THE RAVEN’S EYE



THE RAVEN’S EYE

Issue 5 – august 2008

WELCOME!

Hello and welcome to Issue 5 of The Raven’s Eye Magazine, the only magazine dedicated to Raven out there!

Today we will be evaluating Taylan – I thought it would be interesting to have a spin-off warrior for a change. We also have our longest poem yet - I have written this month’s Poetry Corner about Danil.

And this issue is also the long anticipated start of the Seriously Raven! Competition – how will our contestants fair at poetry?

You can continue your top trumps collection with the Series 1 warrior cards!

I have nicked an idea from Jake Collins for the puzzle section! Enjoy a Raven Family Fortunes – however, the less common the answer, the more points you get! Can you win the money or the car?

Alaunus continues with Chapter 5 – can Raven and Erina escape the room and find the leaf for Haryad?

Find out the results of The Small Debates that all of you have been voting in – what is the best thing to put on top of the Millstone Towers? Which of Raven’s personalities is better? And which Last Stand is better?

Read Part 2 of Sohar’s Raven Exposé to find out what the wolves and tigers were really like behind the scenes!

And what is really the best way to complete the barrel part of the Way of the Warrior? The Raven’s Eye went to find out…

And who is the winner of the Warrior Vote? You have all voted and in this issue, we will found out who your favourite is…

I will once more pay respect to Jake Collins and his Eye Shield fanzine, from which many ideas from The Raven’s Eye have come. The website for the fanzine is at tes.

And finally – a bit of news. Series 8 has now finished filming and will be shown on TV Late August/Early September. Also, the third spin-off series shall be filmed in Morocco!

Happy reading!

Ross Thompson

TV UPDATE

My TV Updates haven’t been too accurate recently – it seems that predicting what will happen in the final two weeks of the month is a risky thing to do! I will use this part of the magazine then to tell you about Synergy’s (Raven Forum username) TV update at whatson. It only includes what will be coming on in the next two weeks, but it is accurate and gives a clearer reading than the Radio Times listings. Keep checking back there to see when Raven is on TV! I now hand over to the TV Updating to Synergy…!

WARRIOR FEATURE

taylan

Fact File

Series: Raven: The Secret Temple

Week: 1-4

Days: 1-18

Position: 5th

Gender: Male

Team: Eagles

Real Name (according to Wikipedia): Angus Taylor

Challenges lost: Thrall Threads (brought back), Snake Charmer

About Taylan

Taylan came from the Eagles team in Raven: The Secret Temple. He was a good team player throughout the fourteen tasks, and popular among fans of Raven. We saw his unique style of leadership when Yeada was eliminated in the final week, which some fans thought was good, whereas some didn’t. Taylan’s demise came with picking the wrong basket at random and being eliminated by a snake. Many fans are outraged that such a great warrior should be eliminated due to luck. Let us see how he did in The Secret Temple…

|Day |Task |Notes |

|1 |Thrall Thread Pathway |Passed through the threads with great agility and reached his flag first. |

|1 |Obelisks |Got off to a quick start but then got confused as to which piece should go next, and was |

| | |beaten by Yeada. |

|2 |Riddle Trap |Helped to work out the riddle and made sure they double-checked their answer. Volunteered|

| | |to cross the pathway – stepped nimbly across but when the walls came in he stepped over |

| | |the edge of a tile and lost a jewel, but still gained 3 for his team. |

|3 |Enchanted Demons |Played a big part in helping his team securing the 4 jewels so quickly. |

|4 |Obelisks of the Sun |Had no problem bringing up the pieces of the obelisk and built it quickly – was the second|

| | |member of his team to gain a jewel. |

|5 |Temple Spirit Run |Showed speed and determination at first but when he was the only warrior left, he started |

| | |to panic. However, he didn’t give up and eventually found a jewel. |

|6 |Giant Catapult |Contributed tactics before the task began, did most of the firing with Samra and together |

| | |they hit one target. |

|7 |Archery |Missed all four of his shots. |

|8 |Field of the Dead |Volunteered to enter the field and successfully retrieved all 4 jewels in very quick time.|

|9 |Stepping Stones |At first, decided not to risk going for the bags but in the end changed his mind and |

| | |collects 3 by using his bag to retrieve them. With Karja, decided to bring back Yeada, as|

| | |she was their leader, and not bring back Samra. |

|10 |Chariots |Was the first in his team to return with a jewel and encouraged Yeada as she struggled in |

| | |the task. |

|11 |Rangoli Ring |Worked will in a team as he described the symbols to Yeada and Karja, then helped draw the|

