Volume Six Issue Six
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=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= .............._______ ............./ / THE LEGENDARY TIMES ............/ / .........../ /.....______.._____.....______.._____.......____ ........../ /...../ /./ \.../ /./ \...../ \ ........./ /...../ ___/./ ____/../ ___/./ __. \.../ /\ \ ......../ /...../ /_.../ /....../ /_.../ /..\ >./ /./ / ......./ /...../ __/../ /____../ __/../ /.../ /./ /./ / ....../ /_____/__/__../ \_\ /./ /__../ /.../ /./ /_/ / ...../ / /./ /./ /./ /.../ /./ / ..../ /_/..\______/./_____/./__/.../__/./_______/ MUD .../________________/ running on mud.sig.net 9999 199.1.78.16 9999 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= http://mud.sig.net/ ftp://mud.sig.net/pub =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= VOLUME SIX, ISSUE SIX February 5th, 1999 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= TABLE OF CONTENTS - The Editor's Note - - Upcoming Calendar of Events - ARTICLES - Why YOU Should Vote in the Expies - - The Immortal Report - - Usage Statistics - LEGENDITES - Annoucements - - A Vanishing - - In Honor of the Unsung Bards - - Cat Haiku - - An Amusing Encounter - - The Coven, Caught in a Wrongful Act - - An Eerie Press Conference - - Serrated Reincarnation - - A Glimpse, from Two Perspectives - - Althea's Vow - ___ ___ \ |------------------------------------------------------------------| / /__| EDITOR'S NOTE |__\ '------------------------------------------------------------------' A Review of the Past, A Glimpse of the Future Hello All, As we approach the MUD's 5th birthday, I thought it appropriate to review the building and coding changes that we've gone through in the last year, and provide you with something of a roadmap for the next year. Please remember, as you read, that an unfinished project cannot be installed, and while we may set goals and try hard to reach them, things can come up in our lives. The changes we aim for in the next year are all goals -- not promises. A number of areas and updates have gone in over the last year, including Deanna's Melbourne and Dreamtime, Croaker's Peloponnesian Isles and update to Roman Britain & Pictland, and Sandra's Boston and update to Viking. The number of small updates (including the updates to mob xp), and typos and bugs fixed is also staggering. In all, we emerge from this year with a larger, cleaner, and more rich playing environment. The next year should bring equally exciting new areas. In the next couple of months, a number of areas will be completed and go into testing. In particular: Sandra plans to have 1930s Pittsburgh done by the 3rd week in February, and hopes for an install date sometime near the end of March. LadyAce is cleaning up bugs in Crusades in order to put it into testing, and hopes to have Crusades installed by sometime in April. Croaker expects Greece to be finished by mid spring and installed by early summer. Greece will be an expansion to Ithaca/PIsles for high-level characters based on the labors of Hercules. It will include the towns of Thebes and Mycenae and many of the mythical beasts which Hercules slew. Cheyla hopes to have 1802 Alaska into testing by the end of March or beginning of April, and Kae hopes to have Malta into testing by the end of May. Charity is working on an expansion of the current Egypt, and will be devoting time to the pyramid, which is a large project, and should be in testing if not installed, approximately a year from now. Rusalka says that her update to Tudor will be in within a year as well. In the last year, we've also completed a lot of coding projects. The controversial new XP scale (designed and coded by Ea!, Kaige, & Rufus) was installed. The regeneration system was updated, allowing you to regenerate throughout the tick rather than on it, and a new "redemption point" system was installed, giving some incentive to rack up vast quantities of xp.(Rufus) New skills went in, including parry/advanced parry/expert parry, elbow, and mix potion (all by Rufus). New commands went in, including the clear command (Snapper), the diagnose command (Rufus), the events command (Kaige), and the converse command (Rufus). The depth of the game has improved as well, now that items can catch fire (Rufus) and we have varied fight messages for kick, choke, headbutt, backstab, etc.(Ea!). Interacting with the game has also improved, with spellbook, allspells, skills, and allskills all being sorted alphabetically (Ea!), the addition of the command separator (%; -- Snapper), and the room name of your place of rent now shows up before you enter the game. Besides these fun new features, we've also made some mistakes from time to time. We had our share of crashing bugs and strange & unexpected code behavior. Bugs and mistakes can be a hassle for players, but they can also have rather funny consequences (particularly in retrospect). Some of those bloopers include...while trying to fix a memory leak, we fixed too much. The result was that people's items started to randomly change descriptions. At one time, items stolen with steal would be removed from the victim, but not given to the attacker. Another bug made operating on a non-pkenabled player who was fighting, pkenable the fighting player. And who can forget the time that a bug which caused anyone reconnecting to the mud to reconnected as a random character? The next year will include exciting code changes, but in all probability, its own new set of silly bugs -- I hope you'll bear with us, we're fixing them as fast as we can! Projects to be at least completed, if not installed in the next year include (in no particular order): Housing, gravity, a revamping of the way light levels