Welcome to the newest iteration of the Mystique! This is the first issue
produced since Mystics and Heralds were combined into the Consortium, and it
has brought some exciting changes! The Consortium now has Phostan joining
the ranks of the Immortals who've helped bring it to where it is today. He
will be helping with the day to day operations and help produce new content.
That being said, let us tell you of the newest change! Moving forward,
there will be a very limited run of each new Mystique, which will contain
vouchers redeemable for different things. What sort of things? Well, be
sure to grab one of the limited edition copies everytime a new issue is
printed, and find out for yourself!

- The Heralds

Upon the 26th Renewal of the Celestial of Prudence, a representative of
the Justice cabal who wished to remain anonymous was interviewed. This
representative claims that the future of Justice is bright. With that said,
a number of criminals-at-large walk the lands, chief among which is the
infamous thief Yngfre. Apparently, she was apprehended once only to become
a criminal again quickly. According to this same representative, he was
bleeding while trying to apprehend Yngfre and an individual named Daelza
attacked him and is now a criminal. Another criminal, whose name starts
with B, became such after attacking Yngfre while she still had protection in
town. It would appear Justice has their hands full at this time, though
their membership appears to have increased significantly. Known officers on
active duty include Daerich, Solmundi, Triyan, and Zefyxl, with Qang
presumably still in the roster.

- Scribed by the Temptress of Time

Ever since Edebayo departed Serin (see EDEBAYO), the Keepers have
seemingly devolved into a den of thieves and delinquents. Their most
noteworthy members, Accalon and Loreik, are both thieves, though other known
members include Bethisk, Feia, Vulmar, and Declan. Based on the fact that
Heralds have been attacked by the Keepers, no comments were taken from the
Keepers directly as of this time.

The Knights of Valour have certainly had a difficult time lately. Their
members are falling in combat quite often, their honour is called to
question at times, and there is also the constant warfare with Legion and
the Keepers. In addition to the Executor Trovo, the Knights comprise of the
Archon Jorgrun, and the Knights Trareli, Miriebwyn, Alkas, and Raelia.

It is hard to tell what Legion is up to these days aside from subterfuge
and occasional direct battles with the Knights. The Knights have confirmed
that Ulrax and Hirendan must surely be members of Legion, based on personal
battles. The Knights and the members of Legion are constantly going back
and forth, and it seems to have no end. It is hard to tell what will happen
to Legion at this time.

- Told by the Temptress of Time

Although Warmaster Conundo is gone (see CONUNDO), the Warlords are doing
rather well. There was a tournament which was run by Lorne, and which was
won by Kaa in the end. There has been tension between the Warlords and
Keepers, and one of the Warlords has called the Keepers cowards. All in
all, the Warlords are in a good spot. Known active and prominent members
include Kaa, Mandin, and Xaltor.

My mentor once spoke to me that music was invented in a most peculiar
manner. He claims that a drunken giant once enjoyed rabbit stew over a
campfire. Prior to slumber, the giant carved numerous holes in a stick to
test the sharpness of her blades. With a full belly and unglamorous
ambition, the giant closed her eyes and set the stick aside.

Quite oddly, this giant was very afraid of the Gnomes. She experienced a
terrible nightmare in which multiple small beings jumped on her belly while
constrained. It would be a gentle rub to many giants, but she manufactured
her own grim sense of pain.

She quickly woke up gasping for air under the shade of an old oak tree.
Simultaneously, the most aerobatic gnome jumped from the canopy and landed
firmly on the giant's belly. The large intake of air was exhaled from her
backside. By pure blind luck, the gas was released at the perfect angle to
penetrate the carved stick. The most beautiful musical note spread across
the forest.

Still dazed from a hard rest, the female giant swore she witnessed the gnome
gnome grow wings and take flight to the clouds. She searched the ground for
any evidence but only found a basket of fresh muffins. With the power of
music under her belt, the giant changed from her evil ambitions and brought
music to the world.

One can now argue that the first Bard was a Fire Giant. Furthermore, she
was guided to her new profession with the help of a mystical Gnome who had
an appetite for muffins.

Shim Smitt the Master of Melody

You travel much. You have tired feet. You have sword. You need some
where to keep sword at night. I suggest... Build a hovel. Building a
hovel needs several things to make successful. And even when you have these
things. Does not mean, you will have nice home. You need to make home
pretty. So then, what do you first need?

First comes studies, always. Those 11th rank in guild can purchase a door.
With gold. Nothing good is ever free. Except, poo poo. And no one wants
to visit your poo poo house! ( please, stop inviting me...)

