Volume Six Issue Eighteen
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.../________________/ running on mud.sig.net 9999
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VOLUME SIX, ISSUE EIGHTEEN April 30th, 1999
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Upcoming Calendar of Events -
ARTICLES
- The Immortal Report -
LEGENDITES
- Announcements! -
- PKill Newsflash! -
- The Visions of Aisha Said -
- Awooga Corner -
- The Book of Evil Mage Tricks, Ch. 11 -
- Castle Valthalas, Romania -
- From Tree To Cross -
- The Hanging Stones -
- Who? CLeo interviews Thyme -
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/__| UPCOMING CALENDAR OF EVENTS |__\
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[All times are system time unless otherwise specified]
o(O)o o(O)o o(O)o o(O)o May o(O)o o(O)o o(O)o o(O)o
Saturday, May 1, 11:00 am - Q & A in the OOC Auditorium
Special day/time for players
in non-US timezones
Thursday, May 6, 7:00 pm - Q & A in the OOC Auditorium
Topic: Immortal Applications
Thursday, May 13, 7:00 pm - Q & A in the OOC Auditorium
Topic: Housing
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/__| NEWS AND REPORTS |__\
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The Immortal Report
Apr 19 - Apr 25
Kaige didn't do a lot because of rl obligations, but she got a
bunch of areas polished up and committed and some progress on
rewriting Will o' the Green's acts. She also did the usual bug &
typo sorting.
ADMIN:
Sandra discussed pk issues with players and imms, dealt with desc
requests, restrings, issued some warnings for profanity. She also
did some help files that were missing, and fixed some typos, etc
on others.
Chocorua added help files for cointoss and dieroll, set a couple
people down to 0 xp so they could perma, deleted a player so they
could restart, and did restrings for various people. Flagg helped
a player with a broken quest and other normal online stuff. Zandy
set someone's exp down, issued a warning, and ran recall tag.
BUILDING:
Rufus added things based on new code, and installed a ton of
random-stat objects.
Charity fixed some minor bugs in her areas and housing typos in
Lima. Cheyla spent some time online, did a whole bunch of
restrings, unarchived someone, and had to tell a bunch of people
she couldn't do regular strings for them. She also finished the
exit descs for Alaska, did a couple more of those lingering room
descs, and did a bunch of mob act stuff. Croaker reviewed rooms in
Pittsburgh this week and will continue playtesting Pittsburgh.
Flagg finished a new HOL mob, got it tested, and ready to go. He
started doing helps, etc, and hopes to have the update finished by
the weekend with three mobs and the whole recalltag shebang.
Kae fixed a number of tiny bugs and things that'd been annoying
her. She added in furniture items to make rooms seem different
even with brief on, and added a few mob acts, and began
contemplating the option of items that don't affect stats but have
effects on them instead. Rusalka did some testing on Pittsburgh
and various bugfixing. Wraith worked on updating the housing in
his area. LadyAce fixed some more bugs in Crusades. Sandra fixed
more typos and such in Pittsburgh from Croaker's review, finished
testing on Crusades and sent that to Rufus, and started reading
through Greece.
CODING:
Ea! fixed a few bugs, worked a bit on friendship.
Chocorua fixed a typo in rent so there is a period displayed at
the end, and added dieroll and coin toss commands. Snapper
updated the winmud. Rufus did more code cleanup, and did some bug
fixes and hopes he caught all the code breakages. He also added
the random stat stuff for objects and wearslot overrides. Sandra
coded the glance command.
PLAYER RELATIONS:
LadyAce did strings, restrings, descriptions, LT, did a Q & A, and
worked on new items for the prize machine.
Chimera did a lot of strings and restrings, all the normal things
that PRs do. He also worked out a few more ideas for his ooc
expansion part, also talked with Rusalka extensively about her
Tudor expansion and some other stuff. Flagg did the usual online
type of things. Natalia has had a busy couple of weeks in RL.
Mudwise, lots of string/restrings and the usual type duties. She's
spent time discussing changes to the mud with returning oldbies.
________________________
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o O | Wonder what folks are |
`\|||/ | doing over at LegendMUD?|
(o o) \________________________/
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/__| LEGENDITES: Information Regarding the People of Our World |__\
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Announcements!
