At exactly midnight EDT on Sunday, Puddleby was visited
by a most unusual beastie. As if the Death Vermine invasion wasn't
enough, there were two attacks by some sort of zombie.
I was so unsettled by the first attack that I stood
nearly dumbfounded by the unusual shapeshifting ability so profoundly displayed.
But by the second, I recovered my wits and took some snapshots.
As you can see in the first picture, the creature infiltrates town as an
oddly-dressed halfling. Orange hair, a green shirt, and purple
pants, while being in dreadful bad taste, is not such an outrageous combination
as to immediately stir alarm. What is unusual, and highly noticeable,
is that the beastie...
Has No Name!
No letters, just a thin blank line where a name
should be.
The beastie \yelled a cry, along the lines of "Afrit,
I'm going to steal your heart." And then proceeded to attack.
Our valiant defenders then gave him a piece of Puddleby retributive justice.
Upon turning red, a startling transformation took place.
As shown in my second snapshot, the halfling transformed into a walking
corpse. And its true name appeared -- D'gan.
Who is this D'gan? Where did it come from?
Was it a trick of the unscrutable Ancients? What does it bode for
the exiles and for Puddleby? I cannot say. Perhaps a reader will
be able to decypher this mystery.
Your humble corrispondent,
Llerendel Starchasm
Greetings fellow adventurers and studiers of wild beasts. I have made
a discovery anout ferals-they have evolved!!
There
are several new ferals about us-many more powerful than expected.
The largest of these feroucious beats gives 13 coins and is tougher than a one eyed Orga Berserk. Ther are some silver backed ferlas that give 5 and 6 coins-beware of there also. Then there are the ferlals adapted to the cold-snow ferals-lots of dangerous beats. Beware them all.
One more thing
-beware the dark forest
scary!!!!
Sincerely,
Eli The Fox
Many folks in Puddleby are familiar with the fine
maps of the Tanglewood available from Snrub and myself. These maps have
been carefully prepared and maintained to better enable our fellow exiles
to find their way through the woods safely.
In anticipation of possible capture of our maps
during Orga raids or from corpses the Orga may find in the woods, Snrub
and I were careful not to reveal any secrets that the Orga might find useful.
Unfortunately this has proven to be insufficient;
the Orgas have decided to change the very landmarks that make our maps
so useful!
Over the last few weeks the Orga have begun to alter
the patterns of trees in the Tanglewood. Last night this shifting became
very noticeable. Most obviously, the 3 pattern and 4 pattern are now almost
unrecognizeable. Indeed, I forsee a time when the Orga will have eradicated
the patterns altogether!
As a result, I will be updating my maps with sketches
of the new tree patterns on a regular basis. For convenience sake I will
continue to refer to the pattern numbers unless better names become apparant.
Thank you for your time and may the spirits guide your steps.
Marcus Antonius
A Note from the Editor: This is a great article on Traveling. A must read for everyone! I decided to just use a link because the author already has the page up on the web. I expect over time (and the game changes) she will make additions and improvements to her guide. By Just providing a link I give her the ability to keep her guide as up to date as possible while not having to wait on a slow-poke like me.
anyway here is the link: Llerendel
on Travelling
TITLE: Vampires: The First Encounter
SUBMITTED: the 5th day of the 9th month.
AUTHOR: Lord Krake
As some of you may know, Vampires flourish in the
western continent. Now it is apparent that they have migrated to
Puddleby. This is indeed need for alarm. I shall tell the story
of the first encounter.
I was coming back to Puddleby after aqquiring my
new grey pants. As I walked into town, their was much discussion
about a Vampire in the Undine cavern. I was indeed shocked by this
(if you did not know, my father was a notorious vampire hunter).
I, myself, have never come face to face with a vampire, and of course,
I needed to see this for myself. So I was off to the cavern.
When I reached the cavern, it seemed surprisingly
dead (no pun intended). Not even Undine flourished here. That
is, until I moved further. Where the Magical Wraith and bottomless
pit were, I saw him for the first time: A vampire.
It is said that the greatest and oldest emotion
is fear. It is also said the greatest and oldest fear is fear of
the unknown. They are right.
For some, if a fear is great enough, it can cause
loss of sanity. I am a fine example of that. After seeing this
vampire, I lost the ability to speak or hear. I had never seen anything
like this before. When I did begin to hear, I was blinded, and my
head was filled with noise. Oh, Iíll never forget the moans and screams
of pain that echoed through my brain. Everyone I saw, friend and
foe alike, had become Undine, at least in my mind. I screamed to
make it stop, but it wouldnít. That was my most terrible expierence
in these lands.
But suddenly, everything seemed normal again.
Well, normal would be a wrong word, but I seemed mentally healthy again.
So, I ran back to where the vampire was. He was actually speaking.
It seems that he was angry that we attacked him, that we had no manors
at all. I guess he was right. Out of fear we struck at him.
Then, I was able to push and pull my way to him, and asked him the question
that has been running through my mind: ìDid you know my father?î
For a moment, the vampire was silent. He then
looked away, and murmured, ìYes.î He then disappeared down the bottomless
pit.
What I heard both shocked and surprised me.
Finally, their is someone who knows my father out their. But did
he hate him or was he friends with him. I want to meet this vampire
again, and discuss my father. Except I wonít let anyone attack him this
time.
Sincerely,
Lord Krake
Congratulations to Nomad and Nymph on their recent
marriage, making them the first couple in Puddleby to get married!
An unofficial marriage
registry has been set up for all to see. Pictures of their wedding
have been posted!
I will be taking care of the marriage registry,
so if you have intentions on becoming the next lucky couple in Puddleby,
give me a shout. My Puddleby mail address is morpheus@beer.myna.com.
