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One of the biggest hurdles a culture change champion faces is the "seen it all" group. Every organization has them.
These long-time leaders and employees have been around for a decade (or two . . . or three). They've heard it all before. They've lived through "reengineering," "total quality management," "seven habits," "good to great," and all the rest.
They've learned through experience that most of these initiatives don't last. The initial enthusiasm wanes when the champions don't see any traction on the new culture.
These old-timers don't have to actively fight the initiative; that takes too much energy. All they have to do is nod their heads when the champion speaks – and keep on doing what they've always been doing.
The new culture might sound vibrant and exciting, but the old-timers are fully committed to the old ways. They're motivated – to keep things the same.
They're not motivated to embrace the new practices and behaviors.
If the old-timers don't change their behaviors, the culture change won't likely take hold. The initiative will die.
Can Old Dogs Learn New Tricks?
Culture change isn't easy. The champion is asking people to step away from time-honored practices. (It doesn't matter if those practices don't work well. They're "the way we've always done it.")
How can leaders inspire every member of their organization to embrace the new culture, to demonstrate desired values and behaviors and practices? These three approaches will help.
First, set the context. Tell them why you're making this culture change. What is it about the industry, the marketplace, your customers, and/or the opportunity that demands a shift in the way your team or company operates? Tell the story and define the path towards the high performance, values aligned culture you require.
Second, define the new rules. Tell them what the new rules are. Clarify the team's purpose, it's reason for being today – from the perspective of your customers. Formalize performance standards by defining what an "A+" job looks like daily. Formalize values standards by defining values in observable, tangible, measurable terms. Explain that the rules apply to everyone in the company, top to bottom.
Third, align players, plans, decisions, and actions. Show them how to live these new expectations; model the new behaviors in every interaction. Teach them how to live these new rules through your new valued behaviors. Hold people accountable. Promptly recognize aligned effort & accomplishment. Promptly redirect mis-aligned activity. Keep at it, every day – celebrate, coach, refine.
Your old dogs will have to choose: embrace the new direction – or separate themselves from your team, finding roles in other companies. Either way, you're team or company will evolve.
Care to comment? What is your experience with old-timers holding on to old ways? What did your best bosses do to inspire aligned action and behavior? Share your thoughts about this post/podcast in the comments section below.
Get your free copy of my ChangeThis manifesto, "What? Your Organization Doesn't Have a Constitution?"
Add your experiences to two fast & free research projects I have underway. The Great Boss Assessment compares your current boss' behaviors with those of great bosses. The Performance-Values Assessment compares your organization's culture practices to those of high performing, values-aligned organizations. Results and analysis are available on my research page.
My new book from Wiley, The Culture Engine, guides leaders to create workplace inspiration with an organizational constitution. Get your free sample chapter here.
Photo © istockphoto.com/eriklam. All rights reserved.
Podcast – Listen to this post now with the player below. Subscribe via RSS or iTunes.
The music heard on these podcasts is from one of my songs, "Heartfelt," copyright © Chris Edmonds Music (ASCAP). I plays all instruments on these recordings.


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The Ballard Nickelsville camp was slated to move at the end of its two-year lease in November, but it had nowhere to go. The city granted an extension while it worked on the camp's future location: 3814 4th Ave. NE in the Northlake neighborhood.
The city initially expected the site to be ready by mid-December, but work has taken longer than anticipated. When we visited this week, trucks were hauling in rock to fill the hole left by a demolished building. The land is owned by Seattle City Light.
"The property will be turned over to LIHI sometime mid-month," explains city spokesman Will Lemke, referring to the Low Income Housing Institute, which operates the Nickelsville homeless camps. "They'll organize work parties to construct the tiny homes."
If they work quickly, the camp could move around the end of the month, but Lemke says there's "no hard date for occupancy." We'll keep you updated.

subset: commoncrawl


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Middle School Yearbook Ordering
"Instagram this!" VAMS yearbook! 2015-16
Time to place your order for your child's yearbook! Order before January 29, 2016 and pay only $27! You can simply order via www.strawbridge.net. Don't delay, check this off of your to do list!
We also need your help to be sure to include as many candid pictures in this year's yearbook! Please email any photos you have taken for 2015/2016 to email@example.com When sending them, please identify what class and grade the photos are from.
Eighth grade parents!!!! Your child is finally graduating from middle school. Before you send them off to high school, show them just how proud you are of them for all of their hard work and incredible accomplishments with an ad in VAMS yearbook. You can add personal photos, special memories and a unique message to honor and congratulate them in a way they'll be able to cherish for years to come. Ads are $35 for a2.25″x 3.5″ size. To purchase a memory ad, follow these two simple steps by January 18, 2016 1) Send payment in and drop off with Gwen Johnson. Please make checks payable to VAMS, with Memo Line: Memory Ad 2) Complete this form https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1YR8hT42mALfZWsR5HXIOVeEmhcWzSW42Cg0yL66WCgY/edit?usp=forms_home


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2016 – 10 – 823.41
2016 is in the books (thankfully). Personally, it was a horrible year for me. But, I'm not going to dwell in the past, and I'm certainly not going to look at the bad stuff. Instead I want to look at two numbers that mean a lot to me. These numbers represent some major accomplishments for … More 2016 – 10 – 823.41


