Volume Seven Issue Eleven
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............./ / THE LEGENDARY TIMES
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..../ /_/..\______/./_____/./__/.../__/./_______/ MUD
.../________________/ running on mud.legendmud.org 9999
208.188.102.145 9999
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VOLUME SEVEN, ISSUE ELEVEN May 21st, 2000
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Calendar of Events
NEWS & REPORTS
1802 Alaska Installed
LegendMUD April Connection Analysis
LEGENDITES
Announcements
Clan Shotokai Newsletter
From the Dead Letter Office
Destruction...and Creation
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/__| UPCOMING CALENDAR OF EVENTS |__\
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[All times are system time unless otherwise specified]
<-> [-] <-> [-] <-> May <-> [-] <-> [-] <->
Thursday, May 25 at 7:00 pm Q & A in the OOC Auditorium
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/__| NEWS AND REPORTS |__\
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1802 Alaska Installed!
Our latest new area is 1802 Alaska, built by Cheyla. If you haven't had a
chance to visit, I encourage you to do so. A few introductory notes (also
accessible by typing "help 1802 Alaska" within the game) may serve to whet your
appetite for a tundra adventure.
In 1802, Alaska was still very wild, populated mainly by the animals and
native people. However, the Russians had found the animal furs to bring good
prices on the Asian continent and built forts and roamed the lands. The
Russian American Company (RAC) was the main trading force behind the Russian
settlements in Alaska.
The Tlingit
One of the many native peoples of Alaska, the Tlingit people are a fearsome
bunch. Hostile towards intruders and other native tribes, they often waged
war against other peoples and were known to keep slaves (who made up about
a third of their population).
Always aware of the possibility of war, villages were built along the edge of
a beach, generally in sheltered coves. Village locations were chosen carefully
to allow the most visibilty of possible attack and the most protection. Their
canoes were well-suited for war, carrying 30-50 people and being built for
speed and stability.
Unlike most other native groups in Alaska, their houses were not built
partially underground. Built of sweet-smelling red cedar, their houses were
one form of the rare Tlingit art. Beautiful carvings adorned every carveable
surface. Totem poles of various types were built in front of their houses and
gaily painted, telling the history of the clan or person it was erected for.
The Athabascans
The Athabascan people of Alaska are very protective of their hunting grounds,
but welcome traders with a wary eye. Traditionally very nomadic, a few
groups built more permanent settlements.
Living in the harshest part of Alaska where temperatures range from well below
freezing in the winter (-70F) to quite hot in the summer (90+F), they had to
adapt their houses to the weather. Winter houses were built somewhat
underground, like the YUPIK and INUIT houses but summer houses were more like
teepees, made of animal skins and brush.
The Aleuts
Fairly peaceful but not strangers to warfare, the Aleut inhabit the southern
islands of Alaska. Treeless and windswept, the islands offer little shelter
from the almost-constant fog, drizzling rain, and wind. Few land animals live
on the islands, and the plant life is rather scarce due to poor soil. Thus,
the Aleut are forced to live off the wide variety of animals provided by the
sea.
Aleut houses were generally built on top of a hill or along an isthmus - both
if possible. The hill provided an excellent place to watch for danger and sea
animals while the isthmus provided the Aleuts with an easy way to move boats
to a different body of water in case of attack. Whalebones and driftwood make
up the structure of the Aleut huts, built partially underground and covered
with sod for insulation.
The Yupik
Making their homes along the rocky beaches of the central-western Alaskan
coast, the Yupik people are quite friendly. Traders and travellers are often
welcomed and fed well. Living along the inland coast, they do not rely
solely on the ocean for sustenance, but gather plants and hunt land animals
to supplement their ocean-based diet.
Much like the northern Inuit people, Yupik homes were built partially
underground. The frames of the huts were built of driftwood or whale bone and
the walls constructed of sod. The hut was accessed by a single entryway,
generally through a short underground tunnel to keep out the wind. The floors
were of stone, whalebone, or driftwood and benches for sleeping on, sitting
on, and working at were built around the edges of the hut. A fireplace was
located in the center of the hut for warmth, light, and cooking. A few
carefully-placed windows in the roof provided light as well as air vents.
