Volume Six Issue Eight
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=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= .............._______ ............./ / THE LEGENDARY TIMES ............/ / .........../ /.....______.._____.....______.._____.......____ ........../ /...../ /./ \.../ /./ \...../ \ ........./ /...../ ___/./ ____/../ ___/./ __. \.../ /\ \ ......../ /...../ /_.../ /....../ /_.../ /..\ >./ /./ / ......./ /...../ __/../ /____../ __/../ /.../ /./ /./ / ....../ /_____/__/__../ \_\ /./ /__../ /.../ /./ /_/ / ...../ / /./ /./ /./ /.../ /./ / ..../ /_/..\______/./_____/./__/.../__/./_______/ MUD .../________________/ running on mud.sig.net 9999 199.1.78.16 9999 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= http://mud.sig.net/ ftp://mud.sig.net/pub =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= VOLUME SIX, ISSUE EIGHT February 19th, 1999 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= TABLE OF CONTENTS - The Editor's Note - - Upcoming Calendar of Events - ARTICLES - The Immortal Report - - PK: Mo's Perspective - LEGENDITES - Annoucements - - Revelation - - A strange note, found in the Dojo.... - - Join PMS! - - The Vanishing, Part 2 - - Marcel Answers a Call for Service Elsewhere - - Times long past? - - Welcome, Friends! - - Announcing the "United Surgeons of Legend" - - The Birth of CastleRock - - Dragon Eyes: An Epic - - An Interview with Fairfax - ___ ___ \ |------------------------------------------------------------------| / /__| EDITOR'S NOTE |__\ '------------------------------------------------------------------' Hello all, This has been a very active week online! Housing is one of the most exciting new features we've seen, and I hope that the energy and enthusiasm continues. The installation of housing took center stage over the last week, as players and immortals explored the new possibilities and challenges which housing posed. I want to thank all of the mortals and immortals, whose patience and helpful attitudes made the housing install possible. Special congratulations and thanks to Rufus and the whole coding department, for their continued labor on this feature! Love to All, LadyAce ___ ___ \ |------------------------------------------------------------------| / /__| UPCOMING CALENDAR OF EVENTS |__\ '------------------------------------------------------------------' [All times are system time unless otherwise specified] <0><0><0><0>February<0><0><0><0> Thursday, February 25, 7:00 pm - Q & A in the OOC Auditorium Sunday, February 28, 3:00 pm - Trivia! by LadyAce Round 11 of 12 <-> <-> <-> <-> <-> <-> March <-> <-> <-> <-> <-> <-> Thursday, March 4, 7:00 pm - Q & A in the OOC Auditorium Thursday, March 11, 7:00 pm - Q & A in the OOC Auditorium ___ ___ \ |------------------------------------------------------------------| / /__| NEWS AND REPORTS |__\ '------------------------------------------------------------------' The Immortal Report Kaige has been doing the usual general admin stuff: sorting bugs/typos/etc. She also worked on housing in a bunch of area files, helped Sandra with the new warning system, removed all references to oldstyle clans in the code. In general, she spent lots of time gearing up for the 14th and helping others get ready as well. She tried to provided moral support for the coders and helped with some of the smaller projects for this weekend as well. She talked with a bunch of players about housing and was even able to answer some questions at the housing Q&A. ADMIN: Sandra started discussions on the rules as far as the problems with them and ideas on how to change them and worked on a new warning system. She started moving the help files over to the new format and wrote a doc on the new help files system. She dealt with an appeal, pkenabled some people, set a couple people's exp down so they could perma. She also registered a few descriptions, assigned Seth to the spell help files and Aermid to the skills ones. She installed the new help files and made corrections as she found problems. She also installed the new warn system and the help file for that, spoke with alot of people about housing and any problems they found, and had lots and lots and lots of online time. Aermid pkenabled 1 char, did a few restrings went through the skill help files and made a list of skills that need files and files with typos corrections pending time to meet with Sandra to go over the details. Chocorua spent a bunch of time with emails and online talking to people but nothing really disciplinary. He has also spent some time online and is working on getting the admin board cleaned up and usable. Dominic investigated a few complaints and requests, and passed things along to the appropriate people. Flagg did the normal registrations, strings, restrings, questions, set somebody to 0 xp, and archivals. Seth pkenabled several people, did a heap of restrings, refused a request to give away a clanned char, gave a verbal warning, read most part of imm and general helpfiles looking for typos/out of date info, wrestled with vi a lot. He has also gone through the spell helpfiles looking for missing ones/wrong ones. Seth is going home for the next two weeks and won't have access to net. Wraith has been doing the normal admin duties the past few weeks, plus going through boards. He hasn't gotten many desc requests. He split up the old help files into several hundred smaller files, to work with the new help system. He also hosted the Expies with the help of Tad and Sabella because Flagg was out of town. Zandy discussed policies on mailing lists, helped some new players, gave some verbal warnings for improper use of channels. He also pkillenabled 1 character, and answered some questions about housing. He's out of town this week, but will be back next. BUILDING: Rufus answered many many questions and did some prelimiary documentation but he has been mostly working on housing testing and fixing and pirates testing. Charity finished egypt housing for now, is looking at some expansions/changes to egypt, and will be doing a walk-through