Happy Birthday Wishes go out to Somar, whose birthday is on May 3rd!
..Rumors...News...Reports...Rumors...News...Reports...Rumors...News...Reports..
I I I I I I
I I I I I I
I I I I I I
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* PKILL NEWSFLASH! *
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I I I I I I
I I I I I I
I I I I I I
..Rumors...News...Reports...Rumors...News...Reports...Rumors...News...Reports..
This week in pkill, we continue to see the revitalization of old clans, in
particular the Disciples, with new members and reappearing old members.
Mip, and Osip have been seen helping Diamond and Yi in fighting various
foes, including Thyme, STR, Tritoch from the Mercenaries. Wuss has been
active this week as well, going up against a variety of opponents,
including Grendels and some DE members as well. Some members of the
Enforcers were also seen battling the Knights in their continued war of
Light and Dark.
The Ministry continues their show of force as they battle against the
Knights and Thrillhammer of the Grendels. Gangreal and Tanzer were seen
in a heated and bloody battle this week.... Rumor has it Tanzer left
the OTS during this war, and that Gangreal has mysteriously
disappeared. Gangreal's clanmates were particularly enraged at this
turn of events, and the situation bodes strongly for further conflict.
Diamond's war rages on against the Grendels and Mercenaries -- Nestor,
a new member to the Grendels roster -- becoming one of her newest
enemies. Sterling assisted Diamond earlier this week by killing STR,
who had killed Diamond one too many times in his presence. Sterling was
also visibly angered when he was shot by Icewind_Dale, resulting in
Sterling's death, though he quickly recovered and returned the favor
to Icewind_Dale after a short chase through Spain.
{*} {*} {*} {*} {*} {*} {*} {*}
The Visions of Aisha Said
The nightmares had raged through her slumbering hours for a fortnight,
unabated. She thought that they might have some meaning, that they
might provide some inspiration -- and so she opened her mind to them,
explored them, examined them. Some indeed held kernels of truth, and
yet she knew that the visions came with a darker purpose. And so she
waited...until the intent behind these visions became clear.
That night, the hour grew quite late, and still she could not rest.
Aisha lay half-awake, half in slumber, staring at the walls of her
bedroom, which were as yet unadorned and still slightly cool from the
freshness of the paint.
A kind of soft groaning hum began to fill the room, growing more
insistent, slowly developing into an unearthly shriek. The pitch rose,
and the walls seemed to buckle inward, the plaster crumbling. The pitch
rose higher, and they buckled again, but held. The shriek turned into a
groan. It seemed as if the walls were wearing away, like silk subjected
to friction -- growing threadbare, with points of transparency. As if
torn by razor-sharp claws, rends opened in the walls, smooth rips with
nothing visible on the other side -- not her familiar living room, nor
the courtyard and street outside, nor the homes of her neighbors.
All was silent. Aisha could feel that something was very near, right on
the other side of those torn places. The barrier that separated her
from these visions, the line which demarcated real from unreal, had
broken down. She waited. Soon she would know what it meant.
Truth came in the form of serpents, black and twisting, appearing at
the corners of her eyes, dissipating into mist if she looked at them
directly. Her eyes began to blink rapidly as she focused on one after
another, driving them away with confrontation, with rejection. Her
limbs trembled.
'This isn't real,' she thought. 'I can't let it affect me like this. I
must look ridiculous.' She closed her eyes, determined not to look, but
her eyes fluttered open once again. The snakes were still there, but
their wraithlike forms had turned solid, a sickly black-green, their
fangs like shards of black glass. But still, her gaze turned them away,
drove them back.
Aisha continued her vigil, confronting the serpents while trying
desperately to apply her will towards closing all the places where the
barrier had become torn. But it was too late -- she had wanted
knowledge, she had decided to know the truth, and she would pay the
price. As the last rip shimmered shut, one serpent leapt through,
straight for her eyes.
She stared a moment.
It continued to exist. She concentrated hard on banishing it, but the
holes had closed. There was no where for it to go. At the last second,
her arms crossed in front of her face, and then blackness overtook
her.
....
She gazed down at her wrist, where a pair of grey-black puncture wounds
seemed to glow with red pain. A paralyzing cold began to creep up my
arm, and she was transfixed. 'No,' she whispered. 'I won't let this
happen.'
