==========oOo========== NEVERWINTER NEWS Issue # 175 Week Ending 3-2-97 ==========oOo========== *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* FRONT PAGE *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Congratulations to Neurosis for winning last week's News of the Realm contest for his article entitled "Top 10 Tips for a New GM". Kudos to Thorn Hawk for 2nd place for his 3-part story entitled "Storm Clouds" and to GreySavant for 3rd place for his story entitled "Memories". Neurosis has earned the choice of 4 Pearls or Access to the GOH (Guild of Heroes). Thorn Hawk has earned 2 Pearls for his effort while GreySavant has earned 1 Pearl. Keep up the good work everybody! ;D <><><><><> <><><><><> Congratulations to the Brotherhood of the Pathfinders for compiling the most "Newsworthy" entries to the News of the Realms for February!! They win the monthly reward of 4 pearls which goes directly into their guild fund!! ;D <><><><><> <><><><><> Greets all! I wanted to take a few moments to update you on the status of in-game events and the situation with AOL's timer. ;D As I'm sure many of you are aware, players and staff have been testing out the use of file downloads as a means to circumvent the system timer. Preliminary testing looks fairly promising on WAOL versions 2.5 and 3.0, and WAOL for Win95 3.0. We are not presently aware of a single session where this "fix" has worked for PCAOL users. For those of you that are not familiar with the "download fix", as it's being called, the process if fairly simple. Prior to entering Neverwinter Nights, you would select a fairly large file and begin a download session. Once that download begins, you then enter the game, freezing the download in mid-progress. Apprarently AOL believes you're still downloading and you are not then subject to the timer. I want to emphasize that this is a "patch" at best and not a solution, as we're not certain if AOL will make changes to prevent this "fix" from working in the future. For the moment it appears to work now. ;D In light of that helpful news and the decline in ghosts as people use this method, I have approved some testing of the feasibility of restarting in-game events. Thus, I'm pleased to announce that during the month of March, the staff will be conducting tours, mini booths and location hunts. The number of these events will be limited, and pending the result of this testing, we'll look at expanding in-game events once more. No guild sponsored events will be approved for March, nor will any banners be run aside from those related to system problems, ghosts, and these test events. Hopefully, our tests will prove positive and we will be able to restart guild sponsored events again. I will keep the guild GM's informed of the progress of our testing in the later portion of March. I'd like to thank you all for your patience as we work our way through this situation together. I will be creating a folder in the Neverwinter Nights Events & Announcements area for discussion and comments related to the testing. Please, if you participate in an event, make your comments in that folder and let me know how it went from your perspective. I'm specifically interested in whether you experienced any difficulties with the system freezing, if you punted.. and so forth. Thanks again folks! Regards, NW Events <><><><><> <><><><><> Pearl Plan Transaction Form!! Greets all! I'm happy to announce that a new Pearl Plan Transaction Form has been linked into our main Neverwinter Nights screen (Keyword: AD&D). This form was specifically designed to deal with the most frequently requested transactions. It automatically generates a mail message and sends it directly to NW Oyster and NW Events. It is our hope that the use of this form will assist you in providing all of the necessary information for each type of transaction, thereby expediting the entire process and allowing us to respond more quickly to your requests. Please note that the use of this form REQUIRES that you be logged onto the system and using the screen name whose account you wish to be effected by the transaction request. Be sure to confirm which screen name you're signed on with before using the form! Please do NOT use this form if you have no ideas what pearls are and how they might relate to Neverwinter Nights or you do not have a pearl account. You can find information about the Pearl Plan at Keyword: AD&D in the Neverwinter Nights Events area. Full details and instructions for the form are located in the Neverwinter Nights Events area in the article "Pearl Plan Transaction Form Instructions". (Keyword:AD&D >> Neverwinter Nights Events >> Pearl Plan Transaction Form Instructions) Thanks to the folks that suggested that this kind of a form would be helpful! ;D Happily we were able to get it setup though not QUITE in time to coincide with the Pearl Database e-mails. Ah well... still, it's there now! It's pretty basic, without the bells and whistles, but.. it works and we have great hopes that it will help us toward our goal of improving the pearl plan. Regards, NW Events <><><><><> <><><><><> *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* NEVERWINTER CALENDAR *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Keep an eye peeled for those Mini-Booths because they will appear when you least expect in different areas of the Realms! 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! <><><><><> <><><><><> Greets all! I wanted to take a few moments to update you on the status of in-game events and the situation with AOL's timer. ;D As I'm sure many of you are aware, players and staff have been testing out the use of file downloads as a means to circumvent the system timer. Preliminary testing looks fairly promising on WAOL versions 2.5 and 3.0, and WAOL for Win95 3.0. We are not presently aware of a single session where this "fix" has worked for PCAOL users. For those of you that are not familiar with the "download fix", as it's being called, the process if fairly simple. Prior to entering Neverwinter Nights, you would select a fairly large file and begin a download session. Once that download begins, you then enter the game, freezing the download in mid-progress. Apprarently AOL believes you're still downloading and you are not then subject to the timer. I want to emphasize that this is a "patch" at best and not a solution, as we're not certain if AOL will make changes to prevent this "fix" from working in the future. For the moment it appears to work now. ;D In light of that helpful news and the decline in ghosts as people use this method, I have approved some testing of the feasibility of restarting in-game events. Thus, I'm pleased to announce that during the month of March, the staff will be conducting tours, mini booths and location hunts. The number of these events will be limited, and pending the result of this testing, we'll look at expanding in-game events once more. No guild sponsored events will be approved for March, nor will any banners be run aside from those related to system problems, ghosts, and these test events. Hopefully, our tests will prove positive and we will be able to restart guild sponsored events again. I will keep the guild GM's informed of the progress of our testing in the later portion of March. I'd like to thank you all for your patience as we work our way through this situation together. I will be creating a folder in the Neverwinter Nights Events & Announcements area for discussion and comments related to the testing. Please, if you participate in an event, make your comments in that folder and let me know how it went from your perspective. I'm specifically interested in whether you experienced any difficulties with the system freezing, if you punted.. and so forth. Thanks again folks! Regards, NW Events <><><><><> <><><><><> New Player Tours: Join the following staff members for a tour of the Realm: March 6th Thursday 6:00 PM EST - with NW Vorpal. Those interested in any of these tours should keep an eye out for the banner telling where to meet! ;D <><><><><> <><><><><> ------===<<<@>>>===------ NEW IMPROVED TRIVIA!! ------===<<<@>>>===------ Join NW Raven and NW Omar for a night of fun and prizes, while we test your knowledge of Neverwinter Nights trivia! Date: Tuesday, March 4th Time: 10:00 to 11:30 pm EST Place: The Great Hall of Neverwinter (outside the Realms) Prizes to be awarded to winners: First Place - 15 Pearls Second Place - 12 Pearls Third Place - 9 Pearls Fourth Place - 7 Pearls Fifth Place - 5 Pearls AND access to the Guild of Heroes!! There are NEW rules for a new year of Trivia! Major changes are: 1. FIVE winners instead of three! 2. PRIZES include only pearls! 3. ONLY first 10 correct answers are scored! 4. TWO random rolls instead of one! Please review the new rules before coming in to play. Hope to see ya there... ;D -- NW Omar and NW Raven <><><><><> <><><><><> As many of may or may not have known, Aidynni (Guild leader of the Bards and charter member of NWN) has left the world of Nevewinter to pursue other venues in the real world. We here on the NWN Staff wish her the best of luck in these future endeavours and that we will miss her presence in the game greatly! Her memoirs follow below detailing her feelings and experiences with the myriad of personalities in the game throughout the years. -- News ************************************************************************** 1: In the beginning Gad...it's been a long while since I wanted to do this, but wasn't able to in one way or another because of the personal relationships involved. And I feel that now I can write all this without censor since majority of people that I would end up offending in one way or another has left the system for good. On that note, however, I would like to make one thing clear before I go on further. It is not my intention to slander or belittle anyone in the pages below. They are simply the events and the personal impressions that was my previleage to have accumulated over the long years being online and living the nights of Neverwinter. Please don't get the impression that I am out on a personal vendetta to smear other people's good names with my words here. I merely want to leave for the new players and old a record of the way things were beginning in June of 1991 Because that's when I got on board, never dreaming that I would be in it for such a long haul... 2: Neverwinter Square Gee, I dunno. About 10 or 15 people in the game? And they all seemed to be in the town of Neverwinter, walking around, asking each other what was going on, how do you hook on to some one...I managed to hail down Frank####, who seemed to be wandering around in circles, and this is how the conversation with my first Neverwinterite went: Me: Hey, Frank. Frank####: Hello. Where am I? Me: I don't know, Frank. I just got here myself. Frank####: I've been on for 2 hours and I don't know how to get out of town. Frank####: I followed some dude, but we got separated because he started moving. Me: Huh? After a few more minutes of this and that, we finall managed to agree to follow the words that said, "warehouses to the east..." that was in front of Lord Nasher's palace, and carefully went out to the warehouses. Frank followed one step behind because we didn't know how the hook function worked, so I had to wait for him to catch up if I went a bit too fast. Once we got out of town, much to Frank's delight, we started to open this door and that, and were attacked by a bunch of Orcs. We got killed, of course, because Frank and I foolishly kept trying to run away from the monsters as they pounded us over and over. We didn't care, though. We were all giddily congratulating ourselves on actually triggering a combat event, wowing and clapping as the little orcs trotted across the screen, smashing our online persona brains out. We got separated after that fight, however, for I was transported to the gates first and immediately went through the door leading back to Neverwinter. I never saw Frank again after that. 3:Thinkdrunk, Xandor3, Songbird, Trollsbane and the Southwall party After my initial "success" at the warehouses, I was once again alone, walking dazedly around Neverwinter, marvelling at the different shops and having a blast getting impressed with the EGA graphics when Thinkdrunk stopped me by yelling at me to stop and asked me if I wanted to join an adventuring party. There was a bunch of people milled around Xandor 3, who was proposing that we go to Southwall and kill a troll. Xandor 3 stood out like a beacon. He had about 70 hps, of which we all marveled at jealously since we all had 10 or 11 at the most, and he also had a magical two handed sword. Thinkdrunk was a priest, with about 23 hps. He seemed to me like a drill sargeant, getting everyone organized into a cohesive group and going over the hooking procedure with each and every one of us, emphasizing that when we were hooked, under no circumstances were we to use our arrow keys. We listened to all this with absolute dread and terror, for we were all going into an uncharted territory and the only way for us to get back to Neverwinter was to get killed. During the trip, one person did touch the arrow keys, and was lost somewhere in Southwall as the party left him behind. It wasn't that we didn't want to go back for him, but we had to leave without him because he started to try to find his way back and made it worse by getting hopelessly lost. It was a big deal to be lost in those days since only a few people other than the beta testers were familiar with all the twists and turns of Neverwinter roads, and to be lost meant certain death! I immediately made friends with Songbird and someone else that I've forgotten the name to(his other name was darkspyre). Since we didn't have to "drive", we fell into talking about the game and how excited we were as Thinkdrunk led us deeper and deeper into Southwall, while Xandor3 periodically checked in to see how we were doing, for he was scouting ahead and had an intimate knowledge of the roads. It was a magical time, with each turns and twists in the roads leading us to God knows where, everyone giddy and excited out of their minds. It was there that I jokingly complained to Thinkdrunk that drinking and driving didn't mix, and Thinkdrunk replied amidst laughter that his name meant "think before you drink". When we finally got to the battle that Xandor started, we all whistled at the tall green blob, and started to get into the fray. I remember doing a doing a Three Stooges impression and charging headlong into the Troll, with Xandor and Thinkdrunk trying valiantly to save me while trying to hold the others back from making the same mistake that I did. Everyone cursed and sent esps telling me how sorry they were when I was splattered by the troll, while Xandor3 frantically told me to stay put in front of the gate so they could come back and get me. When they finally got back to me and regrouped, we headed back to Neverwinter, where we planned our next excursion at Inn. It was there that I met Trollsbane, sitting inside and giving out magical swords and handing out sage advice. He seemed to me like an old, wise man, holding a class on Neverwinter survival 101, and to this day, I still think of him as old, lovable grandpa Neverwinter. Trollsbane told us of giants that threw huge stones that would squash people like a bug, and of skeletal dragons that would fry people to a crisp. We all stood around him, totally enraptured with his stories. Thinkdrunk esped me that Trollsbane was one of the beta testers for the game, and he knew about the ins and outs of Neverwinter more than anyone. I was suitably impressed! Before I left though, he gave me a +2 Two handed sword so I could take of myself better:D 4: Father Moy, Koolbrez, Handler1 I was back the next night and ran into Songbird, who was waiting for me to show up even though we didn't even make any arrangements to meet. We looked for Thinkdrunk too, but he wasn't online and wouldn't be online for another few