#H2S guildes

[nordiamus]

Guilde Lanterna

À l’origine, c’est un cartel opérant dans toute l’Amérique du Sud et Centrale, spécialisée dans le trafic de faune et flore, magique ou non, la drogue étant une part importante de leur fond de commerce. On pense que ce cartel a été fondé par un néo magus, et le leader de ce qui est désormais, et depuis 2078 la guilde noire Lanterna serait son petit-fils ou son neveu – les avis divergent selon les sources.

Ce qui est certain, c'est que la Lanterne est basée à Belém, et a toujours revendiqué sa réputation très funeste. Bien qu’ils aient commencé dans le trafic de drogue, puis de plantes et animaux magiques illégaux, ils ne se privent pas de tremper dans toutes les affaires louches les plus sordides, s’enorgueillissant de tout faire pour le juste prix et se moquant des guildes moins violentes comme peut l’être l’Inky Grimm.

C’est également une guilde étendue, comptant autant de Chasseurs, dit-on, que l’Hippogryphe Saoul lui-même, sans compter la multitude de petites frappes ne méritante pas le titre et gérant les affaires les moins délicates à travers le monde.

Chasseurs Noirs de la Lanterna connu :

Boss: leur leader, de génération en génération, c’est avant tout un requin des affaires, mais il est tout de même classé comme Chasseur de Rang A pour sa grande dextérité avec toutes les armes a feu faisant de lui un Veneficus Venator aguerrit

la Madre: une vieille alcine au talent certain pour les poisons en tout genre, elle aime se comparer à « The Red Lady », revendiquant avec fierté son statut de vieille mère de famille, c’est une Potionis Meister de Rang B

O Primeiro: meilleur assassin de la guilde, et Chasseur de Rang S, il aime à vanter ses origines gobelines qui expliquent sa grande dextérité au couteau, mais lesdites origines n’ont jamais été prouvées

Sam: sous ce surnom laconique se cache un pionnier de la MagiBotanique, ayant notamment développé plusieurs variétés magiques hautement addictives de drogues non magiques d’origine végétale, lui valant son rang de Lore Meister de Rang A

El Hijo: on ignore s’il s’agit véritablement du fils de la Madre, mais ce qui est certain c’est qu’elle l’a personnellement entraîné, en faisant un Tenebris Discipulus de Rang A particulièrement dangereux avec sa magie noire et ses poisons létaux

La Hija: il est peu probable que ce soit véritablement la fille de la Madre, puisque cette jeune fille est visiblement d’une ethnie différente, la légende veut qu’elle ait été adoptée par la Madre après que celle-ci ai tué ses parents lors d’une mission en Asie, quoi qu’il en soit, cette dangereuse enfant est une Caellimancienne de Feu surdouée, et une Chasseuse de Rang S

art by @burfeeburf

[ftlcast]

Welcome to Golarion as Follow the Leader presents: Pathfinder! Join our four intrepid Pathfinders as they delve into the depths under the city and find more than they bargained for.

The GM is Zachary.

Mindy is played by Sam.

Ist is played by Jade.

Calamus is played by Annya.

H2-723 is played by August.

Produced by August.

Sound effects by Zapsplat.

Additional music by Jonathan Shaw and Dark Fantasy Studio.

Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/ftlcast for bonus content like outtakes and bloopers as well as early access to episodes and special bonus episodes.

Find out more about the games we play (and where to buy them): https://www.ftlcast.com/games-weve-played

Episode summaries available here: https://goo.gl/3nXVpA

Join us on Discord! https://discord.gg/jfPuyfQePp

Cover image by @sacalow and original music by @obfuscatinggod

Follow the Leader is part of the Standing Stones Productions podcasting guild. Find out more about us and our projects on Twitter: @stones_standing

[the-backspin-alchemist]

A4, A5, C3, D4, E4, F1, H2, K3, M3, S2

A4. what things are they bad at?

I answered a fair amount of this for Jace already, but on a more internal level he's very bad at grappling with his own emotions. He basically has two ways of dealing with them, and both have started to fail him recently. He either represses them like crazy, or ends up letting them drive all of his actions, and both have lead to bad consequences in the past lately.

He's trying to do better. But it's very, very hard, given that he's been operating like this for so long.

Also he's not great at holding his liquor, which is why he avoids it most of the time (except for that one time he got drunk and wrote Ashes a weird borderline love letter when he left for a week to go sort himself out after Haverthorne).

A5. what is their most impressive talent?

He managed to (unwittingly) seduce a banshee once by playing the kalimba.

Uh really his best talent is likely his wilderness survival skills. He's an impressive swordsman, and an equally impressive archer (apparently, given his record on the battlefield so far), but the wild was his home until very recently, and it shows.

Also he manages to convince a lot of people that he's not an ass when they don't have to work with him consistently (Ashes, Oz, Rothgar, and Squirrel all know better, they have to deal with his bullshit on a daily basis).

C3. what is their ideal comfort day?

Heading out into the woods for a bit with the displacer kits, doing some foraging, putting up his hammock somewhere nice for a bit, play some kalimba and maybe some scrimshaw, come back and hang out with Chester for a bit, get some food from Anton, and spend the rest of the evening hanging out with his friends before heading to sleep.

D4. what type of clothes and accessories do they wear?

He wants to claim it's all practicality. That the hooded cloak and the leather armor and everything are all just to make practical sense, and that he's not actually a vain bastard underneath all of this that frets over his own image because he's a drama queen because of trauma.

So he's usually got a very-carefully-tailored Ranger Look™ that he has, where he's got some basic leather armor on most of the time over a basic black shirt and pants, and then a number of different carrying pouches strapped to his leggings and belt that aren't too obtrusive but that let him forage on the go. He's got a bag he's had since he was a teen that his dad gave him, has both of his swords and at least one knife on his belt consistently (he does really like the kukri he picked up from the blacksmith on his first job with the Guild), and has a dark hooded cloak on over all of this. All of this to give him that sort of “I am the mysterious person in the room, approach at your own risk” kind of vibe. Which usually works because he’s very obviously a drow, and looks a lot like his mom, and both of those could be problems in the wrong places.

The thing nobody usually sees is the locket he has with images of both his parents in it that he wears underneath his shirt. not even Ashes has seen that yet, and Ashes has seen him shirtless.

E4. are they up-to-date on the internet fads?

Given that the setting Jace is from has no internet, no. But even then, he's not one for keeping up with pop culture. Which, given that he was a hermit for a few years, makes sense. He's still stepping back into consistently being back in civilization after a LONG time away.

F1. what do they do for fun?

Luna_What_Is_This_Fun_Thou_Speakest_Of.gif

His means of having fun are usually just ways to feel less stressed. This is usually running drills of some kind, but he's found playing with the displacer kits to be quite enjoyable, and he does like trying to compose for the kalimba he has, even if he thinks he's absolute shite at it.

H2. do they prefer summer or winter?

Winter. Winter's when it goes from foraging season to hunting season, and while he won't admit it readily (mostly because he's uncomfortable with the notion because...reasons) he does get some enjoyment out of a good hunt, and the meal and tanning that comes out of a good game kill.

K3. if they could kill anyone without punishment, would they? who?

He's still on the fence about wether he's allowed to still be alive given what he did when his mother went nuts (which in fairness wasn't his fault, but he's still not emotionally sorted that out yet), so...no.

Heck, he dislikes killing as-is, and is disturbed at how easily its come to him in a lot of cases.

It's why he has so many rules.

M3. would they be a good parent?

That is a very good question.

I think he has convinced himself that, no, he would be a terrible parent, given what happened to his, but if he ever works past that I think he'd be a stern if caring dad that would do okay at the parenting thing.

S2. would they give money to someone on the streets?

Can and has, consistently. He doesn't really think he needs all that much gold, given that he's a ranger, he can survive on his own for years on end in the wilderness just fine, so if he doesn't need it, why not give it to folks that could actually use it?

