text:
With this, I have completed the trifecta of Pact Magic: the Binder from Tome of Magic serving as a more-than-passable skill-monkey (though he's generally quite flexible in a lot of roles), the Pact Mage serving as a wizard, and this, the Hexenhammer, serving as the front-line warrior.
"Tenebro, Umbra quae Erat, sigillam tuam obsecro.
Redde me! Obscuritatem habeo derigere malleum meum!"
— Mallea Illetrix, a Hexenhammer calling on Tenebrous.
Scholars of Pact Magic are often persecuted, and so practice in secret. Pact Mages regularly falter under the scrutiny, and usually exist only where their experimentation receives at least slight tolerance. Binders are somewhat hardier, whiling away in hidden lairs, perfecting their contact and control of Vestiges.
To the Hexenhammer, such solitude would be a welcome luxury. Instead, these brazen practicioners of soul binding must train for war against the inquisitors who seek to purge them from this world. Clad in armor and calling upon the Vestiges to grant them unsurpassed martial prowess, Hexenhammers fight back against the burning flames of intolerance.
Their skills should not be mistaken for transparency. Perhaps even more than Binders themselves, Hexenhammers operate in the dark and on the periphery — for a Hexenhammer's occultism ekes out under the most totalitarian of regimes. Their fighting spirit comes not of defiance, but necessity.
Creating a Hexenhammer
Hexenhammers are committed to a dark, difficult path, and are beset on all sides by those who see them as abominations. Their very existence is threatened all too often, and they cannot rely on the powers of Vestiges alone to protect them.
Constitution, the fortitude and determination to overcome the adversities facing them, is of critical importance to Hexenhammers, even more so than the Strength to fight their enemies and the Charisma to work with Vestiges.
Despite the extreme conviction of their assailants, Hexenhammers are not inherently Evil — Vestiges are not moral and do not have that much influence over those with whom they make their Pacts. Nonetheless, it is a rare thing for a man or woman devoted to Good to turn to the Vestiges for assistance, especially in the kinds of cultures that produce Hexenhammers. As for Law and Chaos, the witch hammers face a strange dichotomy: they must be ever vigilant and disciplined to survive, but their very existence is a staunch rebellion.
Where Pact Mages are most likely to come from races that tolerate soul binding to one degree or another, Hexenhammers are the opposite — it usually takes the cauldron of extreme religious persecution to produce a Hexenhammer. As such, there are very few Hexenhammers of any race, but when you look at, say, Dwarves who make Pacts, a disproportionate number are Hexenhammers — because they have to be.
Class Features of the Hexenhammer
The following are all class features of the Hexenhammer
Hit Die
(4 + Int modifier skill points per level; x4 at first level) Class Skills: Balance, Bluff, Climb, Concentration, Craft, Decipher Script, Disguise, Gather Information, Hide, Intimidate, Knowledge (Arcana), Knowledge (History), Knowledge (Local), Knowledge (Religion), Knowledge (the Planes), Listen, Martial Lore, Move Silently, Profession, Ride, Sense Motive, Spot, Survival, Swim, and Tumble.
Table 1: The Hexenhammer
|Base Attack
|Soul Binding (1 Vestige),
Vestigial Determination
|Suppress Sign
|Summon Suffering (1 target)
|Malleus Maleficarum,
Summon Suffering (2 targets)
|Soul Binding (2 Vestiges)
|Summon Suffering (3 targets)
|Soul Binding (3 Vestiges)
|Summon Suffering (4 targets)
|Sealed to the Pact
Hexenhammers are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, and with all types of armor and shields (except tower shields).
Soul Binding (Su)
As the Binder class feature (see Tome of Magic pg. 10-11), except that a Hexenhammer gains different benefits from her Pacts in the form of martial maneuvers.
A Hexenhammer's Effective Binding Level (EBL) and Initiator Level (IL) are the same; this level is equal to her class level plus half her levels in other classes that do not ordinarily advance either. Any class level that does advance either advances both, so that both remain at the same value. Any class level that would advance both only advances the combined level once. The Maximum Vestige Level column of Table 1: The Hexenhammer refers to a single-class Hexenhammer; a multi-class Hexenhammer would have access to Vestiges as a Hexenhammer of her EBL, rather than her actual class level. This includes the number of Vestiges with whom she may make a Pact; beginning at EBL 9th, this is 2 Vestiges, and at EBL 17th, 3 Vestiges.
The Save DCs of the abilities and maneuvers granted to a Hexenhammer are equal to 10 + ½ EBL + Cha or Con, whichever is higher, even if the maneuver in question would usually use a different formula.
A Hexenhammer gains knowledge of maneuvers primarily through her Pacts — each Vestige grants her access to a limited number of maneuvers that she may use. In addition to these Pact-granted maneuvers, a Hexenhammer also learns a few maneuvers of her own, beginning at 3rd level. While Vestiges may grant maneuvers from any discipline or from no known discipline at all, and a Hexenhammer need not meet any of the maneuver's usual prerequisites so long as she maintains the Pact, a Hexenhammer's own maneuvers must be chosen from the Desert Wind, Iron Heart, Shadow Hand, and Stone Dragon disciplines, and the Hexenhammer must meet all of a maneuver's prerequisites, including minimum Initiator Level, before choosing it.
A Hexenhammer's maneuvers use the Save DC formula of Vestige-granted abilities, that is, 10 + ½ IL + Cha or Con, rather than their usual formula.
Beginning at 5th level, and every three levels thereafter (8th, 11th, etc.), a Hexenhammer may choose to 'forget' a maneuver in order to replace it with a new one. The new maneuver need not be the same level as the old, but the Hexenhammer must meet all prerequisites for the maneuver, including its minimum Initiator Level.
Maneuvers Readied
A Hexenhammer's Pact-granted maneuvers are always considered readied. The Manuevers Readied column of Table 1: The Hexehammer refers to the number of her own maneuvers she may ready in addition to those granted by her Pact. It is possible for a Hexenhammer to know a maneuver granted by her Pact, or for two Vestiges to grant the same maneuver; in these cases, unlike most martial adepts, a Hexenhammer can have the same maneuver readied more than once. However, each of her additional maneuvers readied must be uniquely chosen from her list of maneuvers known, so this situation can only come up when two Vestiges grant the same maneuver or when a Vestige grants a maneuver that the Hexenhammer also knows.
Hexenhammers begin combat with all readied maneuvers unexpended and available, regardless of how often they have been used in the past. When used, each maneuver may not be used again for 5 rounds, at which point it is automatically recovered on the Hexenhammer's turn; this is not even a Free Action, but a non-action, and can take place even if the Hexenhammer is unable to take actions — so long as 5 rounds (thirty seconds) have passed, the maneuver is available once again.
Most Vestiges grant knowledge of a Stance, which the Hexenhammer is considered to "know" for the duration of the Pact. In addition, at 5th level, and again at 10th and 15th, a Hexenhammer may choose to learn a Stance of her own from the Desert Wind, Iron Heart, Shadow Hand, and Stone Dragon disciplines. All of these Stances are available to her, and may be entered as a Swift Action.
Vestigial Determination (Su)
So long as she has a Vestige bound to her soul, a Hexenhammer is considered to have the Endurance and Diehard feats. These are considered supernatural abilities, however, as an Anti-Magic Field or Dead Magic Zone suppresses her Pacts.
Suppress Sign (Ex)
As the Binder class feature (see Tome of Magic pg. 11).
Summon Suffering (Su)
Beginning at 4th level, a Hexenhammer who has at least one Vestige bound to her soul may, as a Swift Action, utilize one of two abilities at will — she may either strike out at her foes or protect her allies.
The first version involves damaging both herself and any one target within Close range (25 ft. plus 5 ft. per 2 Initiator Levels) for nonlethal damage equal to her Initiator Level plus her Constitution modifier. This nonlethal damage is converted to lethal damage for any creatures immune to nonlethal damage (including the Hexenhammer herself, if that be the case for her). Her target is further Shaken, and remains so for five rounds. However, beginning when the target is first affected, and once per round at the beginning of the Hexenhammer's turn thereafter, the target may make a Will save to end the effect early. The save DC is 10 + ½ IL + Cha or Con. This is a Pain-based effect; a Hexenhammer unable to feel pain cannot use Summon Suffering.
The second version involves binding an ally's soul to her own, so that any damage done to that ally for the next round is halved, with any damage not done to the ally done to the Hexenhammer herself but as nonlethal damage (unless she is immune to nonlethal damage, in which case it is lethal). For the Hexenhammer, this is another pain-based effect, but cannot be otherwise mitigated. Any mitigation the ally may have is applied to the damage after it is split, so the Hexenhammer receives no benefit from it. This counts as damage dealt to herself through Summon Suffering for the same of her Malleus Maleficarum, below.
Beginning at 8th level, Summon Suffering may be used to attack two enemies, or shield two allies, or shield one ally while attacking one enemy, all in one use of the ability in one Swift Action. At 13th, this number of targets increases to 3, and then again increases to 4 at 19th level. Even if she attacks multiple enemies with it, she only takes the damage herself once.
Malleus Maleficarum (Ex)
When an 8th level Hexenhammer uses a Strike maneuver against a foe she has targetted with Summon Suffering previously in the encounter, she may add nonlethal damage to her strike equal to the sum total of the damage she has taken herself while using Summon Suffering, or she has taken for an ally through any other effect (such as with Shield Other), or healed an ally at the expense of her own HP (such as with Empathic Transfer). If her target is immune to nonlethal damage, then it is lethal. This is a pain-based effect.