hours. So, the two of us and Darkspyre(I can't remember his other name!), who was traveling with another party but came back to Neverwinter to join us when he saw that we were online, started to walk around town, looking for people going out to adventure. It was in front of Daglow's inn that I met Father Moy and Koolbrez, who stopped in to meet Trollsbane. As Father Moy passed by, I couldn't help but blurt out, "Forgive me father, for I have sinned!" Songbird thought it hilarious while Darkspyre thought I was crazy. Father Moy merely smiled and answered back, "You are forgiven, my child." Ever since that day, whenever I would run into Father Moy, I would blurt out my line and He would reply his answer. It was a beginning of a beautiful friendship. Over the months, we would become fast friends, and we would try to hook up together whenever we were online together. He was always with Koolbrez, whom I called, "Green Giant" because his icon was all green. My first visit to Port Llast was with those two, where on the way, we encountered a wolf with 50 hps that almost killed us all. Later, we found out that it was a bug and were quite relieved! We travelled together for about a few months, with Father Moy busily mapping the roads we travelled while Koolbrez drove, with me, Darkspyre and Songbird talking and laughing. Father Moy quit the service a few months after because his bill was skyrocketing. You have to remember that it was 4 dollars an hour back then, and he wanted a new motorcycle. Koolbrez left a few months after that as well, and came back a few years later in version 2 for awhile, then disappearing back into nothing. I can understand how he felt when he came back, with almost all of his old friends gone, in a place that didn't know who you were. I don't fault him for going away the second time. Darkspyre left two years later because of money too. He had been spending a lot of time online and said that only way he was going to save himself from bankrupcy was to quit AOL altogether. Needless to say I was devastated. These people were like my extended family to me. I had gotten to know them well and we were very close. And one by one, they were disappearing from my life. On some cool, dark summer nights, I look back on those days, traveling with Father Moy, Koolbrez, Darkspyre, and Songbird, feeling like we were actually physically traveling down the roads of Neverwinter, feeling the road dust on our faces, laughing and joking as we traversed those winding trails...Those days are gone forever. It was around the first month that I ran into Handler1, I believe it was in Vilnask. I was with Darkspyre, standing in the middle of the road, because Father Moy and Koolbrez got killed in the previous battle and we had to wait for them to catch up. Handler1 was with another guy, whom I've forgotten the name to(He was searching for a magical bastard sword). He took one look at me and said that he could get me two levels real quick if I would come with them. I hesitated, for I couldn't just drop everyone and go off with him. So I told him no, and he replied, "you're missing out." and left. To be honest with you, I thought he was a stuck up jerk and I wanted nothing to do with him. It's ironic really, because Handler1 would always be popping back into my Neverwinter life, and would care for my welfare even though I didn't think he cared at all. It was he who had wanted me to use my talents for Born's sister's wake in Neverwinter, and would sometimes go out of his way to help me and my guild to succeed. I've done nothing to thank him for all those little things really, as you'll see as you read along the years. 5: Beelzebul, the first murderer With so few number of people online, everyone knew everyone. We would exchange greetings by ESP when we signed on, and behaved as though we were all part of a big family. Everyone looked out for each other, and would gladly help out a fellow player if they could. So it came as an utter shock to everyone when we heard that a person named Beelzebul killed another player in the lost hills. I remember that day vividly, for it was a day that would change the face of Neverwinter forever. It was as if the spirit of Neverwinter itself had been murdered that day and nothing anyone could do would bring to life the days of familiar closeness, the comradery that everyone shared, back. The news spread by word of mouth via esp to everyone online. I was in front of Lord Nasher's palace when the esp hit me. I didn't, I couldn't believe it. However, when Trueknight, one of my friends and a true gentleman, came up to me and told me that he had just been killed by Beelzebul in the hills, and wanted me to revenge his death, I knew then that Neverwinter was no longer a place that I had known. I actually got into a 'posse' to visit Beelzebul in the lost hills to see it for myself, and when I got there, found that he was surrounded by other players, being sternly lectured to. I asked him if he was really killing other players, and he replied, "Yes. Would you like to be poisoned too?" Whereupon all my friends and the lecturers grew outraged and started a battle with him, while I was whisked away for my safety. To be truthful, I wanted Beelzebul banned from the realms, and I wasn't the only one to share this view. People saw him as a danger, a threat. Not only to themselves, but to Neverwinter as we knew it. However, this wasn't to be. Looking back on it now, I have to admit that Beelzebul was a true innovator, and his reasoning that Neverwinter should grow as time passed and not remain stagnant a valid one. It is true that some have left Neverwinter Nights because of what he had started, and I sometimes find that the reasons that some people use to attack other players that mind their own business a poor one at best, but PVP is a fact of life now in Neverwinter, and a very sacred one at that. I wonder, however, how many of those that PVP today know that they owe it all to the murderer of the lost hills, and that without his deed and his crusade to make PVP legal, that it woudn't have been possible at all. 6: The first bard of Neverwinter/The guilds How many of you still remember Doswacko and LadyDos? I owe a lot to these two. Indeed, the bards guild owes its very existance to this couple. Back in the days of the first year of the game, I was steadily gaining a reputation for my songs about Doswacko and LadyDos, whom I've run into accidentally at the gate to Vilnask once. People soon invited me to be in their parties to hear "that bard girl sing.". I happily obliged them, singing my Doswacko song first and then picking on one of my party members and singing a made up song about his supposed quest. On one night, I turned one of the latter songs a bit too randy (If I were to sing it now, I would get TOSed:X), and ever since then, whenever someone saw me online, it was always, "Hey, Aidy, sing that song about the lemon!". A few months later, I ran into Doswacko in the Lounge and he actually thanked me for the song about him and his lady. Actually, I was deathly afraid of running into him because the song made him and Ladydos out to be brainless twits, with Father Moy helping them in their "domestic situation". He was nice about it though, even though he knew that we didn't actually know each other that well for me to craft a song about him. When Beelzebul created the first guild to further his crusade to make PVP acceptable, the Guild of Chaos, the people in Neverwinter didn't know what to do, save for one. While I was esping in Daglow's inn, Handler1 came in. By now, we had become close, although I still felt that he was a bit too stuck up for his own good. We fell to talking about Neverwinter and the subject of GOC came up, and I stated that something must be done about this. Handler1 replied that he had a surprise in store up his sleeve about that, and told me that maybe I should think about creating a guild myself, to balance things out. I told him that I was thinking about creating a guild for bards, and he wished me luck. The next day, I saw that his "surprise" was the Crusaders of the Realms. The clerics guild followed afterwards, being the 3rd guild created in the realms(a lot of people don't know this fact:D). Headed by Snnie, they were the first true neutral guild, accepting clerics of all alignment. As a matter of fact, Pentagrame, one of the best evil RP player that I have known and a very good friend of mine, belonged to that guild, as well as GOC. Snnie was a strong woman, and I admired her strength a lot. And I don't think the neutrality of the guild, nor the concept of it, would have been as strong had it not been for her firm hands on the reins. Indeed, the clerics guild's stance on characters of different alignment working together stood as a model for my guild. When she left the game, the guild left with her. That's why it no longer exists. I still remember the time when one Neverwinterite sent a chain letter to the most of the people of the realms and how Snnie chewed the beejesus out of him for his stupidity. It would be a long time afterwards that I would finally get to meet Snnie, who jokingly told me how she managed to keep control of all those "boys":D one summer night in the bowels of the temple in Longsaddle. People in Neverwinter were quickly being polarized to either the GOC or the COR. Being evil in the realms in those days was still a taboo, and the other players really ostracized them for it. So, initially, COR members outnumbered GOC by a wide margin back then. However, what the GOC lacked in numbers, they more than made up for it in quality. Other than Beelzebul, there was Hellhammer and Pentagrame, who were already pretty skilled in PVP and didn't give a flying fig about what other players thought of them. Soon, most of the old players in Neverwinter converted their alignment or created evil characters to join the GOC. It was only natural, I suppose. Such a change gave them a new lease on Neverwinter life that had begun to grow dull. So where are the bards? Well, the guild was created by me a few days after the clerics guild. This was because my guild was so unique that I had to have a base of support from both GOC and COR of our neutrality and a promise of safe passage through the realms unmolested. Not only that, I had to find other players who had the same interests and the "skills" of gab who were willing to join. The first task was easier than the latter. All I had to do was to traverse through the realms, meet the guild masters of each of the guilds, and get them to agree to my charter. I first talked to Beelzebul in the lounge about our guild, and got him to agree to my position. This was the last time I would talk to him after our initial encounter in the hills so long ago. It wasn't because of any animosity in my part that we didn't communicate. Events and timing just happened this way. I would not see Beelzebul again after this meeting, nor would I miss his presence. I was indifferent to him and he was to me. It was also around this time that I ran into Temptis, who wanted to try out PVP with me in Triboar. I feebed him twice on the first cast on two battles, which left Temptis laughing his head off. I felt awful about it, but he assured me that it was all in fun. Our paths didn't cross for many months afterwards, with hilarious results. But that's much later and under another disguise. With Handler1 and the COR, well, what was there to be said? They gladly said yes and sometimes actively sought us out and invited us to come along with them as they battled other guilds. The other guilds that came along later also agreed to do this as well, since we all knew each other and knew what my guild was about. I remember once when I was traveling in the lost hills and D Payen of the berserkers actually came to get me so I could witness his berserkers fight against the COR. I or one of my members would post the results of such encounters, including the SUPERBASH, with poetic flourish later on, and we became the unofficial newspaper of Neverwinter. I have to say though, the guild that was the closest to us was not COR, although I had many a friends in the guild such as Xandra3, who along with Handler1 was the pillar of the guild and a PVP icon back in those days, Sunkist, who always was a gentle, fun loving soul, Sir Redrum, a later member who made it fashionable to be a parent in Neverwinter, Sinestra, Bjorn Llar, Volant, who had a few fun run ins with my other selves, Viznek I, who started the whole trend of matrimony in Neverwinter, and many others. No, the guild that I was most closest to was the GOC. This all happened because one day I actually went over to Berun to track down Pentagrame to get him to agree to my charter, and I happened to make friends with Hellhammer, who was traveling with Pentagrame. Between Pentagrame's angry threats, Hellhammer esped me that Pentagrame was just RPing and that I shouldn't worry about it. We hit it right off after that, Bruce(Hellhammer) and I, and soon we became fast friends. I sometimes hung around with him as another character in PVP battles at Port Llast and beyond, and sometimes we would talk for hours in the lounge. I was really crushed when he had to leave the realms because of outside problems, of which I won't get into here because it is personal. I myself had to consider if it was really worth staying online when he left. Not only had I lost a friend, I had also lost my excuse for PVPing, for he was my first real teacher of PVP and let me tag along for his wild rides. And of our bellicose Pentagrame? I turned the tables on him and rolled a character named Nimue, who by sheer coincidence made friends with Branwynn, his online and offline girlfriend. Soon, I was friends with him too and found out that underneath that gruff online personality, he was just a cuddly teddy bear. We travelled the woods together, the three of us, and spent many a happy nights adventuring before they too faded away with time's passing. It was as Nimue mostly that I began to help other players throughout the realms. And one of the main reasons why I was so close to the GOC as well as COR was because I had helped train some of their members. One night, I gave away a magical shield to a girl with a funny name, My My. But that's a story that is best left to other pages of this book. Nimue also met Natasha666, training at Port Llast. It was then that I asked her to be a "nice" evil person. She laughed and told me that in real life, she was a nice girl. It was my misfortune that I was at that time still under the impression that people attacking other people were a bit deranged and touched in the head. Little did I realize that I myself would be even a worse terror than some of the others that I so haughtily criticized for being so "evil". One person that really made the bards guild happen was Peer Gynt. He was the one that thought my lemon song was a bit off kilter and from the first moment we spoke, I knew that without him in the guild, the bards would not happen. I must have made a terrible first impression, or my reputation for lewd songs must have preceeded me because he refused to join the guild for a few weeks. It was only when I made it clear to him that the bards guild was concerned not only with neutrality, but we were working towards personal growth as a writer that he agreed. I had to lose him for a few weeks when he was turned into a tiger because someone had accidentally cast confusion on him, but out of all the bards that there ever was, the one that really put us on the map was Peer Gynt. He was a tireless worker, and his writings seemed to just flow out of him effortlessly. Pretty soon, everyone knew Peer Gynt, although I dare say that his tiger incident helped him in this regard. It was Peer Gynt who had introduced me to Tylston, someone so much like Peer artistically, but yet so different in personality. Later I found out that Tylston was a missionary, emailing me time to time to tell me of his long absences are due to his work out of the