Dear Chosen,

As startling as it seems, I could use your advice, even Asmo’s. My friend is kinda trapped in a relationship going nowhere, as she sees it. Yet, she also feels like a part inside of her will break and die if she dumps her boyfriend. She keeps asking me what she should do, and having never been in her shoes before, I really have no idea how to say anything nice. I have used a lot of different things that come into my head; however, most of them just avoid making any serious decisions for her. So basically, she is having a crisis and as her best friend, continues to ask me what to do and for advice. I am running out of nice things to say, and I doubt she will continue to buy the ‘I really don’t want to force my opinions on you’ much longer.

Ready to lose it,

Mooseygirl4

P.S. It is a lot harder than it looks to be supportive of your friend’s relationship, be there when she needs you, CONTASTLY, and say nice things about your best friend’s boyfriend when you don’t care for him at all.

---

Dear Moose’s Girl

Mostly, I don’t understand your question – you’re joking with us, right? I mean, why would you say nice things about people, even if you did like them?

I’ll leave this to Graendal to answer – I hear she does feelings.

As for some practical advice: “she also feels like a part inside of her will break and die if she dumps her boyfriend”. That’s easy (though what her problem is with that I’m not sure) – she needs to let him down gently instead of abruptly dropping him. That way, nothing will break off and die.

Ever helpful
Semi

---

Moosey:

You need to make it clear to your friend that you aren’t the one who should be making this decision for her, which is what her constant requests for advice really are, when you strip the bullhockey away. Tell her that regardless of your opinion or anyone else’s opinion about the situation with her boyfriend, that SHE is the one that needs to make the decision. She needs to grow up and put on the big girl pants instead of foisting this problem off on the people around her because she is incapable of acting on her own. Let her know that she needs to make up her mind and get it over with, and no matter what she decides, you will still support her in that decision. And if that doesn’t work, hire Lanfear to come steal her boyfriend away. She needs all the male company she can get since Lews Therin ignores her recently.

Giggles and Guillotines,
Balty’gar

---

What is this thing with you pathetic people of this Age allowing your lives to be controlled by your childish feelings? If someone does not live up to what is expected of him, throw him away and be happy about it. Or just kill him, I have heard that some people do not take break ups very well, and might stick around to cause trouble for you. Or what do you say, Lanfie?

Dem

---

This is why I don’t let women make decisions, they’re inevitably bad. But since you lack the ability to compel your friend mooseygirl you’ll have to use a different tact than I would. Namely, stay out of it, women have been making bad decisions in men since the Age of Legends. For instance, Sammael was actually quite popular with the ladies of my day…

I know, hard to believe looking at him now. The best thing you can do is let your friend live her life, and be supportive of her without becoming a crutch. That’s the problem with friends, which is why I don’t really keep any around. And you can be a friend to her without having to say nice stuff about her boyfriend.

Let me tell you a story. There once was a great man, we’ll call him Rahvin. And he supported and worshiped the Great Lord of the Dark. The Great Lord had this bad habit though of picking horrible people to surround himself with. Rahvin, our hero, continued to worship the Great Lord, and support all of his efforts to break the wheel and fill the land with blood and fire. He did take time to note to the Great Lord; however, that Ishamael was a crazed lunatic, and Sammael a simple minded athelete, Demandred an overproud…well, you get the idea.

You and your friend are more than welcome to hear the rest of the story later, we’ll make it a bedtime tale.

Chosen for a reason,
Rahvin

---

“Even Asmo’s”? “Even Asmo’s”? “Even Asmo’s”?!

Lightfool, you will die for that arrogance.

On a more serious note, how does this person know that they’re ‘in love’ with the fool in question? From what I’ve seen since waking, the word ‘love’ is thrown around far too much with far too little meaning beyond, “I want to nail you.” My advice would be to do some soul searching. Is it really love, or is it a passing fancy complicated by lust? If so, then there’s no real firm foundation upon which to build, and you’re pretty much doomed to spectacular failure.