If the foe is Shaken, Frightened, or Panicked when struck, that foe is also treated as flat-footed after her attack, until his next turn. Furthermore, if Panicked, the target immediately Cowers, and continues to do so until either the original fear effect(s) wear off, or he succeeds on a DC 10 + ½ IL + Cha or Con Will save, which he may make each round on his turn until he succeeds.
Sealed to the Pact (Su)
At 20th level, a Hexenhammer has turned to the Vestiges completely, relying on them for her safety and protection as well as for the power to do what she needs. So long as she has a Vestige bound to her soul, she cannot die. No effect, no amount of damage, nothing can completely kill her until the Pact runs out. If she would otherwise be dead, however, she cannot form a new Pact, so she only has until the current ones run out before meeting her fate.
Further, the circumstances of her death still influence her: if her Constitution score becomes zero or negative, she may take very large penalties due to low Con (including even lower than the usual minimum of -5, as her Con goes below 0). Effects that kill her instantly do bring her to -10 HP, even though her Diehard feat allows her to avoid most of the penalties for that. Effects that destroy her body leave her Incorporeal, but typically without any way of interacting with the physical world, she can do nothing but watch as her time runs out. Effects that destroy, displace, or capture her soul are thwarted by her bound Vestiges, but after the Pact ends she still dies (but naturally, without anything untoward happening to her soul).
However, whenever this feature prevents her from dying, her soul becomes completely owned by the Vestiges. She not only succumbs to their influence and shows their signs as if she had made a bad binding check, she becomes incapable of resisting their influence. Further, in order to take any action that risks ending her Pact early, she must make a successful binding check; if she fails, she immediately takes steps to prevent the early ending of her Pact for one round before attempting to make the binding check again on the next round (assuming she still can and wishes to risk ending her Pact).
Before her Pact runs out, she may be healed to avoid dying once it does, if the cause of death would have been HP or ability damage and her body is still intact. On the other hand, if she was killed directly by some effect (e.g. Finger of Death), no amount of simple healing will save her. In this state she is a valid target for effects that revive the dead, such as Resurrection (but not effects that do other things with dead creatures, such as Animate Dead or Gentle Repose; other requirements of reviving spells, such as having an intact body, still apply). Since she has not actually died, she remains a valid target for Revivify or similar until her Pact ends (and for a short while thereafter, as normal).
If she is affected by an effect that would bring her back to life, her HP and ability scores are brought to a minimum of 1, and she will not die when her Pact runs out. This also has the effect of removing any effects that would have ended when she died, with the exception of her Pacts themselves. Any penalties for a raising, such as level loss, are deferred until her Pact ends, just as death was.
The Vestiges
Each Vestige that a Hexenhammer may bind grants the Hexenhammer certain martial maneuvers. Not every maneuver is a maneuver actually found in any martial discipline, though most are, but all follow the usual rules for maneuvers. While many are Extraordinary, the Hexenhammer has access to a relatively large number of Supernatural maneuvers. Moreover and probably more importantly, since the Hexenhammer's Pacts themselves are Supernatural, a Hexenhammer loses access to any maneuvers granted by her Pacts while in an Anti-Magic Field or Dead Magic Zone.
All Vestige-granted maneuvers are considered known and readied by the Hexenhammer at all times. A Hexenhammer does not have to meet the maneuver's usual pre-requisites in order to know, ready, and use it, provided she meets the requirements for binding the Vestige that grants it.
Acererak, the Destroyer (5th level)
- Crux of Transcendence (Stance) — Gain constant Detect Undead, Hide from Undead, and Speak with Undead. Also gain Cold Immunity and Electricity Immunity.
- Hand of Death (Shadow Hand Strike) — Touch renders foe paralyzed for 1d3 rounds.
- Negative Energy Infusion (Counter) — All negative energy damage for the round heals you instead of harms you.
- Obscuring Shadow Veil (Shadow Hand Strike) — Deal +5d6 damage and foe has 50% miss chance on attacks for 1 round.
Agares, Truth Betrayed (4th level)
- Earthshaking Step (Strike) — As Agares grants to Binders.
- Overwhelming Mountain Strike (Stone Dragon Strike) — Deal +2d6 damage, target loses move action.
- Roots of the Mountain (Stone Dragon Stance) — +10 bonus on checks against bull rush, trip, and others, and gain DR 2/—.
- Litany Against Fear (Counter) — Turns any Fear effect back upon its user, reveals all falsehoods including Charms and Compulsions.
Amon, the Void Before the Altar (1st level)
- Burning Blade (Desert Wind Boost) — Deal 1d6 fire damage + 1/initiator level.
- Charging Minotaur (Stone Dragon Strike) — Charging bull rush deals damage, ignores attacks of opportunity.
- Greater Darkvision (Stance) — Gain Darkvision out to 60 ft., see through magical darkness
Andras, the Gray Knight (4th level)
- Bonecrusher (Stone Dragon Strike) — Deal +4d6 damage, +10 bonus on attacks to confirm critical hits.
- Divine Surge (Devoted Spirit Strike) — Deal +8d8 damage.
- Discordant Strike (Strike) — Target must make a Will save, or attack nearest ally.
- Pearl of Black Doubt (Diamond Mind Stance) — Gain +2 AC each time foe misses you.
Andromalius, the Repentant Rogue (3rd level)
- Assassin's Stance (Shadow Hand Stance) — Gain +2d6 Sneak Attack damage.
- Clever Positioning (Setting Sun Strike) — Swap positions with target of attack.
- Jester's Defense (Counter) — Just before target makes an attack, force him to break down laughing, provoking attacks of opportunity.
- Trickster's Trade (Stance) — Gain the Locate Item, See the Unseen, and Sense Trickery abilities that Andromalius grants to binders.
Aym, Queen Avarice (1st level)
- Dwarven Step (Stance) — As Aym grants to binders.
- Exorcism of Steel (Iron Heart Strike) — Strike opponent's weapon, it deals -4 damage.
- Holocaust Cloak (Stance) — Attackers take 5 fire damage.
- Stone Bones (Stone Dragon Strike) — Gain DR 5/Adamantine.
Balam, the Bitter Angel (5th level)
- Action Before Thought (Diamond Mind Counter) — Use Concentration check in place of Reflex save.
- Mind Over Body (Diamond Mind Counter) — Use Concentration check in place of Fortitude save.
- Moment of Perfect Mind (Diamond Mind Counter) — Use Concentration check in place of Will save.
- Withering Glare (Stance) — Deal 2d6 Cold damage to one target every turn.
Buer, Grandmother Huntress (4th level)
- Flesh Ripper (Tiger Claw Strike) — Foe's attacks and AC have -4 penalty.
- Huntress's Stance (Stance) — As Hunter's Stance (Tiger Claw Stance), plus the effects of the Buer's Knowledge, Buer's Purity, and Fast Healing abilities granted to binders by Buer.
- Revitalizing Strike (Devoted Spirit Strike) — Successful attack allows you to heal 3d6 + 1/initiator level.
- Tactics of the Wolf (White Raven Stance) — You and allies deal +1 damage/2 initiator levels against flanked target.
Chupoclops, Harbinger of Forever (6th level)
- One With Shadow (Shadow Hand Counter) — Become incorporeal for 1 round.
- Pouncing Charge (Tiger Claw Strike) — When you charge, make multiple attacks.
- Soul-crushing Aura (Stance) — As the Aura of Despair, Ghost Touch, and Soulsense abilities granted by Chupoclops to binders.
- Stalker in the Night (Shadow Hand Strike) — Move and attack while remaining hidden.
Dahlver-Nar, the Tortured One (2nd level)
- Pain Shared (Strike) — Stike transfers damage you have taken to enemy.
- Punishing Stance (Iron Heart Stance) — Attacks deal +1d6 damage, but you have -2 to AC.
- Shield Self (Counter) — As Dahlver-Nar grants to binders, but as an Immediate action, with no save for unwilling targets, and with a duration of only 1 round.
Dantalion, the Star Emperor (5th level)
- Awe of Dantalion (Counter) — As Dantalion grants to binders, except as an Immediate action and with a duration of only 1 round.
- Thoughtful Stance (Stance) — Gain the Dantalion Knows and Read Thoughts abilities that Dantalion grants to binders.
- Shadow Jaunt (Shadow Hand) — Teleport up to 50 ft. through shadows as a Standard action.
- Shadow Stride (Shadow Hand) — Teleport up to 50 ft. through shadows as a Move action.
Eligor, Dragon's Slayer (7th level)
- Chromatic Form (Boost) — Add 1d6 acid, 1d6 cold, 1d6 electricity, and 1d6 fire damage plus 1 damage of any type/initiator level to attacks for 1 round.
- Hydra Slaying Strike (Setting Sun Strike) — Foe is unable to use full attack action.
- Prey on the Weak (Tiger Claw Stance) — Gain Attack of Opportunity for each foe that drops.
- Wyrm's Charge (Strike) — As Salamander's Charge (Desert Wind Strike), but your choice of acid, cold, electricity, or fire damage.
Eurynome, the Mother of the Material (4th level)
- Elder Mountain Hammer (Stone Dragon Strike) — Deal +6d6 damage, overcome DR and hardness.
- Eurynome's Maul (Boost) — For 1 round, add benefits of Eurynome's Maul, as granted to binders, to your own weapon.
- Step of the Dancing Moth (Shadow Hand Stance) — Ignore terrain, walk over liquid.
