Volume Eleven Issue Sixteen
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.............._______
............./ / THE LEGENDARY TIMES
............/ / http://www.legendmud.org/
.........../ /.....______.._____.....______.._____.......____
........../ /...../ /./ \.../ /./ \...../ \
........./ /...../ ___/./ ____/../ ___/./ __ \.../ /\ \
......../ /...../ /_.../ /....../ /_.../ /..\ >./ /./ /
......./ /...../ __/../ /____../ __/../ /.../ /./ /./ /
....../ /_____/__/__../ \_\ /./ /__../ /.../ /./ /_/ /
...../ Celebrating / /./ /./ /./ /.../ /./ /
..../ our 10th year /_/..\______/./_____/./__/.../__/./_______/ MUD
.../________________/ running on mud.legendmud.org 9999
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VOLUME ELEVEN, NUMBER SIXTEEN October 2, 2004
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Editor's Note
NEWS, REPORTS, UPDATES
New Immortal Announced - Somar
Calendar of Events
News From the PR Department
Recent Updates
Hell Revisited: New Area Installation
See you in Hell!
Did You Know: Builder Defined Commands
LEGENDITES
The Best Days of Our Lives
CLAN NEWS
Afterlife Disbands
PK Front
The Gathering Storm
Through the Eyes of a Thief: Vendetta's Revenge
A Word from Our Sponsor
___ ___
\ |-------------------------------------------------------------| /
/__| The Editor's Note |__\
'-------------------------------------------------------------'
Yes, it's true, parts of Hell have finally frozen over. No, really!
Today we install Kae's version of Dante's Inferno and the mayhem will
ensue. The imps, succubi and shades have been gibbering with giddy
anticipation and the hellrakers have been chomping at the bit, ready
to taste mortal flesh. HELP EXPLORING might be of help to those of
you who haven't been wearing your pith helmets lately. We wish
everyone a good time and the best of luck as they set out to explore
this new area.
We have a new face on the immort roster, be sure to congratulate
Somar and try not to give him a hard time, he's still suffering from
information overload.
October's events calendar is looking to provide amusement with a
series of classic games run on Tuesday nights, just the thing to kick
back and relax as you plan your next foray into Hell.
I've been trying to do better about getting the LT out on a weekly
basis again, but I need everyone's help with that! Deadline for all
submissions is Friday night at midnight system time. Submissions
received after that time may not get included in that weekend's
issue. Likewise, the clan news and pk news sections have been very
light lately... so take a few minutes and spread the word!
Have a great week,
-Kaige
___ ___
\ |-----------------------------------------------------------------| /
/__| New Immortal Announced |__\
'-----------------------------------------------------------------'
Please congratulate our newest immort: Somar
Somar has joined the coding staff.
Give him a break when asking for stuff, he is still learning all
those new commands and got a TON of info dumped on him so his head
is probably still swimming.
Many thanks to the others who applied to immort this round - Straussy
in building, and Lorenzo in coding. Your interest in improving Legend
is appreciated!
The next round of applications have a March 1st deadline. Reading
HELP APPLICATION online gives more info.
And now a little about Somar:
Somar, or his real life persona, Dave, brings approximately
nine years of experience as a player on LegendMUD to the
immortal staff, and will be working in the coding
department. When not on Legend or at work, in the insurance
industry, he enjoys reading (Tom Clancy and Stephen King are
a couple of his favorites), playing or studying chess,
travelling (mostly small, but fun, trips), and watching all
sorts of sports.
His coding life started out with a self-taught comprehension
of BASIC courtesy of some help files, and continued through
his life, helping to earn him a Bachelor's degree in
Computer Information Systems at Davenport University.
___ ___
\ |-------------------------------------------------------------| /
/__| LegendMUD Calendar of Events |__\
'-------------------------------------------------------------'
[All times are system time unless otherwise specified]
OCTOBER
Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31
Saturday, October 2nd Dante's Inferno Installation
Tuesday, October 5th 8:00 pm Classic Games Series:
Recalltag!
