[an error occurred while processing this directive]
GUILD OF HEROES MAGAZINE

# 3, February 1995

Message from Elladan
I'm back with another issue of the GOH Magazine! This is the month of love, the month in which Valentine's Day resides. As MY contest entry for the GOH contest, I'm dedicating this issue to my sweetheart, NW Snowie.

This month, we have the usual bunch of NW's submitting their monthly articles. So grab your favorite drink, or a loved one, or both, and sit back. The Valentine's Special Issue of the Guild of Heroes Magazine is comin' your way!

Enjoy!
-Elladan

{NW Snowie's Petting Zoo}
The Medusa
(insert medusa pic here)
ARMOR CLASS: 5
MOVE: 9
HIT DICE: 6 (6 - 48 Hit Points)
ATTACKS: 1 for 1-4.
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Gaze turns to stone, poison, clerical spells.
ALIGNMENT: Lawful Evil

SNOWIE'S SCRIBBLES:
Medusae are hateful humanoid creatures which normally dwell in dark caves or caverns, but they will venture far afield to find prey. They normally appear quite shapely and humanoid, wearing human clothing, however, their face is usually quite horrific with asp-like hair. They try to find ways to make people look at them because the gaze of a Medusa's eyes will turn creatures to stone unless they make their saving throw versus petrifaction. If a creature manages to look away, a Medusa will often rush up to allow its snakey hair to attack at close range, if bitten, the victim must save versus poison.

The Neverwinter type of Medusa appears to be the Hooded type, which can also cast Clerical spells, definitely a difficult advesary!

If you wish to melee a Medusa, a silver mirror or mirrored shield is the most useful thing to have in your inventory. If you can catch them off-guard, they will sometimes end up gazing in the mirror and stoning themselves with the reflection. Never run from them, if they are standing next to you, as they will get a better chance to deliver their poison.

Transmitted: 95-02-01 03:32:10 EST (zoo0202)
{The Goddess Apothecary}
The Frost Brand
Frost Brand Sword

One of the newest weapons to Neverwinter Nights is the Frost Brand and it is only available via the Pearl Plan.

The Frost Brand is actually a long sword that has a normal magical dweomer of 3 (+3), however, against Fire-Using or Fire-Dwelling creatures, the plus value increases to a value of 6 (+6).

One of the special benefits of the sword, and one of the major reasons that it is so sought after, is that its wielder is protected as if he or she were wearing a Ring of Fire Resistance.

The sword also may be use in conjunction with a shield. As you may imagine, it is a most powerful weapon. I recently spotted an enlarged Ranger armed with the Frost Brand, causing 28 points of damage against a Fire Elemental with a single blow!

The Frost Brand may be purchased from NW Events for a hefty sum 75 pearls.
{NW Rowan's Mystical Grimoire}
Ive Fallen and cant get up
The Fumble Spell
FUMBLE
Magic User 4th level

RANGE: 1 square per level of caster
DURATION: 1 per level of caster
AREA OF EFFECT: 1 creature

An excellent spell for both pvp and monster hunting, the fumble is truly valuable at times. Fumble will hit the targeted creature with two shots of invisible force which will cause it to fumble around.

The target must make two successful saving throws to avoid being clumsied. While in this state, the target may only defend itself and cannot take any other action until the spell wears off. Even if the saving throw is made, it will slow down the target to half its movement rate and attacks.

The spell is useful in pvp for the fact that it will pass through the Minor Globes of Invulnerability and sometimes dispel two mirror images. In many battles, it has caused even the dracolich to be harmless due to the spell's effects.

Transmitted: 95-02-01 02:28:22 EST (spel0202)
{The Faces of NeverWinter}
The Ultimate PVP machine the Cleric/Mage (CLAM)
Human Cleric / Magic User Dual Class

MAXIMUM HIT POINTS: (For maxxed 9/11th lvl) 102 (For maxxed 10/11th lvl) 98

MAIN BENEFITS: Fix, Turn Undead, Full Arsenal of Cleric and Magic User spells.

MAIN DISADVANTAGES: Cannot wear Armor to cast magic user spells, Limited Weaponry.

MINIMUM STATS: ST:6 IN:17 WI:15 DX:6 CN:6 CH:6
ELLADAN'S IDEAL STATS: ST:15 IN:18 WI:18 DX:18 CN:16 CH:15 A cleric/magic user dual class is a powerful combination around which PVP combat is based on. A full array of defensive and offensive clerical and magic user spells make the average hit points and limited weapons but a minor nuisance.

