Deal or No Deal UO Style on Atlantic (Cross shard event)
Posted on Friday, June 20, 2008, 7:45 PM EDT by Ishtar (Atlantic)
This looks like it will be quite a bit of fun! Than you Queen Mum for submitting this. -Ishtar

Non-Role Player Perspectives on Role Play
Posted on Tuesday, June 10, 2008, 1:24 AM EDT by Ishtar (Atlantic)
As I walked the lands of Sosaria, I felt it would be an enjoyable way to know more of the folks that play Ultima Online and ask them as non-role players what they thought of the role players on Atlantic. I got intriguing responses to this question in my travels that took me to many great hubs of the Atlantic community. I began my quest in Britain and I came across some interesting characters, one in particular named A Mongbat had this to say,"I find nothing wrong with their activities, there is one in Moonglow." he continued to explain that in some cases non-role players are not always well received by the role play community, but overall had no complaints. The other person I spoke with that stood out, ran a guild named Xtortion and went by the name Shiva Da'lale. His answer was very interesting as he told me this, "I think the RP community became irrelevant when they removed the Seer program. When the Seer program was active there were genuine rewards to being involved with RP." Ahh the Seer program, I do have fond memories of that. With a somber "sigh" I decided to travel the realm a bit more and see what others had to say. I picked up my leather bound book and trusty quill, then ventured out into the world again. Upon this leg of my journey I met a charming fellow named MageScagweed who was a member of the Syndicate (LLTS) recruiting guild. He explained to me he has yet to see any role players as of yet other than a grateful one and another who gave him a million gold. I was a bit surprised by his answer, but still plodded onward as he said very little else. As I made my way through the City of Luna, I ran into Xtreme Gamer and could not help but chuckle at his thoughts on my question, "I think they are all a bunch of fruit loops." I then had to know why he had come to this conclusion and asked him to enlighten me, to this he explained that he felt most guilds that Role play are in a "controlled environment", at least the ones he has encountered so far. At this point he seemed to get lost in his exercises in the art of poisoning and I felt it was time to move on. My mood became more somber with all my encounters thus far, as this says little for the state of Role play on Atlantic. The night drew closer and I decided to take one last chance on a young man who called himself Dumbledore. This is what he had to say, "I think it is cool that they like to do that.", I thought this was definitely more positive and asked him to continue, well my smile quickly became a frown as he made this statement, "when it interferes with game play it is quite annoying." Trying to put my best foot forward, I asked him why, here is his explanation, "I've had a role player come up to me and do this *salute* stuff, and I said hi in capital letters. Well, he said to me, how dare you not salute.", at this point, I could sense his disdain and understood why he had drawn this conclusion. His final thoughts on the matter were, "keep it in your guild and in a certain area and do not interrupt other people with it." On that note I thanked him for his time and headed home for the night. This last quest for knowledge was enlightening to say the least as I have been a role player on Atlantic for many years. These random and on the spot interviews gave me an interesting perspective as to how people see what the role play community does. I hope those who read this that do role play consider some of the viewpoints here and take them unto their hearts. Let us not forget that there are many types of players here on Atlantic. Not all enjoy the same things, but we all play and all like to have fun, we should all keep that in mind when we interact with others... -Ishtar-

Most Tasteless House Contest!!!
