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| 2/28/2004 | LATEST ISSUE OF ELANTHIAN JOURNAL NOW ON SALE |
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| The latest edition of the Elanthian Journal is now available for sale. Features for this issue cover the kidnapping of Captain Jezzbelly, the effect of the Spitfire on the local kobold population, and the announcement of a cultural pageant in Icemule Trace. Look for the nearest hovel to buy your copy now! | |
| 2/27/2004 | SATURDAY MORNING OUTAGE |
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Our ISP has informed us that they will be doing maintenance on our router for approximately 15 minutes sometime between 4 AM and 8 AM Eastern Time on the morning of Saturday February, 28th.
During that 15 minute window, you may experience difficulties connecting or staying connected to Simutronics and/or other problems which may result in lag and/or ghosting within the games. Please take care while playing, as it is doubtful that we will receive any additional warning when this maintenance actually begins. We apologize for any inconvenience or difficulties that arise from the maintenance. |
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| 2/27/2004 | RESUBMIT YOUR GM APPLICATION |
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It appears that our GM application system has been broken since November, and that all GM applications received since then have been lost. If you have submitted a GM application since November, please resubmit your application ASAP.
Thank you for your assistance. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. |
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| 2/26/2004 | ALTER YOUR PERCEPTIONS (AND YOUR ITEMS) |
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Just won your first chance for an alteration? Wish a list of suggestions and guidelines were available in a convenient place? Tired of scrolling through hundreds of bookmarked links to find the one you need?
Now all you need to do is type ALTER and an updated in-game guide will be at your fingertips! No more waiting to see if a merchant caught your whispered questions, or getting vague answers from other players, you'll have access to a myriad of information that you can read and research at any time. Please direct typos only to [email protected], and post your comments to the Discussions With Simutronics folder on the GS4 boards. |
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| 2/24/2004 | HOUSE ASPIS WANTS TO KNOW: WHAT'S MY LINE ... AGE? |
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Looking to re-line your pockets after the Spitfire leaves town? Aha! Well...Aspis' seasonal biography contest is currently under way. Deadline for entries has been extended to Midnight, Charlatos 7th. (March 7)
Cash prizes for the top four entries! For details, please visit: www.argentaspis.com (Events page) |
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| 2/24/2004 | HOUSE ASPIS PRESENTS DRAGON SAYS |
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Come and show off your knowledge of the newest actions and movements available to us all by playing "Dragon Says" with the members of House Aspis! On Friday, March 5 starting at 10:00 PM EST, people will gather at the House Aspis gates to participate in this fun and sometimes fun-ny event.
Don't be shy! Give it a try or just enjoy the festive atmosphere and famous Aspis hospitality. Listen for the town crier to announce when the game is about to begin, then rush to the east side of town, where Aspis is located. |
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| 2/20/2004 | OBSIDIAN TOWER AUCTION |
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The Obsidian Tower presents Illimitable Goods of Elanthia with a live auction on Restday, Fashanos 21 at 9pm EST. The auction will be held in Moot Hall in the Landing. Most items will have a minimum bid of 1 silver, but many of them are worth far more then 10 million silvers. We're tired of these things sitting around gathering dust. Perhaps a live auction will appeal to some people who can actually use the stuff.
Some of the things you can expect at the auction are masterfully and exceptionally padded full plate, magical claidhmores, self-charging magical trinkets, and many more! Ardwen Ydwenson will be head auctioneer and will present the items for bid once the event begins. |
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| 2/20/2004 | TWO-WEAPON COMBAT CHANGES |
| Several changes to Two-Weapon Combat have been implemented today, affecting Roundtime, the chance for finding an opening to attack, Attack Strength, and Defense Strength. Details and discussion of the changes can be found at: http://www.play.net/forums/messages.asp?forum=102&category=4&topic=24&message=176 | |
| 2/18/2004 | ROLEPLAYING TIP: TONE |
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"Don't take that tone with me, missy!"
