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		<title>Mertjai: Created page with &quot; &lt;nowiki&gt; =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=  .............._______  ............./     /            THE LEGENDARY TIMES   ..............&quot;</title>
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		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Created page with &amp;quot; &amp;lt;nowiki&amp;gt; =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=  .............._______  ............./     /            THE LEGENDARY TIMES   ..............&amp;quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;New page&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div&gt; &amp;lt;nowiki&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=&lt;br /&gt;
 .............._______&lt;br /&gt;
 ............./     /            THE LEGENDARY TIMES &lt;br /&gt;
 ............/     /             &lt;br /&gt;
 .........../     /.....______.._____.....______.._____.......____&lt;br /&gt;
 ........../     /...../     /./     \.../     /./     \...../    \&lt;br /&gt;
 ........./     /...../  ___/./  ____/../  ___/./  __.  \.../  /\  \&lt;br /&gt;
 ......../     /...../  /_.../  /....../  /_.../  /..\   &amp;gt;./  /./  /&lt;br /&gt;
 ......./     /...../  __/../  /____../  __/../  /.../  /./  /./  /&lt;br /&gt;
 ....../     /_____/__/__../  \_\  /./  /__../  /.../  /./  /_/  /&lt;br /&gt;
 ...../               / /./       /./     /./  /.../  /./       /&lt;br /&gt;
 ..../               /_/..\______/./_____/./__/.../__/./_______/ MUD&lt;br /&gt;
 .../________________/      running on         mud.legendmud.org 9999&lt;br /&gt;
                                                  64.7.5.163     9999&lt;br /&gt;
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=&lt;br /&gt;
http://www.legendmud.org/                    ftp://ftp.legendmud.org/pub&lt;br /&gt;
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=&lt;br /&gt;
VOLUME SEVEN, ISSUE TWENTY-SIX                          October 28, 2000&lt;br /&gt;
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
                        TABLE OF CONTENTS&lt;br /&gt;
 &lt;br /&gt;
                        Calendar of Events&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
                      Color &amp;quot;Themes&amp;quot; Contest&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
                       DEPARTMENTAL UPDATES&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
                            LEGENDITES&lt;br /&gt;
                           Announcements&lt;br /&gt;
                       The Meaning of Tiphareth&lt;br /&gt;
                         Fee's Transformation&lt;br /&gt;
                       A Letter of Introduction&lt;br /&gt;
                        The Old Man of the Sea&lt;br /&gt;
                         In the words of Bass&lt;br /&gt;
                       Horoscopes by Mme. Decara&lt;br /&gt;
                            &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
___                                                                        ___&lt;br /&gt;
\  |----------------------------------------------------------------------|  /&lt;br /&gt;
/__|  LegendMUD Calendar of Events                                        |__\&lt;br /&gt;
   '----------------------------------------------------------------------'&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[All times are system time unless otherwise specified]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
                   o o o o o o o   October   o o o o o o o&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
            Tuesday,   October 31         Happy Halloween!&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
                    */*\*/*\*/*\* November */*\*/*\*/*\*&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
      Thursday,  November 2nd, 7:00 pm       Q &amp;amp; A in the OOC Auditorium&lt;br /&gt;
      Thursday,  November 9th, 7:00 pm       Q &amp;amp; A in the OOC Auditorium&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
     []-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
                        Color &amp;quot;Themes&amp;quot; Contest&lt;br /&gt;
     &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Announcing a new contest: Color themes! &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
What do we mean by that? Chocorua has been working hard on a new code project &lt;br /&gt;
involving colors, which allows players to choose from a set of pregenerated &lt;br /&gt;
color mappings. Right now, we only offer one possible theme and allow players &lt;br /&gt;
to set up their own from there. This new feature will allow players to easily &lt;br /&gt;
move between a variety of pre-set themes, and hopefully we'll provide a &lt;br /&gt;
good range which is useful to most people, at least to start with. This is &lt;br /&gt;
a very similar feature to what your desktop computer might offer, i.e. a &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Water&amp;quot; theme, or an &amp;quot;Eggplant&amp;quot; theme, etc.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
