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AUTHOR'S DEVELOPMENT BLOG Its 2012 and it looks very positive for the gamebooks genre. The new gamebook apps that have become a part of the interactive fiction scene in the last few years are proving a great boost to the genre overall, and certainly increasing interest in game-books in general. Kudos have to go to Gamebook Adventures for their commitment to new and original gamebooks and their capacity to take interactive fiction to places it may not necessarily have been before. The new Judge Dredd gamebook series is a really exciting develop-ment and it is good to see sci-fi is now taking off. Infinite Universe and Gun Dogs are new series that should really increase gamebook interest as well. For the Chronicles of course this is nothing but good news. The interest generated by all the new players in this genre has left readers/players with a hankering for everything game-book that might be out there and this has translated into a huge increase in the number of downloads taken through the Chronicles website. In this coming year a number of new titles will be added to the series catalogue and I can only see good things happening in the genre in general. It does indeed look like 2012 will be a good year for gamebooks. Wayne Densley 18 Jan 2012 WARRIORS OF THE MARCH WARGAME Arborell.com is proud to announce the release of Warriors of the March, a large-scale wargaming system set in the lands of Arborell at the time of the Sixth Horde War. This new war-gaming rule-set and tile system is available free to download and includes everything required to recreate the Grand Army of the Four Nations and the Armies of the Oera'dim. Warriors of the March requires two download files; a Commanders Guide and a Basic Tile Set that deliver all the materials required to play the game. Both of these files can be found at the link given below. More Info SERIES SYNOPSIS This page covers every available title and all coming titles that constitute the Chronicles of Arborell. Includes title descriptions, timeline dates and availability. More info... JOTUN OF THE WEST The Jotun of the West series is a selection of gamebook adventures that introduce readers to the character of Tansen'Delving, a Jotun of Kraal Delving and a major character in the second core gamebook in the Chronicles of Arborell series - Earth and Stone. Through the five books planned for this associated series the reader follows the quests of Tansen as he evolves from an enemy of the Four Nations to Halokim Vesh's ally in his quest to kill the Shadowch, a creature of malice and wrath that wishes the death of all living things. These stories take the reader to the lands of the Jotun of the West, and deep into the culture of the Jotun themselves. More info... CHRONICLES COMPANION SERIES The Chronicles Companion Series is an exciting new addition to the Chronicles of Arborell gamebook adventures. Behind the scenes of great events, and in the progress of epic quests, you will find characters and circumstances that shape their cause and their outcome. In your journeys through Arborell you will meet many characters, for both good and ill, and hear of battles and lost secrets that have made the world the way it is. The Companion Series tells these stories. Some of these tales begin in the forgotten recesses of history, whilst others occur as you journey upon your quest, but all are important to what happens to you as you travel the wilds of Arborell. More info...

Page last updated 18 January 2012 Here can be found news and other information on the progress of the Chronicles of Arborell. Any questions to the author regarding these postings can be made by clicking here, by making use of the guest book facility or by joining our new Yahoo group. A Review of 2011 Its summer down here in OZ and once again its time to recap the major news events of the year for the Chronicles of Arborell. The year that has passed has been a fantastic one for the series and in the last twelve months a number of important new releases, as well as a load of updates and revisions, has extended the Chronicles into new areas, and increased the overall depth of titles and supplementary documentation now available to readers. What follows is a review of all these major developments. Early in the year came the new Windhammer Enhanced Combat System, a combat rule-set designed to allow players using the gamebooks in the Chronicles of Arborell series the capacity to develop their own individual fighting styles. This title has proven very popular with players who enjoy a greater level of combat control than is available in the standard combat rules. Around mid-year we released Warriors of the March. This new wargame from the Chronicles has been provided as a table-top wargaming system that allows players the ability to recreate and fight the Horde Wars of Arborell. Using card tiles to represent fighting units an entire battlefield can be developed and played out. This large-scale strategy game includes all fighting units used by the Grand Army of the Four Nations and the Oera'dim Army of the March. A new Sixth Horde War campaign guide is currently in the wind and will be available during 2012. Future additions to this wargame will also include the War of Tree and Leaf and the Great Insurrection. At year's end came the Quest for the Orncryst 2011 Edition. Whilst not a brand new title it was a major redevelopment of the original game with a complete redo of the gamebook sections and the inclusion of a number of rule additions. This card-based gamebook has proven to be one of the Chronicle's most popular titles and it has been well worth the work required to give it a new polish. During the course of 2011 a number of titles were updated. These titles mostly were revised and then reformatted as printable PDF files. Most important of these additions were the Blood and Iron PDF edition, the Windhammer Core Gamebook PDF Edition, and the release of a new instalment of the A Murder of Crows Online gamebook. Of these updates the Windhammer Core Gamebook was the most involved, including not only a wide range of improvements but also the incorporation of a number of additional supplementary documents including the Visualising Windhammer appendix. At this time the full A Murder of Crows gamebook is under development and should also be released in 2012. Of considerable note in 2011 was the successful completion of this year's Windhammer Prize. Easily the most successful to date, congratulations should once again go to Andrew Wright and his entry, Sea of Madness and to the Merit Award winners, Ashton Saylor and Zachary Carango. It was a tough competition and all who participated should be proud of the high quality of the entries submitted. I am seriously looking forward to 2012's comp. As is always the case 2011 saw a wide range of necessary improvements and updates to the Chronicles of Arborell website and its huge amount of supplementary documentation. Apart from the revision and updating of all the core pages and more than 350 other content pages I also included a new Q&A page to archive some interesting questions posed to the author, plus a new access page for visitors who use screen readers to access the chronicles. This year also saw the inclusion of an Author's Development Blog and the creation of a Facebook page for the Chronicles titled, "Chronicles of Arborell Gamebooks". For the year ahead the Chronicles has two main objectives. The first is the completion of the Murder of Crows gamebook and the delivery of the Sixth Horde War campaign guide for the Warriors of the March Wargaming system. If time allows the third gamebook in the Jotun of the West series, The Horns of Gorgoroth, will also be commenced. 2011 proved a most successful year for the Chronicles. Thanks to all who have visited and downloaded the series. May 2012 be a happy and prosperous year for us all. Regards Wayne Densley December 2011 Release of Quest for the Orncryst 2011 Edition In 2007 the Chronicles of Arborell released the first in a new series of card-based gamebook adventures entitled "Quest for the Orncryst". At a time when gamebooks were mostly paper-based it was a unique foray into a different style of solitaire role-playing, one where an adventure could be played out in an endlessly variable environment against an ever-changing range of creature encounters, traps and lethal devices. Based on the Torchlight adventure system this game allowed a player to meet a range of quest objectives whilst experiencing a different set of encounters and dungeon setups with each attempt. To achieve this outcome the rule system utilised three main elements; a character generation and combat system drawn from the traditions of gamebooks and interactive fiction; a card-based map creation mode that allowed for the generation of unique role-playing settings; and a manual-based set of 200 section references that provided all the information needed to conduct your adventure. Since 2007 Quest for the Orncryst has proven to be one of the most popular titles in the Chronicles' catalogue and arborell.com is pleased to announce that it has now been released in a new updated 2011 edition. With a reformatted Player's Manual that includes an improved rule-set and a wide-ranging review of all the game's section references this edition brings Quest for the Orncryst up to date with all other gamebook titles in this series, and in doing so takes advantage of a number of rule enhancements including compatibility with the Windhammer Enhanced Combat System. Quest for the Orncryst is a card-based gamebook system unique to the Chronicles of Arborell that delivers a totally random gamebook experience whilst achieving both quest and player defined mission objectives. This one of a kind gamebook system comes with a 109 page manual, a set of 77 game cards and a range of additional materials and documentation. If you have ever wanted to play a truly unique gamebook the Quest for the Orncryst is now available for free download both in its card format and as a purely text-based adventure. Please note that this 2011 Edition is an update of the written materials associated with the game. The card set remains unchanged and therefore if a player already has the original game they need only download the new Player's Manual to update their version. Total visits and downloads now exceed 624,800 Total pageviews for 2011 - 218,277 November 2011 Arborell.com is pleased to announce that the winner of the 2011 Windhammer Prize for Short Gamebook Fiction is Andrew Wright for his excellent sea-faring adventure, Sea of Madness. Arborell.com can also announce that Ashton Saylor and Zachary Carango have placed second and third in the popular vote and are therefore worthy Merit Award winners with their entries, Peledgathol - The Last Fortress and Above the Waves respectively. This year has seen an amazing selection of entries, covering a wide range of fantasy and sci-fi settings and all have done very well. Considering