Channa Ti, Pathfinder

[Elaine Cunningham]

Charles Evans 25 wrote:

Elaine Cunningham wrote:

In all candor, part of my reaction about a long-term commitment to Channa Ti might stem from my comfort level with desert and jungle climes. I'm more at home in temperate zones and characters who hang out in forests and mountains. The world Channa inhabits makes her feel more alien to me, in some ways, than the wild elves of Evermeet's deciduous forrests.

Nothing's ever simple, is it? :)

(edited):

Hmm. What about a novel which takes Channa Ti out of her 'comfort zone' then, and which sees her head north (or south) away from the jungles and deserts?
In theory, as a Pathfinder some sort of errand could carry her away in such a direction if the need were great enough, and seeing her as a 'fish out of water' (or crocodile thrust into cold water in Channa's case) might offer interesting developments, at least sufficient to help carry one novel?
If she travels with companions familiar to her then could seeing how her attitude towards them changed, when they become the only thing which is familiar to her, offer any interest?

That's an interesting notion. :)

[Charles Evans 25]

(edited, reworded)
Okay, I have collected my copy of Pathfinder #23 and skimmed part 5 of the Channa Ti series.

It may be that I'm feeling a little under the weather today and didn't notice something obvious, but what was the point of the map? I don't mean in terms of story; I mean in terms of the internal logic(?) of the world. Who exactly made it and why?
It seems to me that it may have been made by mermaids to lure land-dwellers to come and bother the sea-elves? Is that correct and if so then why doesn't Channa Ti destroy it at the first opportunity once she understands what's going on, or did she and I missed that moment?

Going possibly outside the scope of the Channa Ti arc, was there ever such a city as Xanchara or was that something that the mermaids made up too? If it was something that the mermaids invented, why in a world filled with clerics, wizards, and bards capable of casting legend lore and other divination spells hasn't it been proved to be a fiction before now?
On the other hand, if Xanchara did/does exist in some form (however twisted by legends), I could go with the idea that dozens of fictitious maps to different false locations may have been made/sold to adventurers down through the years and for some reason to do with the actual city divinations about the provenance/authenticity of any such maps are somewhat unreliable... :)

Further Edit:
Belated thought: Is the sea elf city built on the ruins of Xanchara?

[Elaine Cunningham]

Charles Evans 25 wrote:

It seems to me that it may have been made by mermaids to lure land-dwellers to come and bother the sea-elves? Is that correct and if so then why doesn't Channa Ti destroy it at the first opportunity once she understands what's going on, or did she and I missed that moment?

It is correct, and the map WAS destroyed--or at least altered--by long immersion in sea water. Two types of ink were used, one of which faded away to reveal the visage of a mermaid expressing the Golarion equivalent of "Pwned! ROFLMAO!"

Golarion mermaids are a) evil and b) squidshit crazy.

Quote:

On the other hand, if Xanchara did/does exist in some form (however twisted by legends), I could go with the idea that dozens of fictitious maps to different false locations may have been made/sold to adventurers down through the years and for some reason to do with the actual city divinations about the provenance/authenticity of any such maps are somewhat unreliable... :)

You've got the right idea here.

Quote:

Belated thought: Is the sea elf city built on the ruins of Xanchara?

No.

[Charles Evans 25]

Elaine Cunningham wrote:

Charles Evans 25 wrote:

It seems to me that it may have been made by mermaids to lure land-dwellers to come and bother the sea-elves? Is that correct and if so then why doesn't Channa Ti destroy it at the first opportunity once she understands what's going on, or did she and I missed that moment?

It is correct, and the map WAS destroyed--or at least altered--by long immersion in sea water. Two types of ink were used, one of which faded away to reveal the visage of a mermaid expressing the Golarion equivalent of "Pwned! ROFLMAO!"

Golarion mermaids are a) evil and b) squidshit crazy.

Hmm. I had thought that that was some at least partially sort of magical effect triggered by the map being at a specific location, (possibly at the very point that the map is 'homing in on').

If the map was a one-shot item, though, what did Gham use to navigate to this place on board the Starseeker before? Had he made a copy of the map, and was using that to navigate, having left the original behind somewhere else?
For that matter, why hasn't Channa or anyone else simply copied the map and used that since using a chart copied onto regular parchment is going to be less provocative to sailors than the obviously 'mermaid made' original? Does the original mess with your mind so you don't want to copy it, and rationalise it something like 'no copies to fall into the hands of rivals', unless you are particularly strong-willed?

