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https://forms.gle/TJ3b3ztarQAz5KF3A Please fill out this form if you are planning to attend the July 2025 events. This event runs from Friday, July 11 through Sunday, July 13. This form will remain open until the evening of Monday, July 7. It will close on Tuesday, July 8 and we will send out sleeping assignments on the evening of Wednesday, July 9.

Quick surprise for everyone, April and May photos have been uploaded! https://drew0899.editorx.io/event-photos

I appreciate all of you for reading these! I know information is often much of the same things repeated, but there is almost always something useful to know within our monthly announcements! For our two-part Week in the Life Event, if you are attending starting on Wednesday, the earliest time to be onsite is noon.  Wednesday has a soft lay-on, with no gathering in the Inn, so you are able to go in-game when you’re set up and ready, but be understanding that people will be arriving throughout the day/evening. To check in, stop by Logistics! If James isn’t there, he will leave a way of contacting him so you can get your card. For the weekend event: Check in Friday begins at 6pm. Friday Lay on is at 10pm. Lay off is Sunday at 2pm. To help us get cleaned up after game is over in a timely manner, if you are staying either upstairs of the Inn  or in the AG , your belongings must be fully packed up by noon Sunday. This doesn’t mean your things need to be removed from the space, but they should be packed and ready to go! Please continue to respect the shiny new Inn floor. Parking at Logistics At this time, the only people authorized to park in the area behind or next to logistics are with direct permission from the Director, or the Officers, Safety Lead, Weekend Event Runner, and Exalted Team. Anyone else cannot  leave their cars parked in that area. Please do not park in front of the door/garage door to the area under the barn, or you will be parked in. Early Camp Cleanup If you are leaving early (before lay off) and need cleanup assignments, please see the Logistics Marshals. They will be able to assign you tasks to complete. Please do not see them for early cleanup if you will still be on camp at lay-off on Sunday at 2pm, and instead come to lay-off to get your assignment. Special Considerations - Weekday Event As the weekday event is a no plot/no combat “week in the life of your character” event, we do allow moderate consumption of alcohol or marijuana products. (Anything smoked continues to require that you follow the guidelines of our smoking policy - no smoking/vaping indoors, must be either in sanctioned locations or at a polite distance from other players.) Moderate alcohol consumption means we expect that you monitor your own inebriation. KR staff can ask you to stop drinking at any time, and if your behavior or intoxication is severe, we may prohibit you from further drinking at any KR alcohol-allowed events in the future. Additionally, all alcohol and other intoxicants need to be removed from active play areas by 6pm Friday. They can be stored in your vehicle or otherwise 100% inaccessible during the weekend event. Please make sure that you check your canteens, bottles, cups, flasks, alchemy vials, etc etc etc to ensure that there is no alcohol accidentally left in them for the weekend event! Consumption of alcohol should end early enough that you are unimpeachably sober by 10pm, or you will not be allowed to play until you are 100% sober. If you intend on sparring, having an honor duel, or playing any games that involve any physical risk (eg, capture the flag with larp weapons, boffer archery aimed at persons, etc) we need you to have complete confidence that you are fully sober. A good general rule to follow for abundance of caution is to avoid consumption for at least four hours prior. If we have any reason to believe you are engaging in any of these activities while not sober, we will bar you from participation immediately, and there may be further consequences. Community Announcements Any new players attending the week portion may seek out any CM with any questions they may have. Official Training will be Friday at 7:30pm under the white tent. Please make sure to have your character card signed off after! Training should be roughly 20-30 minutes as we go