On the coldest night of Abrrrrrril, they came from all corners of Cardhuntria. Halpin Halfstaff was the first to arrive, zapping over from his expedition into the Tomb of Tvericus, rousing and bringing Alet Zhav with him. Idris of the Hauting Horn and Amirault Catt, the sage wizardesses of Greenfang, were next; they made haste through the seas of acid to take their place. The Astral Guardians sent their most powerful representatives, moving along the diagonal and perpendicular paths they had followed since the creation of Cardhuntria, to the hallowed site. Goblin, ogre, and trog wizards hurried en masse, all behind the commands of Strench the Pungent (although everyone was a little displeased when he arrived). Genthan Deathzap and Carolinia, the magi of the Woods of the Magic Elves were present, carefully watching over the group forming. Nianne of Burntree Vale was close behind, scampering at a pace considered reckless by even the most bejeweled of elves. Anjin of Oeld left his treasures behind to be there. Oberlin left all nine of his towers in the care of his apprentices. Carlan woke from her winter’s sleep to attend. Yaro forced his way into the inner circle. Adze, ever the lonely, stood in the corner. Axander. Barnum. Bimson. Chartwell. Elemer. Forval. Hylithia. Sabo. Sargio. Vira. Wym. Even the elder sages of Cardhuntria could not stay away from the gathering, bringing the mighty Whorl in their stead. Akon, the wily Pyromonius, first lingered farther away, but then came closer, say within five squares, of everyone else. Even Lumbrezz the Mad was roused from his elctromantic experiments, deep in the bowels of the Gladatorial Arenas. Vek the Vile, the last to appear, was hoping to have a clear line of sight of everyone and everything that was to take place. He got his wish, but could not execute his plan, once he realized where they all stood. The Tomb of the Magus. Yes, they had all come to the Ironwood Hills, plush with trees of oak, balsa, cherry, and maple. They had all come to this forgotten space, seemingly suspended in time, to face the rising threats within Cardhuntria. The Cult of the Bejeweled. The Lungination. Mere whispers in Janizza, both groups had evolved from the old wives’ tales they had been, to running wild across the lands, laying waste to all before them. The number of orphans in Cardhuntria swelled to greater and greater numbers each passing month. The Goblin Bazaar was always bare, with any sword encrusted with jewels quickly purchased by another elven warrior frothing with frenzy, carefully plotting out their maneuvers. Randimar himself was fearful of the next Lunginator brought into his keep, for the price of one had risen from mere gold to blood itself, easily spilt by a raging battler, shouting the war cry of the dwarves across the plains and mountains. They needed to face the wrath of storms of fire, of the deadliest of sparks, of bursts, cones, and jets of acid. They needed to be stopped. They needed to needed to obliterated. On that fateful Abrrrrrril evening, the pact was made. Oaths were taken. A fellowship was created. The wizards, magicians, sages, mancers of all kinds, and sorcererers swore their lives, and their afterlives, to their new banner, their new pledge, their new cult. The Cult of Ironwood.
TENETS OF THE CULT OF IRONWOOD (Rules, but not really rules) Anyone who wishes to rid Cardhuntria of the lunging and bejewled vermin across the land may join our ranks. There is no requirement of ranking or level. It is preferred (but not required) to have at least one wizard within your party, although more than one is encouraged. Priests and warriors are looked at with disdain, but sympathizers to the plight of Cardhuntria and the scourge of these cults will be welcomed to fight with our magical brethren. You must always have at least one Ironwood Staff of the Magus in your keep or with your wizard(s). Those that possess multiple Ironwood Staves, and those that have discovered the other Staves of the Magus (blessed be her name) shall be considered for higher ranks within this righteous and divine group. You must pass the initiation rites, which will be explained to each member just before the ceremony. These rites are secret, and may not be shared with any Cardhuntrian that is not a member of our ranks. If you are interested in bringing peace, tranquility, and pizza for all back to Cardhuntria, contact c.jepsen, t. swift, and r. mcadams, The Trio of Temptation, The Triple Threat of Terror, The Three Magi of gulo gulo, at your first opportunity. The threat must end now. The bloodshed must be quelled. Cardhuntria must be free once again. IRONWOOD VIVAM. IRONWOOD PRO VITA. IRONWOOD EST VITA.