TONE has been a great addition to the game, enhancing the ways in which we can portray our characters while roleplaying. But like any system or tool, it needs to be used wisely or it can end up as a detriment, rather than as an enhancement. The best use of tone is for a single sentence or a few sentences in a row, when your character is taking on a certain tone of voice that reflects their mood or attitude at that moment. The tone list is extensive and almost any sort of tone can be found to be used in specific instances like this. Most experienced roleplayers agree that this is the best and most appropriate use of the TONE verb. Another way to use TONE, one that should only be used after careful consideration, is setting your tone and then leaving it in place indefinitely. There are very few tones on the list that are appropriate for this type of usage, such as quiet or slow. But even then, most experienced roleplayers agree that any tone left on a single setting ends up not making sense at some point and becomes an annoyance, rather than a benefit to roleplay. A character who is feeling flirtatious for the moment looks darn silly still speaking flirtatiously half an hour later when talking about the new armor she just bought. A character who makes a mysterious comment or two looks very foolish when an hour later he mysteriously announces he will cast mass blurs for everyone present. Use TONE to enhance the moment and to make your character come alive as a fantasy character. Be careful in how you use it and think about whether or not your tone is appropriate for what you are saying at the moment, in order to avoid making silly mistakes. You can type SAY and TONE for usage information. |
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| 2/14/2004 | LATEST ISSUE OF ELANTHIAN JOURNAL NOW ON SALE |
| The latest edition of the Elanthian Journal is now available for sale. Look for the nearest hovel to buy your copy now. | |
| 2/13/2004 | THE ELANTHIAN CRUSTACEAN CUP CONTINUES |
| Lobster racing continues! The Halfling Dumpling Gang will be touring Elanthia hosting qualifying rounds for the Crustacean Cup Championship. Finalists, selected for each major town, will receive 100,000 silvers and the opportunity to win the cup with a 1,000,000 silver prize. Entry is open to anyone with the will to win. To find out when the next qualifying rounds in your town will be, see the calendar of events, find a Dumpling member, review the board outside the Icemule Trace town meeting hall, or visit http://www20.brinkster.com/gsdumplings/. | |
| 2/13/2004 | BLACK WOLF CLAN PRESENTS ROLEPLAYING SEMINAR |
| Are you confused and somewhat bewildered about roleplaying? Don't know if your speech, attire, gestures, and actions are in character? The Black Wolf Clan will be presenting an "Introduction to Roleplaying" seminar open to Elanthians of all ages, to be held Saturday, the 21st day of Fashanos at 2pm Elven time in the Assembly Room located on the first floor of Moot Hall. Your Hosts will be Lord Naugal and Lady Nadrena. Hope to see you all there! | |
| 2/12/2004 | NEW STORMFRONT SKINS |
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The first player-created StormFront skin has been completed and is now available for download in our software area: http://www.play.net/gs4/downloads/#sfskins
The staff of GemStone offer Sidnny thanks for a job well done! (Please note that we are expecting changes in the default StormFront skin very shortly. So if you use a player skin, you will need to download an updated version of the skin once it is available after the change.) |
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| 2/11/2004 | HELDEN HALL'S EIGHTH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION |
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Come join the members of Helden Hall on Restday, the 22 of Fashanos (Sunday, February 22) to commemorate the eighth anniversary of this Great House's opening. Two fabulous contests have been planned with grand prize monies! Be a part of the fun and enjoy the celebratory revelry of Helden Hall.