[Elaine Cunningham]

Charles Evans 25 wrote:

Hmm. I had thought that that was some at least partially sort of magical effect triggered by the map being at a specific location, (possibly at the very point that the map is 'homing in on').

If the map was a one-shot item, though, what did Gham use to navigate to this place on board the Starseeker before? Had he made a copy of the map, and was using that to navigate, having left the original behind somewhere else?
For that matter, why hasn't Channa or anyone else simply copied the map and used that since using a chart copied onto regular parchment is going to be less provocative to sailors than the obviously 'mermaid made' original? Does the original mess with your mind so you don't want to copy it, and rationalise it something like 'no copies to fall into the hands of rivals', unless you are particularly strong-willed?

Okay, first, the map is NOT a sea chart leading to the elven city, it's a map OF a city with runes hinting the city is Xanchara. The map itself has a magical lure that draws people to the site of the sea elf settlement. That's what drew Channa north toward Solis and directed her to the sea elf settlement. That's how Gham and his cousin got to that spot before. A copy of the map might be beneficial PROVIDING a) you first found the city it purported to represent and b) the map was an accurate representation of that city.

Obvivously, there's considerable danger involved in following any map created by mermaids. It seems to me, though, that they can have many reasons for creating a map. They might want to mess with the sea-going folk, sure, but they might also create a genuinely useful map for someone daring and ruthless enough to trade with them. In exchange for, say, the potential entertainment offered by a shipload of captives, a mermaid might be willing to divulge a few of the sea's secrets.

[Charles Evans 25]

Ah. I had assumed that the map was a chart showing the location of (supposedly) Xanchara, and not a map of 'Xanchara', which was why the merchant had given it to Channa in the first place. Evidently I need to go back and read part 1 again, more carefully.... :)

[Charles Evans 25]

Okay. I have read part 1 through again, and now I am even more confused.
I am going to check parts 2-4, in case something was made clearer there, but as far as I can make out what the map is of isn't specified in Part 1 (although it is stated that as far as Channa Ti knows such items are famous for their ink not running, even under water, so it would seem to me that the 'pwned' moment in 5 is at least partially magical in origin if Channa's knowledge back in part 1 was correct).

[Mairkurion {tm}]

All right, I finally got my paper copies, and I read through the last two installments -- the last one for the first time. I loved the ending, suggestive as it was of both character development and future possibilities. While I figured out the

Spoiler:

opal, Lapis

kept me guessing until the end. And the

Spoiler:

tentacled monster whose name I would mis-spell

was surely in the best tradition of giving your audience what they want. I'd love to hear more about that thing! And of course see an illustration. Speaking of which, I was still hoping to see an illustration of Channa Ti...

Thanks for the story, Ms. Cunningham. I hope we have the pleasure here again.

[Charles Evans 25]

(edited)
More reading. Still confused.

As far as I can make out from having read parts 1-5, events go something like this:

Spoiler:

0) Gham obtains a mysterious box from somewhere and hides it out at sea.

1) Years later Gham is murdered (in his house?). A whaleskin map is taken, and his hand with a signet ring on.

2) Vanir Shornish a 'vudrani priest' approaches Channa Ti with the whaleskin map and a forged letter from Gham.

3) Channa Ti looks for the wine merchant whom Vanir claims sold him a disguised imp. She finds the wine merchant dead and a group of 'night heralds' worshipping in his basement.

4) Channa Ti goes to look for Gham. Is this because the forged letter said 'come and speak with me? Is it because the information is inadequate? Did she tell Vanir she would need to check in with Gham? My best guess here is at some point between 2) and 3) in this sequence I'm laying out that some sort of conversation took place 'off screen' where Channa Ti said to Vanir 'Okay, I'll look for this relic for you, but I need to check in with Gham first, as your map doesn't give me any idea where to look for this city. I'll detour to check in on this wine merchant you say sold you that disguised imp on the way'.

5) Channa Ti finds that Gham is dead and that his hand with the personal seal ring is missing.