The Inuit
Living in the northernmost part of Alaska, the Inuit are a cheerful people,
often welcoming traders and other strangers into their settlements. Their
settlements are generally inland a short distance, but still close enough to
the ocean to easily hunt whales and seals. While not their main source of
sustenance, the ocean still played a large part in Inuit survival.
Much like the southern Yupik people, Inuit homes were built partially
underground. The frames of the huts were built of driftwood or whale bone and
the walls constructed of sod. The hut was accessed by a single entryway,
generally through a short underground tunnel to keep out the wind. The floors
were of stone, whalebone, or driftwood and benches for sleeping on, sitting
on, and working at were built around the edges of the hut. A fireplace was
located in the center of the hut for warmth, light, and cooking. A few
carefully-placed windows in the roof provided light as well as air vents.
The Russian American Fort
Lured by the abundance of luxurious furs the wildlife of Alaska offered,
Russian trappers and traders began roaming the wilds of Alaska in the early
1700s. Trading settlements and forts were built on many islands and in
sheltered coves along the coast. Unfortunately for the Russians, the natives
were not happy with this enroachment into their lands and staged attacks
against the forts.
The fort at Sitka was built in the late 1700s and declared the Russian
capital by Governor Aleksander Baranov. Called 'Novo Arkhangel'sk' (New
Archangel) by the Russians, it replaced the old captial at Kad'iak (Kodiak).
The Tlingits caused Aleksander many problems - burning parts of the fort,
killing his soldiers, and making themselves an overall nuisance.
<-I-> <-I-> <-I-> <-I-> <-I-> <-I-> <-I-> <-I-> <-I-> <-I->
LegendMUD April 2000 Connection Analysis
Peak Mortal Players 61
Average Peak was 50
Peak PK Enabled Players 17
Pkenabled Characters represent approximately
17% of active players.
The first two tables below show the Average Mortal Players and Average
PK Enabled Players connected to Legend by hour of the day as polled
approximately on the hour system time during the period noted above.
The third table shows the same averages calculated by the day of week.
hour 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
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avg 34 31 29 30 18 16 14 14 18 19 24 22
pke 5 4 5 5 3 3 3 1 3 3 3 3
hour 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
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avg 26 29 33 37 39 38 35 36 38 39 36 28
pke 4 4 4 5 6 6 5 6 6 6 5 4
day MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT SUN
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avg 30 29 28 27 29 30 32
pke 5 5 4 5 5 5 5
________________________
/ \
o O | Wonder what folks are |
`\|||/ | doing over at LegendMUD?|
(o o) \________________________/
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/__| LEGENDITES: Information Regarding the People of Our World |__\
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Announcements
Hannah has reached 100 million experience!
(*) (*) (*)
Clan News: Three new clans arose (or re-arose, as the case may be)
recently: Der'Morat'Moridin, the Ministry of Darkness, and Clan Shotokai
Shadar Logoth was disbanded by Brynne. Clan Singapore was disbanded for low
membership. Legend currently has 23 RP clans and 8 PK clans.
(*) (*) (*)
<-I-> <-I-> <-I-> <-I-> <-I-> <-I-> <-I-> <-I-> <-I-> <-I->
Clan Shotokai Newsletter
-------------------------------------
New Edition, Number One
1) Clan's presentation
*************************
Fellow Legendites,
I have the pleasure to let you know that the Clan Shotokai is active
again. We gathered around Sensei Egami who came back from his long journey
in the Kyushu Mountains.
We are a RP Clan that welcomes people of Japanese roleplay. We open our
arms wide to any kind of people from the evil ninjas and Oni to the
soft-hearted Shugenja. In fact, our clan is not align-oriented at all. We
could be qualified as neutral, when in fact we are just walking another
path of behavior. This subtlety is of course only understandable by our most
active members.
Right now, we also accept Gaijins, strangers that don't seem to fit our
roleplay scheme but that proved to be people full of pride, honor and that
gained a sense of sacrifice to their inner goals.
As some of you can remember, we have a system of ranks that testifies your
mud knowledge, sense of friendship and wisdom. Ranks are given to members
after a council vote and are not only due to our GM's will. This system will
be in fact detailed in a next newsletter.
We try to promote honor and friendship and give characters of Legend some
wisdom, kind of things that are more in your heart that in your score sheet.
2) Meet our members!
**************************
Egami : the Kagemusha led the Clan Shotokai many times over the past years.
