==========oOo========== NEVERWINTER NEWS Issue # 89 Week Ending 7-01-95 ==========oOo========== *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* FRONT PAGE *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* <><><><><> <><><><><> HAPPY 4TH OF JULY! <><><><><> <><><><><> Congratulations to Vallus for winning last week's News of the Realm contest. Vallus has earned choice of 4 Pearls or Access to the GOH (Guild of Heroes) WTG! <><><><><> <><><><><> Due to the first Tues of the month being July 4th, NWN Trivia will be postponed until Tuesday July 11th. Enjoy your holiday and see you the following week. ; ) NW Baldor and NW Strahd <><><><><> <><><><><> Congratulations to Ldy Spawn, for excelling in the trials of Spirit, Fire, and Ice in the second of this months GOH booths. Ldy Spawn took a total of 37 damage from the slay, fireball, and ice storm cast upon her, the only player to take under 40 in the contest. Also, thank you to the GOH members who took the time to show up for the contest. NW Kishpa <><><><><> <><><><><> Well this weels GOH access winner for tavern role play is..GLDENSWORD He's quite the player.. Hope ta see more of 'im around.. ;> Hobbsie <><><><><> <><><><><> I heard of disease and death in some fields of unknown location in Floodblest, once again I required the aid of an adventurer to find this place! Stepping forth to share knowledge of its location was Shade187! Congratulations to Shade187, winning 4 pearls and 1 free hour -NW Strahd <><><><><> <><><><><> Lazily wandering into Strider's after a long stint on guard duty, I walked to the bar and waited to be served. The very thought of a large cold ale after patrolling the streets of Neverwinter on this hot day made the gold pieces I carried jump from my pockets onto the bar. As I waited for the busy barkeep to wander towards me , I overheard a young warrior telling a tale. It seems he was travelling from Long Saddle and took that least travelled path through the Neverwinter Woods. As he left the woods and followed the path to Nightsedge, he heard a tremendous noise come forth from the underbrush to the East. He stretched out prone to the ground and crawled cautiously toward the din. Peeking over some brush, he looked ahead only to see four dragons discussing something, though he could not quite make out their words. Seeing they were preoccupied, he turned and crawled back to the path, stood up and ran along the trail to the inn in Nightsedge. At this point, Lorse looked up and saw that I was listening and invited me over to his table with a motion of his right hand. "Thorn, good sir !", he shouted as I took the empty seat beside him. "I have been telling my friends here of a den that I found just outside the village of Nightsedge. It was home to several Black Dragons, and from what little I witnessed, I could tell they were plotting great evil ! I have come to town seeking commrades that would be willing to follow me back to the den so that we may perhaps catch them unaware and destroy them before the could harm any who may be travelling those woods." Being one who enjoys a good quest and always looking to aid those who seek help, I graciously volunteered my services. Lorse and I , along with his friends KevinB1100, Kendrix IV, BIF Pepper, Drexelgot, and Ning Ti, set out to the location he described. We reached the path that leads from Nightsedge to the Neverwinter Woods at nightfall and Lorse led us to the spot where he had heard the great noise. All was quiet. I headed into the brush towards the East as the rest of our party waited on the path. Quietly stepping throught the brush, I soon came upon the the entrance to the Black Dragon's den. It was dark and unusually quiet. It's residents were not at home. As I turned to leave I noticed a crudely drawn map which had been painted in blood on the south wall of the den. ______ | X | | X ------- t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t ___ I quickly memorized the drawing and returned to where they others were waiting. " I think that our quarry has plans to meet allies and form a large party with which to venture out. And I think I know where they might be meeting." I offered my thoughts as my fellow adventurers listened. If I was right, we would confront a group of adversaries heretofore unseen in the entire realms. After planning our strategy and preparing for anything that might attempt to bar our path, we set out in search of adventure and treasure. We entered the Neverwinter Woods and headed to the south, over a wide and sturdy bridge. We walked along a little traveled path until we came to a great gate which barred our way. Reaching into his backpack, Drexelgot produced a fine crafty rope which had a large hook attached to the end. Throwing the the hook toward the top of the gate, we heard it as it hit the other side. Pulling on the rope we saw it draw taut. It had secured itself and was safe to climb. We scaled the gate and dropped to the other side. We made our way further to the south and in the distance saw a great building looming up from between the trees ahead. We also began to hear sounds, sounds made by the beast known to those to travel the realms as the Black Dragon. Our prey was ahead. After casting a spell to make us invisible, we walked headlong into the beasts makeshift camp. With hearts of fire, swords brandished and spells filling the air we attacked with a fury. We had caught the beasts by surprise. Three fell quickly as a fireball burst over the heads of the large huddled group. Then a fourth fell from the swipe of Ning's sword. Alarmed by the swiftness of our attack, the dragons who still stood filled the air with corrosive acid, snorting the vile fluid into our midst. Beseiged with wounds we continued on and two of the remaining four fell from a well placed lightning bolt. As the two survivors attempted to escape, they were felled from behind with several well placed blows. We stood in silence and surveyed the carnage as the last of the Black Dragons breathed his last breathe. Scurrying about quickly, we retrieved