Foreign Affairs

  Fangorn

Turning a New Leaf
Fangorn Ærendboda: Imbealcariel: Feranfolc

This month Imby caught up with Fangorn's new ruler, Mojo. Mojo was given the position of Quickbeam after Roo sadly had to step down due to parental restrictions. Here is what he had to say to us:

Mojo, what was it like when you were told you were being given the position of Quickbeam? It was quite shocking. One of the few times in my life I've been speechless. (This is coming from a debater nonetheless.)

Can you tell us what you aspire to do with the kingdom, now you have such power? Well... I remember the glory days of Fangorn back in the day when it was all fun and games. I know it's impossible to actually recreate that atmosphere we all had back then, but I'm going to do my best to try and get some new fun stuff back into Fangorn.

Is Valinor fun, or all boring 'work' discussions? All of the above.

What is it like working with Morim? It's great. We've known each other since long before our plaza lives started (See Vali Bios) and it's amazing that we're still friends.

Both of you being such lore scholars, will the kingdom become more lore based? I'm not sure. I think we're going to try to keep a good balance of activities, but we're also open to new and fun activities that would get people participating and having fun in the forest again.

What are your best plaza memories? Hmm...that's tough. KD/Fangy debate in Season 2, Playoff debate against Med in season 3, All-Star Debate in Season 3, becoming Debate Game Master, the endless parodies in the Debate HQ thread, marrying Kit, Season 4 debate against Med (that one was CLASSIC.)

Is there anything you miss about being just a normal plaza member? The chance to get a new icon every 1000 points or so.

Can you tell us about the man behind the bark? Arf Arf I say... hmm... what's there to say? I play guitar and tenor sax, love reading and writing, sports, movies... the list goes on. Read my plaza bio for more.

Are you a fan of anything other than LOTR? Of course. Mainly Star Wars (though ep 1 & 2 were horrible), also James Bond, classic rock, classic cars, sports (mainly pro & college football and college basketball), chess, Battlebots, I've been a closet DragonballZ fan for a while too (there ya go Ander.)

Will we be seeing a lot of you around the plaza still, or will you be working mainly behind the scenes, as many rulers do? I'll try to be around as much as possible. I've noticed that my activity decreased with my becoming DGM since I had a lot more stuff to do, and that, being a ruler and being in college may limit my plaza time a bit, but I'm going to do my best to still be active and accessible.

Well congratulations on the promotion Mojo, from everyone at the Rædboda and Meduseld and thank you for this interview!

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  Khazad-Dûm
Changes in the Stone City
Khazad-Dûm Ærendbodas: Ciardwen: Feranfolc

This month has seen the recently formed Khazad-dûm Constabulary run off their feet! With the reappearance of the legendary Dwarvini family and the opening of the new Smugglers Guild, a series of crime sprees are shaking the rocky caverns. Much to the author's distress, while shopping for a new pair of boots at the market, a huge Balrog appeared and began terrorizing the merchants and their clientele. Fortunately, the Constabulary and the Security Staff of the Market Hall were quick to act, successfully dowsing the flaming Balrog with water. Durin's Bane stood smoking, before finally falling to ash.

Apparently, the dwarves don't seem to have enough public holidays, so to correct this wrong a new KD Calendar is underway. This involves a setting aside a series of days throughout the year, to commemorate pivotal moments in KD's plaza history, these special days will be allotted for specific mayhem and chaos. Here's the list so far:

