Work is now approaching completion on the "Venârivè", the northwestern Lýthia module.

Venârivè is the part of Lýthia with which most people involved with Hârn are familiar, probably without even knowing it. It is the region around the Venârian Sea, and to the north and west, and its name is derived from that sea (and some say from the Sea of Iváe to the north). It includes the regions of Ivínia and Hârn, the Gulf of Shôrkýnè, and the lands of Tríerzòn, Ázeryàn, Kárejia, Dalkésh, Hácherdad, Mafán, Chogôro, northern Anzelôria, and finally Hèpekéria.

Needless to say, this is a large area, with many cultures and realms. But it does form a coherent area, the area where a particular set of cultures have evolved and interacted. Even if your game never leaves the shores of Hârn, an understanding of these cultures and their impact on each other is extremely useful - they are the context within which Hârn has developed and continues to exist.

The Venârivè module will include the following content:

• Overview of the region, including climatic zones, weather etc
• History and chronology
• Cultures and languages of the region
• Legal systems and law
• Military organisation of different cultures and regions, including naval organisation
• Economics and trade, including details of markets, money and incomes, and trade routes
• Guilds and their organisation, including an overview of the Mangai
• Daily Life, including calendars, weights and measures, food and drink, clothing, housing and architecture, education, art and music, entertainment and sport, and death and funerary pratices
• Folklore and legends of the region
• Major religions, including the different pantheons recognised in the region
• Details of the various regions and realms (covering the history and government, key settlements, society culture and language, religion and military of over 30 realms and regions)
• Folk of Venârivè, including historical and current leading figures in politics, religion, philosohpy, the arts and so forth
• Key statistical and reference information, such as the chantries of the region, titles, colleges of heraldry, religious organisation, trading posts and shipping convoys (larún), regnal lists, prices, incomes, trade goods by region, port and market data, tide and weather tables, and a locations index.

While you are waiting for this module to be completed, you might want to have a look at the new map. When it is finally released, it will be a layered-PDF document, with all the layers as vectors (so it will be a relatively small document as well). It will cover a range of issues, from geography to linguistics. The sample we are sharing with you focusses on geography and major settlements, but the PDF version will have much more detail.

I hope you enjoy this sample while we work on completing the final module:

Quite a number of Kelestia Productions products (such as the Harn Regional Interactive map, and the Chelemby Interactive map) include "layered" PDF files, which allow the user to select which layers they wish to display.

A few customers have asked how this function works. Read on to find out more.

So... Chélemby City of the Sea Kings is out, we can relax and take a breather...

Umm... no. It straight back into it on Venârivè!

In conjunction with the release of Chélemby - City of the Sea Kings, we have updated a number of Keléstia Productions products with new download files.

Most of these address minor issues, but most also involve a correction to the name of the elder folk - elves and dwarves. Previous publications have used inaccurate terms for these. The correct term for Kèthîran elves is Sinái (singular and plural; the adjective is Sináin). The correct term for Kèthîran dwarves is Kúzhai (singular and plural; the adjective is Kúzhan).

The major change is an updated map for Chélemby Interactive, which has improved historical layers, and is of a higher resolution.

The following files have been updated:

• Chelemby Interactive - Map and Guide
• Kingdom of Chélemby
• Evánekin
• Kèthîra 2.0
• HârnMaster Gold: Players' Edition
• HârnMaster Gold: GMs' Edition
• HârnMaster Gold: Bestiary

An update to HârnMaster Gold: Shèk-Pvâr will be available shortly - we are checking a number of the spells.

If you have already purchased these files, you should be able to download them from the Files section of "My Account". If you no longer have the download links for these files, please contact us (jeremy@kelestia.com) to arrange for a new download link to be provided for each of these files.

We are very pleased to announce that Keléstia Productions' latest product Kingdom of Lédenheim is now available for purchase here.

A preview of the product is also available here.

Happy Gaming.

As many of you will by now know, on 23 July 2008, N Robin Crossby, the creator of Hârn, HârnMaster and the universe of Keléstia, passed on to Yàsháin.

Robin had been suffering from liposarcoma or fat-cell-cancer in his bowel that was discovered in January 2006. He underwent surgery followed by chemotherapy, and was briefly in remission in 2007. Robin is survived by his wife Sharon, his three daughters, his three siblings, his father and many friends all over the world.

On July 23rd 2008, Robin succumbed to his cancer at a hospice in Coquitlam, BC.

Rest in peace Robin, we'll all miss you.

NOTE: Please direct any further comments on Robin's life and what he meant to you to this thread: http://www.kelestia.com/?q=node/291

Thank you.

I've had this little problem for a while with the Counter-Strike mechanism in HarnMaster. (I've really only had it since my superior PC got whacked by an underskilled Gargun who decided to use the counter-strike manuever, but go figure )

With Eric, Eric, Eric the ‘Arf a Fish

Last week I acquired a new constant companion. The front end looks like a fish, I’ve never seen the rear end; it could like a horse, a toaster oven, or maybe a fish. It only swims backwards from left to right. I call it Eric… Eric the ‘alf a fish. The part I’ve seen has two mouths, but that’s ok… it doesn’t bite. On the other hand, it does have some odd behaviour. It eats words. If there’s a page of text, it eats the right half, then works its way left to leave only a few letters on each line.

Ivinia Con II (the second in a series of Scandinavian Hârn Cons) will be held from Friday the 15th of August 2008 to Sunday the 17th at the Fotevikens Museum in Sweden. The convention is being arranged by Mikael Hegardt (logistics, venue etc) and Anders Bersten (events, games etc).

For more information check out the Convention's web page at http://www.ivinia.se/IviniaCon_II/Welcome.html and visit this thread http://www.lythia.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=8651 on Lythia.com's HarnForum.