In Lusternia, the Nine Seals holding the Soulless Gods had to be weakened in order to combat a threat to creation from a mysterious entity. Now, the only way to recharge the seals is for one mortal to ascend to godhood! Join us for Ascension Event 2007 where challenges throughout January will culminate in the ultimate reward: the Gift of Divinity.

It's been a busy few weeks for Imperian, finalising code for the release of the brand new Guild Charter system, creating brand new content, and continuing to provide the high level of consistent game play that has truly become a trademark of the realm. A Capture-The-Flag between the guilds showed the additional benefits of multiple Professions within a Guild, and the week before one of the unique games, the Scavenger Hunt, was once more held by the Master of Games with much enjoyment by the participants. Most recently, Timas decided to share more of his great wealth with the continent in the form of present boxes, but the glittering paper attracted the attention of many imps who stole the boxes, and they had to be hunted down and caught, providing hours of enjoyment as well as some stunningly generous gifts.

Recently in Aetolia, the entirety of Sapience has been adjusting to the momentous outcome of the experiments of Geryon, Keeper of the Sanctum. With the aid of Dorla, a Necromantic teacher, Geryon had developed a brand new method of curing for the undead, christened Reanimation. The undead now begin to harvest organs from slain creatures and using them to create the serums and poultices for curing. Meanwhile, the Druids struggled with the spirit of their old oak tree as they began to grow a new Guildhall, eventually reconciling and persuading the spirit to bond with the acorn of the new tree. A hidden encampment of Trolls known as Craneskull was discovered by Resiak Heroun while assisting the explorer Navaee. Various undead managed to infiltrate the Great Oak of Eleusis, slaying the Sentinels Guild's Tutor Inesse in cold blood before moving on to damaging the Oak itself before being expelled. After a series of difficult endeavours, the Sentinels eventually managed to resurrect their faithful tutor. Most recently, the Divine Order of Haern and its allies, led by Rosalind, worked to push a mysterious cocoon into the toxic lake of Kalydian in order to try to open it. Unfortunately, a monstrous gloch seized the cocoon and refused to let anyone near it, and it was recovered only by great strength of arms thanks to a group led by Wylliam, the fight managing to crack the cocoon open - revealing the return of Slyphe, the Tempest.

Following the mysterious departure of the elemental guardians of the master crystal of the Crystalline Circle, natural disasters wracked the land, ranging from earthquakes to volcanic eruptions to sandstorms. These were eventually calmed after the long-exiled forest spirit Propasia, with the aid of her sister forest spirits, became reborn as Artemis, Goddess of the Cataclysm. Achaea welcomes the newborn warrior goddess Artemis, also known as the Wrath of Nature, to its pantheon of Gods!

It has been an exciting month for explorers in the dark world of Aetolia! A hurricane of unprecedented strength hit the city of Ashtan, prompting a mass evacuation. When the citizens returned, they found their beloved isles rearranged! Then a violent earthquake split the earth near Spinesreach, revealing a series of abandoned tunnels dubbed the Telfinne Caverns. More recently, Ashtani citizens discovered that the city's rooftops were infested with thieves. Then came the signs of the return of an ancient, dark power in the Itzatl rainforest. The legendary Ati is said to be stirring once more, much to the dismay of the jungle villagers. Most disturbingly, however, agents of Bloodloch invaded a nearby settlement and enslaved the Dwarves there, murdering any who opposed their cruel regime. The shadows thicken in every corner of the world - will you oppose the mounting tide of darkness or use it to your advantage?

Recent months have proven to be eventful for the inhabitants of Aetherius. In Imperian, a world ruled by strife and conflict, it is no surprise that mortals have pushed hard to further define themselves and those places where they live. The council of Khandava has taken a strong move against demons, while Celidon was faced with the deadly touch of Necromancy that had previously seemed to bypass their home. The conflict of magick, demons, and fayth grips every corner of the world, which was only intensified by the addition of professions. While enabling someone to acquire the skills of every profession within their circle of influence, it has also forced current guilds to look hard to themselves and set their role in the world. While you are confined to using the skills of one profession at a time, it allows guilds to have people of different professions within them at any given time, and provides for diversity. The introduction of professions as they are now, is only the first step. The citizens of Aetherius can expect to see more brought in in the near future as this major change settles and people become accustomed to them.

