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The Courant: Lycaeum Festival Moonglow City Council meeting Moonglow Beergarden! The Art of Sorcery. Spiritwood UNI news

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The Courant: Quests: Memoirs of an old mage, part I The Rhythms of Time - Part IV. The Rhythms of Time - Part III. The Rhythms of Time - Part II. The Rhythms of Time – Part I.

March 27, Thursday

Lycaeum Festival - Elv'eng

March 7, Friday

Moonglow City Council meeting - Elv'eng

I've recived some news from Yoldran, Mayor of Moonglow: On thursday, march 13th, 20:00cet (7pm UK), the weekly Moonglow City Council meeting will be held in the Moonglow Counselor's Guild inTrammel. Everyone is invited to take part and discuss city related topics, all citizens of Moonglow can vote on decisions. Do nay miss yer chance to shape the future of our town! Yoldran Mayor of Moonglow

Moonglow Beergarden! - Elv'eng

More news from Moonglow: On monday, march 10th, 20:00cet (7pm UK), the Moonglow City Council is hosting another Beergarden. Food and drinks will be served at the "Moonglow garden" between the Scholar's Inn and the Second Defense Armory in Trammel. So why not come by, have a drink or two and chat with friends? Hope to see ye there! Yoldran Mayor of Moonglow

March 1, Saturday

The Art of Sorcery. - Elv'eng

Upcoming event at the Spiritwood University: Spiritwood University Cultural Seminar Program The Art of Sorcery. This coming Monday the 3rd of March sees the launch of a brand new season in our renowned Cultural Seminar Program when we bring you the esteemed Araidius Lancro’s lecture on the mysteries of the Art of Sorcery. As he describes it: “The world and power of Sorcery has been changed through out time, and now many believe it to be but simple tricks of Magery, however some Sorcerers of old still walk Britannia, and I believe people should learn of whom and what we are! May haps even get some to take the profession up?!” The event will be held in the halls of the Spiritwood University in Spiritwood Trammel and will start at 22:00 CET, that’s 9 pm UK time. All who seek to further their knowledge are most welcome. To find the Spiritwood University, take the ferry boat from the Skara Brae docks by stepping into the boat and speaking the word: “cross” to the ferry man. On the mainland side, take the road inland, turning south at the first main cross roads intersection, then follow the coastal road through the local farm lands south and east until you come to the Spiritwood Tavern at it’s end. The University is a large tower located across the town, past the great Spiritwood Town Hall Castle, in the clearing nearest to the Great Hedge Maze of Sosaria. The walk is short and the path a pleasant one. Michael Chancellor Spiritwood University