the limitations provided by the competition guidelines the authors who have offered entries this year have shown once again, that great gamebook ideas can be made to fit into very small spaces. I would like to thank everybody who participated, the authors and those dedicated readers who took the time to evaluate all the entries, and also a further thanks to those readers who provided feedback and comment to the authors. It can be disclosed that more than 5300 visitors made their way to the prize webpages over the course of the competition and that from those visits more than 2100 downloads were made of competition entries. From these downloads more than double the votes were forwarded compared with last year. Thank you all for making this the most successful Windhammer Prize yet. It was my intention to provide feedback and a wrap-up of competition activity at this time, however a large amount of additional feedback has been provided in the last two days that will take a short time to accumulate and forward on to participants. I should have all feedback to authors within the next 48 hours. As an additional note to this year's winners. As per the competition rules I will require your Paypal address and a current postal address to forward prize moneys and signed winners' certificates. As I do not keep this information once a competition has been finalised I will need these details again even if you have won in past years. Full details on this year's competition can be found by clicking here. May Glory and Renown follow all who have participated. Total visits and downloads now exceed 615,900 Total pageviews for 2011 so far - 198,477 October 2011 The voting phase for the 2011 Windhammer Prize has now ended. Winners will be announced on the 7th of November as per the competition timetable. All information regarding the 2011 competition can be found at the Windhammer Prize webpage. Total visits and downloads now exceed 608,400 Total pageviews for 2011 so far - 183,853 September 2011 The voting phase for the 2011 Windhammer Prize has now begun. Eight entries are available for download and consideration this year and it is a fantastic selection of gamebooks that have been submitted. Voting will continue until the 30th of October with the winners being announced on the 7th of November. All information regarding the 2011 competition can be found at the Windhammer Prize webpage. Total visits and downloads now exceed 600,100 Total pageviews for 2011 so far - 166,059 August 2011 For some time Windhammer has been available both as an online title and as a html-based download file. As a part of an ongoing commitment to provide all titles in this series in the PDF format Arborell.com is pleased to announce the release of a new PDF edition of this popular gamebook title; complete with updated graphics, 600 sections, more than 400 A4-sized pages and a further 200 pages of supplementary documents and information. At over 600 pages this is one of the largest gamebook titles available in the genre and as with all the books in this series is free to download. For a copy you need only click here. Work continues on the Murder of Crows gamebook. Now that I have finished a number of projects that have been lingering for some time I will now focus on the completion of this title. The submission phase for the 2011 Windhammer Prize has now begun. Entries should be forwarded between the 1st of August and the 7th of September and must conform to the entry format guidelines. Please note that all entries must be submitted as Rich Text File (RTF) documents and cannot contain tables or other formatting not supported by the RTF format. All genres except erotica are accepted. May Glory and Renown follow all who enter. All information regarding the 2011 competition can be found at the Windhammer Prize webpage. Total visits and downloads now exceed 589,500 Total pageviews for 2011 so far - 146,162 July 2011 Arborell.com is pleased to announce the release of Warriors of the March, a large-scale wargaming system set in the world of the Chronicles of Arborell interactive adventure gamebook series. This new wargaming rule-set and tile system is available free to download and includes everything required to recreate the Grand Army of the Four Nations and the Army of the Oera'dim at the time of the Sixth Horde War. As a part of the growing list of titles available from the Chronicles this wargaming system provides not only an immersive experience commanding the armies of the Four Nations and the Oera'dim but also a large amount of additional background information on the combatants and their fighting forces. Warriors of the March requires two download files; a Commanders Guide and a Basic Tile Set that deliver all the materials required to play the game. In the Commanders Guide can be found the complete rule-set, information on the setup and conduct of a number of engagement modes including the Standard Game, Historical Battle scenarios and more than a dozen Non-Campaign scenarios. Also included is information on both the Grand Army and the Army of the Oera'dim, unit details for 43 separate unit types and a range of other materials necessary to play the game including Quick Reference Cards. The Basic Tile Set comes as an 8Mb download and includes 100 full-colour unit tiles, 100 Skull tokens and 2 Movement rulers, enough to build the Armies of Arborell and conduct any of the scenarios provided in the Commanders Guide. This initial tile set is contained on 6 A4-sized sheets and has been designed so that it may be be easily printed and separated. On another note I would again like to remind all prospective entrants to the 2011 Windhammer Prize that submissions commence on the 1st of August. May Glory and Renown follow all who enter. Total visits and downloads now exceed 581,000 Total pageviews for 2011 so far - 124, 074 June 2011 A new Facebook group has been put together for the Chronicles of Arborell. Titled "Chronicles of Arborell Gamebooks" it can be found by logging onto Facebook and using the Search tool provided on the site. The direct URL is still a mystery to me as I am still working out the nuances of this site but I'll post the right address as soon as I work it out. Somehow I know its not as difficult as I think it is... Development continues on the new Warriors of the March wargaming system. This is almost complete and apart from a few maps is ready to go. Look out for it in the first half of July. Included will be a comprehensive 55 page manual, 100 full-colour unit tiles, multiple play modes and a range of battle scenarios. Total visits and downloads now exceed 572,950 Total pageviews for 2011 so far - 105,907 May 2011 For all authors who may be considering submitting an entry in the 2011 Windhammer Prize for Short Gamebook Fiction this is a reminder that there are now only three months remaining until the commencement of the submission phase of this year's contest. All information, including entry guidelines, timetable and prize details, can be found at the Windhammer Prize page. May glory and renown follow all who enter. Total visits and downloads now exceed 565,000 Total pageviews for 2011 so far - 89, 451 April 2011 I am pleased to announce that a new update has been added to the A Murder of Crows gamebook. Including more than 100 new and revised sections this update expands the adventures of Tansen'Delving as he attempts to uncover the truth behind the attack at the Shalamai Hills, and the true nature of the conspiracy that threatens the leadership of the Jotun of the West. To continue your adventure click here. Total visits and downloads now exceed 557,200 Total pageviews for 2011 so far - 69,119 March 2011 A new Windhammer Enhanced Combat System is now available from the Chronicles of Arborell. This new combat rule set can be used as an alternative to the standard combat rules and allows for a much more intense and flexible combat process. Compatible with all screen, paper or card based gamebooks that can be found within this series the ECS comprises combat tables, offensive and defensive options, new damage calculation rules and new combat modifiers to account for terrain and opponent scale. For a copy of this guide in PDF format please click here. Its that time of the year again and from the dark dungeons of the chronicles has emerged the rules and entry guidelines for the 2011 Windhammer Prize for Short Gamebook Fiction. If you are interested in participating in this year's prize everything you need to know can be found at the competition web page. May Glory and Renown follow all who enter. Total visits and downloads now exceed 551,000 Total pageviews for 2011 so far - 56,366 February 2011 I am pleased to announce the release of a new PDF version of the popular web serial, Blood and Iron. Previously available online and as a html download this PDF edition comprises everything found in its online versions. At more than 200 pages, and complete with all supplied maps, it is the newest addition to the growing list of PDF titles available from the Chronicles of Arborell. Total visits and downloads now exceed 544,000 Total pageviews for 2011 so far - 36,939 January 2011 A new Q&A page has been uploaded to the Chronicles. This is a compilation of interesting questions posed to myself that provide supplementary information about the world of Arborell. At this stage very interesting for anyone wanting a deeper insight into the culture and motivations of the Oera'dim. I would invite anyone who might wish to pose additional questions to write to me at my email address or contact me through the chroniclesofarborell yahoo group. Unfortunately I have had to disable the arborellium forum due to spam attacks that have been loading the forum titles with inappropriate postings. At this stage I am unsure as to how to stop the large number of automated spam accounts that are being logged onto the forum so it will be closed down for the moment. Although this is disappointing the chroniclesofarborell yahoo group will remain active and I look forward to hearing from anyone interested in the progress of this series at this venue instead. Total visits and downloads now exceed 537,100 Total pageviews for 2011 so far - 17,685 Wrap up for 2010 Another December rolls around and its time to look back at the progress made by the Chronicles over the previous year. 2010 has seen a number of changes to how the Chronicles are presented, most notably with the development of PDF versions of a number of my existing titles. It will be possible over the course of the coming year to find almost all titles provided online, as html files and as pdf versions with full colour covers. The acquisition of an excellent utility that can merge pdf documents has allowed me to add covers to all the books, and all those that can be converted over to this format will be in the next few months. New titles for this year have seen the publication of Hamulkuk and the Moon Dragons, a compilation book of Horde mythologies titled the Mythologies of the Oera'dim, a rewrite and upgrade to Shards of Moonlight, a new Lexicon of Arborell and a revision of the Windhammer Core Gamebook. 