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Tegel Environs
|Explored October 889 TA
|Tegel Village
|Return to Tegel Manor
|Adventure #
Map of Tegel Manor, Village and the Environs
Tegel Village, the Manor House, and the surrounding environs are nestled in dark trees of the Dreadwood. The Dreadwood is the easternmost forest in the Reaches, stretching south to the River White and north to open plains of the Orc Nation. An evil and forbidding place, only the discovery of mithral in the area brought explorers and later settlers to the area. The village is located on a small open plain between the Darnby Creek in the north and the Boiling Brook in the south. Much of the farmland in this area has been cleared over the past three hundred years, but the depths of the forest surround Tegel Village west of the Bluestone Dwarf ruins and south of the Monastery of St. Cadel. Despite their close proximity to the forest, few villagers travel into its depths.
The terrain in the area is rolling hills with dozens of small hillocks dotting the valley. Several of these, such as the Savant Scarpe, are sites of great buildings. Tegel Manor lies on a rocky seaside cliff at the top of one of the highest points in the area. The Monastery of St. Cadel, the Cliff House, the White Temple and the Dim Lighthouse are also built on rocky hills. Southwest of Tegel Village, the Mines are dug deep into the hillside, cutting back upon themselves and spreading underneath the valley. Two swamps are found along the lowest areas of the valley fueled by the black waters of the Boiling Brook. The swamps west of town are home to strange ruins from an early age and the easternmost swamp, Derfingel Marsh, is rumored to be home to the fearsome Shambler.
In October and November 888 TA, evil swept this area - killing Rumpole Rump, the thirteenth Lord of Tegel Manor. The adventures are chronicled in the Registry by Ronic Rump, now the fourteenth Lord of Tegel Manor, and the sole surviving heir. An Adventure Script also survived.
Cliff House
The Cliff House was originally built as a guest residence for visitors to Tegel Manor. Designed with no expense spared, the opulent luxury of the Cliff House was a treat for visiting dignitaries and nobles. Then, as it often has, tragedy struck. During the Summer of 635 TA, as the story goes, Rivona Rump (known as the Radiant) daughter of Roderick the Righteous (later the Third Lord of Tegel Manor) and granddaughter of Sir Rumpole had an illicit affair with her cousin Radow (later given the moniker "the Rebel") son of Rufienna Rump the Reckless. The affair was a brief torrid one, which was discovered by one of the servants sent down to ready the Cliff House for upcoming visitors. Called in to face her grandfather, Rivona, broke into uncontrollable sobs when she saw him. After Radow declared that he had no feeling for Rivona, only using her to wile a long summer's day away, she ran screaming from Tegel Manor, down the hill to the Cliff House. There, she spat her curse upon the descendants of Rufienna Rump (which are now known as the Evil Rumps) and threw herself off the cliff. It is said that Radow laughed when he heard of his cousin's death. Maybe he was evil.
Recently, the Cliff House has been again rumored to be a den of evil. The feared highwayman, Roughneck Rump is said to have taken up residence with his orc and giant companions in the building. Several "raids" by Captain August Reem have failed, revealing just an empty house. Despite signs of recent habitation, nothing linking the old stone building with Roughneck has been found.
The Cliff House appears as a solid stone structure two stories in height with a dark slate roof. Although the building appears old, it is in solid repair.
Cliff House: DM's Notes
The Cliff House is a mid-level dungeon for the campaign. The house is currently the residence of Ruang Rump the Ripper. Ruang is an assassin from the "evil" side of the Tegel family tree.
- Ruang is looking for riches beyond those of his ancenstral heritage. To that end, he has join in league with the orc plot to take over the village, and while he suspects something bigger is at foot (how many dragons do you need to take out some villagers), he is unaware of either the evil of the snake demon or the lizard demon. He is biding his time and having fun with torturing the villagers and those around him. His contact with the orcs is Major Domo Bitterbark. He has not ventured past the blue dragon in the Mines.
- Ruang has enlisted the aid of dopplegangers to help him with his task, although he prefers to work alone and uses the shapeshifters primarily as spies and lookouts. He is having the dopplegangers disrupt the Hillman Exchange at the current time by stealing supplies which he gives to the orcs for their use in the mines.
- In addition to the dopplegangers, Ruang is very interested in poisons. This is a natural outcropping of his love of assassination. To this end, he has "hired" Gorlack, Goblin Alchemist to concoct new and exciting potions in the laboratory under the Cliff House. The goblin has come up with a plot to poison the towns water supply on the eve of the big invasion (June 30). To do this, he needs lots of bloodroot. The harvesting of the bloodroot will be noticed by Hedda in the village, who may try to enlist the party to help her find out what is happening. Finally, Ruang has stolen Hedda's alchemy book for Gorlack using a doppleganger in the guise of Rukhs the Ogre. Gorlack is aware of the "dreck" but unable to fathom either its use or origin. He is aware that copper has a negating effect on the substance. In addition, he suspects that it is the essence of pure evil (which it is, tied to the snake demon in Eventide).
- Roughneck Rump, Ruang's evil brother, is in league with the assassin. Roughneck is hanging out in the Silver Glades with the horses. Although Ruang knows that his brother is also helping the orcs, he doesn't know the details. They meet once a week for a beer at the Cliff House. Roughneck is very careful, always suspecting an ambush.
Room 1: Porch
Invisible statue attacks AND makes noise. The place is populated by Ruang Rump.
Room 2: Sitting Room
Room 3: Foyer
Room 4: Opulent Bedrooms
The key will continue to return to the room as soon as it is move from the room. The chest needs to be brought to the key.
Room 5: Planning Room
Room 6: Central Dungeon
The grooves are for a car that is used to move between levels. The car is very fast and can be a weapon.
The Dopplegangers of Cliff House
There are six dopplegangers that are currently in residence at Cliff House, although they change shape so often, it is hard to keep track of them.
Room 7: Potions Room
There are several items of note in the Potions Room:
- There is a large pile of bloodroot being distilled into large jars of thick, blood red viscous poison.
- On one table near the back is Hedda's book, somewhat the worse for wear. Several pages have been marked, mostly on the brewing of poisons and potions to control the minds and thoughts of others.
- The goblin's alchemist notes. It seems mostly to tell about a newly-discovered black goo that can be found just south of Eventide, bubbling from a spring. The goo is evil and seems to have some sort of zombifying effects on those who drink it. It appears to induce a comatose sleep in woodland creatures. Copper seems to be a natural resistance to the substance.
Gorlack the Goblin will drink either a Potion of Invisibility or Flying (or both) to escape the party.
The party is attacked by four slow moving zombies – Stuffed with Hellwasp Swarms!!! Hellwasps are vicious, foul-tempered magical insects. A single hellwasp resembles a thumb-size wasp with a gleaming black carapace with ruby-red stripes and iridescent green compound eyes.
The flickering door in the Potions Room is a puzzle lock. "The key is the squares in this puzzle fair."
There are eight buttons around the edge of the square numbered 18 through 25 inclusive. The answer is, of course, 23. Opening the door leads to the Tegel Mines.
Dim Lighthouse
The Dim Lighthouse is not known by its moniker because of its brightness. Created by powerful magic at the height of the mithral mining, it has shown brightly for over three hundred years. The lighthouse was built by dwarves, a sturdy stone structure which has weathered all storms. Its magical light was created by a cadre of wizards and druids that were commissioned to build similar structures up and down the western coast of the Inner Sea. The light is powered by a single firefly which must be caught each month and put into a small crystal chamber within the upper floor of the building. Fireflies are very common in the area. While typically disappearing in winter months, the lighthouse keeper at the Dim Lighthouse is known to keep a warm room near the structure's boiler stocked with the insects.
The Dim moniker is because of the current lighthouse keeper, Dan the Dim. Dan is a very large man with a bald head and a well-muscled frame. He is very stupid and usually can be seen with a blank look on his face. He walks through town once a week swinging his arms wildly and chanting, "Dan, Dim, Dan, Dim". The local merchants give Dan basic supplies, although he is often given foodstuffs that are too spoiled for the townsfolk to buy. These are happily taken by the large man. Dan keeps the lighthouse locked at all times, wearing the giant metal key around his neck for safekeeping. He never allows anyone into the lighthouse.
Fishbone Hamlet
This small collection of five huts east of Tegel Village are the homes of the area's fishermen. All the huts are run-down affairs built from scraps of shipwrecks and driftwood that have come ashore from the Inner Sea. The five men that fish the water are all older, with the youngest almost forty. They rarely come to town except to drink with Bilgewater or drop off fish for their buddy Esmond Stillwater to sell. Despite their rough appearance, the men are skilled fishermen. Typically, they go out in two boats trailing a large net between them, leaving before dawn and returning shortly after mid-day.
The Fishbone Men, as they are known, are looked down upon by the "proper" villagers because of their willingness to offer housing to the old wenches of the town. Currently, two shady women live in Fishbone Hamlet in some sort of communal arrangement that the townsfolk can only gossip about. The Fishbone Men are always trying to recruit the young men of the village into their ranks, although no mother would ever allow her son to frequent their dingy abodes. Rumor holds that the men have captured a mermaid in their nets and keep it in a tidal pool just south of their hamlet.
Grinder's Mill
DM's Notes
Inhabitants: Bobo "Grind" Burwright, Owner; Child Gregory, Child laborer
This is where the first encounter happens. It will be either an ambush – if the party discovers the secret of the Doppleganger. Or a siege – if not.
All doors of the Mill are wood (2 in. thick; hardness 8, hp 30, Break DC 22, Open Lock DC 20). The secret doors require a Search DC 20 to find.
Room 1: Main Mill Floor
The orcs have the door at the top of the northeastern stairs open. While they may not actively watching for intruders, they will poke their heads out every few minutes to check the room. The continual light coins can be found throughout the mill. There are 20 of these worth about 1 gold each.
A Spot DC 20 will discover several small footprints leading from Room 1 into Room 2.
Room 2: The Kitchen
In the northeastern corner of the room are a set of undisturbed human prints and a cleverly-concealed secret door. The door opens up to the outside. The footprints require a Spot DC 15, and the secret door has the standard Search DC 20.
Room 3: Common Dining Room
A small pouch of 18 gold pieces has been taped under one of the tables. The pouch seems to have been under the table for several years. A Search DC 20 is required to find the stash.
Room 4: Storage
A Listen DC 18 will detect sounds of large birds moving about inside the room.
This room was used as a storage room in the past. A very large pile of rubbish is in the northern part of the room while several bags of grain are neatly stacked in the south.
A number of stirges move to attack when the door is opened. As they can freely fly through the missing transom, they will pursue the party if a good meal is still to be had.
Room 5: Stairs Up
Silent Movement is reduced by -5 when using these stairs.
Room 6: Mill Office
Room 7: Stairs Up
Silent Movement is reduced by -5 when using these stairs.
Room 8: Grind's Room
This is Grind's room. The chest is locked with a poison needle trap. It contains: 120 gold, a silver and ruby ring worth 240 gold, and a deck of marked playing cards.
Needle Trap: CR 2; mechanical; touch trigger; lock bypass (Open Lock DC 18 or special key); Atk +6 ranged (1 plus Deathblade poison); poison (DC 19 Fortitude save resists, 1d6 con/2d6 con); Search DC 18; Disable Device (DC 18). Worth 2,000 gold pieces.
Room 9: Gregory's Room
This is Gregory's room. He is so messy nobody wants him nearby. The chest has been used as a trash bin and toilet. So, it is very disgusting. There is nothing of value here.
Room 10: Common Sleeping Quarters
The chest is filled with sheets and blankets. While not clean, they are reasonably well-laundered.
Room 11: Drying Room
The trap door is swollen from disuse. It requires a combined Strength DC 28 to open, and the door will make a very loud squeaking noise.
The orcs ignore this room. Although two ankhegs have taken up residence in the piles of grain.
Room 12: Haunted Study
If the party enters the room, a ghostly presence will start to manifest itself. This is the spirit of Old Man Grigglesby. He haunts this room because he was cheated out of the mill by Grind. He cannot speak, and appears as a faintly green-glowing spirit. He mimes out his desire for the party to get rid of the evil doer. The spirit cannot leave this room. However, because of the ghost, this room is mostly undisturbed. If the party can convince him that they are here to help, then he will allow them to use the room as sanctuary.
Behind the bed is a secret door which has not been opened since the time of Old Man Grigglesby. In it is a chest that nobody knows about and a magical teleport. The chest is locked with a Glyph of Warding trap.
Glyph of Warding (Sleep) Trap: CR 4; spell; spell trigger; no reset; spell effect (glyph of warding [sleep], 5th level cleric, sleep, DC 15 Will save avoids); multiple targets (creatures within 15 feet of the trap lasting 5 rounds, see the sleep spell in the PHB for information about the effects of the spell); Search DC 24; Disable Device DC 24. Market price 1,800 gold.
The chest contains the following treasure: 300 gold pieces, potion of cure moderate wounds (2), and dagger +1.
The magical circle is the focus for a later adventure, as the party will have to collect the three missing candles to get the circle to work.
Room 13: Landing
A Listen DC 15 will alert the party to the sounds of a single sleeping person beyond the door. The door at the top of the stairs is locked.
Room 14: Common Room
The two northern doors are unlocked, and the two southern doors are locked.
Room 15: Servant's Room
Room 16: Private Bath
Room 17: Fancy Dining Room
The landing outside the dining room has a ladder that leads to a trap door in the roof. The trap door is unlocked and not particularly heavy. Strength DC of 10. The roof is wood and in need of repair. Any small characters may move about without fear of falling, but medium characters, especially those in armor must make a DC 20 reflex check once every 10 rounds to avoid hitting a soft spot and falling through to the corresponding room below.
The trees that surround the mill can easily be climbed for access onto the roof. Moving from the roof to the trees (in order to beat a hasty retreat) takes a Jump DC 15 and a Climb DC 10 to successfully make it to the ground. Failing the first roll means that 2d6 points of damage are taken as the character tumbles down the branches. Failing the second roll means that 1d6 points of damage are taken as the character slips on a branch. Both failures will produce a good deal of noise. Jumping onto the roof requires a DC 20 reflex check to avoid falling through the soft wood.
"Star puzzle with 30 in the center"
Monastery of St. Cadel
Overgrown and tumbled down, the ruins of the Monastery of St. Cadel lie on the Savant Scarpe south of Tegel Village. Built by a generous gift of Rosienna Rump, eldest daughter of Sir Rumpole and known affectionately as the Romancer during the early days of Tegel Manor, the establishment of the Monastery was hoped to bring good fortunes on the Rump family. The Monastery is a collection of five towers surrounding an inner cloister. At the height of its influence, the monastery housed twenty brothers. The order was not particularly effective in bringing luck to the Rumps, but they were master brewers and distillers. The Monastery was profitable for many years after its establishment, but eventually the lack of true spiritual leadership dissolved the brotherhood. After that, the building was used as a secular brewery and distillery.
In 665 TA, the Monastery burned. Fueled by alcohol-fed flames, the interiors of almost all of the buildings were gutted. An investigation showed that the fire was intentional, set by the last member of the order, a blind monk named Salvatore. Salvatore was badly burned in the fire and died shortly after confessing his sins to the local cleric. After that, the building fell into further disrepair.
In modern memory, the Monastery has never been inhabited. Local sightings of lights in the high windows have always been dismissed as will-o-wisps. However, these reports have increased during the last month, as has the credibility of the witnesses. Even the skeptical Captain Reem confirmed that he could clearly see movement in the old buildings one evening. When he went to investigate, however, the lights quickly disappeared. A daytime patrol found footprints in the area, larger than the usual orc tracks and unknown to the locals. No search of the Monastery has been made.
This is where the lizardmen that have come into the area to return to the call of the Immortal King are camped.
Northwest Tower
The northwest tower of this complex is a small two story affair. There are no windows on the lower floor, but a number of large slits have been carved into the second floor. (for the bells).
Closer inspection will show these to be filled with cobwebs.
A single door has been recently reinforced with iron bars, although the wooden planks are rotted and falling apart in places. The room within is filled with webs. A spider will watch over prisoners put here. The head lizardman cleric will "speak" with the spider when putting someone in here. They won't be eaten, just hidden away until recalled.
Central Tower
This tower was once three stories and square in structure. A number of windows on the second and third floors show rubble, as if the roof has collapsed.
A single door leads into a rubble strewn room. It is blocked and almost impossible to get into from the courtyard side. Originally, it looks like this room was some sort of an apothecary. There are large jars of dried herbs, mostly smashed, a large stone mortar and pestle, and several fire pits. It is obvious that this room has not been used recently.
Southwest Tower
A large circular tower of stone is clearly from a later period of construction, as the work is more detailed and the stones more well shaped. Small slit windows on all three floor sare too small for a person to fit through.
The lower floor was obviously used for formal occasions. A large statue of St. Cadel stands opposite the door. A massive wooden banquet table with 21 chairs sits in the center of the room. Tapestries of a monk herding sheep and slaying wolves line the walls. The smell of blood wafts down from above. The party will notice a trail of blood leading upstairs.
The second floor was obviously used as a kitchen as a number of dormant ovens line the walls and tables are strewn throughout. Crockery and cutlery are spread around. The only sign of recent use is a large pile of deer carcases piled near the stairs. A number of crocks contain hops and yeast.
The third floor is musty with disuse. The floor is spread with a thin layer of barley, now long past dried. From the wooden beams in this room hang long wooden rakes, shovels, and bags for hauling grain.
Northeast Tower
This three story structure has been gutted by fire, and the smell of charred timber is very strong here. The ground floor holds the remains of a number of copper stills and pots, scorched and broken. Around the perimeter of the lower floor, a number of curtains hang in burned tatters. And beyond those are a number of small monk cells, also ravaged by flames. Bedding and bits of charred furniture are all that remain.
A second floor chapel is still recognizable, although the pews in the south of the room have been pushed aside to hold what appears to be a bottling assembly line. A small corner altar with a statue of a smiling St. Cadel looks down into the room. A single flight of stairs leads to an open air room above.
The top story is merely a wooden catwalk around eight blackened windows. If cleaned, these will reveal blue, green and reds of stained glass showing the brave St. Cadel in the field with his sheep, killing wolves, reading to the common folk, writing by candlelight, and speaking to a large green dragon.
