Volume Five Issue Three

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VOLUME FIVE, ISSUE THREE                                       August 22, 1997
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

                              TABLE OF CONTENTS:

                              The Editor's Note.
                              -=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-
                  Petal's wrap up of the fortnight that was.

                                From the Imps.
                                -=-=-=--=-=-=-
           In which our esteemed implementors discuss their weeks.

                       Departmental News and Updates.
                       -=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
      A report which aims to keep YOU up to date on the work done in the
                            various departments.

                               News and Reports.
                               -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
                  Rufus explains the concept of 'in spec' for
                          weapons, items, and armour.
            Also, keep up to date on the latest results/standings
                      of the legendMUD trivia competition.

                                  Legendites.
                                  -=-=-=-=-=-
              THE BIG GOODBYE: Sir Crowe and Abigail face each 
                        other for their final showdown.
             EXHIBIT A - CLEO: The second part of Cleo's battle
                             with the dark lord.
  
                               From the War Zone.
                               -=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-
                     Lynche gives some advice to the clans.
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/__|                           EDITORS NOTE                           |__\
   '------------------------------------------------------------------'   

Because I have had to pack so much into this issue of the LT I will not
waste your time going on and on this week.
Thanks to all the people who contributed this week. There have been many
quality submissions, so much so, that I haven't been able to fit them all
in! But there is no need to worry, those that don't appear in this issue of
the LT will definitely go in next week.
At any rate, keep submitting your work to [email protected] and have a 
couple of cool mud weeks!
-Petal
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/__|                          FROM THE IMPS                           |__\
   '------------------------------------------------------------------'

Much of what I do lately is immort support and I suspect cryptic
to mortals, however this week I fixed many errors and typos throughout
the area files while upgrading the area file syntax checkers. I do a lot
of these mundane immort support type things.
-Kaige
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/__|                   DEPARTMENTAL NEWS AND UPDATES                  |__\
   '------------------------------------------------------------------'   

                             ADMINISTRATION
                             -=-=-=--=-=-=-

Kept their collective eyes and ears well tuned to the channels and the
boards in their ever-vigilant role as mud administrators.

                            PLAYER RELATIONS
                            -=-=-=-==-=-=-=-

This week we all did the usual online work.
There were a couple of trivias run by Croaker, a few games of recall tag run
by Petal, Leila and Kheldar. ParticleMan ran a flag hunt and a treasure hunt.

Kheldar has started work on a game idea to introduce the concept of favors, 
and Leila worked on the new string docs.

This week, Petal ran a RP plot for the APs which involved the inauguration of a
new member. Rusalka also assisted a mort rp plot. Leila and Petal also worked
on a new tiny plot

Rusalka scheduled a PR meeting to discuss recent events on LegendMUD, and to
work out a strategy for the PR department.

                                 CODING
                                 -=--=-

Ea! Debugged some of the routines. Reduced the damage Etheric Void does to 
make it less crazy. Reduced kick's damage significantly as it no longer 
un-stuns. Put in the new version of snipe for testing. Coded the associated 
"aim" function. Pulled a new dex skill over from skilltrees.

Rufus ewrote shutdown so it will automatically shutdown the mud. Tweaked 
various things with spells so a few of them function a bit differently 
(dispel magic cast on invis objects will make them fade in, binding is no 
longer removed after the first round of combat) Squashed the dash bug and 
rewrote dash. Started working out a way to expand our current limit of
flags on mobs and objects.

                              BUILDING
                              -=-==-=-

Deanna's new area, Dreamlands, is in the beta phase of testing right now.
Rufus worked on more Navaho rooms and some mobs. Navaho is about 30% done.
Kheldar continued work on Sinbad. LadyAce added a quest to her new area and
several rooms for a more natural feeling geography. Leila continued work on
London, and Croaker finished Ithaca this week and has started work on Sparta.
Charity wrote lots of fish descriptions and description-related acts. She also
has most of the Egypt update finished.

Rufus tweaked the new Ireland area, toned down SL mobs, made some adjustments 
to the beluga whale (not headbuttable now). Kheldar made some historical 
bugfixes to Romania and Charity fixed the bug with folks being dumped in the
Nile repeatedly. Croaker changed AC on all F/I War mobs to conform to docs and
Adjusted the Seoni quest so that newbies couldn't be railroaded through for 
free earrings. Kaige fixed some syntax problems in Egypt, and fixed a bunch of
typos in Agrabah, Ireland, Nazca, Beowulf, and limbo. The sewer maze has been
changed (hopefully fixing problems with access to the Phantom). The forge 
cashcrop loophole has been changed.
Details about all these changes are posted on the welcome board or local
boards, as appropriate.