In Achaea, the class of Bards has just received a significant update, including several new abilities such as Songbirds and Limerick, the ability to Tunesmith their songblessed rapiers, and much more!

Iron Realms Entertainment is celebrating Player Appreciation Week! Until October 31st we will be running a 15% bonus sale. Additionally, all active characters received 20 free credits and will enjoy a 24 hour bonus to all experience gained this Saturday.

Two new systems based upon the principle of mutual consent, Friends and Rivals, were unveiled today in Achaea! The friends system allows you to befriend others, granting you and your friends new features such as notifications when your friends enter the realms, while the rivals system allows you to hunt down your mutually acknowledged rivals without mercy!

During Lusternia's Second Year Anniversary celebrations, the bard archetype was released. The Harbingers Guild was the first of the bards guild, founded by Nirrti of Glomdoring. Bards write their own lyrics to songs which they then can imbue with certain magical powers. Thus, they sing their custom songs and release the magic!

Aetolia has been awash with events this week, including a new area! A frog-jumping contest was held by a village child, with prizes including trophies and ancient legends. Hobbyists and biologists rejoiced to hear of the hatching of a new species - the taerilan! Players have begun experimenting in methods of breeding and caring for the enormous, feathered creatures, but the results are as yet uncertain at best. Abandon, infested aqueducts were also discovered twining beneath the city of Spinesreach. Most recently, the strategic collectible tile game Triptycha called sharp minds together for an intense tournament with hundreds of credits in prizes!

In Achaea, the House tutors of the Wardens of the Cerulean Spire and the Spirit Walkers were found unconscious, around the same time that those of the Shaman and Runewarden classes discovered that they had mysteriously lost their power to sketch runes! When revived, the tutors revealed the forgotten history of Runelore: the story of its original loss in ages past, and the secret of what must have recently caused it to sicken once more. With the tutors' help, the practitioners of Runelore were able to restore their art to fullness, in the process rediscovering five runes lost long ago, Runeblades, and more!

Lusternia releases expansions for the Aethercraft Skill! Travel through the aethers on a dimensional ship as either a Commander, Combateer or Empath by either building your own ship or joining a crew!

A troop of triton warriors were noticed wandering along the roads, seemingly on a mission but speaking a tritonic dialect unknown to the Achaean adventurers who encountered them. An enchanted conch shell was found that acted as a translation device, and the triton warriors, wary of "landwalkers" but in need of help in navigating dry land, grudgingly let it be known that they were on a reconnaissance mission to locate an oceanic city last known to be off the western coast near the Northreach Forest. Guided by a group of Achaeans, the tritons finally came upon the coastal location where the city was supposed to be. Climbing down treacherous cliffs descending into the ocean, the tritons and their guides found there the ruins of the underwater mermic kingdom, Phereklos!.

Aetolians discovered a new area called the Drakuum caverns near the underground city of Bloodloch, haunted by the spirits of fallen Paladins and Daru monks. But Aetolians have also found themselves distracted by recent events that could end to their advantage. After a long meteor shower, Spinesreach citizens collected the most fallen stars and received a special blessing from the stars themselves. A bit later, the winner of a Quiz in Aetolian trivia chose to share her blessing with Spinesreach. Meanwhile, a hunt for a legendary butterfly ended in tears when the beautiful creature was found to have been ground to a pulp for a sorcerer's evil (and failed) attempt at gaining power.

An elderly Atavian wanderer was seen ambling through the cities of Achaea, trailed by birds wherever he went. Following his journey to each city, the old man revealed himself to be the elder god Vastar, the Skylord, long unseen in the realms!