6) Channa sails out to where Gham hid the box years ago, on the basis that whomever killed him wanted the box and it might be useful to have it as bait and/or as some sort of bargaining chip if absolutely necessary.

There are a number of questions I have such as:

Spoiler:

1) If someone knew Gham took and hid the box years ago why not simply abduct him and torture/magically interrogate him for information about where he hid it?
2) The theft of the whaleskin map seems to indicate that some knowledge is possessed of where the box is and/or that the map leads to it somehow. If this knowledge is already come by (possibly by torturing it out of Gham?) then why does an organisation with the resources to break into Gham's house, kill him, and take the map even bother with an elaborate charade of hiring Channa Ti to go look for the box?
2a) Is Vanir Shornish a member of the organisation that wants the box back, or a pawn (either innocent or mind-controlled)?
3) The organisation that killed Gham and ensured Vanir had the map and forged letter, given the nature of the clues that Channa is being given, must know that she will look to go and speak with Gham, as the inadequate information she has requires it. She will discover, there, that he has been murdered, and the map was stolen from his collection. And yet they still think that Channa Ti is going to go ahead and retrieve the box even after finding that out?

As a comment, the only way I can currently make sense of this is if this is all some sort of game to manipulate Channa, and that the box itself is irrelevent.
At this point I'm half expecting Gham to step out of the shadows at the end of part 6, slap Channa on the back, and say 'well done, you passed all the tests, and the Pathfinders would like to offer you the rank of venture-captain.'

As individual stories, parts 1-5 have been good, but I'm not sure where I stand regarding the overall story. The way it didn't come out until part 5 that the map was in fact of a city, and that it was never actually made clear until she turned up on his doorstep in part 4 that Channa was on her way to see Gham, puts me in mind of Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot at his moustache-twirling most annoying*, where he sends a telegram, gets a reply, and says 'aha, now all is clear to me' but the reader doesn't actually find out what was in that telegram until a couple of chapters later with the big denouncement.

Anyway, hopefully part 6 will clarify and tie-up some things with regard to the overall story-arc.

* Just to be clear though, I do read Agatha Christie books, despite the fact that the writer fails to present all the information which the detective whom the narrative is following has. :D

[Mairkurion {tm}]

Heh-heh. I think there was a real compliment buried in there, Charles.

[mearrin69]

Finally read through the all of the issues last night - like to save them up. I quite enjoyed the story.
M

[Watcher]

I'm one of these folks that professes to "not object to fiction" but tends not to look at it.

I started reading this and really really enjoyed it! I'm going to have to go back and read the previous fiction now!

Gosh, I never had a gripe with fiction, because I understood that the AP chapters had to be diverse of content.. but this story really changed my perspective towards it.

Thank you!

[Elaine Cunningham]

Watcher wrote:

I'm one of these folks that professes to "not object to fiction" but tends not to look at it.

I started reading this and really really enjoyed it! I'm going to have to go back and read the previous fiction now!

Gosh, I never had a gripe with fiction, because I understood that the AP chapters had to be diverse of content.. but this story really changed my perspective towards it.

Thank you!

Thanks for sharing this, Watcher, and for giving the Pathfinder Journal fiction a chance. :)

I've read the first 5 episodes of Dave Gross's story, the next Pathfinder Journal story arc. It's very good, and it gets the tone and flavor of Cheliax down cold. And the NEXT six-episode story, set in the River Kingdoms, will be written by Jeff Grubb. So there's lots of good stuff coming along

[Elaine Cunningham]

Charles Evans 25 wrote:

(edited)

More reading. Still confused.

There are a number of questions I have such as:

Sorry to hear you've found this story so problematic. I'm going to hold off on answering your questions in hope that the final episode will pull things together for you.

[Elaine Cunningham]

mearrin69 wrote:

Finally read through the all of the issues last night - like to save them up. I quite enjoyed the story.

M

Glad to hear it! One of my concerns about writing serial fiction was finding a balance that would work for people who read the episodes as they came out and people who read them end to end. It's easy to forget details and names in a month, but TOO much repetition is boring for the folks who save up.

TV series have an edge in that they start with a little "In the last episode" montage. Something along those lines might not be a bad idea for serial fiction--a few sentences in italics to remind people what they read last month. On the other hand, the Pathfinder Journal is supposed to be that--a journal, a first person account of an adventure, and since people seldom start a journal entry with a recap, that might be problematic.

