March 15, 2015 Issue

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                             TABLE OF CONTENTS

                          A Note from the Editor

                          UPDATES FROM THE STAFF:
                          Building & Code Updates
                          Immortal News: Penumbra
                              Housing Issues
                      March & April Calendar of Events

                               PLAYER NEWS:
                             XP Achievements

                            Player Submissions:
                              A Change, Pt. 1
                              A Change, Pt. 2
                         Monopoly: Just Add Faygo
                               Winter Gifts
                              Man of Business
                           Counting the Minutes
      
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                          A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

Hi, everyone.

I don't really have an excuse for this delay so I hope you enjoy the included
player contributions. I sure know I did. Be sure to also check out the Welcome
Board in-game concerning more information about housing. I've included an
overview in this issue.

-Lamia


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/__|                       Updates from the Staff                      |__\
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                           Code & Builder Updates
                       
Code Updates:
* New code for December's Advent Calendar! [11/26]
* You can no longer deposit negative amounts of money. [2/22]
* Changed a message with Ancient Era levels - matching it with Med and Indus
levels. [2/22]
+ Back-End Stuff to assist with future housing maintenance [3/7]

Builder Update:
* Rearranged a few vnums - shouldn't be noticeable in game. [11/14]
* Added an office for Penumbra on the builder floor. [11/14]
* Rearranged more vnums - still shouldn't be noticeable in game. [11/26]
* Adjusted Mertjai's immpet - he shouldn't cause issues in OOC anymore. [11/26]
* Lamia's office has changed [11/26]
* Slight changes to PR Mansion [11/26]
* Several bug fixes in London Port [11/26]
* Bug fixes in Egypt. [11/26]
* Updates to various help files. [2/22]
* Previous holiday game removed from in-game. [2/22]
* Added a warning that changing your sex is non-reversible. [2/22]
+ Prize Machine Update - over 110 unique strings are in the machine [3/7]
+ An Aux-Item & Furniture Merchant has been added to the Mansion. The items
she sells cannot be mundaned. If you don't like what you see in her inventory,
you may be able to convince her to show you other items she may have. [3/7]

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                           Immortal News: Penumbra
						   
Everyone be sure to give Penumbra a very warm greeting when you see him. He's
very busy working on a new Industrial area for us. If you don't see him, don't
worry! He's out there, busy working on the new area! (Or is sometimes just 
busy with real life.)								
							
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                  ***** Important Notice About Housing *****

Housing charges are once again turned 'off' due to a persisting issue with 
houses saving. We're currently looking in to the cause in order to resolve the
issue. 'Build' commands have been disabled as well in order to prevent further
issues.

-Lamia

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                        LegendMUD Calendar of Events
       
           [All times are System Time unless otherwise specified]

                                   March
                            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
							
Friday, March 13th - 8:30pm System Time - Werewolf at the Mansion
Tuesday, March 17th - 8:00pm System Time - St. Patrick's Day Themed Hunt

[The 17th's Event is kind of vague because there's a big review at work and 
Lamia may have to stay late, so she doesn't want to get anyone's hopes up.]


                                   April 
                            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
							
Sunday, April 5th - All Day - A Lamia-fied Egg Hunt
Wednesday, April 22nd - All Day - Candy Cloud Gardens for Earth Day

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/__|                            Player News                             |__\
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                              XP ACHIEVEMENTS

Discord has reached 100 million experience!
Jigsaw has reached 100 million experience!
Soki has reached 100 million experience!
Soki has reached 200 million experience!
Svartur has reached 200 million experience!
Deirdre has reached 300 million experience!
Soki has reached 300 million experience!
Soki has reached 400 million experience!
Soki has reached 500 million experience!
Ariah has reached 600 million experience!
Soki has reached 600 million experience!
Vanion has reached 600 million experience!
Ariah has reached 700 million experience!
Ariah has reached 800 million experience!

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__|_____|_____|_____|_____|__PLAYER SUBMISSIONS___|_____|_____|_____|_____|

A Change, Pt. 1

A dejected Dairos sits on his bar stool, for once almost sober enough to 
actually feel his shame for a life wasted - to not even mention the guilt from
countless assassinations he completed without hesitation.  He sits off in the 
dark corner of the pub, only lit up by a large Japanese lantern he keeps with 
him.  He keeps it because strangely this tool that has been more useful in 
helping him guide drinks to his mouth than actually leading his adventures, 
has a deeper hidden meaning to him.