what treasure we could find, shoved it into our packs then headed north towards safety. We travelled undisturbed back over the gate and to the bridge which lay just before the path to Nightsedge. At this point we parted company. Lorse and his friends headed East toward Long Saddle. I decided to crawl down under the bridge and find a place to rest. As my eyes closed and my thoughts turned to more relaxing things, I could have sworn I heard a voice shouting, "Come on in Doc, try to take our woods" NW Thorn <><><><><> *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* 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 July 2nd, Sunday 7:00 PM ET - Join NWA Storm for a tour of the Realm. Those interested should keep an eye out for the banner telling where to meet!;D New Player Tour: July 7th, Friday 10:00 PM ET - Join NW Tempus for a tour of the Realm. Those interested should keep an eye out for the banner telling where to meet!;D New Player Tour: July 8th Saturday 7:00 PM ET (Sat night)- Join NW Triel for a tour of the Realm. Those interested should keep an eye out for the banner telling where to meet!; <><><><><> <><><><><> A poem inspired by a tense meeting...when a simple bard encountered a Demi-god of incredible power...written by this bard in ancient times, and once shared by an alter ego...long since deceased. We are powerful warriors indeed, but there is greater might still... ;> Shades of Might Our presence has been felt for ages So subtle most have never known Several faces, so many forms While ancient oaks have died and others grown Some are good and some are evil Others somehow fall in between Sharing certain bonds few will admit Strands of thoughts, strands of dreams Illusions and maneuverings surround us all These intricate webs cover the land We move in the darkness and welcome the light So many skills are in demand Flames of disintegration have howled around us Fueled by a razor edged magical power We have stood alone with vampires in the dark And laughed as they averted their charming eyes Kings and queens speak to us in shadows With royal respect and clandestine fear Our gods are close to us, we all have favor Spirits sing songs only we hear Now we relax as the dark sun sets again Knowing that we shall rise tomorrow, even as it will Fearsome new powers emerge as others wane And through it all we still remain... by Morngrym Verigost Knight-Commander Bard of KORT THE CROSSING - Part One (Submitted by Lywnis) The crumpled note sprang into flame and was instantly consumed. Around me, the company of the common room laughed and reveled in tales of great adventure. Mirth, however, was not upon my mind this eve. Turning away from the blazing hearth, I returned to my corner table. Settling into my seat, I once again pondered the message: Meet me in Longsaddle. - Shadow Walker Longsaddle! Of all the places he could choose, did he not realize that I was but a newcomer to the lands of Neverwinter. Admonishments from adventures met during my travels floated in my head. "Beware the Lost Hills! Do not attempt to cross them until you have perfected you craft." Perfected my craft? Certainly I had grown strong in these last few months, but my craft was far from perfect. Still, the tales of fell beasts, great treasures, and heroic deeds to be done in the East intrigued me. "If the Lost Hills must be crossed, then they must be crossed!", I resolved. Draining the last of my glass (A Floodblest vintage, hastily aged, but not bad for mortals) I toasted the health of the company, and departed. Returning to my chamber, I surveyed my gear, and began gathering together the items required for the journey. Given the nature of the journey ahead, I quickly decided that my best chance lay in spead and stealth. With reluctance, I laid aside my stout suit of platemail and arrayed myself in a simple leather jerkin. To my back I strapped a longbow, quiver of arrows, and a small pack. A pouch at my waste held some coin and spell components that I hoped I would never need. Finally, I took up my scabbarded sword and belted it around my waste. Drawing the blade, I examined it with great care. Forged long ago for some unknown war, this mighty weapon had fought countless battles. The blade, however, showed no blemish or imperfection. Deadly it was to my foes. Returning it to its scabbard, I uttered a brief blessing upon the noble Sir Albion for gifting it to me. Suddenly, my reverie was broken by a knock at the door. "Beggin you pardon, kind sir", came the voice of a servant, "but a letter for you has just arrived." "Hmmm..", I thought to myself as I opened the door to reveal the young mortal. "Uhm..here sir", she stammered as she handed me a wet bundle covered in muck. "These kinda got dropped in a puddle..sorry". Bidding her depart, and slipping her a freshly minted gold coin, I closed the door and regarded the packet. Wrapped in a rough hide and bound by a leather thong, it did not look overly water tight. Slitting the thong, I unwrapped it to find a soggy mass of paper and ink. Setting each piece on to the bed, I was able to determine that they were originally maps and a note. Taking up the note, I was able to make out the following: Lyw.... Maps o. ... ...lms. These should ... you ov.r ... ...t H..ls. See y.. i. ...g..ddle. Sh.... Wa...r "WORTHLESS", I cursed. How unfortunate, for these maps would have proven a great boon in the journey ahead. Turning from the remains of the maps, I slipped into the hall. "Just gonna have to do this the hard way", I grimaced. Pausing at the end of the hall, I drew my cloak around me, opened the window, and dropped to the street below. From a crouch, I survey the street. Not a soul in sight. Smiling, I headed East. (Continued next week) The Emerald Brooch - Part 1 (Submitted by HG Renik) The mid-day heat was stifling, and the air seemed to radiate in shimmering waves as the sun beat down on the dusty streets of Triboar. Renik, the Harpers new Cleric-Mage, slowed his trusted steed Silvermist to a slow, but steady walk thru the quiet streets. "Where could he be?", Renik