hey thomas,

having peldor and tanya on the road may open up loads of adventuring
opportunities.  for instance, you commented once, way back, that you'd like to
have some of the adventurers encounter a spelljamming ship, now may be your
chance.  can you imagine "peldor in space".  another thing i was thinking is
that mongo would probably like to join the couple.  wandering the world seems
like something that would make him happy.

i can also see them visiting belphanior sometime in their future.

and it may be an opportunity for you to reconnect with the old adventurers
as peldor and tanya stop by for a visit.  that way we could see what they've
been up to and what their current life status is like.

matt



I love the new story line.  Even though Peldor got screwed, he will always
come out smelling like a rose.  He now has as much freedom as he wants, and
he and Tanya will be able to have a lot of fun and adventure.  Nice to see
the whole crew together again, but what a mess that would be if a big fight
ever broke out.

Marcus


It may be bad luck for Peldor but extremely good luck for we readers.
Please take this opportunity to let Peldor get back to his old idiotic
self.  If you play this right, this could turn into a RIOT!  How about
some more hints about his mysterious past?  No, don't reveal everything,
just little itty bitty tidbits.

Let's just call it fate...

--
Denby



Well, I know their gone, but what exactly did Bosco's boxed set of
eye, gauntlet, and boot do?  I was looking forward to the next set of
stats for an explanation, but since they disappeared in the sewers...

Thanks,
Rob



PS. Stories are getting better every day. Quite a suprise with Peldor
though. I really thought he was settled for good. Nice to be proven
wrong :)

ElfLord



Some miscellaneous comments:  

1.  Peldor.  He was my least favorite at first (say for the first 100 
episodes), but I really look forward to his stories now.  Also, Sharyn 
as Guildmaster?  There has to be something more going on here - she's 
not even an active thief anymore!  I'm interested to see how this plays 
out.

2.  Mongo.  I love this guy.  He seems to be the M1 Abrams main battle 
tank of the party.  I'd like to see him get started on a kingdom soon.

3.  Belphanior.  Love him or hate him, that's the question.  I tend 
toward the hate, but he's gotten better since getting rid of the Eye.  
By far the most complex character of the bunch.  You do a great job of 
portraying the chaos that he causes.

4.  I like the way the Adventurers are slowly settling down.  The 
responsibilities of relationships and other 'mature themes' can be just 
as challenging as the nastiest dungeon (and probably harder to write).

Well, that's all for now.  Thanks again for the tales from Oerth - my 
favorite world.  Keep up the good work.

Phil



>Herbert:  The bastards...they've got Winnie and the kids.
>Eduardo:  Pooh.

Bad bad bad bad...I love it!  :)

Victoria seems to have quite the...range...of power.  Seems like she pretty
much does what she wants.  An impact of egos in the near future...?

Actually, by my read, if Belphanior is successful in saving Herbert's
family, as well as a few others, the town might be a little more disposed
to hate him a little bit less.

Tom



Thomas,

First things first; great work and please keep it up!

I just finished 433, and I was a bit disapointed at the way Victoria seemed
to totally clean house and not even break a sweat.  I admit I like to see
Victoria in action, but not at the cost of seeing Bel in a state of
inaction.  432 was pretty much the same thing, Victoria kicks ass and
gathers information, everyone else stands there and looks impressed.  Don't
get me wrong, I love the story, I just don't want to see things turn into: "
VICTORIA!     co-staring: The Adventurers".

Question:  How much is Razor Charlie based on Razor-Charlie-from-Desperado?

Requests:  More Eyer, Baltek, and co.!  More Razor Charlie, I really like
the way Otto and RC communicate and get along.  I wouldn't mind seeing a RC
& Otto solo.

Thanx,

Kurt



It's a fine story, but I'm still moaning from the Winnie the Pooh reference...

:{

Patrick



hey thomas,

belphanior and friends are always a fix for action addicts.  that's why we
like them.

matt



This episode was fun to read, and it appeared that you had a good
time writing it: I especially liked the interaction between Victoria
and Belphanior behind closed doors.