Posted on Thursday, April 17, 2008, 8:11 PM EDT by Ishtar (Atlantic)
Greetings Noble Lords and Ladies! After taking Ginseng for a morning ride, I came across one of the er, well least tastful house designs that I've seen. To highlight the need for better house design and decoration I am announcing a contest: Most Tasteless House Design! The rules are simple: 1. You can enter any house. Just realize that if you enter your own you will be admitting to having no taste. 2. Your screen cap should show the actual house sign if possible, or you should include the house name and owner name in your post. 3. You can make as many entries as you like but try and limit each entry to one picture. (Pick the worst floor of the house for your entry.) 4. Please abide by the forum guidelines for picture sizes... NO FULL SCREEN CAPS PLEASE. (Those are very, very irritating.) 5. VERY IMPORTANT: Please mark a rune to the house. In a later post I'll organize some way to collect these runes and create a "Most Tasteless Houses of Atlantic" runebook. CONTEST DEADLINE MAY 20TH 2008 17:00est Perhaps I'll organize a wine tasting tour of tasteless houses... hmm.... how tasteful is that! Woot! Oh... I guess you want to know how you will be rewarded for your efforts? Perhaps a free membership in the Scribes Guild? Ok, ok... how about 1milGP Yup a cool mil for participating in a silly contest... BUT... read the fine print... >>> if there are less than 16 entries... then no prize. <<< Why? Cause it's my contest and I'm making the rules and if I'm giving away a cool million I wanna see some work for it that's why!!! Plus, that's how many runes it takes to fill a runebook, ok? Here is the example from my morning ride that inspired the idea for the contest: Sincerely, Lord Raven of Minoc Thank you Lord Raven for this one I can't wait to see the entries! Stay tuned and I'll announce the winner here on Stratics! -Ishtar
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Grand Opening of the Grand Britannian Repertory!
Posted on Tuesday, March 25, 2008, 9:25 PM EDT by EricksonYates (Atlantic)
Jingle, Jangle, Jumble, Jump! Erickson Yates here! More news from our friends on the lighter side of Sosaria! Take a look at this! Looks like a good time! ====================================== The Grand Opening of the Grand Britannian Repertory! From the great walls of Castle British, to the worn sandstone of the Lycaeum, the knowledge and writings of Sosaria have been a focal point in the evolution of our society. Each stroke of quill on parchment, each word etched into paper is a marker of our past accomplishments, deeds and imaginations. With such importance stemming from these words, scrolls, and books, the creation of another library is a monumental occasion. It is with these words, do we announce the opening of the Grand Britannian Repertory. The Grand Britannian Repertory is filled to its capacity with over 1,500 unique, primarily player written books, making it one of the largest, if not the largest library in the history of Ultima Online. To celebrate its opening, there will be a formal celebration on the eve of Sunday March 30th, from 8:00-9:00PM EST (4:00-5:00PM GMT) on the Atlantic shard. The library can be found by going through the Makoto-Jima gate and entering the city of Zento. The library will be located just outside the north eastern exit, at co ordinates: 38o 14'N, 42o 23'W Gates will also be provided at Skara Brae bank before the event. ~Signed~ Beowulf Thormear - Head Librarian Adrien Garnier - Assistant Librarian Halister Marner - Assistant Librarian
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Atlantic Bagball League
Posted on Tuesday, March 25, 2008, 9:16 PM EDT by Ishtar (Atlantic)
Ladies and Gentlemen! The Atlantic Bagball League is kicking off the 2008 season has eight Different Teams! -Each team is represents by 3 upstanding players -A total of 16 games will be played every Saturday night 2 games will be played -Awards Gold & Prizes will be handed out Each Game -Final Event 2 teams will Play for a chance to win 10 million Gold How Do I Get Signed Up? Get three (3) of your friends together Pick a city and PM me using the Stratics board messaging system and Include, City Name, Player Names, And contact info (ICQ,AIM,EMAIL ETC). Can i watch the games on Saturday? YES! That's the whole "real" point. The Stadium has plenty of seating and prizes and event will includethe crowd! Britannia Knights Vesper Dolphins Moonglow Wizards Skara Legion Trinsic Justice Cove Rush Luna Lancers Umbra Magic Malas stadium Teams Each city/guild that wishes to participate in a game must assemble a team. Each team consists of three players, but can have any number of members, and must have unique colors. One member from each team will be designated as the captain and coach of the team. The game is played without goalies, and team members are responsible for stopping goals. About the Game The game is played on a grassy field. A bright yellow bagball, filled with 15000+ stones worth of ore, more than any character can carry or trade, is used as the bagball. The object of the game is to drag the bagball into the opposing team's goal to score a point! Playing Bagball Each team takes their starting positions on their sides of the field. The referee will count down from "three" and then drop the bagball on the sand tile in the center of the field. At this point, both teams will come rushing toward the center, will fight to grab the ball and drag it along the field. Some of the key rules are: -The bagball must be dragged along the ground to other team members! -To score a goal, you must FIRST drop the bagball on the sandstone goalline, THEN immediately in the opposing team's goal. (European bagball rules for more challenging games.) -The first team to 10 points wins the game! Penalties To keep the game fair and fun, some penalties may be awarded by the referee. When the referee declares a penalty the game will stop and both teams will move to their starting positions for a new face off Some of the penalties include: -Standing idly on the opposing team's sandstone goal line, or green grassy goal area -Holding onto the bagball for too long (3 seconds or so) -Picking up the bagball and running -Trading the bagball -Removing the ore from the bagball -Intentionally blocking the bagball with spammed-text, items, etc -Using potions or spells other than night sight -Hiding or stealthing -Riding a horse (ethereal included) -Adding additional bagballs, or other items to the field -Using spells to raise Stamina
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What's a "Motto" with you? contest!
