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.. ..
.||. ||.. ...
|| || || ||.||
`|.. || || `|.. ..|'''.| '|| || '||
'|' ' .... . .... ..||.. ... ..., || ....
|| '' .|| || || || || .| ' || .|...||
'|. | .|' || || || || || || || ||
''|...'| '|..'|' ||. ||. '|..' .||. '|..| ||. '|...'
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Volume 9.0 20 Tuulneas, 561 1 Coin
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Welcome to a new issue of the Canticle. As I am writing this editorial,
a small chaos has erupted in the world of paper publishing. As you
probably know, our old-time competitor in Dalair has been rather inactive
during the last few years. They seem to be back in business now, and have
decided to begin their new time of activity with a ruthless publicity
stunt. They refuse to let us in on the details before the publication of
their next paper, but hint at all kinds of horrible things which I assure
you are just invented to undermine the Canticle's reputation as a serious
and fair newspaper!
I personally find the situation very disturbing and it only gets worse as
our loved long-time editor-in-chief, Thaddeus, has been forced to take a
vacation to relax his nerves after the terrible accusations cooked up by
the new assistant editor of the Dalair paper. I am certain that I speak
for the entire staff when I hope that Clark, of the Dalair Free Press, will
soon feel more himself and take control of his own paper before it loses
the last of its credibility to this scandal in the hands of its, I dare
say, ruthless assistant editor.
In the meanwhile, life must go on: I would like to thank Furious, Meg,
Claire, Oakram, Frostbite, Thothamon, Suze, Tasha and all our advertisers
for helping with getting material for the paper. If you wish to write for
the Canticle, just contact the editors listed on the index ('read index')
of this paper.
-- Fir
Assistant Editor
The Canticle
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<*> CANTICLE INDEX <*>
-------------------------------------+-------------------------------------
AA 10-year Survey..................2 Claire's Puzzle Page..............11
Changes To Nothing In Particular...3 Bridges And Greenleaf.............12
Player Interviews: Frostbite.......4 Mortal Council News...............14
Player Interviews: Thothamon.......7 Classifieds.......................18
Player Interviews: Suze............9
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Volume 9.0 20 Tuulneas, 561 Page 2
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The 10 Year There And Back Again
Ancient Anguish Player Survey
Countless hours and tireless typing have finally paid off, with this:
A survey given to over 100 players of Ancient Anguish, consisting of
13 questions given to each participant. Each question was allowed up
to 3 answers, and the results were added and are shown below.
Favourite Wizard - Longshot, Fairydust, Paldin
Nicest Player On AA - Meg, Budha, Litherium
Most Annoying Player On AA - Arams, Spock, Johnny
Best Tank On AA - Lanstro, Bleys, Lunarcee
Best Basher On AA - Calvin, Maelmord, Emond
Best Idler On AA - Methos, Mog, Elfaeril
Best Roleplayer On AA - Zafar, Undeadguy, Malire
Best AA Webpage - Ionstar, Methos, Thothamon[*]
Favourite NPC To Kill - Zhephani, Ariola, Ceranyx
Best Overall Player On AA - Zwr, Zurich, Rey
Biggest Mooch On AA - Arams, Johnny, The Entire Bear Guild
Biggest Flirt On AA - Lorien, Fairydust, Sunkist
Who would you live with off of AA - Meg, Fairydust, Nitro
A few additions to this: Defarge received the most votes for Best Tank,
actually surpassing the competition by double digits. Since he is and has
been a wizard for a while now, we will omit him from the list. Rey and
Zurich were left on the list even though those alts are no longer present.
This survey is in no way a reflection on the administration or players'
opinions on Ancient Anguish. Thanks to all who participated and I'll see
you in the next paper. - Furious
[*] Thothamon's webpage is offline at the moment, but is being worked on.
Once it comes up, the address can be found from his finger info.