| | |symbols. In the end, they secured the jewels without any mistakes in the drawings. |

|12 |Pillars of Courage |Bravely crossed all of the pillars first and secured all of the jewels. |

|13 |Waters of Time |Was very quick and careful and was second to get his jewel. |

|14 |Thrall Threads |He looked agile and brave in collecting the jewels but when he moved his foot back, he hit|

| | |a thread and was eliminated. Yeada and Karja chose to bring him back. |

|15 |The Ledge |Crossed bravely and took the final two jewels for his team. |

|16 |Citadel Gates |Played an active part in helping to solve the problem. |

|16 |Alchemist’s Potion |Was quiet but still helped a bit in finding the ingredients and making the potion. |

|16 |Golden Stone |Was quite quiet again but helped in making sure that the symbols were drawn correctly. |

|17 |Statues |Was quiet again but helped all the same. |

|17 |Vajra Scales |Played a more active role in this challenge, helping putting bags on the scales, despite |

| | |Yeada’s accusation that he didn’t do much. |

|17 |Snakes and Ladders |Was the second warrior to leave the board. After this challenge, he was elected the new |

| | |leader. |

|17 |Catapult Drop |Taylan hit the target with the catapult on his second shot. He was then the last warrior |

| | |to abseil down the wall. He did this bravely and quickly. |

|18 |No Way Out |He helped lead the warriors to which symbols they should press. He then told the warriors|

| | |to stop rushing (if sounding a little bossy!) and helped build the obelisks but were there|

| | |possibly too many leaders in this challenge? He seemed to be taking a much more active |

| | |role in the quest now he is leader. |

|18 |Sign in the Sand |Taylan lead by separating the warriors and by telling them that he didn’t think the |

| | |symbols were on signs. |

|18 |Snake Charmer |Taylan’s quest was put to an end when he picked the basket with the snake inside. |

Next Issue: Hanso from Series 7

CHALLENGE feature – dark path

Jake Collins completes his Challenge Feature hat trick by supplying us with another excellent challenge description, this time on Dark Path from Series 2-4.

 

This challenge took place in Long Shadow Forest, an area that was apparently crawling with wood demons, although I think we only ever saw two of them. (Wood demons look very much like other demons, as do stone demons, climbing demons, thrall demons...) It would have been deadly for a warrior to look upon a wood demon, therefore they had to complete their journey through Long Shadow Forest whilst wearing blindfolds. But how did they find their way, I hear you ask. Well, conveniently enough, a safe path through the forest could be found by following a series of suspended vines from tree to tree, picking up dangling treasure rings along the way. This was a race that the warriors attempted in pairs (hence it was always on a Tuesday or a Thursday, when there were either six or four warriors). The warrior that made it to the end of their vine path first, and grabbed the final treasure ring that was waiting in the "sunlit glade" beyond the forest, would be the winner!

As the warriors raced, the wood demons would lurk in the shadows, ever ready to leap out and take one of them at a second's notice. A warrior would be taken if they removed both hands from the vines at any time, or if they followed a false lead, which was a vine that took them off the true path. The warriors had to feel underneath the vines as they went, not only for gold rings but for hanging skulls - a skull meant a false lead, and if the warrior did not turn back as soon as they had reached the skull, they would be taken by a wood demon. The need for speed in this challenge was therefore tempered with a need for great care - slapdash warriors who rushed along without feeling the vines properly would inevitably pay the price. Some warriors (such as Roska in series 2, and Volna in series 4) were even careless enough to start following regular tree branches instead of vines - an easy mistake to make, you might think, but the leaves on the vines were very large and should have been easy to identify by touch.

Speaking of the leaves, I don't know what they were made of but it was clearly some kind of synthetic material. The vines themselves were actually made of that black elastic rope that Raven makes such copious use of, which meant that warriors would sometimes pull the leaves along the rope with them and bundle them all up at the end (quite by accident, of course) which slightly spoilt the "trailing vines" effect, as it became clear that they were actually following "appropriately decorated elastic ropes". However, this is a minor gripe; on the whole, I always found this challenge exciting, visually pleasing and very atmospheric, and it is probably my second favourite challenge overall, after Demon Square. This is one I'd really like to see make a comeback in the future.

Thanks to Jake for his detailed recount of the challenge! Contributions in this area are welcome from all of you!

POETRY CORNER

danil

This is my first Poetry Corner since Issue 2 – enjoy, guys!