Scavenger Hunt - Begins at 4:30 PM EST. Adventurers will travel far and wide to collect the assorted jun...erm...treasures required and bring them back to the Hall. Everyone who completes the hunt will walk away with *something*. The race for this year's batch of items promises to be quite exciting so...go for it! Grab things! Win prizes! How much easier can it get? Grand Storytelling Contest - Begins at 6:30 PM EST. Gone for several years, Helden is bringing it back with two themes for this year's entries. 1) Honor, Strength, and Loyalty: Bring stories of valor, poems of battle, and tales of legendary heroism to quicken the heart and inspire the soul. 2) Drunk and Disorderly: Tell of trouble and adventure brought on by too much ale, a song that helps you bring down your rum, or demonstrate your ability to rhyme after a keg of ale. As an incentive to get everyone's creative juices flowing, the first place prize for storytelling will be one million silvers. See you there! Helden House is located three blocks east of the furrier in the Landing, down the cobblestone path. |
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| 2/11/2004 | SKILL MIGRATION - TIME TO GOAL- BUG FIX |
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An error has been discovered with the calculations that were being used to display the "Time to Goal" while converting skills. The actual skill deprecation was and is working as intended, but the display was showing Time to Goal as if all skills were singled.
For those who were deprecating skills that they were less than singled in, this bug had no effect. For those who were deprecating skills that they were more than singled in, the Time to Goal display was lower than it should have been. This display error will be fixed today. Some players may notice their Time to Goal increase for this reason. For discussion on this topic, please visit the GemStone IV Forums: Hunting and Game Design Discussions, The Character Manager. https://www.play.net/forums/messages.asp?forum=102&category=4&topic=20 |
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| 2/11/2004 | HALCYON DAYS FESTIVAL |
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Come and honor Voaris and Laethe at the 5th annual Halcyon Days Festival to be held in River's Rest. The festival, which will feature a wide range of games and contests, is sponsored by Beacon Hall Archives in cooperation with the town of River's Rest. The event will be held on the 14th of Fashanos (Friday, February 14th) starting at 12 noon and go on throughout the day until 11:00 PM. With over one million in silvers plus other great prizes for games and contests, as well as entertaining stories and trivia games, there is surely something for everyone!
Tentative schedule: 12 noon - Tripping contest 1:00 - Hide and Seek 2:00 - Limerick Contest 3:00 - Scavenger Hunt 5:00 - Imperial Chess 6:00 - Lucky Lockpicking 7:00 - Rivers Rest and Other Trivia Game 8:00 - Ravine Diving 10:00 - Halcyon Days Storytelling |
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| 2/10/2004 | THREE NEW HISTORY DOCUMENTS AVAILABLE |
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Three new history documents are available on the website:
The Legend of Halcyon Hills: http://www.play.net/gs4/info/tomes/halcyonhills.asp Introduction to Demon Summoning: http://www.play.net/gs4/info/tomes/demons/introduction.asp Enchiridion Valentia: http://www.play.net/gs4/info/tomes/demons/enchiridionvalentia.asp Enjoy! |
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| 2/10/2004 | HELP TEST THE NEW TOWN SHOP SYSTEM |
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Tykel's Arms in Wehnimer's Landing is now using a new town shop system. We would appreciate help testing this new system. Problems should be reported via the BUG command.
Type ORDER or click on the counter to begin. * You will not be moved into a separate area so everything will be live. Spells will still fire, blood will still flow, you may chat with your friends, etc. * You may INSPECT catalog items. Type INSPECT #. * You may APPRAISE catalog items. Type APPRAISE #. * You may DESCRIBE catalog items. Type DESCRIBE #. * Items are delivered one at a time to your empty hand. * You may order a quantity of an item, 2 thru 99, via ORDER {quantity} of {item#}. Quantities are delivered in a standard package container. * Power users may order all their customizations with the ORDER command: ORDER # of (COLOR NAME or COLOR NUMBER) (MATERIAL NAME or MATERIAL NUMBER) * Upon ordering, a price is shown, you may buy it, customize it or OFFER another price. * Point and click for Stormfront is enabled. |
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| 2/9/2004 | RUNESTAVE WORKSHOP AT SILVERWOOD MANOR |
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The Lorekeepers of Silverwood Manor invite all citizens of Elanthia to join them as Lorekeeper Kardgar hosts a special workshop with Guest Speaker Maleki V'Talis. Workshop topic will be on Runestaves.