Then, for basic door, visit Yarbok in Seringale! They, oddly, work in the
backroom of the Potion Shop. You will need a small sum sum [1000 gold].
But then you will have your very own tiny little door. And you can bring
that door to a hillside or a forest. Or if you have a lot of coin... You
can get a premium spot in one of the major cities. I can't wait to have
neighbors! So, you found a nice spot, you placed your door, and it was
crooked. Well, tough! It's forever! And people will always know you were
not a good door placer. Ha ha! Wait... I'm sorry. But, hopefully, you
will be able to replace the simple hovel door with a Shack door! But you
can't do that until you've tidied up the place! Yarbok has designs for
three living spaces. Bedroom Kitchen Living Room.

How you place the rooms is part of the insanity. You could have the first
room be the Bedroom (a kit i 2500 gold). If you plan to make close friends
of your guests. Or better yet, you start with a Living Room (1000 gold).
You could buy a few small furniture kits (10000g) and start crafting your
our chairs! No instructions necessary! Chairs are so easy, a Fire Giant
can make one! And I have fat, sausage fingers. The room kits will need you
to describe what is in the room when you build it. So, be prepared to
dazzle with your finer designer skills. Yar attention to details. Just the
overall smell of the place. Good smells keep them coming back. Once you
have a good layout. You need to really furnish the place before you can
'Lair Score' an upgrade quality home. With that you will know exactly home
strong your design skills are and when you can part the waves on the next
rank in home living. Next let us talk about furniture.

Please, don't lose your keys. Please.

Kilvar wrote this!

Hey there hi there, Scholars!

The esteemed Lord Phostan tasked me with scribing a scroll to you with
information you can publish for the newcomers to Serin, that they may find
helpful as they learn to navigate the lands! The information in particular
was to be concerned with my favourite topic - which is the physical objects
from this glorious land of ours that they could find useful!

Three such objects immediately come to mind, that any newcomer - and really
any youngen! - should always carry with.

First! A waterfall necklace from the Towers of High Sorcery. One can
usually be found in and around the fountain on the main floor. This handy
trinket, when worn, will produce a bubbling spring of water from which you
can quench your thirst. It even works while in combat!

Second! And along the same lines - the mushroom amulet from the Sands of
Sorrow. When adorned upon your person this ring will magically produce food
for you at random intervals - and again, even while in combat! Both the
waterfall necklace and the mushroom amulet are incredibly useful when one is
training their skills at a scarecrow. A word of caution - the shaman who
holds the mushroom amulet may be too strong for the youngest of the youngens
to vanquish alone.

Third! Hmmm now. What was the third one I was thinking of? Oh bother, it
has slipped my mind. Let me think, just a moment let me think. Well...
When it comes to me I will send another scroll in two shakes of an ocelot's
tail!

I hope these submissions can be used for purposes helpful to our newcomers!

<> Ethaac the Conservator

Hello, friends!

In this series, I will attempt to go into detail on what I look for when I
accept your backgrounds into the historical texts of Serin. For this issue,
we will explore the first step; the hook.

Adventure begins with tragedy, doesn't it? Well, not always!

Many of you began your journey through Serin in the same way; some tragedy
befalls you and yours, and you set out to righteously correct said
injustices. Stories such as those are classic fare and are sure to gain
approval, though I must admit that I generally roll my eyes while reading
them. Were we to catalog every background ever provided by adventurers, I
am certain a vast percentage of them would have death as the 'inciting
element'; the impetus which sets one upon their path.

That is fine, of course. Death is a natural part of life, and it is only
natural that one would seek to make a change after the death of a loved one.
But, I must ask, is there not more to life than death? What of the farm boy
who seeks adventure to prove that one can rise above the circumstances of
their birth? What of the grandmother who, having lost some prized
possession, sets out into the world to find it?

All of us were born, and I would wager many of us had a mundane childhood
until whatever 'inciting incident' that drew you to adventuring life
occurred. When I look at your histories, one thing I consider is how long
it takes you to transition from the mundane to your 'hook'. For me, the
sooner you hook me, the better.

What I call 'the hook' and the 'inciting element' are largely the same. It
is the thing which draws the reader in and makes them invested in your
history. A good tale will do just that, and that is the first step

Join me next issue for another "Heedful Histories"!

Awake! My slumber shed, I ventured back to Seringale to witness
muuuuurrder! The Outlaw Duchess Lucith circling around the streets in hunt
of Solmundi! A fellow lightwalker! How wonky-woo! I could only hear yells
of attacks made by the Justice themselves. Lucith was vicious like a
parchment cut. The human overwhelmed the Jotun in the end. Summoning them
several times to a small space above the Temple of Light. Ruthless Lucith.
New name. You heard if first. Yarp. Known world Outlaws are, Kalict,
Yngfre and now Lucith.


Kilvar wrote this!