2010 also saw the commencement of instalment publication of A Murder of Crows and this will be ongoing into 2011. For myself the mythologies have been the most fun and there are a more to come in the next year as well. PDF editions of a number of existing titles have joined the growing list of downloads for the Chronicles including, Shards of Moonlight, the Mythology of the Oera'dim, The First Book of Haer'al, Song of the Dromannion and the Lexicon of Arborell. It is planned that PDF editions of Blood and Iron and A Murder of Crows will follow. The website has also seen a number of changes and upgrades the most important being the provision of a Mythology of Arborell page and an ongoing Author's Blog. A lot more is to be improved in 2011. 2010 has also seen the successful conclusion of this year's Windhammer Prize ( congratulations again going to Stuart Lloyd for his fantastic entry ) and the establishment of a yahoo group for Chronicles readers interested in everything going on with the series. If you would like to join the group can be found here. I would like to thank everyone for their continuing support and interest in the Chronicles of Arborell. It is my hope that 2011 will be just as successful, and that the story of Arborell will continue to grow. Happy New Year! Regards Wayne Densley December 2010 Work continues on the next instalment of A Murder of Crows. Some delays have meant that this gamebook has been slow in delivery, however the new year looks very promising indeed. Total visits and downloads now exceed 530,000 Total pageviews for 2010 - 214,134 November 2010 The Song of the Dromannion has been upgraded to a new pdf edition. This edition incorporates all the content of the current html version included within a set of full colour covers. If you have never read the journal of the voyage of Emmers Nahr this will serve as a portable and easily accessed edition, one that will take you from the violence and destruction of the Old World into the uncharted dangers of the Grey Sea. It is there that the Four Nations find their true destiny and a world beyond the reach of their Enemy. Arborell.com is pleased to announce that the winner of the 2010 Windhammer Prize for Short Gamebook Fiction is Stuart Lloyd for his quirky pirate adventure, Sharkbait's Revenge. Merit awards have also been won by Zachary Carango for his Sci-Fi adventure, Red World, and Ashton Saylor for his modern fantasy, The Gates of Heaven and Hell. This year's competition has been particularly successful with more than 1240 downloads of competition entries and more than double the number of votes forwarded compared with last year. Congratulations must go to all entrants as the quality of their submissions has been excellent, the range of themes and writing styles impressive considering the restrictions imposed by the competition rules. Well done to everyone. The full entry list and all info regarding this year's prize can be found here including entry and voting rules, comp timetable and prize details. Total visits and downloads now exceed 522,130 Total pageviews for 2010 so far - 195,963 October 2010 As of the 30th of October all voting in the 2010 Windhammer Prize for Short Gamebook Fiction has closed. It has been a great competition so far and now all that remains is the checking and counting of votes. As per the competition timetable all winners will be notified on the 7th of November. Until this date it is still possible to forward feedback to the competition entrants. This can be done through feedback@arborell.com. The Chronicles of Arborell now has its own yahoo group called by a strange twist of circumstance the chroniclesofarborell. Formed both to facilitate discussion on this series it also is a meeting point for people interested in everything new in gamebooks and especially the possibilities opening up in digital fiction. If you are interested in joining the group can be found here. A new lexicon is now available for download. Within the pages of the Lexicon of Arborell can be found a glossary of terms, places and character names that are unique to the books and supplementary documents of the Chronicles of Arborell. At this stage the glossary is a comprehensive listing of over 400 words gathered from four titles in this series, including The Windhammer Gamebook, Blood and Iron, the Song of the Drommanion and the introductory section of A Murder of Crows. Not all titles currently available have been included at this stage, however as time progresses the lexicon will be enlarged to accommodate all terms and placenames that are a part of the growing world of Arborell. A new PDF version of the popular Shards of Moonlight gamebook is now available. In this edition can be found all the content of the online version wrapped within full colour covers and available free to download and print. A copy of this gamebook can be obtained here, or at the Jotun of the West webpage. Total visits and downloads now exceed 514,800 Total pageviews for 2010 so far - 177,645 September 2010 I am pleased to announce the release of the Mythology of the Oera'dim, a compilation edition of all myths and stories that relate to the Oera'dim of Arborell. It encapsulates all the tales available within the Chronicles of Arborell, including the Book of Scars, and is presented in a pdf format with full colour covers and introduction. In addition to this release I have also put together a new edition of the First Book of Haer'al. This new ebook has no changes to the haer'al wordlists but does include new colour covers. The voting phase of this year's competition has now begun with five entries available for download and consideration up to the 30th of October. Entries for 2010 include: Red World by Zachary Carango, Sharkbait's Revenge by Stuart Lloyd, The Word Fell Silent by Kieran Coghlan, The Tower of Ardanor by Travis Casey, and The Gates of Heaven and Hell by Ashton Saylor. Details regarding the remaining timetable deadlines, voting procedures and all other information on the Windhammer Prize can be found at the competition webpage. The full entry list with download links can be found at this page also. Total visits and downloads now exceed 507,260 Total pageviews for 2010 so far - 159,105 August 2010 A small revision to the Windhammer core gamebook has just been uploaded to the chronicles download page. This update makes no alterations to the story, only a number of cosmetic changes and an easier process for printing the character and combat sheets. Readers who would like the new download file can obtain it by clicking here. Entries are now being accepted for the 2010 Windhammer Prize for Short Gamebook Fiction. As outlined in the competition timetable all prospective entrants must submit their 2010 entries during the period 1 August to 7 September inclusive. All information regarding this year's prize can be found at the contest webpage including entry and voting guidelines, competition timetable and prize details. I would like to remind all entrants that the entry guidelines for the 2010 competition have been modified and should be reviewed prior to submission. Please note that it is still a requirement that winners have a valid PayPal account if they wish to receive the cash prizes. Please note also that arborell.com requires no Paypal details until an entrant wins one of the three awards and becomes eligible for prize money. The Windhammer Prize is now in its third year, its objectives to foster new gamebook talent and to expand the scope of the genre. If you are an author of gamebook fiction and have a desire to showcase your work then this will be the competition for you. Any questions regarding the Windhammer Prize can be asked using the email address provided at the Windhammer Prize webpage. Total visits and downloads now exceed 499,160 Total pageviews for 2010 so far - 142,603 July 2010 The second instalment of the A Murder of Crows gamebook is now available and continues the adventures of Tansen'Delving as he uncovers a great conspiracy within the borders of his domain. To continue your adventure click here. Please note that I have made a few changes to the introductory rules to clarify the use of rations and Nahla cake. Total visits and downloads now exceed 491,400 Total pageviews for 2010 so far - 125,110 June 2010 Due to unexpected delays the anticipated release of the second instalment of A Murder of Crows cannot yet be uploaded. At this time it will not be until the beginning of July that the next part of this gamebook adventure will be released. Apologies to all. Total visits and downloads now exceed 483,600 Total pageviews for 2010 so far - 103,110 May 2010 I am pleased to announce the release of the first instalment of the A Murder of Crows gamebook. This gamebook is to be released as a series of instalments that will culminate in the completed adventure being compiled into a download file. If you wish to commence this adventure you can start here. More information on the series can be found at the Jotun of the West webpage. Total visits and downloads now exceed 475,500 Total pageviews for 2010 so far - 85,435 April 2010 April has been spent in the continuing development of the first instalment of the new A Murder of Crows gamebook. This new adventure is on track for release on the 7th of May and will continue the adventures of Tansen'Delving and the Jotun of the West. Total visits and downloads now exceed 467,500 Total pageviews for 2010 so far - 67,261 March 2010 As heralded in last month's posting I can now announce the release of an updated version of Shards of Moonlight. This new version of this popular gamebook adventure is a complete update and revision of the original and includes: new cover design, new presentation format, 135 new or updated sections, new character sheet in both pdf and rtf formats, 10 new talent options to customise character creation, new critical hit rules in combat, new ending scenario, and new creature encounters. This new version of Shards of Moonlight can be downloaded or can be played online. With Shards of moonlight now complete I can look to the release of A Murder of Crows. Due to the size of this gamebook I have decided to release it in instalments. The first instalment will be available on the 7th of May with further instalments being released on the 1st of each month following. Total visits and downloads now exceed 460,500 Total pageviews for 2010 so far - 52,335 February 2010 In preparation for the release of the second interactive adventure in the Jotun of the West series, A Murder of Crows, I have spent time updating and rewriting the first book, Shards of Moonlight. Apart from changes in presentation and a number of additions to the storyline, I have also included a text character sheet for visually impaired players and a new ending to tie this book seamlessly to the second. It will be ready towards the end of March so watch this space for release