Southeast Tower
This squat two floor tower seems to have escaped the ravages of the fire, although the north and west sides are badly charred. A single iron-bound door leads into an old scriptorium. The north door is barred from the inside with a steel rod thrust through the handles. A number of wooden benches are in this room, each with a dried pot of ink, pigments, and brushes and pens of a variety of sizes and styles. On the lectern at the front stands a large ledger showing the sale of beer, buying of hops and barley, and the profits of the monastery. A small holy book has been used under one corner of the lectern to keep it from wobbling.
A second floor room is lined with books, many decayed and all damaged by the smoky scent that is pervasive here. A single chair sits facing the southern window. Behind the chair, a large table has some ancient tablets written in an alien language, several odd-shaped relics of shiny metal carved in strange geometric shapes. A makeshift cot has been created in the corner of the room.
This is where G'ruk the Shaman is staying.
Four large oak trees provide shade for this oddly shaped courtyard. In the center of the oak trees, a fountain bubbles with clear, fresh water and empties into a small pool filled with water plants. Five mismatched towers surround the courtyard. Three are approximately 60 feet high, although the smallest of those is crumbling and is listing to the west, as if ready to topple. The large circular tower is whiter than the other with narrow slit windows showing three floors within. The large square tower has a small third floor that appears to be made of a black glass. The exterior of this building and the surrounding porticos are blackened by fire. Two smaller towers, each about 40 feet high are on opposite corners of the courtyard. The smallest has slits on its top floor while the larger has large window-sized opening.
A curious grotto in the west wall also has a small statue of St. Cadel standing in a pool of bubbling water. The air near the statue is cool, and a sense of peace comes to those that approach.
Rump's Hump
Since the early days of Tegel Manor, there has always persisted a legend of a great sea monster swimming in the deep waters off the coast. First seen by Ronahr Rump in 636, the initial sightings of the monster were typically made just at dusk, usually in foggy or stormy weather. Usually, the creature is described as snake-like, although Rigat Rump swore to his grave that he spotted four tentacles rising from the sea. The monster's existence has never been confirmed by the local fishermen, a key clue in the mystery washed ashore in 722 when a dwarven trading vessel was destroyed in a fog bank. It is said that pieces of the hull were found with huge bites taken out of them. In fact, one of these ship hull fragments is on display in the Bark and Byte.
Seen many times over the centuries, usually by the Rumps, the creature is now known as Rump's Hump. Although, some in town still hold to the old stories, the tale of the creature is more a testament to the craziness of the Rump family. Most fear that the legend of Rump's Hump will never be solved.
Silver Grove
The Silver Grove is located north of town near the Barrows. In the past, it was the home to the druid Willowman, who served Oakentree in the northern Dreadwood. With little human activity, Willowman focused most of his time on keeping the orcs at bay. An infrequent visitor to Tegel Village, all memory of Willowman has been washed from the townsfolk, except the elven family of Farshot. They are seeking the Silver Grove to discover what happened.
Willowman was ambushed in the Summer of 889, as the orcs were planning their attack on Tegel Mannor. Knowing of his ability to summon help from the South, the decision was made to capture the druid, keep him tied up, magically wipe his memory from the townsfolk, and disguise his glade under a magical cloak. The first was done as Willowman was leaving Tegel Village, distracted by a group of children that followed him asking for special woodland pets. Two giants grabbed the druid while the shaman silenced him. Tying him upside-down from a tree in his grove, the shaman sacrificed as many types of natural animals as they could find. The effect of the spell was that the last 80 years of memories were wiped out for the villagers (although the elves were unaffected). The second effect was that the grove was rendered invisible, only natural animals can find their way through the trees to the glade at its center. Other goblin shaman outside the spell effect were then brought in to explain what happened to the spellcasters.
Currently, Roughneck Rump is at the grove. He rides to the edge of the woods, binds his eyes with a handkerchief, and allows his horse to lead him into the glade. If he looks, he sees a chasm in front of him or a wide, raging river. These always cause him to steer away and become lost.
In order to protect his grove, Roughneck has captured or killed all the horses in the area. Lately, these have been bought by the orcs for the price of one bag of mithral per horse. They are being used to drain the dreck from the lake at the center of the Tegel Mines to the surface, where the river carries it away into the sea.
The DM can make up all sorts of weirdness here to keep the party lost and confused.
As you approach the tree, you notice the initials "RR" are carved in it recently in a sloppy hand.
In the bored hole in the tree which leads to the lookout, there is a secret compartment in the floor. It is locked (key around Roughneck Rump's neck) but not trapped. In it is a chest with an intricate carving on its top. Inside, are the treasures of Roughneck that aren't in the Caves: a map of the caverns showing the draining operations, 10 small bags of mithril ore, 1000 gold pieces, Druid's Vestments, and a Wand of Lightning.
Upon killing Roughneck Rump and discovering the location of the Silver Grove, the party will be able to revive Willowman the Druid. At first, they won't remember who he is, but as time goes on, their memories will slowly start to return to them about the friendly druid who would come to town periodically.
This "mass amnesia" spell can also be used to explain why the people of Tegel Village are so surrounded by evil and yet somewhat oblivious to its infestation. It appears that elves are less affected by the magic. NOTE: Willowman is also under the effects of the spell. In fact, being at its center, he remembers nothing about himself initially. Slowly, over time his memory (and ability to use spells, etc.) will return.
Rump, Roughneck the Rotund (feared highwayman) – Descended from a distant branch of the Rump family tree, Roughneck and his brother Ruang are the only the two surviving Rumps other than Sir Runic. Roughneck has taken residence near Tegel Village and waylaid many a traveler, greeting them with a shrill, "Stand and deliver." Several years back, he nailed a proclamation to the door of the Village Hall stating that anyone attempting to buy Tegel Manor would be killed and any woman attempting to marry Runic Rump would meet the same fate. It seems that Roughneck wants to inherit the manor.
The Ring of Passage appears as a large sapphire ring. It radiates a faint aura of Divination on it, although it does not appear to have any magical functions. The ring allows free passage for the wearer past the dragons at the entrance to the Tegel Mines.
The small emerald ring is from Gnobbin Goldtooth. He will trade it for a Staff of Fire (see Boons).
Cut the net from top to bottom, never at a knot. The fewest cuts will win the prize, any more will not.
The Shambler
In the early Spring, a violent storm dumped torrential rains on the western coast of the Inner Sea. Common during these months, the villagers of Tegel huddled in the Inn, drank wassil and swapped stories of the great rains of years past. The Boiling Brook and Darby Creek both flooded, again this was not a reason for concern. When finally the rains turned to a gentle mist, the farmers returned to their crops. It was shortly afterward that one of the Granger children came running into town looking for his father Congal. It seems that a large creature, resembling a rotting pile of leaves and twigs was eating one of their prized highland cows that had gotten out of the field and wandered into Derfingel Marsh. Several of the villagers and Congal ran to the place, swords and axes in hand. The creature, a Shambling Mound, was so bloated that it could barely move. Even disabled, it took five men almost twenty minutes to kill the creature, and several injuries were inflicted on the brave villagers.
Satisfied the creature was dead, the men turned to return to the village and seek out the help of Hedda the Healer. They surmised that the Shambler had been washed downstream by the storms. As they reached the far side of the field, a bellow cut through the air. Turning the men could make out a much larger form, although familiar in its massive, heaped continence. It seems the men had killed a baby shambler, and now the mother was mad. Hurrying quickly to town, Congal warned the others of what he had seen. A party of twenty men and the village guard were unable to find any trace of the creature.
The Shambler has been seen only once or twice since the Spring, as it seems like it needs to eat only once a month or so. However, its attacks have circled the city, usually striking at the cows and sheep found on the outlying farms. The biggest concern, voiced by August Reem at a town meeting a few months back, is that if the Shambler is not killed soon, it may reproduce in the Spring. Soon, the village may be threatened not by one such creature but several. Currently, there is a bounty out for killing the creature.
At the dark of the night, the hole may glow green if the hut is filled with fog.
Room 18: Cave Entrance
The room has seen recent traffic. A Search check (DC12) will allow characters to notice this. An extraordinary Search check (DC 20) will pick out specific tracks: goblin and giant centipedes tracks both leading from Room 18 to Room 19. There are a few centipede tracks into Room 20. The trail into Room 22 is harder to distinguish as a shambler covers its own tracks.
Room 19: Goblin Trap
A goblin waits behind the rock piles in this room. He is hunting giant centipedes which will follow the trail of food. The goblin will attack the party if cornered or if he thinks that he can get some fresh meat for his tribe. An opposed Spot check (the goblin gets a +5 on his roll) will allow a sneaky party to see him from Room 20. If he must escape, the goblin will jump into the pool and seek reinforcements. The DM may add some giant centipedes into the melee to make things more interesting.
The pool leads to an underground passage that connects to Room 21. The floor of this pool is covered with a phosphorescent moss. The water in the pool is clear and cool.
Room 20: Three Pillars Cave
'This room is empty.'
The party can use this room to scout out Room 19, and the pillars provide good hiding places for an ambush of the troglodyte. There may be giant centipedes in this room.
Room 21: Goblin Main Room
The man is Johan Salt. He is the cook for the goblins. His guard is the old cook, a nasty female goblin who will attack with her rusty fish knife. She will immediately call for help if the party is seen.
Johan will help the party if allowed. He was an old sea hand thought to be lost at sea. Actually, captured by goblins. Will make the fishermen friendly with the party.
The shaft in the ceiling leads into the hut. This natural shaft was used as a dump for food when the hut was occupied. As such, the area below the shaft is home to green moss and smells foul. Although tight and slippery, this shaft can be climbed with a Climb check (DC 18).
Room 22: Shambler's Den
A shambler has taken residence in the rocks in this room. If it has just eaten, it may be sluggish to respond or asleep. It will wak up if the goblins make too much noise. Hanging near the south entrance to this room on a hook is a deer carcass. It is old and smells of decay. This is used by the goblins to keep the Shambler happy.
Room 23: Goblin Treasure
A small metal chest sits in the center of this room. It is guarded by a poisonous needle trap.
Needle Trap: CR 2; mechanical; touch trigger; lock bypass (Open Lock DC 18 or special key); Atk +6 ranged (1 plus Deathblade poison); poison (DC 19 Fortitude save resists, 1d6 con/2d6 con); Search DC 18; Disable Device (DC 18). Worth 2,000 gold pieces.
The chest contains the modest goblin treasure: 120 silver, 60 gold pieces, Long Sword +1, Potion of Invisibility.
Room 24: Goblin Sleeping Chambers
There are typically two or three sleeping goblins here. If alerted, the goblins will be hiding behind the pillars in this room.
Tomb of the Barrow King
Legend: The Barrow King
One summer evening, old Widow Cranswell retired to her chamber and lingered by the window, watching the last light fade across the sloping lawn outside and pool in shadows near the small copse of oaks north of her home. Two small, flamelike lights danced among the darkening trees – will o' the wisps, perhaps. She stared at them, and as she stared, they moved towards the forest edge; free of that confinement, they floated in aimless fashion at the bottom of the lawn. Unnerved, Widow Cranswell pulled the window closed and latched it. Then she bolted the door and got into bed. She sat propped against the pillows for some moments, listening, but all she heard were the creakings of the old house as it settled for the night. At last she smiled at her own timidity and closed her eyes.
Suddenly she was jolted awake again. Something rustled at the window and rattled at the latch. Outside the casement, two points of light shone, refracted by the glass panes. It was clear, at these close quarters, that the lights were the eyes of a man-shaped creature. While she gazed, transfixed, a shadowy hand rapped softly on a windowpane. Old Widow Cranswell opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came. Frozen by fear, she watched the hand explore the window frame and panes. Presently the sound of scratching echoed in the room. The creature was picking away the lead that sealed a pane. With a crash, the pane fell out. The hand, necrotically gray, reached through the space and lifted the window latch. Then the window swung open, and Old Widow Cranswell's visitor stood fully revealed.
He was a pale man, so pale that his face gave the effect of a network of cobwebs, except for the glowing eyes and fleshy, crimson lips. On his head was an ancient silver crown tarnished with age. His head swung from side to side as he surveyed the room; then, nimble and silent as a spider, he leaped over the window sill and across the floor to the side of Old Widow Cranswell's bed. He loomed over the bed, swaying slightly. Motionless where she lay, Old Widow Cranswell looked up at him with blank eyes. Then, as gently as a lover, he twined his withered hands in her hair, forcing her head back. His lips drew apart, the incisors gleaming white. Then he bent down, as if to bestow a kiss.
The conclusion of this scene was later described by Old Widow Cranswell's brother. Evidently she found her voice at last, for a high-pitched, wavering scream echoed through the quiet homes of Tegel Village. Within seconds, the man was at his sister's door. It was locked. He set his shoulders to it and knocked it down.
The brother found an appalling sight. Ashen-faced, his sister lay against her pillows. Narrow streams of scarlet blood pumped feebly from her throat, mingling with darker, bluish trickles from severed veins and staining the white linen by her head. Only the faint twitching of her arms and legs beneath the bedclothes showed that she still lived. Bent on saving his sister's life, the brother merely noted the open window and broken windowpane. Later, he remembered the odor of mold and the sweet stench that overlay it in the room. At that time, however, his energy was devoted to staunching the flow of blood and summoning aid. He was successful. The Widow Cranswell survived the attack, and as soon as she was strong enough, her brother closed the house and took her south to Haggelthorn.
The next year, the Cranswells returned to Tegel Village. Having heard his sister's tale, the brother suspected what kind of creature had wounded her, and he was set on destroying it. To his dismay, Widow Cranswell insisted on helping him. On a winter's night, she lay once more in her bedchamber and waited for the moon to rise. Once more, twin flames gleamed in the darkness outside. Once more, she heard scratching at the windowpane and saw the glass fall and the casement swing open. But this time she was not alone. Her brother, armed with a magical sword, waited with her, and as the vampire rose to the window sill, he swung. At once, the creature dropped from sight. All the Cranswells heard then was a whining howl; all they saw was a dark figure scuttling across the lawn, making its way north out of the village. Together, they waited out the watches of the night, for they did not care to venture abroad when one of the demons of the night was loose. At first light, they gathered their neighbors and walked north to the old barrows.
The place was quiet, the tombs undisturbed except one. Descending into the crypt, a dreadful scene waited. The coffins in the crypt had been desecrated – torn from their niches and broken open. Their piteous contents – bones for the most part, fragmented and scarred with the marks of human teeth – lay scattered on the stone floor. One coffin alone was undisturbed. In grim silence, the villagers did what they must. They dragged the coffin from the crypt into the sunshine and burned it to ashes, so the vampire could not strike again. That night, the villagers celebrated the destruction of the Barrow King.
The next morning, however, the Cranswells had vanished without a trace. Some say that they left Tegel Village in the dark of the night to return to Haggelthorn and forget the memories of their experience. Others say that the Barrow King had returned, taking the Cranswells back to his underground lair. In either case, the villagers turn away when asked about the Barrow King and avoid the barrows to the north of Tegel Village. The Cranswell house is now The Rusty Hook.
DM's Notes: The Real Story of the Barrow King
Several years ago, a cult devoted to Hate began seeking a location to found a new temple. Since the open worship of Hate is forbidden in the Eastern Reaches, the devout sought a site that was far away from prying eyes, and yet someplace that would glorify their dread god. The cultists found their locale in the form of an ancient burial ground far from any large towns or well traveled roads. After conditioning the burial ground's resident ghouls by providing equal amounts of bloody brutality and juicy morsels to eat, the cult moved into the warrens beneath the graveyard.
Several miles to the south of the burial ground lay the small farming hamlet of Tegel Village. The superstitious residents of Tegel Village all knew about the ancient burial site and stayed far away, fearing that they might disturb the Barrow King, an entity that they believed stalked the area.
After initial consecration of the new temple to their dark god, Abraxes, posted sentries all around Tegel Village to ensure that no villager be allowed to leave the area, insuring that the temple's location would remain secure and secret. The village would provide fodder for the cult's bloody sacrifices as well as Mordiggian, the cult's spiritual leader, own blasphemous surgical experiments.
The first raid on Tegel Village happened about nine months ago. The villagers awoke one morning to discover that a house of the edge of the village had been sacked and all its occupants had gone missing. The villagers mounted their own search party but found no trace of the missing family. In the months that followed, the raids continued. After the third attack, with no sign of the missing villagers, a messenger was sent to seek aid from Dragonsford. He never returned.
- RAID 1 = 4 (February 11, 888)
- RAID 2 = 4 (May 18, 888)
- RAID 3 = 4 (August 19, 888)
- MESSENGER = 1 (sent out August 20, 888)
- RAID 4 = 3 (November 10, 888)
Some villagers have begun to believe that the disappearances are the work of the Barrow King come to punish them for some unknown transgression. If asked, the villagers will describe the Barrow King as a restless spirit from an age long past that haunts the ancient burial ground several miles to the north of the town. His malevolence is said to loathe all life, seeking to destroy the living whenever possible, especially delighting in the suffering it can inflict upon its victims before it snuffs out their lives.
To complete this adventure, the party must stop the vile activities of the cult leaders (Abraxes and Mordiggian), and rescue as many captured villagers from the temple as possible.
NOTE: The Silver Crown of the Barrow King in a village shop
- Other cult members will come seeking revenge for the deaths of their religious leaders (once the next caravan arrives).
- The tasks performed in order to destroy the enchanted axe, Fiend, could become a quest for the party.