A surge of heat welled up in her chest, up through her shoulder, and
down into her arm. A fire of determination began to build. The freezing
cold slowed its advance, then came to a halt. It did not retreat, but
her will held it steady. It was enough. If she could live through one
more day, and return to the night with enough strength to fight, she
might win, and keep what she had learned besides. But she knew, if she
lost this battle, it would strip her soul from her body, leaving her
corporeal self as nothing more than a portal for the forces of hell.
Aisha inhaled cautiously, and exhaled calmly with only a little
difficulty. Normal. Neutral. Rest while awake, fight while asleep. Let
all things be automatic. Dressing herself gingerly, she arranged her
sleeve to fall across the wound, stood, and prepared to greet the day.
{*} {*} {*} {*} {*} {*} {*} {*}
Awooga Corner
After my last submission to the LT, I received many letters
asking for more information. I have gone to Mertjai to ask her about
her mother, this is what I was told.
Denstra Awooga, a druid of exceptional ability, recently passed
on. In her final days, Denstra gave birth to a daughter in secret.
She did not tell the Awooga family of the birth for fear that her
daughter would be a burden on her beloved family. Knowing that she was
gravely ill, Denstra entrusted the care of her daughter to Madame
Decara in Agrabah. Decara was a wise old woman and was well known for
her ability to see the future. She told Denstra that her daughter
would herself have a daughter, Mertjai. Decara then proceeded to bring
Mertjai from the future, into Denstra's time, to meet with Denstra.
Mertjai was quite overjoyed to meet her grandmother. The two
spoke at length and had a friendly visit; then Denstra became quite
serious. She told Mertjai the identity of her mother and explained
that she was the only other Awooga to know her name. Denstra swore her
to secrecy, still frightened of causing chaos in the proud Awooga
family. She explained that this daughter, named Qemtay, would come
forward when she was old enough. At this time, Mertjai could announce
her identity to her family, friends, and the entire world.
As the visit between grandmother and granddaughter ended,
Denstra hugged Mertjai. In this final embrace, Denstra died; leaving
Mertjai stuck in her time.
-A historian of current facts.
{*} {*} {*} {*} {*} {*} {*} {*}
The Book of Evil Mage Tricks, Ch. 11
It was a quiet morning, not any more quiet than yesterday morn nor any
louder than it either, just a normal everyday kind of morning. Three
men faced a fourth, nearly thirty yards apart in the small Romanian
town. The first was a generic thug/hooligan, the kind of man you could
hire for fifty gold to knock somebody off. The second was taller, more
lithe than his fellows -- obviously of higher breeding, evidenced by
his finer clothes and bejewelled rapier and gilded buckler. The third
man was less in stature than the others, a smaller frame excellent for
sneaking in and out of places undetected, his unassuming black clothing
hiding a myriad of tools of a thief's trade. These three men faced the
fourth, a small, wizened imp-like creature, decked out very much like a
mime, which somewhat confused the other three.
"You know why we are here, Iggy. Hand it over and your life will be
spared." At the word "life" the taller man spat upon the ground in
disgust, the thug only raised the volume of his ever-present growl a
small bit.
The imp fingered a small band of jewels in the pocket of his black
pants, but said nothing.
"So be it. Your death." Immediately the thug and the thief advanced,
but the taller man closed his eyes and began chanting a strange string
of words. The imp simply stood and smiled, once in a while pretending
to climb a bit of rope or push his way out of an imaginary box.
When the pair had advanced to about ten feet from the imp, they
suddenly stopped, eyes wide with fear, and trembled. The sight of this
made the magician in the rear stop chanting, so great was his confusion
and curiosity.
"What is this, men? Press on, mash his head in!" the taller man
shouted, obviously irked by their behavior. Slowly the pair began to
retreat, first in small steps, and then in leaps and bounds until they
had left the vicinity at a great speed, leaving the taller man to face
the mime.
The mime sat still and grinned a little grin.
