Yes, after a bit of a wait its finally time for the third issue of the
Serin Mystique! As you can see, there have been a few changes. The
Current Events section has been removed to make room for the new sections of
'The Arts' and 'Classifieds'. Once again, I would like to thank everyone
who offered information for the Serin Mystique, you have helped the Heralds
make what was only good into something truly great!

The sections you can 'look' at in the Serin Mystique are:

We hope that the voices of the past will guide your future journeys.

Untitled

The Castle of Valour has been swarming with activity as of late.
Several squires were inducted, and several more were placed in the program.
Among the most major news from the Castle is the passing of Anvangulen from
his berth as mortal leader of the Knights and Executor of Valour after a
long and fruitful career. Long considered Anvangulen's right hand
storm-giant Lourn rose from his position as Guardian to take the position of
Executor. In addition, Soluminus has went into seclusion in a monastery and
another has temporarily taken his place. With several promotions as well,
the structure of the Knight's hierarchy can certainly be said to have
changed as of late. Their roster is as following: Lourn the Executor of
Valour, Naydra, Ulantop, and Kindinalin as Guardians of Valour, Sinosat and
Jijit are Archons of Valour, Metronas and Derius are Knights of Valour, and
lastly, Mbeki, Eriel, and Ceariya are the Disciples of Valour.

PLEASE NOTE:

Because of the constant flux of the Cabals of Serin, please inform the
Heralds of any and all inaccuracies or omissions. In addition, the Heralds
cannot be held accountable for the accuracy of these reports, as it is only
a collection of the information they were able to collect from you.

We all know Henry, do we not? He is a rather sad man, or so he seems,
but I believe he is up to something. I was walking along and I see he has a
bottle of brandy. Well brandy is my favorite drink and since he was holding
it, I figured I might as well ask for some. I asked him kindly but he
refused, so I ended up knocking him out and stealing the bottle. Probably
not the nicest thing for me to do, but I had to have some brandy! Well, I
take a swing wholly expecting a nice bit of brandy, and I get a mouthful of
whisky, not an altogether unpleasant sensation but then again it wasn't
brandy. What could be the meaning of this, eh? I think I know the truth.
Note to all my readers none of this information here has been confirmed, it
is merely gossip and rumor, but I myself am willing to believe it. Well
anyway, I went searching around, asking people about the whole thing and I
found something really strange. It seems Henry spends a lot of time in the
Graveyard... So I went there and did a little digging in the catacombs and
found a load of brandy bottles full of whisky! I ran to get the Timaran
City Guard but when I got back, all the bottles were gone and Henry was
sitting on the bridge looking rather sad. I was wholly confused, where
could the whisky have gone?! I looked around a bit more, then decided to
take a trip by Seringale by raft, so I hopped in the river and went floating
down that way. Well, when I get to Seringale I see a bunch of people
standing under the bridge packing bottles into crates, and then it hit me!
Henry has been filling bottles of brandy full of bootleg whisky, which he
floats down the stream to one of the establishments in Seringale. Which of
them, I am not sure, but I know something is up. I find it utterly
deplorable to think of such treachery, if we can't trust our alcohol what can
we trust? What wicked days these are that men and women cannot even get a
drink of brandy without checking it first.

One of the mid-ranking Heralds was killed earlier this week, in a...
Valiant attempt to help take down the Essence of Evil. The victim allegedly
failed to use potions of any kind to protect against the fearsome amount of
damage being dealt out by the Essence: speculation is that he had been hit
on the head one too many times. Thankfully, the gods saw fit to bring him
back for another go, and all of his possessions were recovered. The victim
was overheard saying "they should really put a warning label on that thing,
yes, yes!"

On Recent Events:

Recent times have been among the most interesting for Serin's inhabitants.
A challenge from the Abyss by its Emperor to Serin has been made, and met,
and an invasion force of Demons from that foul place had already taken root
in these lands.

It has been known for some time to the Legion and the Mystics that the Gem
of Souls, a relic from the Taekir invasion of Darkhan, might be of some use
to them in combating the Demons. Even though legend has it that it was
destroyed following that great conflict, there was word that it, or
something similar to it, could be resurrected by fusing the Gems from the
Illusionary Isles. Thus, the Legion and the Mystics fought for supremacy
and control of the Gems. Soon, the Legion controlled four of the five Gems,
all save the Gem of Envy. At this, Resatimm, divine and unholy leader of
the Legion, made a bid to all Serins for the Gem. At last, the Legion was
in control of the entire set, and Resatimm, using his power, fused them into
the Gem of Souls.

But lo, no sooner had the Gem been made than Zaikkra, Lord of the Fell, and
onetime Lieutenant of the Emperor of the Abyss escaped from the Gem.
Zaikkra, who was quite fond of one Iggilwiv, was enraged when the Emperor
impregnated her, and so in revenge Zaikkra turned himself into a Lich and
banished Iggilwiv to the depths of Winter. The Emperor, in turn, imprisoned
Zaikkra in the Gem. The Fell, a race of the Abyss, held unwavering loyalty
to Zaikkra, and in a bid to overthrow his nemesis, he let them loose upon
Serin to take the land for his own and foil the Emperor's plot. The demons
who had for some time walked Serin have not been seen since, surely the work
of Zaikkra.