(Also he doesn't think he deserves too much money given his past actions giving him a hell of a self-loathing complex but I digress)

This is essentially why he bought his kukri, he thought the knife was cool, the blacksmiths had just had their workshop trashed by goblins, and he figured they could use a bit of extra money without it seeming like a donation, so he bought the knife and a sheath and payed extra for them, because hey, he didn't need the gold, and he could use the knife, and they deserved it more than he did could use it more than he could, so why not?

[mallowstep]

visual impairment in the uk in the early 20th century preliminary research

so it's july, disabilities pride month, i'm researching for watlcitf (1910s ireland au), and i figured i should share what i'm looking at.

(the title for this post is so incredibly specific but that's because most research is. my previous post for watlcitf was like, 2k words exclusively going through census data for one census and one county in ireland. i named maybe twenty characters.)

anyway, disclaimers out of the way, tagging @foxstride because i think they'll be interested in this, let's get started.

unlike last time, i have a specific research goal: to determine what jay's life, as a blind person, would be in the uk (specifically, ireland) in the early 20th century (specifcally, 1900-1914), given that he's from a well-off family.

so i have the benefit of being a bit more focused.

unfortunately, i don't have a great backlog of information. i can't just pull up the national archives and start going through census data. that's alright, what else is research for?

i'm going to try to keep to things that are broadly accessible, but if i can't find things on the internet, i will be turning to my university's library resources.

getting my footing

so after checking that the obvious search (various combinations of the keywords form the title) didn't pull up anything particularly useful, i started going after disabilities in general in early 20th century england.

(i know i'm not set in england, but i also know that i can find broad coverage of information about the uk by starting my research in england.)

before i do that, thoough, we did have britannica's history of the blind, something i found fairly unhelpful. i already know braille was around by the 1910s, and then for some reason it tailspins into the us, which is exceptionally unhelpful.

(an interesting story might be sending jay abroad for a better education, but this is not that particular historical au.)

anyway, as per usual, britannica told me a lot of what i already knew and didn't offer any good leads to new information. (i draw the line at buying books for a fanfic. this is a one-shot. i am going to have written more about my research for it than the actual fic. sigh.)

so next up: historical england's a history of disability, which covers a wonderfully long time range, making it good for anyone from the middle ages to the recent past.

i jumped straight to disability in the 19th century, because their 20th century starts covering 1914 and on.

for those following along at home, the 4 headings in the sidebar are clickable links to articles with more information.

i know jay is going to be living at home, so while i did skim through the section on asylums and workhouses, neither of those are applicable here. we're skipping straight to the daily life of disabled people.

since about 50 years pass between the main time period of this article and my time period, i'm not sure how much i can rely on the attitudes section, but jumping off places.

some key quotes:

"These were the ambivalent Victorian attitudes towards disability - a combination of fear, pity, discomfort and an idea of divine judgement."

"Henry Fawcett (1833-1884), blinded as a young man, became Postmaster-General in 1880; he introduced the parcel post and the postal order."

"In 1838 the London Society for Teaching the Blind to Read was formed and in 1866 the Worcester College for the Blind ('for the blind sons of gentlemen') became the world's first further education provision for disabled people."

"In 1868 the British and Foreign Blind Association was formed by Dr Thomas Armitage, initially to promote the use of braille. It was to become the Royal National Institute for the Blind."

"In 1894 the first branch of the Guild of the Brave Poor Things (motto: 'Happy in My Lot') was formed as a self-help group for people with physical disabilities. They described themselves as a group to "make life sweet for the blind and crippled folk of all ages"."

so great! that gives me a good number of jumping off places. nothing ideal, but it's a start.

henry fawcett

seems like a good enough start. researching attitudes won't help me entirely, here, mostly in that i'll be better off starting with other things and seeing what i pick up.

well according to wikipedia, he was blinded as an adult while he was already in education.

that's incredibly frustrating.

moving on.

royal national institude for the blind

as i know this exists, i figured it's as good a place to start as any.

sticking with wikipedia, because frankly, sticking with wikipedia is as good a place to start as any, we're on the wikipedia page for royal national institute of blind people

wikipedia's history summary was saddening.

moving on.

rnib's history page is next up on the list.

well, the first key takeaway is the adoptation of a braille magazine ("progress") and braille contractions. i'm not doing an overview of braille here, because these research posts are primarly for my own benefit, and i'm comfortable with my understanding of braille as it stands.

alright, i'm frustratingly limited in what i've learned, but i'm making progress.

the white cane

i took a bit of a change of course. we went back to the drawing board: literally just googling "history of blind people" in vain hope but lo! i actually stumbled upon something.

a list of facts about the white cane lead me to the wikipedia page for the white cane lead me to an archived web link about the history of orientation and mobility and good lord! have i finally started getting somewhere.

this is entirely focused around the us, and i'm not going to type up a summary here as it's quite long.

that said, it's alltogether helpful. the biggest takeaway is that mobility was taught by individual teachers going home to home. exceptionally helpful tidbit, that is.

the thing with historical research is that there are things that feel like reasonable assumptions to make often aren't, so i feel quite happy in that knowledge.

to the specifics: ireland

alright, while i'm mostly unsatisfied with what i've done, i want to move on. i have a feeling that i'm going to need to revisit this. i actually just changed the title to preliminary research to account for this.

sigh.

so we've moved to the history of ncbi, the national council for the blind of ireland.

they were founded in 1931, meaning that my instinct to start in england was correct, but still. their history page confirms that home teaching is the big thing at the start.

summary and moving on

okay so i went to do some research into the history of education in the england (the status of ireland vs england is at the moment Complex, but suffice to say that for most purposes i'm searching for english history) to see if i could find any sort of wrap-up about home tutors vs schools, and.

lo.

i found something fairly useful. it's an elemetary education act for blind and deaf children, which, like, god. so useful.

laws are just. good ways of establishing the general outlook of a time period.

so.

unfortunately.

it does not apply to ireland and scotland, and yes, i do have to do research into the history of education in ireland, but i feel i have hit some kind of nebulous conclusion.

because this is half research notes and half helpful information for others (if anyone else needs this kind of specific information), i'll try to summarize here

schools were possibly able to handle blind students. by "handle" i mostly mean "provide a seat and something resembling education", but that's better than nothing.

most mobility, braille, etc., skills seem to be taught by instructors going home to home

thanks to the relatively low traffic, population density, etc., blind people seem to have a decent amount of mobility

that's all for now. my skills in research are not historical research, so i can't promise that like. i have the best critical thinking skills here. etc. etc.

<3

[loloftheday]

My nephew obviously has connections to the lollipop guild.

[unbreakable-oaths]

Companion Gift Guide

I put this together for my guild ages ago right after Onslaught dropped and thought I’d re-post it here in case anyone finds it helpful!

If you’re anything like me you probably have stacks upon stacks of jawa junk from disintegrating gear (in my case, like an entire legacy bay of it) and don’t really know what to do with all of it. Well, the good news is you can turn it into purple companion gifts to get influence level 50 companions. If you craft, you want lots of 50 companions because of the greatly reduced mission/crafting times and the greatly increased critical rate. If you don’t craft, you probably still want at least 1 rank 50 companion for their increased combat effectiveness. So here’s how you can get those level 50 companions for free:

To turn your Jawa junk into companion gifts you go talk to Izzar in the Cartel section of fleet.

You can also buy your very own Izzar deco from Clem Stato in the Strongholds section to put in your stronghold for 1 cartel certificate if that’s what floats your boat and you want the convenience of not having to run to fleet every time you want to spend your jawa junk.

Izzar sells 2 different companions gifts for 2 jawa junk each, armor maintenance and spiced aric tongue.

