Rumor Woods/2026 saved posts: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 19:32, 3 April 2026

Rumor Woods and Summit Academy are open from April 10th, 2026 at 9 PM EDT to May 3rd, 2025 at 11:59 PM EDT. The box office closes on April 30th at approximately 11:55 PM EDT.

On Discord, please follow our Read Only Updates.

Also, please consider joining our discussion channel for Rumor Woods.

Informational Posts

Information Post 1 - How to Earn Currency

Discord Message Link: Rumor Woods Reminders
Author: GM Thandiwe
Date: 4/7/2024

For those new to Rumor Woods, here's a reminder of how to earn Currency:

Jousting - There are two entrances to jousting. One will support the Beetle Team and the other the Spider Team. When you enter, you select your equipment (though you can use your own) and a mount (though you can use your own). From there you
Instructions:

Present your sunburst marker at the entry table. (GO ENTRY TABLE)
Select a mount from the paddock. (GET [MOUNT])
Select a lance from the weapon rack. (GET [LANCE])
Select a shield from the shield display. (GET [SHIELD])
Present yourself at the entry table again. (GO ENTRY TABLE)
Crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentations of their significant others!

Spider Entry - 8208002 Beetle Entry - 8208001

Fox Hunt - Bugle is still the rare prize for a fox pet.
Pixie Hunt - Bell is still the rare prize for a lamb pet.

Information Post 2 - Areas of Interest

Discord Message Link: February 2024 - Rumor Woods Reminders
Author: GM Thandiwe
Date: 4/7/2024

Areas of Interest at Rumor Woods:

The Aspen Grove has multiple Inn Room-like tents scattered throughout the area as the Aspen Grove itself is just like an Inn. There is a Tavern w. Tables, drinks and food.
Summit Academy is a college. It has an Ellipse at its heart that is for socializing and getting warm drinks.
Cysaelotar was built by Aelotoi visitors and is a natural area filled witha variety of wonders.

Announcements

Announcement 1 - Theme

Discord Message Link: Rumor Woods 2026 Theme
Author: GM Thandiwe
Date: 3/4/2026

This season’s theme draws inspiration from sunbaked sands and wind-carved horizons, bringing a new palette and a new spirit to the woods. As always, our offerings will remain varied, but many of this year’s highlights carry a distinctly desert flavor.

The tournament returns with a new rivalry: Scorpion versus Jerboa.

Each side will bear its own colors:

A beige jerboa on a field of myrtle green,
A jet black scorpion on a field of copper,

This year’s festival mount will be the scorpion, accompanied by new lore released alongside it.

For a special twist, the Fox Hunt will change its quarry for one year only. Instead of the fox, participants will have the chance to win a jerboa pet.

Prefer not to run the hunt? No worries. The jerboa will also be available through Ewe Vixen.

Sands are shifting. Rivalries are stirring.

Rumor Woods awaits.

Event begins April 10th, 2026, at 9:30 PM EDT.

Announcement 2 - Titles

Discord Message Link: Titles
Author: GM Thandiwe
Date: 3/11/2026

100 wins for Jerboa - Companion of the Desert Hopper (any number of wins)
500 wins for Jerboa - Knight of the Swift Dunerunner (any number of wins)
100 wins for Scorpion - Disciple of the Black Sting (any number of wins)
500 wins for Scorpion - Knight of the Paralyzing Strike (any number of wins)
Jerboa wins & you have 100 runs (plus at least 1 greater than scorpion) - Messenger of the Shifting Sands
Jerboa wins & you have 100 runs (plus at least 1 less than scorpion) - Witness of the Fractured Burrow
Scorpion wins & you have 100 runs (plus at least 1 greater than jerboa) - Harbinger of the Burning Venom
Scorpion wins & you have 100 runs (plus at least 1 less than jerboa) - Scar of the Paralytic Venom

Announcement 4 - Summit Academy Customs

Discord Message Link: Summit Academy Customs
Author: GM Casil
Date: 4/2/2026

These customs will be added to our current collection, providing you with a wide variety of ways to feel more like you while you destroy your enemies or utter words you shouldn't say in polite company. This year, you'll note many options with a sun-scorched desert flair!

