==========oOo========== NEVERWINTER NEWS Issue # 87 Week Ending 6-17-95 ==========oOo========== *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* FRONT PAGE *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Congratulations to Simarin for winning last week's News of the Realm contest. Simarin has earned choice of 4 Pearls or Access to the GOH (Guild of Heroes) WTG! <><><><><> <><><><><> Congrats to the following folks who did very well in the WWAI for June 15.;) CHRISLEIF - 1st place; winner of 25 pearls and 4 free hours online. DAM1ON - 2nd place; winner of 20 pearls and 3 free hours online. LLEWDOC - 3rd place; winner of 15 pearls and 2 free hours online. Also... STORMMASTR won the random drawing at the end of the contest to win 5 pearls. ;) Thanx to all who participated. I had a ball and got a few chuckles from a few of the folks in there tonight. ;> Mystek <><><><><> <><><><><> Charm Person Booth 6/15 AZURE MONK won tonights event by resisting 8 charms total.. Hes won 4 pearls and 1 free hour of on-line time!;D NW Hobbes;> <><><><><> <><><><><> Location Hunt winner UDL NEXUS who found the finest harnest on the Sword Coast Congrats! NW Kel <><><><><> <><><><><> NWA Archer's Crossergate Tour. Lord Nasher had called a meeting of the guard and I attended knowing that our leader must have something important on his mind to call us away from our normal duties. We sat in his chamber, expressionless. He entered and looked at each and every one of us very carefully. His look was somber, yet you could see clearly that Lord Nasher had a purpose in mind on this clear night. He began to speak to us and we leaned forward with intense looks on our faces. He told us of an uprising in a neighboring town know as Crossergate. Apparantly Kraken Clerics had taken up in a secret stronghold and were plotting to make a move on the neighboring town of Vilnask. Lord Nasher concluded his briefing with the statement - "We are here to serve and protect these areas, who among us dares to lead a band of adventurers into this stronghold to defeat these Kraken Clerics and learn of their plans to attack Vilnask?" I immediately rose to my feed, grabbed the hilt of my sword and stated - "I will m'lord. I swear to complete this mission for the safety of our land!" Lord Nasher strode over to me, looked me dead in the eye and said - "Make it so." I set out in the afternoon sun and stopped off in the Gardens of Neverwinter to prepare for my Quest. Low and behold, I was approached by DeathKght, Sir Rhone, KevinB1100, Sillohette, and JCouch2938. They asked why I looked so grave. I told them of my mission and grabbed my gear, heading for the gates leading out of the garden. As I exited Neverwinter I saw that I was not alone. Those fine adventurers had decided to follow me on my quest. With a quick glance backwards I said - "Come along now - We shall overcome." They evened their stride with mine and we pressed on through Southwall and into Vilnask. Vilnask had already felt the Kraken presence. We were met by Banshees howling in the wind as well as Krakens lurking in the trees. We passes though this area with extreme caution. All battled with one purpose in mind - completing the task at hand. We entered Crossergate and paused. There was a chill in the wind and we felt evil lurking in the shadows - waiting to strike. I led the way with Sir Rhone close behind. Sillohette brought up the rear and warned of any attacks from behind. Unfortunately we were ambushed from the sides by some Mad Wolves and Ice Hounds. They struck fiercly and we reeled for a moment. I stepped back and hurled a fireball at the attacks and caught them off guard. DeathKnght and KevinB charged and disposed of the remaining foes. Continuing we went to the Crossergate inn and prepared to do battle. Unfortunatley Sillohette was abducted and could not be found anywhere in the area. Saddened by this loss we paused outside the inn wondering whether or not to press on. Out of no where Lady Aries approaches howling. She was running from a band of Mad Wolves and Ice Hounds. She stopped when she came to us, panting for breath. We looked at the oncoming evil and stood stalwart. We defeated these foes like the last band we faced and bid lady Aries a safe journey as we again set out to fufill our quest. JCouch saw as we walked a slight discoloration in one of the alleyways. We went to examine this oddity and found that the discoloration was in fact a poorly hidden entrance of some kind. We entered and found ourselves in a dimly lit passage way. We pressed on following the stench of evil that seemed to overcome these passage ways. We came to a doorway and saw some markings on the wall. I raised my torch and looked closely. The markings were those of Krakens! We had found the secret base of the Evil Doers. We headed through passageway after passageway before coming across a Centaur battling some gnolls. We immediately jumped to the side of the Centaur and faught off his attackers. He was very greatful for our help and told us the layout of the Kraken base. Unfortunately we then lost a few adventurers as we were leaving our new friend the Centaur. We were ambushed by Yeti and Hippogriff. After the ensuing battle I was left with Sir Rhone and JCouch by my side. We headed out, wondering where all of our companions had gone to. It wasn't hard to find the chamber where the Kraken Clerics dwelled. The centaur gave us excellent directions and we followed them right to a door where we could hear their chatter but they could not hear our footsteps. I motioned for my group to prepare for battle. As soon as everyone gave me the nod I ran through the door, wand in hand. I cast a mighty hold and froze the cleric in his place. Sir Rhone stepped forward and took a mighty swing at the ice hound also inside the chamber. It fell lifeless to the ground. We proceeded to dispose of the rest of the Krakens in the room with ease. Looking around the room I noticed a set of maps on the wall encircling a desk. i walked to the desk and looked through the papers I saw. I came across a set of Scrawled Notes that outlined the plot against Vilnask. I passes them out to my fellow adventurers and we exited the room through an eastern door. We wound up along the main path to Crossergate, close to where we had entered the region. We all agreed to split up and return the information we had found to Lord Nasher. He was greatful to see us return and rewarded us one by one as we approached the Palace Gates. The mission was a success and the land kept safe! Well Done Adventurers! -NWA Archer <><><><><> <><><><><> Congratulations to Arrassa for overcoming Sagx in overtime and winning the first of this month's GOH ONLY minibooths! Only Sagx and Arrassa survived the first of my volleys of Hold Monster spells. They both held out for a long time, but eventually Sagx got grabbed by my potent magic, and Arrassa won the day! WTG Arrassa, and thanks to everyone who who participated. NW Kishpa <><><><><> <><><><><> Congratulations to Dark Tealz for winning the location hunt. He correctly esped me from the correct location where one could buy Yartar workhorses. ;) NW Mystek <><><><><> <><><><><> The call came in from Port Llast- an undergroud complex had been discovered, filled with terrible darkness. Nasher sent forth one of his guard, NW Kishpa, to find a brave party and destroy this foul place. The call to arms was answered with enthusiasm. To Kishpa's side rushed: John Blake Xuam X Silanti Wiz X Mr Rift RFarah SirPanther With this troupe of aspiring heroes the party marched off to Port Llast, meeting only minor resistance along the way. Once there, after a quick consultation, the entrance to the dungeon was laid open to the heroes. The party entered the fray. Crazed mages, Trolls, Bullettes, and even the feared Dracolich (among others) tried to bar the parties path. They inflicted a few fell wounds, but the party would be not stopped. With powerful magics, and trusty steel the party hewed it's way to victory. The darkness had been