of Crusades. Cheyla started work on housing for Alaska but due to work being very busy and hectic, she didn't get much done. Croaker worked more on greece, and managed to finish the small town of Tiryns. He tweaked picts/scoti fight behavior. He also did housing stuffs like everyone else as well as some bug fixin' type stuffs. Deanna worked more on housing. Melbourne and Dreamtime have the room finished, and she might just do a little more tweaking of the furniture within them and made fixes to the dreamtime giants. Kae began work on the first major quest, added objects, and fixed & tweaked various parts of Malta. Kheldar completed cleaning up and began adding new rooms to his area. He also added Housing to Romania. Leila worked on bugfixes and testing quests and mobs in London. Rusalka worked on housing for Tudor, and helped answer questions and reimburse people for bugs during the housing install. Vannessa has been wrangling with her computer, and working on learning the wiz commands she has. She also spent some time trying to weed through documentation. Wraith has been working on housing off and on the last two weeks. and fixed few minor bugs at the same time. LadyAce worked on housing and various tweaks in Crusades, and has worked Crusades area up into a state of self-testing. She did a few walk-throughs of Crusades, found some buggy acts, and fixed them. Sandra did more work on pittsburgh and has only mobs, 1 1/2 quests, and the room descs left for the train ride to finish, added housing to Salem and Boston and stared at viking for an hour wondering where to put housing in, then realized there really was no where to put any currently and realized it needs to expand by 5 rooms for housing to fit in there. She also added in furniture for sale in Boston, and removed clan stuff from the areas Kaige didn't, and found a bug in LadyAce's file that caused it to seg fault. Kaige pulled old clan trans mobs and added housing for the following areas: arabia, nazca, beowulf (britain shore only), aztecs, alhambra, lima, sherwood, londport, frisco, seoni village, and fiwar. She also fixed the Zimmer 2 exit problem in klein inn, moved the barbershop to the other side of the street to allow for a connection from Pittsburgh to Frisco, worked in Greyscot's liman market expansion to viceroyal lima, and made changes for southseas trans quests to move to medieval to put in medseas. CODING: Ea! finished up gravity and fixed a bunch of crashing bugs under fire, worked on housing-related stuff (finding bugs and squashing them). He mainly worked on getting housing ready to go, a lot of stuff dealing with ownership issues and object issues. He wrote the ownership update function that runs every night. Huginn fixed bugs: Snipers couldn't shoot targets from adj rooms if the target had multiple keywords. They now can. Blinding flash now causes all targets in the room to attack if they're able. He also worked on the steal code some more. Snapper did several strings and restrings and one unarchival. Rufus has been pounding out all the amazing details and fixing bugs at an alarming rate for housing, housing, and more housing. Sandra worked on the new warning system. She also added the acquire command, fixed a few typos, added in some small stuff like the message when you get a key by adding a door, and tested some things for Ea and Rufus and Kaige. Kaige moved the minimum character name length to 3 letters, removed all references to clan from the code. She set it up so characters who currently use their char name as their password get notified, and made it impossible to use char name as password at creation or with the password command. She fixed some minor typos in various places, made it so the title screen was read from a separate lib file instead of a help file to get rid of the help banner, fixed carry weight not being recalculated when people used the split command, fixed the problem with sm and smi not being smile, and set up for freeform clans, including a 10 tick timer on creation. PLAYER RELATIONS: LadyAce participated in the discussions about rule violations and associated work, as well as maintain her normal online presence. She's spent a lot of time answering questions about the crashing, and did strings & restrings, including a number of zip strings, a few games, answered a lot of questions about the expies, and sent out some ballots. She also worked with people on descriptions, including a few remade/returned players getting their old descriptions back, and spent many hours helping others think a description up. She has also spent a lot of online hours talking with players, particularly over the weekend with housing (like all of you). She also put together an LT, a document on how clans work, and a special LT on housing. She also helped at the housing Q & A. More recently she ran a couples game with Leopold and zip strings, giving out mundane coupons She also ran a game of tag and did an update to the prize machine, wrote a mob for valentine's day (cupid) and put some valentines into ooc/ringo's resets. She did some of the work for updating ooc.are for expies winners -- mostly with the pcflags, the next step is collecting pretitle requests. Chimera did a Q and A for LadyAce on Thursday week before last. Dominic did several strings, normal, a few mundanes, and about a dozen restrings, ran a game of tag, got 20+ players, gave my usual prizes, and gave out prizes for a mort-run trivia game, as LA had left. Immediately did one string after that, and another about 10 minutes later when someone won a coupon from the prize machine, and spoke extensively with folks about new clans, and why their clan kept getting disbanded and got massively spammed trying to keep track of all the new channels. Flagg counted 77 expie ballots after the one week voting period. Worked on the winner/runner-up form and the count form with attached write ins for the cerimony and helped with another three hour trivia. Got Expies together and says, "Thank you, thank you", to everybody that helped. He was in Alabama for