The dark knight wore a slim silk robe, adorned with fertility glyphs written in Sho. A small table for two had been set with a platter of cheeses and dried fruit, two glasses of wine, and a small plate of oysters. A double sleeping mat had also been made, rose petals scattered about it. A small burner filled the chamber with the scent of sandalwood. Anticipation of the night of passion the knight was about to indulge in was almost beyond his ability to bear. All that remained was to summon his mistress. On the floor was a five pointed star painted onto the stone floor with pitch. A circle had been painted around the star, and at each point a black candle burned with an azure flame. Other glyphs and blasphemies were painted about the circle, each phrase and symbol loaded with infernal magic. The dark knight finished the ritual, cutting his hand to splash some of his blood into the circle as he chanted a blasphemous chorus that included the names of locally worshiped gods and their servants pronounced backward. After the final word of the summoning ritual the knights heart sank. For a brief moment nothing seemed to be happening. Fear that his longing to fulfil his dark lust briefly gripped his heart. The fear was instantly shattered as dark shards of obsidian burst up through the chamber's floor. Between the towering shards a hole in reality had been torn, through which gushed waves of infernal flames, spite and hatred. "YESSSS! COME FORTH MY LOVE! Let us DRINK DEEPLY from the CHALICE OF PASSION TOGETHER!" A stench of contempt and mockery wafted out of the summoning circle as a figure emerged from the flames. Rather than the comely figure of a succubus, a hideous insectoid creature presented itself, trident at the ready to slay it's summoner's foes. It looked around the chamber, beheld the cheese platter and wine, adorned sleeping mat, and the summoner dressed in silk pajamas. The mezzoloth lowered it's weapon and let out a disappointed sigh. The knight eventually broke the awkward silence. "There ... there seems to be some kind of mistake, yes? ... I was expecting" "YOU were expecting a succubus aye? Hoping to spend the evening fornicating with a demon? Hmmm ... By the baylor's nipples! You would not believe how many times I've been summoned by recently promoted blackguards of Cyric looking for love 'n all the wrong places! Joke's getting a little old if y' ask me." "... Yes, well, I'm terribly sorry. I'll just-" "I am normally summoned to SLAUGHTER! But I'm not above whore'n myself out to lonely blackguards. That glass of wine for me?" "Umm ... no I just-" "Bah ha! Never mind little human. It's fine. Hey, between you and me, you don't want to be bedd'n no succubi. Never ends well." The dark knight was totally deflated. "Right." "Hmm. Well it doesn't look like you have anyone for me to murder. So if there's nothing else I guess I'll just be frik'n off then?" The knight raised his hand to unwrite the summoning magic. "Very well. I unsummon thee." Glowing glyphs circled the Mezzoloth as it began to dematerialise. "Ta. So long little mortal. Bah ha haaa..." The short blackguard slumped down into one of the chairs, drank both glasses of wine, and then wrote an entry into his tome. Better is the sight of what one has now than the wanderings of desire. Longing and desire are folly, stealing us away from the real. to yearn for love is to try catching the wind. One has more chance of catching water with their hands than one does of fulfilling desires. Lust is a trap, ensnaring the lonely. ... get better at summoning! [[I was SO EXCITED lvling up my blackguard! Was looking forward to ripping up the place with a summoned succubus. Was a bit disappointed when I summoned a mezzaloth instead. Not as good, and definately not as sexy!]]