Posted on Monday, March 24, 2008, 7:01 PM EDT by Ishtar (Atlantic)
Only a couple more days to vote before we hit the final round! Click here and be heard!
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Event: Easter Hunt
Posted on Saturday, March 22, 2008, 5:31 PM EDT by Ishtar (Atlantic)
The Rune Library Alliance hid over three hundred and sixty bonnets to be found at six locations. People were gated to the areas to find them and turn them in. It was great fun for all, even if you only found one, you got a prize! The Top 5 winners are: Peach Cobbler took 5th place and won 100k Subhadra took 4th place and won 100k Gentry took 3rd place and won 250k Evil Orc took 2nd place and won 500k Avatar was the 1st place winner taking in a prize of 1 million gold! Thank you to the Rune Library Alliance for your efforts. I had a lot of fun and am looking forward to more events from you in the future. Have a Happy Easter! -Ishtar-
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Staying Safe: Harrassment and Online Gaming
Posted on Thursday, March 20, 2008, 1:06 PM EDT by Ishtar (Atlantic)
Though it is infrequent there are occasions, even in the gaming world where one may encounter a person or player that oversteps their bounds and behaves in a manner that may be deemed as harassment. I feel this is an important thing to talk about, regardless of how infrequent. It is always better to be safe when online as this is a game and is meant to be enjoyable. Now, because of the fact that this is an online game, it can be considered harassment by computer and is illegal in numerous states. Not quite the same as stalking because in most cases, stalking typically requires two or more contacts. Where in cases of harassment by computer, it may just be one incident. Unlike regular harassment, online harassment is different because the acts committed may include a range of various crimes that would not normally be considered harassment if done in person. To get a clearer picture, per wikipedia here are some definitions on the types of harassment: Bullying Harassment that can occur on the playground, school, in the workforce or any other place. Usually physical and psychological harassing behavior perpetrated against an individual, by one or more persons. Psychological harassment This is humiliating or abusive behavior that lowers a person’s self-esteem or causes them torment. This can take the form of verbal comments, actions or gestures. Falling into this category is workplace mobbing. Community Based Harassment - stalking by a group against an individual using repeated distractions that the individual is sensitized to, such as clicking an ink pen. Racial harassment The targeting of an individual because of their race or ethnicity. The harassment's include words, deeds, and actions, that are specifically designed to make the target feel degraded due to their race of origin or ethnicity. Religious harassment Verbal, psychological or physical harassment's used against targets because they choose to practice a specific religion. Religious harassment can also include forced and involuntary conversions. Sexual harassment Harassment that can happen anywhere but is most common in the workplace, and schools. It involves unwanted and unwelcome, words, deeds, actions, gestures, symbols, or behaviors of a sexual nature that make the target feel uncomfortable. Gender and sexual orientation harassment fall into this family. Stalking The unauthorized following and surveillance of an individual, to the extent that the person's privacy is unacceptably intruded upon, and the victim fears for their safety. Hazing To persecute, harass, or torture in a deliberate, calculated, planned, manner. Typically the targeted individual is a subordinate, for example, a fraternity pledge, a first-year military cadet, or somebody who is considered 'inferior' or an 'outsider'. Hazing is illegal in many instances. Backlash Backlash or 'victim blaming' occurs when the harasser or other people in the environment blame the victim for the harassment, or the resulting controversies and conflicts after the harassment is reported or discovered. Backlash results when people erroneously believe the victim could stop the harassment if they really tried, or that the victim must have done something to cause the harassment. The victim may be accused of trying to get attention, covering for incompetence, or in cases where the harassment is proven, lying about the extent of the effects. "Old school" attitudes about certain kinds of harassment remain and there are in many circumstances social pressure for victims to "keep their mouths shut" about abuse or suffer the consequences. Per Electronic Arts in UO there are two types of harassment, verbal and physical. First listed below is verbal followed by physical: If you petition in game with a complaint of harassment you are going to be presented with two harassment category choices; Verbal and Physical. This article will attempt to clarify for you what is considered valid verbal harassment. Behavior that is always considered harassment includes derogatory and/or hateful comments that are sexual, racist, religious, or related to gender or creed. Origin has a zero tolerance policy towards harassment of this kind, as stated in our Terms of Service, and violation of the above can result in immediate and permanent account suspension on