Granted, if it is just for the booty, and that’s all right with all involved parties, gimme a shout, and I’ll provide a mix of tunes that are sure to please.

And, before I forget… *channels a fireball* … run, Lightfool.

-Asmodean

---

Dear Moosey,

Since you properly addressed the tiny dancer that is Asmo, I will answer your question, rather than focus on how silly people are in this age.

The best way to handle your friend is to let her make her own mistakes. She’s going to drive you crazy talking about it. She’s going to cry her eyes out when it goes South, because you know it will. The best thing you can do is tell her your opinion, be prepared for her to argue and then refrain from saying “I told you so” when you’re proven right. That last part is probably the hardest of the lot. Best of luck there.

~Messy

---

Rahvin,

That sounds a lot like the story of Satan and Saddam Hussein those modern “Bards” Trey Parker and Matt Stone tell in their “South Park” cycle of tales. Are you practicing copyright infringement again?

Moosey, a word of warning: any “bedtime tale” told by Rahvin will end up with your clothes disappearing along with your free will. He is rather crude in his…seduction methods.

Machetes and Merry-go-Rounds,
Balty’gar

---

Antlers,

What I want to know, is if your friend wants you to control her, why aren’t you doing just that? I control people all the time, and they don’t like it. If I had people constantly coming to me, asking me to run their lives…well, I wouldn’t really be evil, would I? If your friend can’t make up her mind, then make it up for her. If she can’t match her socks, then take care of that too. If she’s chubby, put her on a diet. Really, it’s like your second chance at life…only it’s happening at the same time. If you aren’t sure about a certain food, make her taste it first. Want to see how that nailpolish looks? Make her wear it. Not sure about that dark alley? Well…you get the idea, I presume.

Truly, I do not see why this is such an issue. Find the weakness, and use it to your best advantage. Friendship is overrated anyway.

Not yours,
Moggy

---

He has most assuredly NOT been absent. He’s just… away. For a bit. But he’ll be back!!

As to you, Moosey, tell your friend to dump the loser. She doesn’t want him, you don’t like him. He needs to get gone. End of story. She can find another one without any problem. Men are easy to get. You just walk past and their tongues hang out… then you take your pick.

-Lanfear

Dear Chosen,

Let’s assume for a moment that someone wanted to pledge their undying loyalty to one of you.  Yours to command.  A perfect tool for your use against the Dragon.  What qualities do you possess that might make you a good Master or Mistress?
Fellas, I have to tell you.  I’m more inclined toward the female of the species.  Except Lanfear and Semi.  Too beautiful and too kinky.  But, I could be persuaded assuming the rewards are of a substantial enough nature.
Therefore, why should someone swear loyalty to you?  And no answering a question with a question, like “What makes you think I’d choose you?”.  I think we all know that you guys need all the help you can get.  Answers should be in English rather than the Old Tongue please. Try to keep up with the times.

Yours (maybe, if the price is right),

Gaelen

---

Let’s also assume (for a moment) that your question actually deserves for me to come out of my very posh semi-retirement to answer it. It doesn’t, but we’ll assume, because you seem the type of chap who enjoys hyperbole and hypothetical, and who am I to ruin your day eh? After all I’m just one of the thirteen most powerful channelers of this (or any) age. While you’re a no name afterthought by the wheel who’s attempting to peddle his rather limited capabilities like serving the Great Lord is akin to selling bottled air on Ebay. I imagine that any one of my brethren (or brethrenette’s (wait ten days, then google it, I have that kind of power over language)) foolish enough to debase themselves and beg for your services (without naming names…Asmodeon) would find that your claim to be ‘A perfect tool for use against the Dragon’ would only be half correct. Still, you asked direct questions, naive as they are, and I will provide direct answers…

Dear Perfect Tool,

The master needn’t have any qualities that appeal to the servant, such is the relationship betwinxt the two. I will say none of my female underlings have any complaints. And the rest seem loyal enough for my purposes. Why should someone want to swear loyalty to me? The answer to that is obvious, of all those relevant to the discussion I am the greatest(period) I will be Nae’blis, and I will rule the world under the Great Lord for all of time, those I choose to bring with me will be amongst the highest of the high, and will own the world. If anyone needs more of a reason than that… well, that’s what compulsion is for.

