s the dawning of the New Year approaches, so does yet another new era in Elanthian publication.

"From the Kulthea Edition, and the Kulthea Chronicle, to the short-lived Elanthian Herald, the newspapers of the Elanthia have had almost as many lives as Lorminstra has granted each of its inhabitants," said Stump Stumblebum, the original Editor-in-Chief of the Elanthian Times. Unfortunately, those were the last words we heard from Stump.

The Elanthian Times itself has had a rocky history. Stump, self-proclaimed ‘Elanthia’s toughest kobold,’ had originally founded the Times back when the Elanthian Herald had died a slow and painful death. Intending to bring news to the lands once again, Stump had obtained, (more like enslaved), hundreds of kobolds to run the presses while the citizens of Elanthia supplied the news. Not surprisingly, the kobolds made an absolute mess of the print shop, staged a strike, and generally became a horrible nuisance. Then, after one rather heated debate between the kobold union, Stump, and the managing editors, the kobolds trashed the print shop, damaging the presses beyond repair, and set fire to all of the articles submitted. Again, it was not a great surprise.

During the mass hysteria that ensued, Stump had disappeared. He vanished without a trace, as did the sum total of the Elanthian Times bank account. Allegedly, a small band of loyal kobolds robbed the bank under Stump’s command, and they fled to parts unknown. To this day, Stump’s whereabouts are unknown, his story still untold.

Since Stump’s unexplained and questionable departure, I have taken over the role as Editor-in-Chief of the Elanthian Times. And while I don’t intend to try and fill Stump’s metaphorical shoes, (kobolds, as a rule, don’t wear any), I do hope to make this era of Elanthia’s press one to remember. We plan to publish an issue once every two or three months, bringing you news from all over the realm. And while we lack funding, we will try to present our findings to you in the most aesthetic and factual way we can.

As opposed to the past, we are able to break free of the limitations of plain parchment publication and utilize this new magical medium to provide the sights, sounds, flavors and feel of Elanthia. We invite you to submit articles, (monetary donations!), and artwork to us, and we look forward to your feedback. We want to make the Elanthian Times the best publication ever!