Elanthian Journal/Edition 24

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~
                     The Elanthian Journal
                           Edition #24
~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

The following articles of interest are contained herein:

1 ........................ NIGHTWARDENS TAKE TO THE STREET BEAT!
2 ........................ CONSTELLATION CLASSES THROUGHOUT THE LANDS
3 ........................ THE ART OF SCRYING MADE PUBLIC
4 ........................ CULTURAL CLASS OR CULTURAL CLASH?
5 ........................ A RETRACTION....
6 ........................ CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING
7 ........................ SEARCH FOR CHOOVY
8 ........................ SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~
NIGHTWARDENS TAKE TO THE STREET BEAT!
~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Dateline: Day 21st of Phoenatos, 5104: Wehnimer's Landing

Due to an increasingly alarming level of criminal activity on the streets of Wehnimer s Landing, specifically centered around the docks, the Constable has taken extra steps to ensure safety for the city s fine denizens.  Locals and visitors may now see Nightwardens patrolling the streets at night with their ever watchful eyes skimming the shadows for trouble.

Since the hiring of nightwardens a good deal of criminals have been apprehended or run out of town.  Among one of the bigger take downs was actually related to the recent string of murders on the docks I had been reporting on for the last few months.  It turns out the Nightwarden and his deputies had managed to capture a handful of grunts whose matching dress theme was all black body-leather and facemask.  The only real recognizable feature was a dark red sash they all wore boldly across their waist.

From intense interrogation and a bit of research, the local authorities learned that sometime late last year a criminal organization who had dubbed themselves the Bloodwings began using strongarm tactics to gain a foothold within Wehnimer s Landing.  However, due to a few confessions and evidence in the weapons some of the Bloodwings carried, the recent murders on the docks have been linked with this organization.

While no information has shed light as to a leader of this criminal organization or even their base of operations, Landing citizens can rest assured that the local authorities with the increased help from the Nightwardens will continue to uphold their oath and push to keep the cities have in day or at night.  Meanwhile, I will continue to do my own bit of investigating and see if we can t get to the bottom of this threat yet!

Be careful out there.

-Grums Strumsbelly - Scholar of Biblia

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~
CONSTELLATION CLASSES THROUGHOUT THE LANDS
~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Dateline: Day 15th of Phoenatos, 5104: none

Sparkling brilliantly in the night skies, the stars have been our guides and steady companion for millenniums.  The fiery orbs illuminate even the darkest of nights and act as focal points for land and sea travel when all sense of direction is lost.  Each star in the Northern Skies belongs to a constellation and each constellation belongs to a Season but what do these mysterious watches of the lands mean?  What are there names?

These questions and many more have been asked for centuries by scholars, soothsayers, and wanders of the lands and some few have found means of answering them.  One such person, after extensive study of the tomes left behind by Sister Lemandria D Verethin of the Coven, has started to spread her knowledge and understanding to the populace of the Lands.

Her first series of classes, Understanding the Spring Constellations of the Northern Sky, met with much success.  So much so that instead of holding two classes this season, one in the Landing and one in Ta'Illistim, she has decided to hold three classes.

The second class, sponsored by Cairnfang Manor, is scheduled to take place on the 24th day of Imaestra also upon the 9th hour and will be held at the Spiral Passageway in front of the bonfire.  Please bring blankets to sit upon and listen to the class.  After the class, gifts will be given out and a special auction for a piece of Constellation Jewelry that was specially crafted by the Stargazer Rhirkan shall take place.

The third and final class will be sponsored by the Elanthian Explorer's Society and is scheduled to take place at the Ta'Illistim Observatory.  This class will begin upon the 9th hour on Imaestra the 28th and is also anticipated to give away the specially crafted clasps of the gnome stargazer.

We look forward to seeing you at the event and hope to share a bit of the knowledge that surrounds the heavens of Elanthia.  Each class is expected to last from forty-five minutes to an hour and ten, dependant on questions, and beverages and light snacks will be made available.  Should these classes be as successful as the first, there will be a follow-up set of classes in the Eorgaen to discuss the Winter Classes.

~Anonymous

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~
THE ART OF SCRYING MADE PUBLIC
~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Dateline: Day 15 of Phoenatos, 5104: Solhaven

The realm of the probably and the wonder of the unknown have long been the playground of seers and soothsayers throughout the ages; each group holding tight to the wisdom of their craft and guarding the secrets of their understandings and trainings.  The wonders of reading runes, understanding crystallomancy, Tarot cards, the mysteries of the fallen stick, and the art of foresight are all cherished ways of foretelling by this secular group.

Some believe that the gift of Foresight belongs solely to the followers of Jastev, but recent events in the Lands have proven that the "Sight" touches many groups.  Gosaena has touched no few of her followers, The Blades of Ronan can attest to sights brought to them through dream, and even Zelians have been known to travel the lands carrying their precious foreknowledge close to their hearts, as was proven by the Giantkin Prophet named Urutei.  Several other groups also wander the lands such as Darletta's Gypsy Troupe and the esteemed Seeress Morilinde who was a follower of Jastev to name a couple.

