The Chaos Herald Tribune
Volumn 1 Sunday 10/31/24 A. R. Issue 2



CHAOS FINISHES FIRST OF THE CENOTHAPS -[STONE]-
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Aamer Khan - Reporting


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 In what can only be described as a herculean feat, many guild and individuals came together in a bond of unity to complete the stone cenotaph on chaos! As miners and quarrymen supplied the bricks, expert masons and beginners alike worked tirelessly to provide construction units to the brave placers out at the Cenotaph. As Dragons patrolled the skys and carried the units to the site, many would swoop down and clear the area so the placers could add their skills to the effort.

Well DONE to all those involved... NEXT, we attack the wooden one to the south!


Below, is as accurate a list of those that were instrumental in making this happen so quick...

( thanks to Gliding Frost for compiling this list, and for being onhand through the process )

Guilds that had participating members:

Dark Defenders
Eyes of Istaria
Order of the Talon
Faith
Grimms
Lewdacy
The Dark Council
Istaria's Union
House of Ronin

People: in no particular order

Domarius/Sofia/Drakus - applied the first and last piece
Malachite
Nitestorm
Carnon
Gliding Frost
Lycaroius
Moirainia
Akuluxtrax/Kymara
Kimchee
Mydnite
Kix
Elren
Duck
Zoltan/Zeeper/Zat
Guinness
LexDivinia
Ticktack
Weston
Gwendelle
Logikality/Frathoc
Ranqthas
LillyJo
Selaris
Jayle
Poii
Aamer
Sul
Olin
Baldarou
Soth
Rhyssa/Rhyinthe
Aleks
Flar
Asuras
Tagal
Torvos
Moreta


Faith Guild also began work on Metal w/an assist from some others, especially for application: Phido/Krystine, Carnon, Cardolan, Moreta/and dragon alt who's name i don't have, Domarius, Kimchee, Gliding Frost. Got all of mithril and half of cobalt done on saturday. I think more of cobalt done by just Faith members on Sunday.



SUNDAYS ---[ NEKKID DRYAD DEATH RACES ]--- SUNDAYS
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Alladania SilverMist - Lead Reporter


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 The most recent naked dryad race was run (flittered?) from Mahagra to the Dead Pool, a journey not for the faint of heart or slow of wing.

Today I enjoyed the opportunity to interview the winner of this deadly race, Winning Streak.



"So Winning Streak, how does it feel to be the best naked dryad racer two times in a row?"

"Pretty good Smile I know Istaria well, it shows I guess."

"Is there anything you'd like to share with our readers about your phenomenal success?"

"Train. Train. Train."

"Will we be seeing you again at the next race?"

"Absolutely. They don't call me Winning Streak for nothing."

"Wonderful! I have to say I am impressed that a naked dryad made it alive to the depths of the Dead Pool. And you were the only one."

"I was patient in the final meters.. didn't run for the pit until there was an opening in the patrols - and then I sprinted."

"Clearly an excellent strategy. Thank you for stopping to chat, Winning Streak."

"Anytime."

The second, third and fourth place winners were Dinkle, Kihara and MeepMeep. While none of the other contestants reached the finish line alive, their ranking was determined by proximity to the finish line at time of death.

And the location of the next grueling death...I mean dryad race.... Sports fans, you'll have to wait and see.



STORY TIME
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 Contemplations on Braised Parrot with Caramelized Grapes
By Damascusss

I considered beginning this account with a rhetorical speculation on whether my readers had ever chanced to observe how thickwitted bipeds can be regarding Dragons. Of course, the answer was so glaringly obvious that it exceeded the conceptual design limits inherent in the word ?rhetorical? by at least an order of magnitude. Normally, this pervasive inability to grasp and retain basic facts about Dragons annoys me only slightly less than the screeching of an enraged wisp; however, a recent experience showed me that the Lunus way can overcome even the most intractable biped foolishness ? even when it doesn?t involve repeatedly tail-whipping the biped in question.

