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Competition, Comestibles, and Concert Comfort Community

The city of Alivast was ready to relax with food, games, and music to help release some tensions brought on by recent events. Even long-time residents have not-ed that the past couple of seasons have been several heaping helpings of trouble, the most recent being the dragon cult attack that damaged much of the city.

In an effort to raise spirits and celebrate the defeat of the cult as well as setting the Fire Giants back on their heels, the Vetrion clergy organized a day of competition and sports. Friendly games were the topic of the day and brought all manner of folks into the lower districts. The crowds also were treated to a variety of foodstuffs as the chefs, cooks, and street food vendors had their own impromptu competition to see who could tempt the most tastebuds.

Tantalizing treats aside, the games were afoot, start-ing off with a variety of footraces and other traditional athletic endeavors. Hurdles were leapt, discuses were thrown, and laps ran around the lower general district to determine who could jump highest, throw farthest, and who was the fastest person in Alivast. But these more traditional sports were not the only highlight of the day. For the less serious competitor, there was no shortage of events and games.

In the afternoon several games directed towards chil-dren were held, including a potato sack race, a three-legged race, an egg and spoon race, three different kinds of tag, and the Alivast original - dick kicking. The latter was again dominated by girls from Eve’s Meadow Academy who reportedly originated the game.

A very Alivast flair on the competitions was seen in the skies overhead with the first-ever gryphon riding competition. To the great dismay of many in the crowd, Captain Sir Knight Lord Remus Corbeau did not com-pete, which opened the field for a variety of competitors to have a shot at victory. While there was no shortage of competitors, unfortunately, there was a shortage of gryphon riding expertise as several riders seemed to struggle to have their mounts stay on the course, much less serve as serious racers. The sky-gazing crowd didn’t seem to mind, and soon the spectacle made peo-

Ludwig Hoodenpyl

ple forget about the absence of the odds-on favorite to win.

Speaking of odds, much to the chagrin of the Vetrion clergy, a small, but persistent group of Tel Intura wor-shipers kept the odds updated, allowing for anyone to bet on any competition, no matter how seemingly insignificant. One Alivast Oracle employee (who shall remain nameless) won quite a tidy sum over a wager regarding the winner of a children’s game of marbles.

The fighting ring was also a favorite of the bookmak-ers and crowds alike. There were thrills and upsets as notables including members of The Unexpectables took part in the bouts. Lady Soliandris also displayed her prowess, and though she gave a good showing, she was unable to overcome the eagle-eye of Task of Ironoath.

One competition that drew a surprisingly large audience was the pie-eating contest. The winner was Zeus, a Ro-mansion employee who licked the others post-haste.

“Competition is in my blood,” the goliath victor stated. “People think working at the Romansion is all fun and games, but there’s a lot of training involved. I have to keep my skills sharp. At the Romansion, we have a lot of similar competitions. Pie eating, sausage swallow-ing, salad tossing, it really runs the gamut. Gotta hone those skills.”

The evening was capped off by a free concert fea-turing Alivast’s favorite musician, Xarv. As always, he charmed the crowd and put minds at ease with his re-laxing and uplifting music. Though the concert wasn’t a competition, Xarv may need to watch out for his title, because one Panic Grimtongue raised quite a few eye-brows with a rousing performance opening for the bet-ter-known gnoll.

Several assembled stated that Mr. Grimtongue could certainly give Xarv some competition if only he didn’t frequently disappear for months at a time to “save the world.”

Blue-Blood from Beyond - Alivast’s Itinerant NobilityKawbara Yin’bashaal

Renouned Musician Xarv was joined by other notable performers for a concert to lift the spirits of Alivast’s popluace.

Our fair city of Alivast was built on the dreams and hard work of people from across the known world, from every walk of life imaginable. From the humble farmers of the Alton regions and skilled craftsmen from Tracadia, to the eager scholars of Ruba and adventurous explorers of the Tatalon Jungles. Alivast is a city where all are welcome so long as one can contribute to the wellbeing of the city itself.

This de facto meritocracy and the counsel that serves as it’s leadership naturally appeals to many as a common-ers dream come true, and indeed many of the refugees and immigrants that have come to the city have done so fleeing from the sometimes oppressive monarchies of their homelands. Many long-time residents still re-member the tension that gripped the city when it came to light that a band of Eltmur Royalists had infiltrated the city and began preying on refugees, namely women and young girls, who had fled the beleaguered nation before and during the Night of Silver Fangs.

It may come as some surprise then, that many a noble family has also come to Alivast for many of the same reasons. The Woodrift family was one such noble house that relocated to the safety of Alivast’s walls from Chel-stonia.