work, an update to vehicles, including the addition of non-mechanized vehicles, area-defined currencies, a dynamic economy, time zones/hemispheres, random mob/item generation, affects saving over rent, player voices (i.e. speak in a deep voice, a squeaky voice, a soft voice) and gradual, rather than instant, changes to stats when you change your eq. More details on these changes will be available to you as they are completed. I know that skilltrees are probably a big question in your mind, and I wish I could give you a date on them. Ea! has said that the projects listed above are basically all that stands between us and trees, and once these changes are out of the way and installed over the next few months, trees will take center stage. In particular he said "I think we're unlikely to get trees in this year, but it probably won't be too far into the year after." If you appreciate the changes that have gone in so far, or if you're excited about the new features we'll be offering, please let us know. Your positive feedback is a major source of fuel for even more exciting changes. Player encouragement is a huge motivational force for the immortal staff -- a sense of accomplishment is what keeps this large, busy, purely volunteer crew, going. 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 12, 7:00 pm - Q & A in the OOC Auditorium Friday, February 13, 8:00 pm - 'Leopold's Amulets' Game Saturday, February 14 Happy 5th Birthday LegendMUD and Happy Valentine's Day! Thursday, February 19, 7:00 pm - Q & A in the OOC Auditorium ___ ___ \ |------------------------------------------------------------------| / /__| NEWS AND REPORTS |__\ '------------------------------------------------------------------' Why YOU Should Vote in the Expies Some players have asked me what the Expies are, and why they ought to vote for them. Since not everyone has been here long enough to know, the Expies are our annual awards, given in a formal ceremony. This year, we'll be holding the ceremony on the MUD's 5th birthday, February 14th. The Expies ballot includes awards for immortals and players, for everything from best area to most helpful player, from RP scenarios to "Best Hack 'n' Slash." So why should you vote? This is one election where your single vote really can determine the outcome -- ties and very close decisions are common. Voting is quick and easy, just a few minutes to make your selections and send the mail to [email protected] with an active character name at the top. And everyone with an active character is eligible -- just send a note to Flagg or LadyAce if you don't have a ballot. But the most important reason to vote in the Expies is the fact that they are one of the few times when we all can gather together in appreciation of what really makes Legend great -- the people, and the time and effort that they contribute. Whatever you appreciate most, let your voice be heard. Vote today -- ballots are due back by midnight on Sunday, February 7th. -LadyAce The Immortal Report Kaige did the usual general admin stuff: sorting bugs/typos/etc and worked a bunch more on the mobkill log files and immorted Seth and Vannessa with help from the dept heads on short notice. She's been kinda offline this weekend with some family issues but is back now. ADMIN: Sandra started orienting Seth this week after he was immorted and talked with a few people about pkenabling and redemption points. She started dealing with some appeals on recent admin decisions, as well. Her video card died, and she's been fighting with it ever since. Chocorua spent some time online but was busy getting his computers rebuilt and reorganized. Flagg did a number of descs, and fixed a couple of grammatical errors in descs and strings. BUILDING: Rufus fixed a bug in PI but is focusing on coding this week. Charity worked on housing for her area, and worked on some other new things to add to Egypt. See her post on the welcome board about this. Cheyla was busy this week (and it appears she will only get busier) so she didn't get a whole lot done on her area. Added in a few acts here and there and tested a couple of others; changed/added weather. She hopes to try to finish the rest of the descriptions she has left this coming week and to start working on housing - and maybe a bit of fiddling with the quests and more mob acts. Croaker added a new quest to PIsles and added a new feature to Picts. Deanna added housing to her areas, although it still needs fine-tuning, especially now that she understands it better. She also fixed some bugs in her areas. Flagg did a couple of fixes, but hasn't committed anything. He also helped Vannessa get started out. Kae added new mobs & rooms to malta, fixed a number of recurring bugs, added a number of atmosphere items, and added a few Forage items and disguises. Leila fixed a few small bugs in London and romped around reporting the others that are too large to deal with at the moment and did some general tidying-up this week. Rusalka worked on housing for Tudor, and talked to some players about housing and answered their questions to the best of her ability. LadyAce worked on housing for her area, and some on debugging, mobs, and weather. Sandra finished room descriptions for Pittsburgh and worked on mobs mostly this last week. Kaige updated some builder tools, fixed some typos and bugs. She also did some work on the medieval seas, updated some helpfiles, and started working on housing for a bunch of areas. CODING: Ea! polished off gravity and the new help system, and also made fixes for a bunch of small bugs, etc. Snapper did a lot of restrings as well as helping Sandra & Chocorua with some computer problems. Rufus added in some builder commands, fixed some bugs, and worked on