[Elaine Cunningham]

Mairkurion {tm} wrote:

All right, I finally got my paper copies, and I read through the last two installments -- the last one for the first time. I loved the ending, suggestive as it was of both character development and future possibilities. While I figured out the ** spoiler omitted **kept me guessing until the end. And the ** spoiler omitted ** was surely in the best tradition of giving your audience what they want. I'd love to hear more about that thing! And of course see an illustration. Speaking of which, I was still hoping to see an illustration of Channa Ti...

Thanks for the story, Ms. Cunningham. I hope we have the pleasure here again.

Thanks very much, Mairkurion. I'm glad you enjoyed the story.

I like the Pathfinder setting and the enthusiasm of the people who create it and play in it, so I would be happy to return. In fact, I have a small article in the upcoming game product RIVER KINGDOMS.

So, for that matter, does China Mieville, which should REALLY confuse the folks who sneer at shared-world writing. :)

[mearrin69]

Elaine Cunningham wrote:

One of my concerns about writing serial fiction was finding a balance that would work for people who read the episodes as they came out and people who read them end to end. It's easy to forget details and names in a month, but TOO much repetition is boring for the folks who save up.

I think you did well. There was repetition but I mentally overlooked it as a necessity of the format. If Paizo ever compiles these (and they should!) I guess some judicious editing might be in order.

I am not (apart from Tolkien and Moorcock, maybe) much of a fan of the fantasy genre - but I'll make an effort to look for your stuff the next time I'm in a bookstore.
M

[Elaine Cunningham]

mearrin69 wrote:

There was repetition but I mentally overlooked it as a necessity of the format. If Paizo ever compiles these (and they should!) I guess some judicious editing might be in order.

To the best of my knowledge, Paizo isn't planning to compile the Pathfinder journal stories, but if they did, yes, some rewriting would be necessary--at least on this particular story. I think Dave Gross's story would hold up just fine in a one-shot reading.

Quote:

I am not (apart from Tolkien and Moorcock, maybe) much of a fan of the fantasy genre - but I'll make an effort to look for your stuff the next time I'm in a bookstore.

Thanks! I'm very glad to hear that, but in all candor, you might have some trouble finding my previous books. All of my Forgotten Realms books recently went out of print, and I suspect my Tor books--an odd hybrid of urban fantasy and crime novel--might not be your cup of tea. (Full disclosure: The editor was looking for something that fell somewhere between Laurell K. Hamilton--albeit with less bodily fluids--and Andrew Vachss. With elves.) I like the EverQuest novel (The Blood Red Harp) and think it has some of my better prose and a nifty plot twist or two, but in terms of plot and tone it's a fairly straight-forward "quest novel." But I do have a couple of things in the works that are in the same vein as the Channa Ti story. I'll be posting news on my website as plans develop.

[Charles Evans 25]

Elaine Cunningham wrote:

Charles Evans 25 wrote:

(edited)

More reading. Still confused.

There are a number of questions I have such as:

Sorry to hear you've found this story so problematic. I'm going to hold off on answering your questions in hope that the final episode will pull things together for you.

At this point I am at the mercy of the erratic shipping times to the UK with regard to the arrival of Pathfinder #24. Suffice it to say that it doesn't seem to be scheduled to arrive at any games store near me this week... :(

On a brighter note, we may have a date and venue nailed down for next year's PaizoCon UK by the end of this month. :)

[Elaine Cunningham]

Charles Evans 25 wrote:

[ On a brighter note, we may have a date and venue nailed down for next year's PaizoCon UK by the end of this month.

Keep me posted. We're planning a trip to Scotland in October, but I'd like to be in England some time in 2010 and if I could plan a trip that coincides with PaizoCon UK, so much the better. :)

[Dark Psion]

Any chance we can see Channa Ti's game stats and wasn't someone working on a picture?

[Mark Moreland]

Dark Psion wrote:

Any chance we can see Channa Ti's game stats and wasn't someone working on a picture?

I have asked this in the chat and the word from James Sutter and others at Paizo is that there won't be stats for characters who might still have life in them when it comes to future fiction. It restricts authors to have to conform to a set of stats within a narrative that isn't based on numbers and rules, and until an author retires a character, I don't think we'll see any stats for them. I believe Eando was the sole exception.

