I've added a flag for Borrd, based pretty heavily on the flag of the old Protectorate, to Volume 1. I've also taken the opportunity to upgrade Kaitlyn's and my heraldry, because the art made me cringe.

The only other thing I'll be doing - and might have already done, by the time you read this - is sneaking in 'heraldry-of-use' for the barons who don't have it yet. They'll be simple, a single charge on a plain field, and exist in-universe as Baron Huinesoron's efforts to fill out his map without having to actually ask anyone what their devices are (since that would involve going closer to Iric, which, no).

Oh, and trying to build Konti-Nyuum in Minecraft. Because I'm a lunatic. Did you know the latest version has banners...?

hS

... Volume 4 of the Cyclopaedia has been updated with a complete map of Weab, though obviously with lots of empty spaces for future countries. The Are-Pea Alliance is now in existence, as is the Wechi-Ah, Blawg, and the So Shall Medea movement (at war with Blawg, naturally). And, of course, the Marizu League is represented...

As far as I can tell, all journeys describes in people's stories still work. The history of Are-Pea might need revising - it looks like there may once have been a nation by that name, but it long ago became an Alliance.

hS

[[Note: I am redoing this so I can give more detail on An'onere and completely redo his coat of arms.]]

An'onere Morysse began his journey in the land of Vidya Gaym, where he was a resident of Sonikh de'Hedgehog. When he found the dark road of Creipipastar Wichen, he followed it, leading him to the land of Pokhemmon. Here, he obtained a large blank spellbook, Cheesy, and began to fill it with spells borne of the ancient arts of Pro'gramman (which he taught himself) and Eich-Tee-Ehm-Ehl (which was taught to him by a master). He continued to follow the road, but was attacked by the Marizu leader Pinkamena.

Luckily, a group of nomads known as the Bronee saved him, and led him through the land of Yu'Tub to the land of Tivit. During this journey, he became one of them, familiar with thier ways, and obtained a gray stallion from them, which he named Mental Haze. He also became obsessed in his travels with the Marizu, trying to make sense of thier dark magic, trying to figure out why one would commit acts so foul, and how they could be stopped.

It was in Tivit that he first found a glimmer of an answer, while looking in thier great libraries for information on the Marizu leader that had first attacked him on the dark road. There, he found a note telling of the defeat of Pinkamena, by the great nation of Plort. Barely skimming through thier selection of books on Plort (and a good thing, it turns out, for they were filled with lies), An'onere the Mage left his band of Bronees and bought passage to the island of Konti-Nyuum on board a trading ship.

When he landed in Wechi, he spoke to nobody, simply browsing thier great libraries for information on the Marizu- and soon, the Knights of Plort. Eventually, he made himself known, but behind a mask. He called himself Po'kere Trikense, and brandished a bow, Shocker, and a quiver of arrows, its name lost to history- both having been recently bought.

He soon decided that he was not ready to fight, and discarded his bow and arrows, noting to himself that either way, he was unskilled in thier use. He rejoined his Bronee friends, and became skilled in the art of Arpying when they led him to a nation known as Chatt-zei, filled with many upstart towns, some merely temporary collections of huts, others great and regal cities, all of them built in mere moments with ancient magic. After a stay in one such great city, he left, bringing with him many of his Bronee friends, and built a new town with the magic of the land of Chatt-zei, with himself as leader. There, he and his friends practiced the ancient martial art of Arpying.

However, he found that one of his closest friends had succumbed to the ancient arts of the Marizu, and using dark rituals, had begun to create his own. He fought valiantly, but to no avail, and finally, he left his city as it succumbed to the pla'tool magic of the Marizu.

After this, he journeyed back to Konti-Nyuum, reintroducing himself under his true identity, and preparing himself to begin the trial of Permission.

His true coat of arms is Argent, between a crescent sable and pentacle sable, a bend sable with the roman numeral XIII bendwise vert.
His motto, "Astra cum luna tredecim," "Thirteen stars rise with the moon."

I've thought and thought, and I think I've finally come up with an idea I like enough to keep. I'm not 100% sure I can describe it properly, but I'll do my best.

First, I'd like a shield shape, but with the top shaped like a { character, point upward. This seems uniquely appropriate for me, given... well. {= )

For the blazon:

Vert (specifically #007700), between (in the chief-dexter) a steaming teacup Argent with elanor flower Proper and (in the base-sinister) a cat ready to jump, facing inward with nose raised Argent, a bend Argent with three scrolls of parchment Proper being marked each by a quill with feathers White, shaft and nib Vert.

I'm going for an actual very-light-gray/silver color with Argent here. #EEEEEE or #DDDDDD, probably, as long as it doesn't clash with the parchment.

~Neshomeh

Hopefully I'll actually get around to writing the tale of the Swordsman before this thread drops off the front of the Board, but until then I have at least managed to come up with some heraldry (I hope I got this description right):

Per bend, sable, between a quill bendwise Or and a sword bendwise Argent, a bend Gules

I know, I know, I don't go there - but no-one made one, so I did.