housing. Kaige fixed a few bugs and added some builder commands. PLAYER RELATIONS: LadyAce did the normal round of restrings/descs/strings. She ran a Q & A, a flag hunt, and a game of tag and put out an issue of the LT. She talked to players about issues they're having with each other and with the imm staff. She also helped some players with their RP, using mob switches and some zip items. Chimera did strings and restrings and built on ooc some more. Flagg got the final Expie ballots out, counted ballots and helped with a good three hour trivia. He also did various other normal online things. Natalia did pretty much the usual this week, strings, restrings, fixed some description typos, talked with people... Offline she's been re-reading the builder docs and trying to come up with some prelim notes for her bit of the proposed pr.are area expansion Tad says things are well in france. He's been able to be around online a bit more than he had anticipated, but still not as much as he had been. In the past month, Tad has done bunches of strings and restrings, learned the new method for registering descs and registered a buncha descs, answered various questions for various folks and ran the occasional game. Spencer hasn't been on too much, but he did run some Title Trivia one day, and has read bunches of boards. He submitted some project ideas to LadyAce for input. LegendMUD Connection Analysis January 1 1999 - January 31 1999 January Peak Mortal Players 73 The table below shows the Average Mortal Players connected to Legend by hour of the day polled approximately on the hour system time during the period noted above. hour 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 ------------------------------------------ avg 41 37 32 27 24 23 22 23 26 29 33 34 hour 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 ------------------------------------------ avg 32 36 37 38 40 39 43 44 48 48 52 48 ________________________ / \ o O | Wonder what folks are | `\|||/ | doing over at LegendMUD?| (o o) \________________________/ ooO_(_)_Ooo________________________________________________________________ _____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|___ __|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| ___ ___ \ |------------------------------------------------------------------| / /__| LEGENDITES: Information Regarding the People of Our World |__\ '------------------------------------------------------------------' Announcements! Descriptions: The call of battle reaches my ears again, and the chanted mantras of the Dark beckon me. Its time to take up the gun and wield the blade, and time to cut up some more Light Blinders! I walk the world as A cracked desperado fills the air with whizzing bullets and a crazed laugh. Or to you short sighted folks, The Dark Lord's Gunslinger. -Ronnie Valthalas /*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\ A Disappearance As my newlywed wife and I were on our honeymoon in beautiful Paris, all was going well, maybe too well. We had gone to a local tavern for food and a few drinks, the fine cuisine of Paris. We had a conversation in which I remember clearly. We spoke of what we would do next, where our adventures would take us, and the like. I remember her leaning to me and placing a kiss on my cheek as she whispered, 'I love you Mym.'. That is when I noticed the cloaked figure staring at us, his dark eyes are something I can not forget. I shrugged it off and Nox and I went about our business. Later that night, my wife and I were taking in the local scenery, which is when I saw these mysterious eyes yet again. I was starting to grow worried that this man was following us, but I soon came to the conclusion that it was just my imagination. At this point I don't think Nox had any idea about this strange person. We were getting tired, it had been an extremely long day, so we decided on getting some sleep. I kissed my new wife goodnight before falling into a deep sleep. I only wish that I knew this was the last time I would see her, when I woke the next morning she was not at my side, I figured she must have gotten up early and gone shopping. So I waited... I waited for days, it seemed, but in reality was a mere eight hours, before I contacted the local authorities to report my wife missing. They went through their usual routine and it seemed they were not able to help me at all. I then began walking the streets of this unfamiliar town in hopes of finding my wife. I went to that tavern I spoke of earlier, only to see this strange cloaked figure standing in a dark corner, talking to a local drunk. I sat and observed them for a while, and I noted a few things that were discussed. The most important being the sum of money they could receive for their 'catch'. When I heard this I immediatly jumped up and rushed the man with full force. As I crashed into him something hit the back of my head, very hard, it knocked me out. When I woke I was in a very familiar place, I instantly recognized the early century painting I liked so much which hung on the wall of the inn Nox and I were staying at. It has been two months since this happened, and I know reside in Paris permanently, or at least until I find my wife. I have since not seen or heard from Nox, or this mysterious man of which I speak. Although I visit the local tavern on a daily basis in hopes of finding one or the other. /*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\ In Honor of the Unsung Bards We have among us, many a clever and witty bard, and yet they go unhonored. As examples of their sharp-tongued words, I submit to you these examples: PRAISE: Linda sings the praises of... ...Envy's singing the Oscar Meyer weiner theme song while she fights in