Aerys (AIR-iss) The world in which Fortune's Children live. It is the physical manifestation of the goddess the Earth Mother. Access to it by the rest of the multiverse has been blocked by a magical Barrier for the last two thousand years but much to our sorrow some – most notably the Gith – have in the last several years found a way in due to the meddling of the evil god Korseth. Though in a way that might end up being a good thing as such incursions have helped to weaken the Prophecy and ensure the planet will not die from being spiritually cut off from the rest of the multiverse. Due to the Barrier (which is falling but still not down), Aerys remains notoriously difficult to get to but even harder to leave – and thus there are many aliens trapped on our world.

Aisling (AYSH-ling) A two-year journey into the outer world every apprentice mage of Breasal's Order of the Mighty embarks upon after finishing their training. During this voyage they are expected to hone their skills, gather news of import (which they are to send home by magical means on a regular basis) and pick up new magic before returning home. Upon a Breasalian wizard's homecoming they are then made full members of the Order and will likely never leave their insular and isolated land again. Loden is a major exception, still traveling with Fortune's Children (whom he met near the end of his Aisling) for the greater good even though he has quickly risen up the ranks of the Order and is now an archmage.

Sir Alaric Talyngaard (AL-ah-rick) Also called the King's Blade, this knight of Tolaria traveled with Fortune's Children for a time. He was deeply involved in the war on three fronts Tolaria found itself in over the last year, desperately attempting to protect his nation from devastation. Not long ago we ran into him again in Loss Caragothronn, where some of his Tolarian cavalry had been stationed to help in the defense of that city. We planned to meet him at Warden's Gate (Tolaria's capital) to sort out all the problems there but he was still in the road at the time. But now he is with our combined armies in the final struggle for Aerys' future and has fought most valiantly in defense of our world. He was killed in the Great Battle but Drema raised him back to life so he can fight on for Tolaria. Sir Alaric is a proud and rather haughty man but also a valiant warrior for good. He's famous for saying in delicate social situations "Don't touch ANYTHING!" (Former FC member played by Daniel)

Alexander of Tolaria Crown Prince and later King of Tolaria, he was a dedicated ruler and also a good friend of Fortune's Children. As well as Drake's unknowing (for quite a long time, at least) half-brother. We met Alexander for the first time when he was traveling his homeland in disguise and were taken aback by what a man of the people he was. We had thought for quite a while that Rruk had assassinated him months ago while under Ash's control but in a recent scry on Drake we discovered to our shock the two half-brothers together! Alexander never wanted to be king, so this may be just the opportunity for him to escape that fate in favor of his sister. And it’s understandable he was lying low in Warden’s Gate, with the Hand until very recently in control of his capital city. Upon our return to there, we finally saw our old friend again, alive and well. He had somehow survived Rruk’s assassination attempt and started leading an underground resistance group supported by the Olidamarran safehouse there. He’d been going by the name “Lucky”, and understandably so considering his very close call. Now that we’ve rescued his sister the princess and reunited the siblings there’s hope for the Tolarian crown after all! Especially now that the Hand has finally been vanquished from Warden’s Gate and we have won the first great battle against the dark powers! This valiant warrior-prince is with our armies and along with Sir Alaric, Drake and others shall continue to lead them into battle against the forces of Belsameth and Korseth in the very near future.

Angarradh (on-GAR-rod) Newly ascended Erin'tarni god of revenge whose dark will is turned against the traitorous Dual’Far. He helped sustain the fading Sera and return Mica and Rruk to life. He also gifted Rruk with the mithril replacement for her lost left hand (which has since been healed). His is very much neutrally-oriented and NOT kind – most of his messages to Rruk have come in the form of being violently shaken by the shoulders or painfully tightly gripped by the arms. It remains to be seen, though, what the return of Sera and resurrection of all the other Erin'tarni gods will do to change his demeanor.

Arakinor "Arak" Blackthorn (AIR-rak) A recurring archnemesis of Fortune's Children, one of the worst we have ever faced. The eldest son of one of the eight ruling houses of Loss Caragothronn, he was betrothed to Rruk, the eldest daughter of another house. He became a religious zealot and helped 'purge' the Fora'Sithi lands of their 'evils' by killing her family and subjecting her to gang rape in a bastardization of Sera's fertility ritual. She was then banished for failing to conceive a child – an extraordinarily rare event among the then oft-barren Erin'tar. Arak later turned to Belsameth to gain power, sensing Sera's impending doom and wishing to survive it. He became the vilest of necromancers and 40 years later began harrying Fortune's Children very early on in our history, something that has continued on and off to the present day. Arak was Belsameth's instrument in his first plot to murder Olidamarra and steal her power. We thought we had killed him for good but we have learned this is not the case and that he has become a powerful lich, Belsameth's greatest tool and now the general of his armies. Can't keep those bloody necromancers in the ground! Not long ago he sponsored a tournament in a den of evil in Mossy Rock (a town outside the Waterwood) in which the prize was the incredibly powerful evil artifact sword the Witchfire. In doing so he was plotting to corrupt one of us to become his servant and kill the rest of us. We kicked his arse but he once again escaped. We later discovered Arak had been using the Waterwood – and many other such forests – to grow an army of undead. We put an end to that there, suffice to say. Even more recently he and Ash gave us a sound beating in the Waterwood after our return from Valeriand and kidnapped Rruk's newly born half-dragon child the Destroyer, who according to the Prophecy was destined to bathe the world in fire. And now Arak has gathered his undead legion, having marched from the east into Tolaria as a part of the joint invasion of the armies of Korseth and his lord Belsameth. He witnessed from the ground the terrible blow we dealt their forces by destroying the Gith mothership and all his flying allies and has seen the two armies evened out in numbers. But he pressed on, his dark will trying its best to be made manifest. However, at the Great Battle we made a brilliant and lightning swift tactical strike against him that destroyed his body utterly in just a few seconds, forcing him to retreat to his phylactery for a few days and thus removing him from the picture for some crucial hours. His undead legion were promptly dealt with by our armies, and all of this (along with of course the redemption of Narvinye the Destroyer) was a *major* coup for the side of good. However, there is still a fear that if something happens to his dark god this vile lich-lord will replace him – which would be an unthinkably bad turn of events for us and the world. But one day very, very soon we will find his phylactery – which we have learned is in the Inverted Citadel, mobile headquarters of the Gith in the far east – and put an end to the bastard for good before that can happen!

The Arighting The uprising among the Fora'Sithi Erin'tar wherein Arak rose to power, Rruk was terribly abused and then exiled and the fabric of Fora'Sithi culture came crashing down. They are still recovering from it decades later and until lately Rruk had still not gone home because of its aftermath and her many painful memories associated with it.

Ash When we first met him we thought him a valiant half-dragon hunter of the Gith, for that is what he pretended to be very well indeed. But of late we have learned just how incredibly evil he is. He trained both Hearom (who was still with him as his slave until not very long ago) and Rruk on another plane, presumably in good faith, but in doing so made them his puppets. The tokens (a coin for Rruk, a collar for Hearom) he gives to those who work for him make it possible for him to both spy on and control them, and this is how he used Rruk to assassinate Prince Alexander (or so we thought until recently) against her will. He also attempted to have Hearom do the same to a caliph of the Empire who was known for resisting the dark forces at work there. Hearom's escape proved a great inconvenience for Ash, who sent minions after him unsuccessfully. Not long ago we learned the really ugly truth – Ash is the red dragon who is the father of Rruk's twins, having deceived and raped her in the Dreaming, and the one who was present and working with the Gith at the Invasion of Breasal. Olidamarra has since informed us that not only is Ash in bed with the Gith, figuratively speaking, but is their general who came to Aerys with them after having conquered three other worlds for them. As you can see he is incredibly manipulative and a very, very powerful dragon lord. Ash has taken a great liking to the evil dragon god Korseth in his time on our planet, which is very unsettling but also gives us some hope that a rift between our enemies might be made since there are some rivalries forming within the Korsethian camp as a result. And upon an encounter with him and his son Narvinye (formerly the Destroyer) in the Dragon Realms of late it was evident how Korseth’s touch has begun to mutate and corrupt this villainous dragon even further. He led their armies as they made their move into Tolaria from Fentress and the east, though he has been mysteriously absent since. He was also attempting to help the Hand directly manipulate the Weave itself when we broke into their underground citadel recently and put an end to that, he himself being flung through a portal by Loden’s well-timed Disjunction spell. Unfortunately he was not with the main evil army when we destroyed the Gith airship flotilla and several other dragons by causing their superweapon to malfunction, and he was notably absent at the Great Battle. But we will get him soon enough and it will be his arrogance and impatience that will spell his doom. Surely we wish we could have seen his face when his son the Destroyer turned from the path of evil – shocking almost everyone in the process – and was redeemed! The one who was meant to ruin the world will now protect it, breaking the Prophecy in the process, and this can fill his father with nothing but fitful and piteous rage!

Ashe Draven Kaine Not to be confused with 'Ash' or 'Ashen', this Ashe was known as 'Dark Shadow' and was the first to refer to Rruk, officially, as 'Ice Spectre.' He, along with the complete complement of Rruk's former guild of assassins (except Rruk herself, who was privately captive at the time) was rounded up, arrested, and executed years ago by the Knights of the Silver Twilight.

The Barrier The extremely powerful magical barricade which has surrounded the planet of Aerys for 2,000 years and which supposedly protects it from all outside contact. This has indeed been a side affect of the Barrier but we discovered it was its rise that forced the Earth Mother into sleep (not the other way 'round as had been thought), for it cut off Aerys spiritually as well as physically from the rest of the multiverse. It turns out the Mother Herself did this to protect the planet from extraplanar threats, knowing this would put her into voluntary torpor. In any case the Barrier has mostly sheltered our world from dealings, good and bad, with the rest of the multiverse. However, it is weakening – opinion differed for a while on whether this was because the Earth Mother is awakening or if the Earth Mother is awakening *because* it was failing, but we have lately found the latter is the case and that Korseth is behind this. The Gith and their necrotite meteors have had much to do with punching holes through it. But in turn all of this has brought about the slow reawakening of the Earth Mother (who was suffocating, so to speak, in the figurative vacuum Aerys had been in and would have eventually died if something had not changed) and a chance at averting the Prophecy. In any case, Aerys remains difficult to get to but much harder to leave because of it. And so several of our allies (such as Nathaniel the Off-Worlder and Serrath) and enemies (such as Elora and the Gith) have made it through but gotten stuck here in the process. Fortune's Children found a portal not long ago through the Barrier that led to the world of Valeriand, but it was only temporarily able to be used. And we were able to travel to the Dragon Realms, but only because they are very close in proximity to Aerys cosmologically speaking. Now that the Prophecy is in the process of being dismantled, though, the Barrier has started to follow. This will be quite a change for all the denizens of Aerys as forces fair, foul and neither begin to make contact.

Battleford The town in southeastern Tolaria where Jack and his family hail from and where one of the Tolarian legions has been headquartered. It has suffered much of late in the ongoing war with the Orog, having been taken by them not long ago. We now know Jack’s mother and sister escaped but we worry for the rest of the population as we do for all of Tolaria.

Baysan & Fennec (bay-SAHN & FEN-neck) Agents of the expansionist Empire to the south of Tolaria who were sent to us some time ago to assess and protect Sharna, whom they seemed to know quite a lot about as. As it turns out, Sharna is originally from there, being a lost princess of that country who was abandoned (or secreted away, depending on who you ask) in the Waterwood by her parents as a small child. The two of them traveled with us on our quest to liberate Durgeddin's Mound (where Baysan found the legendary sword Hellslayer, one of the Five) and in our efforts to free the Waterwood of the Shepherd's foul presence. Then it was home for them, where untold danger awaited them as they tried to free the Khazad of their Empire so they could go to work the newly reclaimed Durgeddin's Mound and deal with the many evils there. Strange and exotic, both of them, they are a gifted warrior and a skilled tracker and rogue, respectively. They have appeared to have done well in the civil war which erupted of late in their homeland, and we recently heard word that they are leading an army north to aid in the defense of Tolaria. They made it past the Consumers that attempted to block their way and they and their armies have now joined our combined forces. We just ran into Baysan while at the allied camp and discovered that the Empire has written Sharna off as a possible heir but they are interested in marrying her off for political reasons to a Tolarian prince…of which Drake is the natural choice as she loves him deeply (though it was long without his knowledge). Baysan attempted to pull some strings and bring this about but Hearom intervened on her behalf, which led to Baysan finally telling Sharna the full story of her origin. The two of them, despite being so odd, are in any case counted as friends by Fortune’s Children. Though it has been rather worrisome that Baysan has owed Rhavyn a favor. These two fought with great spirit and ferocity in the Great Battle and it was Baysan, in payment to her favor to Rhavyn, who slew him there. The consequences of this action remain to be seen with "Evil" Cailet taking his place but in any case and now remain at the head of the Imperial army as we press forward. (Former FC guest stars played by Brittney & Glenn) .

Belsameth (BELL-sa-meth) Neutral Evil god of death, insanity, murder and the undead. Like many of Aerys' gods, Belsameth is an ascended human born of Aerys long ago. He was apparently once female in gender as a mortal. Fortune's Children have a special hatred for him as he has in the last year twice tried to murder and assume the powers of Drema and Tyuris' goddess Olidamarra. And in doing so the first time almost killed us all in a dark and all too real nightmare. We've dealt him some terrible blows in the past but he's still around and rising in power again, particularly through Arak, his prime minion for some time. And he bears us a terrible grudge, as the tapestries in his temple in the forbidden desert east of Breasal bear witness to. In last several weeks and months he has been on the move, sending his armies to invade Loss Caragothronn while simultaneously fragmenting Olidamarra – though due to her cleverness he couldn't destroy her. Belsameth has been working with many of the other evil powers of Aerys – most of all Korseth, with whom he has made a pact to ruin the world, but also with Lolth the Younger – but it looks as if rivalries are beginning to brew and Lolth is now destroyed. It’s very strange, though, to see this dark power – who has been our bane from the very beginning – taking a secondary role to Korseth in the war. And now that we know that Drema is the fabled Unbroken Blade, she has renewed her vow to destroy him utterly and it appears she can do it as long as it is in his greatest temple. Go Drema! And while things have gotten dire, as Arak and his undead legion traveled to join the rest of the vile army that wished to put all of Tolaria to the sword we at least evened the odds by destroyed the Gith fleet and other flying menaces that made up the army of darkness’ air force. And more importantly our armies were victorious in the Great Battle and all the undead there were destroyed but Arak, who was temporarily dispersed. Surely Belsameth must be seething with anger now, but he won’t have long to do so, we swear on it!

Bluesteel A highly prized metal native only to the area surrounding the city of Fentress, which was until a few months ago a border city of southern Tolaria. Following the Battle of Fentress the Imperial army invaded and annexed Fentress to gain access to its bluesteel mines and due to recent events there we know its secret is now in enemy hands. The metal is named as such as it gives off a bluish shine. All weapons made from it are of masterwork quality, though they are not inherently magical in nature.

Breasal (bray-SOLL) The Free Land of Breasal, an isolated (and isolationist) land of high magic in the North of Aerys made up of various fiefdoms and city-states, all of which are guided and protected by the Order of the Mighty, a powerful cabal of wizards of almost all stripes. Breasal, while located far to the north, is located in a deep valley which insulates it from much of the frigid weather of the region. The country is definitively ancient Celtic in feel and its people are consequently creative, mystical, passionate and temperamental. It had been peaceful and protected from almost all outside contact for its two thousand year history due to its inaccessible geography (an impassable mountain range), isolationist people and puissant magical protections (including powerful wards at its gate and a massive antimagic field which until lately enclosed the entire country's airspace) to the point that many in more southerly lands haven’t ever heard of it or if they have think it mythical. The recent Gith invasion of Breasal was the first time its borders have ever been broached by an enemy force. That invasion destroyed much of one of its major cities, Rath Emrys, and has lead to a blood rage in the Breasalian people, who seek dire revenge. Fortune's Children were instrumental in foiling that invasion and we also freed the country of the looming menace known as the Tower of Shadow and its arch-lich master. The Free Land is now finally breaking its isolationist tendencies and has united with the rest of the North, particularly its allies the Erin'tar and Tribes of Toraka, whom it has long had cordial dealings and mercantile relations with but has never come to the aid of in the past. This began with their help in averting the siege of Loss Caragothronn and has since continued. This nation of wizards, bards and warriors has much to offer in the war that is upon us, for its arcane might is great. And may become even more so, for this traditionally agnostic land has in the past few months been approached by the god of magic Valerian, who seeks to become its patron and would make a mighty one indeed. Breasal is Loden's homeland and he loves it with a fierce and passionate patriotism, the fate of his people always being first in his mind in any decision he is a part of. And now he is among his countrymen again, for the arcane legions of Breasal have overcome all obstacles and successfully made their way south to join our allied army. Before leaving to destroy the Gith superweapon, Loden gave a rousing speech to the armies of the Free Land in which he called upon Valerian for His blessing and told all there that they can do the same. May He continue to be with the forces of the Free Land and with us all in the final days to come! Breasalian blood has now been spilled to protect strangers for the first time in this land's history at the Great Battle, but it was well spent indeed, with this nation’s warriors, martial and arcane, fighting with a passion and skill the likes of which this world has seldom seen.