    Here's how to enter:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
    Send a note to Chocorua with the colors for your theme for each of these &lt;br /&gt;
    categories:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
 0:  prompt [] color                    14: tell color&lt;br /&gt;
 1:  prompt color 2                     15: fight message color&lt;br /&gt;
 2:  prompt color 3                     16: full condition color 1&lt;br /&gt;
 3:  room name color                    17: slightly down condition color 2&lt;br /&gt;
 4:  room desc color                    18: medium condition color 3&lt;br /&gt;
 5:  room contents color                19: bad condition color 4&lt;br /&gt;
 6:  &amp;quot;normal&amp;quot; color                     20: critical condition color 5&lt;br /&gt;
 7:  channel [] color                   21: social / emote color&lt;br /&gt;
 8:  channel color                      22: banner color&lt;br /&gt;
 9:  channel user color                 23: banner title color&lt;br /&gt;
10:  channel message color              24: group tell color&lt;br /&gt;
11:  exit [] color                      25: clan channel color / message color&lt;br /&gt;
12:  exit color 2                       26: clan channel user color&lt;br /&gt;
13:  valid exit color 3&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
For reference, the colors are:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
 0 black   1 red   2 green   3 yellow   4 blue   5 magenta   6 cyan   7 white&lt;br /&gt;
 8 bblack  9 bred 10 bgreen 11 byellow 12 bblue 13 bmagenta 14 bcyan 15 bwhite&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Share your favorite color combination, or try out some new ones! Be creative! &lt;br /&gt;
Is there a setup that works particularly well for, say, healer-type &lt;br /&gt;
characters, or snipers, that you can recommend?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The last step is to name your theme (if possible) and send it in!&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Entries are due Friday, November 10th at midnight!&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
___                                                                   ___&lt;br /&gt;
\  |-----------------------------------------------------------------|  /&lt;br /&gt;
/__|                     Departmental Updates                        |__\&lt;br /&gt;
  '-----------------------------------------------------------------'&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== ADMIN ===============================================================&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
During the past month, Admin has gotten new method for adding keywords to&lt;br /&gt;
help files and a new warning system, in which the coders are still trying&lt;br /&gt;
to work out some problems. In the meantime, if you appear to have multiple&lt;br /&gt;
listings of the same helpfile, this is a known problem and the coders are&lt;br /&gt;
working on it. We cleaned up many duplicates with this week's update, but&lt;br /&gt;
they may reappear.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With the changes to the help file system, players should be finding less&lt;br /&gt;
and less helpfiles that come up with 'No help found on.' for minor&lt;br /&gt;
variations on the keywords for common help files. There are still many&lt;br /&gt;
that will need to be written from scratch, but they're coming. Missing&lt;br /&gt;
helpfiles do not need to be reported via the bug command as missed&lt;br /&gt;
keywords are automatically logged.&lt;br /&gt;
 &lt;br /&gt;
=== BUILDING ============================================================&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The building department has been adding information for the AREAINFO&lt;br /&gt;
command and fixing bugs and typos reported.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The following areas are in testing or review:&lt;br /&gt;
 Kheldar's Medieval Trade Route, Leila's London Expansion, Chimera's&lt;br /&gt;
 Midsummer Night's Dream (part of the collective Shakespeare areas).&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The following areas currently in progress (not an exhaustive list):&lt;br /&gt;
 Tudor's update         - Rusalka&lt;br /&gt;
 Klein Update/Expansion - LadyAce&lt;br /&gt;
 Ancient Hawaii         - Danar&lt;br /&gt;
 Cheyenne               - Chimera&lt;br /&gt;
 Colonial New Zealand   - Perseus&lt;br /&gt;
 Denmark                - Kae&lt;br /&gt;
 Egyptian Pyramid       - Charity&lt;br /&gt;
 Gilgamesh              - Ea!&lt;br /&gt;
 Medieval France        - Sandra&lt;br /&gt;
 Roman Cologne          - Kunnar&lt;br /&gt;
 Shakespeare            - Rusalka/Chimera/Kae&lt;br /&gt;
 Silk Road              - LadyAce/Sandra&lt;br /&gt;
 Tahiti                 - Charity&lt;br /&gt;
 The R.M.S Titanic      - Straussy&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== CODING ==============================================================&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The coding department has been proving support for the other departments&lt;br /&gt;