And by the by Tool, I lived in an age where Sho-wings graced the sky and Jo-cars roamed the streets of some of the greatest cities that have ever existed, the technological marvels of my day would shatter your tiny mind; whereas your finest …towns have roads decorated with horse feces. So I think keeping up with the times is something I’ll leave to you.

Chosen for a reason,
Rahvin

---

I think you missed a few strands when dyeing your streak there, Rahvie.

If you’re made of the right stuff, worm, you might be able to squirm your way into the lowest echelons of my followers. But, if you do prove yourself worthy, you’ll find a package of benefits that none of my brethren can match. Art museums, concert halls, all of these would be free for your perusal. You would get a vote in the monthly ballot of talentless hack composers, the ‘winner’ of which dies a very spectacular and public death for your entertainment. You’re less likely to be fed to the Trollocs than if you served Sammy, Aggy, Demmy, or the gender-confused Aran’amel. Those regions under my dominion work, and they work better than any of my colleagues. Call it the organized mind of the composer.

On top of that, you get free dental, a free eye exam every two years, great medical benefits, and a pension to die for. On top of that, if I ever find you wanting, I offer a killer severance package that nobody can refuse. Just ask my mother…

-Asmodean

---

Dear Gaelen,

Since I know you’re a cylon (I’ve seen the show, you’re not fooling me! Music in your head, indeed!), I have to say that I am not begging or pleading for your loyalty. In fact, I have a rather lengthy application and trial period to become one of my minions. I think the better question is what are you willing to do to prove you’re good enough to be among the favored few who will become my loyal followers?

Since apparently you don’t know how to address your betters, you’re going to have to be pretty convincing to get my approval. Don’t worry, though. I have schools for that, too.

~Mesaana

PS, I feel I must explain the hidden message in dear little Asmo’s response, since his… what does he call it? Organized mind? tends to ramble.

When he says:
On top of that, you get free dental, a free eye exam every two years, great medical benefits,
What he really means is: he’ll be happy to find some hack who was playing the mandolin last week to check your teeth and eyes after practice and he knows a good quack doctor or three who will claim they’re taking care of you.

when he says:
and a pension to die for.
What he means is: No, really. You have to die to get it.  However, since you can’t take it with you when you die, it’s really not going to do you any good, anyway.

When he says:
On top of that, if I ever find you wanting, I offer a killer severance package that nobody can refuse.
What he means is: if he doesn’t like you, he’ll sic one of his cute little assassins to sever something important, thus, helping you earn that pension.

And, frankly, Just ask my mother…

I always wondered what happened to her. I thought you said she moved to Palm Springs?

---

Dear Gae

If you serve me, you will NOT suffer more pain than you can possibly imagine for more years than you thought a human being could live.

… Naah, just kidding. I’m all for equal opportunity – I torture servants and non-servants equally. *grins*

You’ll probably still enjoy it more than being forced to listen to Rah Rah blathering on.

Semi

---

Dear Tool,

If you serve me loyally, without screwing up, I will reward you by not killing you. I will not dismember you just for laughs. I will not make your mother mate with a goat. If you really stand out, I will not even make you listen to Asmodeans attempt at music.

I recognise competence, and those of my subjects who show enough of that will get fed daily. After every battle, those who performed in a way that meets my standards will be allowed to loot as much as they can carry. With me being the greatest general in history, victory in all battles is guaranteed.
Those who do not meet my standards will get the choice between being given to Semi if she needs new toys, or ending up on the trollocs menu.

/Dem

---

Oooh can I have him for a new toy, Dem? Can I? Can I?? *bounces and bats Dem*

Oh wait that should have been *bats EYELASHES AT Dem*.