"I don't know what your game is, but it's over now," boomed the man in
the rear, a fiery ball of light as his fingertips and nearing
completion. Suddenly he realized what the other men had run from, an
image appeared in his mind, very clear, very lucid. Thousands upon
thousands of field mice were mobbed, unseen, in the alleyways under the
porches of the residences, in the trees, under the very earth. The
man's eyes widened as the horde of rodents consumed him in his mind's
eye, each bite as sharply felt as if it had actually happened. Quickly
he realized that it was no more than a sadistic illusion, wrought to
scare him away, he dispersed it with a wave of his hand.
"Feeble tricks by a feeble mage. Prepare for the next life, friend."
And with that, the man let loose his ball of light and sent it zooming
toward the mime, who stood and stared at the ball as it was coming.
Just then, the magician's eyes widened in horror as two things
happened: the ball of light was consumed by a hidden wall of energy
surrounding the mime, and at that same instant a horde of mice welled
up from the dark places and advanced in their slow, sinister fashion.
He turned this way and that, attempting to escape the surrounding
rodents, this time no illusion, the smell of death was thick in the
air, he saw that these mice had been raised from the dead, flesh and
fur hanging from bones raised reluctantly from the earth, malice and
hatred burned clear and bright in every eye that approached him. The
rodents neared, the circle of clear ground was growing smaller by the
second, the stench of death in his nostrils as he screamed the last
breath from his lungs. He felt very cold and appeared in the court of
the Sultan, completely naked and shivering with fear.
The mime cracked a grin and waved the illusion away, leaving a pile of
clothing and personal items lying heaped in the middle of the road.
{*} {*} {*} {*} {*} {*} {*} {*}
Castle Valthalas, Romania
Sounds of revelry drift down the path from the castle, standing up on
the hill amid piles of corpses and bleached white bones. Citizens go
about their business in a peaceful manner, whistling a happy tune as
the day's work goes about nicely.
Up the path from the northern forest, however, walks another whistling
man. However, this whistled song doesn't sound happy in the least,
punctuated by high shrill whistles that sound more like a drill caught
in bone than any human sound. He comes upon the village, and with him
comes a cloak of dread and silence, except for his own high pitched
whistling. Taking no notice of any of this sudden silence, he stalks up
the path to the castle, the jaws of all the citizens flapping in
mingled disbelief and accustomed dread.
Beer, ale, and all sorts of whiskey flow freely inside the castle
gates, as the grandest party the castle has ever seen continues to go
on, despite the figure making his way up the path. The enormous castle
doors bulge slightly inward as if the fist of some giant had smacked
into it. No one notices in the horrendous noise filling the room,
however.
The second knock, if it even was a knock, blows the doors straight off
their hinges, crushing a good third of the room's occupants. The figure
rushes in, dusty cloak flapping at his legs. "What have you pathetic
SCUM been doing in my castle while I've been away?! Where is my
housekeeper?!" he thunders, rushing off to find where said housekeeper
might be.
Opening doors, bursting in on couples claiming to have just been
"Getting a bit of dust from his/her eyes", and drunken sots puking in
the finely made beds, the man searches frantically for the errant
housekeeper. An open window in one of the rooms draws his attention, as
he rushes to it and hops out onto a precarious ledge.
"Tepes, you damn ass!" he shouts to the night air, "Where are you
crawling off to now?". He rushes back and forth on the ledge, looking
for any sign of the missing Tepes. However, a sooty window draws his
attention from the chase momentarily.
"Damn, how long has it been since this place has been washed down in
blood properly?" he has time to reflect, stepping further out onto a
group of old wooden shingles to polish the dirty window. "And have they
been waterproofing these shingles with baby's blood like they should?
Feels awfully weak," said just before the shingles give way, sending
him crashing down to the cobblestones.
"Bloody hell," the broken form mumbles from the ground. "Well, I
suppose my war-mongering days are done for awhile, this is gonna take a
while to fix."
{*} {*} {*} {*} {*} {*} {*} {*}
From Tree To Cross
Quite a few people had gathered out of leisure, coincidence, private
errands, and whatever else may cause men and women to gather without
consciously choosing to do so. It was a peaceful day, not one that seemed
about to bring forth much philosophy. Yet that was to change when a willowy
girl with leaves woven into her hair spotted somebody in the crowd, stood,
and called out his name. 'Frater Tancred?'