This workshop will be held inside the Manor in the Great Hall on February 21st at 8pm EST. Access to the Manor is from the courtyard: Wehnimer's Landing: One east of Lorminstra's Temple through the gate and then west. IceMule: From Town Center go west, north, through the gate and then west again. Ta'Vaalor: From the Locksmith's go south, southwest, south, through the gate and west. |
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| 2/9/2004 | MAGE SETS UP MAGICAL PORTAL |
| Local empaths, concerned with the increased volume of scraped knees and cut forearms resulting from attempting the climbs from Ta'Illistim to Wehnimer's Landing, have petitioned a local mage of great power to construct a temporary magical portal between the town and the Landing. One empath, who prefers to remain anonymous, stated, "This is a good thing, poor tykes dragging themselves back into town with scrapes and bruises, all from trying to get to that pirate ship! This will ease our workload greatly." The portal has been erected in the town center, and will allow people with ten or less visits to the trainer to travel by magic. The local mage, who also wished to remain incognito, stated, "The portal will allow two way travel, but the person must have entered from Ta'Illistim. Poor little tykes." | |
| 2/8/2004 | RUNESTAVE WORKSHOP AT SILVERWOOD MANOR |
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The Lorekeepers of Silverwood Manor invite all citizens of Elanthia to join them as Lorekeeper Kardgar hosts a special workshop with Guest Speaker Maleki V'Talis. Workshop topic will be on Runestaves.
This workshop will be held inside the Manor in the Great Hall. Access to the Manor is from the courtyard: Wehnimer's Landing: One east of Lorminstra's Temple through the gate and then west. IceMule: From Town Center go west, north, through the gate and then west again. Ta'Vaalor: From the Locksmith's go south, southwest, south, through the gate and west. |
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| 2/8/2004 | LOREKEEPERS ANNOUNCE MONTH OF FUN |
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The Lorekeepers of Silverwood Manor invite all new citizens to join them for a bit of fun and learning. The following events have been added to their schedule this month:
Lexicon ~ Prizes Galore and Fun For All as you learn how to do all those new actions! Saturday, February 14th, 3 pm EST in IceMule with Lorekeeper Rhandi Saturday, February 28th, 6 pm EST in Wehnimer's Landing with Lorekeeper Morganwyn Rummage Sale ~ Hundreds of new duds and items for a song (or maybe a poem or joke)! Saturday, February 14th, 5pm EST in IceMule with Lorekeeper Taylir Monday, February 16th, 9pm EST in Wehnimer's Landing with Lorekeeper Deevareeree Mondary, February 23rd, 9pm EST in Ta'Vaalor with Lorekeeper Agenais Town Tours ~ Tours with a bit of fun. Wednesday, February 18th, 3pm EST in Wehnimer's Landing with Lorekeeper Marica Saturday, February 21st, Noon EST in IceMule with Lorekeeper Mystianna Sunday, February 22nd, 6pm EST in Ta'Vaalor with Lorekeeper Morganwyn Runestaves Workshop February 21st, Silverwood Manor, 8pm EST |
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| 2/7/2004 | SKIN VALUES AFFECTED BY HUNTING PRESSURE |
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Elated with his good fortune, a trapper near Icemule was overheard today saying, "Daggummit, about time that furrier started payin' me more for me pelts! Ain't just any ol' trapper that can get a wolverine, is it? No sir, I told 'im, ya want me rare pelts, ya pay me good prices! The old coot finally agreed, but he told me if too many started comin' in, he was gonna drop the prices back. Haw! I ain't worried. Ain't just any trapper can get a wolverine!"
