Tanuchan

I wish success to the new forum, Katz! On another note (that I'll will repeat somewhere in the Piazza), to those who had their 'Poetic Portrait' created in my Quill Quest: please feel free to use them if you want to. To those still in my list, I apologize for the delay... my Muse has been quite temperamental for poetic efforts. In time, I hope to finish the whole list of Portraits ~Tanny

Thanks, Gwai! On another note... would the players take a look in the Halloween Party & Werewolf Game thread? Katz and me are organizing a Halloween event, and we'd like to count on you!

"Goodman Parcel... if I may be of any help..." Thomas turns, and nods silently to Anne. Her children talk to his, united by the grief of losing a parent to witchcraft. "Amelia helped me find strength when Charles died... I share your loss, as I know you shared mine. Please, don't hesitate to call me if I, or my children, can help." She blinks tears away, voice trembling somewhat. Amelia... my dear friend... "I am sorry also for telling you this, Goodman Parcel... but both Charles and Amelia seem to have been victim to the evil we are both commited to fight. Goodwife Parsons visited me last night, and she commented that she saw you and our governor walking towards the store... is it possible that you have any suspicions as to who is this Satan's tool?" Silence... Amelia suspected Silence... but she didn't trust Goodwife Bones either... Who else could have done it? The Governor has always supported Charles, they trusted each other, or so I believe... our Usher has been silent lately also, he didn't seem at ease to visit us after Charles' death... What am I saying? He is the one who keeps the order during services! I must think... innocents cannot die. (OOC: no vote yet)

Halloween Party & Werewolf Game An invitation reads: We invite all members of the Pen community, from Honored Guests up and including all Elders and Ancients, to the Halloween Party that will take place at Custos Manor in October. Choose a costume, and join the fun! More information can be found at the Conservatory Room at the Pen Castle, or through Katzaniel and Tanuchan. R.S.V.P. Join the fun! There are posts at the Conservatory and on each of the Guilds, for those who can access them ~Tanny and Katz

THE GUILDS' CONTRIBUTION (The Guilds are visible for those who are Pages and up... so, sorry for those who cannot follow this post...) If you're an AVV member, you can choose to RP a ghost. You can play tricks on the PCs and BPCs, you can haunt any part of the house and its premises, you can try to scare everyone... in short, whatever ghosty things you come up with. You must, however, follow the same restrictions that apply to the BPCs concerning the werewolf game. The NPCs: Usually, the NPCs are created by the mods as needed to the werewolf story. For this occasioin, we will be using material created by members of the Guilds. (You can find more information in each Guild) The Guilds: 1- The SWG is responsible for creating the settings, the rooms (hey, remember that library? If you are a member of the SWG, you can just create it!), even some stories. Maybe they can be found in the library, or in an old yellowish parchment stuck inside a mysterious drawer... be creative! 2- Members from the AAA can create all kinds of poems/verses/poetic-ish things that can be found in tombstones, scrawled in walls and books... maybe even being used by ghosts 3- The AVV can create NPCs to be used by the mods, besides being able to actually RP ghosts (see first post). * So, if you think all this Guild stuff is fun and you're at least a Quill Bearer, go to the Athaeneum and apply... you're still in time to be accepted and participate! * ~Tanny and Katz ~~~~ Edit: formatting, added links