A silver-haired, bearded man bearing the white and black robes
of the Knights Templar glanced up at the mention of his name, then
looked at the girl questioningly. They were traditional enemies, yet he
was not one to take up arms against a woman who was all but a child,
and she not one who would previously do battle against a steel clad
man. 'Ooh,' she said. 'Erm.' Then she blushed.
The church knight blinked. 'Blushing? That is not the usual effect
I have on ladies,' he smiled. 'I was looking for you, Frater,' she
explained, regaining her confidence. 'Do you like to be called Frater, or
erm...'
'Methinks 'twould be fitting to call me what you believe I am. If
you thou wishest to be to formal about it, 'Frater' or 'sir' will do, as I
am monk and knight both,' he offered matter-of-factly.
She blushed again. 'Well, sire, in that case... Uhm, I have heard
of your name several times in my travels. People I have told my troubles to
said I should seek you out.'
The knight raised an eyebrow. 'Indeed? I must say I am somewhat
intrigued... That a lady of the druidic circle would require my advice is
not a common sight.'
The girl's slender frame stiffened. 'Ah, there is a tale to be
told, sire, about that.' The knight chuckled. 'Do not call me sire,
mademoiselle, I am no king. Even so, methinks I should wish to hear yon
tale,' he added encouragingly.
She nodded. 'I know this esoteric Christian sect of yours - I've
heard of it, word gets around - is not over fond of the old ways, but this
is why I wish to have word.'
''Twould be wrong to write off all that is pre-Christian as
ignorance and folly,' said he. 'Even so, much that is ancient is mere
superstition and lies wrought by netherworldly forces.'
Willow continued: 'So I have come to feel, sire. I believe you have
heard of me, as I was deeply involved in the ancient lore, but I am here
today as a seeker of the Truth. I am, sire, Angesley no more.'
He nodded, somewhat surprised. 'If thine eyes art open, methinks
Truth will gladly reveal itself. I must say that even as I have known pure
souls to grace that circle of pagans, it pleases me greatly to hear that
one should have stepped forth into the light.'
'I give the fact that there remains much of value in the old ways,
and these I do still practice, though I have changed much,' she offered. 'I
have learned the art of the sword on my travels and much more.' It seemed
oddly wrong that so slender a girl should wield a blade in battle, but
perhaps her fragility belied her strength. 'And yet, after so many years,
sire, I came to feel that there was some... void, a space unfilled by all
that I knew.'
'Indeed,' said he, familiarity in his voice. 'The trees may be an
easy target for worship but they do offer little relief.'
Willow continued, more sure of herself now: 'I began to take
more interest in the words I heard, whispered hastily, about this way
you preach.'
Tancred nodded his understanding. 'My ways are simple,
mademoiselle. Methinks even so they offer all the shelter and comfort a man
or woman may need.'
'Eventually my heart knew I could no longer live as I was. I have
left behind me everything I knew, sire. I am as a child, new-born, in this
world.'
'"Let the children come unto me",' the knight quoted.
'I cannot change what I am. I am a child of the sidhe, and shall
always be so, by blood. And yet we may each choose our path.' She glanced
for confirmation and received it: 'Come forth, Willow, and the truth will
be offered to thee. 'Twill be thine own task to embrace it.' She said, 'I
have left the woods behind for good, sire. Teach me, I ask you, all that
you may. I shall be a most loyal and willing student.' He replied, 'An open
mind would be prerequisite.'
Then spoke suddenly another woman standing close by, obviously
having overheard the proceedings: 'One mysticism replaced by another,' said
Dominique. 'A lie replaced by a truth, mademoiselle Dominique,' said the
church knight.
'I am, sire, a vessel, to be filled by the light of God,' Willow
breathed. 'Plants and trees don't lie, that's pretty uniquely human,' said
Gilda, another woman who stood on the edge of the crowd. 'And worshipping
plants and trees is lowering oneself to the same level,' argued Dominique.
A man's voice spoke: 'They do... Certain exotic plants rely on
deception to lure unsuspecting prey to their gaping maws,' said Hevydd.
'Indeed, humanity is easily deceived. Therefore 'tis our greatest task to
battle the Liar where we find evidence of his work,' Tancred stated.
Yet another woman rose, drawn into the argument. Dadtou-di said, 'I
have to intrude here... Not a lie replaced by truth, but truth repressed...'