Valentine's Day weekend and hopes to get a bit of work done on his areas this week. Leila ran recalltag, did a lot of strings, helped one or two players and introduced herself to a couple of people. Gave out some sweets for newbie helping and generally put on a hap, hap, happy face. Satsu has spent quite a bit of time online in the evening hours and did some zip strings, 3 descs, 2 HORRID color strings, and a variety of other things. He's preparing a trivia game. He also posted lots of stuff on the news/discussion threads and ran a newbie orientation OOC for people who had basic newbie questions. Stile has been getting involved in some mort rp stuff and spent a lot of time with that. He's done just a few strings, restrings and answered a few questions (newbies, the new emote, etc). He also set up a conference for a player run trivia and thought a while about his museum idea for the ooc expansion and surfed around the net looking for extinct animals. PK: Mo's Perspective by Mo A lot of people are put off with the loud voices pkers have within themselves and against others who don't pk. Most of them think pkers are too... impulsive, hotheaded, and selfish. I don't speak for all of them, but as somebody who's been actively among them for the past year, I can tell you that it isn't anywhere near what the angry chats and channels may suggest once you get inside. Eye of the storm, in a manner of speaking. Step back and look who regards other pkers least. Nine out of ten, it will be those clanned in their low levels, too afraid to join the big leagues, but still trying to make a name for themselves by appearing on channels and info, as a larvae would try to fool its predators with the painted eyes on its back. At the higher levels, we are a community. We have our bad apples, we have our less civil folk, but as a whole we have respect toward each other that make it to 50 clanned and stay. Lethargio is a good example of somebody who earned his place and receives respect. He rarely (as far as I can tell) gets jumped, and most of the time he looks for duels himself. The grendels and the mercs are simply two clans that are most active because of their love for the game, and they mostly see it as such. A death here, a death there, we take it in stride and we move along... when's the last time you saw a string of multis from the echelons of 50s? If you wish to get a taste for pk, it's actually best to start at higher levels. True, you will be losing much more often than you might at lower levels, but at least people will more or less respect the time and effort you placed in your character. Why else would people like Ma get mad over gear? Amount spent generating a high level pker isn't laughable, and we know it from experience. Only the most demented will keep hunting down an easy kill unless they were wronged ooc. Most of us pk for the thrill, and if you were an easy kill, those who attack you are also those you have a good chance of killing -- simply because they can't dare to jump others. Standing on the side, or fleeing every battle before standing up to them -- that will never change your perception nor your ability in pk. It's like learning to ski -- you fall when you first learn, then you fall when you try new tricks. Strive not to fall at all, you will never make progress. Xp loss isn't negligible, but if you are in the mindset of learning, it isn't much -- how else would I be able to unclan chars? But there will be those that will never be able to stomach such setbacks, or things they perceive deliberately done against them. I don't know about you, but when I first started skiing, I cursed at other newbies who were in my way and my skill level could only allow me to fall myself in order to avoid collison. In the end, however, I've learned to ski around them and in hindsight it's not their fault that they were in the way -- they were trying to learn as well. If you can accept the fact that people will jump you not because they want to injure you, but because they want to know the system better, a loss becomes easier to stomach. If you can't, and seriously don't see why anyone would bother to risk running into a tree and ending their lives, don't understand what pleasure there could be in coming down a steep slope on a pair of blades... well, we don't close down ski resorts, amusement parks, ban bunjee jumping and sky diving just because some folks don't see where the fun could be. If you don't understand it, then accept that you don't and leave it to those that enjoy it to keep enjoying what they have. Don't hastily associate the left side of info as being the victim and the right being the plaintiff. It is a result of an activity both consented to, and knew could or would happen. Looking from the outside in, nobody has the right to say what should or should not be done to those that are inside. If you step outside from the inside, you no longer see what goes on inside. From the inside looking out, we don't see the fuss, we are part of it, we accept it, and in occasions we deal with it. But if you are outside, far away from the consequences of anything we do -- then don't seek to impose your judgement on us. We do what we feel right, and if something goes wrong that isn't part of the code, it will be corrected by us. After all, we are the ones that are hurt the most, and the non-enabled simply outsiders looking in. ________________________ / \ o O | Wonder what folks are | `\|||/ | doing over at LegendMUD?