- Tide of Chaos (Devoted Spirit Stance) — Charge attack deals extra damage against law, grants you concealment.
Focalor, the Prince of Tears (3rd level)
- Aura of the Deep (Stance) — Gain the benefits of the Aura of Sadness and Water Breathing abilities that Focalor grants to binders.
- Call Down the Thunter (Boost) — Add 1d10 lightning damage +1/initiator level to all attacks for 1 round.
- Feigned Opening (Setting Sun Counter) — As an immediate action, provoke an attack, then counter.
- Strike of Sadness (Strike) — Strike blinds target for 1 round.
Geryon, the Deposed Lord (5th level)
- Acid-Etched Blade (Boost) — As Searing Blade (Desert Wind Boost), but acid damage.
- All-Around Ebon Eyes (Stance) — Gain the All-Around Vision and See in Darkness abilities that Geryon grants to binders.
- Daunting Strike (Devoted Spirit Strike) — Target of attack becomes shaken.
- Vitriolic Charge (Strike) — As Searing Charge (Desert Wind Strike), but +6d6 acid damage instead of fire damage.
Haagenti, Mother of Minotaurs (2nd level)
- Blunt Force Trauma (Strike) — Target of attack becomes Confused for 1 round.
- Counter Charge (Setting Sun Counter) — Ruin charge attack, force charging foe to move away from you.
- Immunity to Transformation (Stance) — As Haagenti grants to binders.
- Mountain Hammer (Stone Dragon Strike) — Deal +2d6 damage, overcome DR and hardness.
Halphax, the Angel in the Angle (8th level)
- Architectural Form (Stance) — Gain the Damage Reduction and Halphax's Knowledge abilities that Halphax grants to binders.
- Diamond Defense (Diamond Mind Counter) — Gain save bonus equal to level.
- Earthstrike Quake (Stone Dragon Strike) — Local quake knocks enemies prone.
- Prison Becomes Tomb (Strike) — Strike may Imprison targets, as the spell.
- White Raven Hammer (White Raven Strike) — Deal +6d6 damage, stun opponent.
Haures, the Dreaming Duke (6th level)
- Incorporeal Movement (Stance) — As Haures grants to binders.
- Phantasmal Killer (Strike) — As Haures grants to binders.
- Scorpion Parry (Setting Sun Counter) — Parry attack into second opponent.
- Silhouette (Boost) — Create a mirror image for 1 round; mirror image can attack foes.
Ipos, Prince of Fools (6th level)
- Cold Iron Heart (Stance) — Gain the Cold Iron Claws, Ipos's Influence, Planar Attenuation, and Rend abilities that Ipos grants to Binders.
- Dancing Mongoose (Tiger Claw Boost) — Make one extra attack with each weapon (max of two extra attacks).
- Flanking Maneuver (White Raven Strike) — Hit flanked target, allies gain free attack.
- Flash of Insight (Boost) — As Ipos grants to binders.
Karsus, Hubris in the Blood (3rd level)
- Iron Heart Surge (Iron Heart) — Remove effect, gain +2 morale bonus on attacks.
- Karsus's Strike (Strike) — As the Karsus's Touch that Karsus grants to binders, but after a successful melee attack.
- Karsus's Stance (Stance) — Gain the Heavy Magic, Karsus's Senses, and Karsus's Will abilities that Karsus grants to binders.
Leraje, the Green Herald (1st level)
- Douse the Flames (White Raven Strike) — Target cannot make attacks of opportunity for 1 round.
- Ricochet (Strike) — Attack two adjacent opponents with a ranged attack.
- Sublime Archer (Stance) — Use martial maneuvers with ranged attacks.
- Vanguard Strike (Devoted Spirit Strike) — Allies gain +4 bonus on attacks against target.
Malphas, the Turnfeather (2nd level)
- Backstab (Stance) — Gain +2d6 Sudden Strike damage.
- Bird's Eye Viewing (Stance) — As Malphas grants to binders.
- Cloak of Deception (Shadow Hand Boost) — Turn invisible until the end of your turn.
- Poison Blade (Boost) — Apply a poison to your weapon; do not risk poisoning yourself.
Marchosias, King of Killers (7th level)
- Death in the Dark (Shadow Hand Strike) — Deal +15d6 damage to surprised target.
- Murderer's Pyre (Strike) — Against any target who takes advantage of others' surprise, deal +10d6 fire damage.
- Scything Blade (Iron Heart Boost) — Strike one foe, free attack against another.
- Smoke Form (Stance) — As Marchosias grants to binders.
Naberius, the Grinning Hound (1st level)
- Deceptive Empathy (Counter) — Remove 1 ability damage done to any of your scores, and apply the same damage to the source of the damage.
- Distracting Ember (Desert Wind Boost) — Fire elemental appears, flanks enemy.
- Disguise Self (Stance) — Change appearance while in this stance, as the spell.
- Persuasive Blow (Strike) — Despite the melee attack you have just dealt him, your enemy is Commanded.
Orthos, Sovereign of the Howling Dark (8th level)
- Howling Whirlwind (Strike) — Attack and drive back all adjacent foes, leave them cowering.
- Manipulation of Light (Stance) — Gain the Blindsight and Displacement abilites that Orthos grants to Binders.
- Time Stands Still (Diamond Mind Strike) — Take full attack action two times.
Otiax, the Key to the Gate (5th level)
- Air Bludgeon (Boost) — You may attack as if your weapon were a reach weapon that nonetheless can attack adjacent squares (as a Spiked Chain can), but no Strength to damage.
- Concealing Mist (Stance) — As Otiax grants to Binders.
- Rapid Counter (Diamond Mind Counter) — Strike opponent who provokes attack from you.
- Strike of the Broken Shield (Setting Sun Strike) — Attack deals +4d6 damage, makes target flat-footed.
Paimon, the Dancer (3rd level)
- Dance of Death (Strike) — As Paimon grants to Binders.
- Dextrous Dance (Stance) — Gain the Paimon's Blades, Paimon's Dexterity, and Paimon's Skills abilities that Paimon grants to Binders. Also, being flat-footed does not prevent you from using Counters.
- Iron Whirlwind (Strike) — As Mithral Tornado, but with no bonus to attack.
- Zephyr Dance (Desert Wind Counter) — +4 AC against single attack.
Ronove, the Iron Maiden (1st level)
- Mighty Throw (Setting Sun Strike) — Grab foe, throw him up to 10 ft.
- Steel Wind (Iron Heart Strike) — Attack two opponents.
- Sudden Leap (Tiger Claw Boost) — Jump as a Swift action.
- Way of Iron (Stance) — Replace weapon damage with the unarmed strike damage of a Monk equal to your initiator level.
Savnok, the Instigator (2nd level)
- Call Armor (Stance) — As Savnok grants to Binders, but some properties stack with your existing armor.
- Clinging Shadow Strike (Shadow Hand Strike) — Foe suffers from 20% miss chance on attacks.
- Disarming Strike (Iron Heart Strike) — With successful attack, attempt to disarm foe.
- Move Ally — As Savnok grants to Binders.
Shax, Sea Sister (6th level)
- Freedom of Movement (Boost) — As Shax grants to Binders.
- Leaping Lightning (Counter) — As Leaping Flame (Desert Wind Counter), but electricity damage instead of fire.
- Movement of the Eel (Stance) — Gain the Immunity to Electricity and Swim Speed abilities that Shax grants to Binders.
- Tempest (Strike) — As Desert Tempest (Desert Wind Strike), but all damage dealt (even extra damage of a particular type, perhaps from a boost or stance) is half sonic, half electricity.
Tenebrous, the Shadow That Was (4th level)
- Flickering (Counter) — Teleport 5 ft./initiator level; attacks against you take 50% miss chance.
- Rebuke Undead — As Tenebrous grants to Binders.
- Shroud of Darkness (Stance) — Gain the Deeper Darkness and See in Darkness abilities that Tenebrous grants to Binders.
- Undeath Mark (Strike) — As Death Mark (Desert Wind Strike), but cold damage instead of fire.
Zagan, the Duke of Disappointment (6th level)
- Aversion — As Zagan grants to Binders.
- Choking Python (Chthonic Serpent Strike) — On a successful attack, start a grapple as a free action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity.
- Crushing Vice (Stone Dragon Strike) — Deal +4d6 damage, attack immobilizes creature.
- Snake Sword (Stance) — Your weapon comes to life, haft or blade becoming writhing and serpentine. During your turn, you may treat your natural reach as 10 ft. greater than it normally is, and your weapon qualifies as associated with Chthonic Serpent.
Image Credits
Image is adapted from "Sirrion Cleric" by Abishai. All credit to him for the image.


text:
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- Side scuff plates
- Rear bumper skid plate
- Achilles - 19" aluminium wheel
Strong body structure
The advanced front structure consists of deformation zones of different grades of steel, each one with a certain role in a collision. The structure is designed to help providing increased protection in a frontal collision.
Side structures of different grades of steel and a number of tubes and members are all designed to "move" the body to the side, help reducing the risk of passenger compartment intrusion. Volvo's Side Impact Protection System helps absorbing the forces in order to maintain an adequate space for the passengers.
Lower cross member
The front structure has been supplemented by a lower cross member that adapts the front to the height of a normal-sized passenger car. This enables the other car's deformation zones to function as they were intended to provide protection for the car's occupants.
Panoramic roof
The panoramic roof is a detail that replaces the traditional sunroof. It is divided into two sections and gives the interior an airy and fresh feeling. The roof glass is tinted and laminated.