muttered softly, he was sure Wigleaf's urgent request for help had come from Triboar. Holding Silvermist's muscular neck for balance, Renik leaned far over the Lightning steed's right side, as he keenly scanned the deserted streets for the injured Ranger's tracks. "There!" he almost shouted, as he jumped from the well-worn, brown-leather saddle to take a closer look at a bit of rusty-red fabric dangling from one of the weathered bricks of a nearby wall. Removing the tattered fragment of cloth from the ages-old mortar, Renik could easily see that the actual color of the small strip of cloth was blue, the red color coming from the semi-dried blood, which caked the fabric's closely woven threads. Using his long, slender fingers, Renik traced each small line in the ancient wall, desperately searching for a seam, a hidden latch, any means of passage to the forest beyond. "Ack!" he cried, "Silvermist, we must go around the long way, I am sure this is the work of the Evil Sorceress that has been rumored to be enslaving the local townsfolk!" "And, from the looks of it 'ol girl" he said to his silver-gray mount as he bounded back into the saddle, "We had better hurry!" Silvermist needed no further prompting, turning her sleek silken-mane head south, the worn and weathered buildings of Triboar were but a blur as she, and her Harper rider, streaked south towards the Lost Hills. Their passage thru the desolate hills , aided by the magical speed of a Lightning Steed, had been swift indeed. Scant minutes had passed since finding the torn, bloodied bit of cloth, as Renik reigned Silvermist to a halt outside the concealed passage in the Northeast section of the Lost Hills. "Return to the stables Girl", Renik whispered, as he softly chanted the special spell to return Silvermist to her stall in Longsaddle. As the steed de-materialized behind him, the Harper Cleric-Mage turned east, and whispering a litany to Tyr, stepped into a seemingly impassable, vine-choked passage, back into Triboar. The sky seemed to darken, and took on an almost purplish hue, as Renik emerged from the secret passage into the Centaur Wood. Lying still, soaked in a darkening pool of his own blood, lay the critically wounded Ranger, Wigleaf. Renik rushed to his side, and kneeling down, cast the first, of many, healing spells on the torn and tattered Ranger. "Methanks Renik" Wigleaf weakly murmured, as he slowly sipped on the Ale flask the Harper had found in the injured Ranger's backpack. Wiping sweat from his brow, Renik drained his own mug, and smiled at the fast recovering Wigleaf. He had spent the better part of the last hour, casting what seemed like thousands of Heal spells on the near-death Ranger. Standing up slowly, head dizzy from the spell-cast effort, Renik tells Wigleaf "Now, we must see if we can find the good and honest Centaur, so's we can work our way out of this evil infested wood." Smiling, eager at the prospect of more adventure, the noble Ranger, and faithful Harper carefully work their way north thru the thick scrubs of the Centaur Wood. To be Continued.... SMIM Conclusion (Submitted by YKSS) With Opoto dead his army quickly disintergrated. There was a great riot in the big hall. Most of his creations died within a week of their master's death. However some of the army, especially the "normal" monsters like orcs, spread out into the forest and caused much trouble in the years that followed. The commotion that Opoto made in felling the trees and the brawl of the army brought Dert back. The antidote was given, and then the group traveled to the former location of Old Eeum. It was now a dome shaped hill with trees growing on it. The magi recovered their half of the key. After much digging, the energy dome that enclosed the city was uncovered. The magi inserted the two halves of the key into the dome, and it collapsed, dumping a load of topsoil on the city. As far as the resident of the city were concerned, no time had passed since they were put in suspended animation all that time ago. The ailment was quickly cured. The dirt was taken from the streets and carted away, and life went on. There was one problem: how to get Ater, Smim, and Dert home? The magi really didn't know where Neverwinter was, or even in what direction. Ater found a good market for his products, as the residents of the city were fond of mixing machines with magic to produce results. He was partly responsible for the invention of the magic tent, which affored protection from non-magical attacks. Smim started out in the direction he thought would take him home, but on the way he met a woman he decided to marry, so he settled down. He too found a great demand for his services because of all the monsters from Opoto's fortress that had escaped. He was made the head of the newly formed guard of the town of Seriel. Old Eeum was not exactly the trading capital of the region, which had always been sparesly populated. Dert went off to search for better places to rob and was never heard from again. Calling to Myrkul (Part 2) (Submitted by UDL Diablo) With the coming of sunlight, Diablo decided to rest, his spirit drifting beneath a large asp, it's branches overhead providing relief from the bright rays of light beating down on the road. As he slept, his mind turned to dreams of power, visions of the glory that he would receive in service to Myrkul. There were many new faces in the dream, the new squires that were flocking to Myrkul and the Undead Lords. The guilds power growing with increasing numbers of followers of Old Lord Skull. Throughout the day, the dreams came, and when he awoke with the coming of dusk, he was even more confident that his choice of guilds was a wise one. Looking about, the road was quiet, as he still was more than one hundred miles from the City of Splendors. Without sound, he once again continued his journey down the road towards Waterdeep and the appointment he had with one of the lords there. As he traveled his mind thought of those who the guild now had, and how he thirsted for more blood of his enemies. The Fountain of