_Indy

*Credit to Alastorus for the format, really love it* (Updating this purely for my own records, I shall update this as his story unfolds) ☷ General Information ☷ ☷ Full Name ☷ Ferek Frostbeard, Son of Garrond ᚠᛖᚱᛖᚲ ᚠᚱᛟᛋᛏᛒᛖᚨᚱᛞ ☷ Age ☷ Born: 1506 Died: He ain't dead yet ☷ Race ☷ Mountain Dwarf ☷ Sex ☷ Male ☷ Kin ☷ Hamnil Frostbeard (Brother) Verthaik Frostbeard (Second Cousin) Garrond Frostbeard (Father) Kerwyr Frostbeard (Great Uncle) ☷ Physical Information ☷ ☷ Weight ☷ 210 lbs ☷ Height ☷ 4’10” ☷ Build ☷ A stout dwed, broad shoulders and legs like barrels, he is surprisingly quick on his feet ☷ Hair ☷ None, Ferek prefers to shave his head. His beard is jet black, with some grey whiskers working their way into the mane ☷ Eyes ☷ Deep Blue, and growing deeper by the year ☷ Skin Tone ☷ Pale, but tanned from years of use and abuse ☷ Facial Features – Structure ☷ Ferek’s face is a testament to his years upon the world. Worn hard by a hundred winters, with war wounds to compliment it’s already leathery appearance, he’s not the prettiest dwed to lay eyes on. ☷ Scars – Body Marks ☷ Ferek’s left eye was clawed out during his trial of initiation with his clan, the Frostbeards. He wears a simple black leather eyepatch to conceal what is left of his eyesocket. A sizeable hole-like scar can be seen on Ferek's right arm, a rare sight however, since Ferek almost never disrobes to anything beyond his well-worn tunic. ☷ Clothing ☷ Ferek’s garb of choice is padded mail with black and brown leather, complimented by gauntlets and boots of plated steel. He wears his white bearskin cloak proudly on his shoulders, it’s pale sheen a visible distinction from his kin. He travels with a silvery steel axe on his hip, and a canteen on the back of his belt, the contents of which is unknown to most. He has also been seen to carry a thick leather tome on his person as well, the text residing inside a dark-stained leather rucksack he carries upon his back. ☷ Non-Physical Information ☷ ☷ Character Strengths – Positive Traits ☷ Hardy -Like his Frostbeard brethren, Ferek is well accustomed to enduring physical hardship. Shlepping equipment up a mountain through a zero-visibility blizzard is a manageable stress to Ferek- Confident -Ferek has experienced enough tribulations to know when he is right and when he is wrong. When he is right, his confidence is unwavering. When he is wrong, he is quick to correct himself- Good with an axe -Ferek's years of travel forced him to learn how to defend himself in the wilds of the world, much as the Frostbeard ancestors who came before him. Armed with an axe and shield, he has proven both in combat and in sparring that he can hold his own against most opponents. He is beginning to practice with accurately throwing his personal axe, Hefjhorlossk, and is accurate up to 10 meters- Loyal -As to be expected of any dwed worth their beard, Ferek's loyalty, once earned, can never be lost. It is his single greatest strength, and weakness- Inquisitive -Ferek is always seeking new knowledge to augment his understanding of the world. Be it alchemy, smithing, grammar, cartography, or even baking, Ferek is always hungry to learn- Open-Minded -Ferek has an affinity for new experiences, and is more willing than some of his fellow dwed to accept or explore new ideas- ☷ Character Weaknesses – Negative Traits ☷ Loyal -Ferek's undying loyalty, once pledged, has on occasion gotten him into a spot of trouble. One could argue that his pledge of loyalty to Verthaik is now what drives his self-imposed exile from the Kingdom of Urguan- Fear of Swimming -Ferek has harboured a deep fear of swimming since he was a beardling. Even well into his years, he resents any form of aquatic immersion (except for his yearly bath)- ☷ Loves ☷ -Books- -Cake- -Dark, musty ales- ☷ Likes ☷ -Travelling- -Writing- -Metalwork- -Reading- -Drinking- -Being Outdoors- -Bacon- -Botany, is an avid flower collector- ☷ Dislikes ☷ -Oathbreakers- -Oren- -Vegetables- -Swimming- -Courtship/Courting, Ferek's seen too many people die and feels too emotionally numb for such a concept- ☷ Hates ☷ -Small Talk- ☷ Personal History ☷ ☷ Humble Beginnings ☷ Ferek’s story does not start with his birth in 1506, it in fact begins much later than that. Ferek’s story begins in the year 1625, when he found his way to the city of New Jornheim. He had spent the past half a century wandering the world, collecting knowledge of alchemy, seeking wisdom in its practice. After his trial and earning his bearskin cloak, he set out on his grand adventure. But after years of diligent study, he desired to return to his clan, to his home. He came to New Jornheim and set about aiding in the administration of the city and it’s inhabitants. Ferek acted as an assistant