January 9, Badgers Day: The first official badger race. Effect: A RPG thread will be opened and in it all dwarves may roleplay their badger as IC only. The thread will close when it reaches the 100th post.
January 12, Tor's Day: Tor was named first ruler of Khazad-dûm in January 2002. This is the start of the plaza Khazad-dûm kingdom. Surely the most important day for all dwarves. We had gotten our own kingdom. Effect : Dwarves have godmoding allowance to post in godmoding ways in their threads and post towards foreigners. It means that in that plaza day of each year, dwarves are allowed inside KD threads to godmode when interacting with foreigners (of course always evading insults, dirty words or such things.)
February 28, Foo Day: The historic day that the Spice Dwarfettes invaded the throne room and foo-ed anno with likkle beard bows and a shiney bunny wunny suit. Effect: Dwarves are allowed and encouraged to post in pink all over Khazad-dûm...
March 8, DAR Birth: Effect: Every newbie joining this day will get one fanatic point from the ruler.
March 20, Dragon Day: The first Dragon Hunt begins! Effect: A huge celebration feast; maidens should post in red for the day!
March 27, Old Guard: The planning of the guard army. Effect: An orc captured that day will be put on the funeral pile.
April 12, Council: The council was formed. Effect: All council members should wear pink and post in cyan that day.
April 19, Anno and Marin's Day: Anno and Marin were two of the greatest rulers in Khazad-dûm history. Marin was the longest served ruler that the kingdom ever had, and along with Annolori, they helped change KD into the great kingdom that it is today. Effect: All bars and pubs will be dedicated to brawling on this day for the entire day.
April 24, Dis' Day: On this day, Dis became the first ruler to succeed Anno and Marin. Effect: All of the Berserkers must post in pink in the Throne Room.
May 15, Hrive's Day: On this day, Loki Teshvara, the Lady Varda, stepped down as temporary co-ruler and Hrive was made Queen. Effect: All people must speak in the Third person or IC as a raven.
June 7, KD First Newspaper, Durin's Daily: Creation of the dwarven newspaper. Effect: The Newspaper Editor has the right to publish a false news upon the newspaper.
July 9, Stokade Day: Loki threw Frito into the stockades for one too many jokes on her royal person. Effect: our royal queens have the right to devise whatever punishment/torture/behead they like on their subjects.
July 25, The Seven Clans Birth: Effect: Every clan must launch fireworks and give presents to their fellow clan member.
October 7, Anghak: The birth of the guard army. Effect: Every soldier can challenge the gabilkapn. If he wins, he may be gabilkapn for the rest of the day (except when being invaded.)
December 28, DWC: Creation of the dwarven welcoming center. Effect: Every newbie joining KD that day gets a cookie and a kiss from one of the queens.

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  Lothlórien
Under the Mallorn Trees
Lothlórien Ærendboda: Elarith: Feranfolc

Lórien Elves, foreign visitors, and even some of the Valar came to offer their congratulations to the new Ruler, who humbly told his people that his duties were 'both to watch over you all but more importantly to serve you. I will do my utmost to endeavour to improve our kingdom with the help of the Lady Imfalas.'

~~~***~~~

In a Rædboda exclusive, I caught up with the new Lord Celeborn polishing his new shiny silver headpiece and put a few questions to him:

First off, congratulations! How did you feel when you found out you would be a Ruler?
Thank you. It is an honour and a privilege to have even been asked to take the position on. What my initial feelings were, I would have to say of disbelief. Even now after having had the position for a few days, it is still hard to believe that I am where I am now.

What are your thoughts on taking on the spiffy Celeborn icon? Celeborn is an important figure in Middle Earth, even though in the books we read little of him. How that makes me feel I am unsure. I guess that I still don't quite believe as I said earlier. All I can do is hope to emulate those who have gone before me and to improve Lothlorien.

So, why did you decide to join Lothlorien? I actually had a hard decision as to which kingdom to join. I was thinking about Lothlorien, Fangorn and the Shire when I first joined. What drew me eventually to Lothlorien was the fact that it had been stated that the kingdom was seeking to be different from the others. Offering differing activities than those found elsewhere.

I know you're involved in practically everything going, but what is your favourite Kingdom activity or thread? Hmm favourite activity or thread. That is a hard thing to answer. Like you said I am involved in a wide variety of activities, each with their own characteristics. Within Lothlorien, I could easily say that it is one of the activities that I actually lead but that is not the case. No rather I enjoy them all. I find that I can't single a particular activity out over the rest.

Have you any particular aims or goals in mind for Lorien in the near future? My goals for Lothlorien are simple. To see it grow. To see it remain different from other kingdoms in the activities that it offers. To improve the life of the Galadhrim.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly: Lorien vs Rivendell - which is more foo-foo? :D Need you ask that question? The answer is most definitely Rivendell. The Galadhrim are much more sensible.

~~~***~~~

In more unpleasant news, another face familiar is leaving the Golden Wood this month. Only a few days short of his first Plazaversary, Himlithion, Marchwarden of Lothlórien, has decided to take 'a very long holiday' which he may not return from. As a prominent figure in the Kingdom, he has been heavily involved in various activities and guilds, such as the Mirror newsletter, the Lothlórien Jewellery Association, the Forges of the Forest Armoury, and the Lórien Guard to name a few. Farewell messages have been flooding in from, expressing all Plazaite's sadness at the loss of such a valuable member of their community.

Results of the Maethor Geliadh - Champion of the Trees competition has been announced. The final round was contested by Faenen Élmegil, Sulrin, RedStarr, Pan, Eresse, and Callo. RedStarr was crowned Champion of the Trees and holds the honoured Golden Leaf until the next competition.

The Giliath Pigskin team managed a credible 1-1 against the Hobbits in their second match. However, with only 1 point going into the final match against Isengard Eagles, Giliath really needed a win against the resilient Istari team in order to progress any further in the competition. In the end, the Lórien team could only eek out a draw of 1 goal apiece, and results elsewhere meant they couldn't qualify for the next round.