Souls needed to be filled with fresh blood, preferably the blood of rival guilds. But alas, on this journey he knew he would not find any of the guild members he sought, as they stayed close to Neverwinter. Besides, not many of them could survive the trip through the Lost Hills, he thought to himself, the thought followed by a long wicked laugh. Yes, Slayer was a good guild master, having declared the Lost Hills the territory of the Undead Lords, and few, if any, could change that. Then a sound of horses approaching on the road ahead. He was now only five miles from Waterdeep, so a patrol was a likely cause of the traffic he heard on the road ahead. Silently he drifted behind a large tree and waited. Perhaps a few more souls could be taken this night in service to Myrkul. The grin that crossed his face was huge, as he prepared the spells that would bring more glory to Old Lord Skull, the God of the Dead. Stepping back behind a tree, Diablo waited until the patrol rounded the turn in the road, twelve of them, mounted, riding abreast, six rows deep. He smiled and started the incantation that brought a noxious cloud into being that engulfed the road around the first four riders. Before they could react, the next rank of two had ridden into the cloud. All six riders and mounts died quickly from the poisonous gas. Moving quickly out into the road, Diablo started another incantation and four of the riders found themselves held fast atop their mounts, leaving but two to contend with. Diablo felt the power of Myrkul flowing through his spirit as he pulled out the mace and started to close with the riders. The two that were left seemed to be a bit shocked by the quick actions of this spirit that now confronted them, one turning back toward the city, the other unsheathing his sword. The one that was running felt the surge of electricity that hit him, enhanced by the armor that he was wearing, he died quickly, leaving but one for Diablo to contend with. "By the Lords of Waterdeep", the rider spoke as he spurred the horse forward, around the cloud and charging quickly towards Diablo. The Undead Lord held his ground, measuring the distance between himself and the charging rider. The incantation was directed this time at the horse, fumbling it so the rider atop fell forward, breaking bones as he crashed into the earth before the clumsy horse. Diablo put away the mace and walked over to the downed rider. "Today you shall serve a higher glory", Diablo spoke as he cast another hold, the magic stiffening the rider that lay before him. But conscious the rider was, and Diablo just grinned as he started to slowly cut away body parts, enjoying the meal Myrkul had provided him this day. With the meal finished, the rider having died a gruesome death, Diablo continued the short way to the City of Splendors, Waterdeep. The last five miles taking but a short time as the spirit floated effortlessly along the road. As he approached his gaze fell on the city that many called the jewel of the west. He looked up at the watchtower where the banner of Waterdeep proudly flurled in the breeze. The banner was a rich royal blue, flat topped shield bordered in silver, on the shield was a silver crescent moon, horns uppermost, and below, an area of purple hue, representing the light of the city at night which ended in a straight horizontal line, representing the sea. Below this, reflected in the water, was a wavery upside-down crescent moon matching the one at the top of the shield, and in a semi-circle around it, nine silver stars of many points. Diablo just grinned to himself as his spirit flowed unnoticed past the guards at the gate and down the main street of the city. He glanced at the travelers, merchants, beggars and others that crowded this street of the city. Each and everyone with their own story to tell, their own needs to be fulfilled. Diablo just continued on, heading for a location well known to him. A location he frequented often as Zoquar, when he was an apprentice to Halaster. His memory was true as he made his way down street after street, finally coming to a stop in front of a dingy, blue tapestried building of smoothly carved wooden pillars and paneling. The sign above the door read, "The Yawning Portal", and Diablo knew that this inn held entrance to the ruins below Waterdeep. This place he would have to visit once again as he pursued this personal quest. The sounds of water crashing into the docks nearby was all Diablo heard as he stepped into the shadows of an ally nearby. In the darkness of the ally, Diablo cast a seldom used incantation, and once again took on the physical form of Zoquar, mage in service to the Lords of Waterdeep. He would check into tavern, and there, plot his revenge against the lords who had held him in servitude. An HR Adventure (Submitted by Mystic SD) We were sitting around the table at the local inn, fresh from the ceremony welcoming Rudder into the rank of Lord, enjoying our ale and mead when a slightly inebriated Lord Teylas proclaimed his intent to wrest control of the Islands from the evil Krakens. They had established a base there and had been terrorizing the good people of the area. Feeling somewhat brash from the effects of our merrymaking, we thought this a grand idea and immediately rushed to get our tickets for the next boat out. We met at the Neverwinter Docks later that night and boarded for the trip across the sea. Outside of Lord Avlahos's bout with seasickness (which left him quite green), we made it with no untoward incident. The party formed up and we headed to where we thought the Krakens had established there base. Much to our horror, we found the countryside rife with all manner of foul beasts and evil monsters. They could not stand before our might this day. We slew many, leaving what remained of the goodly farm people at peace, for at least a little while. The horrors we encountered in the countryside were nothing compared to what we found when we finally entered the Kraken's bastions. Fighting our way through in two parties (our group was much too