over important safety aspects of the game. Players are encouraged to ask questions and stay afterwards if they would like a more in depth training about mechanics and the like. Please keep clear of training if you are not attending or accompanying a new player you have brought to game. Helping limit distractions makes for a smoother and quicker training for everyone! Please remember that while drinking alcohol and smoking weed are allowed during the week portion of Week in The Life, you are still expected to follow game policies. Please enjoy responsibly or such privileges could be removed for future events. We reserve the right to check ID's if we feel someone may be partaking in substances underage. While the week portion is understood to be no combat, players who wish to spar / have lessons are required to not have had any intoxicating substances before hand.  Please be especially mindful of leaving any trash out as we want to limit any reason local wildlife may want to venture onto camp. You are expected to clean up after yourselves at all times, including if using the kitchen. Failure to do so could result in being barred from using select utilities in the future. Below are helpful links for first time and vet players alike! I encourage everyone to read over our CvC policies!   https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AGnNK4tXme0f195dipefnS0X-_EzIUd3gvPRGxgLXIE/edit?usp=drivesdk   https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FQwj_9lmbsXM8ttLB1uFh5mxc8ezBD3dX8ftNINrdFw/edit?tab=t.0   https://docs.google.com/document/d/1afVYFlqHgRlGuFzSZsUGTvL92KBcSAaCDFq0BDF66Rc/edit?tab=t.0   https://docs.google.com/document/d/10XB4uAkuAT1k1BgT6NqE2qic1irG4yFqejIEn0M7KQA/edit?tab=t.0   If a Community Manager is needed, please remember that Mark is one of the event runners for the weekend and such, may not be available. Please feel free to reach out to any other member of the team should you need something.  Please be mindful and respectful of kitchen space and other people's items in the refrigerator. If you need to move something, make sure to put it back.  If you’ve gotten this far and actually read the announcements, send an email to alice@knightrealms.com with the subject line “Capybara” for a reward. Don’t tell your friends - let them earn this themselves if they are actually reading the announcements. This offer expires Friday at 10pm, and any emails sent thereafter will not qualify. Why Capybara? Because they’re awesome little guys. Lore Team Announcements Lucian will be having office hours at several times. If weather is poor he will be in the inn. The times are as follows:  Friday: 2 PM to 5 PM at Logistics.  Friday: 7 PM to Layon At the Inn  Sunday: Noon to Lay off at Logistics.  This is a great time to come to me about backstories, restricted races or unique species, exalted questions, alignment, changes in hybrid sources etc etc.  In addition I have several things that I am seeking feedback on. I ask that you withhold any initial feedback until these meetings so that I can give you my full attention as I cannot keep up with all avenues of digital contact right now. If you are for some reason unable to come to any of these times you may schedule a time to go over these items after  week in the life. I appreciate the patience as I do my best to ensure the transparency people ask for. On this specific docket: Your feelings on the Base list Classes gaining more delineation again between dark and light and neutral Pantheons. (I.e.. what if there was Dark Priest, Light Priest and Neutral Priest specific spells and skills again) opinions on the reintroduction of tenets, aiming mostly for higher engrossed clergy / exalted classes and their purpose for helping to enforce infractions. Proposed tenets will be available to read and give feedback on in person. Ideas/ opinions on the creation of repository of player based writings / sects regarding religions. opinions on the creation of a Calendar of Holidays. Logistics Announcements During the week portion of the event there will be a small logistics station set up in the inn. (Either at the scholars table or nobles table likely). They can handle most logistics needs. Someone will be stationed at that location from roughly noon on Thursday until about 6pm on Thursday.  