I had come to Sslanis in search of a belly full of gruok and an extended period of basking on sun-baked beaches. I stopped at the pawnbroker to rid myself of some accumulated biped junk I had looted and was heading to the gate when I noticed Kerrak, the town guard, rapping on my right foreleg. Kerrak launched into an impassioned ? and lengthy ? plea for help, which can be summed up as, ?I am a monumental fool and I have lost a valuable item that belongs to someone else?s hoard. Have mercy on me, oh mighty lord! Please, please, help me! I will shower you with wealth and praise your name all the rest of my days!?

Eh, I?m a sucker for groveling, I admit it. Catch a wayward parrot? Hatchling?s play...

Stupid biped.

Kerrak never mentioned that this parrot is more elusive than an oil-covered dryad loaded up on spun sugar. I soon realized that, short of flattening every tree in the jungle and burning everything that didn?t look like a parrot, I was not going to be able to just swoop down on the little darling and snap her up with a fast clawsnatch. I returned to Sslanis wished Kerrak luck, then headed to the beach. Well, to *Kion* beach, anyway? Kerrak?s grovel was very persuasive. Off I went to find a Saris named Rialtos ? who proved to be as annoying as Kerrak was obsequious.

Parrot traps, he said. Flax spools and grapes. I belched a little flame at him to see if he had noticed I was a dragon. Most parts of a Saris ranger are edible, you know. To his credit, he stood firm and repeated his demand for flax spools and grapes. I was not fooled; fine wire would work just as well, I?m sure, and he obviously asked for grapes out of the mistaken belief that I would be unable to harvest them. Obviously he needed to learn that the Lunus will is indomitable.

I obtained the spools from a grateful Naka after saving her from being savaged by gruok; the grapes were provided by another Naka I met near a small farm. Once I agreed to stop killing the cattle she was trying to get milk from, she was more than happy to pick a few grapes for me. Rialtos was astounded at my swift return, but he hid it well and quickly assembled the traps.

I?ll give the stick-flinging hairball credit; he certainly is skilled with knotting rope. The traps deployed easily and I settled down for a short bash and a bite of gruok en brochette. When I returned to check the traps, however, I found several gruok attempting to make pâté out of MY parrot!

After dispatching the gruok in a display of Lunus ferocity that was at once stunningly majestic and indescribably messy, I returned the bird to Kerrak, along with a few suggestions on how best to caramelize the grapes and on the best wine to serve with parrot. Sobbing, he fell to his knees and begged me to take the dearly departed creature to be resurrected. I let him grovel some more before I agreed.

Getting the creature resurrected required some travel ? a pleasant jaunt for a healthy adult Lunus such as myself. Thank Drulkar I?m not a biped? I also acquired a few small but necessary items along the way, mostly from a certain confectioner who eagerly offered everything I needed as tribute. In the end, I restored the creature to life & health, just in time for Kerrak to go off-duty and return the garish creature to its owner.

Never let it be said that dragons are incapable of fending for themselves; after all, where there?s a tail whip, there?s a way.



THE INTERROGATION OF SQUISHY
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Managing Editor: Aamer Khan

It used to be that the Withered Aegis would come to you. Now, since they have learned of our power, we must go to them. This is acceptible, but it makes gathering information a good bit harder.

Imagine our suprise, when a druid friend of mine and I, ran across a lone zombie shambling along in the north highlands of the eastern blight region. He must have wandered off the trail and forgotten how to get back. So much the better for us!

We decided to find out if this rotting bag of bones had any useful information. So, as my friend kept him stunned, I switched to handwraps, and cast purified raise health on him to restore his ability to speak. When he would languish again, I found a swift slap in the mouth would get him talking again. What follows is that conversation... It's the implication of what he said that has us worried...

Barnaby: Ok, he is perma stunned, let us see what he knows.

Aamer: Speak soldier!

Squishy: Bbbrainssss

Aamer: What is your name and why are you here?

Squishy: Squuuiishy... llllooostttt

Aamer: what are you doing here?

Squishy: Immpportant jobbbsss.... prrooootect ccceeeennnootaaaphss fromm liiiiving.

( Barnaby: I've seen no cenotaphs, what crazy zombie talk is this? )

Squishy: mmuustttt keeeepp liivvinng froooommm mmmasssstteerrrssss.

I had to keep bopping him to get him to speak, but it looks like I may have gone too far, because as I pop him again, he cries out loudly BBRRAAIIINNNNSSSS, and his jaw falls off. Oh well, no more info from him. We quickly finish him before he can return and warn the others.