We welcome you into the bonds of our fellowship warmly, in the spirit of the Cardhuntrian values of liberty, equality, fraternity, and pepperoni. IRONWOOD VIVAM. IRONWOOD PRO VITA. IRONWOOD EST VITA.
contact j. lawrence, t. swift, and j. chastain, The Trio of Temptation, The Triple Threat of Terror, The Three Magi of Gulo Gulo, at your first opportunity. how do i do that?
We do not hate. We just wish to cleanse the noble lands of Cardhuntria of lunging and maneuvering vermin. Amongst other things. IRONWOOD VIVAM. IRONWOOD PRO VITA. IRONWOOD EST VITA.
Betcha do. You're the Big Tent guild. Bound to be one or two. For the record: I think gulo gulo is opinionated and plain spoken, but not a hater.
Thanks for the kind words, @Sir Veza. And to everyone else, I'm just trying to have fun here. My first post was my English major at work after a long Sunday, and I tried to enter as many inside jokes/fun things to entertain. Hence, the sorcererers and the Woods of the Magic Elves and such. It can be fun to stay in character at times here as well. And as much as I might complain or critique cards, play-styles, or someone's preference when it comes to cheese, I don't hate. I may get bored fighting the same type of party over and over and over, I'm not going to dissuade someone from playing with a set-up that is working for them. But that also doesn't mean I can't try to find a way to stop them from playing with that set-up because it is not as successful anymore. The Cult of Ironwood, on one level, is merely trying to promote diversity among Cardhuntrians, and trying to let everyone know that there is more than one or two ways to play this game successfully. (At least, I hope there is more than one or two ways to play this game and be successful at it, haha.) As always, IRONWOOD VIVAM. IRONWOOD PRO VITA. IRONWOOD EST VITA.
There are plenty of ways to play the game successfully, and I wish the CoI all the best. I assumed there was humor in your first post and responded in kind
Now, I've nothing against our melee mates mind you, but I'm fairly certain its: Wizards Rule, Warriors Drool. Just sayn'
Yes, the Wizards of The Cult of Ironwood, as you say, 'suck', SO MUCH that they have ONLY climbed sixteen spots in the guild standings today. The Cult, the poor, feeble magic users of these fine lands, are obviously challenged folk that have no redeeming qualities whatsoever. I hear we bungle all our bolts, and that we smell bad. I'm not even sure what we are doing here, to be honest. That being said, I wish to extend the invitation to join our ranks once again. Join us, magical and mystical brethren of Cardhuntria. Join us is showing the bejeweled elves and lunging dwarfs what combat truly is. Help us make them an extinct method of combat in every realm to which we journey. Help us make them a cautionary tale told to the newest adventures upon reaching our lands; a warning of what not to do if one wants to reach the highest echelons of battle and martial skill. Help us make the Cardhuntrian days full kneading the finest dough, instead of looking for the next elf that will be viciously thrusting around the corner. Help us make the Cardhuntrian nights full of mozzarella dreams for the children of this land, instead of the nightmares consisting of dwarves, frothing at the mouth in blind fury, looking to lunge upon another unsuspecting victim at the first opportunity. Help us make these lands fun and enjoyable for all, full of wonder, merriment, and glee. Help us make Cardhuntria shine as if it is aglow from the warm light of a million embers. Help us create the Cardhuntria we both need and deserve. Help us by joining The Cult of Ironwood. IRONWOOD VIVAM. IRONWOOD PRO VITA. IRONWOOD EST VITA.
UPDATE: Make that ONLY twenty rungs up the guild ladder ascended today. IRONWOOD VIVAM. IRONWOOD PRO VITA. IRONWOOD EST VITA.
That doesn't include dwarves, frothy at the mouth from quaffing pilsner, looking to lunge upon another pint at the first opportunity, does it? Just askin'. Big Gratz on the rating!