| (o o) \________________________/ ooO_(_)_Ooo________________________________________________________________ _____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|___ __|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| ___ ___ \ |------------------------------------------------------------------| / /__| LEGENDITES: Information Regarding the People of Our World |__\ '------------------------------------------------------------------' Announcements! ============ Descriptions: ============ Zeppelin's appearance is changing. He has miraculously converted, and now is neither loathsome, nor a nomad. Instead, he has discovered that he is in fact royalty, and now seeks a castle to call his own. He appears now as: Lord Zeppelin. In a room, Lord Zeppelin lurks quietly here. =*=*=*=*= Due to the hazards of being schizophrenic and a warrior-mage at the same time I have decided to take up the quiet life of a druid so i can poison myself instead of try to stab myself in the back. -Atrax =============== Advertisements: =============== WANTED: Sea-loving surgeon seeks companion with whom to wander the waves. Must have own ship. Pirates considered, if suitably persuasive. Please contact if interested. Eleanora Cameron =*=*=*=*= Position Wanted: I seek employment as maid to a noblewoman or nobleman. My mama said, find ye a job or it'll be the streets for yew! So I be looking for a job. I haven't much eddycation, just wot is picked up on the streets and such, but I am a hard worker and haf more brains than I get creddit for. Pleez leave a note with the innkeeper or speak with me. And my mama would be very mad if I got mixed up with any one of ill repute, so don't even bother to ask. I only do honorable work for persons of quality. Yours faithfully, Anne-Marie /*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\ Revelation 'Well well!' the eccentric old scientist cried jovially, 'A good meeting, sir!' Stumbling over his own feet he crossed the room and began shaking the other's hand vigorously. The other was Lord Marcel Alexander, older by far yet looking ever young, who smiled wryly in return and returned the gesture. Marcel had seen and lived through much during his long aeons, and was certainly unfazed by the daunting handshake of Morin Ramsay. Presently, Morin jerked wildly away and sneezed violently. 'Great Scott, if you'll just pardon me! I seem to have come down with something!' Chuckling politely, Marcel replied, 'We pardon.' 'Well then!' Morin smiled gruffly. 'There's something I have to do, but don't be alarmed, no indeed!' He began rummaging through the right jacket pocket of his long brown coat, and after a few moments produced several strange-looking objects: a talisman of some sort, and a small leather bag. 'Oh dear,' said Marcel mildly; yet the display piqued his interest. The befuddled scientist put the talisman on himself, pausing to pick a piece of lint off of it, and then emptied the contents of the bag into his cupped hand. They appeared to Marcel to be several small stones of different hues. With a slight grunt of approval, Morin replaced them within the bag. He then brought a canteen from another pocket, peering closely at it and nodding to himself. Lord Marcel watched Morin's doings carefully. 'Curiouser and curiouser said Alice....' Muttering quietly, as though trying to guide himself, Morin unscrewed the cap from the canteen, and poured a small amount of water into the little leather bag. The little stones could he heard clattering against each other inside... Marcel began to look genuinely interested, and he leaned in for a closer look. He was all at once amused and perplexed by the spectacle before him. The crazed scientist began mumbling louder, and it became plain that he was trying to remember something. 'Hmmm, well, I do believe...no, that wasn't it!' you say. 'Blast it, I had it a moment ago...' Marcel said with a chuckle, 'Well, well, what are you trying to do in the first place?' 'Aha!' Morin yelled, 'I've got it!' He threw his hands up triumphantly, nearly casting the bag away in the process and causing Marcel to duck for cover. He closed his left hand around the talisman, and held the little bag aloft, directly in front of Marcel! He waited, but for a few moments, nothing happened. 'Do I scream and climb up a tree now?' Marcel asked bemusedly. 'Not at all sir, not at all! Watch! Just wa--ah--ACHOOO!' After a few moments, Marcel thought he began to hear a strange sound coming from the little leather bag. Or actually, several of them. He said, 'By Jove, I'm getting fascinated. You are some sort of sorcerer, sirrah?' 'Sorcerer?' said Morin, and laughed hoarsely. 'Heavens no! But something else I am, if you will!' 'Hmmm?' 'Ahhh, here we go!' The sounds coming from the bag were now seperately identifiable as a whistling, a low humming, and a sharp clicking. A moment later, a bright beam of light radiated through the opening at the top, growing brighter, and after a few moments, it stopped. 'Well, there we have it then!' cried Morin. 'The answer lies within, don't you know!' He opened the small sack, and three little rocks tumbled into his hand--one red, one green, and one black. 'Aha! The water is gone, you'll note! That means it worked!' Determined to find out what this was all about, Marcel asked politely, 'What worked exactly, sirrah?' 'Oh, I'm merely reading you, my good man!' Marcel asked with amusement, 'Well, then, what did you read?' With a chuckle Morin replied, 'That's what I'm here to find out!' He poked at the little stones in his hand, studying them intently. He picked one up and held it to his ear, seeming to listen for something. 'Well, well. Indeed! Hmmm. I say!' 'Well, when you say it, I'd love to hear it...' prodded Marcel. The old scientist reached into his pack, rifling through its contents, and produced a large ancient-looking dog-eared bound book. 'Now then! Let's see...' He opened the book and flipped through it one way, and then the other, searching for something and muttering to himself. He turned back to stare at the stones, then looked with a cocked eyebrow at the book again with a ferocious frown as he pondered his findings. After a moment, he nodded and ahhh-ed to himself. Lord Marcel restrained himself from the ungentlemanly act of reading over Morin's shoulder. 'Well, I see!' said Morin. 'That solves that mystery! Thousand pardons if I've been a little guarded just now, sir! You see, these little stones are something I use to read spiritual energy! For your time sir, I thank you greatly! Everything I will explain in due time!' Marcel sighed with mild frustration and replied, 'I get no explanation now? I'm quite curious as to what you see.' 