Volume Two Issue Thirty-One

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.../________________/       running on   bashful.cc.utexas.edu 9999
                                                 128.83.108.17 9999
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    http://www.cs.cmu.edu:8001/Web/People/johnmil/legend/legend.html
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VOLUME TWO, ISSUE THIRTY ONE                            August 14, 1995
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             SPECIAL BIG ISSUE (READ THIS DURING THE DOWNTIME!)

                       *****************************

                       ...:/:[ CONTENTS ]:\:...

                              *UPDATES*

                             -Site Update-

                           -Proposals Update-

                           -Fund drive Update-

                              *ARTICLES*

                         -Lessons from Legend-

                           -A Word From Cleo-

                            *ANNOUNCEMENTS*

                         -Mud Party Invitation-

                          -Call for Panelists-

                              -A Contest-

                            *SOCIAL EVENTS*

                            -More Clan Chaos-

                           -Real Life Updates-

                            -A Pagan Wedding-

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Please send your responses to articles to the Legendary Times address at
[email protected]. Letters to the editor are welcomed and may be printed :)
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                             SITE UPDATE

Sadist loses his UTexas account as of Tuesday the 15th. This means that
anytime Tuesday, the mud is likely to go down and not come back up.

Playerfiles will be backed up at some point during the evening of Monday
the 14th. This is the version of pfiles which will be restored on our new
site -- anything you do with your character after this backup will be lost.

We have a verbal agreement with an access provider in Austin, and are
supposed to get a call from them this week, at which point we will take
the system to them and they will hook us up. We should have the mud up
and running on our own site within 24 hours of that call. (We'll call and
bug them Wednesday morning if we haven't heard from them yet, but they are
aware of the urgency of our situation, so hopefully this can all get done
Monday.)

If at all possible we will post a forwarding message on sylvester
pointing to the new address... we will not have Sadist's account to do
this from, however. Any subscribers who have a UTexas account are urged to
mail [email protected] if you would like to volunteer to run that message
program for us.

We will send an LT, post to the LDL, and have Malorn add the new address
to his web page as soon as possible. The code that will be running on the
new machine will NOT have a skills wipe (we're still working on all that
stuff), and will NOT have boards and notes (we're still working on an
indexing system to get rid of out-of-use notes), but we WILL have gun
proficiency skills, and teachers for them. NOTE: you will HAVE to learn
the gunplay skill in order to even fire a tech gun. You will no longer be
able to advance more than one level at a time, the speech bug is fixed,
and thanks to Kaige, our weather now includes moon cycles. You can expect
area updates and perhaps whole new areas to go in fairly soon after we
reopen. Various other small bugs have been fixed, and a few new moods
added. BIG BUG FIX - you will no longer lose all your eq if you go
linkdead and are autorented! (assuming you're under rent, that is...)

We know (or at least hope!) that it's a disappointment to have Legend
offline for a period of time, and it would have been nice if we had
Sadist's account for long enough to make this transition without
downtime. You can all feel proud that thanks to your contributions and
support we will finally be able to run Legend off a dedicated machine,
which means, among other amenities like room for more areas, eventual
room for notes and boards, etc, that we should never again have to suffer
machine lag which causes 15 minute ticks.

See you all on the new system!

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                          PROPOSALS UPDATE

As soon as we know the code is stable on the new site, we will be making
final decisions about immortal proposals, and immorting those selected.
Anyone who said they wanted to do a proposal but has not submitted one by the
time we are ready to decide, will not be able to be considered for this
round. Anyone who is working on amendments or additions to their proposal
will be judged according to the material actually in our hands at the
time we decide. To be on the safe side, this means Wed, the 16th, though
you might have a few more days depending on how fast or slowly we get set up.

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                           FUND DRIVE UPDATE

It turns out that RAM prices were more expensive than we expected them to
be. Between that the site fees for the first six months, plus what we
already owed Sadist, we lack about $800. $300 of that is the site fees
that the imms originally planned to cover, but that still leaves a good
chunk. Yes, we can open on the new site, but we do still need pledges and
donations :)

As we've mentioned before,  an anonymous player has pledged to match ANY
donations made by players (non IMMs) up to the sum of $200. Thus, your
donation will essentially be DOUBLED. If you can send a dollar, it will
count as $2! If you can only send $25, it'll count as $50! Please make
this generous person's gift worthwhile by doubling our efforts to get a
new site for LegendMUD.