Breasalic (bray-SOLL-ick) The language of Breasal and thus Loden's native tongue. It is divided into two distinct dialects, High and Low (both of which are very heavily based on the real Celtic languages). The Low tongue is the native speech of all Breasalians. The High one is the Breasalian equivalent of Latin and is used almost exclusively by the country's aristocrats and the Order of the Mighty. Almost no foreigners (only the handful who live there) know any more than a smattering of either dialect due to Breasal's long geographical and societal isolation.

Briar Conlon A Slayer of orog who traveled with Fortune's Children for some time. All business (well, except for her active sex life), Briar some months ago went off in pursuit of the orog invading eastern Tolaria and we haven't seen her since. Last word on her was that she is still alive and deeply engaged in said war but now she is not among our combined armies and no one seems to know what happened to her. If she is indeed dead may it have been a good death, one where she was knee deep in slain orcs! (Former FC member played by Rae)

Cailet Ambraii (CAL-let AM-bry) Originally a talented bard who dropped out of the Bardic College in Raven's Keep for personal reasons. She joined up with Fortune's Children on the way to our first adventure. Cailet really grew over the years from a rather clumsy young lady to a beautiful and commanding songstress and Chosen of Tymora. She was Jack's betrothed until her untimely death by dragon's breath made her a bargaining chip for her goddess Tymora. Fortune's Children refused to give up on her and finally managed in succeeding to bring her back to life...but in doing so, an evil version of her (who has since caused us much grief) was created. In order to resurrect her, Tymora had to invest some of her divine energy in her, effectively making Cailet a demigoddess. She was changed in many ways by this but remained as wild, impulsive, talented, temperamental and charming as she ever was. She and Jack long planned to one day get married but now we know that will sadly never happen. For now Cailet has replaced Tymora by her former goddess' wish, taking up the mantle of goddess of luck and song in her stead. The divine were never meant for mortal lovers and we have very recently said our goodbyes to our old friend. We're sure it's not the last we'll ever see of her, but the Cailet we knew is gone. She has become so much more now but it's just not the same. However, we're proud beyond saying at having a former member of Fortune's Children sitting among the stars in the pantheon and grateful indeed for her parting gifts. (Former FC member played by Rae. She is now an NPC deity)

The Chosen Each of the gods of Aerys have a few special followers who serve as their main agents (as the deities are limited in how much they can directly alter the world), handling the most important matters of their respective faiths at any given time. These people are called the Chosen of each of the various gods and goddesses and are blessed with special abilities in order to perform their duties. Most Chosen are clerics but it does vary from faith to faith. Their lives are hard and often full of danger but their power awesome. Tyuris was a Chosen of Olidamarra before his death and Cailet was a Chosen of Tymora before replacing that goddess. It is likely that other friends and foes of ours stand among the ranks of the Chosen as well.

The Coranni (kor-ON-ee) The Halflings of Aerys, a nomadic people who have known much misery, having long been enslaved in Tolaria. Tully was one of their number. The Coranni honor the distant deities Grandmother Earth and Grandfather Sky as their gods and are the only beings on Aerys to do so. Incidentally, due to great linguistic similarities and other evidence (such as the mutated bat-like creatures living around the Tower of Shadow who used to be halflings) it is possible the Coranni originated in Breasal or that they and the Breasalians originally hail from the same area north of Tolaria, having gone separate ways at least two thousand years ago when the one became a nomadic people and the other founded their great enchanted realm. Now that we’re back in Tolaria and have seen atrocities like the Coranni love slaves in Warden’s Gate our will to free this downtrodden people from slavery is greater than ever. And with both Prince Alexander and Princess Kaitlyn working closely with us that may just become a reality now that the Hand is broken.

The Council of Twelve The ruling body of the Fora'Sithi Erin'tar settlement at Loss Caragothronn. It consists of the head of each of the eight ruling households (of which Rruk's father was one and whom she has finally replaced with her return home after over 40 years of exile) and four elected members of the common people. Six of the eight Councilors were killed in the Arighting nearly half a century ago, and not long ago all twelve of the current Council were sacrificed by Arak at High-Hold in a ritual to make him a lich. New representatives have been chosen, however, and Rruk's return to Loss Caragothronn and the subsequent resurrection of Sera and all the lost Erin'tarni gods has reaffirmed its power in leading the elves of the North.

The Counterparts This is not their real name, at least not as far as we know, but it's what we've been calling them for lack of anything better. They're essentially an evil counterpart of Fortune's Children whose aim is to serve the dark gods and destroy us all. We've had several run-ins with individuals and small groups of them in the past, which have left Drema's, Rruk's and Sharna's counterparts dead. They count undead among their number, though, so we never know when we've seen the last of any of them. Old Gurdy was killed (but not fully, it seems) by the Gith while bringing us information about them. They are servants of Belsameth and Korseth (who used his dark powers to shape them into our twisted mirror reflections of us) and worked with Lolth the Younger before her destruction as well. It's only a matter of time before we clash again, in fact we’re very surprised it hasn’t happened sooner, especially since they were conspicuously absent at the Great Battle. Likely they are being held in reserve as protection for the gods they serve, for they surely know by now we’re gunning for them. The Counterparts must all be destroyed for good before this is all over.

Covington The seedy Tolarian burg that was Tyuris' hometown and where what's left of his family still lives. It's known for its very strong thieves guild and the large Olidamarran temple there, which work hand in hand and were long the de facto rulers of the town. Fairly recent incursions by the Hand, who we had to vanquish there, have diminished this influence and led to many deaths in a brutal turf war. The war on Tolaria for a time moved dangerously close to Covington, as did the Gith ships planting Consumers. We worry for those we know there.

Crimsonthorn The deadly poison used by the Dual'Far which causes painless bleeding out from the wound and is thus very dangerous as its victims often don't even realize they're bleeding to death. They have used it on us several times in our fights with them but that's meant we've captured quite a bit of it to use when necessary. We hope to do so on them in the near future in retribution for all the murders they’ve committed with it.

Dar'shan (dar'SHAWN) A stoic eagle companion of Sharna's who was an incredibly dear childhood friend of hers. He followed and protected her in our early adventures but was killed by the fiendish red dragon at the Battle of Fentress, which devastated his druid friend. He has since been avenged, however, with the death of the dragon who killed him happening when we caused the Gith mothership to explode.

'Death Buddies' Drema and Cailet – they were both killed completely dead and brought back on the same day. They once called each other "friends in death" because of that.

'Dissection Buddies' They do not call themselves this except when inspired by the aforementioned unfortunate event, but it describes the bond shared by Hearom and Rruk. Both were kidnapped very early in our travels by Arak's emissaries and dissected. And implanted with magical 'bugs' to spy on Fortune's Children.

The Doraal (dor-ALL) A race of large, gray-skinned semi-sentient monstrous humanoids who are enslaved in Tolaria and used as heavy laborers and in other rough work. It has often been our wish to set them (and the Coranni) free, we just haven't gotten around to it yet. Our Olidamarran members were particularly enraged at the sight of an entire race being mistreated in this way (due to their belief that freedom of choice is the holy right of all beings) when we first encountered them. Now that we’re back in Tolaria and have seen atrocities like the Doraal love slaves in Warden’s Gate our will to free this downtrodden people from slavery is greater than ever. And with both Prince Alexander and Princess Kaitlyn working closely with us that may just become a reality now that the Hand is broken.

The Dragon Realms Three demiplanes close to Aerys (and thus the Material Plane) in location in which many dragons who once lived on Aerys as well as their remaining deities reside. It has been learned these wyrms are closely connected to the Earth Mother in spirit and thus we were able to reach the Dragon Realms by a henge portal on the edge of the Memorywood. It is in exploring these planes in search of the three missing pieces of the Carnifex Clarion, a trumpet that was said will awaken the sleeping good dragons of Aerys when played, that we met some of the long-elusive good and neutrally aligned dragons for the very first time. It is also there where we finally discovered the true origin of Korseth – who was originally one of the draconic deities before being cast out into Aerys. And where we learned both of Drake’s lost years (he remained in stasis for centuries in the neutrally aligned Realm until we rescued him some time ago, not realizing where we were when we did so) and more of the nature of the Five Swords. It was also finally confirmed there that the downtrodden and oppressed sorcerers of Aerys are indeed descendents of mighty dragons. And very importantly, one of the dragon gods has pledged an army of partial dragon blooded soldiers (of which Seth is a member) to aid us in saving Tolaria. In the evil Realm we discovered the last piece of the Carnifex and were forced to endure the presence of Ash, his son the Destroyer and an aspect of Korseth. But we escaped and made it back to Aerys, where we used the Carnifex. Good and neutral dragons have begun awaking all over the world and some have come to our aid in the War to great effect.

Drake Silverwing A half-dragon (silver) paladin of Vkandis who was a founding member of Fortune's Children and protector of Sharna until he was killed during our first adventure. However, he was resurrected and due to the interference with time caused by our first reading of the Prophecy in the Khazadi forge where it was carved, accidentally sent back in time several hundred years. We searched for him for many months (hoping he had survived all that time, being naturally long-lived) and only lately have finally found and freed him from stasis (where he was sleeping in what turned out to be the neutrally-aligned Dragon Realm). It is now known that Drake is the great heroic leader alluded to in The Prophecy who was destined to slay the Destroyer. It is he who now wields the legendary sword Hellslayer, one of the Five, which Baysan reclaimed and gave to him. He is also directly related to the Tolarian crown, illegitimate half-brother of Prince Alexander and Princess Kaitlyn, and may well inherit the throne if the two of them do not survive the War. It has been discovered that Drake's father was a silver dragon courtier living in human form at Warden's Gate many years ago who impregnated his human mother the Queen during an affair which the King may or may not have known about. In any case, Drake has been engaged in the War from the beginning, being made general of both the Tolarian and our united armies. Our pride in him has been immense as he has stepped up to take his destiny. Prince Alexander has finally been reunited with Drake, the two realizing each other as brothers for the first time. Sharna loves Drake but was long never able to properly tell him so. It was Baysan’s meddling in trying to covertly arrange a marriage between them that would finally give her the impetus to do so. We met up with Drake at the allied army camp once we cleared Warden’s Gate of the evil which infested it and were pleased indeed to see him leading our combined armies. In the Great Battle he was the very soul of valor and the Destroyer’s blood did indeed bathe his blade, but the outcome shocked everyone, most of all Drake himself we are sure (see Narvinye, formerly the Destroyer). Drake shall continue to be by our side now that our great victory is won as we take the war to our enemies in the hopes of remarking the world into a better place. And are we ever glad to have him there! May Hellslayer bring woe and doom to our foes in the hands of this great general and warrior!

The Dreaming A strange realm where dream and waking, fantasy and reality meet. We were once trapped there for quite some time. It was in The Dreaming that Cailet was killed and we slew Lolth the Elder. The dead can sometimes be encountered there. The Erin'tar have a special affinity with the Dreaming and can sometimes go there in their sleep. Rruk's ability to do so was exponentially enhanced by a brief time as half Fae, a painful undertaking which allowed her spirit to travel to speak with her friends after her death. The Dreaming is a world of trickery and false imagery, though – and it is there that Rruk was tricked into conceiving the child of the red dragon Ash.

Drema Emballo (DRAY-mah em-BALL-oh) A warrior of the Raven Tribe (one of the barbarian Tribes of Toraka who wander the frozen North) and prominent follower of Olidamarra (whom her people call The Raven). She has perhaps the biggest sense of self-sacrifice and protectiveness in the group, and thus has nearly died at least four times in the defense of the others. She is a fierce and deadly warrior but also quite the witty and charming companion. Drema has of late been made First Warrior of her tribe (after saving her mother from the clutches of Lolth the Younger in the Abyss and freeing her tribe of that goddess’ evil influence) and Olidamarra's Divine Emissary, favored blade and cleric. And together with Loden she has now slain her traitorous tribemate Xao, a powerful servant of Lolth the Younger. Hers has been a strange and complicated love life which left her lonely for a long time, with only the occasional lover to break the tedium while most of the rest of us had someone. However, Loden fell in love with her during their travels together, which he kept a secret for some time but finally revealed to her when both their souls were sucked into the Witchfire and it looked like they were goners. When they were saved by Rhavyn and Valerian, their essences mixed some and each gained several of the other's abilities (which among other things vastly increased her intelligence and thus her worldview and has also given her the ability to read). It remains to be seen how this will affect their relationship, but their love seems to grow stronger every day, though due to the natures of their cultures they each have other lovers as well and share many between them. Meanwhile, Drema has assumed a leadership role in Fortune's Children while Jack has been away and has proved herself a brilliant strategist and inspiring leader. And most shockingly of all it has lately been revealed that she is the fabled Unbroken Blade, one of the Five Swords of immense power which can affect the very nature of the world. She learned more of what it means to be so while we were in the Dragon Realms. And it was Drema who saved Princess Kaitlyn from the clutches of the Hand in Warden’s Gate with our help. She was also instrumental in returning her fragmented goddess to life and now appears poised to strike down another deity – our old enemy Belsameth. Not to mention Korseth and Evil Cailet if we’re lucky. Her might is truly awesome and nothing seems impossible for her these days. And her cleverness in her use of ruses against our enemy would make any raven proud. And we’re proud of our heroic friend to no end! Most of all because it was she alone who thought that the Destroyer had a true choice, that he could opt to break with the Prophecy without dying and choose his own path – and she was right. It was through her pleading and Rruk’s mother’s love that the Destroyer was redeemed, becoming Narvinye. Truly this is one of the greatest deeds of this legendary warrior, and she shed not a single drop of his blood in the doing of it. And now the Prophecy, which she hates so much for forcing us all to play its game, is finally unraveling. Now, to Belsameth with death! (Current FC member played by Joanne)

Dual'Far (dwal'FAR) The Drow of Aerys, deadly assassins who apparently came to this world by their own means many thousands of years ago (having turned to darkness on their home world of Valeriand) and never lost their immortality. They have been sent to kill Rruk more than once. The queen and goddess of these vile dark elves was Lolth, first the Elder and then her daughter the Younger. Their modus operandi is the use of a poison known as Crimsonthorn on their blades, a numbing substance that causes a very swift bleeding out of the victim, speeding death by sheer blood loss. Dual'Far also served in Belsameth's army sent against Loss Caragothronn, further proof that he and Lolth were working together. We expect to tangle with them many more times before the War is done but the advantage will be ours for we have slain their goddess…again…and killed many of the most powerful among them during our raid on the Gith mothership and destruction of their superweapon, which caused a massive explosion. Disturbingly, however, some of the aloof and mighty Gray Elves have allied with them. However, what Dual’Far forces that even had the bravery to fight in the Great Battle with their goddess slain were routed. May there soon be an end on Aerys to this foul brood!

Dumathoin (deh-MAH-thah-wen) The mysterious Khazadi god of secrets. We first came into contact with him many months ago in discovering an abandoned temple of his, a hall in which silence was absolute. Rruk gave the red armband of her outcast status to the temple, and it encased it in stone. Since then, Dumathoin has taken on Rruk as something of a favored creature, despite her not being Khazadi at all. He has gifted her with incredible silence and stealth among other abilities. And it was his secret advice given to Sharna that allowed us to escape Evil Cailet's plan to torture us to death. His favor shown to the druid has also been prodigious. We’re thankful indeed for his aid!