order to confuse the enemy! TinyBird sings the praises of... ...Deadboy's triumphant return from the dead. *tongue at vewy bad eagle*! Tristen sings the praises of TinyBird's... ...having the countless stars of heaven's field mirrored in her silver shield! ...knowing the Mysteries of the Brown Men! Willow sings the praises of... ...Chante''s fearlessly facing the wrath of Nathaniel! And she almost lived!! ...Steel's exquisite, if a little revealing, half outfit of wonderful equipment! ...Fairfax's fearless, unflinching surgical tanking! Laurana sings the praises of... ...Fairfax's dying too fast for her to keep up!! ...Steel's refusing to flee like a real knight! Vandervecken sings the praises of Caleb's... ...bravery in venturing where he's not wanted! ...patience with me in leading him out of this sidhe infestation.! Bast sings the praises of... ...Dvorak's good sense in choosing such a beautiful and intelligent Goddess to praise him! ...LadyAce's fashion doll beauty! BabaYaga sings the praises of... ...Amati's trying to ensure the safety of his first-born's toes! ...Amati's juicy toes! Chimera sings the praises of... ...a dugong's knowing where the lost Continent of 'Moooooo!' is, but that's not what I'm lookin for! Starbiter sings the praises of... ...Chante''s being a reptile with a forked tongue and squishy butt! Larnoc sings the praises of... ...Starbiter's having the odour of month old meat! Celeste sings the praises of... ...Wolfram's irresistable attraction to the Black Knight's sword! Jen-Jen sings the praises of... ...Rhineheart's courage in sleeping with a bull moose _and_ Vixen! Tarn sings the praises of... ...a policeman's keeping law and order! ...a skeleton of a tendril's giving me an info praise! ...a postal worker's ensuring the mail delivery runs smoothly! SATIRE: Tales of... ...Larnoc's being to dense to realize that i have more mv then he has mana are heard of all over the world thanks to Starbiter's satire. ...Nathaniel Ingersoll's hitting women when he can't stand the heat are heard of all over the world thanks to Laurana's satire. ...the Black Knight's being an iccky multier of Real Men are heard of all over the world thanks to Celeste's satire. /*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\ Cat Haiku You never feed me. Perhaps I'll sleep on your face. That will sure show you. You must scratch me there! Yes, above my tail! Behold, Elevator butt. I need a new toy. Tail of black dog keeps good time. Pounce! good dog! good dog! The rule for today Touch my tail, I shred your hand New rule tomorrow. In deep sleep hear sound Cat vomits hairball somewhere Will find in morning. Grace personified, I leap into the window. I meant to do that. Blur of motion, then -- Silence, me, a paper bag. What is so funny? The mighty hunter Returns with gifts of plump birds -- Your foot just squashed one. You're always typing. Well, let's see you ignore my Sitting on your hands. My small cardboard box. You cannot see me if I Can just hide my head. Terrible battle. I fought for hours. Come and see! What's a 'term paper'? Kitty likes plastic. Confuses for litter box Don't leave tarp around Small brave carnivores Kill pine cones and mosquitoes Fear vacuum cleaner Want to trim my claws? Don't even think about it! My yelps will wake the dead. I want to be close To you. Can I fit my head inside your armpit? Wanna go outside. Oh, no! Help! I got outside! Let me back inside! Oh no! Big One has been trapped by newspaper! Cat to the rescue! Humans are so strange. Mine lies still in bed, then screams! My claws aren't that sharp.... Cats meow out of angst "Thumbs! If only we had thumbs! We could break so much!" Litter box not here You must have moved it again I'll crap in the sink. The Big Ones snore now Every room is dark and cold Time for "Cup Hockey" We're almost equals I purr to show I love you Want to smell my butt? Not written by, but submitted by Bast (True Author Unknown) /*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\ An Amusing Encounter The Jolly Beggar was customarily drab and dank that night, there being even fewer patrons than normal, but as she entered the main room there was one person who caught Flower Cat O'Brien's attention. He was an older man, bespectacled and with a shock of white hair exploding from his head in all directions and wearing a brown tweed longcoat with more pockets in it than she could count. He was seated at a small table to his own, which was plastered with a multitude of books, notes, papers, and small objects she could not identify. Brow furrowed, he was staring down at his papers with ferocious concentration, fidgeting slightly, and muttering incoherently to himself. Her curiosity overcoming her, Flower approached his table. As she neared, the man looked up suddenly, noticing her from further away than she had expected. Must be my hair, she thought. The man leapt up from his seat with incredible energy, scattering many of his notes in the process. He seized hold of her hand, shaking it violently. 'Well, well, well! Hallo, young lady! Greetings, even! Bless me, but it's a fine day, wouldn't you say so?' The young lady Knight politely extracted her hand from his and smiled at him. 'It sure is. Have we met before?' The eccentric elder gazed at the girl, absorbing her brightly-hued hair, multiple body piercings, and outlandish attire. 'Mmmmm, no no, well I don't think we have at that, if memory serves! I'm new in these parts, you see. Morin Ramsay is my name! I'm scientist and student of the paranormal! That is, the spirit world, if you follow me; the realm of the dead! A pleasure to meet you, miss...?' 'Flower! Lady Flower O'Brien.' 