to the Steward of New Jornheim, Edel Silvervein, before being made the official Steward of the town. King Verthaik came to Ferek before open hostilities with Urguan began and asked Ferek to assist in the Kingdom's intelligence gathering. Subterfuge came naturally to Ferek, as taking notes on flora and fauna was not so different from compiling dossiers of valued targets. The King received many reports and advisory studies from Ferek. ☷ Fall of Urguan ☷ When Clan Frostbeard, and Kaz’Ulrah as a whole, called it’s banners for their assault against Urguan, Ferek answered. On the field of battle, Ferek held his own and was able to effectively engage enemy infantry, earning several kills of his own. He was involved in several of the initial battles, leading reconnaissance parties and directing warriors to the best paths across the various battlefields. However, in an ambush, an enemy spearman managed to pierce Ferek's right arm with their polearm during a frenzied melee, leaving a sizable hole in the dwed's arm, forcing him to leave the battlefield for some time. In the end, Kaz’Ulrah was victorious. Ferek would spend the next decade continuing his study of alchemy, and would run a semi-successful medical practice in Jornheim. He would continue to assist his brother Hamnil with domestic affairs and administration of the city. ☷ The Long Walk ☷ A few decades after securing their kingdom, Ferek decided to travel the world, seeking this time to document the major events of the age. He was inspired by the events of the Fall of Urguan, and sought to document, with unbiased effort, the major events of the world. It was in 1665 when he left, and it was 1705 when he returned, but Ferek had no recollection of where he had been or what he had done. His memory seemed to have been altered by an outside force, one beyond his control. He sought to reconnect with his now far-strewn Frostbeard brothers, and to discern who or what had taken him in those years of wandering. ☷ Arcas ☷ When Ferek returned from his travels, he found that his brethren had been scattered to the winds, his once beloved kingdom brought low, and his place in the world completely in question. After contemplating the horrors of war that he was exposed to, Ferek realized that his own kind had forgone the paramount rule of the dwed: that kinslaying was the lowest act concievable. Realizing his error, Ferek swore to never take up arms against his own kind ever again. However, as Verthaik had never released him of his oath to the Kingdom of Kaz'Ulrah, he could not settle with his kin in the Kingdom of Urguan. Resigned to his self-imposed exile, Ferek proceeded to travel the world as a wandering scholar, studying the music, cartography, and alchemy of Arcas. He eventually settled in the town of Thalor, far to the Western-Wildlands, where he became a member of the town council. It was there that he again practiced his skills in combat defending the town from the occasional bandit raid, where he was wounded several times more in the proceeding melees. Eventually, the town of Thalor fell to squalor, abandoned to nature. Ferek continued to reside within the abandoned town, living as a hermit while he studied his accumulated books and tomes from his personal library. Barring the occasional bandit passing by, he was totally alone. With the impending doom of the invading demons and otherworldly horrors, Ferek packed his scant belongings and hopped aboard a ship bound for Almaris... ☷ Almaris ☷ ...it was in Almaris where Ferek was able to put his wandering spirit to good use. He mapped and explored the Southern Deserts of Almaris, becoming intimately familiar with the rolling dunes and mountains of stone that dotted the land. His published reports of his findings earned him the attention of a fellow scholar, Dilvyn Dereval, who invited him to join his group, the Northern Geographic Society. Happy to have finally found a group he could belong to that involved neither state-craft, subterfuge, or kin-slaying, especially where he could practice the skills he enjoyed, Ferek joined the society at the first mention of an invitation. He initially spent his time with the NGS surveying the lands of Almaris and writing various reports on the fauna found within. After some time, he decided to finish his Encyclopedia of Dwarvern Language, a project he had begun almost a century ago but gave up on due to lack of motivation. The tome was published and well received within the Realm of Urguan, a copy of the First Edition sent to the High Remembrancer for the Library of Urguan. It was also during these early days of his time in Almaris that Ferek picked up his old yew mandolin, and began playing at taverns and inns throughout the human domains, namely