What masters was he talking about? Where or WHAT is a cenotaph? I don't know these answers yet, but I will keep digging to find them, dear reader!


ASK THE ORACLE
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QUESTION: As a newly awakened gifted, and I'm wondering where do I find formulas?

ORACLE: WHO DARES DISTURB MY CONTEMPLATIONS!!!???
Oh, you have a question, that's different! Well let me see, you can get them as treasure off of many of the enemy creatures you kill, but by far the best way to get formulas is to do quests for your craft trainers, for which they will give you tokens. Then they will accept the tokens in trade for the formulas they sell. ( why they don't just accept money is beyond me, perhaps they just want to be sure your serious about your craft ) Anyway, there is one more way to get formulas IF you already have tokens. You can goto Dalimond, and down by the shore, is a tinker that has built formulatrons. These are gambling bots, that will give you 1 random formula for your current crafting class for every token you give them. Yes, that's it. Nothing more on that subject...


SCHOOL SPOTLIGHT: BLACKSMITHS
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Senior Reporter: Alladania Silvermist

There are many careers one might pursue in Istaria. Some choose to battle the Withered Aegis with spell or steel. Others choose to supply the warrior with critical equipment and resources. Yet other valiant (shall we say crazed?) individuals choose to do both. This week our sunscope shines on the school of blacksmith.



The blacksmith, at its heart, is a fine maker of tools. No other single craftsman learns simultaneously to work with stone, metal and wood. While it's true that blacksmiths also gain skill crafting weapons, they are the primary supplier of tools to the crafters of Istaria.

Many people will use their blacksmith training merely as a stepping stone on their way to a more specialized career such as weaponsmith, tinkerer, fletcher, carpenter, fitter or mason, but there is no shame in continuing to stay the course as the noble blacksmith.

A Word to the Wise:

The new blacksmith needs formulas. These formulas are the written knowledge, passed to you by your trainer, to allow you to learn to make more and better things. To obtain these formulas you need to prove your dedication and experience to your trainer. You do this by offering him lore tokens in exchange for his formulas. The best start you can give yourself as a new blacksmith is to do the quests your trainer offers you, as often as you possibly can. For each quest, along with a reward of experience, you gain lore tokens. After ten repetitions, while your experience will lessen, you will continue to gain lore tokens at a steady rate. In addition, by the time you have reached your fifth rank of experience, you will want to upgrade your training tools to their more finely made counterparts. If you do not, you will find your progress is limited by the inherent weakness of these initial tools.

Craft well and with honor. I salute you - the mighty blacksmith!



QUOTE OF THE DAY
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"Dragons don't swim"



 FIRST EVER NAKED DRYAD RACE HELD ON CHAOS
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Managing Editor: Aamer Khan

Sunday, we held the first Naked Dryad Races on Chaos. We plan to hold the race each week. The contestants are of course, clothing free dryads, and must also be level 0, having NO classes whatsoever. Each race is designed to see if totally a new gifted dryad, could make it to very dangerous places alive.

This weeks race was from Aughundel to the Eastern Deadlands Graveyard. The Racers this week were Winning Streak, Fleeting Fantasy, PJ, and Dinkle Smallberries.

Once they were all in position, HratLi acting as announcer for the race, counted it down and they were off! All got off to good starts, staying within sight of each other, to the first "Y" in the road. Here the racers split up, with pj and winning heading north, and dinkle and fleeting heading south.

One advantage the northern route gives, is that even though it is a bit longer, you can follow the road much further. Which in this race was the deciding factor. Winning took a commanding lead early on in the race and was able to maintain it through out. As winning dropped down into the graveyard from the north, he was almost eaten by the flies. But, with a burst of speed and a bit of dryad dazzle, he was able to drop down and win the race!

Now, it was a battle for second place. PJ from the north, and Dinkle from the south were making equal progress, and it was a very close race. Because of the relentless progress made by PJ, Dinkle decided to risk it all and make a mad dash up the road. Just as he reached the gate of the graveyard, a wraith lord spotted him, and decided that his tiny life was worth snuffing and alas, we had our first casualty.