Room 1: The Burial Ground
The barrows are approximately 30 feet wide and do not contain anything of interest. Five orc guards and four ghouls are currently stalking around the burial mounds. The orcs will attack anyone who approaches the open barrow. The orcs will fight to the death. They are fiercely loyal to Abraxes. The ghouls, on the other hand, will only attack someone with the scent of the purple mushrooms in Room 14 on them. Otherwise, they are content to stay clear of any fights that occur and sate their hunger on the fallen once it is safe. If the ghouls attack, they run as soon as two of their numbers are slain.
Once the party has dealt with the orc guards (and possibly the ghoul lurkers) they may make their way safely into the open crypt. If the party leave mounts outside the crypt and the ghouls have not been slain or driven away, the unprotected animals will be eaten by the time the party return.
Room 2: The Crypt Hall
There are no actual dangers in the crypt hall, but the atmosphere is gloomy. The hide hanging against the back wall hides the entrance to the ghoul warrens.
Room 3: The Queen's Room
All of the valuables from this tomb were looted months ago by the cultists and have been moved to Room 17.
Room 4: The King's Room
All of the valuables from this tomb were looted months ago by the cultist and have been moved to Room 17. If the PCs enter the room, The King and Queen, now transformed into ghasts, will attack them from the corner of the room to the left of the door, and will fight until destroyed. The Queen has an antique hair comb crafted into the shape of a gold dragon set with a red garnet clinging to her matted hair. The comb is worth 580 gold.
Room 5: Room of Gibbering Chirurgeons
There are three Chirurgeons here that attack the party as soon as they enter the room and fight to the death.
Room 6: Ghoul Cave
Six ghouls are skulking in this room, feeding upon the remains of a cultist thrown to them by the orcs in Room 7. The ghouls will only attack someone with the scent of the purple mushrooms in Room 14 on them unless they are attacked themselves. Once four of the ghouls have been killed, the remaining two will attempt to flee north along the corridor, alerting the orcs in Room 7 of danger. The ghouls themselves have no treasure, but a small pearl worth 200 gold can be found on the remains of the unfortunate cultist the ghouls are eating.
Room 7: Orc Guard Post
The crates and barrels are empty, as the orcs are using them for a makeshift table. There are six orcs standing around the central table placing bets on a game of chance. The orcs have just finished feeding the ghouls in Room 6 and are not expecting any trouble from that direction. If the party is attempting to be stealthy at all, the orcs are surprised and only receive a partial action during the first round of combat. However, if any of the ghouls from Room 6 have run in this directions, the orcs are alert for danger and ready to attack the party. The orcs will fight to the death. They fear the wrath of Abraxes more than they fear death.
In a chest are 200 gold in coins from Sandal, the Reaches and the Orc Nation, and two gold teeth from the cultist they fed to the ghouls worth 5 gold each. The chest is locked with a puzzle trap.
Room 8: Choker Cave
A choker is clinging to the ceiling near the entrance to Room 9. The party must make an opposed skill check against the choker's Hide skill to spot it. If it goes unnoticed, the choker will patiently wait for the party to investigate the room and begin entering Room 9. It will strike out at the last person entering Room 9.
Room 9: The Mimic's Lair
Aside from the chests and barrels, there is nothing of interest here. One of the objects in the room is a mimic. Located in the chests and barrels surrounding the mimic is 600 gold, a large folded tapestry with mildew stains (worth 100 gold), a well-crafted bag of elven silk (in reality a bag of devouring), a slender rod of birch wood (a wand of magic missiles; casts as a 5th-level wizard, 3 charges), a silver dagger with a deep blue spinel set in the pommel (in reality a +2 dagger), and a very small opal (worth 500 gold).
Room 10: Desecrated Antechamber
Three chirurgeons attack the party as they enter the room and fight to the death. Aside from the bloodstains (which are from the chirurgeon's last victim), there is nothing of interest in this room.
Room 11: The False Altar
Concealed against the northeastern wall is a secret door (search skill check DC 20 to find). The secret door opens with a loud grating sound alerting anyone in Room 17. The four cultists rise and attack anyone who enters this sacred area and fight to the death.
Room 12: Human Cultist Barracks
This is where the human cultists sleep. Common items like idols, peasant clothing, and food items are all the occupy most of the chests. However, hidden in one of them is a magic emerald guarded by a homunculus who immediately attacks anyone that opens the chest. The homunculus is guarding a deep green emerald. When activated with a command word ("Hate"), the magical gem heals the person holding it of 2d8+5 damage (as cure moderate wounds spell cast by a 5th level cleric). Each use of the gem expends 1 charge. There are 3 charges left in the gem. If sold, it is worth 500 gold.
Room 13: The Cells
The four prisoners in the cages are from Tegel Village. Once they notice the party, the will begin clawing at the bars of the cages and begging to be rescued. If any cultist guard comes within arm's reach of the cages during combat with the party, the prisoners will reach between the bars to claw at the guard. Treat the prisoner's attack as having a +1 to the attack roll. If successful, the attack inflicts 1d3 damage to the guard.
Once freed, the former prisoners will gladly follow the party as they continue to free more imprisoned villagers.
Three cultists attack the party as soon as they enter this location and fight to the death to prevent the rescue of the prisoners.
Room 14: The Hall of Bone
Nothing in this room is actually dangerous to the party. If the party crosses the room, the mushrooms will leave a sticky resin on their clothing and exposed flesh. It is this resin that is responsible for the unpleasant odor of the cavern. The resin, and the accompanying scent, will remain on clothing and flesh until it is washed thoroughly. The ghouls (located in Rooms 1 and 6) will immediately attack anyone with this scent on them.
Room 15: The Surgical Prep Room
The woman in the first cage is actually a ghoul, and moves to attack anyone who opens the door to her cage. The prisoners in cages 3 and 4 are unaware of her true nature. The ghoul will spring to attack the nearest available target as soon as the door to her cage is opened. Once they are freed, the former prisoners will gladly follow the party as they continue their quest to free more imprisoned villagers.
Room 16: Mordiggian's Operating Theater
The bound man is an imprisoned villager, and acts like the others if freed. Mordiggian and his two chirurgeons attack the party as soon as they enter this area.
Chirurgeon are ghoulish collections of body parts cobbled together to form composite forms. They stand about six feet tall and have sallow skin. They weigh between 200 and 400 lbs. Steel pins and rods stretch the flesh of these creatures in horrific mockeries of their original human form. Their gaunt bodies are completely hairless, making them look like living jigsaw puzzles. Gore-smeared razors extend from the stumps of their hands like slender fingers. They smell faintly of freshly dug earth and alchemical preservatives. From their mouths they utter a constant gibbering caterwaul. They move and strike with a grace rarely seen in other constructs.
Room 17: The Hall of the Barrow King
Abraxes, the false Barrow King, attacks the party as soon as they enter this area. Abraxes is carrying a black greataxe named Fiend. He is wearing a minor ring of fire resistance and a suit of full plate. In the chests on the dais are 700 gold.
11 Orcs
50 gold
Tomb of Redurn Rump
Redurn Rump was a strange young man. He was a quiet, gaunt man with straggly black hair and a sour disposition. He was known to collect strange artifacts, shrunken heads and the like. In 858, a team of dwarven builders arrived in Tegel Village. They came into town quietly one night, arriving by ship from across the Inner Sea. Silent about their business, they brought gold and hearty thirsts to the town's taverns. Shortly thereafter, they began building a mausoleum in Tegel Village apparently at the command of Redurn Rump. Rumors flew about this strange happening: the Rump's had always been buried in their family plot near the Manor. The building was thought to be for Redurn's sick father Raoul. It was a round tower domed at the top, solid without any apparent entrance. The most unusual feature of the structure is hundreds of small niches carved in its surface. Placed seemingly at random, the tomb had no other distinguishing marks. The night after the tomb was finished; the dwarves disappeared without a word. In the morning, their ship was gone. No trace remained of the dwarves except the strange building.
When Raoul finally died, the town was shocked again as Redurn buried him in a simple grave in the family plot near the Manor. Shortly thereafter, Redurn married and almost immediately fathered a son, Runic. One year after his son was born, Redurn disappeared. Rumored to have gone into the strange building, his tomb, Redurn never returned. As his wife soon discovered, what little remained of the vast Rump fortunes disappeared as well. When Runic came into his inheritance, it included an envelope from his father. The envelope did not contain a letter telling his son where he had gone. Instead it contained a map of sorts with strange figures drawn around it. Unable to discern the meaning of the map, Runic has since lost it. All subsequent attempts to get into the tomb have failed.
The wrath of ancient Skybound Lords,
Their glorious wings unfurled,
Once lit the air in bloody fire,
To Hell their foes were hurled.
Their Age is gone, the Skybound Lords
Have fallen fast to sleep,
They slumber in their ancient crypts
Beneath the Elder Keep.
The Skybound Lords fear only One,
Although all Five are He,
When once again his fury flies,
His children will be free.
The power of the Skybound Lords,
Will fill the Summoned One,
The ancient fires of scaly wing,
Will cause the weak to run.
The coming of the Skybound Lords,
Starts at five altars far,
Arranged around the Elder Keep,
Like points upon a star.
Five come to one upon full moon,
The journey takes a turning,
And all must reach the Elder Keep,
Lest keys to home returning.
Of sixteen relics ancient hewn,
Five show the altar path,
Keys are they to secret lairs,
To summon Children's wrath.
Five ancient relics summon them,
The sky lord's children's might,
Five more gain ancient power,
To aid them in their flight.
The final key will hasten back,
The Five in One, praise ten.
Then summon back his brethren strong,
To end the Age of Men.
The Fives Scales
A secret society known as the Five Scales are attempting to gather the artifacts of the Skybound Lords riddle, and along with a master key, they plan to summon Tiamat back to the Realm and with him restore the Age of Dragons. They are the latest in an ancient Summoners following. It will be these fifteen priests and their Supreme Priest that become the Skybound Lords – rulers of the Realm of Men.
The Five Scales are divided into five conclaves of three members each: two High Priests and one Acolyte. They are scattered throughout the Reaches along the points of a star. Each of the five chapels of Tiamat has a verse written on it. Only by deciphering the verses can the secrets of getting the statues together be understood. The center of the star is near the small village of Riverrun in the March of Wirkswirthy. There an ancient chapel (elder keep) sits, waiting for the artifacts to return. If the walk fails, all the artifacts are teleported back to their starting place – thus assuring that they cannot be lost forever. If successful, Tiamat can be summoned and all hell breaks loose.
In Tegel, the elder High Priest is the Judge and the younger High Priest is the potter. He actually works as a messenger, coding messages in the designs that he puts into his pots - those bound for other agents of the Five Scales. While his work is famous, many of his pots (empty of their weed) find themselves in the hands of the cultists. They wear the dragon scale medallions which protect them from scrying and detection spells. These are actual scales from Tiamat.
Knowing that the artifact was in Tegel Manor, they first recruited Redurn – who thought he had discovered the final talisman, a compass. He was wrong – it was an astrolabe. He built the temple to replace the one that was originally housed in the orphanage from plans that he found at the Manor. He had a son to carry on the Manor until his ascendence. When he went into the Tomb, however, the summoning failed and he starved to death – 30 days without food – ouch! And so, the Judge and Potter recruited Runic to look for the key – a task at which he failed miserably. All the keys had also teleported away. Sigh.
A "fake" organization was formed, by the urging of the Judge – as the Five Scale society. They are really just a bunch of old men who have named themselves after the ancient order, created fake medallions – gold with a red banker's scale etched into them, and hold secret meetings under the Wine Cellar. They are a true red herring for the "real" organization.
Hierarchy of the Five Scales
- Red senior dies.
- Red junior gets Blue key from Red apprentice and becomes senior.
- White apprentice is summoned to be Red junior.
- New white apprentice is found.
- Red junior dies.
- White apprentice is summoned to be Red junior.
- New white apprentice is found.
- Red apprentice dies.
- New red apprentice is found.
In addition, each Junior and Senior knows the location where he came from (i.e., Red Junior and Red Senior knows where the White church is). This is also where new priests are summoned from.
Keys to the Tomb of Redurn Rump
The keys to the Tomb are the volcanic pumice figures with moonstone eyes. These were designed by Redurn. In addition, a service tunnel was built to move the gold for the chariot. After the construction was completed, the tunnel was collapsed. However, Zebulon has discovered the tunnel and extended it to his house.
To open the tomb, the party must find the figurines of the appropriate shape. If taken too far from Tegel, they teleport back. Under the light of the full moon, the idol will glow with a particular color which corresponds to the map. The figures on the map denote the position the statue must be in to open the door. Note: there are some additional figures that are not needed. Only the ones that have matching colored arrows are needed.
The keys into Redurn's jail are statues moonlight pale.
A map you need lest you rail to sort the head from tail,
Full moon shines o'er us all, it casts its shining pall,
Into their dens, the creatures crawl, and then the power calls,
Like an ancient alabaster tomb, the doors will open soon,
Inside the relics light the gloom to carry out their doom.
|Red Bee
|Oranage Fox
|Sweetvine's Basement
|Blue Spider
|Orange Cat
|Blue Bear
|Playroom 2nd Floor
|Red Bird
|Blue Horse
The Gathering
Once all fifteen artifacts have been gathered by the fifteen priests and placed on their ceremonial altars, the maps in the center of the room will glow with a red star showing the location of the secret chapel. This will only happen under the full moon, and it signals the start of the journey. The artifacts in Tegel have the following powers:
- The astrolabe – guides the journey ("public key")
- The dragon – summons a dragon to carry the party ("summoning")
- The egg – powers the defenses of the chariot ("power")
Room 1: Foyer
Careful examination show that the bars are made of mithril and actually extend all around the room.
Entering the room, the party notices that all of their magic auras are extinguished and magic items seem to lose their functionality.
A final puzzle must be solved to enter the Summoning Room.
- Six boxes contain eight of each of the following shaped metal "keys".
- Against the wall is a strangely shaped "keyhole".
- A message written on the back of the keyhole in dwarvish says, "Choose the box from which you cannot fill this keyhole to enter. All other boxes are death."
The answer is:
Room 2: The Summoning Room
The body is that of Redurn Rump, emaciated and clearly dead from starvation.
When the astrolabe is set onto the third piller, the ceiling of the room appears identical to the night sky outside. Light from the stars (assuming all torches are put out) shine on the pillar objects - causing them to glow in a red light. Suddenly, the map is illuminated with a large red five-pointed star.
This shows the location of the elder keep.
If the wrong items are placed on their niches, the mithril gate will close again.
Room 3: Chariot Room
An examination shows that there are three indentations in the chariot corresponding to the three artifacts from the room above. The first near the front right is for the astrolabe – which will gyrate wildly for a few moments before pointing decidedly southwest. The second also near the front is for the dragon – which will summon a great red dragon to be the chariot's steed. The third is near the rear for the egg – which will magically imbue the chariot with protective spells and levitate it so that a dragon could carry it.
The lever on the wall causes the northeast corner of this room (and some of the dirt around the tomb) to vanish, making a launch pad for the chariot.
The Encounter
There are many possibilities here. The Judge, Potter and Runic could head off. The party could have to kill the Judge and Potter and take the chariot. They could try to reassemble the chariot. It's really hard to tell. Of course, the dragon will need to be subdued.
White Temple
Like many ancient structures, the White Temple is actually comprised of buildings built over the course of centuries. Each new addition is built while the older buildings fall into disrepair. Spirit Hill is the common name by which the slight rise to the east of Tegel Village is known. Walking the road that leads over Spirit Hill towards the ocean often fills one with a sense of peace and serenity. The crest of the hill, now covered with religious buildings, has long been a place of quiet contemplation.
The oldest structure on the hill is a small two-room affair behind the current temple. It is simple stone with a cross above a skull relief carved on the lintel above the door. Nothing is known of its origins, although it is possible that the original foundations were laid in the Second Age. In the center of the small inner room is a most peculiar magic. Floating mid-air in this room is a ghostly coffer, a box several feet in each dimension. Observers can clearly see through the box. Entering the room causes some to be sickened, although most find the room very peaceful and almost warm to the skin. Windowless, the walls of this room are filled with letters carved in stone, although no meaning has been attached to Musgrave's Ritual, so named for a long-deceased town drunk who was always coming up with solutions to the puzzle. The outer room of this structure is filled with windows, now open to the air, and is used as a viewing room where the dead of Tegel Village are laid to rest between death and their burial. This tradition carries to this day. A member of the family or village guard watch over the body until the next holy day, when it is buried in the cemetery surrounding the complex.
The modern temple, built at the end of the seventh century, currently is occupied by the Monks of St. Jacob, or as they have affectionately been called, the Monks of the Briny Deep. A curious cult, these monks have taken a vow of celibacy and silence. Their religion seems to be based on the belief that the Realm will one day be swallowed by an enormous sea serpent. The writings of St. Jacob supposedly tell of such a creature being sighted in the Great Sea, a bestial creature of impossible size with writhing tentacles and a maw the size of a town. Each day at dusk and dawn, one monk wanders down from the temple to the fishing village. There, he strips down, prays and then walks into the sea. Only to return an hour later, cold, shivering and apparently relieved not to have been eaten by Mother Hydra. Picking up an offering of fish and ale left by the fishermen, the monk returns to the Temple for prayers. The Monks of the Briny Deep do not come into Tegel Village, except a rare visit by Brother Bob (a little joke by the townsfolk on how the monks bob like a cork when in the water).
Surrounding the entirety of the White Temple is the graveyard of Tegel Village. While the Rumps are buried in their family crypts at the manor house, the common folk of Tegel have been buried in the peace and contentment of the White Temple since the time of Sir Rumpole Rump. That is not so say that nothing strange has ever happened in the graveyard. Crazy Cogsworth, the gravedigger, can oftentimes be found sleeping in the shade of the old tombstones of the cemetery.
DM's Notes
Book and seaweed (boon)


