The June 25th, 1010 Vol. 23 Issue #4 your source for news from The Princedom of Novashan A Very Special Contents this Issue: Why Slander My Good Issue Written Why Slander My Good Name? Primarily By You, Name? by Rhyvhaad Khan’Ubar by Rhyvhaad Khan’Ubar 1 The Readers. have just finished reading the to Lobstrocity Strikes! latest edition in the Mystic the by Albert Helmenstine 2 Quill,I and I am extremely in- peo- My Studies of Dragons sulted and distraught over the ple of these lands, some fraud decid- by Ciruelo Cabral 2 unwarranted and completely falsified article that appeared ed to smear my well-deserved Zombie Whores from An- honorable reputation. I am other Plane! on the front page. In no way did I, or even would I, merciless- not fully aware of all the laws by Mordo Taeil 3 ly kill an innocent person. This of the land, but I would hope Before the Battle so called story that I in some that this type of slander isn’t by Hammond Eveshear 3 way could lower my morals to permitted, and as such, the local knights will look into the Heroes of Novashan Cure commit such a despicable act situation accordingly and at the Rolanoff Plague! of murdering an entire family, least bring this slime to make a by Zachary Farmer 3 including the children in it, is preposterous. public apology and admission A Call to Arms! of lying. by Sir Derek Crownguard 4 For the past month, as its citi- zens can confirm, I have been In the meantime, I would like Creatures of Mystery residing in the town of Rasp- to call out to any people that by Alerick Von Bremen 5 berry. During this time, I was would be willing to help pre- Refugees Escorted to doing extensive research on vent the zombie plague near Crossroads the zombies that plagued the Raspberry to search Jacob, by David Haden 5 library near the city. Once the captain of their town guard, and offer up your help. Al- Massacre at Owl’s Nest! I had completed enough of though we have set rest to the by Jonathan Cinder 5 my research to know how to properly make an assault, I abominations that roamed the Heroes took some of the guardsmen halls of the library, I have no by Lothtarn Bluequil 6 of the town and eradicated all doubt that the infection has Local Farmsteads Raided! wickedness that inhabited the gone beyond those walls; I just by Trent McOrmick 6 treturous building that was hope that it can be stopped quickly before it becomes a full Furhaven Burned to the the undoing of many Ilva- blown pestilence. Ground! reshian heroes. by William Black 6 It makes me sad that during the time I was doing a great service Lobstrocity Strikes! out of the sea every so often? It had these two large by Albert Helmenstine hind legs, and a pair of arms in the middle was holding would urge caution to anyone traveling in or just onto old Petunia. From where its mouth should be after the heavy rains that come and go during this there was a curtain of long tentacles that were rip- timeI of year. There have been numerous attacks and ping pieces of flesh off of her. Strangest thing was fatalities by a creature or creatures that have been so that Petunia just stood there stock still and quit while far described by a small number of survivors as some strips of her were peeled off. My dear brother was kind of abomination mixed of lobster and squid bits. going at the thing with his longsword. Looked like I was able to get an account of the creature from a Ja- he dealt the creature a few good blows as well. He cob a man traveling from crossroads. A look of mad must have pissed the thing off since it turned his at- fear stayed upon his face as he told me what he saw. tention from Petunia to Bart. The creature grabbed Bart in one of its huge claws and pulled him right in “The rain was coming down thick, but my brother to its tentacles. Then Bart stopped moving. I was and I decided to push through it. We were transport- so scared by the whole thing I hid in the back of the ing some of our goods. We were staying to the trail cart until dawn. When I came back out in the morning and trying not to get stuck in the mud. I was in the light, all that was left, of poor Bart and Petunia was back of the cart making sure all of the goods we were just bones. All the rest of them were gone.” transporting were tied down nice and secure. My Brother Bart was up front guiding our one horse Jacob started sobbing and going on in gibberish. I Petunia. Everything was going fine, and then all of a bought the poor man a drink and left to see what else sudden my brother started screaming that something I could find. All of the other reports were of a similar was attacking the horse. I poked my head out from nature. It seems that what ever this horrid thing is, it likes under the canvas to see a horrid sight. This… this to eat flesh and it seems to come out during or just after thing stood a good two men tall and had two large a hard rain. I have also acquired some other reports pincer like claws. Its body had these hard plates. It that one lone group of armsmen saw the creature skulk- kind of looked like one of those, what do you call ing about in some woods but it never came close. It them? Lobsters? Yeah, those things that get pulled would seem that there is indeed safety in numbers. My Studies of Dragons erald green. There are some Earth Dragons who by Ciruelo Cabral can breathe fire, although the force of their flames – Historian, Researcher, and Story Seeker is not as powerful as that of Fire Dragons. ~ The Earth Dragon’s Mating Ritual ~ Earth Dragons are expert fliers and gliders. Although their great size sometimes makes take- off awkward, once in the air they can reach great altitudes, and cover enormous distances by gliding solely on wind currents. Draco rex are introverts and reserved by nature. They do not like being around members of their own species other than in the mating season, and even then only for a limited time. he most common and abundant dragon spe- cies found on the planet is that of Draco rex Given the size and strength of these particular drag- Cristatus,T or the Great Earth Dragon, as it is ons, squabbles can be dangerous. Interestingly though, commonly called. when Earth Dragons grow old, it is not unusual for them to be accompanied by young pages. The Earth They are great winged creatures of enormous size. Dragons will instruct them in dragon wisdom, and the They can grow from 50 to 100 feet in length, and fortunate pages will usually inherit all their wealth. have a full wing span of up to 100 feet. Their coloring is usually green-brown, with their Appearing Next Month many-hued scales ranging from lemon yellow to em- ~ The Dragon Mating Ritual ~ The views and opinions expressed by our freelance writers do not necessarily reflect those of the Mystic Quill. 2 Zombie Whores from Another Plane! who helped best Sir X’Andric, the death knight. Chris- by Mordo Taeil topher bravely accepted one of the whores’ services ecent nights have seen a new horror plague the with assistance waiting in the wings. It was then that they streets and trails of the peaceful town of Ill- made their true nature known. Their mouths split open verash.R Beginning merely a moon past, the town has vertically, revealing sharpened teeth and short tentacles been inundated with whores. Normally this wouldn’t inside. Christopher fought off his attackers, and then be a bad thing, as the town has been severely lack- the hunt was on. Several young women were found later ing in practitioners of that particular art for far too that night who matched in look the false whores who had long, however there were no normal whores. descended upon the town: normal girls all. My suspicions were first aroused upon finding out the Examination of the bodies of the false whores later distance these whores had claimed to have traveled in revealed many interesting features. Aside from the a single night. They claimed to have come from Tarn: unusual mouths, their skin had become a leathery a week’s journey at the best of times. I dismissed grey, losing much of its definition. Now it is important this claim initially however as it is common practice to note that these creatures are not the well known for prostitutes to give false information about their “Doppelgangers.” Doppelgangers have a more pale homes, as to entice customers into believing them skin, normal mouths and only take the form of anoth- to be from further away and therefore more exotic. er after consuming the brain of the individual. These However my suspicions were aroused once more creatures, however, seem to share traits with many of when I found out that they were offering their services the fleshy undead, a desire to consume the flesh of for free. Free whores? Such a thing does not happen. others.