TMN Breaking News

Puddleby is under assault from meshras.

Azriel reports in his latest journal entry on a expedition to the Jade Arachnoid cave with the Puddleby Task Force. He also reports on a trip to Kismia's Island and a Fire Drake attack on Puddleby.

Bakunan sent the following report to TMN:

"Some people have asked about the Clan Destine battle cry. 'What does it mean?' Two words: plausible deniability. If someone says, 'I heard a bunch of people fell in Noids the other day,' then I reply, 'We were never there!'

"(Connie was part of the first rescue team. I think she fell due to Slyph's nagging.)"

Lundar sent the following announcement to TMN:

"Through the years, exiles have solved dozens of riddles, countless mysteries, and overcome the greatest of challenges. However, there is yet one question that remains to be answered: Who has the best looking house in Puddleby?

"The members of E'las Loth'mon Ferindril feel that it is our duty as one of the elder races to contribute our wisdom and innate fashion sense towards solving this grand mystery. To this end, we are hosting the Better Homes and Treehouses Competition, to lay this question to rest once and for all.

"The competition starts immediately and runs until Saturday, February 12th. The winner of the contest will be awarded 10,000 coins to spend as they see fit, as well as recognition for owning the best home in Puddleby. The runner-up will receive 3,000 coins.

"Visit the contest scrolls for more details and information on how to enter."

More discussion is available on the Clan Lord Sentinel.

Creed sent the following report to TMN:

"I thought I'd submit a report and a couple of sketches regarding the two most recent invasions of our fair Puddleby.

"On Sombdi, day 16 of Spring, 557, a swarm of Jade and Emerald Noids attacked Puddleby from the east. Many exiles were busy studying at the time, so it was a relatively small group of defenders who made their stand between the bakery and the Healer's Temple to try to fend off the eight-legged attackers. As you can see from the attached sketches, the noids were very adept with their sticky black webs, and many exiles found themselves snared. But after a long battle, as always, the exiles prevailed!

"Just three days later, Gradi, day 19 of Spring, 557, Puddleby was struck by another invasion. This one was no less nasty for the creatures being small . . . that is, rats, vermine, death vermine and even LDVs. As with previous rat swarms, this one seemed to be originating within Haricot's establishment. This reporter urges all exiles to avoid eating at Haricot's . . . unless rat tartare is to your taste!

"The rat/vermine invasion was repelled relatively fast, and peace was restored to town center . . . at least for now.

"One more tidbit: a group of exiles were hunting recently in the passes and stopped by the area known by some as Haand, to show it a couple of the group who hadn't seen this phenomenon before. Tsune amazed everyone by crossing into the lava and even lying down in it, then amused us with his Frodo Baggins imitation. As usual, a good time was had by all."

In an update to this earlier story, Aravir reports that he was rescued from the basement. He also reports on a recent Bane of the Black Heart clan hunt.

Azriel reports on expeditions to the Ethereal Forge, the Orga Outback, and Kismia's Island in his most recent journal entry.

Recent posts to the ELF Blog include:

Fleming reports on trophy hunting and furniture placement.

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Lundar reports on an ELF meeting, his University of Puddleby class on mystic teleportation, and a successful FMOCR

Sasha reports on an ELF meeting and hunt on Noth Island.

Yhoo sent the following report to TMN:

"Are there still any who are trying to communicate with drakes? The other day, I heard word that there was a drake in town. I happened to be on my way back to town at the time . . . and re-entered very, very, very cautiously. But it turned out that the drake was in the 'zoo' . . . the central lawn of town center.

"As it is a very rare opportunity to be able to stay close to a drake, yet be safe . . . and not have a big group of exiles immediately trying to kill it . . . I tried to talk to the drake. I greeted it several times in each of the seven languages I know . . . but it never responded other than with regular drake screeches . . . or showed any sign that it had even heard anything. Tara was also present and made lounge lizard noises . . . but the drake did not seem to comprehend those either. Throughout, it continued to immediately blow flame at any exile who wandered too near to the fence.

"Though I did not expect results, I also tried saying the only word I could remember from what is believed to be a draconic language: "Arrou." It was very hard to say . . . it had to be growled or howled . . . from what I remember about the supposed general sound of the language . . . and even if it was a word, perhaps it was not even recognizable to the drake . . . if I was not forming the sounds right. Unfortunately . . . this too brought no sign of recognition. I stayed and tried to talk to the drake for about two hours . . . with no success ever . . . and eventually had to leave. I do not know what became of the drake after that. Although I could not talk to this drake, I am glad I finally had a chance to look at a drake up close without being felled or frantically running away. They are scary, huge creatures . . . but magnificent and awe-inspiring. Perhaps one day we may learn how to communicate with them better."

Chaos Storm #373 has swept the Lok'Groton island chain. Please post any changes you have observed and wish to share with others in the comments. If you don't want to read possible spoilers, please do not read the comments.

