July 2000

HMGComics has been working not-so-hard, producing 2 comics. But thats better than none really. Also: added a Poll and a Mailing list! Go and join!

Anyway, just an update. Everything else is on the site.

--Rentaur
Sitemaster, HMGComics
http://www.hmgcomics.uoguilds.com

Well, this is one of the more interesting news items I've received in this month. Sectaholic sent a pigeon with the following scroll hidden conveniently in it's stomach:

"Sectaholic will be opening a player run school August 15th. This is for all young and new players. Free rune stones will be given out at the Britain bank on August 14th from 5pm till 9pm EST. If the player can't recall or gate transportation will be provided to and from Britain.

"There will be 4 instructors to teach Skills and give advice. All skill related items will be provided but only for use in the training classes and will be collected up after each class. All Players who wish to join the classes will be put into the same guild (Training Guild). The only skill that will not be offered will be Taste Identification, seeing that this skill is useless.

"Players wishing to be a fighter class will first train with instructors then, as their skill improve, they will be taking field trips with a member of the staff who is capable of providing protection to the group.

"There will be a set of rules that must be enforced:

• Players will not harass each other or they will be kicked out of the guild.
• Players will not fight with one another while in the training classes unless for skill gain and directed by an Instructor

"I hope that you all will support this School and its students."

Praise Minax!

Two brief letters arrived in my offices (or, as they are also sometimes called, the stables of Skara Brae) from Lord Maximus of the Gladiators. He has taken to lobbing dead pigeons at me. Curious hummie custom, no doubt:

"Now looking For people interested in forming a city . The city will be called 'The Roman Empire.' Anyone who is interested should contact me for details."

The second letter was actually attached to a rare condor:

"Well, I Maximus have been appointed to run the AOL LEGENDS Tradespot Board. Just thought i would let everyone know since we needed one so bad."

Praise Minax!

A press release from Ye Great Srdolch Merchants which we received the other day clears up some of the mysteries of Srdolch's last letter. This release was penned by Turing:

"On behalf of Srdolch and Ye Great Srdolch Merchants I would like to comment on the tragic letter sent by Srdolch and the events that have happened in the past few weeks.

"Actually, 'Ye Great Srdolch Market' in Valendor has been closed for over a month already and we were waiting to set up a new shop in Trammel. The amount and intensity of the monster spawns in Valendor have increased since our world was spilt in two facets. This made it an unsafe place for visitors and merchants. All vendors were removed and the building was sold to a friend, a few days before we would be able to place a new building in Trammel. Srdolch and I chose to purchase a tower deed since we owned a tower in the past. Sadly, the powers that be decided that it would be unsafe to build on Trammel just yet and, like many others, we had to wait.

"Then the big day arrived that the placement of buildings would be possible. The lands were filled with people. So full in fact that people were being sent back to Felucca by the gods before they would be allowed to return to Trammel to place their buildings. Srdolch was sent back three times. All the places that we had marked as possible locations for buildings were occupied. Srdolch was heartbroken. He vowed never to rebuild his merchant empire and fled into the woods. I called after him, his purple hair becoming a small dot in the distance. Very sad story so far, don't you agree?

"I left Valendor to live the simple life of a teacher in Skara Brae, teaching how to use the camping skill to newbies. It was not very exciting I can tell you and I missed Srdolch and his bad jokes. One night, I met two real estate salesmen at the pub. They recognized me and asked me where Srdolch was. I told them what had happened and they asked me if I would take them to see Srdolch. After days of travel through the forests near Yew we found Srdolch. He had been living on bugs and little birds for days now and had collected quite a lot of kindling from the trees.

"The real estate agents had two buildings for sale, both of which we purchased, one of them being in the new town called Seagull Village near Trinsic. The people in Seagull Village are great and there is a real sense of community. We have decided to open a new shop there and hope to invite everyone for a grand opening in a few weeks time!

"So don't worry! We'll be back in business soon!"

Go with the Virtues.

Exciting news for travelers on Trammel! Jafar McFinnan recently sent us a note announcing the opening of Jafar's Rune Library. According to his news release, virtually every major location on "old" lands of Trammel (in other words, all the lands but T2A) is now seconds away! This new service can be found near the southern entrance of Vesper at the coordinates 53°5' N, 99°4' E.

Go with the Virtues!

I would like to announce the grand opening of the Lost Woods Tavern! The tavern is located a fair walk north-east of vesper (in Trammel) and is right near the 3 thatched-roof log houses that are known as the Fur Trader's Camp.

There will be free ale for all and a free raffle.

The event will be taking place on Monday, July 31 from 8pm to Midnight EST.. Hope to see some people there. For more info and a map see http://lostwoods.homepage.com.

- Alexander of Chesapeake

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We set forth in great spirits and eager for revenge. The townsfolk wave and throw flowers. Our new Yewish militia is with us, and they hath a blood-debt to settle with the orcs. The Alliance is undefeated and confident of an easy victory over the orcish beasts we be. We sing our marching songs, and mock these "hobbits" as we hath called them that will soon breath no more.

All appears quiet at the orcish keep our scouts have reported. Warily we approach. Behind me I hear Soma instructing his yeomen. "Maintain thy formation, be ready for close contact, watch for orcish tricks".

Our good spirits be shattered by the sight of a freshly dug mass grave. Many half-buried bodies lie within. Human bodies. A wail arises from the Yew soldiery. The fate of the missing farm folk is answered. Our dreams of rescuing them from chains within the keep are broken. The mood be sour.

By the entrance to the keep we thwart a Loyalist ambush. The arch-fiend Ryan Angelbane springs from the shadows and bellows ATTACK!!! No one follows him. We laugh and he starts a running. He is despatched.

We find and kill the other loyalists. The orcs remain inside their citadel.

The orcs taunt us from their battlement and pelt us with refuse. "TUPID HUMIES YU ALL DIE!!!!!!" one bellows.

"Come out hobbits" we taunt. "My dog lies with Da'nogra!"

They do not come out.

And so we go in. And are greeted by a glimpse of Hell. To the sides be orcish archers firing through narrow slits. Ahead lies the main orcish shield wall, an array of evil-looking beasts, clanging their shields and uttering their war-cry. "Nograaahhh!!!" We will hear it oft and come to hate that vile name. Behind the shieldwall lies orcish mages and in the tight confines of the entrance corridor they be deadly. All manner of spells are rained down upon our tightly packed ranks. Already men are falling.

We tumble back outwards. Orcs have fallen but our losses be the greater.

The orcs remain inside.

We go again. We are repulsed again.

And again.

Each sortie takes it toll of life. Precious human life. Worthless orcish life. The corridor be a death trap and littered with the dead it be. Many a worthy man of the Rose or of the Wolf has fallen. Orc warriors foolish enough to break ranks and advance into the corridor lie dead amongst them.

Many wounded lie where they hath fallen and their piteous cries can be heard even from outside the keep. I propose a truce so both sides may see to their wounded before the battle commences anew. Again and again I venture into the corridor of death, appealing desperately to the orcs for a chance to take out the wounded. To no avail. Each time I am driven back by a volley of spells and arrows and sword blows, with orcish gibbering ringing in my ears. Alas the frenzy of battle is upon their bestial faces and there be no reasoning with them now.

Tis plain the keep shall not be yielded. It must be stormed and the defenders slain to the last. Level by level. Room by room.

We form up outside for yet another assault. I look at the tired and bloodied troops before me. Greatly thinned be our ranks for many goodly Knights hath fallen this day. Yet strong in heart the survivors still be and skilled at arms. We all know we hath strength remaining for but one final rush. Should it fail we hath lost the day and needs retire on Yew, which will lie exposed to the horde. From the mass grave we found we all know what that will mean for our kin.

I meet StCasper's eyes. He bears a dozen fresh wounds yet still he will fight.

"We go again?" he asks.

I nod. "Aye, once more. Just once more!"

The cry is taken up and we sally inwards. "For the Rose!" "For the God-King!"

Down the corridor we charge. Tis slippery with blood and the dead and the dying, orc and man alike, lie heaped three high in places. Brave Otara Wood, veteran of Yew lies mortally wounded. "I killed Gryk" he says through clenched teeth. We clamber over him and launch ourselves at the orcish shield wall. "Nograaahhh!" comes up the cry from the defenders as we fall upon them.

Can we break their wall? I struggle with a huge orc, its fetid breath washing over me. It slumps backward and I withdraw my kryss from its belly. Around me the line is breaking! Yes! Onwards!

Words of power ring in my ears. Be this the orc that be named Torg'hat? An uglier creature under creation I ne'er have seen but clearly skilled in the Arcane it be. A slice of my kryss and its spell is interrupted. Pain crosses its vile face and before I can swing again it be running deeper into the keep. Upstairs it runs and I am hot on its heels my blade eager for its flesh. At the top of the stairs it is joined by a brutal looking orc warrior which hisses and spits and swings at me. Ignoring it I pursue Torg'hat. With the mage dead, I can deal with the warrior at leisure for no orc can withstand the might of the God-King. But I am denied the death blow for I slip in blood and the mage gains distance. Another Knight ends its foulness. Returning to the warrior it too lies dying. "Ugdug last ork tu die... Nograaahhh!", it says as it breathes its last.

We take our wounded and dead outside and torch the keep. When the fires are out we will knock down the stones that remain. As the flames take the orcish wounded inside we hear the cry go up once more...

"Nograaahhh!!!"
"Nograaahhh!!!"
"Nograaahhh!!!"

The day is ours but the cost is grievous. A terrible and hard fought battle it was. Long will the Alliance mourn its dead and remember this day. Yew is safe. This nest of vileness has been neutralised. But there will be others...

The breeze off of the Serpent's Hold Sea was cool and refreshing as the guests gathered for what promised to be a beautiful wedding. Peach and green banners fluttered in the wind as tropical birds flew about calling for their mates. As all settled in to await the event, the Maid of Honor, Mbeast, and the brides maids, Elise Antero and Miraj Shadowsoul, the Best Man, Lord Soulflame, and groomsmen, Gorath and Damien Fireheart took their places. I had finished setting the tables up on the roof for the reception's festivities and had settled in the back to quietly watch the proceedings.

The murmurs of the guests hushed as the bride, Raistlia Whyntir and the groom Vladimir Taltos slowly approached the Elder, Lady Bridgeet, who was awaiting them, holy book in hand at the altar. Raistlia looked like a cool spring afternoon in her light peach dress and hat and Vladimir dashing and irresistable in his dark and light green uniform. The two complimented each other gracefully.

Just before the vows were to be exchanged, a ritual, native to Raistlia's clan was to take place. She faced Vladimir, handing him a small pouch of fertile dirt, earth of her homeland, a foundation to build their lives. Vladimir then handed her a small pouch of Yew seeds from the trees of his homeland, to plant into their foundation so that it may flourish and grow with love. Each then recited a small piece they had written for each other. Tradition had it that neither was to know what the other had written, so I was impressed to see that both written pieces blended together perfectly. Aye, these two were definitely meant for each other.

Lady Elder Bridgeet then proceeded with the ceremony, vows were taken and rings exchanged. The two newlyweds kissed deeply as the crowd looked on and cheered.

After the ceremony all headed to the roof for food, drink, and the traditional throwing of the boquet and garter. Maidens gathered behind Raistlia as she turned her back and tossed the flowers high into the air, the flowers landing at Sablewolf's feet. Sablewolf, Raistlia's adopted sister, smiled with happiness, gathered the flowers to her and and quietly sat down to finish with the festivities. Bachelors then gathered before Raistlia and Vladimir as the tossing of the garter was to commence. Eyes were riveted upon the couple, and not a word was said as Vladimir's hands disappeared up Raistlia's dress, Raistlia blushing madly at this brazen move. I could feel the heat rising up into my own face as I watched. Gradually a fair skinned thigh appeared brandishing the coveted garter. Vladimir, gently holding his wife's leg in his hands, then deftly removed the garter with his own teeth, to the sounds of giggles and throats being cleared. Spinning three times and turning his back to the eagerly (but hiding it well) waiting men, he tossed the garter into the group. It landed near Dunston's feet, who then grabbed it quickly, using it as a reason to approach the shy but beautiful Sablewolf, but his approach was cut off as a swift hand reached out, swiping the garter from him quickly. I couldn't help but laugh at these " sworn bachelors" as they wrestled over the garter.

After the men calmed down, music and dancing and more feasting commenced, and more games being led by the ever mischievous Seer Kyndera. A good time was had by all late into the evening. As the crowd dissipated, the two lovebirds remained a little longer, whispering to each other lovingly. They then turned to me as I was clearing the tables, thanked me for my services, and dissapeared into a moongate, heading off to where ever they had decided to honeymoon.

All in all it was a wonderful evening had by all, a refreshing break from the darkness of war that had ravaged our land recently. So, to Mr and Mrs Taltos, I wish a bright future, many children and a love to outlast time itself. May the gods rain blessings upon thee.

Lilly Whitefeather

Thanks!

The Kingdom of Golgotha is recruiting diligent souls to command and man the kingdom's Navy.

All Canidates will attend the Golgotha Naval Acadamy located in the heart of Golgotha for a period of 3 days, each class lasting no more than an hour a day.

Midshipmen who show excelent leadership qualities will be given command of a Golgotha Frigate with a crew of 2 Boatswains.

All other canidates that successfully complete the course will be made into Boatswains to man, upkeep, and protect each ship.

As of now there are 6 boats in the Golgothan Fleet so there are plenty of positions. Archers and mages are especially encouraged to apply due to the fact that ranged attacks are the primary means of ocean combat. But no skill class will be turned down!

Any intersted individuals can E-mail Lich Soulstealer at:

[email protected]

Thx!
Lich Darkon
Golgotha Kingdom Represenative.

Thanks!

Ugh der!

Qog saw ju talkin abut dem Obsi... Ubsidi... black rucks. Wull, meh jus wunted tu let ju humies knuw dat us orcs hab wun und et es en our furt. De skyguds must have seen we wuz mighty und gibed et tu us *toothy grin*. Ef ju wunt tu cume seh et Qog let ju luuk fer two hundre... nu... five hundreb shines.

Gar!

Qog, Warboss

Stormreaver Orc Clan

by: Prellis the scribe Jul 30 2000 3:40PM

It was during one of his visits to Rivendell that the daemon Nostur'yl first heard the name Merrick. Merrick, who was perhaps a strong leader over his people but one who would have remained insignificant to Nostur'yl, had he not been in a most generous mood when approached on the matter. As such he listened to the request for help from the creature before him and a plan grew in his mind.

The spawn of Merrick spoke of how its master was being hunted for crimes against Rivendell and would not be able to hold out much longer without aid. What aid they had hoped for from the daemon was perhaps an army of daemon-kin, or perhaps some other help in destroying the town, but the daemon had his own agenda and wisely knew when violence would be needed or when it could be avoided. Rather then assist in an attack upon the town of Rivendell he instead met with its mayor, Aleph Aeirs.

Within the backroom of the Hungry Halfling tavern, Nostur'yl spoke to the mayor saying, "Regardless of what you might believe, I have never lied to any here in this realm, a few of mine own kind perhaps, but never in this realm. As such I propose a bargain to you and yours. Release Merrick of all his past crimes and in return I shall leave this town and go in peace."

For a while the two spoke of the contract and the terms of it; Rivendell would forget all of Merrick's previous crimes and in return the daemon would depart from the town. Although it was quite a tempting offer to Aleph, he was reluctant to give in and requested time to hold a vote of sorts with the citizens of the town. Nostur'yl consented and agreed to return in one day's time to hear the answer.

Unknown to the daemon, members of that very same town had plans of their own regarding the future of Nostur'yl in Rivendell and the realm as a whole. Several groups had located the amethyst at the Parliament in Magincia in the not so distant past, as had the daemon. What they also had found was a barrier erected by the Oracle, which held the gemstone in place and kept the daemon from taking hold of it.

After the voting had been completed and a decision reached, a few members left the small town resting outside Britain and made their way to Magincia. Whether from a lack of trust in the Oracle's powers or from the desire to claim the amethyst for their own, the group made their way to the gemstone. A plan was formed and quickly implemented, breaking the barrier and sealing the amethyst within a golden necklace. Satisfied with their work, the small group returned to Rivendell where they secured the amethyst necklace at the Hungry Halfling tavern.

True to his word, Nostur'yl returned to speak with Aleph Aeirs the following day and discover the answer to the proposed contract. The short wait for the mayor's arrival was passed with some entertainment from the daemon, at least what he considered entertaining, with the mayor arriving to several scattered corpses of hellhounds and injured citizens.

Again the terms of the contract were discussed between Aleph and Nostur'yl, as the mayor stated his interpretation rather then the original agreement. "We absolve Merrick of all his past criminal activity, we...wipe the slate clean, and you leave Rivendell alone, never to return."

Nostur'yl argued the terms of the contract briefly, but to the surprise of many he finally agreed saying, "That is a new bargain, but that I will agree to as well."

"As a duly elected official of the City of Rivendell, I hereby declare Merrick be absolved of any crimes against the citizens of our city, with the caveat that any criminal activity from this point forward will not only be clearly recorded but aggressively prosecuted," Aleph said to the crowd. He then turned to Nostur'yl and finished, "Your time is limited beast."

Cloaked in the illusion of human form, the daemon smiled far more then one who was about to be banished from a town should and said, "There is one further problem with this bargain. You see, you will now have to hand over the amethyst. For mine self to no longer be present in your town, the amethyst, by decree of the bargain, must leave with mine self, never to return, as it is a part of mine being. Lest you be shown to be a liar mayor, you must as part of our bargain hand over the amethyst."

A look of shock came over the mayor's face as the words and their meaning struck his ears. Grasping for a way out, Aleph asked for proof of the gemstone being a part of Nostur'yl.

"If you desire proof of it's nature, ask the Book," he stated referring to the Oracle housed in Wind, "As she has told others in the past it is a portion of mine being."

A party was formed quickly by Aleph while Nostur'yl simply waited, a smirk of triumph across his face. After far too long for the daemon's liking, having to expend great energy to remain visible in the realm, the party returned and the mayor once again stood before Nostur'yl.

"I bring news. I demanded the gem be handed to me to be returned to you, but the gem was taken," Aleph half bluffed, for while the gem had indeed been taken, Nostur'yl could feel its presence and knew who held it. Knew it was held by one they called Craig, the tavern keeper of the Hungry Halfling tavern.

The mayor went on for a moment, but Nostur'yl was lost in thought on how best to play this out. He finally spoke, more to the crowd then Aleph who stood before him, "That is all well and good mayor. However, you have already absolved Merrick of his crimes, yet cannot complete the contract."

"Here is what is to happen. While the amethyst still is not part of mine self I shall take something of equal value. Say your farewells foolish mayor," the seeming mage finished. Reverting to his natural daemon body, wings spread wide before Aleph only to close around his form; and then they both were gone.

During this month, the city of Trinsic was in dire need of metal and metal goods to supply the scantily clad Trinsic Militia so it could defend the city from potential invasion. I am pleased to report that loyal and kind benefactors from around the world donated the following metal ingots:

• 3371 Iron ingots
• 69 shadow
• 28 agapite
• 208 dull copper
• 24 gold
• 282 copper
• 405 bronze
• 12 verite

With much of this metal available, smiths in Trinsic can now fashion proper weapons and armor for our dedicated band of fighting men. Thanks to all who donated: your sacrifice will keep Trinsic free!

Note: if any are still interested in donating anything for the assistance of Trinsic's fighting force, please contact any member of TTC or contact the Minister of Defense, Gurney. Any donation, large or small, will be gratefully appriciated.

The PK-HQ version 3.0 is now Online. For those of you who don’t know yet, the PK-HQ is one of the largest online RPG’s evil community.

The PK-HQ's Ultima Online community is like a gladiator training ground where you can learn a lot from others and find friends to PK with. The site is based on a sophisticated and very active forum system. There, the evil players can share their ideas or ask questions. The greatest PVPers and Player-Killing experts are members of our forums, and your questions will be quickly answered.

So if you are an evil player and feel alone, come and join us! http://www.pk-hq.com

Morax

I'd like to announce a Northeast Player Gathering scheduled for September 23rd, from Noon until 5:00. The event will be held at LazerX (a laser tag arena) in York, Pennsylvania. There is a website set up giving specific details and registration information at http://www.26thavenue.com/uoevent.

If you need any additional information, please feel free to get in touch with me! Thanks!

Hail,

I have just completed a new version of my UO Text Reader. It includes a fix requested by several players, and a new feature requested by interest team members. I believe many will find it useful.

It, and my other utilities, can be found at
http://www.crosswinds.net/~jbabcock/Rosebud/index.html

May fortune favor thee,

Clarence
Guildmaster,
Healers of Chesapeake

I was sitting on the steps of the Custodes Tower enjoying a spirited tune on mine harp, when I heard fastening footsteps from around the corner. I immediately stood and held my ground incase they be that of a vile creature. I saw a bewildered gargoyle of wingless form run out and stand before me breathless. I seemed very worried. It took me by the arm and began to lead me toward Skara Brae and the moongate. I recognized it to be one of the Vaglems De Lor Ter'Múr, a friendly surface dwelling colony. It pushed me though the shimmering blue gate and I stumbled out into the standing stone ring of Moonglow. The Gargoyle Pointed to the bank and then disappeared back into the gate. I had no time for questions so headed into town to find exactly what had worried the young beast so. As I arrived I saw a group of citizens gathered around a familiar face. I stepped forward and asked what was causing such a gathering. The familiar face spoke. It was none other than Maia, the evil gypsy of Clayn Sear. She recognized me instantly as one of the party that chased her across many plains to recover the forth book. I knew this would be mine chance to retrieve the information from her. I was aware that I would need the "key" word mentioned in the forth book to get any useful information out of her, yet my memory was not serving that day and I could nay speak it. Without the use of the words i could do nothing but accept her cries of "I Need Not To Tell Ye A Thing!" I could do nothing to stop her leaving, yet as she walked away she let information drop that she may wish she had not. She said that she was busy and had assassins to hire. This struck mine mind with worry and I immediately set out for Minoc and Miss Rillas Tent, Moongate cycle permitting I ended my hastened journey yet the tent was empty. I could find no sign of Rilla nor her Horses that usually stood by her caravan. I am lead to assume she has foreseen a possible assassination and taken to exile. Wracked with worry I headed back to Moonglow with hope that I could track Maia and find her encampment yet I was unsuccessful. I am Left worried for Rilla and without lead to Maia. After speaking with mine fellow guild friend Falcore we decided that he would do some research to refresh our memories of the key words so that next time Maia will nay get her way.

From the pen of Ooradax, Custodes Fati

Yours
Pad O'Lion

Hey!,

I did a pretty big update this time. Yep, I uploaded two comics in one day! I've added #19 Xaji's Bloodline and #20 Protesters Get Smarter. So come on over and make your day a little more humorous!

-Brax

Sitemaster of UOC http://www.geocities.com/ultimatelyoverboardcomics

Hail dark friends,

My duties as protector of the lich have once again taken me into glorious battle. This battle however did not take place in the caves Wind, but instead in the dungeon know as Covetous. Go now, and read these accounts, and spread the word to all that you know, that taking the life of the lich is not acceptable and the consequences be dire.

These are not some tales of fancy, but the true Adventures of Adam Ant

http://www.adamant.uoguilds.com/

After a grueling vacation, I am back, with two new comics, a poll, and a mailing list. Join today! The poll is under Random/Poll.

Anyway. The two new comics are UOF: The Ultimate Team: Episode 1 and Episode 2. In these two episodes, the Ultima Online Friends are founded and they must destroy MaxiMillion, who is killing and looting newbies! Who will save the day? Who will be destroyed? Who will get drunk? Find out on HMGComics!

Rentaur
Sitemaster, HMGComics
www.hmgcomics.uoguilds.com

Greetings Fair Citizens!

I would like to thank all who turned out for our horse race last eve. Twas a pleasure to see so many. I should like to thank all the contestants for participating: Red Devil, Scribbles, White Fire, Cabal Jr., Ladeda, Nosila, Chaim, Ashram, Deryk and Ragnar.

After a long and grueling race, Deryk reached the end point in Yew's Court of Truth and was rewarded with the first place prize of 150,000 gp that was donated by Good Sir Mobius. Shortly thereafter, Cabal Jr. came racing in to take the second place prize of 25,000 gp and the full set of valorite plate (again, thank you to Satan himself). White Fire and Ashram came racing side by side to the final point, with White Fire's horse just nosing out Ashram's to take the third place prize of 25,000 gp. Ashram was rewarded with his fourth place prize of 20,000 gp. Red Devil was the first person to arrive at the finish line, but had missed a checkpoint, and was rewarded with 20,000 gp for his efforts. All other contestants had their entry fee returned to them and had our thanks for participating. A spontaneous "dance" occurred after the prizes were handed that delighted everyone. I saw many fine dancing moves that eve that I must learn!

With the suggestions, comments and experiences of our racers, I believe we can make the next horse race even better. We should like to do one horse race a month, and look forward to our contestants returning and seeing new faces as well. A special thank you to the Seer for stopping by. Tis always a pleasure to see you. (How does one make that color green?) :) My humble thanks to all for their help and participation.

Sake

Senior Senator

I am not as young as I sometimes like to think, as my duties so often remind me. The days I spent getting into mischief at my father's expense are gone but I still like to stress my status as only a "semi-retired" adventurer. So when I received news that there was a trouble of sorts in Rivendell, I must confess, that I looked forward to the long journey from Yew. However, my light spirits soon grew dark, and not just from the bleak landscape that replaces the lush forests that used to line the roads of our kingdom. For, when I arrived in the small mining community outside of Britain, I found myself in a meeting with several prominent members of the realm. And the news being discussed was quite grim.

I am sure many are now aware that a daemon walks amongst us assuming mortal forms as he sees fit, sometimes under the guise of a mage named Nostur'yl. Although his ultimate goals may not fully understood, his actions appear to be very self serving - and when a daemon runs loose with a private agenda, no one has the right to feel entirely safe. The current cause for alarm had to do with the apparent abduction of the Mayor of Rivendell, Aleph Aeirs. Speculation was that the daemon wished to hold a trial of sorts although the Mayor's crime was not clear. And there were also rumors of torture ...

I confess I do not know the greater picture in the events unfolding, a sentiment that seemed reflected upon many of the faces at the meeting. There seem to be many players and events in motion - including numerous gems of unknown value, a shape shifting dragon, red capped assassins, a sword of great power, an archeologist, a tinker, an oracle who can see the future but can't change it, and several newly found obsidian posts. To tie all these pieces together in time to save our friend Aleph and perhaps even the realm itself, our greatest weapon would be information.

To this end the members at the meeting broke into smaller groups. I was assigned to a group with Adrian VanGorden, Malicite, and Jaedra Ambermoon. Our task was to investigate an obsidian post reported found in the center of the great maze. Traveling through the woods south of Rivendell, it was easy to forget the dark nature of our destination ­for many have forgotten of the former grandmaster mage who is reputed to have built the giant maze.

The first man to bind a daemon to do his bidding ­who was later ousted from his position on the mages council when he lost control of them with Lord British's castle no less. But I digress ... Relvinian has not been seen for quite some time, and our task was to verify the existence of the black post.

After making our way through the hedges (with the assistance of some magic of our own), we came upon the abandoned buildings that lie at the center. After a brief search we found some fresh footprints leading to a hidden tunnel under the main house. Inside what looked to be a summoning chamber we saw the post, made of pure black obsidian, lying on top of a stone table. As to its purpose ... one can only guess ­but if the reports at the meeting are true then this is not the only one. Windlord

Chief Justice of Yew

Sage of Justice HoA

Thats right, its time for the third Satchmo's Fight Club! Both times so far has been a success and they will continue to be a success! The third Satchmo's Fight Club will take place at Satchmo's Refuge in Ice Isle Trammel (107o 3'N 174' 26'W). Satchmo's Fight Club begins at 9:00 P.M. CST on Saturday, August 5, 2000. Please try and be there 5-10 minutes prior to register! Gates will, as usual, be provided from my staff at Trammel Britain West Bank and Trammel Moonglow, both starting at 8:00 P.M. CST. Entrance fee is 5000 gold (check preferably), and the entrance fees are never kept by us, but split between the top three fighters! Please visit www.geocities.com/satchmo_refuge/ for a picture of the location on Ice Isle, rules, and other information regarding Satchmo's Fight Club. ICQ Obi-Wan at 78832832 for a rune, gate, or questions on Satchmo's Refuge or Fight Club. Hope to see you all there!

-Obi-Wan

Mayor of Satchmo's Refuge

As I passed the small gardens in Delucia Trammel, the crow's cackles sounded disturbing. I went to investigate and found dead crows scattered throughout the garden containing the wheat crop. I obsevered one crow feeding on the wheat viciously. Eventually, it's flight around the garden became erratic and it fell to the ground dead.

I watched crow after crow fall from the sky after eating the Delucia wheat.

This afternoon saw a deed most foul committed in broad day light. A young newcomer to the land was slain in a farmhouse near Corwyn. The deceased, Emily Snow, had just parted company with several CBR members in Skara Brae after having seen them in Trammel and asked them for a moonstone to the Felucca facet. It appears that soon after leaving their company after arriving in Felucca, she met an untimely end.

Avenging Angel, of Corwyn, happened into the farmhouse where she had just been slain to find a knave of the name Omar bending over her corpse. Beside the dead body was a candle and some night shade. Avenging Angel reported that Omar had told him to leave, that he had no business being there. I happened into the farm house right behind Avenging Angel in time to hear Omar say that the "Masters" would not be pleased. Then Omar vanished. Avenging Angel reported that it appeared Omar was about to carve up the still warm corpse when he first arrived.

Tel’kon and the Mayor Sorts Angel arrived soon after and were told of the murder. Tel’kon speculated that perhaps a ritual had been interrupted from the careful placement of the candle and nightshade around the body. No one knew why the girl was slain, reports of her brief encounter with the CBR members were that she was shy, polite, and well spoken.

A prayer was said for the young girls passing at the scene. The Mayor of Corwyn is attempting to contact the deceased’s family. If anyone knows the identity of the girl’s friends or family they are asked to contact the Mayor SortsAngel or Vice Mayor Cross McCloud so her loved ones can be informed of the death of Lady Snow.

No word of whether a reward has been offered for any clues that may lead to the discovery of the identity of the girls killer, or the whereabouts of the suspect Omar.

By Dell, CBR

Q: How many non-T2A clients are left?
A: We will be upgrading everyone left in a few months. We also have to do some engineering to indicate what to do for the people that reactivate with the original client before we can drop it completely.

Gordon Walton
VP Online Services
Origin Systems, Inc.

Why the colored names...

I am posting this on behalf of Calandryll:

In the past, players were able to have special items in the game (special hues, names, etc). When the seer program was created the volunteers had trouble convincing players that they were in fact seers, because in those days players were afraid of being lured out of town and killed. The solution to that, was to give seers special items (clothing, weapons, armor, etc) that were hued and/or named. This caused a new problem, because those players that had access to the original special items were able to trick players into thinking they were a seer and did in fact lure players out of town to kill them. So the solution for that was to make unique items only available to seers.

We are no longer satisfied with that solution. Players should be allowed to have these items.

But, if we want to make special items available to players, we need another way to clearly identify seers. The purple name change is the solution we have chosen. We fully understand the issues this may cause for seers and we did consider their concerns. However, the benefits to making these special items available to players outweigh these issues in our estimation. Just because we do not change our plans, does not mean we did not listen. In addition to the ability to make special items available there are a number of other good reasons to do this:

• Visibility. For all of you who have ever said, “I don’t think I’ve ever been in an event before.” this will be your way of knowing for sure.
• Impersonation. Even now, we still have players impersonating seers. They will not be able to do this if seers have purple names.
• Seer abuse. Nobody likes to talk about it, but in rare cases it does happen. More often than not, the reports we get are not true. With this change, you’ll know for certain it that monster is a seer or not.

We did not tell any volunteer group about the special items that players are finding before we published them. We wanted to make sure that these items were found by players to generate a sense of discovery. All one has to do is read the boards to see the excitement that these items generated.

-Calandryll
Manager of Community Services

--------------------------------------------------

Players were puzzled of why we would change names of volunteers. It directly involved being able to give players the new items. It was more then just spoiling a suprise that was involved. We want to continue to add items to the game. We don't want to announce them, nor give out all of the information about them. Many players have said how cool it is to be discovering and how they were not announced. We expected this, and kept it a closely guarded secret. So far players have enjoyed it being a secret.

Melantus
Online Community Coordinator
Ultima Online
[email protected]

Hail!

The Seraphim Order [TSO] during a recent guild meeting, beheld an awesome vision. After the vision events unfolded quickly and the might of TSO was made ready for an assault against the Terrathans. What was the vision that mustered TSO? Here is an eyewitness account from Grok the TSO GM:

"We were conducting guild business when we heard thundering and saw tines of lightning all around the Elder Dais. There was a blindingly white mist that formed out of a void. Then, stepping from the mist, there before us clad in raiment so white was the Stranger, who then spoke to us:

'Elders of TSO, thou have forgotten the ancient quest. Thou have forsaken the stone we gave to Lilly. Two centuries ago thy stronghold was beseiged by Terrathans, and the stone was lost! Even now the Terrathans resist war upon their own doorstep with the Ophidians! Go to their keep! Regain the stone from their mother! Set right what has been done! TSO is but a shadow of its former might, the time is come to reclaim thy glory!'

With that, the Stranger vanished. We sat there dumbfounded for a moment. Then without a word, the guild began to prepare for war against the Terrathans. You see, the Lost Stone of the Seraphim was a gift to the founder of TSO, a gift from the Stranger. She (Lilly) used the Stone to right the wrongs left by Mondain and to help her fellow Britannians, but this is only a small part of the story and the history of TSO."

If you would like to help TSO exact justice from the Terrathans and regain the Lost Stone of the Seraphim, or if you have a score to settle with the Terrathans, meet TSO at the bank of Papua at 7 PM PST, Wednesday August 2nd, Trammel facet.

Rocko Spoogie
Elder Archon, TSO

Let's see how fast we can come up with a full list.

Thanks in advance for your cooperation.

What does this do to the Sonoma shard? It leaves several quests to an unknown fate and some pretty harsh feelings towards a game that people use as a vehicle to entertain themselves, meet and make new friends, and act out their fantasies amid Real Life responsibilities. The next question is, will the Role Playing Community continue in the wake of OSI's faux pas or will it regroup and press forward, carrying on in the memory of Seer Janus and the rest of those Seers no longer with us?

As to the gathering at the Y, everyone started to gather shortly after the shard had gone done. Several prominent people stood up and spoke about the all the fond memories that were shared with the nearly departed. A memorial to them, a wake of sorts that would not have anyone stirring as feelings were shared and thoughts expressed on the matters at hand.

The thing is, will there be any lessons learned from the whole ordeal? One can only hope as the Sonoma shard tries to pick up the pieces and venture in a new light, but the wounds left behind will take some time to heal, if we let them. Is anyone to blame in this? That is not for me to say, but I know I will continue to do my best to report on events as they happen.

Here's a link to some great screen shots taken at the event from the Y last night by an up and coming reporter for Sonoma named Ceryx Cybium. I hope you enjoy them as I did.

I have a whole lot of screenshots (144, precisely) from the gathering for the seers at the Y. In case you want to use any, they're here: http://www.nerdland.net/ceryx/screenshots/seers/

There's a "best" directory in which I've placed 20 good shots.

- Ceryx Cybium

Safe Journeys Friends, see you out there...
Signing off, this is...

No time for witty uruk comment right now! Here's an emergency last minute notice that was delivered by a hawk that was too fast for even me to catch:

"I have written to update the details about The Market of Deva festival on Sunday the 30th.

"First off, there will be a person gating to the market from 6:45 to 7:00 EST, not until 7:15. The gates will be cast at the west bank of Britain.

"The PvP tournament will have to be held in Felucca. It will be held at the Gladiator Arena on Ice Island. Gates will be opened to there.

"The auction will happen. I will allow people to just bring items they feel are worthwhile. There will be a judgment made on whether or not it is though.

"The 3 foot rope drunken fights will happen, but with some revisions. Depending on your choice of weapon, you will be given a Dagger, Butchers Knife, or Shepards crook. Also, you will be made to drink 3 bottles of alcohol, rather than 1. This event will also be held in Felucca at the Gladiator Arena.

"Details of the PvP tournament:

• Pre registration is appreciated, although not necessary. Please contact me to do so
• There is no fee to participate
• Because part of the festival is in Trammel, then switches to Felucca, parties will be formed and sent to Felucca for all who want to participate in, or watch the fights
• The 3 categories will each receive different supplies.
• Pure fighters will be given 25 bandages
• Mixed will receive 10 Bandages and 15 of each reg
• Pure Mage will receive 30 of each reg
• You may only bring certain items to the fight. Each person is allowed to bring 1 set of Man Made armor (Including shield) and 3 potions of choice. Each person will have to place their possessions in the care of the tower owner to be stored. They will then be snooped, and have any magical protection broken. Weapons will be made on site, to prevent any poisoned weapons. Should one choose to bring poison potions though, they may then poison their weapons after entering combat.
• Participants will grey themselves by attacking the designated referee, then when the start is called, attack each other.
• Winners of each category will receive 10k
• Trammel stones will be supplied so all may finish in their chosen facet

Praise Minax!

We will be publishing the changes listed in Testing for Next Update to the Pacific shard on Monday, July 31st. The publish will be active on the Pacific shard following its Monday, July 31st (local server time) maintenance period.

We will monitor the Pacific shard on Monday, July 31st, and will then proceed to publish all remaining shards. All remaining North American and European UO shards will have the publish active following their Tuesday, August 1st (local server time) maintenance period. All Japanese, Korean, Taiwanese, and Australasian shards will have the publish active following their Wednesday, August 2nd (local server time) maintenance period.

The changes will be added to Latest Game Updates once the publish is active on all shards.

We will be publishing the changes listed in Testing for Next Update to the Pacific shard on Monday, July 31st. The publish will be active on the Pacific shard following its Monday, July 31st (local server time) maintenance period.

We will monitor the Pacific shard on Monday, July 31st, and will then proceed to publish all remaining shards. All remaining North American and European UO shards will have the publish active following their Tuesday, August 1st (local server time) maintenance period. All Japanese, Korean, Taiwanese, and Australasian shards will have the publish active following their Wednesday, August 2nd (local server time) maintenance period.

The changes will be added to Latest Game Updates once the publish is active on all shards.

July 18th

As we reminisced in front of the Aryslan town center Zephyr returned from his journeys to inform us the following....

"I have news...The Staff of Tempests....When it was used in Magincia...it was to fight a mage named Zyrn. Zyrn was defeated...The wielder of the Staff then...Elindor of Magincia...has not ben seen or heard from since the lands became corrupted. This is not much news but it is a start. This Zyrn...was an elementalist. He summoned elements of all kinds upon Magincia...The Staff of Tempests was used to summon a storm elemental to combat him. Since that fateful night no one knows what has become of it. This Staff is important to me Lady Hakkendyn...It had been in my possession for a long time. If I learn any clue to this Elindors location, you shall be made aware of it."

So now we have 2 names....Elindor of Magincia, the one who may hold the key to our survival, and Zyrn the elementalist, the man who may yet bring destruction upon us....

July 15th

Twas late in the evening after a hard battle when our strange friend Dragon Zephyr appeared...but this was not to be a normal visit. The time had come for Zephyr to call upon the people of Aryslan and the OsR to help him with his first request...We are to find The Staff of Tempests...

"It is my belief...that in order to successfully destroy the Well of Souls...I will need an artifact that was until recently in my possession. When the evil Minax did attack the lands with raids...I allowed the artifact to be used by the forces of Magincia...To stop a great evil threatening the place. This artifact is known as the Staff of Tempests. "

"A sapphire staff with the power to control great amounts of power...Including the elements of wind and lightning...which are part of my very being. I will need this staff to channel energies in the ritual I plan to create...To destroy the Well of Souls. Unfortunately the man who was entrusted with the Staff of Tempests is apparently missing...For now... I fly the land...seeking a clue as to his wherabouts...All I know is he was a resident of Magincia. Where he is now is anyones guess. He was a mage... I know this much as well."

"I had at one time a group of servants...Known as The Guardians Of the Storm. They were the ones who kept the Staff safe...and the ones who allowed it to be used to fight the evil in Magincia. After Minax corrupted this land...The Guardians disappeared... before informing me who had the Staff... or where the staff was...For all I know they may be dead. Again over the next few days I shall search to give thee...more clues to help recover this most needed artifact..."

If anyone has news about this staff or the Man supposedly possessing it please bring word to us as soon as possible.

It is a sad day when the robed ones of our lands are called "foul" for their actions of love and caring devotion for our lands. It is a terrible moment when we see the actions of those whom we respect demeaned for daring to question the seeming senseless actions of those "on high".

The Seers of Lake Superior are no more.

I will not go over the whys of this tragedy, they are insignificant and covered in far more detail then I care to emulate at Lum the Mad's site and message boards. I come to request your respect, mellonamin. To ask you to honor those who have striven to provide depth and honor to our world with their stories and quests, and whom are now taken from us by the blind intolerance of OSI.

Saturday afternoon at the Empath Abbey - Trammel, at 4pm CST, we will be gathering to mourn the passing of our Seers. It is fitting that the edification representing Love should be the gathering place for this event, as it is this very emotion which was the heart of their relentess efforts for our benefit. Please come and show your devotion to their efforts.

All Mourners are asked to please carry a torch to represent the fire's our Seers have set within our lives here on LS, which will burn even through this dark moment.

Diolla lle,

Talanithus Tarant
UOLS Editor
Tel'Mithrim Councilor

Hail friends,

You may have read recently of the Tiberian philosophy of virtue taking hold in the Skara Brae area, or you may be one of the generous people who have helped support the temple and the spreading of these virtues through your donations and other help. This was reported to this bulletin by my head philosopher, Octavian a short time ago.

Unfortunately, an evil threat has come upon all those who profess Tiberian virtue, especially its philosophers and of course myself. Today I was visited by a man named Adam Clayton at the Temple. Octavian and Kasandra, another philosopher, had met him in the city and brought him to me. Clayton said that he was the mayor of a town called Scythe, that he had read of the virtues, and that he had questions. As with all followers of the philosophy, I was pleased to answer them.

He asked me about evil and how I defined it. He also asked me what I knew about the Dark Tower guild. I gave him some food for his horse, which seemed to be starving, and then we talked some more. After he got the information he sought, he reversed his demeanor and proclaimed that although he could not touch me for fear of ruining his reputation, he would see to it that I and all Tiberians would be executed. He said, "If our plans proceed as we intend, your heads will be upon a pike." I told him that would be difficult to achieve in the Trammel facet and he said, "there are ways."

Later I looked into the evil wretched group known as Dark Tower. Although I am ignorant of many of the ways that one may be cleverly vanquished in Trammel, I should advise general caution to all those who are virtuous and follow Tiberian values. As courage demands, our philosophers will continue to spread the good word without hesitation and I and my friends will continue to vanquish evil on the battlefield. Justice requires that people of virtue must stand firm in the face of evil and fight it by any means necessary.

Anyone who follows the primary virtues may call themselves Tiberian. I ask that those who have been so helpful in the past stay alert and firm against Dark Tower and all other forms of evil. If you have any questions, comments, or help to offer, please feel free to tell my messenger. His name is [email protected].

Strength and honor!

Sincerely,

Tiberius of Yew

Fellow citizens of the Realm,

Tis a sad day for many of us to see our Seers being released. This has thwarted many of us and our spirit to 'roleplay'. But let us not allow the actions of the Seer's works of the past fall apart in vain. We must continue on the stepping stones that we as Players built up. Yes, it was a WONDERFUL feeling to have Seer intervention assist us with quests and create storylines such as the Gelidium, etc, but we have the power to continue it even without the 'special effects' at this moment. *bows head and mourns the loss of his professor*

With that all said and done, I press on to release tomorrow night being the 2nd Duel in the Pit of Valor hosted by myself and the Council of Valor:

Time - 9:30pm central Jhelom time.
Where - Jhelom Pit of Trammel

Event #1: The first 8 combatants to arrive and pay the fee of 1500 gold are in. First come, first serve basis.