And then there were things like this:

>Herbert:  The bastards...they've got Winnie and the kids.
>Eduardo:  Pooh.

This was worth a snicker.

Leonard



> Herbert:  The bastards...they've got Winnie and the kids.
> Eduardo:  Pooh.

*rofl* pooh, indeed!  thank you, thomas.  this is classic!

cheers,

david



TM>  Just for the record, I'm _not_ a Pooh fan...



only a few random thoughts for this one. Any quote
from Kolchack is a good one.  Victoria is quite a classic: a dozen
men (minus one) in just a few minutes - yow!

Congratulations on the great seats for KISS. I was never much of a KISS
fan (being somewhat of a Zeppelin/Beethoven fanatic in the days of my
youth), but there's no arguing that they put on one hell of a show.

Leonard



BTW, I just love what you are doing with Victoria.  I was expecting
Belphanior to be more interesting in being a vampire himself rather than 
curing Victoria.  I guess he learned quite a lesson from the Eye ordeal.

.marc



> notes:     I guess bad luck hits these characters in cycles.  First
>   Alindyar and Lyra, who had more than their share of ill fortune in
>   a relatively short span of time.  Next, Belphanior, who lost his
>   public image, his eye, and even now still has a powerful enemy out
>   there in the Abyss.  Now it's Peldor's turn, it seems.
>     I really don't plan these things like this.  The stories just
>   write themselves.
> +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> 
Peldor's bad luck is my good luck!  I'm looking forward to some real
Peldor stories.  Do you think he would take something valuable from
the City on the way out?

It would also be interesting to see him dual-class, though what he would
change to I do not know .. maybe he could take an interest in magic or
religion?

Adrian



Epic III - the next generation?????

well, shit...a twist, whaddya know!!!!! I couldn't imagine Peldor as an 
Olligarch (sp?) anyway, he has to keep a little _dis_respectability!!!

ben



It's good to see some personality and even initiative from the run
of the mill guardsmen, and as always, it's nice to watch Otto and
Razor Charlie in action.

A fine bunch of bandits, although obviously out-classed by Belphanior
alone, and completely without hope against B. and company. Still, they
had know way of knowing that B. was still alive - even the town's guardsmen
thought him dead.

Does Razor Charlie ever run out of knives? I realize that this is his
specialty, and he'll carry a lot, but damn he must go through 25 to
50 per battle. Perhaps he has some sort of magical knife belt that can
produce N throwing knives a day, where N is a lot.

Good work having Charlie pick up the amulet/pendant of undead protection:
this could cause some internal friction in Belphanior's inner circle
later on.

Leonard



Great stories! I've been mulling over them for a little while...

Penny for your thoughts about Belphanior's idea to 'cure' Victoria:

Q: Who's the leading authority on undead that he knows?

A: Lightbringer.

Suppose Belph were to drop in on Ged and talk to Lightbringer. Suppose
he got angry, and said something like, "She's NOT a monster!"? Suppose
Ged, or more likely Nenya, put 2 and 2 together. Could be fun!
Especially with Orcus in the background: curing Victoria would *really*
piss him off!

Alternatively, Ged and Mongo could drop by to 'save Belphanior from
himself' by zapping her with Lightbringer. Teleport in, sphere of force
around them, slay her with Lightbringer, teleport out; Belphanior need
not even know.

Nice touch with Razor Charlie. Are you setting him up as a possible
saviour? He's very much a cardboard cut-out at the moment, and could do
with some depth.

Onwards: I don't recall seeing the Adventurers *as a group* severely
threatened for a very long time. Necros doesn't count because that was
done singly. The episode with the Vampire Lord and Oerth-2 are the most
recent that come to mind. Realistically, the only thing that's going to
bring them together is one of them getting into trouble, or the
re-appearance of an old enemy. Speaking of which, we don't know that
Potas Potay is *really* dead: an evil wizard is sure to have a clone or
two stashed away (qv Zara). Perhaps he took flesh samples from the
adventurers, and has made (evil) copies of them, which he then sends
against them. Can you imagine the Adventurers going through
Belphanior's castle, rather than the (almost humourously) inept Company
of Nine? Victoria could get Commanded to attack Belphanior!