Journal Entry 22 Ritual - chance missed The offerings were collected. I had my plan, my location chosen. While setting out from Norwick, I ran into Thau'lira and told her it was time for me to take my vengeance on those doomed souls. She is only one of two who know of my preparations. I approached the camp on the southside of the river and began preparations to begin. I set my eyes upon the hill of the bandit camp, when I see Thau'lira! Standing on the opposite side of the river from me. The bandits are gone! Did her presence as a legionnaire scare them off? Perhaps in hindsight, I should not have told her the timing of my plan. The bandit camp was empty, but why? We began discussing why, arrows began raining down on us. An ambush by some bandit rangers had been set off. We fought them off as some retreated to the Nars Valley. Thau'lira wanted to pursue, as I relented and followed. There was a larger and heavily armed group of bandits were there. It seemed as if they were in the middle of setting up a larger camp, as half unloaded wagons lined the hills of the valley. Seeing a new camp and a large group of bandits here, I called for a retreat so that I may set my ritual upon them! But Thau'lira was in her legion's battlefury against the bandits and there was no stopping her. It seems I missed my chance to get my vengeance and bring forth winter's wrath! I am deeply disappointed in this. Though, there is still intrigue and hope. After this group of bandits were driven off, we found that the bandits had set up a barricade between the valley and the gypsy woods. Perhaps there is more to this banditry group. I will continue to monitor this area and pray another chance will present itself.

[[This diary entry is written with shaky handwriting. Some words seem partially blotted out by raindrops.]] Dear diary, I'm writing this from the ruins of Jyyd. I am on my way home. I have spent the last few tendays doing runs into the Mintas wood hoping to do damage to the number fo fiendishly corrupted creatures there. I'll be returning to civilisation defeated. It is as if the corrupted creatures there are constantly spawning, the spoiled earth itself giving birth to animals twisted and warped by fiendish taint. There is no way any animal in nature can reproduce as fast as these creatures replenish their numbers. Though I slay a hundred of them, or a thousand, I find their numbers no less than when I had first begun my campaign. And if this state of affairs were not dire enough, I often encountered fiends driving these beasts. Sometimes they were simple dretches - creatures easily dispatched. On some treks I encountered chain devils or similar fiends. On my latest trip however I encountered a fiendish hound so formidable I was certain the beast would end me. I was unable to flee or hide from the creature, and was forced to fight it to the death. Before the end of my struggle against the fiend dog I was utterly spent. Magic, scrolls, potions, even my very life blood were totally exhausted. It was by sheer fortune that the creature perished before I did. After the fight I managed to crawl to the edge of the wood where I was able to wildshape into an eagle and fly back here to Jyyd. I plan to spend the day resting here to heal before I head back to Peltarch. While I am overwhelmed by feelings of defeat, for centuries the most powerful druids in the land have not been able to turn the tide against the taint of these woods. I feel foolish to think that I could. I will return. My oath requires it. But for now my heart is telling me I should return home. I am not sure if the defeat in my heart is telling me this, or if some other voice is beckoning me. Either way, I will be grateful to see Peltarch's gates again.

Hello Narfell! I will be applying for an admin team role: 1.) Relavent Experience I played Narfell regularly between 2003 and 2020. For much of that time I was in a leadership role as Theaon Thorn in the Troff Legion guild for much of my time as a player and became leader of the guild in 2013 to current (he was also a member of the Halfling Defense League). During that same time, I’ve also played Brumir Silverhammer, who is a master in the Crafter’s Union and a member of the Council of Moradin. I returned to Narfell earlier this year upon the previous administration leaving and a new administration taking over. 2.) Stance on How Decisions Would Be Made Between Admin Team Members and How Community Involvement Would Work My views on this haven't changed much since the first time I applied for a position on the Admin Team (AT) last December. The AT should represent the community as a whole and be transparent about it. Something we haven't done yet since the AT took over earlier this year is hold regular town halls, which is something I would like to see occur more often if elected. I believe the DM's should be allowed to DM as they see fit (within the bounds of the server rules of course). AT's would have no knowledge of what goes on behind the curtain as far as plots and events. The only instances I believe the AT should intervene in DM affairs is when there is a complaint brought against a DM by members of the community, or there is widespread dissatisfaction from the community in regards to the direction the DM team is taking the server. One example of the latter some long-time players may recall is the N'Jast War. The DM team of the time was hellbent removing certain starting towns despite the playerbase of the time not being on board with that. As a result, many players left and Narfell never really rebounded from that. If such a scenario were to play out now, that's something the AT would have to press the pause button on. In the case there is a complaint brought against a DM, the AT's would hear from both sides and any witnesses to the situation and make a ruling (upholding the DM ruling or overruling). The reasoning of the AT would be made public, and each AT would need to state -why- they voted the way they did. I know this is something members of the AT would not look forward to, but after seeing the previous administration circle the wagons whenever complaints were brought against them, I believe this is the most fair and transparent way to handle these issues. 3.) Stance On Staff Member Term Limits 1 year for AT's and DM's. None for devs as they would be appointed by the AT. 4.) Stance On How Other Teams are Staffed As stated above, devs would be appointed by the AT based on their skill with the toolset. DM's would be elected to 1 year terms. No one can be both an AT and a DM. 5.) Stance on How Recall Votes Should Work I think there should be two ways to initiate a recall vote - the first being if a majority of AT's vote for it, or if 25% of the playerbase call for it. A staff member can be removed if 60% of the playerbase votes to remove said member. 6.) Stance On Admin Team Membership and Other Staff Role Exclusivity As stated before, no one should be allowed to be both an AT and a DM. I do think it's fine if an AT or a DM pulls double-duty as a dev. As a stated above, other than instances where complaints are brought against DM rulings, I believe DMs should be allowed to DM and AT's handle the administrative side. If you have any questions, hit me up on Discord or make a post on the Ask-Me-Anything channel.