overcome, for a time. The party then retired to a nearby in to celebrate it's victory. ;> My thanks to the great players who shared my tour of Port Llast with me. I hope they all had as much fun as I. NW Kishpa <><><><><> *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* NEVERWINTER CALENDAR *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Be on the look out for those Mini Booths that seem to pop up out of nowhere! Can you be at the right place at the right time when the NW calls for a location? Keep your eyes and ears open for these events! Watch for the banners! New Player Tour: June 21st Wednesday 8:37 PM ET - Join NWA Palin for a tour of the Realm. Those interested should keep an eye out for the banner telling where to meet!;D New Player Tour June 22nd Thursday 11:30 PM ET - Join NW Strahd for a tour of the Realm. Those interested should keep an eye out for the banner telling where to meet!;D New Player Tour: June 25th Sunday 12:00 PM ET - Join NW Thorn for a tour of the Realm. Those interested should keep an eye out for the banner telling where to meet!;D <><><><><> <><><><><> Skilled Hands The fair city of Neverwinter Renowned for much, brimming with heros Or that is how the story goes But there are others still...unsung Quietly working The "City of Skilled Hands" Craftsmen, doing what they do best Seldomly pausing for a rest Its amazing, many don't notice them Quietly working Making water clocks and colorful lamps Precision time, of so many hues Members of the guild, paying their dues Constantly striving for beauty Quietly working The smooth marble floor you walk on The fountain you just drank from Every gate and city wall Made by strong, tough hands... Quietly working The deeds of heros cannot be denied They are incredible, it is true But there is more to life, more to do As these people improve Neverwinter each day Quietly working. By Morngrym Verigost Knight-Commander Bard of KORT! Tales of Whiiplash, Fighter and Mage of the Realms... Part 3 - Confrontation (Submitted by Whiiplash) Whiiplash awoke to the stale stench of a dungeon, the same dungeon in which he had found himself in only a night ago. His wrists ached from the chains that held him securely to the wall, and he shifted into a more upright position to ease the strain. The dungeon was small, a square room of stone with only a single exit. Whiiplash could tell from the sounds echoing in from the small tunnel-exit that there were more, similar rooms. Shadows stretched and twisted as the single, lone torch on the far wall lit the small room in an eerie dimness. Rats and other creatures scurried through unknown holes and cracks in the seemingly solid stone walls, and a small lizard of some type sat nearby, slowly eating away Whiiplash's meager plate of food. The sounds of movement came to Whiiplash's ears as someone approached the room in which he was impisoned. The groaning from the other dungeon rooms nearby increased tenfold, and Whiiplash got the same, cold knot in his stomach. Killian rode north along the same cobblestone road that would take him all of the way to Neverwinter. Night was fast aproaching, the sky already having taken a deep purple hue. Creatures skittered out of his way as his fine steed thundered past, and Killian almost believed they would make it to Neverwinter before night was fully upon them. Suddenly a dark form tore out from the forest, eyes red with fire. Killian halted his horse and drew out his sword, calling out battle cries to scare the beast away. Before Kilian could dismount, the form lunged, leaping on all four feet to crash into the surprised warhorse. Killian hacked at it, but could not risk a direct hit lest he strike down his own horse. The horse reared, kicking out with its forelegs. Killian toppled, stunned, and landed with a thump in the brush. Nearby, the dark form easily tore the horse apart and began its short search to find the fallen paladin. Whiiplash glared at the tall man standing before him. The man was cloaked in sweeping black cape, and held a dark staff, aglow in a strange black light, which he waved menacingly as he spoke. "The time is near.... The moons align. When they do, my undead army shall be born. Perhaps Neverwinter will be first. Nasher is a fool. Then Waterdeep....Luskan.....Mirabar. They shall all fall before my might. But, first, I need you. Or, more specifically, your brain. I must admit, you are cunning Whiiplash. Imagine..... An army of undead warriors with the fighting abilities, even magic, of a fighter as fine as you." The tall man laughed, and it echoed down the corridors and hallways of the dungeon. "What if, perhaps, I disagree?" "Whiiplash, you fool, do you really think you can defy me even in death?" The paladin awoke in a room of the very same dungeon, in fact just down the hall. His head throbbed, and he had been stripped of his weapons and armor. He slowly began to chant the words to heal the gash across his forehead. Whiiplash struggled to break the chains holding him down on the stone table. Skeletons, zombies, and other undead stood silently around the room, leaking fluids and smelling horrid. The tall necromancer stood nearby, sharpening the magical dagger he had prepared for this ritual. "Fear not, Whiiplash....you wont feel a thing." His laugh echoed as far through the dungeons as the paladin's cell. The paladin struggled with the chains, muscles straining to break the heavy links. He heard whispering in the corridor that linked this room to the next. "Are you just going to let him die...?" A gruff, grating voice whispered. "Of course not.....valuable to us as backup.....hostage......fool, cant you see? Victory is......will survive" a harsh voice explained. The voices faded as the two moved away. Killian could sense the evil surrounding the whole dungeon. He could smell it like a thick stench. Calling upon his gods, Tempus and Varlon, he let out a cry of defiance and ripped the chains from the walls. The cry echoed through every hall of the dungeon, and sent the undead into action. The filed out from unseen areas, their stench driving the rats into hiding. They shuffled along, toward the owner of the cry. The paladin cried out again, wrapping the chans about his arms like armor. Undead shuffled into the room, their stench almost visible. Killian punched out with a chain covered fist, connecting solidly with a skeleton's chest. It's rib cage shattered and fell apart, leaving a pile of bones. Slowly, Killian knocked down the forces of the necromancer, crushing undead after undead. More shuffled in, and more were destroyed. Blood oozed into Killian's eyes, and fists were covered in rotten flesh and fresh blood. Killian worked his way down the hallways, searching for some exit. Fortunately, the undead didnt try to stop him. Whiiplash screamed curses at the tall necromancer, calling out to every god to destroy him. The necromancer merely laughed and continued to go about preparing for the fateful time. Whiiplash pulled and yanked at the chains holding him down, even calling upon the arcane forces, but the enchanted chains would not break. Suddenly Killian burst in, covered in goo and rotten flesh. Fresh blood seeped out from several serious wounds, and he staggered and stumbled. Skeletons moved in behind him, reaching out with bony arms. "Fools, you cannot stop me! Whiiplash, your efforts are useless. Were this process not fatal, I would use my own brain!" The necromancer lifted his staff and chanted strange words, grinning the whole time. Suddenly the staff discharged with a loud crack, sending a dark stream of lightning hurtling into the paladin. Killian merely clenched his teeth and plowed on, seemingly unaffected by the dark powers. Suddenly Killian picked up a wooden chair and sent it spinning through the air toward the tall necromancer, who threw his staff up to stop it. At that second Whiiplash called upon his innermost powers, called out so fully to his gods, that the chains snapped and exploded, melted and oozed from the table, leaving Whiiplash