------------------------------------- A change to the skinning system was implemented today to factor in hunting pressure, similar to the model used with other forms of treasure. The pelts of creatures that are underhunted will be more valuable than normal, while the pelts of creatures that are overhunted will be devalued. This will not apply to the very lowest level creatures, as it is expected that creatures like giant rats will be heavily hunted. |
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| 2/6/2004 | PROBLEMS WITH ENHANCIVE ITEMS |
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It was determined this weekend that the enhancive item system was operating in a couple ways that we had not intended. First, it was using up charges a bit faster than we expected. Second, items that ran out of charges were crumbling, and we had not intended them to crumble. Third, items were crumbling without messaging the player - so from the player's perspective, they simply vanished. To rectify this we made the following adjustments:
#1. The wearable enhancive items we gave out in giftboxes will now fix themselves when the owner next logs in. (This will only be true for the next 30 days [from the original date of this NEWS item], so please make sure to log in your character during that time.) They will no longer crumble when they wear out. (Please note, this does not apply to the potion. Additionally, a number of players have confused their drinking vessels with enhancive items ... those are not enhancive, they're just fun drinking vessels.) #2. The wearable enhancive items we gave out in giftboxes will now be granted an additional number of charges when the owner next logs in. (This will only be true for the next 30 days [from the original date of this news item], so please make sure to log in your character during that time.) #3. Messaging was added so that if enhancive items DO crumble, that the user is made aware of that fact. #4. If your enhancive item disappeared, please check your locker and your inventory to make sure you don't have it. If not, please assist to request a replacement. NOTE: This NEWS item was republished for those who missed it on its first publication. The original publication date was 12/16/2003. |
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| 2/5/2004 | JUSTICE MODIFICATIONS |
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Prompted by player suggestions, a few more changes have been rolled into the justice system:
1. The JUSTICE verb has been reformatted a bit to make the information easier to read and understand. 2. The ACCUSE verb has been modified so that you can and should now ACCUSE a person of a specific crime. The official will consider whether he believes that specific charge and will not take other possible crimes into account. 3. The DIRECTION verb will now include information about the constabulary in each of the three towns were DIRECTIONs are available. 4. When being jailed, the criminal will only be healed if he or she has a wound or disease that is causing his or her health to deteriorate. Minor bruises will be left alone. The charges for healing have also been modified to more accurately reflect how much healing was required. |
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| 2/5/2004 | LOREKEEPERS DISCUSS ENCHANTMENT |
| Join the Lorekeepers of Silverwood Manor for a discussion of the ins and outs (and ups and downs) of spell 925: Enchant Item. The forum will take place on Saturday, February 7th at 9:00 pm Eastern at Silverwood Manor. Use DIR SILVERWOOD in Wehnimer's Landing, Icemule Trace, or Ta'Vaalor to find your way there | |
| 2/5/2004 | HOUSE RAVENWOLF SHUTTLE FLIGHT |
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All aboard! House RavenWolf will be leading groups of travelers between the Elven Nations and the town of Wehnimer's Landing. On the first Volnes day (Monday) of each month at 10:00 pm Elven (Eastern) the RavenWolf Shuttle will be leaving from the South Dock in the city of Ta'Vaalor to travel to Ta'Illstim, then through the DragonSpine Mountains and Zul Logoth to the town of Wehnimer's Landing. This journey is provided as a free service for those who need to do errands in other towns.