An invitation reads: We invite all members of the Pen community, from Honored Guests up and including all Elders and Ancients, to the Halloween Party that will take place at Custos Manor in October. Choose a costume, and join the fun! More information can be found at the Conservatory Room at the Pen Castle, or through Katzaniel and Tanuchan. R.S.V.P. Yes, we'll be having a Halloween Party at Salinye's Hostel! :wizzie: But besides being a party thread, we plan also to host a Werewolf Game to those interested in participating. There is also the possibility that we run a concurrent, traditional Werewolf Game (contrasting to the party-special edition), with a separate moderator. So, the poll that goes with this thread basically asks if you would be willing to participate in one of the games, both, or none. If you won't participate, we'd also appreciate your comments, so that we can use the imput to improve our plans. Well... How will this work? You must come in character to the party - either create one for the occasion, or come as your main Pen Persona (as we encourage you to), if you have one . For the first few days (probably close to ten days or so), you will be just attending to a party. Feel free to RP and interact at will, and have fun! At some point in the party, a tunnel will be discovered under the hostel, leading to an old haunted house and its premises. Anyone who wants to follow the tunnel is welcome to, but those who rather stay in the hostel and keep the party going there, are free to do so! In this haunted house, funny things will start to happen... ghosts may roam, scaring sounds can be heard, frightening scrawling can be found on walls. There will probably be a dusty, cobweb-full library... who knows what can be found on those books? And that small cemetery with its tiny chapel (or mausoleum?) at the back of this house? Who would guess you had this so near the Castle, but undiscovered? Hmm... is it *really* there, or is something else going on? While in the haunted house, we will have our Werewolf XIII - Halloween '04 edition . Everyone who's participating in the party RP is invited to join the game, but you are not required to. That is, at the haunted house, we will have different "kinds" of RPers... 1- Werewolf Players (from now on, let's call them Player Characters, or PCs) 2- Party-goers (from now on, called Bit Player Characters, or BPCs) 3- Non-Player Characters (NPCs, created by the moderators of the Werewolf game for story purposes) 4- Ghosts (this is a role reserved for members of the AVV) The Werewolf Players will be involved in the game, that will follow the normal rules. The only twist is that *no one* will be really killed/lynched - hey, we don't want your rather permanent, main Pen persona (or any other you want to bring to the game) killed or harmed in any way! Eeh... in *almost* any way, really... We will have skilled Healers and magic-wielders ready to help to prevent any permanent harm to the participants. In other words, maybe you will be knocked unconscious or trapped somewhere, thus becoming unable to keep participating in the werewolf game, but otherwise you will be sound and whole to keep in the party. So, for the Werewolf Game: 1- You sign up normally; but please, you *must* be able to post in the game thread at least once every 48 hours during the period you're alive in the game. 2- Game runs under normal rules 3- No one will be killed or suffer permanent damage. Not even temporary ones, if you PM the mods requesting so (yes, we are pretty flexible and accomodating ) 4- Those "killed" in the game revert to simple party-goers... BPCs (see below) 5- The werewolf game will happen in a separated thread, so any member can locate quickly and easily what the ww players are doing. If you're in the party, but you're not a ww player, you're a BPC. Then: 1- You RP and interact normally with the people around you, including the ww players. 2- You cannot interfere with the game: no stating of suspicions, no trying to interfere with the votes of the game. (It's the same for the ghosts, by the way). Please, answer the poll above and, if possible, leave your comments so you can help us improve If you have any doubts and comments, feel free to post here or PM any of us. You can sign up for the Halloween werewolf here! Your friendly Werewolf Game moderators, Tanny and Katz ~~~~ This part of the post will be updated as possible: WHO'S IN THE PARTY (as of October 14th) Tanny, as Morgana Katz, as a Caveman Elwen and Aural, as fairies Cryptomancer, as a barbarian Peredhil as Dr. Evil, followed by Nuncio (Almighty Thor) and Guido (The Portrait of Zool) Mynx, as CheerMynx (cheerleader) Vahtang, as the Candidate (and his entourage) Dean, and Phil (as a penguin) Yan, as a Roman gladiator Lady Celes, as the Snow Queen Gryphon, as ~umbra~Gryphon Leif Dragonqueen Gwaihir Nave, as Papa Smurf Gnarlitch, as the Predator Finnius HappyBuddha Ayshela Gyrfalcon, and Daryl (as Death of Foxes) Wyvern Yui, as Guido Xaious PARTY MAIN EVENTS (as of October 14th) CheerMynx gets under a permanent Intoxication spell cast by Cryptomancer; Vahktang, the Candidate, keeps campaigning; YanYanGanaffi becomes the Official DJ; Lady Celes provides some fun conjuring small flying Sylphs with specific instructions of tickling the guests before giving them treats; Ayshela wonders if she should give up finding a dancing partner; Daryl ends up grabbed by CheerMynx, who makes him her new pet (with a colar and a pink bow); Wyvern makes himself comfortable sipping spilled alcohol under the table; Yui/Guido demands from Peredhil/Dr. Evil the whereabouts of a pocket hanky; Xaious arrives under the influence of a spell who makes his reactions delayed by at least 5 minutes; (current list of ww players here)