Willow ignored them all. 'I ask formally, and humbly, sire, that
you allow me the honor of following this path under your banner.' The
knight nodded. 'Ask and thou shalt receive.'
'Careful study of plants gives me the ability to heal. What does
God give for careful study of Him?' snorted Gilda. 'Peace,' said the
knight. 'Careful study of plants also allows me to poison and harm others,'
said Hevydd. 'Well, that's a bad bargain, then,' Gilda concluded. 'I'll
stick to ferns.' Dadtou-di said, pondering, 'An ulcer?' Deathangel jumped
into the debate there: 'If you have to ask that question you may never
know,' and the knight nodded his agreement to that.
'My plants will never give me eternal life, though,' Hevydd said,
disappointedly. 'Mais non, they will certainly not,' Tancred agreed. 'The
best flowers will do for you is look beautiful on your grave.' Deathangel
snorted: 'For a brief time, before they rot.'
'It is by the grace of the Lord that I have these plants to work
for me,' Hevydd protested. 'And a possible balsamation,' Dadtou-di
suggested.
'Such is the nature of things mortal,' Tancred stated. 'Another
reason to strive for something better, methinks.' Hevydd said, 'Man will
eventually, like the plants, pass away. And then we enter a better world if
we choose.' He seemed genuinely sorry for the plants. 'Tis the greatest
gift that we were given, we have but to open our hands and receive it,' the
church knight said,
Deathangel nodded. 'What happens here is but a brief stop on a
mortal's trip to eternity.' Hevydd said, 'We are but guests in this mortal
world, and must soon take our leave. But while we are here we can enjoy the
gifts of the Lord.' As if to illustrate his words, he took a healthy bite
of a strand of fennel.
'So you mean we can never be happy on Earth?', Dominique asked.
Yet another joined in: 'Yes, but the question is WHO do we need to
open our hands to,' Wink said. 'Of course we can,' said Hevydd. 'But it
will be a worldly joy, different from the TRUE joy of finally being in His
presence.'
'Nature is all around us. If God wants to be worshipped he won't get
far by being remote and nonvisible,' said Gilda sharply. 'In many ways,
this mortal life is but a preparation for true existence,' said Tancred. By
now he looked somewhat perplexed, a man more accustomed to arguing
theology with the sword than with his tongue.
'Happiness on Earth is possible,' Deathangel called out. 'But to
place your immortal soul in peril to seek fleeting gratification is, to me,
a waste... For those who have souls, that is.' Tancred nodded. 'I know you
not, monseigneur, but thine words hold merit.'
Rorschach rose. 'And what is the true existence a preparation for?'
Hevydd said, 'Nay, Gilda... The sin lies in worshipping the
creation and not the creator.'
'You all deserve what you get,' Dominique said. 'Indeed,' said
Tancred. 'Everyone deserves what they get,' said Gilda. 'The difficulty is
whether they were asking for what they deserve.' And Hevydd added, 'We
deserve what we get, but the Lord has taken that upon Himself, and given us
our redemption at His own sacrifice.'
Deathangel bowed before the church knight. 'We serve the same
lord... In our ways... I have turned from him, in my former office, but
still serve Him.'
'The doors of Heaven are always open,' said he. 'You have but to
knock.'
'Not quite what I meant, but men will interpret things as they want
to,' Dominique said. Again Tancred said, 'Indeed,' and again they were
probably not very much in agreement at all. Willow stood still, trying to
take in all the new ideas and words she was hearing. She looked quite
confused. Tancred smiled at her. 'Mademoiselle, I fear transition will take
you at least some time to settle in,' he told her.
She nodded uncertainly, clearly trying to appear confident. 'I
shall return soon, Frater, to talk with you more,' she said. 'But I must
away a short while.' He nodded. 'Pax tecum, go with the Lord. Until next,
Mademoiselle.'
And then the crowd quietly dispersed, each to walk his or her way
in his or her faith or absence thereof.
{*} {*} {*} {*} {*} {*} {*} {*}
The Hanging Stones
Smiling softly I looked down at my sister, her small form cuddled in my
arms as she purrs drowsily. How good it is to see her. I had thought
once that I'd never see her again. Stroking her hair gently, I think to
myself, for once allowing my mind to flow backwards over the fallen
sands of time.....