Accompanying that there will be a list of marshals that will have some cards on them for smaller business and can also handle simple tasks like bank transfers etc. While both the marshals stationed in the inn and the marshals roaming around will be playing their PCs you are allowed to approach them with your needs. PLEASE be respectful if they are in a scene and either wait for them to finish or seek out another Logistics Marshal.  These three marshals will be stationed in this Inn-  12-2p - Sam M.  2-4p - April M.  4-6p - Reed M.  The following LMs will have a small amount of cards on them and can help with minor logistics needs while they are out and about:  Nick C. Bri O.  Alex R.  Reed M.  Daniel S.  Ashley F. Renee G. Gathering base components for lower list crafting ~DURING THE WEEK~: I know you all are going to have an amazing time gathering components for your various crafts with all this down time! We are trusting you to self regulate your gathering as needed. If you are intending to gather materials during the week portion of the event to then immediately craft into items, please have fun with the gathering roleplay and craft your items! To save our Logistics Marshals from having to carry hundreds of cards on them, you will not be required to gather component cards for the components you are immediately using. (You are still required to follow the appropriate crafting rules and regulations for consumables.) This does NOT count for Ritual Components. These marshals are volunteering extra of their time and energy to help the game even during this downtime, please be respectful when asking for their aid. Logistics function will resume as normal at Lay on Friday evening.  Bar Announcements Bars don't have set schedules and will not be manned during the week portion of week in the life. Bartending will resume as usual during the weekend. Absolutely NO alcohol is to be sold on camp for either real or in-game currency. Please drink responsibly! Safety Announcements There will not be a set on call schedule for the week portion of WiTL, numbers of people who can be contacted will be available though. We ask the players to ensure they’re enjoying themselves safely and responsibly. Be mindful that alcohol consumption can contribute to dehydration and heat exhaustion, make sure that you’re keeping hydrated and ensure you’re eating. If you plan to trek deep into the woods, be sure to let someone know where you’re going. Please clean up after yourselves and ensure food and food waste is properly stored and disposed of, food and waste left out can attract wild animals particularly bears. Fires should only be had in designated fire pits or purposes built metal fire pits. Be mindful of the grass underneath if you’re using a metal pit. All fires should be extinguished when not being used or attended to. Exalted Team Announcements The Geomancer Greater Component: Perfect Cut Sapphire has been changed to a Darketol Hammer, anyone with cards for this component may exchange them at Logistics (Component Cards for Perfect Cut Sapphires are no longer a valid item otherwise). Additionally the gem to vial ratio in the legendary for Geomancer has been updated. See the document for details. The Exalted Team would like to remind anyone with Exalted Class lessons during the weekday portion that they should not attend lessons inebriated.  Tim will be holding office hours in the Inn on Friday @ 7:00 PM to layon Feel free to bring questions, or comments about the base rules changes, as well as Exalted Classes during that time. Atmosphere Announcements Reminders from the Atmosphere Team this month! Please stay in character. If for some reason you need to go out of game, please do so away from other players as to not impact their immersion and gameplay. Please do not interrupt a scene for an OOG comment unless it is absolutely necessary.  Roleplay your combat and sell your blows. It makes combat more fun for everyone  Please do not openly use your phone. We get that there are times when you may need to check the time or check a rule, but please try to do these checks with your phone under a table or away from other players. Please be mindful of your trash and OOG food containers. If they are left out, they will be thrown out/moved to the kitchen.  Please be mindful to keep your sleeping spaces clean and immersive over the extended event.