You've mentioned the idea of Belphanior discovering a new race: for an
interesting take on this idea, may I suggest you take a look at
Gethaena, a Shadow World supplement?

More on Rob: I had a chuckle over Belphanior's sex change in S1, but I
don't feel the humourous possibilities were explored. Suppose this were
to happen to Rob? 

Finally, a plea: I have this wonderful image of Mongo going head to
head with the Iron Dwarf on an ocean bed!

QTS



Thomas,

 A subtle, but interesting episode, at least to me.  When I was playing,
druids were always one of my favorite characters (with rangers, monks, and
thieves).  They arent as helpful as clerics, but once they hit the
mid-level range, look out, especially in any adventure dealing with the
wilderness.  Yeah, they have a lack of purpose sometimes in dungeons, but
most adventures I went on were more than just a dungeon crawl anyway.

Tom



Peyote and Halbarad are most interesting in their environment.

Rance



Oh, a Peyote story: coolness. This serves as a good reminder that other
characters continue to advance even when they're not around the Adventurer's
(or one of them).

This story is a pleasent change of pace from the previous couple of
threads, and I like the mystery over just what is wrong in the forest.

Leonard



  As an aside ... that's one of the things that attracts me to your writing.
The characters are memorable.  There are so many books I have set down, never
to pick up again, just because I found myself hunting through pages I had
already
read to try to figure out just who the hell it was the writer was refering to.
You, and Tom Clancy (something about the name?) have NEVER failed me.
If more writers would spend more time working on developing characters, and
sticking to their personalities ... I'd be reading even more I guess.

   And I agree with your little speil on grammar.  Hey, if Peyote was
subjected to
the proper English litmus test, his character would have disappeared long ago!
Heck, only Alindyar and Lyra would have remained to this day!!! :)

   It was good to see Belphanior in action again.  I must admit, I miss
 the old days, but every now and then, you manage to create a new story
line that is just as interesting as the old ones.  His giving quarter to
the one of the party of nine really does fall in line with who he is.  I
keep telling people, he's not a bad guy, really!!!  And I have to admit,
when he grabbed the woman during the brawl outside the tavern, and said
"We must get you to safety.", it reminded me of the battle with the
Tarasque ... where he's using the shout spell to warn others of the
impending destruction.  Well done.

Michael



This is such a great story line.  It is quickly adding itself to the list of
top adventures in my book.  Of course, I may be slightly biased. ;-)

Here's hoping this story line takes more than 5 episodes to resolve.


Paul



Woohoo!!! A Peyote story....about time!!! :)

I'm sure this will be as entertaining and engrossing as the rest of your 
stories... :)

Keep up the good work,
Adam



Hey there,

	This druid story is great!  I really like seeing Peyote and 
Halbarad again.  Any chance of having them return as regulars again?
It seems that your current story format, telling tales involving small
groups of adventurers, would make it easy to keep them around.  Anyway,
I'm really enjoying this story (as I am the Belph and Peldor stories)
and hope to read more wilderness adventures with Peyote and Halbarad
in the future.

-Tony



hey thomas,

i think i should be afraid if seasoned adventurers like halbarad and mongo
think _they_ need more help when they're not even sure of what they're up
against.  and on the subject i'm wondering if this quest will be following
a module or will it be something on the fly?  what ever it is, i'm sure it
will be very entertaining...

matt



Just wanted to say thanks for bring these two back into an adventure.  I
have always been a Druid and Ranger fan, as I have played a Rgr/Dr for over
16 years know.  I have always wanted to see how you would "Play" these
character's at higher levels.  Thanks, and I am looking forward to this
story line.

Paul



 I have just finished reading your Adventurers stories. I first saw them
on rec.games.frp.archives and have been hooked since. I would like to join
your mailing list so I can get your stories asap! Your stories remind me
of a comic book series, each episode is short enough to be a comic book
with the "Giant sized 400 issue!" added for spice. I really enjoyed 
reading them all at once too. Keep up the good work!