And why are the colours so alarmingly bright? Well, for one, there's a tradition of that in Plort. But for another... if you take a 24-letter alphabet (dropping J and Z), and render each 8-letter block as one of the RGB streams - but reversed, so A is 256 bright red, while H is the dimmest red you can get - ... these are the colours for I, R, and C. (Only in the order CIR, for thematic reasons) So yeah - hidden pun!

hS

In the Protectorate of Borrd, I've finally decided to name those rivers. Phobos established something of a theme, with Grammar + Punctuation = Good Writing; I've tried to continue that. From the mountains to the sea, we have:

Karaktar (Character) + Chekin ('checking' - ie, research) => Plaht (plot); Plaht + Lhawjeck (Logic; this one wasn't mine) => Staurilyn (story line); Staurilyn + Gudryting => Gotfik (goodfic)

It's not a perfect map of 'how to write goodfic' - but it's pretty decent for what it is, I think.

The map also shows the Pass of the Five, the main (or only) pass from Borrd to Ozerbord. I might write the epic tale of the Quest of the Five someday; suffice to say that, though only two reached the Font of Bulapka, three of them became barons, and a fourth is a Duchess-in-Exile. Apparently it was character-building. ;)

And finally, new developments in Barony Huinesoron - the town of Critta' has been joined with the village of Kalthin to become the port town Critta-Kalthin ('critical thinking'). We're hoping to start some new trade routes out of there, to reinvigorate the economy; possibly we'll be contacting the northern lands such as Ydyff.

~Baron Huinesoron (in mapmaking mode)

(PS: The maps in the Cyclopaedia have been updated to show all the roads now; I should have done this earlier, but, um, didn't)

A mage from the lands of Bronee, An'onere heard of the Protectorate of Plort during his travels in Tivit, and has come to Konti-Nyuum with his steed, Mental Haze, and a tome of magic he had compiled in his travels, Cheesy, in the hopes of paasing the test of Permission and joining the ranks of the Knights of Plort.

His coat of arms is vert, a chevron inverted sable, above, a single open book argent, below, a horizontal fountain pen sable, with tip Or, pointing sinister.

(Did I do it right? Also I apologize for the delay)

Ydyff, Kingdom of – Nation, island. Under constant martial law due to the threat of otherworldly beings called Te-roreest. The Ydyffan army and population are one and the same, as every man and woman constantly fight the Te-roreest threat. Ydyff lies in the cold north, where the sky and land are close, and its warrior-poets are renowned there. The land itself, while small and cold, is surprisingly fertile, and inhabitants gather three times each year to celebrate their ancestral holidays: of the Huts, of the Sacrifice, and of the Harvest.
Curiously, its language is written from the other side, causing some confusion.
Arms: azure, between two olive branches argent, a Menorah argent.
Agog, Monastery of – one of Tivit's oldest surviving monasteries. Founded by the mystical Lokomn – who has, in a similar fashion to Plort, ceded his authority to a triumvirate – it is home to one of Tivit's most respected schools of Arpying. A surprisingly-large community sprang around its walls, thanks in part to the fact that its current rulers – the Flanking One, the Troy-knight and the Stratofar – have, aside from the support of one of Edward the Swift's more agreeable mages, a considerable degree of autonomy, and they conduct their business as they please.
Arms: ner black, rena yellow; canta nastar alta tera, interwoven gold, red and green lines tapering to a point; indil in fore, a white, four-petalled flower.

It really is. I'll probably make my heraldry soon.
Although, many of the sites are confusing - I get some references, but others? Not so much.
What would be nice is a separate page that has the equivalents of real world sites on the weab web. It would be helpful to us confused people and to writers, who may want to expand upon this universe.
Also, can anyone participate in this?

(Author’s note: Eagle-eyed readers will noticed that some details have changed since my first entry into this particular universe. Well, okay, one major change. I’m not sure what I was thinking when I named my knight persona PC. That it was mysterious or something? I don’t know. I’ve tried to make the retcons as seamless as possible. Many apologies to Huinesoron for doing so.)

THE RETURN
There had been rumors floating around that he had sailed into Mei’n Payj one cold and misty morning. The ship was bound from Yu’Tub, people would murmur to their fellows in the taverns and shops, and was festooned with unfamiliar banners celebrating a “Tyrant of Tablets.” The man in black robes was the only person standing on the deck, but it still sailed under some unseen power. And when he stepped off the boat and vanished into the alleyways of the city? It vanished into thin air.

Others swore to Kanun that they had seen him wandering the backroads of Borrd (or Iric, or Wechi – the location seemed to change with every new telling). They told of how he would walk with travellers for a while, sharing the ancient secrets of Beytah and telling tales of battles against the Marizu with them before turning away down some new twist in the path. Attempts to follow him always failed for one reason or another.

Their description was always the same. He was tall, with heavy boots that somehow managed not to leave prints in the dirt. Any details of his face or body were hidden by his black hooded robes. An empty scabbard hung from the belt cinched around his waist.

Nobody really thought too much of the stories until one day, when the man in black robes appeared in Manyuel, in the very heart of Wechi. An archivist found him standing before a collection of old weapons from knights long past.