country. May God bless you, Tylston. As the years passed, Peer Gynt's work grew more and more complex, and it upset him that people didn't get the true meaning behind his words. My motto for all my members at that time was to just write for yourself and to hell with what everyone else thinks. However, I guess it got to Peer that he was putting up very beautiful works and wasn't getting any intelligent responses from the readers. Coupled with the fact that he was going through what I call a "Neverwinter middle age syndrome", he turned in his resignation after a personal meeting with me and left, never looking back. I tried my darndest to keep him, for he was the bards guild, but it proved fruitless. Peer's departure didn't affect me as the others had. I felt angry that he would just toss in the towel like that. The funny and sad thing about it is, the last true friend that I had from the old days, the one I had shared many nights talking about classical music, or gabbing poetry with had gone, and from now on nothing else about Neverwinter or its citizens would touch me ever again. There were some nice, sweet memories from this guild that I left behind. The piece that I composed for the death of Born's sister that was read at a wake in Neverwinter Square, making me realize that perhaps the spirit of kinship amongst members of Neverwinter's family were not dead afterall, the many wacky guild meetings in private rooms that always ended up with someone getting tossed into the racks, the series of concerts that we put on in Southwall, the guild quest in the closing days of version1 that netted 100 people online for our event, the dozens of battles in the woods that we got to attend and root for, the numerous wedding poems that I wrote when the craze hit Neverwinter, the fellowship of intelligent guild mates that always made me glad that I was previleaged to be a part of. Surely there were times when I was the only guild member of the guild and wondered if it was really worth hanging onto it all those years. Whenever I had doubts like these, there were always friends who told me that a guild like mine was needed, and without me, there would be no more bards in Neverwinter. Perhaps I found it easier to leave my creation behind when I stopped listening to them, or perhaps my time had finally come, reaching a point in my life that I no longer was the bards guild, and Neverwinter was no longer a part of me. Because I am no longer that girl some years ago that loved to gab and sing. Time passes, people move on. Yesterdays are like dreams, half remembered and always warm and fuzzy when returned to. Perhaps that's why I write this now, to remember because I have no more songs left in me. 7: Anita, My My, Natasha666 and Blacome It's funny. I've jokingly claimed to be Lord Nasher, Handler1, or Azagthoth, but I've never ever claimed to be anyone as totally different as Anita. Although the shock that I and Anita were the same person wouldn't be as big as disclosing it 3 years ago, it's a fact that I still have a bit of trouble owning up to. She was cautionless, wild, southern talking gal that threw etiquette and poise of my other selves out the window and slammed it shut for good measure. Originally created because I wanted to show everyone that an evil character was just as welcome in my guild as any, she overstayed her welcome and just went totally out of control. I didn't know what to make of Anita, and was really wary of playing my "evil" character out. But it was her, not Aidynni nor Nimue, that met and befriended My My. I was sitting at Daglows when we first met, having been both shunned and chewed out by another player for being evil. I was ready for the same treatment from this stranger with a funny name, but she was glad of my company, and agreed to go with me to Longsaddle. On the way we picked up some guy that turned out to be an asistant system administrator for NWN and another person named Blacome, who later formed the Gray Knights of the Balance. I guess it was in those few hours that I found that I had found a friend in My My, and was glad of her company. She later on joined the helpers guild, who helped new players online and showed them around Neverwinter. Our friendship remains to this day over the years, her encouragement and care always managing to stave me off from joining my other comrades in the netherworld. I must have tired her out from all my constant complaints and laments about my lost friends over the years, because I know if I was in her shoes, I would have told me to shut up and leave already. Oh, the trip to Longsaddle...I led the party to Longsaddle temple alright, whereupon Blacome suddenly turned on us and called up Natasha666. And between those two, we were killed rather easily for none of us could cast any spell of import. When I managed to get back to the Longsaddle inn, My My was sternly lecturing Natasha666 about her misdeeds via esp. I ignored Blacome, who told me some rubbish about Natasha666 being his mistress and how he obeyed her will. I would ignore and scorn Blacome ever afterwards, both as Anita and Aidynni. He got the hint, I suppose, and shut his mouth when I refused to answer him. I chatted with Natasha666, my conversation with her months ago at the mages in Port Llast when she was in training ringing in my ears. It was perhaps because she and I knew each other that I could forgive her for it so easily, I suppose. Looking back on this now, I feel a bit foolish about how I acted towards Blacome that day, for he was doing nothing more than role-playing. Nevermind the fact that we told him and Natasha repeatedly that we weren't interested in PVPing while they were frying us to a crisp. This experience in Longsaddle didn't sour the two of us for our taste for adventure. I still thank My My in my heart for bringing me back from the brink of cancelling, for without her, I don't think I would have stuck around long enough for me to completely enjoy myself in my new calling in life, newby baiting. The routine was simple, really. My My would gather a bunch of new players while I "jumped" them at some point and threatened them with certain death. It was fun watching the new players jump out of their skins and not quite lose their fear of being zapped to death by me even when I stuck around them and helped them get experience points. One time, I actually cast resist fire one some hapless new player and proceeded to blast him with a fireball. When he asked me nervously what I was doing, I happily replied that I wanted to see how well I could protect him from myself, amidst nervous laughter from the others. Those werer happy times, making friends with the new players and feeling their joy of discovery renewing my waning interests in Neverwinter. I wanted them to last forever, moments so precious and sweet...Yet when I try to recall the names and the faces that me and My My had the pleasure of helping out, I can't recall them. Perhaps it's just as well. No one can be that lucky in life. 8: Cold Chill, Azagthoth, Lord Bane, Loucifer and the MCA There was a period in those early years when I exclusively played as Anita, for HellHammer had gotten wind of who I was and sometimes invited me to fight alongside him at Port Llast. I was so hooked up in this newfound adventure of PVP that I've sometimes even forsook My My for it. Her stance on this matter was rather firm anyway, and I ended up fighting those long nights along with the GOC, where I met my old friends from COR and had the guilty pleasure of trying to slay them. It was here that I met Loucifer of MCA, who later on encouraged me to try my hand at some short stories. Without his encouragement and criticism, I don't think I would have even attempted to go into the scale of involvement that I committed myself in the GOH magazine. I still think of good old Lou as my patron saint of literature. If you're reading this Lou, I'd like to thank you for getting me off my butt and pointing me in the right direction. Learning about as much as I could from Hellhammer, and getting introduced to the rest of the GOCites in the process, I felt pretty confident about the new hobby of mine, so much in fact that Kalandryl of COR tried to recruit me to the guild afterwards after a particularly confusing fight in Port Llast where everyone was fending for themselves. He found out that I was evil after the fight much to his chagrin since during the fight I was incessantly yelling the COR battle yell, but we remained good friends afterwards until his departure from the realms. As a matter of fact, the thing that was missing from all these PVP battles online were the giant egos that are so prevailant in today's Neverwinter. We were still one big happy family afterwards, often talking for hours at an inn or having fun gabbing at the lounge. It was always fun to chew the fat after a particular PVP battle, talking about offline stuff or just going off in a big group to take on a beholder or two. It kept us real. It made us into a tightly knit online family. My adventures in Port Llast were numerous, for the place held one thing that everyone wanted, quick and cheap exps at the mages battle. In time, it had become passe' to go there, after so many of the neverwinterites abused the facilities to gain quick maxed out characters. As a matter of fact, I myself was guilty of this too, managing to finally max out Anita in about an hour. There were about three characters that quickly gained their notoriety because of that place, barring other players from abusing the mage battle. One was Xxanthor, of whom I've never met since he came way after the others and by that time, I was not interested Neverwinter to go and see for myself. The two that I had the pleasure of pestering to death was Tharizdun, who I mercilessly followed around and bugged, and of course Cold Chill, who had proclaimed himself king of Neverwinter and played the part of a deranged megalomaniac with corny perfection. I first ran into Cold Chill when he was being attacked by the MCA outside the Port Llast Inn, and went into the fray to investigate. There he was, surrounded by the MCA, getting multiple feebs over and over. As I watched this go on, I thought it was pointless to let this continue, and cast stinking cloud on Cold Chill. He promptly choked and was slain by a boar as the others watched with laughter. Azagthoth didn't think it was too funny though, and smacked me with a slay living that hit me for 2 hit points. After the battle, I didn't see Azagthoth again until the next day in the lounge, where we struck up a conversation and by the end, we became good friends. I called him Zaggy ever afterwards, and even got to sing at his wedding to Kimba/Mothra, who was another long time friend of mine who had the habit of dumping off her new players on me while she offlined for something important, leaving me with people with the personalities of card board boxes. Unfortunately, it was at this wedding that I gave one of the worst performances ever. That whole wedding was a sore point with me, and I don't think I've ever forgiven myself for that awful piece of trash that I crafted for two of my best friends online. After that fiasco, I couldn't bring myself to read my poems in public and had to have other members of the guild read it at various functions and gatherings. I wouldn't read in public again until the days of version 2, when we had the two very successful concerts in Southwall. If you're reading this, Kimba and Zaggy, I'm really sorry for that awful poem:X I'm just glad that I didn't ruin the rest of the evening! The MCA eventually was run out of the sanctioned guild folder because Zaggy wouldn't divulge the member roster, justifying his actions because he stood by the guild's principles. By this time though, NWN had become so structured and institutionalized that he didn't stand a chance. I watched with sadness as the guild withered and disappeared, with Zaggy and Kimba leaving away in anger. Oh, and Cold Chill. One day, I took a new player to the port as bait so I could actually attract him to me, and proceeded to humiliate him by having the new player attack him while I had him held. He got back at me for that humiliation though by ambushing and feebing both me and My My in Berun. Everytime he was online, I got Anita and proceeded to bug him via esp. It got so bad that he started to run away as soon as I was anywhere near him. But it was all in fun though. We got together and ran one of the scenarios for our guild quest. It was a blast to work with him. Whether people liked him or not, Cold Chill brought new life into the game that was in danger of becoming stagnant. And for that, we should thank him. He was a gentleman, and a fine role player. I still miss hearing him yell, "Peon!" The last person that I met and formed a long friendship in Port Llast was Lord Bane. I met him at the inn and got him to agree to act like a bunch of new players, abusing the mage battles for exps and hoping that other self rightous people would jump us for it. It worked, and we had a good laugh as we held the surprised and shocked players that were expecting helpless newbies. We kind of drifted apart a few months afterwards as he became scarcer and scarcer online. I was glad to talk to him if only for a few minutes when version 2 came online, just to talk to an old friend. 9: Holy matrimony Marriage was a big thing in Neverwinter for awhile, and it seemed on certain months that you couldn't walk a few paces in Neverwinter without somehow finding yourself at a wedding. The whole trend had stared with Viznek and Aly Oops, who has the distinction of being the first wedded couple in Neverwinter. I had a chance to spend some time with the happy duo in Longsaddle, and managed to keep myself from crafting a song about them like I had done with Doswacko and Ladydos. Actually, Viz and I had been friends from the first few months in Neverwinter, so I was happy for him when he managed to "settle down" with a nice girl like Aly Oops since rumors persisted around that Viz was quite the cassanova and wouldn't pass up a chance to flirt with the other ladies online. Over the years though, he's been more like an old familiar blanket of mine. Always there to remind me of past happy days of endless summer nights. He's the last link to my past, of times spent in adventure with Father Moy, Koolbrez, gabbing with Handler1, Hanging out with Pentagrame and Branwynn....tagging along with Hellhammer and the rest of the GOC gang..The fights at the port with Xavier, Lou, Kalandryl and the rest of the COR gang...laughing at Xandra's glib, witty esps.. My My was a magnet for marriage proposals. She always seemed to have someone new always falling for her and asking for her hand in marriage. She always turned them down however. Plenty of others weren't as resistant about matrimony as her though. Wraith1391, the last of the COR guild masters that I was to know as a close friend, tied the knot with Kalandryl. I heard that it was a beautiful ceremony, and of course I wrote a poem as a gift to them, read by My My during the wedding. I dared not show up in public for a reading in those days. The sting of Kimba & Zaggy's disasterous wedding poem was still fresh in my mind. I was not immune to this latest fad. Anthrax, the newly appointed guild master of GOC had been proposing to me for about a week and I had been refusing him. Like all GOC guild masters before him, he was a good friend of mine and I didn't want our friendship turned into a sham by jumping on the latest bandwagon. At one point, I stated that he was better matched with Natasha 666, but he told me glumly that she was already expecting that he would ask her and thought that she was too power hungry. After another day of this and that, we had a contest. If he would defeat me in PVP, then I would agree to marry him. I was rather vexed and angry when I was immediately fumbled on the first cast, and thus had to marry. But this was not to be, for he told me after the fight to ask Arwen if