Items to bring: 1 grandmaster weapon of choice unpoisoned. If you are an asassin, you will be allowed to poison your weapon in the eyes of the judges. If a pre-poisoned weapon is brought, and that contestant did not poison the blade himself, he will be deemed disqualified. If you are planning on using a two handed weapon, you will be allowed to wear a leather tunic (non magical). If you will be using a 1 handed weapon, you are allowed to bring metal kite shields (non magical). Unlimited amount of heal, cure potions are allowed and supply of bandages are unlimited.

Event #2: An invitation was sent out to STAG, 2nd place in last Gladiator event and another to Xxanador, our winner and current Champion of Valor. A battle to the death in full armor and quite possibly horseback.

Event #3: The Children of Minax opened an invitation battle against the Order of the Silver Serpent in a 3 on 3 battle to victory. 3 members from each side will duel off against each other in the battlefield of Good vs Evil.

*events and rules subject to change*

All prizes will be distributed after the battle in the Horse's Head after the Duels. The entry fees will be divided up accordingly to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place finishers of the 1st event, along with sets of armor.

• 1st place - 6,000 gold and a set of iron platemail grandmaster armor
• 2nd place - 4,000 gold and a set of heavy archer grandmaster armor
• 3rd place - 2,000 gold and a set of copper light archer grandmaster armor

*those involved in battle will be asked to temporarily resign from their current guild to be placed on our Jhelom fight stone for the event*

Most of all we are to see who proves to be the most Valiant warrior of the realm to add his or her name to the list of Champions of Jhelom!

See you all there!

Christian Kendrick & The Council of Valor
5th Seat of the High Council

Hello all!

The time has come to celebrate two wonderful and exciting years since the founding of the Yew Town Council of Justice! To recognize this historic event, an entire week's worth of events and activities have been planned for all to come and take part in! Please come and share in the festivities with us! Dance, drink, sing, eat, and be merry! Win cash and prizes by competing in our wide variety of events of skill and chance! But basically, get together with fellow citizens from all corners of Britannia, and have a good time!

Here is the official schedule of events. Details for each event are provided on the Yew Council Announcements boards and News page as the day arrives. They can be found by going to www.yewcouncil.com. Daily updates will be made with the upcoming events.

Ongoing Events:

Lottery Ticket Sales

Tickets will be sold for 100 gold, with the jackpot going to a random winner drawn on the final day of the Festival. Look for citizens of Yew to be selling these tickets at each event.

Lucky Rune Sales

Random runes will be sold for 100 gold, with one rune being marked in the "winning" location. At the set time on the last day of the Festival, someone will be waiting at that winning location to present the person who recalled to the winning rune their prize. Look for citizens of Yew to be selling these lucky runes at each event.

Sunday, July 30th:

3pm EST: Yew Town Council meeting.

4pm EST(After the weekly Town Council Meeting): Parade! A Parade beginning at the Court of Truth, through Yew, and ending outside the Empath Abbey.

At the end of the parade, there will be a celebration in the Abbey area- the Winery, the Abbey ground, within the Abbey. This celebration will last all evening.

Monday, July 31st:

Ranger Contests:

8pm EST: Archery Contest

9pm EST: Tracking Contest

10pm EST: Hide Gathering Contest

Tuesday, August 1st:

Arts Contests (Hosted by the Trinsic Council):

8pm EST: Poetry Contest

9pm EST: Song-writing contest

Wednesday, August 2nd:

8pm EST: Party at Yew's Ale 'n Tale Tavern

9pm EST: Ale Swigging Contest

10pm EST: Cheese Eating Contest

Thursday, August 3rd:

Race Night!

8pm EST: Horse Race

9pm EST: Boat Race

10pm EST: Get Eaten By A Bloody Great Dragon

Friday, August 4th:

Felucca Night!

8pm EST: Boxing Tournament

9pm EST: Jousting Tournament

10pm EST: Dart Contest

Saturday, August 5th:

3pm EST: Costume Ball/Celebratory Feast

4pm EST: Costume Contest

5pm EST: Lottery Drawing and Lucky Rune Contest

6pm EST: Closing Ceremonies/Speeches

We could still use some more volunteers to help out with events, and any donations for prizes are gladly accepted.

I hope to see you all there!

-Thrawn, Mayor of Yew

-Pyros, Vice-Mayor of Yew

-SunWolf, Captain of the Yew Militia

As evening was drawing upon the Land of Moonglow, Paddycat had just rode into the yard of the MDF's Headquarters to see if there was training going on or, any members about needing to talk. I greeted everyone, and rode into the guild house to feed Brair Rose my trusty steed. Lord Joe rode in behind me, Geoff, Whitewind and, Slayer were in the yard talking. After feeding the Mare, I jumped back onto her. Most folks feel uncomfortable around a nightmare.

Whitewind had Recruited another member. As I was welcoming White Rain Lord Joe ran in telling me I needed to come see something, he sounded rather excited. So as not to rush White Rain and seem rude, I ran outside as I closed the door. I heard someone shout that its an ELDER GAZER. I was stunned at first but soon gathered my wits.

I had heard tales of how powerful these could be. I automatically put my bow in hand and checked my arrow supply. The ELDER GAZER began to circle the telescope then looked into its lens. He began to say it was too heavy. He would walk around it. Blinking It seemed also that he was bumping its us and other objects like he could not see.

At this point we felt maybe a crystal ball would help us to be able to communicate

With him and why he was interested in the telescope. In the meantime, Whitewind ran into town and brought back a crystal ball. Lord Joe also decided that mabe a spyglass would work. So he ran off to town to purchase this item. Meanwhile Whitewind returned and we put the crystal ball on to the ground. The ELDER GAZER peered at it for a time and, Blinked. Then picked it up.

Lord Joe only had a survery tool it seemed the provisioner was out. Lord Joe handed this to the ELDER GAZER. But, at this point the ELDER GAZER dropped a map and handed another one to Whitewind then he floated off.

As I had to be somewhere and the boys were so excited and, wanted to dig up the treasure as fast as they could. Lord Joe asked if I could call my sister MissMoneyPenny to help gate. I was most happy to call. Later Lord Joe told me about the digging of the treasure. Seems that they arrived at Dante and Rain Storms vendor shop, Just west of Vesper. Before leaving Moonglow Pony rode up and asked to join.

As they got closer to the graveyard near Vesper, pirates attacked them. They injured Whitewind. He had been ambushed. It happened so fast, everyone was taken by surprise, after healing his wounds and, guarding the other they finally made it to the mark on the map.

Jared the Fair Grandmaster Cartographer happened along. As they dug another group of pirates attacked. They dug, getting to the chest open and, gathered the treasure.

Jared thanked them for finding his treasure. Before Lord Joe could ask him what he meant. He ran off into the woods. Everyone decided to go to the guild house before heading out to the next one.

Since this one was on Valor Island Lord Joe decided they needed some greater cure Potions, since it is well known that Silver Serpents roam those swamps.

They were finally ready at this time. Come To Me had shown at the guild house so they asked her if she wanted to join the party. Lord Joe felt the more the merrier. MissMoneyPenny opened a gate and, made sure no one was left behind.

They all made it to the Island of Valor, They were in luck nothing but a few corpers and alligators they were in luck they had a little ways to walk.

They got to the spot where the Treasure was marked. But before they could start to dig they were attacked by another band of pirates that had come out of the woods.

They were able to ward off this attack so that Lord Joe could start to dig. As Lord Joe began to dig we noticed Jared walk out of the woods again. Before Lord Joe could greet him. Jared attacked Pony. More pirates came out of the woods and attacked them. They were lucky to fend them off and return to the guild house.

There was nothing special about this in the Chests. So they were unable to figure out why Jared attacked any of us. The last words Lord Joe heard after asking why he was attacking Pony was "AIIIE"

So this has become a Mystery to all of us. But we all had a wonderful quest and will be on the look out for more to come.

Paddycat
Guildmistress of the Moonglow Defense Force ( MDF )

August 6th will mark the grand opening of the town of Golden, located North by Northwest of the Shrine of Justice (on the other side of the lake there).

The festivities will kick off at 4:30pm PST with a performance by The Golden Globe Players. They will be performing an original mystery, Final Curtain, written by Ursula and directed by Kita Talith.

Following the performance will be a grand feast at the Golden Brew which will be celebrating it's 2nd anniversary!

So come enjoy a day of theater, food and great fun with friends old and new! Viwe the map HERE!

Thanks! Ursula

THE MOONGATE FAIRE
Place: Skara Brae (Felucca)
Time: Saturday, 29 July, 7 to 11 pm Pacific time.
Come visit Skara Brae, meet the citizens and partake of the fine sea air. The theme for this third annual Moongate Faire is magic.

Contests and a Banquet

7 pm at the Market Square (near the bank)
"The Magic of tha Right Outfit"

8 pm at the RSB Ranger Hall on the Mainland
"Archery Contest"

9 pm at the Market Square
"The Great Race" - Horse back from Minoc to Skara Brae

11 pm The Moongate Banquet at the Councellors Hall in Skara Brae
A finely catered banquet with the citizens of Skara Brae with the announcement of the winners of each contest and the presentation of the new Elected Council of Skara Brae.

Additional Information may be found at the Skara Brae Chimera.

Sam,
Moongate Faire Coordinator

Yesterday, Thursday the 27th, at approximately 4:00 PM EST, the Lord British faction launched a large offensive against the Minax stronghold of Moonglow. The first wave was effective, sweeping the area of Minax's minions, but as the Lord British troops approached the gates, it became obvious that a retreat was necissary.

All of a sudden, 10 Minax with nightmares ambushed the Lord British Faction from behind. The troops were all wiped out. Lord British troops maintain a stranglehold on Britan, while Minax is occupying Moonglow, and Shadow Lords are occupying Skara Brae. More offensives are anticipated today the 28th.

Triple H of DX

Around 11pm, July 26th, three identity elementals spawned in deceit. They were all Interest controlled, and could change shapes seemingly at will. Their favorite forms seem to be three warriors, all of whom had 4th or 5th level fame, showing us their "master warrior" title. They didn't seem to have any real plan that we could perceive, but after we followed them around for a bit, they began to become annoyed with us. *smile* Sadly, caught up as I was in the event, I failed to remember to take a screen shot of them in their elemental form. However, I did manage to get one of them in their warrior form, but this time, forgot to get the names they used as humans. They were not extremely difficult to kill, seeing as many of the warriors with high parry could stand toe to toe with them and survive.

It appeared that their weapon was a broadsword of exceptional quality, even when they changed forms. I'm fairly certain that one was named Clyde, and the one with 5th lvl fame was either Lord Harvey or Harold, and I don't remember the third one at all. For some unknown reason, one of them liked to transform(or maybe it was a fourth, I'm not really sure at this point) into a horse named Thunder. This horse seemed to be under the command of one of the elementals, since from time to time, he would utter "Thunder Kill".

The Knights Who Say, Ni

Mike

Greetings, fine Britannians, after a century of study and searching, I have finally found the ultimate evidence, that the believes of the "Children from the Light" are undoubtly true. I have found the prophecy of Melkar the prophet. If these words make you believe too then contact our fine church (guild)

- Atlan Evilslayer (The Dean)

And so the day will dawn, when the evil that once corrupted our land will awake again

And rivers of blood will cross the land,while undead walk amongst the living to feast on their blood and flesh.

And that is the time when the Dark King, the corrupter, will arise from his hellish pit to take back his control of our fine land.

But in my dreams I have seen the coming of a mighty avatar of the Light King, summoned by some strange ritual of incarnation.

And this avatar will lead the followers of the Light King in their holy quest to retrieve the wisdom of the Light King and to banish our Arch-Enemy, The foul Dark King, forever from this plane of existence.

And I see the death of many of the "Children from the Light", and I see their friends in anger attacking the foul minions of the Dark King.

And I see, what we all hope to happen. THE RETURN OF THE LIGHT KING!!!!!! This will be the time when he will leave his rest behind the nine sigils.

He will finally appear to save his humble followers from death, and to fight the bastards of the Dark King.

But my vision fades, I am not able to see what happens than. But we all know that the Dark King will surely fall to the prey of the Light King, as it happened before.

Melkar the healer, seventh prophet of the "Children from the Light"

You can contact Atlan Evilslayer if you like to know more about the Children of the Night

The second Minoc Horserace will be held on august 2nd, 20:00cet at the Minoc townhall on Trammel.

The route is shown on the map below. It starts at the townhall (1) and leads to the bridge crossing to the mine with the first checkpoint (2). From there, it leads up the serpent road to checkpoint 2, where you have to cross a line (3). Down again and eastward around the mine-mountain, leaving the stables to the right, the finish is found at "The Barnacle" inn (4).

Entry fee is 1000 coins. Winner gets all. Riders start in groups of 4. Only horses are allowed. Should there however be enough other animals, it is possible to start a "sheer-nightmare-race" for example.

May the fastest contestant win!
Best wishes,
Yoldran

Sponsor: The Studio 54 Staff
Location: Next to Chaos Shrine in Trammel
Start Date: Saturday Jul 29 2000 7:00PM EST
End Date: Jul 29 2000 9:00PM EST

The Studio 54 Bar and Grille will soon open its doors! All are welcome for free food, drink, and fun. There will be gambling, a dueling tournament, and newbie training.

NOTES: All participants of the dueling tournament must abide by the following rules:

-You must either ICQ Gwen at 65467551, email her at [email protected], or let a staff member know of your participance before hand.
-You must be willing to resign from any current guild, and temporarily join the Studio 54 Guild. (This is so no one receives a murder count, and you can actually fight - remember, it's Trammel!)
-All skills are allowed.

You need not be worried about murderers or thieves, for the bar and grill is located in trammel! Everyone who dies in the duel will NOT be looted, and you can be instantly res'd at the Chaos Shrine nearly right behind the building.

We will be passing out runes in various cities, but mainly Trammel: Vesper, Minoc, and Britian. There will also be people gating to the bar and grill at those cities at 6:50PM.

The sun began to set over the city of Vesper to the west. It had been a long day for The Purple Guardians of Honor, having aquired a castle and been hunting a good portion of the day, but it was not over.

As the last bits of light escaped to the west, a Falcon began to approach OLYMPUS from the north. Gorion saw it, and it saw him, thus comming closer, so as to deliver a message from its master, Cinna. The message was of joy and horror, for it described that The Kingdom of Winterfll now had a keep in Northwood, but it was just attacked by Ventryn the Black Lich.

Gorion walked down the steps where Emperor Borg was finishing signing his coownership of The castle.

"Sire, urgent news from Winterfell, Ventryn has begun to attack, but now it is their new keep which is his target."

Lord Brightblade walked out of the shadows, and began to summon a Blue Moongate, as Borg placed his deed of coownership in his pouch.

"This gate shall take ye to Winterfell", Brightblade spoke and a deep tone.

The Purple Guardians walked into the gate, being send instantly to the Winterfell Keep, where the bodies of Liches were still rotting in the moonlight.

Before anyone could even say "Hail" a force of mummies and lich lords crawled their way out of the ground, but were dispatched in moments, some not even having the chance to pull their own bodies out of the dark soil.

As the final lich was being defeated, all of the sudden an Explosian knocked many off their feet, and from the flames, Ventryn, still in his human form, emerged.

He continued to taunt us, and send his forces, as he always does, but this time, Lord Brightblade brought up something Ventryn nay wished to hear.

"Ventryn, ye have a heart full of hatred, and sorrow, all from the death of your daughter, which although Pythos was responcible for sending her into that war, did not kill her with his own hand, and still he is in remorse for any action he had in sending her to that battle."

"Silence! Ye know nothing fool! Ye nay shall speak of my daughter!"

"Ahh, but I do know, I have spoken with her and...."

"Silence! I have heard enough of your blasphemy, Relics take me to the Lair!"

Within a moment he was gone, but we decided to follow him to his lair, for we knew where it was, and how to get there. When we arrived, he wasnt there, and we began to look around, as I began to look at the books he had on his shelves.

"Its not polite to come with out an invitation" he spoke as he emerged from the shadows in the corner of the room.

Lord Brightblade and Ventryn began to taunt one another, and no new knowledge was learned form Ventryn, until he said...

"Bah, I care not for you Purple Guardians, or that pathetic Kingdom of Winterfell, I have the relics, and soon I will have all that I need, your time is over. Now leave me."

Ventryn then faded from view, and we began back to Winterfell, reporting what had happened and helped to destroy a few more of Ventryn's minions.

I nay know what Ventryn is planning, but it can nay be good, so keep your reagent pouch full, and your blade sharp, I think we shall have some busy days ahead.

The Rusty Lute Tavern will be holding its Grand Opening on August 4, 2000! At 8:00 PM CST the RLT will open its doors for service to the people of Britannia. The RLT is located on the Trammel Facet at the northern end of the Great Fire Isle. Nestled between the Ruins and Northern face of the mountain range at 132o 32s 135o 26. Gates & Runes will be provided starting at 7:00 CST at the West Bank in Britian and the Bank in Moonglow. With the Grand Opening the RLT will be holding its first Tale Telling Contest! First prize being a check for 10,000 gold, Second prize a check for 5,000 gold. Contest will begin after the opening ceremony's, all wish to enter should be at the RLT by 8:00 PM CST. Free food and drinks will be provided to all who attend. Door Prizes drawings will be held every hour starting at 8:00 PM and ending at 11:00 PM. To enter for a door prize please bring a book with your name in it and turn it over to one of the RLT Staff.

Rusty Lute homepage can be found at the following address: http://www.stas.net/mbosco/rustylute/rltstart.html

Please feel free to contact me if you need any other information. ICQ 10797997.

Thank you,
Iolo the Bard

While preparing for this evening's Horse Race in Trammel Trinsic, a gentleman by the name of Director Stephan came to me, and asked if he would be able to hold open auditions for a play he is wishing to present.

Earlier this week, a young actor who stopped by the tavern had also mentioned a director to me, and claimed that the play had been recently unearthed from deep in a dungeon. I believe this to be the same director who spoke with me this evening.

Director Stephen will be holding OPEN auditions for anyone wishing to play a part in his play at 10pm CST Saturday, July 29th, at Kazola's Treetop Keg and Winery, which is located near the Yew moongate in Felucca. A map to the tavern can be found at http//kewl.com/kazolas Director Stephen and I are both hoping many show up. Don't be shy! Drinks and food will be freely served as well. Kazola of Yew

T'was yesterday in the evening and the forces of Spiritwood were mustering in great strength. Rumors had been circulating, that the gypsy known to us as Rilla, had been visiting the towns of Britannia warning the citizens of a possible attack befalling their town, as to that time not she did not even know which city would be the target of Clayne Achyons rage. So waited the score of warriors around the Spiritwood Tavern, waiting for word from our local town cryer, Shelby. Then came the report, "Gypsee Pirates and Brigands are seen appoaching the city of Moonglow", Shelby yelled. So in a flash two magical gates were opened in Spiritwood, as the battle ready warriors leaped to the streets of Moonglow. The force mustered around the southern gate to the city proper and waited, for the pirates had not yet made landfall, several scout parties scoured the southern portion of the island in search of the enemy, but little did they know, that the spies already walked amongst us. Moments of waiting passed as the veterans of Spiritwood guarded the gate, when all of the sudden no less than four trained gypsy fighters appeared at our rear. In a flurry of attack the warriors of Spiritwood and the citizens of Moonglow swarmed the gypsy fighters, I myself bore my heavy crossbow down onto the leader as no less than four warriors followed my lead. In a few minutes the band at our rear was dispatched as we brought our attention on the new threat because as we fought the forces behind us a score of brigands, along with several water elementals, began to storm the gate. These simple brigands by far were no match for our resolute warriors as we went about the business of hunting them down and dispatching the group, while a few more went about the task of cutting down the water elementals with steel and powerful magics. So thus ended the attack on fair Moonglow as the warriors of Spiritwood hoped back through the magical doorways to a nice glass of wine or a mug of ale at Fenris's Tavern reciting their tales of glory that day, and preparing to fight again should the call come.

Report Filed on:
July 28th

Report written by:
Kain Stormraven, Ranger of Custodes Fati

It seems Clayne Achyron is up to something, but what kind of mischief they plan can only be guessed right now, but we`re quite sure it involves Rilla, Maia and the recently recovered book of the gypsies.

Yours
Pad O'Lion

Hail to ye!

The Lord British Loyalists were appointed to perform the interogation of Tanq Sibris, due to some technical problems with the official prosecutor. Once I had recieved the questions I had to ask Tanq Sibris, who is accused of murder, I informed the FVM about our mission. I could not feel any of the hostility I had previously experienced in Vesper in their response.

I gathered a few men, and we entered Vesper. According to the information I had recieved, Tanq was in custody in the counselors guild, so we headed that way. But just before we arrived to the bridge leading to the counselors guild, we were shocked to see the ghost of someone from the FVM. We could hear but a strange howling from the ghost, but we could all feel the desperation in his cries.

"I take it this is not a good sign", Bethor said.

Then, we heard the sound of a horseman crossing the bridge while pushing his horse to the limit.

It was Tanq Sibris, somehow he was armed and ready to fight. His eyes were red, but they didn't seem to look at anything. They seemed to be just staring at the horizon.

No, they stared at me.
I raised my shield to protect myself, but by then I was already hit several times by his powerfull crushing blows. I raised my sword to defend myself, but Tanq evaded with a movement too quick for the eye too percept. The crushing blows had made me dizzy, but the other loyalists were fast-thinking, and after a few seconds, the tables turned. Bolts of pure energy rained down upon our opponent, and axes and halberds did the same. Soon, he withdrew, and fleed with a haste I had rarely seen elsewhere.

"Get him!" I yelled, but only Roget de Vallion, who had recently won the Minoc horserace, was able to keep up with him. In the end, however, Tanq Sibris outran even him, and we ran to the counselors guildhall, fearing what we might withness there.

The interogation was meant to happen in a separate room in the back of the hall, and as we opened the door, we saw that the room was more of a slaughterhouse than anything else.

I saw the dead bodies of guards inside, but it was only later I learned that there were only 2 FVM guards. The reason for this is, that Tanq had taken the time to cut up the corpses, and arrange the body parts in strange ways. Blood was dripping even from the ceiling, and from all four walls. Entrails had been spread across the carpit. The stench was already horrible, worse than the Liche Lord Room. A gruesome message was halfway covered by some entrails. It read:

"Blood for the Blood God! Skulls for his throne!"

Eyewithnesses described, that Tanq had suddenly gone postal, killing everyone in sight, and while doing it, he had been babbling about a blood god.

The turmoil had already attracted the attention of several city guards, and the Free Vesper Militia.

"We have no time to loose. He can have fled in two directions, towards Coveteus or towards Minoc. We search towards Coveteus, and FVM searches the area between Vesper and Minoc. "

When we left for Coveteus, I heard the town bells ring. Unfortunately, we found no traces nor clues towards Coveteus.

The FVM had however found something. This is the report I recieved from Slow, a higher ranking FVM:

"We met a small humpbacked man with foul stench and cruel mutations on the way to Minoc. The old man said: Your souls will be sacrificed to the great blood god, Khorne, the god of blood and slaughter. The God has found pleasure on Tanq and he will hunt us for beeing sacrificed to the God. "

Obviously, we have a lot of unanswered questions here. However, the most important is "Where is Tanq Sibris"?

The Lord British Loyalists hereby place a bounty on the head of Tanq Sibris. He, who can give us information that lead us to arrest Tanq Sibris shall recieve 10.000 pieces of gold from me personally.

The Free Vesper Militia describe him as tall, with short, dark hair, a small beard, and with a remarkable strenght.

If you have been in the vincinity of Vesper last night, and saw anything suspicious, we would very much like you write a mail to me as soon as possible, and help us bring this fanatic heretic to justice.

Yours Xel'Naga, leader of the Lord British Loyalists.
ICQ:20643899

Hail!

The Seraphim Order [TSO], one of the premier guilds on the Napa Valley Shard, is sponsoring an 'elemental fight night' at TSO's tower and mall this Friday (28th) evening. Everyone is welcome to attend! We will be gating from the West Bank of Britain starting at 7 PM PST. If you are interested in gaining skills in a controlled environment, this event is for you! We will begin shortly after 7 PM and the event will continue until shortly after 8 PM.

Have fun and good luck!

Rocko Spoogie

Thankye,

I would like to announce the grand opening of the Lost Woods Tavern, the tavern is located a fair walk south-east of vesper and is right near the 2 thatched-roof log houses. There will be free ale for all and a free raffle. The event will be taking place on Sunday, July 30 from 8pm to Midnight. Hope to see some people there. For more info see http://lostwoods.homepage.com.
- Alexander of Chesapeake

The Cherubim Knights are sponsering a Ball for everyone to meet their neighbors around them and to congratulate them on their success in placing their homes.

The location is on Trammel at the Cherubim Knights Castle in Oberon's Pass (West of Vesper near Crossroads). Sextant location is 73 33N 56 44E. The time and date for the Cherubim Knights Ball is 8:00 pm EST, to Midnight on Saturday, July 29.

The Castle if fully equiped with an Armory, Tailoring room (including a black dye tub), Dining Hall, and Game room. We look forward to making new friends as we start this new community. Everyone is invited to be our guests! So bring your friends, your guilds, your dates, your pets... Just bring everyone and we will have a Ball!
-Kendo Tenshi

On Saturday, August 5th the Village of Dragon's Watch will have its first annual Summer Fair. There will be many events through out most of the day. We will have an open market, competitions, races, weddings and the such. Dragon's Bay is a small fishing village north of Vesper and provides a light house to keep sea travel safe in the area. We hope that many of you attend and will be waiting to welcome you to our friendly village. For more information on Dragons Bay or the Summer Festival please visit us at http://jove.prohosting.com/~dragbay/ .

As I prepared for honour guard duty for the PaxLair town meeting last eve, I noticed an odd fellow with a green staff pass. 'Was that the man of dice and snakes?' I thought. I caught up with him. Yes it was he and we soon began his game.

I took the dice, kissed them, then rolled a 7. He threw a 4. I won!!! He tossed about 300 gold coin on the ground and offered to play again. After some thought I accepted.

I took the dice, kissed them, then rolled a 5. Not looking good for me. He disliked my handling of his dice, to cherish them so. He bent to pick up the dice and fell in a hole. He disappeared. Me and the sacred dice. Alone. I took the dice and walked back to the Quest Center.

I saw Sir Don Martin on the patio singing a tune. His new endeavor I suppose. I got his attention and told him my story. I was excited. I ran inside and to get my ceremonial uniform on, I was running late for guard duty. As I changed I thought, 'These dice must be powerful, and they are now mine. What power would they bring me. Maybe I will rule PaxLair ... maybe Britannia!!!

Wixim then bursts into the room looking for his dice. He didn't recognize me since I had changed. He screamed and shouted diving deeper into insanity. I thought myself as cruel to watch him suffer. I could not let this continue. I put on the robe I was wearing before so he would recognize me with his one good eye and told him I had his dice. He demanded them back. He followed me outside and I placed them on the ground. He snatched them and seemed mad at me, as if I 'stole' his dice. *grins* I explained, 'Nay, I was safe keeping them for you.' Wixim eventually calmed.

We played twice more and both times I lost. After the last he summoned a giant serpent and an ice serpent. I did nae die for I had just suited up in the best armor I own. As I fought the serpents, Wixim ran off yelling, making no sense.

I can't help but wonder, 'Do the dice hold power or are they only a madman's obsession?' I say beware.
- Abraxis Lue, =G=

Bright sun tickled the wispy edges of the floating white buds of pure clouds, their mottling shades doing little to disperse the heat from the yellow orbs scolding rays. The unstoppable heat cut a swathe through the drifting airs of a still high wind, rendering it impotent against its heat and stifling, pressing power.

Trees caught in the rays’ brilliant effervescence shrivelled almost conceivably on their bobbing stalks, wilting like the smaller plants at the bases of their oaken hotels, drooping their colourful faces earthwards, almost in tune to the rhythmic clip-clopping of a lone horses struggling canter.

Large globs of sweat trickled steadily down the brown, matted coat of the horses’ neck, dripping heavily to the broken dusty road beneath its rapidly heavier hooves. A small pack wobbled with the beasts’ gait as it was led compassionately by its’ master over the oft used but strangely empty ‘Kings way road’. Summer certainly seemed to have emptied the merchant caravans from the pathway, all the better for Marie as she made her cheerful way ahead of her horse.

Light colours and a well made frock bounced happily over the young ladies back as she verily skipped towards Skara Brae, tow rope in hand and fond thoughts in mind. Fleeting images of her husband and her guildmates’ flashed like the suns twinkling brilliance in her mind, bringing an even more resplendent smile burgeoning forth to her pretty face. The rapidly growing burden in her womb coddled gently in supportive breeches Marie nodded at the vigilant harbour master as she passed his usual position outside the small hamlets primary dock. Passing over the small tariff to the burly armed man she settled herself and her horse into the skiff and bade the good fellow transport her across the defensive river to the offshore isle of Skara Brae. The breezy waters reflected from the flushed features of the intelligent young woman as the dappled waters rippled easily by the waxed sides of the diminutive boat, the wandering eyes of the harbourman revealing his appreciation of her charms.

A whinny from the horse as the skiff bumped ashore declared their arrival, and Marie quickly made her practised way through the quiet streets of the township, towards the Shattered Skull tavern, where she was to meet her employer, a man of great repute and even greater means if the rumours she had heard were true.

Tying her rested mount to the provided beams Marie looked at her designated meeting place. Old wood had been re-varnished and the rusted old sign no longer creaked on its hinges as it had once done, long ago. A few loose slats adorned the precarious roof and telltale droppings proclaimed the overfilling drains as homes to many pigeons and birds’ nests.

The soft hush of the front door heralded Marie’s entrance to the tavern, and several heads whipped up nervously, In anticipation perhaps of their own rendezvous partners. One man though, seeming cool and calm in the hot and sweaty taproom did nay flinch from the cool surface of his untouched ale. A simple wave of the hand beckoned Marie to him and she enthusiastically sat her slightly larger than usual rump on the worn bench indicated.

The obvious intelligence of the robed figure made Marie blanch at her excitement, she felt young and even slightly churlish for her youthful exuberance, and the aged eyes of the learned man in front of her did little to quell her rising angst. Smiling lightly and shrinking down to the base of her seat a little Marie motioned for the man to speak, to begin the meeting he had called her here for.

"I trust your journey came as easily as the words you write flow from thy quill my dear lady" the smooth voice ran like silk down Marie’s’ spine, sending a tingle up to her hot neck as she regarded the fellows smiling face.

"I must not complain sir, because the only foe I encountered was the heat o’ the sun" Marie went on "what of thy intentions towards me though, are they of harm"

Waving a dismissive hand the gentle man rose easily from his chair and bade Marie follow him outside again, his hurried and huddled stride carrying him at a pace which made Marie almost dash to keep up with him.

Opening the door for his lady guest the fellow whistled as she came past him, and a page boy came running up with a magnificent steed in tow. Its coat was purest black and a red fire ignited visions of hellish beasts dancing in the flames of hell in its fierce eyes. Stepping back, Marie fumbled with her own horse’s reins and muttered to herself to calm down in the face of such an interesting man. Painting a false smile over her stressed frown Marie led her mount alongside her male friend as she joined him walking down the parade of shoppes toward the docks.

"Marie" he said suddenly, jolting the lady from her façade of serenity, "I have called ye here for a reason. You see, I am a reader, an intellectual, a fellow who in many years has yet to find a writer who can hold my interest for more than a few books. What I want you to do" he continued, waving an articulate hand to emphasise his point, "is travel the land of Britannia for me, and write a series of novels as you do so, about what you see and where you go, and the people you meet. Cover each town Marie my dear, in sufficient detail, and not only shall I pay you handsomely" a sly grin spread lasciviously over his wizened features, bringing an air of a rogue to him, as he said this, "but I shall also help you to find out something you have yearned for all this time, ever since your parents boat was downed by otherworldly storms".

With that shocking statement the mysterious man was over his giant horses back, and galloping dangerously down the busy street, sending baskets of vegetables flying from their carriers arms as he bowled round the corner, out of Marie’s’ sight. She looked at her tired horse, still recuperating from his journey here, and estimated that it would never, even at full strength catch the giant beast that had just fled her audience.

She shook her head, a waver of hair coming untidily round her head and adding to the dishevelled aura she now effused. What had the man meant? She realised then that she did not even know his name, apart from the fact that it began with the letter ‘D’.

Wandering disconsolately down the road, her staggering horse trailing behind her, Marie made a roundabout line to the Inn, maybe there she could begin to understand what the man had meant by those allusory statements, and begin to plan her trip. For she surely could not live without finding out whatever clues she could about her parents death, all those years ago in the ravages of an unnatural storm.

A soft bed greeted her tired head as Marie lay down for the night. A good meal rumbled happily in her belly and her worn feet cosily ensorcelled in warm stockings. The blankets enveloped her body as she rolled to her side and bade her give in to her weariness, but tired as her body was, Marie’s’ mind was as active as ever, making plans for her trip first to Trinsic, where she would begin this strange quest, before finding this man, and gleaning from him the clues she might need, to hunt down and interrogate her parents’ murderer.

Sweet dreams of her youth gave her a good nights rest, before she awoke the next day to begin her quest. One I shall keep you informed of dear reader, as oft as my time allows it.

~An excerpt from the diary of~

Marie Robespierre,

Custodes Fati.

Migon: What's the matter Vlad, don't you trust me?
Vladimir Taltos: Get bent... (Not the most professional of words, but given the circumstances, that's all that came to mind)
Migon: You are in town, what could I do?
Vladimir Taltos: No, you're in town, what can I do?
Migon: *slight grin* My point exactly.
Vladimir Taltos: Ok... (I said as I rubbed my wrists)
Migon: To what do I owe this pleasure?
Vladimir Taltos: You tell me, I was "invited"...
Migon: *nods*
Vladimir Taltos: An interesting place to participate in an interview, even if it wasn't run past my secretary...
Migon: Soon this place will belong to me. Just trying it out for now once I get rid of that nuisance "king".
Vladimir Taltos: *raises eyebrow and looks around* So where are all thy men Migon?
Migon: They are here. And if you try anything they will let you know exactly where.
Vladimir Taltos: *looks at Bones*
McCoy: hmph *steadies shaking hand*
Migon: I have my men infiltrated in all the major guilds.
Vladimir Taltos: Oh really?
Migon: You do not think I would travel alone, do you?
Vladimir Taltos: I'm just surprised ye would meet with us in the palace like this after what happened in Britain a few nights back...
Migon: Tis no worries, the 1st is all thumbs and they could not catch a cold in the dead of winter and as for PAS, they are just as big a screwup so that is why I chose this place to talk. *laughs*
Vladimir Taltos: *blinks* So why did ye poison Jhelom's water?
Migon: I did not poison the waters, my men did. *laughs hard*
McCoy: What are ye trying to accomplish then by having the waters poisoned?
Migon: Because we were paid too
Vladimir Taltos: By whom, if ye don't mind my asking?
McCoy: *raises eyebrow*
Migon: I do not mind, go ahead and ask.
Vladimir Taltos: *leans forward* Who is paying ye?
Migon: Someone who likes to "taunt" their enemy before the battle this Friday.
Vladimir Taltos: Hmmm... So where exactly did your group come from? I mean... No one has ever heard of the severed hand before Raistlia's kidnapping...
Migon: We are a guild within guilds, a secret society. We are everywhere and know everything that is of importance. We are a group that was gathered together about ten years ago and is now in a position to make things happen, to influence and conspire to meet the goals we have set out to accomplish. We know before King David is going to make a movement to when Janos Antero is going to bed his wife. There is not one thing that happens without us finding out about it, so long as we deem it worthy of knowing.
McCoy: Speaking of Janos, do ye worry about him hunting for you and your guild?
Migon: We are not concerned for anything but completing our job and gaining power over those around us and will do these things in any way we deem fit.
McCoy: Do ye not fear that the Inquisition might do to you what they did to Mystm?

At this point, Janos evidentially got word somehow of Migon's presence in the palace or was here to try and visit King David and strode right up to the table in front of Migon. Tension was too thick to cut with a knife, so Janos used his mouth.

McCoy: Howdy Janos.
Vladimir Taltos: Janos...
Janos Antero: 'ello all. Hello Migon.
Migon: Ah my friend, Janos.
Janos Antero: *grins* So, I hear you think you know it all.
McCoy: *looks surprised*
Janos Antero: Ironic. If you know all, how is it the ladies escaped?
Migon: Welcome to my future home, have a seat.
Janos Antero: *laughs* And they say I have a big ego. Keep dreaming.
Migon: In answer to your question, It was part of my overall plan.
Janos Antero: *snorts*
Migon: They were meaningless pawns in my plan.
Janos Antero: Ahh so typical of petty warlords to cover their own failures by lying to themselves until they believe the lie.
Migon: Was Elise harmed?
Vladimir Taltos: *looks at the exchange between Janos and Migon*
Migon: *flashes a concerned look*
Janos Antero: Your men tried but clearly you hire as incompetently as you plan mischief. She got away, along with the others and killed a few of your boys on the way out.
Migon: *grins slowly* Their sacrifice was necessary.
Janos Antero: *Rolls his Eyes* Many a failed general has said the same thing upon the defeat of his hordes to cover his own failings.
Migon: Care to have some roast pig, Janos? *goes to hand a plate to Janos*
Janos Antero: No thank you, just being in the same room with such filth as you turns my stomach.
Migon: Ahhh *displays a look of pity*
Migon: Tell me, how well do you sleep at night?
Janos Antero: I don't sleep actually, nor have I in nearly 500 years. I tend to hold my wife till she sleeps and then read or walk the tower. But you knew that, didn't you?
Migon: Of course.
Janos Antero: Since you know every action of mine eh? So tell me Migon.
Migon: *listening*
Janos Antero: How do you sleep, knowing one of these days I will find and kill you? A little restless perhaps?
Migon: Like a comfortable baby resting on a mothers breast.
Janos Antero: *puts hands on table and leans forward* Good, I would not deny you a few moments peace on this world before I destroy your soul so utterly it never finds another...
Migon: Are ye through? I am living in my 15 minutes of fame and you are wasting it!
Janos Antero: Oh no, your troubles from me are just beginning. *smiles sweetly*
Vladimir Taltos: *leans back in chair*
Migon: By your idle threats and bad breath...
Janos Antero: Idle? *raises an eyebrow* Care to step outside and I shall prove it?
Migon: Id say you need a drink, and to stay close to your wife.
Janos Antero: My wife can handle herself.
Migon: *folding arms and looks unintimidated*
Janos Antero: *shrugs* Fear or not, that is your choice, but make no mistake, I do keep my word and I shall be coming. You might wish to leave King David's palace should the guards find you here they might throw you out rather fast.
Migon: *stifled yawn* I will as soon as I am done.
Janos Antero: *Rolls his Eyes* Pardon my interrupting Vlad, but the stench of such as he alerted me to his presence the moment I arrived...
Vladimir Taltos: No... no trouble Janos...
Migon: Now run home to your wife!
Janos Antero: And I couldn't help but remind him of his death coming for safety sake, you understand.
McCoy: *nods*
Vladimir Taltos: *nods at Janos*
Migon: *waves mockingly* See you soon.
Janos Antero: Count on it
Migon: *blows kiss to Janos* Sweet dreams.
Vladimir Taltos: Anyway....
Migon: So now where were we?
Vladimir Taltos: Uhm... *looking at notes*
Vladimir Taltos: How does Maya fit into your scheme of things?
Migon: Maya was just a stepping stone who set things in motion. Stupid and naive in her thinking. Worried about her poor dear friend. *mocking* With whom I have the deepest affection for. *voice trails off*
Vladimir Taltos: I see... Lucky for me she is to be my wife... *smirks* So, please... Who has hired you to do all this?
Migon: Tell me Vlad, do you like flowers?
Vladimir Taltos: Uhm...
Migon: *starts sniffing the flowers*
Vladimir Taltos: What about Mystm's death?
Migon: What about it?
Vladimir Taltos: What are you going to do about it?
Migon: What's to do? He is already dead and is being replaced by his twin brother who seems to have sworn in a blood oath or something like that to make those who were responsible for his death pay with their own lives, and families, if necessary, I am sure. *chuckles*
Vladimir Taltos: So, when Janos walked in, how come none of your men jumped out to kill him? *looks around the room*
Migon: *smiles* You see that candelabra there? *points to candelabra*
Vladimir Taltos: Yes...
Migon: *whispers* That's one of my men.
Vladimir Taltos: *blinks*
Migon: You see the roast pig on the table? *points to pig*
Vladimir Taltos: *blinks again*
Migon: That's one of my men also. See that pitcher of water?
Vladimir Taltos: uhm... yeah...
Migon: *pointing to pitcher and whispers* That's actually water.
Vladimir Taltos: *clears throat*
Migon: In other words Vladimir, let me worry about my men and you worry about writing your story.
Vladimir Taltos: From the information I have been able to gather, it looks as if General Gaunt is the funding you... is this True?
Migon: Vladimir, do you have any gold on you?
Vladimir Taltos: *puzzled look* Uhm... no...
Migon: Ahh well, then I guess you are not funding me then. Cross yourself off the list. You can guess all you want, but that is between me and my benefactor.
Vladimir Taltos: So, why did you kidnap Raistlia and then seem to show support for the 1st then?
Migon: Had to start some place, right? Speaking of Raistlia, I know that you two are getting married this weekend.
Vladimir Taltos: Yes...
Migon: What type of wedding present would you like?
Vladimir Taltos: Well... I know what my future wife would like... *smiles at Migon*
Migon: *half grin* Well, are you going to invite me?
Vladimir Taltos: Uhm.... I would think, not!
Migon: What are you afraid of?
Vladimir Taltos: Because it is to be my wife's day, and I will not have it ruined by thy presence... I'm doing this interview... Only because it is my job and because you sought me out... Not because I want to speak with ye...
Migon: Let the past be the past, Vlad.
Vladimir Taltos: I can't do that... And don't call me Vlad... And when those who are after you finally catch up to you... Then we'll see who will be so smug...
Migon: What happened to forgive and forget? Is this not what your Great I Am has said? Forgive and forget?
Vladimir Taltos: He also spoke of an Eye for and Eye... and a Tooth for a Tooth... And I forgot to forgive you for hurting Ra... *closes his eyes to regain his composure* Alright, what is the next move for the severed hand?
Migon: *looks at time piece* If I told you then everyone would know, but between you and me. Off the record. I am going to get something to eat. I am hungry. If you would excuse us.

And as he got up to leave the table I received a rather nasty thump on the head which decided to turn everything around me quite black. When I came to, I found myself back in the middle of the woods where I had been taken from.
I still didn't see my horse anywhere, but at least I was left with enough regs and a rune to get to a town. Aching all over as I made it back to a bank so I could go home, I licked my wounds and sat down to prepare this bit of news for you.
Bruised, yes... But I'll survive. As to why Migon wanted to do an interview is beyond me. He didn't really say much and the interview could have gone a lot better. Maybe he was bored and he wanted me to amuse him. Maybe he did it to aggravate King David since he did it in his palace.
I can say this though, I don't think he is all there and after staring into the man's eyes, he looked like a shark does, soulless and without feeling. I don't think there is anything he is not capable of doing and that is a scary thought.
I'm glad that the Great I Am watched over me through the whole ordeal to see to my safety. Now, Bones on the other hand, I have no idea what happened to him and still have yet to get in contact with him since they dragged him off half way in the middle of this so called interview and there was nothing I could, but watch and now I am concerned about his well being. I did find it odd to see his scribeshots in my pack though.
Hopefully, King David and Janos Antero will catch up to that man with a black heart and end the threat that he poses to all of us. Is General Gaunt behind this Migon, who is to say? I didn't know what to believe as soon as the man spoke it, but I can say this. I don't think Ibram is funding this mad man. It is not his style.

Safe Journeys, this is...

Yup folks, you heard right!! This Friday, thanks to the creative genius of our friends Mobius and Senior Senator Sake (with the help of all of your friends in the TTC and our other volunteers), there will be a wild and crazy horse race spanning the distance from Trinsic to Yew and back.

All are welcome to race, but make sure to be at the West Gates of the city of Trinsic (Trammel facet) during the registration period which begins at 8:00 PM CST so that you can be ready to go at 9:00 PM CST when the race actually begins! Entry fee for the event currently stands at 5000 gold pieces (you will also need a SEXTANT for the event), but rest assured, the grand prize pot of 150k for the First place finisher will surely cover your losses. Prizes will also be awarded to the second and third place finishers.