Sure, its a tool he uses to its created purpose, but why he keeps it only he 
will understand.  It's almost falling apart it's so old, and you can tell by 
looking at it there's some sentimental value there - almost has to be.  It's 
chipped and broken, and half rotten from being left out in the rain all night
on many occasions, and barely gives enough light to see it, let alone do 
anything else. 

As he stares into the dying light of the lantern, much as his own life has, he
sees the end coming swiftly.  And finally, as the realization hits him like a 
ton of bricks, he decides he knows what he must do.  He blows out the light 
and sets out to reclaim the mastery of ninjitsu he once had, to save the 
innocent and punish the corrupt, not just to follow blind orders of his 
elders.

This would not sit too well with the members of his clan, as they have 
alienated him already, and Dairos knows what they think they must do to him 
for making his choice.

To be continued...

                             =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

A Change, Pt. 2

Dairos continued living his life in his reckless, glory filled youth - as 
corrupted as any other man given his power would have been subjected to. 
Questionable clients asking for assassination targets seemed a daily happening
to him. The more he contemplated what he was actually doing, the more he 
wondered why and to what end he would do what he was assigned by his masters.
As this inner conflict rose within him, he spiralled deeper into his drinking,
swallowed whole by the very liquid he used to cope with the guilt of so many 
questionable choices.

One day, so drunk he could barely even stand, he approached the elders and 
masters of his village and threw down his sword, swearing to never shed the 
blood of anyone ever again. The masters told him one by one that it's not his
place to question, only to serve. Many of them referred to him as a tool, to 
do their work. These words resonated deep within him, and as he was the most 
loyal of all the clan, and left him no choice but to continue as he had been 
trained, raised in the life even.

Although he still believed heavily in his vow to his clan and the ideals they 
hold within, he felt as if he could no longer mindlessly kill as he was told.
As his guilt for the past grew, his drinking increased, and eventually he 
ended up not completing missions because he was too busy at the local tavern 
drowning his sorrows. Eventually, the clan no longer requested of him what 
they had for so long, ashamed of even raising him to adulthood. As his clan 
pushed him away, he pushed the bottle closer, and he continued in that manner
for years.


Dairos will now be seen as: 
the Drunken Ninja Master
A drunken ninja is here, swigging a bottle of rum.


                             =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Monopoly: Just Add Faygo
by Jigsaw

It was a normal Sunday afternoon, everyone nursing last night's headache and 
just feeling like trash. We decided to have a quiet day in just the Juggalo 
family, board games, and cards. Everything was fine at first. We played Life 
for a few hours; nothing new, though, since I lost. We pulled out the cards 
and played Spades, Hearts, Poker (stud and Texas Hold'Em) We found out the 
hard way that cards are not a good idea. Everyone got loud and headaches got 
worse.

After a break and a store run, we've all settled down now and we decide to
play monopoly. Hour after hour, dollar after dollar, from Baltic to Boardwalk,
over and over. My luck has run its normal course: pay taxes, pay players, go 
to jail, ride the Reading (yea, I finally land on a railroad, 113 times 
around the board later), pay more tax, then I land on chance again. Something 
must have snapped inside me after that last chance card: Go to jail. Go 
directly to jail. Do not pass Go. Do not collect 200 dollars.

I just lost it. I snatched up the game board and took a huge bite out of the 
Go corner, leaving teeth marks in Park Place and Income Tax. Rather dry 
tasting, but as I chew and try to wash it down with my Faygo it all replays in
slow motion. The car, laughing at me, revving its engine as I walk to the 
store.

The ship, that laughing Navy recruiter.

The dog, my poor lost Hatchet (He was a Boxer pup when he got hit by that damn
car).

I... I can't go on. I miss Hatchet.


                             =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Winter Gifts

Looking out over the large river, a young man smiled. He loved the forest, 
especially in the early morning hours. Even in the winter, when his breath 
was visible in the cold northern air, the forest was still beautiful. The 
earth covered herself in a blanket of white, gilded her trees in a light 
frost, and allowed some of her lakes to sleep in ice. The sun was coming up 
over the horizon, bathing the river in its reds and oranges. The people of 
this region called this river Gitchi-Ziibi, the great river. He was headed to 
a nearby fort to pick up, what he hoped would be, acceptable gifts for a 
couple young ladies.  