I like the druid saga so far.

Rance



Back in Hardby! A nice fight scene, and then a surprise visitor! I
wonder if the Despotrix knew Peldor was in town before this little
incident, or if she had to dig for info after she had captured him.

Boy, Tanya is really pissed off about being detained, while Peldor
is taking it in stride. I guess Peldor has had a lot more experience
with these sorts of things.

Leonard



hey thomas,

it's always a fun time with peldor.

hmm, i was beginning to like reuben and moxley.  i was picturing reuben as
the king of thieves played by bruce campbell in that one hercules episode
and i was picturing moxley as the vampire played by paul reuben in _buffy
the vampire slayer_.  they would be fun to keep around for a while.

and what if the despotrix only thinks that they have been done away with?
and have reuben and moxley show up later explaining how they got away,
now that would keep the fun flowing...

have fun,

matt h.



 Its funny that there was a poem (and a very good one) at the end of this
story. {BTW, it looks like you found the 'fun' that was lacking in the
Peldor/Tanya saga.  I like the turn-around you've managed to accomplish.}

Tom



> notes:     To concentrate on Deborah, or flesh out the other five;
>   that was the question.

How about both.  I'm betting that Peldor & Tanya are going to make the best  
of the stuation, and the guards, even the Deborah-bitch, will warm to them  
eventually.  When someone saves your life, it's hard to keep hating them.....

John



Hello Thomas!

A couple of questions concerning the Hardby plotline, if you don't mind...:)

i) It struck me as a bit odd that neither Peldor nor Tanya threatened the
Despotrix that if she'd hurt them, she should expect retaliation from
Greyhawk...a wise and intelligent monarch, she should be wary whenever the
names of archmages and high priests are brought into the discussion...I'd say 
she would at least check the couple's story before geasing them, wouldn't you
agree? Now, this doesn't necessarily mean she'd let them free, maybe she would 
use them against their friends? But of course, who can tell what she really 
has in mind?

ii) When you described the guardswomen weapons of choice, it struck me as
odd, that even though soldiers, they didn't have some standard eqipment! Now,
i don't mean that they would display banners or anything, but shouldn't they
at least employ the same weapons/armor? At least the common soldiers...
Especially that whip! I hate to say so, but a regular army including whips in
its standard equipment! Unless they should be viewed as freelance adventurers
hired by the Despotrix or something?

Eager to see Peldor trying to charm them warrior-ladies!  ;)

        Ciao,
                Marios





TM>  What follows is a brief discussion on sexism, between a reader
TM>  and myself...

>> notes:     You know what?  The "World of Greyhawk" boxed set doesn't
>>   contain an entry for Hardby.  Thus I had to wing it.  The idea of
>>   a city ruled and run by women is both strange and different,
>>   preposterous yet plausible.  Good thing I haven't been reading
>>   any "Wonder Woman" comics lately...
>>

A city ruled and run by women is no more preposterous than a city run and
ruled entirely by men.  Women in positions of power don't have to be
amazons, dominatrices, etc.  Men usually assume that they do because men
like to gain control of things through violence and cruelty, and while
women can definitely be violent and cruel, there's no reason to assume
that if they ruled the world they would act just like men.  What I'd like
to see for Hardby is a city ruled by women who act like _themselves_
instead of trying to live up to the world's idea of "masculinity." 
Remember, the ruler of Hardby is referred to as a "Gynarch" or a
"Despotrix," and not necessarily a "dominatrix." 

Of course, you're making the city as you see fit, and that's fine.  While 
I'm a big fan, I also notice a decidely sexist tone in many of your 
stories; you probably don't realize it, or don't care for me to point it 
out to you, but there it is.  Sexism really bothers me.

--Mike





> A city ruled and run by women is no more preposterous than a city
> run and ruled entirely by men.

  It's unfortunate that I've already written the stories which
introduce the Despotrix, and that she's portrayed as a nasty and
mean woman, but that's how it is.  At least she's not portrayed
as a weak woman - but rather one of the most powerful magi on
the continent.