In Warrior’s Race he picked up the pace,

Earning one ring by getting third place,

Spider’s Web and Long Staff – two more wins!

And another precious four golden rings,

To him and Ardhu the task of Skull Cage fell,

They released the skulls from their enclosed cell!

Onto the catapult Danil did clutch,

Hitting a demon in the crutch!

He had got off to a fantastic start,

Putting him and second place wide apart,

Now undefeatable he would seem,

But in the boats, he was in the losing team,

Loch Leap earned him a golden ring,

And The Gorge another well-deserved win,

Yet another win at the Battering Ram,

But not at Cliff Face – oh damn!

For forgetting the ring he paid the cost,

Another precious life was lost,

At Demon Square, his wisdom fled,

No knowledge was left in his young head,

In Target Run, his accuracy left him,

Would he fair better with a quick swim?

At the Deep Loch, he didn’t come last,

Yet the chance for gold rings quickly passed,

On Day Four he did quite well,

Riddle Bridge the only one at which he fell,

Under the mountain, he didn’t do to well,

With Boulder Run the only one at which he did excel,

He left his cage in last place,

But managed to pick up the pace,

He reached the portal in record time,

Leaving Anmah right behind,

Straight to the finals, feeling proud,

Earning his new emblem, the cloud,

He lost to Versad at the bridge of stone,

Yet he won Battering Ram and Ring Rack, so he couldn’t moan,

This time at Fire Water, he had no luck,

Putting him in danger of getting the chuck,

At Wrestling Ring, he proved to be weak,

Adding to Hanso’s winning streak,

Demon Square was his saviour – today the only challenge won,

Meaning that Beron was the unlucky one,

At the Way of the Warrior – another comrade gone,

As Beron was soon outdone,

In Treasure Ring, he won the race,

Making sure he got first place,

In Loch Leap he grabbed one ring,

Taking off from the board with a spring,

Hanso and Danil were to face the Riddle Bridge first,

After much thought, she got the answer – thirst!

They left this challenge, feeling thrilled,

The next challenge was Tower Build,

They raced and tried, and the pieces they stacked,

But the tower soon fell on Sonos’ back!

In Target Run – miss miss miss!

Things seemed to be going amiss,

In Skull Cage he just stood by,

He didn’t even get a try,

In Long Staff, he lost the fight,

And in Leap of Faith he took flight,

But still it was Danil’s fate,

To face Way of the Warrior, with its great fail rate,

And although he came exceedingly close,

Danil joined the fate of most,

And when he touched that closing jaw,

This being his only flaw,

For he was so close and yet so far,

Yet still he had exceeded par,

Although from the quest he had now quit,

We shall still admire him for his grit.

Seriously raven!

Competition – poetry round

It is finally time to kick off the Seriously Raven! Competition – the competition that tests your creativity and your devotion to Raven!

Prize: Signed picture of Lindsay McKenzie, who plays Princess Erina in Raven: The Island!

The winner also gets to pick the theme of Issue 12!

It is time to reveal the final six contestants of the Raven’s Eye Seriously Raven! Competition!

|Warrior Name |Forum Name |Real Name |Emblem |

|Anel |- |Alexander | |

|Gedwa |Raven1990 |- | |

|Nerai |Butterfly*warrior |- | |

|Shengo |TotalPotato |- | |

|Wattpa |- |Patrick | |

|Wexar |Ravenwexar |- | |

And the four judges for the competition (forum usernames in brackets) are Me/Ross (Ultimatewarrior), Jake (Darkpath), Ant (Baddog) and Jules (Julia (admin)).

Just to recap - warriors start with 7 lives. 7 rings can win back a life. In all of the creative rounds, the best entry will gain 3 rings, the second best 2 rings, and the third best 1 ring. Entries ranked 4th-6th will lose a life. If you fail to enter by the given deadline, you will lose two lives...

So let’s wipe the slate clean –

|The Leaderboard |Lives |Rings |

|1 | |Anel |7 |0 |

| | |Gedwa |7 |0 |

| | |Nerai |7 |0 |

| | |Shengo |7 |0 |

| | |Wattpa |7 |0 |

| | |Wexar |7 |0 |

And kick off the competition!

Poetry Round Brief

Task: Write a poem about your favourite warrior or challenge.

Requirement: Must be no longer than 36 lines.

Ideas: There are many forms your poem could take. Just some ideas are rhyming couplets, haikus and limericks.

Deadline: Fri 22nd August

If you don’t enter by this deadline, you will lose 2 lives, so beware...