Spiritual son to Path-Ryke, founder of the Clan, Egami is famous for his
battles against legendary foes such as Howard, Mordrid or Gho. Now an old
wise man, he came back from retirement to show us again the path of Honor.
Octagonal : Few men of earth could match Octogonal's physical power and
warfare. Student to the most wanted teachers of the Arts of War, Octagonal is
also a scholar, riddle-man and storyteller for the clan.
Plissken : A gaijin for sure, but Plissken showed that he's a trustworthy
companion and also an emerit bowman.
Sitalz : a grand Shugenja who masters the kami of Air and Earth, calling for
himself their assistance. If you meet him, don't hesitate to ask him for
tricks, books or incantations, because he's probably one of the most
competent mage around.
Kuthuman : Here's our bushi. Kuthuman is still a young warrior in training
but his knowledge of weapons surely testifies of his past incarnations.
Obscurus : The messenger, darker than darkness, Obscurus only gets out of our
Kyuden when the night offers him his cloak of stars. Never seen or when its
too late, Obscurus often deposits war statements or peace treaties to our
opponents, risking his life behind the enemy lines.
Ronin : Masterless, Ronin swore to avenge his Daimyo and will roam
endlessly until his goal is achieved. Ronin met Master Murakami many years
ago and promised to help the Clan Shotokai until he recovered his inner
peace.
Rictor : a most honorable samurai, Rictor pledged many allegiances as a man
of honor but his heart led him back to the Shotokai where he is one of our
few 2nd Dan ranked members.
Sundance : the knight of Avalon came back to our lands as he was bodyguarding
Egami in the mountains. He changed his mind lots about the conception of
honor and decided to join our ranks. Be sure to ask him anything if you cross
his road, because Sundance would just die for you if you needed.
Martyr : few of you don't know about the Official tank of Legendmud.
Ise-zumi, man of knowledge. Be sure to meet him and ask him why the world is
here and for how long.
3) Join our ranks!
********************
We have some free spots! Join us!
Please send me a mudmail with a dozen lines proposal including:
- Why you want to join us
- What you'd do for the clan if you were a member.
4) Services
*************
We will soon propose services like:
- Tough eq gathering
- Rudh leading (join Octogonal, Martyr and Egami)
- Quest info etc..
Each service will be dealt on a individual basis, often free of charge,
but it really depends...on you!
- Saga Yashiden, Shotokai Shugenja and Clan's attendant.
Last Note : We have nothing to deal with DBZ and Pokemons (Don't laugh, I've
been asked.)
<-I-> <-I-> <-I-> <-I-> <-I-> <-I-> <-I-> <-I-> <-I-> <-I->
From the Dead Letter Office
A tattered scroll with a very incomplete address was found by the LT staff
on their doorstep this morning. Its contents are printed here in hope
that the intended recipient may recognize its content and claim the
scroll, and preferably soon we hope, as the office carpet is now covered
with soot!
----
(outside)
Marcel Alexander
7th Circle of Hell and/or Way Up There
(inside)
Dear Marcel,
I fear that I must cancel our lunch date. I apologize for the short notice,
but really, there was nothing that I could do.
It began when I was out shopping with Fred yesterday morning. I was selecting
new draperies for the living room, and they were dreadfully heavy, and the
shop didn't deliver, and Fred looked awfully tired, so I said "Home, Fred,"
so that we could drop off the draperies before moving o n to the carpets. Only
he got confused. Instead of going to MY home, he went to HIS home, which is
Hell as you well ought to know know.
And the deucedly awkward thing was that Fred couldn't get back out of Hell
with yours truly in tow unless he got officially summoned again. And I had
accidentally left the crystal orb that I had been using to ring him. Well,
not quite accidentally. I had left it because it was too heavy and I wanted
my hands free for the draperies.
Fred kindly offered to put me up for the night at his lovely ranch style
house in the 3rd circle suburbs, but when we tried to take the main freeway,
it was blocked with construction, so we had to take several detours,
whereupon Fred got completely lost. We were wandering in this rather nice
looking bit, with all kinds of lovely stonework, when I suddenly realized why
the stonework looked so familiar.
It was Babylonian. Very nice Babylonian too, the sort that you see in
temples.