Laminated glass contributes to increased security
Laminated glass can be chosen in all of the car's windows to make break-in considerably more difficult.
Roll Stability Control (RSC) and Roll-Over Protection System (ROPS)
Roll Stability Control is an active function that intervenes in situations when the car is exposed to forces that could cause it to roll over. The function helps stabilise the car and reduces the risk of rolling over in an accident.
If a rollover accident should occur the Roll-Over Protection System helps to protect the passengers. An inclination sensor included in the Roll Stability Control continuously reads the cars roll rate. If threshold values are exceeded, the system takes action by for example deploying the Inflatable Curtains. The Roll-Over Protection System is a complex system that includes the body's safety structure as well as the SRS components.
Driver oriented interior
The interior is driver oriented and designed to create a dynamic feel. The lines on panels and surfaces connect different interior panels with each other to create a harmonious style with "loops." Thick and thin lines contribute to the XC profile.
The characteristic and floating centre console gives a dynamic and sporty impression. The centre console is slightly angled towards the driver to enhance the driver dynamics. The visual "X" in the seats and backrests enhances the dynamic appearance.
Practical loading area
The loading area has a lockable load floor covering two storage areas, one for personal items and another for soiled or wet items. The load cover extends over the entire loading area. The rear door prevents the floor hatch from being opened when the car is closed and locked.
Three interior levels
The following interior levels are available for the Volvo XC60:
- Full textile - a combination of two different textiles and available in Off-Black or Soft Beige.
- T-Tec and textile - available in Anthracite Black/Off-Black or Soft Beige/Mocca.
- Leather in Off-Black or Soft Beige - offered with the accent colours Lemon Green/Off-Black or Soft Beige/Espresso Brown.
Two wood inlays
Two different wood inlays are available: Classic Wood and Nordic Light Oak. The standard base theme is called Charcoal, and another inlay theme is called Brushed Aluminium.
Power tailgate
The optional power tailgate can be opened automatically in three ways - via the remote control, by a button in the light panel or by opening the tailgate with the handle. The automatic opening feature is very convenient if you approach the car loaded down with shopping bags.
Three-section rear seat
The three-split (40/20/40) rear seat and backrest offer two separate seats with an armrest in the middle, or three seats with safety belts for each occupant. The seat cushions are fixed and the backrest(s) can be individually folded.
Six-cylinder turbo engine
The 3-litre, six-cylinder turbo engine is transversely mounted and very compact. The engine delivers 285 horsepower and 400 Nm of torque, from low up to high revs. The turbo-six provides a high level of driving pleasure, with quick throttle response at all speeds, ideal for quick overtaking, for example.
Five-cylinder turbo-diesel in two variants
Two new five-cylinder diesel engines are now being introduced (for spring 2009) for the Volvo XC60 - the high-performance, twin-turbo D5 and the medium-performance, single-turbo 2.4D. Actually, the new engines only share the number of cylinders with its predecessors.
The D5 has several advanced technical features, such as the twin turbochargers and the fuel injection system, which provide an excellent combination of high performance and low fuel consumption. It fulfils the Euro 5 norm. The development of the new D5 has resulted in low engine noise and enhanced comfort. It delivers 205 horsepower and 420 Nm, and the preliminary fuel consumption figure is 6.9 l/100 km. The CO2 emission level is 183 g/km (preliminary). With an automatic gearbox, fuel consumption is 7.5 l/100 km and the CO2 emissions are 199 g/km.
A new, front-wheel driven DRIVe version of the XC60 model will be available as well. This version (2.4D) has a five-cylinder diesel with a single-turbocharger. The engine is combined with a manual gearbox. The engine falls into Volvo's 160g category (out of three different categories: 120g, 140g and 160g, depending on the car's size and other things). The power output is 175 horsepower and 420 Nm. Volvo XC60 DRIVe features a number of technical improvements that help contributing to the low, best-in-class fuel consumption - 6.0 l/100 km. The CO2 emissions are 159 g/km. However, besides the high power and torque, this XC60 version has a sporty chassis, making it just as fun to drive as the other XC60 models.
Six-speed automatic transmission with Geartronic
The compact, six-speed automatic transmission has been engineered to handle the high torques developed by engines such as the T6 and the powerful D5 diesel engine. Geartronic enables the automatic transmission to be used as a manual gearbox as well.
Six-speed manual transmission
The manual six-speed gearbox provides good tractive power in each gear in order to combine rapid acceleration with high top speed.
All Wheel Drive (AWD) for enhanced stability
All Wheel Drive is an electronically controlled system that distributes engine power between the front and rear wheels quickly and automatically, depending on which wheel pair (front or rear wheels) has the best grip at the moment. The system helps enhance stability and reduces under/over steering, and contributes to increased driver control and a comfortable ride.
The system is equipped with PreTension® which improves take-off speed and delivers higher traction on slippery surfaces.
Trailer Stability Assist (TSA) for stabilising car and trailer
Trailer Stability Assist is intended for stabilising the car and trailer. The system detects if the trailer starts "snaking"; a phenomenon that may occur at certain speeds depending on the mass of the trailer and how it is loaded. If Trailer Stability Assist senses snaking tendencies, it brakes the car's individual wheels to counteract the oscillation. Trailer Stability Assist is activated at speeds between 60 and 160 km/h.
Dynamic Stability and Traction Control (DSTC)
Volvo's Dynamic Stability and Traction Control system registers the car's roll rate continuously, giving the opportunity to detect slowly built up skids at an early stage. Generally, the system helps stabilise the car in evasive manoeuvres, particularly when the car is exposed to high lateral forces.
Hill Descent Control (HDC) for steep inclines
Hill Descent Control controls the car's speed automatically when driving down steep inclines. The Hill Descent Control function makes it possible for the driver to focus completely on driving when descending steep hills. The driver can control the speed with the brake pedal or the accelerator when Hill Descent Control is activated.
Continuously Controlled Chassis Concept (FOUR-C)
Volvo's FOUR-C function monitor's the chassis' movements and makes it possible to choose a chassis setting that suits a certain driving style. The driver can choose between three settings: Comfort, Sport and Advanced.
Speed-dependent power steering contributes to easier steering
The Volvo XC60 is equipped with speed-dependent and progressive power steering to make steering easier at low speeds. One of three steering force levels can be selected to suit different drivers and driving conditions.
Support systems
City Safety
City Safety is a function that senses if vehicles ahead are moving slower or standing still. By measuring the car's speed and distance to the vehicle ahead, City Safety is able to calculate the braking force needed when approaching the other vehicle. In a situation where the calculated braking force needed reaches a certain level, and the driver has not reacted, the City Safety function senses that a collision is imminent.
The function is a standard feature that is active if the car's speed is below 30 km/h (19 mph). In situations where the difference in speed between two vehicles is 15 km/h (9 mph) or less, a collision can be avoided completely. In a potential collision situation in which the difference in speed between the vehicles is between 15-30 km/h (9-19 mph), City Safety alone cannot prevent a collision. However, the consequences of the impending collision can be mitigated considerably because the system will intervene to reduce speed when the collision occurs.
Pre-Prepared Restraints
The Pre-Prepared Restraints function is able to prepare/adapt the belts and airbags to an expected crash load in low or mildly severe frontal collisions before the actual impact happens. This means that the belts and airbags get some 'extra' time to prepare before the impact and help making the safety belts and airbags even more effective. Remember to always use safety belts when driving or travelling in a car. Pre-Prepared Restraints is a standard feature in Volvo XC60.
Collision Warning with Autobrake alerts the driver
Collision Warning with Autobrake alerts the driver if the distance to a vehicle ahead suddenly decreases. The function contributes in giving the driver a fair chance to avoid a collision. The system's braking function prepares for heavy braking and brakes the car automatically (with up to 50% of the maximum braking power) if the driver has not reacted to the warning signal. Collision Warning with Autobrake is an optional feature.
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TIME: The Secret Collaborators
Monday, October 20, 2003
By MICHAEL WARE / BAGHDAD
Saddam Hussein didn't want to believe what his intelligence networks were saying. Before the war last spring, says a former colonel in the Iraqi intelligence service, Saddam's analysts presented him with classified reports predicting a decisive U.S. victory. The documents described how the Iraqi security forces, already outmatched, had been undermined by Washington's success in recruiting Iraqi spies and double agents. Internal intelligence reported to Saddam that Iraq's defenses would probably collapse. "We diplomatically suggested he should not stay here," the colonel says, "because we couldn't tell him outright that he had to step down." Even as U.S. troops moved into his capital, Saddam struck a resilient pose, appearing on Iraqi TV one day wading through a worshipful Baghdad crowd, grinning broadly, pumping his fist in the air, stopping to kiss a child.
Five days later, the Iraqi leader could no longer keep up his staunch facade. His orders largely unheeded, his soldiers declining to fight, Saddam went out for a look at his falling capital, a secretary who accompanied him recalls. Saddam stood on Zaitun Street, the boulevard decorated with monumental statues of two muscular forearms holding swords that cross above the roadway. As he turned to leave, he paused. Using an Arabic expression of utter disillusionment, he muttered, "Even my clothes have betrayed me."