He was not a big fan of military forts, or military forts trying to disguise 
themselves as trading forts, but this one had something that he wanted. 
Slowing his pace slightly and, moving more carefully, began to almost blend in
with the forest itself. 'I may need to go there, but that does not mean that 
they need to see me right away,' he thought to himself, smiling as he draped 
his bow across his back. He raised his head and let out a long, eerie sound.

The wolf raised its head and looked about, its silver ears listening for more 
sounds. Once it was satisfied with what it heard, it padded slowly toward the 
fort.

                             =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Man of Business

She leaned forward slightly, careful to not lose her balance, as she sat 
perched atop a floral chair's armrest. 'Everything you have is always so 
bright,' Naeva said to Lord Ravenswick, her fingers toying with his cravat pin
as he sat in the aforementioned chair, dutifully enduring her presence. 'Well,
bright or incredibly dark. Was it always that way, or did it happen after you 
married Nadia?' Moris raised an eyebrow as he removed her hand from the pin.

'I have always found myself appreciating the beauty of the contrasting 
shades.'

Naeva slipped her hand from his and started investigating his cuff-links. 
'Before you were cursed, was your hair black? Were you always so pale? I mean,
you're British, so I figure you were always kind of pale, but not this pale. 
I think I like to imagine that you had dark hair.'

He sighed, not trying to free himself from her this time. 'Is there anything 
you would not change about me?' he asked, the slightest bit of sarcasm seeping
in to his tone.

A small smile tugged at her lips. 'I bet your eyes were the same. Pale, 
silvery-blue. I bet people feared you even all those years ago.' She was 
silent for a few seconds. 'Seriously, though, where do you get all this 
platinum? You have it, Nadia had it, your daughter has some, I bet you've got
something hidden away for Tessa, too.'

'I'm a man of business, Miss Trinstadt. Mining is a good business.'

'You know, I thought we agreed you'd drop this whole 'Miss Trinstadt' thing-' 
She let go of his hand, letting it fall to his lap. 'Now, all of this 
platinum. You said something about a mine?' Moris nodded, the movement hardly 
noticeable. 'Awesome. Then getting me a new charm bracelet won't be difficult 
for you at all.'

He raised a perfect, silvery brow. 'Why would I do such a thing?'

Naeva's smile became a smirk. 'Why, because you love me.'


                             =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Counting the Minutes

Vittorio was not only a patient man, but an observant one. Those two traits 
together were dangerous, and, he liked to think, that is why he was so, so 
terribly dangerous. So the smile that graced his lips as he sat down across 
from a young, dark-haired woman was one of victory, of predation, and he 
hadn't even begun his hunt.

'Pardon me,' he said, his voice quiet yet holding an icy edge, 'I do not mean 
to impose on your space, this place is merely far more crowded than I ever
expected.' The woman at the table had stared at him, fork half-raised to her 
mouth, the ravioli sitting atop it threatening to fall every time she took a 
breath.

She swallowed after several seconds of staring, setting the fork down in the 
process. 'Uhm, I guess not.' The girl shifted. She crossed her legs, he was 
sure. Vittorio continued to smile.

'I very much appreciate it,' Vittorio said. 'I wasn't expecting the heat to 
persist this far south.' He now took the time to truly look at the girl before
him: Young, almost too young, but he had spent enough time with wolves to know
that she could easily be at least five years older than she looked. She was 
pretty enough, he decided as she made a face at his comment. She wasn't 
someone he would have gone out of his way to speak with if she hadn't made the
fact that she was a wolf so glaringly obvious. It wasn't the gold that she 
wore, or the foolish little dog ears on the headband - those would have to go 
were things to go his way - it was her eyes. How she held herself. She was 
timid, in need of a strong hand. More a mutt than a wolf and it was a 
disgrace.

'You'd probably be fine except for that coat,' she mumbled as she played with 
her glass of water. 'Dark colors aren't the best, either, 'cause black absorbs
everything.' She trailed off, her gaze remaining on her drink. She hadn't 
looked at him since he sat down. Perfect. How perfect.