'In time, sir, in time! From what I understand, you've got an eternity to find out in any case!' Morin's chuckle changed into an abrupt sneezing fit, and he turned and left, trying to bring his convulsions under control as he went. Said the angel Marcel: 'Unfortunately, my patience is not an eternity long.' ...................... In the long episode involving his late father that Ganymede of Alderon had been participating in since he arrived in the Realm of Legends, that moment certainly struck him as the oddest so far. He was standing there with his chin resting upon his fist, studying carefully a crazed old man who stood before him, and trying carefully to decide what to make of him. 'Now explain this to me again, if ye please,' said the Knight after a few moments spent regarding the elder. 'Ye approached Marcel at Lady Flower's request and used some sort of trickery to determine whether or not he truly does possess my father Crowe's spirit?' 'Yes yes, you've got it now, lad!' replied Morin, the older man, throwing his hands out to the sides in a gesture that seemed to indicate impatience with Ganymede's ignorance. 'And...?' 'And, I've got bad news and good for you, my boy,' the old man announced. 'The bad news is, the apparition you saw at the altar in Kleinstadt was, in fact, your father.' Ganymede's eyes widened suddenly in surprise and sorrow. 'That cannot be!' 'Oh indeed, indeed, I'm afraid it CAN be, and it is so,' said Morin with a touch of pity in his voice. 'Ye're certain of this?' 'I am at that, young man...I fear that my instruments don't lie.' 'But he could not answer my question...he couldn't tell me what gift he gave my mother at their wedding!' 'The dead are often deprived of the ability to communicate with the living in a meaningful way--which is probably better for the living, which you'd believe if you had seen the same things I--ahh--ACHOOO!' Crestfallen, the Knight stared at the ground. 'I've been a fool. I accused Marcel of being dishonest with me only to find that I was wrong all the time.' 'Not so, not so at all in fact,' Morin corrected him, sniffling. 'There is still the good news yet!' Ganymede frowned up at him. 'What good news could there be in this?' Morin chuckled quietly and said, 'Well, either Marcel has been misleading you, or he believes that he possesses powers which in truth he doesn't. You see, he doesn't OWN your father's spirit, or even have any control over it. Indeed, your father is roaming the Planes of the Dead which we can't see, just like any other lost soul. Marcel merely has the ability to CALL Crowe to him at will. A great power in itself, and certainly one I don't have...yet!' The long-tressed blonde warrior stared at Morin intently with his pale blue eyes. 'He...does not have control over my father?' 'That IS what I said I'm quite sure,' said the scientist, with ribald annoyance at having to repeat himself. 'Then...then I don't have to free him from anything?' 'Well, there's the rub I'd say,' said Morin. 'He's free--TOO free as the Dead go. He's adrift within the Planes of the Dead. That's a realm of lost souls who are not at their final rest. Your father is not under Marcel's control, but he isn't where he belongs either.' Ganymede stood silently for a long moment, and asked finally, 'So, be there any thing that I can do to allow my father to rest?' 'Bless me! I can't say about that,' Morin answered. 'As I said, I don't yet know how to manipulate souls in the way Marcel does. I've heard that there are ways for mortal men to accomplish it, but in those arts I am so far unlearned. On this quest, my boy, I'm afraid I can't help you!' Ganymede sighed. 'I see. Thankee-sai for practicing your art and giving me this news, sir. I shall have to think awhile on my next course of action.' 'Indeed, indeed! My pleasure, young man!' And then slyly: 'And be sure to tell your lady friend Flower hullo for me!' The young Knight flustered a bit and sighed deeply. 'Aye...I shall.' 'Good, good! I think I'll be off then; good-bye, lad!' With an ungraceful bow, Morin hastily gathered up all of his notes and books and fled swiftly from the room. Ganymede sat down, placed his chin in his hand, and scratched his head. 'Well, what shall I do NOW?' -*-*-*-*- -*-*-*-*- -*-*-*-*- -*-*-*-*- -*-*-*-*- -*-*-*-*- Due to the many immigrants now establishing their homes in Melbourne, we are pleased to announce a range of new products at the foundry: a range of locks of various grades. Also available is a metal chest, into which mail will be delivered if it is installed in your home. Arthur Andrews, foundry supervisor -*-*-*-*- -*-*-*-*- -*-*-*-*- -*-*-*-*- -*-*-*-*- -*-*-*-*- A strange note, found in the Dojo.... Only a coward would act such as you, and turn your backs on a clanmate. Revenge will be mine, and it will be sweet. Nefertari. /*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\ Join PMS! The Pathetic Mage Society is looking for young, enthusiastic and pathetic mages to join its ranks. Do you have to use spells to kill bunnies in Sherwood? Does the name 'Wood Eater' strike fear into your heart? Do you consider a Suger's Chalice as necessary for you to exist? Maybe the Pathetic Mage Society is right for you. We strive to be inspiration for mages everywhere, strive to be the beacon of light for all those both Magi and Pathetique. Join our ranks, find out what kind of damage a whole group of pure pathetic mages can do to most if not all denizens of the world. Contact Miziraq if interested. Member FDIC, PDQ, AOK, RTFM and NRBQ. /*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\ The Vanishing, Part 2 As you all know, my wife was abducted. After extensive investigation by myself, I have identified the dark figure of which I once spoke. This man, this evil twisted man who abducted my wife, is none other than Conspiracy. I will not rest until my wife is back in my arms where she belongs, and you are dead, Conspiracy. I would now like to offer a reward for this man's head, I will pay any price that is