details. Hamulkuk and the Moon Dragons is now complete. It can be found at the link here and at the new Mythology of Arborell webpage along with a number of other mythologies and fairytales from the history of Arborell. I find I particularly like writing these stories and will include a number of them in the following gamebook releases. On a related note I would like to point out a new gamebook release. An Assassin in Orlandes is the first ipod and iphone gamebook for an Australian indie game developer called Tin Man Games. The quality of their work is brilliant and I would recommend this first release to anyone who holds the appropriate device. It is to be the first of many new titles and I look forward to their ongoing success. Total visits and downloads now exceed 452,200 Total pageviews for 2010 so far - 31,046 January 2010 Work continues on the Murder of Crows gamebook and in particular the completion of the supplementary appendices. To provide an easy reference to the growing number of mythological stories being generated by the Jotun of the West gamebooks I have begun work on a Mythology of Arborell webpage. This page will be available from the second week of February and will provide download links to all mythologies from the different titles in the series. Hamulkuk and the Moon Dragons is now almost complete. This story of the First Hresh shall be included as a part of the Murder of Crows gamebook but shall be made available as a separate download in the second week of February as well. Total visits and downloads now exceed 444,600 Total pageviews for 2010 so far - 17,738 Wrap up for 2009 2009 has now come to its conclusion and it has been another outstanding year for the Chronicles of Arborell. First major project completed was the Text Edition of the Torchlight Adventure Game allowing readers to play a randomly generated gamebook adventure without the need to print up cards or most of the other materials necessary for the original game. In both its online form and as a download it has proven very popular. Next came The Sorrows of Gedhru and Aume, the first of a series of mythologies that has since expanded into a new area of development for the Chronicles. In this creation myth's wake has come further tales of the Oera'dim including The Hammer and the Darkness, the soon to be released Hamulkuk and the Moon Dragons and Enkara, the Oera'dim Song of Regret. All these myths are to be included as a part of the Book of Moot almanac and also have their place as appendices within the upcoming A Murder of Crows gamebook. In conjunction with these developments came the successful running of the 2009 Windhammer Prize. Bigger and better than its predecessor it saw a wide range of gamebook submissions and led to the creation of the gamebook archive, a permanent repository of all prize entries. May Glory and Renown follow all who entered. The website itself has seen a continuing redevelopment and expansion. Apart from the addition of an Online Portal for all titles available to play online I have also put in place the Gamebook Archive, a Series Synopsis of all current and planned titles, and a soon to be released Mythologies resource as well. Many more of the 1500 pages that currently make up the Chronicles have been reviewed and revised and a number of cosmetic changes made including a new website header banner, and the inclusion for the first time of advertising for other fantasy websites that I have organised banner exchanges with. All in all a busy year. A look forward to 2010 will see the release of A Murder of Crows and the release of the first instalment of the next core gamebook - Earth and Stone. At this stage the completed book will comprise more than 2000 sections and more than a dozen appendices and related resources. As probably the largest single gamebook project ever attempted I have decided to break it down into three volumes, each to be released in sequence with each successive Jotun of the West gamebook. More information willl be given on these upcoming releases as the year progresses. Having said this there will also be a number of other smaller projects as well. The Book of Moot almanac is almost complete and will be an ongoing resource of information regarding the world of Arborell. Further mythologies will also be released and of course the 2010 Windhammer prize shall be held in the second half of the year. Another busy year looms ahead. December 2009 Development continues on the second Jotun of the West gamebook, A Murder of Crows and is progressing very well. A second mythology attached to this gamebook is also under development. Entitled Hamulkuk and the Moon Dragons it is the story of the first Hresh created in the world and his journey into the mountains of Ul'ashma to destroy the Moon Dragons of the Ancient World. For the Oera'dim it is a powerful story of bravery, vengeance and magic. Should be a lot of fun and will be available before the end of this month. I should also like to announce that a further supplement is also to be included with A Murder of Crows. Hand and Knife is the guide to the Jotun Art of Vengeance and outlines why and how a blood feud must be prosecuted. Important in the context of this gamebook and a great way to make friends and influence people. Total visits and downloads now exceed 434,500 Total pageviews for 2009 - 188,735 November 2009 Arborell.com is proud to announce the winner of the 2009 Windhammer Prize for Short Gamebook Fiction is Per Jorner, for his outstanding western-style adventure, The Bone Dogs. Merit Awards have also been won by Kieran Coghlan for his entry, Waiting for the Light, and Alec Worley for his gamebook, Garden of Bones. Congratulations go to all contestants this year as the standard of all entries was very high, and has ensured the continuation of the Prize in 2010. Well done to everyone for making the 2009 competition so successful. Full details on this year's competition can be found here, with a full listing of all gamebook entries found here. Work continues on A Murder of Crows with the supplement to this gamebook, The Hammer and the Darkness now available for download as a pdf file. Total visits and downloads now exceed 426,000 Total pageviews for 2009 to date - 174,258 October 2009 Voting has begun for the 2009 Windhammer Prize. All entries can be found here. Have your say in this year's competition and vote for the best of 2009. Work continues on A Murder of Crows and the supplement to this gamebook, The Hammer and the Darkness. Total visits and downloads now exceed 418,000 Total pageviews for 2009 to date - 158,964 September 2009 Submissions have now begun for the 2009 Windhammer Prize. All prospective entrants should read the competition guidelines prior to forwarding an entry. Goodluck to everyone who takes part. Work continues on "A Murder of Crows" and "The Hammer and the Darkness". This work is ongoing and shall continue through the voting period for the 2009 Windhammer Prize. Total visits and downloads now exceed 409,000 Total pageviews for 2009 to date - 141,382 August 2009 Development continues for A Murder of Crows. As a supplement to this gamebook a new mythology is also under development titled "The Hammer and The Darkness". This is the story of the Great Insurrection and the breaking of the Word of Command by Qirion'Delving, as told by the Living Book at Shalamai. For those who have wondered how the destruction of the Trell'sara came to pass all your questions will be answered here. All authors interested in taking part in this year's Windhammer Prize should take note that the submission period begins from the 1st of September. If you are interested please read through the submission guidelines and contact myself if you have any questions. Total visits and downloads now exceed 401,400 Total pageviews for 2009 to date - 123,180 July 2009 Work has recommenced on the Murder of Crows gamebook, the second in the Jotun of the West gamebook series. This is a continuation of the story of Tansen'Delving and his journey from leadership of the Jotun of the West to his alliance with Halokim Vesh and the Men of the South. Drafted to be 330 sections this instalment is a dramatic story of treachery and murder, that finds the young warrior enmeshed in a right of vengeance that cannot end until the honour of the dead has been served. On the cold Moss Plains of northern Arborell Tansen shall uncover his true destiny, and in doing so find that everything has its price. Two further updates have been made to the Chronicles in the past weeks. As mentioned previously the Atlas of Arborell has been given a facelift, and an easier printing solution provided if you wish to have any of the maps in hard-copy. In addition to this I have created an online portal for all the books in the Chronicles that are available to play online, and to make clearer the connection between the different books have put together a synopsis of every title in the series, both current, under development and still to come. There have been other smaller additions also to the website, including changes to the "finding your way" flowchart and the updating of a number of pages regarding the core gamebooks and the Jotun of the West series. The Atlas of Arborell has now been updated to include distance scales and a newer, easier printing process for the different maps. New download files for both the Atlas and Mapset 1 can be found at the Chronicles download page. Total visits and downloads now exceed 394,787 Total pageviews for 2009 to date - 103,130 June 2009 As well as the commencement of the Windhammer Prize for 2009 I can now also announce the release of the Torchlight Text Edition of Quest for the Orncryst. Adapted from the card-based gamebook of the same name, this text edition is a randomly generating fantasy adventure set in the deep ruins of Arborell. Quest for the Orncryst includes printable character, combat and mapping sheets and features a randomized dungeon mapping system, multiple playing modes and a wide range of creature interactions, search and trap evasion scenarios and room environment modifiers. Quest for the Orncryst is available both to play online, and as a free download file. This text edition has been optimised for players who must use screen readers and will soon be complemented with an audio tutorial for visually impaired readers who wish to get the most from their adventure. Arborell.com is proud to announce the commencement of the 2009 Windhammer Prize for Short Gamebook Fiction. Entry details, competition timetable and content guidelines are now available at the Windhammer Prize webpage. This contest continues in its second year of competition as a means to promote the gamebook genre, and to provide exposure within a competitive environment for aspiring gamebook authors. In particular this prize values creative and original works of gamebook fiction. The challenge given to those who wish to participate is to develop a full gamebook experience whilst meeting the contest requirements regarding length and original