large for the narrow tunnels the Krakens's used to connect various parts of the fortress) we encountered horrific 11 eyed monsters who floated in the air, unholy undead dragons from the netherworlds, skull juggling fire giants and iron creatures from some demented mages nightmares. Despite suffering many wounds, fortune smiled on us and we cleared the fortress without any losses to our own party. Finally, we made our way to the center of this evil place and secured the highly coveted badges held by the Krakens. It is hoped that the Kraken's have learned their lessons and will never again trouble the fine poeple of the islands. For certain, they will forever remember the Order Of The HR's and will cower in fear of our passing. However, I hear rumours they have already moved back into their old haunts and even now scheme further mayhem. Perhaps we shall have to visit them again... Lord Mystic SD HR Events Soldiers Of Tedenon Part 1 - Shenathon's Treachery (Submitted by Whiiplash) The room was small, lit dimly by several candles placed around the room. In the center, drawn on the rough stone floor, were intricate runes within large, perfect circles. They all circled around a small, blue circle drawn in the very center of the room, in which an old, withered monk meditated. He chanted softly, his body actually suspened above the stone floor and legs crossed awkwardly. Arms were out wide, with fingertips touching. Where they did, a soft green glow was givin off, giving the overall appearance that the monk was weaving some deadly magic or other. So far into his meditating, the monk did not notice the tall, dark Archmage slip into the room. "Ashranon. . ." The monk continued to meditate, still unaware of the Archmage. "Ashranon!" The word seemed almost a command, and the monk's eyes snapped open, and he returned to the surface of the floor. "What now?" "The king summons, the time for war has come." The Archmage being a man of few words, the monk didn't expect him to elaborate. He let it be until they met with the king, even though he had heard nothing of war. When the Archmage and Monk arrived in the king's hall, all of the high council (not including the Archmage and monk) and most of the lower council had already assembled. At the head of the main table, the Warlord (also Commander of the Elite Guard) had already spread out a huge map with battle plans drawn out and prepared. As soon as the rest of the lower council arrived, he began his practiced speech. "The time for war has come, we must strike fast and hard. Spies have learned of treachery planned by one of our neighboring strongholds, Shenathon. Scouts have already been deployed, and are gathering information on our enemies' forces. Both of our spies in this stronghold have been found out, and are awaiting execution. A small commando force of sorts will attempt a rescue just before our main forces strike." The monk watched as heads bobbed, agreeing with the Commander. Practiced was his speech, and he paced about the room, building up his enthusiasm like a tidal wave. Already people were grinning, ready for battle. "The first wave of attack will come from our finest mages, who will summon beasts to take down the major parts of the castle. Golems will be summoned to take down the gatehouse, while griffons, blue dragons and winged minor demons will attack the upper castle and archers. Once the golems have succeeded, they will probably have been destroyed by the few minor mages and perhaps catapults of Shenathon. So, the blue dragon will provide cover for our troops, who will advance and storm the castle, looting it for possessions. Finally, the mages will unsummon their remaining creatures and move in to help decimate Shenathon's meager forces." "Shenathon and its weakling lord shall fall before our might!" The king said, slamming a fist down on his throne arm. He motioned for the single guard to open the door. "Prepare, rest, visit the privy. . . War commences at dawn, be in the courtyard before then!" The old monk was swept out of the room with most of the others, for few stayed to ask questions and view the map. The lead scout crawled backwards through the thick foliage, silently. Night was giving way to day, and he was to report back to his masters before the sun broke the horizon. Valion, Captain of the Blue Soldiers (also known as the Pikemen) assembled his men near the designated area outside the courtyard walls. His plate armor was enchanted so it shown blue in the sun, and it did as the sun crested the mountains. He donned his heavy, open faced helmet, a blue plume stuck in the top, and turned to his men (and women). Raising his heavy pike, he called for them to fall into double file ranks and form up next to the Red Command. Beyond them the Balck Knights perpard to lead the charge when the time came, and finally, behind the others, the Green Archers tested bows and praticed hitting targes at over 70 yards. Silence lay over the stronghold of mighty Shenathon, but the forces assembling (secretly, of course) beyond their sentries' perimeter dwarfed any defense Shenathon could raise. Bannon, the old, withered (but hardly harmless) Archmage slowly added his magic to the circle of wizards, and soon they were ready for the summoning of the higher beast, the blue dragon (otherwise known as frost dragon). With a huge KA-BOOM the dragon tore into this plane and thundered overhead. The soldiers of the colored companies (not to mention the soldiers of Shenathon!) gaped in awe as the dragon, with graceful, powerful beating's of its wings, spiraled upward around the stronghold's main castle. Opening it's huge maw, a blast of nearly absolute zero freezing air blasted out, to explode amongst the terrified people below. As the dragon wreaked its havok, the wizards continued their summoning. Golems were magically constructed from the earth underfoot, their huge, lumbering footsteps slowly taking them toward the gatehouse. Griffons, demons, elementals, enlarged spiders, poisonous insects. . . all were summoned to aid in the attack against