Wednesday, October 6th, 2pm-10pm PK BattleZone (HELP BATTLEZONE
for more info)
Thursday, October 7th, 7:30 pm Q&A in the OOC Auditorium
Tuesday, October 12th 8:00 pm Classic Games Series:
Scavenger Hunt!
Wednesday, October 13th, 2pm-10pm PK BattleZone
Thursday, October 14th, 7:30 pm Q&A in the OOC Auditorium
Tuesday, October 19th 8:00 pm Classic Games Series:
Recalltag!
Wednesday, October 20th, 2pm-10pm PK BattleZone
Thursday, October 21st, 7:30 pm Q&A in the OOC Auditorium
Tuesday, October 26th 8:00 pm Classic Games Series:
Scavenger Hunt!
Wednesday, October 27th, 2pm-10pm PK BattleZone
Thursday, October 28th, 7:30 pm Q&A in the OOC Auditorium
Sunday, October 31st Happy Halloween!
Subscribe via iCal at: webcal://icalx.com/public/kaige/LegendMUD32Events.ics
Any browser: http://www.icalx.com/html/kaige/day.php?cal=LegendMUD32Events
''~``
( o o )
+------------------.oooO--(_)--Oooo.------------------+
| News from the Report |
| PLAYER RELATIONS .oooO Compiled by: |
| DEPARTMENT! ( ) Oooo. Sandra & LadyAce |
+---------------------\ (----( )--------------------+
\_) ) /
(_/
What's coming up from the PR department? The theme this month is
CLANS! Everything and anything clan-related will be featured in
activities this month. Sandra and LadyAce will be cookin up plans to
work with clans to put on special events, and to help with recruiting
and leadership-building. Inactive character purges will be coming
back -- don't let your favorite clan fall by the wayside!
We'll be working with clans to write articles about each of you, the
better to spread the word about what makes your group special. As you
might have guessed, LadyAce will be contacting RP clans and Sandra
will be contacting PK clans, so keep an eye on your mailboxes for
your clan's turn in the sun. If you have ideas for events, workshops,
or changes you'd like to suggest for the way clans work, please send
them in via idea and we'll try to work them in!
As you can see from the 'events' list, this month includes the return
of the classic games series. If you have fond memories of a game you
haven't seen run in a while, be sure to use the idea channel to let
the staff know you'd like to see it again. Also coming this month but
not yet scheduled...the Semi-Annual Heavyweight PK Tournament -- and
a moonlit soiree for the party-going roleplayer in all of us. Of
course, October wouldn't be complete without a Halloween celebration
-- watch events for all the details of what's coming up!
During the last month, PR has been all over the map -- from weddings
to flag hunts and casino, from PK tourneys to Q&As, there's been
something for everyone this month. Players sent in requests to
immortals in all departments and areas of focus -- 20 descriptions,
83 strings, and 127 restrings were processed this month! We hope
you're enjoying your newly customized clothes and appearances.
Activity in the PR department in the past month has also included
work behind the scenes, pitching in to help other immortals complete
their code and building projects and preparing a new variation on the
T-shirt contest -- more details on that will be forthcoming!
___ ___
\ |-------------------------------------------------------------| /
/__| Recent Updates |__\
'-------------------------------------------------------------'
/\ CODE UPDATES
/ \
/ \ No significant mort visisble code changes this week.
/_ _\
| |
| | HELPFILE UPDATES
| |
|__| The following helpfiles were updated this week:
/\ AC, ANNDEATH, CHANNELS, GIVE, GROUP, HOUSING,
/ \ PROMPT, QUESTS, SCORE, SHOPS, STATUS, UPDATES
/ \
/_ _\
| | AREA UPDATES
| |
| | If you want to suggest specific improvements or new
|__| additions to existing areas please don't hesitate to
/\ submit them with the idea/bug/typo commands or drop
/ \ mudmail to the builder currently responsible for the area
/ \ (check AREAINFO to find out!).