Don't worry *too* much about the dangers of the road either, for our wonderful new Trinsic Town Militia under the command of Minister of Defense Gurney will patrol the roads before the race starts and clear out as many of the ruffians and adversaries as they possibly can. Also, if you are not a proud horseowner yet and think you can handle a steed all the same, don't let that stop you from showing because we will have a few horses, as well as some sextants, there during registration at *very* reasonable prices.

If you have any concerns or questions, please contact: Forsaken, Senior Senator of the TTC

Thanks! Your friends on the Trinsic Town Council and Lord Mobius

Note: Don't forget! Trinsic Town Council public meetings are held every Thursday at 9 PM CST in the Trinsic Trammel Meeting Hall south of the 2 story bank. Hope to see you there! For more information about the Council, please visit our website at www.trinsic.uoguilds.com

As the first of our new Saturday events, running between 8pm and 10pm PST every Saturday at the Gathered Spirits Tavern, Felucca, the Gathered Spirits is pleased to announce the event that will be happening this Saturday, July 29th.

From 8:00 to 8:30pm, a Gathered Spirits staff member will drop runes to the tavern in a randomly chosen city for half an hour. The name of the randomly chosen city where runes will be droped will be displayed on the Gathered Spirits website. Additionally, the bartender on duty at the Spirits will know which city it is - so visit our tavern or our site to find out where you can collect your prize rune!

Each rune would have, as part of its name, a prize number. So the rune might be labeled, "Gathered Spirits prize #123456 - register this number at the tavern!" Whoever finds the rune can use it to recall or gate to the tavern. There, they MUST register their name and prize number with the coordinator (Drahcir, our senior bar attendant). At 8:45, one of the registered numbers is chosen, at random, and the person that registered that rune gets a prize. A new number is chosen every 15 minutes until 10:00 - (that means 5 prizes, 8:45, 9:00, 9:15, 9:30, & 9:45). These Quarter-Hour prizes are nice, but not on the scale of the Grand Prize. Once a person wins one of these, their number is removed from the eligible numbers. At 10:00 the Grand Prize is chosen from ALL the registered numbers, even those who have already won a prize.

The Grand Prize will be a massive 50,000 gold pieces!

RULES:

1. Prize Number Runes will be dropped starting at 8:00, at a random city in Felucca. The name of this city will be announced at the tavern, at 8:00 on the night of the contest. It will also be posted on the Gathered Spirits' scroll, at 8:00 on the night of the contest. (internet connection permitting)

2. Take your Prize Number Rune to the Gathered Spirits Tavern and register it with the staff member there. (Unregistered numbers will NOT receive prizes!) The Prize Number Rune may be used to gate/recall there.

3. Only one Prize Number may be registered per person.

4. Prize Numbers may be registered right up until the 10:00 Grand Prize drawing.

5. Keep your Prize Number Rune after you registered it. You may be required to show it to claim your prize.

6. Starting at 8:45, and every 15 minutes until 10:00, a Winning Number will be randomly chosen from those registered, and the person who registered the chosen Winning Number will be awarded a Quarter-Hour Prize. Participants may only win one Quarter-Hour Prize that night, their name and Prize Number will be removed for subsequent Quarter-Hour drawings (but not the Grand Prize drawing!)

7. At 10:00, a Grand Prize drawing will held, using the Prize Numbers of EVERYONE who has registered that evening, and the winner will receive a check for 50,000 gold!

8. You need not be present to win, but you might as well be, because the ale and food are free!

9. The final decision on all give-aways, prizes, and disputes will be made by the contest co-ordinator.

10. The tavern is in Felucca, not in a guard zone, and is in a heavy monster spawn area. While tavern staff will be available to help handle the occasional orc/brigand camp spawn, it is up to YOU to provide for your own protection and safety.

11. The Gathered Spirits Tavern is located on the road between Yew and Minoc/Vesper, south-east of the city of Yew. Further information may be found at This Site.

-- JuffaArchui

This proclamation is to cordially invite you one and all to a gathering of Warriors, Warlocks, Craftsmen & Scoundrels of the world of Ultima Online!

A day of festivites has been planned for Saturday the 2nd of September 2000 and this will include a free sausage sizzle, an Ultima Trivia contest (hopefully with prizes from Electronic Arts here in Australis, *nudge* nudge* Steve) as well as a demonstration of medieval fighting with real weapons and armour! Warriors of the realm of Ultima may even be able to try their hand at some real PVP!
One hopes that PK'ing will be frowned upon - Von Ravend

All and sundry are invited to bring their families and loved ones ( and anything that they want to drink :) ) to the Daisy Hill State Forest in Daisy Hill at 11.30 am so that the festivites may commence. We expect that the festivities will carry on through the day and end sometime around dusk (well at that location anyway!) More details will be circulated as the time draws near (as well as a map of the location), but we urge you to email us as soon as possible and let us know if you will be a party of 1, 2, 3 or more! Emails can be sent to hawky.bigpond.com

We will also be circulating this proclamation via ICQ and various mailing lists and UO sites so please assist in helping get a bumper crowd by telling all UO players that you know in the Brisbane area to come along!

BTW, Medieval Sausage Sizzle doesn't mean we will be using "old" sausages!

The Brotherhood of Steel

My humble apology to Hawky for not getting in contact with him earlier over a planned interview.. Hope this make up for it :)

The Order of the Screaming Phoenix Has Officially Opened its tavern!

This Saturday July 29th at 9 pm EST (6 PST) we will be starting a weeklong tourney. Sign up will start one hour before and right up until the end of round one. The fees will be 2k per person. The winner will get half of the prize money collected and the 2nd place entry will get a quarter of the loot.

Here are the rules:

No Magic Armor or Weapons

All spells are okay except for precasted spells that include magic reflect, RA Protection and bless.

No poisoned weapons unless they are poisoned during the fight.

Any thing else you want to bring is up to you.

No looting!

The Tavern allows anyone to come in with out being attacked, outside of the tourney So that means reds, and oranges alike may come. There will be no harassment of any sort at the tavern. If you have trouble finding it icq me at 21355061 and I'll assist you.

Cross

Grand Opening of Sir James's Tavern & Smithy

Come one come all to the grand opening of Sir James's Tavern & Smithy on Saturday July 29 at 8:00pm pst. We have many events planned for the night so come on down and have a drink and enjoy yourself. First patrons will be rewarded with a party bag. We will be having a drawing for a shadow GM light archer suit and a full suit of iron GM plate (please bring books for drawing). Also we have planned an auction for some very hot items!

Here are just some of the items that will be up for grabs:

1) GM light archer suit made of Verite, which includes shield (bidding starts at 1k)

2) GM light archer suit made of Agapite (bidding starts at 800 gold)

3) Assorted rares

4) Rune book with all cities in Trammel

5) House add-ons (pentagram)

So come on down and have some fun at Sir James's tavern and Smithy!!

Directions: From Minoc take the south road out of town until you reach the fork in the road. Head north off road until you reach the Covetous dungeon entrace. Follow the mountain west until you reach a large plaster house with a patio. Your There!

Thank you Duchy of Valier for sponsoring this event!

It's almost time!

Ya ever notice how tha right can set someone apart? Whether its tha style... tha fit... tha functionality... In tha rite place... at tha rite time... tha magic of tha rite outfit says it all... Be it a person lost in a crowd... or a whole crowd a persons... there's just somethin' bout tha rite outfit that makes people take notice...

Come to tha fair... on the 29th... in Skara Brae... starting round 7pst... TBN plans ta honor the magic of tha right outfit by holdin' an outfit contest... There's gunna be a buncha different categories... and you can enter as many as you like... but only one winner in each...

Tha outfits will be judged on style... fit... functionality... Thay'll be judged on how well thay match... or contrast... so while exceptional or marked outfits may fit a little better... if thay're not all the same quality... or thay don't carry the same mark... it could count against you... Only two of tha events are geared towards tha tailors and smiths that craft tha pieces... tha rest are for tha ones that wear em... This isn't a timed contest or anythin... so make sure outfits at home and bring it to tha fair... there'll be time for changin and last minute adjustments... but there won't be much time for craftin a new one...

Best Outfits

There's just somethin about tha right outfit... that'll set you apart from tha crowd... no matter where ya go... This first contest is for tha individual that stands apart... Best Single Outfit... Be it peaceful or a suit for war... we're looking for tha best outfit...

Prize: Full Valorite suit of armor and shield with weapon.

Two is not always as easy as one... Ya you could have a matching set of armor... or they could contrast... ya could even have a bride and groom... Two people... judged together... how well they fit as a couple... and the magic they glow with when brought together...

Prize: Matching Verite suits of armor with shields.

When you've got a guild... or just a band of people... you've gotta clothe them all... and what better way then with outfits that set eachother off... Be it tha simplicty of a sash... a shade of color... there is some magic that either sets apart or hides tha leader... Minimum of three people... five would be preferable...

Prize: 5k Ingots & 500 Cloth.

Grand Masters

This is the only catagory where the craftsman... not the wearer... competes... Everything must be marked with your name on it... or be a magic item worthy of tha suit... This will be held to a higher standard... not only their fit but tha quality of tha craftsmanship... We expect tha best of tha best from tha best...

GM Single Outfit Prize: 500 Verite & 500 Valorite Ingots.
GM Couple Outfit Prize: 250 Cloth & 500 Hides & Silver Sandals.

Unforgetables

We've covered tha best outfits... and tha best crafted ones... now it's time for tha most unforgetable... Tha ones that really stand out... be thay good or bad... We've come up with three unforgetable catagories...

Most Colorful Outfit Prize: Marked Outfit made of 7 Colors.
Loudest Outfit Prize: Full suit of armor made of gold.
Plainest Outfit Prize: Unmarked GM Iron Outfit.

Remember... only tha Grand Master contests require you be tha craftsman... tha rest are welcome to everyone... Hope to see you there... That's the 29th... 7PM PST... in the marketplace near the Skara Brae bank...

Fred - TBN

Yes we have (and will continue) to introduce new items to the game without announcing it. We'd rather not announce them as we feel that part of the fun is not only finding the items, but also, figuring out what they do.

Players should not call Counselors or GameMasters to ask about these items. They will not provide information about them.

-Calandryll
Manager of Community Services

I will be hosting an auction this Sunday, July 30, 2000 at 8pm EST. The auction will be held at the S-Mart Auction house which is northeast from Minoc and north-northeast from Vesper. The sextant coordinates are 139'28" N, 129'52" E. Also, for your convenience, Myrrden will be providing free runes and gates to the auction house at the West Britain Bank from 7-7:55pm EST. The auction will begin promptly at 8pm EST. Please note the following rules to help make the auction go smoothly for all involved:

1) No fighting, casting, or unnecessary talking during the auction please. If you must talk, form a party with your friends.

2) Turn off your UNICODE in the uo.cfg file so that your voice can be heard more than 4 tiles away.

3) All sales are final and must be paid in full immediately following the auction.

If you wish to sell items at the auction please follow this procedure:

Place the items (no more than 4 please) in a bag with a book.

The book should have your name as the author and should contain your ICQ or email address and any minimum bids on the items you wish to sell.

Bring the bag with your items to the shop by 8pm EST on Saturday, July 22, 2000.

There is not and never will be any charge for using the auction! I run it for you the players!

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me or ICQ me. Be sure to come by the auction, you never know what kind of great deals you might find!

Hope to see you there Sunday at 8pm EST!Remember, shop smart, shop S-Mart!

Foster
Owner
S-Mart Auction House

ICQ# 75760974

(Terminus, SP) A sweeping change has unfurled itself across the lands of the Imperium. War. A unilateral move, voted in action by the Imperial Senate has brought the might of the Imperium and its allies down upon the Knights of Glory and Beer (KGB)and her allies. All factions appeared in the first public Senate meeting. Officials from other guilds were invited to witness this action so there would be no misinterpretations of the Imperial Decree.

The motion to pass a declaration of war against the KGB was voted in by the Temple of Mondain, Temple of Darkness, and the Citizenry. Affiliated alliances also vowed support to the action. The Order of Golden Dawn and the Disciples of the Moment have stated their willingness to see the war through to the end.

Lady Snow, Senator of the Citizenry, raged with fury,"We are no longer willing to wait for the next 'incident' to occur!" She referred to one of several occasions where the KGB attacked civilians and later apologized.

Dolan Crestfled, representative of the ToD backed the motion for war, "We ask for a declaration of war [on the KGB] and on all who support them." Dolan spoke towards the allies of the KGB explaining they will no longer be able to sit on the fence and remain neutral.

Fabius Bile, righteous leader of the Temple of Mondain instructed, "We can have no division of thought, we must have a united front!" Fabius also made note of the countless times forces of the KGB crossed into Imperium soil for purposes of vengeance.

Allies of the Imperium stepped up to the podium pledging their support. Mocker of OGD tells his side, "We have stood witness to KGB's treacheries against this fine nation."

Several other guilds attended but took a more neutral stance of the issue. Mordrid of KGH announced, "We do not support the KGB, and we will not war thee."

Crassus Ta'Kier pressured the KGB by asking if JetStar would publicly recognize current Imperial Borders. JetStar who was present at the meeting with his support staff, responded by accepting war back. Crassus announced he will side with the force who is defending their homeland.

Once all leaders took the stand and presented their opinions, a vote went to the floor. A resounding AYE! was heard from the representatives passing the vote for war unanimously.

Arbiter Chickenhawk promises, "This will be total war, stripped of all pretenses."

There were no incidents after the meeting was concluded.

Confessions of Lord Zithral

In an attempt to wash away the black ooze in my mind and purify the remains of my rock-carved black heart I will confess to ye how I became such horror of a man and what my true motives were.

Like almost any other young mage at that time I was spoiled by my parents. They taught me how to be proper in front of authorities and noblemen, while their social abilities were somewhat lessened when being around the lower branches of social life. Their ignorance along with the fragile minds of the other nobles in town, was what eventually lead them to doom. My tutor, Sylvia, was she who wrought me up in the arts of magery – she taught me how the disciplines were practised and performed at their best. Her stunning beauty made me more eager to learn what she had to teach. She became my childhood “crush”…

One day while I was at school – this is like a perfectly clear memory inside my head – I could hear alot of angered voices and people screaming for mercy. The smoke was darkening the sky and the fire was intense lighting up most of the area I lived in. Outside the windows we could see a large mob of people from the part of town ridden by plague, disease and vermin – the lower social class. My tutor brought me to safety by using a magical device which cast us temporarily into another realm of security. The best thing she could possibly have done…

Now as we came back to search the rubbles and ruins of our once so great homes we found people scattered. They were now only shades of former life. People Gutted, crushed, burned, mutilated and beheaded – these were all part of the scenario surrounding us. In an early childhood I was confronted by a soul-bereaving event. My mother and my father lay like ashes in the place formerly known as our mansion. Only trace to reveal they had been human was the level of blood which was extreme. My grief was unbearable and from that day on I hated death…

Sylvia took me with her to her old clan – a tribe living in the woods. Most of it consisted of elves, but also shapes of woodland creatures I had never put eyes on before. My period there was short since Sylvia became an outcast. The chief there told her that she was cursed and he would not let the same happen to his town, which had happened to my hometown. One day while we were travelling through the forest we encountered a ghastly being – at that time I had no idea what it was, though now I know it was a lich – caused by the putrid death-written laughter which preys their insane mind and comes out their mouth. The undead ignored me, but took away Sylvia’s life with ease.

Not only was I a 14 year old kid left alone in haunted woods – everything I loved had been stolen from me now. Death was to blame and this was the phase that caused me to become the sinister person people would later know me as. No longer should people die, whether it be old age, starvation or disease. Nothing should end the lives of anyone again.

In the woods I found a nearby laying village and built a small straw hut outside. Even though I now lived as a poor I performed magical tricks in the town giving me an income. This income was used to buy quills, pens, fluids and alcohol. When I reached 20 years of age I was the only inhabitant of the place. So foul had my actions been, that people had been scarred away by the innumerable corpse diggings which had been done on their cemetery. These had all been used for my experiments, and even though some people might have considered me as the doer of these actions none dared confront me – as my magical abilities had improved far beyond standards. When I was in my drunken moods I did not care if anyone got hurt or killed even though my constant struggle was to keep people from dying – I was a constant contradiction.

In the following 10 years I roamed Britannia in search for others alike me. I sought out necromancers to strengthen my wisdom on the issue. In this time I had taught myself through studies, how to awaken the dead. This process was very intricate and needed supreme accuracy and overview. Xenadrim – one of the necromancers I found strolling the countryside like me improved my knowledge of herbs – it was then I realised that by using liquids created through alchemy the awakened dead could be improved by far. Though this man had wanderlust like me and our ways quickly went in separate directions.

When I reached my thirties a conclave was built. I built this foul den of undeath with the sole intention of finally reaching the conclusion to the formulae of eternal life. Because of my despicable reputation thieves and assassins came by all the time to get my lethal dozes of venom. Dark-hearted mages would also now and then pass by to share knowledge and learn – so I was never totally isolated from the outside world. Finally having almost reached success in my studies a being interfered in my work…

Juliette a perfect resemblance of my former tutor came to my residence. I know not why she came, or how she found out I lived there cause she did not have any interests in the occult at all. The lady broke my studies by rendering me powerless to her endless charms and outstanding looks. Death was no longer a combatant and the war against us had temporarily ceased. This lady was a marvel and she proved to be able to gather my consciousness away from the fields of necromancy for another 30 years, in all of this time the only profession I still performed was doing poisons and potions using plants in the forest around my establishment.

Finally when we were old and I began having troubles doing my work, I suddenly realised I needed to continue my work again – take up necromancy once more. I read through my great tomes of necromancy to refresh the old art I had performed. When my lady was stricken with a grotesque disease I intensified my research. Luckily within a year she was cured. My alchemy brewed liquids had improved beyond the extraordinary and I found out they would do very well as the last required components of immortality.



This day is today – and my lady now nothing more than skin and bones has been cured of the vile disease which infested her for a year. With grace I will lower my dagger into her heart after having drugged her. If everything goes as planned we will both awaken…young and granted eternal life. This is my confession, if both of us fail to pass unto the afterlife I pray for ye - the reader to share some pity on what fool I have been – my notes and tomes will be thine. But if we both succeed I hope for ye that thou should never encounter us at night. For it would be the night thou would finally realise how much thou treasure thy life.

I, Madman – the sage, found this document lying scattered along with dozens of other similar texts. It was while I was out travelling – someplace I will not reveal, that I stumbled across the remains of a large building. Seemed as if the place had just been left to rot at first, though as I took a close look it was more interesting than most people would suspect. The residence was totally abandoned – no life forms - rats and vermin that might otherwise normally have plagued a decaying house were not to be found. I had to put clothes up to cover my face as I was surprised by the horrific stench of death. A reek of some mystified force or as if something lifeless had been left to rot forever. To lessen and reduce the petrifying smell I got on my knees and started crawling.

I searched the big front room – it had a large bed and some broken chairs. Most exquisite was the broken mirror I found on a desk near the bed. Even though it was shattered it seemed as if I appeared somewhat more vigorous and young when gazing into it and even more stunning – I realised that inside the mirror, the reflection shown on the other side was not that of an old ruined establishment, but rather a fine thriving settlement. From the mirror I could hear vague voices as if it was a direct link to the past. I was of course amazed by this and as I tried to “recall” out with this marvellous magical object I found out that I could not release this mirror from its position at the desk. Starring into it for half an hour I realised that no more could be gained of wisdom from this particular item currently.

After studying the house thorough, of course with aching knees. I found that most of my interest lay in these strange documents I found. It seems that this place was the former residence of a necromancer referred to as “Lord Zithral the Gravedigger” by ignorant, and “Zithral – reviver of worms” by companions. Whether the lord survived the transformation or not, there is no clues to show any sign of it.

I took the documents and tomes with me. As the text said – the one who finds them is entitled to keep them. Oh, what Glory – this seems to have been the best day in ages for me! I have magically warded the mirror so no one else can try grabbing it. When I have found a way I will test if I can loosen the mirror and report further on my studies when I have found more of interest to the public. Even though I heard rumours of a person named Norn having met this being in the flesh I would like to met the “it” if such should exist. Though at current I believe the picture of the creature to be a forgery. Perhaps a spy has searched through my documents or something alike to get the info on Zithral and post it before I had a chance to really dive into it. Though if it is in fact true that this person has met the animated being who went under the name “the reviver of worms” I would pay more than a penny to get an audience with the lord.

As I mentioned, I will inform if there is any progress in my research. Any clues or small details will be accepted generously. Thou can find me living at these co-ordinates 37o 26N 27o 59E in my public tower.

Signed
Madman

It was a windy day with lots of rain, leaving the ground muddy. But despite of these bad conditions, three men gathered with their swift horses at the Minoc town hall on Trammel to compete in the first Minoc horserace. Joxer, Roget de Vallion and Vagan prepared to become frist champion fo Minoc in a race, which should prove to have a very unexpected outcome. Vagan did ride out of competition, since he couldn't gather the 1000 coins entry fee in time, but he took the challenge as test for races to come.

The picture below shows the route of the race. Starting from the Minoc town hall (1), the race goes to the bridge crossing to the mines, with the first checkpoint (2). After that, the horses have to climb the serpent road to the upper mine and crossing a line there at the second checkpoint (3). Moving down again, they must find their way eastward around the mountain, leaving the stables to the right and finally reaching the finish line at the entrance to "The Barnacle" inn (4).

After explaining the rules, the racers were started. Joxer and Vagan had a good start, rushing towards the bridge. Roget however was struck by bad luck! His horse decided to become restive and didnt want to start, leaving the poor rider no choice but trying to persuade it for a long time (yes - he lost con for about 2 min!). Joxer and Vagan left the fist checkpoint behind them and Vagan moved up the serpent road. Joxers horse however must have gotten too nervous by all this. It went wild and rushed off into the wilderness. Vagan reached checkpoint two and headed back down. Then however, he started to search for the way around the mountain. After some looking, he did find the narrow passage and followed the way, reaching the finish line first. But since he was racing out of competition, the true champion had still to be found. Around this time, Roget was able to persuade his horse to start the race at last. Though seeing little hope in winning, he still made haste. Riding his way all alone and reaching all checkpoints without further problems, he came to the finish line. Totally surprised, he heard that he had indeed won the race - although starting 2 minutes after the actual start - since Joxer was still trying to regain control over his horse. After several minutes Joxer arrived and Roget received his prize of 2000 coins.

Due to the various difficulties, the racing party decided to have a relaxing "chill-out" in the tavern, where we could convince Roget to spent a lot of his prize money in ale and liquor *grins* The picture below shows the winning-feast. Roget de Vallion, first Minoc horserace-champion, is the gentlemen in black robes and purple cape.

Watch out for the announcement for the next Minoc race - probably comming next week!

Best wishes,
Yoldran.

The flamboyent and sometimes controversial Srdolch, sometime Mayor of Valendor and head of Ye Great Srdolch Merchants sent the following notice:

"I, Srdolch have tonight put a deadly poisoned dagger in my heart. The light that once shone upon Ye Great Srdolch Merchants and friends finally stops to shine. It had been shining dim for a while already, always hoping to shine bright once again, but tonight all hope of having the largest shop on Valendor was shattered.

"I would like to say farewell to all my good friends on Drachenfels and say many thanks to all the people that ever visited one of Ye Great Srdolch Markets.

"Goodbye to all of you. Come and visit me in the woods sometime where I am now a hermit."

The Seelie Court of Britain's pilgrimage to the Shrine of Honor, which was announced on this very news page, sadly ended in controversy, with some claiming that the SCB used the pilgrimage as an excuse for murder, and the SCB defending their honor.

Freelance reporter Rabin Siggurson filed this report:

"I wish to report on the behavior of the Seelie Court of Britain (SCB) yester eve and ask that the citizens of Britannia plead with Lord British to bring these murderers to justice.

"I traveled to view the progress of the SCB quest to carry gold in pack horses along the Vesper road. I observed them have trouble with thieves, as one would expect with such a virtuous quest, and small battles erupted. However, in several instances the members of the SCB caravan were guilty of public acts of murder and other crimes against the person.

"I was later alerted that an innocent bystander had been foully slain by these evil deceivers. Their claims of a quest to 'serve the cause of the virtues' are laughably false! The bystander, a maiden by the name of 'Callisto', had rebuked the SCB for murdering the horse of a probable thief. Their attack on the alleged thief may not have been justified since I was assured that if any of the town guards had been present, they would have protected the slain rogue who had not committed an act against his killer.

"The SCB then immediately turned on the fair Callisto and brutally murdered her. Then, as she languished in her spirit form she observed them kill her mount too! An artist nearby captured images of this event, including proof that the fair Callisto was allowed to report her murderers in the hope of seeking justice against them.

"I would encourage all citizens of Britannia to be wary of these SCB murderers."

"First of all I want to thank anyone for actually commenting on our behalf, even if its bad news.

"Seems to me that actually some innocents were killed along the way. I have to apologize for that, but of course I know that stain will remain for some time, but let me at least explain our situation.

"We where leaving Minoc and about 15 seconds after leaving town we were under heavy siege from thieves. 10 minutes after we left, only two packhorses were left (and you can ask the thieves, they were actually loaded with 10K each!!!). Of course some of our guards had become a bit angered about this, because the thieves just attacked our packhorses, which drew them away.

"Well after our first camp near Cove we had no packhorse left, although our members had managed to secure 10K. So we got a new packhorse and traveled on.

"Upon coming near to the Crossroads Britain, Yew, and Minoc, a band of murderers attacked, and that's where everything got messed up. A small fight erupted into a war, and some of us actually died out there as well defending our trek.

"Our attack group, which had the order to go after troublemakers, didn't kill randomly. They never would. But imagine the following. You chase down a thief that runs with your money. You manage to kill him, and wanting to be sure he doesn't come back so fast, you kill his horse. But an adventurer stands on the sidelines, commenting "You can't do that.'

"All I can say is that it is actually very hard to differ good from bad in those situations. What if that maiden adventurer had been actually a helper of the Thieves or murderers? Of course again, maybe this seems like no apology. However, I wish to stress that nobody who joined us in Minoc was killed by

"All I can do is urge everyone to maybe believe me, and my word."

Go with the virtues!

Are ye interested in buying cheap wares? Ye need some armor or weapons or house add-ons or other crafted items fer good price? Then visit da first Black Market on Catskills! It will take place on Friday, July 28th at 7 pm EST on da Buccaneer's Den docks on da Trammel facet!

Da United Pirates organize da Black Market as a recurring event, ta sell deir contraband fer very reasonable prices to da public. If ye visit da Black Market, be aware that ye will come across smugglers, beggars, pirates, robbers, alcoholics and thieves, basically da worst scum of Britannia.

There's always a high risk dat da judge or guarding guilds will try ta extinguish the smuggling activities, and fights or criminal acts cannot always be avoided.

Remark: This is a recurring roleplaying event to stimulate the guild interaction, which will take place about once a month. Background stories and schedules will be regularly posted on the United Pirates homepage at:http://www.unitedpirates.uoguilds.com/index.html

The Corsair Hawkeye Pike

Our land is a strange one, filled with mysterious sites and buildings. It seems that the Tigra Clan has found one such site. Read on!

"Dearest Orc, (Ith'unk's note: I eat this stuff up)

"I bring you news. The Tigra Clan, a Trammel based guild, has happened upon one of their great citadels and reclaimed it. We are working around the clock to make this citadel (and the surrounding village) what it was in its glory days. Soon in this village you will be able to find just about anything you could ever need. However, this day is a ways off yet, as getting the old bones out of the citadel and mopping up the blood is hard work.

"Never the less we have planned a reopening party for the citadel (named Tigra citadel). 'A reopening' you ask? Well, you see this was once a grand city, and we are just making it back into that.

"Now, I am sure you just want to hear about what you get for coming. Well there will be 30 gift bags handed out at the door. Each bag contains a 100 gold, some food, a marked rune plus either a gm made or magic weapon (other items too). Not just weak magic items either but a few silver and power, according to our plans.

But wait! There's more! One bag will have a hair change deed in it. After everyone is here, we will have story telling, free food and drink; the biggest feast you ever seen!

"Please come and support us. You can find us at 73o 33'n, 63o 33'e. We are on Trammel side and along the road from Britain to Vesper. If you need a gate, contact me using the mystic icq vapors 47253153. The time and date for the party is Friday, August 4th, from 7:30pm to 8:00pm EST."

Praise Minax!

It was 1 past noon as Gillia and I were standing out side our tower north of Britain, when we spotted a group of bandits approaching from the west. They were quite untrained and quickly dispatched after they attacked us. They were holding a prisoner also, also with a chest of loot, probably from their successful raids.

Then as soon as the last bandit was dispatched a figure covered in a pure black suit of leather armor, appeared out of no where. She greeted us quickly and walked calmly to untie Faye, the prisoner of the bandits. Just then another set of bandits appeared, possibly those who lagged behind the main group, I cannot say. They were also quickly killed.

After closer inspection I realized that this figure from the shadows was named Vallana Darklight, quite a foreboding name.

She actually stayed around long enough to answer a few questions, one of which, "Are you with these bandits" was quickly answered when another bandit appeared and attacked her instead of us. She was not with them. She stated she only came for the girl, and showed no interest in the chest setting beside her.

After a few minutes of talk, she revealed the reason she stayed to talk. She needed a way to get to Felucca, and admitted to having no stone, nor knowing how to work one.

I offered to give her one which we had in the tower. After leading her to the storage room we handed her a spare moonstone. We of course noticed her casing the room, and "kindly" reminded her what happens to thieves.

We then led her out of the tower, and showed the use of the stone, she quickly entered the moongate with the captive who she rescued(?), and I did notice how she paid little heed to the warning of Minax possibly dwelling in those lands.

Oddly enough, she gave a treasure map in return for the stone. I have no idea what the map details, as I was unable to decode it. It may be a simple treasure map, or it could be more. Either way I am making special care to keep it in a safe spot. I enclosed an image of Vallana, maybe others have information, and know about this character.

-Emonious, GM of the Knights of the Golden Heart

Hawkeye Pike's ship sunk in a heavy storm sum weeks ago. Rumors have been put about dat a treasure of immense value was stored in da ship's hold, and a first trace of dis treasure has now appeared mysteriously. Every adventurer brave enuff is invited ta solve riddles and hunt for dese unknown riches! It is said dat a merchant will show up at da Jolly Roger Inn (Catskills, Felucca) on Saturday, July 29th at 7 pm EST, who might be able ta provide ye wid da necessary information.

A map to the Jolly Roger Inn, as well as detailed information, can be found at: http://www.unitedpirates.uoguilds.com/index.html

Da followin' rules apply for da treasure hunt:
- Participants have ta be highlighted with the United Pirates.
- Recalling and other travellin' spells are forbidden! Ye have ta use a ship.
- Greed or self defense allows ye ta slay other competitors. Sea battles are allowed!
- Energy Vortexes and Blade Spirits are forbidden!
- Mass murderin other crews is not allowed though. Be fair and leave others a chance!
- Lootin' other crews members is not allowed!

Saturday July 29th
Announcing Minoc's Saturday Night Flea Market (Trammel Facet/Catskills)

Now that Catskills housing is complete, it is time for another Defenders of Justice Flea Market. Blacksmiths, tailors, fletchers, alchemists, scribes and merchants of all types are invited to attend to sell their wares in the rugged mining town of Minoc.

The last Flea Market in Trinsic was a huge success, attended by scores of players from all over Sosaria. The demand for goods far exceeded what those lucky merchants who attended were able to produce. Raw materials such as ingots, wood and leather were also in great demand. Any merchants who were selling quality magic weapons were swamped with adventurers making bids. Those merchants who come prepared will surely leave Minoc much wealthier than when they arrived.

House add-ons will be in great demand so craftsman capable of making such sought after items will surely make a killing. Also, anyone who has been busily preparing a vendor shop are asked to bring runes to distribute.

Visit our Catskills Trading Message Board for up to date information about the Flea Market http://www.sitepowerup.com/mb/view.asp?BoardID=101975

Where:
Statue Park in Minoc (Just NW of Minoc Bank)
Trammel Facet

When:
Saturday, July 29th
7-9pm (est)

Sponsored by:
The Defenders of Justice
doj.jumpfun.com

Organized by:
Kerrigan, Earl of Justice (DoJ)

Hail thee of the land! I write this day to tell o' four events which the Cult o' the Azure Dragons shall sponsor in the comin' weeks. All events, save one, are open t' all o' the public, and we invite virtuous and noble folk t' attend. Shouldst the information below nae be enough, please feel free to contact us via messenger at [email protected] or visit our webstone at http://www.alterythem.com/cad. PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL EVENTS WILL TAKE PLACE IN FELUCCA.

TRAINING FOR THE DRAGONKNIGHTS
This event is reserved for the DragonKnights alone, and is sponsored by the Cult o' the Azure Dragons to help impart some o' their battle knowledge to assist in makin' the DragonKnights a more cooperative force. If thou art a DragonKnight, please come forth to the Temple of Nexchronosis in Dracona 'pon Del'Vytec, Year o' Shepherds Way (Wednesday, August 2nd, 2000 at 8:00pm CST). Members o' the Cult o' the Azure Dragons shall assist thee in combat skills and cooperative skills, and this event shall also be used that the current DragonKnights may better get to know each other.

A PRAYER AT HUMILITY LOST
'Pon Chro'Norac, Year o' the Shepherds Way (Thursday, August 10, 2000 at 8:00pm CST), the Cult o' the Azure Dragons shall meet at the Shrine o' Humility Lost (formerly the Shrine o' Humility) and hold a brief prayer service both in respect of the virtue of Humility, and to ask guidance for our upcoming choosing of a successor to Aureal, DragonKnight o' Humility. All noble and virtuous folk are invited to attend and share in this prayer.

TEST OF HUMILITY
The time hae come to choose a DragonKnight to succeed Aureal as the DragonKnight o' Humility. All are invited to try thy hand at becoming the next DragonKnight, but know that you will be tested in your humility as well as your prowess with weapon skill. Words o' caution: (1) Anyone chosen as the Second DragonKnight o' Humility must know that it is a temporary position, as every month or two we shall choose a new DragonKnight, thus allowing new folk to join the fold; therefore it must be that anyone chosen be mature enough to pass on the Sash o' Humility when comes the time; (2) Anyone chosen will be expected to act with honor and humility at all times, and work with the other DragonKnights to promote virtue throughout the land; (3) Finally, whomever be chosen must know that as Dracona is the City o' Humility and they are representatives o' such, they shall be expected to keep in touch with the Cult o' the Azure Dragons frequently and pass on any news as comes available. Shouldst thou wish to join in this test, ye need simply arrive at the Temple o' Nexchronosis 'pon Myr'Norac, Year o' the Shepherds Way (Wednesday, August 16, 2000 at 8:00pm CST).

SEARCH FOR THE FOURTH TOME OF DRAGONKIND
Time hae arrived for us to seek the fourth tome o' dragonkind. We hae succesfully recovered three o' these tomes since our founding nearly twenty years ago (October 1998), and now we shall seek the fourth o' the seven tomes. Our intent is to find the remaining four tomes with haste, and unravel the mystery o' the Codex that seems to be the only wording 'pon the pages o' the tomes we hae already found. Should ye wish to aid us in recoverin' this tome, ye shouldst meet at the Temple o' Nexchronosis 'pon Bri'Vytec, Year o' the Shepherds Way (Sunday, August 20, 2000 at 7:00pm CST). Those who are o' the group who successfully return the tome to us shall be well rewarded w' gold, weaponry, armor, and other treasures. For more information about the previous tomes, visit http://www.alterythem.com/cad/tomes/q7t_prelude.htm> May the dragongods smile upon us in this quest. I shall send reminders 'bout these events as they draw nearer, but I felt 'twould be best to set forth this information now that ye may know what our intentions are. Again, should ye hae any questions, feel free to contact us at [email protected] and we shall do our utmost t' be o' assistance.

May the dragongods smile 'pon thee.

Ra'Dian Fl'Gith
High Priest, Cult of the Azure Dragons

I've recently been on something of a diet, as the old ale-belly has been making my ring mail fit poorly, so imagine my delight when I received a lo-cal pigeon from Maximus, Lord of the Gladiators:

"As Aahz did, I would like to announce the formation of a market on the Felucca facet, as we desperaetly need one. The Vendor Market will be ran by myself, and individuals wishing to place vendors there may contact me. The Gladiators are always seeking new members as well."

Praise Minax!

Tomorrow (Thursday the 27th), the event scheduled for last Sunday will take place! Meet in the township of Havenhold at 8:30 PM PST--we will venture to the island city of Nujel'm to claim the potion promised by Shalidor Kraas, the key to defeating the gargoyle Sythandris!

From there we will proceed to the valley inhabited by Sythandris, where we will retake the stolen Orb of Ollathair! Battle is expected! Runes to Havenhold may be found at the Dark Tower, the YMCA, and Ironwood.

Safe Journeys! (c)VT

Publish Update, July 26th

We will be publishing several changes to the shards on Wednesday, July 26th. This publish will be active on all shards following their next scheduled maintenance period, or downtime.

The changes updated in this publish include:

• Purple names for all OSI volunteers (including counselors and seers). Official OSI volunteers will now appear with purple names, allowing you to recognize them as volunteers without requiring that you look at their paperdolls or clothing. This change will not affect companion names
• Item weight limits removed from vendors. We will be updating monitoring systems for vendors and, as part of this change, will be removing the item weight limits from vendors.

The changes will be added to Latest Game Updates once the publish is active on all shards.

To Pelle,
From Sir Aranath,

I send you my greetings friend. May the Virtues bless your deeds and thoughts. I write you this letter to inform you of the events that transpired Tuesday night. I thought that since you could not attend yourself, you would be interested in knowing what was decided.

We all gathered in Lord British’s briefing room at approximately 10:00pm Eastern time. There were many new faces present, which I consider fortunate, seeing as we seem to need all the aid we can gather in this on-going struggle against evil. However, due to the fact that they were not privy to all the information that we older campaigners were, many questions were asked that most of us knew the answers to. Finally Sir Hoyt, a guard of Britannia, and Lord Tremain (who had helped us originally subdue Elle) spoke up. After some time, Elle’s judge, prosecutor, defender, and jury were chosen. I will not go into detail now on who fits what role, as I know not if this letter may be intercepted by the dark lady’s minions. I will say only I believe Elle will be fairly tried. The trial has now been set for Thursday the 27th, at 11:00pm, Eastern time. (8 pm Pacific) This is one hour late than originally stated. It will be at the Yew courthouse in Trammel.

After Sir Hoyt and Lord Tremain finished choosing the court, many of the gathered quickly departed. Those of us who stayed behind, however were told by the Britannian guard that a large group of spiders had been terrorizing the citizens north of Britain proper. Without wasting much time, the rest of us (there were roughly 5-8 of us left) rushed out of the castle, and headed to the coordinates we had been given. On our way there, much to my delight, we met Dirk Fireslinger, who had not been at the meeting. Over half the group went on ahead to a possible lair of the spiders, while a few of us searched the town for clues. Not finding any, we all headed to the original coordinates. I got separated from Sir Dirk and Lord Hawkwing, and found myself somewhat lost. A pigeon from Dirk though, put me back on their trail.

Pelle, what I write next is not in jest. You know I would not lie. When I arrived at the scene, the group was already deep in combat with a tremendous swarm of spiders. They were being led by vile Black Widow spiders, a particularly lethal breed. The corpses of the monsters piled high around the group, and I found myself knee-deep in their filth as I waded into the fight. We made our way from the field where we dueled them into their very lair. I do not joke when I tell you I believe there were more spiders against our small band than there had been mages the other night when we rescued Sir Bladesong. The sheer number of the things astounded me. Fighting forward when we had the advantage, and falling back when we were poisoned were our key strategies. Black Widows joined the fray, making it more complicated. We were all fighting five or six spiders at once. Luckily we held out. The Virtues were indeed with us tonight. As the last spiders fell, we all breathed a sigh of relief. It was short-lived however.

Not moments after I wiped the last remnants of spider blood and juices off my blade, Frost Spiders and Dread spiders emerged from their holes. The number of frost spiders was so great, it seemed an entire sea of white rushed to take us. We fought our way farther into the lair, when we saw an incredibly large group of the beasts headed towards us. I called for us to form a line, with each person healing the person he stood next to. With this tactic, we were able to hold off the horde of eight-legged monstrosities. With the lair now clear, we were able to walk back outside, and finish off the last pockets of spider resistance, with help from newly arrived allies. After we were finished, Dirk generously transported us to Liberalis for a free round of drinks, to celebrate our hard-earned victory. Some of the warriors found it amusing to pick on my preference for milk over ale. It does not bother me though. I am used to it anymore.

As you can see, friend, tonight was a night of unexpected twists, but the primary goal was accomplished. Elle’s court was chosen, and the trial was scheduled. I pray to the Virtues that it is a just trial. For her, and for the Realm.

May the Virtues guide your actions and words in all the ways of your life.

Sir Aranath,
Paladin of Sosaria

The Stratics IRC team is seeking energetic and motivated people to serve in our expanding Events Department and Customer Service Department. These are volunteer positions which carry IRCop powers on our network.

All applicants must possess the following qualifications:

• Experience with IRC commands
• Experience in a customer-service related field
• Familiarity with major MMORPGs on the market or in development
• Creativity and ability to plan events (for the Events Department position)

If you feel you meet these requirements and are interested in a position in the Stratics IRC Network, please send an email stating the position desired, your experience, qualifications, and any other pertinent information.

Xander

The Ancient Order of Elves/ElF will be hosting a Dungeon run Saturday, July 29 at 7:30 pst. All Pacific Shard Roleplayers are welcome to Join us for this will also be a recruiting event For those who might be interrested in joining to meet those of the Order. Of course the loot will be split amongst those in attendance.

The Meeting will Take place in the Britians Artists Guild on the Trammel Facet. Gates can be provided for those that need them. If you have any questions Please Visit our Site and Post on our Forum.

Be well and Safe Travels,
Devon Irontree, Sylvan Knight of the Order

Bannaghey rish co-hroailtagh! (or greetings fair traveller if ye wants me to speak common tongue),

I think the time is right to tell you the tale of the 9 Witches and the prophecy which it holds. But before I start to talk about the future I think it is best ye listens to my past.

I was born and raised as a commoner in Moonglow. My parents were not of wealthy origin but nevertheless were always there to support me in the things I did. I led a fairly simple life until I was about 14 years old. While wondering in the forest I came across an old woman lying in a clearing. The nosy person I was drove me closer to her. I was shocked to see this old lady bore many wounds and shreeked at the sight of them. This of course alerted the old lady to my presense. She tried to stand up but to no avail, so she beckoned me closer. What happened next is a blur to me as the years have faded my memories but a few things still stand out now that I sit here to write it all down.

The old woman talked to me about the Prophecy of the nine Witches. She told me fate had brought me near her and that I was destined to be part of this prophecy. I would know a life of great prosper, meet many new friends and create a haven for the commoners in Britain. But it would all abruptly end when a dark force would try to reveal the power held in the tomes of the nine witches. When that day arrived my life would change completely... I was shocked by so much horror but yet intrigued by the words of this dying old woman. I asked her when this tragedy would take place and the only answer I got was 'You will know when the tomes have been desecrated'. I hastly ran back to my parents house and vowed to myself to forget about everything that had happened.

The years went by, and I decided to move to Vesper where I finished my lessons in the arcane arts. I grew up to be a wealthy sorceress, lending my wisdom to gentle visitors of the fair city of Vesper. After a few years my restless mind drove me east of Vesper where I founded the Costa del Magia, haven for the commoners. But yet my heart was still restless. I felt a deep shadow casting itself over my heart. On the outside i knew everything was ok when i saw all the happy faces in the town, but deep within I knew this town was not meant to be...

It was only a couple years later when fate struck us. Minax had unleashed great dark power over the realm and our town was threatened by hordes of Trolls. We decided to defend the town to the last man, it was then that the prophecy hit me again. I remembered the words of the old lady in the forest and knew fate wanted me to go elsewhere. So i left the town, in the middle of battle, heartbroken to see so many friends die., but yet knowing that by leaving I would perhaps save the future of their children.

Today now, I have returned. I have searched long and hard to find clues about the 9 witches Prophecy and have learned a great deal from studying the language of the Wisps.

'It seems a long time ago 9 witches watched over the lands. These gentle yet mysterious women were chosen by the gods themselves to defend the virtues that hold the land together. The prophecy tells us that every third era on the third moon waxing the 9 witches are reborn in the body of a new baby. And every time the witches roam the land again, the forces of evil are at their highest peak as well. The force of the witches can only be seen when all 9 are united and only then do they stand a chance to withhold the powers of darkness. It is believed that a true witch can be identified by touching the Stone of the Necromantic Order of Witches.' and so goes the prophecy.

