The Sword's Edge

Issue 22: 09.11.2017 - In Ferro Veritas

November already, and we survived the ending of summertime in most of the world thanks to the website upgrade we did before the launch of SW:L. The annoyance of every member needing to manually set the start/end of DST each year really did grate - hopefully I wasn't the only one of us thankful for this change to our forums and website!!

So.. what has been going on? Well, Halloween was definitely a busy and social-item swapping time in Nine Swords. Jolly was likely incredibly happy not to receive any scarves - but we have the Christmas holidays still to come, so just you wait Jolly! It was really great to see so many members at our Halloween social event.

We have seen quite a few promotions into our divisions this last month - this has been really helpful specifically for PvE and Recruitment divisions. If you are interested in getting involved in our divisions - keep reading, we have a new mini event incoming to help you find your place in Nine Swords in the coming weeks! ~ Katelin

 

Winners of our Halloween Screenshot Competition!

by Katelin

In last months issue I announced a Halloween Screenshot Competition. Thanks to Snotty for matching the prizes that I had put up for grabs - our winners get their hands on some shiny container keys!! If you would like to look at all the entries, you will find the post here in our forums. Our Sword's Edge team has had the last few days to vote on the winners, and I am happy to announce...
In first place is: MELLIFIED

Congratulations on winning 2 Red container keys!

In second place is: GHOSTCHILDE

Congratulations on winning 4 Yellow container keys!

In third place is: INOR

Congratulations on winning 10 Purple container keys!

You will need to meet up with me to receive your prize in-game. I will certainly be looking out for you so I can free some space in my bank again *winks*

 

Secret World Legends: Timeline

by Katelin

Tazetta has plouged ahead working on the fantastic Timeline resource we talked about in last months issue of The Sword's Edge - and to a point where we are already after just 1 month going to go live and release it for public consumption!

Thanks to the researching skills of Elil and Naite, then the work of Tazetta to compile their research into a table structure - it has been possible to feed this into a tool, and over these last week add in images to bring the resource to life. As it is a timeline, it is a project that can continue to grow. I truly hope it does.

If any Nine Swords members are interested in getting involved in the continued efforts for the Secret World Legends timeline, you are very welcome to contribute to the forum post here to let us know. This can be from sending us an image you see is missing to enhance an entry in the timeline, to adding in new dates and content as our game progresses. We also have a massive task ahead in documenting the history of Nine Swords.

To view the Secret World Legends timeline, you can access it via our Knowledge Base, or directly via this link.

 

Halloween Social!

by Katelin

In true Nine Swords fashion, the need for a screenshot to capture our Halloween fun definitely helps motivate us to have a social event. Topping that off with the promise of Mega-Bosses was the icing on the cake. All our members were invited to join us in The Horned God in London with their Halloween costumes... or regular selves, depending on how much scary they thought everyone else could cope with!

We then headed over to Agartha for boss fighting goodness! Much thanks go out to Mellified and Ceres for donating bosses for us to spawn. Special thanks also go out to community member IAerie who gifted Nine Swords two signets to sell for buying more WBs. 

 

 

Nine Swords Career Week

by Katelin

Do you want to contribute more to our cabal?

Do you want to join a Division but have some questions?

Well - many of the divisions in Nine Swords need more division members within them to work towards maintaining a fun environment for our whole cabal via events and new ideas. We have lots of tasks that could use your help, and many that even with a small contribution of time would make a positive inpact to the cabal. Our main goal is for all our members to feel like they are part of the cabal, and that everyone has the opportunity to do something if they want to. Therefore, Uragon and I will be hosting: 

 

A series of mini events will be scheduled over the coming week from the 13th November to the 19th November. All members of Nine Swords are welcome to attend. If you are interested in this event, keep an eye out on our events calendar and our Noticeboard forum. If an event is scheduled that interests you but you are unable to attend - please also let us know! We are happy to also organise one-to-one sessions. 

 

Outcome of the NiTM Poll

by Katelin

Following last months issue, a new poll was set up in our forums regarding organising and re-starting a new Nights in the Museum set of mini events for the cabal. Although the responses received were positive, only 5 cabal members responded to the poll. This either indicates that not many people are really interested, or not many members are reading our forums - therefore, I have decided for now not to invest time in setting up a formal event structure again for this, and instead continue with the scheduled monster hunting that I am already running. All members in Nine Swords are encouraged to use our Event Requests forum if anyone wants help to organise a team for achievement hunting! Should the interest increase to a point where we see that a more organised overall event could be beneficial to the cabal, we will certainly invest our time and energy into running it!

The Birds

by Mellified

“Enough”

Drained and exhausted, she slumps back against the tree, slipping down into an awkward sitting position, her legs splayed in front of her. The blood and the bird droppings make her passage down the bark a greasy slide. Hundreds of jagged wounds seep and spurt into the mess around her, turning the ground a putrid rose colour. She gives up the struggle and allows her eyes to close. She had tried more than her best and for the longest time had thought she would prevail. Her companion lies a short distance away, eyeless sockets staring eastwards at the dawn, shredded skin providing a map of his fate. Although not gifted with powers like her, he had fought with a ferocity that had given the birds a wary respect until they finally overcame him. They had inorexable patience and the time for death by a thousand beaks and claws.

She waits for the coup de grâce.

Nothing happens. Opening her eyes, the scabbing blood cracking as she forces her eyelids open, she becomes dimly aware that the birds have formed a silent circle around her. All the pitiless yellow eyes glinting in the light of the morning sun. Five large ravens are in her immediate field of view and not part of the circle. The low sun causes the blood pools to glisten like silver, displaced feathers at odd angles making strange stretched shadows, culminating at her feet.

The central raven, without taking an evil eye off her, plucks one of it’s own wing feathers and slowly advances, short hops followed by an inquisitive gaze. The feather trails filth. A few soft caws come from the other ravens, gradually joined by the other birds. The raven reaches her feet and hesitates, wavering from one claw to another. She stares at the bird, more in anticipation than fear or anger, her body aflame with her injuries.

In the blink of an eye it is on her blood slick stomach and has inserted the tip of the feather into one of her wounds. She feels connections forming, filthy tendrils working through her flesh and she gasps with the newness of the sensation. The other birds follow the raven’s lead and come forward with their own offerings, the cawing reaching a crescendo. Entirely feather wounded she loses her awareness for what seems only a moment.

An altered consciousness awakes. She feels an overwhelming desire. She stands gracefully, scattering her protective cocoon of birds, stretching her new wings and sampling the new configuration of her body. Unfamiliar muscles and tendons become second nature. She can sense the rushing patterns of the wind overhead, instinctively seeking out the wildest streams. The sky calls to her. She marvels at the iridescent highlights of her black feathers in the dawn light and takes off towards the new day with a savage joy. As one, the dark shroud of other birds follows her like a billowing cape. Her desire becomes clear. Her homing instinct is compelling her to return home.

To return to Agartha.

Note: Mellified wrote this piece for The Secret Buzz magazine as part of their Movie Issue competition. The competition was to write a Secret World inspired final scene from one of the movies featured. He won a prize of a Secret Buzz T-Shirt as a result! You can see the issue of The Secret Buzz here.