Now is your chance to understand a piece of the craft.  Using knowledge passed on to her by the Bardess Nofret, who was also a much sought after seer in her own right, Charna Ja'Varrel'Kav of Solhaven will be offering a class on the study of Runes on the 9th of Imaerasta.  The class is scheduled to take place in her quaint little shop, C and C's Divine Offerings in the Celestial Wanderings room, upon the 9th hour.

The class is completely free and drinks will be provided.  Should you not have runes, have no fear.  They are for sale in her shop at a very reasonable price.  Upon conclusion of the class, you should have a better understanding of the runes you hold and given a means to maintain that knowledge throughout the years.

Charna Ja'Varrel'Kav of Solhaven 

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~
CULTURAL CLASS OR CULTURAL CLASH?
~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Dateline: Day 15th of Phoenatos, 5104: Wehnimer's Landing

With the heat of the summer quickly fading away into the cool breeze of autumn, the denizens of Elanthia are left with the aftermath of a plethora of cultural pageants that scattered across their world.  In Icemule Trace, halflings and giantmen were celebrated for their uniqueness and contributions.  On Teras Isle, dwarves relished their ancient history and amazing craftsmenship.  From River's Rest, to Solhaven, to Wehnimer s Landing, to Illisim, the diversity seen everyday in Elanith was honored in some fashion or another.

But now we must all ask ourselves, what did we learn?  Did the cultural explosion of the Summer of 5104 spread tolerance and understanding of others?  Or did it instead fuel the fire for even more racial animosity and acts of superiority.

Halflings sit in the corner, trying desperately to IMPOSE upon their enemies, while their giantkin friends tower behind them, POUNDing their fists together in a clear fit of anger.  Dwarves and gnomes share a drinking table, the bearded warriors BELCHing the night away, while the gnomes do best to hold their breath and TINKER away at their newest invention.  Half-elves, always living in the fear of hatred from pure breeds find themselves spending more time FIDGETing then anything else, all the while the humans of Elanthia, in perhaps their only real attempt at culture are experimenting in their once thought dull BOW.

Above all, the elves have shown an even greater turn towards racial superiority while regardless of the distance or your height they ll still look down on you with DISDAIN.  Meanwhile, their apparent house guests the Aelotoi have spent their summer FLAPing and FLUTTERing their wings about Cysaegir, a small step towards the aerial maneuverability they once had on their homeworld.  Of course, STRETCHing their wings has made their adaptation to Elanthia more comfortable.  With all the pageants and tangents of other races, the sylvans themselves OBSERVEd more than participated.

Meanwhile, back in Wehnimer's Landing, the dark elven faction that always seems to be prejudged as evil manipulaters has only gone that extra step to lend credence to those assumptions, by taking a wicked grin and interlocking their fingers in a malicious STEEPLE.  Of course, the Erithians make up for the influx of evil by displaying their amazing grace in the way they BOW and STRETCH.  Of course, in the distance, you can hear the BARKs and ROARs of the half-krovlin as their hair BRISTLEs on end at the fact that no matter how much culture, they still look like monkeys.

All in all, culture was celebrated this summer of 5104 and while many might have walked away from the abundance of pageants with more compassion and interest in those different than them, some could easily argue the war of racial superiority has only thickened.  What say you?

-Grums Strumsbelly - Scholar of Biblia

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~
A RETRACTION....
~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

In reporting on the EVIL EXPERIMENTS IN SOLHAVEN in our last issue, we were guilty of a few misrepresentations (possibly due to a bit too much imbibing of tea during the interview with Solhaven resident Charna.)

Apparently, faendryl "herbalist" Nyvelise did not claim success in her experiments, but rather that her experiment had gone missing.  Also, there is no direct link between the three-armed troll and Nyvelise.  Nor was the troll "walking and talking" but rather "shuffling and grunting."  (I think our staff can be forgiven for the confusion here, as trollish sounds much like grunting and their normal gait is definitely a shuffle!)

What is undeniable is that after Nyvelise reported the experiment missing, a scream was heard (within the town) and she reacted by saying, "It must be feeding."  Soon after, the three-armed troll was found.  The implication is very strong that her "experiment" was indeed connected to the troll, which may or may not have been re-animated from one or more corpses.

Furthermore, the citizens did not demand the Nyvelise leave the town, but rather that she take more caution in her experimenting.  On an editorial note, it is our opinion that the citizens did not go far enough in their request.  A request for her to leave, followed by a quick dipping in tar and feathers would have been far more effective.

~Nellie Dashovath, Pert Publisher

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~
CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING
~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

The Proprietors of The Erithi Tea House, Oelinia, Ramallo and Sachiko, would like to invite you to take a stroll through their lovely shop located at 10 Spiral Passageway in Solhaven's Trade District.  A rich blend of culture and color awaits you as you step through the threshold of this quaint shop and are taken into an exotic look at the simple and quiet lifestyle of those from Atan Irith.  A collection of tradition Erithian clothing, weapons and jewelry has been painstakingly assembled and then displayed within the shop in a desire to share the breathtaking beauty of their rich culture.  We hope that you will find something you like and are eager to greet you.