Armor Maintenance will raise your influence with the following companions:

HK-51 HK-55 T7-01 C2-N2 2V-R8 Z0-0M Scorpio M1-4X (Republic only) H2-WF (Nathema Conspiracy Flashpoint drop) All of the cartel market droid companions (these guys can't craft but you can use them for combat)

Spiced Aric Tongue will raise your influence with the following companions:

Koth Vortena Lana Beniko Senya Darth Hexid Pierce (Imperial only) Aric Jorgan (Troopers only) Jakarro Bowdaar Vector Hyllus (Agent only companion) Choza Rabbat (Star Fortress Companion) "Deadeye" Leyta (Star Fortress Companion) Hemdil Tre (Star Fortress Companion) K'krohl (Star Fortress Companion) All of the Cartel Market animal companions (these guys can't craft but they can be used for combat)

I don’t have the combat data via StarParse for combat/heals effectiveness but here’s the crafting data so you can see how much of a difference having a level 50 companion makes:

Happy crafting/questing!

[tristanis-starweaver]

Sacrifice

Our Guild Discord had a writing prompt and it was a story I wanted to tell for a long time. 

The eternal summer sky of Quel'thalas has clouded over.  A bone chilling wind sweeps through the cityscape, and on it comes the stomach churning stench of fetid death.  There is a buzz about the walking dead moving North, and mention that even the famed Sylvanas Windrunner has fallen to the forces that make their way ever closer.  The Scourge is attacking, with Arthas at the front of the Army of the Damned!  What is your character doing during the siege?!

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The din glow stretched the entire western horizon. The first hints of dawn started to peak over the eastern treeline. "She is burning." His voice was shaking, driven by the breaking of his heart. How could she fall. The idea that Quel'thalas could be overtaken was not even a possibility in his thoughts.

"Every cart we have is hitched and ready to go. I have sent the first ones on already. If we can get to Sunsail before it falls, word is they are ferrying as many as they can to Sunstrider Isle. We have to go now." Kayndor reached up and put his hand on his brother's shoulder as he made no acknowledgement of what he was saying. "Lar, we have to go."

It had only been a handful of hours since the bloodied Farstrider had woken them all in the night. Humans? Undead creatures? The elf had been badly injured and refused any aid from the estate. He had orders to warn every enclave and outpost of the impending advance. The fear in the young Farstriders face wasn't anything born of confusion, and his warning was clear "Evacuate or be lost. They are leaving no survivors."

"Lar!" Kayndor shook his brother's shoulder harder to snap him out of whatever stupor had taken hold. 

"I am here, Kay. Where are we." He quickly snapped back watching the family and staff frantically try and pack down one of the last wagons. 

"I have released the most experienced to take what weapons and those willing to fight on to Silvermoon. I have ordered a few more to stay behind to guard the children and inexperienced as we move. Cellars have been locked down. The chamber is sealed and warded."  

"A few more minutes and we will all be ready to move out. Will you be assisting in the defense, Kayndor." Lar'thenan, the elder House Starweaver lord, glanced back over his shoulder towards the brighter glow of the fires near Silvermoon City. 

"Once all of you are safe. Yes. Not before." Lar'thenan nodded and took one last look at the estate and the vineyards. The fog during the predawn hour obscured the most distant details, It would make travel even more treacherous. At least the invading force was at their backs. 

"Burn through them all with the wrath of Belore's radiance." Lar'thenan spat on the ground as his calm demeanor broke for an instant. 

"As you ordered too I made sure three packs of seedlings and seeds were sent on ahead. One to my contacts in Dalaran. We will regrow if the worst…" Lar'thenan scoffed at that as he interrupted. 

"Yes prudent, but that was a very old plan in case the sieges by the Horde had made their way here. Quel'Thalas will not fall." Kayndor nodded, but his entire posture spoke that he believed otherwise. 

"We do need to get mov-" Kayndor's comment hung in the air as a piercing scream came from the eastern corner of the estate. Both elves moved without even a moment's hesitation towards the cry. Joined by a few others they found the source. The young attendant expression frozen in horror, no light left in their eyes as a hulking shambling mass of something once living tore again into their shoulder. The vineyards shook as more 'things' started to weave through the rows getting tangled in the grown vines and trellis.

A single arrow passed through the shocked group and was followed up by a hastily conjured mass of flames from Kayndor's hand. "Father, Uncle, We are ready." Lys'aria knocked another arrow into her bow and fired at the scourge beast. It was struck square between the eyes once again, sending its grotesque form wobbling back. It crumpled, as the burning remnants filled the air with a putrid scent. The creatures moving in the vineyards began to pick up pace, tearing through and destroying anything that stood in their way. 

"Go now." He turned to look at some of the frozen elves that had tried to come help whoever was screaming. The sight of the scourge and death itself shaking them. "NOW!" There was no question in that last command as it broke through their panicked induced torpor. 

The small group joined the rest at the wagons. "Headcounts on the way. We move." Lar'thenan joined his wife in the middle wagon as the nervous hawkstriders were pressed into moving forward. "Daughter, do we have everyone accounted for."

Lys'aria shook her head, "I believe we do, most moved with the first wagons out, it's just those helping with the last bit of securing the estate. I sent Kahynas and Tristanis along with the first carts out…" 

"He wasn't with them." Linandri jerked back and looked at the estate. "Tristanis wasn't going with the first group. He was helping locking…" Lady Starweaver's face blanched as she stared at the estate and the shadow forms of more scourge starting to appear at the periphery. "Lar…"

"I'm on it." Lys'aria turned her lone hawkstrider back towards the estate. Whatever protests there were she wasn't going to leave her brother there alone. She closed the distance to the main estate in the matter of a few moments, "Brace girl." She said as she barrelled straight towards the front doors of the estate, the hawkstrider curling to the side at the last moment and using its momentum to smash into the front doors. The ancient wooden doors broke from their hinges and sent both the hawkstrider and her rider tumbling into the Starweaver estates main hall.  "Tristanis! TRIST! Gods where are you." The dazed hawkstrider wobbled but seemed not to be much worse for wear, other than having a bit of wind knocked from it. 

"SHIMMER. Answer me! Where are you!" A screech from the hawkstrider and she spun on her heel. Two quick arrows and the lesser scourge beast was pinned against the wall and silenced. They were already in their home. "Brother Please. Answer me." She screamed at the top of her lungs but no answer came. 

She began to panic but was able to keep herself collected enough to remember some of her earlier lessons. The world may have been chaotic around her, but she focused. Listened. "Please answer." She whispered as he focused her hearing slowly. The creatures were growing in more numbers outside, getting closer. She would not be able to survive this alone. A voice. A cry. Fearful. It pierced through the other noises as a sharpened blade to her senses.

"Eveningstar...help me…I am to scared." Her brother's bedroom. He had to be there. Lys'aria gave a sharp whistle to her Hawkstrider that followed her down the hallway to the western end of the home. She slammed herself against the door. Forcing it open. 

"Trist…" He was there, cowering and afraid. Pressed up against the dresser and wall and hugging his knees up tightly against his chest. "I am here We have to go." There were more sounds of breaking windows throughout the estate. Claws being raked against the exterior walls by near mindless things. She thrust her hand out to him to take. As he reached, Lys'aria was pulled backwards. A weapon struck hard against her leather armor and tore at her side. Blood started to flow. Trist recoiled back, as Lys'aria struck back She grabbed a pair of heavy arrows, using them as melee weapons. Screaming as she dug them into the chest of the mostly skeletal attacker. Her hawkstrider kicking and clawing at another scourge as she scrambled to get to her feet. 

Lys'aria had incaptacated the scourge soldier just long enough to knock another arrow and let it fly into their skull. The blue glow of the soldier's eyes sputtered and eventually vanished. The second soldier was put down just as easily. She held her hand on her side trying to stem the bleeding. She pulled down her quiver and used the strap as a makeshift strap to hold pressure on the wound. "Shimmer please. We have to go." Her voice was not as confident as it was a moment before but this time Trist took her hand and grabbed onto his sister, trembling weakly against her. Her breathing was already ragged as she moved to get Trist onto the hawkstrider and her seated just behind him. "Hold on. Do not look back. Do not let go. No matter what. I will be with you all the way Shimmer." Lys'aria patted the side of the hawkstrider weakly. "Get us there, girl."

