The Scribe/20070215

		February 15, 2007 Canthan New Year Celebration! If you have ever uttered the phrase "when pigs fly," well, do we have an event for you! This weekend marks the start of the new year in the Canthan Calendar. According to the royal astrologer, this is the Year of the Pig, which heralds the coming of great fortune. And to celebrate, there will be a Canthan New Year's Festival! Attendees will certainly not want for ways to fend off boredom. For those seeking council of things yet to pass, a fortune teller in town shall use knowledge of celestial signs and symbols to reveal hidden secrets. I also expect to see many citizens tarrying at the rollerbeetle racing arena, home of arguably the most exciting sport in all of Cantha. In these high-speed competitions, rollerbeetles navigate through a twisting and turning track, using special abilities to gain speed boosts, attack other beetles, and defend themselves from others’ attacks. These races are far too much fun for mere words, so I suggest you check them out for yourself. While our friendly neighbors in Lion's Arch and Kamadan also decorate their cities to celebrate the start of our new year, the main event takes place in my beloved home, the Shing Jea Monastery. Here the Celestial Pig will arrive to eat an epic feast prepared by the greatest chefs in all of Cantha. Being a Celestial Pig and all, the guest of honor's appetite may be difficult to quench; festival attendees will need to help the desperate chefs as they prepare the colossal buffet. Canthans believe that if the celestial creature returns to the heavens sated, the year will be filled with good luck, so come help bring good fortune to my home, and perhaps find some yourself as well. Unfortunately, ancient evil creatures arrive each year to disrupt the event as well. The Nian must be driven off lest they ruin the festival and bring bad luck to the populace in the coming year. To scare the Nian away from the celebration, Canthan citizens don red attire and light fireworks, as loud noises and the color red are the only known ways to drive off these foul creatures. Special fireworks will be available to festival attendees during the event to help repel the Nian. In addition to preparing the feast and dealing with the Nian, preparing for the festival always makes this time of year quite busy around the monastery. Many citizens may have tasks they need completed. All and all, you should have no trouble finding something new and exciting to enjoy this weekend while you celebrate the start of the Canthan New Year! Random Acts of Kindness I had much traveling to do this week in preparation for the Canthan New Year. During my trip, I encountered many kind souls. My journey started in Kaineng Center. While booking passage to Kamadan, I witnessed Zera Serenade help a Warrior find Imperial Guardsman Linro. The Guardsman had an important quest and Zera's aid saved the Warrior much searching through the busy urban areas. Also, Katja Nightheart told an adventurer, in great detail, of the distance to Boreas Seabed. Before I even had a chance to disembark from my ship in Kamadan, I overheard a kind exchange of advice. Slurple Plurchin directed another citizen to the powerful foe from which heroes can capture the valuable skill Searing Flames. Sharing this type of information helps more than just one person, as it likely proved valuable to many other Elementalists in town who might eventually wish to capture this skill. As I made my way to speak to the local merchant, I also saw Kagome Higurashi offering free swamp flowers to those in need. During my stay in Istan's port city, I once again witnessed a public appearance of my purple-clad friend. Many fine citizens attended, but Dyveros Silvermoon, Ames Benedictus, and Hermione Terrell stood out as productive and kindly contributors to the discussion.