it was okay for me to marry him. I did so and her reply was that he was still hurt by the loss of Snow, his true love, and needed a woman who would take care of him and be by his side. So I promptly thanked her and told Anthrax that Arwen had said no. That was the end of it and Anthrax did not bother me about marriage ever again afterwards. We continued to be good friends afterwards, and it was he who made a place for me in the Guild of Heroes magazine so I could continue with my literary endeavors. It was much later on down the years that he asked whether I was a bit uneasy about our past. What's there to say? Some things are best left as they are. My run in with Temptis came full circle in the heydays of version 1 when Temptis started to chase me through the realms as a wacky suitor. I have to say that I enjoyed every minute of it. He was exciting, always unpredictible, and had a bundle of energy to burn. We both knew that it was all in good fun and we had a blast doing it. Him doing the chasing and me doing the running. He was and always will be a true gem of Neverwinter. With him around, I always felt and knew that he'd make things happen. And for a few moments that I was with him, he brought back the memories of the olden days, both of us traveling down the cobbled streets of Triboar where I first met him as Aidynni. My last and final proposal came in the waning days of version 1 in the woods, and it was from Handler1. I thought he was joking. I had known Handler1 longer than anyone, and for him to get into a fad like that would have seemed pointless since he's been able to stay out of the marriage race this long. Little did I know that he had already been rejected by My My some time ago and by the time I got through being high and mighty and lecturing him on how ridiculous the idea sounded, he left. I esped him to ask him if he was serious about this, and he replied, "Since when is anyone serious about anything anymore?" This is not the way I envisioned my relationship with Handler1 to end. But there it was. I should have seen it coming. He had once asked My My whether I had a personal dislike towards him, and I suppose all those years, I wasn't exactly nice as I could be with Handler1, even though he's been there with me and for me all those years. I did meet him again once in the beginning days of version 2. We talked for awhile about how the place and the people had changed. He was rather chagrined by the attitude that some of the new players exhibited. Then that was it. I never saw him again afterwards. That's how my relationship with one of the true icons of Neverwinter and one of the family members of the old class of Neverwinter ended. To say that I have no regrets about this is an understatement, I suppose. Kinds of things that are best left in the dustbins of time, to be faded away. 10: The slow end In the last few months of version 1, I met a few people online that would make a big impact on the New Neverwinter. One was Malhavok, who I've met while resting at Daglow's. He wanted to know if I would be interested in marrying Blaylock. I replied, "yuck!" and to my dismay he esped Blaylock my reply, causing him to huff over to the inn and started to complain why I thought he was not right. We all had a big laugh out of the whole bruhaha. Ever since that, we esped each other occasionally when we found ourselves together online. I've followed Malhavok's progress through the years, first in the Sierra Network where he started his guild, KAAOS, and shrugged as he transferred it over to Neverwinter, eventually eclipsing the other guilds and setting a new standard in guild management and rp lingo. It's rare to see a guild dominate the Neverwinter landscape like KAAOS. I've never seen anything like it in all my years of NWN. And it was only possible because Malhavok had the attitude, the charisma, and the drive to make it all work. With the death of version 1 came my death as a player in Neverwinter as well. I found it hard to justify spending time in a place where I was now a stranger. I could have applied for a staff position long ago like some of my other friends, but Trollsbane advised me once not to do it, with good reason. So with no commitments other than my writing obligations for the GOH magazine, I began to slowly disappear and become a ghost. With that came the loss of ties that I had worked so hard to weave as time passed and friends disappeared. My last link to the GOC, Drk Anjel, was severed when she resigned as the guild master. She didn't have to reach out to me, since I hardly knew her at all. But she did. I suspect that she and I met under another name some time ago, but I thank her anyway for her generosity in considering that there were still bards in Neverwinter. Time passes, people move on. Things can't stay and remain the same. I tried to change with it, but now I feel that my time for change has come to an end. This work is my last stand, my last link to Neverwinter as I knew it. I wanted to share it with someone before the dreams of those Neverwinter Nights, those few people in the beginning that were my brothers and sisters so long ago fade away like memory. Thank you for reading and remembering them with me. The Lost Passage - Part 4 Catching Up (submitted by: Barthonus) Barthonis was glad that Riverswift had convinced the rest of his brothers and sisters that sending him was the only plausible solution to their immediate problem. But unbeknownst to his friends was the fact that as soon as Barthonis had spotted the empty the empty bunks this morning, he had already made up his mind to catch up to TroutRasta and Lake Mist. Indeed, Bart had already been nursing plans of his own to leave the group and rejoin Thorn Hawk and Ender Bay up on the mountain in search of Zeb Canon. As he left the inn and his fellow pathfinders, Barthonis heard the fleeting comments they made and it plunged him further into the mental turmoil he was already in. He did need something to do, but he already had a specific something in mind. Their laughter at his claim to be able to catch his brothers before the day ended had not helped his dark mood either. For Bart believed that the reason the group had not completed the mission to rescue Cerdith more successfully was because of his incompetence. If he had only dispatched the skeletons and the skeletal giant more quickly he could have been there to aid his comrades when they needed it most. He blamed himself for Primrose's poisoning. If he had been there to engage the drider at the crucial moment then his sister would not have the foul dark poison coursing through her veins. And more than anything, he blamed himself for not being at their war captain's side in the final climactic battle with the evil cloud giant shaman. He had lived most of his adolescent and adult life killing the evil giants and giant-kin that plagued the woods and travel roads of the realms, but at that fateful moment when Zeb Canon had needed an ally and brother-in-arms, Barthonis Giantslayer was no where to be found. It wasn't until Barthonis reached the wooded trail that led back to the mountain cave complex that Bart began to sing. During the final battle he had begun a song of hope and honor and love to inspire his brothers to drive away the fear that had gripped them away, and upon finishing the last skeletal wave of attackers, he had sung of valor and justice as he moved to engage the skeletal giant that had approached him. But today's song was neither a song of hope and honor, nor a song of valor and justice. It was a dark, brooding dirge. He now sang a song of injustice, of having failed one's friends in their moment of dire need, a song of utter shame. As Barthonis left the outskirts of town he shortly found the first of his brothers trail markers. He was on the right track. Suddenly a thought occurred to him and he reached down into his bag of holding and retrieved one of his most valued possessions. It was an ordinary iron ring, rather nondescript by most standards. But the powerful magic it contained within was where it's real value lay stored. As Barthonis placed the ring on his ring finger of his right hand he slowly imagined the powerful longsword that had been his fathers and that Bart kept at the guild bunkhouse vault. He stored it there, intending to use it only in dire circumstances. But the time had come to wield the family heirloom with a spirit of retribution. He would give up his trident to Ender Bay. Indeed his friend Ender was the one who had helped him retrieve the sword in the first place and Barthonis knew the sea ranger would feel more adept with the aquatic weapon anyway. Just another reason to catch up to his bros and deliver the trident to Ender. He knew his bro would need it on the journey ahead, and Bart would do his father's memory proud by using the longsword once again. Barthonis felt he had let his fellow pathfinders down, and as he quickened his pace to a brisk jog, he told himself he would not let them down again. He would catch his brothers by days end and deliver the message. Then he would continue on and finish what the band of pathfinders had started............Opening my Eyes (submitted by: Barbillius) Barbillius walked along the grassy Neverwinter Square, waiting for his guide to arrive from LongSaddle. There was a slight breeze that day and storm clouds were covering the sky. He wandered by the vaults and by the various crowds trading and begging for equipment when he found his friend, Falian. She offered new equipment to him for free, just because he was of the Forsaken. A short walk from the vault and we arrived at the sewers. I had been around the Neverwinter area for about three years, I know how to get from place to place, but never really entered the sewers. It seemed too much of a chore to get a ticket, the Kracken password and 1000 platinum, and I dont even know where to get the badge from the islands. So apon entering the sewers, I was afraid of the people who lurked around. Not knowing what to expect I followed Falian, who kept her cool while I turned pale. While I hobbled along behind Falian through the grimy tunnels, we came apon a couple of allies. I didnt know who these people were, nor understood their language. She had planned that the four of us would awaken the hordes of cloud giants, and teach me the ropes of fighting so I would be more experienced. But when the Cloud Giants came out so did another person. I am unsure of the stranger's name who "Was moving too fast" to avoid the fight, but Falian & co. demonstrated how to effectively bring one to their knees... a tatic I will need in the future. The trip in the sewers changed my look on Neverwinter. I thought I was an experienced person, but I was only a runt. My title in the Forsaken has earned me respect, and hatred, and now I know why. When Falian left me in Triboar, I knew it was time to start a new attitude... a new way to live. Gathering my things I headed north to LongSaddle to learn the ways of the Mage and to start over.The Uprising (submitted by: LordKob0ld) Himul was born into slavery. His mother had died moments after his birth because of the stress of labor paired with the cumulative effects of the lash. It may seem strange that someone could be owned from the moment of their birth. But in the Underdark, it was a common thing- Himul was a kobold. Kobolds. The hideous, scrawny, savages of dark corners and deep holes. Cruel-tempered vicious rats to be flaunted before kings and queens as part of their favored paladin's glorious expolits. Thinking, living, creatures whose minds and bodies were bent to edges beyond belief by scornful, vile sorcerors. Himul had been all of these at times. He had been forced to battle enemies he didn't know, beings he held no hatred for. Confusion to despair, despair to longing, longing to understanding. The next step was to come. Many years had passed. For Himul, it was merely day by day. Day by day of slavery from the drow. Torture was their meat and drink, it seemed. At times, Himul would be beaten savagely by the dark-skinned tormentors for no other reason than a broken love or just for entertainment. Master after master he had slaved for. All were cunning. None were kind. They restrained Himul's body in manacles of steel, but they could not restrain his spirit. No, his spirit and his mind remained free. And, he vowed, the drow would one day regret it. Savionna chuckled at the sight of the hapless kobold on the altar. At least this one struggled, she thought. Lloth will enjoy the chase in the afterlife. As the dagger began to incise into the kobold's hide, he let out a long, desperate moan. Under normal circumstances, Savionna would have cackled and continued the ritual scarring. But this, this horrid bestial howl... this had to be stopped. She took a wadded rag and stuffed it in the minute kobold's toothy maw. She didn't notice the twinkle in his eyes afterward. As she reprepared the dagger, the drow priestess heard a slight snap. Casually turning around, thinking the kobold might have broken his finger in his efforts to free himself from the ropes, she was hurled back by a scaled, furred, three foot long device of raw fury. Using the gag, the kobold wrapped it around the priestess' neck and pulled tight. The drow thrashed again and again, unable to call for help. The kobold stood stolid. Her feral claws on her hands raked at his face. He ruggedly stood. Feebler and feebler did the contortions continue... until they were no more. Himul, his face ravaged, his arms torn, collapsed next to the dead drow. Two hours passed. The blood from the priestess intermingled with that of various humanoids in the trough passing the altar. Himul awakened just in time to hear the next priestess walking up the steps for her daily sacrifices. Quickly, he dragged the body over to the trough and tossed it in. The trough, which accomodated all the major temples in the city, was easily large enough for the body to fit in. The priestess sank beneath the crimson tides and was gone. When the priestess opened the door, the kobold scampered out. She shouted a few words of warning and more than a few oaths, but otherwise nothing. It was a simple kobold, after all. Himul tried to catch his breath in an alley between the two largest temples in the city. He slumped down against a wall, unsure of what to do next. But he would survive. That much was certain. He powered himself upright and looked around. The trough passed right through the middle of the city, and Himul was very near to it. He slunk through the shadows to the trough. Various humanoid body parts flowed down the vile stream. But then he saw something else. A furry arm, waving over the flow, accompanied by loud gasps for help in the kobold language. Himul, outraged at the drow who were watching the stream for amusement, suddenly hurtled himself into the depths of the bloody waters. "Ywgii! Ywgii!" Kabpe yelled over and over. Surely, somewhere, someone understood the kobold language! Suddenly, a rough hand dragged him under the trough's waves, and he could yell no more. Himul swam. He didn't know how, but he swam. He reached the struggling kobold and quickly pulled him under. Had Himul surfaced, it would have immediately brought more attention- completely unneeded. With a hand over the now-placid kobold's mouth, he kicked and paddled through the quickly clearing water. As they entered a cavern, he made their way over to the wall... and to land. He dragged the scarred kobold up onto the rocky outstretch and began to hit his back to remove the water. Soon, he began choking, coughing, and finally sleeping. Himul did the same. The Uprising was underway.Loneliness (submitted by: V Randym) He made his way through the woods. It had been a year to the day since his last visit, but he knew the way as if it had been only yesterday. He came to a dead fall and paused. Carefully picking his way through the dead branches, he stepped through into a small clearing. Immediately, he could feel her presence. The