Indeed, the quick and relatively painless U.S. overthrow of Saddam's regime was achieved not just by military means but also by betrayal. Before a shot was fired, the U.S. recruited and dispatched Iraqi collaborators to uncover Saddam's plans and capabilities, and hobble them. Deals were done; psychological warfare was waged; money was paid; and even blackmail was used. While the Bush Administration's post-Saddam planning has proved wanting, in this area of prewar thinking, Washington's strategies paid off. By the time the first U.S. tanks crossed the Kuwaiti border, top Republican Guard officers had been won over, and the secret police had been penetrated. Spies had infiltrated, and spotters had been dispatched to help guide American bombs. "You'd be surprised at what these guys achieved," says a Pentagon official in Iraq, referring to the Iraqi collaborators. Even if Saddam was the last to know, many of those in his inner circle understood how deeply the Iraqi security services had been penetrated. At a funeral for two junior military officers midway through the war, mourners asked the commanders present how things were going. "They told us we were losing," one mourner remembers, "that there was a kind of treason in the army and the Republican Guard."
A side effect of the mass Iraqi desertions during the war has been that remnants of the regime survived to cause trouble in post-Saddam Iraq. Last week saw a fair share of mayhem. Suicide bombers drove an explosives-packed car into a Baghdad police station, killing eight people, and a Spanish diplomat was shot to death at the gate of his home in the capital. Resistance to the American occupation has been such that 188 U.S. troops have died in Iraq since President Bush declared an end to major hostilities on May 1. Still, the U.S.'s swift dispatch of Saddam undoubtedly saved both U.S. and Iraqi lives. This is the story of America's secret campaign to sabotage the regime from within and of the Iraqis who waged it.
Al-Jaburi had the right connections to serve as an American spy. Stocky, fit and in his early 40s, al-Jaburi--who prefers not to have his first name published--served for almost a decade in the regime's most feared agency, the Special Security Organization (SSO). In the late 1980s, he was purged from the SSO after Saddam accused his clansmen of plotting a coup. In 1999 al-Jaburi defected to Jordan. There he joined an opposition group, the Iraqi National Accord (I.N.A.), which has a well-established relationship with the CIA.
According to Ibrahim Janabi, one of the I.N.A.'s main liaisons with the CIA in Amman, the CIA began ramping up for war in October 2002. "They asked us to contribute some tough, hardworking people to train for missions inside Iraq," says Janabi. "So I gave them al-Jaburi." The introduction, al-Jaburi recalls, was made in a coffee shop in Amman on Oct. 18. Al-Jaburi says CIA officers, with the aid of a lie detector, questioned him for days on a range of topics, including whether he was volunteering or being coerced to join. One question probed what he would do if he found his brother fighting against him. "I'd kill him," al-Jaburi says he answered. On Nov. 22, al-Jaburi says, he signed a contract guaranteeing him monthly payments of $3,000, with $9,000 paid in advance. Two days later he boarded a small jet bound from Jordan to Washington.
His class of 13 recruits, containing Iraqis and Lebanese, was flown from Washington to a secluded facility of temporary buildings hours away, al-Jaburi recalls. They were told they were in Texas. For two months they trained with some 20 instructors in physical fitness, intelligence gathering, report writing and surveillance. At a separate naval facility, recruits learned about explosives--how to sabotage armored vehicles, tanks, oil pipelines, electricity pylons and railways.
In February, al-Jaburi says, he flew to Kuwait, staying in a villa with his CIA handlers. They equipped him with $50,000 in American currency, a GPS locator, satellite phones and a forged Iraqi identity card showing completion of military service so that he could move around Iraq unhindered. Al-Jaburi says he left for Iraq on March 11, guided across the border by smugglers arranged by Kuwaiti intelligence. "I'd been in the SSO, so I knew how dangerous this was going to be," al-Jaburi says. "But I also knew I had to do it."
The bulk of the $50,000 the CIA had provided al-Jaburi was for buying accomplices. He started with "Ahmed" (not his real name), an SSO officer in the main presidential compound whom al-Jaburi already knew. "I told him everything," says al-Jaburi. "I told him I'd listed his name with the CIA, and I had $5,000 for him." Ahmed proved an easy sell, replying, "What do you want from me?" The SSO man described where the Republican Guard had been posted in Baghdad and its environs, and revealed that it had been ordered to pull back into the city if attacked. In fact, after the U.S. bombed the Guard's positions early in the war, many of its officers abandoned their men, who then deserted en masse. Ahmed also identified the location of heavy-gun emplacements and missile batteries around the capital, targets the Americans hit with great effect during the air campaign.
Faced with the task of scouting the locations Ahmed had listed, al-Jaburi turned to an old friend and contact, A. Mashadani. Al-Jaburi had recruited Mashadani, a major in the mukhabarat, Iraq's main intelligence agency, soon after joining the I.N.A. For two years Mashadani, who had access to some of the mukhabarat's best secrets, had been feeding the CIA--through al-Jaburi--information on Iraqi missiles, antiaircraft systems and troop movements. Mashadani weighed the risks of helping al-Jaburi now. He had watched the execution of a colleague accused of spying for Iran. "Iran wasn't going to save that guy, or anyone," he says. "But we felt the U.S. could get rid of Saddam."
Using a mukhabarat sedan to which he had access as an officer in the organization, Mashadani and al-Jaburi visited as many of the locations Ahmed had identified as they could. Standing at the site, al-Jaburi would discreetly activate his GPS locator, which searches the sky for satellites to triangulate its position, and then note the coordinates. At an appointed hour each night, he would use his satellite phone to contact the CIA and relate what he had found out. This required caution. Just possessing a satellite phone could result in death under Saddam's regime.
From the beginning, al-Jaburi's primary mission had been to scope out Saddam International Airport, one of the keys to taking Baghdad. Ahmed had a way in. He had a friend, "Mahmoud," who he says commanded the SSO's 3rd Battalion and was in charge of airport security. Ahmed knew Mahmoud had cursed Saddam privately, so he took him out for drinks, drawing him out on his views. The airport commander was sufficiently negative about Saddam to warrant a three-way drinking date with al-Jaburi. At a third session, al-Jaburi asked Mahmoud to cooperate and offered him $15,000. The commander, al-Jaburi says, agreed to help.
At sundown on March 23, with the war raging in the south and Baghdad under nightly bombardment, the airport commander drove al-Jaburi, in a military uniform, and Mashadani, bearing his mukhabarat ID, into the airport compound. In an SSO car, the trio crisscrossed the tarmac, mapping every building and bunker, counting every soldier and weapon they could see. Following the CIA's instructions, they repeated the exercise three times over three nights to confirm their sketches. By the time they had finished, U.S. battle planners had a detailed picture of the situation at the airport, from the weak points in the Iraqi defenses to the safest landing zones for American choppers.
On March 26 an exhausted al-Jaburi took a break to visit his family in his hometown near Tikrit. The next day his brother, an engineer at the Bayji oil refinery, was summoned to the plant to remove documents before the Americans got there. Al-Jaburi decided to go too, hoping to get papers of use to the U.S. It was a trap. Saddam's secret police surrounded al-Jaburi's car. He learned later that they had acted on a tip from one of his relatives eager to collect a reward.
Taken to Baghdad's notorious Abu Ghraib prison, the last stop for many of the regime's opponents, al-Jaburi was sure he was going to die. His jailers, he said, placed a hood over his head and hung him from the ceiling by his arms, which were bound behind him. They hit him repeatedly with wire cords and clubs, smashing his feet.
Meanwhile, Mashadani was informed by his superiors that they had a special duty for him. At the meeting place, a mukhabarat facility, he says, "I found my duty was facing a lot of hands with guns." For six hours, Mashadani was grilled about his dealings with al-Jaburi. "All the senior bosses were coming to my interrogation," he says. "Everyone went crazy that a mukhabarat officer had been meeting a spy." At daylight, his jailers took him to see the beaten al-Jaburi. Both say they admitted nothing.
For four days, al-Jaburi says, his jailers tortured him: beating him, shocking him, smashing his hand. Mashadani gives a similar account. At one point, interrogators dragged al-Jaburi's mother and wife into the prison for questioning. Al-Jaburi could hear them wailing through the cell door. The sessions went on for six to eight hours at a time. Al-Jaburi says he was grilled about other spies, information he had relayed before his capture, GPS coordinates he had sent. He says his CIA training prepared him to give away nothing of importance. But he feared that time was running out. With the regime collapsing, Saddam's execution squads were working double time, plucking five to 10 men from their cells every hour. "It was like a slaughterhouse," says al-Jaburi.
As the war's front changed, al-Jaburi and Mashadani were moved from Abu Ghraib to prisons in Fallujah and then Ramadi. On April 11 the last guard at the Ramadi jail fled the advancing Americans, and locals came to set the two men free. Half-crippled and waving a white flag, they staggered up to an American unit. "I told them that we had just got out of prison and that we worked for the CIA," says al-Jaburi. A military-police humvee whisked them to Baghdad airport, which was under U.S. control. A CIA officer appeared with open arms. "Don't touch my back," al-Jaburi yelped, the wounds from his interrogation still fresh. He remembers the officer saying, "You are the heroes of the airport, the keys to Baghdad. Your future is assured."
As an underground operative of the opposition Iraqi National Congress (I.N.C.), Wael Abu al-Timman spent years hiding from Saddam's henchmen. Now, with the war fast approaching, al-Timman was recruiting them. His instructions from the I.N.C., which worked closely with the U.S. before and during the war, were to find men not only willing to provide information about Iraqi defenses but also willing to see to it that the Iraqi forces failed to fight. Having served as a captain in the Republican Guard, al-Timman, who was based in Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq but traveled often to Baghdad, turned to his old comrades. He was astonished by how many were willing to switch allegiances. "They knew it was their last chance [to join the likely winners]," he recalls. "We called them the gamblers."