>         I also notice a decidely sexist tone in many of your 
> stories; you probably don't realize it, or don't care for me
> to point it out to you, but there it is.  Sexism really bothers
> me.

  I won't get into a debate on it, and talking about it might
indeed bother me - sexism is one of those terms I lump with
racism and politics and homosexuality and religion:  everyone
has their own ideas and beliefs, and will usually defend them
no matter how ugly the argument gets; I won't get into a debate
about them.  I just don't care, and it isn't worth my time.

  That said, I'm curious for examples of what you mentioned.  I
have recently been making an attempt to have more female leads,
and to show them as powerful and competent.  Not all women in my
stories are, but then, not all women in real life are either.
Not all men are either, for that matter.  Of course, I'm trying
to combine our world and a FRP-type world, which may be close to
impossible.


Thomas





> > A city ruled and run by women is no more preposterous than a city
> > run and ruled entirely by men.
> 
>   It's unfortunate that I've already written the stories which
> introduce the Despotrix, and that she's portrayed as a nasty and
> mean woman, but that's how it is.  At least she's not portrayed
> as a weak woman - but rather one of the most powerful magi on
> the continent.

I just notice that most authors trying to depict a society run by women 
end up characterizing the rulers as men with breasts.  There's no need 
that powerful women have to be cruel or even warriors.  Of course, some 
will be anyway, just like some men are.

> 
> >         I also notice a decidely sexist tone in many of your 
> > stories; you probably don't realize it, or don't care for me
> > to point it out to you, but there it is.  Sexism really bothers
> > me.
> 
>   I won't get into a debate on it, and talking about it might
> indeed bother me - sexism is one of those terms I lump with
> racism and politics and homosexuality and religion:  everyone
> has their own ideas and beliefs, and will usually defend them
> no matter how ugly the argument gets; I won't get into a debate
> about them.  I just don't care, and it isn't worth my time.
> 

Understood.  There's no use trying to talk someone out of what they 
believe. 

>   That said, I'm curious for examples of what you mentioned.  I
> have recently been making an attempt to have more female leads,
> and to show them as powerful and competent.  Not all women in my
> stories are, but then, not all women in real life are either.
> Not all men are either, for that matter.  Of course, I'm trying
> to combine our world and a FRP-type world, which may be close to
> impossible.

First of all, all of your female leads are somebody's girlfriend.  Why no
single women?  You have single male leads, but no single females.  How
about women as _leaders_-- good leaders, not despotrices-- instead of
sidekicks to their boyfriends?  How about women who aren't strikingly
beautiful or sexy, but just _average_?  I know it's already too late for
the females you have in the stories right now, but it might be something
to think about for the future. 

Also, there are constant references to so-and-so's "cute behind" or "ample
breasts" or whatever, but no parallel references to the male leads (not
that I really want to hear Mongo or anyone described this way...).  I'm
just trying to point out that you depict even the most powerful female
leads in a very different light than the males, and it's not necessary or
complimentary to women.  This is just one of the ways that women are kept
"inferior" in our male-dominated society; they are objectified as sex
objects.  Women on Earth may have come a long way, so far and for the most
part, but they are still by no means considered "equal" by society at
large.  Women on Oerth, it seems, are in the same predicament.

It's funny....  I run a pbem (inspired by your stories, actually) and one
of the first PCs is female, run by a male character.  At first, he hid his
character's gender from the others because he feared prejudice.  I thought
this was ridiculous, but as soon as he "came out," the others started
making sexist remarks about her and laughing at her outbursts of anger.  I
think that just goes to show what women have to put up with in the real
world from most men. 

--Mike





  An interesting point.  The reason there aren't any lead females
is because all of the original characters were male.  This is,
after all, a saga based on a campaign.

  It's challenging to write female characters, but I was proud to
have done it.  Not all of them are aggressive types - I wouldn't
say Tanya is, unless provoked, same for Lyra.  I plan to do some
other writing in the future, with some female leads right from the
outset, so maybe those will sit better with you.

  I wonder what my female readers think.