Shenathon. Within but seconds the golems had crushed the walls and breached the outer wall. Elementals had been redirected by the mages to destroy the slimey moat monsters cleverly concealed in the swampy moat, and the golems had been sent on to clear a path through the second and third the walls, the last the innermost one surrounding the stronghold proper. The dragon continued to circle, blasting freezing jets of cold down at the still chaotic city, and the other creatures moved in to dispatch the first soldiers of Shenathon. With a glorious war-cry of "TE-DENON!", Captain Rueno of the Red Command ordered his red swordsmen forward.His war-cry was taken up by each of the other four companies, blue, green, black and brown. The last were the cavalry, riding atop brown mounts and thundering in behind the soldiers. They leveled lances and shouted "TE-DENON, BROWN RIDERS. . . HOOOOO!!!" The Red Command grinned and shouted "RED COMMAND, TO VICTORY!" The Green Archers stopped and unslung bows. "GREEN ARCHERS, SHALL OUR ARROWS FLY TRUE! FOR TE-DENON!!!" Their arrows streaked through the air and struck the few soldiers filtering past the monsters. Some were enchanted, and streaked through the air in beautful colors, but deadly power. One soldier, hit twice with enchanted arrows, had his chest blown out and charred, and one leg severed off completely. The blue soldiers, led by Varion, shouted "TE-DENON, BLUE PIKEMEN TO THE DEATH!!!", and rushed forward, pikes lowered. Strangely, the Black Knights refrained from saying anything. But, it became clear to the other companies why when several enemy fighters ran screaming about more demons. The lord of Shenathon, a tall, dark woman weilding magic superior to even the Archmage of Tedenon, weaved her hands together and grinned from ear to ear. "Oh my!" Gasped Bannon as the blue dragon exhaled one last time then winked out of existence. The golems, elementals, griffons, demons, insects, and spiders shared a similar fate. "This woman is a powerful User indeed!" He quickly recovered from the shock of losing their valuable fighters and quickly organized his wizards. "Quickly, I sense her in the tallest spire to the North. We must open a door and attack her there." Heads bobbed in agreement and they all locked hands.With a rushed chant, they opened a shimmering door and stepped through. Reuno formed a wedge with his soldiers, himself at the tip. The tight formation advanced toward the assembling fighters of Shenathon and shouted their war-cries all over again. The soldiers of Tedenon began intermixing as full war broke out. Black knights thundered about, skewering enemy soldiers on the black-painted lances. When those gave out, swords were drawn and heads lopped off as they careened through enemy forces inspiring fear in the hearts of the enemy. Blue and red fighters teamed up, blue pikemen stabbing at enemies with thier pikes while the reds hacked at the few who slipped through. Brown riders slashed at enemies with curved blades, lopping off heads and arms. Horses stomped and kicked when the fighters began to swarm over a brown rider, and somehow they always came out alive and shouting battle-cries. Within seconds of their arrival at the tall spire they found where the lord of Shenathon was 'hiding'. As the wizards pushed through the doorway, it exploded in a massive fireball and two-thirds of the wizards were dead before the lord had even been seen. De'gorath, a centuar and captain of the brown riders, shouted and galloped forward. Surrounded by dead red and blue soldiers stood the commander of Shenathon's small army, and De'gorath gritted his teeth and thundered ahead. Lance lowered, he drove it straight through the throat of the enemy commander. Pulling his lance free, he whirled and skewered another axeman. Dead crowded the streets, their bodies already attracting scavengers. Most of the blue and red company was now inside the castle, looting it probably, while the brown, black and green companies cleaned up the remaining soldiers of Shenathon. The remaining third of the wizards collectively fired a single, last bolt of lightning into the scorched body of the lord of Shenathon. Her form lay crumpled on the floor, burned and steaming, getting attacked by poisonous insects. Blood lay spilled across the floor, and she managed to mutter a final spell before she died. De'gorath turned in time to catch the full of the light from the blast. The entire main spire of the castle exploded, sending peices of metal and stone raining down upon the whole town. De'gorath gaped in awe as more of the castle collapsed, and finally everything tumbled down in a massive heap or rubble. A young soldier, also a centuar and a brown rider, trotted up with a look of dread on his face. "They must have all died in there. What treachery did they commit, why did we have to stage this attack on them? We have lost far more than we have gained, in my opinion." "Sear'noth, our lord sorely misjudged our enemy. And have suffered for it. Her evil. . . " The captain of the Brown riders snorted. "And being seen as a ruling stronghold in the area, yet not truly being the most powerful, is treachery enough in this blasted and evil land which we live." To be continued... ...