stunned yet free. Beyond him, Killian struggled with the tall necromancer, who sent dark forces pouring into the huge paladin. Killian took it like a rock, clenching his teeth and fighting on. Whiiplash slipped off the table and turned the undead pouring into the room. They fell apart, the magic animating them countered. Killian slowly forced the necromancer to the floor, and Whiiplash stepped over the nearly defeated necromancer. With a cold fury in his eyes, he drove his boot into the stunned necromancer's face. "I am not defeated!" The necromancer spat defiantly. Killian grinned and stabbed him, twisting it and laughing as the necromancer screamed. Together Whiiplash and Killian left the dungeon, and continued on their ways. The sun slowly crested the mountains, sending its golden rays of light down upon the world. Whiiplash smiled as a new day dawned, smiled that he had destroyed evil. The world was safe.....for now. SIMM Chapter 5a (Submitted by YKSS) While Opoto and Berr were shouting at each other, Sana poked Dert. Immediately he looked for a way to sneak accross the courtyard in full daylight to the enterence to the castle proer (his motto was "if there be a will, there be a way"). He didn't like this business with the magi. He didn't like anything he didn't understand or couldn't fight against. He wished this was over with, but he had to get to those doors...those doors that were all the way accross that open ground with that powerful mage looking on...he wished he was already on the other side of those doors... And he was. He was suddenly very dizzy and fell to the floor. His right hand was burning for a moment. He sat up. He was in a deserted hall. Fireless torches on the walls gave off light. There were many passages branching off from this room. He immediately knew what had happened. When the charm maker broke, it turned him into a living wand of Teleport. His evil eyes shined. What he could do when he got back to civilization! He could steal from the treasure room of the Captains of Luskan! Down one cooridor came the sound of many feet running. He quickly ran down another. This one appeared to be deserted for a long time. Some of the fireless torches had grown dim or stopped glowing all together. He stopped for a moment to think. He tried to teleport himself to where the rest of the key was. He hand burned again, he became dizzy, and blacked out. When he came to, he was where he started. It looked like that wouldn't work. He didn't think he would find anything in that cooridor, so he went back to the enterence hall. There were some things there in armor and carrying maces. They sort of looked like six-legged lizardmen with an ape's face. There were only three of them, and they were facing the doors, waiting to rush out. It was easy for him to enter another cooridor. He followed this one a short way until he came to a branch. Some steps led up, and the cooridor, which was really more like a tunnel, went down. He continued down. A little father there were some rooms on the side. They were empty, so he continued. After a while the lighting stopped, so he took out a small torch from his pocket, lit it and continued. Only a few feet away the tunnel ended in a pit. Dert couldn't see what was at the bottom, but it smelled really bad. He returned the way he came and went up the stairs. Right away he hit paydirt. At the top he came to a great hall. It was over a hundred yards in each direction. Many creatures that defy description were there some eating and drinking, others lounging about, fighting, polishing & sharpening weapons. On the walls hung skeletons in chains. From looking at them, he could tell that the things had no love for each other. Suddenly there was silence. Dert's attention was drawn to the far wall. There was a balcony with steps leading up to it and a door in the wall behind it. On the balcony stood Opoto. "I HAVE ASSIGNMENTS FOR YOU !!!!" he shouted. "THE CAPTAINS HAVE THEIR ORDERS. YESTERDAY SOME OF MY SUBJECTS THOUGHT THEY COULD GET OUT OF THEIR ASSIGNMENTS BY KILLING THEIR CAPTAIN. THEY ARE NOW IN THE DUNGEONS HAVING THEIR INSIDES SLOWLY BEING PULLED OUT OF A NEW HOLE THEY NOW HAVE. IF ANYONE TRIES SOMETHING LIKE THAT TODAY, I WILL LOCK YOU UP IN A BOX, POUR SOME SALT IN, AND THROW IN SOME OF THESE," he held up a box. "MY LATEST CREATION. THEY ARE SMALL WORMS WITH SHARP TEETH. THEY BURROW INTO YOUR BODY AND EAT YOU FROM THE INSIDE. YOU WILL BE ALIVE FOR A FEW DAYS. THINK ABOUT IT!! ALSO ANYONE CAUGHT USING MY POTIONS ON IN YOUR OWN PETTY LITTLE FIGHTS INSTEAD OF ON MY ENEMIES WILL SUFFER THE SAME FATE!!" from somewhere in the room came the sound of a sneeze. The mage made a motion with his fingers a line dropped down from the ceiling and grabbed a thing. The thing was brought up to the ceiling. The line began to glow red hot. The thing screamed. In a few moments it was burned to a crisp. Parts fell to the floor. "NOW GET BACK TO WORK!!" The mage went through the door. Dert could briefly see some stairs going up on the other side. (Continued on next page) SIMM Chapter 5b (Submitted by YKSS) Dert was not very happy. He heard one of the things murmur "The master sure be in a foul mood." But he remembered the poison he had gotten, and he remembered the riches he would have thanks to his new power once he was back to civilization. He made his way accross the room. The things were arranged in groups, with each group having it's own floor space and table. Some groups were less barabaric than others and were holding meetings to discuss the new orders. Others were being clubbed and shouted at by their overlords. Most of the groups were arranged according to thing type. Most of them had half-finished projects on their tables, waiting to be finished. Some were making armor, some swords or other weapons, some bigger things. Dert noticed many of them were working with different kinds of trap components. He snuck under one of the tables of a more civilized group. He could hear them planning the laying of traps around the castle according to Opoto's wishes. He didn't find it interesting, so he continued on. At another one of the more civilized tables, he overheard plans of attack for when the magi would return. The hall was dark and since most of the things were either stupid, blind, didn't care, or just didn't notice him, so he easily made his way accross the room. He kept to the more civilzed tables, not even bothering to sneak after a while. He did not learned anything of singular importance. He arrived at foot of the stairs to the balcony. He simply went up and through the door. Apparently Opoto was counting on the fear of the things, because there were no gaurds, and the door wasn't locked. The stairs spiraled upwards. It led directly into a room, without any door. This was Opoto's bed chamber and workshop. The room was large, and there were many weapons scattered about on various tables, most of them identifiable. As Dert watched, Opoto went moved about the tables working on them, or just paced about. He muttered to himself a lot. After a few minutes, he went to work at one of the tables and continued for a many hours, well into the night. It was on the far side of the room, and Dert couldn't see what he was doing. At last he finished, and moved to another table. This time he wrote on a parchment, but only for a few minutes. Then he sat in a chair and cast a Sleep spell on himself. Dert went into the room. It too was lighted bv the mysterious fireless torches. Dert's objective was obvious, it was on a pedastal in the center of the room. He looked at it. It looked like a wooden stick that was broken in half, and afterwards turned into clay. Dert was suspicious of so valuble an item sitting on a pedastal with no apparent protection. He looked around the room some more. By the far wall were the tables Opoto used when making his creatures. Dert carefully took a worm-thing and brought it to the pedastal. From a safe distance he threw it. The worm was vaporized when it passed over the pedastal, but