“Can I help you, good sir?” the archivist asked.

The man did not reply at first. It was only when the archivist asked again did he slightly turn his head. “The sword and shield of Sir PC, the Poor Cynick,” he said. “The ones he discarded upon his departure. I trust you have them?”

“Of course! Was there a specific reason you wanted to see them?”

The man pushed back his hood, revealing a familar face.

“To reclaim them,” the Poor Cynick said.

And fie upon those who dare take her land.

*quietly sends out spies to assess the holdings of her fellow barons, as well as the state of her own*

Once upon a time, in the Grand Republic of Deeay, a young woman called eatpraylove drew pictures of strange and wondrous animals for anyone who cared to look (which wasn't too many). After a while, she found she could draw larger crowds by showing them stories she wrote. The stories were imperfect and often a warped type of "songfic", but people smiled and nodded as they read. Some of them shared their own pictures or excerpts of tales, of which her favorites went into her magic scrapbook. The scrapbook, given to all artisans in Deeay, allowed readers to view all of a certain story as long as at least one chapter remained in the book. Same for pictures; if one was in the scrapbook, you could view all the rest by that artisan. ((Favoriting something on dA does kind of work like that.))

Eatpraylove enjoyed sharing and receiving stories and pictures, but she enjoyed traveling Weab as well. Among other destinations, she set up a small temporary home in the famous Fanvik-Neht. Like Deeay, the people there were kind to her stories, and she found many enjoyable works free from the Marizu influence.

Or so she thought. As she matured, eatpraylove realized that some of the tales in her scrapbook were much poorer than she'd thought at first. The character choices didn't make sense, the plots were unoriginal, and in at least two cases, the author wrote her character specifically to be a celebrity's love interest; all hallmarks of the Marizu. She'd heard of them in her frequent visits to Tivit, and was alarmed to discover their taint in her beloved scrapbook. (Fortunately, her favorite tales from Fanvik-Neht and its equestrian twin, Fimvik-Neht, stood the test of maturity.)

By pure chance, possibly when researching memory potions, she found mention of the Protectorate of Plort (as it was then called). The tome contained many references to various knights and their exploits, which intrigued her as often as the passages' lack of context confused her.

Even better, the book spoke of Plort's early history; the tales of Jay, Acacia, and other legendary knights fighting off all variety of Marizu in Lotor were inspiring. And so she made her second great journey, to Borrd and Wechi. After traveling across the country to hear tales of various knights and barons in battle, she settled near the border of Wechi and Borrd. Even today, she continues to share her stories and artwork in Deeay, as well as visit Fanvik-Neht to hear new tales (or identify Marizu for the knights of Borrd).

Eatpraylove is a fairly simple woman, and her shield reflects this; an olive-green field with a blue party per chevron. The green part bears a light gray cat, stretching. While originally she hoped to join the wizard's guild or the castle spies, she has set her eyes on knighthood. Of the various toys and pets she had in Deeay, only her horse, Ami, actually accompanied her to Plort. The first time she unpacked, she found in one silver bag a long dagger from her childhood. It was rusty and dull from disuse, and eatpraylove herself did not remember exactly how her make-believe adventures had happened. But it was a weapon still, and she had it reforged and re-baptized "Chris".

Some years ago, a lone merchant discreetly landed on the island of Konti-Nyuum with nothing more than an empty purse, a well-worn travelling cloak, a horse, and a small brass spyglass. While fleeing to the lands of Tivit, the farmer heard of the valiant deeds of a group of knights originating from an island to the east and their fight against the Marizu.

Prior to his visit to Tivit, the merchant owned a tiny speck of land in the nation of Vidya Gaym, a sprawling nation that contained bustling cities such as Lozz, Emmytoo, and Lamb-daa. Unfortunately, Vidya Gaym was often the prey of Marizu raids-- probably because the land was fertile and the mineral deposits bountiful. One day, Turtle woke to the sounds of a Marizu war band-- the nearby town of Lozz was being raided. Not knowing how to fight, the merchant quickly fled the area on foot after collecting his most precious belongings and stuffing them in a bag.

Cut off from his land, the merchant resolved to start anew elsewhere. He followed the highway northeast to the nation of Bronee, where he did business for a while and bought a skinny skittish stallion named Gaspard. Now much more mobile, he pressed north, through the lands of Are-Pea and Yu'Tub before arriving in Tivit. From there, he learned of the Union of Plort and spent the last of his gold on a boat that would take him to Konti-Nyuum. Once there, he hoped to support the knights by selling food and equipment to them.

Everything went better than expected for the merchant: he set up shop in the town of Borrd and made enough profits to make a living. He picked up some new skills over time-- smithing, Eich-Tee-Ehm-Ehl, and Arpying for example. After proving his worth in the Trial of Permission, Merchant Turtle was granted a knighthood by Baron Phobos.