In Achaea, yet another new area was unveiled. The elderly ornithologist Ignatius was found lost in the bog near the city Ashtan, on his way to procure equipment for an unlikely mountain-climbing expedition. Excited by the sight of black cranes he had seen flying into the Northern Vashnar Mountains, the bird-loving old gent was determined to see them up close. With the help of a cadre of adventurers, especially his climbing partner Arcani, he scaled the mountains and found his way into a hidden valley: Xhaiden Dale!

In Aetolia, a master horseman known as Saiae Yesaile made himself known from the Aalen forest this day. As a crowd gathered around him, he issued a challenge: an all-out race to the seaside village of Shastaan. Swift as he was atop his well-bred stallion, there were Aetolians swifter still, and Saiae did not win the race. However, he could not immediately fulfill his promise of teaching the people of Sapience the skill of Horsemanship as there were so few stables to speak of in the land. Soon, however, he returned from his trek across the continent, having convinced a number of tradesmen to open new stables. With that done, he set to instructing all that came in the art of riding. What effects this new knowledge will have on Sapience remains to be seen.

Lusternia introduced a new skillset called Dramatics, that supplements its innovative Influence skill, whereby players engage mobiles in ego battles, a form of non-lethal combat. Dramatics allows players to perform certain roles, like that of a bully or a sycophant or vagabond, to augment their influence skills. Also, players with dramatics gain storytelling skills to increase the ego of certain sentient mobs. Other skills in dramatics are more for roleplaying and entertaining, such as masking your shouts or the ever-popular genderbend for the ultimate in cross-dressing!

The discovery of an injured scout on the Raphaelan Highway of Achaea ended in tragedy when the scout perished from his wounds, but not before he had given away the general whereabouts of his home, the long-secluded Adryn's Keep. A hidden path off the southern river Zaphar was found to lead to the feudal estate, harried of late by a group of evil bandits and thieves.

Exciting events in Achaea over the weekend of July 29th-30th culminated in the shattering of the ward around the mysterious man sustaining the triple eclipse, by now known to be the age-old, power-hungry foe of the gods, Slith, Prince of the Undead Legions, disowned son of Ugrach, King of the Underworld! Leading to this event, the legendary Staff of the Lorewardens guided the explorer Delphinus to the long-lost study of Meran'tir, the First of the Lorewardens. Armed with knowledge from the study, as well as a fragment of unicorn horn found there, Delphinus gave life to the ephemeral nightmare foal as a unicorn, the first true unicorn since the War of Humanity. A deal was struck with Ugrach for a blood ruby containing a part of the essence of his son, instrumental in the breaking of the powerful ward around Slith, albeit at a heavy price. Though the undead prince decimated the Achaeans amassed against him before his escape, the realm is graced by the light of the sun once more.

A stumble in the darkness in Achaea cost Titania, the Queen of the Dryads, a precious gift of jewellery from her beloved King of the Fairies, lost down the river Zaphar within the belly of a silver-backed fish. With the assistance of the Old Man of the River, friends of Titania found access to large, previously unexplored segments of the river Zaphar and found for the lovely Queen her ring.

Previously, a lone ebon-maned nightmare, an ephemeral horse from the realm of Dreams, appeared on the Sangre plains in Achaea, hunted by a colony of numerous giant white bats intent upon her demise. After the bats were slain through the efforts of many, a net previously used to capture the nychtaur became a silvery bridle for the nightmare, who appeared to be heavy with foal. She was led away to the safety of the Temple of the Moon, but later fled back to the Sangre. Over the weekend of July 22nd-23rd, a lost prophetess was found by Achaeans, unconscious and bound within a secret cavern. The pregnant nightmare was able to revive the prophetess, then went into labour shortly after, giving birth to a female foal before herself perishing. Mystical beasts called lamassus, with the heads of women, bodies of panthers, and wings of ravens, took charge of the care of the foal and the wounded prophetess.

The reign of the fearsome nychtaur, begun following the thrice-darkening of the sun of Achaea, was ended in an unexpected and dramatic manner this day. A mystical net charged with the moon's reflection in waters throughout the land was thrown to capture the nychtaur, upon which his curse was lifted and he showed his true form. This exciting saga culminated in the arrival of the goddess of dreams, Valnurana, and the god of death, Thoth, long unseen in the realms. The mysterious origins of the nychtaur and the herd of nightmares recently seen in the realms were revealed soon thereafter. Still, the triune eclipse of the sun continues to shroud the world in darkness, with no end to the perpetual night in sight.