*Part 2 - Rebuilding*... ...Coming next week... Tales of the Undead (Submitted by UDL Nexus) It was another dark and cold morning in Neverwinter..as all the mornings seemed as a small party of Paladin's geared up for there expedition to Triboar...But this would be no simple trip.They proceeded to take the shortest route they knew...through the Neverwinter sewar area...a fateful ground which so many brave warriors had perished at.They quickly began feeling an errie sensation in there bones..as if a cold hand had touched there shoulder.They proceeded to move there way through the sewars battle after battle they fought but during that time they became lost.So they worked there way around the sewars.Finding thereselves lost even deeper into the sewars they came across a door...a door that led under the neverwinter cematary..which so many warriors feared.They carefully made there way through the long twisting tunnels as the eerie sensation hit them again.A low moan suddenly erupted and echoe'd down the passage.The moan made the paladins skin crawl.They proceeded even further into the unknown until they came across a crypt that was slightly open.Not knowing what they would find they entered the crypt.Coffins lined the walls covered with dead flowers and small trinkets left for these fallen warriors.Step by step they made there way past each coffin when suddenly one of they cried out in horror.As the others turned to see what was wrong all they saw was there fellow warrior being pulled into one of the coffins.The paladins brandished there weapons as each crypt opened .These fallen warriors were not at rest as skeleton warriors...liches and mummies came crawling from there resting places.The paladins began to fight them off but it did no good as for every undead they killed...another would rise and take his place.Feeling that they could not win this fight they fled deeper into the crypt.They reached its end in minutes as they took a short rest.Just as they were preparing to leave an icy wind hit them as a Lich appeared before them.Still dressed in his plate mail and brandishing his long sword.The paladins fell silent as they thought of a way to get out...but before they could the lich slashed a razor sharp claw across the paladins shoulder.The paladin screamed out in pain as he fell to the floor shaking.The paladin that was leading looked at his fallen comrade and lunged at the lich..but it did no good.The lich quickly slashed out at him turning the paladin into the same fate as his friend.The lich looked at the warriors and gave a hair curling laugh for as when he looked down again the paladins were standing up..but not as themselves...as two skeleton warriors..now doomed to the fate as those who had killed them...to be forever undead. The Story of the Bracelet Chapter 23: The Vicious Villain (Submittted by Vallus) In his emerald castle, the evil wizard Mozenrath gazed into his massive emerald as his familiar, a floating eel named Xerxes, looked on. "So," began Mozenrath "those ruby rubes think they have the power to stop me?" The emerald showed a picture of the newly landed flying ship The Phoenix "Think! Think!" came the cry from Xerxes "Yes Xerxes, they only think they have the power to stop me. That wizard has nowhere near the power to stop me and the other one is a mere woman!" at that Mozenrath laughed along with Xerxes "That pitiful Princess Jasmine, it was mere luck that allowed her to trap me last time." "Luck! Luck!" "Yes Xerxes," said Mozenrath "However, we must think about what to do about that Genie of the Lamp." "Lamp! Lamp!" "That's it Xerxes! Should that Genie come after me, I'll use my new power to trap him in his lamp. But that hero Aladdin is the real threat, I'd better destroy him now." "Destroy! Destroy!" came the cry from Xerxes as Mozenrath walked to a window. He raised the hand with the magic glove on it and the emerald ring on his gloved finger glowed. A ray of green energy shot into the sky towards distant Agrabah. Meanwhile, in Agrabah, within the bridge of The Phoenix, Leoster, Crystal, and Jasmine gazed into the crystal ball situated between the 2 helm chairs, their artifacts glowing. The sphere showed an image first of Mozenrath's castle and then of Mozenrath firing a green energy beam towards Agrabah. "That beam is heading straight for us!" exclaimed Leoster "Specifically, straight for a precise point on deck!" "Aladdin!" cried Jasmine as she ran up on deck. She arrived just in time to see the green energy heading straight for her boyfriend and instinctively fired a bolt of blue energy from the sapphire in her headband. The 2 beams came together with a violent explosion that occurred only a few feet above Aladdin and knocked him to the ground. "Aladdin!" screamed Jasmine as she kneeled down over her boyfriend's immobile body. Leoster and Crystal came up on deck and examined Aladdin. "He'll be OK," began Leoster "it would've been a lot worse if that beam had actually hit him. Those things can leave less debris than a Disintegrate spell and all that leaves is dust. Soon, Aladdin was resting in a bed in the palace, his wounds from the explosion having been treated. Genie, Jasmine, Leoster, and Crystal were with him. "Don't worry Al!" began Genie "I'll teach Mozenrath a thing or two for doing this to you!" "And I'll help with the lesson!" said Jasmine "Rest up Aladdin, we'll stop Mozenrath." "Good..Luck." came feebly from Aladdin's lips. In his castle, Mozenrath was communicating with a decidedly feline female. "Mirage, you will use the power emerald I gave you to destroy the so-called heroes who stand in our way." ordered Mozenrath "You do not give orders to evil incarnate mortal! I will only destroy those heros because I want to destroy them." "It does not matter why you do it so long as it gets done. I sense that very soon now, a certain would-be witch in Agrabah will cast a spell that can be twisted to our purposes. At that moment, Sadira, a thief turned Sand-Witch, began casting a spell, not knowing that it would be a conduit for evil. A Grand Adventure... Part 5 (Submitted by Ringerlon) The beholders were resistant to magic, so our best chance was to be able to attack them as many times and as quickly as possible. I opened one of my pouches, took out a few shavings of licorice root, and casted a haste spell. Quickly, I opened a small vial of holy water and sprinkled it at my friends and me while evoking the bless spell I prayed for earlier. Next, I took a piece of a turtle shell, and casted a spell that would protect us from normal arrows. The Zhentarium usually work for the beholders and they use crossbows. Then, I took out a crystal bead and casted a minor globe of invulnerability. I knew the spell wouldn't protect me from the magical powers of the beholders, but, at least, it would protect me from my own fireballs. Dragonklaw and I spent a few more minutes casting more