This is a play by e-mail game which began November 1996, and is still running. The process is that I send out the turn, all the players respond, then I write the next turn based on their responses and what the non-player characters choose to do. For the sake of brevity, I have omitted the players responses, for the most part. Because of this reason, the connection between turns may seem stilted at times, especially in the early chapters while we were "getting the hang of it". Below are the Character histories I sent to the original five players. The character "Rich" never played, and was dropped. As other players are added or dropped during the course of play, it will be incorporated into the story.

OK this is just a note to explain a few things about the game and how to respond to things. You should reply to all when if your character is doing something that could be seen by other characters or you want them to know about. But should you wish to speak to just me because you are doing something sneaky or want to ask a question that your character should know but don't want to do it in public. Put a line in the subject that says like Attn. Storm or Storm only or something like that so that Laura doesn't read it by accident and the same is true if you just want to talk to Laura. I encourage you to talk to each other as well as to coordinate plans and strategies.

Sooner or later somebody will start a fight so here is how I am going to try and run combat. I am going to do combat 3 rounds at a time, so you may have to give me a few if-then statements. ex. I attack but if the guy I'm fighting dies this round then I switch targets for next round etc. I will be running all the dice on this end from attack rolls to saving throws. I will be fair and impartial, sometimes. Combat turns should be sent to everyone as well, I know that the other characters don't know what you are thinking but they need to react in case of something you might do like somebody pitching a fireball a house that your character just ducked into.

As for exp, I will give it when it seems appropriate based on mysteries solved, creatures killed, treasure gained and for role-playing and good ideas. If you have a discussion with another character that yielded a good idea feel free to bring it up to me for exp considerations. Usually, we've been having exchanges once or twice a week.

Female Cleric, age 40
husband - Duncan, deceased at age 63.
children - Castor , Pollux twin sons. age 20, left home.
Many things have happened in the past year. Duncan died, you received a vision that you needed to leave and search for a body of water that was clear and calm. It took two months to find but in the end you found it. A form rose from the water. She was an exceedingly stunning woman. She told you a great many things and with it she taught you to become a cleric. A year passed but it seemed as if it was mere moments. She explained to you that she would call on you from time to time to help her in her missions, but for now, it was time to explore and learn. Follow your heart, she said and slipped back into the water without a ripple and was gone.

You travelled and saw a great many things. Some good, some bad. When the game starts you will have been in the Northumberlands, near a town named Blyth. You have been staying in the forest and have been hanging around with a group of Scottish Highlanders led by a man named Angus that seems a bit of more of a group of thugs but they all have their stories of how life befell them to be in a place such as this doing what they do. Many of these stories seem to tell of a Queen Margawse and her consort King Lot, who have been seizing lands in the northern areas of Scotland. Your have been enjoying yourself, by learning to play the bagpipes, but after a few tries you gave up, much to Angus's relief.

It is late in the evening on the day of October 27, 522, when one of angus's men appears with a note. Angus grabs the note, and looks briefly at it and says "Tis addressed to you, lass"

Keridwynne Thistledown,
Please arrive in Blyth on November 3, 522 at the home of one Sir William Doherty, 1213 Overton. I have information about the death of your husband Duncan, and an adventure to pursue. Humbly,
William Doherty

It is sealed with a mark of royal house crest and the symbol a knight. The note if you ask were found on the road to Blyth tacked to about every tree. One of angus's men say that the papers were more numerous than the fallen leaves.

If you have more questions regarding this. Just ask.

Born in the Welsh countryside around the town of Carmarthen, you are the only product so far of your parents. Though with your abilities in hearing and sneaking about, you know for certain it is not from lack of trying. Your father, Elsiana, is but a simple farmer who is making a living farming a piece of marsh land. He, in your opinion, is not very exciting. He goes about his daily routine and is never embroiled in elven politics. In fact he hardly ever goes Carmarthen to speak to other elves. He is a simple man and a very softspoken one. He only warns you not to go into the marshes. But of course, you ignored that after a time.