Always looking for ways to assist the Knights of Plort, the newly minted Sir Turtle of the Sea used his modest wealth to finance the repairs for one of Plort's most neglected sailing vessels. In less than a month Captain Soo-Lah Rose's ship, the Deoh Eye, was made seaworthy again. Sir Turtle participated in three of the Deoh Eye's reconnaissance expeditions before buying a ranch outside Borrd to raise horses for all knights riding on the Deoh Eye. From his ranch Sir Turtle now applied his smithing skills to bring new equipment to the knights of Plort. His projects-- with various code-names-- will soon to be put on the market: "Taldaris", a cuirass made of the finest and lightest metals, "Fire Flash", steel-toed leather boots with incredible durability, "Naya", a crossbow of unparalleled power firing TB-type quarrels, and "Guardsman", a collection of rugged multipurpose knifes.



Sir Turtle of the Sea's heraldry:

Sable, a chicken trussed Argent.

Motto: "Fugite et non respicite" ("Flee and don't look back.")

[Neshomeh alerted me to this thread, and I had to post. Though I don't do much PPCing these days, I still lurk and follow PPC news, so I figure this little tale would be in the right spirit of things.

Regarding the heraldic device--I think I got it right, but I'm not sure. Basically a white/silver field with a black wolf and a black ram facing each other.]

Arms of the Tungsten Monk: Argent, a wolf sable and ram sable combatant.

Many years ago, the Tungsten Monk came to Konti-Nyuum as a wandering novice. Trained since a child in the Way of Uf, the school of thought which seeks for dark creatures hidden in the corners of the world, she found Konti-Nyuum much to her liking. Yet her skills were crude and unpolished, and she wandered from barony to barony seeking guidance and experience. The people of the Union of Plort were kind to her when she had little to offer, and she learned much from them.

After many adventures she settled in the Barony of Neshomeh. But when all was well and she thought to have many happy years defending Plort, her life was uprooted again.

As a devotee of the Way of Uf, the Tungsten Monk could not give up the seeking after monsters. Fighting the Marizu was a worthy cause, but she feared her divided loyalties would keep her from being a true warrior of Plort. So, seeking another way, she used what she had learned from her travels on Konti-Nyuum and founded a small settlement on one of the many uninhabited islands of Airi-junal, halfway between Konti-Nyuum and Autor. This island, Airi-junal Uf Buk, did not have many resources, but the settlement did well enough. The Tungsten Monk was pleased.

Yet now, her loyalties were divided more than before. No knight can serve two masters, and Airi-junal Uf Buk required her presence more than Plort did. In the end she exiled herself to the wilds of the Airi-junal Islands, leaving her great boar-spear Suicide and shield Diocletian to the care of Baroness Neshomeh.

Her settlements in Airi-junal have flourished, which makes the Tungsten Monk happy. Yet she cannot forget Plort and what its people did for her. Were she to truly move to Autor she would smile upon them, but that is not her place now and she is still only a knight. And so she lives in Airi-junal yet sometimes, with the connivance of the noble Baroness her patron, makes secret haste across the ocean to Konti-Nyuum and takes up her arms for one battle more.

I know I'm still a newcomer who's only been on the actual Board for a month, but this looks like too much fun not to jump in.

Skaer'morys, or Skaer for short, is a Beastmaster, a type of mage who summons and controls wild beasts. Once a commoner who spent his time in the wilderness rather than in towns or cities, he has travelled to many places throughout his life and, being still quite young, Skaer has plans to visit many more. However, his previous attempts to settle down were hampered by his egotism and lack of initiative, and he was thus humbled and shunned by several peoples he met in the past. He found himself in Konti-Nyuum only a month prior to the current time, and given the welcoming community, he has decided to stay.

Skaer has brought two of his creatures with him to Konti-Nyuum: Falchion, a strange bird from an Eastern land with feathers of silver and wings of crimson, and Rasheeda, a white lioness from a desert kingdom he once visited. Neither of them have been tested on the battlefield, especially because he has yet to gain Knight status, but he is more than willing to unleash the wrath of the sand and sky against the Marizu invasion.

For Skaer's heraldry colors, I'm thinking argent with a sable double-headed eagle displayed, armed with langued gules, holding a white sword with blade up in one talon and a blue feather quill with shaft down in the other.

As a healer and mage, Neshomeh favors her tome of ancient runes, the Supernumeraricon, and her staff, Ilraen, which is topped by a device in the shape of a blue sickle moon.

She did train as a knight, however, so she also bears a shield: Derik, Defender of Order; and a sword: Gall, Worrier of the Speshul.

[[I thought about Ilraen as a mount, but Phobos suggested a magic staff, and I liked the idea of a sickle-moon topper. So stereotypically magic-y. And of course, Nume would be a spellbook with too many syllables. {X D

~Neshomeh ]]

(Why did I pick that name? That is a stupid name. Sounds like the dullest Time Lord that ever was.)

Per fess, azure and vert, between two enclosing brackets, argent, a crown, Or, above a goat, proper.

To be clear, that's a blue-over-green background, with white [brackets] on either end. A (preferably) black-and-brown goat on the green field, and a gold crown over the blue. (Specifically, a crown shaped like this, if possible:



Also, I would like one of the oval, lady-shields to be contrary and difficult forward-thinking and stereotype-breaking.