Ootog sent the following report to TMN:

"Hi Para,

"I know you've been fielding a lot of Clan Destine reports lately, but I hope you have room for one more. [Editor's Note: What can I say? Clan Destine has been putting other clans to shame lately, not only with their deeds but also with their reports. -Para]

"The other night, Puddleby was treated to the performance of a lifetime. Having travelled the world over, just back from overseas, and having met much scepticism along the way, the remarkable Rhone the Mysterious performed his craft in town square. If you were lucky enough to be in the audience that night, you know of the incredible feats Rhone performed.

"Among them, Rhone made Ootog's shirt disappear (much to the delight of female Sylvans nearby), made his own hands disappear and even offered to grow kudzu whilst the world watched in wonder. Perhaps most notably, he turned this mild-mannered (and incredibly sexy) Zo into a halfling. When he announced what he was about to do, there were calls of Bogus! and Charlatan! from the audience. Those that were not convinced and expected failure, were shortly proven wrong. At the very moment he donned his grey cloak, Ootog flickered before everyone's eyes. in that moment some saw what was said to come, but the cloak teasingly hid the most amazing trick ever performed! After pleas to remove his cloak, Ootog obliged and lo' before everyone's very eyes sat Ootog the Halfling. He even squeeked.

"Many were treated to quite a show this night as Rhone obliged all with a trick or a favor here and there. We saw Madcat's exorbitant fro grow larger, only to see it grow smaller as he was transformed into a housecat. Xaerus, ever the inadequate pencilneck, pleaded with Rhone to make him muscular, which Rhone obliged by making him into an Orga Berserk. (What did Xaerus do with this newfound strength? He sat in a corner making his rippling gluteus maximus muscles dance for him, saying 'two dancing ladies, right behind ya!') and Kazik sulked around like a brooding dorf.

"'Twas a fun night for one and all. Alas, poor Rhone was completely taxed by the end of it, and as any great mage would, he needed to rest his spirit if not his body too."

TMN BREAKING NEWS

Orgas are invading in East Field.

Update:

Invasion repelled after exiles made a stand at the Upper East Field bridge. Images below.

CJ parker, on behalf of PAG, sent the following report to TMN:

"Some time ago, PAG came in sight of what we think is the second book of Giayl's Guide to Hidden Ways, very deep within the underground caverns known as the Pitch/Web Caves. All of PAG's efforts since have been focused on extracting all the secrets this book contains. This has been a long and arduous process, which is why there have been no updates for awhile. The process is still ongoing; although we have been able to see the book, we haven't been able to come close enough to study it. Yet . . .

"This part of the Pitch Caves complex is very challenging and we are working hard to come up with a working tactic to reach the book. We strongly believe that this book is the key to numerous mysteries, not the least of which is the Orga Stronghold, the heart of our greatest enemy and probable location of our catapult, which was forcefully taken by the orga long ago. We also think that this book will help us unlock some of the unopenable paths that some advanced pathfinders have observed in other parts of the Lok'Groton islands.

"Our mystics have determined that the Pitch Cave complex is located below the Orga Stronghold, and we hope that we will eventually be able to reach it and open up a new era of exploration to Puddleby."

Merlisk sent the following report to TMN:

"It seems that Geraldus has passed down his wizard hat to a Sylvan named
Rhone. He was in town last night turning Ootog (a Zo) into a halfling and
Ronald (a Fen) into a slug.

"I didn't escape unscathed either. Asking to become even more sexier, he
turned me into a female Thoom! Alas, I still couldn't get into the women's
hut. My quest continues."

Lundar reports on his experiences with the University of Puddleby in the most recent entry on the ELF Blog.

Aravir reports on a recent Bane of the Black Heart clanhunt in his most recent journal entries. Apparently, he is still stranded in Melabrion's basement.

Creed sent the following report to TMN:

"Clan Destine's most recent clanhunt included two successful excursions to spots that have been a little troublesome for us in the past. A group of us warmed up with CMR bashing at the Lilly Pond until all the members who were going to make it arrived. We then proceeded to the Rocky Cavern, where we defeated five Grey Wyrms and two Blood Wyrms with the help of some excellent zu-work by Rhone."

"After a brief run through plains, we then headed to pods, which we've never formally hunted as a clan. While waiting for Ootog to conduct some afk business, the rest of us tried two trial runs through the area, which met with some difficulty. Several members fell on the trial runs, but after a heal-up with some extra help from Sabriel, we were able to rally and make three more runs with our full group. As you can see from the sketches, we were able to work out a strategy that allowed us to successfully navigate the pods area and come out on our feet!"

"Reporting from Puddleby,

"Creed of Clan Destine"

Bonk sent the following report to TMN:

"An interesting invasion took place yesterday, shortly after two court case proceedings. Arriving seemingly from all directions, hundreds if not thousands of rats, ratticus, and even Mother of Ratticus swarmed town center, east of town, west of town, and various buildings including the town bakery shop and Bucarus' hut in east town. With only about 20 exiles in and around town, many were felled in a desperate battle to reach safety. Over time, those studying in the various libraries came out to help fight the invasion and assist the fallen.

