November was the first game I did not run, which made it something of an experiment. I'm pleased to report that it was an experiment that was very successful.
    Mike Malony, Drew Novick and David Simkins put together an enjoyable game that gave me the opportunity to play an adventurer for the first time.
    Thanks guys, we all appreciate your efforts on our behalf and the success of your session has proven that I can open up the campaign to other hosts.
    Our next player Host will be Marc Blumberg, who has volunteered to run the February session. Rumor is he will be working with Drew. Next up will be Rob Nichols who will probably be running in April or May.

The following was sent to me for inclusion in the newsletter by Drew Novick, who was speaking on behalf of everyone who ran the November game.

Thanks to our NPCs, Kevin MacGregor as the mayor, Vicki Martin as our specialist Sorcerer, Dan Silver as the spooky mercenary, and Gall Peck as Countess Delora of Argoth. They added a lot to the game, Special thanks to Chad Brinkley, who agreed on short notice to help us run the game. He brought a lot to the game, playing two characters and taking some of the GM duties His participation allowed us to run the game we wanted

WAR STORIES: November 1997
Written by Drew Novick, Mike Malonv and David Simkins

The first meeting of the Ram's Head inn after the retirement of former Gatekeeper Drexus Shendari was held on a small island in the Skiershom Archipelago, near the homeland of Risisin Oreth, the new Gatekeeper. The transition of power seemed smooth, although few could help but notice that the honored position, Guardian of the Ram's Head, was filled by the imposing presence of Captain Moorkoth, renowned former champion in the Legion of the Damned. If that were not sufficiently eerie, the lighthouse where the inn was rumored to be haunted by spirits for centuries. The island itself resides below the surface of the ocean all but one day of the year, As the day progressed, rumors of ghost sightings were few, but two perfectly preserved bodies were found. While many members of the Ram's Head studied the water-damaged scrawlings which covered the stone walls of the lighthouse, others found their way through the portals that opened. Behind them they found a brazier of power, which they soon learned had the fuel needed to destroy a single magical artifact. They also round an elf wood threatened by a corrupting monolith, and a battle on the Skiershorn Archipelago, which was orchestrated by a powerful necromancer bearing an enchanted, severed hand which gave him the ability to raise and control the entire army.
    As the day came to a close, the adventurers assembled to decide which portal should be given the brazier and fuel. Unanimously, the assembled crowd declared themselves for the aid of the elf wood so five adventurers took the brazier through the first portal.
    Five other brave adventurers decided to risk the undead hordes and journeyed hack to kill the necromancer and destroy his item with the aid of a Disenchant scroll.
    As the waters began to rise again, consuming the island, the first adventurers returned bearing news that the monolith was destroyed.
    The Gatekeeper and a few loyal followers remained with hopes of determining the fate of the second expedition. At the final moments, the portal opened and five disappointed but not severely damaged adventurers returned to admit their defeat The scroll had failed, temporarily blocking the dark power of the hand but unable to destroy it.
    While adventurers planned and journeyed forth and scholars studied, several people had the pleasure of encountering the Countess Delora of Argoth.
    The countess seemed interested in promoting good will and encouraging the promotion of the arts and centers of knowledge within Argoth’s perimeter.
    The mayor of a nearby town was spotted trying to throw one of the scholars into a deep well in the deepest reaches of the lighthouse. Malachi certainly would have died were it not for the bravery of Elestan Dumar who pulled Malachi and Captain Swift from well's interior.
    It appeared that the well’s interior led to the stomach of an enormous sea spirit or beast called a Kraken. A mysterious Kytheri who seemed to have the ear and respect of the Gatekeeper, claimed the island rose and fell with the breathing of the sleeping spirit.
    With the day's end, the waters surged over the island, once again submerging all but the very top of the lighthouse tower. The adventurers fled back to the town where warm beds and porridge awaited them.

EPILOGUE
The Final Tally for Session Nine

Your three favorite characters this Session were Elistan Dumar (as portrayed by Mike Nystul), Liam (as portrayed by Kevin Stein) and Reman (as portrayed by Marc Blumherg).
    As of Session nine the top Faction is Zurek, followed closely by Vathos. The Church of Dain and the Cabal are tied for third place. Rlacksteel has managed to retain the reigns of power for two years if your character wants to support the new King support the Blacksteel Faction. If he wants to undermine him support the Dissidents.
    Remember: With Zurek in the lead Pantheist Priests, Pantheist Champions and Bards earn an extra point of experience for Session Ten. In addition, characters with the Heroic focus earn an extra point of experience for acting in a heroic fashion.