I sat upon the soft cushion of the window seat, a pillow grasped in my
arms, my chin cradled upon it as I listened to Diana. I knew she
wouldn't be upset at my seeming inattention for she knew that in all
truth I was listening intently.
"Megaliths were built by people of the Late Stone Age, Neolithic, and
they are found not only in Stonehenge, England or in Carnac, Brittany,
but all over Europe, in almost every country. Archaeologists have not
decided whether the stones are remnants of a pan-European culture
existing some 6000 - 4000 years ago or, if they were built by various
human cultures that all went through the same phase of development." My
eyes flickered from the window's view to Di as she sat at the table, her
eyes scanning two or three different books as she spoke. I watched her
with a fond smile, the bond between my tutor and I, a strong friendship
which had grown since my parents acquired her services 4 years ago,
rather than send me to a conventional high school.
"Stonehenge, the most famous of all the Megaliths, is thought to have been
completed 2000 years before the first Druids came to the Salisbury Plain."
My ears perked at the mention of Stonehenge, a slight tremor running
through my body. Cocking my head to the side I blinked. My reaction to this
name puzzled me.
"Stonehenge means "hanging stones." Some say it means that the stones
were used to hang criminals back in 3,000 B.C., when its creation is
said to have been started. Others, however, believe that the stones are
much too elaborate to have been made simply for hanging, and think it
refers to the way the stones seem to hang in the air in the trilithons.
There are many different legends regarding this Megaliths, one states
that the stones were made when dancing giants were transformed into
stones.
Another says that the devil purchased the stones from a woman in
Ireland, and magically made them float to their new spot. When he
challenged the entire village that they couldn't guess how many stones
there were in it, a friar then announced, "That is more than thee canst
tell." Apparently that was right, and the devil got mad, so he threw
one of the stones at him. The friar was so strong, though, that it hit
his heel and caused no damage on the friar. It dented the stone, and to
this day it is called the Heel Stone even though no expert has ever
found a dent upon the stone. The most accepted version is that it was
used as an "observatory" to view the various stages of the moon and
sun."
Di motioned me over to look at some of the pictures and a sense of awe
and excitement coursed through me as I gazed at the magnificent stones.
Unable to speak I merely nodded at Di as she continued to speak. "This
stone here is called the Altar Stone. It is considered one of the most
unique stones in Stonehenge. Located near the center, it is embedded
15 feet within the great central sarsen trilithon. While all of the
other stones in Stonehenge are either sarsen or bluestone, the Altar
Stone is made up of sandstone. Another interesting stone is the
Slaughter Stone. It is in fact 21 feet long, but it is sunken so deep
that only the upper surface shows. . . ."
My ears heard what Di was saying but my eyes were intent upon the
pictures. Almost frantically I turned the pages, drinking in the sights
of the stones, spurred on by something inside of me which I did not
understand. My hands traversed a picture which spanned two facing
pages, and a shock jolted through my fingers and arm. With widened eyes
and a frightened gasp, I slammed the book shut, earning a frown from
Di. I remember stammering something about needing some time to digest
all this information, and she shrugged, agreeing that we could end the
lesson for the day. I had planned on going out to the movies that night
with my best friend David, but ended up calling to cancel. For some
reason Stonehenge had struck a deep cord within me, one that was a bit
frightening to say the least.
The tinkling of a tiny bell greeted my ears as I walked into the shop
and paused at the door. Looking around I found the face I was looking
for and smiled, walking forward and leaning my elbows against the glass
of the counter. Jenna gave me a huge smile as she looked up, "Hey
girl! How goes it?"
I kissed her cheek and lidded my eyes, flashing her a lazy smile.
"Meow. . .you ready for me?"
"Sure, just go sit in my chair and I'll get the stuff...same as usual?"
She started walking towards the back.
"Naw, I wanted to try something a little bit different this
time....let's go electric blue."
She laughed and picked up the required bottles and tools, shaking her
head in amusement. Flopping myself down in the chair I dropped my
mini-backpack to the floor, the black leather slumping against the
cabinets.
"So what are you up to lately, Flower?" Jenna arranged herself behind
me and swiveled me around, leaning the chair back to lower my hair into
the sink. Closing my eyes and relaxing, I smiled, Jenna's fingers
soothing as she massaged my scalp and washed my hair.