content. Sponsored by the Chronicles of Arborell gamebook series this competition is for authors of gamebook solitaire adventures, and provides a cash prize, framed winners certificates and complimentary hosting of the winning entries at arborell.com. For anyone interested in taking part please note that there are no entry fees or other associated costs with this competition. Total visits and downloads now exceed 387,640 Total pageviews for 2009 to date - 87,511 May 2009 A number of additional projects have been completed so far this month. I have taken the time to develop a new banner for the website which can be viewed at the top of this page, and on all the major pages of the Chronicles. Its a little bit more interesting than the last so I hope it is an improvement. In addition I have also spent some time updating the Glossary of Arborell with a further 120 new definitions applied to its growing list. At this stage the glossary is a full compilation of all unique words, placenames and character names used within the Complete Blood and Iron series, the Song of the Dromannion saga and the sample text from the Murder of Crows gamebook. As time permits all of the books and documents in the Chronicles series will be included. A further complement to the ongoing development of the Chronicles is a new title - The Sorrows of Gedhru and Aume. This creation myth was written as a part of an upcoming almanac of Arborell to be titled The Book of Moot, and recounts the beginnings of the world within which this series is set. Available as a pdf file it can be downloaded here or at the Chronicle's download page. Development of the Torchlight Text Edition continues and will be concluded shortly. Total visits and downloads now exceed 382,528 Total pageviews for 2009 to date - 72,406 April 2009 Development of the Torchlight Text Edition continues. A few tweaks still to go but it is shaping up very well. I have decided to spend some time looking at the overall presentation of the Chronicles website. Some changes will be forthcoming. Total visits and downloads now exceed 378,100 Total pageviews for 2009 to date - 60,010 March 2009 Another month passes and the Torchlight Text Edition is still the focus of my labours. As it stands it is almost complete, I need only do the final conversion of the Map Cards over to a set of Map Section References. As a part of the adaptation I have increased the number of Map References by a further twenty unique chambers and expanded the capacity for players using the Free Play Mode to delve deeper into the ruins of Traebor. In all I have enlarged the game in its text version by a further fifty sections and have streamlined a number of the rules to account for the game mechanism used to randomise the dungeons generated. If all goes well the Torchlight Text Edition will be finished in April and released once it has been properly playtested soon thereafter. Total visits and downloads now exceed 373,214 Total pageviews for 2009 to date - 47,380 February 2009 February has mostly been committed to the continuing development of the Torchlight Text Edition. As expected it is a complex and sometimes laborious process to adapt a game from one form to another, but I have found a number of opportunities to both improve the quality of the game and expand its functionality as well. I believe that if you have not had the ability to take advantage of the card-based game then this text edition will allow the same experience, and in some aspects expand upon it. Once this text edition is done my next project will be the completion of the A Murder of Crows gamebook. This is a project that is almost completelty drafted at this time, I just have to sit done and finish it off. Estimated release date for A Murder of Crows should be June. Total visits and downloads now exceed 367,900 Total pageviews for 2009 to date - 33,701 January 2009 January has seen the commencement of development of a text edition of the Torchlight Tabletop adventure game. This text edition is being created to allow players who may not be able to print or use the card-based system to enjoy the complete Quest for the Orncryst adventure. It is estimated that this edition should be finished by the end of February and will be available for free download alongside the original card-based adventure. With the release of the Torchlight Text Edition I will then turn my attention to a number of other titles that are upcoming. It is planned that four further releases will be made this year, those being the second Jotun of the West adventure - A Murder of Crows; the third in that same series, The Horns of Gorgoroth; Honour Amongst Thieves, the second Windhammer Companion novella; and the Book of Moot, an almanac to the world of Arborell. Total visits and downloads now exceed 362,800 Total pageviews for 2009 to date - 18,323 Wrap up for 2008 2008 has now passed and it has been another good year for the Chronicles of Arborell. Although a persistent eye injury has restricted some aspects of the continuing development of the series it has still been possible to complete a number of important projects. Not the least of these has been the completion of the Windhammer upgrade and the conclusion of the Blood and Iron web serial. Added to this has been the updating and revision of the Inquisitor's Lament novella and the First Book of Haer'al primer. The production of a rich text file version of this book for visually impaired readers was also an important addition to the series. On top of all this has been the successful running of the inaugural Windhammer Prize for Short Gamebook Fiction. All in all it has been a successful year. 2009 will see the continuation of the growth of the Chronicles with a number of major projects to be completed. First will be an access edition of the Torchlight gamebook for visually impaired readers, followed closely by the completion of the second Jotun of the West gamebook - A Murder of Crows. It is my intention to focus on the completion of these gamebooks in preparation for the release of the second core gamebook - Earth and Stone. December 2008 Episode 16 of the Blood and Iron web serial is now available. This concludes the epic journey of Mallen and Tomas Cael. For a complete ebook version of the entire story please visit the download page to obtain a free copy. The 2008 Windhammer Prize has now concluded, congratulations going to all entrants for the great gamebooks forwarded this year. I am pleased to announce that the winner of this year's competition is Al Sander for his gamebook "Raid on Chateau Fekenstein". Merit Awards also go to "An Orc's Day" by Travis S. Casey, and "Behind the Throne" by Keiran Coghlan. This inaugural competition has proven a great success and I look forward to 2009. For more information on the winning entries and the 2009 competition please click here. Total visits and downloads now exceed 357,000 Total pageviews for 2008 - 177,021 November 2008 The entry phase of the Windhammer Prize for Short Gamebook Fiction has now ended. If you are interested in viewing these entries all can be found here. Voting has now begun and will finish on the 7th of December. All information regarding how to vote can be found at the Windhammer Prize page. Episode 15 of the Blood and Iron web serial is now available. If you have been waiting for this next instalment it can be found here. If you have not begun this epic journey yet, you can read the entire story at the Blood and Iron access page. Episode 16 of the Blood and iron web serial is now being completed. The completion of this episode will be the last part to be wrought in the tale of Mallen and Tomas Cael. At the time of uploading this last episode there will also be available a complete ebook version for download. Both the episode and ebook will be made available in early December. Currently under development is an adaptation of the Torchlight gamebook for visually impaired readers and the next gamebook in the Jotun of the West series - A Murder of Crows. Total visits and downloads now exceed 351,234 Total pageviews for 2008 to date - 159,286 October 2008 The official forum for the Chronicles of Arborell is now active. The Arborellium forums are now available to discuss the books in this series and gamebooks in general. The Arborellium can be found at arborellium.freeforums.org and I invite anyone interested in gamebooks to join. Apart from general discussion these forums will also be a source of additional news and information regarding the Chronicles and at this time specifically the 2008 Windhammer Prize. Arborell.com is pleased to announce the commencement of the inaugural Windhammer Prize for Short Gamebook Fiction. The prize has been initiated as a means to promote aspiring gamebook authors and requires no entry fees or other costs. This competition is open to all gamebook authors and offers a cash prize, a framed winner's certificate and two years hosting of the winning entry at arborell.com. Further information can be found at the competition homepage. Total visits and downloads now exceed 344,584 Total pageviews for 2008 to date - 137,515 September 2008 After almost a year, and the effects of a persistent eye injury the Chronicles are finally back and growing. This month sees the release of new Windhammer edition and it is bigger, and better, than previously advertised. At more than 600 sections this new update includes new character generation and combat resolution rules, dozens of new encounters and story paths to explore, character customisation with 22 attribute, skill and talent choices now available, and new alternate endings. Altogether this new edition is a huge advance and remains free for download. More information on this new gamebook can be found at the gamebooks page on this website. In addition to this new upgrade the Windhammer download file has been bundled with new editions of the First Book of Haer'al and The Inquisitor's Lament companion novella. These have been provided as pdf files and can also be downloaded individually at the Chronicles download page. Total visits and downloads now exceed 338,000 Total pageviews for 2008 to date - 116,519 December 2007 The past months have been mostly devoted to the Windhammer upgrade. The need to review all the sections of the book and update each has proven an elongated process, but one that I hope will be concluded shortly. Even though some considerable time has been expended on this upgrade I believe it will be an essential improvement to the quality of the Chronicles of Arborell series. A new guest book facility has been added to the Chronicles homepage. If you would like to make comment on the series please feel free to take advantage of this new facility. Total visits and downloads now exceed 285,000 Total pageviews for 2007 - 196,581 September 2007 As with the past month September has been preoccupied with the ongoing development of the new Windhammer upgrade. At this stage I am still working towards an October release. Total visits and downloads for the Chronicles