In Achaea, following a daring rescue of the ferryman Nate, battling tempestuous seas and sea monsters brought to the ocean surface in the unnaturally prolonged eclipse, adventurers stumbled upon the previously undiscovered seaside village of Ka'doloki!

Strange phenomena continues to sweep the thrice-eclipsed realm of Achaea. The lunar oracle Astara wanders the realms telling mysterious dark fortunes, fountains all across the land have begun flowing with blood, and a massive herd of ethereal ebon-maned nightmares have appeared spreading surreal, disturbing waking dreams, and very much more. A glowing door has been seen appearing at random that, once entered, leads to an endless hallway surrounded by doors leading to countless farflung places. The wizard Hycanthus claims it as his handiwork, the result of a failed attempt to end the eclipse. Truly, these are interesting times in Achaea.

In the realm of Achaea, following the grandiose opening gala of a new planetarium in the city of Hashan, a triple eclipse of the sun has plunged the world into perpetual darkness! By some arcane power, the mysterious and wealthy benefactor of the planetarium has locked the triune eclipsing planets into orbit in accordance with the sun, extending the eclipse while he siphons off the energy of the sun while he for what is claimed to be philanthropic ends.

The spirits of the forests vanished following the eclipse, all but the spirits of the Darkenwood. Without the sun's nurturing rays, forests and groves suffered across the land. Led by Thenidiel, High Priestess of the Goddess of the Seasons and with the help of Kalleah, spirit of the Hazel, a group of adventurers discovered the whereabouts of the spirits and were able to rejuvenate the forests for a time.

Every midnight since the beginning of the unnatural eclipse, the city-states of Achaea have become beset by a fearsome demonic bull called the nychtaur. Achaeans band together in patrols every midnight to overcome the terrible nychtaur. However, rampaging beast vanishes in green flames when slain, and reappears the next midnight in a different city.

Townes can now hire guards in the growing realm of Imperian. Not only can governors hire guards from the local towne populous, they recruit trained soldiers from the capital city or council. Additionally, cities, councils, and townes can create barracks. These locations serve as stations for guards to rest, waiting to defend player citizens when called for assistance.

The villagers of Tasur'ke in Aetolia, were greatly dismayed as Divine essence streamed into the totem, producing a great wyvern spirit that slew all undead in its path. The wyvern then accidentally awakened an alabaster gargoyle and the two creatures entered combat, unharmed by mortal weapons and each other. Silvertooth and Inesse proposed ways of weakening the creatures but the forces of the undead were soon victorious, slaying the spirit and protecting their stone champion, who cleansed the village of the forest's touch.

The Hunter, Diavlous, Noctusari, and Malignists classleads have been released in Imperian. Last weekend saw Antioch triumph in an exciting game of Capture the Flag. In addition, several more artifacts have been discovered, including a series of priceless shields. Be sure to check in tomorrow for a Quiz at 22:00 GMT.

In Lusternia, an intricate and riveting event involving dark spirits plaguing the Serenwilde Forest concluded with the return of the Elder God Charune and two new spells being added to the Stag and Crow totem skillsets. The event was so exciting that at least one player was awake over 24 real-time hours to see the event through to the end!

Adventurers in Achaea assisted a fisherman in escorting his young daughter to a monastery upon a secluded coastal isle, bringing back word of the beautiful Isle of New Hope to the mainland.

Upon this day, the Gods of the Church of Achaea gathered to bequest upon the Church the Codex of Light! May this Codex, like the Holy Codex before it, illuminate the path of the seekers and champions of the Light.

Sheltered within the Shamtota Hills in Achaea, the mining town of Nimick has deliberately concealed itself from the world at large for many years. This state of affairs has now ended, and the villagers' rebel faction leader has revealed its existence and whereabouts to all.

