Featured Setting -- Ratari Elves: The Ratari are a group of inter-related nomadic bands of elves that live a migratory lifestyle on the scorched savannah. Their cycle of life follows a circuit that parallels the migration patterns of the wildebeest and zebra from which they derive their sustenance. The wildebeest in particular are central toRatari life – and social status is denoted by the size of a herd that a clan owns.

The Ratari are markedly different from their forest dwelling cousins in that they are a quarrelsome and squabbling bunch. Perhaps it is the nature of the hardscrabble life on the grasslands but the long lifespan of theRatari does not seem to mellow them into endless contemplativeness and reflection, but to entrench their world-view and harden their positions. Their long lives give them many human lifetimes’ worth of perspective and experience – and ample time for their own inherent flaws to get the better of them. Given time, certainty can calcify into stubbornness, pride can devolve into hubris, and longstanding arguments fester into bitter animosities.

Article -- Heresy: This is a word that has been uttered countless times by theologians and statesmen throughout the history of the Christian Church. How the Church and the State react to the presence of unaccepted doctrine has shaped the Christian Church and given rise to some of its darkest moments. Charles White explores how the real-world consequences of heresy can be applied in role-playing settings.

Editorial -- Adding value to the community. In this editorial John examines how communities work to be self-sustaining and the role of individuals in perpetuating a healthy community.

Featured Article: Canon: The Stories of Faith by Charles White
In most pantheistic societies, the common man wants to understand how the gods interact, what are their individual spheres of influence, what does he/she need to do to capture their favor and how do they go about doing this. Therefore, many people know a bit about the gods.

When thinking of a deity, don’t just think of their spheres of influence or what the churches look like. Instead, also think of the stories of the faith. These stories can help to build adventure seeds and add a greater depth to a campaign. They can help to build tension and expose elements of the faith that could be diametrically opposed to the mainstream followers of that particular deity.

Editorial: Reflections on Avlis2 By John Johansen
A look at how far Avlis has come over the last year and what it means to finally have a world up and running.

Feature Article: History of Military Orders, Part 2 -- Charles goes into more detail about the role of the Holy Orders during the crusades and how they shaped the policy of the Catholic church in the Middle East and Middle Ages.

Editorial: Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition -- John gives his perspective on what 4e will mean for the hobby that we all love.

Feature: Religious Military Orders

Charles gives an introduction to the Crusades and the militant orders that were created to support them.

Editorial: Principles of NWN Design -- John writes up some guidelines for designing a PW in NWN. With the release of NWN2 (nearly a year ago) and the rise of PWs, as well as more in development, has made me think of what it takes to be successful in creating an entirely new world.

World Building -- The Role of Monk's in the Church. Charles continues his series of using religious groups effectively in your world settings. This month he takes a look at the traditional role of Christian monks (the ones without martial arts).

Have you voted for the ENnie awards yet? If not, did you know that one of our new authors, Charles White, has been nominated for one?

His company, Fabled Environments, has been selected for the Best Miniature Products category for Modern Floorplans: Neighborhood Church. Check out his site to see the product.

Two new previews have been released on the WFM forums. You can go read about the Aen custom race (hint: it's another Fey race) and you can also go look at some of the custom loading screens that will be in the game when you transition areas.

Featured World -- 20th Century Sorcery: Wizards and Wiseguys is the second installment in an alternate history setting of the modern world.

In this piece we see the resolution of the first world war and a glimpse into America during the Roaring '20s. All sprinkled (Ok, drenched) in magic.

World Building -- Hermits: Alone and Loving It is an article about the role of hermits in organized religions. They don't always follow the politics of the church, but they can have a major impact on a campaign when used effectively. First time contributor Charles White explores the lonely side of living what you believe.

Editorial -- Writing. The title is simple this time. And hopefully the subject is easier to understand than last months. This month's editorial is some advice from me on how you can write for your role-playing setting (or any kind of writing really).
And, I reveal one of my biggest pet peeves and common writing mistakes. Don't miss it!

I think that it's about time to showcase another area that has been built. In this preview, you'll see the Granniton Ruins. A ruined keep on a hill, its history is shrouded with mystery and superstition by the local population. What happened in this place so many years ago to stain the walls with blood.

See the Granniton Ruins screenshots.

Once again, building on the last preview, here's a look at the Society that took part in the Battle for the Undercity. The Underlights are dedicated to keeping Crosstreams safe from the denizens of the deep that might threaten it.

They are a dedicated group, with a long history in the city. Their efforts have been valuable on more than just the one occasion, and they'll likely be called on in the future to continue fulfilling their mission.