Spell Preps
Urchin Guides
Signature Verbs
Log Phrases
Death Messages
Swears
Spell and bolt customs
CMAN customs

These customs are brought to you by Casil, Elidi, Elysani, Gyres, Kaonashi, Mariath, Marstreforn, Sindin, Thandiwe, Valyrka, and Xynwen.

An enormous thank you to Isten, our QCer, who had a monstrous task to review.

Announcement 3 - Diriko

Discord Message Link: Diriko
Author: GM Thandiwe
Date: 4/2/2026

The last of the scaffolding had come down three days prior, and the landing smelled of fresh-cut stone and linseed oil. The arrow slits had been fitted with glass, their new panes catching the pale alpine light and scattering it in clean lines across the floors. The writing desk, dark and well-oiled, sat precisely where Diriko had placed it on the first day, as though it had always belonged there.

She received the dean of Summit Academy as she received everyone, with stillness, with patience, and with tea that she had prepared before he had finished climbing the stairs.

He was not an unkind man. She had taken care to note that in the years since her arrival. He managed the Academy with the weary competence of someone who had long since traded ambition for endurance, and she respected that quietly, as she respected most things quietly. He accepted the tea, settled into the chair she had placed for him, and began.

Sylinar's name entered the room like bad weather.

She listened without expression as the dean laid out his grievances with the careful precision of a man who had rehearsed them on the stairs. Attendees arriving with devices in need of attention. Requests submitted and unanswered. Correspondence returned unopened or not returned at all. The reputation of the Academy, he said, resting his teacup on his knee, was not well served by a man who could not be found when he was needed. He had sent word four times. Four times. Sylinaar was nowhere to be found.

Diriko folded her hands in her lap and let him finish.

When the last of it had settled into the room, she rose in a single smooth motion and moved to the nearest arrow slit. Below, the grounds of Summit Academy spread themselves in the late afternoon light, the old hedgerows casting long shadows across the cobbled paths. A groundskeeper moved along the far edge, tending to the snow and ice in turn. A student crossed from the east dormitory with her nose in a book, nearly walked into a post, and corrected herself without looking up.

Diriko watched, and said nothing.

The silence stretched. Behind her, she heard the dean shift in his chair. The small sound of his teacup being set carefully on the desk. Another shift.

When she turned, her smile was patient and warm, the smile of a woman who had seen a great deal and found most of it more interesting than alarming.

"I understand your frustration," she said, returning to her place with the unhurried ease of someone navigating familiar waters. "Sylinar's absence has been an inconvenience, and I do not diminish that." She settled, smoothed the front of her sky blue robe, and met his eyes with her own, clear and steady. "But I would ask you to set that frustration aside, because it is no longer necessary."

The dean opened his mouth.

She continued, gently.

"I worked at that man's side for longer than this Academy has stood. What he knows of enhancives, of charge and capacity and permanency, I know also. What he can do with a device brought to him in need, I can do here, at this desk, in this tower, which is no longer his." She paused, letting her words sink in with measured stillness. "Your attendees need not wonder where to bring their concerns. They need only climb these stairs."

She folded her hands into the sleeves of her robes and let the silence return, though this time it was a different kind entirely and she did not let it linger nearly as long.

"More tea?" she asked.

The famed erithi Diriko, will be available in Sylinaar's tower throughout the festivities to offer the same services that Sylinaar does at Ebon Gate.