Thomas





>   An interesting point.  The reason there aren't any lead females
> is because all of the original characters were male.  This is,
> after all, a saga based on a campaign.

I understand.  Actually, some of my favorite episodes are from the "early 
days" of Epic I, like the Slavers series.

> 
>   It's challenging to write female characters, but I was proud to
> have done it.  Not all of them are aggressive types - I wouldn't
> say Tanya is, unless provoked, same for Lyra.  I plan to do some
> other writing in the future, with some female leads right from the
> outset, so maybe those will sit better with you.
> 

Well, I think you should write what you're comfortable with in any 
event.  It's nice to please the crowd, but you've got to stick to your 
art, IMO.  This from a composer who wants to sell out and write film 
music....

I agree, it can be difficult to write dialogue for people you feel you 
can't identify with, but I think the key is understanding that women 
aren't really so different from men to begin with.  I was happy to get an 
actual female player playing a female character in my pbem just for the 
sake of authenticity; the player playing the other female character 
listed "chicks" among his hobbies, so I doubt he's all that sensitive to 
the issue.

>   I wonder what my female readers think.

I don't know, but I'll ask my female player.  It's a requirement of my 
pbem that all players be familiar with "The Adventurers."  As a result, I 
have Mongo, Bosco, Belphanior, and Ged with different names. :-)

Speaking of favorite episodes (well, I was a while ago), I had an idea.  
Now, when Torin died (and I think you've already gotten mail about Torin 
lately), he was in the process of trying to carry out his mission to get 
Belphanior and also ended up going out for revenge.  Do you think this 
could all be enough to make him a "restless spirit"?  Could he come back 
somehow, in some form, to complete his task and avenge Roland's death?  I 
realize Blackrazor took his soul, but maybe there's a way to fudge it 
somehow.  I think it would make for an interesting, short story arc (or 
maybe a longer one, depending on how things went).

--Mike





TM>  Now back to the regularly scheduled programming...





hey thomas,

i've just recently realized that the adventurers have stepped away from the
normal adventurers mentality.  when most PCs defeat a wandering encounter,
such as the yeti attack, or the manticores and peldor, there is usually a
search of the immediately surrounding area in hopes of finding the beasts'
lair and the valuables it might have stashed there...

now in the case of peldor and co. the manticores were flying so it may be true
that their lair was not close by or trackible, but the yeti were walking and
there was snow on the ground, belphanior and otto would have no trouble at all
in tracking their steps...

the only thing i can think of is that they are content enough with their riches
and have no need to find more ... but that would be very very silly...

matt



Does Helgate have any neighbors which might
1) Want access to the silver mines (place wasn't worth all that much
before).

2) Have some spies in it.

3) Hiring/influencing all these bandits to go there and test B's
defenses...

4) Corollary to 3, another attack would happen while B is gone.

5) Find the homeboyz B is getting a military threat, and thus need
to defensively make a preemptive strike and capture Helgate before
B's army gets to much bigger.

Otherwise, though, keep the fun stuff writing!

	Rob



hey homas,

i'm thinking darrell, jumo and ys, plus skektek and ala.  i would think the
boys will have to go on to swarzenwhatever to find a few more good men.

speaking of ys, what is he?  one of the yuan-ti or is he more of a lizardman
dude?  does he have a tail or is his whole body human except for his head (and
the scales)?

what if the others bring friends in the dawn who they think might be qualified?

might be interesting if they encounter that weasel dude from torin's first
group and he want's to join up because he heard the money's good...

matt



Nah, I like it like that. As long as there is not a major cliff-hanger, I
don't mind. Like Victoria is missing. That is a cliff-hanger, but not a major
one, like if a Ray Of Death was about to hit Belphanior and we don't know if it
does or not. Now, THAT is an irritating cliff-hanger to end on. 

What I am trying to say is, if the end of the 5 arc episodes ends on a
introduction to a new plot, I don't consider that a bad cliff-hanger.

I like the switching.

Besides, don't accomodate your writing to the viewers too much. You have to
enjoy it too!

