As many of you have now seen, when the global cheer reaches maximum (see my last post for details!), Flintbeard, the Malignant will arrive! Flintbeard is the irascible relative of our magnanimous Ironbeard and will stalk the land until defeated! Everyone who participates in the fight will have their renown instantly capped for the day, gain a random buff, and also enjoy [redacted]! Spread that cheer! Penned by My hand on the 25th of Lupar, in the year 991 AF.

Ironbeard has done it again! In a fit of questionable holiday cheer, the old dwarf drank a bit too much halfnog and scared off his entire crew of helpers. Now he needs YOUR assistance to keep the celebrations alive! Throughout the month of December, this festive event will let you send anonymous gifts and custom messages to players not only here in Achaea, but across every Iron Realms world! Wrap up something generous, or slip in something a little more nefarious, and help spread chaos, kindness, and mischief in equal measure. Sending a gift requires five wrapping paper (earned via obtaining renown in December), and you can send out a single gift per real-life day. While recipients are random, you must send a gift to become eligible to receive one, and so the more people who take part, the more festive cheer will be flying around the worlds. Presents are delivered in waves roughly once every hour, and as you all send gifts, you will fill a global "cheer" meter (see FESTIVE STATUS!). Every present nudges it higher, and when it finally hits 100 percent, a notably irascible dwarf will descend upon Sapience, rewarding buffs and renown to those who defeat him! Senders will also earn special milestone rewards as they help Ironbeard with his deliveries, receiving special prizes when they reach 1, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 presents sent: - 1 present: a Logosmas chocolate - 3 presents: a promo XP lantern - 5 presents: a festive stocking - 10 presents: a custom Logosmas hat - 15 presents: An orb vision of Ironbeard, including a glass orb filled with writhing smoke if you don't have one - 20 presents: a Logosmas sleigh mount - 25 presents: an honours line! Every present you send also grants you a ticket in the Logosmas lottery. At the end of the event, three lucky winners from each game will receive credit prizes: - 1st prize: 1000 credits - 2nd prize: 500 credits - 3rd prize: 250 credits Be sure to read [0;1;37mHELP LOGOSMAS[0;37m for full details on how to get involved, what you can send, and the commands you will need. Sharpen your quills, hoard your wrapping paper, and get ready to surprise your fellow adventurers. 'Tis the season! Penned by My hand on the 13th of Lupar, in the year 991 AF.

REPORT ID: O/DOC-3454 SUBJECT: WARNING - GRAND LARCENY CLASS: SEC (REP, EYE, O:C) REL: VER, KEL, ILL, LOR, ELE, CAU TEXT: Be it known that under treaty law and for the necessary sharing of intelligence regarding criminal activities across our region, that the Imperial Security Directorate of Sorathia is pursuing ALL leads in the recent theft of ninety-four crates from Imperial warehouses. We advise that the items removed in this larcenous activity primarily consist of arrayed shield arcanum, scheduled for destruction pursuant to the instructions of General Arkayn given its obsolete nature and in accordance with Imperial Vertan's obligations under the Loramere Treaty. The Directorate seeks any information from our allies and friends regarding the identities of the two smalling thieves - known only at this time by the pseudonyms "M" and "R" - as well as any information that may lead to their detainment for their crimes committed against Imperial Vertan. The sentence for these committed acts, namely the deliberate transfer of Vertani knowledge and arcanum to illegal recipients, is death by bambine penetration. Penned by My hand on the 1st of Lupar, in the year 991 AF.