/_ _\
| | Thanks to everyone that submitted bug/typo/idea reports!
| |
| | Paul in the Wild Boar Tavern (OOC) will be offering
|__| INSPIRE reimbs for non-Limans. ASK PAUL UNLEARN for
/\ character specific eligibility.
/ \
/ \ This week, we are adding a new area - the long-awaited
/_ _\ Dante's Inferno! Be sure to check the welcome board for
| | more details!
| |
| | ANCIENT EGYPT
|__| Faience can now be fixed by an expert, if you
/\ perform a small favor. Tia has changed her stock
/ \ around some. Various bug/typo fixes.
/ \
/_ _\ ANCIENT GREECE
| | Curses by the Greek gods are a trifle harder to get
| | rid of. The cyclops has been diciplined and should
| | return to herding sheep instead of wallowing away in
|__| his cave. Various bug/typo fixes.
/\
/ \ ARABIAN NIGHTS
/ \ Jeweler is a bit cranky about people selling stuff
/_ _\ to him out of his safe. Aladdin a bit more
| | recognizing of people who have helped him before.
| | Various bug/typo fixes.
| |
|__| BEOWULF
/\ Briton boy changes his description when rescued.
/ \ Various bug/typo fixes.
/ \
/_ _\ CELTIC IRELAND
| | The look-at descriptions on the broaches are now
| | more descriptive. Various bug/typo fixes.
| |
|__| GYPSY CARNIVAL
/\ Prizes updated to be more accurate for timeframe. It
/ \ should be more rewarding to smack the clown with
/ \ pies. Dreams have been added. Various bug/typo
/_ _\ fixes.
| |
| | OOC
| | Somar's office has been added to the coder floor.
|__|
/\ PORT OF LONDON
/ \ The nurse is more clear with regards to sharing her
/ \ knowledge. Various bug/typo fixes.
/_ _\
| | SAN FRANCISCO
| | Another fix for the laundry attendant. Various
| | bug/typo fixes.
|__|
/\ 1802 ALASKA, AFRICAN SAVANNA, ALHAMBRA, ANCIENT NAZCA,
/ \ BENGAL, OOC, ROMAN BRITAIN, SEONI JUNGLE, SHERWOOD,
/ \ VICEROYAL LIMA, WW1 SOMME
/_ _\ Various bug/typo fixes.
| |
| | In Progress Area Updates
| |
|__| This section is intended to share what builders are
/\ working on behind the scenes. It is not a perfect record
/ \ of progress as all builders do not commit updates every
/ \ week. Badgering builders about progress gets you flogged.
/_ _\
| | Firefly Japan
| | Kaige 1950's Americana
| | Kaige El Dorado
|__| Kaige Port of London
___ ___
\ |-------------------------------------------------------------| /
/__| Hell Revisited: New Area Installation -- by Cheyla |__\
'-------------------------------------------------------------'
When Flagg retired and took the original Hell (and HOL) with him back
in 2000, a great void was left behind. Without Hell, Legend hasn't
been quite the same. Everyone has been jonesing for its replacement
ever since.
The replacement for the original Hell was supposed to be a
collaborative project, to speed up the building process.
Unfortunately, collaborative building efforts take a great deal of
commitment and require more leadership and coordination than we seem
able to harness (none of the collaborative building projects have
gone very far). While a number of volunteers initially stepped up and
agreed to work on certain sections of the new inferno, and a bit was
actually done, the good intentions didn't pan out as we all hoped and
expected. As a result, Kae was left to build the area very much by
herself. And for a 300-room area built by Kae, you know that brings
with it a good amount of detail.
For the past three and a half years, we've kept Kae chained to the
Inferno. She lived, breathed, and dreamed nothing but the Inferno
the entire time. Imms pitched in and helped with various bits during
the building process - writing acts, suggesting solutions, but
mostly, creating more work for Kae by providing more ideas and
suggestions.