Graendal, can I have another lesson in that thing you do? The … what’s it called again? Flirting?

“I can do flirting” Semi

---

Easy there, lady, no play until he has actually screwed up. If I get a reputation for giving away my servants for no reason, future hiring will be a pain, and I have better things to do than worrying about getting good slaves. And by slaves I of course mean loyal servants.

/Dem

---

Dear Useless,

What qualities do you possess that might make you a good Master or Mistress?
Irrelevant. With compulsion you will adore me either way.

Why should someone swear loyalty to you?
Also irrelevant. Do you honestly think I trust anyone’s words of loyalty? Evil is as evil does. Eventually you will try to betray me. This is where the Compulsion comes in.

~Moggy
(Likes to Compulse)

---

*laughs throatily* I’m too much for you, aren’t I?

I wouldn’t want a servant with no… spine, anyway.

-Lanfear

---

Moggy dear, it is Compel, not Compulse. Did you start your career of skulking in the shadows to stay out of school?

/Dem
(Likes to nitpick. Not so sure about picking nits.)

---

*snorts indelicately*

Shouldn’t you be out…you know…having a temper tantrum or something?

~Moggy
(Likes to Compulse AND Compel)

---

Dear Tool,

Psh, I love the art of answering a question with a question. So my question to you, when determining if you belong in my collection of “tools” is, have you ever eased a badger?

Boils and Butterflies,
Aran’gar Balthamel.

The music theme for September in the Band of the Red Hand is “Best Guitarist”, which is part of our “Dream Band” season. There are a host of activities surrounding this theme, which you can find highlighted below.

NOMINATE YOUR BEST GUITARISTS
For the beginning of October, I am looking to you to nominate who you think are the best guitarists. Between 8 and 16 is what I am looking for, and those nominated will go into the “It’s A Knockout” contest to decide who takes the role of Guitarist in the Band’s Dream Band.
Nominate your guitarists in this thread

IT’S A KNOCKOUT
Once we have our nominations, there will be a “It’s A Knockout” thread to pick the winner and who takes the position of Guitarist in the Band’s Dream Band.

TUNE OR NO TUNE
As a result, for the following weeks, songs that have some of the best guitar playing will be picked for “Tune or No Tune”:

- Monday 5th October 2009 (2 threads)
- Monday 12th October 2009
- Monday 19th October 2009
- Monday 26st October 2009

If you want to nominate a song that you think has some amazing guitar playing in it for “Tune or No Tune”, please contact Corki by PM or email him at shen_an_calhar@hotmail.co.uk.

ORIGINAL vs. COVER
After the success this thread had in September, it will continue into October, but shall be scaled back. Each week, 2 songs will be posted for your to vote on. Also, if you want to run the thread for a week, please drop Corki a PM.
THREAD: http://forums.dragonmount.com/index.php/topic,47430.0.html

GENERAL THREADS
There will be a thread to discuss the great guitarists, and you can post clips of their guitar playing as well.

Corki
Marshal-General
Band of the Red Hand ORG Leader

That’s right, ladies and gents, it’s that time of year again! The Kin Org is celebrating our fourth annual Halloween themed P.O.K.E. Month and we invite you all to come play along! This year, our class offerings range from the silly to the supernatural, from the writers to the rafters, and from the front yard to the party tables! There are contests, discussions, classes and crafting guides… something for everyone! Come on in and join in the fun!

You’ll find the Orientation thread here: http://forums.dragonmount.com/index.php/topic,48450.0.html so make sure you stop by this thread before you go anywhere else!

Classes have begun, but there’s always room for you!

See you soon

As you may have noticed, there are some popular “social networks” floating out there on that thing called “the Internet”. Since Dragonmount is a giant community of Wheel of Time fans, it only makes sense for us to have a presence on some of the larger ones.

For that reason, we’ve created accounts on both Facebook and Twitter. Click the images below to be taken to those sites.

Hope to see you there!

I need a minimum of three project leads. I have five openings but the first three are the most important.