Durgeddin (dur-GEHD-dihn) A Khazad ghost who, thanks to Fortune's Children's manipulations of time and reality, has achieved the status of demigod and is amassing a small following of Khazadi followers. Including the addition of Jack as a paladin, he now has a grand total of two such warriors *grin*. Durgeddin is perhaps the most companionable and down to earth god on all of Aerys and has helped us many times in thanks for our aid in bringing him to his place of prominence. Durgeddin and Jack share a very special bond, each being partly in the mind of the other and possessing some of the other's memories. It is this connection which has in many ways made Jack more Khazadi than human and earned him the name Daegan Blackhammer. Durgeddin's old fortress of Durgeddin's Mound has now been reclaimed and its streams of silver now run again. We hadn’t seen Durgeddin in quite some time – though he did but in a brief appearance at the Great Battle – until we just did at the council of the Gods following the Great Battle.

Durgeddin's Mound The ancient Khazadi forge we have in the past few months liberated from the evil influence of a sleeping demigod. The reclaiming of its two forges relates to an important passage of The Prophecy and is something Jack has been completing. News is spreading to the Khazad of Aerys and they are coming in numbers to work it. Meanwhile the artifact Hammer of the First Master that Jack brought back from the world of Valeriand has caused the ultimate metal – True Metal – to flow in Durgeddin's Mound once again, which has made it a place of incredible potential. Also of note is that it was a portal from there (one of several on different planes) leading to a chamber in what turned out to be one of the Dragon Realms where we finally found Drake.

The Earth Mother The Neutral goddess of Nature whom Fortune's Children have also learned is very literally the planet itself – Aerys is her body. She has voluntarily slept for the last 2,000 years due to the rise of the Barrier, which protected her from outside danger but also blocked her from the rest of the multiverse and thus greatly diminished her essence, but is now in the process of awakening in reaction to its weakening by Korseth and the Gith. Half of the gods of men of Aerys (Belsameth, Liriel, "Evil" Cailet (who has replaced Rhavyn) and Vkandis), being ascended humans who arose to prominence during her slumber, are her children, figuratively speaking. It was unknown until lately what her awakening would spell for the planet's other faiths since none of the other deities save the Erin'tarni and Khazadi ones were around when she entered torpor and Korseth, Olidamarra and Valerian (and formerly Tymora) are interlopers from other planes and worlds who've achieved a foothold on Aerys in the intervening time. But she apparently is accepting them all as her children. It is only now becoming apparent just how powerful the Earth Mother is, with both her awareness and might being so far beyond even the other deities of Aerys as to make her truly ineffable. Her agenda (beyond the continued existence of the planet) and how much direct aid she will be providing in the War remains unclear, but we have learned that while a part of her cares not to see the world lost to the Gith and is aiding Sharna with many abilities, a larger part of her is uncaring and truly neutral, knowing she will survive whatever happens. Sharna of the Waterwood is one of her most devoted and favored druids, doing much for her Mother in her time with Fortune's Children.

Elora (uh-LORE-ah) Once a noted Breasalian bard, Elora was slain by a green dragon from another world and her skin was worn through a dark magic rite in order to assume her identity. This false Elora was working with Evil Cailet and attempted to destroy us all in the Tower of Shadow. We brought the tower down on her head when we left but we're sure she survived and her whereabouts are unknown. Yet another long-term enemy to add to the list and eventually hunt down and kill, possibly with the help of the newly awakened good and neutral dragons. We owe the bitch but good! Elora hasn’t been sighted anywhere since the Tower of Shadow affair, though, and may have found a way home. Apparently that’s what Rhavyn was promising her in exchange for her service. (Former FC guest villain played by Joanne)

The Empire Also called the Dragon Empire by Tolarians, this expansionist power in the south of Aerys has in the past been greatly feared in the north. It is the Imperial army that annexed Fentress in order to gain the use of its bluesteel mines – though that city has been overrun by the Gith, its Imperial cavalry having been slaughtered. Baysan and Fennec hail from the Empire and were sent on a secret mission to assess the usefulness and protect the life of Sharna, who it turns out is a long lost princess of this land, having long ago been abandoned (or secreted away, depending on who you ask) in the Waterwood as a small child. Morality does not seem a great concern in the Empire, and a large part of that region fell under evil control, allied with Ash (and thus with the Gith) as a fiendish red dragon (whom we lately spotted again while passing through there and have learned was a servant of Korseth before he was killed when we blew up the Gith mothership) aided in their occupation of Fentress and there are barbarian tribes there that worship evil dragons. The Empire has recently been in the grip of civil war as the remaining non-evil caliphs have risen to stop the dominion of darkness which has overwhelmed that country. Now that that has been resolved (in what way we’re not quite sure) Baysan and Fennec have returned to Tolaria with their armies in tow, having made it past the Consumers the Gith have placed there as they were warned by Loden’s magic about them. Some interesting developments and a possible royal marriage between the Imperial and Tolarian crowns have enused (see Baysan’s entry for more information). The Empire has troops on both sides of this conflict, however, which made for bitter fighting indeed! Baysan lead her army to victory, though, as well all triumphed together in the Great Battle.

Erin Not to be confused with the Erin'tar (see below), Erin is the silent celestial companion Jack has gained as a Paladin of Durgeddin. She is a holy, powerful and serious-minded ghaele eladrin who also happens to be incredibly beautiful, which made Cailet jealous to no end for a time. No worries, though, as Erin considers the prospect of doing anything naughty with a human to be quite distasteful *grin* and Jack was completely faithful anyway. Erin follows Jack in his travels and was thus back with us for a time as we voyaged to the Dragon Realms and then on to Warden's Gate. She remained with Jack when he stayed with our armies and has surely been a potent combatant in the battles of recent days.

The Erin'tar (air-en-TAR) The name by which all the elves of Aerys (except the evil Dual’Far) call themselves. It is humanity who has named them “Elves” and most of the other races have followed suit in calling them so as well (when they have even known the reclusive race exists, that is). The Erin’tar have long been a scattered and dwindling people, growing increasingly fewer in numbers over the centuries despite their long lifespan. This has primarily been due to infertility but also social unrest. To other races there has always seemed to be an alien quality where they are concerned. It has been as if all other rules relating to the inhabitants of Aerys and how life works for them did not pertain to the elves. For example, their gods had to remain physically manifested on Aerys and if any of these deities were killed (as has happened many times in the last several thousand years) all of each slain god’s followers perished with them. All of the souls of the Erin’tarni dead had nowhere to go after death for mysterious reasons so they were kept in the Well of Souls so they would be preserved. It was Rruk, one of the Fora’Sithi Erin’tar, who first discovered that their race is alien to Aerys, having hailed originally from another world in the long forgotten past. It has since been discovered that the ancestors of all the Erin’tar were originally colonists who came to our world from the planet Valeriand 10,000 years ago and became stuck here like so many other aliens have. There have since developed several subraces, including the Fora’Sithi or “Frost Elves” of the frigid North, the vile Dual'Far (the Aerysian Drow), the Elves of the South (with whom Rruk's brother lives, the actual Erin’tarni name of that culture being unknown to Fortune’s Children) and the mysterious and sorcerous “Gray Elves” of the far western isles, who until now had been all but forgotten by most if not all of the other inhabitants of Aerys. With the exception of the Dual’Far, who kept their natural immortality through dark alliances with powers such as Lolth, this is why all the elves of Aerys were long diminishing – they were cut off from the essence of their native world and were unconnected to the Mother. It long seemed like there was little to no help for any of them. But the fate of all the Erin'tar and the Fora'Sithi in particular has now been changed forever with Rruk's triumphant return (after 41 years of exile, see the Arighting and Rruk entries) to Loss Caragothronn, having been made immortal and full of life by the Elder Ring she recovered on Valeriand and able to share this gift with the Erin’tar worldwide as well. And by the return of the reborn Sera and all the dead Erin'tarni gods (save the one Agarradh has replaced). It seems there is finally hope for this lost people again! Erin’tar of all stripes are fighting in the War, with the Fora’Sithi, Elves of the South and some of the Gray Elves fighting with us and the Dual’Far and the rest of the Gray Elves against us. It does our hearts good to see the former united for the first time ever! And the fact that the members of this newly immortal race would be willing to spill their blood and risk their immortality on the battlefield for their adopted world has not gone unnoticed.

Erin'tarni (air-en-TAR-nee) The name of the language of the Erin'tar (elves), which is similar to Sanskrit in appearance. Native speakers have a strange, muted, fox-like dialect when speaking Common. It is spoken almost exclusively by the Erin'tar, save the human population of Breasal, who share a longstanding bond of friendship with the race. It has of late been discovered that Erin'tarni is a mutated form of Eldarin, the elven language of Valeriand (the planet from which the Erin'tar originally hailed long ago). There is also an older conversational form (the “Elven Latin”, so to speak) which is used only in ceremonies and texts and is essentially the same language as Fenur, the ancient Eldarin tongue of Valeriand.

"Evil" Cailet An evil being with all of Cailet's abilities and memories (up to the point where she was created) and basic (though twisted) personality. She was created when an evil ghost possessed Cailet's original mortal body, which was at the time empty of its own soul. She pledged allegiance to Rhavyn and has since caused us great misery, posing as the original and then attempting to torture and kill us in the Tower of Shadow. It was later discovered that Rhavyn, who had a death wish, was grooming her to become his replacement. After the Tower of Shadow affair it was uncertain where she was or what foul deeds she was up to. But we recently saw her in Warden’s Gate, attending a masquerade ball hosted by the Hand in the company of a powerful fallen celestial also in Rhavyn’s service. As her god was the wild card in the War they both seemed to be there more to observe than anything else but seeing her still weirded us all out, especially since she hinted she knew it was us (despite our being in costumes and masks). She also appeared in our tent in the allied camp just before the Great Battle as well to tell us that Rhavyn has been neutralized in some way by Belsameth and Korseth and that while some of his minions would be fighting on their side, she and quite a few others would not be getting involved. We were vicious in our speech to her as we owe the bitch a terrible and painful death for what she did to us in Breasal. In any case, during the Great Battle, Rhavyn sought out Baysan and cashed in the favor she owed him, having her kill him. And "Evil" Cailet has now arisen in his place, to the dismay of us all. We can't say we didn't see it coming but we'd hoped to do something about it before Rhavyn's death. However, much like her good counterpart who has replaced Tymora, it will be a long time before she achieves the level of might that Rhavyn had. And during that time we may just have to deliver on our promise! (Former FC guest villain played by Rae. She is now an NPC)

Fentress (FEN-triss) The city in the south of Tolaria where Fortune's Children made what was at the time believed a final stand against Arak and Belsameth, who were attempting to destroy its Olidamarran clergy and her Focus (and thus that goddess herself). In the ensuing battle both Dar'shan and Tyuris were killed. The town was then occupied by the Red Dragon Army of the Empire, who coveted its bluesteel mines, with a help of a fiendish red dragon (whom we have since seen again and learned was in service to Korseth before he was killed in the explosion of the Gith mothership). Many of its people left with Fortune's Children and were later relocated to the north of Tolaria on our lands near High-Hold. Recently while passing through the area again, we beheld a terribly disturbing sight – the Imperial cavalry being driven out of the city and slaughtered by a huge army, a flight of red dragons, a Gith airship flotilla and most frightening of all a massive ball of disintegration that dispelled all magic for miles around and literally sucked the life out of everything it touched, cutting a miles-wide swath through the countryside as it moved north into Tolaria – the Githyanki superweapon. Thus began the advance of the southern wing – led by Ash – of the Belsamethian/Korsethian invasion of Tolaria. It is unlikely there are any survivors in the Fated City.

The Five Swords Also called simply The Five. Legendarily powerful artifact blades that have the capacity to alter and control aspects of reality and thus whose very existence endangers it, especially when gathered together. While in the Dragon Realms we learned more about the identities and locations of the current owners of the Five than we’ve ever been aware of in the past. One of them, the neutrally -aligned Sword That Is the Key, we destroyed (at least for a time, as it appears none of them can be destroyed permanently – for now – and we’ve learned it is now being remade by the Khazad) at the cost of Serrath's life in order to make sure the Gith couldn't use it to open Aerys to the planes. Another, the powerfully good Hellslayer, is now in Drake's possession, as was destined to occur according to the Prophecy and it was Hellslayer that cut down the Destroyer. And for an all too short a time a third, the infamous and incredibly evil Witchfire, was in our custody as well due to our participation in Arak's foul tournament in Mossy Rock. But in a terrible loss to us it was stolen from us by Arak and Ash so that the former could wield it in their grab for world domination. So that's one for Belsameth, and even when we dispersed Arak at the Great Battle the sword went with him to his phylactery due to some contingency spell. The also vile Demon Shard was in possession of the Lich-Queen of the Gith but was given to the Destroyer for the War. When he was redeemed during the Great Battle, however, he broke that blade in a retributive strike, hurting himself badly in the process so that Drake could kill him. He – now called Narvinye – was resurrected, but the blade still lay in ruins. That’s one powerful tool our enemy won’t be using anymore. But what gives us the most hope is that now we know Drema is the fifth and last herself, the fabled Unbroken Blade. She possesses the power even to slay a god (if done in that deity’s realm or in their greatest temple) and it's Belsameth himself she has her sights set on for starters. It is hoped that with the Prophecy unraveling the power of these dangerous weapons can also be undone…without Drema being harmed, of course.

The Foci (FOH-kai) As in focuses. You know. Plural. Each deity of the world of Aerys (excepting the Erin'tarni gods, who were originally alien in nature and had to remain physically embodied, and possibly the Khazadi ones as well) has one (or in the case of Olidamarra and Valerian several) item(s) on Aerys that is/are the Focus/Foci of their power. They vary greatly in size, shape and composition. Some are objects, others animals or even people. Agents of the evil gods and Belsameth in particular have been destroying and stealing them but some like Tymora's we have saved from their clutches. Loden wears a part of Valerian's Focus, which greatly adds to his clerical powers, and the same is now true of Drema, who has part of Olidamarra’s as well.

Fora'Sithi Erin'tar (four-ah-SITH-ee air-en-TAR) The actual name of the Elven subrace humans nickname 'Frost Elves', of which Rruk is a member. Calling the Fora'Sithi “Frost Elves” is not exactly derogatory, just...inconsiderate. They live in the far frozen North of Aerys, centered around their long dwindling city of Loss Caragothronn, and have adapted remarkably well to the arctic conditions there over the millennia. The fate of all the Erin'tar and the Fora'Sithi in particular has now been changed forever with Rruk's triumphant return to Loss Caragothronn, having been made immortal and full of life by the Elder Ring she recovered on Valeriand and able to share this gift as well. And by the return of the reborn Sera (matron goddess of this subrace) and the dead Erin'tarni gods. The Fora’Sithi (with the help of Breasal and the Tribes of Toraka) have recently repulsed an invasion of orog, Dual’Far and other horrors sent to raze Loss Caragothronn to the ground. After successfully routing this invasion their forces have since moved south to join our combined armies in defense of Tolaria. And so the Fora’Sithi are with their brethern the Elves of the South and the so-called Gray Elves again for the first time in many millennia.

Forgeflame Jack's magical blade, a powerful enchanted weapon of Khazadi make.

Fox Her real name is Alariel but 'Fox' is the 'professional' rogue name she's taken. A sassy Erin'tarni rogue and past associate of Rruk's who traveled with us for a short time as we went to reclaim Durgeddin's Mound. She left very quickly thereafter with Mica and a very pregnant Rruk on their way to Loss Caragothronn and we haven't seen her since. Doubt we've seen the last of this one, though. (Former FC guest star played by Stephers)

The Frothing Otter A bit of Fortune's Children humor a la our original DM -- a chain of inns in Tolaria that are its equivalent of a Motel 6. Their staff is unbearably cheery, which annoyed Cailet to no end. And now they even have a knockoff imitation!

Gesture A silent sign language used by assassins such as Rruk for purposes of subtlety. To an outside observer it could look simply like normal gestures – sweeping aside one's hair, touching one's temple, lacing ones fingers together, etc. The Olidamarrans have a similar system of non-vocal communication related to their version of Thieves’ Cant, as Drema recently evidenced with some Knives while back in Warden's Gate.

