------------------------------------------------------------------------------- .. .. .||. ||.. ... || || || ||.|| `|.. || || `|.. ..|'''.| '|| || '|| '|' ' .... . .... ..||.. ... ..., || .... || '' .|| || || || || .| ' || .|...|| '|. | .|' || || || || || || || || ''|...'| '|..'|' ||. ||. '|..' .||. '|..| ||. '|...' ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 19.0 1 Fearmonth, 575 1 Coin --------------------------------------------------------------------------- I have returned from my long absence, which I took to alleviate some of my work stress. I have some unfortunate news related to that, however. Fir, who has been acting editor during my leave, turns out to have been using inappropriate means to make it more difficult for our competition to keep up their business. I have discussed the matter with Clark, who is in charge of the Dalair Free Press. I am not aware of all the details in this matter, but suffice it to say that we have found disciplinary measures necessary. This has also delayed the publication of this paper, and I apologise that some of the news may seem outdated as a result of this. But fear not, faithful readers. I will resume control of the paper, and I am sure that the minor damage to our reputation will be mended in no time. After all, we are the finest paper in all of Anguish! Welcome to a new issue of the Canticle, Thaddeus Editor-in-Chief The Canticle --------------------------------------------------------------------------- <*> CANTICLE INDEX <*> -------------------------------------+------------------------------------- Letters to the Editor..............2 Heard At The Inn...................9 Story of Fantine...................5 What Are Those Wizards Up To?.....10 Lars Is Your Friend................6 New Clerical Power................11 Mage Announcement..................9 Mortal Council News...............12 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 19.0 1 Fearmonth, 575 Page 2 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Letters to the editor | ______________________| Do not listen to the rumours - I did not kidnap Clark's pet goat, the one I had on my backyard just happened to look like it! And that spying I sent Erin to do, it was just a joke we came up with after a bit too much Duender tea, nothing serious, and I certainly didn't encourage any cultists to practice conjuring fire right next to the DFP office... Oh well. Maybe I was a bit hasty with predicting impending, perilous doom on all Dalair Free Press staff members, but I was quite certain about the signs back then and as a member of the clergy, it is my duty to warn people about nasty things waiting to happen, is it not? In any case, I have had a marvellous time participating in the paper-making for the last numerous issues. You have been a great readership, and I am very sorry to let your expectations down on further writing. It just so happens that the signs now tell me that it is time for me to take up a more wandering lifestyle for a change, and I will no longer have my trusty reporter's equipment available like before. However, whenever my travels may bring me near Tantallon, I will be sure to check out what has been going on lately. And what better way to do it than buy the latest paper? With much love, Fir, former acting editor of the Canticle Letters to the editor continued on page 3 ... ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hanza's Map Shop - The Best since Drake! __________________ \ooo . |^ ^ ^\ Tired of getting lost in the world? We have \ooo . \ ^ ^ \ the answer for you! Buy one of our fine line \ooo_ . _ |_^ ^\ of maps of the realm. They range in size from /ooo . /^ ^ / our smallest, the pocket map, to our largest, /ooo . / ^ ^/ the sorcerer's map. We guarantee you will /.._..x _ /^_ ^^ / find one to suit your needs and budget. \ _ . | ^ ^\ Hanza's can be found south in Trader Lane, in \ |\ . \ ^ ^ \ the western end of the Market place. If you are \ N . | ^ ^\ low on funds you can use our demonstration map \__________|______\ in the shop to plan your expedition. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 19.0 1 Fearmonth, 575 Page 3 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Letters to the editor | ______________________| I am an orc. However, unlike a large percentage of my race, my vocabulary does not consist of a grand total of 30 common words. Instead, I worked to learn common and to do good, as is my nature. Sometimes the anomalies are the ones favored by the general populace. I ran errands for the Commodities Exchange early in life, to prepare myself for a life of duty and work. I was happy earning money through honest work, money I knew later would go towards clothes and food for pilgrims and the poor. However, when a seemingly casual comment from a guard at the gates