We suggest that those who have the money burning a hole in their pocket
go ahead and send the checks directly to the following address and we
will get the letters out to them as soon as we can, perhaps even crossing in
the mail. This is the address to send donations to:

           (make checks payable to Raphael and Kristen Koster)

                     Raph and Kristen Koster
                     University Station
                     PO Box 1114

If you are an overseas donor who cannot write a check in US Dollars,
please email them at [email protected].

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     EVERYTHING I REALLY NEEDED TO KNOW, I LEARNED ON LEGENDMUD!

     Be nice to newbies, some of them will become gods.

     Be nice to newbies, some of them may already be gods.

     Hell is a very nasty place, but at least it exists (unlike heaven).

     People who defend each other are harder to kill.

     You can cross the atlantic in a canoe.

     Mice carry money; rats don't.

     There -is- life after death.

     Spelling counts.

     People who achieve it all quickly become bored.

     The vampire is not a deathtrap.

     There will always be a place where the Beatles are still together.

     Egypt wasn't built in a day.

     Never go afk on your clanned character.

             - Forrest

     **********************************************************

               We recently received this from Cleo:

                   - Bravo for a job well done! -


        Hi people of Legend.  How have you all been?  I know I have been
ok until now... and hope to keep it going :) hehehe

        Even though I haven't been able to get online to play the game, I
have watched things from far behind... and that is why I am writing this
article.

        Like most of you know, Legend as over a year of existence.
Thanks to all of the administrators.  Sure, it takes players to play a
game, but without the administrators -- the bones of this game -- where
would Legend be?  My guess is that it "wouldn't be".

        You have to remember that they aren't paid to take care of this
game... They do this voluntarily.  They could spend their time on other
things that they like to do... but no... they spend lots of their spare
time with us :)   We are very lucky to have them.  They have been
improving the mud months after months, and they still continue to do so.
And soon, (if not already), the new system will be online.  It's like
they explained already... they have to do lots of tests to be sure
everything is more than OK.

        If I could, I'd give each of the administrators of Legend a big
trophy made out of pure, clear crystal and emerald, with an inscription
that would say something like "To all of you, creators of Legend.  May
love shine in your hearts for ever".

        Continue your good work guys & girls, and stay with us for a very
long time.  We need you to keep us playing and to keep those bugs away! ;)


                        - CLeo -

                ///\\/\//////\\/////\/\/\///////

                       AN INVITATION

what : a mud party
when : Labor Day weekend, all weekend long
where : Battle Creek, Michigan
who : Parrilyn, Gig, and Fionn are hosting it
how : email to [email protected] for specific directions
or call us at 616-965-9961 and ask for Gig or Parri :)

There'll be swimming, hiking, boating (MAYBE), bar-b-queing (DEFINITELY),
and whatever else we can come up with between now and the party.
we hope you can join us :)

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                         CALL FOR PANELISTS

Rusalka is planning to host some kind of LegendMUD Symposium on Role
Playing in September or October (hopefully before the mid term crush
hits). Right now, she's looking for panelists and/or speakers in the
following categories:

What is Roleplay?
PlayerKilling and How to Deal With it
The Ethics of Playing Across Characters
MUDdling into Relationships -- the impact of RP on real life relations
Clanning and Roleplay

She welcomes any suggestions for catagories other than those, and would
also like volunteers to help host a possible role playing workshop.
If interested, contact her at [email protected]. Please note
that she'll be out of town August 15-22, and thus unable to receive you
e-mail till she gets back.

                     ++++++++++++++++++++++

Fionn is sponsoring an illusion contest (those nifty effects certain
mages can produce). Those interested should e-mail him at x95tarrant@wmich.

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                            CLAN NEWS

Life continues to be lively for the Knights. Absent for the next two
weeks because of RL, Dominic delegated two Knights to take his place --
Tempus became acting GM, and Lirra became acting Deputy. Things went
fairly smoothly until Tempus had an fatal encounter with Augustus, that
infamous Knight slayer. Deciding that he had shed blood for the Knightly
ideals far too many times (attentive reader will recall the long running
battles between Kiera and the Knights last spring), Tempus declared himself
rogue and appointed Lirra to be the acting GM. What exactly the future
plans of Tempus or the Knights might be is unclear to all.

The Hermetics also experienced a fair amount of...excitement. Eseau,
their sworn shield maiden, abruptly quit the clan, citing disatisfaction
with Hermetic policy and her role. She then offered Hermetic tokens for
sale, and reportedly even made some fatal attacks upon Hermetics. What
exactly the Hermetics intend to do about Eseau (ie retaliation, negotiation,
and so forth..) is unclear.

Speaking of magic...a rumor is going around Legend that a group of
witches is beginning to gather. Word has it they call themselves the
Coven, a name which already strikes fear in the hearts of many.