[b]Traditional Arts
Photography
Food[/b]
Paper Crafts
Wood and Metal Crafts

Photography is being semi-covered by Claire in her capacity as Digital Arts, but photography is so much more than digital and I’d like to have someone who can lead this topic by itself.

We are in a digital age but we cannot forget the traditional arts and I think we can have some interesting coversations with in the Fine Arts/Traditional arts if we have a good lead.

Food is something we can all relate to and I really do think this topic itself deserves a lead.

Paper and Wood/Metal crafts are currently being integrated into the General Crafts and I think we are okay here, but the positions are open for now if anyone is interested.

If you are interested please send me a PM matalina or an email (matalina@gmail.com) and I will give you the full job description but since it’s important that you know the basics below is the general description of your job requirements.

1. Post one topic a month
2. “Bump” your thread with quality information even if you have no participation at least once a month. It is important that the information added be quality we aren’t looking for you to just get it back to the top but to provide some other source of inspiration so they might participate.

Please email or PM if you are interested in any of these positions. Deadline for apps will be Aug 15. At that point I will stop looking for a short period of time and then begin looking again to fill needed positions.

Dear Sammael (Sam, Sammiekins?),

I have a big sporting tournament coming up in June and I was wondering if you had any suggestions as to how I could train for it? The incredibly daft competition organisers have outlawed interesting things like using steroids and using the power to incapacitate the opposition so I must use more mundane means to win. As the sporting legend of your Age (and indeed all Ages) I expect that you are the best equipped of all the Chosen to answer my question.

Moghedian
PS: Semi, I-I-I-I-I-I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU-U-U-U-U-U-U!!!!

---

Dear Adoring Fan (The Mogniator, Mog…),

I can feel the excitement in your question to me. But you really did not need to scent your letter with perfume as it comes off as needy… and stalkerish. Not that I don’t mind a stalker here or there, as I have many. I think you are deep down asking yourself have you can be as awesome as me. I don’t know if we can succeed in such little time in getting your body as well sculpted as mine so you are just going to have to wing it. I would suggest, you know, actually getting out of your house and going to the gym. I find this is a great first step in training for any competition.

Yours Truly,

Sammael

---

Moghedian,

Firstly, I’m not sure if I appreciate you picking a name so close to mine. I’m going to consider it a tribute of sorts, and not call in that favors Semirhage and Graendal owe me (or will owe me once they realize I have those pictures of them still waiting to be published!) to get you to change your mind.

Secondly, don’t listen to Tiny McKnob here – I’m pretty sure he’s been weaving Illusions at us all this time, and that his family got rich on selling those ‘Mr. Muscle’ gag suits.

-Moghedien

---

Moghedian,

First of all…why do you presume to have a name so close to one of the other Chosen? I mean, you are asking for trouble doing that, and you could at least have picked a better Chosen to emulate. Moggy never DOES anything, just sits around and waits for things to happen. What do you do to copy her? Sit at home watching Jerry Springer with a gallon of ice cream? That is no way to win a sporting tournament. You gotta get on a diet, girl! Eat healthy and get a lot of exercise. I could give you some tips on where I get MY exercise, but I don’t think that it would be appropriate for family programming.

~Aran’gar Balthamel

---

I would not recommend going to Sammael for training advice, as he was, and probably still is quite happy to get help by what he refers to as “vitamins”. Something that should be blatantly obvious if you look at his inability to keep his temper in chack, and even more obvious if you have ever been in the sauna with him…Not everything grows if you use those “vitamins”, you know.

/Dem

---

Dear Moggy-wanna-be,

Sam is a legend? Really? Who’d you have to sleep with to get that title lumped on you, Sammie-poo?

Frankly, my advice would be to get more creative with how you use “the power to incapacitate the opposition.” They can’t prosecute what they can’t prove.