Do the RavenWolf shuffle two days later on the return flight to Ta'Vaalor on Leyan day (Wednesday) at the same time, departing from the Cozy Shack in the Landing (cross the Eastside bridge in town, three east and one south, next to the party tent). Please bring the required silver (4020 silvers round trip), pack light and be sure you've learned enough about climbing to safely make the trip. Disclaimer: We do our best to prevent deaths and usually will have a cleric and empath on hand. Also, this is a journey on foot, so we only provide the leader and group to travel with. |
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| 2/5/2004 | PROBLEMS WITH ENHANCIVE ITEMS |
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It was determined this weekend that the enhancive item system was operating in a couple ways that we had not intended. First, it was using up charges a bit faster than we expected. Second, items that ran out of charges were crumbling, and we had not intended them to crumble. Third, items were crumbling without messaging the player - so from the player's perspective, they simply vanished. To rectify this we made the following adjustments:
#1. The wearable enhancive items we gave out in giftboxes will now fix themselves when the owner next logs in. (This will only be true for the next 30 days, so please make sure to log in your character during that time.) They will no longer crumble when they wear out. (Please note, this does not apply to the potion. Additionally, a number of players have confused their drinking vessels with enhancive items ... those are not enhancive, they're just fun drinking vessels.) #2. The wearable enhancive items we gave out in giftboxes will now be granted an additional number of charges when the owner next logs in. (This will only be true for the next 30 days, so please make sure to log in your character during that time.) #3. Messaging was added so that if enhancive items DO crumble, that the user is made aware of that fact. #4. If your enhancive item disappeared, please check your locker and your inventory to make sure you don't have it. If not, please assist to request a replacement. |
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| 2/5/2004 | FIRST OFFICIAL WILLOW HALL ARCHERY CONTEST |
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Come one, come all, to the first official Willow Hall archery contest! The house of Willow Hall invites all to an archery contest on the 13th of Fashanos (Friday, Feb. 13th.) No archery skill is needed; bows and arrows will be provided for the teams to use during the contest.
The contest is open to the first 16 teams of four to apply. Prizes will be awarded to the top three teams as follows: 1st place winner - 1 million silvers, 2nd place winner - 500k silvers, 3rd place winner - 250k silvers. There will be food and drink for contestants and their fans. Come enjoy the fun and majesty of Willow Hall and win a bit of coin too. Please send entries to [email protected] The event will begin at 9:00 PM EST at the Willow Hall archery range. Climb the trail by the bridge south of town to reach the House entrance. |
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| 2/4/2004 | ARDENAI TEMPLE KNIGHTS RECRUITMENT DRIVE AND FUN DAY |
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Recruiting Drive: Do you crave the chance to be a part of something unique and exciting? Wish you could take up arms with your fellow citizens and defend your fair city? Want to be involved in your community and show others through honor and commitment what being a Knight truly means? If so, please join the Ardenai Temple Knights for our recruitment drive on Feastday, the 7th of Fashanos. We are looking for people of any and all races and professions. The only required qualities we seek in an applicant are to believe in honor, dedication, and commitment to making Elanthia a safer place for all. Look for our tent in Wehnimer's Landing, beginning at 1pm elven.
Fun Day Activities: The Ardenai Temple Knights invite you to participate in a day of games and fun! We will be giving the adventurers of Wehnimer's Landing a chance to show off just how quick and creative they can be! Starting with a scavenger hunt at 1 pm elven, this Feastday, the 7th of Fashanos, that will take us from the Landing to the surrounding cities west of the Dragonspine Mountains and back, and ending with a rousing game of "Feed the Cookie Monster" at 10 pm elven, we will be offering prizes and comradery to one and all. Please join us at our tent in Wehnimer's Landing to participate in the fun. |
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| 2/3/2004 | STORY NIGHT HOSTED BY THE PALADINS OF HAL'CONTORU |
| Elanthian adventurers are cordially invited to attend a Story Night sponsored by the Paladins of Hal'Contoru in the foyer of the Silvergate Inn in Wehnimer's Landing on Restday, the 8th of Fashanos. High Paladin Jinhi Baloot will be your host for the evening. We will convene at 9pm elven. Hope to see you there! | |
| 2/2/2004 | ANNUAL HOUSE ASPIS DATING GAME |
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This month, House Aspis is hosting its 3rd Annual House Aspis Dating Game! This fun event will be held on Friday, February 6th outside the gates of House Aspis, starting at 10:00 PM EST.
Come out and participate, or just enjoy the festive atmosphere and famous Aspis hospitality. Listen for the town crier to announce when the game is about to begin, then rush to Aspis' gate. With romance in the air this month, who knows, maybe you'll meet someone especial... |
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