-----------------------------------------------------------
| __,,--``\\ Maigyn's Magic Shop |
| _,,-''`` \\ , |
| '----------_.------'-.___|\__ Your source for that little |
| _.--''`` `)__ )__ @\__ touch of magic. |
| ( .. ''---/___,,E/__,E'------` |
| `-''`'' |
-----------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Volume 9.0 20 Tuulneas, 561 Page 3
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Changes To Nothing In Particular
As we all know, there are certain professions that one just does not find
here. However, IF there existed some shady types who can not tell other
people's pockets from their own, they might have noticed certain changes:
Bad News Good News
------------------------------ -------------------------------------
Stealing costs spell points. Stealing gives experience points.
Stealing from lower level Stealing from higher level players
players is more risky. is less risky.
No matter how inexperienced, No matter how inexperienced, foolish,
foolish, inattentive, or clumsy, or drunk, every Rogue has a
drunk, every mark has a small small chance of success against even
chance of noticing a theft the most difficult mark.
attempt.
Stealing from a mark with just Stealing from a mark with a lot of items
one or two items in his/her in his/her inventory is less risky.
inventory is difficult or
impossible.
The 'judge mark' command will give
Marks will get more wary when information about a potential mark's
they are stolen from. wariness.
If a Rogue steals an item that The value of items that may be stolen
s/he cannot carry, everyone in has been significantly increased.
the room will catch the Rogue
failing in the theft attempt. The number of coins that may be stolen in
each attempt has been significantly
increased.
The 'judge mark' command gives an
excellent chance of detecting a pocket
worm.
[This piece of highly useful information was provided by the Ancient
Anguish Tourism Council member responsible for deciding the amount of
cultural funding our fine paper receives.]
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Volume 9.0 20 Tuulneas, 561 Page 4
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AA PLAYER INTERVIEWS
Welcome to the Player Interview feature. I am MeG, Roving-Reporter-Girl-
Friday for the Canticle and I am going to spend the next few months
interviewing the players of Ancient Anguish, finding out their likes,
dislikes, their reasons for coming to this world, what keeps them here,
and in general, getting to know them as more than just a name on the qwho
list. The first interview is with Frostbite, a well-known dwarven fighter
who has been frequenting the realm for quite some time.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
MeG: How long have you been playing AA, Frostbite?
Frostbite: I think I started in June of 1994.
MeG: That's quite a while. Wow. What types of changes have you seen in
that time?
FB: It would be easier to tell you everything that hasn't changed.
Everything from who plays the game to how they play it, even the
types of adjustments from the code standpoint that have been
implemented to appeal to the new audience.
MeG: Speaking of new audience, what has changed the most about the player
base, in your opinion?
FB: The player base used to be entirely comprised of adults mostly in the
tech field or at university.
MeG: And now...?
FB: Today because the Internet has become so widely available there
is an influx of younger people.
MeG: Do you find this to be good, bad, or indifferent?
FB: You have to deal with it on a case by case basis, the majority of the
people that are here now don't remember what it was like "back in the
day" and have a hard time appreciating what AA really is.
There's a lot of entitlement and attitude that was never here before
as well.
MeG: And what do you think AA is?
FB: It's a subculture. There are people here who have spent a significant
portion of their lives in this world, it is very real to some people,
myself included. It's a concept very foreign to people that haven't
been here forever and a day, when we talk about our friends and refer
to them by character name, I often get funny looks like, "you have
internet friends."
Interview with Frostbite continued on page 5 ...
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Volume 9.0 20 Tuulneas, 561 Page 5
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Interview with Frostbite continued from page 4 ...
FB: A long time ago when the mud moved from Virginia to the west coast,
the mud was down for about six months and two of the characters, Jolt
and Suze (I think), set up an Ancient Anguish Refugee Camp mud that
had a bulletin board. That brought a lot of us closer together, we
didn't know if AA would ever come up, so that really bred a sense of
friendship and/or unity within the core group of players at the time.
When the mud DID come back online, that group of people had a very
dominant personality and a significant role in growing the mud.
MeG: Ah, I see. And what has happened to those people since then?
FB: A few of them are still here, many have moved on, graduated from
college and lost touch... others I have friendships with even though
they're not here. Quite a few are running the mud now.
MeG: So you believe it is possible to form long-lasting friendships
through this medium?