Announcement 4 - 2026 Shop Announcement

Discord Message Link: Shop List
Author: GM Thandiwe
Date: 4/2/2026

New Shops	Refreshed Shops	Reopening Shops	Last Run Shops
Better in the Saddle	Artistic Expressions	All About That Lace	Common Weaves
Bowl Me Over	Braid and Mane	Baaarnyard Bounty	Earthtones
Claws and Effect	Can't Stop That Weaving	Bad Wolf Clothing	Irons in the Fire
Dessert Vibes	Charmed, I'm Sure	Barn with It	Lamb Among Wolves
Dhu Impression	Colorful Carapace, The	Bee's Knees, The	Mount'N'Cloak
Insurmountable	Common Weaves	Been Shanked Lately?	Notcher Style
Moody Jewels	Container Yourself	Born to Adorn	On the Wing
Secondhand Sorcery	Curio Minds	Brass Ring, The	Poiret & Company
Song Sung Blue	Enlightened Pages	Breaking Bread	Robes of Resistance
Straight and Arrow	Ewe Vixen	Bugs on Parade	Spirits Within
Sunscar Sanctum	First Class Plane Ticket	Call of the Wild	Tinkers Toys
Uvaldov's Pinions and Cogs	Folded Lotus, The	Cervidae Corral
Wax Poetic	Galloping Gait, The	Clodhoppers
Webs We Weave, The	Gnomish Gnails	Cog and Zephyr
	Honeyed Gears	Couturier's Retreat
	Horsing Around	Crafter's Hearth
	Knight Way, The	Creative Couture
	Lofty Affair, A	Daily Dip, The
	Moving on Up	Deerner Time
	Palette Perfections	Devote Alloys
	Peaked Interest	Diminishing Demises
	Purls of Wisdom	Eight-legged Innovators
	Tinker's Toys	Ferocious Eyes
	Tomeward Bound	Flanked Bags, The
	Trim and Polish	Fryc and Shives Innovations
	Unfurling Battle	Gallant Groom, The
	Vaunt It and Flaunt It	GemStoned
	Vintage Visions	Gift Horse, The
	What Remains	Gifts of Atan Irith
		Girlybird, The
		Goin' Stag
		Grand Stables
		Greater of Two Weevils, The
		Holy Sheaths
		Horn and Mane
		ImPressions
		Leaping Leezards
		Legendairy
		Lesser of Two Weevils, The
		Little Ticker
		Lizard Nest, The
		Lizard Vivarium
		Merited Metalworks
		Milkin' It
		Obsidian Raiment
		Off the Chain
		Ostler's Den
		Pitcher Perfect
		Quit Stallin'
		Rollin' In The Greens
		Rolton Pens
		Roundabout Racers
		Saddle Me Up
		Starry Lotus, The
		Steaming Mugs
		Tempered Threads
		Tiu & Qaiteke
		Tortoise Enclosure
		Ursine Emporium
		Ursine Paddock
		View from a Stag
		Virelion Hall
		Whirl and Twirl
		Woodn't Yew

Teasers

Teaser 1 - Papermaker Update

Discord Message Link: Papermaker
Author: GM Thandiwe
Date: 4/2/2026

This year at Rumor Woods, the Papermaker is getting its final update and unlocks. These unlocks can all be found in the shop Enlightened Pages.

The following nouns have been added to the papermaker:

bookmark
codicil
dedication
deed
depiction
dispatch
doodle
landscape
mural
picture
portrait
roll
rubbing
scrap
sign
sketch
slip
tract
voucher

The following articles have been added to the papermaker:

a charred
a damp
a delicate
a dusty
a filmy
a frayed
a gauzy
a grimy
a heraldic
a humid
a large
a limp
a matted
a moldy
a musk-scented
a musky
a notched
a pale
a pleated
a rose-scented
a scorched
a sheer
a smoky
a soiled
a sooty
a spotted
a stained
a supple
a tea-stained
a vellum
an ashen
an illuminated
an ivory
an oily

Additionally, the papermaker has 2 new tiers.

Tier 8
In the Common language, it reads:
A gear-painted treat box voucher will unlock your Papermaker from Tier 7 to Tier 8.  This will grant it the ability to create treat boxes.```

Treat Box
You analyze the treat box and sense that the creator has provided the following information:
Papermaker Treat Box
Created using the famous papermaker, the box can be customized to your liking.  Please be sure to GLANCE at the box to see what your customization options are.  Once you've filled the box and completed the design, close it and WRAP it while holding ribbon or yarn to lock in the design and ready it for gifting.

glance my box

Treat Box Design

Once the design process is complete, the box will become a wrapped treat box ready to give away.  You may customize it in the following ways:

Box Color: (ADD a Dye) not yet designed

Box Shape: (TURN to shape) not yet selected

Valid shapes: heart, round, star, oval, square, hexagonal, octagonal, scalloped, rectangular

Contents: (PUT items into box) empty

To add color, ADD a dye to the box.