Morpheus
Great Sage of the Dark Cloaks
I was summoned by a small Dwarven Clan across the
waves upon an isle far from the one we Exiles call our new home, and Puddleby.
Being an experienced Blacksmith and Runesmith (under Snorri Ironfist no
less!) I accepted. The trip took several gut-wrenching weeks (We Dwarves
are a land loving folk, I dislike the sea.) then finally land appeared,
and we put into the small port. I was needed more than I thought. I arrived
to see war in the streets! Soldiers bearing Mobieus's crest and livery
perpetrated it. I was thrown into the midst of this, but finally, through
many a long battle, fought my way to where the survivors were. They told
me grim stories of when Mobieus's men arrived, and slaughtered all they
saw, even though welcomed. The Isle, wich I learned was named Grimnir's
Tear, had been beseiged. The Dwarves who dwelled there had left the mainland
long before Mobieus's madness, and so it was here they found peace, until
Mobieus found them!
Now, I agreed to aid them, and we set about our
task. An army was readied, and we marched to battle. I am pleased to report
the enemy was repelled from the Grimnir's Tear, but am greived to say that
our leader, Prince Kadnor, was slain in the conflict. We found many bodies
heaped at his feet however. So thus was done my part. I heard that there
had been numerous seiges back on Puddleby from merchants whom came to port
on the isle, and so I booked passage to return. This is where fate played
a nasty trick upon me.
The Merchant was a wesealy human, and for reasons
I have yet to fathom, took us to the Mainland! I was terrified to be frank,
bearing the tattoo of an Exile upon my arm, I would be executed if found.
I fled the city (another many pages in itself) and in the woods, I ran
into a Gorak Zo. He bore no livery, but wore rough hide clothes. I hailed
him, and we talked for a bit. He called himself The Mercenary for reasons
known only to him, and would not speak of himself more so than that. But,
he knew a trader who was heading back to Puddleby, and got me passage.
I spent one last day with him, and we talked yet more. I pursauded him
to come with me back (the inviting promise of an unspoiled land I think
lured him, or the treasures I mentioned...)
And so I return, Lord Braveheart. Weary, worn, but
ready to meet with the whole Clan again. And ALWAYS ready for battle. My
hatred of Mad Mobieus has grown as well. I shall not forget the poor people
of Grimnir's Tear either. And there it is, my tale of absence.
As always, I am at your service, if you need, you have but to ask.
-Night Lord
-Dwarven Warrior explorer of the great Sun Dragon Clan
It may occur to those who
know of me that there is something different about my appearance these
days. Namely, the black belt that I now wear around me waist, amongst other
things. I shall tell you of how I came to possess this strip of cloth I
now display with pride.
It has been several cycles of the moon, too many
to remember, in which I have been struggling with the fact that as a wielder
of magic, I tended to be lacking in my capability to attack and defend
myself by way of physical means. Namely, by non-magical methods. Naturally,
not being one to be satisfied with pursuits of the mind alone (me magical
experiments, if you not be following), I decided to improve my physical
form, thereby setting out on a quest to locate the elusive being known
to me only by the name of "Master". I spent several cycles traveling through
the leech infested swamp up and through to the tangled bushes and shrubs
of Tangle Woods. My search came up empty, and all hope seemed lost, until
I stumbled upon something few if any have ever seen.
It occurred to me that I had somehow been teleported
by magical means to a field of flowery bliss, in which there sat a lone
figure, not moving, not even breathing, or so it seemed. I walked up to
the being to gain a closer look, yet "it" (I can only describe this being
as an "it", for an attempt at a description would be futile) did not seem
to notice I was approaching, as the one eye it had remained closed. I stopped
inches away from it and spoke out loud, "Hello", I said, "Are you the one
responsible for my being here?" Still nothing. It appeared to be oblivious
to my existence, yet determined as I was to have it acknowledge my presence,
I extended an arm out in order to touch it's personage. It's eye shot open,
"Do you wish to train with the Master?" it boomed. Startled, the only thing
I could say was, "Well, yes!" So then it began. I do not wish to go into
detail about the trials this creature put me through, suffice it to say,
I was drained physically, as well as mentally. After what seemed like days,
although it was hard to tell in this strange environment, the Master as
I came to know it said onto me, "Go now, and do not return until you deem
yourself abled enough to strike me. Only then will you attain the physical
prowess for which you seek!" And with that, I was returned to the town
of Puddleby.
Remembering my training, I decided to continue with
it in the hopes of eventually being able to face the Master, and strike
it. As time went by, I began to wonder how I would be able to return to
the Master's lands when I was ready. Yet I continued my exercises undaunted.
Then one day, as I was completing me daily routine, a thought struck me,
like the blow of a Greymyr Chieftain. "I think I be as ready as I ever
will be", I said to meself. With that, I was once again in the lands of
the Master, and it was once again just sitting in an open field. I walked
up to it, and stopped in front of it's face, or what passes for a face
on such a creature anyway. It spoke to me once more, "You will have one
chance to strike, and no more!" I assumed it meant this would be my only
chance, so not wishing to let it pass by, I lashed out immediately with
an attack in which I had garnered would be the only way to hit it, administering
an optical contusion upon the "Master" (For those who not be understanding,
I poked it in the eye). The only response from it was a short grunt. "You
have obtained that for which you were seeking". With that, the Master gave
me a black strip of cloth. "Wear this around your waist, and remember your
training!" To the town I was returned once more, and I donned the belt
for the first time. I wondered if I would ever come to be in the presence
of the Master again, yet my musings were immediately interrupted. It seemed
I would have the opportunity to use me new skills right away, for the town
was being invaded. I leaped into battle, with a grin upon my face.....
Rutabaga, a healer