So far I have uncovered the Stone and have placed it in my newly built laboratory. Every woman possesing a pure heart may come to the keep and be tested if they are indeed one of the 9 witched spoken of in the prophecy, I will leave thee the co-ordintates of my keep, but beware, only the initiated can enter the keep......

Lady Shana
The 9th Witch

Of the clayns of the Anshien Gypsaie is little hearden. Hidden from allye normal eyen, then do they wend among othern. Master ayn mistress of takyng othern guise, are they knowed by few. Perhayps be they descended from Romani of old, perhaps of theyr own, who can saye? Four be the clayns, four be the elements, four be the mysterie deep non can yfill. Trew yvel by them come sometime, sometime be they of nayture guid as all human be. Be nae fooled by them, ayn look sharp tae find them. Remember that no gypsie will deny himself, if asked if they be so. Remember, too, that to know the name of a gypsie be to uncover them from anie guise. No gypsie will deny who they be really. And the runes of naming, of power, are to be kept secret, for no gypsy can deny truth to the runic naming.

First of theyse be the Clayn Aerie, of the air and the mysterie of seeing are they so possessed. They be of allye the clayn most gentel, most kynd. Reading of the card, and seeing of the glimpses of what are to be hidyen to the eyen of man are they known to do. Red be theyr colour. Always they wearen such. They can callen up the power of the air in form of elemental ayn too of energie pure if in danger. Theyr word of power is of the First Aett of the Elder Futhark runes. It be Raidho meaning the road ahead, the way to get there. When invoked, a Clayn Aerie must say what will come and may not lie. Such is the runic power. Yet they may evade truth. Listen carefully and ye shall kn…

Second of the clayn be the Clayn Achyron, naymed so legend sayen for a river dark of Hell itself. Of the water they be, and knowen the ways of tydes and changes of the wynd. Assassyn they be, and sea merchant of sort called pirate by some. Theyr naytures are changeable as the tydes. One moment they be kind, next perhaps crewl. Blue be theyr colour. They may callen upon the powers o' the ocean they love to summon up the waters. Theyr rune is Laguz, of the third Aett of the Elder Futhark. It be the water rune, and through it they callen to them the power o' the waters elemental. None of Clayn Achyron may lie to one who holds the rune's naming. When blood of the clayn mix, often there is fighting and dyscord. Some matches are to be seyked, others not to be questioned. When married to non-gypsie, the offspring be didikoi, inferior half-breed. Pikie are traitor, rebel, disowned. They are rogue to the clayn, and danger to us lie in theyr knowings.

Third of theyse be the Clayn Urdu, of the earth and the mysterie of working with metals they knowen. Smyths of fine armour be they, and they knowen the way of forging and of the earth. Hermit lyke they be, ayn to own blayde by their crafting is honour indeyd. Of nayture of them is little said. Quiet, and spyrit lyke the rock they be. Theyr colour be brown or green, of the earth. Theyr rune be Berkana, the bosom of the mother goddess, Earth from the Third Aett of the Elder Futhark They are peaceful, and wil work for any that invoke the rune of them, and lyke othern, cannot lie to any that ask of them in its name. Each chylde carries four nayme. One be the name of the family, one of the secret name gyve by the mother, one the name they be called by only othern of theyr kind, and last be the first name by which they be knowen. Mayke nae offense by using what name be nae allowed to ye.

Last of the clayn be the Clayn Sear, of the fire and of the animalen do they knowen. Magyking is theyr nayture and they are most dark of all clayn. Fear them, straynger and reader of thys book. Tis sayd of them their soul hae been burned at, 'til tis dark 'n charred with hayte in some. Perhayps the tsinivari have touched them. Theyr colour be of black or grey. They can polymorph shape to any animal or beaste. Their ritual rune of the First Aett of the Elder Futhark be Kenaz, a flaming brand. The rune aids them in calling animals, and none can lie to othern if it be invoked to them.

The segment regarding Clayn Sear had some notes scrawled at the end:

Here is the book you asked for. The little fool is almost as stubborn as the other was. This one must be watched carefully. She has some of the damnable good traits of her father. At least I can get the truth from her. Sarn was not gypsie, so it was easy to make sure he did not interfere again. Damned didikoi may be able to read the cards, but she cannot she what future I have planned for her. Thank the dark star of my birth and the book for letting me find that out from her mother that she will be needed or I might have had her killed by now for her insolence, despite the gypsie laws. The elementals will not touch her gypsie blood I fear. Stay well, sister, and remember… trust no one, promise anything, deliver death. I have put out a traitor's death order on Sardisha, by the way. That should bring a smile to your face. It would do my heart good to see her fall personally, but the assassins I hired should get the job done.

In common blood,

- Icewynd

Early this evening I was approached by a young female figure, the name was Feline the white, and she spoke to me of my recent troubles within this lands. I was very tentative at first, since she spoke of knowing someone who can help me find my dear bride. When I asked for proof and some solid evidence that she is who she says she is, the proof was plain and clear to see, she possessed some rare tobacco goods crafted by the master of Kaos, the mysterious Lord Zithral. This could be my one and only opportunity of finding my beloved Aphrodite, since the Lord was eminently respected by his junior counterpart, and might have just been told the location by the bragging fool.

From within a cigarette packet that was handed to me by this female student, there was a small scribble to the whereabouts of Zithral, simply written ‘Meet me in the centre, where thy might easily lose thy way’. From this after several hours of trying, I realised exactly where I will meet this man, the centre of the hedge maze west of Britain.

It took me almost an hour to find my way to the centre, and not until I stood on the pentagram, did the man appear himself amidst a circle of flames. It became clear exactly what this Zithral figure was, a powerful Lich Lord, slightly larger than your average undead master, but more intelligent and aware of its surroundings, truly a figure to be weary of. The Lord began to speak in a foul voice that echoed constantly around the small crypt in which he stood, he babbled on, ignorant of my questions, and said the following :- ‘We hear what thou do say young man and with regret our memory only show vague suggestions of the true whereabouts of Kaos, our apprentice. Compiled in our infinite wisdom we can only behold the Prince of Worms residing in the presence of a sombre atmosphere. Do we remember correct if we were to say he told us he would be lurking in the halls of death? – And as thou seek, thou will probably find lady Aphrodite by his side my liege.

Though beware, the bane of all light resides in murky chambers with the undead. His purpose and only aim is to spread chaos and as people search for him they eventually tend to lose their head. We hope such foul faith does not bereave thee of thy life… For with him – yes indeed he is joined by his grotesque hive… Murderers, fanatics, hopelessly lost people – all of which will donate their soul for the sake of Kaos’s despotic rule. For he is evil, the prince of darkness and his aura of hate which shines from his crown is his followers fuel… Search where there is death and eventually thou will find him and his gang… In the presence of tombs, corpses and rotting remains of former life – this is where they will hang.

We can help thee no more today young soldier, so please refrain from visiting us again this week. As thou probably do know – being the King of Worms is not an easy task.’ The lich lord then disappeared in the circle of flames in which he appeared, leaving me to decipher the location from the vague cryptic babble that left his lips. Several locations are in mind, but one is obvious, and I shall raise a small army to scout this area, if it turns out to be the location of which my bride is held, then I issue this cry, ‘please citizens of Britannia, join me in my struggle against this evil overlord, we shall crush him, and he shall wither to the worms in which he came from’.

Norn Iron Paul
Ultima Thule

The next Spiritwood Tavern Meet Market will be on Saturday the 29th of July at 21.00 cet (8pm gmt). Of course everyone is invited!

A few words about the Meet Market itself: Anyone from the crowd can take the stage and tell something about him or herself. He or she then offers an hour of fun. This can range from a date to lessons in being a good guildmaster. From magery training to a dungeon trip. Or from catering a picknick to being best man at a wedding. As long as it lasts one hour (or longer or shorter if agreed upon). The buyer and seller set a date for this during the next two weeks (before the next Meet Market). From then on the crowd may bid on this person while he or she advertises him or herself. Bids can go from 500 gold to 10.000 gold pieces or even more! Half of the gold will go to the tavern and the rest is for the seller. The tavern will use this gold for other events. And the gold should be paid after the Market is over (or at least in the week that follows). So if you would like to meet people, if you are in need of a good tailor or an alchemist or if you would like to show your partner how much you love him or her, come to the Spiritwood Tavern this saturday. Drinks and food will be free as always.

You can find the Spiritwood Tavern if you follow these directions: If you start at the Skara Brae docks right outside town, go east. Take the second road to your right (south) (at a crossroads). Keep going south untill the road turns eastwards. Keep following it and you will end up in Spiritwood. From the end of the road, go a little to the northeast and you'll see two large brick houses. The eastern one is the Spiritwood Tavern. The sextant coordinates are: 65S 27W and we are on Felluca.

If there are questions, please go to the #spiritwood IRC channel on the irc.stratics.com server or mail me at [email protected]. I hope to see you all there! :-)

Fenris, the Spiritwood Tavern Tavernkeeper.

Hail ye.

Just need to make some remarks on the situation in the Black Marsh Inn. Ones again the faction of Lord British Loyalist in the person of their leader Xel´naga show us their real face.

They tell you not all of what happened and what makes the situation escalating.

First of all the agreements told that its our duty to hold up the right in Vesper. So why didnt the judges ask us to arrest Tanq if there are any accusations.

Truth is that we made party to celebrate freedom in Vesper and to honour Tanq The champion of Vesper. Whithout his unbelievable stand against the enemies waves we wont have reached that in that short time maybe we still were under war now or even fallen. Truth is that we all drunk a lot of ale(still have a great headache) and were very loud so that no one took notice of thee.

Without more words thou put Tanq in chains and tracked him that we became great fear for his life. In Vesper it is not allowed by others then the Militia to arrest people. And even when we saw you as twin that evening (caused by ale); we are hold to face lawbreakers any time. And that time you were lawbreaker. And by the way you were really lucky that we all couldnt handle our weapons as we are used to when we not drink ale.

Tanq´s run away was an order from Legolas to save his life! it has nothing to do with guilty or not and Tanq would even in that situation have no fear for his own life.

All your behaviour and of those far away judges only shows that you still not accept our rights and that Lord British still not give up treating us as 3.rd class people.

But be aware, if any fool wants to do FVM´s work next time the Guard will punish that in the same manner as thou did handle Tanq. Maybe then no judge is necessary further.

This is just a comment from me as an eyewitness and not the official statement that will be made by Legolas our Guildleader who is on a short journey.

with regards

slow
Captain of the Guard
Free Vesper Militia

A lot has happened over the course of several months. I lost my husband, Xornicon Altair, to the wrath of a vengeful and angry god. This god not only took Xorn's youth, but his morality and quite possibly his sanity as well. What was once a studious, loving man was now a vicious, murdering messenger of death. It was on these grounds that I had our marriage dissolved, for this was not the man I had loved and married. Many friends have been there for me in this dark time, but one was most prominent in his support. Through the course of time we grew closer until we could no longer deny the love that had developed between us, and he asked for my hand in marriage. I speak of our own Vladimir Taltos, who I have come to love intensely, and unconditionally, and happily accepted his proposal.

So, with a joyous heart I announce the exchanging of our vows on Saturday, July 29th at 8pm PST at the Serpent's Hold Counselor's Hall. The reception will be held on the roof of the Hall overlooking The Serpent's Hold Sea.

Runes will be placed at the Arcadian First New headquarters and at the Ocllo County General Store, located just NE of the Ocllo bank.

Please join us in our holy union as I take the Taltos name. May the gods bless this wonderful day and keep it for eternity.

Major Raistlia Whyntir.

Thanks!

Lich Soulstealer has agreed to begin events in Golgotha to raise revenue for the kingdom. The first ever Golgotha Woodchop will be held this Wednesday at 7pm pst in Golgotha. What is the Golgotha Woodchop you ask? It is a contest to see who can get the most logs in 5 minutes.

Each contestant will start from the Golgotha Carpenter & Tinker guild and chop all the trees they can in 5 minutes. 1 partner is allowed to hold logs if the carpenter becomes overburdened. Anyone who kills a fellow competitor will be automatically disqualified and forfeit his entry fee. any partners found to be helping in the wood cutting will mean the disqualification of that team and their entry fee.

Entry fees are:
1 carpenter 500 pieces
1 carpenter and 1 partner 1000 gold pieces

First prize will be 25k to the team or person with the most logs.
Second prize will be 10k to the team or person with the second most logs.
Third prize will be 5k to the team or person with the third most logs.

Judging will be done by Golgotha Representative. Lich Darkon and there will be referees on scene to make sure no cheating goes on. Logs only will be counted, not boards.

A rune to Golgotha Kingdom can be found at the YMCA. Directions the the city are as follows: Go south from Britain along the road to Trinsic. Once you cross the bridge south of Britain just after the wilderness guard tower, turn east and follow the shoreline till you reach the Golgotha Town Hall Tower.

Golgotha welcomes all carpenters from across the land!

*Stamped with the seal of Golgotha*

Sometimes, in spite of our best efforts, virtue triumphs. To illustrate this, let me share with you this lengthy tale I received from Siawn, a Squire of Order for the Order of Might:

"As many of you may know, the recent disappearance of Za'ul, the Lord Magister of the Order of Might and one of the founding members of the town of Valor, has been a topic of much lamentation for the citizens of that fair community. However, the discovery of a mysterious book on the road north of Trinsic led to a perilous quest that resulted in the recovery of the missing lord. The account that follows comes from both my own observations and the words of my comrades in arms; any events that may have been omitted are purely the fault of the storyteller.

"One fine day, I was at my home in the city of Valor when I was paid a visit by Lord Thorvin of the Order of Might. Greatly honored by his presence in my home, I was nevertheless unsettled by his demeanor3/4he appeared both elated and worried. Before I could inquire about his curious state, he said, "There will be an emergency meeting at the Council of Lords tonight. I am requesting that all available warriors of the city of Valor be in attendance." When I inquired about specifics, Lord Thorvin simply stated, "Today has been a day of both great hope and great despair… details will be given at the meeting." With those final words, Thorvin turned and walked away.

"At the meeting that night, the attendance was sadly low. Although everyone Lord Thorvin spoke with managed to come, the notice was simply too short for all warriors of The Order to be located. Thorvin and Cyn were the only present members of the Council of Lords, and only seven Squires of the Order were in attendance. Nevertheless, the meeting began in short order. Thorvin began by telling everyone that Lord Za'ul's personal journal had been discovered on the Trinsic/Britain road. He then asked each present member to read of the journal so that they might grasp the gravity of the situation. I was the first to do so.

"Inside Za'ul's journal was an account of his capture (while meditating at the nearby shrine of Spirituality) by a horde of hundreds of orcs. The journal went on to describe the Lord Magister's eventual transfer to the vile dungeon Shame and his prayers for a rescue. However, perhaps the most unsettling feature of the journal was his description of the man who payed the orcs for his capture, Deacon Thorn of the Lords of Sin. According to the Lord Magister's journal, both Thorn and his lackeys spoke of themselves as devotees to Minax.

"When every present member of the Order had read the journal, it was decided that we would embark on a quest to rescue Za'ul. Although few in number, we knew that we would never be worthy of our titles if we allowed one so fair as Za'ul to remain in such dire captivity. After a few minutes of preparation, we began what would be one of the most perilous adventures that any of us had ever undertaken. The following members of the Order of Might embarked on this quest: The Lords Thorvin and Cyn, and the Squires Allysa, Britney Spearz, Dune D'Hara, Harsmeld, Kurn, William the Just, and myself. After Lord Cyn opened a portal to the entrance to Shame, we were on our way.

"Outside the dungeon, we were immediately assailed from all directions by a horde of ettins, trolls, ogres, orcs, orc lords, dire wolves, lizard men, and gazers. Although the foul creatures fought with all the fervor of the unholy to stop us, they were no match for our divinely-inspired fury. We cleared the woods outside the entrance to the dungeon without sustaining so much as a single serious injury. However, the darkness of Shame still beckoned and things would soon get much more dangerous.

"Entering the first level of Shame, we immediately met up with Mopher and Snipe, two members of a friendly guild who proved to be sympathetic to our plight. They joined our group, and, now eleven in number, we strode into the first level of Shame. The very rock beneath our feet seemed to be against us, as elementals of earth rose from the soil all around us. In seemingly inexhaustable numbers, they surged relentlessly toward us from every direction. We fought for what seemed like days as the blades, arrows, and magical forces of our group tore these foul beings asunder like ripe grain before the reaping blades of righteousness, and finally, we made it to the teleporter to the second level of the dungeon. However, our progress did not come without cost. Allysa had disappeared, and, despite our best efforts, we were unable to locate her. So, saddened by the lost of the high-spirited fencer, we proceeded without her.

"In the second level, we encountered much less resistence. Although elementals of earth, air, and water were present here, they came at us in greatly reduced numbers. In fact the few giant scorpions that we encountered provided us with far more difficulty than did the normally much more powerful elemental opponents. It may just be me, but doesn't it seem that during the past few days poison has gotten a great deal more troublesome in Britannia? As we prepared to enter the third level, we were in very high spirits. It seemed that we had already dealt with the worst that the dungeon had to offer… we couldn't have been more wrong.

"After arriving at the third level, we took a few minutes to regroup and plan. Noticing that we had seemed to encounter a bit of difficulty in healing our comrades in previous battles, I suggested to Lord Thorvin that perhaps we would be a more efficient force if we divided into two units of five. After careful thought, he and Lord Cyn agreed with me. Lords Thorvin and Cyn along with Dune, Kurn, and myself formed one group while Britney, Harsmeld, Sir William, Mopher, and Snipe formed the other. Facing two forking tunnels, my group took the western passage while the other group took the eastern. Consulting maps of the dungeon led us to believe that these two paths would eventually meet at a designated rally point. Although the maps were accurate, they failed to mention a critical danger of the eastern path.

"After a few minutes of hacking our way through elementals of various sorts (including those of fire), Lord Thorvin's party reached the rally point; however, there was no sign of the other unit. When a few minutes had passed, we decided to go searching for the missing party. Traveling from the rally point, we soon found a few members of the other group and discovered the reason for their detainment. They were engaged in battle with one of the vilest and most deadly servants of darkness in all of Britannia3/4a poison elemental! Steeling ourselves for battle, we charged valiantly at the foul creature. Some members of the other party were already dead, and their ghosts watched warily as we entered our most perilous battle yet. Recalling all that I knew of poison elementals, I readied my bow and followed the first wave of steel as we engaged the vaporous green creature. For those of you who know not of such denizens, I would inform you that melee combat with a poison elemental is a very dangerous prospect indeed. The toxins delivered by a blow from these monsters can kill a man (even one of extraordinary strength and endurance) in seconds. Around me I saw many valiant comrades fall to the ground gasping in the throes of death as they were overcome by the venomous touch of the beast. Once, I felt its poisonous touch myself, but I was extraordinarilly lucky as I was able to heal the toxins with a hastily placed bandage. Finally, we were able to withdraw from combat when a few valiant members led the beast away from us. Only myself and one or two other members of our party were still among the living, and for a few terrifying moments it seemed that all among us with the power to resurrect the dead were already in that pale state. However, the appearance of a very battered Lord Cyn proved to be our salvation. After a few minutes, the ten members of our group were restored to health, and the poison elemental had disappeared. We soon received even better news, Lord Za'ul had been sighted! He was inside one of the wizard keeps in the center of this level. With our spirits soaring, we set out to accomplish our task of rescuing our beloved Lord Magister. Alas, things were not to be as easy as we had hoped. The poison elemental that had almost decimated us had recovered its strength and was now blocking the entrance to the keep!

"This terrifying bit of news was extremely disheartening to us, but our friend Mopher soon proposed a solution. Asking for volunteers to accompany him in a charge against the creature, he proposed that those proficient in magic and healing stay behind to try to prolong the lives of those in the first wave and to rain magical death onto the creature. Being among the volunteers (as neither my magic nor my healing are extraordinary), I charged with them at the beast in a frantic attempt to destroy the creature. As our blades rained down upon the nightmarish thing, I saw comrades around me sicken as die. I do not recall exactly who fell in the battle, but I know that the valiant Mopher was the first, and many others soon followed him3/4I was among them. However, as a shade, I witnessed the glorious defeat of the poison elemental as it was unable to withstand the second wave of attack. With a final shriek of venomous rage, it exploded into a cloud of green gas and soon dispersed altogether. In the aftermath of the battle, I patiently waited (along with my fallen comrades) for resurrection. When Lord Cyn finally restored me to life, I reequipped myself and watched as my companions did the same. Only one task remained before us now3/4the liberation of Za'ul!

"Following a roaring Thorvin into the keep, we quickly hacked our way through the evil magi who tried to stop us and found the missing Lord Magister on the second floor of the unholy edifice. Although, sadly, we were too late to prevent his death, Lord Cyn soon restored him to life, and we returned to Valor via a hastily opened gate.

"Back in our fair city, Lord Za'ul was quickly introduced to new members of our guild (as he had been missing for some time, some of them were even in the rescue party), and shown the many changes that had taken place in our town since his abduction. Because of its rapid growth, he scarcely recognized Valor. Many tears were shed and many blessings were exchanged as the entire town gathered to celebrate the return of one of its most revered members. Thousands of gold pieces were spent in the taverns of Trinsic as enormous quantities of food and drink were acquired for a post-liberation feast in the Council of Lords. Although unable to join us in the celebration (due to the late hour), Mopher passed on a message of thanks (through Lord Cyn) to those of us who accompanied him in his sacrificail charge against the poison elemental, and he extended an offer of assistance to the Order of Might for any future endeavors in which his services might be needed.

"Before the feast got underway, however, Za'ul shared many of his deepest fears with the other members of the Order. He first informed us that Deacon Thorn of the Lords of Sin was most certainly the man behind his abduction. Additionally, he had been killed in the evil mage keep some time ago, but due to some foul Minax-inspired sorcery, his spirit was trapped in the keep until some outside force liberated it. It was only by the grace of the Gods that his journal was discovered, and the Lord Magister himself expressed nothing but befuddlement at how the book could possibly have made it's way from the third level of shame to the Trinsic/Britain road. In any case, Lord Za'ul and the rest of The Order of Might now fear that the presence of Deacon Thorn and the Lords of Sin in Britannia is a harbinger of some future plot by Minax that may endanger every man, woman, and child in the realm. The Order of Might wishes to ask any followers of virtue who may encounter this evil man to exercise extreme caution in dealing with him, according to Za'ul many who deal with him have no idea what fiendish plots lie beneath his all-too-often benevolent façade.

"Finally, on a lighter note, the celebration feast in Valor went off splendidly. There was much laughing, drinking, rejoicing, drinking, eating, drinking, telling of noble deeds, and drinking. I only wish that I could better recollect the particulars of this stage of the evening. Alas, I fear that a joy-inspired excess consumption of drink has clouded my memories of everthing that transpired during the rest of the evening except for a few curious references to "Siawn of the green visage" and a strong fixation on my part with the parapet at the edge of the Council of Lord's roof. Until next time, I bid all of thee farewell and good day. May the light of virtue guide your path."

Praise Minax!

It has been some time since Wildboy has walked the streets of Moonglow. Surprisingly little has changed since he was a boy. He walked majestically through the streets giving a polite nod the gentlemen and a tip of his hat to the ladies. It mattered not to him if they were of noble blood or mere common folk. He treated them all as equals. As he walked down the main street the city bustled with activity. The sounds drowned into a sort of melody as he walked past each shop. As Wildboy took in the sights memories flooded his brain like the raging rivers after a heavy rain.

Wildboy rounded the corner and found himself standing in front of Moonglow's Central School. He stood there and watched as the children played so innocently. Standing in the shadows of a great oak tree, Wildboy noticed a group of children on the side of the schoolhouse. A group of boys had a small boy corned and was taunting him.

"Look at him crying like a girl." One child yelled.

"Maybe you should go home you lil'e baby," another laughed. But in Wildboy's ears hear heard different taunts.

"Look here comes the boy that doesn't even know his own name."

"Look at the clothes he wears." Laughter filled the young boys ears. As unpleasant and rude comments assaulted him, the boy stood unmoving as the insults bombarded him from all sides. "Why don't you go home...oh yea, you cant, you have no home just like you have no name." "He has a name," Garrath, a local magician's son from a rather well off and respected family said. All the other boys stopped their taunts and looked at Garrath in surprise. "His name is...err...Wildboy...yea that is it...it's Wildboy." All the other kids laughed and started chanting Wildboy at the small child. "He has a home too. He lives in the south woods." Little did Garrath know how close to the truth he actually was. At night the boy would leave town and head into the woods, find a pile of leaves or a hole in a dead tree that he could fit in and sleep there. One day he found an old bedroll left behind by one of the nobles. Quickly the boy scooped it up and ran to his favorite sleeping area. He set up the bedroll. It was his first possession and he treated it as if the finest cloth made it.

Every where the boy went people called him Wildboy. A childish joke suddenly turned into the name that the whole town called him. Wildboy didn't mind, it was better then being called hey you or kid with no name. He finally had a name.

Wildboy suddenly realized what the child was holding and it snapped him out of his recollection of his past. The boy was holding a small animal of some sort. Slowly, Wildboy boy began to approach the young lad. As soon as the children noticed the lone knight approaching them they stopped their taunting. Wildboy paid them no mind as he walked steadily towards the young lad clutching the hurt animal. His gold cape fluttering gently in the wind. Wildboy knelt beside the small child.

"What has happened here young one?" Wildboy asked compassionately.

"He...got loose from me." The small child sobbed. "He ran into the street...a rider...on a horse..."

"I see, may I see the cat please?" Reluctantly the child handed the knight the small animal. "What is its name?"

"His name is whiskers sir."

"Don't call me sir, my name is Wildboy." The knight said gently caressing the kitten. Mumbling a few words of an old text, a mystical glow shown from Wildboy's hands and surrounded the kitten. In moments the kitten was on his back pawing at Wildboy's fingers as he wriggled them back and forth to complete the spell. The knight handed the animal back to the small child.

"What is your name young one?"

"I am called Dusty, short for Dustin."

"Well Lord Dustin, keep a close eye on whiskers. We wouldn't wish this to happen again," Dustin nodded his head vigorously in agreement. Wildboy stood gave the child a slight smile. "Valor surrounds you always" Wildboy said then walked away.

All the children circled Dustin and anxiously waited their turn to pet the now healed kitten. Wildboy spared one glance over his shoulder and smiled. "Walk in Valor young Dustin." He whispered then turned his attention to where he was heading. This block looked familiar to him. He was now out of the mainstream of the city and into the private housing section. As Wildboy walked a bit further he knew why it looked so familiar. Wildboy's pace quickened as he moved around the housing section. Soon he stood in front of an old run down house that seemed as if it has not been lived in for years.

"Excuse me son, should you not be in school?" Young Wildboy looked up. There in front of him was an elder man dressed in plate mail. The seal of the Moonglow Knights embedded proudly on his chest plate. Stray strands of gray hair invaded his goatee and his long white hair was tied into a ponytail. The old knight smiled at the boy. Shamefully Wildboy bowed his head.

"I am not allowed in school sir. I have no family and no records of birth. Only people born of Moonglow are allowed to attend."

"Where is your family young one? And please, call me Sedrick."

"I don't know Sir Sedrick. They took me to this house told me to wait there and never returned. When the owners of the house showed up they shooed me away."

"Then where do you live young one? And what is your name?"

"They call me Wildboy and I live in the south forest."

"Well, not any more my young Wildboy. I am Sedrick Silvermane and you will be staying with me. If they will not allow you in school then I will teach you." Wildboy looked up with hope in his eyes but held back his feelings. He has heard this before and it was usually the beginning of a cruel joke. Sedrick placed out his hand with his palm facing upward. Reluctantly Wildboy reached for his hand. When their hands were just about to meet he stopped waiting for it to be jerked away from him. When the knight's hand didn't move Wildboy grabbed hold with a tight grip.

Through the on coming months Wildboy became stronger and faster then he ever was. Sedrick taught him how to read and write. He ate well and grew to love the old knight and accept him as father. Sedrick began to teach him of the virtues. He started with Compassion. The one Wildboy experienced the least. Wildboy's heart grew to love all the peoples in the realm even the ones that showed no compassion at all. He fought only in self-defense and never raised a fist in anger. He became loyal and honest to a fault. The other virtues followed. Wildboy took them all to heart. Followed each the best he could.

One night when Wildboy boy was around the age of thirteen the warning bell in the towns chapel sounded. Sedrick jumped up and donned his armor quickly. Wildboy followed suit wishing to help defend his town and the man he called father. Sedrick gave Wildboy a loving smile.

"And where do you think you are going young one?" Sedrick asked as he snapped his chest plate into place.

"I am coming to help." Wildboy said with pride as he dressed in his armor.

"Oh, no you're not. You are staying here where you will be safe." Sedrick turned and rushed out of the room joining the other knights from the area as they rushed towards the chapel. Wildboy waited till the knights were out of sight. Then crept out of the house and followed in the general direction that the knights headed. By the time Wildboy reached the chapel the battle was already going on. The Brigands from Buccaneers Den have landed and were attacking the city.

The sounds of battle filled the night air. A war cry sounded behind Wildboy. He turned and quickly dodged a sloppy attack made by one of the pirates. In one quick motion Wildboy drew his sword and plunged it into the man's chest. Piercing the pirate's heart he quickly died. Stunned Wildboy just stared at the man he just slain. He could not believe he had just ended another life. Quickly he dropped the sword and gazed at the blood that was now dripping off his gauntlets. After a few seconds he managed to focus back to the battle. There in the corner by the schoolhouse was Sedrick surrounded by three men. Wildboy stared right into the eyes of the man he has known as father for the past 7 years. A look of sadness and resignation filled Sedrick's eyes. Wildboy wanted to rush to his side, but fear froze him in place. He could only sit there and watch in horror.

All three men charged Sedrick. With lightning reflexes he blocked one of the pirate's blows and thrusted his blade into the man's stomach. Quickly withdrawing, but not quick enough. The second man impaled Sedrick with his katana as the third took off his leg with one mighty swing of his battle-axe. Sedrick fell quickly. Wildboy screamed and charged to the fallen knight's side as the pirates looked for their next target.

"Father!" Wildboy panted as he fell to Sedrick's side. "You can't die."

"Aye but I can my son." Sedrick coughed as spittle and blood trickled down the side of his face. "But I can...Listen young...one...Valor surrounds you always...Walk with Valor..." Sedrick died in Wildboy's arms. Letting out a scream he vowed to himself that fear for his own safety would never stop him from possibly saving someone he loved.

As the scream burned its way back into his memory, Wildboy stared at the first home he ever knew. He dared not enter the shambled remains for fear of breaking down. A lone tear flowed down his cheek. Wildboy was tempted to wipe away the tear but stopped himself before he did. He owed the old knight at least one tear.

Mumbling a few words of old Wildboy casted a spell of transportation and found himself within the walls of the Castle of the Sunset Knights. He walked slowly down the cherished hallways. Every so often stopping to admire some of the blue and gold tapestries and paintings of old and present knights from various artists. He stopped, as he always did, in front of the painting of Lady Samantha.

"Thank you" he whispered. He then kissed his finger and touched it to her cheek. Just then a cool breeze swept through the castle, sending a chill down the length of his back. Wildboy closed the shutters on the window behind him. "A cold day for this late in the spring," he said to the painting. "At least it's not snowing. Do you remember that day in Vesper, Lady?" He laughed. Who would have guessed snow so close to spring planting?

Wildboy walked across the square, the fresh snow crunching under his boots. The trio of Knights stood under the eaves of The Gadget Corners shop in Vesper, watching him approach. Whoever they are, thought Wildboy, at least they have sense enough to take shelter from this hellish weather.

He bowed to each in turn. "Excuse me milady," he said, "but I noticed you all are dressed in the same uniforms are ye a guild of knights?"

"Aye fine sir, we are the Sunset Knights." The lady replied. "I am Samantha. This is Sargon our guild master and that young man over there is Octal." The men nodded a hello to the young man.

"I am known as Wildboy, from Moonglow. I was wondering are you looking for a knight?"

"We are always looking for good knights to join our ranks, but answer me this young Wildboy why would you want to?" Wildboy stared blankly at the lady. He was not expecting a question of such bluntness but yet of such importance. He thought, pondering the question and Lady Samantha noticed that she caught the young man off guard.

"Think about it then return here to vesper tomorrow and I will ask you again." Lady Samantha said.

Wildboy bowed to the group. "I will milady, until the morrow then." He replied then departed quickly trying to come up with a suitable answer. Lady Samantha allowed a smile to cross her lips. It wouldn't matter much what the young knight said, unless completely against the virtues. As far she was concerned he will be starting his trial period tomorrow if he shows up. It has been awhile since she has seen such enthusiasm and compassion.

The following day arrived to slowly for Wildboy. He rushed through Vesper to where he last met Lady Samantha. And just as she said she would be she was standing there patiently.

"So tell me young man, why do you wish to join the Sunset Knights."

Wildboy thought about the answer he that was going to give. Running it through his mind one last time before speaking.

"Well milady, I want to be apart of something that holds the virtues dear. I have asked around after I left you last night and found you are noted for being virtuous. I want to fight for what is right and help those that cannot help themselves. I wish to be pure in heart and soul and vanquish those who aren't. I don't want to let what...to have people suffer."

The lady caught Wildboy's little slip but let it be. She knew in time that when he was ready he would tell his tale. "Congratulations young Wildboy, you will begin your trial period immediately. If you pass the trials and prove yourself virtuous and true to your words you will be accepted among the Sunset Knights."

Wildboy leaned against the castle wall and looked at the painting. Has it been that long? I have yet to tell the lady of my past. I will do it the next time I see her. A sense of well being filled his soul. He was once again apart of a family. And he will not let one of them suffer the same fate as Sedrick Silvermane, this he swore. Wildboy continued his journey down the hallway till he reached his chambers. He went to his dresser and pulled out an old scroll box. Carefully he undid its rusty latch and pulled from it the tattered parchment that was contained there in.

"In the year nineteen hundred and seventy two of our lord and king, Lord British. In the land of Moonglow was born M'Drake Bloodhammer. Born of Drantwall and Gloria Bloodhammer..."

The door burst open and excited look filled Sedrick's eyes. He clutched in his hands a small scroll box its latch was of polished brass.

"Hey young'n where you at? I have a surprise for you." Wildboy walked out of the study greeting the old man with a smile and a hug.

"What you got there ol'man?" Wildboy said teasing.

"Why young'n this here be your future...err...should I say your past." Wildboy just looked at the old knight as if he had just grown a second head.

"Father your talking gibberish what is in the box?"

"Wildboy...err...should I say M'Drake Bloodhammer. I had a friend of mine, a magistrate, do a little digging for me. He came across these records which match your age and speak of the two birth marks under your arms."

"What birth marks? I have not birth marks." Wildboy looked under his arms to discover he did in fact have two birthmarks under his arms. Under his left arm was a birthmark in the shape of the initials "SK". Under his right arm was a birthmark in the shape of a "V".

"I noticed these two birthmarks when I cleaned you up the first day but said nothing of them. I thought at first that you drew them there. Then when we went swimming by the docks I noticed them again and that is when I had my friend do some searching. Now for the bad part, both your parents are dead. They died in a fire a few years back."

Sedrick walked with Wildboy to where his parents were buried in the Moonglow Cemetery. They both stood silently staring at the tombstones of Wildboy's parents. Wildboy looked up at the old man that took him in.

"Sedrick...father, these are not my parents and my name is not M'Drake. It is Wildboy. These stones and that parchment you hold are of a past nobody wanted. You are my family and my parent. I love you as a child should love a father. I will not take the name of people who did not want me. If I ever choose a last name, it will be Silvermane."

The old knight grabbed the young one and ruffled his hair. Then gave him a large bear hug. Wildboy playfully tried to swat away Sedrick's hands. No matter how many times he tried the old man got through his defenses. Sedrick and Wildboy walked back to the house together laughing and joking. It felt good to be alive and wanted.

Smiling at the memory, Wildboy placed the parchment back in its container. Glancing out the chamber window he saw a small bird sitting on the windowsill.

"You seem sad Lord Wildboy, shall I sing for you?"

"No thank you Mrs. Robin. I am just thinking of thoughts that I have long forgotten yet need to be thought of. I didn't realize it has been so long. Times are changing and I can feel a chill on winds. They cut through me like a sword."

"I am glad you still understand me Lord Wildboy, it has been awhile since you have talked to the life that lives in the forest."

"I am sorry Mrs. Robin. I assure you it was not intentional."

"I understand completely. Sometimes life can become overwhelming to the senses. Remember we may not always answer back. But we do always listen. You are a friend of the forest Lord Wildboy and you respect all life. Hold true to you feelings. They seem to server you well. Well I have young'ins to feed. Take care Lord Wildboy."

"Fare thee well Lady Robin." The robin fluttered quickly away. Wildboy stared after her for a bit, then scanned the rest of the surroundings. Memories of his adventures, victories and failures with the Sunset Knights seemed to rush by. Knight's faces came to mind then as quickly as they appeared disappeared into a foggy mist. Events unfolded before his eyes, battles were fought, casualties taken. Yet the Sunset Knights still remain. But not all times were bad, Gryffon at the dinner table with his seemingly unquenchable hunger, times spent at taverns sharing drink and fable.

Wildboy propped himself up onto his bed and tucked one knee to his chest. Gently he rested his head upon the one knee. The jumbled mess of his memories started to take order. He concentrated on the good times with the knights and a tavern slowly took shape.

The cheers could be heard a good half mile from the Serpent Cross Tavern. It has been awhile since the Sunset Knights have stopped at the tavern. Friends and family stopped by to wish them warm welcomes. The tavern filled with music and the patio was cleared to make a quaint little dance floor. Liquor and food was being passed throughout the tavern. The townspeople that didn't know the knights first hand were still glad when they visited the tavern. More often then not the drinks were free and the food was good. Gryffon who was always eager to help out with the food preparations was moving quickly back and forth by the stove. Adding a few spices here and some herbs there. Checking to make sure everything came out just right. All the while keeping idle chit chat with Lady Samantha, who was seated at the corner of the bar not too far from the stove, so she would not consume herself with the thoughts of leadership.

Wildboy, as usual, was also seated at the bar. Half-paying attention to the conversation and half keeping an eye on the beautiful women that passed by here and there. Following a beautiful woman with his eyes, Wildboy's view rested upon Ar-Kane sitting alone in the corner. Wildboy thought to leave his friend to himself, figuring the mage was working out some new spell or potion. But too much liquid courage was coursing through his veins blocking out most of his common sense. Wildboy stood up from his barstool. After waiting for the room to stop moving he made his way cautiously over to his old friend.

"How you doing ol' Friend." Wildboy said as he slapped Ar-Kane's shoulder and sat heavily into the chair across the old mage.

Rubbing his shoulder Ar-Kane gave a glance at his fellow knight. "Greetings Wildboy, and to what do I owe this honor. Shouldn't you be chasing some damsel?"

"Well under normal circumstances, yes. But...awwwwee." Wildboy turned and looked over his shoulder at the bar. "I left my drink on the bar, I will be but a moment."

"No need old friend. I will get it for you. It didn't look as if you were going to make it here on your way over." What Ar-Kane really wanted to say was 'I think you don't really need to have that drink.' But knowing Wildboy for the past year and a half taught him better then to get between this man and his alcohol and women. With a mumbling of a few words and a waving of his fingers Wildboy's goblet floated with ease over to the table. Gently resting in front of it's owner.

Wildboy stared at the glass a moment and then looked up with a roguish smirk. "Well now that's a pretty schlick trick. Ye know I have been becomin' a learned man meself. I have study and bit of magic and can now cast 7th circle with pretty good consistency. Wanna see?"

"Wildboy as a man of magic I must warn you. You should never practice magic under the influence of any type of stimulant. Magic requires the utmost concentration and..."

"Awe hog posh, I can do it, watch." Wildboy said as he raised his hands and prepared to cast. Ar-Kane quickly reached across the table and grabbed his hands.

"Look! If you wish to continue this fracas to its final stupidity then at least let us go outside. I don't want an errant spell taking out one of the citizens of Yew." Ar-Kane said harshly. Hearing the tone of Ar-Kane's voice raised Wildboy's temper to almost a boil. With lightning speed Wildboy stood up and reached across the table grabbing the mage by the scruff of his robes. Then as quickly as it came Wildboy's anger swelled and was gone. He allowed himself a sideways smile at the mage and stormed out the door. By this time a few patrons noticed the conversation between the mage and the warrior and were already taking bets. Ar-Kane shook his head and slowly followed the warrior outside.

It seemed as if Wildboy gained a little sense from his conversation with Ar-Kane as he removed his armor metal armor and stacked it neatly next to him. Wildboy was known for showboating and, with the small group that formed in the square, he was putting on quite a show. With exaggerated hand movements and slurred speech Wildboy chanted the magic phrase.

"Kalas Vasa Flamss Messas"

"Wild, NOOOO!" Ar-Kane yelled as he realized that last word meaning self was not suppose to be added to the incantation. But it was too late, flames engulfed Wildboy's body. The young warrior-mage let out a quick scream as his system shut down from shock. Wildboy fell into a crumpled ball as the smell of burnt hair filled the courtyard. Ar-Kane dropped too his fallen friend's side and quickly removed the charred pieces of clothing. He quickly applied clean cloth to the wounds and mumbled a few words of healing to cure the internal wounds. He healed the third degree burns to second degree so not to leave scarring but to leave enough pain that hopefully the knight would learn his lesson and not take magic so lightly.

Wildboy flinched from the pain of the memory. He had to lie in bandages for 3 weeks because no one would allow him to heal himself. He learned a valuable lesson that day and has not had a drop except to be sociable. Thinking back on it a small smile crossed his lips. It was funny though. He got up from his bed and walked to the terrace and sat in one of the thrones overlooking the plains. It was a calm night. Wild animals flittered from treetop to treetop. It has been awhile since he just sat down and enjoyed the wonders of land and of the creatures that dwelled there.

A faint red glowed shimmered off in the distance. Wildboy paid it little mind as it looked as if a person was carrying a torch. His vision scanned the horizon only to keep returning to this speck of light. It appeared as if it was growing as, as if getting larger with each passing second. Within moments Wildboy's vision was engulfed with the red illuminating glow. All color drained from Wildboy's vision leaving the world in different shades of red.

"Who are you?" a voice boomed through the terrace. Wildboy looked around for the owner of the voice but was only greeted with the emptiness of the castle.

"Who are you?" the voice bellowed again.

"I am Wildboy, warrior mage of the Sunset Knights and the Sage of Valor" Wildboy replied with out hesitation.

"Oh really" Boomed the voice with a sarcastic laugh. "And how did you get this title...Sage?"

"Lord Jackdeth asked me to succeed his posi..." "What, a human?!?. What makes ye think ye deserved such a title? What makes you think you have any right to claim to be of virtue at all, least of all valor?" Interrupted the harsh voice.

Confused and surprised by the sudden change of his surroundings Wildboy's defense's became alert. Anger began to boil in him like the bubbling broth of a witch's brew. His head looked around for some kind of target but saw nothing but the illuminating red glow around him.

"Who are you?" yelled Wildboy. "What gives you the right to judge my virtue? I have lived with nothing but Valor in my heart. I have followed each of the virtues to the best of my ability. Granted some with more success then others but still to the best that I could."

"Peace knight." Replied the voice from behind him in a calmer tone. "Name these virtues that you say you adorn to so much then."

"Is this a quiz?" Wildboy asked with a touch of sarcasm while turning to face the sound of the voice that no longer appeared to envelop him. His gaze fells upon a battle hardened knight standing easily seven-foot tall. The knight's face had a gentle expression but the eyes held the look of a warrior that has seen many battles. His agapite armor had nicks and dents from previous battles. The hilt of a large battle-axe could be seen from under his red cloak. It was strapped to the back of his armor by a sash that encircled at an angle across his broad chest. Recognition crossed Wildboy's face as he dropped to one knee. "I beg your forgiveness milord. Spirituality, Honor, Honesty, Valor, Compa..."

"Arise knight. I am well aware of you knowledge of the virtues. But you abandoned the virtue you claim to hold most dear and the virtue of honor."