Two new areas have been discovered in Aetolia! A group of bandits has set up camp near to Spinesreach in Three Rock, plotting to ransack the nearby city and steal their goods. Also, the experiments of the now deceased Jirken were discovered near to Enorian. The malformed creatures are full of rage at the city for their complacency in stopping Jirken from torturing them. Explore these exciting areas at your own risk!

Two small areas have opened recently in Achaea. The first is the Wander Inn, a relaxing haven for explorers of the world to rest their feet between expeditions. Nestled within the historical town of New Thera, the Inn includes an exclusive members'-only area open only to those who are able to prove their skills in exploration. The second is Aurick Manor, the large and lavish home of a suspiciously wealthy family in the seaside town of Tasur'ke.

Recently, in Imperian, the northern council of Ithaqua, triumphed in an exciting game of Capture the Flag. The organization has won the coveted commodity merchant from the desert city, Antioch. In addition, Imperian has recently released twenty new artifacts, ranging from the simple money pouch and fishing lures, to the exciting stone totems and silver flintlocks.

Lusternia opened up a new area called Snow Valley, an arctic location where wooly mammoths struggle to survive alongside sabertooth cats and enormous cave bears. Snow Valley is also the home to a tribe of the igasho race which has been invaded by a tribe of the taurian race. Players can help either the igasho or the taurian against the other through elaborate quests--though the storyline isn't as black and white as it may seem at first glance!

Players of the guardian/priest archetypes in Lusternia are now able to form deep bonds with one of the great cosmic lords, which allows them to choose a specific path of power. Nihilists may choose from the paths of domination, despair, pain, wrath or pestilence, while Celestines can choose from the paths of light, hope, purity, justice or love. Be warned, however, in order for a Demon Lord or Holy Supernal to accept a deep bond, one must first perform arduous quests!

A cadre of Achaean adventurers discovered the hidden Caves of Delmarin this day, populated by a half-snake, half-human race called the Dyissans! The Dyissans are ruled by the ravishing Taralis, the Snake Queen, who instills her xenophobic hatred of all other sentient races upon her followers.

The ranks of the Consanguine have increased, and now new players to Aetolia can more easily learn what it is like to be one of the parasitic undead. The Nightstalkers, creatures who possess basic skills in Mentis and Corpus, are a new class that eventually leads a diligent player into the full embrace of a Vampire or the mystic guild of Bloodborn.

A riddle posed upon the pages of the Holy Codex showed the way to bring to life the dragon shrines of Pentharian, God of Valour. Led by Atanamir, the Platinum Dragon, they opened a portal in the heavens to free Pentharian from His long-time imprisonment by the formidable undead prince Slith. Pentharian joined His power with that of Lorielan, Goddess of Knowledge to heal Tarah and return Her to corporeal form. Welcome home, Pentharian!

In Achaea, a ritual interrupted by a malicious vision results in a catastrophe, severely weakening Tarah, Goddess of Harmony and Compassion, who has taken refuge within the divine artefact known as the Holy Codex. As the pages of the Codex flicker and fade, the fate of the Goddess is in question.

Imperian has added thirty thrilling new 'bashing areas' in the past few months, totaling thousands new rooms and even more mobiles for your leveling pleasure. In addition, each area has been given several quests for your perusal. This rapid expansion is slated to continue, with at least one new area being released every week. Be sure to stop in and check out all the new and exciting places to explore in the world of Imperian!

In Achaea, Dreams of Divine Lands, a de facto war between the city of Evil and the city of Light rages over the mystical Icons of the cities' great Houses, and the armies of Evil have thus far torn down five of the Icons of Shallam , Jewel of the East. A vast waste called the Nishnatoba deadlands, remnants of a legendary battleground, has been unveiled as the field of war.

Aetolia is in the midst of an expansive combat and skill restructuring. Upgrading existing abilities and adding new skills has been our focus over the past several weeks, with more exciting upgrades very soon. If you have not played Aetolia recently, check out additions to the Infernal, Syssin, Teradrim, and Bloodborn classes. Just around the corner are the Sentinels and Magi!