now exceed 271,000 Total pageviews for 2007 to date - 159,803 August 2007 August has been spent in the continuing development of the Windhammer upgrade. The new character generation system and gamebook rule set has been successfully incorporated into the storyline, and with the release of the First Book of Haer'al now allows for a major expansion of the Ather'Lorell as a tool for obtaining information and clues. I will also be including the Primer for the Elder Tongue and the first Windhammer companion novella as additions to the Windhammer download file. This upgrade is almost complete and should be available by the middle of October. Total visits and downloads now exceed 264,000 Total pageviews for 2007 to date - 147,702 July 2007 This month has been devoted to the completion of the First Book of Haer'al and the upgrading of the Chronicles website to accommodate this new addition. The First Book of Haer'al is now available and is a complete primer to the Elder Tongue of Arborell. As a guide to this ancient language it includes full grammar, punctuation and pronunciation conventions, 2 x 2750 item wordlists, a history of the Elder Tongue, number list and a sample text. All information regarding how this book can be used within the wider scope of the Chronicles can be found by clicking here. Total visits and downloads now exceed 253,200 Total pageviews for 2007 to date - 130,048 June 2007 Work continues on the Windhammer upgrade. Work continues on the First Book of Haer'al. As an essential part of the upgrade to the Windhammer gamebook it will be available towards the end of July. Changes have been made to the access1 file associated with the introductory text graphic on the Chronicles homepage. For visually impaired readers this file now includes a list of text links, and links to all the available text versions of maps and other graphic information. Total visits and downloads now exceed 240, 250 Total pageviews for 2007 to date - 107,627 May 2007 An upgrade to this website has been completed. The upgrade includes new homepage graphics and content, and well as enhancements to most of the main pages. A note has also been added regarding access to the site for the visually impaired. Any comments regarding this will be welcome. Development of the Windhammer upgrade continues. Development of the First Book of Haer'al is almost complete. Total download and visit numbers now exceed 226, 800 Total pageviews for 2007 to date - 84,852 April 2007 Development of the upgrade to Windhammer continues. A supplementary volume to this major upgrade is also being completed. Titled "The First Book of Haer'al" it is a fully functioning fantasy language that can be used as a part of the expanded Ather'Lorell component of the Windhammer gamebook. When complete it will include a 2000+ word list, grammar and pronunciation guides, meta-history and sample translated texts. Episode 14 of the Blood and Iron web serial is now available. Entitled "Adamant" it can be viewed here. An upgrade to the original Blood and Iron ebook compilation is also available. The new download can be obtained by visiting the downloads page, or by clicking here. Total download and visit numbers now exceed 217,593 Pageviews for 2007 now stand at 67,529 March 2007 Development of the upgrade to the Windhammer gamebook continues. As mentioned previously this is a major upgrade of the book required to give consistent features to all the titles in the series. There is still a bit to go however. Total download and visit numbers now exceed 208,300. Pageviews for 2007 stand at 49,684. February 2007 With the successful release of the Torchlight adventure game my focus for February has been on revising the Windhammer gamebook to include the new game and character generation system. This has proven to be a bigger task than I had expected and will take a few months to complete. The new Windhammer version 5 will have 500 sections, and include all the new character generation and combat features that are to become standard for all gamebooks in the Chronicles. Next project on the boards is a version of the Torchlight game for the visually impaired. This version will use a different system for mapping than the cards used in the original game, and will be completely self-contained in a html format. Although this version will be put together for players who use text readers, it will also be available as an option for anyone who might not wish to make up the cards required for the original game. Total download and visit numbers now exceed 199,600. Pageviews for 2007 stand at 31,916. January 2007 Most of my efforts during January have been focused on the release of the Torchlight adventure game. I have also found it necessary to review the Windhammer gamebook to include the new character generation and combat resolution rules that have been refined with Quest for the Orncryst. This review is currently in process. I am hoping to have the changes done for a late February release. Development work has begun also on a adaptation of the Torchlight game for use by readers with visual impairment. The new Torchlight game - Quest for the Orncryst - uploaded and now available. All information on this new addition to the Chronicles can be found here. Download and visit numbers now total 191,000. Pageviews for 2007 stand at 16,300. December 2006 December has brought the Chronicles to the end of a very successful year. A number of major projects are now either completed or close to, and the new year should see a number of early releases. The following are highlights of the year's end: Work on the new Torchlight game is complete. Testing has been finalised and all that remains is the uploading of the download files in early January 2007. This first game using the new Torchlight system is titled, "Quest for the Orncryst", and is the first ever card-based gamebook adventure. More information on this exciting new gamebook format can be found here. Amongst all the final work for Torchlight I have been able to continue with the development of the Windhammer upgrade. This will be the next major release within the next few months. Once these two titles have been released I will be returning to the completion of the Blood and Iron web serial. It is drafted now to encompass 20 episodes and should be completed by mid-year, episodes being released regularly up to that time. Total download and visit numbers stands at 181, 787. Pageviews for December exceed 17, 900. November 2006 Work on the Windhammer upgrade continues. Development of the Torchlight Adventure Game continues. This game is almost complete and is currently being beta-tested. Final release date will be before Christmas. The Song of the Dromannion blogsite is currently available to any readers who might like to access this story in a different format. The entire journal can be found here. In an effort to improve the accessibility of the Chronicles text versions of the character sheet and combat record sheet for the Windhammer Special Edition are now available. A text based description of the Map of Northern Kalborea has also been included. These are currently only available on the website edition but will be included in the new download version as well when it is released. All current and new titles released through the Chronicles will have all graphical components ie, maps, character sheets, etc. provided in a text format as well. Visit and download totals to November 2006 now exceed 171,500. Pageviews for arborell.com for November - 12,700. October 2006 Development of the Torchlight adventure game continues. I am very happy with the progress of this title. Given what remains to be done it will released in mid-December and should become an important part of the Chronicles. I am pleased to announce the creation of a new website dedicated to the Song of the Dromannion journal. If you would like to have a look at a new way to enjoy this epic journey it can be found here. The Chronicles website has been updated to include two new files. If you are accessing the Chronicles using a screen reader then text versions are now available for both the Timeline chart and the Finding Your Way flowchart. Both text versions can be accessed at the normal pages. Work on the Ultimate Windhammer continues. Currently 920 of the 1200 sections have been finalised and I looking forward to this books completion. Its companion primer, the First Book of Haer'al is essentially finished and will be released at the same time as the Ultimate Windhammer. Also this month I have begun work on Episode 14 of Blood and Iron. It will take a short while to complete but it is in the works. Visit and download totals for the Chronicles now stands at 165,000. Total pageviews for October exceeded 10,600. September 2006 Another busy month has seen considerable progress made in a number of titles currently under development. Most of the technical issues that arose from the demise of my last computer have been addressed, and this has given me the opportunity to focus once again on the books themselves. September has seen no new titles, however the development of the Chronicles continues. The following new titles are now in progress: The Ultimate Windhammer 1200 section gamebook adventure, The Torchlight tabletop adventure game, The First Book of Haer'al fantasy language primer, The Book of Moot sourcebook, and Episode 14 of the Blood and Iron web serial. Visits and downloads now exceed 160,760. Pageviews for September - 11,690. August 2006 Due to computer failure the Chronicles have not been updated since April. Unfortunately this has meant I have been without internet access and have unfortunately lost most of my notification list and player lists for the Shards of Moonlight Pbem. If you have previously been on the Chronicles notification list, or have been a Pbem player, please send me an email so that I might re-establish contact. My apologies for any inconvenience this may cause. Although my internet access has been limited I have been able to continue development of the Chronicles. The following titles have recently been added: Episode 13 of the Blood and Iron web serial is now available. A new Glossary of Arborell has been included in the website and currently holds descriptions of terms, places and characters used in the Chronicles. More information can be found here. A new sample text is now available entitled "The Making of a Disquiet Mind". Taken from the upcoming A Murder of Crows, it is the introductory section for this second book in the Jotun of the West series. Development has continued on both the new Ultimate Windhammer edition and A Murder of Crows. Development has also recommenced on the Torchlight solitaire adventure game. Keep an eye out for this one, it is going to be a very original addition to the series. Combined visit and download totals now exceed 156,000. Pageviews for arborell.com since April - 93,000. April 2006 Episode 12 of Blood and Iron now available. Development continues on the Ultimate Windhammer gamebook. March 2006 Episode 