clearing was a lush, grassy area. The blackened, charred area long since grown over. The spot where she had been taken by the rays of the sun. He remembered the scar, crisped to a black ash where she had fallen. He envied Nature's ability to forget, and to heal. He walked to where she had fallen and sat on the grass. His first childe...the first of his loves to perish because of him. He could feel her strongest here. "Childe, I miss you still," his voice a hushed whisper. A voice, gentle as a breeze, "Love...I am with you always." Hurting, he lay on the cool ground and wept. "I grow so weary of the losses...of the loneliness." The faintest of whispers, "Sire, you are never alone. Never without love." Slowly, he allowed himself to slip into the ground, melding with the soil as he had the night she died. He wrapped himself in thoughts of her and slept. And for a time, the lonliness passed. V Randym Prince of Neverwinter Camarilla GM Sire of Spicy HealingDagron's Departure (submitted by: Augustus 5) "Angst..." The heart beats in labour as it strains still to pulse Against a vice-like talon grip of slow crushing force... Such power it had braved many times, mayhaps worse But this one was different.. borne by unspeakable curse... And the eye, moist with good cause... Spies the distance, hopes to see... A future of goodness, and warm love.. Healthy seed... The throat choked with anger, and love, and remorse Opened allowing fresh breath to the words in due course... Each inhale and exhale, silent gasps... no relief From the knot in the throat raised by foul.. powerful grief... And the eye, moist with good cause... Spies the distance, hopes to see... A future of goodness and warm love... Healthy seed... The intellect struggles with all... no relief... How a god of the realms is brought down from beneath.. But even those most revered meet the face of themselves In the long hall of mirrors, hall of reckoning.. hall of near-death... And the eye, moist with good cause... Spies the distance, hopes to see... A future of goodness and warm love... Healthy seed... The mind grapples with the contradictions in life... The Ideal is so sweet and the facts full of strife... But Virtue in truth we both know never lies... And my love stands unconditional no matter how dire.. And the eye, moist with good cause... Spies the distance, hopes to see... A future of goodness and warm love... Healthy seed... Have I been so bad.. to face this challenge alone.. Am I so deserving.. well I suppose so... But maybe I am not alone at all... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~` Augustus of KORT Big Pup's Story (submitted by: The BigPup) I am a new initiate of the non-sanctioned guild Temple of the Four Winds. While I am still learning about the game::wonders if you could ever know it all:: I have been told to write a history for my character and a story line to carry on. This is what I submitted and one of the members thought I should send it to you. I have been asked to tell the story of how the BigPup came to be so here it goes. Orphaned as a child ages ago, he was found by a band of monks on a quest for knowledge. They raised him, taught him their ways, and over time their secrets. He was given the name Nu Chi, but because of his size and his love of life he was nicknamed The BigPup. When he came of age and had completed the tasks before him, he was entrusted with the honor of becoming The Guardian of the Crossroads. His predecessor had held the position for four centuries, before he was betrayed and killed by a young student. \\\ But what are the Crossroads? /// :: A young man approaches the crossroads. As he does he becomes confused as to which direction to take. He holds his head down when several creatures appear from the woods and try to pull him down different paths. Some entice the young man with gifts and promises. While others try to force him down a path. But the young man is skeptical. He becomes frustrated and even more confused as to which direction to take. Suddenly he hears the sound of music playing. He looks up to see a man sitting beneath a willow tree playing a wooden pipe. All of the strange creatures run and disappear into the woods. It is as if the soft melody of the pipe was a warning, and all the creatures knew to flee. At first the Young man is stunned, he had not noticed the stranger before. The young man walks over to the stranger. The man sets the pipe down and says "I am the Guardian of the Crossroads. You look confused and worried my son." "I am worried about choosing the right path" says the young man. The monk smiles and replies " We all come to crossroads in life. Sometimes there are right and wrong paths, other times not. Simply choices." The young man puts his head down, more confused than ever. The monk stands and says "Follow your heart and allow the wind to be your guide on your journey." "The wind?" asks the young man. "Ahh yes. There are four monks who control the wind and they will never lead you astray. Trust them, for they are your allies. Listen not to other creatures or strange forces, for they are evil and only want to mislead you." The young man closes his eyes and suddenly a gentle breeze arises as if to urge the confused boy down a path. He opens his eyes and smiles, no longer confused. He starts down the path when he realizes he forgot to thank the stranger. He turns around only to find that the monk has vanished. The young man starts back up the path when he hears a voice, as if being carried by the wind, whispering "All life is fleeting. Enjoy your journeys, fight the good fights, and always allow the winds to be your allies." He looks back one last time at the crossroads and notices for the first time a withered ol' tree. It sets adjacent to willow tree at the crossroads. Beneath the withered ol' tree he notices a shadowy character. He has trouble making the figure out, and as he tries to focus his eyes on the shadow, it vanishes. The young man figures it to be a figment of his imagination, or perhaps an optical illusion, caused by the sun casting shadows. He turns to continue his journey down his new found path.:: The BigPup is constantly doing battle with evils at the crossroads, but his greatest foe is the shadow beneath the ol' tree. Who remains a mystery even to The BigPup. Everyone comes to the crossroads at some time in their life. And often they will speak of the man beneath the willow tree. To those who would deceive or harm a traveler, he is known as the Ghost of the Willow Tree. To his friends he is simply called The BigPup. But make no mistake, for all know, he is the Guardian of the Crossroads. The BigPup Ghost of the Willow Tree Guardian of the CrossroadsAn Island Tale (submitted by: Pur Zaston) With a supple, flowing motion of his wrist, the red-garbed swordsman guided his blade through a whistling arc which ended somewhere deep inside the beholder's globular body. Once, twice, thrice did the the silent swordsman repeat this act, moving more quickly than the eyes of the tyrant could follow. As the ichor-coated blade was removed after the final blow, the lifeless husk of the eye tyrant floated gently to the ground, trailing limp eye stalks like the multiple tails of a fanciful falling kite. Looking down, the swordsman smiled grimly as he watched the newly slain beholder crumple to the floor beside its equally dead brother. With terrible cries composed of equal parts of fear and rage, the foul Zhentrim and witless cyclopskins, servants of the slain beholders, charged the unspeaking swordsman, surrounding him in an attempt to pull him down and avenge the slaying of their bloated masters. Only then did Pur Zaston, Krozair of Zy and Wizard of Loh, break his silence. "Aye, gather 'round, evil ones," muttered Zaston as he sheathed his defiled blade and began to move his hands in mystic patterns, "gather 'round that ye may all burn in Zair's cleansing fire!" With that expostulation, the very air of the subterranean chamber erupted into flames, engulfing Zaston and servant of evil alike. When the flames subsided, only Zaston remained standing, amidst the hideously charred remains of those that so recently sought his demise. Seemingly unscathed by the storm of fire, Zaston began searching the crackling remains of his enemies for clues that might explain their loathsome presence here beneath Luskan outpost. Zaston was distracted in his search by the sight of an intact battle axe in the blackened embrace of a cyclopskin corpse. The axe fairly glowed with magic, which no doubt explained how it survived the fire. Breaking the axe free of the cyclopskin's death grip, Zaston hefted it and found its balance to his liking. "This is a noble weapon, by Krun, though it be an axe rather than a good Krozair longsword! Perhaps good enough to slay the magical men of iron that are rumoured to exist beneath the isle of Trisk. There is but one way to find out. The time has come to join with the noble Giantklr and venture to the islands, as we did agree to do as soon as we both are ready." "Hail, Giantklr!" shouted Pur Zaston as he entered Camelot. "Have ye a cup of wine to spare for a thirsty traveller?" The trip from Luskan to Camelot, while quick and relatively uneventful, was also dry and dusty. Zaston drained the large cup proffered by Giantklr in a single draught and wiped his lips on the sleeve of his scarlet livery. "By Mother Zinzu the Blessed, I needed that! Are ye ready to take passage for the islands, Giantklr?" With a wordless nod, the huge warrior affirmed his readiness to accept this challenge. Looking down at the morning star hanging from his belt, he grew thoughtful. "First I must visit the vaults," said Giantklr. "This weapon will not serve against the men of iron," indicating his morning star. "I must fetch my magical glaive-guisarme. Go to the docks, and I shall meet ye there." "Aye, but be quick about it, dom! I do yearn to cleanse the evil that lurks on the islands." Pur Zaston waited near the docks. Outwardly calm, he burned with impatience as he examined the ship that he intended to board. Just when he thought he would burst, Giantklr rounded the corner, clutching his glaive guisarme to his breast. At last! Unable to wait another moment, Zaston advanced to the ship, gave the password, and paid his fare. As he walked up the gangplank, he was surprised to hear a startled shout and a splash behind him. Turning on his heel, he was just in time to see Giantklr being pulled ignominiously to the bottom of the shallow bay by the weight of his prized glaive-guisarme. "Next time, remember to bring enough money!" shouted the Kraken ticket agent. Giantklr dragged himself out of the muck, returned to the vault for more money, paid the abusive ticket agent and finally succeeded in boarding the ship, somewhat bedraggled but wiser for the experience. He slumped into a deck chair next to Pur Zaston who, not wishing to discover how sharp Giantklr's glaiveguisarme might be, just smiled and said nothing. Pur Zaston woke in his cabin and headed up to the deck for some fresh sea air. There he found Giantklr leaning over the rail. Moving to join his friend, Zaston noticed that perhaps Giantklr did not enjoy the salt air overmuch. "Tis good of ye to feed the fishes, Giant, but ye go too far my old dom. They are well able to digest the food on their own. They need ye not to begin the process for them." Turning his green face upward, Giantklr tried to reply to Zaston's purported witticism through vomit-flecked lips, but only succeeded in groaning. "Worry not, my old dom," said Zaston, his face softening. "The trip is short, and ye could stand to lose a little of that swag belly of yours." Several days later, a slightly thinner and much less steady Giantklr wobbled down the gangplank. Upon reaching the soil of the island, he fell to his knees and began kissing the ground. "Now that I am here, I shall never leave!" he vowed. "No more boats for me!" "Let us go to the inn and rest a few days, Giant, that ye may regain your strength," counselled Zaston. "Nay, ever am I strong enough to combat evil!" protested Giantklr. "Let us continue!" "Tis foolish, Giant. Ye are weak. Besides, tis ill luck to venture forth without performing several days of obeisance to Mother Zinzu the Blessed, patron saint of wine drinkers" "Now I see the way of it, Zaston! Your wineskins are empty and ye seek to fill both them and your swag belly with good island wine! Nay. Ye shall have to wait until our sacred mission is complete! Celebration comes after the event, not before." His noble features marred by a touch of petulance, Zaston nodded his assent, and the two companions set off into the wilderness, leaving the noble vintages of the island untasted. A day or two of traipsing through the wilderness did much to restore Giantklr's strength and Zaston's good humour. "Has it occurred to you that Trisk is another island altogether, which means that we shall have to ride another ship to get there?" asked Zaston as they approached the top of a large hill. "Surely not!" expostulated Giantklr. "No doubt there is an underground passage, or a mystic teleport, or some other means of transport. For if there is not, why would the first ship not go directly to Trisk." "Your logic is impeccable, my old dom, but I fear that it will do little to impress yon boat moored on the beach below us." Looking down for the first time after reaching the top of the hill, Giantklr's only reply was a tortured groan. With a reluctant sigh, Giantklr moved to follow Zaston, who had immediately made for the boat. As the noble pair approached the boat, they were ambushed by Kraken warriors and mages, along with their stinking sewer creatures. The evil ones were no match for the two pages of the Round Table, and were swiftly dispatched to whatever hell would care to claim them. The two sat down to clean their weapons, and a sly look stole over Giantklr's face. "Tis clear that this was but a trap, Zaston! That boat is not meant to be used for anything. Tis only bait, to lure such witless ones as yerself into the trap. Nay, the boat is not the way to Trisk. That much is clear. Let us begin our search for the true way forward!" Zaston's only response was a sarcastic lift of the eyebrows as he boarded the boat and unshipped the oars. Resigned to his fate, Giantklr muttered a soft curse and joined Zaston in the boat. The task of sailing the boat was left to Zaston. Was he not once captain of a Krozair swifter that sailed the Eye of the World on Kregen? Besides, Giantklr was much too busy making copious offerings unto Poseidon. The voyage seemed easy enough until a storm blew up out of nowhere, tossing the tiny ship capriciously. No doubt this was Poseidon's way of extracting increased offerings from Giantklr, but it left Zaston with a difficult choice. Turn north and run before the storm, or persevere toward the west and Trisk. Unable to decide, Zaston was saved when a manifestation of Saint Gilligan appeared and urged him to continue westward. This led them to a safe landing on Trisk which, contrary to Zaston's expectations, turned out not to be a deserted desert isle. Once upon Trisk, an entrance to the underground lair of the Krakens was quickly and easily found. It was almost as if they wanted to be found. Heedless of the warning implied by this, Pur Zaston and Giantklr ventured fearlessly beneath the earth, only to be sent fleeing in defeat by a group of fire giant mages. "Tis the wrath of Mother Zinzu," complained Zaston. "We have displeased her mightily, as I did warn ye. I tremble to think of how much wine I shall now have to drink to atone for my lack of piety. The cellars of Camelot will surely run dry before I have purged myself of the sin that you brought me to!" "Aye, ye tremble Zaston, but in anticipation rather than fear! I shall be sure to warn the knights to place a guard on the wine cellars when we return to Camelot. Twas our overconfidence that caused us to lose that battle, not your precious Mother Zinzu." "Have a care, Giant. Mother