FB: Absolutely, there are people that I have met on this game that I have
been friends with for more than five years, we hang out and do things
like normal friends do. It's also a useful medium for keeping in touch
with people you knew before AA. When I went away to college the friends
I had interested in the mud used this as a medium to stay in touch with
me.
MeG: What is it that keeps you coming back to AA? The gameplay? The people?
Your friends?
FB: It's different every day, I go in cycles, I'll log in for a few weeks
and powerplaying is the only thing on my mind, then I'll lose interest
and get more social before I get incredibly bored with it all and then
the thrill comes from seeing people I haven't spoken with in a very
long time.
It's the variety that makes it work.
MeG: When it comes to playing the game, can you think of one thing that
you absolutely love about the mud? And one thing you can most certainly
do without?
FB: This one is hard. I think the best part about gameplay is the
interaction with other people, it's very real, squabbling over
equipment, the trash talking that happens between two warriors, the
negotiations that take place over items, etc. Playing in parties,
whatever the case, as long as what I'm doing is causing me to
interact with others, the diversity of things that I am able to do to
harass, encourage, whatever another player makes it interesting.
Interview with Frostbite continued on page 6 ...
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Volume 9.0 20 Tuulneas, 561 Page 6
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Interview with Frostbite continued from page 5 ...
FB: We have tons of uniques, there's enough for every person logged in
to have one at any given time. When I started playing uniques were few
and far between, and having one actually meant something. Every new
area has unique items that either do nothing, or do something so
specialized that they might as well do nothing.
I can live without the constant rebalancing that goes on. A lot of
changes are made from a decision on high and lack any real mortal
say.
MeG: So, you think that any changes that are made to the game should be
explained in detail either before or after it's made?
FB: I think that I would like to see the Mortal Council have some real
power. Allow the MC to have the final say on what is implemented.
Instead of using them as testing fixtures... it would just make
sense that they have the ability to veto a project that they think
will hurt gameplay.
MeG: Ok, well, speaking of the Mortal Council, that's a change that's
been made in the last couple years. What do you think of that change?
FB: I think it is a step in the right direction, but like I said, they
have no real power.
MeG: All in all, though, would you say that even if it involves gameplay,
it's the people and your interactions with them that keep you coming
back?
FB: Of course, rebalancing and inconveniencing gameplay doesn't distract
from the myriad of things that this world has to offer that no other
can.
MeG: Ok, can you share an amusing antecdote with the readers about your
years on AA? Something that illustrates why you enjoy playing this game?
FB: Don't ever get comfortable with anything, expect everything to change,
and don't expect to see it coming. This world is so much like real life
its scary, anything can happen at any time.
MeG: Anything else you'd like to tell the readers before we end the
interview?
FB: More like a question to throw out to the void:
Does anyone else miss the lawstorms of old? *wink*
MeG: Boy, I know I do...
Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions, Frostbite!
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Volume 9.0 20 Tuulneas, 561 Page 7
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The next interview is with Thothamon, an elven mage known for his massive
amount of experience points, major coin stash and infamous auction starting
price of 666 coins. I try to find out more about this "lone wolf" mage.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
MeG: Hello, Thothamon. How long have you been playing AA?
Thothamon: Well, in one form or another, since day one.
MeG: Have you always been guildless?
Thoth: No, some of my early characters tested the guild waters, Chaos and
*spit* Scythe.
MeG: How long have you played this current character, your mage
Thothamon?
Thoth: Well, I think shortly after the new combat system was installed, my
character at the time, Thulsa, chose longsword as weapon so...
MeG: I remember having to choose. I forgot all about that.
Thoth: It was a sad day.
MeG: Speaking of changes, what are the changes that really stand out in
your mind? Over the years, you must have seen all of them.
Thoth: Yes, both good and bad. The worse, to me, is the slide away from
trying to keep the different class abilities separate. Thats to say,
unique to the said class.
MeG: Such as?
Thoth: Things like mage spells being duplicated elsewhere, lets see, a
potion that causes a body part to glow so you have light? *barf*
Some rogue abilities too...