and working on balance issues and fixing all sorts of minor problems.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
New Socials : READY&lt;br /&gt;
New commands: AREAINFO EMOTETO SCREENWIDTH TARGET&lt;br /&gt;
New say alts: COUGH PROCLAIM&lt;br /&gt;
New moods   : ADMIRINGLY ARROGANT CHEERFUL FORGETFUL GIDDY HAGGARD JAZZY&lt;br /&gt;
             PARANOID RELAXED&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Details for the many bug fixes and changes this month can be found in Ea!'s&lt;br /&gt;
posts on the welcome board with the title &amp;quot;Code Changes for...&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== PLAYER RELATIONS ====================================================&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The PR Dept. has held a couple of trivia games this month, one of them for&lt;br /&gt;
Columbus Day, held Q&amp;amp;A sessions, helped with at least one wedding, updated&lt;br /&gt;
the prize machine and the immort listing on the web page, ran buglottos,&lt;br /&gt;
updated some PR related helpfiles, did lots of strings and restrings and&lt;br /&gt;
descriptions and talked with players about their concerns. This past week,&lt;br /&gt;
the Haunting of Boston tinyplot was held -- look for the full story in a &lt;br /&gt;
later LT!&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
           ________________________&lt;br /&gt;
          /                        \&lt;br /&gt;
      o O | Wonder what folks are   |&lt;br /&gt;
 `\|||/   | doing over at LegendMUD?|&lt;br /&gt;
 (o o)    \________________________/&lt;br /&gt;
ooO_(_)_Ooo________________________________________________________________&lt;br /&gt;
_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|___&lt;br /&gt;
__|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
  ___                                                                  ___&lt;br /&gt;
  \ |------------------------------------------------------------------| /&lt;br /&gt;
  /__|  LEGENDITES: Information Regarding the People of Our World     |__\&lt;br /&gt;
   '------------------------------------------------------------------'&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
                              Announcements&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
                Marcel has reached 100 million experience!&lt;br /&gt;
                 Shine has reached 400 million experience!&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
                         The Meaning of Tiphareth&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Six Sephiroth of the Jewish Cabbala of which Tiphareth is the&lt;br /&gt;
center, are sometimes called Adam Kadmon, the archetypical human&lt;br /&gt;
being. In Tiphareth we find the archetypical ideals brought into focus&lt;br /&gt;
and turned into archetypical ideas. This is why one of the names of&lt;br /&gt;
Tiphareth is the Child. Here, creation begins. An idea is spawned to&lt;br /&gt;
grow into full-fledged existence. The chief virtue of the sephirah is&lt;br /&gt;
commitment to a work begun; - and logically enough, its chief flaw is&lt;br /&gt;
false pride.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In choosing Tiphareth as our symbol to unite under, we have made a&lt;br /&gt;
statement. For all our differences, for who we are and where we hail&lt;br /&gt;
from, we are entities in development. We are conceiving of ideas,&lt;br /&gt;
committing ourselves to see them take form, and sometimes, alas,&lt;br /&gt;
falling prey to false pride in our work.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
We are not saints. Many of us are hellspawn in one way or another.&lt;br /&gt;
Some in the quite literal meaning of the word. Some because they&lt;br /&gt;
perceive themselves as cast out from the light, abandoned by god and&lt;br /&gt;
men. We are all seekers. We are all striving to become more than we&lt;br /&gt;
are. Our methods differ, but the goal lies along the same path: We are&lt;br /&gt;
more than mere beings of the flesh, and we will ascend to our&lt;br /&gt;
inheritance.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Walking among you in various forms, we are travelers of time, of the&lt;br /&gt;
soul, of the roads inside and outside the mind. We are seekers, we are&lt;br /&gt;
those who know, we are those who know that they know nothing.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Contact Sterling if you wish to join this circle of entities.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
			  Fee's Transformation&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I pushed open the door to the dark tavern.  Not the type of place I tend to&lt;br /&gt;
frequent, but it was raining heavily and I wasn't about to step back outside&lt;br /&gt;
to try to find a more hospitable place to stay.  As I scanned the room, I&lt;br /&gt;
noticed and older man in simple clothes sitting in the corner.  A typical&lt;br /&gt;
man, with a doll sitting on the table besides his mug of ale. I decided&lt;br /&gt;