The halls of the lost estate echoed with the call of the single hawkstrider as it lurched forward. There were dozens in the main hall already but the hawkstrider lowered her head and ran through the scourge that were in the way. A burst of speed and it was free from the main hall and outside. Not a single one had laid a weapon or claw on them.

"It is going to be okay, Shimmer. We will get back to mother and father. They are already on their way." her voice was weak as she held herself tightly to keep either of them from slipping on the galloping hawkstrider.

"S-sorry! There was the scream and the thing. And and, I am sorry! I did not mean…" Trist started to ramble an apology as tears streamed down his face.

"Trist…Its…" She clung tighter using every bit of strength to hold them both on the hawkstrider as they made their way eventually catching up to the rest just before their arrival at the anchorage. 

"Lys'aria! Tristanis!" Lar'thenan slowed the wagon as he leaped off to meet them. There was Chaos at the Anchorage, More than enough ships and space but panic had set in and others were demanding to get on first due to some perceived rank, station, or acquaintance. Trist finally opened his eyes as he felt Lys'aria being pulled off the saddle by his father. She felt so cold. 

"Lys'aria! Answer me!" Her father was screaming at her as she lay still in his arms as he quickly put her down on the ground. "I need a healer! Please!" Trist's mother came and pulled Trist free from the Hawkstrider. Linandri pulled him up closer and turned him away from the scene as the body lay still. A priest, struggling to keep standing after the amount of power he had expended came and knelt by Lys'aria side. "I am so sorry, she has passed on. There is nothing I can do here." Trist had heard his father wail only once when his eldest brother had passed in the first war and he was given the news. It was a sound he'd never heard until this moment as he saw her lifeless body be pulled up by his father. 

Trist just hugged onto his mother tightly as she held him even closer. Her own sobbing muffled a bit as Trist was held tightly against her. 

There came the sound of wailing from one of the ships as it sailed to one of the evacuation points on Sunstrider Isle. The deck hands and evacuees had no idea what had happened as the started to move to look over the railing at one of their sister ships. Silvermoon was in flames. The news came as one of the magisters from the other ship teleported to theirs. "The King has fallen! They advance on the Sunwell. Quel'thalas is lost!" The silence on the ship was only punctuated by the wails and cries from other ships. The silence only lasted a moment before the elves on the ship, some falling to their knees in grief began to cry out in pain and loss. 

"Sh-she's gone because of me. My Evening Star is gone because of me…" Trist clung onto his parents as the wails of the elves grew louder.

"She saved you. Never forget what she gave you to be here."

[astra027]

GUILD INFORMATION

ここはSdoricaで活動中のギルド”Astraea”のページです。メンバー同士で情報交換したものを一部載せております。

ギルドの詳細は”KEEP READING”から 。加入申請・空席照会・質問等はコメント欄までお気軽にどうぞ🌷 初心者さんや復帰さんも大歓迎です。スドリカが大好きな方を待ってます(^▽^)

💌更新履歴 09/03 更新 お役立ちリンク 07/24 復刻 真夏のバカンス 08/07 復刻 海辺のサマーフェスタ

06/05 復刻 SDORICA X CYTUS II 03/31 更新 エイプリルフール2024

🍀新規観察者ガイド 🐑探索攻略一覧 ⌚編成紹介所 💛工房編成 📚スキルブックのススメ 🐤お役立ちリンク 📚AFTER MIRAGE 外伝小説 AI翻訳

【名前】Astraea  読み：アストレア 【レベル】10 【コード】5b6100 【施設】全稼働 黒字運営 【約束】週に最低”10″以上のギルドミッション達成

貢献度レベル1の新規さんでも入れるよう、除名条件は緩めの設定です。

ただし、「レベルが上がっても貢献が超最低限の週がずっと続く」「連絡無しでログアウト状態が続く」「加入予約中の方が居る」等の理由がある場合、極端に貢献の少ない方はお別れさせて頂くことがあります。

ギルドミッションは毎朝生産される施設報酬のために必要不可欠です。キャラクターが揃って来れば3分もかからず全ミッション終えることができるので、出来る範囲の協力をお願いします。

おすすめデイリー編成

￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣

【交流について】

外部チャットとしてDiscordを導入しています。自由参加ですが、チャットを楽しみたい方は入れて下さると嬉しいです。

ギルド内でのボイスチャットやリアルへの関与は一切なし。

出来上がっているコミュニティに入っていくのはやり辛いこともあるかもしれませんが、どんどん会話に入って来てもらえると嬉しいです。

￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣

【一時的な休止】

忙しい、体調不良などの理由がある時は連絡を頂ければひと月まで除名は致しません。それ以上になる場合は一時脱退をお願いしています。

Discord#休止者情報もしくはギルドチャット内へ一言ください。

[nordiamus]

Guilde du Grimm Obscur

L’organisation criminelle dont elle est issue est si vieille qu’elle a toujours fait partie du milieu criminel anglais et Européen, magique ou non. De son leader actuel, on ne connaît que le surnom, « Fairfax ». Les rumeurs sont toutes d’accord sur le fait qu’il s’agit d’un magus anglais, mais rien de plus n’est connu à son sujet.

Quoi qu’il en soit, les Inky Grimms sont parmi les premiers criminels à avoir compris l’intérêt de s’organiser sur le même modèle que les guildes officielles, adoptant l’appellation guilde noire et les rangs de Chasseur dès 2074, propulsant leur empire au rang de multinationale du crime en quelques années. Il existe deux rangs d’Inky Grimms de nos jours : les petits malfrats, considérés comme de Rang E à C, qui s’occupent des branches régionales de la guilde et ne sont pas vraiment comptabilisés, et une centaine de Chasseurs Noirs, de Rang B à S, des criminels de haut vol au talent incontesté qui voyagent à travers le monde pour assister les différentes branches de la guilde.

S’ils ont été les premiers à savoir se moderniser, les Inkys Grimms restent proches de leurs racines : du plus petit voleur à la sauvette au grand patron, tous sont tenus de respecter un code d’honneur strict, et y déroger résulte en l’expulsion de la guilde de manière très létale. Les Inkys Grimm sont connus pour refuser le trafic de drogue, l’esclavage d’être pensants et l’assassinat d’enfants et font preuve de tolérance envers toutes les races pensantes, ce qui explique qu’ils aient une plutôt bonne réputation pour une Guilde Noire.

Si les Inkys Grimms sont toujours une organisation criminelle, la plupart des Guildes Blanches les considèrent plus Gris que Noirs et il est donc assez rare que celles-ci s’attaquent à eux, ne les considérant pas comme le plus grand danger dans le milieu criminel actuel.

Chasseurs Noirs d’Inky Grimm connus :

Fairfax: chef de guilde, magus anglais, garant du code d’honneur des Inky Grimms, Rang S

The Red Lady: numéro 2 de la guilde, alcine spécialiste des poisons, déteste les tueurs d’enfants, Rang S

Hex: meilleur hacker de la guilde, la légende veut que ce soit un gobelin, Rang B

Charade: visage officiel de la guilde quand elle doit négocier avec des guildes officielles, cette jeune femme au caractère imprévisible est une Lore Meister émérite, aillant étudié à Avalon Tor, et peut-être la fille de Fairfax, Rang A

The Lazy Elf: ce dangereux lars familiaris est probablement lié à Fairfax, ou peut-être à Charade, en tout cas c’est lui qui se charge d’éliminer quiconque dérogerait au code d’honneur des Inky Grimms

Father: avant de devenir un Veneficus Venator, il était, dit-on, prêtre d’une église sud-américaine, massacrée en une nuit par un membre des Lanterna qui s’ennuyait, quoi qu’il en soit, il voue une haine farouche à cette guilde noir

art by @burfeeburf

[ftlcast]

Welcome to Golarion as Follow the Leader presents: Pathfinder! Join our four intrepid Pathfinders as they adventure across the world in search of knowledge, gold, and glory.