And now, a short story (I just kind of throw these down at the drop of a hat, anymore, don't I?):

The Book Repairman walked stealthily and warily down the corridors of the castle, the smell of goats following ever after as he passed another scrawling of "CANT" upon the walls. He had spent many weeks in this castle, near a port in El-Jheycom, seeking the fragmented stories of Kippur, called the Bird.

Long ago, the Bird had been a knight of Plort, wielding many weapons against the Marizu: Verra, a mighty launcher of enchanted flame; Lorac, the magic wand; and a mysterious weapon marked "C." But best known of Kippur's weapons was a strange siege engine, the Alexander. The Alexander carried strange cloaking magics, which Kippur used to infiltrate many lands, both in Weab and in the Scholar's Empire. Mostly, these were missions of observation, and exploration, but the Bird had not been afraid to wage war on many of the more slovenly states, whether dominated by Marizu or not: most famously, the Inherited Cities.

Many of Kippur's campaigns against the Marizu had departed from this castle; indeed, the Repairman had entered through the storage region for the weapons from thos long-ago sieges. They had been largely abandoned, with the remains of the flame-launcher Verra long ago left destroyed, and beyond use. Still, records lived on in small pieces, and the search led the archaeologist into the still-thriving section of the Bird's castle. Here, where the Bird's heraldry of cat, Or, and budgie, vert, still lined the walls, bright and tended, the Book Repairman continued with much caution, for signs of fresh preparation lay everywhere. Kippur was readying his possessions for travel into the lands of the Scholar's Empire permanently, with a newer and more robust version of the Alexander, ready to form a nation of his own.

The Repairman had no desire to intrude, only pausing to find more mentions of the Bird's days as a knight. Even here, where the time of Plort seemed long forgotten, some small signs of Kippur's knighthood yet lingered. And these signs led to yet another wing of the castle, unknown previously, where small memoirs of the knight and his weapons yet lingered. Those these were not the tales of campaigns the Book Repairman had set out to find, he rejoiced! for the statue of the Bird in Wechi could soon be added to, and made larger, that all the denizens of Plort would know more of the tales of Kippur the Knight!

So, uh, yeah. This has been my "journey" through Kippur's LJs, still ongoing. I know this is a little weird, buuuuuut I was working on Kippur's stuff just before I started designing my herald, so it was quite on my mind. I intended this to be more about my character at the start, but it evolved more into being about Kippur. But that's fine, I think; he's not here to write it himself, after all.

Some references that may not be obvious:
*Kippur had three LJs, hence the three wings to his El-Jheycom castle. (His personal one, his writing one, and the IC-Alec one. Actually he had IC journals for a ton of other characters, too, but let's not go nuts, here.)
*The flamethrower (did I make that sound fantasy enough?) Verra is destroyed because Agent Verra is, actually, dead. It happened outside the PPC, in an RP with another community, but it seems to have applied to our Verra, too. So sad face there.
*The herald contains two of Kippur's pets, a cat and a budgie. (The bird was a present to his mother for Yom Kippur, hence "Kippurbird." What? No, I wasn't reading the personal entries! Intentionally. >> It was about animals! I couldn't help it!) He also had a fish he was quite fond of, but I felt the sentence was getting way too long.
*"CANT" stands for "Cure All Neuro-Typicals." Kippur used to sell merchandise with this saying to counter the well-meaning-but-ultimately-insulting CAN: Cure Autism Now. Sadly, the store he sold that stuff through seems to be down now. :(
*And, of course, as the wiki has said for years, Alec and Lorac (but no longer Verra) are set appear in their own series of novels, which Kippur will hopefully publish. Which I can't wait for, because I feel like I've already read half of it from the writing samples he wrote over the years. Incidentally, Kippur already has a non-fiction book available for pre-order (coming out mid-December), which I plug here, that we may send monies to our esteemed colleague: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tropes-Fantasy-Fiction-Gabrielle-Lissauer/dp/0786478586/ref=sr11?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1408682053&sr=1-1">http://www.amazon.com/Tropes-Fantasy-Fiction-Gabrielle-Lissauer/dp/0786478586/ref=sr1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1408682053&sr=1-1

Also and finally, sharing a video I saw today about fandom shipping. Not safe for brain: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIXBuoFF4Ns

[[OOC: Why do I have so many agents...]]
When Karrin the Blue first began her excursions to the Marizu lands, she carried with her four weapons: Lana, a crossbow of great power which could strike from afar; Narav a furred cloak to ward against harm; Tera, a pair of gauntlets and boots, in appearance alike to an insectile carapace, each piece engraved with spells of battle-magic, fleet-footedness, and protection; and Ari , a shining blade which held in its heart the fires of its creation, which could be seen in the red glow of its fuller. With these in hand, Karrin set out to battle.