to investigate, and within a few minutes, we were talking like old friends.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Our lively conversation continued for hours, and eventually he excused&lt;br /&gt;
himself, saying he had to be on his way.  He told me that he had been away&lt;br /&gt;
from his home for years, having wandered the lands, selling his puppets to&lt;br /&gt;
children. The puppet he had with him was the last of his creations, so it&lt;br /&gt;
seemed fitting that he take the opportunity to finally retire and relax a&lt;br /&gt;
bit. He offered it to me, and after some persuading on his part, I agreed.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
That was 3 years ago, and since then I have been able to craft quite a few of&lt;br /&gt;
my own puppets, and hence I will begin my traveling of the lands of Legend,&lt;br /&gt;
ready to show and sell these puppets to whoever is interested. Don't call me&lt;br /&gt;
'Puppetmaster', either. *grumble*&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
     []-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
                          A Letter of Introduction&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
To my dear brother Ignazio --&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I wrote to you that I had found treasures in the new world, as I swore I&lt;br /&gt;
would.  However, as you can see, the messenger who bears this letter brings&lt;br /&gt;
no riches, only herself. Let me explain in this letter, my final missive, how&lt;br /&gt;
that came to be.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There is indeed gold in the lands beneath the sunset, and in the craggy green&lt;br /&gt;
peaks I sailed away to see. The hardships of my journies, my years of labor&lt;br /&gt;
in the mines, and my rise to power in the city of Lima, I have recounted to&lt;br /&gt;
you in great, perhaps tedious detail. I will not repeat myself if I can avoid&lt;br /&gt;
it. As I lie here and my strength fails, I find my narrative rambles down all&lt;br /&gt;
the familiar avenues of my life, and so I hope that you will pardon any&lt;br /&gt;
duplication.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
When I sailed from Lima, I was a proud and happy man. Seven ships stood in my&lt;br /&gt;
fleet, each one more laden with gold and gems than the one before it. A flock&lt;br /&gt;
of servants stood ready to respond to my slightest whisper. I had served my&lt;br /&gt;
own interests as well as my queen's. I looked forward to an idyllic&lt;br /&gt;
retirement, with time enough to spend repairing a lifetime's worth of&lt;br /&gt;
neglecting my family, and particularly you, who was so young when I&lt;br /&gt;
departed.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was not meant to be. My pride and determined arrogance had brought me to&lt;br /&gt;
the peak of life's accomplishments, but it could not carry me home. Our ships&lt;br /&gt;
were caught in a storm in the Devil's Triangle, in a gale that blew around my&lt;br /&gt;
flagship like the screaming of the damned. When the winds had subsided, we&lt;br /&gt;
were far off course, and we found ourselves in dangerous waters, thick with&lt;br /&gt;
sharp-sabre'd pirates, sharks, and reefs. The injured vessels were quickly&lt;br /&gt;
surrounded by these thieves, and I was cast, along with those sailors and&lt;br /&gt;
servants who had survived the storm's cruelty, into their dungeons. I say&lt;br /&gt;
dungeons, but perhaps I should say caves, for they were dark, and wet, and&lt;br /&gt;
filled with horrors I cannot begin to describe.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Those weeks were as one night; they were as one long night of great despair,&lt;br /&gt;
the darkest I have ever seen. We sat without fire or lamplight, encased in an&lt;br /&gt;
echoing rock tomb, our eyes aching for day to come. They would have driven us&lt;br /&gt;
all to the brink, were it not for the simplest of miracles. As we sat there&lt;br /&gt;
in the blackness, I heard my footman's voice. His timbre quavering, he&lt;br /&gt;
addressed his daughter. &amp;quot;Sing, Estrella. Sing to bring down the stars in&lt;br /&gt;
envy, and with their fallen light, bring us hope.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And sing she did. Her voice was clear as spring sunlight, sparkling like&lt;br /&gt;
diamonds, shining out like a beacon in the dark. I wept to hear her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Her good father, and many other good men, perished in that curse'd cave, and&lt;br /&gt;
the evils that visited us there I shudder to describe. And though many of us&lt;br /&gt;
perished, many of us survived long enough to be rescued, and resettled on an&lt;br /&gt;
island of greater safety. My gold, however, was never recovered. I was able&lt;br /&gt;
to see to the health of my staff and establish a small estate, nothing more&lt;br /&gt;
remains. I myself am struck with fever, and though I am cared for night and&lt;br /&gt;