of Nepeth was directed towards me, I let it slide. Bad idea. A day later, running similar errands for Samantha (Antana bless her) I found myself in want of a standard ration. I knew an old crone, Shanni, stocked these, but as I searched for her in Nepeth, I was unaware that a complete bar on all members of my race had been put into effect. As I travelled deeper into the city, I was stopped by the same Guard I had met the day before. "I need a standard ration, for some hungry pilgrims." I explained as calmly as I could. Smack! A weapon cut deep into my side, biting almost as much as the insult that came next. "Paladin or not, no orc may enter the city!" What could I do? I wouldn't fight a protector of the innocent, even those who did not protect all of the innocent. I requested aide, and several other adventurers, including a Knight of Drin, came to help. I was suddenly holding enough rations to feed a small handful of pilgrims, instead of one or two. I thanked them profusely, and delivered my goods to Samantha. Still, I ask this: What kind of King lets racial boundaries stand in the way of the performing of acts in goodwill? Letters to the editor continued on page 4 ... --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 19.0 1 Fearmonth, 575 Page 4 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Letters to the editor, continued from page 3 ... I'm certainly not asking that orcs, regardless of how much good they do, be permitted into the Knight Guild. Racial enmity runs deep enough to prevent that from ever becoming a success. However, I do ask that all people, even orcs of good intent, be allowed to enter the inner city, if only to buy food for some pilgrims. Drin obviously has no mind for charity, as is evidenced by the regularly slaughtered and constantly starving families who dwell in the slums of Nepeth... So perhaps monetary pleas will help Drin turn the other cheek. Maybe a toll paid to enter the city for a certain amount of time, to search out Shanni for her precious food. That's all I ask. Entrance to get food for starving pilgrims. There are enough clerics and priests in the Knights for Drin to accept that religion drives some people to great lengths, I hope. These pilgrims may not be able to pray for cures or stand up to great monsters, but their struggle is just as great as many adventurers, changing physical pain in the form of battle damage for physical change in the form of starvation and fighting the elements. Might I add that Zero is an orc? Ork, One of few PS. I'd just like to point out that while some rogues are able to disguise themselves as paladins, we've recently gained tabards for identification; Not too many rogues can duplicate that, hm? +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+>> Very potent potions for sale << Aye, come and try my potions. Whatever your problem is, my potions are sure to be of some help. If you have a nasty wound or more, I fix it. Do you lack mental stamina? My mental-rechargers will easily take care of that, leaving you fully rested and ready to do battles with your mind in no time. I even provide some cheap standard rations for those in need of food. It's so hard to find a five star restaurant out in the wilderness. I have my stand just inside the gates of King Drin's Castle, you cannot miss it. >> The Crone <<+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 19.0 1 Fearmonth, 575 Page 5 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Story of Fantine, the successful idol figure of the Scythe Playing with many different alts, I usually chose the mage class. But since I got lost so often, I thought I'd give the ranger class a shot. So I created Fantine, and here's her story! Once a upon a time, there lived a ranger named Fantine. She was clueless about how to be a ranger. But with a little help from a friend or two, she got the hang of it pretty quick. The best thing about being a ranger is getting unlost, which Fantine needed! Anyway, one day, as she was rangering along, frolicking and pelting, she ran into a tall dark mageling. "Wow!" she thought. "He looks so... FEARSOME!" He came to her asking, "Could you make medicine for me, Ranger? I'll pay." She said " My name is Fantine, and yes." He said, "Dooku, master transmuter." She had never made medicine before, so she was REALLY nervous about figuring out this medicine stuff, especially for someone that had 'master' with his name! So she got help, figured out how to make it, etc... made the medicine, then Dooku asked if she'd make more. And so this went on for a while and by this time Fantine was growing a little fond of Dooku. So she decided the next time he would come asking for medicine, she'd ask for his hand in return. Err, hand in marriage, not his actual hand, well, you know. Anyway. So that's what happened