protection spells. Then, we were ready. A Grand Adventure... Part 6 I unsheathed my sword and charged into the room. The cavern was filled with Zhentariums, cyclops and two eye tyrants. The Zhents went for their light crossbows. I wasn't worried about their arrows. I was more worried about the beholders. I could only stare as the twenty small eyes slowly turned to me. "Lady Tymora aid me" was all I could say when a barrage of magical attacks sailed towards me. I braced myself as the various magics hit me. The beholders' hollow laughs filled the chamber which abruptly ended when they realized I was still standing before them. Praise Tymora! My companions cheers replaced the dying laughs of the beholders. Dragonklaw threw a fireball which didn't affect the beholders, but, wiped out the Zhents and cyclops there were in the blast. Khaymara showed the Zhents how to really shoot a bow. Khaymara's arrows pierced her target's eyes. Wisps of smoke were still rising from my robes when I charged at the nearest beholder, two-handed sword held high. I wickedly grinned at my target. Still under the influence of the haste spell, I slashed at the eye tyrant. Three deep gashes lined the floating globe. The beholder's lifeblood flowed freely as it drifted to the ground, never to rise again. Lord Tempus would be pleased! The cyclops charged at Dragonklaw and Khaymara, but, my friends had not trouble avoiding their clumsy attacks. The remaining beholder attacked me again with its magical fury, and once again, I came out of it victoriously. I retaliated. One swing, slice all ten eye stalks. Another, produced a deep cut on the beholder's side. On the third and final thrust, my sword skewered the beholder's central eye. I let got of my sword as the beholder slowly fell to the ground. I turned to see what was left of the battle. Just then, both of my companions finished a cyclops of their own leaving only three. I casted a hold monster spell, and paralyzed the last of our enemies. The creatures didn't stand a chance against our formidable party for the Gods were with us! We collected as much treasure as we could and left for the inn. At the inn, a few tankards of ale were downed during our celebration. We bid each other a good evening and retired for the night. - - - - - Just one of the many adventures anyone of us might have - - - - - Everyone.... Well here it is, the (almost official) festival results for Summer Fest 1995. Sorry for the delay but calculating pearls for 200 players takes a bit of time :) I'd like to start off by saying Congrats to Sagx for winning the most pearls during the festival. Sagx has his choice to purchase that new to the realms (he would be the first of owner of such item), Ring of Cold Resistan ce (regular value 60 pearls) for the 28 he won! Congrats! If you see any problems in your pearl total (you thought you won more or less), you have until July 8th to email me. Please send other pearl corresponces to NW Events. Keep in mind that if your pearl total changes by any chance, I will notify ya. (e.g. Lessay I credit Newbie 1's pearls to Newbie l's :). Thanks to everyone who participated in the Festival, especially to the masochistic ones who showed up at my booth ):> Thanks, NW Elladan The Pearl Guy (PS Forge...stuffy eh?... ) Summer Fest 95 Winners apoth -10 archeo -9 astr0sun -15 augststorm -16 autiker -12 bbw lover1 -6 berrun -25 blackcoral -9 blacque -2 blukn1ght -4 boshiro -15 brazzt -10 bron sunho -3 brytondail -18 burough -3 c plunkard -2 calisandra -3 calvinnn -11 chaos way -7 chrisleif -10 christoffx -3 clockworkr -2 cpa sun -13 cwolf666 -13 cyrgon -2 da wook -15 dam1on -10 dantbh1 -6 darkuth -5 dersiden -3 dfoehammer -8 dolphin990 -7 dragn fang -5 dragonklaw -2 drax0n -4 drenyn -10 dwyvyrn -18 eklypz -5 eldivan -5 eljin -4 elslar -6 escher fen -2 ewulf -2 fendar -8 gallium -5 galwylin -8 garett jax -5 ghalador -3 gilegrim -12 gk power -16 greyshrike -7 guthwolf -9 gyellejr -8 haldor -16 hardhild -7 hedron -5 hg renik -6 hotshield -2 illiad52 -2 ingenjeger -22 itb dawg -5 itb mohawk -5 itb scythe -17 itb xavier -11 iz ilven -9 jaraxcel -12 jasmine9 -3 jecele -3 kalie myst -6 kef fury -5 kef galtar -19 kef lance -6 kefgandalf -10 keglord -6 kendrix iv -3 kephara -12 kgrac sun -5 kholari -24 kid storm -8 knothus -9 kymil nimn -17 l0rd kane -8 ldy spawn -17 ldy talia -2 ldypainstk -3 leviath0n -8 llewdoc -8 lord cirus -3 lord keser -5 lrd feanor -16 mac junzun -2 mad drunk -6 mag1master -11 malakar -10 mech rasta -4 mech rebel -5 mech slick -2 mech talon -10 melkor2711 -13 men0sis -9 metr0n -6 mhaverfiel -3 mirai -2 mod quake -9 modar -2 morngrym -5 morrolan -3 mortessa -8 mrtime888 -5 mustang10 -3 naergoth -12 nei skye -6 nemesis az -11 neoptolemu -5 nickfire -6 obers lek -10 odysseusdg -15 ogs bannor -19 onebad sun -5 phantra -11 pit vyper -14 plasmaburn -3 ppijohn -10 pyrrhic -4 pyuna -5 quicksteel -2 rathoman -2 red avatar -5 red sin -3 ringleron -7 riverswift -6 rome -2 rosepike -6 ***** sagx -28 ****** sangdraxx -17 sao borja -5 shalfial -2 shdwhntr -2 shinshoba -8 shurg -20 sigfreed -4 sinjon x -3 sir dorvan -17 sir grumpy -16 sir rellik -22 sir roger -2 sir trynet -5 sirfin -3 skarrak -6 skribbles -9 slen star3 -3 slyck -6 smsuchops -16 sol abysss -9 sol asp -16 sol ent1ty -7 sol epic -15 sol kitty -9 sol laeral -9 sol missy -2 spellsrus -5 stalkersun -12 starkn1ght -11 sten kiria -9 stilicho -3 stormkngt -6 stormmastr -9 sun poison -5 swiftsun -8 syphonsoul -19 t graywolf -11 tarcil -5 tatyana ii -2 teresami9 -2 tha gymp -20 thinkdrunk -3 thorandur -17 tigguhr -6 tmptation -3 tp express -7 tp silver -8 tryssa -3 tuvor -2 tyranthrax -15 v alaric -2 v khayman -8 v lucian -3 v mekella -3 valdarian -3 varala -6 varlos -3 vecna -11 verhanna -2 viridium -3 void3 -3 vycron dyz -9 walkndeath -16 worluk -2 xarenth -3 xo2 zeus -4 zanas man -10 zasmodean -12 Well that's it! Lemme know if I ya think your totals aren't right, your name is spelled wrong or whatever! Thanks, NW Elladan <><><><><> <><><><><> 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! <><><><><> <><><><><>