MeG: What is the best change, then?
Thoth: But I'm not done with the bad ones yet!
MeG: *laugh* Oh, do go on! My mistake!
Thoth: There is a whole lot about 'wizdom' that needs work/discussion, but
now is not the time.
Map expansion is always a good thing though. :)
MeG: Ok, then, as long as you mentioned wizzes, why is it that you
haven't wizzed? Or HAVE you?
Thoth: My client will take the 5th on that question.
MeG: So what keeps you coming back here? What is that draws you?
Thoth: Weeelll now, I guess its been the original implementation of the
game and the people (good and bad).
MeG: You come because of how the game used to be?
Thoth: Actually, its beginning to look that way... just because we can
change a thing does not mean we should change a thing.
Hmmm... that was probably a little deep for Scythe...
Interview with Thothamon continued on page 8 ...
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Volume 9.0 20 Tuulneas, 561 Page 8
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Interview with Thothamon continued from page 7 ...
MeG: Do you ever see yourself NOT playing AA?
Thoth: No, can't say I do... this Mud reminds me of a pc-dos ascii game
called PChack. :)
Played that thing forever.
MeG: Not familiar with that game, but I take it that it was addictive? :)
Thoth: Very, simple, twisted and original, everything a good game needs,
kinda like here!
MeG: Anyway, Thoth, you're kind of known as being a loner, a lone wolf
type guy, so what is it about the people here that helps to keep
you coming back?
Thoth: Not sure, kinda like watching a good(?) grade B movie.
MeG: Ah, so you're an observer, then!
Thoth: Of course.
MeG: Do you remember when you first started playing? How big was the
world then?
Thoth: Heh, town basically, I wasn't really 'playing', just checking things
out. I can remember being the only person logged in once. *echoecho*
[Reporter's note: hard to imagine no one else being logged in to this mud!]
MeG: What words of advice would you give to a person who is just checking
the game out for the first time?
Thoth: Trust no one.
MeG: But there are some who can be trusted, wouldn't you agree?
Thoth: Of course, but if you are just starting and dont know anyone yet...
MeG: Yes, I agree with that. Trust no one at first. Get to know people.
Thoth: Watch people... what they are will show eventually, just don't be on
the other end of the rope when you find out.
MeG: Totally.
Is there any event or happening that occurred over the years to
your character that sticks out in your mind? One that you'd be
willing to share with the readers?
Thoth: *ponder* There have been a few, the murder of Zwr, my death by a
wizard, Bazhi hitting 100 mil exp, Alton allowed to chase people.
*shudder*
MeG: Any final words that you'd like to say? Words of advice? Points to
ponder?
Thoth: *ponder* Just this...
Where IS that music coming from!?
MeG: Well, that concludes our interview with Psycho Thothamon. :) Thanks,
Thoth. :)
Thoth: Heh.
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Volume 9.0 20 Tuulneas, 561 Page 9
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Next I interviewed Suze, a been-around-forever ranger of the Knights guild.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
MeG: Hi, Suze. Thanks for doing this interview. Let me start out by asking
you how long you've played AA...
Suze: I started playing in November of 1994 with another character named
Suze. Maggie is my oldest character after that, and this one started
April of 1995.
MeG: Then you've seen a lot of changes, I guess?
Suze: Yeah, I guess I have. I remember the old Tantallon used to be really
small.
MeG: That's what I've heard. In your opinion, do the changes enhance the
mud?
Suze: I think so. For the most part, the game is a lot more fun to play,
there's certainly more to do than just kill orcs. The quests are
challenging. I think it's a much better mud than when I started.
MeG: What race and class is your current character?
Suze: I'm a human ranger, 257 days, 22 hours, 10 minutes and 58 seconds
old.
MeG giggles.
A huge trained dog barks happily.
Suze: And that's Henry.
A huge trained dog looks at Suze curiously.
MeG: You've always played a ranger then?
Suze: No, I started as a cleric because I wanted to be helpful. A friend
of mine had me make a ranger character, and it was love at first
sight.
MeG: Has that class gone through many changes over the years?