The Gith The name on Aerys by which the githyanki invaders from another plane who have occupied much of the east and south of the continent and seriously endanger the world are called. The Gith hail originally from the Astral Plane but have been trapped on Aerys in great numbers for quite some time, having slipped through the weakened Barrier with the help of Korseth but unable to leave again. They are extremely aggressive and seek through their airships, magical might, alien technology and legions of troops to conquer and devour all of Aerys' sentient races. The Gith have harried us many times, are raising the planet's temperature and are committing genocide on a mass scale in the lands they occupy. And thus we oppose them with all we have – a final showdown with them and their Lich-Queen ruler (who reigns from the Inverted Citadel in the east, and seeks to be become a deity in her own right) is inevitable and will be very soon in coming. Fortune's Children were instrumental in foiling the recent Gith invasion of Breasal (which they were invading in order to procure the Sword That is the Key). And we later discovered them working directly with the Knights of the Silver Twilight in Mossy Rock. And most disturbing of all, their airship fleet was a part of the massive army that barreled out of Fentress, headed northward as part of a three-pronged invasion of Tolaria made up of the armies of Belsameth and Korseth. And they were placing immense monsters made of tainted earth all around the borders of Tolaria to attempt to prevent the forces of Breasal, the Empire, Loss Caragothronn, the Tribes of Toraka and others from coming from outside Tolaria to our aid. And in Warden's Gate their incredibly deadly necrotite mummies were working in the service of the Hand. All of these dangers have been circumvented or destroyed by us and our allies, however. And the greatest blow of all we have struck in destroying the Gith superweapon on board one of their motherships. In the massive explosion which followed our escape, scores of Gith ships, thousands of their soldiers, the demigoddess Lolth the Younger and many other enemies such as dragons and succubi, were all destroyed! The evil army continued to march against us, but the odds became even. The fared poorly without their airships in the Great Battle and were routed like all our enemies, with Loden (who has sworn a blood oath against every one of them on the planet due to their invasion of Breasal and the deaths and damage that caused) and the Breasalian army seeking out and killing every one they could find. Once a few pressing matters are dealt with it will be time for the good and neutral powers of Aerys to move against Gith in turn on their own turf and put an end once and for all to their madness!

Grandmother Earth & Grandfather Sky The twin gods of the halfling Coranni people, of whom Tully was one. Between the two of them they embody just about all the same belief strains as The Earth Mother does, and Tully and Sharna had many late-night philosophical conversations discovering how like-minded their systems were. These deities are distant and silent and, to Fortune's Children's knowledge, no one has ever heard from or seen them. Their followers are restricted to the Coranni, who have a poor habit of never writing anything down.

Gwalchmai (gwalk-MY) Loden's familiar, a red-tailed hawk. Often on errands for his master and the sort who keeps to himself, he is thus one of Fortune’s Children’s lesser known animal companions.

The Hand A dark, powerful and sizeable cabal of wizards in a world where such workers of arcane magic are rare. They have sought in a very Inquisition-like way to control or slay all primary workers of the arcane arts who are not members of their order. Both the dragon-descended sorcerers (who use magic naturally and are thus seen as abominations to be hunted down) and to a lesser extent all other wizards (such as Breasal's Order of the Mighty) have thus been endangered directly or indirectly by the Hand. We have fought them several times in the past in Warden’s Gate and elsewhere. Hearom especially and Loden also were in particular danger from this group, being a sorcerer and a wizard not of that order, respectively, and the former having been grievously mistreated and hunted by them in the past. It was the Hand’s inquisitional workings that caused Hearom (who had been born to a fairly wealthy family near Warden’s Gate) to have to spend his childhood in hiding and who brought about the end of all that he loved. This villainous organization has had its fingers in many pies (including the Royal Court of Tolaria and the underworld dealings of Tolarian crime) Their primary agents of death and misfortune have been the Knights of the Silver Twilight, who in addition to being deadly assassins have been involved in various decadent, evil and seedy underworld dealings and were recently serving as openly displayed guards in Warden’s Gate. It seems the Hand (and the Knights in particular) have been directly aided by the followers of Korseth – Ash being involved in their dealings – and possibly by Belsameth as well. And also by the Gith, who loaned them the use of some of their deadly necrotite mummies. It was the Hand who tried to assassinate Prince Alexander and mentally dominated Princess Kaitlyn to use as their puppet in order to assume control of the Tolarian government. But we have finally returned to Warden's Gate for a final showdown with them to break the Hand at its stronghold, where it has festered the very heart of Tolaria, in order to unite the kingdom against the War that is upon it. Hearom has especially owed them revenge. And he has now had it, as have we all. We rescued Princess Kaitlyn from their control (in a daring escape from a masquerade ball they were hosting) and reunited her with her brother. Then it became time to get down and dirty, putting an end to their madness forever. We sneaked into the palace and engaged the Hand’s Regent and various of its members, destroying two artifacts in the process, killing them and our old enemy Kristoff Marks and slaying all agents of the Hand and the Knights of the Silver Twilight we could find there. Many remain elsewhere in Tolaria, but their power base is now destroyed and the country is being returned to its rightful rulers. The sorcerers of that kingdom need not live in fear anymore, and our arcane allies from the North can come to our aid. Good riddance to the Hand!

Hearom Widdershins (her-AHM WID-der-shins) A human sorcerer and monk from the north of the Kingdom of Tolaria, where natural magical talent has long been persecuted. He thus spent much of his childhood in hiding. He has a broken heart (which he hides remarkably well most of the time) due to his betrayal and the murder of his love perpetrated by his former best friend Nathaniel, who later became Vice-Regent of the Hand. This forced Hearom into exile for quite a while, but as a result it was he who first got us all together to explore the ruins of the Khazadi forge where our very first adventure took place. Hearom is quietly dynamic and very pleasantly aloof, having out of necessity for many years continually shifted attention away from himself as much as possible. Which is quite the accomplishment, considering how markedly charismatic he is. Even so, he is a good and loyal friend and a fierce magical warrior. Hearom began our travels in the service of Olidamarra, but his skin-deep relationship with Sharna and guilt at causing harm to the world through his failed attempts to gather arcane energy to power his spells eventually changed his spirit to the Earth Mother. His body and soul were also greatly changed to a very reptilian model for a long time by his possession by an insane storm wyrm. Hearom long studied the ways of the monk under the villainous Ash (who at the time we weren't aware was evil) and for quite a while no longer seemed the man we once knew. But not long ago we found him again, on the run from Ash, whom he managed to escape from (with the help of Old Gurdy). He is now on the path of the monk as well as that of the sorcerer and seems to have achieved a great deal of both inner peace and power (his ki blades of brilliant energy striking fear into the hearts of the wicked), has taken a vow of poverty (which has granted him many mystical abilities) and learned much of the arts he pursues. And he also looks almost fully human again due to a successful final confrontation with the remnants of the storm wyrm within him while on the world of Valeriand. It was there that Hearom also found and drank an incredibly powerful potion that made him immortal, something to which he has been growing accustomed in recent days. And now his time has finally come, for while traveling through the Dragon Realms we met a deity of dragonkind who confirmed that Hearom and all other sorcerers of Aerys are the descendents of dragons and it is from that bloodline their wellspring of magical power comes. Finally he has achieved some pride in what he is and was at the forefront of our ranks in Warden’s Gate in our mission to rid the world of the totalitarian cabal the Hand, who hunted him and his people for many years. His personal revenge started with killing Nathaniel, Vice-Regent of the Hand, who had betrayed him so long ago. But there was so much more to do before he could be assuaged and that’s just what we did, killing the Hand’s leadership and scattering its remaining members to the four winds. Vengeance at last! He has since joined us in the War and fought with great power and skill in the Great Battle. Hearom may well, due to his wisdom and the infinite amount of time bestowed by his newly found immortality, become something of an icon and leader of sorcerors world-wide now that this terrible threat to this much-hated minority has been removed. We're very lucky to have Hearom with us again for never was there a more steadfast companion! (Current FC member played by Landon)

High-Hold Formerly belonging to Rruk (who calls it 'Hayholt'...strange Elvish pronunciations), this fortress is one of Fortune's Children's main centers of operation, though we are seldom there. Its staff is ghostly in nature. The fortress was built only fifty years ago by Ashe (Rruk's former commandant) to disguise the true nature of their guild's operations. I'Quessir Taurn Nore had a great many merchants, craftsmen and traders to hide the operatives of darker purpose beneath and to make it safe for nobility to be seen coming and going from High-Hold. Rruk was quickly made 'Top Gun' of the hidden clutch of assassins within this fortress. After the fall of the guild it went into years of abandon and ruin before being recaptured by Arak, who used The Council of Twelve as his sacrifices there to make himself into a lich. These days High-Hold is a part of the estate which Fortune's Children found a deed to in the lost Khazadi forge where our first adventure took place. Each of the surviving original members (except Hearom and Sharna, who gave theirs up as a part of their vows of poverty) is a lord or lady of High-Hold (and thus of Tolaria), with Jack holding the highest title. Now that Warden’s Gate has been freed of the Hand, we may well be treated as nobility there as well on future visits.

Holy Water Addiction Holy water is, of course, water that is blessed by agency of a god or goddess. In this case by The Earth Mother. Sharna is immune to the disorienting effects of alcohol, but drinking holy water blessed by her Mother has a strong, intoxicating effect on her. She was, for a short time, addicted to it while in the depths of sorrow over the loss of Dar'shan, Janaka'a and her innocence.

The House of Frost & Flame The college of Evocation specialist wizards who make up one-seventh of Breasal's Order of the Mighty. They are known for being blustery and temperamental yet devastatingly powerful battle mages. Loden is a prominent member of this House, having meteorically risen to the lower echelons of its archmages during his adventures with Fortune’s Children over the last several months. Now is the time this House's resolve will be tested, for with war at home and abroad (and with the normally isolationist Free Land of Breasal allying with the other good and neutral powers in the War) they are needed more than ever. Some of their number assisted greatly in the holding of Loss Caragothronn and many more have now made their stand on foreign soil in the defense of Tolaria, as they stood at the forefront of the armies of Breasal. And they have wielded their arts arcane with amazing strength and honor!

The Inverted Citadel The bizarre fortress and headquarters of the Gith which was built upon the back of a massive creature from another world. It looms in the east of the continent and it is from there the Gith pursue their ambitions of world domination and mass genocide. We have seen it only in scrying, and it was a terrible sight indeed! But we have learned that is where Arak's phylactery is kept, not to mention that of the Gith Lich-Queen. And Sharna has discovered a secret of how they may be cut off from them and effectively neutralized. And you can bet we're going to make use of that as soon as we get a chance, which will be VERY soon!

I'Quessir Taurn Nore A "mercantile organization” catering to the very elite and wealthy – though truly a subversive group created to help the nobility around the law. It was run by Ashe Draven Kaine, known to non-members only as "Dark Shadow" and seconded by Rruk Laylen Ashen'herth, known as "Ice Spectre." All members of this guild except Rruk are believed to have long since been annihilated by the Knights of the Silver Twilight, who perhaps viewed them as competition. Now that the Knights have been broken, perhaps the souls of these fallen comrades of Rruk’s will finally rest in peace.

Itchy This is the feeling Drema used to experience when she used her Detect Evil ability and there was something evil present. Jack's experience is more of a burning sensation.

Jack Random Fortune's Children's leader almost since its inception (though in recent days he has been away much out of necessity and Drema has assumed that role), but Jack is so much more than that. He is incredibly sagacious and has served as a sounding board and wise counsel for all of us. Jack is a loving and gentle man to any who are not our foes. But he is also a fearless and puissant warrior and paladin of the Khazadi demigod Durgeddin – whose rise to prominence was entirely due to our interference with time and his actions in particular. He wields the powerful dwarven blade Forge Flame with an unmatched skill. Jack shares a strong mental link with Durgeddin, including access to some of his memories. And it is from him that he has acquired the Khazadi name Daegan Blackhammer. This connection to Durgeddin has made him in many ways more dwarven than human. And through the agency of the cursed magical breastplate he long wore he has long since turned to the ways of law and good (as opposed to his wayward chaotic youth). Jack hails from the Tolarian town of Battleford and came to Fortune's Children possessing connections to both old friends – such as the master Erin'tarni swordsman Mica, who was once his teacher, and his sister Molly, a commander in the Tolarian army – and enemies – most notably the vile blackguard Kristoff Marks – who have since become our own. Despite the neutrality of many of our past and present members it has been Jack's influence that has set Fortune's Children upon a mostly good path and it is he more than any other (with the possible exception of Tyuris) that has set the tone for who and what we are as a group. He has been a tireless leader who has saved us all more times than could be counted and is always putting the rest of us before himself. Jack has also loved Cailet since the early days and it was their plan to marry for quite some time. But since her death in the Dreaming and later resurrection as a divine emissary and now full-fledged deity this has become an impossibility, for her newly found divine status has changed her ineffably. This has caused him great sorrow, but he has suffered in silence, choosing not to burden the rest of us (save Rruk, with whom he had a brief and guilt-ridden fling) with his personal grief. Jack left us for a time in order to get the forges of Durgeddin's Mound – which we liberated from an evil sleeping demigod's influence with the help of Baysan, Fennec and Fox – operational again after many decades of disuse. But he returned for a short time to join those of us that went on the quest to the world of Valeriand. It was there that he found the artifact known as the Hammer of the First Master that dated to the very beginnings of the dwarven people of that ancient world. He was destined to bring it home to Aerys, for it was this hammer that would make the streams of silver foretold in an important passage of the Prophecy flow again. And that is exactly what happened. Returning to Durgeddin's Mound and relighting the fires of its forges, he found the Khazad of Aerys finally coming out of seclusion to work the forge. These dwarves hold him in high regard and some will be helping in the battles to come. Jack is with us again as we journey to Warden's Gate (where he was slain fighting powerful undead but raised by Loden) and onward. And we just can't tell you how happy that makes us! *grin* Jack’s biggest surprise of late has been finding his mother Janis Random alive and well in Warden’s Gate and even more so discovering that she has secretly been a priestess of Olidamarra all along. This has understandably caused some friction between the two but they are happy to be reunited again. Jack came with us to the allied camp but remained there as we went on our secret mission to destroy the Gith superweapon. But he was with us in the great battle, fighting by our side with breathtaking skill and power. (Former FC member played by Bill, who is now our DM. Jack is now an NPC but still very much a part of the group)

Janaka'a Ka'anan (JAN-ah-kah-ah ka-AH-non) A tremendously powerful and very ancient tree-like creature (not a treant per se, since she cannot move about) who was once the guardian of the Waterwood. Janaka'a raised Sharna – who had been abandoned in the wood as a very small child – showing her much love and teaching her much of the Waterwood and Nature. The last time Sharna saw her, Janaka'a (knowing her end was near) gave her adopted daughter her heart, a wooden spear deadly to the undead that Sharna carried for some time. Her body died but this heart has been replanted in a sacred grove in the North so Janaka'a can live again and guard a grove once more.

Janis Random Jack’s mother. We first met her during a brief stop in his hometown of Battleford many months ago. She seemed quite nice but managed to say a few things alluding to Rruk’s past that really creeped our elf out. Ever since Battleford was taken by the orog we had worried about Janis’ safety. So we were VERY shocked to very recently find her living in Warden’s Gate…in the Olidamarran safehouse there! Turns out she’s always been a cleric of the Dark Lady (at least this version of her in the changed world of Aerys – see the entry on the Prophecy for more details), something she has kept very well hidden indeed. Despite the odd circumstances and the awkwardness it caused, though, Jack’s been very happy to see his mom again. And she was very helpful in arranging our rescue of Princess Kaitlyn and our strikes on the Hand. Now that Warden's Gate is free, she has remained there to help rebuild.

Princess Kaitlyn of Tolaria Crown Princess of Tolaria, a very important member of that country's royal family. Fortune's Children made her acquaintance while in Warden's Gate some time ago and found her charming and personable. She was second in line for the throne until a few months ago, when her brother's apparent murder made her leader of her vast and troubled country. However, she was quickly compromised by the Hand, who sought control over Tolaria’s government. They enslaved her mind and made her their puppet, operating very successfully that way until our very recent return to Warden’s Gate. It was our psionicist friend Seth who broke the shackles on her mind and together we rescued her from the Hand’s clutches. She’s now been reunited with her brother, which gives us great joy. But it's essential she or her brother be restored to their throne in their own right, with their land in such terrible danger. But the Hand has now paid for what they did to her, Hearom and everyone else who has suffered under their iron rule so this can now become a reality again. Princess Kaitlyn remains in Warden's Gate, for her city must be cleansed of the remaining evil presences and is in need of a strong leader.

