Volume Six Issue Eight

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  .............._______
  ............./      /            THE LEGENDARY TIMES
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  ...../                / /./       /./     /./  /.../  /./       /
  ..../                /_/..\______/./_____/./__/.../__/./_______/ MUD
  .../________________/       running on         mud.sig.net 9999
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http://mud.sig.net/                                  ftp://mud.sig.net/pub
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VOLUME SIX, ISSUE EIGHT                                February 19th, 1999
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                             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

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