One day, while out routing a Marizu incursion lead by Alyxx Heart alongside the Fast Seneschal, Karrin found two artifacts on the battlefield that could be salvaged and purified of their Marizu origins. And so she took Alicia, the shadowed axe, and Lumina, the brilliant tome, and conquered their powers and remade them into Fiorano, the obsidian halberd, and Theia, the magical book.

When the battle had concluded, she set about creating a trio of artifacts, which would never see combat but aid in preparation. First, she traveled to the lands of the Bronee, and spent twelve days gathering herbs and weaving the magics of the land. On the dawn of the thirteenth day, she held the product of her labors, a rose-colored pouch containing as many healer's potions and herbs as she knew, and the pouch was named Kindheart. She then ventured to the ports of the armies, where she spent twenty-four days studying the ways of the scryers and diviners. On the dawn of the twenty-fifth day, she held the products of her labors; a pair of white spectacles, which could examine the inner workings of an artifact, which was named Caroline, and a spyglass that could see into any familiar land, no matter how far it might be, which was named Anne. With these tools in hand, she returned home.

One day, while looking through her spyglass, the Fire-Mage glimpsed a collection of Marizu encampments, and though each one was small their numbers suggested a quick spread. Karrin set off on a ship, and while she sailed she forged a new weapon - a curved blade, with a dark sea-green blade and the hilt fashioned after the clever tentacles of the octopi, with a shining green gem in the center. The blade, she judged, would serve well against the magi of the Marizu, for it had been made to channel magic as well as any wand, and she named it Cepha.

Though the blade was well-made, upon her landing Karrin found no use for it, for the encampments had been abandoned and all marks of the Marizu wiped away. In the dusty remains she found a forgotten weapon, a red Marizu's knife, made as a copy of a Konti-Nyuum relic. She took it with her, and in the fires of her hearth she remade it into the dagger-wand Amara.

For a time, she rested in the vale with her two companions. She discovered an old tome recounting the rarely-heard tale of the land Dhirotailehs, and from the knowledge within she wove a long rope, which split into three weighted ends, and spun magic into each strand to keep it strong, and it was named Riaa'lzhor.

Upon one fall day, a scant time before the festival of Nahn-Oh Wry-Moh, Karrin the Blue received a vision, foretelling the Marizu warleader Nova, who spread ruin in her wake across. She and Thanasius Ampelius left as soon as they were able, arriving on the Marizu lands as swiftly as they could. They followed the trail of destroyed land, aided by a wandering knight, until they caught up with her. In a great duel, Karrin the Blue battled Nova, until at last she struck the fiend's heart with such force that Ari shattered.

Karrin and Thanalius returned home, exhausted by their efforts. Nevertheless, in her forge, Karrin worked day and night to repair her first sword. Finally, she held aloft a new sword, thinner than the old, but with a ember-red blade as sharp as a flame. Her magic sapped, she rested, honing her skills with each weapon and each magical school she could find. And so she remained, until recently, when she began to walk through the cities of Borrd again...

Argent, a pretzel proper above a quill azure with shaft vert.

((I think that's right? I'm not entirely sure, to be honest.))

When Thanasius Ampelius first arrived at Borrd, he rented a room in an inn so nondescript no-one even remembered its name; its inhabitants and owner were insignificant in the large scheme of things. Well, save for one that arrived at its door one humid night. His appearance matched that of Thanasius exactly, save for one detail: he sported a horrid goatee while Thanasius was clean-shaven. Wearily, the monk approached him. The man seemed amiable, and they sat down and ate their dinner together. Thanasius learned that the man was named Death Dendle, that he hailed from the nation of Dunastuvaryorz, and, most curiously, his profession: Death Dendle was a Kagemusha, a shadow warrior trained to impersonate the master who had his contract.
Even though Thanasius was poor, deep in his bones he felt that he had to get the Kagemusha's contract. So played a game of cards, which Thanasius barely won, and Death Dendle declared his loyalty to him.
Time passed; he moved to Iric, was exiled to Ydyff, and returned, settling in Baron Huinesoron's lands. One day he chanced upon an axe lodged in a tree. It was beautifully made; white, long of handle and of blade and gleaming in the sunlight. Curious, he dislodged it and inspected it. Runes were written on the blade, and after a few hours of deciphering, he understood what they said: Anebrin, blade of evil's bane by evil shattered. He looked around. There was noone in sight; finding the axe's owner seemed like an impossible task. Rising to his feet, he swung Anebrin experimentally. The axe's blade seemed to cut the air itself, electricity crackled across the blade, and Thanasius felt a great feeling of “Right”, tampered by the slightest speck of fear. Taking one last look around, he made a loop in his belt and took Anebrin for himself.
Yet more time passed. He encountered the Fast Seneschal and Karrin the Blue and settled in their monastery; he and Karrin fought the great Marizu Nova and lived to tell the tale. Three months later, he received reports of a Marizu leader named Auniira that was raiding the Scholars' Empire land of Feir-oon. Taking his Ydyffan ship, he set sail to Feir-oon. There he battled Auniira and bested her, but not without a price; as he struck the killing blow, a shard of her malice lodged itself within Anebrin's blade, and the axe shattered shortly after Thanasius returned to the monastery.
Devoid of a weapon, for a while he laid low, seeking a replacement, until one day he found a peculiar tome in the monastery's library.
Sneezing from the dust – for that section of the library was not disturbed for many a year – Thanasius gingerly removed the tome from its resting place and put it on his reading desk. It was large, old and bound in brown leather; on its binding the words “The Librarian” were beautifully written in golden ink. He opened it, and wiping the tears from his eyes (he was sneezing again), began to read. After a while, it became clear that it was a tome of spells, and the monk decided to replace his axe with it.