Norland and Haense. As the years went on, Ferek was inducted into the Circle of the NGS (c. 14E2); a position of high regard. Ferek swore to uphold the expectations of his fellow explorers and continue his work for the organization. It was also during this period (~16E2) that Ferek would begin to be seen in frequently within the lands of Urguan. His thirst for knowledge and a thawing of his previously icy relations with the Grand Kingdom prompted his growing involvement in the realm. In the late 20's to early 30's of the Second Age, Ferek would formally re-enter the Grand Kingdom of Urguan, joining his clan in the city of Kal'Darakaan. It would be there that he would begin authoring several books on dwed history and military literature, which sold with success, enough to finance his endeavors in the lands of Almaris. However, as is part of his nature, Ferek felt the call of the wild. He grew restless in his abode within Rhewenholm, the comforts of the mountain no longer sated him. Thus, he packed his rucksack, grabbed his mandolin and Hefjhorlossk, and headed out to the wild edges of the world, seeking his next great adventure...

*before you at your table lies a recently written report, penned in dark ink, accompanied by hand drawn images of charcoal and pastels. The drawing style seems familiar to you. Accompanying the stench of stale alcohol wafting off the parchment is the seal of the Northern Geographic Society...* ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 10th Amber Cold, 1st Year 2nd Era, "A commentary on the wrecked vessels of the Southern Desert" I, Ferek Frostbeard, am writing this report to categorize and document the theories and few conclusions drawn from the Northern Geographic Society's foray into the ancient lake basin that exists within the southern deserts of Almaris. We met some few days prior to this writing and endeavored to examine the numerous shipwrecks lining the bottom of the dried lake. A rough sketch of the outline of the lake is shown above, the mountain marks in the center representing the mounds of dried coral that still persist today. We visited eight shipwrecks in total, ranging in size from small fishing craft to, what we would consider today, agile trading ships with ample cargo space. Several of the wrecks were torn in two, their respective halves laying some distance between another. Many, however, had their hulls mostly intact, some even had the canvas of their sails still hanging from the yard, frayed and fluttering in the dry wind. The most intact vessel was the one we visited last. This vessel, shown below, still had it's many cargo barrels below decks, though they were stripped clean however of any personal artifacts, more than likely having been made off with by either bandits or the local hunter-gatherer society known as the "Qivari". The NGS has an interest in making contact with any member of this indigenous society, and would be interested in an audience with anyone having personal relations with the aforementioned group. Several theories by members of the Exploratory Corp have been put forward, of which I will relay: Firstly, a theory was put forward that the desertification of the lake occurred over an extended period of time, and that the desert sands would have easily preserved the coral and wrecks alike. While the source of the climate shift is unknown, I personally disagree with this theory. The number of wrecks who's hulls are still intact suggests to me that they did not come to rest upon the bottom of the lake by means of some violent action, as in a storm or some military action. Moreover, coral is a fantastic ecological identifier, or so I've been told, such that coral might die off in a matter of years if the surrounding waters would prove foul to their preferred living arrangement. The fact that it still sits amid this desert, not worn away to dust, does not suggest to me that these events occurred naturally over an extended period of time. Secondly, a theory was put forward that perhaps the desertification occurred near instantly. This theory abdicated any explanation for the persistence of the petrified coral amid the desert sands, but, as expected, I do not quite sit right with this theory either. The last wreck we visited had an intact hull, the bow and keel were completely intact, something that would not have remained if a ship had instantly fallen fifty meters through thin air if the lake had been instantly dried. Thirdly, a theory was put forward that the desertification was magical in origin, occurred rapidly enough to catch lake-bound vessels unawares yet undamaged, and still preserved (magically to some extent) the contents of the lake well into the future, until our timely arrival. My evidence