AUTUMN 735

It has been two years since Blacksteel became King of Kaleth. He is using his authority to take care of issues that concern him and isn't paying much attention to anything else. Blacksteel relies on his advisors to set policy on those issues that aren't part of his agenda.
    Arthon Jurel Blacksteel is scheduled to take the throne in less than three years, but his supporters are concerned that when the time comes Blacksteel won't allow if. The heir apparent seems to be aware of the precarious nature of his situation and is doing everything he can to strengthen his position. His latest move is the announcement of his engagement to Lady Dana Vamadrexus of Vathos.
    According to the Church of Dain the Inquisition has been disbanded but Kedrick is still wearing the robes of an Inquisitor and refuses to call himself a Lightbringer. Other Inquisitors are following his example, creating factionilization within his order that is reflected in the Church itself. Kedrick has become a symbol of conservative values that some Dainites feel are being undermined by tolerance of nonhumans, magicians and heathens.
    It can be assumed that the Archbishop has no intention of reversing her decision, but she hasn't prevailed upon Kedrick to conform to her policies nor has she come out publicly against him and those who follow him. It is rumored that the Inquisitors were reluctantly retired at the request of the new King, which may explain her reticence to take a stand on either side of the issue.
    Over the past decade more than half of the newly initiated Druid priests and priestesses have chosen to follow their own path instead of aligning themselves with the Wheel. This has created countless splinter factions that have weakened the power of the Druids in Kaleth. If it weren't for Blacksteel's support, the Wheel would most likely have collapsed and the Druids would have ceased to be a viable Faction, politically speaking.
    The Pantheists have gone from a fading cause to a thriving concern in less than a year. Crumbling temples have been rebuilt and are full of converts. The recent schism within the Church of Dain certainly hasn't hurt either.
    Trade with the Kingdom of Kellar is picking up slowly but surely. The first concern of the port cities on the Vathos coast has become the construction ships and shipyards. Merchants and ship Captains are learning the language and customs of Kellar as quickly as they are able.
    Vathos has attracted mercenaries from across the Realm. Many adventurers find themselves in the ports working as guards or bodyguards on the docks or aboard trading vessels when there is nothing grander to do.
    There has been trouble with the Wood Fives in the past few months. When Blacksteel became King he gave the Wood Fives regency of the Great Wood in Thallarin. Apparently some of the Fives felt that this suggested that the humans presumed they had claim to the land and that their King has authority over them.
    The Wood Elves have responded by closing their 'borders' and either driving off or taking prisoner any human who dares to enter their wood without prior permission of their Chieftain. Most of the Wood Elves who were living among the humans have returned to the Great Wood, which is a serious blow to Thallarin.
    Duchess Maegara sent foresters wearing her crest into the wood to negotiate for the release of the prisoners. Her envoys were attacked and nearly half of them were slain. Naturally, the actions of the Wood Fives have been denounced as 'heathen savagely' by the Inquisition who has used these incidents to fuel the fires of intolerance.
    After generations of isolation the Kytheri of the Skiershom Archipelago have been 'rediscovered' by those who have encountered the new Gatekeeper. This has resulted in some expeditions to the Archipelago by explorers, merchants, scholars and missionaries. Some of these travelers have stayed but most have found the Kytheri unreceptive and even hostile to outsiders.
    Captain Gray has transferred command of the Gray Guard to his trusted lieutenants who will in turn take their orders from whomever the Gatekeeper appoints to serve in his stead. Gray is rumored to be living on a farm in Zurek.

CAST OF CHARACTERS
Adventurers You Should Know

This month's featured character is Risisin Oreth, the current Gatekeeper At the time this material was written he apprenticed to Drexus Shendan, the previous Gatekeeper.
    It is worth mentioning that Risisin has an important role in the campaign but he is still an adventurer. From time to time he is given the kinds of insights normally reserved for gamemaster characters to help move the game along but he is free to make his own mistakes. Please interact with him as you would any other adventurer.