12 of Blood and Iron currently in progress. Development continues on the Ultimate Windhammer gamebook. Episode 11 of Blood and Iron now available. Combined visit and download totals now exceed 122,000. Total pageviews for arborell.com in March exceed 20,000. February 2006 Development continues on the Ultimate Windhammer gamebook. Development continues on Blood and Iron Volume Two. The first episode of this volume has been delayed due to a computer failure which has unfortunately pushed back its release. First week of March should see Episode 11 available. Combined visit and download totals now exceed 115,000. Total page views for February exceed 12,000. January 2006 January has seen a continuation of development for the Ultimate Windhammer. Inclusion of three new subterranean levels has increased the total size of the adventure to 1200 sections, and this will be the final draft size for the book. Writing has also begun on the first new episode in the Blood and Iron web series for some time. Episode 11 will be available in February and will be the commencing episode of Blood and Iron Volume Two. As with Volume One all episodes will be available online until the story is completed in Episode 20. At that time the ten new episodes will be accumulated into a standalone ebook of their own. Total online visit and download totals now exceed 110,000. Total page views for January exceed 14,500. December 2005 The year comes to its end and I can say that 2005 has been a very good year for the Chronicles of Arborell. In the past twelve months the Chronicles have seen more visitors and downloads than have been recorded for the previous three years combined. Totals of all statistics have doubled, and at this point in the year the visit and download combined totals have exceeded 104,000. It is my hope that this trend continues and that 2006 proves to be as successful. May all who read this post have a happy and prosperous 2006. Achievements for the Chronicles have been many during 2005. Major additions to the Chronicles include: An ebook edition of the Atlas of Arborell. The new Shards of Moonlight gamebook and its pbem adaptation. The Inquisitor's Lament Version 2 companion novella. The completion of the Song of the Dromannion historical journal. The Book of Scars mythology. Completion of a complete reformatting of the Chronicles website and most of the titles available. For 2006 the following titles are planned for release: The Ultimate Windhammer. This is a major project that will take some time to complete. Whilst this is in development I will be releasing new episodes of the Blood and Iron web serial. The eleventh episode (the commencement of Blood and Iron Volume Two) should be available in February. The First Book of Haer'al. A complete fantasy language that is to be used throughout the remaining Chronicles titles. Honour Amongst Thieves companion novella. A Murder of Crows gamebook. The Horns of Gorgoroth gamebook. The Torchlight tabletop adventures game. For the month of December the development of the Ultimate Windhammer continues. As described in last month's post it is a huge project that is going to take some time to complete. Added the Finding Your Way page to the Chronicles website. This outlines in a flowchart representation the relationships between all the books available or planned for the Chronicles. Combined download and visit totals now exceed 104,000 Page views exceed 13,500 for the month. Hits exceed 36,000. November 2005 November has seen another busy month for the Chronicles of Arborell. Most work has been directed towards the continuing development of the Ultimate Windhammer gamebook and it has seen a few major additions. At this time the new Windhammer gamebook edition will have the following enhancements: A new front and back cover. 3 new beginnings. 1000 sections, arranged into 20 (50 section) chapters. New character generation and combat resolution systems. The inclusion of the new First Book of Haer'al. The inclusion of The Inquisitor's Lament novella. A large appendices section that describes in detail the mythologies, creatures, major historical events and nations that make up the world of Arborell. New Character Sheets. As a part of this upgrade Windhammer shall also be reformatted to accommodate a 1024 x 768 screen resolution. Work continues also on A Murder of Crows and the Torchlight tabletop adventure game. Page Views for November exceed 12,000. Combined visit and download totals now exceed 98,000. October 2005 October has proven to be a very busy month for the Chronicles of Arborell. With a need to upgrade the Chronicles homepage, and all of the currently available titles, I have spent some time completing these revisions. The upgrade to 1024 x 768 resolution compatible web pages has been completed. Only the online version of Windhammer remains in the old 800 x 600 format. It is currently being rewritten to include a new combat and character generation system and will be upgraded once that process is complete. Upgrade of all available titles has been completed as well and can be found at the downloads page. Only the Windhammer Special Edition remains in the old format. It will be upgraded as soon as the rewrite is complete. Current titles available in 1024 x 768 format include: Shards of Moonlight adventure gamebook Shards of Moonlight PBeM edition Song of the Dromannion The Inquisitor's Lament The Atlas of Arborell Blood and Iron Volume One The Book of Scars October also saw the release of the Shards of Moonlight Play-by-email adaptation. This is for anyone who may like a slightly different way of enjoying the Chronicles. Work continues on the Ultimate Windhammer edition. Development of A Murder of Crows and the Torchlight tabletop adventure game continues. Total pageviews for October 12, 500. Combined visit and download total now 92, 260. September 2005 At this time the Chronicles of Arborell website is undergoing a complete redesign, its format being changed to accommodate the 1024x768 resolution. It is my intention to also reformat all the books and documents in this series to the new format, however this will take time. For a while most of the Chronicles series books will remain at 800x600. As these updates are made I will post the changes here. The Ultimate Windhammer edition remains in development. The First Book of Haer'al has been completed. As per previous post this book will be released at the same time as The Ultimate Windhammer edition. Haer'al is a functional fantasy language that includes complete Haer'al to English and English to Haer'al word-lists, meta-history plus grammar and pronunciation guides. Its usage within the Chronicles will be explained as a part of some very exciting developments that will be released in the new year. Development of A Murder of Crows and the Torchlight adventure game continues. Total visit and download totals exceed 85,700. Total page views for September exceed 9,500. August 2005 Development of The Ultimate Windhammer continues. In conjunction with this project I have begun a supplementary resource entitled the First Book of Haer'al. What it is, and how it will supplement the new version of Windhammer, will be revealed shortly. So far the development of this new version of Windhammer is going very well and it is my hope that it will be completed in the new year. Development of A Murder of Crows continues. Development of the Torchlight table-top adventure game continues. Visit and download totals now exceed 81,400. Page views for August exceed 9,400 July 2005 Development restarted on The Ultimate Windhammer. This updated version 5 of Windhammer will include 700 sections, new character generation process, skill attributes and combat resolution, new combat sheets, new cover page and back page, online access to the Atlas of Arborell, four appendices, and The Inquisitor's Lament companion novella thrown in for good measure. The Book of Scars now complete and available as both an online resource and as a free download. Writing of A Murder of Crows continues. Development continues on the Torchlight adventure game. Visit and download totals now exceed 77,500. Pageviews for the month exceed 9,000. June 2005 Development begins on the Book of Scars, a supplement to the Jotun of the West adventures. Writing of the second Jotun of the West adventure - A Murder of Crows - continues. Continued development of the Torchlight tabletop adventure game. Total visit and downloads for the Chronicles now exceed 73,000. Pageviews for the month exceed 9,500 May 2005 Development continues on the second gamebook in the Jotun of the West series - A Murder of Crows, Development continues on tabletop adventure game - Torchlight. This game is being developed as a solitaire table-top adventure set in the world of Arborell and centred around the ruins found in the far reaches of the Durn. It will be a produced in full colour and will be available for free download upon completion. Will come with 150 printable cards, character and reference sheets, and a full Player's Manual. Visit and download totals for the Chronicles now exceed 70,000. Total pageviews for the month of May exceed 8,900. April 2005 The final volume in the Song of the Dromannion journal is now complete. The entire story can be obtained as a free download, or viewed online. Development of A Murder of Crows continues. Development of the Torchlight table-top solitaire adventure game begins. Windhammer Special Edition converted to a fully automated online gamebook adventure at spielbuch.net. A link to this game can be found here. Visit and download totals for the Chronicles now exceed 67,000. Total pageviews for the month of April exceed 11,500. March 2005 Development continues on second Jotun of the West gamebook - A Murder of Crows. Development continues on last volume of the Song of the Dromannion. Visit and download totals for the Chronicles now exceed 62,000 Pageviews for arborell.com during March exceed 8300. February 2005 Development continues on the final instalment of the Song of the Dromannion journal. The completed book will be available for download in March - April. Development begins on second book in the Jotun of the West series - A Murder of Crows. Visit and download totals for the Chronicles now exceed 58,900 Page views for arborell.com during February exceed 9,300, hits exceed 32,200. January 2005 Shards of Moonlight uploaded and now available. This first book in the Jotun of the West interactive series can be obtained either as a download, or viewed online. Development begins on the second book in the Jotun of the West series - A Murder of Crows. Development continues on third volume of Song of the Dromannion Visit and download totals for the Chronicles now exceed 55,500 Page views for arborell.com during January exceed 7,500, hits exceed 26,500. December 2004 Development continues on third volume of Song of the Dromannion. Development begins on new interactive gamebook - Shards of Moonlight. To be completed in February 2005. More information on this new addition