“Between the Eltmur expansion into Valithea and the Silver King’s coup years later, it was clear that Alton was not safe anymore.” Explained Lord Renfrue Woodrift. “It

was a sad day when we sold the old family manor, but we’ve made a good life here in Alivast since. Our daugh-ter has made many new friends and our son is training to join the Gryphon Riders. The status and money was nice, yes, but I’ve never seen my children so happy.”

The praise was echoed by many members of the no-bility I was able to speak to during my research for this article. Though some concerns were raised, they were minor at best as explained by Count Marcus Bérameaux of Valithea. “Zis city, she is a beautiful place oui. But for a people zat still hold such a respect for ze nobilité, ze so often misuse our titles.” The half orc lamented. “Every time I read ze paper, it is always ‘His Royal Majesty Sir Remus Corbeau’. Zis is not correct. If you wish to be for-mal, you say ‘Sir Remus of House Corbeau of Valithea, Lord Knight of His Majesty’s Royal Order of the Raven’. Sir Corbeau, he is not royalty, so why always with ‘His Majesty’? Mon Père was a Heron Knight but I do not ex-pect to be called ‘Your Highness’ every time I am met.”

Regardless of their personal thoughts, it’s clear that the upper classes of the world see Alivast just as much of a haven as the ‘good people of the earth’, seeking a new future for peace, prosperity, or glory. And the fact that these disparate peoples from every class and social standing can live and work together peacefully is a testa-ment to what makes Alivast strong, a strength celebrated by all at the recent festivities.

The Sound of Music Returns to AlivastAarlf Yanida

While the city of Alivast has mostly recovered from the recent dragon attack, there are still some no-ticeable scars. The Alivastian Opera house has undergone significant repairs after one of the wyrms crashed down through the roof. But while other facilities like the Romansion managed to resume business in a week or two, the damage to the Opera house required nearly 2 months to repair. There were even rumors that the repairs would never be completed and the opera house would be shut down. Fortunately, the repairs have finally been completed and the Opera House is al-ready preparing new shows. The first new show re-leased, titled ‘The Taste of Paraton’, is the newest musical produced by the famed composer Rupert Hammersmith.

At first glance, the story appears to be a simple love story between a reclusive elf paladin and a kind human housemaid. She sings about her pas-sion for baking and eventually warms the cold heart of the paladin. However, throughout the play, there is also the looming presence of the United Clergy of Orun which inevitably clashes with the blooming romance. The tone of the musical gradu-ally becomes more dire & ends with a daring (and somewhat comedic) escape attempt from Paraton to Tracadia.

Some critics & politicians have aired concerns

that it is a poorly timed show given the ever-rising tensions between Alivast & Paraton. In particular, Paraton diplomat Zac Din is petitioning for the im-mediate cancelation of the play. “Is now really the time to antagonize a nation that is already aggra-vated with Alivast?”

Mr. Hammersmith had this to say in response: “This play is actually based on a true story of a clergy paladin who fled Paraton; many of the de-tails concerning the UCO reflect his own first hand experiences. If the citizens of Paraton don’t like how their nation is portrayed, then I suggest they look into changing Paraton itself.” Several other performers & composers have voiced their support of Hammersmith and his production. The Opera house currently has no intention of canceling the show.

Regardless of the controversy, the musical has received tremendous praise. Special acclaim was given to the brilliant music and the performance of Lujia Lummer as the housemaid. “Miss Lum-mer sings with elegance and perfectly portrays her character’s sense of innocence & perseverance.” said critic Jasper Burton. With this new awe inspir-ing show and a 20% discount for all seating op-tions, the Opera House is set to make a triumphant return.

Letters to the Lady of Livrosea(Note: the Alivast Oracle newspaper is now legally obligated to inform readers that the contents of “Letters to the Lady of Livrosea” do not constitute, religious, financial, or legal advice.)

Dear Lady of Livrosea,

I’ve found myself in what you might call a “long-term commitment.” It’s not an ideal sit-uation, but it’s not like I’m in a position to do much else. My partner is strange, he has strange hobbies and stranger friends. I don’t understand him, I don’t understand the ques-tions he asks me, and mostly, I don’t under-stand what I will do once our time together ends.

Signed, Epochly Perplexed

Dear Lady,

I’ve never liked mirrors, never liked what I saw in them. I never liked the stranger look-ing back at me with hateful eyes. They look so strange, so alien, and no matter how hard I try to cover them up with both cloth and cos-metics, I can’t ever forget that the stranger is there.How can I make them love me? How can I make me love me?

Signed, Vanishing Visage

To the Lady,

I was in an awkward conversation recently where a coworker kept talking to me about a subject I do not understand. I kept telling him that I did not understand the subject, but they kept going as if they were talking to them-selves. What do I do when I am in a one-sid-ed conversation?