                 ///\\/\//////\\/\///\/\\/////\\

Mercenary and Kiera recently fought an epic and duel which spanned two
time spans and continents. Finally, after their protracted struggle was
resolved when Kiera cleverly stole Mercenary's boat on open
water....whereupon he drowned. Although Kiera considered the victory a bit
hollow since she had to get help from the natural elements, Mercenary
readily acknowledged that she won "by intelligence." Mercenary has also
been seen sparring quite a bit with Tempus. Apparently they were
competing for the lordship of Klein...

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

No, that enigmatic Anti-Paladin type thief, recently retired at level 50.
Tempus, a friend throughout No's career, struck the final blow as a
favor to No. Before his passing, No requested that the LT Office explain that
since he and Mercenary had never fought, Mercenary hasn't in fact vanquished
every major PKer on Legend.

                          ***************

As some of you may recall, a character named Savanna claimed to have been
Tempus' first love and/or mate long before he met his Ecstacy. Well,
recently, a character named Tenchi has popped up who claims to be the son of
this Savanna and Tempus and accuses Tempus of abandoning them both. And
so the Mud turns.....

                      //\/\////\/\\///\///

In RL news, Ptah and Kaige report that they have been hired as Associate
Designers by Origin!!!!! As some of you may know, Origin is the company that
makes the popular Ultima series. In fact, Legend was visited incognito by
Lord British himself, head of Origin and the creator of Ultima, during the
hiring decision process (yes, he liked us :). Essentially, Ptah and Kaige
will be getting paid to do the same sorts of things they
already do on Legend. Since they will be relocating to Austin, Texas, the
site of Origin, Ptah and Kaige will either be house hunting or moving for
the next couple of weeks, and hence, will be relatively absent from Legend.

                         ***************

In other RL news, Charity notes that while her new job enables her to be
logged onto Legend most weekday afternoons, she is very likely to be afk.
Moreover, she hasn't got backscroll and is likely to lose what you tell
her if she doesn't see it immediately (so in other words, don't count on
reaching her, but feel free to try :).

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

Rusalka will be off on RL adventures in Idaho August 15-22 (which means
she'll miss all the fun and chaos of our move ;).

                       +++++++++++++++++

Cleo recently sent us the following note :)

Hi Legend Mud!

        I just wanted to let everyone know that I will be coming back
online around the 5th of September, and I will be playing mud again :)

                          *************


We also recently heard from Kiki, a character whom many veterans will
remember:

[Chat] Kiki: hello all...just wanted you to know I am still alive

Maybe we'll see her again :)

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                         A PAGAN WEDDING

The following article arrived at the LT offices inscribed on an old scroll
wrapped up in a violet silk scarf that smelled deeply of exotic spices:

Hi, I'm Mitra, for those of you who havn't met me. Mainly, I do magery,
though I also do the occasional Persian dance step. Anyway, the reason I'm
writing today, is that I am a follower of the Goddess, or Great Mother,
as you may call her. Because of my status as the very first Goddess worshipper,
Isobel Mac Duff and Alistaire Crowley asked me to help perform their
Pagan/Goddess centered wedding.

I have to admit that I had some trepidations. I personally find the
patriarchal "marriage" a bit unsettling. I also worried that I wouldn't
fit in with their Celtic/tree-hugger style (not mention sharing air time
with a druid priest!). However, I felt that this was something that the
Goddess was leading me to do, and besides....Isobel was cute (such a pity I
didn't meet her _before_ she decided she wanted to get married :p).

Anyway, for all the doubts I had, it turned out very nicely. I definitely
got the best lines 8-> For any of you who are interested in Pagan
weddings, this is what we did:

The setting was a flower garden in Hell:

The garden is rather large and walled in like a courtyard.  The walls are
made of rough stone and have tressels around them with some of the most
exotic and beautiful roses you have ever seen growing in separate sections.
There is a small stone path that leads around here through the gardens below
the trussels and around a decent sized pool of water in the center, that is
raised about three or four feet above the ground.
a small cup sits here, on the altar.
An athame sits here, on an altar
a wooden wand sits here, on an altar.
an iron short sword sits here, on an altar.
A simple stone altar sits here.

I led Alistaire in and the Druid Priest led Isobel in. The Priest then
closed the circle with flowers and I closed it with an iron sword.

The priest then asked 'Who comes to be joined together in the presence of
the Godess? What is thy name, Oh man?'

Alistaire said 'My name is Alistaire Crowley.'

