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They had just vanquished an evil undead presence in the dire woods [soon to be renamed as the not quite as fire as they used to be woods] |
The returned to the Eladrin city, where they were greeted as the heroes they are. Ultain was restored yet again to the land of the living and given a shield to help keep him there. |
There was much discussion and a group of Dwarves had turned up to claim the still imprisoned form of the Dwarven warlock Drag Durrach. Eager to see this evil necromancer destroyed Grax asks to follow with the dwarves, but they decline however they give Isabella the runes necessary to travel by portal to the great dwarv... |
The Dwarves will be travelling by airship and will arrive there in a months time. Isabella agress to meet them there, and the heroes depart as friends to the Eladrin. |
This gives the group time to regroup back at their headquarters, to train up and sort themselves out. |
The Guild of Heroes does something heroic |
For the first time in centuries the Guild of Heroes successfully vanquishes the foes of all that is good and righteous in the world. Wait, that just makes them sound incompentent. I should caveat that introduction by mentioning the fact that the Guild was destroyed centuries ago in a fierce internal conflict, and has o... |
And so Bosmath the Druid, Isabella the Bard, Ultan the Runepriest and Grax the (now admitted) Assassin return victorious – dead victorious in Ultan’s case – to the Eladrin city of Leiran through a Fey portal in the Dire Wood. Having been sent deep into the woods to discover the source of the increasing undead activity ... |
DM Note: when you say he got served, I think you mean he beat the living shit out of the party so much he got tired and gave up? |
Itsy Bitsy |
The group have a brief discussion to decide where to go, and agree on the northern door out of the crypt room. Ultan opens one of the doors and again Grax heads off into the shadows. The corridor soon branches into a T-junction, with stairs leading down to the right and a dark room to the left. After much skulking arou... |
Two spiders leap out of the hole, one at Isabella, another at Ultan. Isabella’s Spider fumbles badly and scrambles at the edge of the pit, exposed and unable to attack. Ultan’s Spider however promptly bits him on the leg, just as his Warhammer smashes into its head, damaging it severely. A few short rounds later, Isabe... |
Injured and severely put out, the adventurers risk a full rest in the now cleaned out spider room. Isabella casts a ritual of Eye of Alarm, which allowed the party to rest without setting watch. On this occasion a good roll ensures the guardian isn’t wearing an eye-patch. |
The party wakes up in the same room, and they are still alive (a novel experience of late). Feeling somewhat refreshed they head off towards the stairs they spotted earlier. Grax takes the lead, sneaking closer to the room beyond, where he sees a veritable library of bookshelves, tables and…oh my…lots and lots of rats.... |
Side note: The combat with the rats took a long time, the close quarters and the swarms halving all damage that wasn’t area or close, dragged out the encounter. |
The highlight of the fight arrived with Bosmath casting a spell with Isabella in its area – a brave move given his feelings for her. However, proving the power of love, and the fickleness of Fate, he hits all the rats, and fumbles on his attack roll against Isabella – perfect result. |
As if to cement Fate’s place in the Pantheon of the Gods, as Grax was about to attack [with about +6 in various bonuses] I said the immortal words “Roll anything but a one and you’re fine.” You can all guess what happened next, but unbelievably (perhaps not to the statisticians amongst you who would merely, and dully, ... |
I beat the crap out of Ultan though, so all is well with the universe. |
Another tower |
After a brief portal journey, and a restful night the new group is ready to take on the Dire wood and anything it can throw at them. Grax earns his reputation as a rogue and scouts ahead, finding a tower eventually and directing everyone to it. Isabella confirms there is a strong sense of magic from the place, and Bosm... |
Almost immediately when they reach the bottom of the stairs, they hear shuffling and see glowing yellow eyes in the distance. They move into a room, and Bosmath lights a torch throwing it into the centre of the room, illuminating and agitating the zombies within. Quickly the Group set to work, pulling back to the doorw... |
The room is cleared, and checked, it seems to be some sort of prisoner are, though the prisoners are long dead, and the doors to the cells are rusted closed. Grax elects to scout ahead into the next room, and as he enters he noticed grooves in the floor. As he is pondering this he steps on a pressure plate, and a swing... |