Risisin Oreth
As played and written by David Simkins,

Trees towered overhead as the enclave gathered Another omen, another young man would be banished for a time to the external world. Lots had been chosen, and for reasons no one could fathom, a young man from among the caste of scholars and scribes had been chosen. Time would tell if this young man's future would surpass his humble beginnings as apprentice to the Kytheri loremasters.
    Risisin speaks little of his time with the Kytheri, the strange inhabitants of the Skiershorn archipelago just south of the Vathos coastline. Tales from centuries past, even before the Empire of the Winterborne kings, tell of strange men and women raiding the southern freeholds of Kaleth.
    Other tales tell of a race of seers and visionaries hidden within the eternal mists of the peninsula, protected from the turmoil that surrounded them. A few, darker tales tell of the atrocities performed deep within the volcanic mountains which form the islands.
    Tales of outsiders tortured for years for the pleasure of the Kytheri's dark gods, of children stolen from the freeholders to be sacrificed to the Dark Hunger, the powerful and terrifying spirit of night. Perhaps there is some truth to these tales, and perhaps not.
    Concerning these accusations, Risisin has remained largely silent. He has described his people as 'isolated xenophobes' on several occasions and the relationship between the Kytheri and the people of southern Vathos as 'understandably tense, but good, considering the level of misunderstanding which lies between them.'
    Since leaving the only world he knew and the spirits he loved, Risisin’s steps had brought him from one utterly foreign place to another. He wandered aimlessly, waiting for the strange spirits of our world to give some recognizable sign, a warning that he was straying or perhaps encouragement that his steps were true. He was answered only by silence, even as his wanderings brought his to the most treacherous of places, the bowels of Kaleth.
    Risisin’s life after leaving the forest was to take a turn he could not possibly have expected. With self-effacing laughter, he tells of his time spent among the 'Lightning Rods', a loose organization of hirelings who sign onto dangerous and potentially lucrative adventuring contracts to take the lead, and therefore take the brunt of the danger.

And, guide him they did, until one day he found himself at the very center of the adventuring community, with access to people with more wealth and power than he had ever seen. Thus began his road to glory and greatness as a regular patron of the Ram's Head Inn.
    Silence rook him as the historian finished reading the narrative he had concocted. The silence dragged as the historian waited for some praise, or perhaps a small criticism easily dealt with. Finally, he sat forward, facial pigment concealing the disappointment in his eyes.
    "You say I am destined for greatness, and yet... here I am, an outcast to the only land I've loved, a hermit living among strangers.
    "My closest friends barely know me, or I them. We meet together irregularly and always in the face of danger.
    "Do not think that I am great because I am blessed. I am responsible because I am blessed. If I am great, I am so because my responsibility requires it.
    "Your story makes me seem a hero, I have enjoyed the company of several heroes, but I am no hero.
    'The Spirit provides, the Spirit guides, and the Spirit denies, That is all."

POETIC LICENSE
The Songs And Stories Of Our Illustrious Bards

I haven't had a chance to perform this yet. I'm looking forward to trying to do it with the accent.

PERCHED
by Mike Nystul as Elistan Dumar

Up and out, down and in
Rising and falling and rising again
Drinking blood and breathing sin

A nightmare beneath the murky fen
A tower of secrets - life's labors lost
They sought their answers - never heeding the cost

We walked where they walked - we sang and we drank
We came when it rose up - we left when it sank

Why did they build it? Why did they stay?
The Kytherie their legacy - their people its prey

We bled where they bled - they struggled and died
Our destinies and theirs inseparably tied

Perched atop a sleeping curse
Their lives or their souls, which would be worse?
A well on a beak in a hole in the sea

A grand adventure was waiting for me

The black rock was waiting out there in the wood

The black rock they made that forged evil from good

Through the Portal and into the night
A druid gone dark, a terrible fight
A brazier's white ashes, the ritual begun

With a flash and a crash the curse was undone

Up and out, down and in
Rising and falling and rising again
Spilling blood and killing kin