The deadline is different to the one mentioned in last issue, as I am on holiday on that date.

This brief has been emailed to the contestants, on release of this issue. Once the deadline has passed, I will email the entries to the judges, and then they will send back their opinions. The results will be revealed in Issue 6...

A recap of future dates -

Key – Brief, Deadline for Contestants, Deadline for Judges, Results

| |Fri 22 August |Poem Entries Deadline |

| |Sun 31 August |Judges’ Results Deadline - Poems |

|Issue 6 |Mon 1 September |Poem Round Results |

| | |Captions to Pictures Round Brief |

| |Wed 24 September |Captions to Pictures Entries Deadline |

| |Tue 30 September |Judges’ Results Deadline - Captions |

|Issue 7 |Wed 1 October |Captions To Pictures Round Results |

| | |Riddle Round Brief |

| |Sat 25 October |Riddle Answers Deadline |

|Issue 8 |Sat 1 November |Riddle Answers & Results |

| | |Story Round Brief |

| |Mon 24 November |Story Entries Deadline |

| |Sun 30 November |Judges’ Results Deadline – Stories |

|Issue 9 |Mon 1 December |Story Round Results |

| | |Picture Round Brief |

|Christmas!! |Thu 25 December |Picture Entries Deadline |

| |Wed 31 December |Judges’ Results Deadline - Pictures |

|Issue 10 |Thu 1 January |Pictures Round Results |

| | |Raven Knowledge Round Brief |

| |Sun 25 January |Raven Knowledge Answers Deadline |

|Issue 11 |Sun 1 February |Raven Knowledge Answers & Results |

| | |Announcement of Winner! |

Raven top trumps

Series one

The top trumps continue this issue with Series 1! We will be going through the series consecutively from now on, so expect Series 2 in Issue 6. I hope you agree with the stats, and if you need help on how to play the game, email me at thompsons.mk@. Enlarge the cards if you want to print them. Statistics are only based on the original weeks, as in the final week opponents are better and challenges are harder – so it would be unfair on the final week warriors. Enjoy playing!

I hope you enjoyed looking at the cards! Next Issue: Series 2.

PUZZLe – raven family fortunes

After last month’s extremely tough Warrior Dingbats (which I know that Jakor from the Raven Forum scored an impressive 2/3!), I thought I’d make this month’s a bit easier – but still not easy!

After playing and enjoying the Knightmare Family Fortunes from The Eye Shield, I thought that it would be a good idea to use the idea for The Raven’s Eye. However this one works in reverse, so the less common the answers you give, the more points you get.

If you get 75 points, then congratulations – you’ve won £5,000! If you get all of the top answers, well done – you’ve won a car! Well not exactly, but oh well. To make it more fun, give yourself a time limit! 10 seconds should do it. It is pretty hard, but you should be able to have a good go at it. Anyway, here we go:

1. Name a challenge that includes the word ‘demon’.

2. Name a warrior that starts with the letter ‘T’.

3. Name a challenge from the main series that involves water.

4. Name a normal series of Raven that has more boys than girls in the final week.

5. Name a series that includes Nevar’s Eye.

Answers at back of issue

Alaunus – chapter 5 – trapped!

We now return to Alaunus, the fable from Raven’s homeland. Here is an overview for you lot that haven’t been following the story so far:

Chapter 1 – The Quiet Days

Raven dares Erina to climb Mount Zoat with him. They come to a cave and find a blue spirit called Haryad.

“My name is Haryad, what are you doing visiting me?”

Chapter 2 – Haryad’s Cave

Raven and Erina agree to retrieve a leaf for Haryad, which would return him to his former human self. On their way back, they encounter demons…

Chapter 3 – Demon Attack

Erina refuses to leave Raven with the demons, and ends up hanging onto a tree, causes a distraction for the demons, so Raven runs to get Cyrus. Cyrus casts a spell to make the demons retreat.

They tell Cyrus about their mission for Haryad’s leaf, he wishes them good luck…

Chapter 4 – Unknown Powers

As Raven and Erina approach the fortress, there is a demon standing guard in the doorway. Raven throws a rock at it; it walks towards Raven in anger. Erina has a chance to run past the demon. The demon approaches Raven, and Raven turns into a bird and flies into the fortress. Raven and Erina are both really unsure how this happened. They enter another chamber with a locked door, and then the door slams shut behind them…

We now continue the story with Chapter 5 – Trapped!:

Raven looked around their cell. There appeared to be no way out at all. His transformation powers would be of no use, as they had a roof and four extremely solid walls around them.