text: H2O Co2 The property in Coton village, near Cambridge was originally built in the 1870s and was part of an agricultural small holding. Later it became a public house. Existing dilapidated out-buildings and extensions were demolished as part of Barr architects plan, leaving the original house as a shell. The house has been sensitively restored with a new slate roof and double glazed, timber sash windows in keeping with the original look and in tune with surrounding properties. A spacious new extension to the rear includes three new bedrooms, three new bathrooms and a large, first floor living room with timber-framed, full-height glazed windows and doors overlooking the garden. The design and choice of materials for the new extension: iroko timber, lead, natural slate, and brick, were selected to ensure that the new modern wing was harmonious with adjacent listed buildings. Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)


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Uproar pervades the French cybersphere over the media's indifference toward the Garissa University College massacre in Kenya. France learned the news from the English online press, and hold their media accountable for underreporting the story. Meanwhile, in the US, reports on Garissa came in the wake of terrorist raids, developed with regular updates about personal stories and responses from Kenyan authorities; and then faded away when the verdict of the Boston marathon bomber–also related to extremist Islam–broke.
In France, solidarity with Kenya stems from sharing the same intolerable violence and shock from terrorists jihadists. Then it splits on the global mediatic scene. In January, after the Paris' twin attacks, France received an exceptional demonstration of global support : the hashtag #jesuischarlie, worldwide demonstrations, and the political leaders walking in the streets of Paris; none of this happened for Kenya.
Now France feels awkward, its heart swelling beyond borders. Since the world has been Charlie, the French became Danish for the terrorist attack that killed one at a free speech Conference in Copenhagen, Tunisian after gunmen killed 19 visitors in the Bardo Museum, and now Kenyan.
It's as if Charlie and the Kosher market terror generated a slow-to-heal fracture, a before and after. Before, on December 16th 2014, seven Talibans clad in Pakistani army uniforms burst into a military-run Peshawar public school, killing 145 students. The scenario is almost identical to Garissa; it was reported as insurgents taking revenge against military action. The attack was so unpredictable that the military was caught off guard on its own territory, resulting in almost the same death toll. Yet, no one in the Western world changed their Facebook profile picture in solidarity for the young Pakistani martyrs. Furthermore, rare are those who remember the slaughter and endless pain it brought to the many families who lost their children forever.
Anyway, with Kenya the frustration is mounting. Complaints about the lack of coverage grow bigger than the story itself. Some recommended using memes to show concern, and support by pushing the hashtag #jesuiskenyan. Very few have changed their profile pictures. No heads of state are marching in the streets and Kenyans feel as though their lives are somehow worthless.