Dert was able to see the boundries of magical field. "Hmm...it will be a tight fit," he thought. He looked over at Opoto. He was fast asleep. He briefly toyed with the idea of joining him, but he decided things were complicated enough already, and he say the way Opoto treated his subjects. He went close to the pedastal and teleported himself onto it. Being a halfling held many advantages for a theif, and this was one of them. He was not dizzy or nauseous at all when he teleported. He grabbed the stick (with a cloth this time) and put it in one of his concealed pockets. He then considered his situation. He couldn't teleport himself to the others, because he knew from previous experience that he had to know the specific place. {see above} He decided to teleport himself to the tunnel he went to when he came in. When he came to, he was lying on the ground of the tunnel. He suspected the father he teleported the worse the nausea and dizziness. He made his was to the doors without encountering anyone or anything. He teleported himself to the other side (he enjoyed the sensation when the distance was short) and walked accross the courtyard. "I must make sure to find out how many times I can teleport when I get back to civilization," he thought to himself. His eyes shone for a moment as he thought of the riches he would have when he got to civilzation, and then pushed it out of his mind. First he would get the magi to give him the antidote (he thought it strange that they would use an antidote instead of a spell, but who could tell with magi?) and then he would have to find the way back (that didn't appeal to him). He teleported himself to the top of the wall, then to the ground on the other side. MISTY (Submitted by Sir Gaidin) For the fifth day straight Tyrell Frost watched the sun rise over the eastern treeline of the Neverwinter woods. As the early morning light washed over the ranger's body, lines of worry were plainly etched in his rugged face. "You've been gone too long Misty, where are you?" Frost spoke the words to the soft forest breeze vainly hoping for a reply. As the day began to warm, Frost still wondered how he had let Misty talk him into letting her go into Floodbest alone. Her words still echoed in his memory, "Now listen here Tyrell Frost! If I want to go alone to Floodbest, then surely I will! I'll not have have ya pamperin me like some babe in the woods!" For emphisis she had fingered the jeweled hilt of her favorite long sword. Frost had finally conceded to her playful threats of bodily harm. Gently placing her hand on Frost's face she had told him, "Look, I'll be back before you ya know it, I have something special to pick up at Sinda's and I want it to be a suprise" Frost had once again begun to object but Misty had continued, " Don't be such a worry-wart, I'm a big girl now. I've been walking these woods just as long as you have". Frost had known she was right and had eventually helped her pack. He had seen her off the next day at dawn. As they made their farewells, Frost had told her, "Now you watch out for those trolls in..." Misty had given him a look that gave even the experienced ranger cause for concern. Standing on her tip toes, Misty had then playfully pecked him on the cheek and whispered "Take care of yourself Frosty, I'll be home soon". With those words she had turned and set off towards the west at a brisk pace. As she disapeared into the thick woods, Frost had spoken under his breath, "I love you Misty, please come home to me soon...." The distant call of a silverhawk woke Frost from his reverie and without a word he began readying his pack, weapons, and armor. A forced march and two days later, Tyrell Frost strode into the small farming village of Floodbest at dusk. Several farmers greeted Frost as he walked by the simple homes that made up the hamlet. Frost normally would have stopped and talked of news of the realms with the goodly folk, but this day he passed by them with merely a wave of his hand. As Frost approached the center of the vilage, he once again saw the familiar sign of Sinda's trading post hanging from the doorway of a small wooden building. As Frost entered the old trading post, he was greeted by a gruff female voice, "Ho there Frosty! What brings you outta yer precious woods this fine evening?" Finding the source of the voice behind the low counter of the shop, Frost replied with a forced smile, " Greetings Sindar, how's your beard growing?" A stocky female dwarf walked around the edge of the counter holding a wicked looking hammer in her right hand. "Ah, ye have come fer another head beaten have ye?" Usually Frost would have playfully trade insults with the kindly dwarf for several minutes but the concern in his eyes brought the dwarf up short. In a serious tone Sindar asked, "What be the matter Frost?" Frost quickly relied, "It's Misty, she's over a week late getting back and I'm starting to get worried." Scratching the stubble on her chin Sindar said, "Hmm, well, she was in here a few days ago pickin up a package she had sent up from Neverwinter. When she left she had said something about talking to the lord mayor about renting the town hall or something." Frost hardly let Sindar finish her sentence before heading out the door in search of the lord mayor. Frost finally located the lord mayor eating his dinner at the Rankled Boar Inn. The mayor responded quickly to Frost's determined questions, " I'm sorry Frost, I don't know what to tell you. Misty never came by to see me." Frost began to get a cold knot of fear in his belly and asked, "Are you sure? she was supposed to have been to see you a week ago." The lord mayor knitted his brows in thought and replied, "Well, about a week ago I was out at the north plantaion investigating rumors of evil happenings, perhaps someone told I was there and got lost on the way?" Frost almost screamed, "Misty? lost?!, are outta your mind man?!" Frost saw the mayor cringe at his outburst and quickly added, "I'm sorry for yelling, I just want to find her safe and sound, the north plantation you said?" The mayor nodded his head and added, "Frost, be carefull out there at night, something terribly evil is lurking about." Frost never even considered the good mayor's words as he rushed out the inn's doors. By the time Frost made it to the trail heading north out of town, a full moon had risen and gently bathed the landscape in soft white light. Frost slowly followed the trails winding path checking for sign or some clues. About a mile north of the village, Frost found what appeared to be the faint signs of a struggle on the side of the trail. Upon closer inspection, Frost's worst fears were confirmed. Frost growled under his breath, "BugBears". Following the vile monsters tracks was not difficult and soon Frost found himself sneaking up on a large cave set into the side of a grassy hill. Two of the foul beast's were lounging in the front of the cave appearently standing a watch. Without warning, a female voice screamed from within the cave. It was a scream of sheer agony, and it was Misty's. Frost moved like lightning, The Bugbears were happily distracted by the torrent of screams and never even knew their pitiful lives were at an end. Violet fairie fire outlined the beast's as Frost leaped between them. Two slashes with his glowing long sword and the bugbears lay dieing on the ground. Stepping past the slain guards, Frost entered the dimily lit cave. As his eyes adjusted to the light, Frost's heart almost stopped. Standing in the middle of the large cave was the ranger's most hated and feared enemy. The eighteen foot Cloud giant had Misty casually held in it's huge right hand slowly crushing the life out of her. The Cloud Giant noted the rangers entrance and smiled wickedly. Frost sreamed in frustration and rage, "Let her go! Take me instead!" The Cloud Giant looked down at Frost and bellowed a cruel laugh. With hardly any effort, The Cloud Giant threw Misty's limp form across the room with tremendous force. Misty hit the farthest