“There is no way out Erina,” Raven said, “we are doomed to stay here for the rest of our lives!”

“No, Raven,” replied Erina, “it will not be so! Do not think this way! There will be a way out!”

“Erina – we are in a locked room with no-way out! I don’t mean to sound pessimistic but.”

“Raven, I know how pessimistic our situation is without you pointing it out. Remain calm – our only option is to wait for help.

“Aye,” Raven answered, “I guess you’re right.”

Raven and Erina sat in the room for what felt like an age. The hours flew by; the musty smell of the room was reaching their nostrils. They were getting desperate. Raven transformed into bird form to search for any possible means of exit. After searching the whole room no apparent exit was visible.

Raven flew at the door in anger – expecting to feel the wood hit his skull. But the feeling of pain did not come. He opened his eyes and ruffled his feathers out of them. Where was Erina? He was in a different room. He transformed back into human form, astonished at what had happened.

There was a key in the lock – he turned it to allow Erina to walk into the room.

“Dragon’s blood! How did you get through without a key?” Erina said, astonished once more.

“Locks are for mortals, Erina,” Raven answered, grinning to himself.

“How many surprises do you have, Raven?”

“It seems two more than I thought I had.”

They walked across the room and noticed a tree in the corner. It seemed to be talking to itself…

Raven approached the tree warily, in case it was another trap.

“Hello?” he said, feeling awkward talking to a tree. The tree carried on mumbling to itself. “Hello?” he asked, again, but still with no answer in return.

“HELLO?” he yelled and the tree jumped with fright. It stayed silent for a few moments, and then returned to its mumbling.

Raven moved closer still to the tree to hear what it was saying. He could just make out…

“The thrush is the only bird that can fly backwards – true or false?”

Raven was confused but answered the question all the same. “False.”

“That is correct,” the tree replied, “The world is covered in… What are you doing here?” The tree jumped in fright once more.

Raven was at a loss at what to say – a talking tree asked him what he was doing there…

He was about to reply when he noticed that the tree had a leaf on it that was covered with the same markings as the ones that were on Haryad’s cave wall! That must be the leaf that they were looking for!

Raven now knew what to say. “Excuse me, could I take one of your leaves please? That is all I desire, then I will leave you in peace.”

“Most certainly not!” the tree replied, and then went back to his mumbling.

“In a fight between the polar bear and the lion, the lion would win. True or false?”

“False,” Raven answered.

“The answer is false – the hippo weighs more than the African elephant. True or false?”

“False,” Raven replied.

“The answer is false – 70% of the world’s surface is covered with water – true or false?”

“True,” Raven replied.

“The answer is true – I have never seen a youngster to possess such knowledge beyond their years! Well done I must say! Go on, take your leaf and be off with you!”

Raven, feeling pleased with himself but still slightly confused, plucked the leaf off the gold tree and left, beckoning Erina to follow him.

Raven and Erina walked together out of the room of the tree – back into the chamber that they had spent so long in earlier. They walked through this chamber as quickly as possible and were soon back in open air.

They started the journey back to Cyrus’ tower to tell him the good news, when Raven was startled. A demon appeared right behind him – approaching, closer and closer! Another demon appeared in front of him – more and more demons began to circle him – he was trapped! Erina had managed to escape and was no longer in sight. There was no other way – Raven transformed back into bird-form and flew over the heads of the demons to safety. He spotted Erina running back to Cyrus’ tower.

Raven felt pleased with himself as he flew over his homeland and approached Erina. He didn’t acknowledge it, but he no longer had hands. He was safe from the demons, but the leaf that he was grasping in his human hands was no longer in his possession.

Chapter 6 coming in Issue 6 of The Raven’s Eye… What has happened to the leaf?

The small debates - results

Here are the long awaited results of The Small Debates! Here are the votes given by the readers – NOT BY ME!! - and also the final results!