'Excellent! A fine thing it is to know you! In the Lord's name, but I seem to have made somewhat of a mess here...' The old scientist stopped and began snatching from the floor his misplaced items. When he finished, he rose and turned around--and gave an abrupt shout, coming face to face with a mage who was standing immediately behind him. The mage did not move, and his gaze was vacant. 'Hmmmm, I do wonder now...' said Morin, and began rooting frantically through his pockets for something while Flower watched with a smile of amusement. 'AHA!' He produced a small colored stone from his left pocket, and after giving it a quick polish, held it aloft before the mage. The stone began to give off a dull glow. 'Well then, didn't I think so anyway? An illusion,' the old man said to himself, and poked the false image with satisfaction after thrusting the little stone back into his pocket. 'Did you say something about the spirit world?' asked the blue-haired young girl, cocking one eyebrow up at the man curiously. 'That I did, my dear! The paranormal! The Other Place, if you will! I'm an expert in the field--you'll never find anyone who knows more about it than me who isn't dead!' He bowed low before her, and as he did so a dozen notebooks and small objects escaped from his longcoat, clattering to the floor. A shiny medallion rolled to the floor before Flower's feet, where it was hastily snatched up by Morin. 'Heavens! what a mess,' the man grumbled, collecting his belongings once again in frustration. 'You know,' said Flower, stooping low to help Morin pick his items up, 'I have a friend I am--quite fond of--who could use your help.' Morin looked up at her, his shaggy brow raised inquisitively. 'You don't say!' 'Yes,' she replied, 'He's looking for his father, and there's this other guy--angel--who says that he possesses my friend's father's spirit. My friend doesn't believe him, but he's not sure and he needs to know for certain. His name is Ganymede.' 'Possesses the spirit indeed! An absurd concept,' said Morin, chuckling to himself coarsely. 'And you want me to look into this other gentleman, to verify his claim for your friend?' 'If you can,' implored the girl. 'I'm really worried about him and I want to see him happy, and he needs to know the truth for that.' 'I see!' The elderly man smiled benevolently. 'This young man is quite important to you, is he?' Flower blushed a little bit and said, 'I care about him greatly.' Morin pulled at his chin thoughtfully a moment, and then a bulb flashed in his mind and he once again began frisking himself in search of something in his pockets. 'Now where was that blasted thing...as I live and breathe! I had it with me only a--aha!' He reached into an inside pocket, and triumphantly produced a tiny triangular piece of metal, no larger than a gold coin. He held it aloft with pride, and then he closed his hand around it and placed his fist, palm outward, upon Flower's shoulder. A few seconds passed, when suddenly Morin cried out and dropped the little triangle on the floor, where it hissed and gave off a little smoke. The elder shook his hand up and down and then blew on it, trying to cool it off. 'Are you okay?!' shouted Flower in alarm, placing her hands on his shoulders. She wryly began to wonder whether enlisting this befuddled man's help was in fact a good idea. Bent over and clasping his burnt hand in the other, he replied, 'Yes yes yes, I'll be fine, fine my dear! And lucky you are, I'd say! It appears that this Ganymede fellow feels quite strongly about you as well, or my name's not Morin Ramsay!' Flower giggled a bit and smiled, flushing again. The scientist produced a kerchief from another pocket and used it to carefully scoop up the hot piece of metal, wrapping it up and then stuffing it back into his pocket. 'Now then...this service you've asked of me! You can count on me, dear girl! If is any truth to this--angel, did you say?--this angel's claims, I'll find out about it, no doubt! When I've learned more I'll let you know!' Smiling excitedly at him, the lady Knight replied, 'Thanks a lot! I really appreciate it!' and grabbed him in a hug. 'Not any trouble at all, none at all! And now I'll get going I think, to go finish my work!' And with that, Morin grabbed his notes and papers and spun around toward the staircase up to the Beggar's rooms, and swiftly tripped over the leg of another chair, sprawling to the floor and sending everything flying again. 'Great heavens, will you look at this? Such a mess!' He hastily picked himself and his things up once again, and stumbled toward the exit, with Flower waving after him bemusedly. I hope I know what I'm doing, she thought, and sat down at the vacated table to think for awhile. /*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\ The Coven, Caught in a Wrongful Act A blood-stained note, hung on the door of the Coven hall by a single arrow was found, with the following message: It has come to our attention that a sacrifice was made in the name of your deity that involved an innocent young woman, who had done nothing to any of your members. Should we find this to be true, you will all pay the consequence, no matter who actually comitted this wrongful act. This message was signed in what appeared to be some sort of ancient Japanese language. /*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\ An Eerie Press Conference This reporter received a torn, crumpled, and barely legible letter not three days past. It said only to go to a certain location, and that certain death and worse awaited if I disclosed that location. I went where they said, to an incredible amphitheatre. At the front was a blackwood podium, behind which a vast sigil was emblazoned; a black trident, points tipped with red, clutcfhed in a silver gauntlet crusted with