Suze: Oh sure. There have been more things added for us to do. I don't
like it that the equipment we make is totally useless, but I like
making bedrolls and foraging for the racks. And spamming is always
fun. :)
MeG: Can you think of one or two changes that you'd like to see the most?
Suze: I'd like to see our ranger-made armour be worth something again.
When I started playing, I'd wear fine ranger clothes from head to
toe and it would be wonderful. Now I don't even bother making any of
it. And I'd like to see less rain around here - it's hard to forage
in the rain.
MeG: For the mud in general, what do you think are the biggest changes
that have helped the game?
Suze: When I started, the rules weren't as clear as they are now. I like
that. I like it that the high-ranking wizards seem to be fair.
Interview with Suze continued on page 10 ...
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Volume 9.0 20 Tuulneas, 561 Page 10
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Interview with Suze continued from page 9 ...
MeG: Are there any changes that you feel have detracted from the game?
Suze: I don't play my cleric anymore because she's got maxxed stats and
still has to beg the gods to listen to her. And like I said before,
the ranger eq is worthless. I don't like it that there are so many
quests, but then, I hate quests *grin*. And I'm not sure about this
whole Gaius thing for wizzing. I know there must be a reason behind
him, but I don't know what it is. He should be killable. :)
MeG: When you were a newbie, were there many people playing then?
Suze: When I started, if there were 40 people or more, we'd get a message
saying "The mud is full. Try back later." So the first time I saw
over 100 people, it was so strange.
MeG: Wow.
Suze: There were more college-aged students, too. No kids.
MeG: What was the general attitude of people then? Like it is now?
Suze: I don't really know how to answer that. I was quite the loner then,
so I didn't pay much attention. I guess it was about the same, but
fewer people.
MeG: What is it that keeps you playing? The game itself, the changes, the
people?
Suze: I like the people. Both my sisters play here, and we have fun. I
like the game. I like being a ranger because I don't have to just
go kill stuff, I can forage or fish or make medicine. Mostly the
people though.
MeG: If you were to give advice to a brand spanking new player about
playing AA, what would it be?
Suze: It's a game. It's not real life. Don't forget about real life when
you get caught up in this game. This is a great place to be, there's
a lot of good people, it's fun... but it's not life.
MeG: Very good advice. :)
Suze: And don't kill my wolf. :)
MeG: Is there any last thing you'd like to say before we end this
interview? Any wise words or points to ponder?
Suze: *ponder* I don't think I do. I gotta admit, it wasn't as painful an
interview as I thought it would be. :)
MeG: *giggle* Told ya!
Suze: The Canticle is a great paper for wrapping your fish in, too.
MeG: Anyway, thanks Suze. I appreciate you taking the time.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
And that wraps up the first player interviews conducted by our Roving-
Reporter-Girl-Friday! More to come later.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Volume 9.0 20 Tuulneas, 561 Page 11
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
C L A I R E ' S
**** * * ***** ***** * *****
* * * * * * * * /| __
**** * * * * * *** / | ,-~ /
* * * * * * * Y :| // /
* *** ***** ***** ***** ***** | jj /( .^
P A G E >-"~"-v"
/ Y
jo o |
Unscramble these jumbles to reveal weapons ( ~T~ j
found in AA. >._-' _./
/ "~" |
GRGDAE -> ****** Y _, |
DGOWRNOLS -> ********* /| ;-"~ _ l
DPALEROVBAL -> ****** ***** / l/ ,-"~ \
VKFLIEIENHS -> ****** ***** \//\/ .- \
NXADAEH -> **** *** Y / Y
FIGHSTLATF -> ***** ***** l I !
URRQFSFATTAE -> ************ ]\ _\ /"\
TSTDEEDAWBROR -> ******** ***** (" ~----( ~ Y. )
'''''''''''''''''''''''[x]
(Answer key found on page 17.)
X L Q U O A K N A B U D S WORD SEARCH
O O M M L B G O G J H S P
P R E B U E R I A L C U S Fifteen wizards' names are hidden in the
F I R Q I P U R G K Z U Z grid. Look horizontally, vertically,
L E T D I T N O D C D Q N diagonally, forward and backward to see how
L N I P K A T A R I N A R many you can find!