day, no doctor can reverse the weakening I feel down to my bones.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I commend her to you, with what remains of my fortune, to you. I bid you,&lt;br /&gt;
care for this sweet spirit, and defend her from all harm.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
- Your brother, Don Rodrigo&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
     []-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
                       The Old Man of the Sea&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a balmy day in the Mediterranean, and I decided to go sponge diving. I&lt;br /&gt;
was just prying up a large yellow one, when something caught my eye. It was&lt;br /&gt;
glittering in a bed of red algae, just over a rather steep precipice.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The algae bed turned out to be rather deeper than it seemed, and the&lt;br /&gt;
glittering object was quite tangled and half-buried. I barely managed to free&lt;br /&gt;
it before having to surface for air. It was a giant conch shell, the like of&lt;br /&gt;
which I had never seen. It was a shimmering silvery white and as long as my&lt;br /&gt;
arm. The flaring lip was iridescent with shades of blue and green. The shell&lt;br /&gt;
had been carved to serve as a trumpet, with a mouthpiece and several holes&lt;br /&gt;
for producing different tones.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I suddenly realized that while distracted by the shell, I had drifted much&lt;br /&gt;
father from the shore than where I had been collecting sponges. I began the&lt;br /&gt;
long swim back, but something grabbed hold of my foot and dragged me under&lt;br /&gt;
the water. I kicked back, and it recoiled, freeing me to swim back to the&lt;br /&gt;
surface.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The thing that had grabbed me was a woman, or something like it. From the&lt;br /&gt;
waist down, she had the fins and tail of a fish. She glared at me across the&lt;br /&gt;
water, and spluttered, 'Give that back; it's mine.'&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
'What, this?' I said, waving the conch. 'I found it myself.'&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
'I saw it first!'&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
'I don't care if you did,' I shot back. 'I like it, so it's mine.' I elbowed&lt;br /&gt;
her in the head, slowing her just enough to give me a head start, then swam&lt;br /&gt;
as fast as I could for the shore. Even disoriented she was quick, and I was&lt;br /&gt;
hampered by having to clutch at the shell. I just managed to clamber onto the&lt;br /&gt;
dock as she caught up to me. She tried to follow me, but, hindered by her&lt;br /&gt;
tail, was unable. I grabbed the gear I had left in a pile on the dock while&lt;br /&gt;
swimming, and stepped just out of her reach.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
'Coward,' she accused me. 'Step back into the water and we'll fight. I know&lt;br /&gt;
how envious you are because I get all the sailors. You have to shipwreck&lt;br /&gt;
them, but they come to me.'&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
'I can get anyone I want,' I sneered. The nereid was beginning to irk me.&lt;br /&gt;
'You can't even lure sailors on your own anymore, so you've taken to&lt;br /&gt;
impersonating me.'&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
'It was just a one time thing.' She tossed her hair over her shoulder in a&lt;br /&gt;
calculated effort to splash me. 'It's not like you had a claim on him&lt;br /&gt;
anyway.'&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I moved so quickly, I doubt she saw me swing my sword at her, but I know she&lt;br /&gt;
felt its teeth slash her cheek, just deep enough to scar. 'Just so it doesn't&lt;br /&gt;
happen again,' I said, smiling sweetly. She held one white hand to her maimed&lt;br /&gt;
cheek, and crying, swam away.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With the nereid gone, I turned my attention back to the shell. I wondered&lt;br /&gt;
what such a thing could be. A lost toy of some godlike creature, or an&lt;br /&gt;
artifact from a lost civilization whose craftsmanship far exceeds ours? I&lt;br /&gt;
thought such an instrument must surely be magical, and wanted to know what it&lt;br /&gt;
would do. Curiosity piqued, I sounded the trumpet.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I heard no sound, but the water began rocking violently. Waves rushed outward&lt;br /&gt;
from the dock. The water calmed again and I gazed out over the water, waiting&lt;br /&gt;
for something magical to happen. There was nothing.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A voice deep and gentle from behind me spoke. 'I was wondering when you would&lt;br /&gt;
seek me out.' I turned around and saw an old man fishing, where I was sure&lt;br /&gt;
there had been nobody.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
'Grandfather?' I stuttered.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
He nodded wisely, then turned to gaze across the sea. 'I'm disappointed in&lt;br /&gt;