the first offense. Behavior that is dependent on circumstance and how you attempt to resolve the situation include most other verbal harassment situations such as name calling. Before you submit a complaint be sure you understand what constitutes harassment and that you have followed these steps: You have asked the player to "please stop", and they have continued to repeat the offending behavior. You have tried to remove yourself from the situation, for example, by recalling away or moving several screens. You have done nothing to instigate or further encourage the harassment. You have added the player to your ignore list, which is located in your UO options, under Filter Options. You have read and understand Electronic Arts' definition of harassment, and Electronic Arts' Terms of Service. Your account information is up to date, including a current email address. Please note that profanity itself is not prohibited, as Ultima Online is a teen rated game by the Entertainment Software Rating Board. However, this does not permit a player to harass another player with profanity. The following information applies primarily (not exclusively) to the lands of Ilshenar, Malas and the Trammel facet of Ultima Online. While you have the ability to attack other players freely on the Felucca facet, players are generally not able to defend themselves against physical harassment in Trammel, Malas and Ilshenar. We'd rather not go into the specifics of all the actions we consider physical harassment, but we do want to make it clear that it is not okay to ruin the fun of UO for other players, specifically when that is the intent behind your actions. It is important to realize and accept that everyone plays this game differently, and everyone has different expectations from the game and from the other players. Ultima Online is a social setting, and as such, we expect our players to treat one another with the same respect and dignity they would use in any other social situation. If your sole purpose and intent in any action is to continually upset, aggravate, or otherwise annoy another player, you may be a "grief player." Using game mechanics to cause grief to others can also be seen as exploitation, and will be treated accordingly by game staff. If someone is using grief tactics against you, please report it to a Game Master using the Help button on your paperdoll. Once the Help menu appears, choose the Harassment option, and enter the exact name of the other player, and a brief description of his actions. For example: Jody keeps luring these poison ele's to us and hiding. Clearly luring! The following are NOT considered physical harassment: Res killing Stealing or kill stealing Legal player killing, such as takes place in guild and faction wars Refusal to take turns at spawn points Refusal to resurrect another player Blocking a recall location Area Peacing Before you submit a harassment complaint, be sure you understand what constitutes harassment and that you have followed these steps: You have asked the player to "please stop" (and then they have continued to repeat the offending behavior). You have tried to remove yourself from the situation, for example, by recalling away or moving several screens. You have done nothing to instigate or further encourage the harassment. You have added the player to your ignore list, which is located in your UO options, under Filter Options. You have read and understand Electronic Arts' definition of harassment, and Electronic Arts' Terms of Service. Your account information is up to date (including a current email address). These guidelines do help when handling the basic offenses, but what about when it goes beyond this. For example when a player is asked to be left alone and the person stands outside their in game home. With the ability to stealth and hide in game it can make it easier for a person to watch and "stalk" another player. The fact that the game allows for anonymity also may embolden the offender. In the eyes of the law it would still be considered a form of harassment. This is a form of what is called cyber stalking and some basic elements of how one may do this per wikipedia are listed below: False accusations Many cyber stalkers try to damage the reputation of their victim and turn other people against them. They post false information about them on web sites. They may set up their own web sites, blogs or user pages for this purpose. They post allegations about the victim to newsgroups, chat rooms or other sites that allow public contributions, such as Wikipedia or Amazon.com. Attempts to gather information about the victim Cyber stalkers may approach their victim's friends, family and work colleagues to obtain personal information. They may advertise for information on the Internet, or hire a private detective. They often will monitor the victim's online activities and attempt to trace their IP address in an effort to gather more information about their victims. Encouraging others to harass the victim Many cyber stalkers try to involve third parties in the harassment. They may claim the victim has harmed the stalker or his family in some way, or may post the victim's name and telephone number in order to encourage others to join the pursuit. False victimization The cyber stalker will claim that the victim is harassing him. Bocij writes that this phenomenon has been noted in a