Chimeron's Library
Lore and History
Lore and History
The following documents have been deemed to hold historical merit. Though these have been saved for posterity, we at the library do not necessarily recommend following the advice of all of these articles. Aeston's advice still holds true, though this was written while Rhiassa was still a part of Chimeron. A more up to date version of Aeston's Advice can be found in Rhiassa's Library. The Mortal Court came about in part due to Fae courts' percieved incursions on the mortal Realms, and was a historical organization. The Stone Shield Alliance Treaty is still in effect to this day, but the documentation shown is not the current version. And finally, our timeline; We have not been able to check every historical event therein, though we have slipped a few notes on papers between the pages. Please return these notes where you find them.
The ABC's of Chimeron
by Sir Lucas
A- is for Aeston who cooks for us.
B - is for Bane, Thane of Cawdyll.
C- is for Cassia, who, well.... you know what she does.
D - is for Dirk, The fighter in the Guild of Confusion.
E - is for Eric, the Queen's Brother, Lady's Man Extraordinary.
F - is for the Fox who once menaced over our ladies.
G - is for Sir Gonf, married to our own Sir Rebecca Silver.
H - is for Heron, our resident Wild Mage.
I - is for Innocence, some of us are, some of us ... aren't.
J - is for Junior. The mortal who plays Fairy games.
K - is for Kerigan. No stauncher ally would I want in battle.
L - is for Sir Lars Moorshold. May his memory never fade.
M - is for Sir McKrye and Sir Makhta.
N - is for Lord Nathaniel who follows me across dimensions.
O - is for Oberon who stole our Princess Dee.
P - is for Pol Coville, our crotchety, lightning tossing old fart.
Q - is for Queen Marguerite, our Inspiration and reason to fight.
R - is for Sir Rebecca Silver, who met herself. Sort of...
S - is for Sir Shane Campbell, the Avatar of Rowanom.
T - is for Tuck, a confusing hatchet wielding Healer. Just ask Heron
U - is for Underground tunnels, we sure seem to have a lot of them.
V - is for Vinal, one of the best warriors.
W - is for wench. We've got the best Kate, Queen of the Wenches' Guild.
X - is for Xylophone because X is always for xylophone.
Y - is for young fighters who swell our ranks each fall.
Z - is for Zeek, a better Combat Healer can not be found.
Aeston's Advice for Newbies
Newbies of Chimeron, fighter and spellcaster alike...
Get feast gear.
If I could offer you only one tip for getting by in this country, feast gear would be it. The long-term benefits of feast gear are greatly enforced by Lady Cassia and many other people whom you don't want to mess with, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.
Enjoy the carefree simplicity of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the carefree simplicity of your youth until it's faded. But trust me, in 5 years, you'll think of how it used to be, and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much nicer it was when you weren't deeply involved in sixteen hopeless quests to save the world. Armor isn't as heavy as the hero's burden that goes with it.
Don't worry about the nightquest. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to earn a magic sword by mixing honey-butter. The real dangers that you will face are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that attack during a feast, or a wedding, or whenever it's most inconvenient.
Don't ask about McKrye's first name.
Spar.
Don't be reckless with other people's pikes. Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.
Learn to make weapons.
Don't waste your time with regrets. Sometimes you'll make the right move, sometimes you'll mess up. The battle against evil is an epic one, and you're not gonna lose it because of one bad choice.
Remember the times you saved the day, forget those times you thought you wouldn't need a coif. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.
Keep your old Views from Valehaven. Throw away your old spell components.
Render the regenerating thing.
Don't feel guilty if you don't know what spells to take. The most interesting casters I know didn't know when they started what first circle spell to take. Some of the most interesting three-pathers I know still can't decide on their final spell.
Don't be in a hurry to become an oldbie. They may get more respect, but their knees hurt. Get some knee pads.
Maybe you'll huck magic missles, maybe you'll wield a greatsword. Maybe you'll create potions, maybe you'll call forth the soul of your lord after he's been rendered soulless. Whatever you do, don't act too haughty with your abilities, don't act too humble either. Your skills are half luck. So are everybody else's.