Grax disarms the blades one by one and eventually the door unlocks. |
A short discussion about who’s goes in first ensues. Isabella decides that it should be Ultan. He opens the door, and barely has time to register the Skeleton archers at the far end of the room, before they open fire on him. Luckily the skeleton archers are terrible shots hitting mostly the walls and the door, with jus... |
Despite Ultan taking a beating, the fight went smoothly, Bosmath quickly despatched the Skeleton archers, with some nicely placed spells. Grax, flowed from shadow to shadow, smashing skeletons left and right. Isabella rushed in, her song blade singing as it cut down skeletons, her words of encouragement keeping Ultan o... |
A brief rest later and the group does a thorough search of the crypt, but refuses to open or defile the burial chambers. A magical frost longsword is found attached to the lif of one of the sarcophagi, and Grax promptly claims it. |
Waking up is never easy |
The party regain consciousness in a small cell. It is made of stone, with no windows and a heavy door, the walls are heavily decorated to look like branches and trees, the light in the room is magical, and not from a defined source. All the party members are bound, using vines. |
Standing over the group is a tiefling. He is not bound, but appears as unarmed and un-armoured as the party. He introduces himself as Grax, an adventurer much like the party that was attacked, along with the rest of his group, by hordes of undead. He is the only survivor. He was found by Eladrin soldiers and brought he... |
The group manage to free themselves, Bosmath finding yet another use of Bee form. But wait to see what the Eladrin do. Soon enough they are all escorted through a winding corridor formed from wood, almost as if they are walking through the inside of a huge hollowed out branch, which is precisely what they are doing. Th... |
The Eladrin seated in the room, introduces himself as Teraeth, and explains that they became aware that the wards placed on Draigdurrochs tower had been broken, and they went to investigate, fearing that someone was attempting to complete his work. The Adventurers explain about the frost gem, and how it was being corru... |
Teraeth believes them, and informs them that the Eladrin, deactivated the Stone, and destroyed the tower, to prevent anyone else from following in the warlocks mad plans. He then turns to Grax and speaks briefly with him, and Grax relays that his group was searching for this Draigdurroch themselves when they were attac... |
In this room Draigdurroch floats suspended in Amber, he is unaware and unable to act. The Eladrin are holding him until a representative of the Dwarves can claim him. Grax asks if they will let him return Draigdurroch to the Dwarves as he has vowed vengeance on the dwarf for the death of his friends. The Eladrin refuse... |
The adventurers agree, eager to make up for the unfortunate incident in the frozen tower. Grax asks to accompany them, he’ll get some measure of revenge against the undead. Their equipment is returned to them and off they set. |
Side note: Bosmath’s Bear companion, Elvira, is still weak, but the Eladrin have bonded her spirit with Bosmath, in the hopes of saving her. they warn him that if either of them dies, the other will too. |
Catherine the Great of Russia - World Leaders in History |
Rising from minor Pomeranian nobility to Empress of all Russia, Catherine II changed the political map of both her empire and the European continent. |
Early Life |
Catherine II, or Catherine the Great, was born in Stettin, Prussia, on May 2, 1729. Her father, Christian August, was the prince of a small German principality. Her mother paid little attention to her, favoring her sickly younger brother and leaving Catherine to be raised by the family's governess. After Catherine’s br... |
Rise to Power |
Catherine’s new husband had little interest in spending time with his Prussian wife, so she became very independent. At this time, it was said that she preferred to spend her leisure time reading. After he became emperor in 1761, Peter started acting cruelly toward her and toward his citizens. This soon led to his beco... |
As Empress, Catherine first worked to undo some of the ill effects resulting from the late Peter’s poor leadership, including smoothing relationships with the Russian elite and the Orthodox Church. Later, she crafted a legal document, called the Nakaz, which emphasized the equality of all men, and outlawed torture and ... |
Catherine managed to rise above her husband’s cruelty and become highly independent and ambitious. Her ambitions even extended to her romantic life. Even though she could not remarry after Peter’s death, and had to appear chaste for the public, she was said to have a voracious sexual appetite. She had relationships wit... |