PJ next dropped down to capture the second place spot. Now, what had become of Fleeting? Having followed basically the same route as Dinkle, she was being much more careful sneeking past the WA mobs on the road. But as fate would have it, an eagle eyed zombie spotted her and put an end to her try for third.

It was a great time for all!, and in Aughundel, I had the pleasure of awarding Winning Streak with the first place prizes. Yoo HOO, pj ... come get your prizes!! I would have had images of all of this, but I forgot to charge my imaging stone. Next race we will have it charged... I promise!

We are planning another for next week, from Mahagra, to the bottom of the dead pool.

Be there, sunday, Sunday, SUNDAY!





AAMER KHAN FORCED FROM RETIREMENT
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Senior Reporter: Alladania Silvermist

I caught up with Aamer Khan amongst the yew trees of Saritova just a few days ago.

"Excuse me, Aamer? Do you have a minute?
"I was afraid I'd have to search all of Istaria to find you."

"I've been sent by the Tazoon Heraldry Council to deliver you this missive. In essence, they firmly and respectfully enjoin you to return to your former position of reporting the news of our world. It seems that the enemy forces are publishing their own account of the war and this can't be allowed to go on unanswered. We need you Aamer Khan. Istaria needs you. What say you?"

Looking a bit distracted, and with an impatient tone, Aamer replied, "Well, well... sent you to find me did they! I suppose it's just as well, seeing as how in these troubled times, NO news, ain't good news! Ok, my spirit MAY be willing to give it another go, but my flesh may need some assistance. You tell them I'm gonna need some more reporters on staff besides my cousin Derwood, if I'm going to do this again!"

Realizing that he may be more inclined then I previously thought, I pressed for more understanding, hoping, that just maybe, he would return to his former post. Bravely I asked, "If I might be so bold to ask, how have you been spending your time during your (brief) retirement? We know a little about Aamer Khan the Herald from reading your reports. What can you tell us about Aamer Khan the man?"

Sitting down on one of the feet of the massive treant he had just killed, Aamer seemed to get more focused on our conversation. He explained, "I started out trying to just relax, but could not stand the quiet! So, I tried my hand at selling spun sugar and candied apples at the outpost, but everytime a shaman walked by, the candies just sprouted worms, so that was a total bust. Then I got the bright idea to become an alchemist, and sell potions to many of the newly gifted... do you know how many steps there are to making a potion! Man, oh, man! What a mistake. Now, I had thought to be a supplier of components to all crafters. That's why you find me here today. Doing quite well I must say, 16 knots so far today alone!"

"But I'll let you in on a little secret, I really miss gathering news from around the empire. I still do the odd private investigation for paranoid gnomes, and jealous fiend women, but it's not the same as sneeking into a WA encampment to gather intel... aww, who am I kidding. I never was any good at selling things anyway! That settles it! You go back and tell them I WILL take the job! ( by the by, interested in becoming my lead reporter? )"

"Thank you for your time speaking with me today." I say,as we both stand up.
I would be honoredby the chance to join you in reporting the news of our world."

"My, but there are a lot of treants in this area, aren't there?"


CHANGES MADE TO HERALD INCLUDING NEW NAME
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 Our next official issue will mark the beginning of a new and improved Chaos Herald. There will be more sections, more reporters, and more useful information. Even the name has been changed to reflect more of a home town newspaper. So what can you expect from the new Chaos Herald Tribune?

Full ongoing reporting of events in Istaria, with a focus on the War with the WA.
Full reporting on community building projects
Coverage of Dragon related topics from Hatchling Training to AROP.
"Man on the Street" interviews of citizens from all walks of life.
The questers little helper - assistance for those confusing quests
Craft and Adventure Spotlight - where you can learn about all schools of endevour
Quote of the Day - interesting, fun, or helpful quotes from citizens of the Empire
Classified Adds - sell, buy, trade, look for work, offer your skills... it's all here
Istarian Travel Guide - Never been to the spirial mountain? Don't know where to find frost pygmies? Never seen the Wizards Tower? Well, then these guides will be for you.

These are just the start of what the NEW Chaos Herald Tribune can be... with YOUR help!

We currently have job openings for reporters, Dragon topics, Classifieds.

If you would like to help, Please send me a PM here, with a sample of your work. All applicants welcome!