you, Elisa,' he said. 'I expected better from you, after your mother gave her&lt;br /&gt;
life to protect you. Yet you dally about flirting shamelessly and living&lt;br /&gt;
recklessly. Your human blood has not tempered you at all. You have no sense&lt;br /&gt;
of the harmony of the sea nor your place in the world.'&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I had not really expected a warm welcome, but his words shamed me. I felt a&lt;br /&gt;
coldness in my belly and found it difficult to speak or swallow. I feebly&lt;br /&gt;
tried to defend myself. 'But I do know that I find peace only in the water. I&lt;br /&gt;
don't know where my place in the world is, but I am always drawn deep under&lt;br /&gt;
the sea.'&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
'You are drawn to your home: the sunken city Atlantis. It was destroyed long&lt;br /&gt;
ago when the fools who lived there acted as you do, and upset the gods.  But&lt;br /&gt;
I had the city rebuilt under the waves.' The cold spot in my belly began to&lt;br /&gt;
recede. I begged the old man to show me the way, but he refused.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
'You are not worthy. You must choose you battles more carefully -- protect&lt;br /&gt;
the weak, defend the righteous. Think before you speak, and say only what is&lt;br /&gt;
wise. Act gently, and always with love. And for the sake of all that is good,&lt;br /&gt;
give up the wanton flirting. Then call on me. When you are ready, I shall&lt;br /&gt;
lead you home.'&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The old man bent to the water and touched it lightly with a fingertip. At&lt;br /&gt;
once two monsters sprang from the water, with the heads and forequarters of&lt;br /&gt;
horses and the tails of fish. They pulled behind them a magnificent chariot&lt;br /&gt;
of carved and polished blue coral. The old man climbed aboard and no longer&lt;br /&gt;
seemed a mere fisherman, but king and god. He drove the chariot back into the&lt;br /&gt;
sea without even rippling the surface.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
     []-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
                          In the Words of Bass&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was an ordinary day in the year 1999.  As usual, I woke in a hotel&lt;br /&gt;
surrounded by strangers and friends alike.  Life on the road is weird like&lt;br /&gt;
that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I had been playing with the rock band, DragonSpawn, for three years and we&lt;br /&gt;
were finally getting some notice.  Our brand of progressive metal was not&lt;br /&gt;
really mainstream, but we worked really hard and were always trying new and&lt;br /&gt;
different things to stay fresh. We also thought mind altering drugs would&lt;br /&gt;
help free the music inside us.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was this thought that made me accept the mushrooms the strange little man&lt;br /&gt;
with the weird accent offered me. I had never seen him before, but it was not&lt;br /&gt;
unusual for fans in strange towns to want to impress us with gifts. Guys gave&lt;br /&gt;
us drugs and girls gave us... well, gifts.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anyway, I ate the mushrooms and started trying new chords on my guitar.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I was amazing.  At least that's what I thought, until I looked up to find&lt;br /&gt;
everyone had left the motel room. I started to go find them when I realized,&lt;br /&gt;
strange accent man was still there.  Without a word he pointed out frets on&lt;br /&gt;
my guitar neck and I understood, he wanted me to play them.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I fingered the new chord, strummed the strings, and was instantly surrounded&lt;br /&gt;
by the most magical music I had ever heard. I was in ecstasy and played the&lt;br /&gt;
new chord louder and faster, harder and harder. There was blood on my fingers&lt;br /&gt;
and sweat on my brow. I kept playing and playing.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I'm not sure what happened next but I awoke in unfamiliar surroundings&lt;br /&gt;
again.  As I tried to get my bearings I realized that, the strange little man&lt;br /&gt;
was standing over me. I tried to say something to him but he laughed, then&lt;br /&gt;
ran off down the stairs.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I, of course, thought that the mushrooms were of superb quality.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I wandered around enjoying what I thought was just a very vivid&lt;br /&gt;
hallucination. I had been under the influence of many things up till that&lt;br /&gt;
time and none of them had made my motel room look like ancient Ireland. I&lt;br /&gt;
enjoyed it right up until I was bit by a wolfhound. The realization that I&lt;br /&gt;
was actually in ancient Ireland was very hard to take and I started looking&lt;br /&gt;
for the stranger who had brought me here.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I have been looking for him for years now.  I finally accepted my fate and&lt;br /&gt;