A puzzled look formed across Wildboy's face. He was about to ask the Manifestation of Valor a question when an image of a woman formed in his mind's eye. Quickly Wildboy turned from the manifestation.

"What about her abandonment of the virtue of honesty?"

"She asked for your help. A person who asks for help, no matter what they have done in the past, should receive it from a person of virtue. By turning you back on her you turned your back on the virtues of honor and valor."

The vision of Ana Blackrain burned into his memory. He could still remember that in Rivendell when the ancient wyrm returned to its old hunting grounds.

The sun was setting quickly over the mountains to the south. The reddish pink sky cast eerie shadows on the building that made up the quiet town of Rivendell. The Town Square was quite and a few people were passing about here and there. Most of the towns people were gathered in the Hungry Halfling Tavern located to the left of the town square. They were sharing their tales and enjoying their drinks of choice.

Wildboy walked between the Town Square and The Hungry Halfling to the courtyard in back where the town's folk gathered to train in the studies of combat and magery. When he arrived there was a female named Ana Blackrain and an Elf clad in black named Gromph. They were speaking or the virtues a topic wild often liked to listen to. He was about to join in on their conversation when a slight tremor in the ground took his attention away. He knelt low to the ground and sniffed the air. He stood and looked about the horizon only be greeted by the normal sights of the town. Wildboy's sight rested on the two in the courtyard; they were looking at him as if he had sprouted a third eye.

"What?" Wildboy asked nonchalantly.

"What are you doing?" asked Ana

"Do you not feel that?" Wildboy asked looking into the forest.

Ana followed his gaze onto the forest. "Feel what?" Again the ground shook lightly and both Ana and Gromph felt it that time. In unison they both asked, "What is that?"

Before Wildboy could answer an ancient wyrm stepped out of the forest. Its massive form reflecting the light of the setting sun off its scales. It's head swung from side to side as its nostrils took in the scents around it. Drool dripped from her fangs and puffs of smoke came from her mouth with each breath. The beast steadily walked toward the three.

Ana let out a scream and ran to the corner of the nearest building. Wildboy wanted to follow but knew other lives were at stake so held his ground unsteadily. Wildboy glanced over at Gromph who backed up a few steps as the beast approached but also stood strong. His face was set firmly but you could see the panic in his as well as Wildboy's eyes.

The beast stopped directly in front of Wildboy and lowered its head. The stench of her breath almost made Wildboy have a second showing of his lunch. The ancient wyrm sniffed at his hair then backed way. Wildboy fumbled with the hilt of his sword but keeping it sheathed. He did not want to provoke the beast for he knew the blade of his well-crafted katana could not penetrate her armored body.

"What are you?" hissed the creature.

"I am what they call a human." Answered a stunned Wildboy. He has run into many of these creatures but not a one ever spoke common. Wildboy's fear began to subside with the thought of this creature being intelligent.

"Are ye food?" asked the wyrm. Fear again rose in Wildboy's chest and Ana took better cover behind the mayor's office building.

"Mayhap in some food chains." Wildboy answered carefully. "But I would like to think as a general rule that we are not."

The creature lowered his head again, touching his nostrils to Wildboy's clothing and flesh. "Ye do not smell that appetizing nor do you have enough meat on ye bones to satisfy me, so ye will not be food this day."

Wildboy let out a breath he didn't even realize he was holding. "Thank ye ancient one. What, by chance are ye called?"

"You may call me as you wish, I have gone by many names. You could nay possibly pronounce my name should I even tell you" Replied the ancient wyrm.

"Try me great one." Wildboy insisted. With that the beast let out a booming growl and high pitch squelches. "I see you point ancient one. I could nay pronounce it. Tell me why are you hear?"

"I have awakened from my slumber to resume my hunting only to find my old hunting grounds surrounded by this strange structures. Seems hunting is not as abundant as it was a century ago."

A bolt of lightning flashed across the sky followed by a deafening crack of thunder jarring Wildboy from his recollection. He gave the spirit of valor a painful look. "We became very close after our first meeting. You could almost say I was in love with her." Wildboy turned his back to the spirit trying to control the anger that was rising in him at the thought of Ana Blackrain's betrayal to him. "She was a spy for the Cult of Infernal Necromancy. She betrayed my trust...and my heart. She used me." Wildboy lowered his head in shame for being deceived as he was.

"But do not our enemies also deserve compassion?" the spirit of valor asked in a melancholy tone.

Wildboy lifted his head and looked into the eyes of valor. He began to feel faint as the world around him swirled with all shades of red. With a sudden brilliant flash of light Wildboy's surroundings returned too their normal colors. A small drop of rain splashed against his cheek. He looked up watching as the storm was closing in fast and the last minutes of light were fading just as quickly.

Quickly Wildboy dashed to his quarters and donned his battle gear. He burst out through the castle doors and into the clearing in front of the castle just as the rain began to steadily fall. With on last inhale of fresh air Wildboy pulled from his pouch a handful of reagents. He mumbled a few words and was gone leaving the castle as another memory to be shared at a later date.

Wildboy appeared at the foot of the path that led up to the abode of the Cult. An ominous shadow was cast across the land surrounding the dark tower. The tower itself seemed to suck dry the energy from the lightning bolts flashing overhead. The fierce winds threw the rain droplets around in a swirling motion as the stormed gained in strength. Gritting his teeth and pushing aside his personal dislike for Ana, Wildboy pressed forward against the storm, which seemed to be trying to hinder his quest, because he knew it was the valorous thing to do.

"Hold Lady Ana, you will be free shortly." Wildboy whispered to himself as he tried to see through the darkness. Suddenly his surrounding illuminated with a glowing red, clearing his vision.

"Walk with valor...Sage."

Are you one of those travelers in Trammel who just can't seem to find the right tavern to end your day with a nice cold served ale? Are you one of those Trammel inhabitants that get's cought in a daily cycle of waking up, hunting, sleeping? Then maybe you should come and visit the Yew's Ale n' Tale, it's a tavern open for business on the clearing next to the Yew Crossroads, it is packed with your every desire from gambling to making out on our romantic patio.

But on the upcoming Friday, july 28th at 7pm we will blow our doors open with a series of events. Just don't take your troublemaking behaviour with you! Try and be nice to everyone in the tavern region, and our guards won't have to take actions against you.

Events planned are:

• Riddle contest, the first one to shout the correct answer will take home 500 gold pieces. The categories will vary from Universe to Atlantic Shard History!
• Pie eating contest, A row of pies will be spread out on the patio and the first one to eat them all wins and takes home a 1000 gold pieces.
• Horse race, the entrance fee is 500 gold and will be conducted on the spot, the race will start from Yew Empath Abbey and will end back at my tavern. Winner takes home a bag of 5000 gold pieces.
• Magery contest, the entrance fee is 500 gold pieces, you will have to come prepared, meaning you supply the regeants. Winner of this event will win an amount of 5000 gold coins.

Of course there will be drinking and gambling troughout the evening, aswell as a nice bar outside with cold drinks ready to be server, because this is a special occasion we will serve first drinks for free!

The tavern is located at 37o 5' N , 35o 9' W and is just a short distance south east from Yew town square. If you have questions or comments, or perhaps something you'd like to arrange for the opening do not hesitate to drop a letter at [email protected], I cannot guarantee a reply but I will read them all. For a more detailed map to the tavern doors do hesitate to visit my plaque in the Empath Abbey at www.alentale.cjb.net I hope to see you there and have a great time!

Sincerely,

Corwinth Lugh

We are currently conducting server stability testing using the Test Center Two shard. This shard will appear intermittently on your shard selection screen during the upcoming days while we conduct the tests. Test Center Two is a duplicate of the current Test Center shard, and while we welcome player interaction on the shard, players who choose to play on the shard should be prepared for the possibility of frequent downtimes.

We are currently conducting server stability testing using the Test Center Two shard. This shard will appear intermittently on your shard selection screen during the upcoming days while we conduct the tests. Test Center Two is a duplicate of the current Test Center shard, and while we welcome player interaction on the shard, players who choose to play on the shard should be prepared for the possibility of frequent downtimes.

The Awards Ceremony for the Britannian Games will take place on Tuesday at 8pm CST. All the winners who competed for the teams of Moonglow (Trammel), Yew (Trammel) and Tel'Ruid (Felucca) are asked to attend. There will be an award waiting for the teams.

The winners are asked to meet at the pedistal between the Empath Abbey and the Yew Winery in Trammel.

You're all invited to The Green Dragon Bar and Grill this Saturday (29th) at 8 pm PST for a grand party! Drinks, food, and contests await all thee who come! The contests are:

Cross Country Horse Racing- Prize= 500gold plus a black bolt! (cloak for non-tailors *optional*)

Free style Monster Besting
Prize- 500 gold and a magic weapon of your choice! (bag of 25 each reg to mages)

Our Rendition of the "dressed" contests
Prize- 100 gold and a black hat that fits the title you won!

PvP for those guild members and enemies!
Prize- A Full, (except helm) set of GM Shadow chain!

Free style Magery
Prize- bag of 50 each reg and 200 gold

Chuckles Contest
Prize- black jester outfit, 200 gold and get their jokes published (If they are written down and given to Keith S., he'll sell them.)

We all hope to see you there at 8:00pm Pacific time so you can enjoy the fun before it ends at 10:30pm! Gates will be provided for the first 15 minutes at the just to the west of the Britain main bank, and by the entrance to the Moonglow bank.

Just a side note for all of you enterprising owners of new establishments:

To get a notice posted it should be an 'event'. This means it has to be more than just a new vendor shop opening up. It should have a set time & date with interactive events that you put on for the community. This posting would fall under that heading. 'Joe Blow's smut shack with vendors for all of your needs' would be an example of something that should be posted on UOSS's Napa Valley forum. You can access that from here: Napa Valley Forum

This bit of news jest in frem the good folks of Yew.

Hail Friends,

The Town of Yew is holding a proplery placed house auction on Friday July 28th at 7o'clock EST. The House is located at 82o0' n / 20o6' e. The house is a common small house located on the Felucia facet, donated to the Town of Yew . There is a rune to the house located at the Tailoring section east of Serpents Cross Tavern (runes to the tavern can be found at Leih's Rune Library), please go look around the area and meet the neighbors, it is a rather nice spot for one to settle down after a long day of adventuring or slaving over a hot forge.

The auction is to be held at Serpents Cross Tavern, near the town of Yew. There are runes available at the many rune libraries around the realm, and Verminaard will be at Empath Abbey's main doors from 6:45 to 7:00 EST to supply gates to any going to the auction. The bidding will start out at 50,000 gold, and all proceedes are to goto the Yew Council Funds to be used for future festivals, tournaments, dinners, gatherings, etc. So all moneys will be put back inito the community, to benifeit the citizens if Yew.

And please stay after the auction and enjoy the hospitality of SCT, a cool mug af ale, and some tall-tales spun by the patrons that visit!

May the Light guidde your path always,

Ariakas,
Greater Yew Militia

Thankee Ariakas fer this news.

Yers in ale and tale,

Tonight a group of brave adventurers gathered near the Spiritwood Tavern to set out and recover the fourth and final part of the gypsy book. This last and final hunt was to be led by The Jackal. Only he could lead them to what they sought, what others still seek. An interesting adventure this has already proven to be, but whether this be worth the risk they are taken ... history will pass judgment upon our actions. What will happen, who knows, time has always been very reluctant to give up its secrets, but in the end they are unveiled ... all we have to do is wait.

Allow me to introduce myself, I am Selene, Guardian of The Book, I bring ye this story so ye can decide yerself what is right for you. I mentioned, that I'm The Guardian of the Book, which is something that had been passed over from one generation to the next, each generation strengthening the spells protecting the book, safeguarding it from falling into the hands of evil. One of which is the need for the Four, the chosen ones if you will, another is that the parts can never be taken from a Guardian by stealing or force ... they must be given voluntarily, out of free will, not forced. Lastly is the one I added, my legacy, to recreate the book six persons are needed :

The Seeker, Rilla in this case
The Wolf, Fenris
The Bear, Llemandrell
The Lion, Pad O'Lion
The Jackal, Xirzin
The Guardian ... Myself

Only with the cooperation of all six can the book be recreated. But I'm moving too far ahead, to recreate we must first find all four parts and we are still one short ...

Rilla had been able to trace the book back to the dungeon Deceit, and when everyone seemed ready, I opened a portal to one of the lower levels of Deceit and those gathered near the Tavern quickly entered and made the way safe for us to follow. Long was the journey through the dungeon and many were the fiery elements we encountered, but we were well equipped and after a long battle we stood victorious. The Healers and Wizards quickly tended to those injured during the battle, to get them up them feet again ... most ready to continue the battle and retrieve the fourth part, the Final Part.

Finally we stumbled upon an ancient mark, which appeared to be a rune, a rune to a place far away. Quickly we opened a portal to find out where it would lead us. It was a long journey with a many encounters until we reached the end... another rune we found...it lead to The Spider Temple in the Maze. Just as the first warriors disappeared through the gate they were jumped by Dire Wolves! The vile beasts were no match for the noble warriors and we quickly set out again to continue the hunt after tending to the wounded. Another rune was hidden in the bushes ... a portal was opened again and a brave and most able warrior entered the gate first, Llemandrell, The Bear. We heard his war cries and the slashing of a blade, quickly the others rushed in to aid him against his enemies. The portal lead somewhere deep under the pirates nest Buccaneers Den. We walked for over an hour through dark cobweb hung corridors, when we suddenly were under attack by a large group of mages. Our numbers however were superior to theirs and our skill and prowess certainly a match for theirs. During the battle Xirzin fought the leader of those dark mages and cut off his head with a mighty swing of his blade. Searching through what remained of the Mage leader, unknown to the others at that time, he found the fourth part of the book and hid it quickly within his clothes.

After thoroughly searching through the corridors and the bodies of the fallen mages we returned to the Maze, not having found a new clue to continue our quest ... unknowing of the fact that what we sought was already found. When we returned to the maze, to see how our injured were doing, we spotted Maia near one of the houses in the center of the maze. Maia demanded we hand her the parts of the book and attempted to fight us for them, realizing though, that she was outnumbered, she fled before we could stop her. She truly is not one to take lightly. Before she vanished though, she accused Xirzin, of treachery and something about a deal they seemed to have.

Mythradin confronted Xirzin with Maia's words and told him to hand over the book and give it to Rilla, in an attempt to keep it from falling into the wrong hands. Several portals back to Spiritwood were opened and as I entered one of them. Mythradin handed me the fourth part of the book, the part he had just received from Xirzin. As I stepped out on the other side of the portal something didn't feel right, and I paused and examined the book and without physical proof I just knew this was not a part of The Gypsy book! Xirzin had deceived us. I entered the Tavern, wanting to confront Xirzin when I noticed that Rilla had arrived. She and the others were discussing what had happened and of Maias appearance. Rilla now decided it was time to tell the story of why she sought the book. She told us the story of her childhood, of her parents, her heritage and more. She also told us on how her parents went on a trip and days later only her mother returned and none would explain to her what happened to her father. Several moons later her mother was found ... dead. The official diagnosis was poison, mayhap of her own hand, as she was a skilled alchemist and an expert when it came to herbs and their uses. Rilla believes she died of a broken heart. Rilla managed to survive only by her need for justice as the murderers of her father needed to face justice and pay for their crimes. This has became her life's goal, to find her fathers killer and bring them to justice, Gypsy Justice.

Just as Rilla had finished her last sentence, she was interrupted by Xirzin. He asked some vague questions, questions which purpose escaped me at that time ... what was he planning? I decided to wait and see Rilla's reaction. The fake book he had given Mythradin could wait. "Rilla... I invoke the rune of Raidho..." he spoke in a loud voice. "Once the rune has been invoked no lie can be told by any gypsy it's vicinity..." he continued... Rilla just smiled and answered "There be no need to invoke the rune, you are a kindred spirit, I shall not lie to you..." Xirzin expressed his distrust with a barrage of questions, Rilla who did not seem troubled ... at least not much ... answered them calmly and promptly. It was clear that Xirzin wasn't content with what Rilla had told us so far, and had his doubts to say the least. Was this the reason why he did not give us the final part of the book?

Rilla answered his questions calmly and seemingly did not worry about his apparent distrust in her. She moved towards him explaiming that he had earned her friendship and trust with what he had done for her today. "You and I are more alike then you may think Xirzin..." she continued, "You are my bloodbrother..." at the same time she spoke those words she took her dagger and cut herself and then handing Xirzin the dagger and offering her bloodstained hand. Xirzin debated his response for a few moments, which seemed an eternity, but finally took the dagger and cut his hand ... accepting hers ... their blood joining.

Now Rilla spoke again, this time not to answer but to ask "Do you have the fourth part Xirzin?" Rilla smiled as she stepped back, her hand still dripping with blood ... Xirzin did not step back, he nodded and took out, from under his clothing, the final part of the book. It was now when I broke my silence and stepped forward and asked Xirzin to hand me the fourth part of the book. I had already been entrusted with the three other parts as the only safe place for them be with me. Xirzin hesitated for a moment but handed me the final copy, telling me not to give it to Rilla, at least not yet. I informed Rilla that all four parts of the book had been found and were in my possession. She nodded and spoke: "But the quest is not yet over." I continued to speak, telling Rilla and those present of my legacy... The need of the six to recreate the book...

Rilla and several others seemed surprised as they had not anticipated this, but mostly Rilla was unaware of the requirement of the guardian. I was unable to determine whether she was just surprised as she did not know, or if her studies had even hinted at this.

We still have to find this mysterious Icewynd, Xirzin spoke of. Who is she? All we know is that she seems to know of the book and seeks to destroy Rilla ... What does she know of the death of Rilla's father?

Hopefully those questions will be answered in the near future...

Selene
Guardian of The Clayn Historae

First we were overrun by daemons that couldn’t be killed. Then I met a talking Ettin. Some dimwits kept throwing up walls of flames so I couldn’t see and that doesn’t even include the variety of contests to be had.

I tried my hand at the dart contest and did horribly. Then I was sure to be a shoo-in for the fashion contest, but MacMichael beat me. Hmmm...he did dress a lot like Dirk who was the judge. Could there have been a bias? No matter. A scavenger hunt consisted of finding teal bags placed in the surrounding town and forest. Even before I started some enterprising player found most of the bags. So, I came home empty handed, but it was still a fun time.

We had one incident where a rather ominous representative of the Merchants Guild came by to make threats against BladeSong, but we sent him and his gang of ruffians packing. Most of them were too sleepy to escape and instead took a dirt nap. I just wished they had carried more money because I was trying to save up for a stone oven deed. It was priced very reasonably.

Someone had mentioned a group from the Man/Mongbat Love Association was going to show up, but that never materialized. Perhaps they got sidetracked along the way.

UOSS is currently looking for active, talented citizens of Great Lakes to add to our crack team of top-notch Ultima Online reporters. As a volunteer you are required to:

• Be a talented writer
• Be an active, knowledgeable member of the Great Lakes 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

1. Real name
2. Contact email address
3. ICQ number (if applicable)
4. Character name (this must be the name of the character you will be using as your potential shard reporter)
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 UOSS?
7. Include a brief writing sample, no more than 500 words (pictures are not welcomed and no attachments)
8. Any questions???

Good luck to all applicants!

Dear friends:
As I was meditating in the Temple of the Gold One, A Voice entered my head. "Saimanius Gather all Followers of virtue at The Temple and be prepared. Have them ready by the 3rd moon over the blue star. "

Translation: Tuesday, around 9PM EST. *shivers* I know this Voice.........Prepare and may the Gold One bless thy weapons.

Saimanius, Apothecary to the Temple of the Gold One. (Dragons Bay)

The Cult of the Azure Dragons is holding a two on two tournament this
Wednesday at 6 p.m. on the eastern coast in Dracona. Dracona is south-
east of the Vesper/Minoc, Britain, and Yew crossroad outpost or you can
look at our webstone at www.alterythem.com/cad in the library for
directions. Brackets will be set up and the contest will go on until
two men or women come out victorious. The first place team will be
rewarded a 30k check, 15k per person, second will receive an accurate,
durable, silver large axe of force and a substantial, surpassingly
accurate silver axe of force. So come test your strength and skills
and you might come out with some extra money or items. There will be a
small fee of 500 gold per person but it will be well worth it. No
looting, pets, or summoned creatures please.

Dragon Knight of Humility of the Cult of the Azure Dragons,
Aureal Glimmermoon

Hail,
It was one year ago this coming Sunday that Theros Ironfeld of the UBB was struck with a vision. A vision that was sent to him by an ancient artifact which lay at the bottom of Lake Hammerfell. In his vision he was shown a thriving town of craftsmen. And so it was thus that Haven was born. Many trials and tribulations have forged the people of this small town. And a faint glimmer of hope shines against the darkness that Minax and her minions spread across Britannia. So thus in celebration of all that has been done and will be done by the people we would like to announce a day of celebration in our fair town. So come and join in ...

Haven's 1st Annual Celebration Day!

The Celebration will be this coming Sunday the 30th of July and will begin at 8:00pm EST. There will be FOUR major events/contests during the Celebration. They are as follows:

I. Scavenger Hunt:
Teams of two are required. No more then two, no less then two, the number to have is two. At the appropriate time the contestants will be given a riddle. The riddle will lead them to the location they can pick up a book.
- The book will contain the questions for the scavenger hunt.
- The contestants will write their answers in the book under the question.
- Because some of the questions will ask for certain items, the contestants will have to put the book and all the items in a bag. They will turn the bag in at the end of the contest.

The scavenger hunt will be no more and no less then one hour. Once the first riddle is given, everyone will be told when the contest is over. Everyone is to meet at Haven's Tower in Felucca after one hour.

When the contestants turn in their bags, the bags will be looked at and points will be given. The team/person with the most points wins. In the event of a tie, the tied players will have to complete a tie breaker that will be revealed to them at the appropriate time.

1st place prize: a bag of assorted housing add-on deeds
2nd place prize: a bag of assorted treasure
3rd place prize: a bag of assorted jewelry

II. Horse Race:
At the appropriate time the contestants will be told to get ready for the horse race. They will be given time to get their horse and empty their backpacks.
There will be someone there to snoop the everyone's backpack. Everyone's bag is to be completely empty to participate. The course the participants need to follow will be laid out in twigs.

1st place prize: 10k in gold
2nd place prize: 5k in gold
3rd place prize: 1k in gold

III. The Price is Right:
Prizes for this event will vary.
Everyone will be seated atop Haven's Tower and people will be randomly selected to come up on stage. Several items will be on display and the persons on stage will have to guess the prices of the items.

- The person with the closest guess of the price will be able to continue.
- The prices of all items will be determined by several GM merchants of Haven.
- The crowd will be allowed to help the person on stage by shouting out prices.

Some of the games that'll be on the show:
Hi / Low - Contestants will be given a wrong price of an item, and they'll have to say higher or lower.
Price in 30 Seconds - Contestants will have 30 seconds to place books with price tags on the correct items.

IV. Lottery Drawings:
Korin the Scribe will be holding a lottery drawing during the Celebration. These drawings will occur randomly throughout the night. To participate players must register by buying a book from a vendor in the tower, each book will cost 5k in gold. No book will be accepted unless it has been purchased from our vendor. We will have someone on station to place the book on the vendor when you are ready to buy.
You will write your name in that book and return it to the person on station at the vendor. There is no limit on how many "tickets" you can buy but remember please play responsibly!
- Random drawings will then be held (time and frequency will be random) with the following prizes being awarded.
- One of each of the following colored suits of armor. Gold, Shadow, Valorite, and Verite. Each given away individually at separate drawings.
- The final drawing of the night will be for the ownership of a small house located in the player town of Oberon Pass in Felucca.

All during the Celebration several items made by our crafters will be given away free to those who are new to our land (those carrying the "young" tag). What items given will be solely dependent on what we have available.

If you need directions to Haven please visit (www.haven.uoguilds.com) and click on the Map link there. You will find a detailed map as well as sextant coordinates to Haven. Please remember that Haven is on the Felucca facet.

It looks to be a fun and exciting night! Come out and help us celebrate this past year of Haven's involvement in the Chesapeake community. And help us usher in an even better second year! See you there my friends!

Korin the Scribe
The Scribe of Haven
www.haven.uoguilds.com

Thanks Heather !

Hail to ye.

Yesterday, I recieved a short letter from the judges in Yew. They had decided, that Tanq Sibris of the Free Vesper Militia should be taken into custody immediately, accused of brutal murder. As the leader of the Lord British Loyalists, it was my duty to arrest him. This wasn't an easy duty, because Tanq had fought valiantly on our side during the siege. But justice had to be served.

I gathered a few men, and we rode to Vesper. There, we learned that the FVM was celebrating our victory in the Black Marsh Inn.

The inn was crowded with the warriors of the militia, and it was obvious, that there was no lack of ale. I adressed the crowd, and told them of our mission. I asked if Tanq Sibris was present, but by then my men had already found him in the back of the inn. Although the militia didn't approve of it, I adressed Tanq, and told him that he was hereby taken under custody. He told us, that he was innocent.

The militia quickly came between us and the exit. Legolas, the leader of the Free Vesper Militia claimed, that they wouldn't allow us to accomplish our mission. From the other side of the inn, I could hear someone saying "We don't believe in British' justice!".

Then Tanq Sibris ran off.
With an unequalled agility, he showed my men away, jumped across some tables, and reached the exit. I ordered my men to catch him, and Legolas ordered his men to stop us. I was hit by several arrows and maces, but managed to reach the exit, and with a quick spell of paralysis I brought an end to Tanq Sibris' attempts of avoiding the law.

I placed a chain on the wrists of Tanq, and he hit me with a waraxe. I removed myself from him, and tried to calm everyone down. The fighting slowly ceased. I asked if they wanted a war, a war that would cost houndres, maybe even thousands of innocent lives. They didn't answer that, and we began negotiating.

We were standing on the bridge leading west, the FVM armed and ready to fight, while we disarmed ourselves and searched for a solution, which we reached by dusk.

According to the solution, Tanq Sibris of the Free Vesper Militia is to be detained in Vesper, in the Ironwood inn, and as soon as possible be placed before the court of Truth in Yew.

I trust that the judges will then find make sure justice is served. At least, we proved, that we can have both peace and justice in the city of Vesper. I will send forth information, if the judges deem a trial necessary.

Yours
Xel'Naga, leader of the Lord British Loyalists.
ICQ:20643899

These weekly meetings are to discuss issues of importance regarding our fair Napa Valley. That night will focus on Elle's trial and possibly sorting out who will be given jury duty.

Then on Thursday night at the Yew Court House (10 pm EST, 7 PST) the trial will commence. This will determine under the King's laws if this muderer should be held accountable for her crimes. The general public is welcome to attend.

You Know What They Say About Curiousity
Nicholas Tamark Jul 23 2000 5:02PM

His body arched on the table as Jordan Cromwell's first breath poured itself into his body. Eyes wide and hands scrabbling in confusion, he couldn't comprehend his surroundings. It took a few minutes before he realized the figures around him were healers, trying to calm him.

A bald, dark-skinned man with a simple robe held Jordan's hand in his, his face a mask of serenity. "Be at ease, lad. You are safe here, and quite alive. Lay back and rest, you've only just returned to us. You are safe, here in Wintermoor." The healer went to work applying bandages, and casting spells of healing where the bandages failed. Jordan drifted back off to sleep.

Some time later, Jordan awoke again. The feeling of emptiness and panic quickly grew again, but he managed to control it, barely. He sat up in the bed, looking about the room. A folded grey robe was on a table next to the bed, and atop that sat his lantern, ever glowing. Relieved, he got to his feet and stretched, making sure no injuries remained. Unfolding the robe and covering himself with it, he started searching through the pockets. The wave of panic rose again as he realized his necklace was not there. Only the sound of the healer's voice behind him stopped him from losing control.

"I thought you might be hungry," said the healer, placing a tray of food down on the table.

"Where are all of my belongings? Is this all I have left?!?" Jordan waved the lantern in front of the man's face. His other hand scratched idly at his neck.

"We have no need of your possessions, sir, and we ask no payment for returning you to this world. What you hold is all that returned with you. Please sit, and eat. Tell me what has happened."

Still fighting with the unreasonable panic, Jordan sat wearily and took a bite of cheese. His hunger awakened, he took a few more bites. Several minutes passed while his body's needs took control of his mental needs. Popping a muffin in his mouth, Jordan began his tale.

"I'd recently been contacted by several parties, all seeking different types of gems, although all for the same purpose. Now I'm a businessman; I don't particularly care why they sought these gems. I only care that their search brought them to me. Apparently I was in the possession of one or more gems that had magical properties, although I had not noticed any such gems. I've spent the last few days taking inventory and gathering all the requested gems. Even after closely inspecting all my gems, I could discern no special traits in any of them. Sure, some were clearer or finer cut, but no two gems are exact. You understand?"

The monk nodded silently, and Jordan washed down his food with wine and continued. "Earlier today I sold my citrines off to a lovely young lady, at a sizeable profit. However, she was unsure if she held the gem she was searching for, and so bought my stock of amber as well. Confident she was now in charge of her destiny, she returned home and I went in search of my other client."

"I was unable to locate either him or his guild, so I returned home. A short time later, I received a visitor. He introduced himself as Smogg Azalin, and claimed to be looking to make a gift of a precious gem for his more precious wife, Reminisence. Besides the fact that I normally care not what my clients do with items they seek, I also did not want to scare this potential buyer away by revealing his reason as a falsehood. It's something I'm used to doing as a businessman, after all. People tend to be less than truthful when they are in search of something of value to them." Jordan realized he was staring off into space, and looked at the monk. "But I digress."

"As is often the case, my visitor inquired about my more unique items. He seemed particularly interested in my lantern, and wished to add that to the purchase of the gem. After repeatedly telling him it was not for sale, he asked to hear the tale of how I acquired it. He summoned his librarian, Annatar, to listen to the tale as well. I told my tale of the lantern, and we started discussing the value of such tales. Smogg claimed to have a complete account of The Ballad of the Mournful Soldier, which made me curious, to say the least."

"Annatar and I started talking about his library, which he claimed was one of the largest in the world. I have to say that my interest in his boast made me less than cautious in dealing with these two men. I agreed to travel with them to see this library, in hopes of finding a new place to do my research.

"We traveled here to Wintermoor, to the Wintermoor Medical Archives. They briefly showed me the medical facility on the first floor, and then escorted me to the upper floor, which housed the library. I must admit it was one of the finer libraries I've seen. It contained books on many subjects, and was easy to browse through. I was inquiring what tomes were located in the backroom, and was told there were tomes of secret knowledge. Smogg, partly joking I assume, asked if I would trade the lantern for entry into the back room, which I of course did not accept. We then heard the downstairs door open, and someone enter the building. Smogg said that his wife had arrived, and went to greet her."

"Annatar and I were discussing books amongst the shelves, when I looked out the window and noted orcs staring at me from a window in a nearby house. I commented on how odd it was to see such a thing, when suddenly I heard many footsteps and words of magic come from behind me." Jordan paused, his face starting to frown in thought. "My memory starts to get blurry here. I was hit with several spells, but fortunately managed to duck behind a bookshelf to shield myself from most of it. I remember trying to reach for my sword...the world going grey as I stared at booted feet, and hooves..."

Jordan shook his head to clear his thoughts. Shrugging, his hand unconsciously touching his neck, he said, "And then I awoke to seeing you."

"Well, I thank you for telling me what occurred." The monk stood and picked up the now empty tray. "Please feel free to stay here as long as you wish."

Jordan stood as well. "I've been too much a burden already. I thank you for restoring me back to health, but I must return home. I need to ... search for something I've lost..."

The monks provided Jordan with warm clothes to deal with the snow outside, and told him where in Wintermoor he could find transport. Jordan again gave his thanks, and walked away among the buildings and snow, fear in his eyes, his hand all too often reaching for his bare neck.

I am pleased beyond words to know that Jordon Cromwell is once again walking among us. The mystery now lies in the whereabouts of his famed necklace. As we unearth more information, we will be certain to share it with you.

Yours in the Light,

Whew! You got all that? So, then after many hours of detective work in the field our band of heroes were able to ascertain BladeSong was being held in the Ice Dungeon by a cult of evil mages (they keep popping up!) who belonged to the Merchants Guild. The 24-hour time frame had passed so we hoped for the best.

I tagged along as we met on the Paupa docks. Dirk Fireslinger had come down with a mysterious illness so the paladin Aranath took his place as group leader. Before jettisoning our vessel into the ocean kamikaze mages with a zealots fire in their eyes stormed us. Fearful of bringing a full scale attack on the population of Paupa we left immediately.

The journey was long and difficult. We were attacked by creatures the whole way. A powerful force trying to stop us. Upon landing, a pack of drakes and evil mages tried to repel us, but to no avail. Inside the dungeon the usual array of ice creatures halted our progress with their frozen outer shell causing frostbite to all they touched.

We eventually found the ghost of BladeSong tied to an energy vortex. He spoke to us from beyond harking for a resurrection. But before we could proceed a whole army of mages popped out of nowhere. I don’t know how we finally broke through their ranks, but we did. There were many lifeless bodies lying upon the ground...some of them ours. Racing to where BladeSong was being held (in the middle of a pentagram) there was one last surprize: Ice Fiends. Nasty creatures they were. Huge beasts who took forever to kill. As some of the party was holding them off we brought our friend, BladeSong, back into the realm of the living.

With danger still lurking around we made haste to transport our version of Private Ryan back to Paupa. He thanked us for our bravery, but had no further knowledge of those who took him. Only time will tell...

Once again I sat and watched as the Temple was attacked by the gargoyles but this time they were led by a black gargoyle who was able to use the land around him to call forth minions at the temple he called for Earth Elementals and at the attack on Saturnalia he used Water Elementals. The defending forces of the Disciples of Mondain (DM), Lords of Vengeance (Vng) and others who have just recently become interested in these current events all helped fight back the attacking forces but not without heavy losses. It seems this black gargoyle is also the one of the leaders that are protecting what I have been searching for which has been the key to this whole mystery. Once the blackrock was secured from Saturnalia the Dark Lord Mordain spoke of his plan. The Blackrock is to be "purified" then turned into 3 lenses to help him disciper what the black gargoyle called the Codex of Mondain! I have heard tales of this book as a child it is supposedly Mondains spellbook but none have ever found it or know where it was hidden. Rumor had it that the book was taken by a powerful Liche and 2 of his minions to keep it safe from ever falling into the wrong hands again. Could this gargoyle be one of these minions? Mordain then continued saying that the fourth and final piece would be used to recreate his Gem of Souls which would help him with the powerful magic concealing the Codex of Mondain. In order to help him achieve these goals he has set three tournaments of wisdom where he will look for the 3 greatest scholars in the land to become his aids in purifying the Blackrock, creating the lenses, and recreating the Gem of Souls. The first tourney I hear is supposed to start at 10 eastern time this Wednesday. I shall keep my eyes open and my ears clear for any news. Till then Fare thee well.

-Fredrick the Traveler

Hail,
The Drunken Lizard Pub in the City of Sanctuary is looking for a few new bartenders and wenches. We are looking for bright, quirky individuals that will dedicate themselves to our customers and always wear a smile. If you would like more information, please contact Strix at [email protected]. Thank you,
Strix

On Saturday the 29th at 7pm PST is the Grand Opening of BlackMantle Tavern! It will be a grand celebration with lots of prizes to be won! BlackMantle is located across the water west of cove and below the Britain Swamp next to a small mountain side (Big Brick Building) there will be a gate available there from 6:30 on at Britain Bank, or if you need a rune ICQ me at 39902974!

The Events Schedule

7:00pm PST

The Celebration Begins

Free Door Gifts

Sign up for the pie eating contest and horse race begin

Also you can start purchasing your keys of me (Blue DaBuDee) for 5k a piece

Only 20 keys being sold for the Chest Game Later on.

7:30pm

Pie Eating Constest Starts! Winner recieves a prize!

Only signed up people can participate!

8:00pm

Horse Race to Brit and Back! Winner receives a prize too!

8:30pm

Key Chest is brought out and everyone gets to try their keys they purchased earlier off of me! If your key fits you win a FULL Ranger Suit Armor !!!!

9:00pm

Fireworks Show will be held outside with Free Drinks for all!

9:30pm

Time to relax kick back and tell stories and jokes or just have a drink and chat with friends!

I hope you can all attend this fun event and have a great day!

-Blue DaBuDee (Tavern Owner)

Thanks. I hope to see you all there.

Asheron's Call Stratics

• AC Stratics has two new introductory guides to Magic and Alchemy.
• Also this week, a transcript of the recent Zone Chat with Turbine and the debut of our new XP Chart which needs YOUR help :)

Anarchy Online Stratics

• Do you have your beta tester application filled out yet? With beta just around the corner, be sure to drop by Anarchy Online Stratics to read up on the latest news happenings.

Atriarch Stratics

• This week Atriarch Stratics will be unveiling two seriously nifty features.
• On Monday we will be posting an edited log of the highly successful (if short notice) HoC held last week. Give it a read, because we came across tons of new and interesting information!
• Friday is the day several Atriarch fans have been waiting for... The day we finally will announce the finalists of our Slogan contest... There were so many great entries it's taken us a long time to sort through them all, but we're finally ready to conquer the world with our readers 'mad PR skills.'

Hero's Journey Stratics

• Issue 13 of the Hero's Journal is published! With fiction, game design articles covering warriors and other topics, and an in-depth look at the other games of Simutronics, developer of Hero's Journey.
• HJ Stratics has an exclusive interview with Elonka Dunin of Simutronics. The interview covers HJ's status, what a publisher means to HJ, how Simutronics has worked with their playerbase in their current MUDs, and much more!

JumpGate Stratics

• JumpGate Stratics has begun it's own Interface Tour. Here even a novice game player can learn how to purchase a ship, equip it, and fly it.
• As well, JumpGate Stratics has started a community Event Calendar where players can see upcoming events, and even submit new events to JumpGate Stratics to be posted.

Neverwinter Nights Stratics

• Neverwinter Stratics would like to announce that Marizelle has returned to the role of Project Manager for the site. Aartemis will remain part of the site staff.
• Neverwinter Stratics will be undergoing some other changes in the upcoming weeks, so stay tuned!

Shadowbane Stratics

• Shadowbane Stratics has had an exciting week, we have had 3 new logs added recently. Kenickie, our resident god, interviewed Belthior, as well.
• Our old friend, Mr. Eldreth has returned to answer questions about Shadowbane in the one, the only, Ask Eldreth! Also, for your viewing pleasure.. ! .. We've collected a few movie clips of animation available for download here.

Origin Stratics

• Hot off the presses! Origin Stratics is proud to present the first two features our our Game Play Section - A Bestiary and Skills/Trades! Wondering what kinds of monsters you'll be facing in Origin? Drawn from various sources such as screenshots and movies, we have created an all new Bestiary, including 19 creatures already!
• Also, from discussions with the Dev Team we were able to create a Skills and Trades section that discusses many of the occupations you'll be able to partake in as an Origin resident. From Magery to the classic Warrior to the ever-present Blacksmith and even to Juggling, there is something here for everyone to do. Make sure to check out both sections often, as we will be constantly adding to them!

Announcing Logapalooza Napa Valley!

On Wednesday, July 26, from 6:00-7:30pm PST, Clevis the Lumberjack will be hosting Logapalooza, a lumberjacking contest. All lumberjacks are invited to bring logs or cut wood to Clevis at the East Bank of Britain, Trammel facet. Everyone will be paid 3gp for each log delivered, and the person who delivers the most logs (but at least 1000) during the contest will also receive a placed house west of Britain on Felucca**.

This home is a good base for a lumberjack and near mining areas. Of course, the winner can also just opt for the deed. (**a deed will be substituted if decay claims the house before the contest ends)

You'll recognize Clevis because he'll be in an orc mask and green fancy dress standing near the door of the East Bank in Britain Trammel.

Clevis is in the guild DP, and his friend Bjorn may be assisting. Winner will be announced about 10 minutes after the competition ends.

So come one, come all! You're guaranteed payment of 3x what those stingy NPC shopkeepers pay, and the buffest, fastest lumberjack on Trammel will win a house, too!

(Rules? What rules? Most logs wins. You can stockpile them, work as a team with friends, whatever.)

UOSS is currently looking for active, talented citizens of Baja to add to our crack team of top-notch Ultima Online reporters. As a volunteer you are required to:

• Be a talented writer
• Be an active, knowledgeable member of the Baja 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

1. Real name
2. Contact email address
3. ICQ number (if applicable)
4. Character name (this must be the name of the character you will be using as your potential shard reporter)
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 UOSS?
7. Include a brief writing sample, no more than 500 words (pictures are not welcomed and no attachments)
8. Any questions???

Good luck to all applicants!

Jack Raven, Dwarven Priest of the House of Raven

I write this because all we ever hear of are epic tales and dungeon crawls, so I thought I would tell of the dangerous conditions of the normal wilderness in this fair land. I think this is mainly over looked due to the fact that most people have gotten lazy and mainly recall to towns.

It was a fairly gloomy day in Skara Brae, and I had a hangover, which was probably why I had no recollection of getting there until I saw the five heavy chests sitting in the corner of my inn room. I had agreed to carry them for a mage named Joe who wished to make some rune sets but was to weak to carry them himself. Unfortunately I was currently late for an arranged meeting in Vesper so I figured I'd just take them with me rather than go out of my way to put them in my bank. Besides, I figured I might meet up with Joe. So I donned my heavy black armor, fastened my thick black belt, and slipped my axe in to the loop on the side. Then I wrapped a rope around the chests and carried them that way. It was cumbersome but I am of hearty Dwarven stock so off I set to Vesper.

I had not gotten too far when I ran into some young cad attacking a bear. I hate people who attack such a fantastic creature, so I aided the bear and gave the kid quite a scare. He ran off screaming for help. Eventually I reached Britain with out much trouble, but the chests were getting heavy so I decided to bank them. But alas, there must have been an auction going on near the bank for the crowds were thick. So I abandoned that plan fearing I'd never get in the bank, so instead I walked on by passing a few beggars who wanted gold and even one who wanted fruit for his horse.

I Traveled further on my way and was stopped at a guard out post. The guards questioned me about my armor and my very large axe, and then they decided they needed to search the stupid chests. So, of course I had to untie the rope then retie it, and eventually I was on my way again. At least till I reached the swamp. Stupid me, I was in such a hurry I just waded through, which of course was making my freshly shined armor very dirty. While I was busily trudging along, some stupid lizard men attacked and made me drop the chests in the muck. So after I dispatched them I had to dig around to find the chests. So now I am bloody, dirty and tired but at least I was close to Vesper, so I should be home free. Nope. Apparently some brigands decided to set up camp in the middle of the road and with out a word they began to attack me. I killed two and knocked another unconscious; which made the last two very nervous, so they ran along to bother someone else.

Luckily there were no more complications and I made it to Vesper quite safely, if not a bit dirty. So before heading to my meeting I decided to clean up a bit. I bought some new boots and gloves and had my armor shined up real nice, and I sharpened and cleaned my axe. Then I headed to the bank to get rid of those stupid chests, but first I decided I deserved a nice look inside. I busted the locks off and opened the chests: one rune each, all to Empath Abby.

I'm sure those by the bank learned some colorful new language, and a few ever got some muddy chests (although I kept the runes). But it was ok cause I could still make the meeting on time. When I got there my good friend Mog introduced me to our newest member, a young archer named Bob. Well, as we like to do we let the new member pick what to do that night. I'll never forget what he said.

"Can we go to Skara Brae?"

Hail at well met.

I'd like to announce the founding of a new city in our fair land, the city of Tel'mar.

Far to the northeast of Yew lies the shrine of Justice. Around this holy place on the Trammel facet lie the beginnings of the city of Tel'mar. For months now, builders have been hard at work, constructing the town, putting together the various structures and generally ensuring that every piece of architecture is sound.

Now at last we can announce that the city has been officially founded. A ceremony of dedication will occur in the largest building in town, the MAR tower, on Wednesday the 26th of July at 10pm GMT. We will honour all those who worked to build the city and attempt to prepare the groud for its future. All are welcome!

Directions to the city are simple, just travel to the shrine of Justice! The town surrounds it, you really can't miss it!

Watch this space for information on the upcoming Tel'mar website and for the regular events that will occur in the city. The tavern, the casino and the various shops will be up and running as soon as possible.

I look forward to welcoming you all to Tel'mar!