number of well-known cases. Attacks on data and equipment They may try to damage the victim's computer by sending viruses. Ordering goods and services They order items or subscribe to magazines in the victim's name. These often involve subscriptions to pornography or ordering sex toys then having them delivered to the victim's workplace. Arranging to meet Young people face a particularly high risk of having cyber stalkers try to set up meetings between them. Behaviors of a cyber stalker: Cyber stalkers meet or target their victims by using search engines, online forums, bulletin and discussion boards, chat rooms, Wikipedia, and more recently, through online communities such as MySpace, Facebook, Friendster and Indymedia, a media outlet known for self-publishing. They may engage in live chat harassment or flaming or they may send electronic viruses and unsolicited e-mails. Victims of cyber stalkers may not even know that they are being stalked. Cyber stalkers may research individuals to feed their obsessions and curiosity. Conversely, the acts of cyber stalkers may become more intense, such as repeatedly instant messaging their targets. More commonly they will post defamatory or derogatory statements about their stalking target on web pages, message boards and in guest books designed to get a reaction or response from their victim, thereby initiating contact. In some cases, they have been known to create fake blogs in the name of the victim containing defamatory or pornographic content. When prosecuted, many stalkers have unsuccessfully attempted to justify their behavior based on their use of public forums, as opposed to direct contact. Once they get a reaction from the victim, they will typically attempt to track or follow the victim's internet activity. Classic cyber stalking behavior includes the tracing of the victim's IP address in an attempt to verify their home or place of employment. Some cyber stalking situations do evolve into physical stalking, and a victim may experience abusive and excessive phone calls, vandalism, threatening or obscene mail, trespassing, and physical assault. Moreover, many physical stalkers will use cyber stalking as another method of harassing their victims. Now I only touched the surface of how, even in a game one may be at risk. Remember that there is a Terms of Service in place for the game and violations are penalized and upheld by the law. However, one must make sure if they are the victim of harassment, even in the gaming world that they take appropriate action. Make sure you have asked the offender to stop. When doing this be very clear and then remove yourself from contact. Luckily, Ultima Online allows you to "ignore" other players, in these cases, use it! Save everything, though it would be great to just turn your back and delete all contacts and communications, don't. Keep chat logs, ICQ's etc., any and all form of communication. If the offender created a web site about you, save copies of it to your local system and get a trusted friend or relative to do the same and would be willing to testify in court. If phone correspondence is made, have your local phone company trace it, immediately. Speak with authorities and have them take any other correspondence such as mail etc. The problem one normally faces here is speaking with the proper authorities, who do you go to. On Ultima Online, start with Electronic Arts. Via a messaging service, make sure you read their Terms of Service and contact the appropriate party. Same thing if a web site is created, contact the host. Keep track of all these communications as well. To be safe even online, one must be aware to protect themselves. There are preventative measures one can take to help avoid and prevent things like this from occurring like using a free email service and only use that email for online related correspondence. Also, only give your primary email to close friends and loved ones. Make sure you ignore unwanted users, like I said earlier we are lucky to have this feature available in game. Never volunteer personal information, this can open the door for you to become a victim. If you find yourself in a conflict situation, walk away, do not respond or engage in it. If you do this, you are allowing yourself to be drawn into the situation further and giving the offender exactly what they want, a reaction. Taking this away in most cases will make them move on to a new target. If an area becomes stressful, leave the area. I recommend this for boards etc. as well as they are used as a form of communication and may allow a person to continue the behavior. Especially in the gaming world, as they are used often to encourage safe interaction. Yet, it only takes one person to twist that and use it against another player. Sometimes, one must change to avoid this situation. If it comes to that change completely, make sure you use no former traces of anything you used in the past whether for characters, email and so forth. Also watch what you say online, in the gaming world it is easy to just chat but try and make sure that whatever you say it is something you can say to a person's face regardless of whether or not you say it in game. I also wish to reiterate one last and important point, never ever give out you user name and password to anyone! Stay safe! Play for fun! -Ishtar- (Note: Posts in italics taken from wikipedia and EA.)