wall with a sickening thud. At that moment, Frost knew hatred. Hatred that could fell kingdoms...hatred that could fell a Cloud Giant. The Giant didnt give Frost long to think and it rushed to attack. Frost was death in motion, sidestepping the rushing giant, he slashed his burning long sword across the back of the giants left leg. The snap of the giant's ham string was audible and it sent the giant crashing to the floor bellowing in pain. Before the giant could recover from the brutal attack, Frost leaped over the giant's leg screaming in rage. The brilliant blade of Frost's long sword once again flashed and the tendon in the giants left ankle was neatly split. This time the giants bellow was not of of pain, but one of fear. With the giant down and unable to stand, Frost rushed to Misty's side. As he knelt beside her crumpled form he knew it was too late, Misty was gone. A sparkle of gold caught Frost's tear filled eyes. A chain was sticking out from one of Misty's clenched fists. Gently opening her hand, Frost found that the chain was actually a gold necklace. Hung from the center of the necklace was an oakleaf fashioned of the finest gold and platinum. In the dim light of the cave, Frost could just make out the engraved inscription of the back. "To Frosty on our Wedding day" -Love Eternally...Misty Looking up from the pendant, Frost's eyes narrowed at the still writhing form of the Cloud Giant....... It was later said that the dieing screams of the Cloud Giant blew out every paned glass window for five miles The Dance By Thranduil Graywolf It was cold. Far colder than it had been in recent decades. The elf leaned over the fire, warming his hands. He reached into a pouch and removed a crystal decanter. Holding the decanter up to the fire, the elf smiled as the light sparkled through the liquid. Nothing like Elverquisst to warm one up on a cold winter night. Taking a sip of the liquid eased the tensions on the elf's face. This was an unusual camp for the wilderness north of Luskan. A single elf, dressed in varying shades of gray clothing was huddled near a campfire in the lee of a large hill. The elf's travel stained clothes told of a long journey, his long sword glittering in the firelight, sat nearby. The blade was edged with runes of the elder elven tongue, marking it as enchanted. Beneath his tunic rested a soundless shirt of chain mail, crafted of the finest mithril and undetectable by all but the most perceptive. Fastened on a chain at his waist was a small, ornately bound book. This traveling grimoire held the most commonly needed spells for the road. Strangest of all were the three stones that circled in the air around his head, ioun stones of great magical properties. The shield leaning next to him bore the silhouette of a running wolf. The same sigil was emblazoned onto his tunic. His long, golden hair was pulled away from his face by a circlet of leather with a black stone set above his forehead. The golden hair and violet eyes marked him as a High elf, very rare indeed. Seldom do the High elves travel in the north of Faerun, and almost never can one be found alone. A lone High elf, with this mixture of exotic equipment, would have to be a competent warrior/mage. Few of any race felt safe in the wilds around Luskan. Pulling his cloak tighter against the chill wind, Thranduil Graywolf sat back to await dawn. It would be a long wait, but he knew it would be better not to fight these beasts until dawn. Showing the innate patience of the elves, he waited. The spell book remained closed, he had studied it long before arriving at the entrance to the caves. Besides, most magic would fail in the presence of these creatures. The spells were mainly to deal with the minions of the eye tyrants, known as beholders among humans. There were traces of giant beings going into the caves. Most likely hill giants, but something about the tracks had seemed odd. Graywolf could not say why, but he felt as if something were eluding him about the tracks. But all misgivings aside, the beholders were creatures that needed to be removed, and Graywolf had volunteered to remove them. Finally, as dawn began to show itself, the elf shook off the cold and began to gather his weapons. This was the right time to strike.The evil beings in the cave would be settling in for the day. Graywolf unsheathed his sword, murmured a few arcane words, and vanished from sight. Silently, he entered the caves, using his elven vision to search for signs of guards. Deep in the passage, he found a group of men around a campfire. The men wore the black uniforms of Zentish soldiers. This was a slight surprise. Graywolf had not expected to find Zhentarim out here. Best to deal with them now, than have them try to block his escape later. Only one was awake, pacing outside the circle of light from the fire. To another human, he would have been hard to spot, but to the elf he stood out like a sore thumb against the cold stone background. Sneaking up behind him, Graywolf quickly covered the man's mouth and thrust his sword into his back. The guard's muffled scream went unnoticed and the now visible elf lowered him to the floor.Graywolf gestured at the sleeping guards and spoke the words to a powerful spell. A bluish mist seeped up from the ground and engulfed the men. They all began to cough and most woke up. Much to their horror, they found they could not scream, could not move. Then they began to fall, dying as the poison entered their lungs. After the gas had settled, the elf again faded from sight and moved on. After an hour of travel down the passage, the elf stopped. Something seemed strange about this section of the passage. Carefully, he studied the walls around him. Finally Graywolf smiled and pushed in a large section of the wall. The secret door slid open, revealing a passage lined with torches. This passage was well made, with smooth walls carved from the black stone, not like the rough cave he had been in. Taking care to move quietly, Graywolf set off down the corridor. Suddenly, as he rounded a corner, Graywolf spotted a group of ogres. The tracks outside had been made by these large creatures, not hill giants. The error was important, for ogres usually had spellcasters travelling with them, unlike hill giants. Spellcasters could detect the hidden elf. Graywolf paused and studied the group. Yes, no doubt about it, several of them appeared to be shamans. There was no way around them, he had to attack. But he must be careful, all spell users are dangerous. He positioned himself in the shelter of the corner and began casting a spell. The ogres, most of them snoozing, barely noticed that something was amiss. Finally, as the elf completed the spell, he became visible again. The ogres let out a shout of warning, but it was too late. Flames leapt from the elf's hand and sped to the center of the group. The explosion engulfed the ogres, killing most outright. A couple of the shaman survived the initial blast and began to cast their own spells Quickly, Graywolf put up a magical shell to protect himself. The spells of the shamen bounced away, useless. With elven grace, Graywolf ran between the two ogres, swinging his long sword in a wide arc. Both of the ogres collapsed, an astonished look on their faces. Quickly, Graywolf looked around. That had made far too much noise. He slipped into the shadows, catching his breath. Soon, he sensed something down the corridor. A faint, oppressive presence. The elf realized that the noise had drawn the beasts out of their lair. Quickly he began to prepare himself to face them. He cast powerful enchantments on himself. He started to grow, until he was larger than the ogres he had just faced. His body blurred, until there appeared to be four giant elves standing there. Then, a bluish flame burst up from his feet and engulfed his body. By now, he could see the beholders floating down the hallway. There were two of them, their eyestalks swinging around searching for the cause of the disturbance. He was lucky, he had