"The 'rents are going to the UK for some kinda convention and I've
gotten permission to tag along. Ever since Di has started filling my
head with tales of The Hound and Brian Boru, I've been dying to see
Stonehenge. . . . besides. I hear English guys are cute." I opened my
eyes, the thick lashes of one side falling to rest momentarily upon my
cheek in a wink. "We're leaving this weekend."
"Then don't you think we should be doing emerald green instead of
electric blue?" She tapped my forehead playfully and lifted my head,
wrapping a towel about it and turning the chair back around.
"Heh, I thought about it, but I think I'll save that for St. Paddy's
day!" She began working on my hair and we continued chatting.....about
her family, about mine, the usual small talk while she worked over my
hair, deft fingers creating the perfect look.
Spinning me around, Jenna leaned against the back of the chair, her
eyes meeting mine in the mirror, "You likes?"
"I likes!!! Thanks Jenna girl! You rock." I ran my fingers through the
now blue locks and touched a dyed eyebrow, reminding myself to change
the color of the little jewel of the ring which pierced it, as well as
the smaller one adorning my left nostril. I smiled as I tugged the
braid on the right side of my face, hearing the elephant bells ring
joyously as they bounced against tiny sapphire-like gems, and flicking
the peace sign which hung from its end, admiring the way the two braids
looked on either side of my face. "It's perfect!"
I paid her and breezed a kiss over her lips, waving good-bye and
walking to my 4-Runner, thinking over the rest of the errands I had to
do before I would be ready for the jaunt to the UK.
...to be continued.
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Hello! Bonjour! Guten Tag! Konnichi wa! Well... you know what i mean! :)
I hope everyone is doing great! The month of may is closer than ever
and most important... Summer is getting closer!
For this interview I've talked with Thyme who seemed quite in a hurry
to give out his answers... Could have someone been watching over his
shoulder somewhere? Enjoy!
Name: Thyme
Occupation: Mercenary for hire
Q - 'What is the thing you would like to have the most right now?'
A - 'More contracts to kill others, the line of work would be very
exciting.'
Q - 'Is there something you have done in the past that you wish you wouldn't
have done?'
A - 'Yes, there is, joining the Grendels gave me a very bad reputation, I
wish now that I had never done it.'
Q - 'If you'd compare your attitude to that of a kitchen utensil, which would
it be?'
A - 'A knife, by all means, since thats the only one that backstabs, which
happens to be my favorite tactic when fulfilling contracts.'
Q - 'What is your favorite meal?'
A - 'Salad, I'm a health nut... always watching what I eat.'
Q - 'What would be the worst thing that could happen to you right now?'
A - 'That's a tough one, I try not to look into the future and predict
things, but being kicked out of my clan would be devastating to me,
it's all I know.'
Q - 'What do you personally think of the creatures of Hell?'
A - 'I think they are over rated, for the most part, but I must say, that
Marcel guy is spiffy.'
Q - 'If you could go to the future and bring back only one thing with you,
what would it be?'
A - 'A book about sports history, so I could bet on all the big games and
know I'd win, I'm all about making lots of cash.'
Q - 'What is the best weapon you ever had?'
A - 'My feet, so I can run like a bat out of hell when near dead. Without
them I wouldn't be here today.'
Q - 'If I could grant you a wish, what would it be?'
A - 'Stopping mindless multis in pkill, like the ones I'm viewing on info
right now.'
Q - 'A few last words for our readers?'
A - 'Yes, most importantly, I'm not the same Thyme people once knew, that is
an insult to him, I don't even compare.'
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That concludes another edition of "WHO?". I would like to remind you
that most of the people interviewed were picked randomly.
I am open to interviewing people on requests as long as there is a good
reason (example: the person is well known, is a GM, is an old legend player,
is a person who achieved something extraordinary or other valuable reasons).
I do give myself the right to decline requests if be needed, but doubt I
will decline any.
Do not forget that you may send in some questions that you would like me to
ask to my guest. Just take a piece of paper, write them down, and mud mail
it to me.
Until next time... May luck be on your path forever!
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Legendary Times is published by the immortals of LegendMUD. Please send
all replies, additions, or corrections 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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