have since gathered quite an interesting collection of magical clothing and&lt;br /&gt;
weapons. I saw the stranger once while I was fighting an angry Centurion, but&lt;br /&gt;
couldn't get away fast enough to catch him. Even If I did catch him, I don't&lt;br /&gt;
think I want to kill him anymore.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I have met many new friends in my time here.  I have fought against and&lt;br /&gt;
besides some great warriors. I have traveled time and have even been to Hell&lt;br /&gt;
and back. I've met Robin Hood, Herne and been lost in Casablanca.  The other&lt;br /&gt;
day I even saw a Turtle War.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I'm in no hurry to get back to my time. I miss a few things, like cold beer&lt;br /&gt;
and computers. I don't miss things like politics and pollution. I call Tara&lt;br /&gt;
my home even though I don't spend much time there anymore. I'm still always&lt;br /&gt;
waking up in some strange place.   Life on the road is weird like that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
                     .+'''+.            .+'''+.&lt;br /&gt;
                     Horoscopes by Mme. Decara&lt;br /&gt;
                              '+,,,+'&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
+---------------------------------+---------------------------------+&lt;br /&gt;
| SCORPIO       (Oct 24 - Nov 22) | SAGITTARIUS   (Nov 23 - Dec 21) |&lt;br /&gt;
|                                 |                                 |&lt;br /&gt;
| Seek a topaz to bring serenity. | Independence is a good thing,   |&lt;br /&gt;
| Ever idealistic, strive to wear | but too much of it can be dull. |&lt;br /&gt;
| Crimson or burgundy on Tuesday. | Aim high, be direct, shoot true.|&lt;br /&gt;
+---------------------------------+---------------------------------+&lt;br /&gt;
| CAPRICORN     (Dec 22 - Jan 19) | AQUARIUS      (Jan 20 - Feb 19) |&lt;br /&gt;
|                                 |                                 |&lt;br /&gt;
| Use your steadiness to prevent  | Creativity abounds and you're   |&lt;br /&gt;
| backslides in progress. Organize | the life of the party. Be sure  |&lt;br /&gt;
| adventures on Saturday for luck.| to carry spare bandages &amp;amp; gauze.|&lt;br /&gt;
+---------------------------------+---------------------------------+&lt;br /&gt;
| PISCES        (Feb 20 - Mar 20) | ARIES         (Mar 21 - Apr 19) |&lt;br /&gt;
|                                 |                                 |&lt;br /&gt;
| It is essential to believe in   | Diamonds are your best friend.  |&lt;br /&gt;
| yourself, first, if you want to | Wearing one on your left side   |&lt;br /&gt;
| walk on water. Not everyone can.| will attract much love &amp;amp; money. |&lt;br /&gt;
+---------------------------------+---------------------------------+&lt;br /&gt;
| TAURUS        (Apr 20 - May 20) | GEMINI        (May 21 - Jun 20) |&lt;br /&gt;
|                                 |                                 |&lt;br /&gt;
| People will be depending on you | Versatility is the name of your |&lt;br /&gt;
| for support. Be strong and you  | game, whether matching rose or  |&lt;br /&gt;
| earn their unsurpassed loyalty. | lavender or in communication.   |&lt;br /&gt;
+---------------------------------+---------------------------------+&lt;br /&gt;
| CANCER        (Jun 21 - Jul 22) | LEO           (Jul 23 - Aug 22) |&lt;br /&gt;
|                                 |                                 |&lt;br /&gt;
| Moonstones and pearls should be | Beware letting your tendencies  |&lt;br /&gt;
| turned to if you want to change | of domination and possessiveness|&lt;br /&gt;
| bad fortune to good this Monday.| over take those of generosity.  |&lt;br /&gt;
+---------------------------------+---------------------------------+&lt;br /&gt;
| VIRGO         (Aug 23 - Sep 22) | LIBRA         (Sep 23 - Oct 23) |&lt;br /&gt;
|                                 |                                 |&lt;br /&gt;
| Don't be so modest about your   | Feel jealous or greedy lately?  |&lt;br /&gt;
| accomplishments! Let Mercury's  | Opals will bring clear insight  |&lt;br /&gt;
| abundant energy shine brightly! | and return easy-going natures.  |&lt;br /&gt;
+---------------------------------+---------------------------------+&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=&lt;br /&gt;
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=&lt;br /&gt;
Legendary Times is published by the immortals of LegendMUD. Please send&lt;br /&gt;
all replies, additions, or corrections to our address at lt@legendmud.org&lt;br /&gt;
for inclusion in the next edition. We, however, reserve the right to&lt;br /&gt;
moderate this discussion, and may object to some submissions.&lt;br /&gt;
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=&lt;br /&gt;
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/nowiki&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Mertjai</name></author>
	</entry>
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