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Packt typeface
- Category
- Sans serif
- Skills
- aged, decorative, dirty, distressed, rounded
Packt, my aim was to make a distressed looking typeface that could be used on packaging. It's a nice mix between distressed and modern style. It works best at larger sizes, so I guess you could say it's a display font.
Buy Packt font for £2
OTF and TTF
Mac & PC Compatible
Simon Stratford
Licence is for 1 user. Additional licensing is also available, please contact me.


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Wolwedans Dune Camp
Wolwedans Dune Camp sits on the edge of a 250m-high dune in the 2,100km2 NamibRand Nature Reserve, within the Namib Desert. Small and intimate, it was the first camp to be built in the Wolwedans Collection, and has evolved from a very rustic, simple camp to something that is today a bit more refined.
Continue reading our full report on Wolwedans Dune Camp
Our view of Wolwedans Dune Camp
Wolwedans Dune Camp has long been a favourite of the Expert Africa team. Though the tents are bigger and smarter than when we first started visiting, the camp itself remains small and intimate and the spectacular scenery seemingly unchanged. In our opinion, Dune Camp's small size, stunning location nestled in the dunes and excellent guiding, coupled with the attentive but not overbearing care given by the all women staff, make it a very special spot from which to explore this vast reserve.
Read the Owner's description of Wolwedans Dune Camp
Wolwedans Dune Camp: Traveller ratings
Wolwedans Dune Camp is located amongst the dunes...