Kenji (KEN-jee) Sharna's current animal companion, Kenji is a very large golden eagle. With great effort she has learned to communicate with him and he now watches over her much as Dar'shan did before his death.

The Khazad (ka-ZOD) This is the actual name of the race that humans nickname "Dwarves.” Calling the Khazad dwarves is not exactly derogatory, just...inconsiderate. They are an ancient and reclusive people who, much like dwarves on other worlds, love most working steel and stone in their forges and dwell beneath the earth. Jack, through his connection with Durgeddin, is very much Khazadi in many ways, but there has never been a fully Khazad member of Fortune's Children (the only non-evil sentient race on Aerys for which this is true). Their pantheon, though (especially Durgeddin and Dumathoin), has been incredibly helpful to us on many occasions and we feel much goodwill towards the Khazadi people and their deities. And now the Khazad have been appearing from their cities deep beneath the earth, gathering to aid in the War for Tolaria. Their forces stood beside the rest of us at the Great Battle and they did great honour to their ancestors with the havoc they caused in the enemy’s ranks. Incidentally, during our recent visit to the world of Valeriand, it was discovered that much like the Erin'tar the Khazad may have originally come to Aerys from that world many thousands of years ago as the similiarites between them and that world’s Khesed people are quite striking.

Khazadi (ka-ZOD-dee) The language of the Khazad, which uses a runic alphabet. Very few non-dwarves speak it, Jack and Rruk (who is only partially fluent) being some of the very few notable exceptions.

The Knights of the Silver Twilight A branch of the Hand which has seemed to do most of its dirty work, being its powerful fist. They have been headquartered in Warden's Gate and not long ago, under the puppeteering control of Ash, Rruk was indoctrinated as one of them. They have appeared to operate all over Tolaria, however, and have been heavily involved in the very decadent, evil and seedy underworld in the towns near the Waterwood like Mossy Rock. There we found them working with both Arak and the Gith. And very recently they were brazenly being used as extra security in the Palace Royal at Warden’s Gate. But the Knights’ sun has set and their time is at an end, for we came to Warden's Gate to strike at their very heart for the good of all. And Rruk’s knowledge of their operations from her time as one of them proved just the means we need to do so (interesting how Ash’s plot backfired so terribly for him *evil grin*). Despite being deadly assassins and warriors, they could not stop our rescue of Princess Kaitlyn, nor could they hold back the onslaught we brought to their door. With the Hand’s leadership and headquarters now in runis, the Knights’ collective back has been broken. We surely haven’t seen the last of them, but this dog no longer has its sharp fangs.

The Knives A sect of very skilled assassins made permanently invisible by their matron, the goddess Olidamarra. They serve to protect Olidamarran safehouses (as her temples are called) and are only visible a few days of the year. It is considered among the greatest of honors by Olidamarrans to serve in the Knives. We’ve recently seen (through the use of powers that pierce invisibility) some of their number again in Warden’s Gate, during our first time in a Olidamarran safehouse in a long, long time.

Korseth (KOR-seth) Chaotic Evil god of corruption and destruction. We had until lately thought our dealings with him to have been fortunately very scant, with only a few run-ins with his agents (mostly very early in the forge where our first adventure happened and then much later over Hearom's escape from Ash). However, we have since learned this was due to this god's unexpectedly furtive and incredibly clever plots, which have secretly affected us for the worse almost from the start. It was Korseth who united the Orog to attack Tolaria, who sent the giants and other monsters to harry the Tribes of Toraka, who twisted the Counterparts to be like us in ways they otherwise never would have been and who has allied with Belsameth in a plot to conquer the world. Fortune's Children have never met him (though we did see a horrific aspect of him in the Dragon Realms) and we hope that doesn't change for Korseth is the most vile of deities and physically as well as spiritually corrupts all he touches. Ash and his draconic minions are directly connected with Korseth on behalf of the Gith. Indeed, Ash has truly developed quite the fondness for the dark god in his time on Aerys, becoming further corrupted and mutated in the process. Perhaps this is because – as he we were informed while traveling through the Dragon Realms – Korseth himself was originally a draconic deity who was exiled from his people and instead rose to a place of prominence in the pantheon of man as the Destroyer. Korseth’s forces – giant, ogre, orog and dragon – as well as the allied armies of Belsameth and the Gith would likely have achieved his aim of ruining the world had we not stopped their initial advance at the Great Battle. We did so accompanied by the good-aligned partially draconic army from the Dragon Realms who sought revenge for harms long since done by Korseth as well as by the good and neutral dragons of Aerys, whom we have awoken from their centuries-long slumber through the Carnifex. May their fangs continue to drip red with Korsethian blood as the War continues! We have dealt Korseth a heavy blow in the destruction of the Gith airship fleet, several evil dragons and many other foes upon the explosion of the Gith superweapon, but that was nothing compared to the redemption of his greatest tool, the Destroyer (now Narvinye). His defection to our side must have filled the Dragon with terror for he immediately appeared himself along with several other deities and a battle between them ensued. Korseth’s plans have finally begun crashing down around him and if we have anything to do with it his head will be next to follow, for we head to his main temple to slay him as we speak!

Kristoff Marks A powerful blackguard whom we had the misfortune to meet early on in our adventures and for whom we long bore much malice. Kristoff was an archenemy of Jack's from a time before Fortune’s Children were founded but became even more so – and a foe of us all – when he killed Cailet and stole what we thought was the Focus of Valerian during our first adventure. For a time he was working with Arak but that relationship soured quite some time ago. He apparently returned home (it seems he may hail from the Empire) and wasn’t seen for a very long time after. However, while doing battle with the Hand in Warden’s Gate just recently we fought a powerful and mysterious warrior wearing a helm that obscured his face. Upon finally triumphing over him and the Hand’s leadership there, we discovered upon lifting his visor that it was our old enemy we had slain. Good riddance! And may he stay dead.

Liriel (LEER-ree-el) Neutral Good goddess of healing and light and wife of Vkandis. Our dealings with her have been very few, though we've briefly worked with her clergy before and returned what we thought was her broken Focus to them. It is hoped that just as Korseth has been our secret enemy, she has been our secret ally. It is known, incidentally, that her clerics are so selfless that they will give up their lives in healing to save others.

Loden, Gatekeeper & Protector (LOW-den) Warrior Magus of Breasal and newly ordained cleric of Valerian. Fortune's Children's newest permanent member, he is a mixture of wizard, warrior and priest that makes for a very potent whole. Loden is a man of great skill, fiery spirit and uncommon devotion who hails from the enchanted land of Breasal. He joined up many months ago when he ran into us while on his aisling and travels with us still, having become a very active member and rather overprotective yet loving friend of us all who will be with us to the end – one way or another. Fun-loving and jovial but possessed of an impulsive nature and violent temper, Loden is classically Celtic in temperament and thus quick to both anger and laughter. He has grown more and more intense, though, as the days have continued to grow darker. But he is also possessed of a brilliant and discerning mind. His magic is primarily made up of the destructive art of Evocation (as he is a member of the House of Frost & Flame), which he uses to great effect as a battle mage, though of late he has added considerable divine powers to his repertoire as well. Loden is above all things a patriot, deeply devoted to the Free Land of Breasal and her continued safety and well-being. He is thus committed to the absolute destruction of the Gith, who failed to occupy his beloved homeland but caused many deaths, but most of all to the protection of both Breasal and the rest of the world. Through his travels with Fortune's Children – who have become his steadfast friends through much danger, triumph and tragedy – he has very quickly risen in power to the status of archmagus and has played a key role in the defense of his country from Gith invasion twice, as well as in destroying the terrible threat that was the Tower of Shadow. He has also recently become a follower of Valerian, who's helped him greatly as the god seeks to become Breasal's patron and has a special affinity for the young mage. At first Loden followed him very reluctantly and only out of necessity, being wary of deities (for Breasal has long been a very agnostic culture). And for a time he was (somewhat) secretly in love with Drema. Both of these situations crystallized into something much more powerful when both Loden's and Drema's souls were sucked into the Witchfire by Arak. It was there that Loden professed his love, not knowing if they would ever escape. And where he swore to Valerian that he would become his cleric if the god of magic should save them. When they were rescued by Rhavyn and Valerian, their essences mixed and each gained several of the other's abilities to their immense benefit. It remains to be seen how this will affect their relationship in the long term but now they are very much in love – though coming from the cultures they do, they have other lovers as well and share them on a regular basis. Loden loves Drema passionately, however, whereas all others are just fun. And he has followed through with his promise to become an Arcanist (as Valerian's clerics are called) and is currently learning to use his newfound abilities, which are greatly enhanced by part of the Focus of his god, which he bears. And it was Loden who brought to Breasal news of Valerian's wish to become the patron of his people. He may yet become his deity’s prophet to that country, we shall see, especially after his speech to the forces of Breasal just made before the Great Battle. And he has become one of our best idea men, his astounding intellect figuring out difficult mysteries and puzzles with startling accuracy and speed. Lately he’s been instrumental in warning our allies coming to Tolaria’s aid of dangers the Gith placed in their way and was also invaluable in taking down the Hand, dealing its Regent the death blow. His oath of vengeance against all the Gith has also found partial completion in our destruction of their superweapon, most of their airship fleet and thousands of their kind as well, which fills him with both hope and resolve. So many more left to kill for what they have done, though. But in the Great Battle, in which his strategic genius and the destructive power of his magic wrought many great deeds, even more of the Gith met their doom at his hands as well as a balor. However, most important of his deeds therein was his restoring to life the redeemed Destroyer (now called Undomen). This helped to cause great rifts in the Prophecy and gain us a puissant ally. It was quite an irony as well, for it had been Loden who had sought to destroy him at the moment of his birth due to the huge threat he posed to Breasal and the world at large. Maybe Drema’s had more of an influence on him than he knows. (Current FC member played by Matthew)

Lolth the Elder This Dual'Far goddess (similar but not the same as the greater goddess Lolth in the D&D canon) confronted Fortune's Children in The Dreaming and after a long and grueling battle was, thanks to quick thinking on Hearom's part, slain utterly. Hearom created a void of utter death on the ground behind the demigoddess into which she was easily kicked...and thus ceased to exist. One villain down, 50 to go. *grin*

Lolth the Younger Our slaying of her mother actually did this demigoddess a favor. Kidnapping Drema's mother and several Erin'tar in return, she lured us onto her home plane, the Abyss (our first extraplanar voyage not counting getting lost in the Dreaming), where she did her very best to kill us all. We all survived but the Erin'tarni goddess Sera – or her original body at least, her soul she invested into Rruk in the form of one of her twins – did not. It is uncertain how much more powerful this made this dark power. She was trying to get to the sleeping Drake before we did but failed. Rruk feared for her people and what Lolth the Younger might have done to them in our absence but there was no sign of the bitch goddess at Loss Caragothronn when we finally got there. And we’ve learned that the Erin’tarni god Angarradh’s entire purpose has been the destruction of her and her wretched kind. She was apparently spying on us for a while, though, through the eyes of normal spiders. Lolth was allied with Belsameth and Korseth in their aim to defile all of Aerys and was thus likely working with the Counterparts and possibly with the Gith as well. Her Dual'Far soldiers were sent along with Belsameth's army to sack Loss Caragothronn as a result but were unsuccessful. And now, finally, this vile power has been destroyed, for she was on the Gith mothership which became the epicenter of the massive explosion that occurred when we destroyed its superweapon. Finally this foul bitch of a goddess is gone! GOOD RIDDANCE!!!

Loss Caragothronn (LOSS kare-ah-GOTH-rin) Translated into the Common tongue it means "Snow-Spire City." The Fora'Sithi Erin'tar city and surrounding lands in the far North where Rruk was born and raised. Until very recently Rruk had not been back there since her exile following the Arighting began 42 years ago. A fearful dream Sir Alaric had some time ago in which Loss Caragothronn was covered in spiders made us all worry for their safety because of the threat of Lolth and her Dual'Far. Attempts to teleport there failed (for as we later learned the good and neutral gods have had the ability to teleport "turned off" as it was helping our enemies more than our side) but very recently we have finally been able to make our way there. There we discovered only a few thousand of the infertile and fading elves but also quite a few Breasalians, Khazad and Tribesmen of Toraka who were there for either mercantile or allied defense purposes. Rruk's recent homecoming was a triumphant one where she assumed her father's long vacant seat on the Council of Twelve, the reborn Sera was presented to the Council (thus returning hope to the Erin'tarni people), the Well of Souls was emptied, the long slain Erin'tarni gods were resurrected and reembodied and the immortality, fertility and vitality the Elder Ring had bestowed on Rruk was shared with her people. We stayed at Rruk's estate while there and it was there that we all received splendid new mounts and where Rruk and Mica were finally formally married. Not all has been well in Loss Caragothronn, though, for Belsameth sent an army to destroy the city. Fortune's Children prepared their defenses, which were made with the help of Mica and Sir Alaric but we had to leave on pressing business before the siege began. However, they turned back the horde, for Rruk's people are now with our allied army in Tolaria. And are we ever so happy to have them!

Mage Eaters These bizarre and terrifying monsters we originally thought to be one unique and ancient creature when we were forced to fight one that the Gith had released from its centuries-long slumber through the use of their anti-magic technology, which eroded the wards which kept it imprisoned. We quickly learned to our rue that they are creatures completely made up of magic and who subsist on it. They can thus be fatal to any magical item, spell or spell caster in their way. It had started roaming the countryside devouring magic-users of all stripes. We could not destroy it but managed to trap back in its prison. Then, months later we encountered another one, this time being used in Arak's vile tournament for possession of the Witchfire. This one, however, Loden (who was fighting it alone) managed to destroy using a well-placed Mordenkainen's Disjunction. It's unknown how many more of these exist on Aerys, but we hope – especially Loden, who was in both battles with them and narrowly escaped each with his magics and life intact – to never run into one again.

Mango A fruit. Rather slimy. In a rare moment of mutual drunkenness, Cailet and Rruk discovered an alternate use for them illustrated in an illicit book hidden under the bar in an inn in which they'd booked rooms for the night. The catchphrase "Not if you have a mango" and all things mango-related have since become a big FC inside joke.

Micalaeran “Mica” Athol'tirithien (MY-kul-AIR-en) Commonly called Mica, he is an Erin'tarni martial arts master who has long since founded his own school and taught many great warriors, including Jack. He goes by the name Vladimir Breedlove in human society, where in the past he has posed as a member of that race since elves are rare to the point of often being thought mythical in Tolaria. He also taught many years ago before the Arighting the young Rruk and her brothers. Mica is very easygoing, especially for an elf, despite (or perhaps because of) being a truly deadly warrior with razor-sharp skills. Fortune's Children have grown incredibly fond of him in the time we've known him. He died with Rruk – whom he had fallen deeply in love with during our travels – but has since been brought back to life as well. Later he was hurt by Rruk's announcement that she bore twins not his own but eventually came to terms with this. Not very long ago, stunned that Mica and Rruk had not yet been married, Baysan ordered them to marry THAT MOMENT. So, too surprised to object, they complied, and were made husband and wife by Sharna. The marriage was later formalized with a traditional Erin'tarni ceremony while in Loss Caragothronn. The two are incredibly happy together but are often parted by dire necessity, which causes them immense heartache. And so it has been of late, as Mica stayed at Loss Caragothronn to aid in its defense while Rruk and the rest of us had to travel on. We hoped he would rejoin us soon in Tolaria, not only because we miss him terribly but also because we need him desperately. And this is exactly what happened, with husband and wife being reunited just before the Great Battle. He fought valiantly in it, as did we all, proving himself yet again one of the great warriors of the age.

Molly Random Jack's sister, a powerful personality and effective leader who is the commander of a Tolarian legion. We've run into her a couple of times in our adventures and have of course wished her well in the war with the orog that Tolaria has found itself in over the last year. Until very recently none of us have known how she fared and whether she was still alive, though – recent news delivered while attempting to locate our loved ones on the front seemed to point distressingly to the contrary. However, Molly was one of our many friends we were reunited with upon our arrival at the allied camp before the Great Battle. We're so glad she's alive! This valiant warrior was brought death to many enemies in the Great Battle and will surely continue take the fight to our enemy with unparalleled ferocity in the battles to come.