of this is multi-faceted. The sails of some of these vessels are still hanging to their masts, something that doesn't happen in such a rugged environment as an active desert. The vessels are too well preserved to have all been results of sinking. And finally, any hunter-gatherer society would have stripped the wrecks clean of usable materials, such as wood, which is difficult to come by in a desert; the fact that usable, and extremely well preserved wood, speaks of another truth entirely. As a scholar, I find all these theories, even my own, lacking sufficient evidence to be concrete. Something is amiss, a piece we have yet to uncover to this particular puzzle. With due diligence and a persistent mind, I believe one of us, or perhaps you, dear reader, will find what we have missed and perhaps provide a solution to this problem. Until such a time, myself and my colleagues will continue to report our findings and discuss our theories. If you find this type of work intriguing, or perhaps seek to expand your academic understanding of our new world, please come and visit the Northern Geographical Society in Haense. I welcome all discussion on any topic regarding the southern deserts, and would invite anyone willing to talk to write to me. Until my next report, ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*before you at your table lies a recently written report, penned in dark ink, accompanied by hand drawn images of charcoal and pastels. As you place your hands upon the parchment, you notice it has several circular stains upon it, and it reeks of... ale?* ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1st Year, Second Era, My name is Ferek Frostbeard, and I have undertaken a survey of the southern deserts of Almaris. What initially began as a mere means of productively spending time mapping the wilds, I came to be fascinated by the geologic formations and ecological implications of the expansive sands. I came to several conclusions throughout my research and expeditions, of which I will list firstly, for the less patient of my readers: Synopsis of Conclusions: 1) There was, at one time, a great inland lake that was home to many species of coral and aquatic flora. 2) Due to the skeletal structure of the coral still being present today, the climate shift from bountiful to barren was short, extreme, and recent. I suspect some violent magic was involved, but I am no wizard so I will not speculate on that point further 3) There are many shipwrecks constructed of the same dark wood, suggesting that the vessels were all built either from the same place or perhaps by the same culture 4) The great many skeletons seen surrounding the inland lake were, definitively, not aquatic. There are no skeletons or remains on the bed of the great lake, confirming the mega-fauna was at least terrestrial. An interesting side note, I have discovered no extraneous limbs attached or near the skeletons, possible suggesting these beasts were limbless, but I cannot claim that definitively. If I was able to secure funding for an excavation of one of these remains, I could answer that question conclusively. --------------------------------------------- As stated above, I have undertaken a survey of the southern deserts of Almaris. I have sketched below a simple rendition of my travels... The sketch above shows the great lake, with mountains of dried coral in the middle. Surrounding the coral formations are a number of shipwrecks. These vessels all seem to be made of the same dark wood, and be built of the same style. They vary in size from 20 - 30 meters in length, several could be larger but those in question were split in two and their respective halves are some distance away. The average depth of the bed of the great lake compared to its historical shoreline is anywhere between 40 - 50 meters of depth. The coral, interestingly enough, can be found at all depths of the lake. It is most concentrated, however, in the mountainous formations found in the center of the lake, as can be seen in the illustration above. I am vexed as to how dried coral formations survived the climate shift from a lake to a dried up desert, if the climate shift occurred centuries ago, the sands and aggressive environment of the desert would have withered away the coral skeletons, yet there they are. As before, I suspect some violent magic was involved with the desertification of the area, but I am no wizard, and as such will not speculate further on that matter. The desert to the west and north of the lake is sparsely dotted with large trees, complemented with a great number of ancient skeletons. The bones of these mega-fauna are massive, the ribs and spine being the only bones shown above ground. The occasional skull can