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/__|                          NEWS AND REPORTS                        |__\
   '------------------------------------------------------------------'


I have often been approached with the question, "What makes an item 'in spec'?"

'In spec' means an item fits the minimum guideline for rent and effects. What
follows is a rather lengthy explanation of what it means to be 'in spec.
'In spec' is the minimum and _only_ the minimum guideline for objects. There is 
no maximum rent spec, so if a builder decided to make a +1 strength ring worth 
50K rent, they are fully allowed to do so and that item would be 'in spec.'

The content of this essay is nearly identical to the documentation that
builders follow, and will first give item rent calculations based on the
item type, with additions and subtractions to rent in the final section,
followed by a couple examples of calculating rent.

                              * * *

WEAPONS:

Weapons fall into two distinct categories, single damtype and dual damtype.
Single damtype weapons are the most common, having only one damage message,
dual damtypes have a secondary less powerful damage that is called every time
that any of the first attack types goes off (the secondary damage type is
only evaluated once, even if the first attack type allows multiple attacks).

Single damtype weapons must adhere to the following rules:

        1) For any weapon type that is a CON, DEX, or STR weapon, the maximum
           damage per attack must not exceed 1 point more than the wield
           weight of the weapon.
        2) DEX weapons may not exceed 10max damage.
        3) STR weapons may not exceed 18max damage.
        4) CON weapons may not exceed 20max damage.
        5) If the weapon is a damtype that is _NOT_ a CON, DEX, or STR
           weapon, the maximum damage must not exceed 20, though the
           rule that the max damage must be no greater than 1 beyond the
           wield weight of the weapon does not apply, since the wielder
           of such a weapon will always get one single attack.

Dual damtype weapons must adhere to the following rules:

        1) The maximum damage of the primary attack type cannot exceed the
           wield weight of the weapon.
        2) The maximum damage of the secondary attack type cannot exceed
           1/3rd of the primary attack type's maximum damage.
        3) Rent cost for the secondary attack type and spells associated
           with the secondary attack type are evaluated at two times
           the normal rent cost.

Rent is calculated as follows:

Max Damage            Base Rent Cost
----------            --------------
    3                       18
    4                       40
    5                       75
    6                      126
    7                      196
    8                      288
    9                      405
   10                      550
   11                      726
   12                      936
   13                     1183
   14                     1470
   15                     1800
   16                     2176
   17                     2601
   18                     3078
   19                     3610
   20                     4200

For every +point of weapon quality: +500 rent
For every -point of weapon quality: +100 rent


Weapon spell effects are calculated by the following formula:

500 x (%chance spell will go off) x (level of spell)

This number is modified by an additional 3 times if the spell is associated
with a secondary damtype.

Also the following rules apply:

- Weapons which are throwable are calculated at 150% of rent.
- Weapons of greater than 2 quality are not to be sold in shops.
- Weapons which may be used to backstab also calculated at 150% of rent.

                              * * *

MISSILE WEAPONS:

Missile weapons follow similar guidelines to normal weapons as far as rent
calculation for damage. Accuracy ratings for missile weapons are equivalent
to quality ratings for weapons as far as rent cost goes. If the type of gun
does not appear on this table, builders use this table as a guideline for
establishing values.

Missile Weapon        dam  max chg  wght
--------------        ---  -------  ----
bow, long             2d5     1       4
bow, short            1d6     1       2
bow, recurve          2d6     1       4
bow, compound         2d4     1       4
crossbow, light       1d5     1       4
crossbow, medium      1d8     1       8
crossbow, heavy       2d8     1      15
crossbow, pistol      1d4     1       2
---------------------------------------
rifle, .50 Sharps     3d6     6      15
rifle, .30 'killdeer' 2d6     7      12
rifle, .375 H&H       4d4     4      14
rifle, custom henry   3d6     5      16
long gun, flintlock   1d10    1      12
long gun, cap & ball  1d10    1      12
pistol, flintlock     1d8     1       2
pistol, cap & ball    1d8     1       2
revolver, colt .45    2d5     6       2
musket                2d6     1      18
blunderbuss           2d10    1      22
shotgun, .410         1d8   1,2,5    11
shotgun, 20 gauge     1d10  1,2,5    11
shotgun, 14 gauge     2d5   1,2,5    12
shotgun, 12 gauge     2d6   1,2,5    15
shotgun, 10 gauge     2d10  1,2,5    15

                              * * *


ARMOUR:

Armour is limited by four factors: Material, Maximum Normal AC, Maximum
Magical AC, and Wear Slot.