Narvinye “Nari” Ashen'herth (nar-VIN-yay ASH-en-herth) The younger brother of Rruk who secretly fled Loss Caragothronn only days before the Arighting and was presumed dead by her for forty years. By the time Fortune's Children learned he was not dead and met him, Rruk had been killed in the Orog Invasion to the North. Since being restored to life, she has been told of her younger brother's survival but has not yet seen him. We had hoped, though, with the Erin'tar of the South having moved northwards to help in the war in Tolaria (and with some of their emissaries having helped us in Warden’s Gate to rescue Princess Kaitlyn) that Rruk would soon be reunited with her long-lost brother. But it has not happened yet, for he is not with our united armies, and inquiries made as to his fate have discovered he is being held prisoner by Arak or the Gith or both. We have sworn to rescue him as soon as we can! Incidentally it should also be noted that Rruk's until very recently incredibly evil son the Destroyer chose the name Narvinye as his own after his uncle but we refused to refer to him to that at the time and he has in any case been renamed since his redemption.

Nathaniel the Off-Worlder A very eccentric and bizarre yet most pleasant planes-traveling mage who in his travels accidentally found himself stuck on Aerys, appearing quite suddenly through our Skull on Holding. He traveled with us for a short time, proving himself quite capable and possessed of a wide range of enchanted wonderments. He was banished back to his home plane while we were in The Abyss, though, and we do not expect to ever see him again. Not to be confused with Hearom’s old nemesis Nathaniel, Vice-Regent of the Hand. (Former FC guest star played by Daniel)

Nathaniel, Vice-Regent of the Hand This villainous wizard was once a friend of Hearom in his youth. The two were inseparable until Nathaniel began his arcane studies and discovered Hearom was a sorcerer. This “friend” betrayed Hearom to the Hand and was involved in the murder of his love. These crimes long went unavenged, for Hearom was forced into exile and later became a traveler, meeting us in the east of Tolaria just before we all got together for our first adventure. In the meantime Nathaniel rose greatly in prominence in the Hand, becoming its Vice-Regent. His crimes would eventually be paid for, though, for in our very recent rescue of Princess Kaitlyn from the Hand’s clutches, Hearom met with Nathaniel for a final showdown. He slew his old nemesis and took the body with us. It was blessed so it could never be raised, disintegrated and put in our Skull of Holding. That should be the last of him…we hope. (Not to be confused with our erstwhile companion Nathaniel the Off-Worlder)

Necrotite A strange alien metal which glows with a sickly green radiance and was brought to Aerys by the Gith. It has strong antimagic properties, as seen in the necrotite mine which eroded the wards that were keeping the first mage eater we fought imprisoned. But even more disturbingly, it causes all dead creatures in the vicinity to rise as undead, something that no doubt delights Belsameth to no end. In Warden’s Gate we have recently fought bizarre and deadly necrotite mummies while rescuing Princess Kaitlyn and in taking down the Hand. None of those survived our onslaught but the Gith most likely have more.

Old Gurdy A wizened and crotchety old sorcerer who was a mentor and external voice of reason for Fortune's Children and thus a great help to us early on in our history, seeming to always appear in his covered wagon when we needed him the most. Something happened to Old Gurdy, though, and for a while he was aging *backwards* and was younger each time the party met him. We saw him murdered by the Gith several months ago while attempting to deliver vital information to us. But now it is apparent he didn't stay dead. For it was Gurdy who helped Hearom escape from the captivity imposed upon him by Ash. And we've learned he is actually a powerful extraplanar being who is the only person not constrained by the Barrier that surrounds Aerys. On the road to Warden's Gate we were finally reunited with the old sorcerer (looking of indeterminate age this time), who after much catching up and tears of joy sent us on the quest for a magical trumpet (the Carnifex) that had to be blown so that the good dragons of the world could be awakened to fight in the war. This Gurdy was hazy and insubstantial in form but very much the same old coot we've long since come to love. He was gone when we returned from the Dragon Realms but we hope to meet up with him at some point during the battles to come. We've missed you, old man!

Olidamarra (ah-LEE-da-mar-ruh) Chaotic Neutral goddess of chaos, fortune, mischief, storms and thieves. She is ever fickle and thus either baleful or benevolent in turns as the mood strikes her. Even her gender is not something that can be relied upon as a given. Her followers are secretive out of necessity and operate out of covert underground urban temples called safehouses, which are often connected to local thieves' guilds. Fortune's Children know Olidamarra and her ways well. Tyuris was one of her most devoted clerics and Chosen in life and serves her still in death as her emissary. Drema is also a follower of Olidamarra (whom her people call The Raven) and has become one of the goddess' most favored and powerful warriors as well as her Divine Emissary and cleric. The Dark Lady has provided us with much aid and advice in the past, though always in her confusing and mysterious way. Many months ago at the Battle of Fentress Fortune's Children foiled an intricate plot by Belsameth to destroy key Olidamarran clergy and eventually devour her very essence. But a short time ago he finally succeeding in destroying Olidamarra – or so he thought. Her essence was instead shattered, with part of it going into Drema's axe and elsewhere but the largest portion going into the Well of Souls at Loss Caragothronn. Drema opened the Well in the great council chamber of that city and along with all the souls of the Erin'tarni dead and their gods, Olidamarra was released and restored. Drema thus proved herself one of the greatest of her goddess' followers in many long years. The Dark Lady is most thankful for all we have done for her – and has returned the favor by saving us from being overrun by the evil army that poured out of Fentress and hosting us in her realm for a short time (where all sorts of strange and chaotic things happened, appropriately enough). There are many trials yet ahead for her, though, and she was saddened by the news of the loss of her "sister" Tymora. Incidentally, Olidamarra has confirmed she is indeed originally from another world (or series of worlds) and that part of her essence was trapped here when the Barrier went up two millennia ago. Very recently while we were in Warden’s Gate while taking down the Hand, her safehouse there offered us great assistance – and it was there we discovered to our great surprise Jack’s mother has been a priestess of Olidamarra all along! We have just seen Olidamarra again, in the council of the Gods that followed the Great Battle and she is quite pleased with our efforts indeed! (Note: The Olidamarra of Aerys is an aspect of the same entity as the Olidamarra of Oerth, though the Aerysian version, having been trapped here by the Barrier for millennia, has taken on a different appearance, gender and personality)

The Order of the Mighty The powerful assemblage of wizards who guide, safeguard and improve the quality of life of the people of the Free Land of Breasal. The Order is made up of seven Houses of specialist wizards who spend their lives perfecting their art and adding to the cabal’s massive arcane library. All schools but Necromancy are represented among their ranks. The Order is headquartered at their combination university, fortress and library Caer Colur, which is located at the heart of the city of Rath Emrys (oft called "The City of Wizards"). Loden is very much an up and coming member of the Order, now being a very young archmagus of the House of Frost and Flame. The Order's immense power is needed desperately in the war that is upon Tolaria and the Hierophant (as its leader is called) has surely had to make many difficult choices of late. They are spearheading the Breasalian force that's come to Tolaria's aid along with the other powers of the North and many of their number have fought with impeccable skill and astounding power in the Great Battle. And now that the Hand’s been destroyed they are now the world’s largest and most puissant magical guild, giving our armies a true advantage in the War.

The Orog (ORE-rog) What orcs are called on Aerys. They are numerous and as of late strangely organized – the result, we have learned, of Korseth's meddling. They have been causing great havoc in Tolaria over the last year, invading from the northeast and causing many deaths. These incursions were diversionary tactics orchestrated by other evil powers working to destroy the country. Now that Belsameth's and Korseth's war on Tolaria has begun, thousands upon thousands of orog have been pouring out of the northeast and northwest, moving south to meet with the rest of the dark army. Many of them were slain, however, at the Great Battle. Interestingly, though, we've also learned that the creatures commonly called orog on Aerys are only half-Orog. The actual Orog race may not even be evil. It remains to be seen.

The Prophecy A foreboding epic poem which, when sung aloud by us in a long abandoned Khazadi forge, immensely altered reality. The world was changed in an infinitude of ways as the history of the Khazad was altered and Drake was trapped in the distant past. And it made all present (Cailet, Drema, Hearom, Jack, Rruk, Sharna and Tyuris) fully removed from The Weave, something almost unprecedented in its immense importance. Even the reading of it aloud elsewhere creates powerful magic. The Prophecy chronicles the end of the current cycle of the world, which is now upon us. Once Rruk's evil half-dragon son was born, Olidamarra was "slain" and other early events foretold of in the early stanzas of the Prophecy occurred and the dark armies of Belsameth and Korseth began their march into Tolaria, the time when things truly get nasty was upon us. We have discovered Aerys is stuck in a loop, with the events foretold in the Prophecy occurring again each 2,000 years. It is our hope to finally break the chain and it is perhaps through both help – powerful items of the world Valeriand such as the Elder Ring and the Hammer of the First Master – and harm – the Gith and their penetration of the Barrier, neither of which were scheduled as a part of the Prophecy – from other worlds and planes that this will be done. It was also learned that the world-devastating dragon in the Prophecy was Rruk's son the Destroyer and it was Drake who was to stand against him. And this is exactly what happened, but as with most things Fortune’s Children have done (dating all the way back to our first reading of the Prophecy itself), it did not go according to plan, with the Destroyer (now Undomen) redeemed (and he destroyed the Demon Shard in doing so), killed and then resurrected as our ally. We felt the Prophecy itself scream as the predestined nature of reality was partially broken and started to unravel. The Prophecy will soon be fully ended and Aerys shall finally be freed after untold millennia from this eternal cycle of conflict and misery. However, the Weave is mending itself as a result and we have only a short period of time before we shall be reinserted into it. In that time we must kill Belsameth and Korseth, put an end to the Gith reign of terror and finally finish Arak. And all of this we shall do...or die trying!

Rahaad (rah-HOD) A desert dire wolf and erstwhile companion to Sharna. He was her eyes when she was blinded for a time and was sometimes used as a mount as well. When we began journeying to the frigid North, he reluctantly parted ways with her and headed home. We’ve not seen him again.

Rath Emrys (ROTH im-REESE) One of Breasal's two greatest cities, Rath Emrys (also known as "the City of Wizards") is a true masterpiece of arcane engineering. It is an arboreal city whose ancient lofty oaks rise incredibly high and whose great structures perch upon their branches. It is ruled by its king, Maelduin of the One Eye, a noted warrior who has also become a wizard over the past few years. It is also the center of operations of the Order of the Mighty, with their headquarters Caer Colur resting within the branches of the highest trees in the city. Magic is everywhere in Rath Emrys and makes life easier, safer and more enjoyable. It is thus unique in being the most enchanted city known in a world that is very magic poor (at least on the arcane side of things). It is a cultured and urbane metropolis of great beauty and sophistication. Fortune's Children first visited there after having successfully defended the Gate of Breasal from a Gith invasion force, staying there for a short time. Later on after our harrowing experience at the Tower of Shadow we returned just in time to help save the city from another Gith army. Afterwards we were royally feted and honored, with Loden being raised in rank twice in the Order's hierarchy and all the rest of Fortune's Children being made honorary citizens of Breasal (a great honor in such an isolationist land as that).

The Raven Tribe One of the barbarian Tribes of Toraka of the frozen North, the one from which Drema hails. The Raven Clan follow Olidamarra in her Raven guise and are thus known for being more clever and tricky as well as lighter of limb than the others. Not long ago it was infiltrated by minions of Lolth the Younger and it took Drema and Fortune's Children to end that and save her kidnapped mother, who was being held captive in the Abyss. In turn Drema was made First Warrior of her clan and led them in fighting off both the giant menace at home and the Gith invasion of Breasal, where she was reunited with us. The Raven Tribe has since sent their mighty warriors, as all the Tribes of Toraka have done, to aid in the defense of Tolaria. Drema's people are now with our allied army and have fought with the ferocity of a winter wind and with the cleverness of the Raven by their side in the Great Battle.

Raven's Keep A city in the northwest of Tolaria known for its Bardic College and the many musicians and other entertainers who live and work there. Cailet hails from Raven's Keep and attended the college there before leaving in a mysterious rush and later joining up with Fortune's Children. We passed through Raven's Keep on our way to the North some time ago. There should be some *very* interesting developments there now that Cailet has replaced Tymora as goddess of song.

Rhavyn (RAH-vin) Former Lawful Evil god of cruelty, tyranny and war, oft called the Bloody General in various parts of Aerys. One of the several ascended humans who rose to become the Aerysian pantheon 2,000 years ago, Rhavyn grew to become exceedingly clever and manipulative, always having plans within plans. He was also charming, handsome and far less intimidating (except when he wanted to be) than most Lawful Evil deities, which was quite off-putting – in modern days he was much more the subtle deceiver than the overt overlord. However, he was also possessed of a death wish, a very dangerous and unsettling thing for everyone. Our dealings with him were very mixed in nature but always served whatever interests he had at the time. When he helped us it was for his own reasons and on his own terms, such as when he aided us in rescuing the Focus of Tymora so that Cailet (whom he had turned evil at the time through a hat of his he had left with us that she had put on) could be brought back to life. However, he also presumably sent Elora and “Evil” Cailet after us, the bastard. And yet at Baysan's prayer he appeared at Mossy Rock to save Drema and Loden from having their souls entrapped forever in the Witchfire. In exchange Baysan owed him a big favor...which frightens us all. Rhavyn was a frightening wild card in the epic struggle for the fate of Aerys, aiding both our side and our enemies' when it suited his purpose and watching both. He was thus no longer welcome after a time in the council of good and neutral gods who have sought to save the world by averting the Prophecy. And according to “Evil” Cailet he became even more of an unknown very recently as Belsameth and Korseth in some way compromised him. His followers split over the loss, some aiding the evil forces but many others such as “Evil” Cailet herself (who stood to replace him if he is slain) staying out of the Great Battle and other struggles to come. We recently sent a flotilla of Gith airships unknowingly to their deaths at a fortress of his near the Memorywood which is ruled by a powerful fallen celestial in Rhavyn’s service. And we saw said being and “Evil” Cailet at the Hand’s ball in Warden’s Gate when we rescued Princess Kaitlyn. They didn’t interfere but seemed to know what was going on. It's thus unknown what mischief they are planning for the near future but it can't be good, for in the Great Battle Rhavyn finally gave in to his death wish, calling upon Baysan for the favor she owed him and having her slay him. “Evil” Cailet (it remains to be seen whether she already has or will take a new name) has replaced him as the pantheon’s Lawful Evil deity, much to our great dismay! But she may fall yet before all is done as she is new to godhood and much weaker than Rhavyn was (for now, at least) as a result.

