Greetings traveler,

Welcome to the seventh edition of the realmsofgildor.com newsletter.
There is an archive of the previous newsletters in the Townhall and the columns are added to the Town Square, so you can always read it again. We've had some cool new additions this month. I've finally had the time to upload a map of Alcarin (for the Elfstone Campaign Setting) and there is an online game (or an attempt in that direction) in the Wyvern Inn. I've also created a new monster, that's what this month's close-up will be about.
Enjoy reading...

This letter's content:
1. What's New
2. Coming Up Soon
3. Close-Up
4. Column: Men with a Mission

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WHAT'S NEW:

30/05/2001 - new character in the School: Fombel

26/05/2001 - new online game in the Wyvern Inn: "DragonFlight"

24/05/2001 - added charactersheets for d&d 3rd edition, modified feedback form

18/05/2001 - new item in the School: the "Elven Rope of Relaxation"

09/05/2001 - new monster in the School: the "Tinker Battle Rodent"

01/05/2001 - added a map of Alcarin (Elfstone Campaign Setting; in the School)

Visit http://members.amethyst-alliance.com/gildor/townhall/updates.htm for the latest updates.

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COMING UP:

I actually got the things I wanted to do for this month done. :-)
For next month, I plan to work on another online game. I've already got some of the artwork ready. "Gnome Thrower" is going to be it's name and it will be about throwing Gnomes against a variety of objects in the game. Sorry for the people who like Gnomes ;-)
Some of my friends are still working on articles and stories. I hope I can add those this month.
In the meanwhile, the Dunékàr Online RPG is running very well. I've started a new adventure there in the beginning of this month and it will be running for some more months, I think.
The .com url will be offline for some time this month, because I'm shifting hosts. I think I'll get some new webhosting to. In that way, I can remove the annoying popup banners on the message boards. The site will remain accessible through the Amethyst Alliance url: http://members.amethyst-alliance.com/gildor . The boards will also remain accessible through the links on the site and http://wardekker.virtualave.net/cgi-bin/UltraBoard/UltraBoard.pl

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CLOSE-UP:

the "Tinker Battle Rodent" (School: monsters)

Preview:
"The Tinker Gnomes' Animal Breeders Guild originally designed this creature in close cooperation with the Weapons Guild. They tried to find a solution to the heavy losses that were taken during a war with a Gnomish kingdom an a large invading army of Orcs.
The Weapons Guild had just build a gigantic cannon to be used against the Orcs, but they wanted to get it to the battlefield so it could be used. Carts, pulled by ponies, where tried first but the carts collapsed under the weight of the cannon. So, why not make a very big pony and put the cannon on top of it?
And so the order moved to the Animal Breeders Guild. They took a normal pony and began experimenting with it in a size-up-the-creature-apparatus. Unfortunately the pony escaped and by unknown causes, one of the experimenters' hamsters ended up in the machine. A huge, well muscled hamster got out. After the creature had eaten his former owner and had leveled the laboratory, the Tinker Gnomes realized that it would be a good creature for battle.
So they equipped the hamster with the cannon and kept another hamster present just to replace the other one, might he die. Fortunately, the hamster managed to carry the enormous weight of the cannon. Unfortunately, the cannon exploded, killing the hamster, when it was fired. A shard of the cannon landed in the back of the second hamster, but it managed to survive. A clever gnome took a crossbow and went to sit on the second hamster's back, taking cover behind the shard of the cannon and suddenly one of the scientists got the idea to create an automatic crossbow in a well-armored compartment on top of a huge hamster."

The creation history of the Tinker Battle Rodent. It's basically a really big hamster, guinea pig or rabbit that is trained for war. It's great strength isn't his size and hit points or it's attacks, but it is it's capability to carry a rider in an armored compartment. This rider has control over automated weaponry: a crossbow or a sling. While firing these weapons with a higher rate of fire than when fired and reloaded by hand, the rider is protected by the armor. This makes the combination of the rodent and the rider quite deadly. The rodent and the weaponry can be bought. It's average cost (depending on what type of weapon and armor is used) is about the same as a +1 magical weapon. The Battle Rodent's size allows only a small creature to take place in the gun turret.
One of my players, a Tinker Gnome, wanted to design an automated sling. I thought about it, but just an automated weapon would be a far to logical item for a Tinker Gnome. Gradually the thoughts for something like this developed. This item has some weird elements to it. To ride around on a huge hamster would be something I would something typically Gnomish. Added where a gun turret with automated weaponry, the logical control over them (read the full piece for the operating instructions) and of course the "element of (nasty) surprise(s)" so well known for Tinker items.

Read the full piece in the School:
http://members.amethyst-alliance.com/gildor/school

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COLUMN: MEN WITH A MISSION
A column by Wouter vd Zandschulp; wouter@agroweb.nl

"The greater good"

One fine day, a party of adventurers was leaving a house, I guess some kind of temple or so.. figure it out for yourself. You have imagination of your own, don't you?
Well.. they where leaving and by coincidence the musical bard Jonathan was last to leave. He walked by the gate, when an Elven fighter in the party called: "Close the gate, Jonathan!"
Jonathan stood still immediatly and got a strange reflection in his eyes.
"Close the gate, you said?" he asks.
"Yes, will you please close that gate?"
"You ask ME to close the gate?" he replies with a voice so serious normally it wouldn't get a response.
"Yes, I did" said the Elven fighter, who neglected to hear the intonation which summoned to get no answer at all. Even with such a nonchalant voice you would almost think he didn't thought the situation to be anything more strange then a normal situation in which one person asks another to close a gate.
"Why should I close the gate!" Jonathan shouted. Before the other could response he followed: "I live my own life! I breath my own air! I am Jonathan, the Bard! I have my own name and as such, I happen to think my own thoughts! I make my own plans. And here I am, in a party of adventurers! They always just seem to get along, they all make plans which match and if I don't agree, I just should play along! But I'm not like you guys, not at all! Why is a group always more important than an individual! You can't hold a group, you can't talk with a group, a group doesn't feel, is not human!"
"Neither am I" said the Elven fighter. "Come on!"
"No, I don't want to close the gate. I am not doing it" Jonathan said firm.
"Well.. then you don't. Don't live up to the greater good of a party".
The rest of the party gave a sigh... this time also the Elven fighter would start saying such difficult things, what a load of whining. What could they do? They could go and sleep on the floor, but then they would get beaten up by passers by.
The Elven fighter continues:
"See how you manage all on your own!"
Jonathan calls:
"At least I won't have to have dull and average thoughts in my head, like you guys! I will have my own original way of living, without anyone bothering me or holding me back. I will be so happy."
The Elven fighter repeats:
"You are right, I will get a boring and dull fellow."
Jonathan glances in triumph.
The Elven fighter walks away and says, this time with a very low voice:
"And I also won't get killed by the first monster that attacks me."
The whole party hears the sound of a gate being closed as they walk along.

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Well, that's it for this month's newsletter. I hope you enjoyed it. Lord Gildor
"May the stars guide you on your journeys"
http://www.realmsofgildor.com

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