Material types currently in use are CLOTH, LEATHER, FUR, METAL, PRECIOUS,
KEVLAR, WOOD and MISC (for the difficult to classify items). Each material
type has a maximum AC that it can grant, as shown by the table below, along
with rent cost modifiers PER POINT of ac that is granted:

Material Type   Rent Per Point of AC    Max Normal AC    Max Magical AC
-------------   --------------------    -------------    --------------
CLOTH                     1                  10               25
LEATHER                   9                  12               25
FUR                      16                  11               25
WOOD                      4                  13               25
PRECIOUS                400                  15               25
METAL                   100                  20               25
KEVLAR                  225                  20               25
MISC                    ???                  20               25

Each wearslot also dictates the maximum AC applied as per the following
table:

Wear Slot   Normal AC Max   Additional Magical AC  Total Max for Slot
---------   -------------   ---------------------  ------------------
Finger            2                   6                     8
Face              3                   3                     6
Neck              5                   5                    10
Body             12                   4                    16
Head              5                   5                    10
Ear               1                   5                     6
Legs              5                   5                    10
Feet              5                   5                    10
Hands             4                   5                     9
Arms              5                   5                    10
Arm              12                   8                    20
Shield            4                   4                     8
About Body       20                   5                    25
Waist             5                   5                     9
Wrist             3                   5                     8
Hold              3                   5                     8

Any AC bonus beyond the Normal AC Max is calculated at 5 times the base cost
of the material type, so the formula goes as follows:

((material cost) x (normal AC))+(5 x (material cost) x (additional magical AC))

Any armour that exceeds the max normal AC for that wearslot must also have the
MAGIC flag (hence only repairable by trueform).

                              * * *

POTIONS:

Currently, a blanket minimum cost of 500 is attributed to all potions.

                              * * *

SCROLLS:

Scrolls currently contain a single spell, and rent cost is based on 250 x
the cast level of the spell.

                              * * *

WANDS and STAVES:

Wands and Staves are calculated based upon 500 x number of charges that the
object begins with.

                              * * *

OTHER EFFECTS:

Effects to stats, hitroll/damroll, other magical effects, are calculated
independently of the normal effects on equipment. Below is a list of all
applied effects and their rent costs:

Stat Points:
(these apply to Con, Dex, Strength, Mind, Spirit, and Perception)

Per +1 in a stat:        225 rent
Per -1 in a stat:        -82 rent

NOTE: An item may not exceed +5 TOTAL stats. Furthermore, any wearslot which
is doubled (finger, wrist, etc) where you can wear two items in the same slot
have a maximum total positive bonus of +8 (therefore, +8/-3), items with a
single slot cannot exceed a total positive bonus of +10 (therefore +10/-5).

EXCEPTION: An item that is timed with a timer of 1000 ticks or less, and
is not preservable can be a +6 total item with no minuses (hence a +3 dex,
+3 perception ring which is timed and not preservable is 'in spec').

Per + point of prestige:    10 rent
Per - point of prestige:    -5 rent


Magical Effects Cost:
(these apply to hp, mana, move and saving throws - saving throws are not
currently implemented)

+magical effect:           150 rent
-magical effect:           -55 rent

NOTE: Concerning hp, mana and move, an item which is timed and preservable
can increase a single field by 50. An item which is not timed can have a
maximum positive bonus of 30, but can have a total bonus of only 20 (so
a +30hp -10 mana item is in spec, as is a +20mana item).

+Damroll +Hitroll Effects:

+toHit or +Damroll:       1125 rent
-toHit or -Damroll:       -475 rent

NOTE: Damroll and hitroll may not exceed +2 on any item without a penalty,
nor can any bonus exceed +4. The exception to this is weapons which can have
a maximum bonus of +3 without penalty, or +5 with penalty. A dexterity weapon,
however, cannot exceed +2 in hitroll or damroll, even with accompanying
minuses.

Special Magical Effects:
(this applies to see invis, detect hidden, fly)

These are determined on a case by case basis, with few if any current
guidelines, though the base guideline is approximately 4500 rent for any
effect.