spotted them first. Overcoming the natural impulse to run away from these gruesome beasts, he ran out into the light. As the beholders turned their full attention on him and howled their anger, he began the dance. Graywolf's feet moved quickly. He threw his sword up in the air, spun around to catch it, twirled close to the beholders, then spun away. Fear gripped the elf's heart. This was terribly dangerous. If just one of the beasts was not ensnared by the dance, then this could be his last moment on Toril. As he watched, the beholder's eyes took on a distant look. One of them snapped at an image of the offending elf and the image ceased to exist. But, to Graywolf's delight, neither beholder was using the power of their eyes. All their eyes watched the elven dance, entranced. Then, sure that he held their attention, Graywolf began swinging at the beholders as his dance spun near them. With each slice of the magical sword, a beholder would yowl with pain. They began biting at the elves dancing in front of them. Another image disappeared. Then one of the bites scored true, and Graywolf grimaced in pain. Struggling to maintain his concentration and continue the dance he ignored the pain. Finally, with a well placed slash across the main eye, one of the beasts dropped to the floor dying. Turning his full attention against the only remaining beast, Graywolf completed the dance with a flurry of spins and strikes that made him seem like a blur. The last beholder sank to the ground, dead. Dropping to the ground in exhaustion, Graywolf let himself rest while scanning the corridor for more enemies. Nothing else attacked him, so he quickly bandaged his wounds and set off down the corridor to find their lair. As he went, the enchantments wore off. He shrank down to normal size, the remaining image vanished and the flames were extinguished. He found the lair and murmured a thanks to Corellon Larethian that he had killed the only two beasts in these caverns. There were bones of many humanoid beings laying around the chamber that the beholders had called home. After shifting through the rubble, he found one skeleton that had a shiny ring on its finger. The bright metal stood out like a sore thumb. Graywolf passed his hand over the ring and it began to glow with a faint blue light. The elf smiled, a magical ring was a good find. He pocketed the ring, wary of putting it on until he could figure out its powers. Quickly, he left the obnoxious smelling lair and returned to his old campsite. Weary, he collapsed in the snow, casting a cantrip to relight the fire. He rested there for the rest of the day. Silently, he thanked the sages who had told him that normal spells would not affect the beholders. The ancient elven sword dance that he had learned in Cormanthor was the only way to prevent the beasts from using the powers of their eyes. Finally, as darkness settled in, Graywolf gathered his belongings. Throwing snow over the fire, he pulled his hood up over his head and set out to return to Neverwinter. He had much to think about on the journey. Why had Zhentish been so close to Luskan, in the presence of beholders and ogres? He would have to inform Lord Nasher of his discovery. If Zhents and the pirates of Luskan were working together, those might not be the only beholders in the area. Grimly, he smiled. At least I have a weapon to fight the beasts. The dance helped to even out the odds a little when confronting such powerful evil creatures. Whistling an elven song about the beauty of the woods under a starlight sky, Graywolf walked south towards Neverwinter. The elf was so light of foot that he left no marks in the snow, nothing to show his passing. A Selfish Poem For Selfish Thieves (Submitted by HairGod942) With on slice of my sword, I wish to reward myself ,myself, myself myself With one carefull stitch , i will aspire to inrich myself, myself myself myself and with this atempt, on selfish greed HIS turn and strike i could not read so with this last reveal, I only kill myself, myself, myself myself. Excerpts from the beginnings of Paladinhood (Submitted by Galdrak) There once was a time when true darkness covered the land. All was cold and dim to sight of man and elves. The evil god Koret had cast a pall over the lands. No good could be summoned to this plane. The name of no god of good could be invoked. The varied peoples of the land lived hopeless lives. The downtrodden population of the world cried out in terror again and again for some force of good to ease their suffering, to halt the pain of living. For a great many centuries there was no answer. There could be no answer. The land was filled with death and hate. The air was filled with sulfer and ashes. Still, the people cried out for a savior, but none came. Again and agian did they cry. But it all came to naught. The gods no longer cred for them. The gods no longer paid attention to their meager, tormented lives. Yet through it all, one young boy believed that he could make a difference. He believed that he could free his land of the Evil god's Loathsome reign of tyrrany. He never gave up hope that some day the gods would listen to him. All too soon, this boy grew to be a man. And this man decided to do the impossible. He set out to slay a god. This young man kept himself pure in heart and mind, body and spirit. Never would he let someone else go hungry if he had food. Long and hard this virtuous one sought the righteous gods. On his many quests, his small, seemingly meaningless acts of kindness spread the light of hope across a storm-weary world. Yet the gods were not totally ignoring this place of pure, unadulterated evil. They had a master plan with which to defeat evil. Evil not just here, but where ever evil could be found. This could not be accomplished by some great feat of sorcerous power. For even though it could stop evil in its tracks here in this place, it would not workl a second time. The gods took interest in this growing man. Strange new powers they granted him to combat the evil on that plane and many others. A whole new caste of warriors were brought into existence. Those who could fight evil in all its forms. Those we know as Paladins. This first Paladin had a sword. Not just an ordinary metal sword. But a sword of wondrouus beauty and holy power. This blade still exists, ye just need to find it. Maybe, just maybe, ye might be good enough to find the gods special favor as did this young boy. The Quests of Sharna Tyr "The Gallant Prince" Chapter 3 * * * * * Disturbed by the appearance of the mysterious woman, Sharna returned to the main corridor and continued along the passageway until she arrived at a previously unseen door with an engraved brass plaque that read "Captains's Quarters." Opening the door, she stepped inside a large, dimly lit room and froze when she heard the sound of gutteral voices. Across the room stood four large and hairy, seven foot tall bugbears, distant relatives of goblins, ramsacking a pair of open chests. Although she could not make out what they were saying, it was clear that they were agruing over some new found loot. Sliding into the shadows to remain unseen, a large grotesque troll appeared sweeping the bugbears off to one side as it lifted the chests and dumped the contents on to the floor. "Mine, " it said holding the bugbears at bay as it scavenged through the treasure. When the bugbears resisted the troll lifted one of them and tossed it aside. The bugbear tumbed across the floor and came to a stop at Sharna's feet. As the creature sat dazed looking up at Sharna through its greenish white eyes with blood red pupils. Suddenly, it recognized the danger it faced and reached for its spear, attempting to rise to its feet. Before it could cry out, Sharna plunged her sword deep into its chest, rupturing its heart. The bugbear sat wide eyed in shock and bearing its mouth full of long sharp fangs as it looked down at the sword and knew that it was dying. When Sharna withdrew the blade, it fell backwards and crashed to the