Your mother, Delnora, on the other hand seemed much more interesting. She spoke sometimes of another life in which she was a mighty adventurer. She told you a few tales of battles she had with some monsters but after a time you came to think that she was making these things up to excite her only daughter.

As for most of your life, you helped on the farm and when you could you would spend time in the marshes. You practiced sneaking up on things out there and hiding and rigging traps. Mostly you thought these things were just fun. One day you came home and a halfling named Sherkas was speaking to your parents. You hung around and listened in on the conversation.

"Corina, is much like you Delnora, a thief through and through and you can not deny her the training she needs to pursue her life. It is what she is good at, you have known since she was little that she may someday she be called upon to continue what you started."

"I dont want her to continue where I left off. Something more sofisticated a bard perhaps but never a thief." your mother said quite forcefully. She turned and left in quite a huff.

Your father and Sherkas argued back and forth for sometime and finally it was decided that Sherkas should never return to speak of this again. It was the first time you can remember that your father was visibly angry.

You came to ask later what Sherkas had come for and why he had left in such a hurry for he was an old family friend and she liked to play with him for he could do some of the most wonderous things. They sent you to bed and forbid you to speak of it again.

The next week, you were mysteriously packed up and sent away to Carmarthen to pursue a career in the arts and study music. You sucked at it. You had more fun tormenting others in your class and the teachers. You were soon expelled. Not knowing what to do you went to Sherkas. He offered to train you as you should have been.

It happened so fast, you started training and just a few scant years later, you were finished. A full fledged scout as Sherkas liked to call people like him and you all the while telling your parents that Bard school was going well.

Your parents insisted that you should come home for a time and tell them the details of Barding school. You decided to face the music and tell you parents that you had been expelled from bard school and instead had become a first class thief. The news did not go over well. By morning, you were packed up and told to leave. Your mother considered you a disgrace to her name. You left in a hurry and never really looked back. Deciding that you should travel and see the world, you took off. It was a wild time for you, travelling around and seeing things. Getting into trouble and then getting out of it.

It is the evening of Oct. 27 522, you have stopped for the night in the town of Sunderland. It is cold and windy but you have a nice warm bed. You do your standard things such as trapping the door with things to wake you up in case someone breaks in. It is late in the evening and you are getting ready for bed. A knock at the door makes you wonder about who that could be. You grab your short sword and hide it just behind the door. You carefully open the door. A large human woman, the one that checked you in for the night is standing there.

"Miss Nightshade, a courier came with this." She hands you a note with royal seal upon it. She departs, leaving you somewhat confused about what this could be. You close the door retrap it and sit down to read the note.

Nightshade,
I am Sir William Doherty, a friend of Sherkas and your mother Delnora to which I know that you are estranged from. But I would like to speak to you of matters conserning both of the above people. It is somewhat urgent and if you could find your way here to 1213 Overton in Blyth by Nov. 3, 522 I would appreciate it greatly. William Doherty

The seal is that of a knight but not one of Camelot.

Laura since I am sending this the night that I am going to write the first turn. I am making the assumption that you are going. I will be careful to try and make sure that your character would take the proper precautions in case you feel that this is a trap.

Your background is pretty well flushed out but I will relate a few things of current and past history. You are an only child. One of you was enough. You led an unhappy childhood with parents fighting all the time. The finally parted their ways when you were 13 years old. Your father, Sorasa, was the parent that got you. Your elven mother Fornalla, you have not seen since. He farmed you out as hired help to a local wizard and that really became your home. Locutia, the wizard, was a comely woman and she taught you many things about magic and some other things I wont relate. You realized early that she was not the greatest wizard you had ever heard about with skills that were flashy but not that useful. You read widely and discovered that magic could be mighty useful, but knew that you were not going to learn much from her. So you packed up one night and traveled to Orcanie. You made somewhat of a name for yourself in court and soon was given to Montossey as an apprentice. He taught you little but his library was extensive and you really taught yourself most of the things that you needed. Queen Margawse thought that all of her lackeys should be taught the art of fighting and you were also trained by Argelia a Scottish warrior. He also taught you the religion that you now believe in and you adapted it to your magic as well. Argelia gave you the silver dagger that you hold so dear. Finding that you could wear armor if you were prepared to take the consequences which you were. Margawse started to take a liking to you, inviting you to court and so on. Montossey did not like this one bit as it happens, wonder why? Soon you were sent on missions that were little more courier missions. Mighty boring ones at that but a least you have been able to buy this cool armor.