Zinzu does not care to be mocked. Would ye have your wine grow sour in your mouth for the rest of your days? Better to die, by Krun! Still, what ye say does have some merit, my old dom. We must proceed more cautiously, and prepare in advance for such battles as are inevitable." Re-entering the Kraken lair, the pair of pages immediately found their new approach to be much more successful. The first guardians encountered, efreeti and their pet hell hounds, were dispatched with ease. An uneasy moment occurred when they were joined in this battle by Warr Sidhe. Expecting this evil one to join the efreeti against them, Zaston was already reaching for his scroll of Feeblemind when Warr Sidhe began attacking the efreeti instead of the pages. Perplexed as to why a Warr would aid pages of the Round Table, Zaston shrugged, replaced the scroll in his backpack, and turned his attention back to the efreeti. After the battle Warr Sidhe went his way while Zaston and Giantklr went theirs. Not a word was exchanged between them. Chastened by their earlier defeat, Zaston and Giantklr did not allow themselves to enjoy this, or any other victory. They had become forged into a single, grim, killing machine. No evil creature could stand before them. Red dragons, purple worms, white dragons, yeti, and remorhaz all fell before them, reaped like ripened wheat by their blades, then baked like loaves of bread by their spells. Closer and closer did they come to their goal, obtaining the Kraken badges which allow entry into the Neverwinter sewers. As they girded themselves to face the foul dracoliches that guarded the final approach to the Kraken headquarters, Zaston and Giantklr were joined by two others on the same mission as themselves. LOKValiant and LOK Shirak helped defeat the dracoliches, although Shirak was paralysed by the evil power of the undead Dragons. He recovered from this fate in time to aid in the defeat of the iron golems, penultimate guardians of the Krakens. In the battle against the last defenders of the Krakens, the despicable beholders, Shirak redeemed himself for his weakness against the dracoliches. He slew both of the eye tyrants single-handedly while his three companions disposed of the beholders' lesser servants. The last battle won, a cowering Kraken, mistaking Giantklr for the leader of the party, gave him one of the coveted badges. The quest was complete! Time now to return to Camelot with our prize. "I have been thinking," said Giantklr, "that the island climate is to my liking. I believe I will stay here for a while, perhaps take up residence. Here, Zaston, take this badge back to Camelot. I will not be leaving the islands just yet." "Nay, Giant, I shall not take the badge. Ye won it, ye shall return it to Camelot. Tis only just. I would not cheat ye of the glory that is rightfully yours." "No, I insist, Zaston! There is much evil yet to fight on these islands. I cannot justify leaving them at this time." "Tis the thought of sailing once more that ye cannot justify, Giant! That is the way of it! But sail ye shall, by the diseased left gonad of Makki-Grodno! Who will defend the wine cellars of Camelot from my rapacity if ye are not there to warn them?" "Aye, there is that, Zaston. I could not face the wrath of the knights if I allowed you to drink all their wine. Let us go." And with that, Giantklr strode off to lead them back to the docks, already beginning to turn green.The Lord of Punt (submitted by: HC Fazz) There is a monster on the hunt, Who likes to pull a little stunt. Of his attacks we bear the brunt; He is the Evil Lord of Punt! With claws in back and teeth in front He bytes us with a fearsome grunt: Not polite; he's rather blunt We can't escape this wretched runt! He sends us out by Nasher's gate To suffer the eternal wait. His appetite we can not sate, The Lord of Punt we love to hate! We stand there and accept our fate, Except for one who did so state: That on some not to future date, "The Lord of Punt's head on a plate!" In Llast the Gallant Prince was moored; Our hero bravely snuck aboard To loot the foul Medusa's hoard, And find a special weapon stored. Our nemesis was truly floored To find that he was badly gored: The Lord of Punt now Punted Lord Pierced by Magic Download Sword! The Lord of Punt, though badly hurt, Hasn't lost his only shirt. To old tricks he will soon revert, And send you crashing to the dirt! His attacks you can't divert; Only try in vain to skirt. With him it's death with which you flirt Our Joy he always will pervert! The Epic (submitted by: Kai Thei) Fiction, War Time interwoven The Serpent devours its tail They beget each other They consume each other Gathering dust Become indistinguishable In the hearts of men. A Good Night's Hunting (submitted by: Mutt C130) I walked into the Boar's Head Inn one morning in Floodbest (or Bloddfest as many of us like to refer to the small village) looking for a tall mug of Frenzy after a hard night of showng a couple of young rangers the arts of tracking and hunting Cloud Giants. The two youngones anxious to find a Hall of Training and sharpen thier skill's as well as spend the Plat's they had just gathered, set out for Neverwineter Square as soon as the sun arose. I set my bundle of Bugbear pelts down in a corner by my usual table knowing I would have to tend to them before I got rest that day. Then taking a seat, I looked up at Sasha the barmaid as she aproached the table. "You where busy clearing the roads last night again wheren't ya Mutt?" She asked as she eyed the pelts stacked in the corner. "Aye, I have dear." I replied, "And it makes a Brother thersty doing all that hunting. Has Dagr brought some fresh kegs of frenzy down this week?" I asked. Dagr being our Bunkhouse bartender, he often maid sure there was frenzy supplied to all the Taverns where the Brotherhood traveled in their hunts. "Why yes he has." She replied in a jovial tone "I'll bring one right out for ya." And with that entered back into the kitchen. I hollered at her to bring some eggs and Owlbear roast out as well if she had any, then set about going through the pelts. Many would be suitable for the job I had in mind for them. So I began to rub them and remove what fat I had missed in the skinning. Sasha returned with the mug and the meal shortly and I set down a purse of Platnum for her. "Set me up a room to if ya would dear?" I asked as she picked up the purse. She smiled and nodded then went up the stairs where the room where. I finished going through the pelts and in the process ate the meal and finshed off the frenzy. I was yawning nonstop when Sasha came back down and told me the room was ready. I grabbbed the bundle of pelts and hefted them to my shoulder, then followed her up the stairs to room. "There's fresh water in the wash basen." She told me as she opened the door. I thanked her and set the bundle down at the foot of the bed. "Will you be staying long?" Sasha asked me. "No." I replied looking up at her from the wash basen my hands submerged in the water. "I gotta head to the Bunkhouse tonight and get these pelts to Barthonis so's he can recover the Brotherhoods cots. Seems one of the new pets, Rounlins dragonling Whisp has taken to teathing on them and many are unfit to lay down in any more." "Well what time would you like me to awaken you?" She asked. "After the midday meal should be good enough. Bring me a meal and some more of the Frenzy when you come." I told her splashing the water over my face to wash away the night's battle stains. She nodded and closed the door quietly. I unstrapped my enchanted battle axe from my back. And hung it from a peg, then I removed the chain I was wearing and the under tonic and rifled through my pack for a clean one. I hung the soiled tonic outside the door for Sasha to have cleand and returned to my bed. Laying down I could feel the ache in my muscles from hunting all night and started to dream of the hot tub of Green goo that would be waiting for me at the Bunkhouse when I got there this evening. I could almost see DragonKlaw in his Lazy Ranger scrawling in his KP list a big frown on his face as I drifted off to sleep. Mutt --and the dogs-- Mieliki's Faithful BoPerNW Hospital - Beware the WARR Flu! (submitted by: Dr Dumpers) The Good Doctor, Leewood Dumpers, sat at his desk working on a crossword puzzle. Quila, the janitor, was scrubbing the grime off the floor of his office with a toothbrush. Dr. Dumpers then noticed quite a perplexing word,"Say, Quila. What's an eleven letter word with the fifth letter being 'R' that means: The assumption of human form." Quila shruged and said in two seconds,"Incarnation?" "Hmmmm... yes, that works. Hey, Quila! What's a five letter word that means:An Embankment along the shore of a river? The second letter is-" "Levee." Dr Dumpers looked down at the puzzle,"Why yes, that's right. Thankyou!" "No problem Doctor. Oh yes, by the way, When would you like me to scrub down the sixth floor corridors? I've been itching to use that new collection of hallway specialty sponges and-" Quila was inturupted when Doctor Gonzo Suddenly rushed into the room,"Doctor Dumpers! Emergency! Emergency! AAAAAAAAG!" "Chill! Gonzo! What's up?" "The Hospital is being stormed by thirty purple-faced jagged-toothed people all who are about, oh, so-high"Gonzo held his hand up about five-and-a-half feet from the ground,"They're also shouting some wierd language nobody can understand! They've already invaded the West wing and devoured three Lok Jaw patients!" "Dear Gods man!"Dumpers exclaimed,"We have no time to lose! Get the medical supplies! Tell Render to get the leeches and have Nurse Tasha charge up her disintigration rifle! We'll need all the methods of attack we can get!" Dumpers rushed off with Gonzo down to the lobby. Out front were thrity purple-faced people, just like Gonzo had described. Jiborbb was busily fending off one of the creatures with his gardening tools. Dumpers hit the alarm switch. It didn't take long for both Dr Render and Nurse Tasha to get there. Tasha looked at the situation and aimed her rifle,"Eat THIS, purple boy!" BZZZZT! One of the purple-people suddenly collapsed into a pile of dust. But then... the dust seemed to move on it's own. Soon it was reforming... into... TWO more of them! Tasha disintegrated three more and the same thing happened each time. they now had thrity-four purple-faced people to deal with! "What in Hippocrates' name is going on here?"Dumpers gasped Jilorbb suddenly turned to them, his face was grim and dark,"I'll tell you what this is! This is the infamous WARR Flu! During my experiance as a gardener/psychiatrist, I recall coming upon this one very depressed newbie. He told me how this purple-faced man had bit him and now he was undergoing... strange changes. After a couple of hours, I noticed his face was darker, it was turning purple, imprinted on his upper-lip was the word "WARR" in white letters. He began saying weird nonsense words, things that made no sense at all! Then suddenly, he snapped and leaped out the window! I haven't seen him since, but I have a feeling we have a major epidemic on our hands!" Render slapped his forehead,"Of course! The WARR Flu! I geuss it's made a comeback. Any records of a cure?" "Nope, none. It just disapeered all of a sudden. Nobody knows what caused it's first disapearance" Meanwhile one of the WARRs snuck up behind Nurse Tasha. Tasha was quick to react and kicked the WARR in the groin. It fell over onto the floor with an awful groan. Then, something odd happened, something fascinating, something some would even say magical... As that WARR lie there, wincing in pain from where Tasha kicked him... his face was turning back to normal. . . Dumpers snapped his finger,"That's it! The disease's source resides in the uh... well, where Tasha kicked! And if we damage that part of the body enough, you know, where Tasha kicked, that cuts off the source of the disease! Okay everyone, start kicking!" Gonzo held Dumpers back though,"Doctor! We should get a specialist to check this out to make sure it's safe, first though." Dumpers turned to Gonzo,"A specialist? Okay, I geuss it's always wise to be cautious..."Dumpers turned to the crowd,"Anybody here specialize in the area of the body, ya know, where Tasha kicked the WARR?" Everybody shrugged. Nothing. Dumpers sighed,"I geuss I'll put up an want ad then!" ------------------- The Good Dr. Dumpers Head of NW HospitalPoem (submitted by: Stalker352) A boy on a field, a field of terror. A field of men, who made an error. A blemish to man, A factor to fate; the boy is now a man, a tower of hate. The blemish of battle, like a slap in the face; The result of war, race against race. The mark of war; a deep dark shade, The results of a battle, Take eternity to fade. Geek Poem (submitted by: LordGeek) Twas he setting of the sun when I first eyed my lady love Soon the moon wouldst glow and the stars wouldst shine Illuminate the Heavens as they radiate the earth But tis her heart that is intense in luminous essence That leads me on a journey as it guides me thru my dreams For in her loving arms of darkness I find solice Now I fear the coming of the light for it doth steal her from me For the coming of the 'morrow brings the dawn that breaks my midnight sky It is now that I enjoy sorrow for to her I must bid goodbye. LordGeek Geek Story (submitted by: LordGeek) I stumble thru the gate to Neverwinter, my body weak and broken falls limply to the ground. My blood stains the grass where I lay. Barely able to move I muster the last of my strength as I crawl upon me knees into the Inn. There I lie in a bloody heep of flesh and bone, there I rest for many endless hours. Slowly I feel my might return, my body strengthens, muscles rippling once again with power. I raise myself up off the floor, I stand once again steadfast in the face of all that is evil and unholy. I now know where I must go. I venture down the crowded streets bustling with the many adventurers that abound within the city walls. I make my way to the trainer, I step within his doors ready and willing to accept my destiny. As I leave I feel a new found strength which pulsates thru my veins. I have but one more stop to make to complete my cycle and achieve my goal. I stride towards the vaults, my head held high. I push and shove my way past those that would trade their mother's for +3 Plate or a +3 Mace. I make my way past them and enter. The guard greets me and leads me to what is mine. I enter the room with only the dim light of a torch to guide me. Then I see it, a glint in the corner of my eye. I fall to one knee, stretch my hand out forth. I feel the cold steel hilt as it graces my palm, the dim light now begins to brighten as I raise my sword higher towards the Heavens. With mine other hand I reach for my trusty shield. I bring it into place against my chest ready to guard me. My arm now fully outstretched, my sword poised to attack. I now decree, "I shall stand alone and with others in defense of all that is Good and Holy. I will lend my sword to those who ask or are in need of it's protection from the demon darkness and all that is unholy in this Realm. I will strike a blow at the very heart of all that is evil. "FOR I AM LORDGEEK, FOR I AM RAM!"Sunset Shadows (submitted by: Banerd Rex) Long had it been since last the man named Banerd had set foot near the hall belonging to the order of the Golden Staff. Yet this eve a man stood outside the hall, his knightly trappings recently removed. He was clad in a suit of half plate and chain...a tatered cloak billowed in the soft gales. His hair thick dark hair hung freely down and in his hands he gripped an unfamiliar looking axe that carried a gray tint to its color. His feet were bereft of the spurs that had once adorned his boots. As he looked on he had wondered if more of his old friends would betray him like the others from the Knights of Justice. Would they call him brother only to fail in the cause, he wondered. He watched as the sunset over the sea off in the distance as he looked on