At a time not too distant from the present, there was a party in the
kingdom of Valour. Several Knights, a lady, a couple of villains, and a
clown were all present that day. One of the villains knocked out Sir Trovo,
and when the lady came to try and tend to him she too was knocked out. A
brawl broke out in Valour which went all around the perimeter, and at one
point the lady, having noticed the previously mentioned clown, decided to
toss some sparkly yellow dust around. The clown did not like that, and the
poor lady was knocked out briefly before one of the Knights helped her
regain her consciousness. The clown clearly did not like the lady, but
neither does she like clowns who are midgets, and this clown was a midget.
Needless to say, there was hostility all around that day, though the lady
bowed out of the fight when her allies decided to invade the big top of the
clown's one-ring circus.

- Told by the Temptress of Time

Bloodshed on Shimmering Streets

Out walking. I found myself on the shimmering streets of Valour. But there
was drops of blood scattered along the gobblestones and cries of combat in
the air. An ongoing feud was going on. Yngfre, the quillkeeper was doing
battle with Trovo the Yo! Ton. Why is this? I kept my distanct and the
calls were consistent. Scanning in scene in the city. I spotted two
Knights. Trovo and a different one. They stood near the Castle.
Protecting it from a fevorous Yngfre! Swooping stabbing sounds. Galloping
clopping! Weapon sounds! Bam! Clang! Clang, whap! Chaos in the fair
city! But, no bodies fell. Well, not that of the Quillkeeper. They
swooped in. Flew out. The hunt was on! Bad blood! Fresh Blood! What was
going on?! This simple Ton, did not know. But, listened and watched. It
was only when the slimy one, Tith arrived did bodies fall. Creeping from
through, what I can only assume, it's dank Enthema home. Armed with
spellcraft home to the guild of Illusions and trickery, did they strike.
Felling the younger Knight! Trovo and Yngfre having ventured off to
surrounding areas, did not see the murder! I think... It happened so
swift. An ugly sight. A lifeless corpse in Valour. Tith then slithered
away. YoungKnight spoke with me briefly. Overwhelmed by duplicates and
evildoing. They gathered what remained of their suit and meditated on the
events. The bloodshed moved on to different parts. Parts unknown. But I
would learn more when I spoke with Trovo days later.

Trovo v Yngfre - Nothing!

Tith v Youngling - a-Bingo!

Stronghart...

Shortly after my time in Valour. I walked on to Seringale, a place known
to all. You have heard, yes? I walked along the Eastern road and north to
greet the faces of hobgoblins. When they struck! Tith came to greet
meself! Slime! With servants in tow. It worked its magic into my flesh!
The pain! Invigorating! My lifeblood stretched thin. My arms lifted
blades and quickly went limp... I was struck down! Such is the nature of
Illithids. They breed with ill thoughts! (See what I did there? I said,
Illithid and Ill. Because they sound similar. Words are the true magic,
folks.) But, I am not bitter. I enjoyed the lessons taught. The thrill of
battle! What my clan only hinted to me in my past. This would be the
second time, I have battled with Tith. And sadly, the last. They are swift
with their magics, but not strong of heart. I gather

Tith v Kilvar (Stronghart)? Victor, Tith!

Stronghart...

Mandin and Jegren fought a friendly fight in the Gnome Village on the
21st Renewal of the Celestial of Prudence. After an initial skirmish,
Jegren became enraged, but Mandin managed to calm the beast within him down.
Jegren and Mandin went back and forth, until Mandin kicked dirt into
Jegren's eyes and Jegren ran all over. Soon after, they re-engaged, and
after another couple skirmishes Mandin fired a shot to wound Jegren's legs.
Both were pretty hurt by now, but Mandin managed to best Jegren.

Winner: Mandin

Retold by Trelanya, Temptress of Time

On the Twenty-First Renewal of the Celestial of Prudence, Moir challenged
Sidao to a duel in the Mystic Forest. Both parties agreed. Sidao quickly
kicked dirt into Moir's eyes. The battle seemed to go in Sidao's favor for
several rounds, then Moir consumed herbs from the forest and had his boar
rescue him. The battle was very close, and eventually Moir landed the last
blow and Sidao slumped unconscious.

Winner: Moir

In a fraught battle, Xaltor has emerged victorious over Acclon in the
first round of the Cracked Skull Tournament. Accalon fought bravely and
well, but the Mountain of Mahn'Tor brought his sheer bulk to bear. Xaltor
advances to the next round!

The inaugural tournament's registration is opening soon, in less than a
days' time. For more details, read the scroll for the tournament under
EVENT LIST. Only eight will be chosen, do you dare enter the Arena?

The weak and cowards need not apply, I only want the strongest of
Conquerors. Immortality is for the taking!

-Lorne, God of War

Round 1 is underway!

