Author Archives: Magestic Messenger

Magestry’s Best of Enlightening, 125

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Here are our picks for the best of the June 19th-21st event:

Aralia bathes in the glow of the Best PC star.

Aralia bathes in the glow of the Best PC star.

This month’s Best PC has been with us for a long time and has recently begun to show us not only the quality of her role-playing during game, but also the quality of her character out-of-game. Tonya Mathiason has spent her in-game time as Aralia Faerydae and has really been killing it! Both staff and players have noticed her stellar interactions during game and have been extremely pleased with her ability to create a unique and believable character in Aralia. Before, after, and in-between games, Tonya has been a superhero, always looking to help in whatever way she can and being an incredible asset to us behind the scenes. We are so very blessed to have her at Magestry! Thanks, Tonya! here’s some nice things you had to say about your time with her:

Having spent some time with her recently I have found that she is a great player with a great sense of humor.

I thought she did a great job role playing this weekend. She is always in character and its great to have seen her grow as a player over the years.

Aralia is someone that I usually accidentally overlook when it comes to this question. She is rarely the center of attention, but she is always there and is always immersed.

Cara gets pounced by Sandow!

Cara gets pounced by Sandow!

 

Our Best NPC this month has been with us for about a year, and we are glad she joined! Cara Backman spent this weekend out and about dying (and recycling) just about 100 times over the course of the weekend! (Yes, we kept track!) She is always ready to go do things out in game and is slowly getting comfortable with the role-playing aspect of the game as well! Throw in the fact that she is constantly helping where she can before and after game, and you’ve got yourself the makings of an incredible NPC. We are very grateful for all her help and are sure glad that she’s here! Thanks, Cara!

Declaration From the Sons of Alaric

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To our friends and brothers and sisters in arms in Irvanshire:

Greetings. My name is Special Agent Atwater. I am a former scribe and scholar who joined and fought with the Sons of Alaric after my family was killed by the undead creations known as Ultimates. The Sons wish to clear the air a bit and keep everyone informed of our activities and overall mission. I will break this up into simple numbered points.

1. Supreme Commander Alaricson is still not with us. The grief he felt when commander McConell died hit him very hard. We have tried to contact him, but so far we have failed. In his stead, General Tunney from the Terl Ayre branch has been called back to be Steward Commander until he returns. We have also called back Special Agent Fisher, who has been promoted to General.

2. Making sure Project Deadman (PDM) never returns is still our top priority. With Garland and Sebastian dead and, as far as we know, the beacons destroyed, it would be highly unlikely that PDM would be able to return, though loose ends still exist. We know that Garland’s son Dedrick is still alive, and we have heard rumors of a book that not only explains how to create the serum that is needed, but the proper incantations and other scientific means for creating the beacons to power PDM creations, as well as the full process to create “Perfects” and “Ultimates.” Anyone with any information on this should contact us immediately. You will be rewarded with coin and/or training.

3. The Sons are also still hunting vampires and actively seeking out those who supported them in their latest “Game” that claimed countless lives.

4. We also support Bosephus Blackgate and his clan in their fight against Rebekkah Sky and her clan in the Blackgate war. We have been supporting Bosephus with food, money, and weapons for months. We now have agents and other troops below ground to support them. We consider the fusion of regular humans and shadows in accelerated birth pits to be an abomination, and it must be stopped.

5. We have no statement on the Gatekeeper at this time.

We hope this clears things up. The Sons of Alaric may not be as publicly active as we once were, but we are working tirelessly to ensure that evil will never triumph.

Thank you for reading this.

The dead may rise from their graves and they may walk, but as long as even a single agent draws breath, they’d better run.

-Special Agent Atwater

Player Submission: Common Man’s Guide to the Incarnations and the Allegiant

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This Guide will be a departure from the previous entries. In the spirit of the month of Enlightening (Editor’s Note: this article was received in Enlightening, but is only being published now), I will be enlightening you with Knowledge regarding the Incarnations and the Allegiant. This essay will also touch upon the Bloodwaters.