This was almost too easy. 'You make a valid point, miss...' He blinked, 
feigning surprise, and moved to stand. 'Oh, how horrible of me,' he said with 
a bow. 'This blasted heat causing me to lose my manners. I'm Vittorio Yonescu.
It's a pleasure to meet you, dear.' He held out his hand for hers, silver ring
gleaming brightly on his middle finger. He saw her hesitation and thought she 
would find an excuse, but she surprised him. Stupid, clever girl, trying to 
hide what she was by placing her hand in his, allowing his lips to touch her 
knuckles. He heard the faint sizzle as the ring touched her flesh, but she did
not withdraw, and he did not act as though he heard anything. Wolves were 
sensitive of their weaknesses.

'I'm Seraphina,' she said, pulling her hand away, trying to play off her 
discomfort by motioning for him to sit again. 'Are you here on business?'

Vittorio returned to his seat across from her, smile once again on his lips. 
'Of sorts,' he said. 'I am looking to move here. London has become too dreary,
too boring for the likes of me.'

She smiled faintly at her lap, where she'd settled her hands. 'I've only been 
there a few times, but London seemed nice. I heard stories about vampires, so 
I can't imagine it being boring.' She started when he scoffed.

'Vampires,' he said, almost purring. 'Do you believe in such tales?' Seraphina
nodded her head. 'You surprise me, Seraphina.' She shifted again, gold eyes 
glancing at him then quickly away. He raised both eyebrows in slight surprise.
How had she not been taken in hand? This one, so eager to please. The way she 
flinched at such a light scolding... oh, he would enjoy this. 'Relax, dear, I 
was merely teasing. You needn't look so distraugh--'

'I wasn't distraught!' she said, frowning at him. He stared at her, a single 
eyebrow raised. They were silent for a moment, a long moment where even the 
noise of the restaurant seemed to dull. 'I'm sorry,' she said quietly, turning
her gaze to her lap.

'I'm not going to tell you that everything is alright, because it is not,' he 
said coldly. 'You shouldn't interrupt someone like that, especially someone 
like me.' She frowned at him and he frowned right back. 'You were upset 
because you are fond of the supernatural. They're part of your life. You know 
a vampire or a hunter, or maybe even both? Or perhaps you know other 
creatures. Wolves, those are common.' She swallowed and looked away. Her jaw 
was clenched and this was too easy, Vittorio told himself. She'd be his by 
midnight. 'So common that I find myself sitting across from one. Don't move. 
Don't even breathe, Seraphina.' He stood and made a show of slowly moving to 
her side of the table, sitting so his leg was touching hers. She whimpered 
softly as he draped an arm around her shoulders. 'Relax, little wolf. I'm not 
here to hurt you. Quite the opposite, truly. I would like to offer you a job. 
Something lovely, something I'm sure you would enjoy very much.'

'I have a job.'

He tutted softly. 'Baking? Running around with hunters? Those aren't jobs. 
They're a waste of time and talent.' Vittorio brushed a bit of hair from 
Seraphina's face, the draped arm drawing her a little closer to him. 'Why 
don't we go somewhere more private to discuss your new employment?'

The girl gulped, trying to keep her breathing even. 'I never agreed to work 
for you.' He chuckled darkly, his hand moving from her hair to curl a finger 
under her chin.

'I wasn't really giving you a choice, Seraphina.'

She whined softly. 'I have to go. Please. I'm supposed to meet a friend and 
he'll get upset if I don't show up.'

Vittorio hummed, his hand dropping to his lap. After a moment he sighed and 
shook his head. 'One of your hunters. You are free to go, Seraphina, on two 
conditions.' He removed the arm from around her shoulders and let that hand 
fall to his lap as well. 'One: Think about my offer. I'll come by soon to 
collect you. Two: Ask yourself why, of all the wolves that he's killed, one of
your hunters let you live. Perhaps I'm not the only one who desires something 
from you.' With that he placed a soft kiss on her temple and stood. 'Enjoy 
your evening, dear. I'll be counting the minutes until we meet again.'

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The Legendary Times is published by the immortals of LegendMUD. Please send
replies, additions, or corrections to our address at [email protected] for
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