A pair of bandits sat by their fire, waiting for their pot to boil. The light from their fire dimly illuminated their cave hideout. "I'm tell'n ye Frod, the way he died ... just wasn't roight" "He died of natural causes Boch. Ain't nuth'n else to et! He tripped, fell, knocked his head and died." "His skin had been peeled off Frod!" ".... Skin prob'ly fell of after he hit his head." "Nay ... those stories ... about the ghosts of angry druids ... I think they haunt this place." "Don't be stupid Boch! Ain't no such thing as druids!" "Shhh ... what was that?" Boch listened carefully, peering into the darkness, hand gripping the hilt of his sword. "Relax Boch. We have another new lad com'n in from the hold. Hin fella." A quiet voice spoke from the darkness, "You Boch and Frod?" . The darkly clad halfling emerged from the shadows, pulling back his hood to introduce himself. "I'm Gullie." "... 'Bout toime you got 'ere Gullie. You get your kit?" "Yes mister Frod. A couple of healing potions and a thunderstone trap kit. Did you want me to set the trap up somewhere?" "Nay, just hang onto it for now. So t'start with-" Frod was interrupted by a gentle plopping sound of something being dropped into a puddle. The sound echoed around their cave. "What was THAT!?" Boch drew his sword, shakily on guard against anything that may emerge from the darkness! Frod wasn't expecting anyone else. "Prob'ly just a rat Boch. How 'bout you go check it out then aye?" "I ain't goin' into no dark place to go check noth'n out! Not gona 'ave my skin peeled off by some bastard druid ghost!" Deep panic began to take hold of Boch. "YOU go check it out!" "Nar." Frod replied, "I got this fire to watch. Well new guy, I guess this'll be ye first job! Go check it out." "Wait .... there are ghosts down here?" "Nar, don't listen to Boch. He's just spooked. Five coppers says it's just a rat." Gullie drew a dagger and quietly disappeared back into the shadows. Boch and Frod waited by the fire for Guillie to return. After waiting a few moments Boch blurted out "He's DEAD! I know it! I'm tell'n ye Frod, we gota get outa here! It's druid GHOSTS I'm tell'n ya!" Frod let out an impatient sigh, "Wait here Boch." Drawing his sword, frod strode out into the dark cave to find out what had happened to their new henchman. Boch crouched by the fire gripping his sword, terrified. A quiet gurgling sound, followed by a wet thud. "WHO's THERE!" Boch cried out. "SHOW Y'SELF!". Barely audible over the crackle of the fire, arcane words whispered, echoing off the walls of the cave. From the darkness emerged the translucent form of an elven woman. She held out her hand to complete her spell. Magic smothered the light of the campfire, plunging the cave into utter darkness. Overcome by terror, Boch fled, stumbling through the darkness out toward the corridor. Beyond he could see dim light. In his panic he failed to spot the thin tripwire before him, attached to a cluster of thunderstones. The trap detonated, sending a piercing sonic crack echoing through the entire ruin. As he staggered, stunned by the blast, a crossbow bolt struck his shoulder. The bolt ruptured a nexus in his energy flow, causing him to convulse and then freeze in place as rigid as stone. The ghostly figure emerged from the darkness behind him, moving round in front of him so she could be plainly seen. She slung her crossbow over her shoulder and drew a cruel looking dagger. "For your information," the ghostly elf began, "I am not, in fact, a druid. Nor am I a ghost. I have cast a spell upon myself that gives me the visage of a ghost." Movalyn began to cut away at the side of the bandit's face, peeling it off. "I thought you should know. I would hate for you to die in ... well .. in total ignorance." [[Happy halloween!]]