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Easter Egg Hunt!
Posted on Tuesday, March 18, 2008, 10:28 AM EDT by EricksonYates (Atlantic)
Jingle, Jangle, Jumble, Jump! This just in from our good friend Lady Rachel! Enjoy! ==========================================  Saturday March 22nd 4pm Eastern Time Please join us in Moonglow where you will be gated to the hunt areas. Prizes will be awarded for the most Easter Bonnets collected. 1st prize 1 Million Gold 2nd prize 500K 3rd prize 250K 4th and 5th prize 100K each Each participant will receive a random prize when they turn in their loot! Refreshments will be served. Town subject to change if Draconi blows us up! Hope to see you there.
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The Pharaoh's Cup! Sunday, April 6th, at 3PM EST!
Posted on Wednesday, March 12, 2008, 1:56 PM EDT by EricksonYates (Atlantic)
Jingle, Jangle, Jumble, Jump! This just in from our friends with The Hand of Ra! Looks like a fun time! I know I will try and be there!   ======================================== In celebration of Lord Ramses passing his crown to his son, the Annual Pharaoh's cup will be held in his son, Rameses II's honor!   This is a special boat race that shall begin in New Haven and end in another fine city in the realm.  The rules are as follows:   -Each ship may be manned by 2-3 person teams. -Each team will receive a bag with colored cloaks and a clue. -The team must work together to follow the clue to the next checkpoint where they will receive and item and the next clue.  This will continue until the finish. -The first team that reaches the finish line with all the clue books and items wins. -There will be a First place, second place and third place winner.  The first place winner will also receive the golden urn in symbolism of the Pharaoh's cup.   Please reply to this article if you wish to register a team for the race, the date of the race will be announced within two to three weeks!   Please note any help with prizes and donations would be graciously accepted.  The Hand of Ra thanks you!
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Editorial: Dungeon and Hunting Etiquette
Posted on Tuesday, March 11, 2008, 4:44 PM EDT by Ishtar (Atlantic)
How often is one hunting at a spawn in a dungeon or some other location to have it rudely interrupted or in some cases sabotaged in one way for another. Not to say there are true guidelines as to what is acceptable in these situations but more of an unspoken etiquette when hunting. I wish to address a few scenarios that tend to be, in my opinion disrespectful when hunting: 1. The unattended pet: This one is irksome as well as a violation of the Ultima Online and EA rules of conduct "You may not leave an active character or pet in game while unattended. If your character is performing a skill, text or action, you must be able to respond to a Game Master when one attempts to speak to you." * Not only is it a violation, it also does not allow for sharing of hunt spots or spawns. 2. The assumption of help: A group or individual that, thinking they are helping you take kills without asking. A good example would be those who seem overwhelmed by a group of monsters, though they may be working skill another player comes along and kills them all without even a word. Be kind to your fellow player and ask, "You need help." If you get no answer or they decline aid, then more than likely that player is doing fine. 3. The didn't you see I needed help situation: Now no one that I know are mind readers, if one needs aid and does not make it apparent at the time, screaming as to why no one healed them serves no purpose. Many players will aid a person in need if they feel it is necessary, however to assume other players will just know that one needs help may be a bit high of an expectation and unfair to your fellow player. 4. The spawn hog: A group or individual that takes a hunt location and runs off other players in that are by kill stealing and other tactics, such as insults, threats, luring (which in certain facets could be considered griefing), etc. It isn't a lot to ask to share a spot especially if another play asks to take turns. Ignoring that or intentionally going out of ones way to disrupt another's hunting is in the least rude. For example: you are hunting in a low spawn area, such as ice fiends where perhaps only one or two spawn, you are there for a while and another player shows up and begins attacking everything. This is also not a good way to get the spot. Ask if the other player wishes to take turns or if you need to kill a few for a quest if you may go ahead. Unwillingness to share is also just as rude, especially if asked. These are just some of my basic pet peeves when hunting and though there is no official rule set, its still good to keep in mind your fellow players. Not all will agree that this is the thing to do but courtesy to your fellow player, especially when hunting does go a long way. A good gesture tends to be remembered when misfortune occurs and you need that resurrection. I know I have not touched on all the things that can be annoyances to us when we are hunters but I hope that this shows that there is a way for everyone to hunt, have fun and still be respectful. -Ishtar-