at the guild hall where many other people he had called friend once lived; as well as one he had loved. One who never truly knew the love he had harbored for her. All that was a time in the past now. He watched as warriors and mages came to and fro obviously returning from quests and adventures. All in that time in rememberance. Would he find betrayal here as well? Many had once called the man friend, yet the man that now stood was no longer the High Judicator of the Knights of Justice...and no longer Banerd. As twilight passed and the eve fell he took a deep breath and a sigh, "may the gods forgive me for that which I hath become." Banerd Rex stepped forth from the shadows and slowly made his way into the bossom of the soft amber light of the full moon. In his hands he carried a long stemmed rose; wilted by his mourning heart. As he made his way to the roadside and took one longing glance back towards the Guild Hall; he remembered all that he had been and now knew all that he was. He dropped the rose to the ground and stepped off into the cold embrace of night, "doomed am I to never forget, such beatious a love. All that I was tis naught, for I hath truly fallen...and now there is only Banerd Rex.A Poem for Ldy (submitted by: MR TESH) This be a rare thing for me to do, so I'd though I'd share this poem I wrote to LdyDrkHawk with yas. Maybe it might help some understand what I see in this particular drow. :) . There was a mist in the air, on this fullmoon lit night, I slowly walked forward, my mind deep in thought. Down a path I knew well, to a place far away, a small forrest clearing, seeking some peace. As I arrived here this night, a strange feeling passed through me. I looked all around, but no one was there. A dream it must be, though to me seemed so real, so I sat down and pondered, my mind wandered off. As I drifted off further, my senses perked up. There is someone else here, though they elude my sight. I call out in the darkness, toward the brush at my right, "Please come out so I may see thee, out here in the light." I waited a moment, and then a Ldy came out. A sight to behold, such beauty and grace, her skin like obsidian, hair white as snow, she moved to the clearing, greeting each other there. As we talked through the night, about things far and wide, I was more affected each moment, by her presence with me here. I asked for a favor, a walk through the wood, and I offered my arm, which she accepted this night. We walked slowly forth, down a path I knew not. Our thoughts seemed like words, though we did not speak. Until we came to a place, that I'd never been, she said, "I must leave you now here, for home calls me now". My heart sank at this thought, I did not want this to end, then I looked at her face, and she felt that way too. We then said our farewells, and I pulled her real close, for a kiss on the lips, and a hug for goodnight. I then watched her depart, and fade into the night my thoughts were of her, and what happened with us though our differences are vast, and our worlds far apart til the time we meet again, 2 hearts in the night. tesh >>> knight of kort ambassador to abk Fare Thee Well to a Dear Friend - NWT Spryte (submitted by: JJervis126) My fare thee well poems :< To say my fare thee well's Spryte dear lass No one but you are on my mind Ye were a barmaid with a lot of class I thought someone like you I'd never find Though some may call me knave I wish I could hold you encircled in my arms Your presance is all I crave Safe from pain and all harm You are my moon and stars that light up the night You are my sun that turns the sky blue in day Without you nothing can be right Without you the flowers won't bloom in may Sorry....I cannae write much more......Getting teary eyed :( Heres another....... What is all around? all but the beating of my heart leaves a piercing sound I look around me, Bitterness and pain are all I see The wind screaming in pain My tears mixed with the steaming hot rain.... I see the tree's branches sway with drops of ice falling to the ground I turn to grab hold of you, but your not to be found The stream is as black as night , Now that your not here, nothing seems right. ~JJ JJ BoP The Pipes of Caer Pelandin (submitted by: Exegete) The muffled drums beat their steady, mournful tatoo and marked the step of the stone-faced honor guard as they marched in perfect precision beside the ancient caisson. Their boots beat a singular tread as, in lock step, they made their slowly and in stately fashion away from the great cathedral of Neverwinter. They exited the drive and executed a smart right turn onto the main street that ran in front of Nasher's Palace. The six-horse team, all jet black stallions sent by the proud, but heart-broken people of Caer Pelandin, pranced a bit as they came to a stop just out onto the street, The honor guard coming smartly to a uniform stop as well. There was a bitter breeze blowing down the length of the street and it lent a further bite to and already cruelly painful day. It seemed to echo the harshness of life, underscoring needlessly the bitter brevity of our human experience. Yet the eight-man honor guard stood in stoney, eloquent testimony to their love and esteem for the one whose last journey they guarded. They each wore the simple, ceremonial dress of a full KORT Knight, though most carried far more rank. Their uniforms were spotlessly neat and creased sharply. Each wore a black armband and had a black sash draped across his chest. All marks of rank or privilege were removed for this solemn occasion and they wore the glorious full battle helms with shiny leather chin straps tucked neatly beneath their lower lips. Each wore their finest weapon, but each weapon was tied into its scabbard with black laces giving mute testimony to their mourning. Their shoulders were covered with flowing cloaks in KORT's guild colors, each drawn about the wearer's breast with a golden chain. Their formal, silver breastplates glistened in the setting sun and the intricate etchings gave a silvery glimmer to all those who watched from the side. Each man stood, rock- solid in the chill breeze, as if a bronze statue to the memory of their friend and beloved comrade. The other members of KORT streamed from the cathedral and wound their way to their place behind the caisson and stood, waiting for the procession to the cairn to begin. The silence was remarkable, for their group was known to be cheery and talkative, almost to a fault a times. Yet this day they stood in stark silence, in tribute to their deep sense of loss and their grief at the passing of such an esteemed and honored figure. Each one could tell tales of joy, love and friendship and each had told those tales at the ceremony the night before when the KORT family had said their own private good-byes. Now, words all said, there were only emotions and the raw sense of loss to be felt and expressed in their simple looks and murmured words. The great crowd of assembled people, people from every walk of life and every vocation and calling in Neverwinter ringed the Cathedral square. Each was there for a reason. Some were there because of the spectacle. Some to be witness of history, as a great one was passing from the stage of life. Many, however, we there because this one had been a man for all people. So many of the powerful in Neverwinter were such that their time was fit only for those fortunate enough to be powerful as they were. The mighty fellowship with mighty, as the saying in the Realms was heard. Yet, for many, their lives had been brightened by this great man's presence, and many ordinary people were made to feel extraordinary because of his touch. The eyes of the KORT contingent were not the only ones that glistened, wet in the winter cold. Present also, to pay respect, were old enemies and adversaries. The colors of virtually every Guild in Neverwinter was sprinkled throughout the crowd and to be found in the balconies that lined many of the buildings in the square. Most apparent had been the huge and lavish displays of flowers sent by the officeial of all of the Guilds, good and evil; a token of the high regard that this fallen one was held in, even by those whom he had opposed with all his breath. The doors to the great Cathedral opened in massive majesty and laid open the immediate inner area of the church. The mournful wail of the pipes of his home village loosed their sound over the assembled crowd. The sound was as if the combined breaking hearts of the hundreds here assembled had sung out together giving voice to the exquisite agony of their loss. The dirge droned on is sad, sad melody renewing for many the pears thought previously spent. The world famous pipes of Caer Pelandin gave forth their delicate best for memory of their favorite son. The muffled drums once again took up their measured rhythm and momentarily eight black garbed clerics, faces covered by the drooping cowls of their solemn, funereal robes emerged, slowing pacing their way from the Cathedral's inner sanctum where the old Knight had laid in state. They bore him, on his funeral byre upon their shoulders and moved, dignified step, by ever so dignified step, in perfect cadence with the sounding drums. Slowly, in stately procession, they moved down the steps to the Cathedral where they turn and, in intricate and practiced precision, laid the byre, gently and respectfully, in place on the caisson. Then they each bowed their hooded heads and, along with the entire population present at the square, spent five full minutes in silent reflection on this noble Knight, now passing from the scene. An unspoken command passed between them as the time dedication ended, and, in unison, they turned and left side of the caisson and marched quietly back in the church. As the returned, the Pipers made their way to the head of the Caisson and formed up to lead their beloved on his final journey. The muffled drums struck up their dread rhythm once again, and this time, were joined by the mourning harmonies of the pipers and the procession started is last, slow journey. The honor guard turned smartly and, removing their helmets, fell into step with the caisson and, heads high, their sorrow spelled plainly on their faces, they accompanied their comrade on his final journey. Through the filled, but silent streets of Neverwinter the sad procession wound until finally, it reached the south gate. There, the vast crowd of mourners halted, respecting the wishes of the hero now gone from them, and allowing his own family, the beloved people of the village he had grown up in, to have the privilege and duty of escorting him to the place of final good byes. The honor Guard stopped at the gate as well and with final salute, allowed the caisson, the pipers and the drummers to roll on their way. No eye was dry, and each heart filled with the bursting memories of good times, now gone past as the procession rolled out of sight and the gates slowly and finally swung closed. Memories of laughter and of pain. Memories of safety and of great danger. Each one could picture that craggy face, smiling as ever, as if still seated across the table, mug in hand. All could remember the flash of the eyes as he considered an enemy. It seemed that the melodious sound of his voice called out from their hearts. It would be a long, long time before they wold stop looking to see him in all of the old familiar places, and stop listening for the comforting sound of his voice or the reassuring tread of his boot as he approached. It seemed as is the great gates of Neverwinter were closing a chapter in each one's life. Hearts swelled with pride at having known and walked a while with this icon, this Knight of Knights. These same hearts broke cruelly anew as each one watched with bated sob, the inexorable gates wrote the final epitaph to this part of their earthly experience. The mournful, yet grand sound of the Pipes wound their way through the narrowing opening and stroked their ears, reminding them of the shortness of life and of the vigor with which our eternal fate stalks us all. As the gates thumped shut, for many, it seemed as if the sound betrayed the final bursting of their all-to-full hearts, as grief and loss held sway over all present. But as his life had been one of great and glorious service and grand principles, so it seemed strangely fitting that the last that all would remember of the final good-bye to this great one was the mournful, yet somehow grand and glorious music of the pipes of Caer Pelandin.Night of Evil (submitted by: Rounlin) As the sun falls across the horizon, the evil raises an eyebrow. I can only hope that the evil doesn't get out of control tonight. I am weak from last night's quests to rid the Lands of evil. As Whisp, my baby dragonling, and I walk from Neverwinter to Triboar, we can only wonder what is to become of us. Last night we barely survived in the Lost Hills, being constantly attacked by evil adventurers, scorpions, banshees, and what not. We had to back track to get healed in the Temple in Neverwinter. Now tonight, we move very cautiously through each town til Triboar. Past Southwall, the Kraken spies and Banshees of Vilnask, the Ice Hounds, Bulette's, and Wild Boars of Crossergate, and through the Hills of the Lost Adventurers. Whisp and I walk past a group of evil adventurers engaged in combat. A couple of them ask us if we would like to join them in mortal combat but I decline for the both of us. Very cautiously now, we quickly walk by the combat and proceed through the Lost Hills. As we near a sign for Triboar we are attacked by a lone adventurer. He shouts some native war cry and begins to attack Whisp and myself. I unsheath my long sword from its scabbard while Whisp begins to breath a fireball. Whisp breaths a fireball upon the unlucky adventurer, and he is turned to ashes. I grieve for him and wipe a teardrop from my eye. Whisp jumps into my bag and we continue forward to Triboar. About an hour later we finally reach Triboar's famed inn by the Crossroads. As we rest in the inn, I am met by a friend of mine, Talos. He asks me if Whisp and myself would like to join him in the Arena of Triboar to vanquish some evil. We agree to follow him as soons as we rest and so I can memorize my spells from my grimoire. Talos says that he will meet us there and we bid farewell for now. A half an hour goes by and we are ready for the conflict ahead. Whisp and myself gather our belongings and head out from the inn. At the Crossroads we turn right and continue forward until we reach the doorway for the Arena of Triboar. As we enter the arena we are greeted by an announcement by the referee of the arena telling us to watch our backs and to observe fair play. We agree to those terms and continue forward into the arena. We look around for my friend Talos and do not see him. We walk further into the arena and are attacked by a group of Chaotic warriors. I cast a Globe of Invunerablity on Whisp and myself, while Whisp begins to breathe a Nuclear Winter Fireball. (A spell devised by myself and taught to Whisp.) The Chaotic warriors come closer and attempt to Feeblemind, Hold, and put us to Sleep but to no avail. A couple of rounds of mortal combat go by with no winner, until my friend Talos shows up with a bunch of Seekers. They join in on the combat and eventually we are victorious. I thank them for the help and cry out my guild's war cry,"AAAAAIIIIIIIEEEEEE!!!!!" Another group of evil adventurers destroyed by the good. I look forward to Whisp and myselfs next encounter with the Evil of these Realms. Rounlin Starwolf the Pure Servant of Mielikki BrotherHood of PathfindersThe Lost Passage - Part 5 Back at the Inn (submitted by: Primr0se) Primrose slowly picked at the food set before her. Listening to her bro's Riverswift, Thralos and Steelfight make plans to get her and Cerdith to a temple, she kept quiet, keeping her thoughts and worries to herself. Though it hurt that Lake had left without saying goodbye, she had known since she woke up on