Art, on the other hand, is something that could be done by any fan at any time, though.

[Elaine Cunningham]

yoda8myhead wrote:

Dark Psion wrote:

Any chance we can see Channa Ti's game stats and wasn't someone working on a picture?

Art, on the other hand, is something that could be done by any fan at any time, though.

A fantasy artist did offer to do a picture of Channa Ti a while back and I sent her the story files some time ago, but I think that project has fallen by the wayside. Juding from her facebook posts, it sounds as if life and work have taken precident over just-for-fun projects. I know of no other art in progress. (Except for my own sketches, and those tend to get crumpled up and tossed out in frustration. Not what you'd call professional calibre, and unlikely to ever see the light of day.)

[Hugo Solis]

Elaine Cunningham wrote:

yoda8myhead wrote:

Dark Psion wrote:

Any chance we can see Channa Ti's game stats and wasn't someone working on a picture?

Art, on the other hand, is something that could be done by any fan at any time, though.

A fantasy artist did offer to do a picture of Channa Ti a while back and I sent her the story files some time ago, but I think that project has fallen by the wayside. Juding from her facebook posts, it sounds as if life and work have taken precident over just-for-fun projects. I know of no other art in progress. (Except for my own sketches, and those tend to get crumpled up and tossed out in frustration. Not what you'd call professional calibre, and unlikely to ever see the light of day.)

Hello!

I'm not a pro but I'd like to give it a shot. If you want to "check up" on my stuff before allowing me to take on the project, here's my gallery

If you like it, send me an email with the profile and I'll get to it :D

[Mairkurion {tm}]

Alright, Hugo! All I ask is that you make Channa Ti look exactly like she does in my unconscious.

[Elaine Cunningham]

Hugo Solis wrote:

I'm not a pro but I'd like to give it a shot. If you want to "check up" on my stuff before allowing me to take on the project, here's my gallery

Hi, Hugo. I'd love to see what you come up with.

For the record, since Channa Ti and all other characters in the Pathfinder setting belong to Paizo, I can neither allow nor discourage fan art.

[Arazyr]

I, also, just read through the whole story. Didn't really mean to save them to read all at once, just kind-of worked out that way. Maybe just as well... (I essentially did the same thing with the original 18-issue PJ arc. 8^)

I didn't notice any significant repetition; I may have also mentally edited it out. It certainly wasn't intrusive, to say the least.

I was a little confused about the whole map thing at first, but the final chapter sorted everything out for me. Great story! Looking forward to the next one, and that upcoming article you mentioned, Elaine!

[Mark Moreland]

Elaine Cunningham wrote:

Hugo Solis wrote:

I'm not a pro but I'd like to give it a shot. If you want to "check up" on my stuff before allowing me to take on the project, here's my gallery

Hi, Hugo. I'd love to see what you come up with.

For the record, since Channa Ti and all other characters in the Pathfinder setting belong to Paizo, I can neither allow nor discourage fan art.

As long as fan art is done for non-commercial use, it's permitted by the Community Use Policy. So get drawing, Hugo! And make it in color! And let me put it on the wiki!

[Hugo Solis]

Somebody please snd me the "stats/description" or any kinf of info on her and I'll try and have it ASAP

Spoiler:

hugo(at)butterfrog(dot)com

[Elaine Cunningham]

Hugo Solis wrote:

Somebody please snd me the "stats/description" or any kinf of info on her and I'll try and have it ASAP

** spoiler omitted **

Here's the description from the first page of this thread:

Channi Ti is a half-elf druid. Her heritage is a little odd, and since she is not given to introspection, she does not offer any insight into why an elf fighter from the Mwangi Expanse came to father a child upon a woman of Geb. Channa doesn't say much about herself, other than to admit that she's not one to ponder her decisions overlong and that her curiosity is both a strength and a failing.