It's a good idea to keep the earlier posts unchanged to check your progress, Leif. Later, if you feel the need to, you can always edit them. This last one feels much smoother towards the end than the others, as you didn't write a closing paragraph - you let the story taper out quite naturally. The only "downside" is that I'll be pestering you to continue it soon, as it is pretty clear by now that it's like a chapter in a bigger story... and I'm getting more and more curious about Leif, Artak, and the village. Some more specific comments: It would be quite nice to hear something from the mayor at this point, as it seems that Leif rushed in on purpose not to let the mayor say anything that could be offensive, or maybe to cover for an awkward silence... I have also a doubt... why did Leif left the Knights? He says... Does this mean he feel ashamed because he left the king unprotected? But wasn't he following orders? And if following orders, why would he feel ashamed? Or was it related to his previous decision of leaving the Black Guards' commander? Maybe you could make this point clearer. As a reader, I really don't understand why Leif seems so bitter about the king's death, as if he considered it a personal failure, when everything in the story leads to the belief that he was a good soldier, that he was following his orders, and that he didn't have a way to prevent the final outcome unless he had a crystal ball... Or did I miss something? At the end, it seems the mayor may have changed a bit his opinion of Artak... or not? Unless you want the suspense, maybe a line with his thoughts? I have some other comments, but I'll be PMing them to you as to not make this post too long. Have you considered asking for feedback in the Critic's Corner? People who can't access it can always leave feedback here in the thread or PM you More insights on Leif's life... Do keep them coming! *hugs* ~Tanny ~~~~ Edit: typos

Katz, you're a great writer of short stories... all of these are really touching in their own way, for different reasons. They convey feelings, and I enjoyed all of them, but specially Virtual Reality and You Touched my Life. Mistress is a fun read, with its light implicit humor, while An Empty Playground is really touching. Cheque represents so well what sometimes happens... and so does Prejudice, on a different subject. You have a knack of turning common events in life in beautiful stories, Katz... as Ayshela said, don't ever say again that you can't write stories! *hugs* ~Tanny

I also like it. I don't know if it was your intention, but the form also makes the flow hesitant in the beginning, catching momentun towards the end. It's very like someone who starts walking hesitantly, unsure if he wants to go down that street, that line of memories, but who finds himself rushing headlong into them after a few initial steps. I've felt like that many times, when I explore some line of thought very hesitantly in the beginning, and some steps later I get caught and run it to the end. Thanks for sharing ~Tanny

I liked both of your poems. In spite of the strict form, I think you dealt well with them - however, I'm in no way one to trust when it comes to analyse form, as I usually don't even think about it when either reading or writing . So, I will say that for me both feel smooth and are enjoyable readings. I also love your repeating lines, they really work well. Thanks for sharing your poems, and to give us chance to see how a strict form can be worked very nicely by an inspired poet . ~Tanny

Anne checks one more time the bedroom, kissing her children goodnight. "Momma... I'm afraid..." whimpers little Hannah, clinging to her hands. "There's no reason to be afraid, sweetling... " Her voice is soft, full of love. "In the darkenss, in this house, there's just the peace needed for a good night's rest. Nothing can touch you if you trust in our Father's mercy." Caressing Hannah, she smiles reassuringly. "I will leave the small candle here. It will be dark if you wake in the middle of the night, remember that." "I will remember, momma." She nods sagely, smiling brightly, "And if I am afraid I will whisper a prayer to the Father and will go to your bedroom, and knock your door." "That's it, sweetling. Goodnight, now.... close your eyes, I will stay a little with you... " She starts humming a baby's lullaby, forcing herself to keep her voice steady in spite of the tears that come unbidden to her eyes. Charles loved to hear my singing... from the beginning, when we had just met... he would stay with me when I sang our babies to sleep, sometimes he would sing with me... Some time later she closes the door, going to the kitchen. "Have you finished, Nell?" The girl nods. "The bread Goodwife Parcel brought ealier is here... " she points "... and the butter farmer Stone sent is here." "Thanks, Nell." There's a knock at the door, and Anne dismisses the servant. "You can go now, thank you." I supppose it's Goodwife Parsons and Jenny Hart, they said they would stay with me for a while... it's nice of them... Anne and her guests settle in the room, each with their knitting, talking in soft tones.