Currently you are in the town of Newcastle upon Tyne, your armor just finished. Your have been staying in a fairly luxurious inn called the Black Swan, when a courier arrives to you. Nothing very unusual about this, this is normally how you receive new orders. This courier is human and walks with a slight limp. He hands you two messages and leaves before even trying to get a tip from you. Strange.

With some timidity, you open the first one.

Talorc,
I am Sir William Doherty and I have news of interest to you. For reasons such as this is going to Queen Margawses Castle first and then on to you I would assume, I will refrain in this letter from explaining all to you for it could be used against you or more likely against the Queen herself. If you find yourself at all intrigued by this letter please stop by in Blyth at 1213 Overton on November 3, 522.
My humble respects to you Talorc and to you Queen Margawse.
William Doherty

It has the symbol of a Knight a royal seal attached to it. Of course the seal has been broken as expected.

The second letter.

Talorc,
Find out what this fool is gibbering about and kill him if it could be damaging to my ambitions. Montessey is already in Blyth on personal business in case you need help. Queen Margawse

This one is also royally stamped with a seal but it to has been broken. Many strange things have happened today, but at least it isn't boring anymore.

Should you have questions about things or events that have just happened. feel free to ask.

About a year ago, still hoping to become a bard, you and your brother applied to learn under a master bard named Corliss in the town of Blyth on the eastern coast of England. As is his way when taking in new apprentices, he came to your town and interviewed both you and your brother. It was plain on his face when you played for him that he was not going to take you along. Though polite about it, he turned you down and took Jeron with him to Blyth. It was kind of a lonely time for you. Jeron was gone and you were home with your parents but you found a stray dog and named him Gates found that he was very intelligent and taught him many tricks. Finally you realized that you couldnt hang around here forever. You started applying for teaching jobs and accepted one in Kilmarnock in Scotland. It was exciting for a time to see new things and teach, but you grew bored of doing that. You found it much more fun to see if you could sneak around at night and listen in on good gossip. Stories from adventurers and their encounters with monsters and beasts made you wish that you could join them on their adventures, but you had little experience and no one would want a lowly mage/wanna be bard along for the ride. Still you hung around, listening. You started talking to these people more and more. One lady in particular, Heather Blackthorn as she was known took particular interest in you. She would spend hours regaling you with stories of her adventures, real and sometimes not so real. But she was an amazing thief, picking locks faster than you could blink and stealing things from pockets you didnt even know you had. She decided to teach you to become a thief or rogue as she preferred to be called. You found that you had some natural talent for it and you are a very quick learner. It wasnt long and you could do after a fashion most of the things that she could do.

One night in a brawl in the bar, these are fairly commonplace, a knife with your name on it was coming for your chest. Heather without even looking like she moved snatched the knife in midair and redirected its course back at the thrower. He didnt live long, but the local police would not look kindly on killing people in bars, so she had to leave and in a hurry. As she went out the door she said "Tieron, learn to juggle it could save your life someday"

She winked at you and was out the door, that was a month ago and she hasnt returned yet, you are beginning to think that she might not return. Life settled into a most boring routine again but you are getting better at juggling.

It is October 27, 522 and late in the evening, you can be seen sitting at a table going over the lesson you have planned for your students for tomorrow. It is a bit cold outside but not bad but the wind is howling pretty fiercely. It howling is so loud that the knock at your door is nearly drowned out. You approach with some caution but with more curiousity as to who could be knocking at your door. You open the door to find a large Scottish man with a very large nose holding a paper out for you.

"Courier service, have a message for you, Tieron Highstep." He hands you the message and waits for the tip. You take the note and pass him a copper. The note bears a royal seal on it. You study it for awhile and look up to say goodnight to the courier and realize he is gone. Glancing up the street you dont see him at all. Curious you think but shrug, close the door and sit down to read the note.