Lady Magika, Armourer of Tel'ma

Hail all ye people of Europa

Finally, house placement is behind us, and I hope most of thee were lucky enough to get their desired home. I was blessed with placing a tower in the name of my guild, the Kult. We have some lofty plans for this building, and for those I need the help of thee all. We would love to turn this tower into a public rune library / shopping mall / tavern. My current ideas are:

Ground Floor: Public rune library to all important places on Trammel. Although I want cities and dungeons too, I am mostly interested in runes to good vendor shops, other taverns or player towns.

1st floor: This should be the mall, whoever wants to place a vendor here, can do so, as long as there is space, I would like to have everything under the Britannian sun available for sale there.

2nd floor & roof: I would like to turn the 2nd floor into a tavern and the roof into a party area that can be rented out for events or meetings. Depending on help by others I would like to make this a meeting place like the Spiritwood Tavern is on Felucca, and perhaps even have quests starting here.

As thee can see, my plans are ambitious. To carry them out, I am in desperate need for help. I need a few people to take care of the runes, I need merchants to run the vendors and a crew for the tavern. What I offer is a free tower to use for your business & entertainment. If ye feel that this would be something for ye or if ye art a merchant smelling a good profit, please contact me. I will not be able to do all this alone, so please help me getting it started!

With Regards
Zreto Lusorian of the Kult
ICQ:11934600

Dusk dawned on the Britain crossroads as Lord Ser Brightblade gave Galam a tour of his cousin's Safehaven Inn and Tavern. The mood was flippant as Ser Brightblade told of how the inn would work in tandem with Dove of The Community Center, located at the Britian crossroads, to teach the young and give them a safe place to stay. The two worked their way around the building with Galam commenting upon the unusual placement of torches just outside the large iron doors. This would have been a normal day in Britania had it not been for the strange gate that was to appear before the guildmates.

That's odd, thought Ser Brightblade as he peered at the unusual gate just outside the inn. He and Galam, who watched the gate intently, could never have guessed that this uninvited visitor would be more than the common traveller and the expressions that they wore were understandably ones of surprise as they saw who stepped through the gate.

Ominously black and hollow the traveler's eyes peirced them to the bone as he motioned for them to stop their talking so that he could say his words of immenent doom. He came upon Ser Brightblade and spoke of the lord's deceptions and betrayal towards him. Ventryn spoke of Ser Brightblade's attempts at spying on him and Ser Brightblade knew he had words of his own to speak in response to these accusations.

"The betrayal was yours, Ventryn", he replied with a sense of truth that made even Ventryn's mouth sour. The Dark Lich's eyes narrowed at this and he threw out his own retort.

"Be careful what you bring to this inn, Brightblade", Vetryn's narrowed eyes seered Ser Brightblade's mind as they seemed to look through him to his soul. Ser Brightblade thought to earlier when his good friends Gorion and Greg had brought Pythos to the inn, and with that he felt the hair on his neck stand on end. "Yes," remarked Ventryn before he had time to speak," I always watch ye." The two for a moment locked gazes with one another, each deciding what to do next but the moment passed and the Dark Lich spoke again. "Why have thee rejoined the fight after all these months, Ser Brightblade?", his voice seethed with contempt for the man," Was it fame? Glory?", The Dark Lich once again narrowed his eyes, "Tell me, what was it?"

Ser Brightblade's jaw flexed as he took the devil's words in. "Knowledge, Ventryn, knowledge", he began with renewed confidence,"The same reason I came to thee months ago. That and the ability to impart that knowledge to others once learned."

The Dark Lich glared at him with that response and turned to speak again. "Stop this," he said in reference to the defense of Winterfell, "I will crush you." A slight growl escaped Ventryn as he spoke adding to the air of darkness that worked its way around and most possibly through the Dark Lich's presence.

Ser Brightblade gritted his teeth and raised his hand to point to the inn's sign. "This is the Safehaven Inn, Ventryn. All are welcome, including thee, but if ever you are to harm any young, the Praetorian Guard of Honor will smite you down." His voice carried with it a sense of dignity and nobility that any other man would have had a difficult time maintaining in the face of one so wicked.

"The innocent shall be left untouched. Let them reside here, I will not harm them... just as I will not harm the Purple Guardians of Honor if thee were to give me the same gift in Winterfell...", his words trailed off as if awaiting a reply. Suddenly the area was filled with a jovial tone of hardy laughter. Ser Brightblade had seen this offer as insane and treated it as such. His only reply the deriding laughter that he sent Ventryn's way. " Listen now, Brightblade, and listen well," he remarked demandingly, "In the days to come I will accomplish much!" This time the sour truth gave Ser Brightblade cause to pause.

"Aye", he replied in his once again noble fashion, "And we will be there to stop you!" His knight played in this chess game of threats, Ser Brightblade bode the Dark Lich to speak again.

As quickly as an adder's tounge, the Dark Lich spat another intimidating threat meant to scare the man out of calling arms to defend Winterfell. "I know your homes!", he seized as Galam watched on in apparent silence, taking in every word and noting them with care.

" I know", Ser Brightblade said in a somber tone and once again the truth's sourness reached his mouth. This was Ventryn's turn to laugh as he saw that Ser Brightblade was finally realizing his power. It took a solid minute for Ser Brightblade to regroup his thoughts after the nauseating visions of attacks on his friends' homes shot through his mind. "When you are ready to speak of peace, Ventryn, there will be a table here for you on this inn's first floor where papers could be signed...." He had spoke with words that were tired of this deadlocked chess match but they were cut off by the sound of the Dark Lich's repeated laugh.

Ventryn was done talking as well. He had played his hand at deplomacy and had returned with nothing gained. As Galam and Ser Brightblade looked on he pounded his chest and with a wave of his arms he was gone. "Nemo me impune lacessat", Ser Brightblade cared little whether or not the Dark Lich heard his words for he knew that soon enough it would be the last Ventryn would ever hear.

-Aluim Aster

Saturday, July 22 - PaxLair, Felucca, Chesapeake - Over the past several weeks, a ghost by the name of 'The GateKeeper' has been appearing in PaxLair. Today, he appeared in front of the Mage Tower next to the Spring of Courage. In previous weeks, he cured Fetch of a sickness and brought Fetch's wife Arys back from the depths of the Underworld.

The GateKeeper appears to be a being that guards one of the gates to the fabled Underworld. However, the GateKeeper has come to the surface of Sosaria perhaps attracted by recent carnages and chaos within the realm. What his true purpose is, no one knows.
- Winfield, Mayor of PaxLair

Announcing the Grand Opening of the Kingdom of Dawn's new entertainment highlight, The Acropolis Winery and Roman Bath House.

Lady Shadomir returns to the nightlife to bring you the latest and greatest in entertainment establishments to Sosaria. Located in the Kingdom of Dawn (Felucca) where the Ethereal Travel rune library was located. We hope you'll come join us for fun and festivity on this most wonderful evening! Bring your best duds and bring your smiles. Also bring a toga or a costume, cause this is a masquerade ball!

Prizes of 10k for the best Greek or Roman outfit

10k for the best masquerade outfit!

Starts 6:30 pm PST

Tuesday July 25th

Ends, late into the night

For directions or a rune, please visit the Kingdom of Dawn's message board.

Here is a sneak preview! And visit our website!

Come one, come all! Lumaria (of Felluca) has been colonized in Trammel. That's right everyone, New Lumaria is the place to visit.

Under direct orders of Galen Kai Tan (Mayor of Lumaria), I, Azguard, have been sent to Trammel to colonize and build New Lumaria. We are in the process of growing and would like to get anyone and everyone who would like to be a part to contact me to join up.

Lumaria was a very elegant city that provided anything and everything to its travelers who passed by. We are in the same place in Trammel. Look for the log cabin with the clover on the signpost.

Thank You and hope to hear from you soon.

Sincerely,

Azguard of Lumaria

Hi everyone! I would like to let you all know that we are having a Ultima Online quiz contest on Stratics IRC (irc.stratics.com) in the #ultima-online channel. It will take place this upcoming Friday the 28th at 9 PM Eastern Time. The game is a series of questions about UO given by our channel bot, and for each correct answer score will be kept. The winner will get a prize of 250,000 gold on the Chesapeake shard. If you don't play on Chesapeake, you can always find someone to make a brokered cross-shard gold trade at http://uo.tradespot.net. Please note that anyone breaking our public policy (listed when you join our IRC network) will be banned with no warnings, as we want this game to be an enjoyable experience for all that attend. Come join us on irc.stratics.com in #ultima-online for a great time, and remember you can always stop by for general Ultima Online chat. I would like to thank Zamboni Driver for his donation and help in making this fun event possible. If you have any questions regarding the game feel free to email me at [email protected]. Thanks and we hope to see you all there!

Zorn
Lead Channel Coordinator
Stratics IRC Network
irc.stratics.com

When Orwen chanted the incantation to activate the Orb, the Orb drained all the magical power from the mage Ponthor, and he became powerless. Orwen continued to use his orb to defeat any other mage who opposed him and thus became one of the most powerful mages in the realm. After 350 years, Orwen died the final death and passed on to the beyond. Nobody knows what happened to Orwen's Orb.

Gypsy Doria Romanov is doing her best to find the orb before the Enchantress does. While it is not known for certain that the Orb can defeat the Enchantress, Doria is willing to try anything that might stop the evil sorceress who kidnapped her husband. If you want to help Doria search for Orwen's Orb, come to Doria's tent in Skara Brae at 7 PM (Pacific time) on Tuesday, July 25. Her tent is located just northwest of the Skara Brae bank.

Thanks!

Complete information can be found on the UO FYI web page.

Hear Ye, Hear Ye!
The Merchants of the Sacred Dragons (MSD) would like to welcome one and all to the grand opening of the Merchants' Keep. A truly wonderful vendor shoppe and tavern; overlooking the splendid Vesper Wood. The Keep itself is located next to the Ironwood Inn on the South side of Vesper. The Merchants will be hosting a Grand Opening Festival on Friday, July 28 beginning at 8pm (cst). Several events are planned for through out the evening.

8:00 - Welcoming Address by Fistan Farland (GM of the Sacred Dragons) and Barth VanDorn (GM of the MSD) with a party to follow.
9:00 - Scavenger Hunt hosted by Barth VanDorn (find Barth to get registered, he will be in the keep all night).
10:00 - Dart Throwing contest, hosted by Ripher (500 gold entry fee, five darts)
11:00 - dawn Music, Dancing and Magic in the Tavern. Music by GM Bard, Barth VanDorn, Dancing by all who attend, and maybe even a special appearance by Mortimus VanDorn for a magic show.

It will truly be a night to remember as the Merchants go all out for this once in a life time event!!!!

Submitted by Barth VanDorn,
Minstrel and
GM of the MSD

Hail to thee, I am Drab Mintr of the Yew Militia. I write to thee to report the appearance of the three Soulless Ones before the entrance of the Empath Abbey in Yew, last eve (Friday night), under the Felucca moon. They said nothing despite many attempts to speak to them, but did take the time to "feed" on a couple of the gentler sex, a fact both disputable in combat and pointed out by one of the others standing about. If this has any meaning I am at a loss to prove. The thing of most interest was that shortly after this and just before they took their leave, one of them pointed to the sky and chortled a discusting sound. What the meaning of this be, I do not pray to know, for I am quite certain that we shall find out in due course, however there are some who summise that the good folk of the realm should find out before it is too late. I leave that to others, for I am poorly gifted in the ways of finding clues, if there be any, for I have never found any in past efforts. Still, I must wonder at the meaning of this all.

Drab Mintr,
Old warrior of Yew

Players will be able to stable only a certain number of pets with a Stablemaster. This number will be based upon an average of three (3) skills: Taming, Veterinary, and Animal Lore. If the total of these 3 skills (Taming plus Veterinary plus Animal Lore) is between 160 and 200, then 3 pets may be stabled. If the skill total is between 200 and 240, then 4 pets may be stabled. If the total of these three skills is above 240, then 5 pets may be stabled. Note that the total amount of pets that may be stabled is effective for the entire shard. Thus for example, if you choose to stable 5 pets in Britain, you may not stable pets anywhere else on that shard.

UOSS is currently looking for active, talented citizens of Pacific to add to our crack team of top-notch Ultima Online reporters. As a volunteer you are required to:

• Be a talented writer
• Be an active, knowledgeable member of the Pacific 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

1. Real name
2. Contact email address
3. ICQ number (if applicable)
4. Character name (this must be the name of the character you will be using as your potential shard reporter)
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 UOSS?
7. Include a brief writing sample, no more than 500 words (pictures are not welcomed and no attachments)
8. Any questions???

Good luck to all applicants!

Since the creation of the Trammel facet, patronage to the Gathered Spirits Tavern has dropped substantially. In order to make visiting the Tavern a more enjoyable experience for our patrons, the Gathered Spirits Community Administration announced today the following changes to the operation of the Tavern:

I. As of Monday, 24 July, the Tavern will no longer be staffed by bartenders on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays.

II. As of Saturday, 29 July, the Tavern will be staffed between 8:00pm and 10:00pm Pacific Standard Time (sometimes longer) every Saturday, by at least one bartender (usually two or three).

III. Every Saturday, between 8:00pm and 10:00pm PST, the Gathered Spirits Event Department, in cooperation with other departments and other shard establishments, will coordinate an event.

IV. The Saturday Event will be publicized every week on both the Gathered Spirits Community Website and on other news scrolls.

V. The Saturday Event will have a significant prize every week, drawn from the Gathered Spirits Fundraising Account and GS coffers.

As one of the oldest taverns on our shard, and historically one of the most popular, it is sad to have to cut down on some of our staffed hours. However, we hope that you'll join us on Saturdays, when the ale will flow freely, there'll be a unique event with a great prize every week, and there will be several bartenders around to hand you some of our great food and drink. Relax at the fountain outside, dine at our banquet table overlooking the Yew Wilderness or sit at the bar and share a tale or two.

Join us every Saturday, starting next week, from 8:00pm to 10:00pm PST.

*** Join Us ***
If you would like to assist us in expanding the Gathered Spirits' hours once again, running events and quests for the enjoyment of the people of the shard, and working to secure a bright future for Britannia, consider becoming a Gathered Spirits staff member. Our event department is understaffed, and we need bartenders to carry on the Spirits' outstanding tradition of service at the bar. For more information, including a list of available positions and an application form, visit Our Homepage

*** Location and Details ***
The Gathered Spirits Tavern is an establishment located on the Felucca facet on the road between Yew and Minoc/Vesper, South-East of the City of Yew. For more information about our establishment, Community and staff, visit This Page

Assassination of Sven, the Noble

I was attending the speech The honored Sven gave on Saturday night. Sven had revealed that the particular armor that was stolen, was crafted by Nystul; But more importantly, it was made using a formula of Crystalline Blackrock. After the scene of last weeks theft was examined thourgouly, a backpack was found floating in the moat. Inside were a few meager belongings, and a recall rune. A small guard force was gathered, and a gate was opened up on the rune. The troop appeared south of Britain, outside a small tower named "Armageddon Tower."

No one was there at the time, and it was decided not to stay, for only the gods knew how long before someone showed up. Sven also issued warrants for 4 men who were believed to be in connection to the theft, and other previous crimes. They are: Gradenko of FoA, Flaw Jr. of CoD, Bjorn of CoD, And Dimitri, of CoD/FoA. Sven offered a 25 thousand gold reward for the capture of any of these men alive. And a 150 thousand reward if all 4 were brought in by the same person(s). Sven was about to continue on, when suddenly out of nowhere, a man named Kane jumped out, and killed Sven before he could even call the guards. He then proceeded to run out of the parliament building, but was being pursued too closely. he then quaffed a poison potion, and hid from sight. A few seconds later, he appeared, said: "Blessed are the Meek", and died.

More importantly, Sven was about to reveal what the CoD/FoA's intended purpose for using the armor was. But he was killed before he could say anything. I write to thee, hoping you can aid in the capture of the above outlaws. Sven will not be able to give out the rewards, but I will compensate for him. No reward will be given for a corpse. Thank thee citizens of Britannia.

Sigfried, The Archmage

Goodman's Rune Libraries announce the Grand Opening Celebration for their Castle Rune Library in Trammel. The event will be held on Saturday, July 29, from 8:00 PM EDT 'til we all drop. Everyone is invited to the party!

There are Runes to this location locked down in key spots, such as in Goodman's Magincia Rune Library in Felucca. On the floor near the stairs in the front room downstairs, recall to that spot and drop a moonstone to cross over directly into the castle courtyard. Also, there is a 2-story villa on Magincia Beach in Trammel that has a rune locked down on the front porch that will recall you into the castle courtyard.

Enjoy free beverages and food and party favors, while you can explore the castle and all it's runes.

Goodman

Thanks!

This is Sagonari's first part:

As you might will remember, I found a journal written by Dumelos a few days ago. In this journal, it was revealed that Dumelos dug up corpses in the Vesper cemetery. These corpses are being used to make these "Ogols" which have attacked Vesper and Spiritwood. Not without the loss of human lives... However, all of them does not seem to be hostile. Some have seen an Ogol go the the mage shop in Vesper, hand the shopkeeper a note and a bag of gold. The note was a list of reagents, which the shopkeeper then supplied. The Ogol went to the cemetery, where it putted the reagents in a box. In the box was found reagents, mortars and a note:

"Put the items in here, my children". Signed by Dulemos.

In the journal, Dulemos spoke of a person by the name of "Emoria". The journal revealed that she moved to the west of Minoc, to be as far away from Dulemos as possible. Who was this woman? I could not find any other clues of how to solve this mystery. So I went to Minoc to investigate, as you know. I found a note:

"Please leave the milk on the table. I will be back from my trip Friday evening." So I could do nothing but wait for Friday to come.

Later, in the evening, I thought of something. I walked to the bank of Vesper, from the Ironwood Inn where I was about to go to bed. I took some extra reagents, as I knew I could meet dangers on the trip. On the way to the cemetery, I met a man who kindly helped a young man who was fighting one of the many trolls in Vesper. I helped him too, and I spoke with the kind man. His name was Julian Lunar. I asked him if he had seen any Ogols, and if he knew anything about them. He said that he was on the way to the cemetery to do some research, as he was very curious. I was going there too, so we went there together. I checked the journal, and I was maybe right. It said:

"They are transporting goods to the Vesper cemetary. I will make my lab there. It is so much closer to the things I need..."

So he moved to Vesper, but from where? I had heard rumors of such an "Ogol" a few weeks ago, in Moonglow, but I didn't think much of it at the time. Now I did... It was obvious, he moved from Moonglow to Vesper. So my new friend, Julian, and I went to Moonglow to see if we could find the old lab. First, we went to the local cemetary to see if there was any signs of these Ogols or mayhaps Dumelos. We met a few locals, asked them if they had seen anything strange going on at the graveyard. Nothing. We looked around, maybe some disturbed graves? Nothing, no sign of anything. We took a look around, but did not find anything, no signs of Ogols. Julian thought of looking at the telescope, but I had given up at that time. I was tired, I needed rest... It was getting late. I looked forward to meet this woman, Emoria. Maybe she could lead us to Dumelos? We must stop these Ogols before more lives are lost...

The day arrived. This was the day where Emoria was supposed to come back from her trip, according to the note in her home. And so she did. A friend of mine told me that a new note had been written. It said:

"Thank you for the milk. I will be out taming and will return tonight, three hours before midnight."

I came early, maybe she came back earlier than planned? When I came, a few of my friends were already there. They had the same thought, it seemed... We waited, and we chatted a bit as the good friends we are. More people slowly arrived, and we continued to discuss this mystery.

Then I saw Duncan Dalwhinie of the Custodes Fati arrive. I had met him once before, in Vesper. When that ogre wanted a necklace... So I greeted him. He was told to come by Pad O'Lion. I had spoken to Pad O'Lion about this matter a few days before, at the Spiritwood tavern. The same day as I had found the journal at the cemetery in Vesper.

He joined us, and we waited together.

Here Duncan's report continues:

After lil' Ivy, Falcore, Beneviste and me arrived at Emoria's house we were greeted by the already assembled crowd. Amongst them was Sagonari, whom I knew from Vesper. He was chosen by the people to talk to Emoria. After a short while Emoria came stroding up the road to her house, freezing in movement when she saw the gathered crowd. Of course she tried to back away, though we caught her before she could get away.

We then started to inquire about her involvement in Delamus experiments, which completely shocked her. She then told us, that she Delemos took her as apprentice to aid him in his studies. She tamed animals of various kind for Delamus' experiments. Delamus tried to transform the animals to make them somewhat more intelligent servants. Having some success with his experiments he soon turned to reanimating dead corpses to serve as invincible warriors, so that there was nay need for human warriors anymore. Emoria though, disgusted by Delamus experiments, left his house in Moonglow and went to Minoc. She told us, that she had fallen in love with Delamus over the time and now was fearing for his life. She begged us nay to do any harm to her beloved, and with tears in her eyes, she told us the location of Delamus laboratory near Moonglow.

When Emoria told us that Dumelos lived in Moonglow, south of the telescope, I felt stupid... why didn't I take the time to go there as Julian suggested? None seemed to have a rune for Moonglow, so I recalled to Vesper bank to fetch my runebook. I quickly got back to the others who were waiting for me to arrive. I opened a moongate to the island of mages, Moonglow. We quickly ran to the teleporters, where Nircem lead us to the right one. We arrived at the telescope, and we were met by the sight of Ogols! Red Ogols, red walking corpses...

They attacked and we had to kill them, well knowing that it was human corpses... But it was not an easy fight. There were some in the woods, and some in a house. Could be the house Emoria talked about... We ran in, still chased by Ogols, and more Ogols was found inside. I was one of the first who entered the house, so some of them attacked me... I was attacked by two of them, and others were also attacked... it was chaos. People ran confused around, some using magic, others using swords... I used my lute. But I was not successful... I could not provoke them to attack each other. They came closer to me, and I desperately tried to calm them down with my lute. And again, I failed... They could reach me now, and I tried to run away, but some people seemed to be frozen in front of the only door... I tried to calm them down again, and yet again I failed... The Ogols were very fast, they seemed to be faster than a trotting horse. i was very confused, all these fighting mages and warriors, and the Ogols who were chasing me... I fell. The Ogols were slain by the brave mages and warriors, and a kind healer resurrected me.

Outside, several Ogols were slain. When silence fell, we went inside Dulemos' house to see if we could find any clues of how to solve this mystery. We found a journal, it seemed to be a copy of the Journal I found in the cemetary of Vesper. But something had been added:

"Journal entry 32: I need a living person to test my newest potion on. I have no time to find the right one... My body will have to do..."

So he turned into an Ogol? Horrible! If dead humans could become as powerful as these ogols, how powerful would a living man then become? A few of us rushed back to Emoria in Minoc to delive these news. I arrived there first, and I tried to tell it to her gently. But she wasn't surprised... We asked her if she knew of a way to stop him, and if possible, how we could make him into a man again.

She said he was always very careful. When he made potions, he would always make an antidote. She didn't doubt that he had made one this time too. Where could we find this anti-dote? She said that it maybe was hidden in his house. Or maybe he carried it on him. The few of us who were in Minoc at this moment, decided to go back to Dulemos' house to see if the others had found anything of interest. Luckily I had marked a rune, so I opened a gate.

When we arrived, we saw Duncan Dalwhinie speaking to a man. He introduced me to him as Ruok, a lumberjack living next door to Dulemos.

Near Dulemos' house we were approached by a young fellow who introduced himself as Ruok the Lumberjack. He inquired about what we were doing at Dulemos house and explained, that he was his neighbor. We questioned Ruok if he had witnessed something odd about his neighbor the last few weeks, and Ruok told us, that he had indeed seen horrible Ogols lurking around the area of Dulemos abode. When we asked Ruok, if he knew about the whereabouts of Dulemos, he said, that he normally returns to his house on Tuesdays. There was nay much more Ruok could tell us, so I set off to return to Minoc to have a short talk with Emoria.

Sagonari was kind enough to provide us a portal to Minoc again. Emoria was still in her small house at the western outskirts of Minoc, when we returned. I had a difficult task to accomplish now, as I was sent by the Spiritwood Court to investigate this case. I approached Emoria and told her, that she was asked by the Spiritwood Court of Justice nay to leave Minoc as she will probably be questioned about her involvement in the creation of those Ogols, who murdered some of Spiritwoods citizens. She promised, that she shall stay at her house and cooperate with the Spiritwood authorities. She seemed very broken and concerned about her situation, though I could do nay much to ease her, so I slipped her a few hundred gold coins before I left.

I would first like to give a round of applause to the Jovial Jester Tavern as I heard that it did very well in its grand opening. I on the other hand didnt have much success mainly because of the Jovial Jester's opening so I have scheduled a Drunken Darts Contest for this sunday night at 8pm, gates will be provided from the Healers in Britain, this contest is free to enter.

Prizes Include:

1st prize = 50k

2nd prize = 25k

3rd prize = 10k

I also will be giving away medium sized paintings to random people that attend this event.



Morg - Merchants Of The Maze Tavern.

This Saturday is another Cove event. This is in hope for I, Diablo, get control of Cove so that I may set up nice shops there and perhaps a bank. With these events, I will perhaps get this chance. This is the second of many.

This will be a man-hunt. One of my friends will be hiding either in Cove or in the Orc Fort. The first person to find the hidden person wins the prize. The entrance fee is 2.5k-5k but if you win, you get doubled what you payed to enter. This will take place on Saturday at 10:00PM EST and will end at 11:30PM EST. You may also come even if you do not wish to participate. I hope to see many there in Cove, Trammel and remember, this will be for the benefit of Cove. Thank you all.

While still people were arriving at the Tavern, a sudden shout of terror broke the conversation of the already gathered crowd. Out of the shadows, came a creature nay seen before. A glowing red corpse appeared out of the undergrowth, turning it's glare towards the now silent crowd. "Ogols!", someone shouted, and soon more of those undead creatures were seen stumbling towards the Spiritwood Tavern. Of course they were slayn quickly, though this attack arose new questions. Are those Ogols connected to the Gypsies? What did they seek in Spiritwood? Who created them? Questions that would maybe answered this evening.

Shortly later a portal was opened to the entrance of the Dungeon Covetous, where, amongst the Great Winged Ones, the third part of the book could be found. Deeper and deeper we ventured, vanquishing many foul creatures within the dark caves of Covetous. Darker and darker it grew while we progressed into the deep earth to find the place where the Great Winged Ones could be found.

Arriving at a small underground lake, we found that place. Of course the mighty drakes, feeling disturbed in their domain, were quite upset about our intrusion and attacked. In the back of the cave a rune was found, which we thought to lead to the final place of the book. It was nay an easy task to keep the fuming drakes at bay and at the same time try to open portals to that yet unknown place, but in the end we all stood gathered inside a small cave in a place unknown.

Searching the small cave, we soon found a dark narrow passage. Following this passage we reached another cave, where we got ambushed by a large force of Fire Elementals. With the combined efforts of Warriors, Mages and thanks to Fenris' bardic arts those elementals were beaten rather quickly. Progressing more slowly and cautiosly now, we finally reached a large cave. At the center of the cave a prison cell could be seen. Within that cell was Rilla, guarded by two huge, dark red fire elementals. Of course the warriors, shouting their warcries, charged Rilla's guards, though soon we realized, that those mighty creatures of Fire could nay be slayn that easily.

While the warriors swung their sharp weapons, the archers shot their deadly arrows and the bards strung their instruments, the mages called up the power of Water to oppose the element of Fire. It was a long and fierce battle down in that cave, but finally the unearthly watchers of the prison cell were vanquished. I still wonder how, but somehow the whole adventuring party managed to squeeze into that tiny cell.

After the book, which lay hidden in the cell, was copied a portal was opened to Spiritwood and people gathered inside the Spiritwood Tavern for a well deserved cooled ale to discuss the recent events.

This sunday evening we'll set out from the Spiritwood Tavern to find the final part of the Gypsie book, the final answer to all our questions.

Thanks to all the people, that sent info and paintings about this event.

There has been a change in the huge Order vs Choas war.

Date changed: August 12th at 8:30 gtm

Place changed: Trinsic, the reason why is because of the lag in Britain. Banks are again safe havens. The bank to the east is for order and the bank to the west is for choas.

Other : Might I refrian everyone from fighting from 8 to 8:30. thanks.

Order leader Black Knyght and Choas Leader Xeron

Thanks!

Hail Players of Lake Superior

The counselors of The Central Region would like to invite you to a Party in honor of the Service that our most dedicated counselors provide for you each and every day! The Party will be held in the Britain counselors hall in Trammel On Saturday July 22, at 8:00pm EST, We hope to see you all there!!

Lead Counselor Lady Destiny
Central Region - Siege Perilous
Ultima Online

33rd Assembly of the 5th High Council

Date: Monday, July 24th, 2000
Time: 10PM EDT/9PM CDT
Location: Magincia Parliament Building, Trammel Facet.

Agenda:

• Announcement regarding the Jhelom Gladiator fights.
• Announcement regarding High Council oath-taking ceremony.
• Other items to be announced at the meeting.

The High Council of Britannia

A Gathering of Sin - July 23rd

Date: Sunday, July 23rd, 2000
Time: 8PM CDT
Location: Dungeon Deceit "Dining Room", Trammel Facet.

Agenda:
- Discussions on the hostile intrusion of the Dungeon Wrong by the Order of the Silver Serpent.
- Concerning the Sinday Sunday protest at Castle British.
- Fortresses and edifices now built by those dedicated to Sin.
- Status on the formation of the Knights of Sin.
- Other topics to be announced at the meeting.

As with previous gatherings, this meeting may include men and women considered criminals by the High Council of Britannia; please do not make any attempts to apprehend these people. This is a peaceful gathering, and the people assembled are under the protection of the Council of Sin as long as they remain within the limits of the Dungeon.

The Council of Sin

During the July 9th meeting of the Council of Honesty, an unfamiliar lady in white hastily made her way through the gathered council members and thrust a scroll into my hands, saying, "A message for you, Sir." Then she was gone.

Some of you are unaware of the disappearance of Knight-Commander Reese of the AMO and his cousin, Gai'Shain. The message I was handed so unceremoniously was a ransom demand from the vampire, Miri Moonblade, one of two main suspects in the investigation of Lauranna Lindor's murder. The message read:

To Edmund Greyfox, Esteemed Chairman of the Council of Honesty, greetings:
As you are, by now, aware, I have captured Knight Commander Reese of the AMO. Make no mistake -- he did not come quietly. Had he not been expecting another at the moment I arrived on his doorstep, he might have been armed. He struggled admirably. It was quite invigorating.

It is unfortunate that Commander Reese's cousin, Lady Gai'Shain, attended his invitation to dinner so promptly. It was a simple matter to use his unconscious form as a distraction before subduing her though, to her credit, she fought no less admirably than did he.

I am pleased to report that both fare well in my care.

I am not pleased that I could not locate my book among the Commander's belongings. Since it was you who sent him to recover it, I presume he turned the volume over to you prior to my visit. If that is so, the fate of my captives now rests in your meddlesome hands.

Sir, you know what I desire. Respond with haste. My patience wears more thin with each moonrise.

Miri Moonblade

Ten days have passed and we have no leads on the whereabouts of Reese and Gai'Shain. Miri Moonblade has been sighted, briefly, in various cities in both Trammel and Felucca, but we are unable to track her outside of the guarded areas. Her brother, Blade, has not been seen since well before the disappearance of our friends. On behalf of the Lindor family, the Council of Honesty and the AMO, I ask that any information concerning the murder, kidnappings, or the location of the vampire's haven be posted to our message board: http://www.cyboards.com/servlets/CyBoard?I=1381. The full history and transcripts of major events in this investigation are recorded here: http://www.mindspring.com/~emryss/amo.

Edmund Greyfox
Chairman of the Council of Honesty
Guildmaster, AMO

RECRUITING SECURITY FOR THE JHELOM FIGHTS!

After the success of the recent Jhelom Gladiator Fights, the Provisional Council of Valor is recruiting warriors, mages, tamers, and archers to protect the Gladiators while they fight. We will accept all people (as long as they're good enough) to help. No matter race, sex, nationality, religion, or, shall we say, "color".

REQUIREMENTS:

• You must be willing to defend the Gladiators at all costs.
• You must be a VERY able fighter. In other words, you need to be GOOD at what you do.
• You must ride a horse (for speed).
• You may not partake in Gladiator tournaments while on duty.
• You MUST be willing to take murder counts. If you are red, you will be gated in by the tournament officials.
• You must be willing to remove interlopers at all costs.
• You will be required to "quick-loot red bags" of fallen gladiators and return their bags to them.
• Security members will be required to wear a uniform issued by the Council of Valor.
• Security members will also enforce rules and remove Gladiators who do not follow these rules. Forcefully if necessary.

BENEFITS:

• Each night, security members will be paid 5k for their services.
• For each murder count taken on duty, an additional 1k will be added.
• Security members may keep all loot taken from people trying to disrupt the events.
• Any GM weapons or armor required will be supplied. Additionally, so will repairs. Bandages will also be supplied. As well as deadly poisoned blades. Reagents will NOT be supplied, however.
• Jhelom Security will be treated with the utmost respect and will be considered a highly ELITE group of people. Thanks will be given each night publicly for their services.

This is not a position for the faint of heart. Nor is this a position for any average warrior. Only the quickest, deadliest souls are able to become a member of this prestigious force to be reckoned with.

If you are interested, fill out the following application and mail it to [email protected]. Or, contact me (on ICQ at 82103359) for an interview.
================
NAME:
CHARACTER NAME:
EMAIL:
ICQ CONTACT # AND NAME:
TAMER/MAGE/WARRIOR/ARCHER?:
ARE YOU WILLING TO TAKE MURDER COUNTS AND POSSIBLY GO RED FOR THE GLADIATORS?:
WHY DO YOU WISH TO PROTECT THE GLADIATORS?:
WHY DO YOU FEEL YOU'RE GOOD ENOUGH FOR THIS POSITION?:
================
Thank you for your interest.

Sincerely,
David Wingate
Council of Valor
House of Wingate

GuildBoss v1.10 released

GuildBoss is a guild and clan manager for Windows 9x+/NT. It's chock-full of features like bulk emailing and ICQ paging, automatic promotion/demotion scheduling, automated dues collection, web-ready report generation, unlimited custom ledgers, roster exporting, and much more. GuildBoss is highly customizable and compatible with any game in any genre such as EverQuest, Quake, Ultima Online, Diablo, BattleTech, Starcraft, etc..

Take GuildBoss for a test drive at http://www.guildboss.com

The Markee Dragon web site and forums have a reputation for being the place to go when you want info on rares. Well now it's just become much more. Now that we are part of the Shattered Crystal network we are pleased to bring you the Shattered Crystal Gaming Auctions.

www.shatteredcrystal.com/auction.shtml - You now have a place to put up those valuable rares for auction in a place that is known for it's community of rares hunters. If your looking to buy rares then you can spend your hard earned gold here. Also of interest to those of you that don't collect rares would be the fact that all items are auctioned off here. Not just rares. So if you've got a house to sell, 20,000 logs you need to try and buy or you are looking for unique items then check us out. www.shatteredcrystal.com/auction.shtml

Markee Dragon
www.markeedragon.com
www.shatteredcrystal.com

***IMANEWBIE does BRITANNIA***New Toon, New Enquirer!

This week there is lots new to see at ImaNewbie. First there is a new ImaNewbie 'toon. ImaNewbie decides to try his hand at animal taming. Then there's the latest edition of the Britannia Enquirer and its a doozy! If you were one of the ones "telestormed" during the house placement insanity last week make sure and give it a look. And lastly there is news on the closing of the ImaNewbie Fellowship Hall. So what are you waiting for? Go!

Added Friday, July 21st:

• ImaNewbie Episode #117 - ImaNewbie the Dragon Tamer.
• The Britannia Enquirer - Volume 1, No 11 - A Conspiracy Theory!

ImaNewbie does Britannia
http://www.imanewbie.com/

Hail Citizens of Britannia...

The Community of Skara Brae will hold its Elections on Saturday Eve (22 July) between the hours of 9 and 11 pm. The voting location will be the Town Hall. Absentee ballots will be available from myself (Sam) Friday and during the day Saturday. If you can not make the scheduled voting times, you may send a message to me and we can arrange for an absentee ballot...

This will be the fourth election/afformation of the community since the Elders of Skara Brae set out to have a community of citizens working for a common goal. The Skara Brae (Pacific) is one of the oldest citizen run communities on all the shards of the lands. The community is based on Citizen input and offers a foil and friend when needed. If you are a citizen of Skara Brae you are encouraged to vote.

One of the key elements of this election will be the ratification of the "Compact of Skara Brae" which expands on the "Accord", which stands as the founding document and beliefs for the community. As the Community of Skara Brae and its Citizens have prospered, we have seen many of the Elders, Friends, and Enemies leave the land but the Community has gained many new citizens and has many new adventures and many tales to be told.

If you have questions, comments, or concerns, please contact me or any of the members of the Advisory.

In Your Service

Sam
Lady Steward of Skara Brae (Pacific)
The Community Of Skara Brae

The Poolbottom Magick School started as a dream, Yura always wanted to help people and he is also a scholar, so putting them together he came up with the Poolbottom School of Magicks. Poolbottom is a school for any mage in training. We offer free reasources, detailed instructions, and everything the beginning mage needs.

But wait! We don't just have magery schools, we have alchemy and inscription ones too, also giving out free resources perfect for the student. Hurry! Applications for joining are going to end August 10th.

Want to learn more? Want to really JOIN? Go to:
http://berkscountyweb.com/solace/tohs
And click "Poolbottom"! Simple as that, and then you're on your way to joining the wonderful school of Poolbottom. You may apply starting July 25!

To the Townfolk of Yew,

I have heard of the plight that shook Trinsic in regards to the undead warriors and again beseech you to hear my words, for apparently my song fell upon deaf ears. In song, I warned thee of an army of 300 leagues of undead soldiers marching in order, lead by a healer and a philosopher as told to me by the crystal of time within the walls of Deceit.

Unlike Trinsic, Yew is not a well guarded place and too easily will it fall to such a force unless you heed these words. Listen, and listen well: there is a treasure hidden within a tomb -belonging to whom I have not yet discerned- that might be the answer to stopping this madness. Please, I beg thee, heed this warning and prepare yourselves.

Christine Daae,
Bard Blue

The sky was painted blue and the clouds rolled over the horizon when Lord Brightblade of the Praetorian Praefect remarked to Aluim Aster that it looked like a storm was coming. He smiled grimly as he watched the sky.

Alium nodded in agreement and added, "If only it was rain that would be falling on this field today, Mellon."

In one quick movement Brightblade dismounted his steed and turned to face William King of Winterfell. "Good King, I come to you as promised. The Legion of Honor dost as well, and as sworn to our Emperor Borg, we shall do as you need this night. Winterfell shall stand through the night," he proclaimed, the sense of honor beaming over his face.

William replied, "I fear if this be all we have to defend the Keep, then it will fall. I ask that all present here dispatch whatever messengers they have and request they come to bolster our defenses." With that Lord Brightblade did call Vengeance, one of his eagles, to his arm and he did attach a message calling for his friends and brothers in arms to come to the aid of King William.

Soon a host of allies for the eve did appear through blue portals and thundering down the road on horseback. PGoH was assembling, with Borg and Lord Brightblade giving last minute advice, all the while Borg uttering the phrase "We fight for Honor this night". GoL joined shortly after saying that Vengeance did find them as they were suiting up for adventure of their own that eve. They did line up as well adding their own strength to that of Winterfell and PGoH with their guild mistress Valkarie and Marshall of their forces Omnicron barking orders and preparing troops. Among the noise the shriek of wyrms did arise and Grey's Cowboy and Lone Wolf did appear through blue portals riding jet black mares and toting White Wyrms behind them. The long face of William did turn upward a bit at the sight he was now seeing. Perhaps the goodwill of all to thwart Ventryn this night would overcome whatever undead minions were thrown at them. The troops continued to rally, a Celt here or there a Guard of Northwood seen amongst the hosts of other armies. Even some Elves and a Picts could be seen.

Soon the good King William was calling for all to quiet and for the first time it was seen that Qua'Tel and Lord Pythos had made their way to the keep almost unnoticed but by a few. William then looked upon six scattered amongst the vast gathering. Filbert Eggcup, Aethal Tar'nyn and Keoliene of Winterfell were called forward, and then a small framed half-elf moon Cordelia. Finally Veldren and Lord Brightblade did come forward for the Purple Guardians. William turned and spoke, "Tonight you venture forth into the spirit world to search for Ventryn's daughter, Alexandra. Know that you hold the hope of all Winterfell as you go and that it can be assured Ventryn will seek to keep you from returning with such information as what she might provide."

Qua'Tel then beckoned the brave warriors and mages forward and began summoning forth elemental forces to embrace those who would travel the spirit path. With just Lord Brightblade remaining, Pythos turned and spoke, "You will live a few moments longer for we travel to Felluca to continue our search." With that Brightblade opened a facet gate glowing purple into Minax's abomination....Felluca. The sounds of battle rising behind as he stepped through.

Upon the other side Brightblade did embrace death, and the hunt for Alexandra was on. Pythos spoke of Northwood and how that would be a good place for a start. The six spirits rushed through the morbidly gray world calling for Alexandra where they met a tortured soul, one of Stormguard's scouts, Rilo. He did jump back warning of the undead all around...for he knew not that he was dead and a spirit himself nor of how they would soon overwhelm all and destroy the army. After much coaxing by Cordelia and Keoliene, he did speak of one who might know where Alexandra could be found. Sir Elliar, a captain of Stormguard, who was stationed just south of his location.

Again the six spirits set out and this time it was Aethal and Veldren who sighted the objective first. Again, like the scout, the captain did battle unseen forces unknowing that he was long dead himself. After a brief chase the noble Filbert did convince the captain that the party's intentions were good and learned that Alexandra was to be found somewhere near the gates of Trinsic's West Gate as part of a scouting party.

Again they set out and eventually did find Alexandra. Although this did take some time to travel it was nothing compared to the difficulty in convincing her they meant no harm. After some time, Lord Brightblade uttered the name of her father Ventryn and how he was in danger from a great evil. He stated that only she held the knowledge to help destroy the evil and save her father. With this she stopped running and turned to speak to them. She relayed how there were four relics and that there was a fifth, owned by the family Fallshorn which, when in close proximity of the others, manifested great powers. She spoke of the Fallshorn Sword and how it would aid those in stopping the evil that threatened, unknowing that the evil that held her father was his own doing. The spirits thanked her and she asked that they promise to return when the time to save her father neared. All agreed this would be done and she stated she would return to Trinsic's West Gate nightly to await their arrival once again.

With great speed and hope now the ghosts did run to the healer and prepare for the return trip to Stark's Keep. Sooner than could be thought Portals opened from one world to the next and then to the Keep itself. Through it could be heard the end of a bloody battle with undead. A cheer went up as the once spirits jumped through the gate and with it the strength of the defenders increased so that they overcame the last of the unholy hosts about them.

William did then turn to those returning and without words beckoned for them to speak. Filbert Eggcup did step forward then and relayed all they had discovered. He spoke of how many of Stormguard's fallen did walk still, and of how after many a trial Alexandra was found. He spoke of the Fallshorn Sword and how it might be used to break the shield Ventryn had formed to protect him. Pythos then spoke of a quest to take place but 5 days from that time at the hour of nine by the central moon.

Winterfell had staved off yet another attack and that brought hope. King William turned and walked into the Keep thinking, "Hope, yes hope, we have that now. But is it enough and has it come too late?". He knew he would learn the answers to this question all too soon. His shoulders weighed down with his responsibility he turned and entered his bed chambers for what rest he could get.

- Lord Ser Brightblade

Seeking Tales of Dagger Island

A blanket of snow and ice drapes over Dagger Island, a small island in Northern Britannia commonly called "Ice Island". Polar bears range the shore, snow leopards prowl, and the occasional walrus moves slowly across the icy ground. In the midst of it all, lies the entrance to the dungeon Deceit, where the undead lie in wait for those who come brandishing swords and spells.

Tell us a story of your experiences on Dagger Island. Have you battled the polar bears, visited the Shrine of Honesty, or braved the deepest, darkest corners of Deceit? Or perhaps you call the island home, braving the wildlife and the elements to build a house on the frozen shore.