I wish they could make movies about characters like Belphanior, who is 
obviously not a nice guy, but who isn't the stereotypical classic evil
villian. But the damn American society always has to have the good guys win
or anytime to do something bad, there has to be an equal consequence. How
boring. Movies and a lot of books are too predictable. If you have seen one
movie or read one book, you have read them all. I like your stories about
Belphanior because this son of a bitch wins! -- and if it were a movie, he
wouldn't be allowed to.

Oh, I am American by the way.....

Mark



I just had to say that I like the 5-story shifts. Perhaps its
my short attention span :_). I think it is because it feels more
like a story this way. When you read a real book, the time
is split between the main characters. This way they are all progressing
in time.

The other thing I would like to point out that this is something you
do in your free time.  You should write in a way that makes you happy, and
so that you can do the best possible.

In short, Just have Fun! :_)

Thanks for the great stories.

-Jeff



hey thomas,

wow, what a great long adventure.  i have much comments below but the worst
thing was while i was editing (and deep into it) our system crashes and i lose
everything i was working on.  sad.  so i had to recomment and i'm afraid i
couldn't quite remember my original comments so some of this had to be
rethought...

matt



A very nice story, and a good example of how experience often triumphs
over sheer numbers. Victoria kicked some serious ass! (I've always
wanted to use the word "ass" in a sentence with Victoria, and now I've
done so twice. ;-)

Ys is great, so there's little wonder at his popularity! We need more
background on this guy, especially to see why he's for hire as a
mercenary when he appears to have so much going for him. I suspect
Belphanior and Otto will see this as well, and will do something about
it. Unfortunately, the inhabitants of Hellgate may not appreciate
a character of Ys' nature, so making him the head of the town guards
probably won't do. Speaking of town guards, have Belphanior and company
hired some quality guards to replace those that were killed? The
group that B. recently hired is obviously intended to be a special
force, and not the every-day guardsmen that a town needs.

Leonard



Thomas,

I, for one, quite like the shifts in stories.

Glen



BTW, I like this format of switching group every 5 episodes.  It make the 
time flow in the world more natural.

Keep up the great work!
wayne



Hi! I've been reading up on your Adventurers series for a while now, and I
just wanted you to know that there's yet another person out here who likes
your stories.

I was wondering, though... Belphanior is going out with a Vampire, right?
And Belphanior has had previous run-ins with Orcus, right? Orcus was the
guy who took control of Belph's Eye of Elik, right? Well, as far as
1st-edition AD&D is concerned, isn't Orcus the Prince of Undead? Isn't he
able to do things like summon 2-8 vampires at will? I'm worried that you
only put Victoria into the series just so you can bring Orcus and his
cronies back for a big gigantic battle in #500.

Anyway, just make sure you don't kill Belph.

John



Why isn't Belphanior affected by the draining touch? Ys sounds cool.
Also I LOOOVE the current Bel. storyline. Great Job! Actually I don't
really mind the skipping around (Peldor/Belp. etc..) it keeps things
varied and interesting.

rgs

Peter



Thomas --

  Just devoured the last ten or so episodes, and I am increasingly
enthralled.  I actually enjoy the multiple subthreads because they focus
on a few characters (and the interactions between them) instead of trying
to juggle the (rather huge) party at its fullest.  Peldor especially
benefits, because he seems to come a lot more into his own when he has
room to manoeuver and plan.  Belphanior's new recruits have a lot of
potential, I think.  They're certainly a colorful bunch.  And Razor
Charlie still cracks me up with his sneering.  The guardswomen are also
well-done.  I note that many of them are good-aligned, which makes me
wonder about the Dominatrix (LG? Naaah).
  I'm now left waiting to see what happened to Victoria. *sigh*  Keep up 
the good (great!) work,

--
The Amorphous Mass



BTW, the adventure in woods..it rocks! Totally different (environment at
least) from other adventures, I hope you make continue to top yourself.
I actually like these 5-episode changes, for it actually gives fresh
prespective on things.