Get a nice dagger. Duel with it all the time. Don't be afraid of hurting your hand with a bad parry, or messing up a Raise Dead with it. It's one of the finest tools you'll ever own.
Dance at the Black & White, even if you have to steal someone's partner.
Listen to the Nobles, even if you don't obey them.
Don't challenge Makhta to a drinking contest, it will only make you feel bad.
Get to know your spellcasters. They're always doing something-or-other on another plane and you never know when they won't be able to make it back.
Be nice to the servants. No one will ever do a better job of seeing to your needs and enjoy doing it. And tip them once and a while, too.
Understand that heroes come and go, but there are a precious few you should get to know very well. Work hard to bridge the gaps between nation and race, because the older you get, the more you'll appreciate someone who can fight truthfully by your side.
Live in Qua Taereth Nuuna once, but leave before it makes you hard. Stay at The Bar & Wench once, but leave before it makes you soft.
Haggle at the Chimeron Shop.
Accept certain inalienable truths: You'll need magic to kill the monsters. Followers of Aurora will go mad. The Queen will turn up missing. You, too, will become an oldbie. And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young, you could take down the monsters with your normal sword, Aurorites were perfectly sane, the Queen was always fine, and peasants respected their lords.
Respect your lords.
Don't expect the undead to stay down. Maybe they have hidden their souls, maybe they have evil overlords raising them. Keep your eyes open, you'll never know when they'll get back up again.
Don't change your verbals too often or you'll end up creating a love potion while you're trying to heal a limb.
Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it.
Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.
But trust me on the feast gear...
The Chimeron Dictionary
Avatar: A Knight of Chimeron. Their Knightly ability is to be able to absorb the wound from another and take it on to themselves instead. A self sacrificial power, if the Avatar takes on the rendering of someone it is commonly believed that since it was a willing sacrifice, that the soul of the Avatar would never be retrievable. This has never been tried.
Blak: Once the Sheriff of Chimeron. He was serving as a Knight of Hades for a few years. (See sheep)
Chimeron Library: A little learning is a dangerous thing. The library is usually hauled out at parties.
Brenda: Minor northern Goddess. Usually brings us ice cream.
Crown: Official coin of the Realm. 30 Rowen equals one Crown.
Deep Hurting: See under "Mamma's Margaritas."
Dirk: Small, sharp knife, Commonly used for hunting. Also the name of the founder of the Guild of Confusion. He liked to get down with his bad self.
Drow: Evil underground elves responsible for the destruction of the original Rhiassa. If you find a dead one, please see the Herald of the court of Chimeron for application for Sheriff.
Elf Time: About 3 to 4 hours behind usual time. If Prince Eth says he will be there by noon, he means 4:00 PM.
Fae (Fairy): The denizens of the woods around Chimeron. These creatures are more trouble than they are worth.
Faestone: Small stone used to ward off Fay. The fairystones are found dry, by the side of a stream and have had a hole bored into them by the action of the water. To protect against Chimeronian brides from being kidnapped, they are commonly given one to wear during the ceremony.
Fury, The: Seven demons summoned by assembling the 7 Swords of Wayland in one place. The demons take over the bodies of the wielders of the swords. Since the destruction of one of the swords (Belith) believed to be impossible to summon again. No one has tried. Read as Chimeron no-no. Please see Sheriff if attempting.
"Head or Gut": A phrase used to distract a friend while you kill them...For their own good of course.
King's pants, The: No one speaks of The King's Pants! (Yeah, like we're gonna tell you what that was all about.)
Marriage: An often attempted, seldom attained state of bliss. We'd put more, but they're pretty rare for us. No, really.
Magi: Member of the Order of the Magi. Magus Prime: the Head of the Order of the Magi.
Mama's Marharitas: A killer drink served in the Bar and Wench. Generally causes extreme hangovers (Deep Hurting) the next day. Rumored to have been passed down to Lady Cassia by Queen Meg, who had the recipe from her mother. Not to be drunk lightly.