Incarnations

The Incarnations are embodiments of the most important concepts in Magesta. There are many minor Incarnations, but the Great Incarnations technically number 17. The chart below contains 19, though it should be noted that the Creator is technically not an Incarnation (currently) and Death and Dream are technically the same liminal Incarnation. Usually, the Incarnations are counted as 18, counting Death and Dream separately and excluding the Creator.

It is from the Incarnations that we derive the days of the week and the months of the year. Since many members of town often struggle remembering the names of months, this chart includes the previous Age’s month names as well.

Age                                 Years                                      Incarnation                                         Day

Creation                              117?*                                        The Creator                                         Shapingday

Dream / Repose               3613                                            Dream                                               Dreamingday

War                                     1005                                             War                                                  Battleday

Tears                                   5375                                             Fear                                                 Weepingday

Gathering                           2877                                        Community                                       Gatheringday

Arrival / Waking              2007                                           Faith                                                   Wakingday

Fortune                               125+                                           Fortune                                              Fortuneday

 

Incarnation                                            Month                                               Old Month(Age of Arrival)

Nature                                                          Newgreen                                                              Impril

Music                                                            Petalsong                                                            Maygrelian

Knowledge                                                  Enlightening                                                          Ogrune

Magic                                                             Suncast                                                                   Gobly

Peace                                                             Stillbreeze                                                           Gnomegust

Labor                                                            Harvestwane                                                          Elftember

Death                                                            Reapingdusk                                                          Orctober

Evil                                                                Boneharvest                                                        Dwarvember

Law                                                                  Greysky                                                                Drakember

Chaos                                                             Ravingfrost                                                          Humanuary

Memory                                                      Reminiscence                                                           Faebruary

Life                                                                  Bloodthaw                                                              Marchestry

*Some scholars argue that since Death did not exist until the Age of Repose, measuring time for the Age of Creation is meaningless.

Allegiant Symbol AloneThe Allegiant

The Allegiant is an organization dedicated to worshiping, serving, and giving Agreement to the Incarnations. The Allegiant categorizes the Incarnations into three groups: the Head, the Heart, and the Hand.

Each of these three groups is tied to a different color of the Bloodwaters. While the Incarnations are manifestations of phenomena important to Magesta, the Bloodwaters are a sentient manifestation of the entire universe. There are five colors of the Bloodwaters, but only three are accessible from Magesta.

The Blue Bloodwaters are Spirit. Blue is the color of the Heart. The Heart is living. The Heart is emotion. The Heart is passion. The Heart sways rationality and gives drive to action. The Heart is Chaos, Death, Faith, Fear, Life, and Music.

The Red Bloodwaters are Magic and Energy. Red is the color of the Head. The Head is consciousness. The Head is reason. The Head is methodical. The Head is drive. The Head gives order to action and tempers emotion. The Incarnations of the Head are Dream, Memory, Knowledge, Magic, Evil, and Law.

The Yellow Bloodwaters are Time. Yellow is the color of the Hand. The Hand is action. The Hand is work, though not necessarily manual labor. The Hand is follow-through. The Hand is consequence. The Hand gives a means to both passion and ambition. The Hand is Community, Fortune, Labor, Peace, Nature, and War.

There are those in the Allegiant who serve all the Incarnations, but most Allegiant members are drawn to either the Head, the Heart, the Hand, or to one Incarnation in particular.