requested. Mym /*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\ Marcel Answers a Call for Service Elsewhere By the will of powers beyond my control, it is with great sorrow I must renounce my servitude to the Goddess. The year and some months I have spent in her light have been pleasant ones, and I hope that I have been able to return at least some of what she gave me to her faithful sisters. Yet now I am called away, not fully with my own approval, to serve older masters in older places. I was not quite expecting my application to the sisterhood would ever meet with success when first I submitted it. Quite frankly, when Kamiya hunted me down to grace me with the Goddess' mark, I was... speechless. It was but a joke! I just wanted a chance to sneak up on Malia and Lace naked in their hall! But soon I was to find that I had received much more than the chance to study beautiful women in their own habitat. I found an inner peace which stemmed from the understanding of balance, that all things have their place in Creation, and that all things serve a purpose. It is with gratitude I have accepted your friendship and faith in the past. The Goddess and her devoted sisterhood will always have a place in my heart. I hope that when I go on to fulfill yet a fragment of the task for which the Christian God so egocentrically designed me, you will think of me kindly. I know that even if I have to sometime stand against you, it will grieve me to do so. Marcel Alexander, Esquire -*-*-*-*- -*-*-*-*- -*-*-*-*- -*-*-*-*- -*-*-*-*- -*-*-*-*- Recent innovations in tree harvesting technology mean that saw mill has increased supplies of raw material. Therefore, we have expanded our production to include furniture as well as boats. Please come and inspect our inventory - we have a few imported pieces of oak as well as the locally produced ones. Jim Davies, saw mill supervisor -*-*-*-*- -*-*-*-*- -*-*-*-*- -*-*-*-*- -*-*-*-*- -*-*-*-*- Times long past? As I sit I often wonder what has happened to the people of these lands these days. Is it so long ago when curtesy was common, even unto thine own enemy? Where one was able to walk these lands, had they chosen a less aggressive path, and others abided by that wish. When an enemy was an enemy one respected just the same. And the bond of which was not so tight that disagreements were not dropped to help the same when there was need. Bounderies were there, and kept. Respect for those you would fight, and when asked, would leave them be for whatever reason they had. Is this time long gone? Are my eyes so blind that I have missed the changes to these? My friends have become scarce these days, and my love, along with them. I ask the reasons for this, tis changes of the surroundings and aggressors without thought that result in a lack of what they seek. Those complaints of boredom and lack of activity, yet drive those away that could become an ally, or foe, without a though of such until tis too late. I curse those that fight without thought of the consequence. Be it their own, their victim or our lands. Soon there is naught, who will you then complain to? Abigail MacDuff /*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\ Welcome friends! Welcome friends, welcome all!!!! In celebration of my new home, I would like to invite everyone to come and visit. Take the self quided tour, sip from the clear spring and rest your weary bones in the shade of the trees. I love my new home and am glad to share it with all the world. So please, make your self at home but I beg you to treat it with as much love as I would. The sacred grove (my new home) is 2 east of the stone dolmen in Tara. I hope to see you all there soon to welcome you. Hopefully, in the future, there will also be some construction and a small hut built as well, perhaps then I will hold a housewarming party. Until then, enjoy the grove. ~~~Ceri~~~ /*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\ Announcing the Formation of the "United Surgeons of Legend" The United Surgeons of Legend is a guild formed for and by Surgeons to provide services to Legend and provide a home for Surgeons to get training and assistance in their careers. Any surgeons wishing to join can 'seek surgeons' and you will be contacted. We currenly have 15 members but are always willing to entertain more if possible. The only requirement to join is to be a practicing surgeon. Heros suffering from non-playerkill type damage can seek refuge and restoration by our gentle and pleasant healers in our new hospital in Tudor, England. From Quickley's, simply go south, south, east, east, and you'll be in our healing hands in no time. Surgeons are also available to accompany your adventuring party for on-site medical assistance! Come see us! :) Mertjai Awooga - GM - The United Surgeons of Legend (USL) /*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\ -=- The Birth Of Castlerock -=- Forces exist in the universe, they travel... tamper and influence - and in time are influenced themselves. Several like forces ... energies were attracted seemingly by fate ... unexplainably to the same places and times. These energies manifested and became men, women and heroes. Some became villians ... And as forces across the universe do - these beings now flesh and jealousy and nobility, came into contact with like beings. And these beings collectively relized the strenghth in unity, and became clans. Now numerous in the realm of Legend - clans comprising exceptional warriors, guilds shielding arcane centuries of knowledge, covens hiding darker biddings - all flourishing ... grinding... warring... Who will rise to protect the values and ideals of society? Or destroy them? Who can survive the great guild wars to come? Or escape the chaos? Who will rise to immortality? Which will fall to obscurity? [Castlerock] is an roleplay clan of varied classes, professions and levels. It is build of people who role play thier characters and play them well. It is a strong voice for those few in number but strong in expression. We stand up, fall down and die for