be found, as shown above. The specimen above is certainly my favorite find so far, the bones are in fantastic condition, and the teeth can still cut the unwary explorer. The number of these skeletons is between ten and twenty ribcages with attached spines. I have yet to find a remain that has limbs, either attached or nearby. It seems possible to me that these missing limbs may yet be buried beneath the sands, I have not excavated a site yet. I severely doubt all of the skeletons seen throughout the desert were limbless like snakes, but I suppose time will tell. Another note, some of the remains have a cursive script engraved upon them, namely the sites along the path to the Nation of Sutica. These markings could be prayers, warnings, or perhaps a testimony of some ancient people. Until a linguist takes an interest in these finds, I do not see an answer in the near future to this question. Should anyone have any personal insights to the lands comprising the desert or the great lake, I would appreciate hearing from you. Send a bird to Ferek Frostbeard, or find me in my abode within the walls of Sutica. I intend to pen a follow-up report, and will continue to explore the wilds of these lands. I intend to uncover the calamity that befell this region, for I fear it may rear it's head again upon our own fragile kingdoms some day in the future. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Characters persist, unless you want them to die horribly in transit to the new map As for cash/items, I won’t comment considering the whole “Mina Rebalancing” plan will probably affect people’s savings/banks, but again, just wait for management comment on that.

*An old dwarf sits in the corner booth of a tavern, a pint of dark ale clenched in one hand, an aged leather tome in the other. In due time, he would close the tome, and look pensively to the door* As Ferek finished the lengthy tome, he reminisced on the history he read, and once had lived. He remembered his brother, Hamnil, not as a brute, but as his kin. He remembered Edel giving him the stewardship of New Jornheim, and the headaches caused by the sheer pain that was civil management. He remembered the nights spent at the bar with his fellow Frostbeards, toasting to their new nation, and to the bright days ahead. But most of all, he remembered his one time king, Verthaik, and the kindness the king shown to him, a dwarf coming in from the cold wilderness after a century of wandering. “But, as is the fate of the vanquished,” Ferek would mutter to himself, “The history is written by the victor” Ferek could not deny the actions of his kin, but he also could not help but grin at recalling the names of his friends, remembering the good times they once had as brothers, long, long ago. Not that it mattered much, all of his friends were now dead and scattered to the winds. Ferek was content to wander the world in self imposed exile, to seek a new meaning for his bleak life through his own actions and deeds. While he wished his bretheren well in these tumultuous times, he could not abandon the oath he swore to Verthaik all those years ago... *the dwarf would down his pint in one swift gulp, pack the tome into his rucksack, and collect his few belongings. The well-oiled axe on his hip glinted in the light of the candles that adorned the tavern as he made his way to the door. He flicked a few coins to the barmaid, donned his hood, and disappeared into the dark of the night*

Alright, it appears I was wrong, its still FUBAR. I shall have to look into this, I haven’t messed around with VPN’s at all, so this will be a learning exercise.

You know what, that actually worked. I just nuked everything that was running that wasn’t MC. I’ll have to stress test this, but it appears to have fixed my problem. thanks much for the suggestion!

“Internal Exception: java.io.IOException: An existing connection was forcibly closed by the remote host”. I receive this error after logging in and loading up into the server. Within 30 seconds, I get this error message. I employed my Google-Fu and have researched this problem for the past two days, which has led me to a number of actions Resetting my router Opening permissions for Java through firewall Port Forwarding ports favored by Minecraft TCP/IPv4 DNS Preferred and Alternate server changes Removing NAT restrictions in router Ultimately, none of these changes had a lasting effect. I ran a traceroute in CMD and came up with this interesting result: As far as I can tell, everything on my side of the router is good to go, as I can still online game on every other platform AND connect to other high traffic Minecraft servers. Is this a problem I can fix on my end, or am I at the mercy of the “winds of the internet”?