She was raised among the elves of the Mwangi expanse and, at a very young age, apprenticed to a human druid. She does not have a companion animal, but rather, an affinity to one of the elements--water, in her case. She does not harbor a romantic or sentimental view of Nature, and in some ways she is more comfortable in the form and mind of a predator than in her own skin. She doesn't like elves, and she's wary of humans. But in her role as Pathfinder (a natural career choice for someone who's more curious than your average tabby) and frequent guide to adventurers and explorers, she has learned to work with just about anyone. She just assumes they're going to betray her at some point and has gotten pretty good about predicting the double cross and throwing in a twist of her own. Despite this view of humanoid nature, Channa would not describe herself as cynical, but pragmatic.

She is nearly six feet tall, thin and strong. She keeps her curly black hair cropped short and usually wears a hood, head scarf, turban, or other means of hiding her half-elven ears. Her mixed heritage gives her a lighter skin tone than the people of Geb--a rich brown rather than near-ebony--and at first glance most people assume she's a Mwangi woman.

In addition to the description above, I'd add that her eyes are very dark brown and slightly tilted at the corners. Golarian elves' eyes are almost entirely dark, but Channa's eyes are more human than elven. Her eyes and skin color are the main visual cues that make people assume she's human at first glance. Her other features are more elven than human, so think angular--high cheekbones, pointed ears, narrow nose. If you're looking for a real-world equivalent, there....aren't any. I suppose the ethnicity that comes closest would be Kenyan (there are some Kenyan fashion models who look very, very elven...) with the exception of her hair. Channa's hair is glossy and curly, but not as tightly curled as a real-world Kenyan human. She looks a bit like Iman, but a little darker skin tone and with more defined cheekbones (and less makeup.)

Hope this helps.

[Neil Spicer]

Having some experience in seeing Hugo's work...and having him define a half-fiend otyugh for me a few months back, I can say his stuff is very good. I hope he does a knockout piece for Channa Ti. Go, Hugo! Go!

[Mairkurion {tm}]

Yay, Hugo! I can't wait.

[Mark Moreland]

Elaine, are you aware that your livejournal (e-cunningham) is gone? Did you delete it or is it a problem on LJ's end?

[Elaine Cunningham]

yoda8myhead wrote:

Elaine, are you aware that your livejournal (e-cunningham) is gone? Did you delete it or is it a problem on LJ's end?

I deleted the blog a couple of months ago. I have very mixed feelings about online journals.

[Mairkurion {tm}]

Yeah...who needs that kind of interference with posting here?

[Hugo Solis]

Alrighty, I'll schedule Channa Ti up, It will take a little while thou, so please be patiente! ;)

[Matthew Morris]

Hugo Solis wrote:

Alrighty, I'll schedule Channa Ti up, It will take a little while thou, so please be patiente! ;)

Is it done yet?

[Cpt_kirstov]

Matthew Morris wrote:

Hugo Solis wrote:

Alrighty, I'll schedule Channa Ti up, It will take a little while thou, so please be patiente! ;)

Is it done yet?

How 'bout now?

[Elaine Cunningham]

Mairkurion {tm} wrote:

Yeah...who needs that kind of interference with posting here?

::nods::

Seriously, I prefer message boards to social networks because there's generally a well-defined topic of discussion, even with the inevitable thread drift factored in.

And the folks who'd be interested to know that I'm walking about 150 miles a month and losing tomato plants to the same fungus that caused the Irish potato famine? They can always join my facebook friend list.

[Dark Psion]

Elaine Cunningham wrote:

and losing tomato plants to the same fungus that caused the Irish potato famine?

Ah, now you are in my area of expertise.

How would you describe the fungus?

White powder on leaves
Leaves curling up like a scroll
Rusty holes on leaves and rusty spots on vines
Roots all knotted up and not growing out to full size
Green leaves fading to yellow
Rings of Mold on leaves and fruit
Leaves wilt and the plant "deflates" like a balloon

[Mairkurion {tm}]

Ah, Facebook. The place where my friends tell me what kind of tomatoes or peanut butter they put on their sandwiches for lunch...

[Elaine Cunningham]

Mairkurion {tm} wrote:

Ah, Facebook. The place where my friends tell me what kind of tomatoes or peanut butter they put on their sandwiches for lunch...

::nods:: Still, the lunch updates are vastly preferrable to the endless stream of banal quizzes some people insists upon posting.

Truth be told, I'm not crazy about facebook, either.

[Elaine Cunningham]

Dark Psion wrote:

How would you describe the fungus?