Millstone Towers: Dragon eggs or Skulls?

|Dragon Eggs are better (9) |Skulls are better (5) |

|The dragon eggs seem to keep the idea that dragons are |They look more evil. |

|dangerous in Raven, for example Dragon’s Blood and Dragon’s | |

|Roost – I think the eggs make better continuity. | |

|They break open and release the fumes that actually freeze the |They are known to be deadly. |

|warriors – which makes more sense, marginally… | |

|There are a lot of skulls in Raven, and although I don’t mind |They give you more of a fear than eggs. |

|it at all, it’s nice to have a bit of variety. | |

|Dragons seem nicer because they are not like dead people! |They are more associated with Raven and they look much better. |

| |Although Raven is medieval style, dragons do not suit it. |

|It was more medieval and dragon eggs make more sense. |They fit in with Raven better. |

|Dragon eggs seem more fragile – and they look great when they | |

|break! | |

|They fall off more easily, so it’s harder. | |

|There's already skulls everywhere you look. Eggs make a change.| |

|I think the warriors should hold their noses while they wait | |

|for the green gas! | |

|Dragons Eggs look more medieval. And also, skulls are | |

|everywhere in Raven. So I liked Dragons Eggs on the pillars at | |

|Millstone Towers. | |

The winner is Dragon Eggs! I personally agree with this decision because the eggs release fumes when they fall and are cracked. What is meant to happen when skulls fall?

Raven: First Personality or Second Personality?

|First Personality is better (7) |Second Personality is better (6) |

|You need to be yourself! |He’s the Raven I know the most. |

|I like to see him getting involved in the quest; I think it’s a|This is the Raven that everyone is used to, he shows care for |

|bit boring when he stands by nonchalantly, particularly in |the warriors but he remains distant to allow the warriors to |

|Series 4. |fend for themselves like they should. |

|With Raven's second personality, I am afraid, come a lot of |His first personality is too colourful for a raven. |

|stupid lines and ostentatious metaphors. It adds nothing to | |

|the show, whereas watching Raven clearly enjoying himself, and | |

|being closer to the emotional level of the warriors, really | |

|helped make the show a pleasure to watch. | |

|OMG. How many times have I said Series One Raven is better? He |He looks much better and neater, as well as smarter, and more |

|made me laugh more, and seemed to be actually concerned about |like a Raven. |

|the warriors from time to time. | |

|He is friendlier with the warriors. |It was more medieval but I think he got more serious because he|

| |had to fight Nevar and in Series 1 he hadn't. |

|He seemed more friendly and down to earth. |Before, he didn’t give warriors as much info on how to do it. |

|I like Raven's first personality, because he interacted with | |

|the warriors more. And, he wasn't quite so mean (eg "If knives | |

|were as sharp as your wits they would struggle to cut butter").| |

The winner is the first personality! This is a tough one – maybe a median between the two would be good? Maybe Raven in Series 1 was too chatty, sometimes talking too much! But as the second personality he just leads the quest, he doesn’t make as many friendly gestures with the warriors. I think that some people are influenced because they’ve got used to do the new personality. Hmm…

Last Stand: Original or New?

|Original is better (4) |New one is better (9) |

|You get a second chance and you start at the same time. |The original one is unfair because the warrior in last could |

| |never come first. |

|Nevar actually does something to stop the warriors – and I’ve |It tests the warriors more, and everyone has a chance. |

|always disliked obstacle courses with gunge in them. | |

|Whilst I concede that the original Last Stand doesn’t test many|It tests more attributes of warriors other than just speed. I |

|of the warriors’ skills, I think it’s fairer on the stronger |think a combination of both Last Stands might work – but that |

|warriors than the new one. Any advantage gained is based |would be a longshot. |

|completely on your performance during the week, whereas the | |

|only advantage in the new Last Stand is the so-called head | |

|start. It isn’t enough, and it really doesn’t help the | |

|stronger warriors if they happen to be a bit rubbish at The | |

|Last Stand! | |

|It has more character. |It tested the warriors more. |

| |Having two on two, then the loser getting a second chance seems|

| |a little unfair to me. |

| |It has more obstacles. |

| |It tests more virtues. |

| |It is more exciting because the person in the lead can very |

| |easily drop to last and the person last out of the cages has |

| |everyone chance of winning – look at Linma. |

| |The new version of the Last Stand is better. Although Nevar's |

| |shooting is pretty pathetic, it is also home to closer races |

| |(eg Lenat and Anmah). And also, the last placed warrior has |

| |more of a chance. |

The winner is The New Last Stand! I agree with the majority – I think the new Last Stand is better. This is mainly because more virtues are tested – the original only tested speed and agility. However, I think that the head starts in the new Last Stand are just not enough! It makes the four challenges that come before it on that day almost worthless – they make little difference to the final outcome of the day! A little bird tells me that The Last Stand will change again for Series 8…

If there is anything you would like to add – email me at thompsons.mk@ .

Also, as you know, Series 8 will be starting soon. In Issue 6, instead of debates, we will share what we are all looking forward to most about Series 8! Please go to ravenseyemag/series8lookingforward.htm to let me know! Opinions will be shared next issue.