Transmitted: 95-02-01 12:02:25 EST (clas0202)
{A Study in Attitudes}

Neutral Good

"Creatures of this alignment see the cosmos as a place where law and chaos are merely tools to use in bringing life, happiness, and prosperity to all deserving creatures. Order is not good unless it brings this to all; neither is randomness and total freedom desirable if it does not bring such good."

-DM's Guide (c) 1979 p.23.

"Unlike those directly opposite them (neutral evil) in alignment, creatures of neutral good believe that there must be some regulation in combination with freedoms if the best is to be brought to the world - the most beneficial conditions for living things in general and intelligent creatures in particular."

-Player's Handbook (c) 1978 p.33.
{NW Baldor's Might makes Right Armory}
TRIDENT

2-7 damage vs Small & Man Sized Creatures
3-12 vs Large Sized Creatures

Approximately 5 pounds in weight, a trident can range anywhere from 4 to over 8 feet in length. This modified spear can be used in conjunction with a shield, making the single most dangerous one handed non magical weapon. Unfortunately, it may only be wielded by fighters, rangers and paladins.
{NW Aziza's Fantastic Tours}
A Martyres Grave: Berun's Hill
Berun's Hill
Population unknown

This local landmark is a bare-topped conical hill that commands a wonderful view of the valley of the river Dessarin to the east. This lookout has often been used in time of trouble to watch for advancing orc or barbarian tribes coming down from the north and east. It is named for the Ranger Berun, who met his end at the hands of such a horde. He failed to stop them but legend tells of him slaying over 300 orcs, single-handedly. The town has been taken over by various monsters and is very dangerous to travel in, especially at night.

INN:
The Final Resting Place is the place to stay, however the cost may be a bit more than you're willing to pay.

ARMORY:
The Last Stop Armor Shop has a different variety of weapons than you'll normally find, usually attached to something swinging it at you.

JEWELER:
The Crystal Eye definitely proves that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

OTHER SHOPS:
Two-Headed Coin General Store will show you a different twist of the wrist.

THE MANSION OF THE LORD OF BERUN'S HILL:
Reputed to have been quite a catch in his day, the Lord does not live here any longer. You'll find the current residents are a tad bit less friendly to visitors.

It's rumored that a group of captured Elves were seen being taken to the town, you may be able to help them if you can find them. Also, it's said that very powerful creatures, referred by the locals as "floaters", are hiding somewhere in the area, be on your guard!
{NW Strider's Tavern Legends and Tale's}
Aiddynni's Tlae Chapter 2,3,4

(2)
Immediately, from the hidden recesses of the hall, came out 4 men, armed with various weapons and in full armor. They quickly surrounded the young woman, raising their weapons, their eyes glinting businesslike and grim.

Lord Taran slowly sat himself back down, feeling secure in his protection against her seeming ire, and replacing his look of concern with a winsome smile of triumph, sneered at the young woman. "Now, my fine young wench, how about that confession?" He asked, and smiled.

The young woman, without a word, drew her slightly curved blade, and with a movement that was too quick for the lord to see, cleaved one of the men right through his helmet, and before anyone could react, pulled the sword out of the cut with a sickeningly grinding sound and sliced another man's head off in one smooth stroke. The severed head started to roll with a clank, and stopped with a thud against the large wooden double doors across the room. The bodies fell like cut trees, armor crashing loudly on the floor, twitching and starting to spurt out blood like a burst wineskin. It colored the stone floors crimson and seeped through the cracks between them. The exposed bones shone like blood stained porcelain in the light.

Meanwhile, the third man, who managed to see the glint of her sword play, raised his large broadsword over his head to strike in hurried reflex, but the young woman dashed the short distance between them as his addled brain registered the upward rise of his arms, and lashed out sideways across his exposed belly, cutting right through the chain shirt and slicing through his gut. He fell forward with a sickeningly wet thud, his sword still raised over his head. His last thought being how terribly unfair her speed was as incredible pain ate up his exposed entrails and ended his life.

The fourth man, watching all this dumbfounded, noticed that the young woman was now facing him with her bloody blade raised, in a strange stance that looked as graceful and full of dangerous promises as a snake poised to strike. He turned to look towards his companions' bodies, quickly dropped his weapon and ran out the door screaming, stumbling over the severed head and renewing his screams, followed by the young woman's high, amused and mocking laughter that rang out and echoed in this vast stone hall.

Lord Taran, staring shocked at the broken, bloody bodies, threw up. When he raised his head again, he felt a sharp blade of air next to his throat, and felt the cold, wet blade barely touching his neck. Immediately, his heart felt as if torn out and dumped in the cold snow to freeze.