~Messy

---

Dear Mog2

Seriously? Sammael?? Girl, you wouldn’t get so excited if you’d seen him from my perspective. Granted, that’s from about 1 foot higher Tongue

Your best course of action is to immediately start sleeping during the day, then spend your nights jogging around to your competitors’ houses, tying photos of Agi around bricks and throwing them through their bedroom windows. This will disturb their sleep, fry their minds once they see the photos, and you will get fit doing it. Always combine exercise with pleasure! Or pain. Preferably both.

Lots of … some kind of warm fuzzy feeling
Semi
ps: photos enclosed at no extra charge.

---

Dear Moghedian,

I do not understand this need of yours for sweat and bad hygiene. The best way to feel a winner is not participate in the tournament at all and feel pretty. It might not win the actual competition, but at least you’d smell like a winner Which is, ultimately, the important thing.

Graendal

---

Graendal- Beautiful and stupid is no way to go through life. Somebody smarter should have culled you out of the gene pool a long time ago.

Semi- Yes, yes, you’re tall. Sammael is short. We get it. What I want to know is if those pictures are the famous “Two Aginors, One Cup” photos. If so, you are crueler than I imagined, and I warn Mog2 to keep your eyes averted while tying them to the bricks. Otherwise you will need more mind bleach than was ever made.

Moggy (the real one, not the poseur)- Nothing could be worse than the Agi pictures. Unless it is Graendal and Semi IN the Agi pictures.

XOXO– Balthamel

---

Hi Evil Forsaken!

Do you guys cry yourself to sleep when you think about how much better Sammael is than the rest of you?  I also heard that Ishamael still wets his bed… is this somehow related to him being better looking than you too?

Keep up the Evil!

-Leammas

---

‘Dear’ Leammas,

Why would I cry myself to sleep for not being a short, slashed-up egomaniacal loser? I mean, I’ve never been one to care too much about fashions or trends (unless there was some way to exploit a quick bit of gold out of it), but I somehow doubt that the vogue thing this year is egomaniacal losers. And anyways, we already know from someone or another having a Foretelling that he’s going to die a horrible, lonely loser death, so perhaps we should be pitying the poor idiotic fool.

-Moghedien

---

Leammas,

I appreciate my fan’s questions unlike the other Chosen who get a bit jealous. It is a burden to be so popular with the common folk.

Yes, I heard Ishy has nightmares and has some problems in that area. I am sure you are on to something about him being jealous of me though. Good catch.

Keep being awesome true believer.

–Sammael

---

Only tears I would ever shed over Sammael is because such an intellectualy challenged midget is allowed to share the glory that comes by being given the title Chosen.

Dem

---

Dear Lemur Leammus,

I don’t cry over men, at all. So I’m going to have to say no there. If Sammy boy could find a good plastic surgeon and grow an inch or two, perhaps something could be done, though. I don’t think crying would be the appropriate term. That’s more Semi’s area.

As for Ishy, I’m more likely to believe someone’s trying to put out the flames in his head than him wetting himself. Do you know, while we were sealed up in that big hole, that he actually lit Moggy’s skirts on fire? I don’t think I’ve ever seen her that mad. Of course, maybe that’s his version of flirting? I wouldn’t put it past her to be the one trying to snuff him out, though.

~Messy

---

Dearest Lemming,
Know that you have now made it onto the very short list of people whose souls are earmarked for a very special form of treatment, and that you will literally be steamed, well, ‘alive’ for lack of a better way to put it, over and over in a Sysiphean task to make even the Marquis deSade wince in horror. Know that it is not water, nor lemon juice nor even a fine chianti I have saved for you, but three thousand years of fermented chamber pots.

To answer your question though, there is nothing to envy in the carved up meat sack that makes up Sammael, know that every time you gaze into a blazing fire, or even the twinkling of a match the beauty of my form stares back at you, patient, waiting, and ready to raze destruction at the slightest misstep.

Mesaana, I wouldn’t reccomend bringing that up here, Moghedien still hasn’t cooled off from that last bit of bickering, and the balm Semirhage hasn’t helped much either.