blood, all on a field of gold. This logo was familiar to me; it was the ancient standard of the Dark Enforcers. Clearly this was no ordinary press conference. To drive the point home, a huge column of flame appeared behind the podium, and then there was him. Tall, with a black cloak, shadowed face, and blazing red eyes that sent icy chills through the blood. A sickly sweet smell wafted from him, the smell of a new grave broken open and pillaged. He cackled, a hideous sound like bone caught in a drill press. "I'm so glad you all came here this day." His sudden voice was a horrible sound, like a snake crawling across rotting dead things. "You have been summoned to hear that I am resigning from the Enforcers. I still serve the Dark Lord, but He has told me in my time away from the world that I must forsake the Enforcers, leave them to what shall be. I must be my own, to course and kill, as the hound that the Dark Lord wants me to be. All glory to the Dark Lord. You may leave now." As suddenly as that, flame filled the room, and everybody was transported outside. A very odd experience. Aginor's resignation (and apparent disgust) for the Enforcers is an odd turn indeed. I wonder what it means? /*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\ Serrated Reincarnation A Poem By: Ledgend I ask you now... What is this cold that surounds me? My lack of breath, lack of heat - ...continues to astound me - As I remember I was battling the Impalor- My party fighting with magic, weapons and valor. But when the reaper crushed my clock - I felt my heart stop... I saw a sword drop... A silver serrated flash into my top. How could this be the end? My equipment just needs repair and mend, My souling reforming in the nearest Inn... I awaked again... Into my skin... My body is raw and my soul depleated - I hear my group was defeated... Met a serrated... My, we should have waited. But in this land of one thousand deaths - A man can still prove he has something left... I will find my corpse today... Re-equip my self, Be on my way. /*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\ A Glimpse, from Two Perspectives: A Brief Meeting I was walking through a town in Germany, Kleinstadt, when something happened that changed my life. Babayaga, the old witch who travelled with my family sometimes, was teaching me about the old ways, the traditions of my people. I was busy just looking at all the shops, the strange men in gleaming armour that seemed to be on every street corner. Suddenly I heard a commotion nearby, and when I looked a small child was on his knees before a vision of womanhood. He cried out 'All hail the Lady Knight Jen-Jen!'. A tall, lithe, catlike figure smiled at the child, then turned to walk on. I caught her eye just for a moment, but that flashing glimpse tore my breath from my chest and left me gasping. Confused yet strangely elated, I walked quickly away with my companion, and as I searched for some explanation, a wry, knowing smile played briefly across Baba's features. I looked back over my shoulder, and as this captivating Lady Knight strode purposefully into the distance, I watched her wild blonde mane swirling and playing in her wake, a streak of rich purple cutting through the sea of gold. I knew, somehow, I would meet her again. Vixen Tuatha WhiteCrow Chance Encounter When I saw her for the first time I was left speechless. The girl that walked by me in the street in Kleinstadt was the living image of my late wife, FireHorse, except for her hair which, at the time, was a steely blue. And her age. She was just a child yet, but much of the woman she would become was evident in her. The way she walked, her head held proud and her hips swaying in that unconcious way. She was with that crotchety old witch, BabaYaga, and I thought she might be her student - I also thought that that would be a waste of a perfectly good body. But I'm biased since I am a warrioress I suppose. I was left standing looking at her in awe as she left in the wake of the old crone, BabaYaga. I was on my way to kill Vlad so I didn't have time to stop and ponder what I had seen. I had to hurry to Romania and I killed the vampire with a little more zest than I had felt for quite a while. Almost as if I had FireHorse by my side again and I felt good instead of just empty at killing. As I recall he died rather quickly. Jen-Jen of the Awooga /*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\ Althea's Vow 'Ahhh', Lord Marcel Alexander said contentedly, seating himself beneath the blossoming apple tree of my father's garden. He didn't notice me sitting up in it, hidden among the branches. In this country you develop a caution regarding strangers, especially those who are on good terms with our King and his crazy grand-daughter, Bryony. 'Why, this is lovely!' the auburn-haired girl who accompanied him exclaimed. 'I rather like the spot myself,' he replied, almost purring. I sat still like a mouse, hoping the white petals and rustling branches would not reveal my presence to them. 'Can I ask you something about your husband?' Lord Marcel said. 'Of course,' the girl said, smiling. There was love in her voice. 'Give Sterling time to adjust. Don't give him reason to worry you'll be off to sell your soul next. I know he's your husband, but he needs time.' 'I'm willing to be patient with him, but I won't change my mind. I will set him free from his service to Hell,' she replied, somewhat defensively. 'Patience is all I asked, dear,' he said, and smiled. Next to the love of her husband that gleamed in the girl's eyes, his smile seemed... I was reminded of a snow leopard baring its fangs in a grin before pouncing on its prey. 'I am not always the most patient of people,' the girl admitted. 