Once the U.S. began bombing Baghdad, al-Timman's mission changed. He raced from one bomb site to the next, noting the physical damage and assessing casualties, keeping an eye out for leadership figures among the dead and wounded. At an appointed time each night, using a satellite phone, he called in his assessments to an I.N.C. contact, who passed them on to the Americans, who could then decide whether to hit old targets again or move on to others. "I considered it the most important thing I could do because it would bring an end to the war sooner," al-Timman says. On April 7 he milled with bystanders as rescuers dug through the rubble of several destroyed houses in the Baghdad suburb of al-Mansur. The Pentagon, thinking Saddam was inside, had struck the buildings. But the rescuers told al-Timman that Saddam had just been there briefly to inspect the damage and offer condolences for those killed. Al-Timman made sure that Saddam's body was not among those retrieved, then phoned in what he had learned so the hunt for Saddam could continue.
The operations chief for the I.N.C. goes by the name of Abu Ranin. His job before the war was to crack the mukhabarat. His tactics were hardball. The I.N.C. had done surveillance on Iraqi missions around the world, making educated guesses about who was an intelligence agent. From these lists, the I.N.C. narrowed down its targets. "We chose them for their weaknesses, setting out to get something on them and force them to work for us," says Abu Ranin, who was then based in Jordan.
In a West European capital, Abu Ranin says, he collected evidence on a mukhabarat station chief who was selling government property on the black market. When Abu Ranin threatened to alert Baghdad, he says, the officer rolled over. Abu Ranin would not say what information the man provided. Abu Ranin's greatest coup, he says, was in Romania. As he tells the story, he discovered a mukhabarat officer in Bucharest who had two useful qualities: he oversaw the regime's East European agents, and he had a weakness for prostitutes. Posing as a wealthy businessman based in Europe, Abu Ranin befriended the officer. He rented a villa and threw a private party with five prostitutes and ample alcohol. The mukhabarat officer brought four colleagues. Abu Ranin secretly audiotaped their drunken boastings and cajoled them into a few snapshots with the women. Blackmail, however, proved unnecessary. When his guests were distracted, Abu Ranin grabbed the officer's cell phone and downloaded its address book.
Over ensuing weeks, Abu Ranin called the names in the address book and concluded that he had the identities of 65 agents--either Iraqis based abroad or their contacts in foreign intelligence services, particularly Syrian and Palestinian. He then traipsed around the Middle East, arranging meetings with the Iraqi agents on various pretenses. Once, for example, he posed as a diamond trader looking to sell gems. Instead of showing up for the assignations, he would hide near the meeting place and surreptitiously photograph the agents. When his dossier was complete, he forwarded it up the I.N.C. chain of command. Exactly what use was made of his work, Abu Ranin isn't certain, but the data would have offered scores of prospects to the Americans working on turning Iraqi agents. And as the story of al-Jaburi, Ahmed and Mahmoud illustrates, one spy can beget another who begets another and so on.
As war approached and the Iraqi collaborators intensified their work, the underpinnings of Saddam's regime began to quiver noticeably. In the offices of Saddam's son Qusay, commander of the Republican Guard, "a lot of officers told us the coalition had called them or their families, telling them to surrender and offering money," says a former staff member who asks to be called Mohammed. It was the same at the mukhabarat. "Many told us they had been offered money or guarantees of safety or promises of positions of authority in the new government," says a member of the staff in the mukhabarat director's office. More telling was the number of officials who did not report the calls. "We know the Americans called virtually all the senior officers and a lot of the lesser ranks right down to lieutenants, but most of them did not come and tell us," says Mohammed.
When it came to war, most of Saddam's armies either chose flight over fight or were neutered by commanders who had agreed to accommodate the coalition. Colonel Ali Jaffar Hussan al-Duri was not one of them, but his ultimate superior was. Once the fighting had begun, Hussan's division of the al-Quds army, an official Iraqi militia, received what he called "an incredible" order to send half the men home on leave. He challenged the edict with his brigadier, who was equally bemused. They attempted to verify it, but communications had been cut. So they dismissed half the unit and watched the other half vanish soon after. "One top commander, a traitor, can make the whole army disappear," Hussan says, ashamed of his comrades' performance. With the U.S. briefed on the locations of many of Saddam's forces, the Americans devised novel ways to intimidate troops who might have stood their ground. "They broke into our [field] radio and told us they knew our precise locations," says a junior Republican Guard officer.
In Baghdad, Mohammed, of Qusay Hussein's office, was ordered a few days before the capital fell to tour the antiaircraft batteries in the area that had, by and large, stopped firing. When Mohammed asked soldiers sitting in their bunkers why their guns were silent, they answered, "Our general told us not to shoot." Mohammed told them Saddam had ordered that any crew failing to fire that night would be executed. In the morning he returned, bellowing at the units to explain why they had not fired at the U.S. jets. "Because straight after you left yesterday, the general came around," one man replied. "He told us not to listen to you guys."
Not all the secret agents got away with subversion. "Sultan," a captain in the SSO, says he became suspicious of a man claiming to be a mukhabarat official who was telling colleagues that the Iraqi army was losing and that the Americans were everywhere. Sultan suggested the man come and speak to his unit. "We took him to real mukhabarat officers. They sniffed him out immediately and took him," says Sultan proudly, sipping tea in a back-street cafe in Tikrit.
The suspected spy probably met the same fate as an undercover I.N.C. man called Lieutenant Ali, a close friend of al-Timman's. He was caught when the man who smuggled him to Baghdad from Kurdistan sold him out to the regime. After the war, al-Timman learned that Ali was imprisoned for weeks before being taken to Ramadi, where he was propped against a wall and shot on April 9, the day Saddam's statue came down in Baghdad's Firdos Square.
Some undercover agents who helped the U.S. are dissatisfied with the price they have paid. Disillusioned by their prospects in the new Iraq and threatened by an increasingly bold resistance movement, they feel abandoned by the Americans, for whom they risked their lives and betrayed their country. A mukhabarat colonel who spied for the I.N.C. now sits in a bare office. He has a nominal position with a minimal income and no real authority. He is bitter, claiming he was promised more. "If they don't give the Iraqi groups power, we can liberate ourselves from the Americans and engulf Iraq in fire," he threatens.
Al-Jaburi and Mashadani, the CIA's heroes of the battle for the airport, feel left out in the cold as well. Al-Jaburi says he was paid $75,000 for his efforts, Mashadani $60,000--good money in a country where the average yearly income is $2,500, as well as in the U.S., where the per-capita income is $23,000. Still, the two men feel that they are highly exposed and that the U.S. is not doing enough to protect them. Al-Jaburi's name has appeared on a death list--obtained by TIME--kept by the remnants of the Fedayeen Saddam militia. Two of his relatives were shot dead while driving his car. He complains that the U.S. has not given him a license to carry a gun to protect himself. Without such a permit, Iraqis with arms are subject to arrest at U.S. checkpoints.
"The Americans are good-hearted. When they love you, they really love you," says al-Jaburi, "but when you finish your job, they forget you." Replies an officer of the CIA, who would not comment on the contributions of any particular Iraqi: "The people who have worked for us have been well treated. If there's some unhappiness, I suspect that it is from people who are either exaggerating their role or inventing promises that were never made." The greatest pledge the U.S. made to these people, of course, was that it would take down Saddam. That it did, with their considerable assistance.
--With reporting by Timothy J. Burger/Washington


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People wait on line to buy gasoline during a Nor'easter snowstorm on Nov. 7, 2012 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.
Miguel Llanos, NBC News reports: Snow fell on the tops of damaged homes and debris piles in parts of the New York City area as a nor'easter moved in Wednesday, causing new power outages ahead of gusts that could reach 60 mph overnight.
About 1,200 flights were canceled across the Northeast, while residents of a few areas hit hardest by Superstorm Sandy last week were urged to evacuate in case of new flooding. Long Island Rail Road service was also suspended before 7 p.m. because of weather-related signal problems, NBC New York reported. Read the full story
Frank Franklin Ii / AP
Sanitation workers shovel snow from Queens Blvd. in New York on Wednesday night.
Andrew Kelly / EPA
Commuters make their way through the financial district as the area deals with a winter storm in NYC on Wednesday.
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John Moore / Getty Images
Residents across the Northeast pick up the pieces after Superstorm Sandy killed more than 100 people in 10 states and left a trail of destruction.


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It's still late-summer, but classical musicians can hardly wait to get back into the concert hall for the 2011-2012 season.
One of the first to return is the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Conductor Marin Alsop leads a Gala Celebration concert Sept. 10 at Baltimore's Meyerhoff Symphony Hall that features a Baltimore native, violinist Hilary Hahn, playing Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto. This program also includes a BSO-commissioned piece, David T. Little's Baltimore-themed "Charm," reinforcing Alsop's commitment to new music.
The BSO's regular season gets under way with an ambitious program in which it will be joined by soprano Layla Claire and mezzo-soprano Susan Platts, as well as the Baltimore Choral Arts Society, for Mahler's Symphony No. 2 ("Resurrection") Sept. 15-16 at Meyerhoff and Sept. 17 at the Music Center at Strathmore.
In the season running into next June, the BSO plays a wide range of repertory with soloists including violinists Itzhak Perlman and Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, and pianists Leon Fleisher, Olga Kern and Horacio Gutierrez.