Because I never did do this last time 'round. (Citizens do get heraldry, don't they?)

oval, per bend, sable and argent, between lotus argent and book sable, bend vert

Did I do that right?

-Aila

(Wherein I add some more to this tale of July's wanderings via a cultural lesson.)

One of the many places July wandered, once she built a vessel worthy of traveling to sea was the land of Dedubya- a place that had taken up much of El-Jhey's domain after a combined mass rebellion and emigration.

Dedubya was a strange place, where the culture shared much with Are-Pea, but had changed it to suit themselves. The collection of masks- called Aikawns- were of great import, with a large focus on collecting as many Aikawns as one could through either creating them or purchasing them from others. Aikawn thievery, however, in Dedubya, makes up much of its black market. In Dedubya, performances were contingent on the quality and variety of masks

Those willing to fund the rulers of Dedubya- called Dreemeers and led by the sorceress Danees- were allowed to collect more Aikawns, but only through a constant support of the Dreemeers were they allowed to keep them.

It was in Dedubya that she also discovered the small island of Plerk- a name that gave her surprise, given its similarity to the land she had left some time ago.

Plerk was colonized by Dedubbers, many of whom made a regular travel between Plerk and Dedubya.

And so, in her curiosity, she traveled to Plerk.

The island itself was small, but busy and bustling- she found that there, compared to Dedubya, Plerkians widened their circles to more discussion. The emphasis on presentation was still important, with each new thing catching eyes and appearances being prized, but here Aikawns were not a major cultural event.

One thing that Plerkians did emphasize, however, was spreading news- by repeating exactly what had been said by the original person while adding their own opinions or input. 'Re'plerking was important, and status determined often by how much someone responded to someone's news or replerked their original words.

As strange as it was, it was not En-Sain-Jawno, which was rumored to be even stranger, and cultlike at times, and the wanderer found it enjoyable enough to stay for some time and create a circle of friends from locals.

Ahem, here's my coat of arms.

Gules, a indented bend sinister or, a sword argent bendwise over a mace sable bendwise sinister.

Also, I don't have the time now for a story, but the Fast Seneschal in Karrin The Blue's history is supposed to be me.

Oh, and considering I was "knighted" by Neshomeh I choose the Commonwealth of Wechi as my abode.

...of Lady Iximaz, wanderer of Weab, protector of Plort, and champion of Jaikaiar.

For many years, Lady Iximaz was but a simple citizen of Fanvik-Neht, unconcerned with the rumors of the growing threat of the Marizu. She was content to pass her days listening to tales of exotic lands, and though she often wondered what it would be like to travel, she had no need to leave.

One day, however, it came to pass that a raid of Marizu forced her to flee Fanvik-Neht, leaving behind her home. Forced into the wild and unforgiving lands of Weab, Iximaz learned to fight for her survival. She traveled the continent, occasionally finding refuge among the people of Bronee or the Potters' Moore.

After many months, Iximaz found herself in the land of Tivit. Here, she first heard the tales of the land of Plort and the brave knights who fought the Marizu. Inspired by these stories, she traveled to the island, where she was welcomed like a long-lost friend. She made a new home in the shining city of Borrd and made an effort to learn their laws and customs.

As she became familiar with the city, she found herself going to the knights and asking to hear more tales of their triumphs, and her desire to join their ranks grew ever stronger. At last, she steeled her courage and went to the Barons of Plort and asked to train as another warrior.

Baron Huinesoron pondered her request. "Though it is still too early to be certain," he said, "from what I can tell, you show promise. I shall grant you permission to train as a knight." And this, he bestowed upon her the title of Lady.

From then on, Lady Iximaz rode forth, her banner* held high, spreading the teachings of Jaikaiar and driving away the menaces of the Marizu.

Quod scribio, libero.


*Vert, per chevron Or, below scroll Argent

I'll probably put up more things in future posts, I just wanted to jot some stuff down quickly.

The arms of Sir Ekyl are simple - sanguine, bull head cabossed sable, chief crown proper. Notable weapons include the longsword Zod's Fang, a trophy from his first battle against the Marizu, the war lance Einarr, and the war hammer Kyran; when he rides into battle or tournament, he does so astride the destrier Valec or the courser Marcus.