December has arrived! Some of you may notice that you start receiving wrapping paper while going about your renown hunting activities. This is deliberate. Read on! Later today (in around 12 hours), an [0;1;37mIRE-wide[0;37m festive event will begin, allowing you to wrap and send presents that transcend the worlds of the Iron Realms! This will include the opportunity to receive a promo stocking for completion, among many other rewards, so look out for my post! Halfway through the month the realm will become entirely festive. Makesh will put his Logosmas wares on sale, Ironbeard will make his rounds, and Merrywick will open once again! Meanwhile, stockings have returned to www.achaea.com/credits featuring the new [0;1;37mEmpires[0;37m talisman set (see below or HELP EMPIRES TALISMANS)! There is no bonus for Iron Elite owners with stocking purchases, but credits are also on sale at www.achaea.com/credits offering a 30% bonus on the purchase, that's 40% if you have Iron Elite! Stockings can also be opened for Logosmas talismans (OPEN STOCKING LOGOSMAS) if preferred! See [0;1;37mHELP STOCKINGS[0;37m for all stocking-related commands and to see a complete list of prizes and minimum stocking values! Every 150 stockings opened will trigger a bonus stocking in the next 50 to be opened, awarding massively increased prizes! ADDITIONALLY! For every 5 stockings of each type you purchase, you'll receive either a gold or platinum stocking of that tier! So if you purchase 5 fancy stockings, you'll get a gold (or platinum) fancy stocking. Gold and platinum stockings are special and fill up only on Christmas and New Year's Day, respectively! All previously hung stockings have been returned to their original owner's inventories, and can be hung fresh for yourselves or new recipients! And now presenting the [0;1;37mEmpires[0;37m talisman set... A luminous prism (TALISMAN INFO LUMINOUSPRISM) - Valued at 300 credits. - Themed for Targossas. - While worn, this prism shall produce a dazzling light, making it impossible to look directly at you and so hiding your description and what you might be wearing. - Note: does not hide divine favours or rare mineral statuses. A malevolent bullhorn (TALISMAN INFO MALEVOLENTBULLHORN) - Valued at 200 credits - Themed for Mhaldor. - Increases shout length by 100 characters (stacks with other shout length increases). Reduces the stun length of a shout of ridiculous length by 25%. A resin-cast formicary (TALISMAN INFO FORMICARY) - Valued at 500 credits. - Themed for Eleusis. - Invoke this formicary towards someone and it will burn away all ropes and webbing that entangle them. Carries a one minute cooldown. An imperial grapevine (TALISMAN INFO GRAPEVINE) - Valued at 800 credits. - Themed for Ashtan. - Possession of this perfectly pruned plant shall grant you the ability to [0;1;37mPROPAGANDISE[0;37m in locations where such tales may be swiftly spread (typically drinking establishments or similar). - This talisman mimics the functionality of the spreading aspect of the gossip ability in Sagas. A scorched tome bound in infernal iron (TALISMAN INFO INFERNALTOME) - Valued at 100 credits. - Themed for the Inferno. - This tome grants access to five suitably malicious forging descriptors: bloodwrought, abyssal, fissured, corrupted, and hellscorched. A Lethstead vessel (TALISMAN INFO LETHSTEADVESSEL) - Valued at 1000 credits. - Themed for the Kelstaad. - ACTIVATE this vessel and for the next four instances of someone perishing in the location, up to four random individuals will find themselves healed a significant amount. - Carries a thirty minute cooldown. A Seleucarian jousting shield (TALISMAN INFO SELEUCARSHIELD) - Valued at 1600 credits. - Themed for Seleucar (of course). - RAISE this shield while leading a group and all members in your location shall receive a defence which halves all battlerage costs for its duration. - This carries a high battlerage cost and a three minute cooldown, and only benefits your group: it does not benefit you personally. An undulating nautilus (TALISMAN INFO NAUTILUS) - Valued at 200 credits. - Themed for the Underworld. - A dread steed from the depths of the Underworld. An ancient Kasmarkin war drum (TALISMAN INFO KASMARKINDRUM) - Valued at 1200 credits. - Themed for Kasmarkin. - Play this drum and all tauntable denizens in your location will become taunted by you. - Costs a large amount of battlerage and carries a one minute cooldown. A blue-green spiral shell (TALISMAN INFO HARBOURSHELL) - Valued at 600 credits. - Themed for the Empire of the Sea. - LISTEN TO SHELL FOR and you will be informed if they are at sea or, if their ship is at harbour, what harbour they are currently at. A Vertani shield arcanum (TALISMAN INFO SHIELDARCANUM) - Valued at 400 credits. - Themed for Vertan. - ACTIVATE this arcanum and for the next thirty seconds meteors that would strike at you will be deflected to strike another in your location (if there is someone present). Five minute cooldown. Enjoy! Penned by My hand on the 1st of Lupar, in the year 991 AF.

We've just finished judging the Logosmas Carols from this month's Discord contest, and here are the results: 1st place: Blonk! 2nd place: Avikare 3rd place: Poxie 4th place: Gundrun 5th place: Ryssa Each of these winners take home credits, but we would like to thank everyone who submitted a carol! And keep an eye out, for some of these might show up again... Penned by My hand on the 17th of Scarlatan, in the year 991 AF.

The warm spring sun of a late Miraman afternoon shone down upon the flourishing boughs of the village of Eleusis. Fthora, hulking servant of the Earthmother, called upon the villagers, demanding their attention for a matter of the swarm.

"Bodies. Corpses. Fill the heap!" the masked mycorizae rasped gleefully to the gathered Eleusians. "More and more, we will need them all soon."

Led by High Warden Vothaec and Blackthorn General Trendric Distara, the Untamed Legion turned its attention to the followers of iron and stone. Conflict and conquest proved no match for the warriors and, even when they did, the dutiful villagers placed their own bodies willingly into the foetid pool beneath Eleusis.

Months later, a low, bone-deep thrumming echoed from within the Eastern Ithmia, a warning of the escaping swarm. Soon, rampaging formicaries dotted the mainland of Sapience as Eleusians fought to protect the queen of each one, bearing her back to the reeking sump of rotting vegetation and corpses. In the months that followed that initial formicary, queens slipped free to found colonies across the world, and each time they were brought home again through the harmonious teamwork of Eleusis.

Never satisfied, Fthora called upon the ritualists of the village to beseech the swarm and to honour every queen and brood that had been reclaimed. Aelyn Le'Yuet-Mercadia, Memory of Nature, together with the rest of Her Coven, led the villagers in a humming tribute to the insects, calling upon the Wildwood Queen to rally the swarm to their aid. A slender formicary was swiftly constructed in the midst of the dancers, whose steps faltered and stilled as the Earthmother Herself appeared beside it.

"Remember this day," Lady Gaia said, a hint of pride echoing in Her icy features, "for it stands as proof that when you remain true to who and what you are, Nature will respond."

~~~

Summary: Eleusis worked to capture the swarm's queens and return them to the heap beneath the village. A slender formicary was formed in the midst of a ritual to honour the insects and call upon Nature to aid in the protection of Eleusis. Lady Gaia's return was heralded by a new skill to replace the runic totems Eleusis gave up nearly a century ago.

Penned by My hand on the 21st of Miraman, in the year 991 AF.