The GM is Zachary.

Mindy is played by Sam.

Ist is played by Jade.

Calamus is played by Annya.

H2-723 is played by August.

Produced by August.

Additional music by Dark Fantasy Studio.

Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/ftlcast for bonus content like outtakes and bloopers as well as early access to episodes and special bonus episodes.

Find out more about the games we play (and where to buy them): https://www.ftlcast.com/games-weve-played

Episode summaries available here: https://goo.gl/3nXVpA

Join us on Discord! https://discord.gg/zzuPqne

Cover image by @sacalow and original music by @obfuscatinggod

Follow the Leader is part of the Standing Stones Productions podcasting guild. Find out more about us and our projects on Twitter: @stones_standing

[betterbereading]

On the Shelf: December 2019

Welcome to On the Shelf! A post where I talk about my current reading list and what happened to my last one. This month, I present to you five books I hope to finish before we welcome the new decade. If I couldn't, then they may be dropped, paused, or still be listed next time.

Reading List

Vita Sexualis by Ogai Mori - Chosen as part of my personal Bungou Stray Dogs Reading Challenge where I read at least one work from the literary writers included in the anime. So far, I've read Ryunosuke Akutagawa, Osamu Dazai, and Edogawa Rampo.

The Bicentennial Man and Other Stories by Isaac Asimov - While I have watched some of the movie adaptations, I have never read an Asimov. I thought it's time to fix that starting with his short stories.

How Attention Works by Stefan Van der Stigchel - I selected and started this book three months ago because I can learn something from it, like managing the distractions that keep me from finishing this book.

The Firebird by Susanna Kearsley - A book selection from The Legendary Book Club guild in Habitica.

Factfulness by Hans Rosling - Started in September and put on hold until now, this book has been offering fact-based positivity and a changing view of the world's progress.

What Happened Last Month

Planning and Productivity best describes my read list. It wasn't a theme I had chosen for the month but I found myself more often reading and completing these kinds of books.

Essentialism by Greg McKeown

Study With Me by Jasmine Shao, Alyssa Jagan

Dot Journaling by Rachel Wilkerson Miller

Getting Things Done by David Allen

The books I started or wanted to read last month but didn't finished are emphasized (bold) in the list below.

The Next Ten

These books are ones that I refuse to drop or bail out on. I'm making time for them this coming holidays.

Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut

Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

When by Daniel Pink

Payoff by Dan Ariely

Death and the Flower by Koji Suzuki

Our Women on the Ground by Zahra Hankir

The Art of Logic by Eugenia Cheng

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang

Three Women by Lisa Taddeo

It seems to be an ambitious plan but what is life without ambition and plans?

This month's On the Shelf ends here. Thank you for reading!

List #OnTheShelf

[fletchergames]

Lightspeak

Lightspeak:

Lightspeak (said lights-peak) is a large city-state locked in inner political war. Three factions battle for control of the economic and religious hotspot.

Lightspeak is a temperate port city-state with an extremely high trade volume. It has very valuable trade routes by land and sea. Merchants come to Lightspeak from the world over to trade.

At the center of Lightspeak is the Ashhuld. The Ashhuld is a small hill with a spring on top; due to the divine power there, the waters of the spring have healing powers. There is a small house on top of the hill. A young god once lived there before he truly ascended; this god is Astinous, a neutral god of healing and protection. A large wall has been built around the Ashhuld by the Guardians.

Lightspeak is technically a democracy, run by an elected council of the Premier and 30 Councillors. All legislative matters are handled by majority vote of the council, with the Premier's vote counting triple. The Premier also holds executive power within Lightspeak and controls the military.

In most matters, the council acts as a rubber stamp for whatever the Guardians or the Golden Road wanted to do anyway. However, if one of these factions tries to step too far out of bounds, the Premier usually uses their influence to put a stop to it.

Magic is near totally banned within Lightspeak, except for divine magic granted by Astinous. The Guardians have managed to get arcane magic completely banned to protect their monopoly on magic and its power. By no means has this stopped magic from being tought and used, however; it has just driven such people underground. It is worth noting that Astinous himself has nothing against magic.

Factions: The three factions of Lightspeak are the Guardians, the Underground and the Golden Road.

The Guardians are, at their core, a church of Astinous. They first founded Lightspeak back when Astinous still lived there. They have massive influence over Lightspeak. They have several churches around the city. Until recently, they had total control over the Ashhuld; only members of the church were allowed in. When Lightspeak was founded, the Guardian's focus was on helping people and following Astinous; these days, their primary goal is to retain their control over Lightspeak.

The Underground was, at first, a guild of thieves and criminals. However, the Guardian's anti-magic laws have caused a strange alliance to form between the theives and the mages; these two groups together form the modern Underground. The goal of the Underground is to reduce the control the Guardians have over the city and to lift the restrictions on magic.

The Golden Road is the informal alliance of traders, merchants and craftsmen who give the city most of its value. They don't actually care who is in control of Lightspeak, as long as the gold continues to flow. The Golden Road has nothing against magic; they do avoid it, but just to keep the Guardians pacified.

There is also a fourth pseudo-faction, the Vox Populi. The Vox Populi is the will of the people as a whole. They want the city to remain as stable as possible. Not being an actual organization, they have no actual power; however, their sheer numbers grant them large control.

International Affairs: Lightspeak has two land neighbors: Cherrytree and Wolfram. Cherrytree is to the south of Lightspeak while Wolfram is to the north and east.

Lightspeak and Cherrytree have a long series of treaties going back hundreds of years. The two nations share strong trade and military ties. Cherrytree has one of the strongest militaries in the region, granting Lightspeak a valuble ally.

Lightspeak and Wolfram have had a series of border battles over time. In modern times, the two nations are in an age of technical peace. Lightspeak's army isn't up to a war with a larger nation; Wolfram's isn't up for a war with Cherrytree. As a result, no one dares make the first move. However, Wolfram is attempting subterfuge to tilt the balance in their favor.

Important Faces in Lightspeak:

These characters serve as the "faces" of the various factions in Lightspeak.

High Guard Zendaris: Zendaris is the leader of the Guardians. He seeks to exploit the city to give himself more power. Over time, he and his predecessors have shifted the focus of the Guardians from helping people and worshiping Astinous to helping themselves grow more powerful and paying lip service to Astinous.

Priestess Mia: Mia is a young priest of Astinous. She truly believes the Guardians do good things for the people and for the city. A bit naive, she does what she can to help those around her. Ironically enough, this makes her more like Astinous than the Guardians as a whole.

Shadow Lord Batan: Batan is the leader of the Underground. He keeps the flow of dirty money clipping along through the city. If it's unlawful, he likely has a hand in it. While he doesn't know magic, he owns an unlawful ring of invisibility. He also sits on the council as a Councillor; for obivous reasons, the rest of the council does not know about his criminal actions.

Archmage Lysander: Lysander is one of the most powerful mages in Lightspeak. It was he who first proposed the alliance between the mages and the thieves. Despite looking to be in his late-fifties, he is actually over two hundred years old due to possessing magic that can reverse his age. He is currently training several apprentices to pass on his knowledge.

Merchant Phineas: Phineas is, technically, just a very successful merchant. In reality, he is one of the three Golden Kings, the three richest and most powerful merchants in Lightspeak. They control almost everything that enters or leaves the city. If they don't want something, it's not getting in; if they do, it will arrive. He doesn't so much care about the laws against magic; he'll sell it either way.

Master Stone: Stone is a legendary craftsman living within Lightspeak. He can do with skill and alchemy what most would find impossible even with the aid of magic. Adventurers and armies the world over come to buy his weapons and equipment; the prices are high, but well worth it.