From, Does Not Understand Love

Dear EP,

I love you! Sometimes we find ourselves in a relationship where we’re not quite sure how we got there or what we are supposed to do. It’s not uncommon in some cultures to have little say in who you’re paired up with, and surprisingly, it works out pretty well much of the time. A lot of that is because not every cul-ture places the same weight on romantic love as being dominant over love of tradition or family. These stresses between types of love are often difficult for even natives of those cultures to navigate and often insurmountable obstacles for people who weren’t born into them. What I can recommend is taking time. Take time to listen, time to think, and time to empathize with others. Forcing ourselves to slow down can often reduce a lot of stress and bring things into clarity.

Dear VV,

I love you! I think that you should tell that to the mirror next time you look into one. Not as an empty ritual, but with a smile and bright eyes. Learning to love yourself is hard. Some people try to ignore their own lack of love for themselves by broadcasting love for others, hoping that it is returned in some small bit. Remember, there is only one you. The stars and planets and fates aligned to produce the unlikely composition of the elements that make up the unique individual that is you. Nobody else is like you. Not even a twin. The universe cared enough to bring you about and give you a place on the wheel of earth that we call home and you owe it to yourself to ac-knowledge that the fates, spirits, gods, or ele-mentals felt it necessary that you be born. The next time you look in the mirror, don’t see a visage you compare to others, but a creation of starstuff.

Dear DNUL,

I love you! I also can put two and two togeth-er and figured out that you’re not so sure about love. Well, let me tell you, you’ve asked the right person. Love is not just one thing, love is many things, all of them good, though sometimes love can make us a bit blind to good decisions. In those cases, one kind of love overwhelms the others and the whole thing gets out of balance and we start getting a bit confused, sort of like how my love for all the people of Alivast can get so overwhelm-ingly strong that I have to cry and play my cello a lot because I can’t get out and give everyone the comforting hug they really need, especially when I am looking at them through my telescope from my tower and the atten-dants tell me that I’m being a bit obsessive, but I’m not really thinking that loving every-one I see is an obsessive thing, I mean, Livro-sea is the goddess of love and I feel like she has given me an abundance of love to share with the world and I really don’t understand why I’m not allowed outside to tell people, except on special occasions and even then I have to have an escort at all times to make sure that I don’t wander off and start giving chickens snuggles and petting crocodiles like that one time. I hope that clears up your con-fusion.

‘‘Tis a wonderful day in AlivastI sincerely hope that the happiness and fun lasts

That’s right, today is Victory Day!A day of play where we can laugh all our problems away

You might wonder what victory it is we are celebrating Why, it’s certainly not one against the UCO, whose recent

appearance was hardly placatingNay, we are celebrating the defeat of the dastardly dragon cult

They went up against the Unexpectables, what did they think would be the result?

As well as the return of those people who were taken by them as hostages

Although there were still lossesBut enough remembering about those who have fallen

If you didn’t know, the event was made on the spot by one Balfour Balton

That’s right, the child of Vetrion, the god of warAs well as his wife, Aila, who he adores

Among the festivities and events will be a fight pitTag teams and singles will be split

For those fighters who will be participating, don’t worry about holding back!

Don’t hesitate to land attack after attackThere will be plenty of healers all around

If anybody goes downThen again, perhaps don’t get too roughOr they might decide they’ve had enough

In which case, you might have to pay and prayMuch to your coin purse’s dismay

There will also be a display of the Griffin Rider’s aerial prowess!Against my better judgment, I’ll hope that the skies are cloudless!

But don’t worry, I have an umbrella and a nice, big, floppy hatIf those get blown away by the wind, then I’ll just turn into a bat!

May there be many more Victory Days in Alivast’s futureAlthough, I sincerely wish that some rumors remain simply that:

rumors

Eripmav A. Ton-Yllatot

Poetry Corner- Victory Day! -

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Victor Carriage Company Boasts First 10k Mile Carriage

Valandil Lightfoot

When Alavast resident Mavis Blackwood, a half-elf born in Valithea, traveled to its shores 8 years ago, she arrived with her favorite trans-port, a simple family-style carriage which she had purchased only two years prior. The car-riage, a baby blue Victor Folk-Wagon, was the latest model, boasting first in class all-steel rims, solid oak frame, treated ash brakes, and avail-able pedal steering assistance. The model also came with a five digit odometer, a distance re-cording device stated to accurately tell you how far you have traveled to the nearest tenth of a mile, according to the brochure.

When Miss Mavis, as she likes to be called, first purchased the Folk-Wagon, she did so because it could fit her three kids and a weeks worth of supplies and still have room to pick up the ran-dom vagabond or hitchhiker and take them to the nearest village. The carriage in question, the 47th of that particular model year, had only 2.3 miles on the odometer, from various test-drives when Miss Mavis bought it. In the two years she had the carriage before moving to Alavast, she had accumulated over 1100 miles. Since then, Miss Mavis has been diligently driving her horse-drawn carriage across Alavast’s country-side.