Now, I don't remember very much about my past (thanks to a certain person's
unlabeled Bottle of Lethe), but I did get the very strong feeling that we
probably shouldn't dwaddle about. But then Fred tripped over one of the bits
of stonework, which caused a small earthquake, and suddenly they were all
around us, Asarti, Marduk, and all the rest, so divine and terribly stern
despite the silly horns on their heads. I thought they were going to let us
off with a stiff warning until one of them peered closely at me and started
ranting about Uppity Priestesses and the Young Who Do Not Know Their Duty.
And I began to remember precisely WHY the general atmosphere felt so very
Unhealthy.
Apparently, they are still in a snit for my slightly abrupt departure from
their service a few thousand years ago. Really, I didn't think they'd care,
especially since I wasn't exactly cut out to be High Priestess material.
Especially after I accidentally spilled the hot oil on Marduk's divine lap!
Gods know, they had thousands of priestesses. Why should they care about one
small ME?!
But they did. Or maybe they didn't exactly but were just really really bored.
I imagine that it's frightfully dull to be a former Babylonian deity stuck in
hell and forced to wear horns on your head all day long...
So the upshot is that I can't possibly make our lunch date because they have
locked me in some kind of cell. And they are ranting on about all sorts of
Appropriate Punishments for Wayward Priestesses. I'm not at all convinced
that they'll actually get around to DOING anything but the situation is
rapidly deteriorating.
You simply MUST get me out of here! I don't care how.
Now. Immediately. Perfunctionarly. Please.........
(at this point, the scroll appears to have suffered water damage and is
largely illegible for several lines)
....quite desp..ate....Fred ...free..hope...letter...reaches you....too
late...
- Mitra ...gami
<-I-> <-I-> <-I-> <-I-> <-I-> <-I-> <-I-> <-I-> <-I-> <-I->
Destruction...and Creation
I think I've gone insane. I must be insane. Let me just start from the
beginning - from the present. World War II will end soon - at least we think.
My name is Dr. Pearson Nukem, and I am a nuclear physicist working to build
nuclear weapons for the United States. At least I used to. Honestly, when I
took the job I never really imagined that A) we would create a workable
weapon, and B) that we might actually use it. The guilt of having been
involved in the creation a such a horrible means of destruction was
destroying me from within. "I am become death, the destroyer of worlds," as
Oppenheimer said. I hadn't slept, bathed, or eaten much of anything for 3 or
so days, and my colleagues were worrying. Of course, those heartless brains
weren't worried about me, they were worried that someone with my level of
security access was losing it. And I was. After we build the first two
bombs, "Little Boy" and "Fat Man", a third was scheduled for construction
immediately.
Almost on instinct, I drove to the laboratory early in the morning, walked
in and walked out with a several rods of plutonium (used as "sparkplugs" in
getting the whole nuclear reaction going). I knew they'd just make more,
but I was hoping to set them back a while, at least until the war had
hopefully ended. Now I knew I had to run, and run I did. I got on the first
boat out of the country - a freighter destined for Casablanca. I boarded
with my precious cargo, but being suspicious of such a disheveled, and in the
captain's own words "maniacal", looking man, they seized the case of
plutonium. Just before they barged in, for some reason, I was inspecting the
rods myself (a head count, of sorts). When they entered the room and took
the box, I was left holding a single rod. Of course, I ran down the hallway
after them, but they wouldn't hear it from a man who looked and acted like I
did. In fact, they were so suspicious of me (and not knowing what the rods
were), they just sealed up the container (fortunately) and threw the whole
thing overboard. I can only pray that the seal was not compromised in any
way - the container was designed to handle substantial pressure (hopefully as
much as the ocean will put on it). Arriving in Casablanca, lost, and still
without my full mental resources, I wandered around for days it seemed. I'm
not sure how, or why, as those days seem plagued by selective amnesia, but I
ended up at an oasis. I collapsed just close enough to get a drink, but
passed out soon enough.
When I came to I was in what the natives tell me is Agrabah, and based
upon all the evidence I have before me, I can only say that this is no longer
1945. So, I am no longer in the present. Either I AM crazy, and have
created this alternate reality to escape from my own nightmarish one, or I
really am in ancient Agrabah (impossible). So I've lost it, but in either
case, I've got one of the few rods of plutonium-239 around, and I'll die
keeping it out of the wrong hands. May God have mercy on all our souls...
Nukem (a maniacal physicist)
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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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