The first sign of their arrival was not the rumble of wagon wheels on the cobbled roads, nor the flutter of banners or the shimmer of silk canopies, but voices. Loud, theatrical, and brimming with charm, barkers in plum-colored vests and gold-trimmed boots wove through the morning crowds like actors through a stage curtain. “Hear ye, hear ye!” cried one, his voice ringing over the marketplace like a herald announcing destiny. “In one week’s time The Vantheon Traveling Theatre Company brings wonder and weeping, laughter and longing for one night only! Or perhaps two or three, should the stars favor us!” Another stood atop a barrel, juggling torches with a grin far too wide to be entirely sane. “Come see the enchanting tales of The Bard with a Book ! Watch our puppeteer bring life to mere threads and terrify those brave enough to attend! Listen to the Lark as her melodies ease your every worry and fear! And introducing Virun Malus, whose violin will show you parts of yourself that only grief dares remember! Bring your coin, bring your hearts. Prepare to lose both!” ____________________________________________________________________________ Leaving the mists of the Rift behind them, a gleaming caravan rolled to a halt.   Six lacquered wagons, each painted with swirling sigils and scenes of myth, glinted in the morning light. Dancers stretched beside their bunks, stagehands argued over rope knots, and at the front, Elara Vantheon sat atop the lead carriage, cloaked in violet and calm as a queen. A checkpoint guard approached, and Elara offered a sheaf of papers without hesitation. The guard thumbed through them, eyes flicking between the pages and her poised expression. “Everything seems to be in order, Ms. Vantheon,” he said finally, handing the papers back. “Welcome to Travance. We hope your company’s stay is enjoyable. Please ensure adherence to local and Crown laws.” Elara’s smile was practiced but not false. “Of course, officer. We’re headed to the Proper. There's magic of the stage to conjure, after all.” The guard chuckled politely, though his eyes lingered on the strange instruments and puppets visible through the canvas flaps. With a flick of the reins, the wagons began to roll once more. Bells chimed from one of the rear carriages as the company moved into Travance, bringing stories, and secrets with them. ____________________________________________________________________________ Behind the clamor and spectacle of the decorated caravan walls, away from prying ears, the performers gathered in small, shadowed circles beneath flickering lantern light.  “We have little time,” one whispered urgently, “the Keys wait for proof that we’ve cracked the encryption, and once the stage is set, we must find the moment to pass the message.”  The puppeteer nodded, fingers twitching around a carved marionette, her voice low and grave: “The threads will carry more than stories this time. We cannot fail.”  Virun’s pale eyes flickered toward the caravan door as his fingers tightened around the neck of his violin. “Their fate is tied to ours, but the truth must reach those waiting back in silence.” Outside, the caravans rolled on towards Travance, the rest of their occupants unaware the rebellion was being furthered in whispered secrets and hidden codes inside. ____________________________________________________________________________ Elsewhere, beneath the stone arches of Gaaldron’s military quarter, Commander Terlun signed the final stroke of a warrant with deliberate weight. The parchment still smelled of wax, its lettering inked in the dark, heavy hand of justice. The name at the top was underlined twice. Elara Vantheon — charged with numerous counts of manslaughter, the kind no audience could applaud away. He handed the document to his secretary, a wiry man with eyes like shuttered windows. As the secretary turned to go, he paused. “Sir, we’ve just received word, she’s crossed into Travance. The company arrived an hour ago.” Terlun didn’t look up right away. He reached for his gloves, tugging them on with the calm of a man who has hunted before. “Ready my carriage,” he said at last. “If she’s in Travance, then that’s where we go.” He didn’t say it aloud, but the thought settled heavy in the room: Her theatre may begin with laughter... but it ends with him.

This is the RSVP form for BOTH the weekday and weekend portions of our upcoming double event, Week in the Life. https://forms.gle/x6RZVekCWCeKhRUv8 See the form for further details!