To set a shape, TURN the box to a shape name (e.g., TURN box to HEART).

To fill the box with treats, PUT treats into the box.

Once you are done designing and the box is full, close it and then WRAP while holding a ribbon or yarn.  This will lock in the design and use the ribbon or yarn for open/close.

turn my box to heart
You turn a treat box over in your hands, watching as it transforms into a heart-shaped box.
Add my dye to my box
With careful hands, you uncork a crystalline vial of vibrant papaya dye and allow a few drops to seep into the surface of a heart-shaped treat box, watching as the color blooms across the box in rich, even tones.
put cookie in my box
With a gentle touch, you nestle an oatmeal raisin cookie into a heart-shaped treat box, settling it carefully into its own little compartment within.

wrap my box with my ribbon

Please confirm this is the final design you wish to set:

Box Color: vibrant papaya

Box Shape: a heart-shaped

Your final design will be:   a heart-shaped vibrant papaya treat box tied with a violet-sheened moonflower white chainsil ribbon bow

If this design looks correct, then WRAP again in the next 30 seconds to lock in the design.

> wrap my box with my yarn

Please confirm this is the final design you wish to set:

Box Color: vibrant papaya

Box Shape: a heart-shaped

Your final design will be:   a heart-shaped vibrant papaya treat box wrapped with lightweight aurora blue angora yarn

If this design looks correct, then WRAP again in the next 30 seconds to lock in the design.

> wrap my box with my yarn

You pull a generous length of yarn from a skein of lightweight aurora blue angora yarn and wind it around a heart-shaped treat box with unhurried care, looping it over and under until satisfied, then finish with a neat knot at the top.

Congratulations!  Your a heart-shaped vibrant papaya treat box wrapped with lightweight aurora blue angora yarn is ready to be given away.

You analyze the treat box and sense that the creator has provided the following information:

Papermaker Treat Box

Congratulations!  You've been given a heart-shaped vibrant papaya treat box wrapped with lightweight aurora blue angora yarn!

You can interact with your treat box by taking the following actions:  GAZE (demeanor based), LICK, OPEN, CLOSE, SHAKE, and SMELL

A heart-shaped vibrant papaya treat box wrapped with lightweight aurora blue angora yarn was designed and wrapped by someone just for you and as such it can never be altered.

Once you have eaten the contents, you can TRASH the box to get rid of the evidence!

All verbs work if the box is open or closed.

Tier 9
In the Common language, it reads:
A gear-painted award voucher will unlock your Papermaker from Tier 8 to Tier 9. This will grant it the ability to create awards.

You analyze the simple award and sense that the creator has provided the following information:
Papermaker Award
Created using the famous papermaker, the award can be customized to fit your needs.  Please be sure to GLANCE at the award to see what your customization options are.  Once you've completed the design, you can TWIST to lock in the design.  This will turn it into your award and prevent the recipient from changing the designs and fields.

>glance my award
Award Ribbon
Once done the design process is complete, the award will become a ribbon.  You may design it in the following ways:

Noun of Award: ribbon
Primary Body: (Add a Ribbon) blank
Embroidery: (Add an Ore) blank
Short Missive: (Whisper a Missive) blank
Back Missive: (Write a Missive) blank

The final design will be:
a color fabric ribbon trailing a metal type-embroidered missive

When looked at, it will display: The award is crafted of a color fabric ribbon and fitted with a simple pin that allows it to be worn.  A short missive, embroidered in metallic type thread, reads, "Short Award Reason."

