Hiyas, and thanks for tuning in…

My old tickertape machine went belly-up this week, and I requisitioned a newer one. So I figured I would mention a big development on the part of one of my OWN characters. Illiamdril, my elvish paladin, reached level 7 a couple of days ago, which allowed me (finally) to give her a +3 Wisdom necklace so that her WIS score is now high enough to cast spells. But the really COOL thing is that, just prior to her passing the level 7 mark, I took the Advanced Belief: Undying Call enhancement that allows Illiamdril to Raise Dead (a level 5 divine spell that clerics don’t even receive before level 9 and Favored Souls won’t see until level 10). An ability rather than a spell, it has a cooldown time of about 10 minutes. But being able to bring a dead companion back to life as early as level 6 has a certain appeal!

This week, Astrik joined the ranks of the Doom Brigade as our newest member. Astrik comes from the Netherlands, and our international membership has increased quite a bit over the last few weeks. The Brigade has members from over a dozen countries now, with representatives from Greece, Finland, Sweden, Croatia, Poland, England, Belgium, Austria, Hungary, and Spain. I think we also have members from Germany and Turkey as well. We are well represented by US members of course, as well as Canada and Quebec (which thinks of itself as a separate country). I apologize if I missed anyone’s nation of origin.

While strumming my lute for tips at the Open Palm Inn, I managed to learn more about that drow tribe from south of the city. A young drow male and his female companion arrived in Stormreach recently, seeking the whereabouts of a cleric named Santus (a very sad tale that one, which I may tell in the future). The two drow, Reyl’tar and Hael’ra, had been members of the Cor’mrael clan, a tribe whose leader was slain in battle with another tribe. One rumor that I heard, however, has it that Omar’eth was murdered by his rival Vuz’tyrr, who leads now as head of the newly-named Ken’rae clan. Reyl’tar is the son of Omar’eth, and Hael’ra is the daughter of Vuz’tyrr; they are both being sought by the new clan leader. To add a further twist to this tale, a recently-freed Bloodbound gladiator named Jy’surra (who was also a member of the Cor’mrael before her capture by slavers a year ago) has begun seeking the lovers herself, though for good or ill, I do not know. (On a side note, I made a small fortune wagering on Jy’surra in combats over the last few months, I hope that she returns to the pit-sands soon.) I will tell more of this tale as I learn the details (or at least some juicy rumors).

That’s about it for this week, peeps. Seeyas in seven (hopefully with some news from my new tickertape machine).