At the end of last year, the area transitioned to the review process
(she is still owed an armadillo for that). Reviewers that included
Sandra, LadyAce, Kaige, Chocorua, Rusalka, Firefly and Nestor worked
hard to cover large sections of the area, and a number of people
(including Huma, Natalia, Haley, and Huginn) helped playtest the
area. If I missed naming anyone that helped with the review, I
appologize - there were a lot of people involved throughout the
process. Heartfelt thanks go out to all of you for working to ensure
we installed a quality area.
And a huge amount of thanks go to Kae for all the work she put into
this area. She slogged through getting it finished... When she was
feeling beaten down by it and utterly uninterested in it, she
continuted to plug away at it. When inspiration for different, new
areas struck her and she wanted to run with it, she forced that
inspiration towards the Inferno instead. Please be sure to
congratulate her on the installation of this area and extend your
thanks to her for all her hard work.
___ ___
\ |-------------------------------------------------------------| /
/__| See you in Hell! -- by Kae |__\
'-------------------------------------------------------------'
The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri was written in the period from
1306-1321. It represents an encyclopedic overview of the attitudes,
beliefs, philosophies, and material aspects of the medieval Italy
that Dante was a native of. The Divine Comedy is universally known as
one of the greatest oratory poems in world literature. In a letter to
his Veronan benefactor, Can Grande della Scala, Dante writes, 'It is
an attempt to remove those living in this life from the state of
misery and lead them to the state of felicity.' He further described
his work as 'polysemous', specifying the principal levels of meaning
as both literal and allegorical.
The Divine Comedy consists of three sections: Inferno (The Inferno),
Purgatorio (The Purgatory), and Paradiso (Paradise). Only Inferno is
included in the area we're installing on Legendmud this week.. It
describes the poet's journey through Hell from the lowest and least
harsh level to the final destination of being face to face with
Lucifer (Satan), and ascending once more to the Earth.
Hell, in Dante's version, is meticulously organized and sinners are
placed according to their primary crimes and the general nature of
their sins in life. The final level is that of ultimate justice which
transforms into merciless retribution and affects the unrepentant.
For Legend's version of Inferno, I have primarily used Dorothy L.
Sayer's excellent annotated translation. Sayers, author of the famous
Wimsey detective novels, translated concepts and names from Italian
into English where appropriate to get a more 'complete' feel of the
poem. This means that those of you who have read other translations
may be momentarily confused by some names - but don't let that deter
you!
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_____ DID YOU KNOW: Tips and tricks and little-used features
/ _ \
/__/ \ \ Did you know... builders can allow certain "commands"
/ / that are not usually available all over the mud to work
/ / in specific rooms or situations?
/__/
__ Have you ever noticed that the command that a quest or
/ \ room or object just seems to be begging you to use isn't
\__/ listed when you type HELP and get the summary of commands?
_____
/ _ \ Have you tried to use an existing social or command and
/__/ \ \ it just doesn't have the effect you expected to solve a
/ / puzzle?
/ /
/__/ If there's a place where what you try doesn't work,
__ report it with IDEA!
/ \
\__/ Builders can allow certain "commands" that are not
_____ usually available all over the mud to work in specific
/ _ \ rooms or situations. Some of these "commands" include:
/__/ \ \
/ / ATTACH, ATTACK, CATCH, DIG, DIVE, FEED, IMITATE, JOUST,
/ / MILK, MUCK, OBSERVE, OIL, PADDLE, POUR, REPEL, SEARCH,
/__/ and SWEEP
__
/ \ Similarly, existing commands may also be overridden or
\__/ altered to work in a different way in specific rooms or
_____ situations.
/ _ \
/__/ \ \ If you try a command that you feel should logically solve
/ / a puzzle and it does not work, you should use the IDEA
/ / command or drop a note to the builder who is responsible
/__/ for the area's maintenance.