Read about The Underlights Society.

Here is another piece of Crosstreams history. In this story the city is threatened by the forces of the Underdark, lead by a ferocious demon (of course).

I don't want to give too much away but the city is still standing, so you can make some guesses about what happens. This is also the genesis of one of the cities Societies.

Read the full story of the Battle for the Undercity.

Building on the revelation of the pantheon for Avlis2 in the last preview, here's a look at the Philosophy of Gorethar as it will be defined in the Crosstreams setting.

1,500 years is a long time and we've tried to reflect some of the refinement that the deities have undergone in their philosophical stances and requirements of their followers. These should help give people an easy way to understand the Nine great gods and invite more role-playing around how mortals carry out the philosophy

Read the Philosophy of Gorethar.

I just wanted to let everyone know that I've added some images drawn by Rick Hershey from Empty Room Studios.

They really help make the setting more vivid and realistic. Here's a sample of the images in the setting.

Featured World -- 20th Century Sorcery: Soldiers and Spellfighters

Another new world to explore. This one brought to WFM by Mike Lafferty. His compelling integration of 20th century history and magic make for a unique and interesting campaign setting. This setting is easily integrated with d20 Modern.

Magic Awakens
On June 30, 1908, near Tunguska, Siberia a mysterious explosion flattened hundreds of square miles of forest. Eyewitnesses alternately described a ball of fire falling from the sky or the sky opening up and pouring out fire. An orange glow in the sky was visible for days as far away as Western Europe. Although the cause is still unknown, the consequence is clear. Magic was reawakened. Traditional native cultures and occultists were the first to notice, but it soon became common knowledge. Most governments and universities developed magical research projects and many corporations and private citizens around the world being to engage in the practice of magic.

Editorial -- Why is a Raven like a Writing Desk?

Getting back to the theoretical, John takes a look this month at the idea of role-playing as a kinetic medium. He argues that there's more to role-playing than just sitting around with books and pizza.

I'm posting two previews today. One for last week and one for this week. I think that they're both pretty exciting.

The first is the full list of the Avlis Pantheon. Some things have shaken up and some new gods have been added. So if you've been wondering who you can worship, here's the list you can choose from.

Read over the full Pantheon.

For the second preview, you can read about the Brotherhood of the Sphinx, the society that explores and adventures in the Seven Cities area. They are an influential group that has been around since the founding of the cities.

Read more about the Brotherhood of the Sphinx.

The Great Oak is on the outskirts of the Goldthorn Woods. It's rumored to be almost as old as the city itself and legends of Fey are closely associated with the oak.

See screenshots of the Great Oak area.

The Shaahesk people are known throughout Avlis as the stereotypical slavers. It is true that many shaahesk do indeed capture, trade, and use slaves from any race that can be pressed into service or fetch good coin. Hunting down and capturing good slaves requires a unique set of skills - and a lack of caring about the freedom of others.

Shaahesk who ascend the ranks of the slavers to become the most feared of abductors are given the title Thhesstil Korr, which roughly translates to Slaver Lord. Slaver lords are typically shaahesk who have spent their entire lives in the slaving trade. Often they are ex-adventurers who decided to make some extra money the easy way.

Read the full details of the Slaver Lord class.

Feature World -- This History of Kage: Part 2. With the dark god trapped at the center of the world, the human nations begin to flourish and expand. Their exploration brings them into conflict with many of the other races, and each other.

The second part of the history of Kage, chronicles the rise and fall of many empires. The influence of the gods on the world of men, and the history leading to the present day.

Featured Class -- Urban Ranger Variant: The Protector. The second in a series of urban-themed classes, Tom tackles another wilderness-oriented class and brings a unique flavor to it's abilities to make it appropriate for the city. Protectors are capable defenders of the down-trodden and can add an interesting twist to any campaign.

Editorial -- The Role of Magic. This month John takes a look at how to make the most unbelievable piece of a fantasy world, magic, into a natural element of the world. With a few simple guidelines you can construct a world in which magic is accepted, and even expected, to be a part of daily life.

Another custom race for Avlis: The Seven Cities gives players a new opportunity to explore the culture of the Fey. Not available in Avlis1, the Sidvhen are the nobles of the fairy race.

Read more about the Sidvhen custom race.

A milestone that I know you have all been waiting for. We have finally gotten some areas built enough that we can present screenshots for you to salivate over.

The first area that we are going to preview is from the wilderness area around Crosstreams -- the Goldthorn Woods. You can see some of the amazing detail that the NWN2 toolset allows. We are working to take full advantage of that.

See the screenshots of Goldthorn Wood.