IMHO Alindyar & Lyra should have few adventures by themselves also..we
see them much too seldom these days. Well, we DO see them as helping
hands and all that stuff, but not on their own. How bout taking them
also on the 5-episode rule? And then there is the coming storm..I think
that the Adventurers own favors to at least 4 members of the circle 8..
talk about duties :)

VP



  Also, add me to the Ys fan club.  He rocks.  Even if he doesn't 
correspond exactly to anything in the monster books.

-- James





TM>  Miscellaneous mail about the Arcanum section on the web-page:


>  I've put together a handy-dandy list of all the magic items and
>spells that have appeared in the pages of the Adventurers stories.
>It's now on the main web page, and I'll distribute it to the ftp
>sites in the near future.

I checked out the list. Man, the Adventurers have had some cool items! I did 
notice a few items you missed:

Belphanior's Black ring (the one that made him invisible to undead or 
something like that)
Mongo's Gnarled staff (I think he gave it as a toll to some being some 
where, I have always wondered what it did)
The Water Rune (Lyra had it before the Earth adventure)
Rillen's first magic staff (the one with the blade)

Also, didn't Halbarad have any unusual items? He isn't even listed 
once...Keep up the great work!

A loyal reader,
Lord Arcane



Love the arcanum.  Just a few minor things...

Under rings, you don't list the Dark Ring.  Given that Belph really
liked that, and used it to great effect with the Trumpet of Doom, I'm
kind of surprised.

The entry for Candle of Darkness (Otto) doesn't mention the fact that
it will extinguish natural fires, noting only that it can lower
temperatures and radiate darkness.

The Lock of Smithy (Otto) entry is completely different than the
description of the lock under Otto's entry in the stats list from 357,
where it is described as being able to wizard lock all w/i a 100'
radius once/week.

You mention the Axe of the Dwarvish Lords, even though it doesn't
belong to an adventurer, but you didn't mention Peyote's Rod of Life
and Death (even if you don't mention its powers, it should be noted,
since it did play a role in a couple of stories, and was the focus of
an adventure).

And the regeneration effect of the Eye of Elik isn't mentioned.

Thanks a lot for going to the trouble of compiling this, it makes a
great additional resource.

Rob



The new additions to your web-site are great. I love the discussion
about TSR policies under the "Adventurer's Greatest Foe".

Leonard



	Just wanted to say i thought it was pretty cool. I haven't gamed 
in a long time and it made me crack a smile thinking of the endless hours 
pouring over AD&D books. Your campaigns seem very detailed and fun. I 
enjoyed reading the stories.
	I do have two questions/suggestions:  You might want to change 
the green backround to another color. It is very hard on the eyes after 
awhile. The small white text makes it harder. Also, are the complete 
stories online somewhere?

	TSR sucks don't they? I read the submission stuff you quoted. 
Things went kinda down hill after Gary Gygax (sp) left so long ago.
 
	Anyway, thanks for a good page,
 
                      George



Hello Thomas.

I have just finished reading all of The Adventurers in order from the
beginning.  A momentous task, but not nearly so momentous as the
authoring of such wonderful tales.

Please add me to your mailing list ( vramin@nando.net ).

I have read quite a few books and stories based on role-playing and
consider your work to be on a par with the finest of those.
Additionally, the opportunity of following the same characters for
many stories is also quite unique and enjoyable.  I'm looking forward
to reading the next 437 episodes!

Favorites?  I am a big fan of all the adventurers (except Rob), but I
must admit that I enjoy reading about Belphanior and the drow more
than the rest.  My favorite stories are those that deal with
disasters, or near disasters in their lives. 

Suggestions:

Flashbacks--why not revisit some of the places and events that were
glossed over when told way back when?  ie--finding BlackRazor

Character-Defining Events--I'd like to see plotlines that place the
characters in situations where they have to make hard choices, so that
we readers can see where they draw the line on issues.

Causes--Wouldn't it be great if one of the good adventurers took on a
task that he/she couldn't do alone and had to recruit help?  Not a
quest, but an ongoing task that might require years of work and
dedication, as well as numerous hirelings (aka some new groups to stir
things up)

Anyway, thanks again for many hours of reading pleasure.

Earl

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