A E R Z Z P H E A O W U E
H I K L P V E N T U R E T (See the answer key on page 17 to find a
N G B F C R X S F M K L N list of the names!)
F O A K R A M B X O M N A
O D L E G R A N E J R P L
K E A F A R P E G G I O X
[x] Bunny by Rowan.
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Volume 9.0 20 Tuulneas, 561 Page 12
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Bridges and Greenleaf... or Greenleaf and Bridges?
by Quita
One fine day, weary from battle, and yearning for a shoulder massage and
for some sweet release, I made my way to those decadent Scythe games and
casually purchased a greenleaf. Greenleaf, I must admit, and a little
cactus button too for that matter, can bring to me the most startling
visions and inspirations! Hrmmm... not to mention the implied sense of
heightened intelligence... After all, I am a little showoff sometimes!
So, I found a cozy little area among some trees, rolled, lit, and inhaled
my object of idulgence. As I lazed back on the cool and dewy grass, what
did I behold? What absolutely half-insane half-monumental thought came to
mind??! The idea of building a bridge! Just because!... well... actually,
because of my now whacked-out mind, but that is neither here nor there.
So during my mad flurry of inspiration, with occasional bouts of
mellowness, I was emboldened enough to hack and slash through the woods
(and innocent creatures) with my enormous axe, for all sorts of wood and
sinew. I felt somehow I had the knowledge, the confidence, and I dare say
the talent to achieve this feat... but was it because of the gods, or
indeed because of my own false sense of intelligence brought on by that
wonderful, delightful greenleaf?
A number of hours later, and with a few more sore muscles, I beheld my
masterpiece. I even felt confident enough to wander onto my... could it
be? mmm-my? my? my own bridge, and built across the mighty Lullingstone,
no less!
I touched the smoothly sanded wood, inhaled it... and just sat there for a
long time. I smiled to myself with pride when the first few adventurers
sauntered by me on this bridge. I felt that I had done something good!
However, I sadly looked at the leftover mess, the litter I still had in the
pile... so I did another good thing by building a bonfire.
Bridges and Greenleaf continued on page 13 ...
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Volume 9.0 20 Tuulneas, 561 Page 13
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Bridges and Greenleaf continued from page 12 ...
As I slowly, and somewhat tiredly tossed away what was no longer needed, I
kept a mental count, and noted what I would need to build another bridge -
who knows, I may not even need greenleaf for the next! What does my
insight say I need for building a bridge? Let me see: about 32 beams, 170
sinew (poor, sad, innocent woodland denizens), 24 planks, and I must not
forget a very long trip to Dubo the Trader in Norton, way up north, for a
box of nails!
As an aside, a very ironic aside: much later on, I stood on my bridge, and
it collapsed under my own weight! This was a hard lesson to learn...
Probably because of weariness, or laziness, I did not upkeep the first
bridge as I should have.
With great enthusiasm, and yes, while sober-minded, I built a second! And
no, greenleaf is not needed for this task - it is just that I am a little,
ermmm... uncommon and unusual person...
^^
^^
______[ ]_____________[ ]________
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
[ ] [ ]
[ ] [ ]
[ ] [ ]
_~~- ~^-^~-^~~- ^~_^-^~~_ -~^_ - ~ ^- _~~_- ~~ _ ~ ^~ - ~~^ _ - ^~- ~
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Volume 9.0 20 Tuulneas, 561 Page 14
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M O R T A L C O U N C I L N E W S
The Mortal Council looks like this until Nethory 561:
Mage : Sinius, Wynlan, Callandor
Rogue : Tarott, Lanstro, Puma
Fighter : Annihilator, Lunarsee, Frostbite
Necromancer : Karsh, Furious
Cleric : Rey, Meg, Ceren
Paladin : Noir, Krim
Ranger : Ebot, Lorer, Mordygan
Shapeshifter : Darvinia, Od, Erithywen
The Mortal Council held a meeting in Okdyetenn 560. Unfortunately few
wizards and council members were present at the meeting, so many
suggestions were only acknowledged without finding someone to take the
assignment. (The digester apologizes for herself for leaving so early,
the hour was a bit late and sleep took over.)