December 4, Wednesday

Spiritwood UNI news - Videric

Images from the UNI lecture This past Monday eve saw yet another in our fine series of Cultural seminar lectures at the Spiritwood University. This week we were privileged to have as our guest speaker the esteemed mage of the Custodes Fati, Paxicon who shared some of his latest researches on the dread Ophidian and Terathan races. (1) To begin with, Paxicon spoke in general terms about these two legendary races, their cultural make up and social system. He listed the ranks of each race, beginning with the Ophidians, and pointed out their largely matriarchal social structure, with powerful magics being utilized solely by the females of the species. He warned the unwary among us to fear the mighty Knight-Errant and Avengers of the race, wielding great pole-arms and lashing out with deadly venom both. Paxicon spoke at some length about the legendary desert plateau where these awful snake-beings have made their base, the wicked Queens setting themselves in the sheltered confines of an old ruined Inn that they conquered long ago, secure in the knowledge that there are few entrances to their fastness and these are guarded by the vast host of the Ophidian army. Indeed, he pointed out that the average Ophidian Matriarch is apparently capable of producing up to 1000 eggs at a time, making them a very prolific race indeed. He classified the Ophidian civilization as essentially “Scavengers”, for their talent to take over and utilize the constructs of others, but hastily pointed out that they also enjoyed fine tactical minds in their ability to adapt such locales, mentioning by way of example the legendary Ophidian Gauntlet – that narrow winding route of death than many have tried but few have succeeded in traversing. (2) He then went on to discuss the equally dread Terathan race, those accursed half man- half spider beings that have been the bane to so many a brave soul. Again he listed the various ranks that make up their strict society, starting with the lowly drones, an odd anomaly in the otherwise mighty race being relatively weak and acting essentially as the slave labor of the Terathan empire. The list progressed through the mighty warriors, to the awful Terathan Avengers, who not only cast rudimentary magics, but whose talons are coated with what may well be the most baleful toxins known to man. A warrior in the audience called Daminor asked if it were possible to collect and utilize this dreadful venom, but Paxicon stated that such was its deathly power that it would in short order surely corrode any blade it was a-fixed to. (3) The wise Paxicon then spoke of the Terathans in terms of what he called a race of “Builders” as evidenced by the un-earthly beauty of the Terathan Keep, their vast forbidden city lost deep beneath the surface of the Lost Lands, a place spoken of in hushed tones by many an experienced adventurer. Who can have cast eyes upon its vast towers, twisting corridors and vaulted halls without a sense of wonder at the achievement? And clearly great magics too were utilized in its construction. Indeed, Paxicon suggested that in ancient times when the keep was constructed that perhaps they had not yet mastered the finer mysteries of the mystical arts for they seem to have brought forth an unintended visitor- the mighty Balron! Never the less, the Terathan seem to have struck a truce with this dread interloper, for they now seem to dwell in peace with the awful Collector of Souls who resides with them. (4) Not so it seems with the Ophidians however, and many adventurers will by now be familiar with the fact that the two ancient races exist in a state of eternal conflict. Indeed, it seems as though the industrious Ophidians have discovered ways both above and below ground to infiltrate into the very midst of the realm of their eternal enemies the Terathans, both through besieging the entrance way to their keep from above, and through the discovery of primordial caverns that allow access to their fell subterranean swamps. Here there exists a perpetual conflict. Indeed the place has been variously described as the battle field, the War Zone or simply as hell….. Here the two races are locked in endless conflict and those observing this ancient enmity have often remarked that they can just make out fragments of an almost recognizable language in the curses and taunts hurled betwixt these ancient foes. “Vile clicking things” and “Disgusting spiders” being some of the comments apparently overheard, interspersed within the alien tongues of both races. (5) The Lady Jordan asked how long these races have been at war, to which Paxicon replied that he believed the origins of both races stretch back over 5000 years and that the town of Delucia in the Lost Lands hold some clues as to the origins of the conflict. This was a time of ancient gods, or at least perceived gods. Powerful creatures that even still freeze the hearts of all who contemplate them, for their manifest forms still plague the dark recesses of these lands. The Ophidians, it is believed, worship the Ancient Dragon Rikktor, “he who breathed and made the great deserts come into being from the forests”, while the Terathan matriarchs pay homage to none other than Mephistus, whose wicked alter may still be found in the lands of Felucca. Indeed, it seems that the origins of the conflict that grips these two dark races even to this day has its origins in what many now dismiss as the childish rhymes of old Delucian Folk Lore. Paxicon gave us an example by quoting such an old rhyming verse: “Where once there were three, now only are two, Ancient King ours, we sealed to his doom…..” Buried alive, undying and eternal….. A hush fell over the lecture hall as he told the tale of the three kings of old and the rivalries that griped them. He spoke of the Dungeon of Khaldur, only recently re-discovered after slumbering in obscurity for many long eons. Of the murals that adorn its deep walls depicting the history of a long past civilization- the rivalry of the three great evils who still haunt the unconscious corners of the minds of men even unto this day- The Snake, The Spider and the third most terrible, greatest of them all…. “Khal- Ankhur. Keeper of the Seventh Death. Master of the Khal-dun. The Chosen… was the king of Delucia in ancient days.” (6) This great king was, according to recently uncovered researches, buried alive by his own subjects long long ago. But now it seems his sleep has been disturbed. The audience shifted uncomfortably as the cold truth began to dawn on them. For it is Paxicon’s theory that this ancient evil has in fact now escaped his bondage, been released unwittingly in fact, and has now returned in full fury in the form of a being more vile, more deadly, more fearsome than any other known to civilized minds. He speaks of course of none other than the dread Harrower itself! Death incarnate as it has been described, a being so terrible that it makes whole armies of the ablest warriors of these lands shrink back in fear before dashing them to pieces. A being so evil that no force, however strong, has ever been able to slay it once and for all, for ever it returns, slaughtering armies whole. The lecture hall filled with silence as this awful truth dawned on all assembled. Slowly we regained our composure and those who could bring themselves to asked a few questions of our guest, the formal portion of his lecture being completed. Zaragopha, Scholar of the Order of the Blue Dragon, asked what Paxicon’s theory was for the existence of the legendary Star Chamber that some have had the opportunity to see with their own eyes. This, he suggested, was a trans-dimensional nexus, created by the ancient cultures long ago when the great keep of the Terathans was first constructed through their lost magics. It is a place that exists between the realms in a sort of demi-plane. Aznagul, diplomat of the Custodes Fati asked how this history tied into the discoveries made last year during the Quest for the Lost Elvin Lore, a journey that took adventurers into the very depths of the Terathan keep where they discovered evidence that this race and indeed the Ophidians that eternally oppose them, were in fact the remnants of the first Elves who fell into fractious hatred, causing them to dabble in forbidden magics and leading to the schism between the dark and light. Those that could, fled and we know them now as the elves of the forests, ever wandering the wild lands, and the dark ones, who men call the drow, ever brooding over their revenge… Those that could not escape were, some believed, eternally cursed, transforming them into their present abominable shapes and plunging them into endless war. Paxicon concurred that this could in fact hint at the true origins of the races that battle eternally in the dread War Zone, for it is well known that the Elvin civilizations were the very first. (7) After so long a session, we were all quite overwhelmed and appreciative of so fine a lecture, we put our hands together in thanks for the fine presentation made this evening by Paxicon. It was certainly an excellent contribution to our continuing Cultural Seminar program. We shall be holding similar events in the future and, as ever, all who seek to further their knowledge of these lands and our rich shared lore and histories are always welcome to attend. Or indeed to come and visit the University at any time to enjoy its unparalleled library. Michael Chancellor Spiritwood University Town of Spiritwood