and they got hitched, etc. Then Fantine had quadruplets!! EEK! But oh, how Fantine and Dooku loved their children! Their names were Dooko, Dooka, Dooki, and Dooky. They were an adventurous bunch. They were also known as the "Dooks of Hazard". Yeah, so one day... they were out being hazardous and stuff and decided they needed to pee. "OOH, let's pee in that pond over there!" said Dooky. And so they did, and so Fleeyp came up and ate them all gone. Fantine and Dooku were devastated. After they mourned and stuff they got on with their lives. Fantine then adopted a little Sylvanthic puppy and named it Ribbit. He's a big enormous wolf now and tears stuff up. So they lived happily ever after. THE END! --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 19.0 1 Fearmonth, 575 Page 6 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- L A R S I S Y O U R F R I E N D We began this series in the previous paper, describing odd and exotic ways of "kicking the bucket", as they say. New submissions are welcome! If you have miraculous tales to tell, post them on the Canticle submissions board for now. In case no more submissions show up, I would like to thank our submitters so far for these entertaining moments. Erithywen Reports Aggressive Sales Tactics My friend Rouyce was in Dalair, doing his usual slaughtering of the natives and levelling up his necromancer there, when an orc scout nearly struck him down. He went to rest in the nearby building when who should appear? The Tinker! The Tinker came into the building, pounded him heartlessly, KILLED him, then left the room. The word has it that the Tinker does not do that anymore. He was presumably reprimanded by Drin's Head of Commerce. Lunger Falls Prey To Fatal Machinations I rose up early on Stormmonth 18, 557, right after reboot, in fact, to go after all the gear and killing I could find. I first killed the restful guard of Brunswick fame, so be my servant and aid in my conquest of Anguish. He was a bit tougher than usual that dreadful day, and all of my heals, both physical and mental, were put to use in putting him to death. Not to worry, though! As a necromancer, I can drain my very life force to make me mentally strong. I stood on the brink of death, having empowered to make my revenant. My student, Machine, sent me a telepathic message that he had some equipment for me in Tantallon, far to the south of where I was. Not thinking, I started running through the forests. I never saw the hill giant, but I remember feeling my head explode and seeing Death looking at me with that morbid familiarity he possesses. Moral of the story: Never, ever take orders from your student. Especially if his name is Machine. Lars Is Your Friend continued on page 7... --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 19.0 1 Fearmonth, 575 Page 7 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lars Is Your Friend, continued form page 6... They Don't Feed 'Em Like They Used To Gyn reports a curious death: The last thing he saw was "A student desperately bites your hand!" He comments, "Died to a rabid student bite. I would've got away with it if it wasn't for those punk kids!" Van Goes After A Corpse, Ends Up A Corpse Himself It was a long road as a necromancer, learning to grasp reality with the undead. Countless errors in rituals, constant worries of feral undead, and always the small pocket book. But slowly the grasp of the wand and the understanding of the rituals became clearer, and I felt confident enough to test my skills amongst one of the most noble of people, the Dwarven Paladin. Dwarves need to be put in their place, anyway, and once I took him out, I would use him as my puppet to do as I please! The thought entertained my mind as I prepared for the trip. The usual components, worms from a dead corpse, dirt from a fresh grave, and plenty of smokes to keep the lungs going. Then I made my trek to that cursed land of dwarf goodness and found the paladin sulking about some dragon. I figure he didn't need to worry about that, so I prepared for combat, so I could claim his dead corpse. I prepared the ritual for Rot, and narrowed my eyes, and then I waved my wand at his holy self, withering his body with a single wave. I thought I was firmly in control, till he threw a few fiery hammers at me. So, I quickly switched up my attack, prepared Lifesteal and started to draw his life away into myself. This maintained myself as we continued our fight, but alas, I wasn't prepared for what was about to come. I waved my wand and nothing! I was out of DIRT! How could this be? As I realized this, right after it came another realization the size of two fiery hammers, knocking me to my knees. Before I could regain control of the situation, his jeweled rapier claimed my body, making me a corpse. Then showed up an old