SOHAR’S RAVEN Exposé PART 2

Here is the eagerly awaited second part of Sohar’s Secret Temple exposé, revealing the true personalities of the warriors! Enjoy…

Wolves – left at the end with only one man standing…

Desot (Tom Isted) – He was absolutely horrible to me and Robyn (Yonra) at Dunoon but as soon as we got to India and realised we had to spend time together, he became one of the nicest people on the trip. He made up the language called ‘Bisleri’, in which he was called ‘Tosed’ and spotted dick was ‘Dick spotting’. Tom always found a way to micky-take someone, especially Janhvi (Karja) in a certain car ride with me and Gus (Taylan). And yes, he did make up Jollum…

Secret: He used to perform ‘Let Me Entertain You’ on SingStar topless for the chaperones (

Lymel (Clemmie) – Clemmie was really posh for me, but still nice. She really reminded me of Hermione from Harry Potter. She got on really well with Carys (Marca) and was one of the younger ones on Raven. When Clemmie left, she had to leave with one of the more tedious chaperones – on her own.

Secret: Clemmie really liked Rob McPherson (Sonro).

Tibor (Rob Whitmore) – Rob was a real Raven fan – he loved the programme. Rob used to have to wear sooo much suncream because of his fair skin – factor 50 not best for getting a tan. Rob, after being eliminated, did a lot of ‘marketing’ on set (clapping the black and white thing).

Secret: After returning home, Rob got into a long distance relationship with Carys (Marca).

Nebra (Sanchia) – Sanchia was really cute, bless her heart. She was really over protective of her other warriors and felt so bad when Tibor went out. She was the second youngest on The Secret Temple and was really close friends with Janhvi (Karja) but they never got a chance to say goodbye.

Secret: Sanchia always walked round with the white sun hats that everyone else refused to wear.

Tigers – a bit of an indecisive team (with the dice and all that)

Marca (Carys Thomas) – Carys Thomas was a really aggressive person, she loved the show and was in it to win it. She often got annoyed by Divvy (Hadav) but usually she was a happy person. She was the only one of all 16 of us that brought a hair dryer with her. Carys is the niece of David Thomas, captain of the Welsh rugby team.

Secret: Carys took quite a liking to Rob McPherson (Sonro).

Jenro (Joe Turner) – Joe is just extremely clever and really logical. We both really liked the pineapple biscuits we were given on set. When Joe went out, we had suspicions it was not timed because of how close him and Carys (Marca) were tied. When Joe got back to England, he had to do his SATs straight away.

Secret: Joe sleepwalked and had to have a wind chime on the door to wake himself up.

Hadav (Diveakksh!!!) – Divvy was incredible and one of the funniest people I’ve ever met. He introduced us all to the world of Russel Peters and was sooo good at impersonating him! While filming the scene where Marca and Jenro battled for leader, which took well over 30 minutes, Divvy swore and swore and swore – he obviously forgot that he had a microphone on and every single world he said was picked up.

Secret: He shared a non-so-secret kiss with someone on the trip – a very close friend of his…?

Sohar (Charlie Moss McCroy – Moi) – I think I was really quiet on set – I didn’t seem to talk at all, quite the opposite to reality… I was in a really close group of friends with Thea (Yeada), Robyn (Yonra), Jonny (Arton), Gus (Taylan) and Tom (Desot). We’ve all met up since Raven and I see Thea and Robyn quite often. Everyday I used to make it a task to steal Jonny’s naan bread – it was harder than it seems. I had my 13th birthday in India, we had to wake up at 5am as it was the first day of filming. The tigers and the wolves were supposed to arrive on elephants (you see them at the beginning) but we got on the elephant and then the strings went strange and fell off.

Secret: I had a little thing with on of the guys in India but I could never say who.

So that’s about it – I have a biology test to revise for and if I talked anymore you’d be bored… Trust me, I could go on for hours, ask Robyn or Thea… (

Au revoir

Sohar x

Thank you so much to Sohar for writing that revealing article! I hope you all enjoyed it, we should have more features from warriors in the future!

Next Issue: Pictures and info about our Raven Day – a Raven tournament in our garden! It included warriors Almar (from Series 8) and Lisa, who will be in the third spin-off series, which will be filmed in Morocco!

Way of the warrior - best barrel technique?