Lost to the mists of neverwhen

THE STORYTELLERS

A few months ago, I promised to finalize the rules so everyone could settle into the game with the reassurance of a stable foundation. When I set about the task of taking what might be a final pass through the rules, I asked the players and myself a lot of questions about what could be improved.
    It turns out the area that needed the most improvement has nothing to do with the rules (as such). What the game was really lacking is the 'personal touch.' Your questions go unanswered for far too long and you don't have enough subplots directed at you.
    I have known this is a problem for along time but fixing it was so much work that I could never get on top of the situation. Having accepted that there is no way one man can be responsible for the evolution of more than fifty characters, I decided to draft reinforcements. These reinforcements are the Storytellers.
    I have recruited five Storytellers. For the time being, I am the sixth. Your Storyteller has probably contacted most of you by now. If you haven't, find out who he is and take the initiative. If you haven't been assigned to a Storyteller contact the Coordinator (Dawn).
    Your Storyteller has volunteered to take responsibility for knowing your character background and subplots, for resolving his Between Time commitments, for creating new subplots that involve your character and for overseeing your character's growth. The Storytellers will ensure that everyone gets the personal attention they deserve and that your character will have the chance to flourish.
    The following is a list of the Storytellers, their contact information and the players assigned to them.

Tom 'Kedrick' Dowd
tom.dowd@ix.netcom.com
Tony Hrubes, Shari MacGregor, Anita Marchamer, Rob Nichols, Dave Simkins, Doug Tabb, Tom Peters, Dawn Nystul

Mike 'Elistan' Nystul
neverwhen@aol.com
Marc Blumberg, Joanne Ciszewski, Greg Dudgeon. Kelly Jordine, Drew Novick, Bryan Nystul, Mike Nystul, Robyn Tish

David 'Risisin' Simkins
dsimkins@jaka.ece.uiuc.edu
Tom Dowd, Eileen Malony, Mike Malony, Mike Shoenberger, Kevin Stein, Chad Brinkley, Dig Freedman, Jody Wilson, Gail Peck

Rich 'Kobar' Schaufuss
lyranathor@aol.com
Joe Adlesick, Dan 'Flake' Grendel. Lou Klozik Pnme. Kurt Martin, Vicki Martin, Lori Ralston, Joshua Rowe. Lou 'Ditto' Klozik

Kevin 'Liam' Stein
deuspax@aol.com
Bill Dwyer, Corrie Hrubes, Phillip Kelly, Aaron Loeb, Kevin MacGregor, Jon Marcus, Rich Schaufuss, Shard 'Shard' Shard

Dong 'Segial' Tabb
dougtabb@aol.com
Omar Gonzalez, Rich Gray, Bob Hollister, Jason Rownd, James Silverstein. Rob Wilson, Dave Jennings, Tonya Angelus

Please treat your Storyteller with patience and respect.
    If you are having a problem with your Storyteller please let me know and I will do what I can to set things right.
    Bear in mind that the Storytellers haven't had a chance to get the groundwork done that they will need to function so they won't really be in place for December, but you can expect some feedback from them in January if you have given them enough background material to work with.
    These guys are doing us a favor. They will be spending a lot of time trying to improve the game. Try to be courteous. If your Storyteller puts together a cool plot for you remember to thank him for doing it. If you feel frustrated don't take it out on your Storyteller. Play nice or don't play.
    I think the Storytellers will be a boon to the campaign and the work that they are doing will go a long way toward fixing everything that wasn't quite right with the game.

Thanks guys - I appreciate the help.

ONWARD AND UPWARD

The next session is 'Dead of Winter' - Zayven`s notorious Masquerade Ball. This will be a special game that has a lot of special requirements. If you can help with any of the following things please give Dawn a call.
    GM CHARACTERS: Zayven isn't going to invite just anyone. About half of those in attendance will be playing GM characters I know most of you would rather play your adventurers but these characters will be a lot of fun.
    SITE: We need a mansion. If nothing else turns up we will prevail upon Kurt and Vicki but I would like to see us using different sites more often. If you know of a site that would be a good mansion let us know as soon as possible.
    PERFORMERS. Zayven is the kind of host that would have entertainment at his parties. If you have a skill he would find entertaining (think about it) or you know someone you could convince to perform for us, let us know.
    PROPS, SETS AND COSTUMES: I will need some 'stuff' for the game that I could probably build myself if I had the time but I don't so I will need volunteers to help me put everything together in time for the game.