our fellow members. Talk to a clan member about joining today. -*-*-*-*- -*-*-*-*- -*-*-*-*- -*-*-*-*- -*-*-*-*- -*-*-*-*- I am happy to announce that due to popular demand I am now selling a news sheet (news board) and a sheet of important information (welcome board), thanks to a local businessman who has seen a market for such things. He has also supplied me with several copies of a visitors' book, filled with blank pages which you or guests to your house may fill. Lucky John, barkeeper -*-*-*-*- -*-*-*-*- -*-*-*-*- -*-*-*-*- -*-*-*-*- -*-*-*-*- Dragon Eyes : An Epic Chapter 7 Another Lt, another chapter. If you missed earlier ones, send requests to Drako at [email protected]. Enjoy :) Drako awoke to the dim light of his inn room. Groggy from his recent near-death adventure, he slowly crawled out of bed. A cold splash from he basin helped to make him feel even worse. Drako gathered his things and trudged out. Another long day of adventure seeking was on the horizon. Thin, milky clouds were also on the horizon, scattered here and there atop the bright backdrop of the blue sky. As always, birds chirped, trees swayed, blah blah blah. Drako didn't care much for any of that while in a sulk. He watched the path and kicked random stones all the way to the crossroads. Since he had explored three of the four exits, two at his immense peril, he figured that the fourth, the easterly route must lead to the druids. 'Finally,' he thought with a sigh to himself. Drako meandered on, coming to a split in the road. 'Grah. Yach.' he thought, dreading another choice. But he was fortunate, for the southern path was short, and its end was clear. A large compound rose happily at its finale. A bit of a smile stole its way onto Drako's countenance. 'Maybe this day won't be as bad as the others,' he hoped fervently. He encountered a young boy, obviously an apprentice of some sort, as elucidated by the markings on his robe. Drako thought a good killing would lift his spirits, so he casually slipped his serpent dagger into the lad's spinal cord. The youth slumped to the ground. A huge smile dawned on Drako's face. This impersonal land lent itself to such carefree enjoyment! Feeling bright and cheery now, Drako proceeded to search for the Archdruid. A man told him that Diancecht, as the 'Arch' was called, could be found in his lab perched in the Great Oak. Drako had no trouble finding the Great Oak, it was an amazingly huge tree in the compound's center, very hard to miss. Ascending the stairs cut into the tree's inner core, Drako was amazed at the awesome construction of the behemoth. Well, to make a short story short, he found the Archdruid, who told him that the world was indeed split by the Shatterstorm. It existed in three independent parts connected by a mysterious practice called transcending. Partially satisfied, Drako set out to find the other two parts. Walking out of the compound, he decided to go further than he had yet. Making sure he had all of his equipment, he set out for the ocean, knowing it would be in the near east. Drako was right, a short path brought him to a small beach. The sand at the beach was a warm, beige mass, and it slowed his movement while bringing him solace. Seagulls jaunced about, their white heads bobbing in groups as they played their silly games. A man rested on the beach amidst an odd assortment of canoes, boats, and rafts. Drako purchased a canoe cheap and decided to strike out. The initial push was a little rough as he tackled the tide and some medium waves. However, distance brought peace, and the waters further out were calm and placid. Drako rowed slowly, enjoying the salty scent and the gentle rippling of waves. He did not, however, enjoy careening out of his canoe as it was slammed up and out of the water. Drako flew high in the air, separating from the heavier canoe, and landing with a harsh belly-flop on the now roiling ocean. A great shape arose from the depths. It was a huge sea-monster of the reptilian variety, its sinewy sleek neck slipping back and forth. Its great green head focused intense red eyes upon our hapless adventurer. Drako reached for his dagger, uncertain what use it would be in conditions such as these, where he had to use most of his energy just to keep from drowning. The prospects seemed dire. The beast's roving eyes lit upon Drako's tottering canoe. A flash of green lightning and the canoe shattered into a million splinters. The huge tail receded back under the water. The same baleful glare fixed upon Drako. The monster pondered. Was this just a piece of driftwood? Drako tread water as slowly and evenly as he could, hoping not to attract attention. Suddenly, the red eyes flared. The beast lashed out, striking just over Drako's head. A large seagull fell to the water near Drako's bobbing head. Satisfied, the serpent receded, sinking back into the fathomless depths. Drako waited a bit, then swam to shore as calmly as possible, though his instincts told him to swim like a rabid cow as fast as possible. He finally reached the other side. Gasping for breath, he struggled to a nearby tree, the solidity of the trunk and coolness of the shade enticing him. As Drako drifted off to sleep, he thought he noticed the trees' branches slowly descending upon him... /*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\ An Interview with Fairfax The home you seek may be that of extravagance and elegance. In the following report, you will hear how the rich and famous have chosen their homes and how they have managed to maintain the high quality of living they keep. It may be that you still have not decided to buy a home because you aren't quite sure of where you might want to live. This reporter hopes that the following documentation might help you to decide your future residence and how palatial you might want it to be. Of course, there are the few hovels that might attract your attention too. Store owners are more and more in demand these days too. How does one keep a store going without going bankrupt? Listen to the stories and decide yourself. My first interview was with Fairfax. He owns a wonderful little treehouse in Tara. His house is amply furnished with sofas, beanbag chairs, Nazcan pottery and a beautiful chandelier drawing your eyes to the twinkling as the wind blows the trees moving it around. He was a very galant host, offering me a seat and some tea as we chatted. My first question, 'How did you come up with the money in order to purchase your home and how are you managing to maintain it's rent?' was met with a blink and a slow pondering of my directness. Wellllllllll...' Fairfax says. 