"D..d.don't kill me." Lord Taran mumbled, since those were the first words he could conjure up from his overwrough brain, looking up towards the young woman's grinning face full of what appeared to be mild annoyance.

The young woman took a piece of white paper from her pocket, and taking the blade away(much to Lord Taran's relief!), carefully wiped the blood clean from it. She then wiped the bit of vomit off the lord's lips as well as lord Taran visibly flinched from her touch.

"I wouldn't think of it." The young woman then replied, now busy examining the cutting edge for nicks and not really paying much attention to Lord Taran. But somehow, the young lord knew, she could easily turn her blade at a blink of an eye and cut him down like a bundle of straws. That knowledge made him gulp and he felt himself beginning to sweat cold.

"Seeing how I have yet to be paid." She added, and satisfied of the blade's condition, slid the sword back into the scabbard. She then moved away from the lord and got back to her chair at the other end of the table.

"Now, shall we get down to business?" She asked, sitting down and facing the lord again.

Lord Taran nodded vigorously, and answered in a shaky voice, "Sure. Of course, lady Cyan."

The young woman beamed gloriously at the mention of her name, making the young lord wonder how a woman so beautiful can be such a cold blooded killer.

(to be continued...)

(3)
Cyan unslung the curved blade from her shoulder and tossed it on the plush bed, then jumped right in after it herself, landing on the feathered mattress with a soft plush.

"Urg!" a tiny voice cried out, causing Cyan to gasp and quickly reach into her breast pocket, taking something out of it.

In her hand, she held a tiny man the size of her hand. He had a young man's face, with sharply pointed ears, but his eyes were innocent and his nose was still pert and cute. Crumpled dragonfly wings grew out of his back, and the tiny man winced as Cyan clumsily tried to straighten out the creased wings and batted her fingers away.

"What in the world is the matter with you?!" The little man cried, holding onto his lower back in pain. "It isn't enough that I have to be dragged around all of Eteria like some bug, but I also have to be crushed flat like one as well!"

Cyan, with a worried look on her face, gently laid the little man on the soft pillow. "I'm sorry Sils. I forgot that I left you in there. Honest." She apologized, and started to laugh. "But it's been so long since I got to sleep in a fine bed like this one!" She said, and running her hand over the soft, down feather filled comforter, she remarked, "This certainly beats sleeping outdoors."

The little man called Sils rubbed his wings to straighten them out, and replied, "It'll sure beat sleeping in your pocket, that's for sure. That scale shirt you wear underneath rubs my back raw."

Satisfied with his work, Sils started to beat his wings furiously, making a pleasant buzzing sound. He then started to fly around the room, and after making sure that he was flight worthy by zipping and gliding around the plush furniture, he landed softly on Cyan's knee.

"So, what's our lord Taran like?" Sils asked.

Cyan wrinkled her nose and replied, "A little too young and haughty. He's also a pig and a fool. I had to take care of three of his goons to make him believe I'm me."

Sils shook his head sadly at her words and said, "Hiroshi would be greatly troubled if he found out that his star pupil was so remorseless."

Cyan ran her fingers through her soft, fine hair and breathed a deep sigh. "Sils, I do this for him." She replied in a tired voice. "And I will keep on doing things this way."

Sils looked into Cyan's eyes. "At what cost, I wonder." He mused, buzzing off her knee and returning to the pillow.

Cyan leaned back against the cushions, and looking away from Sils, said, "Maybe you should go back to your people, Sils. Ralantia isn't too far from here, you know."

"Do you want me to go?" Sils asked.

Cyan lay there quietly for a moment, and twirling the strings on her blouse absent- mindedly. She finally replied, "You know the answer to that."

"Why did you mention it then?" Sils pressed.

"To stop you from bugging me." Cyan replied.

"You think it's gonna work?" Sils questioned.

"No. But this will." Cyan replied and gave him a quick kiss on his head.

"Cyan!" Sils cried, and fell on his rear. "I told you not to do that! You might break my neck!"

"Will you stop bugging me then?"

"Yes, by gar!" Sils grumbled, and raised himself up to sit.

There was a gentle knock on the door, followed by shuffling footsteps. Cyan quickly reached over to her blade and with the thumb resting on the round pommel, said, "What is it?"

A woman's voice immediately replied, "Your bath, my lady. And a gift from the lord."

Cyan slowly got up from the bed, still holding onto her sword, and with a nod to Sils, who flew up and hid behind a bed post, answered, "The door's open."

(to be continued...)

