Lore Du Jour: The Astral world

The next realm we are discussing is known as the Astral world, or the Aether.  This is the land spoken of by the mystics of the traveling circus who would tell you that the animals and plants have spirits they talk to.  They speak of this as existing "above Alluvium but not in the sky.  

The Aether is not regarded as real by the Church.  Unlike the Netherworld, which the evil necromancers have shown to some degree to exist, the Astral world seems to be a catch all for any mystical effect that the person describing it wants you to believe in.  From mind reading to predictions, they all claim the Astral World as part and parcel to their ability.  

Again, this is entirely subject to the "practitioner" of the Astral World magic, there is no evidence such a place ever has or does exist.

The Trading Post: Vinyl Car Sticker

Meleeguy Sword Vinyl Car Sticker

White vinyl car window sticker with Melee's Single Sword guy!

Perfect for showing your Melee Pride or making a Melee Family.

Bardic Chestnuts: Jack Smythe

When asked about the man called Jack Smythe, his personal bard came forward and presented this tale.  

“Jackson Orlando Wolfgang Lexington Smythe was the son of a British queen and a Romanian king. The two had wed when they were young to complete a peace treaty between the lands. Jack grew up spoiled. He was pampered and took care of. His mother did not want him to learn to fight, but his father thought that if his son is to be a king someday that he should know some fighting. So Jack's father had snuck Jack to sword fighting lessons. He became handy with a sword, but not that great. Jack was getting bored just sitting around waiting to be a king. So one day at the age of 17 he left his castle and took out with a bunch of pirates that had docked near his home. The band of pirates called themselves Triad. They were under the command of Captain Coronado. 

Jack grew loyal to the faction and most of all Captain Coronado. He did his best to help build the band. One thing that Jack liked about the captain was that he was an aristocrat one time as well. He thought it odd a gentleman pirate, but oh well. Jack stood behind his captain for a long time. It was one day that Coronado announced that he would be sailing for other shores alone. So there was this whole debate about who was going to be leader. Jack didn't want it because he was new at the whole being at sea thing and didn't know how to run a ship. 

One day when Captain Coronado was away, One-Eye announced that he was starting his own fleet. Jack being loyal to Coronado thought this to be treacherous. He didn't like the idea so he ventured off on his own for a bit. He came back with an idea that he start his own armada of seamen, yet remain loyal to the main army of One-Eye. Two fleets acting on their own but acting as one. One-Eye didn't even give Jack the time of day. So he went and begin recruiting for his own fleet. These members however were poached from the faction Triad. 

At this point, Jack was still loyal to Coronado, but the wily Spaniard, furious at Jack for his treachery, forced him and his group to walk the plank to be fed to the twenty hungry mako sharks that were waiting below. The band was tossed into the sea and to their relief, there the sharks were friendly to the castaways.

Even though the Coronado came to scold One Eye for his treatment of Coronado’s favorite son, it was too late for Jack and his crew.  They were favored by the Makos and sent on a new destiny.  After floating for a while, Jack and his crew found a small island where they lived for several months. They made a raft and found mainland. They picked up another member and stole a ship, and the rest is history.”

Proving Grounds: Move and Attack

Moving around during a battle can be very advantageous.   Sometimes it can be confusing to new players, especially with techniques which seem to offer limitless counterattacks.  The system is simple.  

Each turn of combat is broken down into 2 actions.  An action can be to use an Aptitude, move, talk to others, attack or defend.   Attacking or defending always cancels your actions and ends your turn, so you must move or use any Aptitudes first.

This means you can move and then attack, but you can not attack then move - unless a technique allows for this.  Techniques overrule most every rule as written.

A wise observer might notice that one can effectively move twice, this is true as well.  One could lockpick a door and move through it, or move across the room to a chest and lift it.  The options are limitless.

If a foe attacks you during an action and cancels, you may start again once you are free of impediment.

Ramon's Travels: Aldair

In the Nam Hai desert sits the ruined layout of a once huge city.  Aldair is at least the size of Nicholshire, however most of the city is ruined and even buried under the sands of the desert.  It is not known the size that this city once was,  but chroniclers are finding more each year.

The inhabited portion of the city is primarily composed of Azarans who fled from failed policies during the settlement era.  Temple to ancient Egyptian gods are active within the walls of Aldair, Castellan Ka knows that while the Kingdom and Society of St Paul may object, they are too far from the rest of the Kingdom for any objections.  As such Aldair is a haven for those who eschew that faith.

While Aldair is politically aligned with Krymm, geographically it is located on the coast of the Balboan Ocean in the territory of Azaran Nam Hai.  The same treaty that divided Nam Hai also gave Krymm possession of the city.

Around the Principalities: Whispers of the Woods

There is a reason we call the Drakwald home.  It allows us freedom to be ourselves.  We as a family can escape through the dark boughs into anonymity.

The woods are respected and they shall be protected.  We call Drakwald home, but it is not our only home.  The woods are full of our people.  We are outcasts but everyone knows us.  Many claim their houses and castles as domain.  Ours is the land itself.  For we are the blessed people and in the Drakwald we have freedom.  The Gadjo fear the woods, for the darkness and the creatures of the wild are everywhere, but what they really fear are we.  We are the unknown that looks like them.  We are at home in the woods, easily navigating the brambles and finding our way to secret glens that no map of the city folk would show.  We are familiar with the paths that shelter and those that imperil.  