floor. Hearing the commotion, the other creatures quickly turned and spotted Sharna. The monsters ceased their arguing among themselves and rushed to attack the interloper. Sharna swiftly dropped to the floor and rolled to her left as a volley of spears was unleashed by the bugbears, striking the door and wall behind her. Rising to her feet she impaled the nearest bugbear on her sword, then pivoted to decapitate a second just as the troll struck from behind. The force of the blow knocked Sharna backwards and she crashed against the wall, dazed but uninjured. She quickly began casting and hurled a ball of fire that exploded in front of the troll, critically wounding it and killing the remaining bugbear. The crippled troll trudged forward, its long spindly green arms reaching out to grasp Sharna as she cast again, this time a magic missle spell that hit the troll in its chest, killing it instantly. The battle over, Sharna sifted through the monster's treasure only to find a few rust covered weapons and a handful of coinage. As she rested and viewed the carnage that resulted from the battle, she shook her head in resignation. "These pitiful creatures," she sighed, "their lives gone over a few worthless trinkets and coins." She then conducted a search of the rest of the quarters, but the brass button still eluded her. In both the northeast and southeast corner of the cabin was a closed door. Deciding on the latter, Sharna entered a long, but narrow room and came upon a sailor lying in the corner of the room. As she drew nearer, she could see that the man's face was pale, as if every drop of blood had been drained from his body. Kneeling beside the fallen sailor, the reason for his discoloration became horridly clear. Not only was his skin white as chalk, it was hardened and slowly turning to stone! Sharna rolled the body over and gasped in recognition of the face that looked back at her. "Marek!" she cried, "What in the name of Helm are you doing here?" Marek looked up at her, his eyes wide in terror as he feined a weak smile and began to speak. "M'lady . . . I . . . I thought I could help." he stammered. "But I have failed you. They . . . they are slowly turning me to stone . . . forcing me to help them and promising to reverse the condition . . . They . . ." Sharna cradled Marek in her arms as tears began to flow from the young man's steel blue eyes as he accepted that his life was over. "Who!" demanded Sharna? "Who, or what is doing this to you?" In a last dying effort, the young seaman turned his head toward Sharna and began to speak again in a strangled voice. "The pirates . . . Luskan . . . aided by . . . med . . . medusa . . ." Then he was dead, the horrible metamorphosis complete. The young sailor's skin was no longer made of flesh and blood, but turned completely into stone. Sharna gently lowered the fragile body and rested it on the floor in front of her. Despite her care, it crumbled to dust as it touched the floor while from within the darkness ahead, a soft hissing sound emanated, followed by harsh, evil cackling. With her back turned to the sound of the approaching creatures, Sharna reached inside her tunic and withdrew a small mirror. If Marek was correct about it being a medusa then she would take no chances and avoid looking at it directly. Holding it above her right shoulder, he worst fears were realized as she observed not one, but three grotesque female creatures emerging from the shadows. As they slowly approached, the coiling masses of snakes that covered their heads in place of hair, slithered and hissed. Overcoming her initial sense of revulsion and fear, Sharna began to intone silently and an aura of magic permeated the air around her. Spinning abruptly in the direction of the advancing horror, she held the mirror out in front of her and avoided looking directly into their repulsive and deadly masques of death. As Sharna turned, the nearest medusa cast a petrifying gaze at her, only to have it reflected by the mirror. The medusa shrieked a high-pitched lament that faded and strangled in its throat as the reflected gaze turned it to stone. Sharna then raised her outstretched hand and unleashed a fireball that exploded between the two remaining monsters, killing both of them instantly. "That was for you, dear Marek." Sharna said as the smoke cleared revealing the charred corpses of the dead medusa. But that was not all that was revealed. For scattered across the floor, perhaps by the force of the blast, was a bounty of brass buttons. Sharna leaned over and picked up a button that, upon close examination, was embossed with the ensign of the Luskan fleet. "Luskan?" Sharna queried aloud to herself. "Yes . . . Luskan" the voice of the watcher answered from behind. Turning swiftly and raising her sword, Sharna faced the cloaked figure standing in the doorway. "Who are you?" she demanded in a voice that indicated she had enough of playing cat and mouse games. Stepping forward the cloaked figure removed the hood that shrouded its head to reveal a young woman with long, golden blonde hair that cascaded around a porcelain skinned face set with deep jade green eyes. "Greetings my sister, forgive me for all the mystery. My name is Verdina, Scribe of the Order of the Golden Staff." Sharna relaxed at the mention of OGS but did not immediately sheath her sword until she was certain that the young woman was telling her the truth. "Port Llast," Verdina continued, "is currently allied with Neverwinter. But the scheming pirate captains in Luskan are always trying to gain a foothold here and obtain the use of the harbor as a southern anchorage for their warships. The button you have retrieved is evidence of their plotting and will be of great interest to the Lord's Alliance in Neverwinter." "I see," Sharna replied sheathing her sword. "Verdina. Yes, I have heard the name. Did Nyvyn send you to follow me?" The young scribe giggled and responded, "No, of course not! I am here on my own accord." Raising an inquisitive eyebrow, Sharna asked, "Why?" Verdina thought for a moment before answering. "Well, as I have said, I am the guild scribe of OGS. But as of late, since becoming the wife of Ridgelake, my duties as a scribe and wife of the Head of Admissions for our guild have left little time for personal adventures. Then I heard about your quest and decided to follow you." "But why didn't you just come forward at the beginning?" Sharna asked. "Why did you choose to follow me instead of traveling by my side?" Verdina smiled. "Because it was your quest, not mine. I wanted this to be your story, and your victory." "Umm . . ." Verdina continued, "Sometimes, err . . . many times . . . Hell, what I'm trying to say is that I've been writing about myself for so long that I often get so wrapped up in me, that I forget what the tale is really all about." Sharna Tyr threw back her head and laughed. "Well met then, Sister Verdina!" In the dim light of the small room the two guild sisters embraced. "Let's get off of this accursed ship." Verdina said taking Sharna by the arm and leading her topside. "I know this great little tavern that serves the finest Elvin wine in all the realms." Returning to the pier, Sharna was greeted by a congregation of local citizens. The fishermen she had passed earlier led the crowd in a cheer as they followed the two women to the inn. "Sharna! Sharna! Sharna!" As the pier emptied and quiet returned, the only sound to be heard was the cry of sea birds and that of the waves lapping against the rotting hull of the battered ship. At the foot of the pier stood a solitary figure. "Hmm . . ." the young warrior said as he read the ominous warning sign posted on the pier, then ascended the gang plank to the main decks of the Gallant P rince. "I wonder what treasures are to be found aboard this old relic?" T H E E N D * So sayeth Volothamp Geddarm, Master Traveler and author of "Volo's Guide to the North." This writer acknowledges and thanks Master Volothamp (aka Ed of the Greenwood) for much of the information