__
/ \ Check out HELP AREAINFO, HELP QUESTS, HELP FEEDBACK and
\__/ HELP SUMMARY for more information.
___ ___
\ |-------------------------------------------------------------| /
/__| LEGENDITES: Information Regarding the People of Our World |__\
'-------------------------------------------------------------'
Acheron has reached 100 million experience!
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The Best Days of Our Lives
So it happened, what Asterix thought would take years only took weeks
on Wednesday, September 29th he proposed to TheWatcher in their new
home in Australia, and she said yes!
The ceremonies will be held on the 31st of October in the formal
garden in the household of Asterix and TheWatcher at 7:00 system
time. Welcome by invitation only.
___ ___
\ |--------------------------------------------------------| /
/__| Clan News |__\
'--------------------------------------------------------'
Afterlife Disbands
The Afterlife clan was disbanded on Sunday, September 26, 2004.
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There are currently 10 RP clans and 3 PK clans. This leaves open
slots for ten (10) more clans to form. For more information, read
HELP CLAN and see the clan information list via the CLANS command
while logged into the game. For a basic handbook and reference guide
for players interested in starting and running a clan, we recommend
that before you even type FORM, you visit:
http://www.legendmud.org/Reference/gm.html.
___ ___
\ |--------------------------------------------------------| /
/__| PK Front |__\
'--------------------------------------------------------'
If you witness or commit any glorious or nefarious deeds, send a
short report to us at the LT. If you are looking for a fight,
recruiting, or anything else related to PKill (not necessarily PK
Clan related), send it in! It's free AND you'll get a prize token! Be
a celebrity, the envy of all your friends! Tick off your enemies or
just tell your side of the story! Get YOUR name up in lights! We
can't report it if you don't tell us!
_______________________
/ \
o O | Wonder what folks are |
`\|||/ | doing over at LegendMUD?|
(o o) \_______________________/
ooO_(_)_Ooo__________________________________________________________
_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|___
__|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|
The Gathering Storm
Storm winds were raising heaps of sand and whipping them around. No
one would dare go out in this weather. Yet, a knock came on the
castle gates. One of the guards wrapped his head with a towel leaving
the slightest slit for his eyes. He came to the gates and, with great
difficulty, opened it slightly to let in the stranger. It turned out
to be a local boy, whom he assumed was lost or didn't get home in
time before the storm hit. It was their policy to allow strangers to
weather the storm behind the castle walls. As soon as they were back
in the guard room, the boy immediately addressed the captain of the
guard, to the surprise of the guards at his bold approach!
The boy approached him and spoke swiftly, 'Sir, I was told to pass
this note to you so that it may be delivered, in confidence, to the
queen.'
The captain took the note and studied it. He did not recognize the
insignia used to seal the letter, and he knew most of the marks used
by other Nobility. It was what appeared to be a tower. Realizing he's
been staring at the letter for a minute or so the captain looked up
to find that the boy left, right after handing him the letter. He
question the guards as to why they didn't stop the boy, but no one
noticed him slip out either. The captain quickly reflected in his
mind about the lack of protection this grand castle has, something he
still couldn't quite be comfortable with. He also wondered who would
send a boy to deliver a note for the Queen, at the same time he has
heard many strange happenings and people of having been seen around
the Queen and castle. He decided to deliver this quickly and not
raise any fuss over this strange note. After delivering the note, the
Captain of the guard returned to his rest, it was all he could do
during these sand-storms, and the only time he got to do it. The
thought of the strange boy and his thief-like disappearance left his
mind, as he joined his guard in a game of dice.
The note contained the following:
I have sent this note with a young friend of mine, I hope
it reaches you, milady. The situation in my residence is
becoming worse. It appears certain parties wish to raid our
stronghold, and exterminate our Order. This cannot be
allowed and I have been assigned to use my political
influence to change the minds of these Christian Crusaders.