Word spreads of two separate battles between the bandits by the Nars Bridge and soldiers of the Troff Legion. The first occurred near the bandit leader's camp, where a bandit archer appeared to be frozen by Legion General Theaon Thorn, only to be shot down by her own fellow bandits. After the battle concluded, the Legion troops made their way towards the Gypsy Camp. The following day the Legion troops emerge from the camp and engage a few more bandits at the leader's camp. After killing all of the bandits at the camp, the General was able to capture a lone bandit closer to the bridge with a hold spell. After being disarmed, the bandit was reportedly defiant, accusing the Troff Legion of being bandits and having no connection to the other bandits. After the hold spell seemingly wore off, the bandit wildly started swinging at the Legion troops, until he was knocked out. At that point, several more bandit archers appeared and started firing towards the Legion troops, and their incapacitated friend. As General Theaon, Corporal Thau'lira, and Recruit Es provided cover, Corporal Pugor bravely put the unconscious bandit over his should and made his way towards Hin Hold. From there, the Legion troops were reportedly able to bring the bandit to their cells for further questioning.

MAPPING THE ICELACE FROM HEROES BLUFF TO KRONT - Pt. 2 Things have gone much smoother after the unexpected ambush by the Dread Wraith. Lence is still mulling how it managed to make its way to the Shattered Gates... those wraiths are known to wander around Ormpur, and not stray far. Perhaps some hapless adventurer had drawn it to the riverside? Well, it won't be haunting the Shattered Gates any more, Lence thought grimly to himself. After dispatching the wraith he headed south along the Central Plains, and snuck into the dale where the Deep Riverbed bubbled quietly. Lence had mapped it, but not completely, and he wanted to have as complete a map as possible. He was mildly surprised to find some pixies playing a life-sized game of Catur with some... interesting pieces when he explored the area more fully. He pushed west, then south, and mapped the Eastern Cliff face and Shoreline, running into some cliff dwelling spiders, which seemed as much at ease wading in the shallows of the Icelace as clambering up the cliffsides. There was a collapsed tower, that surely must have towered over the Icelace before the elements, or the Scar, knocked it down into the cold waters of the river to keep secrets it may have under the swirling waters. Nestled in one of the cliffside was a hideaway, obviously the site of some illicit activities. Good thing no one was home when Lence came calling... fighting off bandits is part of living in the Nars, but for any dedicated cartographer, not having to fight for the opportunity to map new territory is a gift horse you should not look in the mouth! Heading further south, Lence navigates the Eastern Archipelago, venturing further south, until he runs afoul of some bugbears. Thinking retreat is the better part of valor, he doe not engage and sneaks back north and bunks down for the night on top of hill in the Archipelago that overlooks the river with its kinetic waves rolling past.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFGs7HP15d4 The Avett Brothers - No Hard Feelings Stealing this post from @Aota-Fabrosi

((XP awarded 240830))

Calistra recently traveled through Hinhold markets and noticed the townsfolk's renewed vigor with spring's arrival. Secretly seething at the joyous mood over the end of winter, she keeps her distance and dare not take part for fear of divine retribution. ((OOC - won't be able to make. weekdays during that time it tough for me since i'm east coast state-side. weekends are more forgiving. hope its a good event!))