If you are interesting in learning more about the Incarnations and the Allegiant, please seek out one of the following people:

Oliver Finnestera, Minister of the Elmerton Allegiant

Rybin vanHolt, Cordent of the Head

Sebastian Dark, Yeoman of the Hand

Asmondaious, Confessor of the Heart

 

RybinvanHoltseal

Yours in Knowledge,

Rybin vanHolt

Historian and Scholar

The Evernight in the Boneyard

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The Sacred Boneyard of Aegus the Emancipator. Sounds grand, doesn’t it? Well, after having heard about this place being debated about for the last few moons and after having had a particularly vivid dream about it, I decided to go see it in person. I spent a week or so getting to the Bay of Murmurs and then, because its location wasn’t precisely specified, it took me another few days to actually find it (about 35 miles SSW of Battlekeep- not quite on the shore as I was led to believe). I was a little surprised to actually find it (and now owe my guildmate 2 gold for losing our bet), but there it was- almost exactly as I saw it in my dream.

I entered through the ornate gateway and immediately I was overcome with a sense of peace and tranquility. It was in that graveyard that I faced the awesome Sacred nature of Death in all its purity. I walked among the gravestones for a few hours (it is that big!), some of which were hundreds or even thousands of years old, and contemplated what it meant to be here and alive amongst these hushed and peaceful bodies.

Darkness came more quickly than I was expecting and I found myself unable to find my way to the exit. I walked further and eventually it became so dark that I could see absolutely nothing. I’m afraid I lost my head a little and began to run carefully down what seemed like a path.

After an indeterminate amount of time, things began to get a little lighter and my pounding heart started to slow down to near normal. I looked around and found myself in a part of the graveyard that… well, just didn’t make sense. In fact, as I continued my search, I found that I was in an entirely different place. It was warmer and wooded, and the smell of the air was different. Additionally, the dozen or so gravestones in the area were not surrounded by a stone wall or any sort of gate. After wandering for a bit more I met a man named Byron who told me that I was in the town of Elmerton- a small township in the Fiddlehead Hills- over 600 miles from where I had been. He tried to reassure me over a cup of strange tea made over a modest campfire that this was not entirely unexpected and that he had been working with another man to create a pathway through the Evernight Forest (Yes, you read that correctly: The Evernight Forest) and that it looked as though one had been tentatively established- even if it did bring a bit of the other side through. “Oops!” he said in a tone that barely masked his glee.

I was unnerved to say the least and didn’t wait around to hear much more. I thanked Byron for the tea and took my leave that day to head back home. It seems, then, that this peaceful graveyard exists simultaneously in two different places and that all this has to do with the Evernight Forest and a strange bearded man and his unknown accomplice. The next time I go searching for legendary sites or people, please remind me not to.

Magestry’s Best of Petalsong 125 (Part Two!)

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Here are our picks for the May 29th-31st event:

Role-playing with Mark always ends with great and enjoyable encounters.

Role-playing with Mark always ends with great and enjoyable encounters.

This event’s Best PC is someone who has contributed to the game in so many different and absolutely essential ways. Magestry would not be the same place without Mark Dey who plays two very different characters over the course of the weekend: Felix and, of course, Rakesh the Smith. There are not enough good things that we can say about Mark’s hard work and loyalty to the game, but he has also continuously proven himself to be an outstanding role-player, an adept tactician, a dedicated and enthusiastic PC, and a great role-model and mentor for newer PCs. We were especially impressed this game with his passion and energy during the Carzon fight and his push to get people to stop him. It is an understatement when I say that this game would definitely not be the same without him. Congratulations, Mark, and thank you.

“Mark Dey as Felix is the trippiest thing I have ever seen at game. It is such a far cry from Rakesh and a great example of moving from one character to another, and making your new PC different from the previous.”

“Felix, because he was comedic with the fae baby and was an overall good player.”

“As always, I enjoyed interacting with Rakesh.”

We also want to include a Best PC Honorable Mention for  Tom Sadler as Kai. Tommy is another veteran player who is consistently helpful and a top-notch role-player. Even though his time at game was limited this event, he still managed to impress quite a few folks. Thanks, Tommy!

“Looking back over past PELs Helik always seems to wind up here, and with good reason. He is always spot on, in game, and extremely believable. Typically I use him as an example of a high water mark of a player. ”

“Kai for being another old guy to complain with.”