-Ishamael

---

When will people learn that signing their name backwards stopped working after the second time somebody tried it? Seriously, who would have such lousy self-esteem that they need to send a letter praising themselves to make themselves feel better?

Although it must be stated that Ishy does have nightmares about fire extinguishers.

-Asmo

---

Praytell, Asmodean, how do you know that Ishamael actually dreams about fire extinguishers? If anything, it sounds like another one of your drug-addled fantasies. And if you’re fantasizing about fire extinguishers, I think I actually feel more sorry for you than I thought was possible.

-Moghedien

---

Dear Leammas *coughSammaelcough*,

I am perfectly confident in my abilities to sleep well at night. Unlike Ishy, I need no “plastic sheets” of this Age to avoid soiling my bed.

The pure egotism of you Sammael never ceases to to amaze me. When there is nobody else to stroke his ego for him, he must stroke it himself.

*looks around and giggles*

Perhaps I have said too much.

~~Aran’gar Balthamel

---

Plastic Sheets, Balthamel? Do you know what happens when I try that? They melt, then they burn. Do you know how hard it is to sleep with the smell of burning plastic? This is why I only sleep on the bed of vestal sacrifices… This way I smell barbeque all night long. This also has the added bonus of making me the envy of all the male Chosen except Asmodean.

~Ishamael, Master of the Grill.

---

Leammas dearest,

You have to be more specific. Names mean nothing to me. A description would make it easier for me to answer that. And no, “the ugly one” won’t focus my attention span either. But, if you swing something shiny in front of me, it should. Anything under 24 carets would be frowned upon, though. You’ve been warned!
Also just so you know, I don’t cry. Ever. My own little effort in helping to conserve our water resources. Every little bit helps

Graendal

---

Ishy still cries himself to sleep because I won’t go on a date with him? How … sad *smiles serenely*

Dear Lemming

You – me – white room with metal table and bright light – tonight?

Semi

---

Ishy: Nobody is jealous of your barbecue bed. Roasting meat or not, it still smells like urine, no matter what claims you make about your “special marinade”.

Graendal– Look, a shiny! *weaves an explosive ward into a heavy golden collar and tosses it across the room* Go get it, Grennie! It will make you even more beautiful when you put it on. Seeing her without a head would definitely be beautiful… Really, go try it out!

Semi– I think I express the thoughts of us all when I say: “Ew.”

Ligatures and Lollypops,
Balthamel

It has been a long time in coming but the trial is finally over and it is now your turn to decide the fate of Care Namere.

She has murdered nine people with in the confines of Tar Valon and the White Tower itself. She is a distrubed woman as was clearly demonstarted through out the trial. But the closing statements will put forward for you the options that are available. The majority vote will be the result of the trial to continue in one weeks time.

Prosecution:

Kynwric rose as to give the Prosecution closing statement, it wasn’t going to take long. “Ladies and Gentlemen, this case is simple. It doesn’t come down to whether or not the defendant is guilty or not, it doesn’t even come down to whether the defendant knows they did wrong. That has all been established, I would say over-established. What it does come down to is punishment, the law says that Murderers, or in this case, Murderesses should be put to death. The defense would have you believe that there is some mercy in allowing a Murderess clemency, that we should study the defendant to see if it healable. My only remaining question is why would we want to have a Murderess amongst us? One who has already been shown capable of killing Warders without compunction? Would this be so if this woman had killed an Aes Sedai? Would the cries for justice be muted because they could ’study’ her? I doubt it, I have little doubt that Cari would have been summarily put to death without so much of the benefit of a trial. The woman murdered several of our brethren; she has shown no remorse, feigned or otherwise; she has provided instances of her being caught up with other nefarious goings on. She is quite obviously in league with the Dark One, if not a direct servant of him herself.” Kyn took a moment for a long pause, “So far as I can tell justice and the law should be carried out by the most harsh and expedient means necessary lest we revisit this issue again. Thank you.”

Defense

Jasine didn’t rise for a moment after Kynwric took his seat. He had to fight to suppress the sigh that wanted so badly to be released. When he did rise, he left his gaze focused on the table in front of him for a long moment.