Laylen “Rruk” Ashen'herth (ROOK) A Fora'Sithi Erin'tar noblewoman who after her exile from her homeland following the Arighting had a complete change of character and out of necessity turned bitter assassin. She is the true master of the bow among Fortune's Children, with a preternatural skill for it. For a time she was also a professional assassin (feared as "Ice Spectre") and certainly still possesses those skills, though she has long since turned from the path of evil and been redeemed. Rruk plays her cards VERY close to the vest and doesn't trust easily at all due to many tragic events in her past, including being betrayed, raped and scarred by her fiancé during the Arighting and exiled from her homeland for decades. Rruk is often silent, wears black almost always, shows emotion very rarely, and never leaves a trail. She's such an aloof loner that she's been very difficult to get to know in the past but despite this somehow has inspired infinite loyalty among her human friends in Fortune's Children as we’ve learned who she is piece by piece. Though that trust wavered when it was discovered she had assassinated Prince Alexander (as we had thought had happened at the time) until it was realized she had been Ash's puppet and it wasn't her fault. Only when the magical coin Ash had given her was destroyed was she finally freed of his evil influence. In the time we have known her, Rruk has opened up immensely and has rediscovered her faith in her goddess Sera. And she has since fallen in love with Mica after the two shared and suffered much together – including dying! – and is now married to him. This initially happened spontaneously at the insistence of Baysan, who was shocked they hadn't already done so, but was later confirmed in the traditional Erin'tarni way once we finally reached Loss Caragothronn. But Rruk has borne twins not his own – one is the evil (until very recently, at least) half-dragon spawn of the red dragon Ash, who raped her in the Dreaming while wearing Mica's guise, known as the Destroyer and the other is her newly reborn goddess Sera (who had filled the fetus with her essence upon her physical body being destroyed). One of the children tied into the Prophecy in very dark ways and you can guess which one it is. Good news, however, is Rruk's recent triumphant return to her hometown of Loss Caragothronn, which she has gazed upon again for the first time in 42 years! With her she brought the immortality, fertility and vitality of the Eldar (the elves of Valeriand, from whence the Erin'tar came to Aerys long ago) conveyed on her by the Elder Ring, which we had gone on a quest to the world of Valeriand to find. She shared this great gift with all of her people. The former exile is now a heroine to her race. Her name is redeemed, her honor restored, her seat on the Council returned...but she still bears the scars of the past, literally as well as figuratively. But it at least has done her some good to learn she did not actually slay our friend Prince Alexander and to have some of her memories from her time under Ash’s control given back to her by the Olidamarran clergy in Warden's Gate. The time of the rise of her son the Destroyer has been upon Aerys, though, and we have feared even more heartache ahead for our Erin'tarni companion. During the Great Battle she pleaded with her son to listen to reason and let himself be defeated for the sake of the world but also for his own. It is fitting that Rruk – who was once evil herself but found the road of redemption years ago – is his mother, for the Destroyer was redeemed and turned his blade upon himself, destroying the Demon Shard in the process. While he was slain by Drake (who did not know of his change), Loden raised him and now our former enemy is our ally, now renamed Undomen by his mother! This is something she never expected, for Rruk had planned to die with her son, but truly is the greatest source of joy to her in a very long time! It is through her actions (as well as those of Drema and Loden) that this massive coup has been achieved and her son has not had to be lost. But there is much yet to do, not the least of which being her final revenge against Arak and the rescue of her brother Narvinye from his clutches. (Current FC member played by Suzy)

Sera (SARE-ah) Erin'tarni goddess of light and justice. Due to the fact that the Erin'tar are not native to the world of Aerys, their gods – and thus they – were until very recently dying. Only Sera and Angarradh were left, and if they had died, every elf on Aerys but the evil Dual'Far would have done likewise. Sera and all of her followers (Rruk included) would have perished utterly at the hands of Lolth the Younger had she not invested Rruk – who has been her follower all her life but denounced her during her exile – with her essence, filling one of the twins in her womb with it. Rruk carried her twins to term and gave birth to the newly reborn Sera. Only something is different now – Sera is now strongly connected to the Earth Mother, which makes her having to remain physically embodied on Aerys unnecessary and means that if she does perish all of her followers will not do the same. Upon Rruk's long overdue homecoming to Loss Caragothronn the reborn Sera – who had been appearing as a small green-skinned Erin'tarni child who had rapidly grown to such a state since her birth – assumed her more regular form and reasserted her dominance and guardianship over the Council of Twelve and Loss Caragothronn. And with our help emptied the Well of Souls of its Erin'tarni dead. Sera now plays a unique role among the deities of Aerys for she fills a spot not only in the Erin'tarni pantheon but also in the human and Khazadi ones as well. This can be nothing but a good thing as we need all the strong allies we can get these days.

Serrath (SARE-uth) A strange mostly githzerai (a race related to the githyanki yet who apparently despise and hunt them) – but also part dragon – cleric of Vkandis and monk from another plane we first met at the gates of Breasal, where he and his troops (who were trapped on Aerys) appeared out of nowhere and helped to rout the Gith. Serrath traveled with Fortune's Children on the quest to the Tower of Shadow and it was there that he was killed by destroying (at least for a time) the Sword That Is The Key, one of the fabled Five, which the Gith coveted greatly and were invading Breasal to find. (Former FC guest star played by Jason)

Seth A half-dragon (copper) member of the army of dragon-blooded soldiers we were given use of while staying in the good-aligned Dragon Realm to aid in the War. But so much more than that, for Seth is a brilliant and subtle psionicist (an art completely unknown on Aerys these days) of great skill. He was assigned to us to aid in our mission to liberate Warden’s Gate of evil influence. And was absolutely invaluable in doing so, commanding great powers of enchantment and mental influence which made our covert dealings (such as rescuing Princess Kaitlyn after he’d freed her of the evil control over her mind so she wouldn’t struggle) in and on the way to Warden’s Gate so very much easier! And he helped us immensely in our mission to sabotage the Gith superweapon as well! And at the Great Battle Seth used our enemies against one another, removed terribly deadly threats before they could destroy us all. Truly we can never repay our mysterious new friend enough and we hope he remains with us throughout the rest of what is to come. The Gods themselves blessed him at the council which occurred after the Great Battle, making him an even more potent and subtle master of mental manipulation. He has certainly been vital to our success and it has been a great honor to continue to shed blood beside him! (Current FC guest star played by Travis)

Sharna of the Waterwood (shar-NAH) A druid from the Waterwood so connected with Nature that she hardly considers herself human at all (and indeed becomes more like a leopard with each passing month). She was abandoned by her parents (who she long did now know were the royal family of the Empire, and who have since tried to have her killed) as a baby in the forest but was raised by Janaka'a, a powerful tree-like being who was guardian of the wood. Before joining Fortune's Children, Sharna had never ventured out of her forest and had scarcely even seen another human. She is the innocent of the party, learning about human civilization and culture slowly as a child would on our adventures across the world. But she is also very powerful and has been fiercely devoted to the awakening of her goddess the Earth Mother and the protection of Nature (and the Waterwood in particular). Much sorrow has followed Sharna over the past year, including the deaths of Janaka'a – though her heart was able to be replanted in a grove in the North and thus she will grow again – and her eagle Dar'shan, and this led her to an addiction to Earth Mother-blessed holy water for a while. But she recovered with the help of Tyuris and the rest of us and is the stronger for it. She deeply loves Drake, who was lost for a long time and before being found (though she had a purely physical relationship with Hearom for a time), but he still does not know it, at least not from having been told so by her. Also, Sharna has taken both a vow of poverty which has given her many powerful abilities and an oath to help save the elementals that dwell within Aerys, who are being corrupted. Baysan and Fennec recently arrived from the Empire to assess her character, protect her and presumably take her home with them. Though when they left our company Sharna did not go with them, several intriguing questions about her mysterious past were answered but many more sprung up as a result. But there was little time for that, for it was soon to her home to deal with the Shepherd once and for all. We freed the Waterwood of its evil presence, which has finally given her some peace. But there is so much yet to do for this young druid. Her Mother is awakening but the very planet is threatened by the Gith and other enemies. So many forests have been defiled to raise Arak's undead armies. And with war in Tolaria the very land has been desecrated and her forest remains in danger. And it's up to Sharna – with us and her eagle companion Kenji right by her side – to stop it. Only a short time ago, though, she has learned much in the Dragon Realms about the Mother and the reasons for both her long sleep and awakening as well as dragonkind. She also discovered some of the reasons for Drake's centuries-long stasis and something of his past while we were there. But even this was as nothing compared to the shocking news Baysan delivered to her at our allied camp that she is indeed a princess of the Empire and that her father sought to have her killed. It was her mother who secreted her away to the Waterwood and apparently who sent Drake to protect her many years later. This information has been shocking to Sharna and almost beyond her comprehension but she is coming to terms with it. There is also talk of an arranged marriage between the Imperial and Tolarian crowns in which she would marry Drake...her greatest dream, but for her own reasons. She especially hopes to spend more time with Drake now that we are all together again and to finally express her love more fully. She certainly was her love’s greatest ally in the Great Battle, using her never before seen incredible mastery of the earth to speed his way to the fight with the Destroyer by creating a huge earthwork culvert to protect him from enemies. Sharna also used her earth mastery to create a tunnel which allowed us to sneak up on Arak and to bury various enemies. Truly there are few druids of the Earth Mother with such potency of heart and spirit! (Current FC member played by Jessi)

The Shepherd An evil undead treant who corrupted and defiled the Waterwood in the absence of Janaka'a. A foray there several months ago involved Fortune's Children being chased out of the forest by it. But we recently returned to settle the score and free Sharna's homeland of this vile presence, only to learn that it was Arak who placed him there (one of many such forests he had so corrupted) to raise his army of the undead and corrupt the Great Tree. We took the Shepherd out and restored peace and the natural way of things to the forest.

Thorn A powerful magical sword made of mithril and onyx and enchanted with ice. It was crafted for Rruk's hand when she became an assassin 40 years ago. But it was a trap and made her too cold to touch. She was rid of it 20 years ago, but has now come by it again. This time, however, its curse has been lifted – though it did manage to turn Rruk to evil again for a short time. Now that it has been blessed by Sera and its full powers (except for the curse) restored, though, Rruk has greater use of Thorn than ever before and can finally use it safely. It has increased both the deadliness and mystery that surround the Frost Elf.

Tolaria (tuh-LAIR-ee-uh) The very large kingdom located in the central area of the continent upon which our action takes place. Most of Fortune's Children's original members – Cailet, Hearom, Jack, Sharna and Tyuris – originally hailed from Tolaria and many of our adventures have occurred there. It is an expansive and varied nation that is ruled from the Palace Royal at Warden's Gate, its capital, which lies on its northwestern coast. Tolaria's native language is the Common tongue and most of its sentient inhabitants are human. Among its more unsavory practices has been that of slavery, with the Coranni and Doraal races serving in that capacity in some areas (especially in the north and west). Another has been its persecution of the dragon-blooded sorcerers who are born to magic naturally, which was enforced by the Hand (who held immense sway in Warden’s Gate until just recently). Arcane magic is rare in the extreme in Tolaria (with only the totalitarian Hand having practiced it in any numbers) as it is throughout most of Aerys, as are the Erin'tarni and Khazadi races – to the point of being thought mythical by many. Tolaria has for the last year found itself facing assault on three fronts – an Orog invasion in the northeast, the Red Dragon Army's capture of Fentress and other aggression in the far south of the country and the Gith dilemma upon its eastern and southern borders. Things have looked bleak for this prominent nation, especially after the death of the King and ascension of Prince Alexander, since its throne was first vacant (with Prince Alexander apparently assassinated though we have recently learned that he is alive and well, having survived the attempt and remaining in hiding for a while) and then under the Hand’s dominion with his sister Princess Kaitlyn dominated and under their control. The Hand seized much power amidst the vacuum. Sir Alaric, who serves the Tolarian crown, did all in his power to hinder these disturbing events but was mostly called away to the Orog War. After many months in the North and on other planes we’ve finally returned to Tolaria for with *much* to do. Most of all because the joint invasion of the armies of Belsameth and Korseth has been pouring into the realm – the Gith, red dragons and vile magic from the south, the Orog from the north and Arak's undead legion from the east. Never in all its history has the kingdom been in such dire straits. The Gith attempted to prevent any aid from the North and South to arrive in time but they were unsuccessful. Now that we have returned to Warden’s Gate and rescued the princess and defeated the Hand’s leadership, though, there is finally some hope! The allied army of all the good and neutral powers of Aerys – the forces of Tolaria itself, the Erin'tar of the North and South, the mysterious Gray Elves of the West, the Khazad, the Free Land of Breasal, the Empire, the Tribes of Toraka, good dragons, the dragon-blooded army and others – has gathered together in an unprecedented move and has faced the evil hordes of Belsameth and Korseth. Fortune's Children have evened the odds through our destruction of the Gith superweapon and with it virtually all their flying forces, a very significant part of their armies. The Great Battle has been joined and we have been victorious, due especially the actions of Fortune’s Children! But there is much yet to do and we can only pray and fight our hardest to insure Tolaria doesn't still fall to the dominion of evil for if it does, all other lands and realms on the planet will shortly follow.

The Tower of Shadow Long ago the magical school of Necromancy was represented in Breasal's Order of the Mighty by the House of Shadow. However, the foul actions of its members over the centuries eventually brought about its dissolution. The head of the House, though, retreated to the center of its operations, the Tower of Shadow, and killed himself, becoming a lich in the process. For many centuries the people of Breasal avoided that remote region of their country as even the land and creatures around it grew corrupt and defiled, with reality becoming paper thin there. It was this place where the Sword That Is the Key (one of the legendary Five Swords) was kept until Fortune's Children's quest to capture it brought us to the Tower. An elaborate plot ensured in which Elora and Evil Cailet – who had insinuated themselves into our company at Rath Emrys by pretending to be a Breasalian bard and the real Cailet – attempted to torture us all to death...and they very nearly succeeded. Reality was so warped that multiple versions of us, our friends and enemies were wandering around, which was confusing to the point of being maddening. Eventually the Sword That Is the Key was found and destroyed (by Serrath, which cost him his life), the lich that ruled the Tower was slain (strangely enough by Evil Cailet) and the plot to murder us all failed. But our enemies escaped in the process. Our parting from that vile place could not have happened soon enough! We still bear mental and physical scars from what we suffered in that pit of overwhelming darkness.

The Tribes of Toraka (ta-RAH-ka) A confederation of five "barbarian" tribes – the Black Ravens, Blue Elk, Brown Bears, Ghost Trees and Gray Wolves, the first of which Drema belongs to – that thrive in the far North of Aerys on the vast plains not far to the west of Breasal. Their society is made up of a tribal system, with each of the tribes having many bands leading mostly nomadic lives but gathering together every winter in one place to share information and trade. They have their own language, Torakan, which includes not only speech but a simple pictographic alphabet and complex sign language. The Tribes have of late been under assault from giant followers of Korseth and other monsters but have managed to mostly fight them off. They have also been trading with Loss Caragothronn and helped in the successful defense of that city. And now many of this valiant warrior people are in Tolaria to aid in the last defense of that country. Truly there are none fiercer than the berserkers of Toraka and we have seen their rage unleashed and heard their axes sing in the Great Battle! Drema’s people have done her and us proud with their immense skill at arms, fighting with a ferocity and strength unlike anything seen in Tolaria before.

