Editor's Note
by Alac
Hello again, all! It's time for the tenth issue of The Zardian (Can you believe it? We've come so far, and seen so many great articles). The Zardian staff has some very, very good news to announce: we've finally brought on board (or re-abducted) a staff artist, at long last. Please welcome back (though he never really left) Xyphos Celestin! You may know him from his posts in the Approved RP board or you may be familiar with him if you frequent Caelestia's IRC network. Xyphos is the zombie lurking in the corner of the channel, waiting for spare parts to fall or for some (un)lucky victim to be assimilated into the ranks of the Xyphii. And believe me, once you're a xycanthrope, you'll never be quite the same (and hilarious xy-jinks are sure to ensue). So drop him a PM saying hi or welcome him when you see him in #yulgarsinn. He's really a very friendly Xyphos, and his art (which you'll see in this issue) is amazing.
What's been going on with AE's games, you ask? Well, we've been kept hopping getting updates out on time and as bug-free as possible. You'll be excited to know that MechQuest has opened up (well, really, that you've crash-landed into) Soluna City! Now, poor GEARS University student that you are, you'll be sure to need some extra credits. I suggest you head on over to MechaRoni, Soluna City's most affable pizza joint, and see if they have any spare jobs you might be able to do. Watch out for prank calls and be sure to buy your ticket in advance for the next AE animated short that will be playing at the CineMech, Soluna's theater (coming soon!). Both AdventureQuest and DragonFable have their Mogloween events going on. We finally find out how Mogloween came about. And wouldn't you guess it? It was Zorbak, up to his old tricks again. (Man, mognip must be REALLY good stuff. Those moglinsters are fierce!) Bubble, Bubble, Toil, and Trouble are hear to fix things, though, if you'll only agree to help them collect their candy back. Can you find your house? I know people on the forums have been collecting and sharing screenshots of each other's houses, which is very cool. (I never did find my own, but I did manage to score some candy from “Kalanyr's Workshop” in AQ as I strove to reach my goal of 100,000 candies. How many were YOU able to collect?)
We have some new additions to the team of assistants for the forum moderating staff and KoO, as well. Welcome the newest Squires of Order: Yagno2000, Ninja Paladin, and Izon. May Kal and the KoO crew not scar you TOO badly as they hone your balancing skills and put you to work testing. I just know you'll make good axiomatic chipmunks. And new to the Archknights are Sir Gnome and deathisper, both making the rounds of AQ GGD. Let's hope they enjoy their stay (and don't lose any sleep over the loss of their souls. “Mehehe,” to steal a phrase from Zorbak).
In other news: thank you to those who frequent Caelestia's IRC network for continuing to bear with us as we wait for services to come back online. Much of Caelestia's network is in California which, if you've been watching the news at all, you'll know has been dealing with a rather serious outbreak of wildfires. Currently, all servers except Aurora.caelestia.net should be online. We hope to have services back in the near future, thanks for your patience!
Once again, I'd like to extend my thanks to the primary and secondary authors who contribute to The Zardian. Without your talent and the time you devote to your articles, we wouldn't have an ezine to publish. Thanks go, as well, to Xyphos Celestin and smbdoll for the work they've done on the art and ezine construction. And, of course the game staff who give us something to write about. Working for and with the AE team continues to be a challenge and a privilege!