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Elliott Lucca Bellina Heels Sesame/Bronze Exotic
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Features of Elliott Lucca Bellina Shoes - Sesame/Bronze Exotic:
- Made of leather upper.
- Ankle strap with buckle closure.
- Peep-toe silhouette.
- Colorblocked pattern with woven accent at heel.
- Leather lining.
- Lightly padded footbed with snake-embossed leather.
- Wrapped heel and stacked platform.
- Synthetic sole.
- Imported.
- Heel Height: 4 1/2 in
- Weight: 12 oz
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- Product measurements were taken using size 8, width M. Please note that measurements may vary by size.
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Archive for the 'LRC benefits and services' Category
Welcome to the Learning Resource Center!
February 11, 2010 Comments off
The Learning Resource Center (LRC) at Meridian Career Institute is also known as the "No Excuses Room." Why? Because the LRC provides everything students need to succeed:
- Tutoring
- Computers with Internet access
- Microsoft Office products
- Material to supplement textbooks
- Printing
- A quiet place to study
- A qualified Librarian
- Wi-fi
With these benefits and services available, there are NO EXCUSES! You CAN achieve your educational goals!
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Categories: LRC benefits and services


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Qualcomm has released the specifications of its upcoming Snapdragon S4 chipset, which will be the first in the mobile world to be using 28nm process technology. That would give it a substantial advantage in power-efficiency and processing power over its competitors.
The Snapdragon S4 chipset will be packing either two or four brand new Krait cores, which have been custom designed by Qualcomm and should bring a 60% improvement over the currently used Scorpion processors at the same clock speed. However, Qualcomm has obviously found 60% to be an insufficient upgrade and it will be clocking those cores from 1.5GHz to the mind-blowing 2.5GHz.
They are actually that are unique Qualcomm and are closer to ARM A15 Eagle class processor capabilities than Cortex-A9.
Adreno 225 is the Snapdragon S4 GPU of choice and it should bring roughly 50% better performance than the Adreno 220. Now that probably won't make it the most powerful GPU on the market (we are pretty sure there are GPUs that are 50% more powerful than Adreno 220 right now), but maybe Qualcomm figured it will be all that you will need anyway.
As you could expect, connectivity is duly covered, with the S4 SoC supporting everything from LTE to GLONASS.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 should hit actual devices in the first half of 2012. Initially it will be just 1.5GHz dual-core CPUs, with quad-core processors and higher clocks speeds following in the later stages of the year.


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Current Position: Home>>Antibodies>>Antibody Sampler Kits
When a reaction occurs in a cell, it receives signal transmitted from outside the cell, and then the cell responds according to the information it received. The whole procedure from receiving external signals from cell receptors to making a comprehensive response is not only a signal transduction process, but also a process of gradually amplifying external signals, which involves a series of comprehensive responses.
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Before she began designing clothing more than 15 years ago, Malibu native Roxana Zal did what many who flock to Los Angeles aspire to do: she was a successful film and television actress and producer. In fact, Zal is credited as the youngest actress to win an Emmy, which she did at age 14 for the TV movie There's Something About Amelia. But as an avid music lover and fan of the fashions of the 1960s and 1970s icons like Stevie Nicks, she became inspired to begin trying to fill a hole she saw in the market: vintage inspired dresses that were comfortable, beautiful, and made with the love and craftsmanship that solidified their heirloom status.
With GoldDust Dresses, that's exactly what she's created. The line of slip dresses, kaftans, jumpers, and maxis is comprised of vintage Indian fabrics that are hand printed and hand sewn—which also means they're sustainable. Zal's definitively bohemian viewpoint perfectly embodies her gypsy spirit; admittedly, she'll never lose her Malibu roots. We chatted with Roxana about how where she grew up influenced the clothing she creates, as well as what would be on her ultimate playlist (let's just say there would need to be multiple volumes), and who first whet her vintage appetite.
You're from Malibu: do you think the landscape you grew up in directly influences your line?
Yes absolutely! I am such a "look at the sky, look at the sunset, look at the moon, stay in the car to listen to the rest of the song" type of person. Those are my Malibu girl roots. GoldDust has that natural, original energy because the fabric was hand-woven, hand blocked, and handmade.
Let's talk about your relationship with vintage. Any early memories of exploring with it?
From as young as I can remember I wanted to dress like my mom, who was heavily into fashion. She was from England and her wide-ranging style included vintage clothes, rock n roll, and punk, as well as major designers like Givenchy, Pucci, and YSL. I was always sneaking items out her closet to wear and especially with her vintage clothes I was very curious about the story behind each piece.
GoldDust has (a) natural, original energy
because the fabric was hand-woven,
hand blocked, and handmade.
If GoldDust had a playlist, what would be on it?
Music is my biggest passion and inspiration—my list could be a book! To name a few: Jack White, Ryan Adams, Stevie Nicks, Beth Orton, Emmylou Harris, Nina Simone, Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell, The Cult, Bob Marley, Muddy Waters, early Bruce Springsteen, The Grateful Dead, Elliot Smith, Arcade Fire, Bon Iver, The Kills, Cesario Evora, Edith Piaf, Lauryn Hill, Fleetwood Mac, Hope Sandoval, Johnny Cash, U2, Roy Orbison, and Rod Stewart. And that's just a taste!
Other than with music, what are some ways you tap into creativity?
I get inspired when traveling, so many ideas come to me from different people and their cultures. Also, reading a great book and other people's art and storytelling gives me creative energy.
How do you think your experience in the entertainment business may have influenced how you approach clothing design?
Being an actress involves tapping into both an internal and external world. When developing a character's world, what she wore influenced so much for me: how she walked, how she felt physically, and why she wore what she did. Being an actress helped develop the designer side of me tremendously. I think it was naturally happening before I knew it.
Besides a good vintage-inspired dress, what are your other personal wardrobe staples?
I'm obsessed with finding really great t-shirts and jeans. I love Anine Bing and Mother for denim and Rick Owens tees and tanks. A great pair of shoes is also important: Bedstu makes gorgeous handmade boots and sandals and I also love great platforms by Chloe, Miu Miu or YSL. And I can never have enough vintage Native American turquoise jewelry. I collect it.
Describe the perfect LA day.
I'd start by doing some hot yoga, then getting creative one way or another. I'd take a drive with music blasting and maybe see some type of art or music show with friends. One of my favorite things is just being home with family and friends making a great meal together.
My favorite vintage find of all time is:
A 1960's Missoni three-piece suit. It has a kimono, a blouse and bell-bottoms to die for, in the label's cosmic classic colors.
The musician (dead or alive) I'd most want to jam out with is:
Jack White.
I cannot go one day without:
Harmless Harvest coconut water and Optimally Organic red pine needle oil.