Tieron Highstep,
My name is Sir William Doherty, but that probably means very little to you. I am writing in regards to a mutal acquaintence of ours. Jeron Highstep. It is a matter of grave concern, but I will not go into details in this note. Please if you would join me at 1213 Overton in Blyth on November 3, 522 both Jeron and I would appreciate it.
William Doherty

At the botton of the note glued to it by wax is a dried out piece of heather. Curiouser and curiouser.

It is the history of your people that 200 years ago being persecuted by racism and intolerance for mixed marriages, they decided to isolate themselves from the rest of the world. They moved far north to lands near Loch Ness. For sometime they lived in peace. 30 years ago, your people came under siege by creatures, mostly goblinoid races. These attacks were mostly a nuisance to start with but as the years past, they have increased to daily occurrences. Into this hard life you came. Your mother died in one such raid when you were 4 years old. You have vague memories of this but mostly of a strange sadness and long black hair. Your father, Rallix, raised you but he left on a scouting mission one day and never returned. You were 15 at the time and being trained as a fighter and had participated in a few battles for defense of your village. On your 16th birthday at your coming of age party, your uncle came to you with a present for you from your father. He said that he had started it for you and was going to finish for you for your coming of age party. It is a sword and what a sword. It has a slightly curved blade and made of a gleaming metal that seems to shine with its own internal light. Its handle is in the shape of a closed fist and inside the fist is a small dull green stone. Its only inscription runs the length of the blade and is written in Elvish language. "The last great elven stone. Given from one son to the next. Awaken it and help will shine."

Upon receiving it, it is all you can do but to contain your awe. Your party ends and time moves on. It comes to pass one day that a mage had stopped through on the road to Inverness. Your town mage had died on an earlier raid and never had time to pass his teachings on to anyone. An attack came and the mage launched an impressive assault on the raiders decimating their forces before they could be fell upon by your people. You were again in awe and asked for guidance in magic as it could benefit your people greatly. The elven mage, Corrilon agreed to stay for a time and teach you as much as he could. He stayed for over 3 years teaching you all he could. He left not long ago saying that only experience would now teach you all you could know.

You came to rise in the ranks of your people very quickly, soon leading a squad of men. It is the night before a scouting mission near the Loch, something troubles you. A vision that comes day or night troubles you. In it you see yourself being chased by a group of goblinoids. You can hear a human yelling in the background, They have seen me, kill them all before they can give away my secret. You run around a bend in the path and are cut off from sight of your pursuers. The sword glows and a beam of light shines forth from the stone and splashes in green light a opening to a cave. You duck into it and your pursuers run by. It is an odd vision but one that bothers you quite a bit.

10 days ago this vision came true, you are the only survivor of your squad. You now know that someone leads these goblins in raids against your people but for what you are unsure. You have seen his face and its memory is burned into it. Someday you will see it again and you will have it on a plate before you. After being lost in the wilderness for 9 days, you wandered into the city of Edinburgh. With the money that you have left, you rent yourself an inn for the night.

It is a nice inn and after becoming civilized with a bath and a shave. You hear a knock at your door. Somewhat cautious these days, you pull your sword and open the door slowly. A tall man wearing a Kilt is at the door, seeing the sword in hand he quickly blurts out "Courier Service, sir."

He has in hand a note and a pouch, both of which he sets down on the floor in front of you and backs out of the doorway. Curiosity gets the better of you and you open the pouch for it rattles as if coins are in it. To your surprise it has many coins in it 100 gold to be exact. The note that came with reads as follows.

Richard Reed,
I am William Doherty, and no one that you have ever heard of before. I have news of your recent events and of your father. I also know of the troubles that you have had for the past few days. I send my regrets that I could not help you sooner. I have included 100 gold in a pouch for you to use for buying a horse and provisions to bring you to the town of Blyth and meet with me at 1213 Overton. I can be of great help to you and you to me. Please attend by November 3, 522 if circumstances allow it.
William Doherty