And finally, after weeks of preparations, the Lothlórien Festival of the Season Fading (I Vereth Firith) is finally underway. Visitors from all corners of Middle Earth are welcome to attend the celebrations in the Golden Wood, which promises to be truly spectacular. Events include a fantabulous feast, a dueling arena where you can battle for fun and glory against other warriors, and a fortune telling booth - find out what the future has in store for you! The entertainment provided by dancers, a choir, soloists, musicians, and more is certain to delight everyone present. In addition, a lane of booths selling all kinds of wares, from weaponry to plants to garments is there for you to browse and buy from at your leisure. The Festival culminates in a Twilight Procession through the Wood, set to be the highlight of the festivities. I Vereth Firith promises something for everyone, a really unmissable event in Middle Earth.

September Special Ranks and RPGs:

And we go Retro again this month, the lucky recipients are:
Erlend received the rank of Boromir
Devin received the rank of Imrahil
Øyvind received the rank of Faramir
Daelin received the rank of Denethor
Tia Galanodel received the rank of Elendil

Two RPG's are on the go in the rank's honour, Foreshadows and Resistance in Romenna, both are going extremely well and are worth checking out if you are ever in the White City!

Pigskin Semi Finals
This well contested game is in the final matches of the Group Stage, with Gondor Gale, Isengard Eagles, and Khazad Rock Krushers through to the Semi Finals. The final place in the semi's is currently being contested between Mordor United and Meduseld Mearas, be sure to cheer your favourite team on as the last spot in the semi's goes down to the wire!

In the Dungeon…
Interesting happenings abound in the Dungeon where the Dungeon masters and prisoners are currently under threat from an evil known as the Shades of Cirith Dunrandir. These are assassins who gave of themselves to Sauron during the War of the Ring and have now come under the influence of a New Dark Lord and are making for a very interesting mission for those involved.

Southern Storm and Northern Wind RPG
Another interesting RPG, taking place at a time after the current Tower Guard. Two Khandese Warlords have attacked the southern border at the Crossings of Poros and the Commander of the Southern Armies has called for aid. The Beacons have been lit and Gondor has gone to war. Their forces have marched for four and a half days and reached the City Port of Pelargir, some one hundred and thirty miles from Minas Tirith. Currently, the Rangers are boarding ships to cross the Anduin from Pelargir to Hyarpende as the Riders arrive in MT. With war brewing, this RPG is bound to climax soon now.

The Tower Guard
This thread is a great chance for member's of the Tower Guard to represent an 'active and living' version of Minas Tirith and is another thread that must be visited. Currently, the thread is placed at a time between the Southern Storm / Northern Wind RPG mentioned earlier and the previous RPG called Shadowing the Serpents. The Lord and Lady Sykes have arrived from Laketown under personal guard to discuss some kind of guild merger with the mayor of the market place, letting it be known that the two would be staying at the Old Guest house on Rath Celerdain. Under the watch of the Ehtyar, the soldiers of Sykes retire to their rooms whilst the Lord and Lady, in secret, lodge with the mayor. As night falls sounds are heard and upon investigation, every last one of Sykes retinue have been slain. The member's of the Tower Guard all have seen a different part to the story, and makes for an intriguing thread and investigation worth taking a look at.

Go Cart Racing Continues…
It's off to Calembel in Lamedon this month for the go-cart racers in Gondor, the fourth race of the season with seven teams now on the go! Team Anduinomiel, the winner of the first three races is in the lead with 169 Cart Race Points, narrowly in front of Team Suledae with 168 and Team Darken Sha'di 161, however the fourth race is shaping up to be very interesting with Team Suledae currently holding a decent lead. Keep an eye out on this one in months to come as the teams race for the finish!

Ranger Reserves- Basic Training
This new thread gives an alternative training opportunity for new Trainees and Scouts in the Elite Ranger Corps. The idea is to provide not only the training that teaches the basic skills needed out on the field, but also a form of RPG training experience to enhance members abilities, so they can confidently post in RPG's restricted to Full Division Members. With a dozen trainees on the go and no doubt more to come, this training thread is sure to be a big success.

This month's SCRs went to:

Winddancer: Easterling
Earanna: Khamul
Jabbz: Shagrat
Oro: Durin's Bane.

My congratulations to them all! To Windy, attaining the position of Minion of the Month for the third time, a special congratulations.

Elsewhere in Mordor, Minions do as Minions will in the Morgoth's Crown competition, a game based on luck, RPing skills, and knowledge.

At first look this thread looked much unlike the general doom-and-gloom of Mordor, but Ungoliant's Webbing Chapel is nothing holy. Nothing but unhappy marriages could possibly come out of there for the people of Meduseld, but for the Minions, it comes as welcome relief.