I said 'Who comes to be joined in the presence of the God?  What is thy
name, O woman?'

Isobel said, enigmatically, 'My name is Isobel MacDuff.'

'Alistaire Crowley and Isobel MacDuff, we greet you with joy,' I told them,
'Unity is balance, and balance is unity. Hear then and understand.'

I picked up a wooden wand and explained "The wand that I hold is the
symbol of Air. Know and remember that this is the element of Life, of
Intelligence, of the Inspiration which moves us onwards. By this wand of
Air, we bring to your handfasting the power of mind."

The Priest then picked up a short sword and explained "The sword that I
hold is the symbol of Fire. Know and remember that this is the element
of Light, of Energy, and of the Vigour which runs through our veins. By
this sword of Fire, we bring to your handfasting the power of Will."

I then took a small cup and announced "The chalice that I hold is the
symbol of Water, Know and remember that this is the element of Love, of
growth, of the fruitfulness of the Great Mother. By this chalice of Water,
we bring to your handfasting the power of Desire."

"Listen to the words of the Great Mother, she who of old was also
called by many names, I told them, "Whenever ye have need, under the sky when
the moon is full, gather ye in some secret place and adore the spirit of
me, who am the Goddess."

I paused and gave them both a suggestive smile..."There I will teach ye
things unknown and ye shall be free. And as a sign of your freedom, ye shall
be naked in your rights, and ye shall dance, sing, feast, make music and
love, all in my name. For I am the mother of all living and my love is poured
out upon the earth. Hear ye the words of the Godess, she in the dust of whose
feet are the hosts of heaven and whose body encircles the universe. I who am
the beauty of the earth, and of the moon, and of the waters and of the desire
of the hearts of man, call unto thy soul. Arise and come unto to me. For
behold, I have been with thee from the beginning; and I am that which is
attained at the end of desire.

The Priest solemnly nodded and then began the vows part. He administered
them to Isobel, and then I administered them to Alistaire.

By seed and root, by bud and stem,
By leaf and flower and fruit, by life and love,
In the name of the Goddess, I, (person vowing), take thee, (other person)
To my hand, my heart, and my spirit, at the setting of the sun
and the rising of the stars.
Nor shall death part us.
For in the fulness of time we shall be born again at the same time.
And in the same place as each other. And we shall meet, and know, and
remember, and love again.'

They then exchanged more personal vows, as well as  rings. Isobel's was
first:

I have no skill make a verse good enough.
Yet, I vow I deliver to you my heart, my sensuality, my life.
I wear openly my devotion to you and will not leave your side.
For all the rest, whatever you wish to do, at your pleasure.
May my love know, for my part, no woman could love you with better heart.

The Alistaire followed:

There is not a forge hot enough to bear forth steel stronger than my
love for you.
There has never been a crashing wave as powerful as my love for you.
Since first we met, you have entranced me, made me weak and strong, and shy
and brave.
I give to you this gift, this ring that that binds us forever.
For there is no one who shall ever steal my heart from your hands, nor
shall I ever let yours fall free of mine.

They did quite a bit of staring into one another's eyes, and then the Druid
and I got things moving again. The Druid Priest gave Isobel a chalice, saying
"In the name of Goddess and in the name of thy God, I give to you Isobel
MacDuff, this chalice from which to drink and be bound by the blood of life
that it gives." Isobel drank, and then I gave the chalice to Alistaire
and repeated the charge to him.

I then said, "With the blessings of the Goddess and the God, go forth
together in this world as wife and husband, bound in the beauty of thy love."

The druid priest then announced their marriage on the chat channel and I
used the channel to admonish the couple to "Go forth in this world now,
bound by life, by love, by the love of the God and of the Goddess."
Various congratulations were exchanged, we trooped out of garden,
Alistaire and Isobel got really kissy, and Isobel gave Alistaire the
most...interesting wedding present. They then took off for Ireland and I
demanded and got a recall out :p I suppose the priest got a ride back to
Ireland. Whew. Normally, following the Goddess requires a tad less work!

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 Legendary Times is put out by the gods of LegendMUD. Please send all
 replies/additions to Please send items and your responses to articles
and 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. If you feel we have wrongly omitted
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 and see if I did indeed receive it in the first place.
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 The LegendMUD anonymous ftp site has all back issues of the Legendary
 Times available for anonymous ftp. Its address is given in the banner
  at the top of this message. Once connected, cd pub/users/legend/lt,
  and you will find directories containing volumes one and two, broken
 in sets of ten issues. The anonymous ftp site also houses other files
      that may be of interest to you. Visit our Web page too!
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