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Apologies if someone has already posted this. On top of which it's not really an 'International Event' either, but I couldn't think of another heading to put it under.
There's a interesting play on the BBC Radio4 website at the moment - George Orwell's "Down And Out In Paris And London" with music performed by Django Reinhardt.
The first part of the play has about six or seven of Django's recordings included as incidental music, and it can be listened to again until Sunday lunchtime at the internet address below.
Don't know if there'll be more from Django in Part 2, but it's scheduled to be broadcast on Sunday 28th April 2007 at 15:00.
PS. Ignore the mix up of dates/titles shown on the website - it looks like they're broadcasting Part 2 before Part 1, but they're not. The one you can listen to again at the moment is Part 1.


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1 Player -
Action -
Arcade -
Car -
Girl -
Io -
Physics -
Puzzle -
Racing -
Command Ant Conquer is a free online strategy game where you can play with another. Winter is coming and your colonies need more food to survive. But, that resource is not enough for all. It is the cause that the conflict starts. You take the role of a queen and command some units. You should send your troop to conquer the island and achieve the goal as soon as possible. It is necessary to defeat your opponents and stay alive! Good luck!


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Big sail of the day
New Zealand would have woken up in Port Elizabeth thinking they been teleported back to Wellington. A fierce south-westerly blew through the city and you need look no further than Jacques Kallis to see what an impact it had. Kallis was in his run-up in his second over when a feisty gust blew across the ground just as he was about to deliver the ball. He had to stop for fear of being blown over. Considering Kallis' sturdy build, imagine what the strong breezes were doing to the rest of the players.
Home boys of the day
Robin Peterson and Alviro Petersen are the two players in the current South African XI who were born in Port Elizabeth and both are playing their first Test at St George's Park. They got to enjoy a special moment together when bowled from opposite ends. Petersen was used so Peterson could change ends, and they only operated in tandem for two overs.
Wait of the day
It's not often that Peterson bowls before Dale Steyn in a day of Test cricket. It's even rarer that Petersen does. With the new ball 13 overs and two balls away when the morning began, Steyn was allowed some down time and ended being the sixth bowler used on the day, after Rory Kleinveldt, Peterson, Jacques Kallis, Petersen, and Morne Morkel. As soon as Steyn came on, he was among the wickets, taking two in his first two overs.
Number of the day
BJ Watling will end the Test series as one of the two New Zealand batsmen with their respect intact. Watling produced good fighting knocks in this match, both of which yielded exactly the same number of runs: 63. Half-centuries and hundreds are the milestones most batsmen remember but 63 could be what Watling treasures because although the team was crushed badly, those runs helped him leave a mark.


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Idahoan Dean Williams used to make a living by repairing vintage mechanical cameras. If you've ever pulled your hair out trying to replace a small spring that hasn't been manufactured since the factory was bombed by Göring's Luftwaffe, you may be interested in his well-documented DIY method. Dean's trick for annealing them inside a wad of steel wool in a toaster oven is worth a click all by itself. His entire site, in fact, will likely be of interest to those who appreciate close mechanical work.
How-To: Make Springs


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Monday, September 28, 2009
While I was seeking through curriculum the other day, I decided to take a look at Christine Liberty's web site. I had used them when I first started homeschooling and thought I would see what they had in the way of history for fifth and seventh grade. I could not believe what I saw there, they are selling the Bob Jones English teacher's editions for under ten dollars. I have not ordered one from them, but will next year, however I did purchase the student edition which is the cheapest I have found so far new. Shipping is pricey however, but if you were to get the set it would be worth the shipping to save so much on the teacher's edition. Note that they only carry answers keys for first through third grade.
Bob Jones English at Christian Liberty Press
Posted by Heavenly Bodies at 3:59 PM
Labels: Curriculum
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This Week's Reading
What We're Loving: Toomer, Kusama, and TrainBy The Paris Review
Six years ago I wrote a little article about my favorite Washington, D.C., novels—and was roundly chastised for leaving Cane off the list. First published in 1923, Jean Toomer's modernist classic isn't exactly about Washington, and it isn't exactly a novel. It's an early response to the Great Migration, in linked stories and verse, that moves from rural Georgia to U Street and back again. Still, it may well be the District's greatest hit. It is pure lyricism, perfect for these late summer nights. —Lorin Stein
I caught a preview of the Yayoi Kusama retrospective that opened at the Whitney yesterday. If you've heard of her at all, it's likely for her signature polka dots (or perhaps for her recent collaboration with Louis Vuitton). As a video in the show attests, her use of those dots was compulsive and obsessive: she sticks them on prone nudes, reclining cats, distracted dogs; they litter the ground, the wind, the sky. But most intriguing are her very early paintings, in which you can see Kusama working through the early masters of Western modernism. Of particular interest was a very odd painting incredibly titled Accumulation of Corpses (Prisoner Surrounded by the Curtain of Depersonalization), in which waves of red curtain folds pinhole a scene of bare trees. As chance would have it, the painting perfectly represented the book I've been reading, Windeye, Brian Evenson's adroitly creepy new story collection. It's kismet! —Nicole Rudick
What is glamour and how does one attain it? Is it curated, cultivated—or does it just arrive, like inspiration? Jim Lewis's article for W magazine, "Face Forward," is the perfect starting point for anyone intrigued by (or dismissive of) this fleeting, shimmering quality. For me, if beauty is an image, then glamour is imagery: aesthetics in the service of narrative. What is glamour, after all, but good storytelling? Presenting a glimpse of a lifestyle—or perhaps, a way of being—other, elsewhere, and then gone. —Alyssa Loh
Read More


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My new job is demanding, but all the stuff I learned while working at my previous job has served me well and I've survived the first two weeks. We are going through some
expansion - moving to a building that's three times as big as our
current place and is even closer to my house than our current location
(8 minute walk rather than 10 - how great is that), and I am the
person responsible for the renos and the move. I have other
responsibilities as well, to keep
the place up and running, but the move is my priority.
The new building is in Chinatown and was built 20 years ago. It was designed to fit in with the surrounding structures - it looks vaguely Asian, the facing is red brick, it has three floors and it used to be a bank (so we have a fire proof vault to store our weekly backups). It looks a bit like a bigger and fancier version of my house.
My old job was located in the basement of a hospital. We had no windows, no fresh air, no natural light. Right now my desk is located right beside a ground floor window that looks over Main Street. In the new place, my desk is to be located on the second floor next to a huge open stairwell/skylight/lightwell that is approximately the size of the largest room in my house. Cynthia, my boss, wants to grow food in the stairwell, and to have a garden up on the roof (eventually). This jibes well with my plans to green all horizontal surfaces that are under my purview...
I am thrilled.


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Live Streaming Video: Panel Discussion on National Cannabis Decriminalization Efforts
October 22, 2015
On Friday, October 23, 2015, at 2:30 p.m., Northwestern Pritzker School of Law will host a panel discussion on national cannabis decriminalization efforts and the social impact of cannabis laws. Cannabis prohibition is entering its 78th year and yet, it is legal to purchase marijuana in four states-Alaska, Colorado, Washington, and Oregon. This panel will discuss the cannabis decriminalization efforts around the country and the resolution to the inevitable clash of state federal laws as well as the how these laws, and the resulting criminal prosecutions, have impacted underrepresented and poor communities.
- Moderator: Professor Meredith Martin Rountree
- Robert R. Pluth (JD '80) Partner, Schiff Hardin LLP
- Dina Rollman (JD '00) Rollman Law Group
- Jeanne Bishop (JD '84) Assistant Public Defender, Cook County Public Defenders Office
The event will be simulcast from this page beginning at 2:30 p.m.


text: UMC does a WinterX where they use the actual track and just let you go at it while covered in snow, no prep or anything to the track. There is one tomorrow! One of these days I will buy a helmet and be abel to go to stuff like this. No idea of price, since you need to either have or create an account to get that info. Link Below!


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The Irish Government has repeatedly refused to allow Bethany Home, which was a combined children's home, maternity home & detention centre in Dublin, to be included in the list of qualifying Institutions for the Residential Institutions Redress Scheme. This deprives survivors of the opportunity to present their cases to the Redress Board and seek some semblance of justice and compensation for abuse suffered while they were children there.
I fully support calls from the Bethany House Survivors Group for an inquiry into the activities there and for survivors to be allowed to take their cases to the Redress Board.
Today's Irish Independent reports that:
Almost 220 unmarked graves for forgotten babies who died in a Protestant children's home were discovered, it was claimed today. An academic revealed there was a shocking number of infant deaths at the Bethany Home in Rathgar over a 47 year period after he widened his trawl of cemetery records. On Monday, former residents of the facility, the Bethany Survivors Group, will call on Government ministers to include them in the redress scheme for victims of institutional abuse.
Lecturer Niall Meehan claimed officials ignored high death rates at the home in the 1930s and instead deflected complaints by turning the issue into a religious squabble. "The state did little or nothing about reported increases in illness and mortality during the 1935 to 1939 period, though it was brought to the attention of the Dept of Local Government and Public Health by its own inspectors," he said.
"Government knew the facility was insufficient and did nothing concrete to remedy it."
Bethany Home was a combined children's home, maternity home and detention centre for female convicts which closed in 1972.
In May, Mr Meehan discovered 40 unmarked Bethany graves at the Mount Jerome Cemetery in Harold's Cross after consulting documents from the institution and the cemetery. Survivors are campaigning for a monument to remember the babies, who died at an average age of three months to a year.
The Griffith College Dublin lecturer said he since found evidence of another 179 graves for the period 1922 to 1949. More than a third of the total - 86 - died over a five year period from 1935.
The highest mortality rate was recorded in 1936 when 29 babies were buried.
Mr Meehan said records from Bethany Home also showed there could be another 30 forgotten babies in another graveyard.
"It's a terrible indictment on Irish society that so many children were destined to be forgotten and not considered important enough to be acknowledged," he said.
"They were just put in the ground in an unmarked common grave and forgotten about forever.
"Think about these human beings and how terrible it was for their mothers."
Friday, September 10, 2010
Bethany House
Posted by Andrew Madden at 4:37 AM
Labels: Bethany House
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