To customize any of these fields, TURN the award to the design field and then ADD the necessary item.
To add a short missive, WHISPER to the award MISSIVE followed by your short missive.
To add a readable description, WRITE on the award.
Once done designing, TWIST to lock in the design.

add my ribbon to my award
With practiced ease, you lay a brilliant blue silk ribbon in the center of a simple award. It slowly gets absorbed into the piece, leaving nothing behind.
add ore to my award
With practiced ease, you lay a chunk of silver ore in the center of a simple award. It slowly gets absorbed into the piece, leaving nothing behind.
whisp award missive The Best Little Jerboa Hopper
Holding the award close, you whisper your award missive of "The Best Little Jerboa Hopper" and watch as it settles into place on the award.
write my award ; This award goes to Thumble Bump for being the best little jerboa hopper we've ever seen.
You carefully turn your award over and begin inscribing on its back in Common. Your feather quill glides deliberately across the surface, each stroke precise and intentional. Upon finishing, you turn the award over once more and admire your work with a critical eye.
>twist my ribbon

Please confirm that this is the design you wish to make:

Long Description: a bright blue silk ribbon trailing a sterling silver-embroidered missive
Look Description: The ribbon is crafted of a bright blue silk and fitted with a simple pin that allows it to be worn.  A short missive, embroidered in sterling silver thread, reads, "The Best Little Jerboa Hopper."  There appears to be something written on the back.

If this design looks correct, then TWIST again in the next 30 seconds to lock in the design.

twist my ribbon
Congratulations!  You've created a bright blue silk ribbon trailing a sterling silver-embroidered missive.

You analyze the silk ribbon and sense that the creator has provided the following information:
Papermaker Award
Congratulations!  You've been awarded a bright blue silk ribbon trailing a sterling silver-embroidered missive!
You can interact with your silk ribbon by taking the following actions:
BEAM, COVER, KISS, READ, and WAVE
A bright blue silk ribbon trailing a sterling silver-embroidered missive was designed by someone for you and as such it can never be altered.

Teaser 2 - Prismatic Curio

Discord Message Link: Prismatic Curio
Author: GM Ivry
Date: 4/2/2026

Rumor Woods - Prismatic Curio

A brand-new illusionary accessory for the fashion-forward adventurer.

What It Does, The Prismatic Curio is a wearable item that lets you project illusionary colors, metals, and gems across your worn accessories. When someone LOOKs at you, every eligible accessory appears to feature your chosen accent -- without changing a single item.

Pick a color. Pick a metal. Pick a gem. Or pick all three at once. Your outfit, your rules.

What it affects: Worn accessories (clothing, jewelry, containers, etc.) What it excludes: Weapons, armor, shields, tattoos, and hidden items.

How It Works, Configure your illusions by whispering to the curio, then prod it to bring them to life:

WHISPER <curio> COLOR SET <name> Choose a color illusion WHISPER <curio> METAL SET <name> Choose a metal illusion WHISPER <curio> GEM SET <name> Choose a gem illusion WHISPER <curio> <type> LIST Browse available options WHISPER <curio> <type> VIEW Check your current setting WHISPER <curio> <type> CLEAR Remove an illusion WHISPER <curio> HELP Full help menu PROD <curio> Toggle ALL illusions on/off TURN <curio> COLOR/METAL/GEM Toggle a single illusion on/off

Tier System, The curio comes in two tiers:

Tier 1 (Base), ~260 colors (first half of the palette), 10 metals: mithril, ora, imflass, glaes, vultite, eahnor, vaalorn, mithglin, faenor, Common and uncommon gems (levels 0–4),

Tier 2 (Certificate Upgrade), Full color palette (~520+ colors), All 25 metals, adding: drakar, rhimar, zorchar, gornar, golvern, rolaren, kelyn, razern, eonake, veil iron, alexandrite, bronze, obsidian, electrum, platinum, Rarer gems (levels 0–7), Half-power mode — apply your illusion to every other eligible item for a subtler, mixed look,

Upgrade from Tier 1 to Tier 2 with a Prismatic Curio Upgrade Certificate. Hold the certificate in one hand and the curio in the other, then REDEEM it. In Palette Perfections you will find the curio priced at 5k and the unlock 1250.