On the Field: Shield Safety

Over the 34 years we have been involved in Sports Reenactment, a lot of gear has come across our field.  We have tested and experimented with everything from wood, aluminum, plastic and foam shields.  The sides have been open, filed, wrapped in padding, vinyl tube covered, cloth and tape and even foam covered.  

With all of this research backing us, and our examinations of what the rest of the community is doing with their gear, we have ultimately come up with what we consider a great system for safety.  

We now know that the surface of the shield matters less if it is metal, wood or plastic, so long as it is not jagged.  The primary reason for this consideration is to allow the weapon gear to last longer.  It has very little to do with safety for combatants being shield bashed as the area of impact is spread evenly.

The sides need sufficient padding, once again to protect the weapons from getting broken down hitting the edges of the shield.  There is a slightly greater chance that the attacker might hit his hand on the edge of the shield, but that is a considerably rarer situation than some might think.

In the end the heavy restrictions on shields we once had, such as padding the front or covering them in cloth, became unnecessary restrictions.  when done right, a Melee shield can have minimal padding and coverage and still offer superior efficacy and safety.  

Lore Du Jour: The Nether Realm

This week we discuss the Nether Realm.  A dark and horrifying place, many refer to this as the land of the dead.  The Nether is a place where the soul is said to travel after death before Return. Although the church does not officially recognize this land, many of other faiths, including the Altarians, revere it as a holy world.  

Those who claim to have seen this realm describe it as a decaying version of Alluvium.  Whereas the Shade Realm can appear with similar or vastly different geography, the Nether Realm is the ghostly reflection of the living land of Alluvium.  The same buildings exist, but they are older and decrepit in appearance.   The sky is dark and lit by moonlight all of the time and the spirits of the dead wander in wait to Return.  

Necromancers are said to be able to tap into this land and use its powers to bring about their dark undead magic.  Needless to say this land is prohibited by the Law from visiting purposefully under pain of heresy.   

The Trading Post: Granite Spire Krug

Granite Spire Krug

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No need to steal them from Filch's Inn, now you can own your own official Granite Spire Brewery Krug.  

Bardic Chestnuts: The Scoleris

Stephen and Harris Scoleri made their presence known in Praelia as a pair of low level hoodlums.  They were consummate pick pockets traveling with the various Faires across the Kingdom.  It was in 23 ACI, during the Breitenburg feast of autumn that they were first arrested.  The pair somehow came across the jeweled scepter of castellan Amanda Kendall from her personal chambers.  When they tried to sell the scepter to a merchant they were captured by the Order.  

In and out of the gaols, the Scoleris life of theft began to take a turn for greater threats and more valuable items.  The attention of the investigators came when they started signing their crime scenes with a special ‘S’ badge, a note to everyone that they were indeed responsible.  The badge is not always obvious, as they appear to like to make a game out of their thefts.  

The duo has even gone so far as to announce their crimes in the form of puzzles and word games that they have paid the Bards to publicize in the local taverns before their theft.  The puzzles leave clues when deciphered as to the location of the signature.   This brazen mocking of authority is quite disconcerting to the Order.  

When the twins stole the LaPeto staff, it was their first foray into political sabotage.  The staff was broken when a fight broke out at a noble council meeting between the nobles of Sulphurdale and the nobles of Wulpert.  Feeling the importance of maintaing diplomatic relations with Wulpert the castellan of Sulphurdale, James Bonham offered to repair the staff.  Castellan LaPeto of Wulpert was weary of trusting CastellanBonham, but seeking to avert trouble agreed.   Somewhere along the road back from repair the staff was stolen by the brothers.  Wulpert of course blamed Sulpherdale and the two counties went to war.  Hostilities only ceased when an Order investigator discovered the signature ‘S’ and informed both parties.  This caught the eye of the Order as the actions of these two were no longer simply confined to theft, they were creating instability within the Kingdom. 

The Scoleris also initiated a conflict between the Counties of Nicholshire and Fallsburn as well as the factions Nemea and Clan Chattan when the Lion of Nemea statue was stolen and the next day seen in Fallsburn carried around by Castellan Wallace of Clan Chattan.  Duke MacGreggor of Nemea was prepared to launch an attack on Fallsburn until Castellan Wallace appeared in Nicholshire.  Clearly unable to be in two places at once, the investigators returned the lion statue, as predicted it contained a tell-tale ‘S’ on the base.  

The final crime that put the Scoleris on the Iscariotes list was when a riddle appeared scrawled upon the interior chambers of Nicholshire Manor’s Hall of Nobility.  

“A robber tried to steal the crown jewels. He got caught by the King's guards and was taken to the king. The King was feeling generous that day and asked the robber how he wanted to die. A few minutes later the king let the robber go punished yet alive. 

How did the robber want to die?”

The chancellors immediately ran to the crown chamber to find the Crown of the first King, Altarius, missing and replaced with a wooden crown with that ‘S’ on the band.  This was the last straw.  That crown represents the first King of Praelia and is a Kingdom treasure - not to mention the riddle’s answer “natural causes” is a mocking comment at the ineffectiveness of the Order.  The brothers are saying that they, like the thief in the riddle, have outsmarted the Order and will continue to do so in perpetuity.