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Spotlight: Ceinwyn ab'Arawn
Posted on Tuesday, March 11, 2008, 2:33 PM EDT by Lady Alessandra (Atlantic)
Recently I was in Umbra admiring the unique decor within its inn when the matriarch of Umbra happened to come across me and invited me to come and enjoy the hospitalities of their tavern, The Den of Sin. I have often been intrigued by this dark, mysterious woman, and accepting her offer, we made our way to the tavern and after we were served our drinks by a quiet hooded man, the matriarch and I began our conversation... Lady Alessandra: Matriarch... thank you for having me in your *cough* lovely tavern. I have long been interested in getting to know you better, even though many times it seems we are on opposite sides of the fence... May I ask, for the record, what is your name and your profession? Tell us a little about yourself, if you do not mind... Ceinwyn ab'Arawn: My name is Ceinwyn ab'Arawn and I am the arch matriarch of Umbra. I am a necromancer by all means of the word. I was born in the city of Trinsic about 240 years ago... yes... 240 years... now you know why I call most everyone child *smiles*... after much wandering about Sosaria, Umbra is now my home. Some consider me to be of the evil allignment, but personally I feel justified sending the ignorant to their deaths... Lady Alessandra: *coughs again and shifts in her seat* Can you tell me about the others that reside here in the Realm of Umbra, your family? Ceinwyn ab'Arawn: The The Realm of Umbra is a beacon of freedom to those who find themselves unaccepted or cast out by the so-called normal societies. It arose from the ashes of former empires that had ruled in Umbra. Currently, we have about 50 members or more. We truly are one big dark family. Lady Alessandra: What do you think makes the Realm of Umbra different from the other nations and guilds within Sosaria? Who do you think poses the biggest threat to your Realm? Ceinwyn ab'Arawn: We are accepting of all walks of life.. or undeath. Usually, a guild will tend to drift toward a particular race, etc. Also, we are very knowlegeable on the history of Sosaria. I've only seen a few others that are as knowledgeable as we are. As for who is the biggest threat *laughs slightly* I think that the Brittanian Protectorate is a large enough force to pose a threat, but things are always changing here in Sosaria, are they not? Lady Alessandra: Who would you say has been your greatest influence? Ceinwyn ab'Arawn: The biggest influence for me, hmm. I would say necromancy guides many of my actions. Also, I served in the army of the Dark Order, a militaristic force based in Dark Cove. Also, Cear Dallben with his unique strangeness and gift for originality... Lady Alessandra: Matriarch, what have your fondest memories been? There have been many changes in the world over the years, do you feel these changes have benefited or hindered your guild as a whole? Ceinwyn ab'Arawn: The changes and discoveries made within Sosaria are of great use to us. Many magics and techniques have been unearthed and lend aid to our efforts. As for fondest memory... hmm...there was the time we froze Molly of Luna...that was amusing... Another favorite was the time I was sparring with Zalar Soulblight, and he and I fell off of the roof of my house. I landed the killing blow mid-air and his corpse plummeted instantly into bones half way down... *cackles happily* Lady Alessandra: What are you plans for the future matriarch? Is there anything we don't know that you wish divulged? Ceinwyn ab'Arawn: Yes.. our guild secretly yearns to dress in all pink and we are planning to destroy the city of Trinsic *smiles slightly* We will continue to host public events. Amd lastly we invite all to join us in enlightening the world. The Virtues are a lie! Lord British only implemented them to restore the Gem of Immortality for his own twisted purposes. Lady Alessandra: *looks down at her timepiece* Matriarch... thank you very much for this time. Perhaps another time we can sit and discuss this in much more detail... Ceinwyn ab'Arawn: Of course *waves her hand dismissively* it was a pleasure Aless *smiles slightly* please come again and next time I will have cheesecake!