'If you should succeed in ripping him out of Hell's grasp, I think you'd find me cheering,' he said confidently. I crossed myself quietly. 'So you won't stand against me?' she asked. 'Yes, I will,' he said fluently.'But that does not mean I cannot hope you will win.' She hesitated; the wind played in her dark hair. 'I must admit I don't fully understand your relationship with him. That is too bad. I would have to have to kill my newest friend.' Up in the apple tree I crossed myself again, hoping to God they'd not detect me. 'It is somewhat complicated,' he replied, hesitating as well. 'I guess we've made it more so than we had to. If I was not Sterling's friend I think I should care less and slay you on the spot.' Oh, he was a friend of the royal Dracos line allright. It takes a noble heart to harbor such cruelty. The gate to my father's orchard creaked quietly as a dark-haired gentleman made his entry, obviously looking for the other two. They did not immediately notice him. 'But I'd rather see him free,' Lord Marcel said and tipped his hat to his friend who returned the greeting. I've seen those two together before though when they come to town my father always sends me away. 'No sneaking up on me like that!' Lord Marcel chuckled. 'I'm practicing,' said Sterling. 'Hello, my dear.' 'You're getting better,' Lord Marcel replied. The auburn-haired girl passed Sterling a that made me feel all warm inside. 'Greetings, husband!' 'Have I interrupted something?' Sterling asked, glancing at them both. 'Trust me, dammit, would I run off with your wife?' Lord Marcel said, smiling. Personally I wouldn't be too sure. Women have vanished in this town when that lord paid a visit to our king. 'Don't be silly,' said the girl who was Sterling's wife. 'Oh, no,' said Sterling, chuckling. 'That's not what I meant. Besides, if I did not trust you, I'd trust Althea.' So that was her name, then. They embraced with such tenderness I'd never have thought to see. 'I obviously need to raise my level of trustworthiness,' Lord Marcel mused. 'So, what is it you were speaking of as I arrived?' Sterling asked curiously. 'A few technicalities,' his master replied. 'Technicalities?' He hesitated, but neither of the two made any vocal answer. 'You both nod, which makes me assume these technicalities were regarding me?' Lord Marcel chuckled. 'Actually they were more regarding me, and through me, you,' he explained. 'Ah! Let's hear them!' Sterling said. 'We were just discussing not wanting to kill each other, dear... Nothing important,' Althea told her husband innocently. 'Yes, well, that's definitely a good thing there,' he agreed. 'So... Where were we, and do we care to proceed?' Lord Marcel glanced at Althea. Her face was radiant as she looked at her husband. 'Well, you were informing me that if not for Sterling's friendship you would slay me and have done with it... Unless I misunderstood,' she said. Dark-haired Sterling frowned. 'In essence, if not in meaning,' Lord Marcel added. 'That's not a way to treat a lady,' Sterling said sharply. 'Yes it is,' Lord Marcel replied smoothly. 'A lady such as your wife deserves an answer to a question she makes.' 'You see, I asked if he would stand against me... And he said yes... I was lamenting the idea of having to kill a friend so newly found,' Althea explained matter of factly. 'Ah, I see,' Sterling nodded. The ease with which they discussed each other's murder made my hair stand on ends. 'Old boy, I have better things to do with myself than insult your wife,' Lord Marcel told his servant with a smooth smile. 'You konw Marcel is never discourteous, love,' Althea said. 'No, not unless he's quite angry at least,' Sterling said, probably knowing the nobleman better. Lord Marcel did not reply, inspecting his fingernails. Not a fleck of dirt was there. He picked up an apple from the ground and played briefly with it. After a while Sterling and Althea both chuckled. 'Are you still discussing my behavior patterns?' Lord Marcel asked. 'Please, continue,' Sterling said, seating himself between his wife and Lord Marcel. 'I think that was about it...' Lord Marcel said casually. 'Not much to say after that last,' Althea agreed. 'Well, we can go on discussing my manners,' Lord Marcel mused. 'I seem to be out of drinks, no more port,' Sterling said. There was pain in his voice that he was trying to conceal, but failing. 'Still needing to drink?' his wife asked, worried. 'I suppose I don't need to,' Sterling said. 'I'm still a bit angry, perhaps it's best I don't.' Lord Marcel, still playing with the apple, made a few gestures towards it; I nearly fell from my branch in surprise when it suddenly glowed with an ill-boding red light. He threw the apple to Sterling. 'That ought to do away with any hangovers.' Sterling, chuckling, ate the apple. 'Do what you need to, love... Just don't expect me to be sympathetic with your headache tomorrow,' Althea told her husband. 'I don't want to listen to him whining,' Lord Marcel said to her. She pouted playfully at him. 'I don't know what I need to do,' Sterling said neutrally. 'Now you took away my opportunity to gloat,' Althea said to Lord Marcel. 'My dear, I owe you a huge apology for that,' Lord Marcel smiled. 'Can I in any way make it up to you?' 'I don't need either of you adding to my grief, please,' Sterling said. 'Isn't it enough that I get this blasted Dear John letter from Xanthea?' 'I'm thinking,' Althea said to Lord Marcel, then winced at her husband's words. If I were her, I'd have cried. 'Perhaps I should do some work,' Sterling grumbled. 'No,' Lord Marcel said quietly. 'No? Why not?' 'You're going to have to deal with this at some point in your life,' Lord Marcel said. 'Might as well get it done with.' 