Other Effects:

If an item cannot be damaged:              1000 rent
If an item has an alignment restriction:   -33% of total rent cost
If an item is cursed:                      -10% of total cost
If an item can be used as an instrument:    +50 rent
If an item cannot be disarmed:             1000 rent (NOTE: not currently
                                                      implemented)
If an item cannot be repaired:             -500 rent (NOTE: this only applies
                                                      to items that would
                                                      normally be repairable,
                                                      not items made out of
                                                      wood or fur)

                              * * *

SOME EXAMPLES:

Now that I've thrown table and table at you and rule after rule, let's take
a look at making some items. First, I'll give an example from a well-known
item in the game, and then we'll run through some fictitious items, just to
show how complicated this system can be.

a green sidhe tunic:
Material Type: CLOTH
Normal AC:     12
Magical AC:    1
Dexterity:     +4
Constitution:  +3
Strength:      -1

This should list all current pertinent factors for considering rent, let's
step through it.

The base AC cost for this item is the material type multiplied by the normal
AC. The cost for CLOTH is 1 rent, so:

  12 x 1    = 12 rent

It also has an additional 1 of magical AC:

  1 x 5 x 1 = 5 rent

Add those two together, and base rent for the sidhe tunic is:

  12 + 5    = 17 rent

The tunic also provides +4 dexterity and +3 constitution, or 7 total + stats.
Therefore the rent calculation is as follows:

  7 x 225   = 1675 rent

The tunic also has a -2 strength penalty which is calculated as:

  2 x -82   = -164 rent

Adding the base cost to the two effect modifier cost comes out with:

  17 + 1675 - 164 = 1528

So as we calculate this and see, the current green sidhe tunic is 100 rent
out of spec (current rent as of this writing is 1428, but will be changed
shortly).

Now I'll take a slightly more complex example.

the sword of insane stats:
weight:                       15kg
quality:                         5
primary attack type:         SLASH
primary attack dam:             15
secondary attack type:       FLAME
secondary attack dam:            5
primary spell:                harm
primary spell chance:          30%
primary spell level:            25
secondary spell:       flamestrike
secondary spell chance:         30%
secondary spell level:          25
Strength:                       +5
Damroll:                        +3
Hit Points:                    +10
other:                cannot be damaged, anti-good, cursed

Okay, lets first get the base cost of the weapon for 15 maxdamage and its
quality:

1800 + (5 x 500) = 4300

Add to that the secondary damage type of 5 maxdam:

         75 x 2  =  150

So the base value for this weapon is 4450 rent. Now we'll add in the spell
effects:

for the primary (harm) spell:

   .30 x 25 x 500 = 3750

for the secondary (flamestrike) spell:

   .30 x 25 x 500 x 2 = 7500

So all totaled with base rent and spell effects, this weapon's cost is now:

4450 + 3750 + 7500 = 15700 rent

Now we'll total the stat points, damroll and hp adjustments:

+5  strength             =   5 x  225  = 1125
+2  damroll              =   2 x 1125  = 2250
+10 hp                   =  10 x  150  = 1500

Add these into the prior cost totalled and the current rent is:

15700 + 1125 + 2250 + 1500 = 20575 rent

The other factor that increases the rent on this object is the fact it cannot
be damaged. Adding 1000, that brings the rent up to 21575.

Now adding up the total minuses, we find that the two penalties associated
with this item (anti-good, and cursed) and we find that the entire rent can
be reduced by (33% + 10%) or 43%:

   .43 x 20575 = 8847.25 or just 8847

Subtract that from the entire cost of the weapon and the total rent is:

20575 - 8847 = 11728 total rent

This is the bare minimum rent that this weapon should be.

                              * * *

CONCLUSION:

As you can see by the formulas above, builders spend quite a bit of time
crunching numbers into making the items follow the guidelines. The guidelines
are also constantly changing and being tweaked. As you notice, there are no
specs for containers, boats, etc, and most of these are done on the fly, with
past items and such along with common sense as the only guidelines.

I hope this answers many object related questions concerning the ever present
'in spec' which gods talk endlessly about.

-Rufus


                             The Trivia Report
                            -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

The role of honour for Croaker's trivia on Friday the 15th.

Beam and Piccolo tied for 1st with 6
Dameon and Zelda tied for third with 5
Gaeraev and Myriad 3
Taylor and Blaze 2
Arathon Aisha Shalindra Arsene Gwen Alvis and Jen-creature 1

This leaves the leader board looking like this...