familar face. Lars Is Your Friend, continued on page 8... --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 19.0 1 Fearmonth, 575 Page 8 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lars Is Your Friend, continued from page 6... Death never did look surprised when he saw me. He simply shook his head and figured it was high time I got thrown into eternity. But it seems that a strange 4-dimensional being came around, singing me back to life... or something. I never could stand odd-accented concertos. Thus I prayed finally, to be thankful to be alive, when Death threw me back to the physical plane... I had to pray again for a physical form... funny gods. But when I came to, I knew there was unfinished business. Something must be done, that saint of a paladin had to fall under my fist! Thus, as the story goes, I trekked back to Dalair, after a visit at the bank, bought more supplies, and then trekked back up to that paladin. I peered over at him to see if he was still there, and there he barely stood, weakened, defensless. As soon as my own body was ready I finished the job! Death claimed him! And I made sure that his soul wouldn't be back anytime soon as I raised his corpse as my servant. Though I passed the doors of Death, I was always willing to help others go right on in. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fun Stuff To Do This Year, by Jerusulum Forage for herbs. | Swim. Carve a walrus tusk. | Make your own beer. Toss a dwarf. | Turn into a stone statue. Smoke a pipe. | Use a voodoo doll to torture someone. Use a grapple. | Steal coins from a mark. Kill a frying pan. | Find a needle in the hay. Cook on a frying pan. | Prospect for gold. Make a snowball. | Follow Gaius' advice. Pick flowers. | Complete the quests. Pottery. | Use all the feelings listed in 'help feelings'. ------------------------+-------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 19.0 1 Fearmonth, 575 Page 9 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mage Announcement After an exhaustive research project I have been able to change the knock spell casting to work on locked containers. For quite some time no matter what chants I tried I was not able to get the spell to work reliably on a container. Containers are more difficult and even with my knowledge I find myself having to concentrate deeply to succeed in my task. Humbly yours, Pendleton, The Ancient Mage Heard At The Inn: The Silent Grove Deep in the elvish forests lies a grove wrapped in silence, and haunted by death. Monsters from nightmares unimaginable wander through its depths, sulking through the shadows and darkness. Even deeper into the grove though is a place of incredible treasure, wealth and riches unknown! Elves lived in that place, centuries ago, it was they that grew the beasts that protect the grove, and it is they that horded the treasure there! Hundreds of years of wealth, stored away for a lucky adventurer. But the path is dangerous, and the brave few. For years the elves have kept this a secret, keeping it from the world to keep their treasure their own. But now, I have brought you the story, and am telling the world of the wonders that I have seen. Now, why did I not take the treasure myself, you ask? Well my dear friends, I am a bard, not a hunter, and I only had my two arms. But I felt it was my solemn duty to share the story of that wonder with everyone I meet, letting them know that the prize is there for the grasping! Now, have I told you about the time I outsmarted the dragon of... Loranthan, the 'great' bard, Tantallon Inn. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 19.0 1 Fearmonth, 575 Page 10 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- What Are Those Wizards Up To: Orla Now, I am not much of an interviewer, personally, but this was an opportunity to not pass by. Orla has promised to tell us something about what she is up to and has been up to lately. Fir: What are you working on these days? Orla: Well, I have two projects approved and not yet implemented as they're part of something bigger. One is a 23-room area with a few puzzles to solve, and the other is a sweetshop. Orla: I also have two small things I'm working on currently, both of which are trying to plug some of the holes in AA life... for example, "where does all the glass come from to make those bottles/jars?" Fir: Where does it come from? We get asked where we get all our paper from sometimes too. Orla: Well, you'll have to wait and see. But rumour has it that there's a glass blower somewhere in the realm, just waiting to be discovered. Fir: Ah. Could you tell us a bit about what the basic idea behind the area is? Orla: It came from a post that Ghanim* did on the Suggestions Board quite some time ago, with just those sort of questions, mostly about the raw