I really like your description of the scenes, Leif. It's something I have trouble with, being one of the reasons I don't really risk writing stories. Your descriptions are vivid, and give some details that make me really "see" what is happening. I enjoyed those a lot, here as in the other story (the Application). So, what I missed most was exactly the descriptive part at the end of both stories. In both cases, they seem somewhat rushed... Maybe you could describe Artak's first days at the village, mention how Leif's neighbors and friends reacted to him. I could suggest, for example, describing how he helped building the tavern - that would help showing what you meant by "a rough start". It's a good reading, and I look forward to more of Leif's adventures! I think that, if you intend to keep writing this (like a series), the bunny's personality will come through naturally, making people get involved in the general storyline. Thanks for sharing! My two cents... ~Tanny

Tanny also shakes herself free of the tangle, by the simple expedient of changing into her smaller, lither form of Tanuki. Then, still in that form, she shakes herself trying to get her fur back into anything similar to an orderly shape. She chitters to herself while combing her tail with her front paws, nose twitching on smelling the mix of drinks that had fallen on her. *Dratted liz... oh, hi Wyv... *She grins, chittering away as the Elder looks at her suspiciosly. With a last shake, Tanny looks for Leif, jumping on him and tacklehugging him, both falling again to the floor. She laughs. "Congratulations, Leif! It's so good to have you here!" ~~~~ Edit: spelling

Anne looks at her husband's grave, lost in thoughts. Her face is lined with sorrow and concern. Give me strength... I must complete your work. Or at least I must not let it fail. Evil has to be rooted out... She turns to the farther corner of the cemetery, locating the new grave. Mrs. Bones... may that you have joined your husband and found peace at last. She leaves the cemetery, meeting Amelia on her way home. "I'm so worried, Amelia... "

If I may step into your question, Cryptomancer? You and the Treasurer can have " RPed private conversation" on the thread (that is, all players will know about that), but can't talk in PM about strategies. This (using PM alliances) depends on each mod and varies from game to game. In this particular game, Merelas doesn't allow PM communication other than for RP purposes - for example, I communicated with Dean to check how long we've been married, if we had children, how we had met, and so on. And any PM is also to be sent copied to the mod So, you and Vahk can talk in PMs about the line of your RP but *not* to make it an alliance and discuss strategies or share suspicioins. You can just RP it on the thread, but remember that we'll all use that one way or the other if we need to Sorry for interrupting your conversation...

Tanny perks her ears, listening half-distracted to Katz and Leif's talk. She snorts at the "Semi-lagomorph", sending a thought to the bunny. *Leif, she talks as she were completely human herself... but if you observe her well, you'll see she's half-tiger... It's fortunate that you've applied, because otherwise she could start thinking about rabbits for dinner. * The wolf looks affectionately at the tigertaur, winking. ~~~~ Note: for RP purposes, as Leif is bunnyfolk, I'm assuming Tanny can mindspeak to him as she does Katz.

Hm... Silence must be older, as both Anne and Amelia claim to have let their children under her care. Anne's are 12, 9, and 7. Amelia's about the same age, I seem to recall? (Have to check the threads). So, unless we're talking about just the yonger children, I'm guessing Silence is about 14-15... I understood "never seen death" as meaning that she has never witnessed witch trials... but these, I guess are for both Katz and Lady Celes to clarify If needed, I can edit my post to make it coherent

Some mornings later, Anne and Amelia talk in their way to the church. "Amelia, I talked to my children... " And they say some things about Silence that make me wonder.... "Did you talk to yours?" But is what they say sufficient? It may be a bit weird, but is that witchcraft she is talking about? Or just a too curious child? ((OOC: vote for Silence Whitney/Lady Celes. However, if day phase is extended, I ask the mod's leave to eventually change votes... ))

Following the scent, a wolf silently pushes open the Recruiter's Office door. With a quick jump, she bumps the bunny who's looking curiously at the pile of paperwork on Wyvern's table. Leif gives a startled cry, turning to stare into the eyes of the wolf. Tanny looks at him, smiling wolfishly, and her grey eyes full of mishief make the bunny blink. *Hi, Leif... I knew that scent was familiar... * "Oh... do I know you?" She laughs, and shimmers back into her human form. As Leif promptly recognizes her, she leaves and returns minutes later with a tray, offering Leif a mug of mead. "Wyvern must be somewhere trying one more of his schemes... I'll make you company while you wait for him." Stretching, she goes back to wolf form and sits down, nudging the bunny to do the same. It's good seeing you here, and applying, Leif! I loved the story, and hope we can have many more like this one. ~Tanny