Masks of Distinction is an artistic shop that was created with a desire to aid the consumer during festive themed events.  Each room of this stone front store, located at 9 Spiral Passageway, is filled with masks of various colors that have been designed to fit everyone's needs.  During festive seasons the proprietors offer design services that are intended to augment the over all appearance of your mask; please note the duration of the paints are only 24 hours and therefore free with purchase.  Throughout the year the shop inventory is filled with specialty masks that have been crafted with an artistic eye.  We look forward to meeting your masquerade and festival needs!

Paths of the Arkati is a slender parlor located at 11 Spiral Passageway in the Solhaven Trade District.  Upon entering the dimly lit shop your senses are assaulted by the heady scent of roses, which can be easily found in baskets throughout the shop and are a specialty of the quiet proprietor one Forlorinne DeBaltis.  Each room is labeled by a sign noting a different path of the Arkati, Neutral, Liabo and Lornon, and its shelves are covered with symbols to each God or Goddess.  Upon occasion the inventory of the shop will filter through other Arkati based items with the intent to offer an unbiased place to shop for your Religious needs.  Forlorinne is eager to provide her customers with fair prices to aid you in your devotion.

Divine Offerings is a comfortable blend of natural works and mysticism.  Located at 9 Spiral Passageway in Solhaven's Trade District, the shop is owned by Cappurnicus Calerous and Charna Ja'Varrel'Kav.  Upon entering the thatch covered shop you are greeted with an area of items depicting the various constellations of the Northern Skies.  Further into the shop you will find a workroom filled with items that were personally crafted by Cappurnicus, including a variety of forged and crafted wares, both magical and mundane.  The final room of the three-room shop is filled with Celestial Wanderings from runes to stones, Scrying bowls to teacups.  The shop offers Classes on the Constellations, Runic Lore and scrying.  We hope to be able to aid you.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~
SEARCH FOR CHOOVY
~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

The merchant Choovy has agreed to work for the ten people who show up at his location on Leyan, first day of Imaerasta in the evening.  For a clue to his location (around Wehnimer's Landing), solve the puzzle below.

To solve the puzzle, locate all the words in the chart of letters (you may need to rewrite the chart so that all the letters line up in 16 rows and 16 columns).  Some words may overlap.  As you find each word, circle each letter.

Some letters will be left in the chart.  Those letters will spell out the clue to Choovy's whereabouts.

R E D I P S R O J A M T H R A K

A R L E S S E R G H O U L I H V

B R O W N S P I N N E R E E O S

I L B Z F I R E A N T R A R B T

D L O B O K L E R G N O M T G O

S L K O T M W R A I T H S C O N

Q E O N D W B A W A S P A E B E

U S T E W E A I E O E R T P L G

I S H G C H A T E R R E N S I A

R E Y O O P U G E R N M A G N R

R R R L B M R S L R O A H O S G

E S I E R Y G E K E W L P B T O

L H L M A N H R V A G I T E Y Y

N A S Y V K R A D I Y A T O O L

O D E A T H D I R G E L K C N E

R E D N A M A L A S E R I F H F

List of words: blood eagle, bog spectre, bone golem, brown spinner, cobra, dark vysan, death dirge, fire ant, fire salamander, gak, hobgoblin, kobold, lesser ghoul, lesser shade, major spider, mongrel kobold, nymph, phantasma, rabid squirrel, reiver, skayl, stone gargoyle, thrak, thryil, urgh, waern, wasp, water witch, worm, wraith, yeti, zombie rolton

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Submissions should be limited to 6 body paragraphs of no more than 100 words each.  Each submission should start with a title, be followed with a dateline, and should end with the author's signature.  Please check your submission for proper spelling and grammar before sending it.

All submissions should involve factual events.  We will accept no silly nursery stories, histories or educational articles about the weather.  If you would like to submit an article along those lines, please do so to our sister publication, the Elanthian Times.  All submissions should be received by Leyan in order to be published by Feastday.

CLASSIFIEDS:  Classifieds are free and a good way to advertise your auctions and events or to find something whether it be love, a lost dog or a servant.

DISCLAIMER: While the staff of the Elanthian Journal make every effort to ensure that the events presented within are FACTUAL, there will always be some amount of speculation until all details of events are revealed with the passage of time.  We will continue to make every effort to report ACTUAL happenings, however any theories or speculation on the details of these events may very well prove INACCURATE.

The Elanthian Journal is edited by a very talented staff, including Tierus, Elvinyouth, Alisaire, Augie, Cappurnicus, Kondalor, Mythala, Plur, and Turinrond.  If you are interested in joining the editorial staff, please send a note to the address below.

List of words: blood eagle, bog spectre, bone golem, brown spinner, cobra, dark vysan, death dirge, fire ant, fire salamander, gak, hobgoblin, kobold, lesser ghoul, lesser shade, major spider, mongrel kobold, nymph, phantasma, rabid squirrel, reiver, skayl, stone gargoyle, thrak, thyril, urgh, waern, wasp, water witch, worm, wraith, yeti, zombie rolton

Resources

• List of newsletters