Name                1    2    3    4    5             Total
-----------------------------------------------------------
Jen-Creature        7    9   10    5    9                40
Zelda                    7    7    8    8                30
Beam                          9    9   10                28
Siegfried                    10   10    6                26
Buffalmacco                   8   10    7                25
Morphine                           9    9                18
Shane                    2    9    4    2                17
Magius                             7    9                16
Joachim                            8    8                16
-----------------------------------------------------------

Croaker's next trivia is scheduled for 8/22 at 2000 hours system time. To
get yourself in the mood, why not try these!

1) Where was Mary Ann of Gilligan's island fame born ?
2) What important anniversary isthe 16th of August?
3) What magazine is produced by Wizards of the Coast ?
4) How many times can you fold a piece of paper in half ?

                             Answers:
                             -=-=-=-
1) Winfield, Kansas
2) 20th anniversary of Elvis's death
3) The Duelist
4) 7
             ________________________
            /                        \
        o O | Wonder what folks are   |
  `\|||/    | doing over at LegendMud?|
   (o o)    \________________________/
ooO_(_)_Ooo_____________________________________________________________________
_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|__
__|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|____|

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\  |------------------------------------------------------------------|  /
/__|    LEGENDITES: Information Regarding the People of Our World     |__\
   '------------------------------------------------------------------'


                              THE BIG GOODBYE
                              -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

'Abigail, you're here. I was beginning to think you only cast your evil 
spells from afar these days.
The words were enough to gain the attention of just about everyone throughout 
the realm that night, but the dark figure was intent only on the woman they 
were meant for. Arms folded across his chest, the old Knight seemed somehow 
more human this night than on any other.

'On you? I rather like to see the pain on your face.' Abigail's words were 
fraught with controlled rage, and as she rose to confront the man's taunt 
her eyes boiled in hatred.

Crowe seemed unimpressed. 'I hope you didn't honestly think I've
been fooled by your latest little scheme.'
She spat, 'I'm finished toying with you, old man. All I have
in store for you is death!'
'Of course, so you'd have me believe with your false dreams!'
'False dreams? Give me more credit, I'm more inventive than that.'
'Spare me!' the Knight scoffed. 'Don't for a second try to tell
me the dreams I've been having aren't your doing!'
     
The woman's rage faltered perceptibly for just a moment. 'Hmm, I
should say not. Such trivial little games. What dreams are these?'
The change did not go unnoticed by the old warrior, but he
pressed her: 'You've been filling my head with dreams of death, and
to add insult to injury you've profaned your sister's memory by
including her!' He regarded her coldly. 'Shame on you.'
Abigail replied, 'I've done no such thing. Isobel has warned me
of you, your wit does not seem so sharp these days though.'
Crowe distantly felt a shadow descending upon his mind, but he
ignored it and taunted, 'Warned you indeed! Did she 'warn' you to
conjure messages to me in my sleep?'
'I've done no such thing!' blinked Abigail as though she was trying to
banish an image from her mind.

Looking on from the side, Magius offered, 'Hey Crowe, I don't
think you can take Abigail.'
The Dark Knight was undeterred. 'Your lies become less convincing with time, 
Abigail.'
'Your death is what I live for, old man!!'

Just then, the vision that clouded the two enemies' minds, along
with those of the onlookers, came into focus. All were shocked into
silence by the translucent visage of a beautiful woman floating
before them. Her eyes were ablaze with a preternatural glow, and
after what seemed like hours, she spoke.
'Crowe, the dreams have not been false. They were sent by me.'
Abigail stared disbelievingly, and finally summoned enough breath to 
whisper almost inaudibly, 'Sister?'

The Knight seemed unwilling to trust his own eyes. 'More trickery!'
Abigail's eyes full of wonder, she replied without looking at him, 'I
assure you, this is not my doing.'
The spectre looked first at Crowe and said, 'Nay, no trickery.'
She then turned her gaze to the lass, 'Yes, sister, it is I.'

The warrior, taking in the amazement on Abigail's face, finally
looked back to the image before him, and his expression softened.
'Isobel! How is this possible?'
Abigail turned and said slyly, 'Mayhaps she's come to watch your
death, Crowe.'
The Knight wasted no time in shooting back, 'Or chide you for
your misguided efforts at my death, Abigail.