Generally speaking, I try NOT to. ;)

[Matthew Morris]

Elaine Cunningham wrote:

Mairkurion {tm} wrote:

Ah, Facebook. The place where my friends tell me what kind of tomatoes or peanut butter they put on their sandwiches for lunch...

::nods:: Still, the lunch updates are vastly preferrable to the endless stream of banal quizzes some people insists upon posting.

Truth be told, I'm not crazy about facebook, either.

It's been useful for reconnecting with Classmates or with co-workers. I actually have used it for social networking. Twice.

But yeah, I don't think I can count the number of applications I've blocked. The only games I use are mechwarrior and tiny adventures.

[Mairkurion {tm}]

Yeah, it's useful, but I continue to take steps to make my FB experience better. I hope my friends will too.

[Dark Psion]

Elaine Cunningham wrote:

Dark Psion wrote:

How would you describe the fungus?

Generally speaking, I try NOT to. ;)

If it is Blight, you will need to Solarize your soil.

Look for the an upcomming day that will be very sunny and hot.

Remove all plant matter from the garden, especially the roots and burn or trash it, Do not Compost it!

Snake a soaker hose back and forth over the garden.

Then cover the entire garden with 3 mil Clear Pastic Sheeting and on that hot day, turn the water on.

The plastic will magnify the heat and the water will carry it into the soil. The loser the soil, the deeper the heat will penetrate.

Do this for several days but, only during the heat of the day if you can. It will sterilize your soil and remove all Bacteria, Fungal Spores, Weed Seeds and Neamtodes.

After your are done get some fresh compost and turn or till it into the soil to restore the good bactera.

[Elaine Cunningham]

Thanks for the info, Dark Psion. I agree that the late blight should not be taken lightly. Back yard gardeners who do NOT watch for it and take prompt action are putting commercial crops at risk.

Fortunately, I only saw evidence of late blight on a potted cherry tomato. It was just one leaf, but I destroyed and bagged the plant at once and will treat the soil. Better safe than sorry, and other songs from the same album.

I've been watching the other tomato plants closely. There is some Septoria leaf spot, due to the very wet season, and I lost four plants a few weeks back to Septoria defoliation, but I think the remaining two dozen plants will be okay--IF we get some heat and sunshine.

[/thread drift] :)

[Charles Evans 25]

Elaine:
Still waiting for PF #24 to arrive here in the UK at my games store.... :(

However:
I gather that the venue (Aston University, Birmingham, UK) and dates (weekend of 17th/18th July 2010, with a likely balti house trip on the Friday) have now been nailed down with sufficient certainty for PaizoCon UK 2010 that I can invite you to have a look at our *website* to get an idea of what we were upto in 2009, and to contact us if you might be interested in joining us for some Pathfinder Society (and other games) in 2010. Contact information is on the contact information section of the PaizoCon UK website... :)

[Elaine Cunningham]

Charles Evans 25 wrote:

Elaine:

Still waiting for PF #24 to arrive here in the UK at my games store.... :(

However:
I gather that the venue (Aston University, Birmingham, UK) and dates (weekend of 17th/18th July 2010, with a likely balti house trip on the Friday) have now been nailed down with sufficient certainty for PaizoCon UK 2010 that I can invite you to have a look at our *website* to get an idea of what we were upto in 2009, and to contact us if you might be interested in joining us for some Pathfinder Society (and other games) in 2010. Contact information is on the contact information section of the PaizoCon UK website... :)

Thanks, Charles. I'll look into it as my summer plans for 2010 start to take shape. :)

[jjaamm]

just found this thread yesterday. before this, not much on threads. that said, i need help in finding the story you speak of. I used to play in the realms in second edition, and I loved the novels that helped bring the world alive too me. than i found pathfinder at my local store after being out of gamming for awhile. than i find out last week Ms. Cunningham didnt write for wotc, and this saddened me since i started reading some of there novels again. than this thread and i was so, so happy. okay its more than that. Im a jitter with emotions, and this site keeps going down and search dont work and im going crazy. please, please i need to read this story. Ive loved Ms. Cunningham's books in the realms and star wars. now a question. im playing in a LOF game, will this story spoil the modules? if so ill wait ,in agonizing pain, till after finished playing. thanks ahead of time for any help.