Tulleighcarrach "Tully" Seannachsaedh (TULL-ee-CAH-ruh SHAWN-uh-see) A Coranni rogue who traveled with Fortune's Children for some time. A scion of that halfling people and thus born into and raised in slavery, she was fiercely defensive of her hardly won freedom. Tully was sadly killed (the first time) in what at the time we believed was the final battle with Arak. And even more distressingly, her body was raised by him or his minions as one of the undead. We thought she served as a member of the Counterparts but not long ago found her in Mossy Rock. Tully was indeed undead but not evil and had apparently been brought back to finish the score with Arak and/or finally free her people. We wished her the best with it but sadly she was destroyed before either could become a reality. We haven't discounted the possibility of running into her again, though. As Jack is wont to say, "death is one of those...transient things." (Former FC member played by Suzy. She later briefly was played by Suzy again and then became an NPC before her final death)

Tymora (ta-MORE-uh) Former Chaotic Good goddess of luck and music. Much like Olidamarra, she was chaotic and fickle, though in a rather different way. Tymora was the matron of bards and thus was Cailet's deity. Fortune's Children had extensive – and mostly unpleasant – dealings with this fickle and manipulative deity. When Cailet was killed in the Dreaming, Tymora brought her back to a half-life on a probational basis with the stipulation that the young bard and the rest of Fortune's Children would rescue her Focus (a golden harp) and if we succeeded Cailet would be fully restored to life. After a long, hard road this was done with the unexpected help of Rhavyn. During the battle in the temple of Belsameth that ensued, though, Cailet's body was stolen, with only her soul remaining in the harp. Tymora gave her a new body and in doing so had to invest Cailet with a great deal of her own divine energy, thus creating a demigoddess of sorts in her follower. Cailet spent much of her time with Tymora after that, which we now know was her goddess' way of grooming her successor. Recently Tymora chose to give up her existence on Aerys in favor of Cailet, who has slain her by her request. Cailet then replaced her as the goddess of luck and music, becoming Aerys’ newest deity. This is a huge event, not only because it hadn't happened (at least in the human pantheon) in some two thousand years but also because one of the Aerysian gods is now a former member of Fortune's Children! (Note: The Tymora of Aerys was an aspect of the same entity as the Tymora of Faerûn, though the Aerysian version, having been trapped on Aerys by the Barrier for millennia, had a slightly different personality)

Tyuris Melanaan (CHOOR-us ma-LON-nun) A cleric of Olidamarra who became one of that goddess' Chosen and one of the founding members of Fortune's Children (as well as the one who unintentionally coined the group's name). When we first met him he was pretending to be a cleric of Tymora named "Brother Vethsemmian" and this would set the tone for our relations with this delightful scoundrel, though he would open up to us much with time. Charismatic, mischievous (a habitual and very convincing yet cheerful liar) and roguish, he was even so a devoted member of the party...if also one of its most obnoxious at times, being arrogant and manipulative. Yet always stunning, with his unique appearance (silver eyes and white hair with tanned skin), infectious charisma (it's impossible to stay mad at him for long), silver tongue and truly devious mind with gifts for mischief and manipulation. He was also a master of clerical magics, employing rare and unusual spells to great and often deadly effect. Tyuris long sought to protect his goddess, his people and his friends (including Fortune's Children, whom he had proclaimed honorary members of the faith, and in particular Sharna, whom he swore an oath to Janaka'a to protect) by any means necessary, driven almost feverishly to do so in life. Thus he took on the mantle of Chosen when he was called to do so and undertook the quest – with the rest of us at his side – to save the Olidamarran clerics of Fentress from foul murder by Belsameth's agents. We traveled countless miles through many dangers to get there. Tyuris was killed while destroying Arak's undead dragon/hydra hybrid in the Battle of Fentress that followed. However, he continues to serve his goddess after death as Olidamarra's emissary and has truly taken to this esteemed position. Fortune's Children occasionally get to see their erstwhile companion when he has a message for them from his Lady, but he misses us greatly and vice-versa. He has lately spent some time inhabiting Drema's axe, though, during the short period of Olidamarra's fragmentation after Belsameth tried to destroy her the second time. But now that's resolved, he's up to his old tricks again in the Dark Lady's service, though he does still appear as a presence in Drema's axe when he feels like it and on important occasions such as during Cailet's farewell to us and to comfort Drema following the Great Battle. (Former FC member played by Matthew)

Undomen (formerly The Destroyer) The half red dragon, half Erin'tar bringer of death and desolation who formed the core of the Prophecy's dire predictions and if successful would have turned Aerys to evil, perhaps forever. We had known for a very long time he was coming, but not until recently how he would come or who he would be. It was Rruk who would become his mother after having been raped by Ash (who had disguised himself as her love, Mica) in the Dreaming. She bore him and his twin sister (who was filled with the spirit of her goddess Sera, a complicated matter explained in that deity’s entry) to term, at which point the evil child ripped its way out of her womb. Despite Loden's efforts he could not be killed and almost instantly grew several years in age before being taken by Arak and Ash. Ash trained him on other worlds where time flows differently and the young monster grew with amazing rapidity to adulthood, as we recently first saw in the evil Dragon Realm. The Destroyer, as we called him, took the name Narvinye (that of Rruk's brother) but none of us referred to him as that out of respect for the original. When the evil armies were ready the Demon Shard was given unto him and all hell broke loose. Our hope was that Drake, whom it was foretold would bring about his doom, would do so at the Great Battle without the loss of his own life. Rruk herself had mixed feelings concerning her wayward son but we were sure she would act when the time came. And act she did, but not in any way any of us could have predicted. She and Drema throughout the battle with him and his balor minions tried to reach out to the Destroyer, to convince him it didn’t have to be this way, that he had a choice and that the Prophecy could be broken. In a conversation where he removed himself and his mother from time for a short moment something transpired which convinced the most powerful mortal force for evil on Aerys to change his ways, to become redeemed! When they returned there was something very different about him and he broke the Demon Shard, wounding himself deeply, but even so Drake struck him down, perhaps fulfilling his part of the Prophecy as a result. Drema was filled with rage and Rruk horrified, but no one could predict what would come next! Loden, seeing the change in him and swiftly confirming with Rruk that he had been redeemed, restored the Destroyer to life, giving him another chance. And so was one of our greatest enemies become one of our greatest allies, making for the most earth-shattering coup in all of Fortune’s Children’s history and the beginning of the end for the Prophecy! Now that he is on the side of good, though, he bears the name Undomen, given to him by his mother Rruk. It is unsure what kind of man he will become now that he has endured such a massive change of heart but Undomen is now with us as we take the fight to the evil gods, Arak and the Gith. We only wish we could have seen Ash’s face at seeing his son lost to our side!!!

Valerian (va-LEER-ree-un) Lawful Neutral god of knowledge, magic and order. Prosaic and patient, Valerian is known to prefer simple worship in the form of the acquisition of knowledge and practice of magic to elaborate rituals and grand temples. His followers are few in these dark and ignorant days where arcane magic is such a rarity. And so he has of late made inroads with the agnostic wizardly culture of the secret land of Breasal through Loden (whom he has blessed with several useful abilities and who has become his cleric through an extraordinary series of events), seeking to become the patron of that country and its Order of the Mighty. They are one of the very few powerful guilds of wizards left and possess the world's most complete arcane library known, which makes them an excellent fit in his opinion. It remains to be seen whether worship of Valerian will catch on in that traditionally non-religious country. In the past few months as Loden has become one of his arcanists (as his clerics are known) we've come to a much better understanding of this mysterious god and his ways. Most interestingly we've learned that Valerian was indeed born mortal like so many of the other deities but ascended to godhood on another world before making his home on Aerys. Also, he may have adopted part of the portfolio of a fallen Aerysian dragon god connected to the concept of truth upon his arrival. In any case despite – or perhaps because of – Valerian's commitment to law, magic and neutrality above all other things he has been an active supporter of Fortune's Children and the effort to thwart Belsameth and Korseth, though he usually moves in very subtle ways that only the wise can see. His primary goal of late has been the destruction of the Hand so that all the remaining sorcerers and wizards of the world can gather together to fight the Darkness that is upon us. He must be quite pleased now that we have achieved this objective. May he lend his arcane might to the wizards of Breasal who now fight in his name and to us all!

Valeriand (va-lair-ee-OND) (Not to be confused with the Aerysian god Valerian) Another world that exists elsewhere on the Material Plane, perhaps co-existing in the same time-space as Aerys. Valeriand is a vastly different world where arcane magic is much more commonplace (though still uncommon), a decidedly ancient Greek feel predominates (with the Olympian pantheon presiding over matters religious) and great and heroic deeds are performed by its much-needed Heroes. It is also the ancient home planet of the Erin'tar, who came to Aerys from that world 10,000 years ago and became trapped here (thus sundering their connection with their natural immortality, fertility and vitality in the process) and possibly of the Khazad as well. Despite being a vast realm of wonders, however, Valeriand is also a world very much in danger – as much as Aerys if not more, threatened by the extraplanar forces of evil lead by the super-powerful being Orin. Some of Fortune's Children – Hearom, Jack and Rruk – not long ago we went to Valeriand in search of the Elder Ring, an ancient artifact that it was said would return their natural blessed immortal state to the fading Erin'tar and thus save that fading, infertile race. Upon arrival on that strange world they met up with the White Company, a group of heroes native to Valeriand with a very similar past and purpose. Friendships were formed and a grand journey into the subterranean depths of that world – where much of its millions years long ancient history was rediscovered for the first time in countless thousands of years – ensued. The Elder Ring was secured and many magical items of great rarity on Aerys were either found or purchased from our sizeable treasury while our people were there. Eventually our people came back home to us with the Elder Ring and many other alien marvels. We miss our newfound friends, though, and hope to see them again one day.

Vkandis (vuh-KAN-diss) Lawful Good god of the Sun, goodness and valor. He is married to Liriel. Worship of Vkandis is widespread throughout Aerys, most potently among paladins and other warriors of good but also by the common people. Vkandis and his followers – our friend the half silver dragon paladin Drake being one of the greatest – have aided Fortune's Children on numerous occasions. We once investigated a defiled temple of this deity and narrowly escaped being sucked into The Abyss as a result. Vkandis has of late appeared in the guise of a shining male youth when we've seen him. He's been decidedly pissy in all of our recent dealings with him, though, including very recently at the Council of the Gods following the Great Battle, and we're not sure what's up with that. Now is the time we need Vkandis most for the War is upon us. May his aid be with us!

Warden's Gate The grand capital city of the Kingdom of Tolaria. It is a bustling yet refined metropolis that Fortune's Children first visited some time ago for we had business with the royal court – a deed we found in an abandoned forge to the fortress and estate of High-Hold. Prince Alexander of Tolaria – a friend from previous adventures – welcomed us and confirmed the legitimacy of the deed. Warden’s Gate is also where we first met Sir Alaric, who traveled with us for quite some time before being called off to war. Unfortunately we were long unable to return to the city and in our months-long absence while traveling the North, very frightening things began taking place there. The Hand became disturbingly active and predominant in Warden's Gate at every level of society and made a grab for the throne, using Rruk to murder Prince Alexander (though he somehow survived the attempt) and enslaving the mind of Princess Kaitlyn to make her their puppet. The stench of the foul activities of the Hand and its Knights of the Silver Twilight during this time has been a figurative reek which could be smelled all the way across the nation. But we have done *much* upon very recently returning there. We began liberating the city by rescuing Princess Kaitlyn in a daring escape from a Hand-hosted ball. And then our dismantling of that foul cabal began in earnest as we destroyed the Hand’s leadership and everyone else associated with it in the palace. Hearom originally hails from Warden's Gate and has many painful memories associated with the place. But we have put an end to the Hand so his nightmares of what they did to him many years ago and his forced exile can finally be put to rest. And now the rightful rulers of the land can be put back in their proper place of prominence…and not a moment too soon, with Tolaria in the grip of a massive invasion by vile armies of Belsameth and Korseth.

Warrior Magi An elite subset within Breasal's House of Frost and Flame who hone not only their arcane arts but martial skills as well, each of them becoming a Spellsword and mastering the blade. A Warrior Magus must follow a strict code of rules of engagement called Fir Fer (FEER FAIR) in battle, which includes never using invisibility or anything else that makes it impossible for one's opponent to discern one's location. All Warrior Magi are Evocation specialists who take Enchantment and Illusion as their forbidden schools. Loden is a Warrior Magus and very proud to be so, though his arcane might has grown to the point that he rarely uses a blade any longer.

The Waterwood A large forest in central Tolaria where Janaka'a once lived and where she raised Sharna. It was once a beautiful and enchanted wood full of life and dedicated to the Earth Mother, but things began to change over a year ago, starting with one of the Five Swords being stolen from its place of safekeeping there as well as a very sacred herd of deer holy to the Mother. After Janaka'a's mysterious departure several months ago, it was occupied and defiled by the vile being known as the Shepherd. Sharna swore to reclaim the Waterwood and we were by her side when she was finally able to do so. When we began its liberation we learned its terrible secret – Arak had placed the Shepherd there to corrupt the Great Tree and grow an army of undead (something he was doing in forests all over the eastern half of the continent). But we cleansed the wood of its evil, tough though it was. It was a portal in an ancient stone circle in the Waterwood that then allowed Hearom, Jack and Rruk to open their side of a gate to the world of Valeriand. This is also where upon their return Rruk finally gave birth to her twins. And unfortunately where we were almost immediately waylaid by Arak and Ash, who kidnapped Ash & Rruk's evil half-dragon son (who's destined to ruin the world according to the Prophecy) and stole the Witchfire. Now that all of us, hero and villain, have gone, though, the Waterwood is beginning to heal. All of its druid caretakers were killed or fled during the Shepherd's reign of terror but they and/or new ones will hopefully return soon. For as much as she deeply wished to stay and help her homeland to heal, Sharna knew she must travel on with us, for it is far more than just one forest at stake.

The Weave Made up of the figurative threads of all reality, The Weave is a representation of all that exists on Aerys. Almost everything and everyone is defined and bound by The Weave – except for Fortune's Children. Our original reading of the Prophecy in the haunted forge where our adventures began and later action by the Gods have made all of us at least partially removed from The Weave, which makes it possible for us to do the normally impossible (like killing deities, for instance) and to greatly alter the course of the world. The latter we have most certainly done and former is our next mission – Korseth must be put to the sword. It has since been learned that The Weave is semi-sentient and for a time it was feared that it was trying to rectify itself either by killing us or sending us back to the time when we first changed it and making sure we don't. Both options were frightening beyond measure to contemplate but it does not appear this is what The Weave has intended – though it is exactly what the Hand and Ash were together attempting in Warden’s Gate when we stopped them (and they must have been powerful indeed to manipulate it, for besides us that has only been known to happen amongst mortals through the magics of the Order of the Mighty in Breasal, and then only very rarely). Very oddly, though, while recently in the Waterwood we met someone from the Ryiesian Empire, which doesn't exist in the version of the world we've made. Disturbing, that. Olidamarra later revealed that there are others who were in protected places on Aerys when our reading of the Prophecy changed everything but that they are now fading as The Weave attempts to rectify this paradox. With the destruction of the Prophecy, The Weave is now seriously mending itself and that will mean that in a short time we shall no longer be removed from it. And so we must deal with Belsameth, Korseth, Arak and the Gith Lich-Queen before that happens!

The Well of Souls A massive chamber located underneath the Council of Twelve's grand hall in the elven city of Loss Caragothronn. It is here where the souls of all dead Fora'sithi Erin'tar since their arrival on Aerys 10,000 years ago had been preserved because they were alien to Aerys and had nowhere else to go when they died for some reason. With the great changes currently happening to the Erin'tar the Well of Souls was emptied by Fortune's Children at the behest of Sera. Drema unlocked it with her axe and all the souls of the elven dead went on to the afterlife originally meant for them on their home planet. The several slain Erin'tarni gods, however, were resurrected and reembodied. And Olidamarra, who had been partially destroyed by Belsameth and had hidden in the Well of Souls was restored. All of this gives us much hope.

The White Company A band of legendary heroes (on their planet) who protect the world of Valeriand from the terrible extraplanar threats which would otherwise plunge it into eternal darkness. The group is led by the Heroes (fabled exemplars of heroism born only a few to each Age of that world) Chanis, a massive warrior of immense strength and tenacity, and the brilliant and beautiful archmage Cassilde. Also members are the gorgeous and charismatic priestess of Aphrodite (the goddess of love on Valeriand) named Philana, a clever rogue known as Adara and the mysterious and highly skilled Forest Mage (an elite order who are a mixture of druid, ranger and sorcerer and who guard the extensive Elven lands there) Sylvarion. Hearom, Jack and Rruk bled and sweated a great deal with them in their time on Valeriand as both parties explored together ancient subterranean cities long abandoned thousands or even millions of years ago in search of the Elder Ring, which was destined to save the Erin'tar of Aerys. They proved excellent friends (Rruk and Sylvarion, both being elves of a similar bent, grew particularly close) with a startlingly familiar way of life to our own. Perhaps the way of the hero is a universal experience. It's definitely good to know that somewhere out there others are fighting the good fight too – it makes the whole experience less lonely. In any case we miss our friends from another world and doubt we shall ever see them again. Perhaps one day not too far in the future, once the Barrier is down for good...

Wiffle Hearom's fox companion and familiar. Wiffle is buoyantly sarcastic, and usually answers his master's call with, "Yeah, boss?" He's been known to cause as much trouble as he solves. Wiffle has recently returned to us with his master and like him has been healed of his reptilian affliction. It's good to have him back in the Fortune's Children menagerie.

Winter Rruk's pure white stallion. He is no mere horse and gets miffed when someone calls him one. He is, in essence, her familiar, and he can speak to her telepathically. This resulted in everyone for a time, especially Rruk, thinking she'd gone mad. Winter was missing for quite some time but Rruk was finally reunited with him upon her homecoming to Loss Caragothronn. The two are very happy to be together again.

Wormtongue Rruk's powerfully magical longbow. It is famously gifted with many potent abilities. But what only Rruk knows about the weapon is that it is possessed by a captive spirit of a familiar-looking man who has saved her life on more than one occasion by his intervention. While recently in the Dragon Realms she finally learned a bit more of its history and potency, including the fact that she cannot truly die while she possesses it -- her soul will enter the bow if she is killed, from whence it can then be retrieved. A good thing indeed, for the now immortal Erin’tar cannot be raised if they die.

Yellow Fungus A breakfast food made by scrambling eggs. Eating eggs is a dire sin according to Drema's tribe (due to their belief that it takes away the choice to live of the unborn) so Fortune's Children refer to the food as fungus instead so she does not berate them for eating it.