Twenty warriors have reached the swinging barrel part of the Way of the Warrior and having seen many discussion on how is the best way to tackle it, I have decided to find out for myself statistically what the best tactic is for the facing the barrel. Warriors in blue passed the barrel safely and warriors in red either touched the floor or the barrel itself.

| |Feet first |Head first |

|On back |Lydav |Worjo |

| |Varna |Ardhu |

| |Sharka |Lisan |

| |Kinsa |Success rate – 33% |

| |Leja | |

| |Beron | |

| |Mygar | |

| |Success rate – 43% | |

|On front | |Bryal |

| | |Ishal |

| | |Maska |

| | |Denra |

| | |Sarla |

| | |Obra |

| | |Danil |

| | |Lenat |

| | |Success rate – 50% |

|Standing up |

|Brhea |

|Oklar |

|Success rate – 0% |

|Overall Success Rate for the Swinging Barrel – 8/20 – 40% |

Therefore the most successful way of tackling the barrel is to go on your front, head first! Bear this in mind, future warriors – it could help you on your quest! However the success rates are fairy similar, so the best thing to do would be to do what you feel comfortable with. But bear in mind – never stand on the rope!

Warrior vote: series 2 week 1

Welcome to Warrior Vote! Here are the results from the Series 1 Final:

|Position |Warrior |Votes |

|1 |Bryal |23 |

|2 |Sharka |22 |

|3 |Sonro |14 |

|4 |Cullin |13 |

|5 |Suhan |13 |

|6 |Kelpa |8 |

|Total Votes |93 |

So Bryal is the first Ultimate Warrior of The Raven’s Eye! To celebrate this, Bryal will be on the front cover and feature in Poetry Corner of Issue 6. He will also be in Challenge Feature in Issue 7! Now, let’s begin Series 2.

The Raven’s Eye Series 2, Week 1… The way that this works is that you vote for your favourite of the six warriors at:

ravenseyemag/warriorvote.htm. Upon release of Issue 6, I will announce the two warriors with the most votes, who will be going through to the final week.

Darna – Series 4 Week 3 – 3rd

Graki – Series 3 Week 1 – 3rd

Helic – Series 4 Week 2 – 6th

Lamar – Series 1 Week 2, Series 1 Final Week – 1st

Maska – Series 3 Week 2, 4th, replaced Denat in Week 3

Versad – Series 7 Week 1, Series 7 Final Week – 1st

GET VOTING!

Next Issue: Series 2 Week 2

Berat, Gajes, Jaddo, Lenat, Lipra, Melka

Puzzle answer

Raven Family Fortunes –

Top answers are in italics. Our survey said:

1) 25 points for Chamber of the Red Demons, 15 points for Enchanted Demons, 10 points for The Eyeless Demons, Thrall Demons, Demon Causeway, Fire Demon, Water Demon or Demon Army, 5 points for Demon Square

2) 20 points for Tharo, 15 points for Toasa or Terso, 10 points for Teyro, Tonesh, Tanla or Tibor, 5 points for Tezan, Tanel or Taylan

3) 20 points for Stone Bridge, 15 points for Fire Water, Long Staff, Treasure Ring or Wrestling Ring, 10 points for Stepping Stones or Loch Leap, 5 points for Warrior’s Race, Battle of the Boats, Deep Loch or Water Demon

4) 20 points for Series 4, 15 points for Series 1, 5 points for Series 7

5) 25 points for Raven: The Island, 10 points for Series 5 or Series 6

75 points or more – you win the imaginary £5,000!

All of the top answers – you win the car!

NexT ISSUE

Return to raveneyemag on the 1st of September for the sixth issue of The Raven’s Eye! We will have pictures from our Raven Day, which was a Raven tournament in our house! The top trumps will continue with Series 2. Poetry Corner will be about Bryal, our first winner of the Warrior Vote. We will found out what all of you are looking forward to in Series 8 and the Seriously Raven! Competition, will continue and we will found out the results from the poetry round! All this, and much more, coming in Issue 6!

Your work in the magazine

If you would like your work to feature in The Raven’s Eye, email it to thompsons.mk@. You can send any of the following:

• Stories – long stories please split into chapters to spread across issues

• Poems – you could feature in Poetry Corner writing about your favourite warrior!

• Autobiographies – you could write about a Raven experience that you have had. Have you visited the set? Are you a warrior? Please tell us about it.

• Pictures – Send in a picture to feature in the magazine!

• Suggestions – you could just give me ideas for future articles and features in the magazine!

• Or anything else you think would fit nicely in the magazine!

There is much more you can do! Be creative and please send in all you can for The Raven’s Eye! All contributions will be included eventually!

Issue 6… coming 1st september 2008…

ravenseyemag

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