The final eight challengers have been chosen and the Juggernaut has
selected your opponents. TOURNAMENT SHOW to see the current braceket and
matchups, you have two days to complete Round 1. Cowardice will not be
tolerated, and disqualifications will occur after two days if you do not
battle your opponent. Strike true and hard! I will see you in the Arena!

-Lorne, God of War

To clarify how to challenge your opponent in the Arena, you must first
decide on your battle grounds from the list provided by the Juggernaut.
Purchase the parchment of your agreed upon area for the fight. If you
cannot decide on the area to fight in, Warlords will choose an area for you.
Once the area is decided. You must CHALLENGE TOURNAMENT. This will
automatically set the limits of the duel in that area, and only by death
will you become victor. Leaving the area will also forfeit the duel and
automatically admit defeat.

-Lorne, God of War

Round 1 has ended, and it was glorious and bloody. All the challengers
proved their worth, and put their lives on the line. They all fought to the
last breath, and no one forfeited by leaving the Arena.

The first battle was between Mandin and Kaa, as soon as the tournament
started, they were in the Arena within the first hours. It was a deadly,
close battle that could have gone either way. Alas, Kaa proved victorious,
and the Ford was left with blood in the stream.

The second battle was between Accalon and Xaltor. They decided Gnome
Village was the battlegrounds and off they went. Using the terrain to his
advantage, Accalon tried to sneak about and attack with deadly precision.
However, Xaltor's crushing blows were too much for the nimble thief as all
the Gnome villagers watched in horror. Victor Xaltor.

The third battle was between Aribeyo and Zefyxl in the Ford. The invoker
came prepared, and casted the full range of his powers onto the ranger.
Aribeyo tried his best to defend, but alas all the beasts in the forest
could not save him. Zefyxl stood victorious.

The fourth battle was between Declan and Jorgrun. Declan struck hard and
fast in the early rounds, but Jorgrun seemed to have stabilized his
enchantments midway through the fight. However, the battle ended quickly in
the last rounds, with Declan overwhelming the mounted Jorgrun. Declan was
the winner.

Round 2 has official started. The same rules for Round 1 apply. The
Juggernaut has chosen the battles. Xaltor vs Declan. Kaa vs Zefyxl.
History awaits!

-Lorne, God of War

Round 2 got off to a fast start, Kaa and Zefyxl headed to Zodiac Island
after a bit of disagreement. The first fight on the island was a
fascinating one. The battle was close, Kaa using primarily a crane stance
while Zefyxl used his full arsenal of spells. The ending was as close as it
got, Kaa relaxed from his stance temporarily and Zefyxl appeared to have
spoke the wrong incantation and fell to a flurry of punches. Winner Kaa.

The second match of Round 2 was between Declan and Xaltor. The Ford was the
battleground and they entered past the Juggernaut. Xaltor wielded his axe
with might and showed the true power of Mahn-tor. However, he could not
overcome the tenacity of the Keeper, and Declan decapitated his opponent.
Winner. Declan

The Kaa vs Declan finale was a most glorious battle. It appears the Keepers
were at War with the Warlords at the time of the fight. It was as good time
as any to decide it in the Arena! Declan, just finishing removing the blood
of Xaltor from his blade, challenged Kaa in the Ford. Without hesitation,
Kaa rose from his meditation and accepted. The battle was long, with Declan
using an array of potions to mend his wounds and Kaa meditating to endure
the pain. In the end, Kaa caught Declan resting and overwhelmed him with a
combination of strikes and kicks. Declan yielded to the Warlord and Kaa
severed his arms from his torso to end his life. Winner KAA! The
Skullbuster!

-Lorne, God of War

Kiankai the Grandmaster of Seasons, Archon of Valour, took his life on
the 8th Renewal of the Celestial of Life. He was around for a lengthy
period of time, having initially been spotted in the Academy on the 7th
Renewal of the Celestial of Life two calendar turns ago. He served Valour
well until his untimely demise, and his suicide may have been in shame from
recent defeats in battle. Valour mourns his loss.

- Trelanya, Temptress of Time

On the 10th Renewal of the Celestial of Prudence, another Archon of
Valour, Ailmar, took his life. He was yet another loss for Valour. The
darkness closes in on this world as yet another light blinks out.

- Trelanya, Temptress of Time

Keepermaster Edebayo the Wrath of Nature departed Serin on the Tenth
Renewal of the Celestial of Prudence. He packed his belongings and went
somewhere in the great wilderness beyond. May he find peace.

On the Eleventh Renewal of the Celestial of Prudence, Conundo the Tomb
Breaker, Battle Leader of Warlords retired from the Warlords and went away
to live a quiet life. He was a well known warrior in his time, whose
initial temper was surpassed by and compensated for by his prowess in
combat. Will the Warlords rise again?