Jeff did a great job in a dangerous and important role!

Jeff did a great job in a dangerous and important role!

 

 

This event’s Best NPC has recently started to show his chops at Magestry from plot-writing to role-playing and this event, Jeff Pennachio did a great job in his starring role! Jeff has been an enthusiastic and dedicated presence at the game for a while and has added a lot of LARP experience, wonderful costuming, and interesting ideas to Magestry as a whole. We are happy to have him on staff and are excited to see what the future holds! Many thanks, Jeff, and congratulations!

 “Jeff Pennachio as Lodai/Carzon was superb. By the time the town grew suspicious it was too late. An excellent long-play.”

“Jeff Penache! I loved the way he showed his versatility off this game. From the big bad Sazdar to the talkative and polite pirate friend of mine. Awesome guy to have walked beside this game.”

Retro- Magestry’s Best of Petalsong 125

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I did not get a chance to do this after the first May event, but I wanted to be sure to give shout-outs to the folks who made Best PC and NPC! So, here are our picks for the May 8th-10th event:

Kraven - Wonderful role-player, very funny and a great ally in combat, and a wonderful friend.

Kraven – Wonderful role-player, very funny and a great ally in combat, and a wonderful friend.

 

 

This month’s Best PC is a veteran player who always puts on a good show. Chris Vater as Kraven is always a wonderful example of a fantastic role-player and a model PC. He is always around to help out after each event and does his best to be a help as a Player Rep during and after game. You all thought he did a great job as well. We’re certainly happy to have him at game. Thanks, Chris, and congrats!!

“I want to give Kraven the credit he deserved: He did a really good job confronting the purifiers about demons and handled the whole thing pretty well, in my opinion. I think Chris often gets overlooked but he’s a solid role player. The way he goes into and out of Loki vs. Kraven is pretty impressive.”

“Kraven’s show against the purifiers was truly epic. I thought I was in a movie watching that!”

“I have to shout out to Kraven though for his neat trick with absorbing Jerimiah’s life force and spitting him back out.”

“Kraven’s always a great performance. Such a solid roleplayer. We’re lucky to have him.”

Tim Stricker did an awesome job as his Windlock noble. He rocked it.

Tim Stricker did an awesome job as his Windlock noble. He rocked it.

 

 

 

Sometimes I just don’t know what we would do without this event’s Best NPC, Tim Stricker. Tim is always incredibly helpful behind the scenes, whether it’s setting up amazing mods, building fires (and waiting for PCs to show up!), sprinting back and forth between the Gypsy camp and Ops several times, or rocking out like crazy in crunchy mode as well as intense role-playing roles. We sure are happy to have him with us and we know you love him, too! Thanks, Timmy!

 

“Tim Stricker was great this weekend. Jeremiah the demon is a fascinating individual, and the Windlock noble he played was also great. His characters always have a depth to them, a subtlety that I really appreciate from a story immersion perspective.”

“Once Tim Stricker gets in character he fully immerses himself in that role and does very well with it. He always fights clean and role plays his hits well which I always appreciated.”

“Tim was that one fighter this event that never let me have an easy fight.”

Player Submission: Carzon Sazdar Blocked by the Heroes of Elmerton

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This third report on the terrors of the Gatekeeper’s loyal servant, Carzon Sazdar, is a mixed story of death, demons, betrayal, and hope.  On the evening of the 30th day of Petalsong, the growing sounds of combat sounded from the woods in the center of Elmerton.  At the forefront was a man in a horned mask that many recognized as Lodi – a person who had helped rebuild parts of Gindinmere and provide aid to many who had suffered at the hands of the Gatekeeper.  A man who, up until mere hours before, had been considered an ally by the adventurers of Elmerton.  As his mask was lifted to reveal a wicked grin and mocking speech, it only served to confirm the suspicions that Carzon and Lodi were one and the same.