Isamu-Dyson, another spectator, asked someone next to him,
'Didn't Isobel die by Crowe's hand?' The other could only shake his head.
'Crowe, the messages I have tried to send you have been in the
hopes that you would take my charge in protecting my sister for all
time to be.'
'Protect me?!'
'Protect her?!'
The apparition nodded, Yes, Great is her future, and her
enemies, equal in might, do not wish her to fulfil such. Will you
take this charge?'
Abigail shook her head in disbelief. 'It would be his fault that
you no longer stand beside me, and you wish him to protect me?'
Crowe pleaded with the spirit, 'Isobel, tell her it wasn't my
fault!'
Abigail shouted at him, 'I blame you with all I have!'
The spectral lady looked compassionately at Abigail. 'Sister, his heart knew 
not its consequences. Should not all have a chance at redemption? How 
better to do so than to protect you for as long as you shall have need?"

Abigail snorted, 'He has no heart that I can tell.'
The Knight asked the spirit, 'Isobel, are you asking me to die for Abigail?'
'Crowe, to be with her always as protector, you would be required to make 
such a sacrifice and cross over. That is indeed much to ask, but it is the 
only way.' She turned then to Abigail.
'Sister, this is the test of his heart. Only he may choose.'

The dark man sighed, 'Isobel, you know that I loved you, and that I would do 
anything for you, but Abigail has sought nothing less than my total demise!'
Abigail laughed, 'Aye, and I've had fun toying with you as well.'

'Beloved Sister, bear him no evil. Please let me pass this legacy on to you 
for the love you bear me.'
Magius shouted, 'Crowe, don't sacrifice your manliness!'
Abigail was visibly confused. 'I know not what to think of this.
'And dear Crowe, I hate to ask this of you, but also for the love you once 
bore me, do this. Treat my sister as you once treated me.'

The perpetually stony facade of the Knight seemed to crumble away, and he 
choked, 'Isobel, I never got to say goodbye to you, and I did love you...I...'
He took only moments to resign himself to his fate, and once he had, he smiled
as he had rarely done and shrugged, 'What the hell, it's only my earthly body,
right?" He turned and looked meaningfully at Abigail. 'I shall do it.'

The spectre smiled lovingly at the old man. 'Sister, what be your answer? 
Will you accept Crowe as your protector?'
Abigail sighed, 'I've not much of a choice I suppose. You are still my sister.'
She glanced at Crowe, and seemed almost to view him in a different light. 
'I will do as you wish.'
     
Crowe nodded, 'Very well...may I have a few moments first?'
'Of course, dear.'
The Dark Knight addressed the crowd. 'Hmmm, well, anyone is
welcome to my equipment...' He appeared at a loss for words. 
'Don't do it!' came a voice from behind him, belonging to Rummy. Crowe
turned and smiled at him, and found his voice: 'It's been an honour
and a pleasure knowing you all.  I'll miss you.' He saluted a small
group of fellow Knights of Legend standing across from him. 'May
honour and courage light your path!'  At last, he turned again and
regarded his former mistress. 'Okay, I'm ready.'

'One last point, dark one. To do this, my sister must be the one
to take your life. Remember, I will always love you.' The vision of Isobel
reached out to the Knight, and then slowly began to fade until all
that remained of her was a lingering haze in the air.
Crowe sighed, 'Very well.' He faced the others and bellowed,
'From this moment on, I am Abigail's protector...no one may harm her.
Farewell.'

Many in the crowd waved weakly to the old Knight, and a few sniffles were 
heard. The quiet Celtic lass sighed, and after regarding the dark warrior 
finally, she thrust her dagger home. Crowe, the eldest Knight, jerked as the 
blade found his heart but felt no pain. As his lifeforce ebbed swiftly from 
his body, the two combatants seemed to glow briefly. He slid silently to the 
ground, his muscles relaxed, and he knew no more.
     
But for the odd sigh here or there, the crowd noise was reduced to a barely 
audible murmur. Several minutes passed, after which Abigail called out, 
'My old enemy is dead; my quest is over. You may all consider me retired.'

The amassed spectators began to disperse, but the woman lingered a minute. 
She stared at the warrior's corpse at her feet, and realised that her longtime
wish had finally been granted. Abigail awaited the satisfaction she had always 
expected to accompany this moment. 
It did not come.