Details & Notes, The curio is purely cosmetic — it changes only what others see, never the items themselves., Works with hyphenated descriptors like mithril-worked, ruby-set, crimson-hued, and more., Incompatible with the Shimmer Trinket — only one appearance-altering item can be active at a time., A small number of restricted gems (doomstone, urglaes,etc), metals, and colors are permanently disabled.

Teaser 3 - Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees

Discord Message Link: Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees
Author: GM Casil
Date: 4/2/2026

Teaser 4 - Songbirds

Discord Message Link: Songbirds
Author: GM Ivry
Date: 4/3/2026

[Rumor Woods 2026] - Songbirds Are Here!

Songbirds Are Here! , Now in Elanthia -- Songbirds -- found in the new Rumor Woods shop, Song Sung Blue. Each songbird hatches from a unique egg with its own combination of body plumage, wing accents, crest color, tail feathers, and eye color -- over nine million possible appearances. No two birds should look quite the same.

Hatching, Your songbird begins life as a simple egg that hides its colorful inner shell and bird. Simply EXHALE on it to bond, and watch as the shell cracks and your new companion emerges, shaking off fragments and greeting you with its first chirp. The eggshell becomes a tiny whistle adorned with feathers in your bird's colors -- your way to call them back whenever you need.

A Companion with more life!, Songbirds aren't just cosmetic. They're living their best life, and they act like it.

They get hungry. Feed them foraged seeds or live insects to keep them healthy and vibrant. A well-fed bird is colorful and lively; a neglected one grows thin, patchy, and eventually falls comatose -- though a meal will always bring them back., They hunt on their own. A hungry bird will snatch bugs from the ground when it spots them. (Bugs on Parade), They react to the world. Your bird notices nearby creatures (and often tries, adorably, to look intimidating), investigates other players, and behaves differently around people it recognizes as friendly versus strangers., They worry about you. If you're wounded, your songbird will worry and try to help you, plus more!,

Personality, Your songbird has opinions about the people around you. It'll chirp friendly greetings and drop tiny gifts at the feet of people it likes -- and pointedly turn its back and fluff its tail feathers at those it doesn't. It might land briefly on a friend's shoulder to say hello, or tuck its head under its wing to ignore someone it finds disagreeable.

Pet-to-Pet Interactions, Songbirds are social creatures. When two songbirds meet, they might burst into a spontaneous duet, preen each other's feathers, or chase each other in playful aerial spirals. They also interact with other pet types -- riding a fox's tail, landing between a lamb's ears, stealing shiny things from lizards, and engaging in dramatic aerial showdowns with dragonflies.

For Bards, If you're a bard, your songbird is your duet partner. It listens to how you play and matches your style -- singing a mournful accompaniment to somber melodies, chirping rapid-fire alongside fast tempo pieces, or belting out a rousing harmony when you play something inspiring. It'll even try to sing along during loresinging (emphasis on try).

Message Delivery, Write a message on a slip of parchment, and your songbird will carry it across town to another player -- up to three times a day. It'll swoop down to the recipient, chirp brightly, and drop the note at their feet before winging its way back to you.

Shoulder Perch & Verbs, Wear your songbird on your shoulder where it'll nestle in, preen its feathers, and occasionally nod off. You can also PET, RUB, TICKLE, KISS, HUG, and POKE your bird (results vary). And yes -- very rarely, your shoulder companion will leave you a little... surprise. Nothing a good RUB won't fix.

How to Get One, Songbird eggs are now available at Rumor Woods in the shop Song Sung Blue .

You have two paths to your feathered best friend: Natural Eggs -- Take your chances with nature. Your bird's colors will be a complete surprise -- you never know what combination you'll get until that shell cracks open., Magically Encouraged Eggs -- For those with a specific vision in mind, these eggs have been coaxed into producing a particular set of colors. Pick your palette and hatch with confidence.,

--- * Please note that songbird alters will be rare and exactly none are currently planned. Happy hatching! ~GM Ivry

Teaser 5 - Clockwerke Weapons

Discord Message Link: Clockwerke Weapons
Author: GM Mastreforn
Date: 4/3/2026

Teaser 5 -