, nosir! Wots more, I got me pouch full o coin, and a barmaid with a twinkle in 'er eye when she looks my way."

"My Great Uncle was the head of the Trinsic Paladin's Guild" explains Tyrn Stormgald. "Well, one day, of of the blue, this kilted man came, he wore the colors of the Paladins Guild and spoke in the manner of my grandparents. 'Are you the survivng descendant of Bram Stormgald?' he says. I answered him truthfully, and he set in my hands a viking sword. I professed that I am no swordsman, but then he explained: 'It is not you who is the swordsman, but your great-great-grandfather. Your uncle would journey weekly to his grave to maintain and care for it. He made me give my word that should something happen to him, I would maintain the grave in his stead.'"

"'I have been gone for some time..' he continued. 'but when I finally returned to Trinsic I found nobody I knew, so I visited this ancentral grave site and discovered it had been dug up and looted!' I was aghast, I did not know that my family had a gravesite near Trinsic, let alone that it had been robbed. 'I tracked down the culprit and brought him to justice, and in his lair I also did find the belongings of many robbed graves. This sword bears the mark of Stormgald, and so I present it to you, his surviving heir.' What does one say to something like that? He didn't even tell me his name so that I might thank him!"

Who is the mysterious Kilted man? He's Alec DeLeon, former Commissioner of the Royal Britannian Kilted Police. Around 40 years ago, he went missing.. nobody knows where he went. In the interim the Kilted Police were disbanded, but now DeLeon has returned.

Dinah the local barmaid claims to know him well: "You know, it's not often someone comes into a tavern, sits on a stool and asks for a pitcher of milk... in fact, nobody does that! I looked at him like he was stupid! But after what he's been doing for people around here, I have to admit.. I keep a cow out back for my one special customer."

We went to Mr. DeLeon's abode on Barrier isle, but there was nobody home at the time. The sign read "Alec DeLeon: Detective for Hire" so we checked with the Sheriff of Trinsic.

"Aye, He's workin on a case for us, but I nae can't give the details. Truly, it's a sensitive matter, and not for the press."

At present, we are unable to locate Mr. DeLeon for comment.

Britannia's military might is now one Knight richer!

It was a simple occasion in Serpent's Hold, city of Courage. Friends and allies congregated for the ceremony of knighting, This time honoring the promotion of former Royal Squire Fenrir.

During the ceremonies, Fenrir cast off his Squire's vestments and donned the famous white robe of the RKR. He was also provided with a lantern to light his journies.

All of Britannia wishes well the newest Royal Knight, Fenrir. May our armed forces continue to serve admirably in these troubled times!

from Lord DaKaren:

If deciphering clues, hunting down elusive items, and winning lots of gold are among some of your favorite things to do then head to Kazola's Treetop Keg & Winery March 11th at 7pm CST! Lord DaKaren of the Order of the Etheral Ankh will be hosting the event and handing out the prizes to the three top winners.

from Kazola:

It was an interesting night at Kazola's Treetop Keg and Winery this Sunday evening. The night started off with an exciting treasure hunt, led by the Lady Helena Darkblade of the Draconis Combine Mercenary company. Helena is definitely one of the most professional treasure hunters I have seen, and I highly recommend her to anyone needing to decode some maps. The treasure hunting group consisted of myself, Indigo, Lord DaKaren, Sam Acatour, Zynith Viaxus and Ziv'exx Viaxus. There were no fatalities, and the riches of the night were enjoyed by all. Thank you Lady Helena for a wonderful time!

The tavern's normal Sunday night "Happy Hour" began on a sour note, with an unknown thief getting away with the ship model that was on display at the tavern. This ship model was a gift from the Dread Lord Curly of the Fishing Council of Britannia to Lady Silverbrook in appreciation for her assistance in ridding Magincia of its sea monster attacks. Unfortunately, noone saw the thief, but a mocking note was left on the tavern's bulletin board from an individual only identifying themselves as "M".

Mayor Ramoin of Newcastle also reported that a hat belonging to the late Ren the Conjurer was also stolen from their town. In addition, a valuable tome belonging to Lady Silverbrook was taken from her residence in Magincia. Both reported that the thief left behind a similar note. When hearing this news, Elwynn quickly reported these crimes to the Yew Militia, and Mat Bomberdille soon arrived to take our statements.

The tavern was greatly honored tonight by the visit of Her Highness Princess Nikki of Newcastle this evening. Princess Nikki has recently returned from her long travels, and everyone was very happy to see her once more. Her visit was soon overshadowed by the return of the spirit Grey Ghostbuck, who came searching for the former Squire of Redemption Cyan. He also informed Princess Nikki that he yet remained in her service.

Next Sunday, March 11th, the Tavern will be hosting a Scavenger Hunt, sponsored by Lord DaKaren of the Order of the Ethereal Ankh. Come test your deciphering skills and compete for prizes! Please see the Event Calendar for more details.

via BNN:

by Madam Modavia, Legendary Bard

“Master Leurocian! “ Senior Royal Archmage Zorla looked in amazement as her former mentor walked into her evening chamber. “I wasn’t expecting to see you so soon,” Zorla coyly smiled.

“It’s good to see you again as well, Zorla.” Leurocian smiled. “You know I cannot stay away from Britannia for long with such foul plotting and dark sorcery afoot.”

“I take it you have heard about the recent events, what happened to Goran, and the Book of Truth?” Zorla asked.

Zorla’s gaze never left Leurocian’s chestnut brown eyes. He had a certain otherworldly appearance to him. While looking like a handsome blond-haired man in his middle years, his eyes depicted someone who had lived far longer. One day, she hoped to achieve such stature and prestige as an Archmage.

“Yes, I heard that he succumbed to dark forces, very powerful dark forces of which we must not speak, even in this private chamber.” Leurocian answered. “However, both you and I know that he isn’t gone, just metaphysically detained elsewhere.”

“I’m suspecting you are correct, master.” Zorla and Leurocian looked away from each other as they momentarily shared silence. Zorla’s iridescent eyes glistened in the moonlight that trickled in through a nearby window. She nervously began running her fingers through her long raven black hair while reflecting on the recent events.

“I spoke with Menzzobaanea earlier today.” Leurocian broke the silence.

Zorla listened intently, raising her gaze to once again meet his. Her nervousness quickly subsided.

“Menzzobaanea informed me that Books of Truth are being turned in by adventurers in fewer numbers now. The real Book of Truth should be discovered soon. I have shared with her ancient Words of Power from a most sacred source of knowledge that should aid in revealing the identity of the real Book of Truth.”

“This is indeed excellent news.” Zorla exclaimed. On behalf of the Britannian Royal Guard, I offer our sincerest thanks, master Leurocian.”

“Fear not, Lady Zorla,” Leurocian smiled as he took her hand. “In the end, things will change for the better. Britannia is about to enter a new Age of Enlightenment. You will see. We will all see.”