                     Yer on LegendMUD too much if:
                     -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

+ You ask your professor to give you a 'tell' when he returns from 
  class.
+ Sometimes yu's talk like mebbe ifn yu's Tad.
+ You wake up at night typing on an "air" keyboard.
+ You try and cast infravision when it's dark out.
+ You say 'grin' when you are happy.
+ You 'hunt' people that you can't find.
+ You say that a Coffee Machine 'lags' when it doesn't dispense your 
  coffee immediately.
+ Use your persuasive manner to stop them from fighting.
+ You emote your feelings.
+ When you write a paper, you often borrow legend metaphors: 'Donne's 
  poetry has such emotional power that after reading it one feels as if she
  were paralyzed with a ruthless backstab!
+ You think that if you get into a barfight with one man and shoot another 
  that the other won't be aggressive to you.
+ You report bugs in the real world: [bug]: In an elevator you shouldn't be 
  able to press the button of the floor you are actually on. (Zandy did this).
+ You answer to your description.
+ You walk around asking people to teach you things.

And the Number One reason you know you are on Legend too much.
+  YOU ARE WORRIED ABOUT LOSING YOUR CLOTHING WHEN YOU WALK INTO A ROOM.

-Lynche
                                -=-=-=-=-=-=-

                               Exhibit A. CLeo
                                 part "deux"
                               -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

It seemed like weeks before CLeo saw the light again. The jar
which he was kept in had been put away with other "Exhibits in a jar"
specimens at the Higher Court House of the Dimensions.

Even though he was now an angel, CLeo could hear the brouhaha coming from
the courtroom. He wondered if it was good or bad news... Hopefully 
this would all be done with soon.

                                  -\|/-

An officer came out from the back of the room and said loudly, "Next case 
is Dark Lord vs Fire Lord, Judge Light Lord presiding. All be seated!"

Dark Lord: Oh, so you finally got some new batteries?
Light Lord: Yeah... Got them on special. A thousand for the price of a
   hundred.
Fire Lord: *chuckles* Could we get on with this already? I have a list of
   things to go burn before the end of the day.

The officer put some sunglasses on and brought some documents to the
Light Lord who started to read them immediately.

Light Lord: Ok... Hmmm... Ehhh... Uhhh...
Dark Lord: Something wrong with the documents?
Light Lord: No... I just remembered that I forgot to put batteries
   in my dancing flowers. You know those things that move to  music.
Fire Lord: Umm... Could we stick to the case?

Quite embarrassed, the Light Lord hurried himself and finished reading
the documents referring to the case.

Light Lord: So, you say that the Fire Lord has been forging your name?
Dark Lord: Looks like it... The other day, I was roaming around when I
   noticed CLeo was stuck in my super glue. He started screaming at me,
   which was quite annoying. CLeo said I was hurting him in his dreams, 
   burning his hands and arms... and that I signed my name too.  All of 
   that with fire. Obviously I didn't do it because the Fire Lord is the 
   one that signs with fire.
Fire Lord: I object!

There was uproar from the spectators in the court, ghosts, spirits and others,
started to talk at once forcing the Light Lord to bang his hammer on the desk 
and shout:
"Silence in the court room! I will not take this. I can't scream all day
long or my batteries will be dead before the end of it." He motioned the
officer to go get exhibit A.  No more than 2 minutes later, the officer
came back with a jar containing an angel.

Light Lord: Oh my...  The exhibit is turning blue...  Who blocked the air
   holes on the lid? Looks like someone forgot to put on some
   gloves because the lid has been melted in some places. Fire prints.
Fire Lord: *whistling innocently*
Dark Lord: Ah-ha! I don't leave fire prints when I touch something.. and
   anyways, I don't play with fire.  But the...
Light Lord: Yeah... the Fire Lord does.  And those prints look somewhat
   similar to those I found near the box of leaking batteries in my garage!
Fire Lord: Bwhahaha! I'll burn all the batteries!  *Trying to escape*
Light Lord: Seize him!

In his attempt to escape, the Fire Lord bumped onto the table which
the jar was. The jar broke open on the floor after a long fall, leaving
CLeo gasping for air.

CLeo: Stop... him! He's... the one who... did this to... me!
Fire Lord: Ha! Ha! Ha! No one can stop me now!
CLeo: I will not... let you... go!

CLeo would have liked to be able to summon a snow storm to freeze the
Fire Lord, but unfortunately he didn't have much strength after being in a
jar for weeks...  Nevertheless, he stood up and started chanting...

CLeo: Vake dekal kba!
Guard: What is happening to the floor?!
Fire Lord: Nooooooo!  Arrrrrgggghhhh!