the mountain, how torn he was between searching for Zeb and making sure she got to a temple safely. She understood why Lake and Troutrasta left as they did and better yet why young Bart wanted to follow them. Ill as she felt, she too wanted to go back and find Zeb, but she knew that the poison thought stopped from spreading had taken too much out of her. It had taken nearly all her strength to get down the mountain. She tried to eat, though the food promise to disagree with her stomach later. Once she was able to get back to her room, she would take some of the herbs she still had left, to try to keep the food down. She was nearly out mint and camomile and had used the last of her supply of dry ginger the night before. She could probably ask the inn keeper's wife for some more mint and camomile, but the ginger was rare and hard to find, though it did do more to help her keep down her meals. How it frustrated her that she couldn't even cast a cure light wounds to help her brothers and sister, or take care of herself. Hearing her bro's talk of the path though the woods they would take, she prayed to Mielikki that they could make their way safely pass the monsters that often set upon those that travel though them. If attacked she only had a few spells left memorized and they would be of little help against the trolls they were likely to face at the bridges they had to cross. At the thought of trolls Primrose looked at Cerdith worried. Though she had just met her, Primrose had listened to her bro's often tell of how Cerdith would become berserk at the mention of trolls. Even as weak as Cerdith was when they found her, they had told Primrose, when she woke up, of how Cerdith had killed the last troll before it had gotten to Riverswift. Silently she gave another prayer to Mielikki that they would get to the temple safely without anyone else getting hurt. Aware finally that her bro's had stopped talking, Primrose looked up at each of them. Though she had hardly known any of them, before Lake had asked her to help them find their sister, they had become good friends and she wished she could do something to help. At least she could try to help them get Cerdith safely though the woods. "Riverswift," she said wearily. "It may be best if we divide into two parties." "Two to scout ahead and then someone to help Cerdith and me sneak past any monsters they may find." Seeing his mouth stuffed, she continued, "I've done it before, back when I had just become a cleric and came here to Longsaddle with a ranger of COR to learn and train. Best Aim, went ahead of me though the Lost Hills." "Each time he had to battle the monsters that roam though there, he had me sneak around the battle." "Then I was just young and knew few spells." "Now I'm too weak to cast the few I still can remember. In a fight I would just be in the way." Looking at Rose and seeing how tired and pale she looked, Riverswift tried to hide his concern for her from his voice. "Rose, you needn't worry, We'll get you two to the temple safely. Just now eat and rest for today." Finding her bro's all looking at her and seeing how she must look to them in their eyes. Primrose looked down again at her breakfast and tried to eat some more. Silent again, she found herself thinking of young Bart and how it seems to be more then youth that made him eager to follow Lake and Trout. Primrose had tried to keep herself from thinking about what she could have done differently, by watching her Bro's as they made their way down the mountain. It was only her cleric training that kept her from blaming herself for Zeb facing the giant alone. Bart didn't have such training and Primrose could tell that he had been berating himself ever since they headed down the mountain. She had been too tired to talk to him though and she had her own doubts to worry about. Though Lake Mist had been always at her side since she woke up, they hadn't talked about what had happen. More then anything, she blamed herself for his wounds and wondered if she had been just a foolish young girl, opening her heart to him as the battle raged around them and she fell. But, she thought, there was no going back, she could only hope he loved her, as she loves him. Nudged out of her thoughts again, Primrose found the innkeeper's wife asking her something and her brother's and sisters gone from the table. "What's that? Why no, I'm done eating," she said as the innkeeper's wife asked again if she was ok. "If you could get me some mint, camomile and maybe some ginger if you have it? I would like some tea in my room." Taking Primrose's plate away, the innkeeper's wife frowned at all the wasted food. "Ginger, I may still have some from last winter baking, but I'm sure I have mint and camomile." "I'll bring up some tea for you myself, once I've cleared the table." answered the good wife. "Later I'll bing you something you may find easier to eat too." "I remember you last time you where here and you had color in your cheeks." Remembering too, her visit back then, Primrose smiled and said, "I certainly did have red cheeks then, but then so did the ranger with me, when his lady friend showed up." Getting up from the table slowly, Primrose thanked her and said she would like her meals in her room. Then noticing Thralos and Steelfight setting up a game of chess in the corner, she quietly made her way up to her room. ------===<<<@>>>===------ NEW IMPROVED TRIVIA!! ------===<<<@>>>===------ Join NW Raven and NW Omar for a night of fun and prizes, while we test your knowledge of Neverwinter Nights trivia! Date: Tuesday, March 4th Time: 10:00 to 11:30 pm EST Place: The Great Hall of Neverwinter (outside the Realms) Prizes to be awarded to winners: First Place - 15 Pearls Second Place - 12 Pearls Third Place - 9 Pearls Fourth Place - 7 Pearls Fifth Place - 5 Pearls AND access to the Guild of Heroes!! There are NEW rules for a new year of Trivia! Major changes are: 1. FIVE winners instead of three! 2. PRIZES include only pearls! 3. ONLY first 10 correct answers are scored! 4. TWO random rolls instead of one! Please review the new rules before coming in to play. Hope to see ya there... ;D -- NW Omar and NW Raven (submitted by: LordKob0ld) The Uprising has begun. From out of the dark, shadowed holes of the Underdark, its denizens arise to defeat the drow. Years, centuries of enslavement shall be no more! The kobolds, the goblins, minotaurs, duergar, all have united in the common effort against a common enemy. The Uprising is currently accepting all interested... if you are prepared to do battle against the deadly spawn of the arcane, the drow... please send a messenger, to me, Himul (email LordKob0ld). "Though we traverse the dark, may there be light to our future and in our hearts." -Himul, First Thunderhead of the Uprising POWER, LIGHT, VISION, FREEDOM!(submitted by: CWArc) Wow.. Some of you might have noticed a submittion I made last week, entitled Hints... Well... Seems a few MECH read it, and They didn't like it... This advertisement is for an apology, and it has nothing to do with that beating I received this week... ~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~! MECH Soldiers of Metal Iron Serenity, Steel Dreams The empire of MECH is looking for a few good souls, to join the ranks of mechnaical beings, bent on conquering all life known. If you can claim: non-Newbness* Being able to beat those kobolds at the wharehouse* Being able to hold your own in pvp And a great working knowledge of what RP posts and RP is: Then you can apply to MECH MECH, the greatest Pvp machine in the realms, MECH, the most mechanical empire in the realms, JOIN MECH! ~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~! *disclaimer: if MECH starts accepting newbs, I would take that claim off, though if MECH accepts newbs... I would.. do anything.. I can promise anything, because MECH doesn't take newbs.. *disclaimer:If Aztek says you don't need to be able to beat the Kobolds, then I remove this claim also.... Apology accepted? ~Arc>> ***************************************************************************** Well....I would say that they'd have to be able to conquer a lot more then kobolds...I'm talking Storm Giants here ;> Aztek Emperor MECH Apology accepted ;> (submitted by: Power swd) What does Power mean by this? I mean (Take notes, newer players) that it is possible to max without ever visiting one drac fight. I'm speaking from experience, (bout 450,000 worth) that dracs are not the only way to get your Lv1 fighter with 9 HP and a 3 AC to get to Lv2 and beyond without having to: A) Greet a drac B) Whine and cavetch to be taken to the sewers to fend off the stone golems with your borrowed dagger+2 while your maxxed companion, armed with his plate+3,shield+3,LS+3, 18 CON and 18 DEX plus an 18/?? STR shows off his moves by eliminating your oppisition all by his lonesome. C) Watch your "partner" take that COP+2 you found as payment for the 15 minutes he wasted leveling you twice. The simplest way for an early level fighter without good magical equipment (if any) to level (note I said FIGHTER! This does not mean a FIGHTER-MU!) in the early stages by yourself is through the ROYAL GUARD battles. (Got that?) a victory by yourself will give only about 400, but yeilds a better chance of survival than taking on the pyro and his buddies. Additionally, as a nice bonus, through the other door in the back is usually another royal guard. This will sum up to 500xp per shot. 4 victories in this way and you have your first level oppurtunity. The problem is that these guys don't always drop dough, and yer gonna need it, since training is expensive and increased 500 gp per level. After a level or three and you are in need of money to train (money has very few other uses in NWN) check out the warehouse. There's an area that states its dangerous. The walls are a red color. Go through the arch and switch to area. Enter the door leading to the cross maze and work your way through. You should hit many battles on the way with 5-6 kobolds, with naturally carry lots of platinum and gold. Fight as long as your HP lasts and make your way out. Return to Neverwinter and buy some gems or a jewel and store it in the vault. This is essentially mony in the bank. A little later, You should venture a little further out to floodblest. The pyro fights yeild about 800 each and if you survive an owlbear battle, 2000. Expect a partner for the bears. The ultimate test out there are the CG's. One of those pretty fights will rake in 6000 xp! However, I have a lv9 paladin and are killed 50% of the time fighting CG's, so don't jump in too fast. This can get you a good number of levels quickly. I already took my own advice and gained 8 levels without being in a single Drac battle. The sewers have given me only 17000 xp. 50,000 I got with a guide. Everything else was my own. It really works. The only trouble you might have is magic items. Those you can find on the owlbears ( I got 8 scrolls and 3 COP+1) The minotaur in the well gives a BA+1, and you might find more on any critter. Happy Hunting! Power Swd The 9th level Paladin (submitted by: KEF Mr W) For all of you new players, and some of you no-so-new ones too. Are you fighting every fight? Are you wasting your time with 64 xp fights when what you really want to do is get somewhere in a hurry? Are you baffeled by that "Escape is Blocked" message when you try to leave a fight? Well then... Listen closely and I'll tell ya all about how to flee.... There are certain conditions that must be met before you can flee a fight. Some are pretty common sense.. others are not... 1) If you are faster than all of the monsters in the fight, Simply move to the edge of the combat area and walk away.... Just about everything in the realms can be fled when you cast Haste on yourself... 2) If the monsters are faster than you are... and/or you don't wan't to cast haste and blow your invis.. simply put a wall, tree, or other obsticle between you and ALL of the monsters then step out of the combat area... You can check this by walking right up to the edge and using the AIM function .. if nothing is targeted.. you're all clear.. flee.... If there's a monster targeted.. well.. move to another spot.. NOTE: If you aren't invisible the monsters are going to chase you. This can be an advantage if you're in a area with walls(town,cavern etc) the monsters will head in a direct line towards you.. even if a wall is in the way.. if you go around a corner far enough the monsters will be boxed in.. and you're free to find that exit.. With a little practice you can flee just about any fight.. even without an invis( if you're quick). Remember it's not cowardly to flee when you're trying to get somewhere.. it's just good tactics and it makes the game a whole lot more fun : )(submitted by: AugstStorm) After reading the drivel in the last issue of NW News, I felt obliged by honor to submit this document. Newbies (and I do not use that as a derrogatory term), pay no heed to those who wish to belittle you. Pay no attention to those who berate you for being a mere human being. Pay no mind to mistakes. We all make them. We have all done it (whatever it is). Live and learn! This does not have to be a painful thing. Keep in mind that every person you come across that uses abuse as means of supposedly trying to teach you something began their NWN career just like you. They too may have faced the same unfriendly welcome to NWN that you do today, and as a means of dealing with the pain they felt then, regurgitate it onto you now. It is only by this manner, that they can get over it. Behind the anonymity of their newly created screennames, they feel they have the right to spew doses of chunky liquid words of wisdom at you. After all, they are now experts, no? They are to be looked up to, no? And you certainly are beneath the notice of such noble oracles of game knowledge. So, take some advice from someone who isn't out to make you feel bad. Whenever reading a document with the word Newbie in the title, be prepared to filter out the unwarranted abuse of the ego-maniacal "expertise" of the author. With a little luck, and a strong stomach, you might just find a useful point or two in there. With open arms, I welcome you to NWN. AugstStorm(submitted by: AugstStorm) 10. Newbies trade gaunts for a ring +1. 9. Newbies can rack up wins and bragging rights for those veterans who really can't pvp. 8. Newbies can pad the fireball booth que's with low-level clerics. 7. Newbies keep Nasher's +2 voulges from rusting away. 6. Newbies keep the kobolds in the wharehouses from getting lonely. 5. Newbies supply the daggers of striking and brass buttons nasher melts down to make all those +2 voulges. 4. Newbies round out the NW class structure as the beggar class. 3. Newbies give veteran drac-bashers someone to yell at while waiting to find that elusive +1 dart. 2. Hauling newbies around allows the veteran to fully appreciate travel by fleeing. And the number one reason for not hating newbs is... 1. Newbies give those depraved, ego-starved veterans who were abused as newbies opportunities to return the favor so the cycle can continue. AugstStorm 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)! Second place recieves 2 pearls and third place 1 pearls! Submit all text to screenname: NW NEWS. <><><><><> <><><><><> MONTHLY CONTEST!! Win Pearls for your Guild! Participate in the monthly News of the Realms "Newsworthy" contest. Each month, 4 pearls will be awarded to the account of the Guild with the most "newsworthy" articles for that month! We're looking for works of art, articles of fine literature, helpful hints of extraordinary brilliance, poetic works which stir the soul, etc. The key word here is "newsworthy"... only articles with substance will be counted in the contest! To participate you need to: - Indicate with your submission the name of your SANCTIONED guild. Only sanctioned Guilds are presently eligible to receive pearls for a Guild pearl account. - Write something! <><><><><> <><><><><>