Send an e-mail to [email protected] by Friday, July 28th, and tell us a story of your experiences on Dagger Island. Please be sure your story falls between 500-1000 words, and include "Dagger Island" in your subject line. Please provide a name and phone number for verification of the story. Submissions to "uo- profiles" become the property of OSI and may be used for special events, promotions, and/or advertising. All submissions must be made by the original author and are subject to verification.

The Grand Opening of the Black Rose Tavern has been cancelled, or at least delayed until further notice. I apologize sincerely for this eventuality, but we will be back. *smile*

Hexlore of Pacific

The Fishing Council of Britannia announces a great new auction in bigger quarters. Our next auction will be this Sunday (July 23) at 8:00 p.m. EST. The beautiful and friendly Hawk's Nest Tower will host the event. Auction rules and maps can be found at http://home.wmis.net/~gretchen/auction.htm.

This auction will feature extremely rare tree ornament jewelry, fruitbaskets, rocks, and buckets. If you have a rune to our Felucca HQ (where auctions were previously held) there's a rune on the floor to a transfer point in front of Hawk's Nest.

Gem, Great Lakes FCB Fleet Captain

Hear ye Hear ye!

A New, Manager, Assistant Manager and Head Bartender Positions are now Open at the Gold Dragon Tavern in Dragons Bay, If you are interested:

• Send Sabbathius a letter telling what weekly events (One for each day of the week) you would hold, Monthly event, and BI-Monthly event.
• What you would offer to make us unique from other taverns.
• A persona sketch and History on your PC. Or PC to be made, to run this Tavern.
• Write up a Make believe story of a event (maybe of a event you are thinking on running?) that happened at Dragons Bay, Write it as if you where going to Post it in the UO news papers.
• If you can do web-work, and at what level.

Send all entrees to [email protected] ATT: Sir Sabbathius Deadline is August 1st,

Thank you, and Good Luck
May the Gold One Bless and keep thee.

Ancient Dragons Of The Order of the Gold Dragon, Dragons Bay.
Sir Sabbathius & Arash

Seer Lazuras stopped by the Sandlewood Box last night and recalled the following tale to the crowd gathered there: This story was told to me by a dying mage. His eyes burned with a strange fire and with a hypnotic glance. If not for that look then I would not believe such a story...

This story is told to me by...Elkanar He managed to tell me this then he collapsed...

He was an apprentice under a great magi, a magi who delved deep into darker magics. His master found this scroll gathering dust in the great Library, a strange seal upon it from a different time and of ancient origin. The mage, in his overwhelming love and curiosity of the Art, opened the darkened scroll and read it. He said his master wanted to stop but, alas, it was like once he started he could not stop. The words came out like lightning and a torrent of energy played around. The energy surrounded the magi and started to drain his life force away. But alas he could not stop. Slowly the magis lips contorted in horrid imagery and several words came spilling out. To bring upon the world the Soulless...

His eyes grew hollow and it was as if humanity was slipping away. Suddenly a doorway appeared and shades and shadows jumped out and swirled around the magi draining the rest of the his life force. They looked at the apprentice but they must have been sated. And then I knew that they needed to constantly feed. They need to only sip from the lifeforce of a man, not kill him like the Magi, the apprentice then took the scroll and tried to find a way... A way to defeat the beings...

Thankfully the scroll was destroyed soon after. All the magic gone from it. But since he finished reading this scroll he has been having nightmares. And strange things have been happening to him. He cannot sleep he told me...he cannot eat...and he needed to tell someone.

He heard their voices and found me, he knew he had to tell someone. Before they consumed or killed him...or both. And so in the end it destroyed him. And that is my story...that three dark shades walk this land...

The Soulless stalk the land...

After a raid on the Sandlewood Box Ryak the owner of it was kidnapped by the Cult of the Black Dragon and the Bloodrock Clan. He was taken to the Temple of the Black One where the Black One's minions waited for the forces of virtue to come to rescue their friend. The forces of virtue can and time and time again crashed into the forces of the Black One's front line, but they kept get pushed back. Bodies of the followers of virtue littered the field. Their resolve was faltering, but as they were about to give up hope Lord Alkart Ashcroft burst through the orcish and cult knight lines. He dropped many knights and orcs before being taken down. Soon after the Slavemaster came a took Ryak away to an unknown location.

The following day Andrew Bishop found a message left at the Sandlewood Box saying that Ryak was being held North of LoP's Pirate Provisions. A group including Hugh the Hand, Nostradamus, Andrew Bishop, Demonlir the Mad, Corsair, Dark Widow, and myself Cullyn went in search of Ryak. We came up a villa were we found Ryak chained and unguarded in an upstairs room. Quickly we broke the chains with magical spells and with Hugh the Hand's axe. Once Ryak was unchained I called on the magic flowing through my veins and opened a magical blue moongate which Hugh the Hand carried Ryak through followed by the rest of the party. This was only the beginning of this long eventful night.

When we returned to the Sandlewood Box we brought Ryak into the back room so he could rest after we had cast some strength spells on him and given him food and drink. Ryak kept rambling on about someone named Slavemaster and I was able to also pick out the name Sabbs. Sabbs is what friends call the guildmaster of the Order of the Gold Dragon, Sir Sabbathius. One of the things we heard was "Slavemaster... wan.ts....Sabbs..." I quickly sent pigeons out to my friend and liege Sabbathuis, and I called on the magic in my veins and recalled to Dragon's Bay to scout around. A found nothing. When I returned to Sandlewood I received a pigeon from Sabbs asking what was going on. I told him of the danger he maybe in and that he should come to Dragon's Bay or Sandlewood so he could be guarded. He chose to go to Dragon's Bay. I quickly sent people over to Dragon's Bay to guard Sabbs well I made sure Ryak would be fine.

At that time a strange man came into Sandlewood and came up to look at Ryak. I did not trust him and put myself between him and Ryak. As I did so the spell woven around this man faded and I was confronted by none other then Basil Stag Hare. I told him to leave us before I was forced to draw my sword on him. He laughed and told us our efforts were futile and recalled away. I knew I must do something to protect my friend Ryak. Using a spell known only to my elvish ancestors I cast a strong sleep and hiding spell that could only be broken by the caster or the one it is cast on. People not believing in what I had done called on there magic trying to break my spell. No matter what they tried they could not do it. Finally satisfied that my spell would hold we all headed over to Dragon's Bay to check on Sabbs.

He was under guard like I had asked him to be. When I went into talk to him he remained stubborn and refused to believe that he was in any danger. It was at this time that I felt Ryak unraveling the spell I cast on him. I quickly asked for forgiveness on leaving so suddenly and I went to the Sandlewood Box to find my feeling were correct in the area that my spell was unraveling because Ryak was awakening. I found Ryak mumbling about the things done to him. I tried to comfort him and at times was able to get him to relax, but he could not identify me even when I said to him "Ryak it is Cullyn your friend you are safe now." But he would just continue to ramble on. The most I was able to get through to him was to get him to just say "Cullyn is that really you?" but then he burst into saying "No leave me alone do not touch me!" All in all it was a hard time for me before Ryak finally collapsed into a light sleep.

Once again I called deep on the elvish blood flowing through my veins and put Ryak into a deeper sleep that would hold him through out the night. With him asleep I cast a spell that through a light shield on him making it look like he was not there. At the moment I receive a message saying Basil was reported seen alone at the Black One's Temple. The followers of virtue were going to attempt to capture him. Feeling satisfied my spells would hold I recalled to the Black One's Temple only to find Basil surrounded. Basil then threw exploding bottles at us and before we could think of what we were doing our instinks took over and we struck him down.

After allowing the sweet gift of life to reclaim him we bound him and took him to Dragon's Bay where we questioned him. After extensive questioning we headed out to take him to an unknown location. But before we could get him away a magical blue moongate opened before us and Basil leapt through it. We tried to follow but he was to fast and was able to escape.

I have heard Hugh the Hand has once again captured him let us hope he will be held for good this time. Ryak mind is still not complete and we hope to be able to make his mind whole. We are looking to have strong healers brought to him, but maybe all he needs is something to remind him of his past and who is really around him now.

All I ask from the virtuous citizens of Britannia is to pray to the good spirits and the Gold One that my good friend Ryak will once again be made whole of mind. May the light of the virtues bless and light you way.

Cullyn a Knight in the Order of the Gold Dragon

A philosophic movement is brewing up around Skara Brae in the Trammel facet. On the outskirts of town, at homes and shops can be found copies of "Tiberius' Primary Virtues". This book outlines an alternative virtue system to that of Lord British.

Modeled after the color wheel, there are three Primary Virtues which form the complete ethical system of action for the virtuous person, be they warrior, mage, or merchant. Each of the three also have several "shades" or subcategories. Penned by the master archer/warrior and side philosopher, Tiberius, his work is intended to inspire direction for those seeking to lead virtuous lives throughout the land.

The good word is being diligently spread by Tiberius' team of philosophers. The head of these Tiberian philosophers is myself, Octavian, who makes copies and distributes them for free around Skara Brae and some other towns. Other philosophers are beginning to follow suite as more and more are inspired by the Primary Virtues. Thanks to donations from several people all over Skara Brae and Minoc, a temple has been constructed where people can come to study and focus on virtue, as well as read continuing writings of Tiberius. A small wood and plaster abode, the Tiberian Temple of Virtue, is located a short distance outside of Skara Brae, on the main road, and all are welcome to come for fellowship and enlightenment.

This is not a guild; anyone who follows the Primary Virtues may call themselves a Tiberian, regardless of profession, guild, gender, race, money, etc. The Tiberian Philosophers, however, are primarily obligated to spreading his good word and form the "priesthood" of the Tiberians. They wear only a neutral brown robe and a green cape and will be happy to converse on Tiberian philosophy and ethics. If you would like to learn more, stop by the temple!

Sincerely,

Octavian, Grand Tiberian Philosopher

All are welcome to the Grand Opening of The Rusty Dagger!

There are moments in everyone's life when they do something heroic. There are also moments in life when someone creates something magical. Then after those moments, we deserve an ale! What better place to share your tale and have an ale than The Rusty Dagger.

The Rusty Dagger is a Tavern located just east of the Hedge Maze, and is owned and managed by Dane Alexander and Thorin Orcist. All beverages and foods are made nearby and are hand selected by those who know ale best. All put together in a Villa style house to make your drinking more pleasurable.

Come on by for the Grand Opening of the Rusty Dagger this Sunday starting at 6pm PST. We'll be serving up plenty of ale, games and prizes for our favorite guests, You. Come help us make this night one of fun and laughter, so that we'll have something to smile about when we cant roll out of bed the next morning. We'll be sure you have an enjoyable time, learnin' some of our history in the progress.

For help getting there, please contact Dane at 215893 or Thorin at 13937228, or find us or a tDw member at the Skara Brae bank in Trammel.

-Dane Alexander

Announcing the Grand Opening of Liberalis!

Liberalis, the newest player run town on Trammel is ready to begin the grand opening festivities! Saturday, July 22, at 7pm (pacific time), the tavern will be staffed, the vendors stocked, and a great party set to begin! There will be plenty of food and drink and events galore. The events will begin at 7:30, and will consist of:

Fashion Show --

Best Dressed Award -- Bracelet of Spell reflection (87) and 1000 gp
Worst Dressed Award -- Bracelet of Invisibility (92) and 1000 gp

Dart Contest --

Get the most points in 10 throws and win!
1st place wins -- Surpassingly Accurate Bow of Power and 1000gp

Scavenger Hunt --

Find the special bags placed throughout the city! Winner is the person with the most bags Contestants get to keep whatever they find, and for first place -- a high level treasure map (4 or 5)!

Baking Contest --

Come on men, this contest be for everyone! Everyone gets 10 balls of dough to bake as much bread as they can. The most baked gets the top prize, more dough! 1000 gp to be exact!

Miner's Challenge --

Liberalis understands that some men may just be too tough for the baking contest, so here is your chance! The most iron ingots dug, smelted, and brought back in 10 minutes wins the gold! 1000 pieces of it, and a pickaxe of force to make it interesting! In addition, we will buy all your ingots to make it worth while!

Lumberman's Challenge --

I'm a lumberjack and I'm ok! Nestled in the northern woods, Liberalis could never forget about the lumberman! We'll give you 10 minutes to chop us as much wood as you can. The winner gets 1000 gp and an Indestructible Vanquishing Axe. Good to keep the baddies away while you're pressing wildflowers.

All contests have entry fees of just 50 gold! That’s right, just 50 gold! We want everyone to participate. If nothing else, come for the free food and ale that will be provided, and to shop at all the new vendors.

In addition to the above, a poetry contest will be held with a 5000 gp grand prize, 3000 gp 2nd prize, and a 2000 gp 3rd prize. No entry fee here, just bring a book with your poetry to the party. Be sure it has your name in it!

So come one, come all! To Liberalis! And the tavern where the drinks will flow as liberally as the town name implies! 90o 10' N, 31o 4' E. Gates will be provided beginning at 6:30 from the northern Councilors Hall in Britain.

ALBE is at it again! First ALBE brought you "a little bit different" quality comics. Then ALBE joined forces with Ultima Parody Songs and brought you the never-done-before ground-breaking music video "Message in a Bottle"!

Now.... *dumm dummmmm* ALBE is once again entering never before charted territory.... *pssshhh* What has ALBE thought of now? .... *pssshhh* Who will ALBE publicly humiliate at OSI?...... *dumm dumm* Come with us to see the newest Alliance of ages... *DDDUUUMMMM*

Enter, at your own risk.
A Little Bit of Everything
We're not afraid to be different.

http://www.albecomics.com/

Greetings!

Last week I sent out an email explaining the situation we have been experiencing (as you yourselves have) with our message forums. Thursday we installed a new server that has been solely dedicated to running our MySQL server. The primary goal of setting up this server was to not only improve the speed and performance of our forums, but other applications currently in development as well.

I am extremely happy to announce that we have indeed curtailed the major lag problems we have been experiencing over the last several weeks. They are not the fastest forums in the world, but they are certainly efficient enough to make your use of them far more enjoyable. We will still continue to pursue even better features and performance in the future as well. We are by no means settling for this one fix. There are plans to one day to expanded the features within our forums and also improve upon their performance.

I want to thank everyone who has shown tremendous patience with us during this frustrating period. I cannot even begin to express how thankful we have been for the support and understanding most of you have shown. Please spread the word and let folks know, our forum lags are behind us.

Regards,

Jhariden
Stratics Community Development

Join us this Saturday night, July 22, 2000 (6:00 P.M. CST), for a night of fighting and drunken explosion contests!! This Saturday, July 22 2000, is the grand opening of the new player run town, Satchmo's Refuge. Special orders on smith items, tailoring items, and carpentry will be taken! At the start (6 p.m. CST), we will have a drunken explosion contest. What is a drunken explosion contest you ask? Go to http://www.geocities.com/satchmo_refuge for info on this *NEW* and original event! Please be here no later than 5:55 P.M. CST to register.

Then the main event will occur: THE SECOND EVER SATCHMO'S FIGHT CLUB!! Last time was a success, and this time will be an even bigger success! Rules for Satchmo's Fight Club is at http://www.geocities.com/satchmo_refuge. Fighters from last time, please note - RULES WERE ALTERED SINCE LAST FIGHT AND I URGE YOU ALL TO READ IT! As usual, entrance fee will be 5000 gold and all entrance fees will be split up to the winners! This starts at 9:00 P.M CST. Please be here no later than 8:50 P.M. CST to register!!

After all of these events, we will all go over to Satchmo's Refuge Town Hall and Bar to get drunk!

Also, throughout the night door prizes will be given away like a full keg of greater heals, GM Plate Suits, GM Studded Armour suits, and anything else we may find up our sleeves to give away! Just bring a bag with a rune or book with your name in it and ICQ number so we could contact you if we can't find you.

Satchmo's Refuge is located in Ice Isle at 107o 3'N 174' 26'W (TRAMMEL). Gates will be provided starting at 5:00 P.M. CST at Britain and Moonglow in Trammel from my great staff of Satchmo's Refuge. Look for people shouting that they are providing gates and recall runes to Satchmo's Refuge Grand Opening. They should be wearing a light blue outfit. Please ICQ Obi-Wan for an early gate or rune to Satchmo's Refuge or any questions about the Grand opening at 78832832. Hope to see you all there!

-Obi-Wan, Mayor of Satchmo's Refuge

I would spend many nights feeling alone in a world that did not recognize me as its own. I would spend much of my time looking for clues and hints of where my people were. I joined the Disciples of Mondain with one goal in mind. I was hoping I could find the secrets of my past through the guild for they are seekers of knowledge. And now my goal has been accomplished.

Shortly after joining DM and spending much of my time meditating over my plight, the dreams began. Dreams that told me of my past, of my kin and of my heritage. I came to realize that I am not originally from this realm. My home world was destroyed by a dark force. A dark force that originated from the hate residing inside my people's hearts. A force we tried to defend against but alas, we were unsuccessful.

An escape plan was devised before the planet was over turned. A plan devised in hopes some of the selected few would survive and when the time would be right, we could once again find ourselves, gather our strength and reclaim our home world. The rest would stay on the planet to fight till the end. But in the process, contact with each other was lost. All we had left was hope and instinct.

I was just a newborn when all of this happened. I came to Britannia with my mother and father but a new threat presented itself on this realm also. One day while traveling to Trinsic, an unknown enemy came forth. It was the drow. Being natural enemies, it did not take long for the drow to draw their blades and attack. My father fought valiantly with his sword but alone, he was no match. My mother, a wielder of magic, saved my life by casting a gate to Trinsic and putting me in it. I do not remember these events for I was too young, but my heart tells me they died a violent death, I do not feel their life force in this realm anymore.

And with these dreams also came other knowledge. Dreams that tell me it is time for me to leave Britannia, to leave this realm and to search out for my kin scattered across the planes of existence, in hopes to re-claim our home world. This is my destiny. It is time I fulfill it.

Ready to depart on my quest, I leave Britannia with a heavy heart. Throughout my time in this realm, I have made many friends and many enemies, but as I leave, I consider you all my friends, even the drow. I would just like to thank Dorian DeLacey, Bain Dragon and Kurgan DeLacey for always being there for me. We were always a team, united in friendship, one that will carry over no matter where I go. Someway, somehow, I will keep in touch. Also I could never forget my guildmates in DM, carry on my legacy. Mordain and Fredolf, take care and make me proud. To the rest, there are so many, I wish you all the best of luck in your endeavours. Keep me in your thoughts and wish me luck. I know Mondain will guide me and may he guide you all. I hope I was able to make a positive difference.

Farewell, I bid thee well. Fading now into the darkness...

Endren Fenixfyre
Dark Magistrate
3rd in Command, DM
UOSS Great Lakes Shard Reporter

The old man stood tall on the balcony of the Moonglow Bank and Tinkers Guild, glaring out into the distance towards the horizon over the Lyceaum and the setting sun. A light breeze animated his beard and the long mane of snowey white hair that flowed out from under his somewhat infamous deer antlers. I stood back a tad, pondering precisely what it was he was doing, what his thoughts were, but mostly in reverence to the Sage. His usual dark cloak he wore about his shoulders was not to be seen, and the old man seemed to dress far darker than I recall. He tapped the black staff he was leaning upon against the stone roof thrice and nodded to himself some, keeping his eyes fixed on the horizon.

"I'm mourning." he spoke to me without turning his gaze. Startled, I stepped forward besides him and glanced out in turn.

"Mourning for what, sir?" I managed to say, but I already knew.

"Moonglow."

"It will go with you, Mayor." The words I could only possibly think of.

"I mourn for this place, friend. It cannot accompany us where we must leave. Even...in spirit."

I turned towards the old man, this aged man had such...such abject sorrow in his eyes, akin to a husband leaving his wife permanently. I couldn't help but try and feel the same, although, I knew this was something beyond my reach. I turned back towards the west and watched as the sun touched the cusp of the ocean. Then wind picked up with quite a kick. The soft breeze became half gale force in just a second, surprising me. I pushed back against it of course, wearing my Militia chain mail it was hardly an effort, but the old man seemed to have been expecting it because his lips were pulled up in a bit of a smile.

The wind whipped across the open windows and overlook of the balcony roof and I thought for a moment that I could make out the form of words in its gust, but dismissed the notion quickly. The wind picked up to full gale force, and the old Sage's gauntleted hands flew wide, the black staff in his hand flying backwards out of his hand to rattle against the slate top. I turned to fetch it, kneeling, bracing both hands against sandstone structure, and turned around clutching the staff, to see GreyPawn floating in the air, just half an inch off the surface of the roof, arms open into the wind and eyes shut tight. The tips of his sandled toes touched down and he stood there...eyes shut, arms open as the wind slowly died down.

"Sir?" I barely managed to speak the word.

"I am....fine." he said in a tone that reminded me of my own grandfather. "Come, stand with me here." I gathered up the staff and my own courage and stepped forward once more to peer out at the city. The old man had a smirk on his face and a seriousness in his eyes, which unsettled me a bit...as I could not place the emotion on his face. I slowly handed him back his staff and he nodded some.

"We will leave here, aye. Shortly in fact. The exodus has begun. A few will remain behind, mostly those seeking blood mingled with gold. Aye. We will rebuild on Trammel, and we will forge the mightiest Moonglow the entirety of Sosaria has ever seen."

"That we will, Sage GreyPawn." I turned towards him to see a miniscule tear slide down his left cheek. "Sir? For what reason are you saddened? We leave here for a better place." He smiled wryly and turned his head towards the north.

"Do you know how it will end, my friend? It will end with blood. Every era is borne in blood, just like the babe eschewing from his mother's womb. Our era will end in time. But not before we have made our indellable mark on the history of this land. Aye, this place, my people. Under this island, and the island in Trammel, lies a river of pure ether. When our time is almost done, it will erupt. The Occult Fundus will explode into the corporeal world like nothing you have ever dreamt of. Three rivers, forged of holy ether, tangible! They will embody this isle, aye." He swung around and pointed towards the south, where the moongate lit a small patch of forest in the center of the island. "My people will revolt, aye. The mages. The Avatar comes too late to leave to soon. And a citadel about this isle." He motioned around him in a wide circle. I could do little but leave my mouth open agape at what he was speaking to me.

"When it ends.....when it will all end. There will be a battle. And both sides of this battle will loose." He stabbed a finger at the sun now melting into the ocean. "Over there, on the mainland. On the Plains of Wiltshire will this battle be held. And it will end it. Who be's the victor is not written, nor can it be spoken in Truth." He nodded to himself a last time, then fell silent.

The old man and I stood there, watching the sun set, till dark had set upon us and the street lamps were lit. Walking slowly away, him leaning on his staff, we headed to the Militia Headquarters.

Moonglow Town Council is Relocating
For the reasons of eventually becoming obsolete should the Factions system enter play, we are relocating the Moonglow Town Council of Honesty to Trammel Moonglow. Here we will best be able to serve our peoples and the community which they are a part of. The Moonglow Town Council, The Moonglow Militia, The Corps of Mages, The Lyceaum, Navy and Preisthood Projects will be relocating to Trammel as well. We will also continue to affect and reside in Moonglow on Felucca as precautionary measure to prevent the forces of darkness from ever gaining a stronghold there.

Sincerely,
Your Humble Servant,
GreyPawn,
Sage of Honesty, Heralds of the Awakening
Mayor, Moonglow Town Council

We need:

MASTERS
Do you have the patience to train students? Want to lead groups of students into the wilds and show them the sights? These jobs require either great combat, healing or magery skills. We are in particular need of high level Mages. Responsibility is a key requirement.

CRAFTSMAN
We also need people who can run things like Fishing trips, Mining Expeditions, Tailoring Courses, etc.

EVENT ORGANISERS
This role involves discussing ideas through our Pigeon mailing list and then putting them into practice.
It looks like we will have to buy a pre-placed house and as it will need to be near a town.. it will not be cheap.
Working closely with our fund raising team, the initial projects will be aimed towards securing a site for the Academy as quickly as possible.

FUND RAISERS / ADVERTISING
Assisting the Event Organisers with fund raising events, using your contacts to raise money and awareness, handing out brochures to Newbies, etc.
Initiative is important here.

The one requirement for all positions is the ability to Role Play, this is something the Academy wishes to promote.

If any of the above positions interest you, or perhaps you have an idea for another role within the Academy, then go to http://www.crosswinds.net/~bootae/ and fill in the application form!

Some brief news: I have spoken to Korendir with regards to his Europa Academy and we will be organising friendly competitive events between out two establishments. I greatly look forward to the first event!

Bootae The Mad
House of Trammel
EKC

Yours truly,

We received this message from the Illustrious Shaene and the Illustrious Keighor, both members of the Seelie Court of Britannia (SCB):

"Hail Citizens of Britannia

"As we all know, the Forces of Evil are rampaging in our World. Since we defended Vesper from a large body of Trolls, Orges and Ettins, our guild decided to seek out new courage and to find out the real motives behind Minax`s plans. This is the reason why we will travel to the Shrine of Honor near the Cape of Heroes to mourn the honored Warriors who fell in battle against Minax.

"To test our honor and courage of our Guild we, the Seelie Court of Britannia [SCB], shall lead a treck of 5 packhorses, each holding 10000Gold Pieces over three stages to the Shrine of Honor. We will starti the pilgrimage from our Hometown Minoc. We shall first travel to the castle of the missing Lord British. Next, we shall lead the treck from Britain to Trinsic, the City of Honor. And as last piece of our route we shall travel from Trinsic to the Shrine of Honor.

"Starting Time and Place of the First Stage of Travel: Saturday, 22 of July - 2200 CET Minoc Bank (Felucca).

"May our Honor only be bested by our Courage."

Go with the Virtues.

Changes To Stable Masters

First, I want to make clear again that this is not a cheap, quick fix to deal with a problem. Quite the contrary. This is the right fix which should have been instituted from the beginning. The problem is that a maximum was never placed on the amount of pets one character could stable, and we have all grown used to a free play style that is keeping other people from enjoying the benefits a minority now enjoys.

On a single facet there are approximately 23 stable masters. Given the limit of 100 per stable master, this means we have 2300 open slots in the facet. This means that on any facet 1150 characters could stable pets with the new limits. I looked today and noticed we might be able to add two more stable masters. This would bring us to 2500 open slots, or 1250 for individual characters. To get to what I am looking for, approximately 1100, I would have to add seven more stable masters per facet to allow for three slots per person, and I am not convinced the game could support this. If the game has approximately 20000 active characters on a shard (a very conservative estimate) this limits the stable masters to being able to serve 5% of your active characters, 10% if you are being overly optimistic about the population split of the facets. Allowing people to take up five slots is simply out of the question. As a team we have decided to add one more slot to the stablemaster for people who have devoted themselves to taming. This slot will be available to people with a combined total of 200 points in Animal Lore, Taming, and Veterinary. Again, the overall goal should be that anyone can walk up to a stable master and stable their animal without worry that he/she is full.

I understand the attachment many people have toward their pets in the game. I think it is one of the greatest things about UO as I am sure anyone who knows me will attest to. I also appreciate the concern that people are showing right now, and to support that concern and show why I feel this change is a necessity, I have given away more data than I feel is really healthy given the competitive market we work within. However, just as people are expressing their honest feelings, I think it is also time to say that I am somewhat surprised in the response and form letter petitions. This statement alone “The need for the proposed changes is understandable, but this is another cheap, quick fix to deal with a problem instead of working on a viable solution” belies hours spent not just by this team, but the previous team discussing this issue. The fact is that as a community you should be able to grow now, even in light of these sacrifices. Other communities will also benefit as miners will now have spots for their pack animals. Working toward the benefit of the all the communities is a good goal set I hope every mature community can appreciate.

UOSS Drachenfels received the following notice from Zarzal Dragon:

"We would like to announce the tenth in-game auction for items from player to player. This will held at Dragon Town merchant tower in Felucca, as always. It will start Sunday at 8pm CET (gmt+1). Last chance to give items in is one hour before start time.

"A map of the town and instructions to the auction can be found on our homepage.

"The collecting of wares has already begun. If you have something, please contact Zarzal via the mystic ICQ ether at 9611261, or visit the tower in the evening hours. The special point of interest this time is furniture and items to decorate your house. If you are a worker, feel free to bring your collection for all of the new house owners to examine.

"To prevent attacks from people who like to make trouble we have a snoop service installed. You only enter the tower WITHOUT any explosion potions and shooting weapons. Some guild members of the Dragon Clan will check you. Don't bring such things to the auction or you will be ejected immediately.

"Don't bring your pets with you, either. Leave them in the stables. And please, while the auction of an item is in progress please stop talking, joking about the prices or practice anything, as this will spam the logs due the comm crystals that we must use to hear everything. Giving comments to the prices while the auction is in progress is unfair. After the item is sold, feel free to say something, but PLEASE, not in the auction. Thank you."

Go with the Virtues!

Some of you may not know me, actually, most of you probably don't know me. My name is Azazel and I am happy to announce Theros Ironfeld and Mayor Amber have appointed me the new Manager of The Mystic Lake Tavern. There is so much I want to do and so much I wish to get done. As Manager my job would entail hiring staff, assigning schedules to staff members, increasing interest, and basically overseeing the management of the tavern.

What do you do when you walk into a normal Tavern? Usually you sit down, have a bite to eat, and maybe strike up some conversation with those who are there. BBOORRRINGGG! As new manager of The Mystic Lake Tavern, I'm going to personally see to it that we offer something NEW, something DIFFERENT, and something ORIGINAL. I have an idea on how to accomplish this. Every Saturday, during my hours of staffing the Tavern, I'm going to have a rule. The rule will be if we get 5 or more people in the Tavern, I'll throw an event in the spur of the moment. It'll be more like a tavern game. There will be a winner and prizes (nothing big:) and basically it'll just be for fun. I'm not sure if it'll work, but it's worth a shot.

Special Tavern Games this Saturday, July 22^nd also featuring Ladies' Night!! This coming Saturday will be my first day of staffing the tavern. Starting at 8:00PM EST the fun and games will begin.

This Saturday, July 22, we will be having an honorary Ladies Night! Since food and drink is already always FREE to everyone, the Ladies who show up on Saturday will receive the following benefits.

• Ladies First: Ladies will be served first and only first in everything. Just shout "AZAZEL!" and your needs will be served - BEFORE THE MEN!
• Your choice of fine crafted jewelry! When you arrive, find Azazel and say the following: "Make Me Beautiful!" Then Azazel will show you a bag full of necklaces, earrings, fingerings, ect. Pick any 3 of your favorite for free!
• No Seat is Taken! Men in any seat are forced to give it up to any Lady who asks! Refusal to do so will result in immediate ejection from the tavern! (Women do not have to give seats up to other women or men. Cat-fights for the seats are welcome!! :)

Azazel will be holding simple games throughout the night, with valuable prizes. Some of the prizes include: full sets of GM crafted verite ringmail armor and others, magic weapons, and more!! And as an added bonus, the 5th person to walk in the tavern after 8:00PM EST will win a kiss by either Azazel or Mayor Amber.

Now, on with the show:

Keith S. Bar and Grill Grand Opening

Come one, Come all to the grand opening of the Keith S. Bar and Grill! A grand and Fun time awaits thee at the start of 8:00pm PDT this Saturday. The festivities include Gambling, Dart game contests, Cross Country horse racing, Monster Besting, and so on. Food, Fun, and a chance to meet your fellow travelers awaits you!

LOCATED SOUTH OF TRINSIC AT 141s 53e ON YOUR SEXTANTS, RUNES ARE SOLD THERE FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE. FEEL FREE TO MARK ONE YOURSELF OR FOR A FRIEND IF YOU CAN.

(House rules will be explained before opening. Entering the building before the grand opening will result in banning until opening. Rude or unsuitable behavior will result in a permanent banning.

-Keith S.

Hullo!
A new tavern is opening on the Pacific Shard, Trammel Facet.

The Grand Opening of the Black Rose Tavern will be Friday the 21st of July, at 11:00 am (PST), and 1:00 pm (EST). We are located just south of Vesper right below the guard zone. Runes will be given out in the city of Moonglow, and gates will be provided as well, for those with little or my magery. Prizes will be given out of 20k and 10k to our 100th and 150th customers. There are many vendors fully stocked, and drinks are free all the time.

Ben
Hexlore of Pacific

The only thing I like better than carnage and slaughter is a really good party. I recently received an invitation to the later from the fine folks at Deva Market:

Announcing a grand festival of celebration. After reaching its 250th visitor, the market of Deva will be host to a grand festival on the day of Sunday the 30th at approximately 7pm EST. Great foods and drink will be provided for all that attend. There will be a number of events, which can be read about below. All are invited, although all must abide by a few rules listed below. I hope to see everyone who can attend.

"There will be someone gating to the Market at Britain from 6:45 to 7:15 for those that don't have runes. The tower is located North East of Skara Brae at sextant coordinates 34o 37'S 31o 17'W.

"Events include:

"PvP tournament. There will be 3 categories with 8 or 16 contestants per category. The categories are: Pure fighter, Pure Mage, and mixed. Contact me for details.

"Dragon fights: There will be 2 dragons provided and they will then fight each other until the death. You may gamble with your friends on this one.

"Auction: Anyone with items they feel to be worthy for auction may submit a request via email or icq. If not enough items are submitted, this event will not take place.

"Raffle: There will be a raffle for the winners choice of the prizes. Among the prizes will be 35k, Rocks, A Rock, and a Fruit Basket. There will be a number of tickets sold, each with codes on them. Dice will be thrown then to select the winning code.

"Rabbit fights: Same as the dragon fights.

"3 foot rope drunken dagger fights: People can just volunteer for this one. They will be stripped of all armor and possessions (to be returned later) and be given a Gm made dagger. They will be contained in a wall of boxes to prevent running, and then fight to the death. Outside assistance is not allowed. Oh, and both participants will drink a bottle of ale before entering the boxed square.

"Rules:

"1. No fighting while not in a contest. Even if in rival guilds, any aggressor will be removed, and should they persist, will be banned.

"2. Anyone found scamming, or harassing others will be banned. The tower is in Trammel, so there won't be any thieves."

Praise Minax!

Stormy weathers turned the normally springy turf underfoot into a muddy quagmire of ugly green water. Tired feet trudged through the oozing tangling swamps to the open green pastures of the promised land, singing the praises and the downfalls of the gods as they went, heavy sledgehammers in hand and bricks in tow on their carts.

The King, rightful in his eternal wisdom as always had proclaimed the lands ready for building upon the week before, and the many rich farmers, merchants and warriors of the kingdom had begun their preparations well in advance. The one thing they had not counted upon though was the collapsing of the ground under their very feet, making their building so impossible, and leaving the homes they desired a lottery for the gods to decide upon.

Why, I heard one tale of a man who bought his hammer back over his head to bash in his placement banner, and was toppled backwards by its weight. By the time he got back up again there were four other men in front of him all beating each other up over the fine land, all failing to notice the sneaky man in grey robes poking a giant tower deed in under their very bloody noses!

As I roamed the pebbly streets of our one green land I wondered about the point of it all. Why does that tiny little man there, the miner, need a castle I thought to myself. And what about those warriors trying to build for their 200 strong guild, why are they holed up in a little hut. As I roamed down one street I saw a man suddenly disappear from my sight just as he was about to bang in his deed, and pronounce the land as his own. And another time a large brick house, already half built, its skeleton like frame swaying in the swampy lands' wind simply fall to the ground as the owner went away for a brief (2 hour) rest.

Again I asked myself, as all this unfolded about me, what the big deal was about these shaky cottage walls, and slatted roofs of these newly designed houses. Indeed I almost tripped on a flowerbed protruding dangerously from one two storey home, just about avoiding it only to flounce into a lamp-post jutting fiercely out at me from a pure white patio building. Dusting myself off I looked up to see the owner watching me I a stupefied state, as if he was trying to act in a slow motion style.

"Good day be to thee sire" I said to the man, "Prithee what is thy name"?

After a five minute wait during which he weirdly vanished and re-appeared several times he replied "my nam ist B3rGaH mAk3r, wot ist yuurs"?

After raising an eyebrow at the rather odd dialect this fellow spoke and digesting his bizarre name, I replied "Marie Robespierre, pleased to meet you". Bidding his home a casual glance I carried on "Tis a fine home you have built for yourself here sirrah, congratulations on winning the land so well".

To this the bold young chap stuck out his burly chest and prodded his thumb slowly into a well-built pectoral. "This hoose is warth at list 2 mill, but I'll seel it ta yoo fer jist 1.5 mill. Want it"?

Again slightly taken aback by his rough linguistics I took a moment to translate his message and then responded honestly, and correctly "I already own a home, and besides, a deed for that house costs just 120,000 gold, so nay thankee sire".

With that honest repartee I skipped of to find more observations to tell ye all about dear reader, and my oh my, there were a lot of them.

Towns have been built over years in the Felluca lands, and the citizens there are honourable and kind, just and worthy of the respect they reap from their fellow Britannians. But these new buildings that splayed their overzealous and gluttonous expanses over the once fresh green divide on the Trammel side could never be called a home in the true sense of the word. Bricks stand 3o feet high and barely 2 feet apart to mark the divide betwixt homes, and a flying pigeon told me that from above it resembled a giant tunic of ringmail, laid out on its back. The holes being the homes and the connecting rings the tiny paths in between them.

Over the crest of a giant tower, nestled among, no sorry, on top of, a grove of O'Hii trees I saw the docks of Skara Brae and decided to make my way there. Scuttling round the edge of the teetering trees and hoping the tower built on their boughs did not fall upon me I hurried to the docks and bade the harborman take me across, to the inn where I had paid for my room. Before I went there though I checked in at the bank where everything I own is stored and decided it still all looked fine, even if no-one else could see it so that I could boast about it.

Throwing my tent deed into the box I spun and walked to the inn, not caring a bit as the bank manager threw my deed back at me, saying my box was full. Everything I need I have in my head anyway, and besides, Fenris' tavern makes a far better home than an empty castle or a too full cottage.

I'm content, I hope that you too dear reader, can be as happy with what little things you have, as I am.

~The diaries of one~

Marie Robespierre,

Independent sarcasm extraordinaire.

**A SCROLL PENNED TO KELILA KALI**
**********************************************************************
Vendui', olath dalninil.
I have compiled all that I can recall from the meeting that I had with the demon, Nostur'yl. The phindar came to me last night seeking my aid. Of course we dark elves have always had strong ties to the infernal ones since demons share the same home as the Spider Queen. Not to mention that Lilith, the Mother of Demons, is now the Goddess that I pay equal allegiance to. I wonder if Nostur'yl knows anything of his true heritage.. ah well.. that is something for you to educate him on. You are quite the teacher. As you can see my Common has gotten much better, thanks to you. I have translated the Dark Elf tongue spoken between Nostur’yl and myself so you can follow the conversation without difficulty. I have also included a sketching of my encounter and a few pages of my original journal entries.
Aluve', olath dalninil,
Ssin'urn Veldris
**********************************************************************

You see: Nostur’yl
Nostur’yl: Vendui’ (Greetings)
Ssin’urn Veldris: Vendui’ demon (Greetings demon)
Ssin’urn Veldris: *nods*
Nostur’yl: You are of the dark elven race
Ssin’urn Veldris: *nods*
Ssin’urn Veldris: Aye
Ssin’urn Veldris: Usstan uil Ilythiiri (I am Drow)
Nostur’yl: For years your kind has aided mine
Ssin’urn Veldris: Aye, lil olath ilhar (the Dark Mother) lives with your kind in the Abyss
Nostur’yl: Perhaps it is time to begin again
Ssin’urn Veldris: The gems?
Nostur’yl: They shall be recovered soon
Ssin’urn Veldris: Usstan uin natha velg’larn (I am an assassin)
Nostur’yl: *nods*
Ssin’urn Veldris: Bwael (good)
Nostur’yl: When that time comes
Ssin’urn Veldris: *Listens*
Nostur’yl: I shall need creatures such as yourself
Nostur’yl: To aid in mine future plans
Ssin’urn Veldris: Udos (we) of the Dark Mother would be pleased to aid ye
Ssin’urn Veldris: In any fashion
Nostur’yl: And perhaps prior as well
Nostur’yl: Lord Smogg has found the last missing gemstone, the Amethyst
Ssin’urn Veldris: On the corpse of the merchant?
Nostur’yl: Should those who oppose mine self find it before I have the strength
Nostur’yl: to recover it they shall undoubtedly be guarding it.
Ssin’urn Veldris: Doesn’t Smogg aid ye as well?
Nostur’yl: He does
Nostur’yl: Does a rivvil’s (human’s) aid bother you?
Ssin’urn Veldris: Nau (no)
Nostur’yl: Good
Nostur’yl: When it is time to recover the amethyst, I shall need eyes such as yours
Nostur’yl: To examine the area undetected
Ssin’urn Veldris: *nods*
Nostur’yl: When that time comes, we shall speak again
Ssin’urn Veldris: Bwael (good)
Ssin’urn Veldris: Contact ussa (me)
Ssin’urn Veldris: Usstan zhal aid dos (I shall aid you)
Nostur’yl: And remember the words of your matrons
Nostur’yl: L’elamshin d’lil Ilythiiri zhah ulu har’luth jal (Lloth’s will of the Drow is to conquer all)
Ssin’urn Veldris: *nods* Aluve’ (Farewell)
And then the demon vanished back into the shadows from which he came.
*********************************************************************************************

The race will take place at the Townhall of Minoc (trammel) at 20:00cet.

Date: 26/7 Time: 20:00 CET
Sponsor: Minoc Council.

It will be four horses in each group and the winner of each group will meet in a final race. The fee for joining the race is 1000gp. The price for the final winner is half the gold we get in from the fee. So lets say that 20 people joins and pay 1000gp each, the prize will be 10k ! The other half will go to the Minoc Council and will be used for other events in Minoc.

The track will go trough Minoc and to the caves where we will have a checkpoint, and from there the race will continue east around the montain to the goal at the Minoc Tavern.

Only horses can be used in this race. Ostards, Nighmares and Lamas are not allowed.

So come to the townhall of Minoc (trammel facet) and let the best man (horse) win!

Following reports of a violent storm that nearly destroyed the small village of Coventry (north of Minoc) the religious group known as The Ministry (*M*) hurriedly began a pilgrimage from their homes near Safe Haven to the land of Coventry in order to comfort and aid the people there during the rebuilding process. Upon their arrival there, they were reluctantly greeted by the few remaining FU pirates that call Coventry their home. While guilds such as ROK, DOG, and CoL seemed to weather the storm very well in their mighty keeps, towers, and castles, the FU took a hard hit by the fierce winds that swept through leaving many small homes in shambles.

After setting up camp in a nearby cave, the Ministry quickly went to work sharing food with the needy and caring for the injured. The holy order, which is as old as our perilous world, brought comfort to friendly and evil natured men alike without regard to their social standings or showing any expectations in return. The common answer for this from *M* disciples is, "None are beyond hope for the path is always within reach."

While followers of The Ministry are widely known for their honesty and integrity, their attitude is something similar to that of a wandering healer who has spent too much time amongst the mushrooms. Many even say that their High Prophet, Khaz Durkham, who, "hears the Voice" is completely insane. In any case, there is no doubt about the comfort they have given to so many in recent times.

A pirate by the name of Cas has taken up leadership amongst the remaining FU following the disappearance of their guild master Smilin Sid along with the main FU ship and crew. When reached for comment concerning these events, Cas was heard to have said, "It is a very sad time and very tragic loss... I will really miss that boat."

With the *M* donating many man hours to rebuilding the Coventry Town Hall and a once popular tavern, The Screaming Liche Cafe, the FU has actually agreed to donate land to the Ministry so that they may also call Coventry their home. It seems an unlikely alliance has been formed in the heart of this town that was once known for being over run with thieves and murderers. Already, the Ministry has began work on a massive training academy, a church, and even a barber shop thus forming what they call "Divinity Square"

Official statement: Death at Wintermoor Jordan Cromwell, a wealthy and respectable grandmaster merchant encountered fatality in the city of Wintermoor last evening. It is with a sad mind that we can give you the true story of last evening's events. Smogg Azalin has taken his time to comment:

The evening was warm and gentle. I had just finished our more serious business with Jordan Cromwell, where I bought a few gems for my beloved wife Reminisence. Truly a bargain. To round off the evening, Annatar, the most famous librarian, and I had dinner with Jordan Cromwell at his estate.

We shared stories of the past about forgotten artifacts and places. This led to his interest in the vast library in Wintermoor, The Medical Archive. Though it was getting later we arranged for a gate for him to explore the knowledge stored there.