Earliest arrival is noon. Check in begins at 6pm. Lay on is at 10pm. Lay off is Sunday at 2pm. To help us get cleaned up after game is over in a timely manner, if you are staying either upstairs of the Inn  or in the AG , your belongings must be fully packed up by noon Sunday. This doesn’t mean your things need to be removed from the space, but they should be packed and ready to go! The inn floor is brand new. Please be exceptionally mindful of this and please take care not to be reckless and damage it. All the tables and benches have had felted feet put on so they don’t scratch the floor up either. This event, we are running a Feast at 6pm on Saturday in the Inn! There is no additional charge for Feast. It will be prepared by Marybeth. The menu is: *Croissants  *Fruit (V, GF) Roasted Rosemary Potatoes (V, GF) Roasted Garlic Carrots and Green Beans (V, GF) *Lemon Chicken (boneless thighs) *Éclair Cake Parking at Logistics At this time, the only people authorized to park in the area behind or next to logistics are with direct permission from the Director, or the Officers, Safety Lead, Weekend Event Runner, and Exalted Team. Anyone else cannot  leave their cars parked in that area. Please do not park in front of the door/garage door to the area under the barn, or you will be parked in. Early Camp Cleanup If you are leaving early (before lay off) and need cleanup assignments, please see the Logistics Marshals. They will be able to assign you tasks to complete. Please do not see them for early cleanup if you will still be on camp at lay-off on Sunday at 2pm, and instead come to lay-off to get your assignment. If you would like to use setting up for Feast as your camp cleanup, please arrive at the Inn to help around 5pm. If you would like to use serving Feast as your cleanup, please arrive at the Inn just before 6. If you would like to use dishes and cleanup after Feast as your cleanup, please stick around after Feast! Shift Changes This event, we are trialing a change to Friday night. For NPC shift, you will have the option to choose from three overlapping NPC shifts - 10pm - 2am, midnight - 4am, and 2am - 6am. Marshals will be in logistics until 6am and content will continue to run. No other shifts will be adjusted. Wildlife Safety and You! The camp bear is active! Monitor where you leave and store food, do not leave food unattended in any tents, and be careful in the woods. Remember, if in doubt, you can always ask OOG “Are you a bear?” and any player  will always  respond “No!” Community Announcements Mandatory new player  training is at 7:30pm, under the white tent outside the Inn. Training Should be roughly 20 minutes to go over important safety aspects of the game! We welcome  you to stick around should you like a more in depth training on various mechanics. Do make sure your character card gets signed off afterwards! If you do not have your card in that moment, you are welcome to find a Community Manager afterwards.  There will be a tour mod at 11am Saturday designated for newer players to get a layout of the camp during the day and have combat tailored to you.  https://docs.google.com/document/d/10XB4uAkuAT1k1BgT6NqE2qic1irG4yFqejIEn0M7KQA/edit?tab=t.0 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1afVYFlqHgRlGuFzSZsUGTvL92KBcSAaCDFq0BDF66Rc/edit?tab=t.0 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FQwj_9lmbsXM8ttLB1uFh5mxc8ezBD3dX8ftNINrdFw/edit?tab=t.0 Safety Announcements You will notice new Cintas medical kits in the Kitchen and Logistics, we ask ask at this time that players do not help themselves if they need something out of them. Please refer to a Safety Team Member or have a present Marshal contact the on call Team member if there is no one present. This will be a new service and we are trying to determine best practices going forward in terms of controlling inventory and access. Additionally, basic med kits will be provided to each sleeping space across camp to be handled by space managers. These kits are very basic and will be suitable for very minor things that don't necessarily require the help of a Safety Team Member. While we are not too concerned, we must state that these new professionally stocked Cintas kits mark a large investment made by the camp for the betterment of everyone using it, we ask that players respect them and utilize them appropriately.  Ticks are active again, be sure to use that bug spray and check yourself regularly. Tick removal kits will be available in all kits on camp. Safety Team Members are happy to assist in removal. If you remove a tick from yourself, try to keep it and have it tested. There are programs you can mail them to for free testing. Here is one.   https://ticks.rutgers.edu/  (it's easier to check a tick before checking for lymes)  We ask that players ensure that they are eating and staying hydrated, Larping can be a rigorous activity and failure to take care of oneself during the game event can result in negative health outcomes. Players found repeatedly requiring assistance for these reasons will face a safety violation. On call will be posted in Logistics, the Kitchen, and pinned in the Marshal Discord as always. Rules Reminders Players are reminded that skills such as Harvest Your Soul, and Assassinate will place you into the Critical condition, and that you need to be healed by a skill that specifically heals you from critical if you are dropped by these skills. Additionally, if you are dropped by Slay, or any similar 400 Bane attack, you are rendered Dead and must either be healed by a skill that heals someone straight from dead, or Resurrected. Since not everyone is aware of all the rules of skills they do not have, it is