materials that make up the stuff we see in the shops. So things like glass, wax, fabric, that sort of thing. Orla: I browsed through the list and chose the ones that appealed to me the most. They're not going to be huge areas, but hopefully they'll be fun. Fir: So the 23-room area is related to the raw materials history? OrLa: No the 23-room area is something completely separate. It was my first area I ever did and started off as my Apprentice project. It's quite simple but for me it was a big achievement to finish it, it was the first time i ever coded *anything*. It turns out that you don't have to be a maths genius to wiz and get to 600, like I thought when I was a mortal. Fir: Yeah, it's an achievement - it's not uncommon for people to not finish their first project, and I was close to that myself. Did you find something else big to code in the meanwhile, though, since you're a Creator already? Orla: To get the creator level i coded the 23-room area and my little shop, then did a small fix to the NPCs in Salliver's quest. My fix is the only thing that's actually in the game... the others are parts of larger projects. What Are Those Wizards Up To continued on page 11... --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 19.0 1 Fearmonth, 575 Page 11 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- What Are Those Wizards Up To, continued from page 10... Fir: Oh yeah, that's the way I probably get my Creator too, for an area which is on the queue to be installed along with something else. OrLa nods solemnly. OrLa: In a way it's a shame that my area isn't in, I'd love to see mortals exploring it. But I'm patient, I can wait. Fir: We will be waiting too! How about future plans, do you have dreams of new projects already, or things you would love to see done? Orla: Oh, I have lots of plans! Galt and I have approval to code a whole new area with a city, forest, beach and a new quest. It's a massive undertaking though, 120 rooms, so don't expect it too soon. Fir: Wow! You two will be doing the whole thing? Orla: Well, that's the idea at the moment.... we're working on it little by little, we both have other things we're working on too. If it gets too much we may have to recruit help! Fir: I know the feeling, but as long as it stays little, it goes onwards... I think I'll be letting you off to your tasks soon - but before that, how are your responsibilities with the QC? Orla: I'm enjoying the QC job a lot, it's great fun to see what other people are doing, and helping them get it through the approval process and implemented. Fir: It must give a nice view to lots of things being underway too. Orla: Yes, there are a lot of very interesting things on their way through QC. Fir: We'll be looking forward to them. Thanks for the peek into your work! OrLa: No problem. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- New Clerical Power For those clerics who feel that they never keep their feet firmly on the ground, the latest prayer granted by the gods will be just perfect. With the favour of the gods, clerics report that they are able to begin floating a few fingers off the ground, which is just enough to allow walking upon the streams and lakes of the world. A curious cleric attempted to walk on the sea, but as he never returned, he is assumed drowned. "The power is obviously strictly for smaller lakes and rivers, not for the dangerous high seas. One should accept what the gods give, and not demand for that which is not meant for mere mortals," commented an acolyte. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 19.0 1 Fearmonth, 575 Page 12 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- M O R T A L C O U N C I L N E W S The Mortal Council had a meeting with Theryn as board and Paldin available for Balance consultation. This is not the latest meeting, as there was another one just before this paper went to print. We apologise for any inconvenience. Shapeshifters (Olaf, Gyn): A trashcan for the shifter class hall is in approval. Olaf brought up a suggestion of collars for feline forms, and extended it to reptiles as well. Lahana would work on it. Shifter games and body shop enhancements are being worked on. Treant fishing was brought up. Tree limbs make good fishing poles, but growing hooks was found more difficult. Fishing in feline form in water rooms was closer to passing, however, and Theryn would see how it fared. Nelitos eating was being worked on, among a few other shifter things. Olaf suggested feline hunting or stalking prey. It was mentioned in posts as shifter games, which are being worked on. Rangers (Levek, Thorn): Levek suggested that rangers should be able to refer to fish according to their size (small, medium, large) and saltedness or steamedness. Similarly, Dermott should understand things like 'buy small