'It's all honest gain, honest. Cash was never a particularly valuable commodity before housing went in, so people tended to neglect it.' 'I made a few lucky sales before. I remember finding a silver bracelet sold at the outfitters. There were also times when people on auction were down on their luck, and I got things cheap, and resold them. The trick was having enough rent to hold them, of course. Having 100 str to carry gold in ShadowLands was also quite helpful, although recently it's been less so. In fact, almost every exp run I had, people would tell me 'please don't split' when my split triggers went off.' I then asked, 'Would you say SL was the most instrumental way of earning your money?' 'Um.. no,' Fairfax says. 'There are certain ways of making cash, certain.. profitable runs on the MUD. Apart from those advised by Beam, of course.. those tend to be crowded. But they did help. Basically when I couldn't find work, I moped about accumulating cash and exp on my own, and it just added up, I guess.' 'What kind of plans do you have for the future of this place?' I asked. Fairfax chuckles politely. 'This place can only expand another room at the most, an Aerie upwards,' Fairfax says. 'I might do so someday, I guess, and convert it to a private chapel or something. The rent isn't really a problem.' 'A chapel?' I asked. Fairfax nods solemnly Fairfax says, 'A private chapel is much more suitable for my meditation purposes than a treetop aerie. And what I am and what I have today, I owe to God.' 'What would you say is the best thing you did for your new home?' I asked. 'I had a Christmas tree once, but that went poof when the bugs came a-biting,' Fairfax says. 'I love everything about the house. I think the immorts have done something this time that even the most critical player would have to smile at. The rent here is pretty low too, so I can afford a few luxuries. Without any additions from here, I estimate I can finance the rent for this house for another two RL years or so.' Then I asked, 'What would you encourage others to consider in purchasing their home?' 'Affordability, of course, would be the primary concern,' Fairfax says. 'I'd love a 6 room villa in Paris or Somme, but it's just not practical for one person. Second would be location.' 'So you would tell people to make sure they can afford a house first?' I asked. 'They don't have to make sure.. they'll know.. =),' Fairfax says. 'At least cover the cost of your house, with another 100k or so to boot, just in case you get careless and forget.' I asked, 'What problems did you come across and solutions?' 'Problems?' Fairfax says. 'Well, Treehouses are compact and cosy, and you can rent in them too. However, you need to climb or fly to get in, which can discourage some people. It's good in the sense that mobs don't wander in, though.' 'And did you find a problem with anyone wandering in?' I asked. 'Fairfax says, 'Heh.. people do occasionally wander in, but if they bother to check exits, and find this little hidden house, then they're most welcome to visit.' I asked, 'Do you have suggestions on how housing can be better?' 'Well, the ability to be able to see then entire floorplan of the completed maximum-size house before building the first room would be a great plus,' Fairfax says. 'Having an itemised rent breakdown will also help greatly in deciding which items to keep and which to remove.' 'It's MUCH more difficult to get cash now than it was two years ago, or even a year ago, and that's not counting the sudden competition. Many of my cash-generating activities are no longer feasible, for example the Romans in Orkney are now no longer worth as much in cash,' Fairfax says. 'Certain mobs with lots of cash don't even last one tick nowadays. Be patient, and just group and kill like before. If you focus too much on making cash, you're bound to be disappointed, because it's heavily in demand now. Plan ahead, and decide what house you want and where.' 'What do you see in the future?' I asked. 'Do you think bankruptcy will be a well known word?' Fairfax looks up into the sky and ponders. 'I don't really see people going bankrupt,' Fairfax says. 'Anyone who can't afford to maintain his house will most likely stop fighting the losing battle rather than see what little cash he has get siphoned off daily.' 'Is there anything else you'd like to add?' I asked. 'Strike a balance between affordability and convenience,' Fairfax says. 'In the end, an individual is unlikely to need more than one or two rooms. If you want it cheap, the land near the Salem well is great for nice houses. For convenience, you're likely to pay and arm and a leg..' Fairfax says, 'For example, Tudor.' Fairfax shudders. Fairfax says, 'You get what you pay for in the end, as in all things. How does that saying go?,.."you pay peanuts, you get monkeys".. it's so true.. you pay carrots, you get bunnies. You pay 200k, you get coupons etc..' I thanked Fairfax for the interview and he made sure I was once again refreshed before I left. If you want to visit Fairfax, he's along the Path to the Woods in Tara. The Treehouse is "up". Make sure you knock and be a good neighbor. If after reading this you should find yourself with questions, please direct them to Dear Huggy by mudmailing to Huggy at LegendMUD. I would be happy to have a question and answer session after each report to encourage knowledge before purchasing. Good luck in your future housing endeavors. Huggy =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=