CLeo didn't succeed in freezing the Fire Lord, but he was able to
create a patch of ice on the floor.  The Fire Lord slipped on it and fell
to the floor.  The guards quickly got hold of him and they took
him out of the court house, and into cell.

Exhausted from casting the spell, CLeo fell to the ground barely
conscious.

Light Lord: Poor little thing.
Dark Lord: What thing?
Light Lord: I not only forgot to put batteries in my dancing flower, I
   forgot to put some new batteries in my new talking dog.
Dark Lord: What do we do with that exhibit?
Light Lord: Just take it back where you found it.  Let me heal its scratches
   before you go.  *zap*

The Dark Lord took CLeo and went on his way out of the court house.
When CLeo woke up, he wasn't sure any more if this had all been a dream or
reality...  "Me? In a jar?"

                               -=-=-=-=-=-=-

Shemp, a druid of Angesley from Tara, has attained level 50.

He is known to be a heavy drinker, and can often be found in the
local Tudor taverns.  If you happen to see him, be sure to
congratulate him.

                              -=-=-=-=-=-=-

I Dameon Styre has started a Bardic clan dedicated to the arts of
performance, poetry, competition, and helping. This Bardic circle is called,
The RowanHold Bardic Circle. I have two "positions" that are below mine,
Bard Rialta. Bard Scribh, and Bard Mor. Each position has different tasks.
There is also plenty of room for Bardic Members. If interested, or have any
questions, mudmail me, or contact me if you see me on. Much Thanks for your
attention ;)

Dameon Styre, Bard Rialta of RowanHold Bardic Circle.

If you are searching for Dameon to join the bardic clan you should no longer
seek 'a raven haired warrior'.
Instead, keep a look out for 'a raven haired minstrel'.
                              -=-=-=-=-=-=- 

     |-------------------------------------------------|
     |  Announcing Landy's Matchmaker Service!         |
     |            /\/\      /\/\                       |
     |            \  /      \  /                       |
     |             \/        \/                        |
     |    Send mudmail telling about your RP name      |
     | Age and Birthplace.  Tell us What you like IC   |
     |  I.E. Stradivari - 57 years, Likes Violin,      |
     | Italian, looking for this and that              |
     | Remember to make all entries IC, Good Luck!     |
     |-------------------------------------------------|
     Lovemaster Landy MacLaren

                               -=-=-=-=-=-=-

___                                                                    ___
\  |------------------------------------------------------------------|  /
/__|       FROM THE WAR ZONE: Information From the PK Front           |__\
   '------------------------------------------------------------------'

'What's wrong with the clans these days?' people ask themselves.
Here is my advice for all the clans:

Mercenaries:
Currently you are the most powerful clan on the mud.
You guys need to appoint a new GM. Hold a vote. With the sad
loss of morphine you need a hard working GM to keep the
clan together and functioning.
Also, I personally think you should quit threatening to 'destroy'
other clans.

Knights:  
You need to decide what you are going to do.  If you decide
to keep Arsene as a GM, you need to work out maybe a ranking system
to limit his power or get him to think of the clan before himself.
Right now ORGANIZATION is the key for the knights.  Which
may mean a new GM and a reconstruction of the Code of Honour.

OTS:  The revival of the Order is well progressing,  It is my 
understanding that Guildmistress Blaze Androsia will stop taking 
applications  for the clan because it is growing too large too fast.
I think that's a good idea. Get to know your new clanmates.

Hermetics:  
You guys need to organize a meeting with strong leadership to
put together who is still in the clan actively and who isn't.
Set some rp and maybe get the hermetics back in pkill.

Anti-Paladins:  
AP's RP VERY well with the dark lord, however that hardly makes up for 
their pkill. Enlistment seems to be low for a clan that was very famous 
for pkill raids.

Iscariot and Shotokai are very quiet these days.

Advice for all Clans:
The most important part of a clan is organization.  Leadership must
be strong and it will not be unless there is organized planning.
All clans should set a weekly or bi-weekly time for the entire clan to 
meet and discuss what has gone on and what they plan to do for their 
clanmates and for the sake of RP. Clans need to work together more in rp. 
Make some truces. Rp Clan Vs. Clan with political beliefs.

Any Questions, Comments, Hatemail
Respond to Lynche and be put in the lt!

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Legendary Times is published by the gods of LegendMUD. Please send all
replies/additions to our address at [email protected] for inclusion in the
next edition. We, however, reserve the right to moderate this discussion, and
may object to some submissions.
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