Carrying a coffin-shaped shield with a blood red glow, Carzon directed his troops and demonic allies to attack the town while he began to rip open a dimensional scar that crossed the town which had just started to heal.  The heroes of Elmerton resisted with sword and spell, but every time a large number of Carzon’s warriors were slain, he recalled them from the Gatekeeper, suspending their promised one true death in the name of necessity.  In return, Carzon lashed out with his own power, killing many who opposed him directly.  As for the demons, they continued to slip through the gap between dimensions almost as fast as they were destroyed.

Seemingly aware of the conflict, the Incarnation of Death himself established a space in the town to judge the recently departed.  At times, he was accompanied by some sort of assistant that I could not identify.  A great many spirits visited him during the night, some multiple times.  Each spirit had a hushed discussion that I could not make out, and Vorkarian consulted his dice.  More often than not, they were permitted to return, and most moved to continue the fight against the agent of the Gatekeeper.

After several hours of hearing the clash of metal and seeing the flash of spells, a cry went out for Elmerton to disengage – that someone had done what they needed to do.  Caught between wanting to investigate and wanting to live, I slowly moved towards where the noise had been the loudest, near the shrine to the Incarnation of Nature.  At the distant sight of Carzon’s glowing shield, I froze and strained to hear what was being said.  The voice of a single man spoke against the group that was led by Carzon, and though I could not hear clearly, I could tell that the tone was defiant.  There was a surge of the sounds of combat, which then quieted as quickly as it began.  The same single voice, now mocking, still spoke.  Carzon replied, sounding frustrated or tired.  After a short time, I no longer saw the trees lit by a reddish light.  The night was still.  Carzon was gone.

On Fortuneday, Elmerton celebrated their victory with music, games, and food near where Carzon was stopped.  I believe that this is the first record of defeat for Carzon Sazdar and The Gatekeeper.  I pray to the Incarnations, and especially to Vorkarian, that it is not the last.

R.S.

I Knew I’d Be a Handsome Cadaver, But Not This Way!

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Hey Elmerton!

I know my last visit probably soured you against me again, but I’m not working for Wreckanis anymore. I swear! I wanna be friennnds with youuuu, and I have information to give you as a peace offering!

The other day, I was in the forest outside of Elmerton and I met a young fae girl who was really sad. I sat down to talk to her and learned that she had found a necklace while exploring and she put it on, but then she couldn’t take it off! And what was worse than that, it was hurting her! I could tell from the Essence on the necklace that the last people to touch it were Jack Garren and Galynn, so I decided to try to make the thing my problem instead of this little fae girl’s; or, better yet, make it Jack and Galynn’s problem!

Together, the fae girl and I figured out how to get the necklace off of her and onto me, so now I can’t take it off! Shucks! Anyway, I studied it and, to my surprise, discovered it was a Tane item. Those crazy Tane are always making trouble! So, I went to Brimm and asked around and learned that the thing was made by a Tane named Jabjulalola, she used to be a Jubjub Bird, but now she wants to become a Morticent of the Gatekeeper. Lame.

(Oh, I should explain for those of you who may not know: Tane have the ability to turn themselves into other things. I don’t mean, like, just a shape change. I mean they can completely change into something else and actually become that thing, or an exact clone of that thing. It is kind of like fulfilling a dream, but in reverse since they started out in a dream world. Becoming certain things is harder than others, but ever since Tane on Brimm became aware of Magesta, many of them have set their sights pretty high. Making the change is a long road, and until a Tane completes it, he or she is still a Tane and must answer in the affirmative to the question, “are you Tane?”)

So, yeah, Jabjulalola decided that becoming a Morticent meant that she needed to have her own faithful servants and spiritual hosts, which all Morticents have, and those people are collectively known as The Cadaverate. To do this, she created cursed necklaces and gave them to people in Elmerton. Among other things, the necklaces are designed to instill their wearers with ability to host her Spirit once she finally becomes a Morticent, and becoming a Morticent is a task that is made easier for her if the necklace-wearers believe that she is already a Morticent, which is why she has been hamming up the monologues and maniacal laughter wherever she goes.