“It’s a safe wagon,” Miss Mavis stated in an interview several months back. “The Victor Folk-Wagon has been an essential part of my commute. I’m a Saleswoman and teacher for a trade. Selling my wares and teaching both children and adults in remote parts of the coun-try is essential, as few have no other avenues of trade. I need as much space as possible to get supplies to those in need of them, and the Folk-Wagon has that space we need.”

For almost 8 years, Miss Mavis has racked up the miles on her carriage. The maintenance costs to keep it in working order has been a bit on the light side, as, despite Victor Carriages being notoriously difficult to maintain, the reg-ular maintenance Miss Mavis performed was enough to make it last long after others would trade them in. Every morning, before setting out, Miss Mavis would oil the joints and make sure the bearings were greased, even check to ensure the brake blocks had sufficient stopping power. Through this regular maintenance, Miss Mavis only had to replace one part.

“A testament to the reliability of our carriages

with the right amount of proper maintenance,” Victor Carriage Co. Spokesman and Customer Relations Officer Julius Lordstone stated. “When I heard what Miss Mavis had done to keep her carriage operational with mostly all original parts, I knew we had to try to help her keep the carriage in operation to ten thousand miles.”

Miss Mavis brought her Folk-Wagon to the Vic-tor dealer in the city of Alavast when the brake rod on the left side broke unexpectedly during a routine test that morning a few months prior. The repairman fixed the rod with due diligence, and, when he went to check the brakes a sec-ond time, noticed the odometer reading 9,569.1. Impressed, the repairman immediately got in touch with the home office in Valithea, which got to CRO Lordstone.

“To hear that one of our carriages had amassed that many miles over the course of 10 years was astonishing,” Lordstone stated. “Since that day, we offered to assist in maintaining the car-riage until our first odometer ticked over all the way back to 0, putting our carriage as the first to record 10,000 miles.”

The past few months were nearly torture for Vic-tor executives and Miss Mavis alike. The Drag-on Cult attack almost spelled disaster, but Miss Mavis had just departed for Humbrac Village that morning. Eventually, several citizens got wind of the feat being attempted, and started supporting Miss Mavis as she crept each mile closer to 10k.

Last week, that feat was accom-plished. Miss Mavis, with the help of several special scry-ing orbs, showed the world her feat a days drive away from Alavast, as the five

digits all rolled back to 0.

“It was a monumental feeling,” Miss Mavis stated upon arrival to the city. “To have accom-plished something no one else had recorded or attempted. If I could, I would try to make it to 20,000.”

The carriage went through 27 sets of brake blocks, 45 gallons of oil, 18 gallons of grease, and had 3 spokes repaired over the life of the carriage, aside from the brake rod. The mo-ment Miss Mavis rolled in, accumulating a total of 10,041 miles, CRO Lordstone welcomed the half-elf mother, teacher, and saleswoman with a plaque, a 2000gp award, and a brand new Folk-Wagon model, with a six-digit odometer special for her.

“On behalf of the Victor Carriage Company, I would like to congratulate Miss Mavis Black-wood for the amazing feat she has achieved, and present her with the latest model of our Folk-Wagon,” CRO Lordstone stated. “We are proud of our products, and will be taking the time with Miss Mavis to research what we can do to future model years to increasing our car-riages’ reliability.”

Alavast congratulates Miss Mavis and her family on her feat, and hopes she continues to make and break records with her Victor Folk-Wagon.

https://alivastoracle.wordpress.com/lady-of-livrosea/

INTELLIGENCE CHECK!Seven Day Forecast

Lastday: Sunny. 58/39

Orunsday: Mostly Sunny. 60/44

Illunaysday: Showers Possible. 61/55 Chance of Precipitation: 50%

Tuesday: Partly Cloudy, Pm Pigeon swarm. 59/36 Chance of Pigeon:

80%

Humpday: Partly Sunny 61/39

Uspaday: Mostly Sunny. 64/40

Beersday: Mostly Cloudy. Isolated Showers. 61/45 Chance of

Precipitation: 20%

Laeleus Stormwing

Thank You For Reading

Ar t by AugustCristofer

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KingKiwi as Eripmav A. Ton-Yllatot - Writer@Discotechpriest as Kawbara Yin’bashaal - Writer@wxchuck as Valandil Lightfoot and Laeleus Stormwing - Writer@Scaflar_ as Aarlf Yanida - Writer@froggies_mom as The Lady of Livrosea and Ludwig Hoodenpyl - Writer, puzzlemaker, layout artist, Romansion ad copy@Jimtherabidcow - Pressman@AugustCristofer - Xarv Concert Poster Artist@ KuroSakura93 - Asked to draw art of a 50’s housewife and not told it was for a lewd joke. “Move the pie lower, Kuro”@RoadRunnerMoose - Weather icons

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