McKryelings: Members of Qua Taereth Nuuna. This term was coined when the members of this county were young and mostly innocent. Most of the citizens of Qua Taereth Nuuna are older and wiser now, so the phrase is really no longer applicable.
Megitude: This was a term of endearment of the people of Chimeron for Queen Meg, as in "Yes, your Megitude." If a non citizen of Chimeron were caught using this term to the Queen's face, the members of Chimeron would have considered it disrespectful.
Plaid: Commonly referred to as 'Œskir', followed by a 'Œwhum' & "dead." See Shane.
Realms Time: About 1 hour behind usual time. If court is supposed to start at 6:00, it usually starts at 7:00.
Rock, Paper, Scissors: A method for determining the best choice in a situation where all sides are equal. Don’t play against Sir Callin of Folkestone. He cheats to win.
Rowen: Official coin of the Realm of Chimeron. A Rowen is about a day's wage. 30 Rowen equals one silver Crown.
Royal House: The King's personal household. The King considers these people his family and their advice and help keeps Chimeron running smoothly. Each member of the household has a permanent room set up for them in the castle, regardless of where they make their permanent address.
Sally: Someone who is a coward, as in "He is such a sally." Also, a moment of cowardice, as in "I ran like a sally!"
Scapegoat: This is a position held within the court of Chimeron. If something goes wrong it is the scapegoats' fault. Period. This position is commonly held for life. Please see the Court Herald for an application.
Shane: Past Theign of Cawdyll. Ascended to the right hand of Rowinom[sic], the God of Raging battle. Has never worn a skirt.
Sheep: See Blak.
Smite: The process whereby the Sheriff of Chimeron usually loses his job.
Speedbump: See Folkstone for definition. Ask nicely.
Taithan: Who? Never heard of him.
Volkeswagon: A towel for cleaning up spills. Please... don't ask, it's a long and embarrassing story.
Wench: A coin of the Realm, 3 Wenches equals 1 Rowen. Also: A woman who serves drinks in a tavern, Unlike other Kingdoms, there is no implicit assumption that a Wench will also provide sexual favors for a price. Wench is not considered an insult in Chimeron. The Queen was often referred to as a Wench by her oldest friends. Newbies are not advised to make such a reference on their own.
"You know I love you, right?": This phrase is often used to bridge that awkward situation when you have to kill a person who is like family to you. You know- like they are possessed or they have been turned into a Vampire. Sometimes the only way to get better is to be dead (and/or soulless).
The Mortal Court
The Mortal court was publicly announced at The Black and White of '05. At that time two Dukes/Duchesses were missing. I'll try to keep this list up to date.
-Lady Tarnisha
The ides of April, '06
Latest update: A week before ToCreathorne'07
D. Hope - King Pyr
D. Shade - Sir Zula
D. Seige - Magus Zeek
D. Mercy - Baron Diamond
D. Chaos - Dame Freesia
D. Storms - Higer
D. Defence- Draco
D. Piety - Squire Chan
D. Pride - Dame Shalindra
D. Balance- Dame Makela
D. Revelry- Syruss
D. Vigilance - King Jarrod
D. Determination- Kyomi
D. Retribution - Khol
D. Innovation - Lady Adara
The Stone Shield Alliance Treaty
We, the undersigned, as leaders of our respective nations, do heretofore pledge to be bound by this treaty to accomplish the following:
1. We hereby form a defensive alliance to manage internal and external threats to member nations.
2. The laws of each member nation will be recognized and upheld as pertains to crimes committed against each nation (as in the example of outlaws on the run.)
[Editor's Note: The third stipulation, "We pledge to meet periodically to work toward the ultimate goal of unifying our legal systems through a set of universally agreed upon laws." is not longer applicable in the modern day, as some of the nations that have signed have laws which come into conflict with each other. However, the other laws and stipulations shall be upheld.]