"Strange things were witnessed by many; invisible creatures which, when attacked, sounded like hooded corpses. There was also a ratticus which behaved in an ethereal fashion: it could not be hit, and you could walk right through it. However, it was clearly attacking people in the town center. Shakyamuni also experienced a 'Porting' in east town, but I missed the relevant explanation at the time. He sunstoned that he was experiencing a 'rapid blinking' issue, and wondered if he too was invisible. From start to finish, the invasion took about 52 minutes to clean up, and ratticus were found in all sorts of buildings, farms, and the like. Perhaps others present can fill in more details in the comments below."

Larno sent the following report to TMN:

"Recently in the Valley, a small group of us discovered that skinning is no longer for exiles only. We quickly decided, however, that this should not be without consequences and killed the t'rool so that he can no longer steal our training. This will teach them!"

OWE has unveiled their new clan portrait, sketched by Sor.

See some of Sor's other sketches on his Web scroll.

Azriel reports in his most recent journal entries on a trip to Sarra and a failed attempt to get a Strange Stone.

Yhoo sent the following report to TMN:

"Hello, Paramedic . . . I have not written in before, but this day was such an unusually full day that I thought I might share it. First, I attended the bard concert and Ansset's audition. As I commented earlier, it was a wonderful time . . . we got to hear a number of new songs as well as old favorites, and Ansset was successful and became a bard quester.

"During the concert, I heard an announcement that at [ooc] 12:00 noon Pacific Standard Time (PST) on Sunday 9 Jan, the OWE clan portrait would be unveiled. So I will try to be there as well and hope others can too. I had not heard of this news before . . . hope the word gets out in time.

"After the concert, when I was just wandering around town, I heard another announcement that there was a new clan just founded . . . called Trrn. The founding members were Ayelwen, Calista, Derna, Hopebringer and Seld'kar. I did not ask any of them about the clan, but perhaps we will hear more about them from themselves later.

"Also . . . I was approached separately, once during the concert and once after, by two exiles (one per occasion) (both of whom I already knew). One wanted to know about finding old scrolls . . . the other wanted to talk about research and writing new scrolls. I think I was able to help them each time . . . perhaps I will write more about these two matters another time. It was a bit surprising to be asked about old and new research and writings just a few hours apart . . . after never having the topics come up for months, if not years. I also got to visit the new University Treehouse Facility, which was very roomy and airy . . . though a bit high and some parts were dangerous-looking.

"It was so strange to have so many things happen all in one day when my usual life is quiet and uneventful . . . though I enjoy it that way. But it was very interesting to have a suddenly full day like the one I just had. Well, that was enough excitement for me for the moment . . . bye for now. Thank you for publishing Thoomcare Media Network."

Creed sent the following report to TMN:

"I haven't seen any reports on TMN yet about Santa Chicken's gift giveaways for Bawkmas, so here are a couple of sketches. There were long lines on Bawkmas Eve to receive a surprise gift from Santa! I received 300c, and my friend Chance was given a Crius action figure."

"I have also attached a sketch of another Bawkmas activity--this one very peaceful and lovely (until the frost giants and such spoiled it). A group of exiles gathered around a bonfire in the Snowy Grove, and a bit after this sketch was made, we were entertained by music from several bards. Snowballs flew, eggnog was chugged, and a good time was had by all."

Pictured above is an image from a bard concert held earlier today. Unfortunately, I could not stay to enjoy the music because I was working on some TMN maintenance. Does anyone have a full report?

Lorikeet sent the following report to TMN:

"Thought I'd send you a couple pictures to answer the question, 'What happens when healers fight?' Aaron and I tried duking it out in the Arena but gave up after they both stayed white. Then we went to Centaur Island and cleared out Orionwood, but not before being trapped three times, and successfully digging ourselves out."

I was having some problems with the comments feature, but I think it's fixed now. Thanks for your patience.

Chaos Storm #371 has swept the Lok'Groton island chain. Please post any changes you have observed and wish to share with others in the comments. If you don't want to read possible spoilers, please do not read the comments

Connie Crete sent the following report to TMN:

"So’s taday tha huntin club decided ta go see tha ‘thereal plane. We was on tha mosey home and decided ta pop inta tha liberrys causn certain pepples (me) hasn't had a good look at tha books what upset alla sylvans and stuff. Also, I likes tha purdy pitchers.

"Anyways, we goes in tha firstun and sees that Phineas been doin sum housekeepin. Checked out tha a couple o tha other ones and they is like normal. We didn’t check em all though. Curious that Phin’ld wanna burn tha books though."

Bakunan sent the following report to TMN:

"I was in Muddy North Forest, and surrounded by ferals; probably around 50. (More than 40 were visible at all times, even with the feral-ing.) I managed to call for help. Trev arrived shortly, and showed what a well-trained Goss-fighter can do. Blows came quickly, and ferals dropped in his wake. It sounded like a chorus from the many feral death-cries ('arrooo').

"I've seen bloodbladers in action, but I had not seen a single Goss-fighter just mow through a huge throng like this. As someone just short of 3rd circle, this display was impressive to me."

Azriel reports in his most recent journal entry on skirmishes near Fat Alice's Hut and Cold & Snowy.