Premier Natalie: Natalie is the Premier of the Lightspeak council. She has no loyalty to any of the factions; her loyalty is to Lightspeak itself. If any faction generates too much disruption and chaos, she will use military force to bring them back into line. The factions don't much like her, but the people of the city do. None of the factions dares try and replace her; too much risk that another faction would land one of their allies in the spot.

Ambassador Ryu: Ambassador Ryu is an ambassador from Cherrytree. He stays in the area to assist communication between the nations. As an ambassador, he is immune to many laws, including the restrictions on magic; he actually wields nature magic.

Agent Ruby: Ruby appears to be a member of the city guard. In reality, she is an agent of Wolfram, sent to collect information and drive up tension between the factions. Ideally, she can plunge the city into anarchy so Wolfram can swoop in and take control before Cherrytree can react.

Bard Trisha: Trisha is a bard who has traveled here from a distant land. To all appearances, she is a humble bard. Truthfully, she is a political mercenary; a social warrior of negotiable loyalty hired to influence the situation in Lightspeak. None but her employer knows her true goals here in Lightspeak.

Prophetess Alexandria: Alexandria is a follower of Astinous with powerful healing abilities. She is not a Guardian; however, she currently lives in the Ashhuld on the request of Astinous himself. The Guardians can not directly harm her; however, they are trying to make her leave. She is trying to bring the Guardians back in line with the will of Astinous. It is under her command that the Ashhuld has been opened to outsiders. The disturbance she creates threatens to destroy the status quo and change the city forever.

Important Places in Lightspeak:

These locations act as the focal points around the city.

The Ashhuld: The Ashhuld is right at the center of the city. It consists of a grassy hill with a small spring and a small house built next to it. Astinous himself used to live here before he ascended to godhood. As a result of his presence, the location is of great religous importance. Until recently, the Guardians held the site and shut out others; since Alexandria moved in, it has been opened up to outsiders.

Unmance Temple: Unmance Temple is the largest church in the city; it is found in the northern quarter. Built to hold thousands of people at a time, behind the massive service room is what amounts to a mansion for the highest ranking Guardians and a fine mansion at that. While some may think it excessive, none dare voice that opinion too loudly.

Yellow Path: The Yellow Path is a large road running down the Trade district. Along it are shops of all kinds; if you want it, it can likely be found here... for the right price. Merchants from all over the city gather here to make their profits. It is said that nothing's free on the Yellow Path.

Heartsoar's Pub: At first glance, Heartsoar's Pub is just a regular old pub by the port. However, nothing is truly as it appears in Lightspeak. Truthfully, this pub is the unoffical home of the Underground. In the basement, you can buy and sell all matters of unlawful goods and services. By night, the storeroom finds itself turned into classroom of the arcane arts.

The Council Summit: The Council Summit is a large building that serves as the home of the Lightspeak council. They meet here to discuss matters that impact the city as a whole and to determine the path the city will take. The Premier commands the guard and army from here as well.

The Wall: Surrounding the city is the Wall, a large stone wall around the city to protect it from ground-based attack. The city guard patrols the wall and watches the surrounding area.

Lightspeak Harbor: Simply known as the Harbor to locals, the Lightspeak Harbor is the beating heart of the city. Ships, cargo and money are constantly flowing in and out.

[sknews7]

New Album Release for Department of Music Professor

College of Arkansas saxophone professor Eric Troiano launched a brand new album on Sept. 1 with the h2 quartet titled Infinity Mirror. The album options new music for saxophone quartet by Takuma Itoh, David Biedenbender, Jeremiah Goh, Jeffrey Loeffert, and Armando Bayolo.

Infinity Mirror is h2’s seventh studio album and was recorded in the course of the summer season of 2019. They had been joined by world-renowned recording engineer and producer Sergei Kvitko at Blue Griffin Recording.

That is Troiano’s first recording with the h2 quartet. “It was an unbelievable expertise collaborating with one of many best saxophone quartets within the nation made up of nice colleagues and mentors of mine,” Troiano stated.

The award-winning h2 quartet has been wowing audiences since 2002. h2 takes benefit of the nice expressive capability of their instrument by programming conventional, avant-garde, minimalist, and jazz-influenced works in stunning and compelling methods. h2 has carried out all through the US, in Europe, the UK and in Asia.

The ensemble has launched six critically acclaimed recordings: Generations, Instances & Areas, Groove Machine, Exhausting Line, Enrapture, and Soul Looking. Every of those albums introduces audiences to a distinct aspect of the saxophone, with the latter three comfortably bridging the hole between the favored and avant-garde sides of American music. Infinity Mirror is the quartet’s seventh studio album.

The h2 quartet has been featured on NPR and PBS packages, together with the nationally syndicated Backstage Go. Together with demonstrating a mastery of conventional quartet repertoire, h2 is devoted to the commissioning and performing of latest works. The quartet has commissioned works by Drew Baker, Claudio Gabriele, Takuma Itoh, David MacDonald, Victor Marquez-Barrios, Roger Petersen, Forrest Pierce, David Rakowski, Jesse Ronneau, Invoice Ryan, Matthew Schoendorff, Daniel Wohl, and has premiered works by John Mackey, Marc Mellits, Mari Takano, and Amy Williams.

The h2 quartet has received prizes on the Fischoff Nationwide Chamber Music Competitors (First Prize, Gold Medals) and the North American Saxophone Alliance Saxophone Quartet Competitors (first prize), amongst others. The group was additionally finalists within the Live performance Artists Guild Competitors and earned Honorable Mentions on the Plowman Chamber Music Competitors, the Chesapeake Bay Chamber Music Competitors, and the Coleman Chamber Music Competitors. h2 can be the recipient of a number of Aaron Copland Fund Grants.

In regards to the Division of Music: The Department of Music within the J. William Fulbright Faculty of Arts and Sciences, accredited by the Nationwide Affiliation of Faculties of Music since 1951, has been a chartered member of Pi Kappa Lambda since 1984. Dwelling to over 300 music majors and minors and greater than 35 graduate college students, the division has a school of 50 nationally and internationally acknowledged students, pedagogues and musicians. Our program affords levels on the bachelor and grasp ranges and affords an intensive one-year performer’s certificates. The division is an All-Steinway Faculty, and affords college students numerous acknowledged ensembles, a lot of which have toured nationally and internationally.

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[noritual]

Together: The Rituals, Pleasures and Politics of Cooperation

Richard Sennett

Living with people who differ - racially, ethnically, religiously, or economically - is one of the most difficult challenges facing us today. Though our society is becoming ever more complicated materially, we tend to avoid engaging with people unlike ourselves. Modern politics emphasizes unity and similarity, encouraging the politics of the tribe rather than of complexity. Together: The Rituals, Pleasures and Politics of Co-operation explores why this has happened and what might be done about it. Sennett argues that living with people unlike ourselves requires more than goodwill: it requires skill. The foundations for skillful co-operation lie in learning to listen well and to discuss rather than debate. People who develop these capacities earn a reward: they can take pleasure in the company of others. Together traces the evolution of cooperative rituals in medieval churches and guilds, Renaissance workshops and courts, early modern laboratories and diplomatic embassies. In our lives today, it explains the trials and prospects of cooperation online, face-to-face in ethnic conflicts, among financial workers and community organizers. Exploring the nature of cooperation, why it has become weak, and how it could be strengthened, this visionary book offers a new way of seeing how humans can live together.

[alahmnat]

D’ni timeline extrapolation

For a long time now, the Archive has had a number of specific dates in its timeline of D'ni history that aren't taken directly from an official source. Instead, they were taken from an old timeline originally constructed by Mark Jurries, proprietor of the long-defunct D'ni Archives website. Recently, I decided to review these calculated dates (as well as a number of other ones) to make sure they were accurate, and determine how Mark arrived at them in the first place, so that they could be properly cited and sourced on the Archive. (Specifically, this document exists to serve as that source.)