One thematic focus for the upcoming BSO season is on what the orchestra terms "revolutionary women," with programs including Honegger's "Joan of Arc at the Stake," for which the orchestra, chorus and actors promise to make quite an impression Nov. 17-18 at Meyerhoff and then Nov. 19 at New York'sCarnegie Hall.
Another strong woman is celebrated in the world premiere of Baltimore composer James Lee III's "Chuphshah! Harriet's Drive to Canaan," which honors Harriet Tubman. It shares the bill with Dvorak's cello concerto, featuring cellist Alisa Weilerstein, and Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5 ("Pathetique") Sept. 23 and 25 at Meyerhoff and Sept. 24 at Strathmore.
A likely highlight of the BSO Pops series is vocalist Michael Feinstein Nov. 25- 27. And holiday-themed programs include Handel's "Messiah," with the BSO being joined by Concert Artists of Baltimore Symphonic Chorale, Dec. 2 at Meyerhoff and Dec. 3 at Strathmore; and the circus meets the symphony in "Holiday Cirque de la Symphonie," Dec. 8 at Strathmore and Dec. 9-11 at the Meyerhoff.
For ticket information about the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, call 410-783-8000 or go to http://www.BSOmusic.org.
Fair hearings in fine halls
Among other Baltimore-area groups, conductor Tom Hall and the Baltimore Choral Arts Society joins with Sweet Honey in the Rock for a "soulful concert" Nov. 5 at Goucher College's Kraushaar Auditorium. For the holiday season, "Christmas with Choral Arts" is Nov. 29 at the Baltimore Basilica; and at Goucher it has "Sing-Along Messiah" Dec. 16 and "Christmas for Kids" Dec. 17. Call 410-523-7070 or go to http://www.baltimorechoralarts.org.
Under conductor Markand Thakar and joined by violinist Madeline Adkins, the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra does Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto and Beethoven's Symphony No. 3 Oct. 23 at Goucher College's Kraushaar Auditorium. And it does a program devoted to Beethoven and Rachmaninoff there Nov. 20. Call 410-704-2787 or go to http://www.thebco.org.
Although the Baltimore Opera Company sadly has expired, grand opera returns to its former home at the Patricia and Arthur Modell Performing Arts Center at the Lyric Opera House with the inaugural season of Lyric Opera Baltimore. An audience favorite, Verdi's "La Traviata," opens the season Nov. 4 and 6. The cast includes Elizabeth Futral as Violetta, and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra will be down in the pit. Call 410-900-1150 or go to http://www.modellpac.com.
The venerable Shriver Hall Concert Series starts off Oct. 0ct. 9 with the St. Lawrence String Quartet, followed by violinist Christian Tetzlaff and pianist Lars Vogt Oct. 30, and cellist Steven Isserlis and pianist Connie Shih Dec. 4. Call 410-516-7164 or go to http://www.ShriverConcerts.org.
Honoring its namesake, Handel Choir of Baltimore does "Messiah" at two Baltimore churches: St. Ignatius Dec. 10 and Church of the Redeemer Dec. 11. Call 410-366-6544 or go to http://www.handelchoir.org.
Also check out the many offerings at the Peabody Institute by calling 410-234-4800 or going to http://www.peabody.jhu.edu.
And the numerous concerts and other events at other local colleges include the fifth Liszt-Garrison Festival and International Piano Competition Oct. 12-16 at the newly renamed Notre Dame of Maryland University; for this event, call 410-833-5782 or go to http://www.lisztgarrisoncompetition.org.
On the homefront
In Howard County, Candlelight Concert Society's programs in Howard Community College's Smith Theatre start the season with the Ying Quartet Oct. 1, guitarist Jason Vieaux and Escher String Quartet Nov. 19, and Pacifica Quartet Dec. 3. Its Candle Kids series kicks off with National Marionets Theatre's "Sleeping Beauty" Nov. 20 and Peabody Opera Outreach's "Ariel's Tempest" Dec. 4. Call 410-997-2324 or go to http://www.candlelightconcerts.org.
Columbia Pro Cantare has an ambitious start to its season with a new piece by Howard County composer Tom Benjamin called "Old Brick Oratorio" Oct. 15 at Christ Episcopal Church in Columbia. Performers under conductor Frances Motyca Dawson include soprano Alison Matusky, bass-baritone Robert Cantrell, Lexington Brass Quintet, pianist Erik Apland and organist Donald Fries.
Pro Cantare does its always well-received "Messiah" program Dec. 4 at the Jim Rouse Theatre at Wilde Lake, and the CPC Chamber Singers offer "A Christmas Noel" Dec. 11 at Christ Episcopal Church. Call 410-799-9321 or go to http://www.procantare.org.
Under conductor Jason Love, the Columbia Orchestra will be joined by percussionist Christopher Rose for Jennifer Higdon's Percussion Concerto, Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5 and Aaron Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man" Oct. 15 at the Jim Rouse Theatre at Wilde Lake.
A Dec. 3 program titled "Final Words" presents Mahler's "Adagio" from Symphony No. 10, Verdi's Stabat Mater and Adolphus Hailstork's "I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes." Call 410-465-8777, or go to http://www.columbiaorchestra.org.
And Sundays at Three begins its season with the Mendelssohn Piano Trio Oct. 2, Columbia-bred pianist Brian Ganz Nov. 6 and the Clipper Mill String Quartet Dec. 4 at Christ Episcopal Church in Columbia. Call 410-992-0145 or go to http://www.SundaysatThree.org.
- Arts and Culture
- Colleges and Universities
- Education
- Christianity
- Music Industry
- Anglicanism
- Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
- Marin Alsop
- Sleeping Beauty (movie)
- Howard Community College
- Michael Feinstein
- Common
- Aaron Copland
- Itzhak Perlman
- Harriet Tubman
- Lyric Opera of Baltimore
- Meyerhoff Symphony Hall
- Clipper Mill
- Basilica of the Assumption


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In June 2013, the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research will have a new course, called "The Five Civilized Tribes: The Records & Where to Find Them." I ran into the course coordinator Linda Woodward Geiger on my last trip to the Georgia Archives. During our conversation, Linda told me that she had been asked to put together this course, but I didn't think it would be available so soon.
Lectures in this course will be taught by Linda and six other instructors, including Rachal Mills Lennon, author of Tracing Ancestors Among the Five Civilized Tribes, and Craig Roberts Scott, a well-known expert on military research and the President and CEO of Heritage Books, Inc., just to name the two researchers whose work I am most familiar with. The other lecturers also have impressive backgrounds, but don't take my word for it. Go look at the course page and see for yourself what wonderful offerings Linda has put together with such a diverse group of lecturers.
And be sure to reserve January 22, 2013 on your calendar. That's the day registration for IGHR 2013 begins, and you don't want to miss it, as this course is sure to fill quickly.


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Bucks center Larry Sanders will not be charged in Milwaukee nightclub fight
The Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office said charges will not be filed against a Milwaukee Bucks center involved in an altercation Sunday.
Deputy District Attorney Kent Lovern said the office reviewed an incident involving Larry Sanders at a local club.
Lovern said police investigated a matter at the Apartment 720 nightclub early Sunday morning. He said numerous people, including Sanders, were involved in an altercation.
He said that investigators are uncertain how the altercation started and who initiated it, so the D.A. will not file charges.
Bucks head coach Larry Drew said Sanders injured his thumb in the altercation, which caused him to miss last night's game.
"We have to not put ourselves in certain positions," Drew said "My conversation with him, that was one of the first things about the situation. He should never put himself in that position. Hopefully he'll learn from it."
Lovern said the matter has been referred back to the Milwaukee Police Department to determine whether any municipal citations might be issued as a result of the investigation.


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* See the Online Agreement for details and restrictions on the BillPay, Payroll and Invoicing services. Business First Relationship Rewards customers receive $5 off the stated Invoicing and Payroll service fees (a savings up to $10 per month). To qualify as a Relationship Rewards customer, you must have a Business First 300 Class or Not for Profit Checking account, a Visa® Debit Card and one additional product or service. Monthly Fees for Online Payroll and Invoicing services will be waived for the first three monthly billing cycles. You must be enrolled in BillPay prior to signing up for Invoicing and Payroll services. All applicable fees will be assessed to the designated primary account. Fee waiver applies for Invoicing monthly fees only. Additional fees may apply for collecting payments online. Get Paid Faster Service is provided by and the responsibility of a third party. We are not responsible for any aspect of the Get Paid Faster Service and you agree to look solely and exclusively to the provider of that service for the payments that may be due there under. For complete details regarding fees, restrictions and additional product information, contact a business banker or branch manager..
** If you have more than 50 payroll payees or other significant payroll processing requirements, please contact a business banker for alternative services that may be more suited to your business.


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I don't know much about the history of Mummy-stories, but as far as I know in their current form they date back to the horror movies of the 1930s, themselves inspired by the opening of Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922 (though of course stories about the undead and zombie-like creatures in general are much older). This film is a loose (very loose) remake of the 1932 original, which is why it's set in the 1920s. The setting is a brilliant move, as being limited to 1920s technology makes escaping across the desert that much more difficult, and provides an opportunity for some lovely costumes. The whole thing looks fantastic (yes, even the CGI, which may look ropey now but was groundbreaking way back in 1999) and reminds me of how much I want to visit Egypt some day (I've wanted to see Egypt ever since I saw Death on the Nile when I was little). John Hannah still can't quite master any accent other than Scottish, but his Jonathan is so endearing, we don't care.