regarding Port Llast used in this story. A Grand Adventure... Part 4 (Submitted by Ringleron ) We searched the remains of our enemies and collected coins and items that were worth taking. We found a ladder and descended into the caverns underneath Luskan. We found a place to rest and re-memorized the battle spells we just used. The camp fire was extinguished and our belongings were gathered. A few spells were cast and we continued our hunt for the beholders. We were walking down a tunnel when a group of ogres and ogre shamans revealed themselves. Knowing that the shamans cast paralyzing spells, I pulled out a crystal bead, casted a spell and placed the bead on my left shoulder. While the spell was in effect, the shaman's paralyzing spells would not affect me. While I stayed defensive, Dragonklaw went for the offensive. Pulling no punches, he casted two fireballs. One after another, centered on the shamans. The ogre shamans didn't stand a chance. Seeing that the spell casting enemies were annihilated, Khaymara charged the nearest ogre and thrashed it. The few ogres that remain began to run for their lives. I rushed one but, overshot it, giving the ogre a chance to thrust its spear. The spear tore through my side. Ignoring the pain, I swung my sword at it, twice. I tore him a new one. The rest of the ogres managed to escape. Just then, the crystal bead on my left shoulder shattered, with it, my protection spell. I mended my wound while the others searched the bodies of the ogres. I did a mental inventory of the spells I have left and found out that I still have most of them. I could almost feel the beholders nearby. We picked up our gear and continued the hunt. Dragonklaw opened a door, when I was about to asked him to wait. I was a bit too late, so I pulled out the familiar sulfur and tiny ball of bat guano and threw a fireball at the owlbears. The fiery blast killed most of them, only leaving a couple of owlbears and a cloud giant. I pulled out three metal rods to cast a paralyzing spell when the cloud giant stepped closer and smashed me with its weapon. The blow made me loose the spell I was casting and I nearly lost my consciousness. The two owlbears came at me as well. I was able to avoid one, but, the other managed to grab a hold of me. The creature's powerful arms wrapped around me and began to squeeze the air out of my lungs. Dragonklaw and Khaymara rushed to my rescue. Dragonklaw attacked the cloud giant with two quick swings of his enchanted sword. The cloud giant was still toppling when Dragonklaw attacked one of the owlbears. The enchanted blade disappeared into the monster's stomach. Khaymara attacked the owlbear the was crushing me. With one mighty overhand chop, the owlbear's back was split open. The arms that were wrapped around me suddenly went limp and I managed to pull myself away. I gave my friends my gratitude, when my knees buckled as strength left my legs. Khaymara and Dragonklaw helped me up and carried me to the southwest corner of the chamber. At the rate I'm going, I began to wonder if I could make it to the beholders' lair. Diligently, my friends stood guard as I rested and healed myself. Soon, strength flowed through my body. We resumed our discussion about our strategy against the beholders as we gathered our items. We entered the secret door and silently made our way to the only wooden door in the room. Behind that door, we would encounter the beholders we sought for. A tip for new player's......... (Submitted by Keglord) So you think the +2 dagger you found in Longsaddle under is trash compared to the +1 Battle Axe that has been by your side ever since you've entered the realm? Or are you thinking of ditching the +3 Hammer you retrived after defeating a nasty group of Dracolich's over your trusted +2 long sword? Well think again!! There are certain creature's in the realm that can only be effected by cetain magic item's, depending on the + of that item. (i.e. certian creature's are only effected by +2 or better). So the next time you find a magic weapon, don't just look at the damage the weapon does, take the + of the item into consideration before selling it to the arm's dealer. You might wanna keep it around in case you run into one of these nasties....... ---------------------------------- These creature's are only effected by certain magic weapons............ Banshee.............. +1 or better, silver* Dracolich.............. +1 or better, silver* Margoyle.............. +1 or better Mummy................ +1 or better, silver* Salamander.......... +1 or better Earth Elemental.... +2 or better Fire Elemental...... +2 or better Stone Gollum....... +2 or better Iron Gollum.......... +3 or better *As a general rule, undead can be hit by silver...... Best Advice to "Newbies." (Submitted by Jason CZ) I feel for those just starting out without a weapon to speak of. You see all those adventurer's with the +3 weapons and you have a short sword. Well here's a hint I wish someone would have given me. Go south of Neverwinter. Yes south into that other area where the bridge is broken down. Down in that area you will find a Minotaur with a +1 Battle Axe. This weapon will support you well until you are able to find your own suitable replacements. Good Luck. Jason Cz PVP Tournament-Starting July 2nd (Submitted by Peirgeiron) Here are the basic rules and dates: This tournament will an unlimited number of PvPers in the tournament. Though an even number of contestants would be preferable. PVP TOURNAMENT RULES The PvP tournament will NOT be a single/double elimination tournament so every person can PvP a set number of matches. Each match will be best 2 out of 3 rounds. Each person will PvP in around 6 or 7 matches depending on how many people enter. Each person will be assigned a number before the whole tournament, and I will assign who fights who by pairing off numbers. The first two matches will be random, and I will record the results of who won and who lost, and how many rounds it took. After that I will pair opponents off according to record. For example a 2-0 will never fight a 0-2, but would rather fight a 2-0. This continues until all the rounds have been finished. After all the matches have been fought I will post the top 8 or 16 or 32...basically an expotential number of 2. These will be the people who have made it to the elimination rounds...which will be a single elimination, best 2 out of 3 fights, and the number of fights will increase as we get closer to finals. The number one person will fight the 32nd, and the 2nd place will fight the 31st and so on. Double OctaFinals 32 PvPers-16 fights OctaFinals 16 PvPers-8 fights QuarterFinals 8 PvPers-4 fights SemiFinals 4 PvPers-2 fights Finals 2 PvPers-1 fight Contact Peirgeiron through E-Mail if you are interested...and I'll probably follow through better than I did on the ladder, since this is a one shot deal ;) The tournament will start July 2nd when I will post the first two rounds. Everyone will have four days to arrange their fights and actually complete them. Players should e-mail me the results and I will post additional rounds after everyone has e-mailed me. After the first two rounds, you will have three days to complete the last three rounds. If you don't fight your fight then it is concidered an automatic lose for both people, and you will recieve a 1-2 towards your record. Round 1 & 2-July 2nd Round 3-July 6th Round 4-July 9th Round 5-July 12th Elimination Rounds-July 15th These dates are subject to change assuming everyone completes their fights. Peir. <><><><><> <><><><><> Gimme a Scoop! Enter the weekly News of the Realm contest by submitting text for publishing. If your Announcement, Article, Helpful Hint, NW Abby Question, Poem, Fiction, or Tidbit wins, you'll have won your choice of 4 Pearls or Access to the GOH (Guild of Heroes) ! Submit all text to screenname: NW NEWS. Sanctioned Guilds who send the most "news worthy" articles in each month will earn 3 Pearls to be credited to their Guild Account! <><><><><> <><><><><>