to the Chronicles will be available shortly. Visit and download totals now exceed 53,000. Page views for arborell.com during December exceed 10,550. November 2004 Development of Song of the Dromannion Volume 3 commenced. Song of the Dromannion Volume 2 completed and uploaded. Visit and download totals for the Chronicles exceed 50,434. Page views for arborell.com exceed 8,200 for November. October 2004 Development of the Song of the Dromannion continues. I have decided to deliver this journal in three volumes. Second volume now almost finished. Will be uploaded in November. New version of The Inquisitor's Lament uploaded. New download can be found here. Rewrite of The Inquisitor's Lament continues. Visit and download totals for the Chronicles now exceed 48,200. Page views for arborell.com total 8,000 for October. September 2004 arborell.com becomes the new home for the Chronicles of Arborell. Development of part six of the Song of the Dromannion continues. Update begins for Windhammer Version 5. New on-line version of the Windhammer Special Edition now available. Work begins for online version of The Inquisitor's Lament. Verified visits and downloads for the Chronicles reach 46,295. Average page views for arborell.com now over 5000 per month. July 2004 Development of Part Six of the Song of Dromannion continues. June 2004 Development of Part Six of the Song of Dromannion continues. Development of Honour Amongst Thieves continues. May 2004 Review completed of Chronicles Website. Two new download files available covering maps included in the Atlas of Arborell. New Atlas Files Uploaded. Atlas now includes eighteen maps covering most of the setting within which the stories of Arborell take place. Development begins for a further six maps for the Atlas of Arborell. Development continues of Part Six of the Song of the Dromannion. April 2004 Development continues for Honour amongst Thieves. Files uploaded for new Timeline feature. Begin development of new Arborellian Timeline. Begin development of Part Six of the Song of the Dromannion. Part Five of Song of the Dromannion uploaded. March 2004 Part 4 of the Song of the Dromannion is now available. Windhammer Special Edition now available from amazonminiatures.com Part 5 of the Song of the Dromannion in development. Atlas of Arborell updated with three new maps: Jotun of the West, The Jotunheim and the Lands of Perdition. February 2004 The third instalment in the Song of the Dromannion journal is now available. The second instalment in the Song of the Dromannion serialised journal is now available. A new Atlas of Arborell is now available to readers who might wish to see more of the world of Arborell. All current maps from the series can be found here. An ebook compilation of the first ten episodes of the Blood and Iron web serial is now available. Volume One can be found at the Chronicle's download page, or can be obtained by clicking here. January 2004 I am currently taking a short break from the Blood and Iron web serial so that I can finally complete the Honour Amongst Thieves companion novel. Look out for this, it will be available soon. Work commenced on Blood and Iron download plus Palm Pilot and Pocket PC versions. Blood and Iron Episode Ten - Ghosts - now available. First instalment of the new Song of the Dromannion Journal uploaded. Blood and Iron Episode Nine - March of Shadows completed December 2003 Episode Eight of Blood and Iron completed. Episode Nine - March of Shadows - commenced. Inclusion of Blood and Iron as part of the Epiguide.com Directory for web-based entertainment. When Episode Ten of Blood and Iron is completed, these first episodes will be compiled into a standalone book to be entitled Blood and Iron Volume One. This new volume will be completed in January 2004 and will be available from the Chronicle's download page, as well as being converted to the PalmPilot OS and other PDA platforms. November 2003 Episode seven completed and uploaded. October 2003 Episode Six of Blood and Iron completed. Episode Seven - Mentor - commenced. September 2003 Episode Five of Blood and Iron completed and uploaded. Work commenced on Blood and Iron Episode Six - Song of the Hra'gora Update completed on Chronicles of Arborell homepage. New files uploaded. August 2003 Revision started of all episodes of Blood and Iron. New episodes 1 to 4 uploaded. Minor revision of Windhammer Special Edition completed. New files uploaded. New cover for The Inquisitor's Lament. New files uploaded. July 2003 Hello again! The Chronicles are now back on track and work can recommence on the Blood and Iron web serial. Episode Five should be released in August. I have no download figures as of yet. Work on Honour Amongst Thieves continues. I keep on saying that don't I? A new upgraded version of The Inquisitor's Lament is now available. It can be downloaded from the Chronicles download page. March 2003 March was another good month for the Chronicles. Total downloads from all sources recorded at 19,500. Work continues on Honour Amongst Thieves. Unfortunately a short break must be taken by me from the Chronicles as I deal with a family illness. I should return to the Chronicles in the next two months or so. Episode four of Blood and Iron released. Due to this break in development I have decided to not release any further episodes of Blood and Iron until these personal issues have been resolved. I am sorry for any disappointment that may arise from this decision. February 2003 February was a good month for the Chronicles. Total downloads from all sources now exceed 18,000. A very good month indeed. FantasyReaders.com takes the Chronicles on board, allowing free download on Windhammer and The Inquisitor's Lament from their new website. A lot more should follow from this affiliation. Episodes 2 and 3 of the Blood and Iron web serial released. Work continues on "Honour Amongst Thieves". January 2003 Hits and Downloads (from all sources) for the Chronicles reach 14,200. Two new maps uploaded for the Blood and Iron web serial - The North Coast of Kalborea and The Lands of Perdition, circa Year of Settlement 517. Release of the new Blood and Iron web serial. To be issued in fortnightly instalments it is the story of a young man who must overcome fear and doubt to recover what he treasures most. In his journey he will travel to the heart of the Horde Nations and attempt a crossing of the impassable Lands of Perdition. The first instalment is available now and can be found at the Chronicles home page. Development of Earth and Stone continues. Next companion novella Honour Amongst Thieves to be released shortly. December 2002 Hits and Downloads (from all sources) for the Chronicles reaches 12,000. Work begins on the second Chronicles Companion book, Honour Amongst Thieves. Work continues on the second gamebook in this series, Earth and Stone. November 2002 Release of The Inquisitor's Lament. First book in the Chronicles Companion Series. Hits and downloads (from all sources) for the Chronicles reach 10,000. Work continues on the second book in this series, Earth and Stone. Currently the book has been finalised at 1250 sections and will be available in the near future. If you would like to be notified of its completion click here and write "notify" in the subject line of the email displayed. Its that easy! October 2002 Windhammer Special Edition to be translated into Czech and offered in both online and download versions through Mantikora.com Windhammer Special Edition selected by the State Library of New South Wales for inclusion in the National Library of Australia's Pandora Archive. If you would like to find out more about the Pandora archive please have a look. It is a very extensive archive of Australian digital documents. MyStarship.com Banner Exchange This site, and associated books and other documents are the intellectual property of the author, Wayne F Densley, and all rights are reserved by him. Unless otherwise stated all books in this series should be viewed at a 1024 x 768 resolution or higher. Any questions regarding the Chronicles of Arborell can be answered by emailing the author at densleyw@shoal.net.au

THIS MONTH'S FEATURED RELEASE QUEST FOR THE ORNCRYST 2011 EDITION In January of 2007 the Chronicles of Arborell released the first in a new series of card-based gamebook adventures entitled Quest for the Orncryst. This unique adventure has proven itself in the intervening years to be one of the most popular titles in the Chronicles' catalogue and has now been made available in a new 2011 edition. With an updated Player's Manual that includes an improved rule-set and a wide-ranging review of the game's section references this edition brings Quest for the Orncryst up to date with all other gamebook titles in this series, and in doing so takes advantage of a number of important rule enhancements. Quest for the Orncryst is a card-based gamebook system unique to the Chronicles of Arborell that delivers a totally random gamebook experience. Based on the Torchlight adventure system this game allows a player to meet a range of quest objectives whilst experiencing a different set of encounters and dungeon setups with each attempt. This one of a kind gamebook system comes with a 100+ page manual, a set of 77 game cards and a range of additional materials and documents. If you have ever wanted to play a truly unique gamebook the Quest for the Orncryst is now available for free download both in its card format and as a purely text-based adventure. More Info WINDHAMMER PDF EDITION For some time the first core gamebook in the Chronicles of Arborell has been available both as an online title and as a html-based download file. As a part of an ongoing commitment to provide all titles in this series in the PDF format Arborell.com is pleased to announce the release of a new PDF edition of this popular gamebook title; complete with updated graphics, 600 sections, more than 400 A4-sized pages and a further 200 pages of supplementary documents and information. At over 600 pages this is one of the largest gamebook titles available in the genre and as with all the books in this series is free to download. For a copy just click on the link below. Download BLOOD AND IRON Here can be found the tale of Mallen and Tomas Cael, Men of Kalborea and metalsmiths by trade. Their story begins in the Year of Settlement 517, some four hundred years before the destruction of the great Dragon Windhammer. For the Brothers Cael life is untroubled, the violence of the Horde only a distant memory for the residents of their coastal home of Callenfrey. In one night of destruction however, their quiet existence is torn from them and they are thrown into the quest that is the centre of this epic tale. It will be their fate to travel deep into the Lands of Perdition and on that journey discover the hidden magic of Arborell. All episodes of this story can be found below. It is my hope that you will enjoy the journey... Read Online PDF Edition

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