Cyclopedia entries from the tale of Sir Ekyl that have yet to make it in (I hope I'm still allowed to make up things like the road; I feel like I maybe got a bit carried away so feel free to chop this stuff up however much is needed):

Godreve - Town, Protectorate of Borrd. Located near the centre of Cassie's baronial lands, equidistant from Iric, Wechi and the rest of Borrd. This town, a portion of the surrounding countryside and the castle by the same name were awarded to Sir Ekyl when the new baron chose to grant him a fief, in recognition of their friendship. The town is decently sized, defended by a well-trained militia and Ekyl's retinue of men-at-arms, and the castle it grew around is an imposing hilltop structure known for stout defences and a vast library said to contain tomes on all subjects. Sir Ekyl prefers to do most of his governing within his keep and spends much time reading or writing in the library when he isn't away travelling, but he can still be found in town for festivities or occasions such as oversight of civic projects, like the road which now connects Godreve with the port town of Tumblar, or defending his fief from outlaws, rebels or the occasional troll raiders. As these lands are often restless, Ekyl's men can at times be found patrolling the barony outside of his actual territory.

Nihilo, King - Noble, King of Wugwha. Formerly a knight of Gaf, when a queen rose from the ashes of its fall to unite much of the Diaspora under her rule he swore his sword and served loyally for some time. However, when this queen was revealed to be the troll Lolita, an ally of the Marizu, he declared rebellion, rallying many former lords of old Gaf to his banner. With this army, as well as aid from paladins of Somath-Aful and the powerful mage known as the Weaver of Inks, he was able to win the civil war, felling Lolita in single combat at the Battle of Hobaf and forming a new kingdom. He has ruled well in the years since, but of late it is said he has withdrawn into himself, leaving more and more of the tasks of governance to his trusted advisers. Sir Ekyl rode in the van of his battles for the throne, and fought alongside him for years afterwards, but serves him no longer.

Edward "the Swift", King - Noble, King of Tivit. Once a capable ruler, with age he has fallen into tyranny and sloth, ruling entirely based upon arbitrary whims. When delegates from Plort came informing him of misinformation his realm was spreading about their lands and asking him to make a change, he branded them liars and invaders, sending soldiers to prevent any modifications from being made. He fears and hates Somath-Aful, seeing their influence behind every shadow since Tivit's fleets were defeated by the empire in five great battles; any criticism of his reign is treated as an attempt to betray the kingdom to Somath-Aful, resulting in banishment or execution.

Eyepi - An ancient school of magic whose spells, rightly applied, can defeat most wards of banishment.

Per bend sinister sable and azure, between bendwise daggers argent points inward, on a bend sinister argent a bendwise sinister line of four dice gules each depicting six pips argent.

I hope that will suffice.

-Baron Phobos

The heraldry of Storme of Hauk can be described as.

"Per saltire, sable, gules, sable and vert. An arrow argent above an arrow or."

See now, Konti-Nyuum,
What wonders the dawn brings,
All the light touches
Is yours now to own,
For our fallen heroes,
Whom our hearts avenge still,
Took this sacred country
And made it their own

Rise, commoners and nobles!
Rise up against the speshul!
For only through union
Shall our hearts fly free!

Welcome, one and all, to the Baronial Council of the Union of Plort! Here the Barons of Borrd, Iric, Wechi, and Ozerbord will meet to discuss and (theoretically) decide on matters of concern to the Union. The Barons are invited to present their position statements on the following matters:

-The continued absence of Baron Makari, and the disposition of her barony.
-The frequent absences of Baron Araeph, and the disposition of her barony.
-The state of relations between the Republic of Iric and the rest of the Union.
-The disposition of the so-called ‘tax havens’ in the Borrd regions of Barony Huinesoron.
-Any other matters which they feel ought to be drawn to the Council’s attention.

Debate of any and all position statements is encouraged; all Citizens and Knights of the Union are invited to visit the Council and contribute their questions and thoughts, though the ultimate decisions lie with the Barons.

May the blessings of Kanun and Spelin be with the Council, and the blessings of all the deities of Weab which remain free of the Marizu scourge.

Since we have a national anthem for the Union of Plort (“See Now, Konti-Nyuum"), it seemed appropriate to write one for Ozerbord as well. It’s quite an unusual anthem, in that it’s actually two songs… sort of.

The population of Ozerbord varies dramatically. For most of the year, it is very low, but during the Games of Batveg, and other games and festivities across the year, it swells to ten or a hundred times its normal size.

During the low-population times of the year, Ozerbord’s anthem Oh Ozerbord - originally penned, no doubt, by Baron BeautyID - goes like this:

Oh lonely land
Oh quiet streets
Oh mighty Wattufs
Oh Ozerbord, we sing to thee

It is slow, with the final syllable of every line except the last being drawn out extensively. This is because those final syllables take the place of the second halves of the lines, which are sung only during festivals. They are sung much faster - think of the split in the opening lines of Jerusalem. The above is similar to ‘And did those feet…. in ancient times...’; the second halves are more in the style of ‘... walk upon England’s mountains green?’.

Oh lonely land - ring with a thousand voices clear!
Oh quiet streets - be filled with faces new and friends so dear!
Oh mighty Wattufs - we scale your heights and gaze on distant sea!
Oh Ozerbord - with a thousand tongues we sing to thee!

hS