Shapeshifters (represented by Darvinia and Erithywen):
A guild exclusively for shifters was suggested, but did not catch on. The
one existing class-exclusive guild should remain the only one, it was
argued. The shifters are among the classes which have a relatively hard
time finding a guild they can join. For some guilds the reasoning is not
always clear either, like Lanstro's explanation for why shifters are not
wanted in The Scythe: "Shifters too wussy obviously. We tough orc types,
and this opossum comes in"... ;) To battle time-in-form boredom, shifters
were hoping for more board games around the class hall, and wizards are
encouraged to add an area (or maybe an NPC on an existing area, like the
inn) down there for some of the games currently on the mud[1].
Enabling feline shifters in form to fish without equipment was also
suggested. Making shifters see more numbers (like 'time in form this far')
was turned down, and as mage study hours were brought up as an argument,
Paldin plotted aloud turning those numbers into vague descriptions as well,
to the nervous amusement of the people with mage alts present.
Mortal Council News continued on page 15 ...
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Volume 9.0 20 Tuulneas, 561 Page 15
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Mortal Council News, continued from page 14...
Necromancers (represented by Furious and Karsh):
Some rituals' inefficiency was brought up. On the other hand, it was
explained that for example warts is supposed to be a "useless", social
ritual, similar to the mages' uglify. Making the necromancer's wand look
different according to the amount of rituals its carrier controlled was
suggested. Oliver reminded that he was working on a component pouch for
necromancers. Component stacking (eg. "one large pile of dirt") was brought
up as well and assigned to Oliver. Revenants should be able to drop/sell
all except their wielded weapon, or be able to 'keep' things like players.
Adinos was working on the fixes to the animateable NPCs list. Naming undead
was brought up and put down. The main wish from necromancers was clearly a
strict "no downgrades".
Rangers (no representantives present):
Zhamarr's chimera was reported as not being guttable, and Paldin would fix
that. It was also suggested that other people be able to use the nicknames
rangers give their wolves.
Paladins (represented by Noir):
An 'atone' ability, much discussed on the paladin board, was suggested.
It would offset effects on alignment of things like fishing and questing,
while draining spell points and possibly not allowing exp gain. After some
discussion it was decided that Noir would mail Macavity a list of quests
paladins had problems doing because of their attacking restrictions and he
would look into it.
Noir was wondering about the status of horse naming. Sylwen is working
on paladin horses in general, but she was not available in the meeting.
Painting coat-of-arms on shields was suggested as well, and Paldin
commented that it would be somewhat hard to make sure all shields supported
it. No one picked up the project yet.
Mages (represented by Wynlan):
Making the spellbook look different with mages having all of the spells
was brought up again, but the discussion drowned.
Mortal Council News continued on page 16 ...
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Volume 9.0 20 Tuulneas, 561 Page 16
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Mortal Council News, continued from page 15 ...
Rogues (represented by Lanstro):
Lanstro suggested that backstabbing and possibly even secondary attacks
should depend on knife skill. It was left slightly unclear what the non-
knife secondary weapons should do, as was whether or not Paldin would look
into it. ;)
Clerics (represented by Ceren and Meg):
A suggestion for an ability to purge drunkedness ran into problems as it
could make drinks unbalanced. A new message for fix was hoped for. (The
current being a somewhat blunt "You fix you wounds.")
Other:
The druid class thread from the suggestion board was brought up. Paldin
lamented the rarity of suggestions for their class abilities which were
not already abilities of other classes. The suggestion was modified into
making druids a new mage school, but Paldin's opinion was that the class
will be getting plenty of boost already when "the new stuff" got added.
A help file similar to 'help newstuff', only with updates and balancing
acts instead of new areas, was wished for. Furious mentioned that there
were rather few flails in the game, and wizards are encouraged to code one
or two more into their projects.