Imhotep, named for the mummy in the 1932 The Mummy, is the name of a very, very early Egyptian architect who designed the first Egyptian pyramid, the Step Pyramid of Djoser, and was later one of very few non-royal Egyptians to be deified. The connection with pyramids and, therefore, mummies and with the meeting of human and divine makes his name rather suitable for The Mummy, though of course the real Imhotep was not thought to be undead, nor a demon-creature – he was a god of wisdom, writing and medicine. One of the many great things about this movie is the strong backstory given to the Mummy himself. You genuinely feel sorry for Imhotep and Ankh-su-thingy and I especially love her line as she kills herself – 'My body is no longer his temple'. It's quite a powerful line (if anachronistic for ancient Egypt)and you can't help rooting for her a little bit there.
I'm not sure how we're spelling the name of Pharaoh's bodyguards, but it sounds like 'Magi' (edited: but see comments below). The Magi were Persian priests, whom the Romans associated with magic and magical practices, and we get the words 'magic' and 'mage' from them. They are mostly known now as the 'wise men' from the Christmas story; astrology was an important aspect of Persian religion and they were priests rather than philosophers, though 'wise men' isn't as far off the mark as 'three kings'. (By the way, listen to the actual words spoken by the very sexy lead Magi whose name escapes me – my old housemate has pointed out that he says exactly the same thing every time, just with slightly different emphasis).
The Book of the Dead is a real thing, but rather less exciting than the one seen here – it's a book of funerary rituals. I'm not aware of a real Book of Amun-Ra, though there may be one I haven't come across. Our heroes find Imhotep's coffin buried at the base of a statue of Anubis, the canine god of mummification known as Mr Jackal in American Gods. The Book of Amun-Ra is at the base of a statue of Horus, a bird-god of the sky and of the reigning deified Pharaoh.
Evie's library seems to be stocked with a combination of classical and Egyptological material, including Socrates as well as what are presumably books about people called Tuthmosis (the name of four Egyptian Pharaohs) rather than by them. Those library shelves really should have been pinned in to the floor though.
The film is full of little things that enrich it, from poor Winston, suffering from survivor guilt following World War One, to the Mummy recognising 'the language of the slaves' when cowardly Benny, having gone through most of the world's major religions in a desperate attempt to save himself, says a Hebrew prayer (and to the best of my knowledge, this is historically plausible, as the Pharaoh seen in Exodus has been variously identified as this Pharaoh's son, grandson or father, among others). The 'Bembridge scholars' are clearly standing in for Oxbridge without actually having a go at Oxford or Cambridge and one can empathise with Evie's frustration at her rejection given the period - in the early twentieth century, women in archaeology and anthropology and related areas were not unknown, but scholars like Jane Harrison had to combat a lot of prejudice and were not always afforded as much respect as their peers. Her 'take that Bembridge scholars!' is particularly satisfying.
Quite why the Biblical plagues, part of Judaeo-Christian tradition and caused by the anger of God, would be brought down on Egypt by the resurrection through Egyptian ritual of an Egyptian mummy is not explained, but these are probably questions we're not supposed to ask. Also, we have the usual issues with the movies thinking translation is a rather more precise art than it really is, which no ancient-themed fantasy adventure is complete without.
The Mummy is a brilliant film, and the first of the sequels, though not nearly as good, isn't too bad either. I haven't seen the most recent film in the series, but I'm suspicious of a Mummy film without Rachel Weisz – her chemistry with Brenden Fraser is part of what makes the film so good. Well, that and the many gorgeous shots of camels in the desert of course!


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Just one day after its enforcement action against Discover Card for deceptive marketing of overpriced, junky credit card add-ons, including a credit score tracking product, the CFPB has confirmed what consumer advocates have been saying all along. Credit scores heavily marketed to consumers aren't the same as those used by lenders; CFPB found that at least 1 in 5 consumer scores have "meaningful" differences and that "score discrepancies may generate consumer harm." The CFPB went on to say:
Consumers unlikely to know about score discrepancies: There is no way for consumers to know how the score they receive will compare to the score a creditor uses in making a lending decision. As such, consumers cannot exclusively rely on the credit score they receive to understand how lenders will view their creditworthiness.
The CFPB also provided recommendations to consumers, including "shop around for credit" and "Check your credit report for accuracy and dispute errors."
More from the CFPB: "This study highlights the complexities consumers face in the credit scoring market," said CFPB Director Richard Cordray. "When consumers buy a credit score, they should be aware that a lender may be using a very different score in making a credit decision." The complete Analysis of Differences between Consumer and Creditor-Purchased Credit Scores is available at: http://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/201209_Analysis_Differences_Consumer_Credit.pdf
Current law provides that you get a real score from lenders when you apply for a mortgage or certain credit applications (since 2004) and after you are denied credit or charged more for credit (only since 2011). This Federal Reserve factsheet explains these circumstances with as little technical language as possible.
For years, however, the credit bureaus and others have developed an extremely profitable direct-to-consumer marketing channel selling what they, when pressed, call "educational scores," but which most mortgage brokers and consumer advocates prefer to call "FAKO" scores because the leading lender-used score is from a company called Fair Isaac and Company and is called the FICO score.
It is most important that consumers do three things before applying for credit.
- First, check your credit reports for errors and fix the errors. Don't pay for either your reports or FAKO scores or credit score monitoring subscription products. Take advantage of free credit report rights described here at the FTC. A consumer can create her own free credit monitoring service by staggering the requests for each of the three reports (one from each major bureau,Experian, Equifax and Trans Union) across the year. (Additional free reports are available after credit denial (from the bureau(s) used by the lender to take an adverse action) and also annually under state law (from each of those Big Three) - usually by phone -- in 7 states (CA, CO, GA, MA, MD, NJ, VT) and Puerto Rico.)
- Second, pay down credit card balances so your "credit utilization" is less than 33% of your available credit.
- Finally, of course, a recent record of on-time payments on all loans will help offset any previous record of delinquencies. Past late payments decline significantly in impact as they recede into the past and are replaced by newer, on-time payments.
On the other hand, past public record defaults (bankruptcies, accounts sent to collection for non-payment) have a worse impact than previous late payments on loans; that is why it is critical that false negative public record data be eliminated from your report. Don't believe claims of fast-talking credit repair doctors that they can eliminate truthful negative information. They cannot.
This is an important new CFPB report.


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1 beaten egg
1 cup milk
1 cup coarsely crushed saltine crackers (22 crackers)
3/4 tsp salt
Dash pepoper
1 17 ounce can cream-style corn
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
3 tablespoons chopped pimento
1 tablespoon butter, melted
Combine egg, milk, 2/3 cup cracker crumbs, salt and pepper. Stir in corn, onion and pimento; mix well. Turn into one quart casserole dish. Stir melted butter with remaining cracker crumbs and sprinkle atop corn mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 65 to 70 minutes. Makes 6 servings


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Call for Audition DVDs for the 2013 Kent /Blossom Music Festival
Forty-four slots available for the chamber music festival intensive with members of The Cleveland Orchestra
Kent/Blossom Music Festival, celebrating its 46th summer of collaboration with the Cleveland Orchestra, is now accepting applications for its 2013 season that will take place June 23 through July 27. The auditions are open to advanced string, woodwind, horn and piano students primarily of college age.
Kent/Blossom Music emphasizes the intensive study of chamber music under professional artistic standards. Each student performs an average of four major works during the five weeks. Assignments change every two weeks, maximizing individual contact with repertoire, colleagues and faculty coaches. World-class string, wind and piano faculty, many of whom are members of The Cleveland Orchestra, Miami String Quartet or world-renowned musicians, instruct the 44 students in chamber music. The students will be directed by renowned oboist Danna Sundet, and highly- acclaimed cellist and founding member of the Miami String Quartet Keith Robinson.
"This Festival draws students from all over the world," says Sundet, artistic coordinator of the Kent/Blossom Music Festival. "We've had participants from China, South Korea, Taiwan, Hungary, and from universities from all over the United States, including Juilliard, the Eastman School of Music and University of Indiana, just to name a few."
There is a $50 application fee, and the deadline to apply is March 1. The application can be found online atwww.kent.edu/blossom/apply/undergraduate-application.cfm.
The cost to participate is $1,800, which includes deluxe accommodations in the Kent State University campus air-conditioned housing. The five-week festival includes a side-by-side performance with The Cleveland Orchestra at its summer performance venue, Blossom Music Center. Students will also perform a series of concerts for the community, which will culminate with a performance by the student Chamber Orchestra conducted by the Cleveland Orchestra Assistant Conductor James Feddeck.
For more information, call 330-672-2613 or visit www.kent/edu/blossom.


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Hello friends!!!
It's Savannah today... and I'm sharing that I'm going to be a bit late in posting our January challenge winner and featured players!
There's a good reason:) I haven't visited everyone's blog to check out their projects yet! I will hopefully have all of that completed by tonight! So tomorrow I will post the winner and featured players.
Thank you for being patient ❤
Until then... here's a clue for our next challenge. Start thinking about how you can incorporate LOVE into your next PS project!! That's our challenge for February. LOVE LOVE LOVE! The great news about February's challenge is that it's really easy to enter! Here are ways to put "love" on your project:
- use a heart (or two or several)
- use patterned paper with hearts
- use the colors pink/red
- stamp or die cut the word "Love" ***PS has lots of "love" stamps/dies!!!!!!
- make an anniversary card
- make a valentine's card or project
It's really going to be an easy challenge! So get ready to link up all of your creations!!!
That's it for me today. I'll be back tomorrow posting the winner and NEW challenge!
Be blessed ❤ Sav