on you as a healer to know what your skill does and to clarify if it does or does not work. If you are not using First Aid/Assess, clarify after you have used your skill to avoid a warning from Field Refs. Please be mindful of how much Base damage your are sustaining, our Field Refs may ask you how much Armor and Body points you have after counting damage you sustain, and ask you to drop to Incapacitated if you have less armor/body than they counted. If you are ever in doubt / not absolutely sure you could have sustained as much damage as you did, give the Healers the important task of rescuing you! Fair sportsmanship creates a better atmosphere for all players. If you missed your opportunity to create a ritual page in the previous year, you may now bank a single unused ritual page creation. These rules can be found in the Ritual Page section of the General Exalted Mechanics document. Reminders from the Atmosphere Team this month! Please stay in character. If for some reason you need to go out of game, please do so away from other players as to not impact their immersion and gameplay. Please do not interrupt a scene for an OOG comment unless it is absolutely necessary.  Roleplay your combat and sell your blows. It makes combat more fun for everyone Please do not openly use your phone. We get that there are times when you may need to check the time or check a rule, but please try to do these checks with your phone under a table or away from other players. Please be mindful of your trash and OOG food containers. If they are left out, they will be thrown out/moved to the kitchen. Rules Announcements Field refs will be watching casting role-play. If you are not doing the required 3 secs of somatic role-play or shortening your cooldown for cooldown casting you will be given a warning.  You will also lose the ability to use Somatics or cool down casting

Two households, both alike in dignity, In noble Travance, where we lay our scene, From ancient tales break to new mutiny, Where beastkin blood makes beastkin hands unclean. From forth the fatal wills of these two foes A pair of fate-cross'd leaders bring their clans; Whose misadventured piteous overthrows Do with their summoning unfold their deities’ plans. The fearful passage of their death-mark'd clans, And the continuance of their deities’ rage, Which, but their children's end, nought could remove, Is now the two days' traffic of our stage; The which if you with patient ears attend, What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.

Where once there had been a demiplane of cold dominion and stolen souls, warped by Larlak’s will and sustained by cruelty, now springs a quiet grove bathed in silver light. Draka’Thul’s Avatar, reborn in dignity, lifts his vast antlers and carries the moon once more into this field of endless fertile night. Under his gaze, the previously barren earth blossoms with spectral life: whispering trees of white, golden meadows of yellow flowers that bloom at night, glades of luminous moss, and streams of clear shimmering water. Now in this place those souls lost to suffering, those too fragile to return or too broken for their judgment find peace here. No walls, no chains. Just stillness, and rest. In the shadow of death, a gentler purgatory has taken root in the Realm of Silver Hollow. One by one, as sleep takes you, each who stood against Larlak finds themselves beneath a silvered sky. There, among still waters and glowing reeds, the divine visage of Draka’Thul stands, no longer the shattered echo they once were, but whole. The Avatar thought lost now stands as a herald in this plane of endless peace. With his resurrection, he takes special notice and care of souls thought lost themselves. His voice is like wind through branches, deep and aching with gratitude. “I was gone from myself,” he says, “but you were not gone from me. Where I could not walk, you carried me. For that, I owe you rest, and the world owes you dawn.” When the dream fades, it leaves behind a warmth in the chest and a certainty: you were seen. ​Somewhere far from peace, fire screams through the caverns of the Abyss. There, among clawed echoes and churning rivers of lava, the imp Ebrax writhes. Their wings torn, their tricks spent. Their clever games and whispered machinations have bought them nothing but scorn from the demon lords they once sought to impress. Their shrieks echo upward, unheard by mercy. They are trapped now, in a place that no longer finds them amusing. And still, they curse the moon, the mortals, and the Lich who denied them ascension. Deep in the quiet corners of Tyrilswood, far from roads and the noise of civilization, Dunstan walks beneath the canopy of dense trees. His lycanthropic fur ripples with the wind, and the Iykilsteinn hangs heavy from a cord around his neck, glowing softly with lunar warmth. Once a hunted creature of dual natures, now he is simply whole. He runs not in fear, but in freedom. At night, he sits by small fires, eyes to the moon, and breathes deep the stillness, no longer a fugitive in constant hiding from Larlak, but a guardian of the old places. In the dim light of a candlelit cavern, the Visraki Tam spreads ancient maps across a stone table. His fingers trace the faded etchings of passageways long forgotten, in perilous caverns lost to time. One tunnel in particular hums faintly beneath his palm. A hidden chamber with a familiar sealed vault buried deep below, untouched by war, before even Larlak’s rise. He leans back and exhales, letting the weight of survival and uncertainty slip from his shoulders. There is work to be done, but for now, the danger has passed, and ancient knowledge stirs in the deep earth.