'Work?' Althea echoed curiously. 'I don't know how to deal with it,' Sterling said. 'How would you?' Lord Marcel hesitated briefly, then said, 'Don't ask me that.' My cousin Dmitri and his wife walked through the orchard at that point; they always visit my parents on Sundays. As usual, Dmitri was going on about the king, calling him a blood sucker. He's always behind on taxes, Dmitri. The three people beneath my apple tree waited for them to pass out of hearing distance. Then Althea curiously said, 'Blood sucking?' 'Oh, he's not all that bad,' Lord Marcel said indifferently, probably meaning our king. 'Why do I have the feeling you would say that about the lord of Hell himself?' Althea said to him. Lord Marcel chuckled. 'The lord, or a lord?' Even Sterling, still miserable, chuckled at that. 'Well, since I have never been there, that's too fine a distinction for me,' Althea shrugged. 'There are many lords of Hell,' Lord Marcel explained smoothly. 'Did you have anyone specific in mind?' Sterling added, 'Some of them are rather polite.' 'I wasn't aware of that,' Althea said. I could tell she was mentally making notes of things to remember. 'And some of them aren't really all that bad,' Lord Marcel added, smiling. 'Oh, any of them will do... How about the one Sterling is beholden to?' Althea said defiantly to Lord Marcel. I gasped, but fortunately they did not hear. 'What's his name?' Lord Marcel chuckled again. 'I think I'd say he's not all that bad.' 'You would,' Sterling said, amused. 'His name?' Lord Marcel smiled. 'About 28 syllables long and ends on -el, but usually I just call myself Marcel.' Althea blinked in surprise. For that matter, so did I. 'You...' 'Althea, dear, meet my boss,' Sterling said with wry humor. Lord Marcel lept to his feet cat-like and made a sweeping bow before his servant's wife. Then he sat back down, laughing. She looked like she'd just fallen down from the moon. Then her eyes gleamed. 'Well, then, this shouldn't be nearly as difficult as I thought! Marcel - be a dear, and free my husband please.' She batted long heavy lashes at him. 'Well, if it was that easy, I'd gladly oblige you,' Lord Marcel said with unexpected seriousness. 'Unfortunately, he did not bind himself to me by name, so he is not mine to give away.' 'Well, if you're the... Well, the one in charge... Why shouldn't it be that easy? Drat,' Althea said, disappointed. 'I am one of the people in charge,' Lord Marcel said. 'It's a busy place, Hell,' Sterling agreed. 'Actually I thought she knew that,' Lord Marcel said to Sterling. 'That I worked for you?' he echoed. 'I must have forgotten to mention it.' 'You'd be surprised at what I don't know... I know I am continually amazed,' Althea said. Though the statement was humorously intended, her pain was obvious. 'Allright... So who is he bound to, then?' Lord Marcel smiled. 'You will have to ask himself how he managed to get into this mess,' he said to her. 'I wasn't there, so I can't tell you.' Althea turned to her husband. 'Well, dear?'. He replied, 'I told you. I wanted to get back to you.' I nearly cried. 'I had to make a bargain for that. This was my bargain.' 'I remember that part... Who is the... Whatever it is that you are tied to?' his wife demanded. 'Hell itself, no name specified,' said Lord Marcel smoothly. 'I can't really recall any name,' Sterling said. 'A rather large chap with horns.' 'Well, there must be a name... You said you couldn't make the decision because you hadn't bound him... Therefore someone or something must have,' Althea demanded of Lord Marcel. He nodded. 'You're jumping to conclusions, dear,' he said fluently. 'Your husband sold himself to service of Hell. Not until then was I granted his service. Which now makes him my charge, and my responsibility.' 'So I just need to find out who's in charge of the whole thing, then.' She smiled. I shuddered. 'To which I think I should like to add that I've never asked to have no servant alotted to me in the first place,' Lord Marcel added. 'No,' Sterling said to his wife. 'No what, love?' said she. 'Let's just say there's more to it than that,' Lord Marcel said. 'Please... Tell me the whole of it then, Althea asked of him. I admired her courage. 'I'd like you to stop this talk of trying to get me out of this, and learn to accept what I am now instead,' Sterling told his wife. 'Maybe she will find that easier to do once she grasps the futility of your situation?' Lord Marcel suggested. 'I certainly hope so,' Sterling agreed. 'You will have to undo the contract, naturally,' Lord Marcel explained to Althea. 'I'm sure that given time, you could find a way to do that. It's not unheard of.' She beamed at him. 'There, I told you it wasn't hopeless!' 'But you'd also have to remove the lord into whose realm he falls,' Lord Marcel proceeded. 'And trust me, I'm really rather fond of my life.' Althea wrinkled her nose in disappointment. 'There, now you see that it is,' Sterling said. 'I am truly sorry,' Lord Marcel said. I know I wouldn't have believed him but it seemed she did. 'Hrmmm.... Are there such things as promotions in Hell?' She asked. 'To some extent, yes,' he replied thoughtfully. She beamed again. 'So we get you a promotion... Then you no longer are the head of that particular portion and zippo presto - we're done!' Lord Marcel and his servant both chuckled. 'For all it's worth, it's less suicidals than most plans of the kind I've heard,' Lord Marcel smiled at her. She smiled back. 'I like your wife's unquenchable optimism,' Lord Marcel added to Sterling. 'That's stubbornness you see,' he replied. 'I assure you, she is quite stubborn.' 'Stubbornness and love, you goat,' Althea said. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=