Zhamarr's status was discussed, but there were no news about it. (The
original coder was asking that the area be removed after some bigger
disagreement about code changes.) Lanstro listed bugs towards the end of
the meeting. The leaving post office while lying down bug was getting
fixed, Listhalia amulet wearing difficulties were brought up as well as
Shadowspawn's odd stat-draining behaviour with link death. Paldin would
look into the former but pledged "that's always been buggy!" on the latter.
Some odd Drakhiya militia behaviour as well as using the non-knife
Draqisfang as a secondary weapon were brought up[2], as were Arethama and
Annac's odd behaviour with backstabbing... Paldin asked Lanstro to mail him
a full list with specifications.
Mortal Council News continued on page 17 ...
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Volume 9.0 20 Tuulneas, 561 Page 17
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Mortal Council News continued from page 16 ...
Making different races of people start in different towns was suggested.
Paldin commented that it would have a bad effect on newbie-friendliness.
Getting bonuses for having over 1 million points of experience were brought
up again, and Paldin said he thought that Adinos had gotten a set of ideas
on that and would be the person to talk to.
[1] Fir has a thing for games, so she'll be looking into some Shifter
entertainment.
[2] A fix for using Draqisfang as a secondary is reportedly coded and in
approval.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
. .
The Golden Ducat .
|__._.|
Eat, drink and be merry, fellow travellers! |. .|\
| . . | |
We cater to the thirsty adventurer. Just finished |. . | |
a hard battle? Need to kick back and relax with a | .. .|/
mug of your favourite beverage? Come to the Golden \___/
Ducat pub and satisfy your liquid desire!
Good drinks and good friends are sure to be found at the Ducat. And how
about a game of Draughts between drinks? Come on down and give us a
look! You'll find us in the north end of Scholar's Way.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Puzzle Page Answer Key:
Here are the answers to the jumble:
Dagger, Longsword, Vorpal Blade, Elvish Knife, Hand Axe, Light Staff,
Quarterstaff and Battered Sword.
The names hidden in the search-a-word grid:
Argeld, Arpeggio, Claire, Dubanka, Edog, Fir, Grunthex, Heidi, Katarina,
Lantern, Lorien, Mert, Oakram, Sudian and Venture. (At least Gog seems
to have sneaked in as well...)
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Volume 9.0 20 Tuulneas, 561 Page 18
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__________________________________________________________________________
| ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ___ ____ |
| The Canticle / / // / / / / / / | / |
| / / /___//____ /____ / /__ / /__ / //____ |
| / / / / / / / / / / / / / |
| / / / / / / / / / / / / / |
| /___ /___ / / ____/ ____/__/_ / __/_ /___ /____/ ____/ |
|__________________________________________________________________________|
| |
| /|' ' /|'''|'\ Tired of having to pay toll to the troll? Frustrated |
| / |_ -/-|_ -'_ \ with ending up in rivers wherever you go? Then hire |
| / / / / , \\ us to build a bridge, JUST FOR YOU! Rates are |
| |/ |/ , \| negotiable, and any reasonable offer will not be |
| (_____( ,_ _ _) turned down. |
| Vadne, of Bridge Builders Inc. (tm) |
| ~B~B~I~ |
|__________________________________________________________________________|
| | |
| Beelzepub in the mage tower will be | Ode to Canticle: |
| closing, due to the owner snuffing it. | |
|________________________________________| O, Canticle |
| | You make my toes tickle |
| Stars-running wizard looking for new | Your cultivatedness |
| files to run Stars from! [Ad-editing | Makes me grumble less |
| Stars addict's note: AA stars are the | Never go away |
| best! :)] Please format files as | - Come out again today! |
| hint:answer | |
| where the answer has normal capital- | --Azaphael, freshly hired. |
| ization; one question per line. |_________________________________|
| | |
| Send files to Lorien via mudmail. | Read the Announcement Board for |
|________________________________________| information on the Trivia |
| | Tournament! |
| Hint of the day: Rangers, do not |_________________________________|
| accidentally name your wolf "Wolf | |
| Fido", even though it may make life | This space intentionally left |
| interesting. | blank. |
|________________________________________|_________________________________|