Anne gasps, shocked. "Amelia! Allison has been part of our circle since I arrived in town... she is so dedicated, she is such an example... her own child...!" Amelia shakes her head, showing her disgust and sadness. "I know, Anne... but it is as I said... she is young and naive, she has never seen death before. She is curious, too curious... didn't you hear her questioning why people choose to be witches? It is not necessarily Allison's fault that she has a wayward daughter." "Yes... I know... but... poor Allison... " She stops, observing young Silence with other eyes. She likes to be alone... never have I met another girl who so deserved the name Silence... She is friendly, but she doesn't care so much for speaking, not with us. I also have trusted my children to her... Lord, what can they be talking about? "Amelia... I think I will talk a bit with my children. Jessica and Joseph are old enough to be trustful, and even little Hannah, in her innocence, can reveal to our eyes what Silence talks about when we leave our children in her care. I would suggest you to do the same... And if we hear something that confirm your suspicions, we must gently prepare Allison, also." Anne sighs softly. "Our children... our biggest treasure. We must protect them." ((OOC: I'll be back with an official vote later, I hope... for now, no accusation))

Congrats to you all! You surely deserve the promotions, and I hope we can keep reading such nice writing pieces from all of you A slender woman hugs all of them except one, then tacklehugs Cryptomancer, grinning. "I really enjoy your poetry!" she grins, "and also your RP. May your muse be always gentle!" Shimmering into her wolf form, she bounces around nuzzling all other promotees, then disappears somewhere between the tables of the Confessional.

Samantha approaches Anne, muttering some supportive words about how Reverend Arthur had helped her after her husband's death. "Thanks, Mrs. Bones..." Anne clasps her hand. Old Mr. Bones... poor man. Was that ten years ago, already? Yes... Charles and I had been here for three years. It was the year Jessica got pneumonia, and I was pregnant...

Mere, would you please give a reference by post time-stamp (like... ten hours from this point on? I know more or less what time it should be in my timezone, but just to be sure... Thanks

Anne cries silently at the Reverend's burial, her children clinging tight to her. Jessica and Joseph, 12 and 9, each to one side of her, and the youngest, Hannah, 7, crying pietously with her face buried into her lap. "Papa is alright, baby..." whispers Anne, patting Hannah's head and letting her tears fall over her. "He is with God our Father, and he will send his love and his care to us all. He will protect us." "Is he happy, then, Mother? For leaving us?" Joseph looks at her, blinking tears - a man does not cry. "Not for leaving us, Joe... but because he is now in the presence of God. He was a loving father to every one of us, he was the voice of God here among us... he was righteous. He will keep sending us his love. We must accept that he is gone, that our Father wanted him at his side." She sighs, hugging all her children. We fell in love so long ago... my blessed brother Peter, your friend, who brought you into our house when you were still a young minister.... Charles, why? God have mercy on us, who would have done such deed? What witch could have reached out for you in our own house, blessed by God and protected by our faith?" Amelia's hand closes on Anne's shoulder, while Allison and Selene Whitney talk to her children and prie them out of her mother's grasp gently. "Anne, you must rest... let us help you in this hour, as you have helped so many of us." Anne nods, numbly. But as she looks into Amelia's eyes, there's the shadow of a cold determination. "I want this witch, Amelia.... " whispers her. "I want this witch to stand in Court, and face us and our faith, and see her pleading to Satan to help her just to realize there's no power above God." "Vengeance, Anne?" "Vengeance is in the hands of God, Amelia... but I am human, and I loved Charles. My heart wants this village protected. My heart wants my husband to rest in peace, knowing that we rooted the evil out. I *am* his wife, dear friend... I must also see that we aren't left completely lost without our Reverend."

It`s a lovely poem, Gryphon... I enjoyed it very much Mine is here... quite different feeling... Time Time flows around me sometimes in soft ripples sometimes in rushed currents. I stand and listen and see, whispers once known echoing in the void, smiling faces from the past lost in capricious swirls. I reach into the flow to grasp some of its strands but my hands close on emptiness, the cold, uncaring wings of time. I face the endless stream face still, a perfect mask, let time flow around me take my memories to unknown end. ~~~~~~ Edit: Added a title