Although we remain confident that nothing will come of
this, I must be away for some time, as my master commands.
I wish you the best for now.
No signature or mark was left, but the reader's eyes glowed and she
smiled upon receiving this news. She sighed and seemed to breathe a
little easier after this.
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Through the Eyes of a Thief: Vendetta's Revenge
Do you know what it's like to live in a world where the family you
are born into determines the course of your life? Do you know what
it's like to live in a society that values status over ability and
skill? No, fate was not kind to me. I was born into the lowest part
of our 'modern' society.
They called it '... a great leap in technological development.' They
called it '... a step forward for society.' For all the greatness of
Industrialization my parents had to do all the dirty work. They both
worked at a new factory, working machines that made linen cheaper
than importing it. They were building these by the dozens, we moved
to Liverpool, a hotspot of factories. From the day they started
working there, they changed. The fumes from the coal being burned,
the dirty equipment and stuffed atmosphere is what I found to be my
parents workplace. They died roughly 3 years after they started
working there. By this time I was also working there, making next to
nothing.
They said my parents died of disease and common infections, which was
normal. But I knew that it was the work that killed them. So many
people were unemployed that any sort of conditions were acceptable to
work in, as long as some profit was made. No, my parents didn't die,
they were murdered. Murdered by that factory owner, who probably
never stepped inside the factory, never saw the people who worked for
him. It was he who killed my parents, just to save some money on
shipping.
I quit a month after my parents died. I couldn't live with myself
working in a dead-end job that would end up killing me too. I would
not let my birth status decide the kind of life I would lead.
Ever since I was born, I noticed that I was always a little faster
and a little stronger than most. I could also read people, their
faces, their actions. I could almost sense what they were going to
do, or how they felt. I learned to use this to my advantage, to
manipulate it. I chose to use my abilities, to make something more of
myself in a society that didn't respect talent.
Someone once asked Socrates "If one could do something wrong knowing
there would be no consequences, would one?" I believe that if someone
could get away with it, they would do it. And I could get away with
it. Stealing was the perfect job for me. The adrenaline rush, the
sense of justice from taking the riches of a man who was born into
his wealth. All of my abilites were suited for this job and I loved
it greatly. Most of all though, I always got away.
My philosophy in life was simple 'Do unto others as they do unto
you." A slight change to the one priests tell you.
Someone once said, 'An eye for an eye, makes the whole world blind.'
A great statement but nothing you could apply in my case. Mine was
street justice, those idealistic goals for justice and punishment and
reward were all foreign in my world. A world were survival was the
prime drive and the 'civilized' ideals weren't a major concern of
those living. This is my world. Do you know what it's like?
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A Word from Our Sponsor: Val de Diavolo
We sent one of our cub reporters to scout out the town of Val de
Diavolo, Italy. He met some of the most interesting characters
there, but he said one in particular really stuck out from the
rest. Perhaps it was just the aroma that singled the hermit for
attention, but the reporter caught the following on his little
tape recorder as he cautiously approached a rank little hut on
the very edge of town:
Go Away! I don't want your business! Take your perfumed,
well-manicured big city folks selves somewhere else and stop
bothering an honest hermit! Unless you have something
exciting and magical for trade I don't want to see you! I
don't care about your troubles, I don't want to know about
your adventures, and I'm not going to tell you anything
about the Inferno or that idiot Florentine poet who claims
that the access to the underworld is nearby our valley. And
if you say -we- smell -- well, right back at you because I
am rubber and you are glue! So stay out! ... Except if you
have magical trinkets. But make it short.
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The Legendary Times is published by the immortals of LegendMUD.
Please send replies, additions, or corrections to [email protected]
for inclusion in the next issue. All subscription options are handled
at: www.legendmud.org/lists/listinfo/legendarytimes and submissions
at: www.legendmud.org/Community/ltsubmission.php For RP submissions,
copyright ownership remains with the author. We do reserve the right
to moderate the forum and edit or reject any submission.
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