Well, there it is. Jabjulalola is no longer really a Jubjub Bird, but she is also not yet a Morticent. If she completes her journey, anyone in possession of one of these necklaces will become a member of The Cadaverate and recognized as a trusted servant by any Morticent of the Gatekeeper. While this will not mean that these people will lose control of themselves and go on a killing spree or anything, it WILL get in MY way of turning from Tane into a Redbush, and that junks for me! I hope I can get rid of this thing. It is pretty, though.

Your Dearest Friend Who Would Never Hurt YouWreckanisMadeMeDoIt,

-Mister Redbush

Player Submission: A Common Man’s Guide to Marionettes and Werewolves

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Granted, the two entities discussed in this issue do not have much in common, but as Elmerton is currently dealing with fear of these (and other) threats I will be covering both this moon in an effort to help those afflicted face their own fears. Let us begin with marionettes.

Emily's MarionetteMarionettes or “puppets” as they are sometimes called, are constructs that can be easily and quickly identified by their pale faces, rosy cheeks, and hinged jaws. Or at least, identification would be easy were it not for the fact that they tend to appear under cover of darkness.

Another signature of these constructs is their vocal tics. Each marionette appears to be capable of uttering only a few short phrases or sounds, often in childlike voices. Fear of these creatures is understandable, especially when such sounds include eerie laughter, questions such as “Are you my mommy?” or “Promise you won’t tell?” or bizarre offputting statements including “I LIKE you” or “I’m going to rip off your wings!” As these constructs are mindless, the last statement isn’t even likely to be directed at a person with wings.

Adding to the air of fear and compounding the uncertainty that marionettes create is that, when struck by weapons or targeted by spells, they will appear to suffer no ill effect. This can be unnerving to opponents that feel they are powerless to stop them, but despair not – they can be dealt with much like other foes.

One thing to watch for is that, once defeated, they will sometimes collapse to the ground, or sometimes hang in midair as if dangling from invisible strings. In either case, whether or not they are dealt a final blow, they will sometimes rise again. After they rise they can be dealt with again, but be aware of this possibility. They will eventually fade away.
For more information on marionettes and constructs in general, consult Reinen.

Werewolves are another matter. Werewolves are fearsome beasts, and even experienced fighters may run in terror when facing a werewolf. Advice to the Common Man in dealing with werewolves: Don’t.

At least not alone. Their ability to terrorize their opponents can instantaneously turn a 2-on-1 fight against them into a 1-on-1 fight, which heavily favors the werewolf. For this reason 3-to-1 odds (or better) are recommended. When the odds are against you, attempt to retreat and seek reinforcements.

Werewolves are incredibly strong and thus they can hit incredibly hard. Among other things, the immense strength of these beasts allows them to quickly shrug off snares and bonds, so if you entangle one, don’t expect that to buy you much time.

Another reason the Common Man would be best to avoid werewolves is their signature ability to regenerate. The surest way to stop their regeneration is a silver weapon, but that is not easy to come by. Shadow damage is also an effective way to stop regeneration. Any psionicist who has mastered the 5th Circle of Psionics should be able to enchant a weapon with shadow damage at least a handful of times per day.

That covers basic werewolves, but as adaptable shapeshifters, there are of course variations. For advanced abilities and tactics, Silver is an excellent resource.

Yours in Knowledge,

Rybin vanHoltRybinvanHoltseal

Historian and Scholar

PC Submission: You Are Invited!

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Dear Elmertonians and all others that may drift in to town. Tree Cake

You are cordially invited to the birthday party of Semaril Luthius. Please join us in merriment and festivities on Wakingday, the 30th of Petalsong. There will be refreshments and delicious food to eat and perhaps a ritual or two. Although it is a birthday party, gifts are not required, but I’m sure would not be turned down.

Hope to see many of you there,

Cesira Storm