My most grateful thanks go to the following--

*THE* DM - for all his advice, tips, ideas, and those freaking @%#@$!! counterspells in the last game! I still hate you... Just kidding! Honestly, thank you as well for letting me run this game!

MEJ - better late than never, in more ways than one... thanks for being so kind to letting me mess with your character(s).

The Recapturess - for... recapturing! What a tangled web I wove... thanks for helping untangle some of it for me....

SR - for not being too mad at not getting to use all his cool horsey feats and not holding anything I did in this game or past games against me in his future game....

JC - for being the bane of my gaming existence in all your characters' daring--you're the reason I stopped putting locked and trapped doors in various places when the party became CL 7.... Of course, if you *had* played it safe, then we wouldn't have such fun quoting at you "Beware the red, don't lose your head".

Thank you to all the rest of the players too--I really enjoyed playing with you!

Likewise, thank you to ALL for your encouragement and support.



I'd also like to thank the following for putting ideas into my head:

- Neil Gaiman for his book Stardust--which started this whole thing
- Sarah Ash and Tomislav Kendjel - for the idea of my main villian (Sarah from her Tears of Artamon books, and Tomislav from the poem "Aegri Somnia" specifically)
- Claire B. Dunkle for Maalik -- who really isn't evil, but comes from a long line of evil kings... and maybe some red fishy queens...??
- GOOGLE - for the lots of stuff I have and have not mentioned here - none of this would be possible without it (I should have bought stock.... )
- All the world cultural observances, myths, legends, and folktales - amazing how alike some traditions and stories can be even with twists from various cultures
- crystalinks.com - for all of Ista/Nurin's journal entries.... and various other "artifacts" found in Ennanon (including Zannamar's prophecy)

Additionally, I'd like to tip my hat at
- Chris Wooding - for some monster ideas
- Jim Butcher - for Tavi's war tactics (not that they had too big of an impact against Elric or Telran....)
- Creators of "Professor Layton and the Curious Village" - for some cool puzzles! Not all of them made the game, but good to have had them...
- JK Rowling - for Snape's bottle trial
- Francis Thompson - for part of Ranli's prophecy
- Jane Yolen - for her poem "The Song of the Calleach Bheur"
- Catherynne Valente - for her Orphan's Tales
- Lynn Flewelling - For various details from her Bone Doll trilogy
- Kai Meyer - for some ideas just off of the descriptions of his books--which I haven't read yet--but they're on my list
- Agalloch - more cool lyrics -- some of which I dragged into the game.
- Dragonforce - I don't think I ever heard or saw any of their stuff before the last game--but wish I had--would have saved myself a LOT of pain and time in developing some of my storylines....
- Contributors to the various threads out there discussing alchemy in the Harry Potter books, including this site: http://www.leakylounge.com/Theory-Thread-A...y-H-t37709.html
- Laurell K. Hamilton - for the plotpoint I pre-stole from her in her Ravenloft
- Edgar Allan Poe
- Patricia K. McKillip
- William Blake
- Nikki J. Drewry
- B.S. - for the really cool book that will be the basis for my next campaign (which won't happen anytime soon, but still good to know I have it )


Lastly, thanks to those who inspired me through their music:
Hayley Westenra
Priscilla Hernandez
Robin Wright-Penn
The 69 Eyes
ThouShaltNot
VNV Nation
Faun
HIM
Hungry Lucy
Muse
Nightwish
Nox Arcana
Paul Schwartz
Akira Yamaoka
Bella Morte
Blutengel
Collide
Corvus Corax
Cruxshadows
Entwine
Enya
Faith and the Muse
Loreena McKennitt
Qntl
Rasputina
Sarah MacLachlan
Sirenia
Zbigniew Preisner



~Cheli
18 August 2008