Primary anchor date: The Fall of D'ni

D'ni fell on Leesahn 8, 9400 DE. This is essentially the only officially-known date from this period in D'ni history, so every other nearby date on the timeline has to be extrapolated from it. Fortunately, the Book of Ti'ana mentions enough absolute time spans and hard numbers in relation to this event to make what I believe are some reasonably accurate estimates.

To start, there are several dates that can be calculated based on Gehn's age when D'ni fell. He was 8 at the time, having been inducted into the Guild of Books at the age of 4. Based on this, we can estimate that Gehn was born in 9392 DE, and inducted into the guild system in 9396 DE.

At this point, things start to jump around a bit. During the trip that Ti'ana, Aitrus, and Gehn took to the Lodge just before Gehn's induction, Ti'ana mentions that her mother died 35 years ago. This places her mother's death in 9361 DE. Earlier in the story, during a conversation with her father shortly before venturing into D'ni for the first time, the book notes that the accident that killed her mother was 6 years ago. Given this information, we can determine when she found D'ni: 9367 DE. The book also notes that she was 18 at that point, meaning she was born in 9349 DE.

When Ti'ana found D'ni, Aitrus was 55, meaning he was born in 9312 DE. He became a Guild Master at 38 (9350 DE), and was elected to the council 3 years later (9353 DE). Knowing when Aitrus was born also allows us to date the construction of the Great Shaft. Just before the Guild Council approved its construction, Guild Master Telanis revealed in a conversation with Master Kedri that Aitrus was 25. This means that the Great Shaft was built (or at least started) in 9337 DE.

(Note: Mark's D'ni Archives site put seven years between the death of Ti'ana's mother and her discovery of D'ni, placing it in 9368 DE and causing all of the dependent dates to be off by one. I think this is the result of a mis-reading of the text in that portion of the story, where a year's worth of surveys are mentioned in an aside. These surveys were not performed contemporaneously, but rather before Ti'ana's father discovered the stone ring formed by the soundings for the Great Shaft.)

From here, the remaining pre-Fall dates get a bit fuzzier. Ti'ana went to live with Aitrus's family roughly 5 or 6 months after she entered D'ni and was arrested by the Guild of Maintainers. Several months after that, Veovis found out that Aitrus had taken Ti'ana to his family's Age of Ko'ah. Ko'ah was confiscated, and Aitrus resigned from the Guild Council. While the controversy was settled in Aitrus's favor within a couple of weeks, he refused to re-join the Council for several years after that. These events took place somewhere between 9367 DE and 9368 DE, but there is no way to reliably date each them with any further accuracy.

According to the Book of Ti'ana, Aitrus re-joined the Council 15 years before Gehn was born, which means he did so in 9377 DE. This is the first occasion where the Archive's existing timeline is more than a single year out of step with these new calculations. Due to an error on my part in reading the text of the novel, I thought Aitrus and Ti'ana had married 15 years before Gehn's birth. However, they were actually married "[a] few years" after Aitrus returned to the Council, and that is the date from which Gehn's birth is measured. Thus, Aitrus and Ti'ana were married some time after 9377 DE, but the novel is not specific enough to determine a firm date.

As a matter of interest, there is a possible chronological contradiction in the Book of Atrus with regards to A'gaeris's expulsion from the guild system. The novel notes on several occasions that this took place 50 years before Gehn's birth, which would place his expulsion in 9342 DE. However, the novel also notes that when A'gaeris was expelled, Veovis still a cadet in the Guild of Writers. This is difficult to square with the rest of the chronology. By 9342, the Great Shaft had been finished for 5 years. Veovis and Aitrus were of a similar age, and Aitrus was no longer merely a cadet by then—he was only a few years from becoming a Master at that point. It's possible that this works out on a technicality, but it's equally possible that "fifty years" is David Wingrove's go-to "long period of time" value. Ultimately, I'm just not confident enough in the text to assert the 9342 date as definitive.

Beyond the Fall

Moving forward in time from the Fall, the first solid date we can extrapolate is when Gehn first left the Cleft. When he returns to collect Atrus from Ti'ana at the age of 14, he notes that he was the same age when he first left. This means that he did so in 9406 DE, and returned for Atrus in 9429 DE. The Book of Atrus also notes that Gehn was 19 when Atrus was born, putting his birth in 9411 DE.

According to information from the no-longer-available official Myst IV: Revelation website, Achenar was 50 when the events of Revelation took place, and Sirrus was 47. Since we know that those events took place in 9480 DE, this means that Achenar was born in 9430 DE (before, it should be noted, Atrus and Catherine got married). RAWA has also noted that Sirrus is roughly 2 years younger than his brother, meaning he was probably born after Achenar's birthday in 9432 DE, and that Revelation took place between Achenar's 50th and Sirrus's 48th birthdays. Using this and Catherine's personal journal in Revelation, it's possible to determine roughly when Ti'ana died. Sirrus was reportedly 8 at the time, meaning her death occurred around 9440 DE.

After Riven

Myst and Riven both take place within the same year: 9462 DE. The exact dates are recorded in Atrus's personal journal, which he gives to the Stranger in Riven's opening cutscene.

Based on calculations from time spans supplied in the Book of D'ni and the definitively dated point at which Atrus began documenting his efforts to write Releeshahn, I believe that he wrote Averone in 9463 DE, and finally broke out of his prison on K'veer in 9467 DE. The rest of the Book of D'ni takes place in the remaining portion of that year and the first few months of 9468 DE, with the end of Section 7 coming just days before he wrote the first entry in his personal journal from Myst III: Exile.

The epilogue of the Book of D'ni also states that Catherine spent a year in Terahnee researching their ancient prophecies, and that she started working on that project at about the same time that Atrus started writing Releeshahn. Working on the (probably quite reasonable) assumption that the last entry in his Exile personal journal is from the day before he began the actual writing process, he spent all of 9469 DE working on Releeshahn, and finished it some time in 9470 DE. According to RAWA, Yeesha was born in 1815 CE; assuming she was born after April 21st of that year, this puts her birth in 9471 on the D'ni calendar. Given that Exile is commonly described as taking place 10 years after Riven, and that Yeesha appears to be less than a year old at that time (but still old enough to hold her own head up), it seems likely that she was born in the later part of 9471, while Exile takes place in early 9472 DE.

Revelation is often thought to take place 20 years after Riven, but it's actually closer to 18; all of the journals from the game place the events in 9480 DE. This brings up an important discrepancy, though: Sirrus mentions in a journal entry dated 9475.8.3 that it had been fifteen years since he burned the Books in Atrus's library on Myst. However, this would put that event in 9460 DE, roughly a year before the boys send their mother to Riven in 9461. It seems unlikely that Sirrus would have been able to set fire to the library before they did this, because Catherine rarely traveled to other Ages at that point, and you would think she'd notice something like one of her sons burning an entire bookshelf full of Descriptive Books. For this reason, I'm inclined to treat Sirrus's "fifteen years" remark as an offhandedly round number, not an absolutely precise one.

[poolenick-blog]

Discover the fascinating sights of Belgium’s so-called “capital of cool” — Antwerp. As one of Europe’s largest port cities, you’ll be captivated by its architectural gems and its vibrant fashion and art scene. For instance, you can shop designer and vintage pieces to your heart’s content, or spot beautifully preserved guild houses in the Historic City Centre.so much to do in this city! Luckily, there are also plenty of options for travelers looking to visit this lively, cultural hub.

So whether you’re looking for a fun, youth hostel, or an upscale suite, you are sure to find something in this handy list of Antwerp’s finest hotels for places to stay.

Activities to do around Antwerp?

Check out my this comprehensive ‘Top Things to do in Antwerp‘ travel guide!