Shortly after, the Fell, a humanoid species of great strength and agility,
began to enter the realms. In a bid to enhance their own power, the guild-
masters of the berserker, dark-knight and warrior guilds allowed these
creatures to join and learn the arts of their guilds. The Fell, obviously,
can only travel with others of their kind, but also the Mystics, who seem to
play some part in this intricate plot. Swiftly, the other cabals and the
Immortals issued a rallying cry to all Serins to slay the Fell. Lord
Jeradan of the Justice removed any and all protection from the Law for these
strange creatures.

And so affairs stand, as Serins move to the brink of a great war between
two great realms. Still, no Fell has yet to achieve the pinnacle of its
guild, and accordingly, the true battles of the war have yet to begin. The
Immortals of Serin warn that the importance of the events of the coming days
cannot be underestimated or understated, and it has come to the attention of
this Herald that Lord Davairus has stated that "the stakes are high." What
foreknowledge the Heavens have of the times ahead cannot be divined, and so
it remains to be seen what shall happen in the troubled times that are sure
to follow.

On Gnomes:

Gnomes are quite unusual creatures, even among the fantastic beings of
Serin. Their most striking characteristic, is of course, their size.
Although the dimensions vary from region to region, gnomes typically stand
some six to eight hands a the shoulder. Although their small size often
makes them easy targets for larger races, the power contained within these
tiny creatures is vast, for they are a race of knowledge and wisdom. Gnomes
love to tinker with machines and such and also are known for their magical
abilities.

Gnomes, however, would best be advised to stay out of direct combat with the
largest beings, such as giants, who are often found playing sport with the
hapless little people. Reports have reached the writer that a form of ball
game played with the heads of gnomes has become popular in several giant
communities around Serin. Gnomes seem to be preferable to other small
creatures such as halflings, or even humans because of the reportedly bouncy
nature of their heads.

Gnomes are an ancient race, akin to humans, and certainly have a proud
and noble history of their own, even in the great guilds formed in Seringale
and her neighboring cities. The writer would mention his own comrade
Shruian, an illusionist by craft, and a Herald by profession who is
certainly a gnomish sort. When gnomes of note are mentioned, one would be
remiss to forget Garbon, a Warlord of some time ago, who achieved much
success and heartened those of his kind who had long felt themselves not up
to the task. However, Serin is also the land of the Khyer-Dirohm and the
mace of unholy spirits, and such great weapons may well be named
"Gnome-smasher" for their skill in harming those of the gnomish persuasion.


On Fell:


Please keep in mind that the following was gathered from a conversation with
fell, and that, for whatever reason, any of this might be misinformation or
plain lies. However, as I can see no reason for them to gain from the
following if it is false, I shall share it. During a conversation with the
Fell, it was revealed that Fell, as we see them, are nothing more than a
shell of a person on our own plane of existence. Yes, they are being
controlled by someone that we might term as being a "person", but their
presence here in Serin is much like a necromancer's zombie: it is
essentially incapable of independent thought of its own. Personally, this
helps resolve a great deal for me, as even if these Fell were a grave threat
to Serin, I thought that they might help us learn something valuable. The
Fell themselves know nothing: in addition the minds behind them are thieves
of the worst kind-they risk nothing to take that which is not theirs while
we risk everything for that which we already have. Death to all Fell.

Nadoshi vs [WARLORD] Manroug:

I happened to be in town and hear Nadoshi auctioning off a helm of
spell-turning. Manroug the Warlord quickly auctioned 10, 000 gold pieces
which was accepted by Nadoshi. Nadoshi gave the helm to Manroug then as
Manroug went to the bank to collect coins AND the helm. What an unfair
trade!

VICTOR NADOSHI

[JUSTICE] Addreodyn, [HERALD] Kalerin, Candra vs Decarni

Kalerin with help from Candra (who died) and Addreodyn got Decarni the Demon
to mortally wounded when a simple gnomish city guard walked in and slew him
for his crimes. VICTORS ADDREODYN, KALERIN, CANDRA

Haranides vs Nadoshi

Big surprise on this one... Guess who won!

VICTOR NADOSHI

Dechimeri vs [LEGION]

After some time, Legion was able to take down the Demon Dechimeri. When
Hamuzaki looted the corpse, he was killed.

VICTOR [LEGION]

Tiarak vs Nadoshi

This one actually is a bit of a surprise...

VICTOR TIARAK

[KNIGHT] Lourn vs Ryosuke

After this battle, Ryosuke, who was rumored to be of Legion, left the realms
for all time.