Death and Legacy |
Catherine suffered a stroke in 1796, and died in a coma a few days later. She still remains a source of national pride for most Russians, although historians from other parts of the globe have more mixed opinions. Many criticize her failure to improve living conditions and expand rights for the serfs living under her r... |
More in Society |
40th Anniversary Feature: FROM THE LOOKOUT BOOK |
Sep 16, 2013 | Archive, Feature |
BWR Editor, 1986-1987 |
If white is the color of mischief, then these white walls, this little house of marble we hide behind willing the man with his notebook to find someone else to follow. We hide, kin to bone, to tuft of fur caught in the chain link fence, to everything under the snow: tooth, grass, a skunk’s belly bloated and facing heav... |
Stranger, list the ways weather tilts the body forward, from the ice body to the body made of sand, the body called from mud. The way weather passes through cell by cell, along spine or synapse. How it runs down the body’s current, the long route past lighting or storm. Pay attention to the way a hand curls, how the te... |
Here is a bowl of water, a clean cloth, a whisper. Wash the first story, lie to the second, send the third off to school where it will learn to play with other children. Here are drawers, wooden baskets, boxes. Take this key. Put this key in your pocket. Hold this key so tight the teeth cut into skin. Here is a blanket... |
Janet McAdams is the author of two poetry collections and a novel. Her first book won an American Book Award. She teaches at Kenyon College. |
Article Text |
Toxoplasmosis in heart and heart and lung transplant recipients. |
1. T G Wreghitt, |
2. M Hakim, |
3. J J Gray, |
4. A H Balfour, |
5. P G Stovin, |
6. S Stewart, |
7. J Scott, |
8. T A English, |
9. J Wallwork |
1. Clinical Microbiology, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge. |
Of the first 250 heart and 35 heart and lung transplant recipients at Papworth Hospital, Cambridge, who survived for more than one month after transplantation, 217 heart and 33 heart and lung patients were investigated serologically for evidence of Toxoplasma gondii infection. Six patients acquired primary T gondii... |
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All you need to know about The Bradford Factor – Quick Guide |
All you need to know about The Bradford Factor – Quick Guide |
Absenteeism is one of the most persistent obstacles to productivity, profitability and competitiveness. Organisations measure employee absence in a number of ways – including and excluding different types of absence. As a result, one company may have a higher absence rate than another organisation, simply because it in... |
Many companies fail to distinguish clearly between short-term and long-term absence which can have serious implications to both the organisation’s understanding and management of absence issues. Short term absences are often considered more disruptive than long term absences, due to the fact that it’s often easier to m... |
The Bradford Factor is effectively a formula for measuring employee absence. It measures the number of absence incidents and the duration of each incident, to compute an absence score for each employee. The more absences an employee takes, the higher the score. Therefore, an employee who is absent for 12 days in a row ... |
The Bradford Factor was first developed in the 1980s and has caused some debate over the years. It was originally designed to be used as part of the overall investigation and management of absenteeism. Therefore, it should always be used as part of your overall absenteeism strategy and not as a stand-alone method of tr... |
We have just published a short guide to The Bradford Factor that you are very welcome to download via this link. |
In this free guide we explain, how the Bradford Score is calculated, how and why is it used within organisations and the pros and cons of using. |
Getting a package is a life-changing experience every single time. Getting a package containing food is even more magnificent. Grocery and meal delivery services (e.g. Peapod, Meez Meals) are all the rage right now, but a new demand is emerging in the snack market. These companies offer creative and nutritious options ... |
For $19.95 each month (for the smallest package size), NatureBox snackers receive a surprise box of new munchies, including granola bars, roasted chips and peas, and fruit crisps. Subscribers can also indicate their dietary restrictions and taste preferences when ordering from this California-based company. Unique sele... |