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Best Hotels in Antwerp

» Best Budget Hotels in Antwerp «

+ The ASH

» See the BEST price deal & read reviews at Agoda, Booking.com or HostelWorld » You can also check HotelsCombined to compare rates

Enjoy the modern design inspired by Japanese capsule hotels. Best of all, it’s only 5 minutes away from attractions like Meir and the famous Centraal Station.

What to love: The student-friendly facilities Address: Italiëlei 237 -239, Antwerp Center 2000 Closest landmark: Metro Astrid Price starts from: $20~ + YUST Antwerp » See the BEST price deal & read reviews at Booking.com or HostelWorld » You can also check HotelsCombined to compare rates

Stay in a spacious room with nature-inspired design and lots of natural light. Curl up with an book at the library or climb up the terrace for the best view of the city.

What to love: The chic interiors Address: Coveliersstraat 2, Berchem, 2018 Closest landmark: deSingel Antwerp Price starts from: $21~

+ Antwerp City Hostel » See the BEST price deal & read reviews at Agoda, Booking.com or HostelWorld » You can also check HotelsCombined to compare rates

Set in a Baroque guild house dating back to the 12th century, guests can stay at a mixed dorm with a shared bathroom. Enjoy complimentary Wi-Fi, a shared kitchen, and even free breakfast.

What to love: The lovely cathedral view Address: Grote Markt 40, Antwerp Center, 2000 Closest landmark: Grote Markt Price starts from: $21~

+ Antwerp Backpackers Hostel » See the BEST price deal & read reviews at Agoda, Booking.com or HostelWorld » You can also check HotelsCombined to compare rates

Meet fellow travelers in this buzzing youth hostel. Enjoy a fully equipped kitchen, which includes an array of herbs and oils. Jam out with a guitar, play board games, or have a barbecue during happy hour at the on-site bar.

What to love: The fun, youthful vibe Address: Kattenberg 110, Borgerhout, 2140 Closest landmark: EcoHuis Antwerp Price starts from: $22~ + Kabas Hostel » See the BEST price deal & read reviews at Agoda, Booking.com or HostelWorld » You can also check HotelsCombined to compare rates

It’s situated right in Antwerp Center so you have access to several museums, and cafes. Select from a mixed dorm or double room, complete with comfy beds.

What to love: The cozy atmosphere Address: Lange Lozanastraat 133, Antwerp Center, 2018 Closest landmark: Synagogue Shomre Hadass Price starts from: $23~ » Best Mid-Range Hotels in Antwerp «

+ Crowne Plaza Antwerpen » See the BEST price deal & read reviews at Agoda or Booking.com » You can also check HotelsCombined to compare rates

Experience cozy and stylish rooms at this boutique-style hotel surrounded by parks. Take it easy and swim in the indoor infinity pool, or relax in the sauna and steam bath. Indulge in Flemish cuisine and regional specialties at the hotel restaurant.

What to love: The sleek infinity pool Address: 10, Gerard Le Grellelaan, Antwerp Center, 2020 Closest landmark: deSingel Antwerp Price starts from: $89~

+ Van der Valk Hotel Antwerpen » See the BEST price deal & read reviews at Agoda or Booking.com » You can also check HotelsCombined to compare rates

Find this 4-star hotel tucked away in the low-key Borgerhout district, just off Antwerp Ring Road. Visit the in-house restaurant and savour a delicious meal while sitting on the terrace, or take a dip in the swimming pool.

What to love: The quiet surroundings Address: Luitenant Lippenslaan 66, Borgerhout, 2140 Closest landmark: EcoHuis Antwerp Price starts from: $95~

+ Hotel Indigo Antwerp City Centre » See the BEST price deal & read reviews at Agoda or Booking.com » You can also check HotelsCombined to compare rates

Guests will love this boutique hotel’s Scandinavian design aesthetic, with its soft hues and trendy oak decor. Lounge in style with luxury cosmetics, soundproofed rooms, free Wi-Fi, and your very own Nespresso machine.

What to love: The sophisticated decor Address: Koningin Astridplein 43, Antwerp Center, 2018 Closest landmark: Metro Astrid Price starts from: $113~

+ Hampton by Hilton Antwerp Centraal Station » See the BEST price deal & read reviews at Agoda or Booking.com » You can also check HotelsCombined to compare rates

Experience luxury living at Hotel Hampton by Hilton, located right next to the Central Station. Check out the sleek and clean design, with bright accent furniture and walls.

What to love: The convenient location Address: Pelikaanstraat 10-16 , Antwerp Center, 2018 Closest landmark: Antwerp Central Station Price starts from: $114~

+ Radisson Blu Astrid Hotel » See the BEST price deal & read reviews at Agoda or Booking.com » You can also check HotelsCombined to compare rates

Explore the Diamond Area when you’re staying at this 4-star business hotel. De-stress at the Health Club, which features a fully equipped fitness center, a cool indoor pool, and a massage and spa treatment area. The hotel is also right across Antwerp Central Station.

What to love: The numerous spa options Address: Koningin Astrid Plein 7, Antwerp Center, 2018 Closest landmark: Metro Astrid Price starts from: $127~ » Best Luxury Hotels in Antwerp «

+ Hotel Le Tissu » See the BEST price deal & read reviews at Agoda or Booking.com » You can also check HotelsCombined to compare rates

Savor mornings on the terrace, a walled garden, and views of the park at this unassuming B&B. Guests will love the lavish rooms adorned with designer fabrics and wooden accents.

What to love: The splendid decor Address: Brialmontlei 2, Antwerp Center, 2018 Closest landmark: Metro Plantin Price starts from: $138~

+ Hilton Antwerp Old Town » See the BEST price deal & read reviews at Agoda or Booking.com » You can also check HotelsCombined to compare rates

Unwind at the luxurious Hilton Antwerp Old Town, which is situated right on the Groenplaaats Square. Guests will love the modern design of the room, which includes a marble-fitted bathroom and even a private rooftop terrace for executive suites.

What to love: The central location Address: Groenplaats 32, Antwerp Center, 2000 Antwerp Closest landmark: Grand Bazar Shopping Center Price starts from: $142~

+ U Eat & Sleep Antwerp » See the BEST price deal & read reviews at Agoda or Booking.com » You can also check HotelsCombined to compare rates

Choose among 3 luxury rooms at this cheekily-named 4-star hotel. The hotel is a combined effort of an award-winning chef and TV personality. Don’t miss hanging out by the terrace, which features tranquil views of the water.

What to love: The riverside view Address: Nassaustraat 42, Antwerp Center, 2000 Closest landmark: MAS Museum Antwerp Price starts from: $176~

+ Hotel Julien » See the BEST price deal & read reviews at Agoda or Booking.com » You can also check HotelsCombined to compare rates

Stay in an upscale luxury hotel set in a 16th century property. Admire the hotel’s minimalist design and contemporary furnishing. Don’t miss the incredible view from your rooftop terrace!

What to love: The relaxing vibe Address: Korte Nieuwstraat 24, Antwerp Center, 2000 Closest landmark: Saint Charles Borromeo Church Price starts from: $185~

+ Hotel De Witte Lelie Antwerp » See the BEST price deal & read reviews at Agoda or Booking.com » You can also check HotelsCombined to compare rates

Live like royalty at this small boutique hotel right in Antwerp Center. Delight in the lush, modern furnishings and vibrant printed walls of the 17th century building.

What to love: The extravagant design Address: Keizerstraat 16-18, Antwerp Center, 2000 Closest landmark: Rockox House Price starts from: $340~ .title-bar:after, .title-bar:before, .title-bar:after, .title-bar:before, h2{ border-color: }

Overall

Make the most of your stay in charming Antwerp and take your pick among these top accommodations. I hope you find something that will suit your needs on your trip to the diamond capital of the world!

How about you?

What do you think of these Antwerp hotels for places to stay?

Which would you like to stay in?

Or have you stayed with any of these hotels in Antwerp before? How was it?

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The post The Best Hotels in Antwerp, Belgium: Cheap to Luxury Picks appeared first on I am Aileen.