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Looking for a few good pens!
Posted on Tuesday, March 11, 2008, 3:24 AM EDT by Mithaniel Razil (Atlantic)
Are your shoes worn thin from traveling from town to town? Is your voice hoarse and sore from speaking with citizens across Britannia? Have a knack for putting pen to paper and writing an excellent story? Then perhaps UO Stratics' Atlantic News Page is the place where you can not only show off your talent but also help bring the community together with interesting, exciting stories and news items about the Atlantic Shard and her citizens. UO Stratics is currently looking for active, talented citizens of Atlantic to add to our crack team of top-notch Ultima Online reporters. As a volunteer you are required to: * Be a competent writer * Be an active, knowledgeable member of the Atlantic community * Be willing to attend events and quests, interview VIPs, report news of interest to the community * Be able to dedicate a minimum of six hours per week to writing and/or posting news items * Have a familiarity with basic HTML * Be pro-active Does the above describe you? Then what are you waiting for??? Apply... right now... do not hesitate! Simply fill out this brief questionnaire and fire off an e-mail to Mithaniel@stratics.com with “Atlantic Reporter Application" as the subject. 1. Real name 2. Contact e-mail address 3. ICQ, AIM, MSN number (if applicable) 4. Stratics username and character name (this must be the character name you will be reporting with) 5. Rate your HTML knowledge from 1-10, where 1 is poor and 10 is phenomenal 6. Answer this: Why do you wish to be a shard reporter for UO Stratics? 7. Include a brief writing sample, no more than 500 words (no attachments) 8. Any questions??? Good luck to all applicants!
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Hand of Ra Mystic Garden Mini Event
Posted on Tuesday, March 11, 2008, 2:01 AM EDT by EricksonYates (Atlantic)
Jingle, Jangle, Jumble, Jump there, folks! Erickson Yates here! Got a little news about an event that happened recently. I myself was not there sadly, but our good friend Mithaniel was in some form I guess. I don't know really. I just know that when your News Manager tells you to toss something up there for him, you do it! Here is what he gave me! ============================================= There was a good turn out for the Hand of Ra Mystic Garden Mini Event.  Lots of prizes and fun were had among all.  Lady Kero had two very fun games.   The first game was easy.  Each guest was handed a rune, fifty total were handed out.  Six of these runes were winners, two for each of three locations.  At each spot a member of the Hand of Ra stood to hand out the prizes they were as follows:   Location 1 - The Lady Aulbrey Winners:  Tabula Rasa and Wynn, they received a gold skull each.   Location 2 - The Lord Rameses II Winners:  Wizzax  Wear Inc. and Padishar Creel, both received a 100k check. Location 3 - The Lady ishtar Winners:   Dark Drizzit and BraveLil Toaster,  each won a commodity deed for 10k arrows.   Game two was a mini scavenger hunt of sorts.  Lady Kero asked for an item and the first person to put that item in a trade window with her won a prize:    1. Item: Tribal Berry       Prize:  Sentinel's Guard        Winner:  LillyAnn    2. Item:  Red Leather bound book       Prize:  2 bolts of pure white cloth       Winner:  Static    3.  Item:  Crystalline Fragments        Prize:  A 3 rune book set, Trammel cities, Felucca Cities & Trammel Dungeons        Winner:  Dark Drizzit    4.  Item:  Regular NPC  Hair dye        Prize:  Powder of Fortification        Winner:   BraveLil Toaster    5.  Item:  Stout whip        Prize:  100k gold check        Winner:  Dark Drizzit    6.  Item:  Peppercorn Fish Steak        Prize:   2 bolts of pure white cloth        Winner:  Robot Chicken    7.  Item:  Monk's Robe        Prize:  110 taming, 110 animal lore and 110 veterinary power scrolls        Winner:  Padishar Creel    8.  Item:  Bubbling flask        Prize:  Gold Skull        Winner:  Robot Chicken    9.  Item:  Plague Beast Mutation Core <