Headquartered in Jersey City, NY, this subscription snack company has a nibblebox and caloriecounterbox, which are filled with portioned snacks like nuts and dried fruit. I’m intrigued by their unique selection of “dips and dippers,” including My Thai (sweet chilli sauce with baked soy bites), Bonnie wee Oatbakes (red ... |
Healthy Surprise |
Headquartered in LA (naturally), Healthy Surprise sends its customers monthly packages of gluten free, corn free, soy free, vegan and all-natural products. So if you can’t live without crunchy kale and organic chocolate straight from the cooperative farms in Ecuador, this company definitely suits your needs. |
Founder and CEO Sheila Guo calls Peckish the “the Netflix for healthy snacks”, and her Chicago-based company delivers wholesome and nutritious snacks right to people’s cubicles. Snackers pay $5.99 for four snack mixes that are personalized to their tastes (e.g. energy booster, protein, sweet tooth). Flavors include The... |
SnackItToMe! is a Chicago-based snack delivery company that provides corporate snackers a box of ten unique items each week. Like Healthy Surprise, SnackItToMe!’s snacks are sourced from vendors whose brands I recognize, including Jolly Oak Granola, The Good Bean, and dry roasted edamame from Seapoint Farms. As an avid... |
How did you start SnackItToMe!? |
For the first 8 years of my career, I spent roughly half of my time behind a desk and the other half traveling. I was always in search of healthy snacks for the office and the road, and if I didn’t plan ahead, preparing and bringing in my own, it was often very difficult. Plus every time there was breakfast/lunch/snack... |
Have you always been a health nut? Why did you decide to become a personal trainer? |
I have always been passionate about diet and exercise. I think much of it comes from my mom’s influence. She was and still is a meticulously healthy eater and is very active. I became a trainer to allow me to share this passion with others. I grew tired of the corporate grind and wanted to do something that actually im... |
1489263_10152142767179316_1290913756_n.jpgHow do you decide what kinds of snacks go into the box (e.g. 1/2 sweet, 1/2 savory, 1/4 nuts, nothing above 300 calories)? |
Sourcing our snacks was and still is a very time-consuming process I began roughly a year prior to our launch conducting Google searches, sending emails, inquiries and making calls. We go after products that are made with real ingredients, are all-natural, preservative-free and calorie-conscious. Many also happen to be... |
What’s the hardest hurdle you’ve faced since starting the company? |
The biggest hurdle has probably been marketing. Our main focus has been developing snack-plans for corporations and each company has a different point person for a program like this. The fact that we provide regular snacks for the break room as well as per-event snack-catering further complicates this. |
There are other similar snack delivery services out there–what makes your company different? |
Our models are very different. Graze and NatureBox sell a box containing an assortment of snack mixes, which they source and private label. So their vendors are all anonymous. Part of what makes us unique is that our vendors are also our partners. For us, it’s incredibly rewarding to help other business, but also to ex... |
1017135_10152241180129316_1200690083_n.jpgDo you have any plans to expand your delivery area? |
We did expand our zone to some extent in December. We now ship Nationwide for orders of 3 or more boxes, or snack-plans catering to 5 or more employees. We have picked up a few customers outside of the area, but we aren’t actively marketing outside of Chicago. |
I know you emphasize “corporate wellness,” but what about snacking habits at home? |
Our focus is on corporate wellness because this is where it seems most people fall short. When at home, people have access to their kitchens, and with a bit of planning, can easily ensure healthy options are available. Since people are increasingly busy, sometimes that same level of planning doesn’t translate into thei... |
Three US based Nigerian doctors separate conjoined twins in Houston |
NIGERIANS abroad have again lifted the image of the country as three US-based Nigerian medical doctors are counted among a medical team that accomplished the unusual feat of successfully separating conjoined twins in what is now making the waves in the US media and the medical world globally. |
The 26-hour long historic surgical separation of 10 months old conjoined twins in a Houston, Texas hospital was recently conducted by a medical team that included among others, two Nigerian female doctors and one male doctor, Professor Oluyinka Olutoye, one of the top surgeons in the team. |
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