fish'. Obiwan would look at the fish and talk to Dermott's coder. Another suggestion was making tomahawks or hatchets from flint, possibly throwables. Wolverine picked it up. Ranger medicine is not applyable on others, while medicinals can be used to bind other people's wounds. Paldin mentioned that making it applyable on others, including pets, would make it necessary to downgrade its healing effect somewhat. Thorn wished it to be recorded that he was against the idea. Wolverine was willing to give it a try, although he might drop it if the balance costs got too big. Thorn suggested a ranger-makeable backsheath for axes, 2-handed axes or polearms. Theryn picked it up. Levek suggested being able to use corpses' bones for something as well. Lahana and Kasmune would look into it with ranger input on what to make from bone. Mortal Council News continued on page 13... --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 19.0 1 Fearmonth, 575 Page 13 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mortal Council News, continued from page 12... Necromancers (Van): A ritual for reclaiming lost souls to avoid incidents with feral revenants belonging to necromancers of low intelligence/wisdom was hoped for. Theryn pondered what that would mean in relation to gaining control over random undead. It would also be necessary to tune them down, to still have a cost for the control loss, and the various sides to the matter were discussed at length. Being able to make the feral undead dormant or destroy it was also suggested. Finally Theryn promised it would be looked into, and the meeting went on. Van also suggested automatical unwielding and rewielding ranger-style for necromancers who use their wands while wielding two-handed staves. The idea did not fly at first, but Theryn in the end promised a look into it. The necromancer board had a suggestion about undeads being able to throw knives and use marksmanship skills, but the thought did not catch. Theryn would look into telling undead to drop all unequipped items; the project is approved at the time of writing this. Undead would not be able to use Geo equipment as they are not in guilds. Undead being able to smash locks besides doors and their decay speeds were mentioned, but with little clarifying. Necromancers are hoping for just about any rituals to liven up the class. Van would push for ideas and try to keep them reasonable. Clerics (Turpitude): The first cleric suggestion round was rather unorganized, a sleepy Turpitude commenting that prayers fail too often and wrath is bad but forgetting to suggest things. Olaff asked about cleric gods, which were reported to be a part of a cleric rewrite instead of being worked on separately. Wrath has not been downgraded lately, despite some rumours. Olaf also suggested a unique to help a player to better attune to the gods. A wild anecdote was brought up that a long time ago, a cleric had managed to get killed by a backfired light prayer. Prayers do not backfire anymore, if they have. Olaf pointed out that clerics want some sort of a nuisance prayer, from raining frogs to tiny hailstorms or lightning following their victim. A 'multiply food' prayer was suggested, but it would require undefined amounts of balancing. Mortal Council News continued on page 14... --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 19.0 1 Fearmonth, 575 Page 14 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mortal Council News, continued from page 13... Mages (none present): Turpitude recited a suggestion to extend the duration of the haste spell. It did not fly. Olaf suggested that since knock working on chests was wished for, one might add that 'lock portal', knock's counterpart, could work on chests too. Paldin disagreed on its usability, but in the end there was no clear no. Mages are upset about 'ultimate' spellbooks; Lejana is working on them in general. Mage garden for spell components has not gotten off its feet, Nitro is looking for takers. Paladins (none present): PJs had asked a progress report for the paladin ideas on their board. Noted Theryn, "Any day now." Fighters (Tinfang): Tinfang arrived towards the end of the meeting and cheered what was in the works. Some board mentioned fighters wanting a Hall of Heroes skill list in their guild. Fir was assigned to look into it, but she has since reported that she will not be able to get it done, not being around enough anymore. Other: Lahana enquired about the status of previous newbie ideas, such as letting Willim accept items for the room south of him. Paldin did not remember a full list of the suggestions, but reported that several of them are in the works. Willim does accept items for the room south of him already. Wizards could look into adding a spearhead to their area, which rangers could add on their spears.