(4)
The door opened, and several servants, carrying a wooden tub filled with steaming hot water, lurched in. They collectively sighed when they set the heavy tub in the room. They bowed before Cyan, and noticing the sword in her hand, shuffled out of the room as quickly as possible.

An old woman, in a drab work dress, came in, attended by a young maiden, holding a package of some kind. They looked towards Cyan with uneasy eyes, their gaze mainly transfixed on her thumb resting against the pommel.

"If the lady is ready, then we can begin immediately." The old woman spoke first in a voice filled with the shakes.

Cyan looked the two over, and glanced at the steaming tub, and bringing her eyes back to the two women, asked, "Begin with what?"

"With the bath, Cyan!" Sils piped in from behind his hiding place, and buzzed into view, much to the delight of the two women. "Come on, will you? They look harmless!"

Cyan spared a quick glance toward Sils and growled. When she turned her head back towards the two women, they were about to step forward towards Sils but with a lightning quick movement, Cyan's sword left her scabbard and suddenly became as small as a pin. Cyan gasped in indignation as both the sword and the scabbard floated towards Sils' open hand. "Just what do you think you are doing?!" She burst out angrily, still keeping a weary eye on the two women, who were now positively cringing next to the tub before her.

"Helping you out. You were making a perty big fool of yourself." Sils answered, buzzing away from Cyan's lunge and landing before the women. "Don't you remember who this is, Cyan? This is Brandy." He said, pointing to the old woman.

Cyan stopped herself from another angry expletive filled outburst and leaned her face closer towards the old woman and slowly approached her.

As Cyan got closer, and the young maiden grabbed her arm and with tears in her eyes, sobbed, "Please, lady. Don't kill my mother. She's a good woman..."

Cyan, ignoring her pleas, grabbed the old woman's shoulders and pushed them back to reveal her wrinkled face, and gasped. "Brandy.." Cyan whispered, and saw a weak smile on the old woman's face answer her.

"I wasn't sure if it was you. But when I saw Sils, then I knew." The old woman named Brandy said, and the two women embraced tightly. "For you to see me like this, Cyan. All wrinkled up and old..." Brandy spoke, tears forming in her eyes.

Cyan released her embrace, and held Brandy out before her. "Nonsense! You haven't changed even one bit since I saw you last!" Cyan exclaimed, wiping Brandy's tears from her face.

Brandy smiled at her words, and held Cyan's hands. "You were never a good liar, Cyan. Never were." Brandy let go of Cyan's hands and felt the smooth skin on Cyan's cheek. "You don't look a day older..How I wish I knew your secret." She murmured, then as if finally realizing something important, she turned her head and regarded the young maiden next to them, who was now watching the two dumbfounded.

"Cyan, this is my daughter, Genni." Brandy said, and said to the girl, "Genni, this is Cyan. The woman who I owe my life to."

Genni wiped her eyes, and after regarding Cyan cautiously for a few seconds, exclaimed, "But she looks to be my age, mama. The woman you told me about should be old!"

Sils, who was watching all this with a happy twinkle in his eyes, sighed and said under his breath, "here we go with the age thing again."

Brandy smiled at her daughter, and replied, "Nevertheless, daughter. This is she."

Genni gave Cyan another careful look, and finally gave a curtsey. "I thank you for my mother's life." She said solemnly. Cyan nodded, and replied. "You are very welcome, Genni." She then went over to the bed and, sitting down with a plush, took her boots off. "Now, how about that bath?" She announced suddenly, smiling and reaching to undue her blouse strings. There was some hidden agenda hiding underneath that smile, however, but the two women did not notice. It did not pass by unnoticed by Sils, however, and he began to wonder what Cyan was thinking about. He did not voice this concern, however, but sighed and with a buzz, took to the air. "I guess it's time for me to go scout for things." He said sheepishly, and with a pop, disappeared.

(to be continued...)
{NW Nimue'shazy days looking glass}
Whats comming up next month)
Next month, look for new additions to the Magazine. Elladan's Party Beachhouse will be the special feature section in which I will take look at a different subject each month. Also new will be Mistie's Political Theories Class, which will feature a guild every month. Rounding off the new thoughts will be any other new things that I can think of. Until then...

Enjoy!
-Elladan
{Credits and Notice's} ** All the information above can be found in the original 1st edition TSR books, Monster Manual (c) 1979, Players Handbook (c) 1978, and Dungeon Master's Guide (c) 1979. ***

This site has no affiliation with any games or
companies, and is strictly for private use.
Bladekeep.com, the Sacred Silver Blades,
and all SSB graphics are © 1996-2001 by Medar.
[an error occurred while processing this directive]