The photos from the March 2025 event are available at https://drew0899.editorx.io/event-photos ! Thank you to our wonderful photographers!

Please use the link below to RSVP for the May 2025 event, whether or not you are requesting a sleeping space. Platform tents will be available, and we are hosting a feast at 6:00pm on Saturday. https://forms.gle/woRFPecEhfbanFBq7

Good Afternoon Everyone! The Skylands Museum on rt15 next to the camp has invited us to the Grand Opening of an art exhibit they will be putting on! The opening day is February 1st, and the exhibit goes on until May 3rd (Open only on Fridays and Saturdays). Artist Anne Bachelier has allowed the museum to put 20 original oil paintings from Phantom of the Opera on display from February to April until they are taken back to their permanent home in France. The artist herself will be at the museum on May 3rd from 12pm-4pm as well to do book signings and, of course, take the art back. The museum is presenting the Grand Opening as a masquerade themed event, and encourages costume! They will be handing out masks that guests may take home and decorate themselves, and potentially have signed by Anne when she arrives in April. The museum is also host to original works by Ailene Fields (who is one of the museum owners), Brian Froud, Brian Branch, Salvador Dali, and many more artists. With a focus on surreal, fantasy, mythology, and folklore, the art of the museum is very appropriate to be shared with the players of Knight Realms! Even if you don't make it out for the Grand Opening, we hope you take the time to check out the art and support the museum!

A chill lingers over Travance, deeper than the previous winter’s bite, heavier than the weight of time itself. It does not creep, it spreads, seeping into the marrow of the land, gnawing at the edges of warmth and life. The dead stir. Graves once sealed with ceremonious rites now yawn open to the night. Spectral figures drift through the forests, their hollow eyes filled with an awareness that should not remain. The roads grow treacherous, not with bandits or beasts, but with things that do not belong in the waking world. The air smells of damp earth and dried blood, and whispers in archaic tongues slither through the wind. But it is not just the rising dead that weighs on the people of Travance. The gods’ voices are becoming distant. The priests and clerics feel it first, a dulling, like a blade worn smooth. Their prayers do not carry as they once did, their divine blessings weaker, as though spoken into an empty room that does not answer. The Chosen work harder, their miracles faltering. The guardians of faith swing their weapons, but the righteous fury that once guided them is dimmed. And even the most practiced Ceremonialist seems to struggle to invoke the divine. It is as if they must shout with all their might to even be heard. Yet for all that trouble, at least they are eventually heard. For one religion, all has gone silent. Draka’Thul’s presence has not been felt in days, and no responses are heard to calls to him. The moonlight, once a sign of his watchful gaze, now seems colder, more distant. The sacred places dedicated to him lie hollow, their symbols covered in unnatural rust and decay. Where there was once an unshakable connection, there is now only absence. The world feels wrong. Travance has weathered many storms, but this, this is something else. The people murmur in taverns, whisper in the dark corners of churches, glance nervously at the horizon. Some call it an omen. Some call it a curse. But no matter what name they give it, one thing is certain. Something is coming.