VICTOR LOURN

Aeva and Gasire vs Nadoshi

VICTOR NADOSHI

[KNIGHT] Candra vs Lazrin

VICTOR LAZRIN

If you have any reports of the results of a battle between those at their
50th rank, or those in a Cabal, please scribe a note to Herald!

Well Ilyar wrote me the following...

Dear Keeb,

I have a problem, I think I'm... Visually challenged. See, I always used
to think my eyes were fine, but it just so happens that I kept bumping into
things at the bar where I drink, and generally making a fool of myself. I
would go see a doctor, but I am one myself, sort of. What should I do? And
should I somehow make reparations for the embarrassment I caused to all the
other drinkers?

How I see it, Ilyar, you don't really have a problem at all. When you get a
bit tipsy you're kind of expected to run into things. It's all part of the
fun, isn't it? In any case, I always thought it was. Of course I am a
thief and it doesn't really matter if I make a bit of a fool of myself. I
don't know what profession you follow but if you need respect I have your
answer... There are actually two solutions but one involves staying sober
so I won't talk about that one. The other solution is to get completely
wasted whenever you do get drunk, do you see where I am going with this?
No? Well ok, when you get completely wasted, chances are you are going to
pass out so you're not going to bump into things (and if you do, you won't
remember). Also if you're passed out in some seedy bar on the bad side of
town where loads of rogues and thieves and murderers and stuff are waiting
around for you to slip up so they can cut your throat or beat you senseless
or stab you in the back or steal your purse or do numerous other nasty
things to you, then you look really tough because your not afraid. So there
you go Ilyar. Good luck! --Keeb Miedo

Well an unnamed person, I'll call him Sir Fights Alot, wrote me with the
following problem...

Dear Keeb, I am a minotaur, and as such, I like to fight... Alot! Every
time I come into town looking for a fight, my opponents run. This is
upsetting, because how am I going to send my application to the Warlords,
without tales of battle. Can you help me with my Problem? Please withhold
my name as well.

Hmm... I see, I see... Many people have this problem. How can you fight
them if they know you are coming? Oh my, I've just gotten an idea. I am
assuming you don't mind breaking the law. Ok, what you do is wait near the
entrance of an area and get someone in the area to be your snitch and tell
you if the target individual is where you want them to be. It's all gravy
from there, just rush in and do your thing. This would probably work really
well in the Sewers just below South Square, because lots of people
congregate in South Square. It's not a perfect solution but, hey, it's an
idea. Also, if your target is a warrior or someone who's not going to go
invisible on you or hide, then perhaps you should chase them... That might
work too.

Good luck Sir Fights Alot, Keeb Miedo

Renfel wrote me with more of a rant than a problem but I think I'll address
it anyway. Here is what he wrote...

Dear Keeb, maybe as a citizen of Serin, and yet a companion in arms to
myself, you can understand me. See, I'm just doing my job, but everybody
holds me up. How am I supposed to make a coin or two when people
hinder me everywhere I go? I go says to this druid, I says, druid! This is
a stickup! And ya know what he says? And this is the part that really gets
me. He asks me why! C'mon, it's what I do! I'm not trying to hurt nobody!
It would just facilitate the transfer-aw, never mind. Let's just say, I
would appreciate if you could warn people when that when I say "this is a
stickup! I'm serious! They shouldn't attack me, just hand it over and
everything will be fine. But they never learn...

I understand how you feel Renfel, when I was younger I participated in our
guilds lucrative trade quite a bit myself and it always seems people are
trying to make things difficult.
- Keeb Miedo

This is a new section of the Mystique, introduced because of several
requests from the Heralds and others. If you have anything you wish to be
published, send it to the Heralds, and we will artfully record it for all
time in the highly esteemed 'Serin Mystique'.

Live without Warning! Written by Danilo

This is a public Serin announcement, This is only a test
Tis an emergency, evacuation,
And protests
May impair your ability
To dirt people effectively
Can't quite tell
Just what it means to me
Keep out of reach of halflings
Don't talk to Fells
Get your philosophy from any Herald-ants

(I say)
Warning, live without a warning
(I say)
Warning, live without a warning
Without, alrighty!

Better citizens and upgrades of the law. Did you remember to pay the protection fees?
Caution: Lawful Ethos
You better not cross
Is the Justice or am I
The one that's really dangerous?
Berserking, Warcrying, Raging, Slashing everyTHING!
Or shut up and be a victim of authority!

(I say)
Warning, live without a warning
(I say)
Warning, live without a warning
Without, alrighty!

As you can see, this is a new section of the 'Serin Mystique'. If you
wish to place a Classified ad for any service you offer or priceless items
you wish to trade or find, then contact a Herald! For only a small fee you
can place an ad in the Mystique that everyone in Serin will see!

Jeryn the Angel of Arcana is willing to enchant the weapons of any traveler
for five-thousand coins apiece.

NOTE: The cost for placing an ad is from 200 to 100 gold per word, based on
the length of the ad you place (more words means lower price!). In
addition, if you wish, any color can be added for an additional 50 gold per
word. Send in your Classifieds now!