“Master Kynwric would have the court forget testimony that he himself called into evidence. The penalty for murder is to be one of two things: Death or life imprisonment. The Yellow Ajah Aes Sedai have expressed an interest in studying Cari Namere and hoping to learn, through her, more to advance their cause. I am a Tower Guard. It is not my place to question that which an Aes Sedai wants. And as the court-appointed defendant for Miss Namere, it is only my duty to see that she be given a fair trial. One free from the savage and hatred-based responses that her actions have wrought in our community.”

He lifted his gaze to Kynwric and a chill tone darkened his words. “As servants of the Light would will it, she has received a fair trial, as she would have no matter who she had killed, for we are not beasts nor shadowspawn to kill those who displease us out of hand.” He turned to address the rest of the court. “Cari Namere, or at least the one she calls The Shadow, has been honest and forthright with us. She has not deceived nor tried to paint her picture in shades of rose to leave a more favorable impression upon us. She has been… brutally honest. There is nothing more that we can ask of her that she has not given. She does not speak with relish or glee at the deaths of our men at arms. She is clearly a very disturbed woman.”

He stepped from around the desk and paced as he finished what he had to say. “I would not envy her a life of study and examination by the Aes Sedai. They are an unyielding bunch and harsh taskmistresses. Death could very well be the kinder option. But whether you choose to give Miss Namere to the yellows out of a misplaced notion of revenge against her in wanting her to study, or out of the more noble motivation of hoping that some good, in the form of the knowledge needed to heal, should come from her study, it is clear that imprisonment with the Yellow Ajah is the only way that any good could come of this unhappy series of events.

“If Cair Namere is killed, all of this will be over, and all we will have is one more body to show for it.” He retook his seat and folded his hands neatly atop his stacked papers. He kept his eyes focused on them, still as stone now that his part in this was done.

The full trial

Please take a moment and vote, this will be a blind vote until the week has ended. – You the Jury

Last month was a short month for me, so I don’t have all the stats I’d like to share.

We currently have 17 active members. We only had a roll call for half the month so it might pick up a bit with a full run in June.

This month we will be starting a new idea. Each month we will be hosting a public discussion to pull in all members of Dragonmount. This month’s topic should be a love for everyone: Food! More specifically we will be focusing on summertime foods, everything from barbequing to icecream. So come and join us here for the one thing we can all relate to: Food – Summer Time Cooking

I have a few changes to make to my list of staff needed.

We have a new Topic lead for the Web: Barmacral. He’s taking over for me for two important reasons, one so that I can focus more on running than house and two most of the people interested in the web are beginners, as he is a beginner however much more school he has had, he is still in the very beginning learnng stages and is going to have more helpful information for beginners than I will. He is very bright and from what I have seen going in the right direction with his learning so I see much promise in him both as a lead and a web designer. Please come visit the Cairhien house and see him in action.

We have a second new topic lead: Claireducky. She is taking on the combined topic of Graphic Arts and Digital Manipulation. She is a graphic designer by career and I’ve had the pleasure of working with her and I know she will do the House proud in her efforts to help all the rest of us learn her craft. Join us in the house to see her in action.

I am still looking for four leads for the Crafters. We have combined Threads and Textiles into Textiles as my research on the topic pointed me in the same direction for what I though each of these were suppose to be. So I am still looking for the following Topic Leads:

Food
Textile
Wood and Metal
Paper Crafts

The job is simple, however requires a little effor each month on your part. It is required that you are able to post at least one new topic a month. And try to boost participation by adding in new material at least once during the month to try to gain a bit more attention to your topic. For those months you do not have inspiration, I hope to have a resource library for you to pull from.

PM or email me (matalina@gmail.com) if you are interested in helping us out.

So all of you not part of the Illuminators, come check us out on our public board and join us for our Summer Time cooking. We’d love to have you stop by and share your plans, meals and even maybe learn something new.

Matalina