In the Last Alliance, the battle continues on Dagorlad and much blood is still being spilt.

The Halls of Injustice, despite the battle, continues in its misjudging, unabated. A hilariously unfair read if you ever have the time to pop in and scan through some of the posts.

The sign-ups for the game Total-War, adapted from the game of Risk and in many kingdoms already, started in Mordor this month, let's hope they play fair at that.

Finally, the Black Pits continue their torturous work (oh, it wasn't that bad a joke!), as they continue to make their magic, albeit a particularly dark and evil magic, on the inmates of the prison pits.

The Towers of No Return are still going strong in Rivendell, though a couple of changes have been made. Former threads only had three different towers, might (RPGing), wisdom(lore), and courage(riddles) You would get three questions with three chances to answer each one. After finishing all three towers, your name would be placed on a list of heroes, showing that you had survived the towers. This is still the way it works, however, three new towers have been added for the heroes. They work in the exact same way as the old ones, exept only those who have mastered the original towerscan challenge them. They are also a bit more difficult.

Lord Elrond/Laebeth had her birthday in September and a thread to congratulate her and bring her gifts was created. And for some reason, it seems Faramir is sitting beside her...

The SCRs for September were:
Thorond received Elladan
Ellenan received Gil-galad
Serveanthesia received Elrohir

My congratulations to Laebeth on her birthday and to those receiving SCRs.

For their September walkabout, the members of the Periannath Walking Club set out on their first walking tour to the sea, traveling from the Shire to the Gulf of Lhûn. Brandy, Ea and Merry B were the guides for this adventure.

"Messengers have ridden through the night to bring the news from Bree! There are new faces to be seen about the Shire! But fear ye not, hobbits - these are old and dear friends, back for a short visit." The Special Character Ranks for The Shire this month were as follows:

The good-natured, albeit forgetful, keeper of the Prancing Pony Inn, Barliman Butterbur, goes to Thain_sam. Harry Goatleaf, the cautious keeper of the western gate of Bree goes to the hobbit musician, Aradell. The hardworking mushroom farmer and friend of Tom Bombadil, Farmer Maggott, goes to Charstar. Friend of Merry and hero in the War of the Ring, Pippin Took, goes to the founder of the SKC, lil hobbit girl/Aldi. And last but certainly not least, the hobbit hero, Merry Brandybuck, goes to a hero of the Pigskins, Mira Brandybuck.

Orthanc Looney Bin
The loony bin in the White Council is still going strong. If you suffer from plaza schizophrenia, feel mentally plaza ill, and/or just feel the need to consult a nice and *cough* somewhat loony doctor from WC this is the place to get your healing underway. The doctors in charge of the healing are Doc Nerresta, Doc Six Beleriand, Doc Penryn, although keep in mind to always pay your respects and speak to Dume or else she will cause doom on yourself.

WC Dental Care Cafe
Have you taken a look at your teeth lately? You haven't have you? Well now is the time to. Again, another great idea made by the WC Wizzies. As the name implies this is a cafe where you can have some fun while free check-ups are provided, cavities are filled, and free toothbrushes and floss are dispensed... What are you waiting for? Step right in! I must say that Gollum was pretty satisfied with his new teeth, from the looks of it, it has completely changed his way of life...

Ask GeAr
Have you always wanted to know who the heck was Tom Bombadill? Do Balrogs fly? ...well, at least they do fall pretty well. Ask GeAr is the proper place to answer all of your questions about ME or whatever. Feel free to ask all you want to the two wackiest rulers ever, Geeps and Arwe, they will surely answer your questions with silliness and wisdom, a good way to earn some knowledge huh?

News:
The White Council: Trial of Éowyn
The trial of our beloved queen Éowyn has started in WC. Our Queen has been formerly accused of:

- Immoral impersonation of a Rohirrim Soldier
- Illegal smuggling of hobbits into battle
- Attempted insubordination in the Houses of Healing
- Having unrealistically blond hair.

Let's all keep our fingers crossed and hope she gets out of this. *crosses fingers and then whispers* Not that a small punishment would do her any harm. *grins evilly*

Pellenor Pigskins - Eagles Onto the Semi-Finals
Yap, that's right people, the Isengard Eagles have managed to reach the semi-finals! After a not very successful first match in which they tied 1-1 against the shire folk, the eagles on their second game didn't managed to play a better game, loosing 3-1 against the Gondor Gale (Goalscorers: PeLaie (2), Shayleyla. Wedgie). But not everything was lost and the second place on the table could still be theirs. And that was what happened when they defeated the Galadrim Gilliath for 2-1 (Goalscorers: Wedgie (2). Ecaps), which was enough to secure them the second place and move towards the semi-finals. Congratulations to the Eagles from all the Rædboda staff, good luck to their future games.