While the three of us were occupied studying the ever-growing collection of books, we failed to see an orc sneaking up the stairs. It happened in a matter of seconds. Crude orc magic smashed into the chest of Cromwell, sending him tumbling to the floor.

Our Guards arrived within seconds and made short of the orc mage. As for Cromwell there were little hope. All attempts to revive him failed. A sad day indeed"

Jordan Cromwell possessed no gold to pay for the medical expences. He had only a strange necklace. Though it might be of limited value, have agreed to settle for the necklace as a symbolic payment of the bill. Weather a skilled healer of light will be able to restore Jordan to life where we have failed has yet to be seen. We can only hope for the best. To avoid speculations, rumors and accusations, we have agreed to publish the Autopsy Report.

Subject: Jordan Cromwell
Height: 1.905m
Weight: 82.3 kg
Eyes: Dark Green
Hair: Blonde
Distinguishing Char: Pony Tail. Birthmark at left leg.
Found: Wintermoor Medical Archive, Archive Floor
Approximate ToD: 7:00 PM EST, 16/7-2000
Discovered by: Smogg Azalin and Annatar. Both present during death. Later: Scarecrow, Mandy, Van Holst, IvyStar and Deicide.
Autopsy conducted by: Moonbeam, Forensics Expert.
Cause of Death: Several burn marks of severe magnitude and Multiple deep spear and kryss wounds in the chest and stomach region, resulting in Massive pain and a state of shock concurrent with internal and external injuries Death is assumed Heart Failure concurrent with massive chest pain from orc related magic. Death was almost instantaneous. Subject was in good health, but was suffering from heart problems.
Note: Revival using traditional methods was attempted but unsuccessful. His corpse was stored in the Forensics Facility in Caina where the Autopsy was conducted, later the remains were cremated and shipped off to the healers at Nujel'm.

Article by Cafax,
Noble of Trinsic
House Of Twilight, Ncr

I could not believe my eyes. Almost immediately, pigeons arrived asking for verification. Did Cromwell indeed meet his demise in Wintermoor? What was Ncr's role in this, beyond their benevolent role as physicians and cremators of the body?

As I was about to set out in investigation, I received another note. A guildmate, requesting I join him. News of a riddle that pointed to the location of the final gem. We met, and I followed them to the location.The amethyst was located in the Magincian Parliament building, sitting upon a table Secured by powerful magic, we could not pick it up. It would appear the Oracle, who had been located in Wind, had cast protective magics on it to keep it from falling into the hands of the Daemon Nostur'yl.

A group had assembled there, members of the Yew Militia, HCC, 2ST and the BWC. We speculated in the nature of the magic, and whether or not the Daemon would be able to break the spell of protection should he come into possession of the saphire. In the middle of our debate, who should appear but the Deamon himself.

He ridiculed us, taunting us, assuring us that we would fail in our endeavors to protect the gem. It was then he mentioned the demise of Jordon Cromwell. He hinted that Smogg Azalin was in possession of the evidence, and that if we cared to see, it we had only to look.

I was hesitant. To travel to the Ncr Tower on the advice of a daemon...well, I think you can see where my ambivilance stemmed. But Nostur'yl assured us safe passage, and as quick as he came, he vanished.

So we made our way to the Cult of Infernal Necromancy's tower. Upon arrival, we were greeted by Smogg Azalin, and lead to the top of the tower, where we found the proof Nostur'yl spoke of. The severed head of Jordon Cromwell, in the center of a pentagram.

We were sickened, of course. What followed was banter and accusation, I was far too stunned to say much. I had seen enough. As the group left, Smogg Azalin sat at his harp and played a haunting melody. A fitting end to this macabre evening.

Much has transpired within the realm. Daemons and dragons fighting for gems and lanterns...more information than I could possibly put in one single article. But the news of Jordon Cromwell's demise is the most disconcerting of all I have heard thus far. Something must be done, a resolution to the mystery, a solution to Cromwell's innabiilty to join his corporeal form. As I write this, I prepare to leave for a 3 day journey. My best wishes to all those working to solve this mystery. We can only hope for the best and fight for justice. Good luck friends, we shall need it.

Yours in the Light,

I today have sent word to Bootae the mad that we have a common goal to train and nurture the skills of the new and spread the knowledge and experience of the Grandmasters.

If i may introduce myself i am korendir the curator of 'The Europa Academy' an establishment much like the adventurers academy.

Be you new to these lands or a battle hardened warrior or mystic mage, be you a skilled craftsman or a drunken beggar this Academy and all its resources are available for you too use to develop any of your skills or to meet fellow adventurers to plan and embark on your latest quest.

If your new to these lands the academy provides an excellent location for you to learn the basics and also has to hand the resources you will need to succeed In your chosen career.

The Plans for the academy are drawn up, i had not sent word of our facility as we are in the final stages of construction and i today hold out a hand to Bootae and the members of the adventurers academy so that our members may in time benefit from friendly competition?

Korendir curator of the Europa Academy

Due to the placement of houses on Thursday, the pre-trial hearing for the Trek'guk Luav case has been changed from Thursday to Friday the 21st at Nine o'clock< Post Morning by the Eastern Sky.
-Lord Justice Neo Of Lothlore, Chief Magistrate of PaxLair

Hail,
I would like to take this time to tell you of our new staffed hours at the Mystic Lake Tavern. They are: Every Friday from 8:00pm EST to 11:00pm EST, Saturday from 8:00pm EST to 11:00pm EST, and Sunday from 8:00pm EST to 11:00pm EST.

I would like to thank all of you that have taken the time to come out and visit us. As well as Jade, Shenji, and Azazel for volunteering their time to make this such a GREAT place! Thanks everyone.

Korin the Scribe
The Scribe of Haven
www.haven.uoguilds.com

All in a Night's Work
Nicholas Tamark Jul 19 2000 10:18PM

The shifting of bone and armor behind him brought Jordan Cromwell out of his thoughts. Turning from the departing figures of Lady Molly and the Yew Militia, he spoke to the Death Knight.

"Now Knight, what can I do for you?"

Fustiar hissed as he eyed his surroundings. "Ye hath some impressive artifacts within these walls... quite impressive." He slowly took off his helm, revealing his ghastly visage.

Jordan made a face but continued. "My thanks. Now, what brings you into my home?"

"I will be brief, I sense you hath things to accomplish. The Lich Lord and the Nephilim have sent me to obtain from ye the sapphire, which Nostur'yl seeks. We shall meet any price."

Jordan started. "A sapphire, you say?"

"Indeed, that is what I have been told. I could be mistaken. However, my Master rarely gives me misinformation.."

Nodding, Jordan said, "Of course. How interesting..." He trailed off, staring into space for a few minutes, deep in thought.

Bones clacking in anticipation, Fustiar pressed, "Do ye have it?"

Returning to the here and now, Jordan replied, "As I was telling the others before you, I have many gems, in many shipments and storage areas. Is there anything distinctive about this... sapphire?"

"It pulsates with an inner light, an inner power, I am told it is some times termed as a Soul Gem."

Jordan pondered that. "Well, I'm usually very good at determining the value of items I uncover. I can say that I am not aware of such a gem." Fustiar began cursing vehemently, but Jordan held up a hand and continued. "I will, however, search through my stock for it, it may well be there."

Shuddering, Fustiar said, "My unlife is forfeit for it, if I return empty handed. My Master is...cruel beyond reckoning."

"I will make you the same deal I made the others. I will take inventory of my stock, and in a few days I will contact you or your master with my results. Where can I contact ye?"

Nodding slowly, Fustiar replied, "There are many places, what is most convenient for ye?"

"I usually spend my time here on this isle or on Ocllo." Jordan caught himself and turned a serious eye towards the undead knight. "Mind you, I'm telling you this as a business partner, not as a target. Understood, Knight?"

Fustiar answered, "Of course, of course," giving a skeletal grin all the while. "My Master hath Honor still."

Glaring, Jordan learned back in his chair. "Aye, that's why I permit you here." Returning to the subject, Fustiar recommended several locations that his master used. "What about Caina or Wintermoor?" Jordan queried.

Fustiar spat. "Wintermoor. An evil place, but I fear for thy safety there...Orcs and undead abound in both Caina and Wintermoor, but if ye insist.."

Jordan "Aye, if I agree to visit there, I expect safe travel."

"A moment." Fustiar began rummaging through his pack, and eventually removing a dark kryss. Handing it to Jordan, he said, "Bear this when you pass into Caina. It is marked by Oblivion's Hand. Wield it, and none shall slay ye."

Jordan stood and handled the kryss with expert ease. Smiling, he commented, "You've done your homework."

"Indeed," said the warrior, giving yet another skeletal grin. "I was also told to try to purchase any other artifacts you would sell, or try to obtain thy services for an excavation. The site be on the Isle of Fire, ruins of an old monastery of sorts. I have few details, My Master shall speak to ye of it, when you meet him."

Jordan nodded. "That can be arranged, although right now I have nothing major in my stores. As for the excavation, I'd like that. For now, the agreement is only that I will travel to Caina in a few days. If your men assault me, I will leave and the bargain is off. If someone is not present when I arrive, I will leave a way to contact me. Agreed?"

"Splendid. It is done then." Fustiar put his helm back on.

"I look forward to doing business, Knight," Jordan said as he ushered the knight towards the front gates.

"As does my Master. May you walk in Infinite Darkness, human."

"I'm sure he does. Safe travels."

Once out in the desert sun, the Death Knight quickly faded into nothing. For the second time, Jordan found himself standing there, smiling. Is there one gem or two? If there's only one, who is on the right trail? Either way, he stood a chance to make a great profit from the dealings of this day. Jordan took out his keys, and locked up his front gates for the evening.

Confusion and lack of information has the Children of Light chasing their tails, while the Dark Ones work together to possess the gems. The time has come to communicate friends. The Daemon Nostur'yl works to destroy that which we hold dear. Will we succumb for lack of unity?

Yours in the Light,

Greetings, citizens of Britainnia! The Britain City Council will now be meeting Thursdays, at 8:00 pm (EST). Our meeting place remains the same--the counsellor's guild hall on Bay Side Road, next to A Girl's Best Friend.

We hope that this new meeting time will be more convenient for those of you who were previously unable to attend.

Katherine, Grandmaster Healer
Historian, Britain City Council
Ciaran, Lia Fail Empire (Atlantic)

I thank you for the notice Katherine.

Greeting's Britannians,

This Saturday (7/22/2000) at 3:00pm EST the Atlantic Mage Tower will be holding a traditional Dungeon Crawl. All are welcomed to join us in a dungeon adventure in search of wealth and fame. Come prepared, reagents, weapons, armor, bandages, and bring a friend along for the fun!

Yours truly
VirulLord, Keeper of the Stone, AMT

Indeed the mighty Ogols have returned or so the criers tell me. I wondered what those Ogols would be and my curiosity was rewarded as only a few hours later I saw a walking zombielike creature wander past my store "The Pot Shop" into town.

As i was busy outfitting a warrior in full plate i couldn't follow him but when it returned I followed it back to its lair. As it walked from the bank up the bridge towards the cemetry and past the shop a lot of people started to follow it. One shady type in the typical deathrobe exclaimed loudly that the Ogol seemed immune to stealing his possession and promptly attacked the Ogol. Ignoring the thief the Ogol wandered into the cemetary and into a big building to the north.

There we saw a lot of bottles, reagents and general junk strewn around the floors. Among the junk was a gold box and the Ogol dropped something there. Curious as all shopkeepers are I peeked inside the box and found more bottles, potions and a notebook. Wherein was written: drop your things in here children, it will be safe signed by a name which i cant remember.

The Ogol was unfortunately killed by the crowd and was found to be carrying nothing of value and I heard one warrior exlaim that the Ogol had damaged his weapon like slimes used to. Being a peacefull woman I can't attest to that.

I have sighted many of these Ogols around my shop and the black one seems to ignore people (The messenger??) but some red ones only come to kill and destroy and i had to forcefully remove them from my shop.

I hope someone will solve this mysterie and who can give me more news will be rewarded.

Miss Steel GM Merchant
Pot Shop Vesper

Greetings!

I'm going to be opening the Academy of Adventure on Europa as soon as I have a building sorted. However in the meantime the Academy will be running hunting trips for newbies and young players to come along to, based from temporary offices in Britain's theatre.

The whole aim of this is to give new players a helping hand getting to grips as an adventurer/warrior/mage in Ultima and show them a few sights, etc. We have plans to greatly expand our services with Training Facilities (as soon as we aquire the funds for a building or arrange some sort of deal with someone), Q&A sessions, various excursions like Fishing trips, Mining expeditions, etc.

For more information, check the website at http://www.crosswinds.net/~bootae/.

Our first excursion will be Tuesday the 25th of July at 7pm GMT at the King's Men Theatre. We will be leaving at 7.30pm GMT (8.30pm CET), so be there on time.
Any "young" players that would like to come along are more than welcome!

EQUIPMENT NEEDED
Unfortunately I do not have the funds to supply newbie packs yet :( This may be obvious but just incase, I would therefore suggest that you bring the following:

Warriors
Weapon and armour of your choice, a couple of cure potions and bandages (just buy a bolt of cloth and some scissors, double click the scissors and target the cloth to make them).

Mages
A back up weapon and enough reagents to keep you going.

LOOT
At the end of the hunt (and/or each time someone needs to leave) all gold is to be pooled and split evenly between you. Items you pick up are of course yours to do with as you wish, but Warriors please pass reagents to any mage characters.

If you have any questions feel free to email me at [email protected].

Bootae The Mad
Squire
House of Trammel
EKC

Yours truly,

Good news followers of light! This very night Ryak has been rescued! This eve as I awoke and went to Sandlewood to check for new details, but found none. I set out to the Yew Prison as well as the Black One's Temple and BDA Tower. Although my spirits were high, I found nothing. Thus I returned to Sandlewood to use their rune to Buc's Den. Upon my arrival, I was met by several members of my temple and other regulars of the fine Sandlewood Box. Andrew Bishop had found a book written by someone in service of the Slavemaster! He's apparently not to bright because his writings indicated that Ryak was to be found North of LoP's Pirate Provisions. Quickly we assembled a small squad and head out for it. It was not a whole of 2 minutes from arriving at the LoP house that we found Ryak in a villa to the North, alone. We entered the house with caution, but all were very excited at getting our good friend back. We went to the upstairs room and found him there, bound in chains. He mumbled some gibberish and we tried to undo the chains... After a few good whacks with an axe and a few Magical Unlocking spells the chains came loose, and Ryak collapsed to the ground. I gathered him up in my arms and took him through a quickly put up gate and back to Sandlewood. Once inside, we got him seated as well as food and water. He started raving about the Slavemaster messing with his mind, and then something... disturbing. He mentioned "Sabbs... Slavemaster.... wants him...." and immediately patrols were dispatched to investigate. At this time I headed home to write this 'ere tidbit o' news, knowing that Sabbs would be warned of the possible threat and that Ryak was once again safe, if not sane. His babbling continues even now...

I'd like to personally thank all the supporters of last night, and especially the 6 who went in search of Ryak this eve along with me, Nostradamus, Andrew Bishop, Demonlir the Mad, Corsair, Dark Widow, and Cullyn. I will rest easy tonight knowing my lord and good friend has been rescued.

May Paladine bless thee and keep thee,
Hugh the Hand

I was very nervous as we set out that morning. The sun had just broken over the hilltops and the dew showed our tracks as we moved supplies to the shore and the waiting boats. There was not a sleepy eye in the group as excited anticipation filled our minds. This would be no ordinary day.

Adian O'Rourke watched as the boats were carefully loaded and made ready for the journey ahead. He had found a way to the place our hearts knew would be "home" and we trusted his resolve in making this perilous voyage. Perhaps too, it was the blood of Arnk racing in our veins that gave us the courage to sail through the mists that day.

As clan master of the Rangers of the Realm (RoR), Adian had never led us astray. The discovery and subsequent translation of ancient tomes (see "stories") proved the existence of an Isle known as Arnk. We now knew all rangers were descended from the people of Arnk and that one of Adian's forefathers had been their leader.

The waters were calm and the winds in our favor as we left the bay. Destiny seemed with us, for the trip while long brought no misfortune. The mists had risen and by mid day we saw a strange land on the horizon. No one spoke until Adian smiled. We knew then that Arnk was truly real and close at hand.

No docks or moorage could be found, all gone with the ages so we anchored and waded ashore. The beauty of nature here struck me and I sensed a belonging as I strolled along the beach. I wondered at the time that must have been and the loss felt by the rangers forced to flee here so long ago.

Our supplies were now on ashore and preparations were being made to explore. We decided to go in groups of three, each with a bladesman, an archer and one who heals. The plan was to quickly scout the land in a safe and quiet fashion (Not to engage but to know). This, however would not be.

No sooner did we begin than we heard strange sounds from the forest. We moved cautiously into the woods, knowing and holding our threefold units within the larger band. Before long we entered a clearing and the ruins of once proud buildings could be seen. In the middle of what may have been a small village was an Ogre Lord sharing the carcass of a fallen deer with an Elder Gazer. They were most unhappy to have their supper disturbed.

That is when the dung hit the window! I have never seen a beast as vile or as strong as that Ogre and the Gazer was no fun as well. The battle lasted longer than I expected and we lost a dear brother in the process. This did not sway us however, in fact it pumped us to a wildness of our own. RoR won the day as Adian's blade took the life from the Ogre's heart and someone finished the Gazer with a sorcerer's spell.

Our healers worked long into the night. By dawn we had restored our fallen comrade and bandaged all our wounds. The new day looked peacefully on us and the task of rebuilding the crumbling houses began. There was much to do. The thought of securing the island and locating the Great Seer of Arnk played heavy on our minds but for the moment we were a very happy lot.

Rangers now hold Arnk again and RoR will determine her future. As a member of the RoR clan I realize that Arnk cannot accommodate all our homes. We, like all rangers, are spread throughout the land. This may be as it should, for our numbers grow daily as others join our quest and our virtues are needed everywhere.

Soon the homes on Arnk will be complete. If the gods are willing they will hear our petition and permit the construction of a Ranger Shrine in a clearing on Arnk we have made for this purpose. All rangers will be welcome on Arnk from which their bloodlines sprung and ranger unity will swell.

RoR has already dedicated one building on Arnk as an academy for ranger warriors and another for ranger mystics. I have never been prouder and at long last I know the feeling of home. The days ahead hold the promise of greater times and Adian will lead us to the end.

RAWRR!

Juum (RoR)

Nailed to the door of Empath Abbey is a large piece of parchment. You cannot help but notice the large flashy letters, which seem to be grabbing the attention of many passersby with their promise of reward! The message is as follows:

"Lords and Ladies of Britannia, let it be known that I, Tristam, am seeking information about the dark paladin, Lord Hoyt. It is a most urgent matter that I find him soon! Therefore I am offering a reward to anyone with even the slightest scrap of information regarding his current whereabouts. The reward will vary depending on the amount of information you are able to unearth and give to me, and it will come in the form of gold, ingots, lumber, hides or perhaps items of... a rarer nature. Lord Hoyt was last seen the night that Akron the Red Lich was defeated at the Yew Crypts. He wears plate mail of the darkest ebon and carries The Sword and Shield of Ebon as well. Only his gorget is different and it is shadow plate crafted by the Illustrious Lady Skye MacLeod herself. Hoyt is tall and well built, of light complexion, with black hair, and a black Vandyke. He has been known to wear a green robe from time to time, and he considers this a great joke. Last he was seen, his hands were stained red with the blood of many who have opposed him, so it is doubtful that he will be found in the happy lands of Trammel. I thank you in advance for your help. And remember, your aid shall not go unrewarded. Please contact me via pigeon at 44520011, or the Britannian post [email protected]. Also... as a word of warning to you... I am not the only one seeking Hoyt... There are others... Should you like to speak with me face to face try looking at either The Sandlewood Box, or the Village of the Unruled, but be CERTAIN you speak with me, Tristam, and only me about this, as... should the information fall into the wrong hands...."

Here a fragment of the parchment is missing...

The circumstances under which lockdowns may be "used" will be updated with the following changes:

• Resources that are used by 'targeting' will no longer be useable when locked down. These items include ingots, boards, logs, and shafts.
• All items that are locked down will be useable only by the owner, co-owner, or friends of the house in which they are locked down, the only exception being that items which have another locked down item on top of them will not be able to be used, or released until the item above them is released.
• Items which can be used by visitors when locked down are:
  • Purple Books will only be able to be read from when locked down. All others will be able to be edited by visitors.
  • Runebooks will allow visitors to add recall scrolls to them, otherwise they will work as before.
  • Visitors will be able to use locked down dyes in a house.
  • Visitors will be able to use locked down dye tubs is a house. Dye tubs must be unlocked before the color of the dye can be changed.
• It will no longer be possible to lock down a "stacked" item unless all items beneath it are locked down. Additionally, it will no longer be possible to lock down "valueless" items such as new player clothing and resurrection robes.

Looting rights according to guild interaction will be changed to the following on Trammel.

	Can Loot Corpse of Player "A"
Enemy guild members who did no damage to Player "A"	No
Enemy guild members you did damage to Player "A"	Yes
Other members of an enemy guild in which a member did damage to Player "A"	No
Other members of an enemy guild in which a member did not damage Player "A"	No
Players in a party with Player "A" if Player "A" is killed by an enemy guild member.	No
Players in a party with Player "A" if Player "A" is killed by anything other than an enemy guild member.	Yes
Player A's guildmates if they are not in Player "A"'s party.	Yes
Anyone not in Player A's party, guild, or in a warring guild.	No

An example corpse would be lootable by:

• An enemy guild member that did damage to the deceased player.
• Those in the same party as the deceased player if the player was not damaged or killed by an enemy guild member.
• Guildmates that are not in a party with the deceased player.

The same corpse would Not be lootable by:

• Someone in an enemy guild that did no damage to the deceased player.
• An enemy guild, in which no enemy guild members caused damage to the deceased player.
• Party members of the deceased player, if the deceased player was killed by enemy guild members.
• Players not in the deceased player's party, not in the deceased player's guild, nor in an opposing guild (unless the opposing guild member or members damaged or killed the deceased player).

All aggressor/combat timers remain as they have been (in regards to damage done, and when looting rights tied to damage wear out.)

The following were added to Fixes and Changes

Haven zoning will be changed to prevent players from being able to sail near haven. Players will no longer be ejected from their boats if they sail too close to Haven.

Stablemasters will be able to stable only two creatures per character, per shard.

The following changes and fixes are currently in testing for the next update:

• Boats will no longer become "stuck" in the oceans near Haven
• To provide an easy way for players to recognize official OSI volunteers (including counselors and seers) without being required to look at their paperdolls or clothing, volunteer names will now appear in purple above their heads. This change will not affect companion names.
• You will no longer be able to cut up player corpses on the Trammel facet
• For the duration of house placement, pets with "evil" tendencies will vanish from the world if they are released or go "wild"

Chesapeake Housing Issues

Last night we attempted Phase Two of house placement on the Chesapeake shard. While many houses were placed, unfortunately a failure in the backup and monitoring systems caused the system to not save the houses. It will be necessary to revert Chesapeake to a pre-Phase Two backup. We apologize for this inconvenience, and will do everything possible to ensure that it does not happen again. We will be completing Phase Two during the scheduled Chesapeake phase on Thursday and will revise the Phase Three placement schedule for the shard later today.

I have important news regarding the Ogols who have been spotted in Vesper.

I heard of these Ogols in the cemetary from Miss Steel, of the Pot Shop. I found the box, and a note. But it seems the note have been changed since Miss Steel was there.

It now says:

"Gimme all ta money, and go to the great city of Britain" Have it been changed by the original writer, or is it some vandal who have changed it?

I also found a Journal written by "Dulemos", the same who wrote the note. Curious as I am, I opened it. It said:

Journal entry 17:
Now that I need her the most, Emoria have left me. She moved to western Minoc to be as far away from me as possible.

Journal entry 20:
I obtained my first corpses today. I will start working right away.

Journal entry 21:
I finished my first humanoid creation. It still has to be tested to see how it reacts in certain situations. I will take it out tomorrow.

Journal entry 25:
The Ogol are doing well. Thye are transporting goods to the Vesper cemetary. I will make my lab there. It is so much closer to the things I need...

Journal entry 29:
My new Lab is finished. If Emoria could only see this... I will continue my research now.

That was all. Who is this Dulemos? And who is Emoria? What is going on at the Vesper cemetary? I found many reagents there, potions and mortars. Are experiments going on there? But why in a cemetary? He said "I obtained my first corpses today." And "It is so much closer to the things I need...". Does this mean he is digging corpses up? And making them into these "Ogols"?
But why?

I will continue my search for these Ogols and especially Dulemos. And I will go to the Minocs western parts to see if I can find Emoria.

Sagonari

I went to Minoc, west of minoc to search for Emoria. And I did discover something.

In a small cabin, I found a note on a table written by Emiria herself:

"Please leave the milk on the table. I will be back from my trip on Friday the twentyfirst of this month."

Outside, empty glass pitchers were to be seen. And some milk.

I will come to Minoc that day and see if she can help us solve the mystery.

Sagonari

I was attacked by an Ogol in vesper last night, it was early evening and I was simply hanging around The Pot Shop looking for friends.

I was talking to a young mage when suddenly I noticed a red or ornage monster, quite small in height maybe as tall as a man, it stood there still not moving right outside the new 2 story vendor house. I shouted out to the others "WTF" and repeated this a few times, suddenly it attacked me, its was very strong and being unequiped for battle I ran, this was a mistake as no matter how I ran, or how far it was always behind me, faster than a Balron.

I ran in circles in the town near the bank shouting for help, mages and warriors flocked to my aid as I managed to run and hide as it screamed past and was surrounded by an obviously veteran group of mages who took it down and rummageds it glowing corpse.

I have yet to see just how much damage they can do but from what some of the warriors told me they are not to be taken single handed.

Kia

Head Pirate and Guild Master of FU disappears along with the main FU ship

The feared and respected pirate, Smilin Sid has been reported lost at sea this week, along with most of his crew, off the coast of Minoc following the recent hurricane which destroyed much of the small neighboring village of Coventry. It is reported that after several weeks Sid's surviving guildmates in the FU have given up their search and have returned to what is left of their homes.

Sid, who was evil in nature, was best known for dishing out his own brand of "justice" on his enemies and had gone as far as pledging his allegiance to Lord British and taking up a shield of order. However, he was so angered at the gods by the many recent squabbles over land that he revoked his vows of law and peace and took to the high seas in a rage.

Left leaderless, homeless, and forsaken by the gods, it is feared that the FU band of unstable killers may soon renegade. It is hard to say for sure, but it is indeed a sad day to see yet more trusted protectors in turmoil.

Tired of walking everywhere on Trammel because you don't have a rune to where you want to go? That time has ended! The Knights of Sosaria and the city of Elysium are proud to announce the opening of our Trammel rune library located in our newly placed castle. Currently we have runebooks to all the banks, tailor shops, provisioners, shrines, islands along with all the dungeons ( plus more I'm not even listing here). We are adding new runes daily as well! We hope all members of the Atlantic community avail themselves of this incredible new resource. Please stop on by! Should you be interested in helping us add to the collection please feel free to leave a note in our guestbook inside or on our message board at a http://knightsofsosaria.tripod.com

Any help (decorations, runes etc) will be greatly appreciated as we work to create the best rune library for you. We shall also be adding a tavern upstairs as well so that weary travelers can rest and enjoy a glass of fine wine and perhaps a tall tale.....or several. *smiles*

Now where is this place?? The castle is located north of Trinsic on the left hand side of the clearing. Just head north till you see the castle bordering the woods with the bank symbol. We hope to see you soon and hope you enjoy using the library and tavern.

Your humble servant,
Lord Breti
Knight of Sosaria (KOS)

Yours in the Light,

Demands for the freeing of Ryak.

The Cult of the Black Dragon demands...

1. The Sandlewood Box be burnt to the ground.
2. 4000 of each reagent. Sacrificing goats with flamestrike is cleaner than with a knife.
3. 200,000 in gold.
4. 10,000 Ingots. We must keep our guards armored.
5. Your wenches. I know some of you are thinking we are weird, but most of us cultists used to be pirates, and since we haven't been to Buccanneer's Den in quite some time, we haven't had a wench in sooo long.

Thats it, erm.

*leans over*

Oh yes and the orcs demand... what, ok, you can say it.

"und gib uz oll da grog und grub frum da sandolwuud taburn tu. und oll da purtay shinies frum da tabern tu!"
And give us all of the drink and food from the Sandalwood Tavern too. And all of the gold peices that are contained within!
There you have it. If the demands aren't met, we will have..

"und a beeg urang pumpkeen frum da taburn tu!!"
And a big orange pumpkin from Sandalwood as well.
IF THE DEMANDS AREN'T MET. WE WILL TORTURE HIM!

"und" And.. NO MORE UNDS! No more ands

Next Sunday, July 23rd, the Spiritwood Tavern will host another Lottery.
Again it will be at 21.00 cet (8pm gmt).

The grand prize is 100.000 gold pieces!
You can buy numbers with Fenris at the tavern all week and they cost 1000 gold pieces each. One person cannot buy more than two however.
Perhaps that number will be the lucky number... Please try to buy one before sunday.
Good luck everyone!

You can find the Spiritwood Tavern if you follow these directions: If you start at the Skara Brae docks right outside town, go east. Take the second road to your right (south) (at a crossroads). Keep going south untill the road turns eastwards. Keep following it and you will end up in Spiritwood.
From the end of the road, go a little to the northeast and you'll see two large brick houses. The eastern one is the Spiritwood Tavern. The sextant coordinates are: 65S 27W.

If there are questions, please go to the #spiritwood IRC channel on the irc.stratics.com server or mail me at [email protected].
I hope to see you all there! :-)

Fenris, the Spiritwood Tavern Tavernkeeper.

Yours truly,

As you may have noticed, UOSS AOL Legends has been less than active for the last week. I must confess, as I wrote in an earlier article, that I have been in something of an ale induced haze for the last few days. Now that I am up, though, I intend to deal with all of the pigeons you've been sending me. You should soon see nothing but hot news from the AOL Legends News Team.

Praise Minax!

Hail,

Merchants Of The Maze is a tavern aimed at merchants, a place where you can come to talk to other merchants if you are stuck on skill raising or jut want advice on your trade, everyweek we will be holding contests with prizes of between 2 - 5k of raw matterials as prizes.

This friday to celebrate our grand opening we will be holding a story telling contest, the storys can be as long or as short as you want, serious or funny.

Rules:

The storys must be about a merchant (as this is the theme of our tavern).

No racial/sexual remarks can be included in your story, if they are then you will be disqualified immediatly.

If you wish to enter this event please write your story (in a book in UO, please do not e mail me the storys), and bring your story to our tavern at 7pm PST on friday, the results will be either announced at 10pm PST on friday or at 8pm PST on saturday depending on the amount of entrys.

Prizes:

1st prize - 50k

2nd prize - 25k

3rd prize - 10k

Best Of Luck.

Morg

This is the location of the Tavern

Angels Haven (a role-playing town on ice island) will be holding a grand contest. Members of AoA and Angels Haven will be gating from Britain and Moonglow to Angels Haven Town Hall. New players and veterans alike are all welcome.

WHEN & WHERE:

This takes place Thursday the 20th of July at 10 pm PST on the facet of Trammel. (more details later)

EVENTS:

Horse Race:
A horse race from The Town Hall on the west side of the island to the Town Museum on the East side of the island and back around to the Town hall.

Betting:
Bet on the horse you think will win and double your money! All bets will close 5 minutes to start of race.

Raffle:
Buy a raffle ticket for 500 gp and get a Mystery prize if your number matches! (Mystery prize will be valued over 5k)

COST:
100 gp per horse. (You may set up multiple horses along the course) Unlimited Gambling
500 gp per raffle ticket. Buy ten tickets get one free!
*You may buy a horse at the Town Hall

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:

10:00 PM Pacific Standard Time- Gates provided to town from Britain and Moonglow.
10:00 - 10:25 - Place bets, enter jockeys/horses, buy raffle tickets
10:30 - Race starts
10:40 - Race better be finished
10:40 - 10:45 - Winners of horse race are announced
10:45 - 10:50 - Winners of Raffle are announced
10:50 - 11:00 - Celebration for winners

Rules and explanation:

There will be 3 races.

A horse vs. horse race.
A Mare vs. Mare race and
A horse vs. Mare race.

You may feed your horse as much as you like.
You may wear as much or as little as you like.
You can use a boat when not at the start, finish, checkpoint or ending line. As long as you are at each point with the same horse.

PRIZES:

First place: 8,000 gp, set of GM armor and weapon of choice.
Second place: 5,000 gp and 5 GM weapons of there choice
Third place: 2,000 gp Set of Bone Armor and 1 GM weapon of choice.
Gambler: You lose we keep your money. You win you get twice your money back.
Raffle Winner: Mystery Prize

Greetings! I am Sven, the noble. In regard to the recent robbery at the Lord's Manor, I have been authorized to give a speech about what was stolen, and whom the suspected criminal(s) are. I will be in Magincia for a meeting with the Parliament, and will remain in the city for a few days after. The press conference will be held on Saturday at 7 PM PST, in the Parliament building on the southern part of the island, on the Felucca Facet. All are invited to ask questions. Hope to see you there!

Last night we attempted Phase Two of house placement on the Chesapeake shard. While many houses were placed, unfortunately a failure in the backup and monitoring systems caused the system to not save the houses. It will be necessary to revert Chesapeake to a pre-Phase Two backup. We apologize for this inconvenience, and will do everything possible to ensure that it does not happen again. We will be completing Phase Two during the scheduled Chesapeake phase on Thursday and will revise the Phase Three placement schedule for the shard later today.

Strange Clientele in the Vesper Magic Shop
Orig the journalist Jul 17 2000 2:41PM

All week long the Vesper citizens have been speaking about walking corpses entering their town. Being the hard-working reporter that I am, I traveled to Vesper to investigate this matter.

Unfortunately, I could not see one of these creatures with my own eyes so I asked around a bit and I did manage to get a general description of the creatures.

Apparently to some it is taller than an average man. Some say its skin is black as ash, but according to others it is as red as blood. What they all seem to agree on is where the creatures are going. The monsters try to make their way into the magic shop east of the Vesper bank.

Eyewitnesses say the monsters then hand a note to one of the shopkeepers. Of course the shopkeepers are terrified and do whatever is on the note. The note appears to be nothing more than a list of reagents. The mages give the creature what it wants and afterwards it pays them with a bag full of gold! The eyewitness could not tell me what happened next, but I assume the monster must have returned home, wherever that may be.

Other sources tell me strange things are happening at the Vesper cemetary. I wouldn't be surprised if it were these creatures that are the cause of it.

I will try to find out more about these strange happenings and you will hear from me when I do!

Orig the journalist

The following account was hand delivered to me by Cyn. Nice fellow, for a hummie:

"In another example of what a strong community can be, the town of Valor turned out to celebrate the birthday of the beautiful Rinoa. Earlier in day, I had received word of the planned event, and was cordially invited to attend, by Squall of Valor.

"'A lavish feast and drink for all,' he promised. And nae did he exaggerate! As my custom and habit, I arrived fashionably late and found most of the revelers gone. However, mountains of food remained and of course, I ate myself into a stupor. Present, was the good tailor Seifer, Britney Spears, Lord General Thorvin, Allysa, The Dune the Mighty and Forsaken. I'm sure there others but... well, by this time I had sampled some of the locally brewed mead. (And a fine vintage, it was!)

The celebrant looked stunning in her long red dress and her effervescent personality lit up the courtyard. I had the distinct pleasure of presenting her with a small dragon boat as a birthday gift, and then it was back to the mead and mutton.

"After gorging myself for another half hour, I adjourned to the nearby swamp and slew my considerable weight in encroaching lizardmen. And then, a most curious thing occurred. A horde of lizardmen, followed by several giant serpents presented themselves for slaughter in the City itself!

"What a battle, ensued! Ah, what a party! If you've nae been to Valor, do yourself a favor and make the short trek, just north of Trinsic. Just follow the coastline. You'll have no trouble finding the fabled City and it's friendly inhabitants."

Praise Minax!

Sorry for the long absence. I was sleeping off a weeklong ale-drinking binge. When I awoke the other day, I found a pile of pigeons around my sleeping mound. Apparently, my breath did them in. At any rate, the first note I picked up was from Sam Evilsbane, and it read as follows:

"Hail Mr. Ithunk.

"I usually don't lower myself to talk to orcs, but this is a matter of urgency. I am Sam Evilsbane, expert stoic and mage. I am from Vesper, but I can usually be found in Moonglow assisting warriors and younger mages with the undead there. That is not why I have written to you.

"I have a tower north of Vesper and I regularly go to town in order to do my banking and reagent shopping. Today, however I was met with a barricade of water barrels in front of the mage guild there across from the Vesper Mint. I went in and bought a great deal of runes and reagents to make my pilgrimage to the Shrine of Compassion.

"When I started to leave I heard an evil hiss behind me. I turned to see not one, but three lizardmen. They yelled at me in their sloppy language and attacked. Immediately, I called to the guards, but none appeared. I yelled several more times, but finally had to run to heal myself from their attacks.

"At this point, I decided that the lizardmen needed a lesson. So I cast several fire fields and proceeded to intone those great words, Corp Por. I finally killed them but it left me very tired and drained.

"I don't know what is going on but I am going to start to research and find out what is happening. Could Minax be coming to Trammel now that she is bored with Felucca? I don't know. I would like to take this opportunity to invite any mages out there to come to Vesper, or to Moonglow's cemetery, and talk with me if they know of similar incidents."

Another ex-pigeon carried the following account from Setzer of Moonglow:

"I was honing my skills in the Moonglow Cemetery when all types of undead began to spawn in quick succession. This continued for at least half an hour, and we were eventually forced to leave for fear of being overrun. The spawns consisted predominantly of skeletons, zombies, shades, wraiths, and specters, with the occasional lich spawn thrown in for fun (usually in pairs). This was a most disturbing trend. Perhaps it signals an assault on Trammel Moonglow by the undead?"

Finally, a slightly less dead bird delivered the following note from an anonymous Viking:

"I can't say much, seeing as how we the Vikings are currently warring all orcs but this letter is about Minax. I fear she is coming, for today while hunting at the crossroads between Vesper and Britain, I was jumped by a few earth elementals. I noticed my shield had been broke, so I ran. Specifically, I ran to the guard tower that is a ways down the road. Once there, I began calling the guards to help me but they did nothing. Instead, an evil blue robed mage appeared. Needless to say, I died and got res'd, only to die again and all this time the guards sat and watched. Could this be a sign of Minax herself?"

Praise Minax!

The other day, I awoke with an incredible hangover, having spent the last five days sleeping off an ale-induced hangover, when what should I see winging it's way to my campsite, but an enormous falcon carrying what appeared to be a painting. I was too ill to actually eat the bird, so I just removed the attached note:

"My Guild's commander has made the greatest relaxation method available to the guild. We call it: the hot tub! Now, as you know, we are just north of Minoc (on the Trammel facet), and we desire to start a community. We are working on our skills daily, trying to get them GM'd and so much other fun stuff.

"I call this Painting of mine, 'The Good Life.'"

Somebody get me some of Janna's Hangover Helper,

Not all new towns celebrate goodness and light. While sorting through the various messages sent to me during my recent (ahem) sabbatical, I found this tantalizing little tidbit from Sachiel attached to a particularly dead pigeon:

"I wish to announce that the village of Darkedge has been founded by Vantere (my Grandsire) and my fellow Immortals. Our village is north of the petty mortal town of Valor and just west of Trinsic Swamps.

"Our town's goal is clear: to take over Valor and plunder all who stand in our path. Valor knows of us and knows our intentions and plans to go to war with us. Fools! We shall launch an attack, hold prisoners and assume complete control of their puny town.

"Also this is a call to arms. All immortals that wish to fight by our side, send a carrier pigeon to me and I will judge if ye be worthy, or ye be mortal."

Praise Minax!

We recently received the following harrowing account of a strange encounter from Lady Zarzal:

"Strange things have happened in Dragon Town!

"It seems that a curse lies over the tavern in Dragon Town. It all began two weeks ago. Dragon Town was under attack by a mass of ratmen lead by a ratman Lord. This invasion was quick beaten by our forces.

"However, the next day Shivan Dragon met a man named Ferrin Derive at the tavern. He told Shivan the story of his life, and of his evil brother Ben Derive. He ask Shivan to help him to free his brother from the evil forces.

"'My brother is able to resurrect himself,' said Ferrin, "so don't kill him. With every Death he grows stronger and stronger. He is also a good thief and has killed people with his tricks.'

"The mother of the Derive brothers also had a daughter who might possibly have a book with the key to slay the brother. Her name is Nadine Snakord. She is a bard who travels from Town to Town.

"Shivan found Nadine two days later in Skara Brae, and she started to sing a tale. This was the same story that Ferrin had told. Shivan asked about the book from her mother but Nadine didn't remember it. She said she would try to seek it out.

"At that very moment in Dragon Town, Ben's ghost appeared in front of other Dragon Clan members and told them that Dragon Town will burn and that he will kill Nadine because she has the knowledge which could beat him.

"Two days after this incident, Ferrin appeared again in Dragon Town, where he spoke to Shivan a second time. Ferrin told that the land on which the Dragon Tavern had been built had once been the location of Ben's hide-out; the base of operations for his robberies and other crimes. Ben had used evil undead creatures to attack towns.

"Ferrin again gave this warning: 'don't kill Ben and be careful. He is master thief and appears in different shades. He will come with his evil forces to burn Dragon Town.'"

Go with the virtues!

I will be hosting an auction this Saturday, July 22, 2000 at 9pm EST. The auction will be held at the S-Mart Auction House which is Northeast from Minoc and North-Northeast from Vesper. The sextant coordinates are 139'28" N, 129'52" E. Also, for your convenience, Myrrden will be providing free runes and gates to the auction house at the East Britain Bank from 7-8:55pm EST. The auction will begin promptly at 9pm EST. Please note the following rules to help make the auction go smoothly for all involved:

• No fighting, casting, or unnecessary talking during the auction please. If you must talk, form a party with your friends.
• Turn off your UNICODE in the uo.cfg file so that your voice can be heard more than 4 tiles away.
• All sales are final and must be paid in full with gold or check by 5pm EST Sunday, July 23, 2000.

If you wish to sell items at the auction please follow this procedure:

• Place the items (no more than 4 please) in a bag with a book.
• The book should have your name as the author and should contain your ICQ or email address and any minimum bids on the items you wish to sell.
• Bring the bag with your items to the shop by 8pm EST on Saturday, July 22, 2000.
• You may come by the shop and pick up your checks and/or unsold items the next day between 8 and 9pm EST.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me or ICQ me. I plan to make this an ongoing event that may occur as often as once a week if I get enough interest. Please come out and enjoy the auction. You never know what kind of great deals you might find! Besides, selling items at a player event is much more fun than buying and selling from a vendor!

Hope to see you there Saturday at 9pm EST!

Remember, shop smart, shop S-Mart!

Foster,
Owner
S-Mart Auction House
[email protected]
ICQ# 75760974

Crafter's Faire, Fireworks Finale, and Giveaway

This last Saturday, the Cove Merchant's Guild held a Crafter's Faire, followed by a Fireworks Finale at the CMG Blacksmith Shop at Cove. We were joined by many celebrities and friends from Great Lakes who helped us celebrate our 2 year anniversary of the blessing of the shop. There are too many people to thank, and too many names to list here, so I have listed out all of the winners of the events, with their pictures a here. There is also a wonderful picture of the Finale. Clyde aka Nieves, winner of the Treasure Hunter's competition also posted his version of the Faire.

On Sunday, Bobba Fett, Mildew, Michelle and I gave out the items that were made in the competions, and also some armor and weapons that we made from leftover ingots. About 12 members of the Bloodrock Clan Orcs stopped by to remind us that we live in 'their territory'. I politely gave them food and drink and a few 'shinies' to keep them from becoming violent within the shop. They were pacified, and joked about running the shop for me. Some of them practiced the vendor's phrase "Taik lukk at ee guds!".

Oceania Housing Placement The following was just posted to FYI on the UO.com website: Oceania House Placement

We have scheduled house placement phases for the Oceania shard. All phases will take place at 11:00PM Sydney time. Staged house placement on the Oceania shard will take place on the following schedule:

Sunday, July 23rd
Oceania Phase One (castles only on Trammel): 11:00PM AEST

Monday, July 24th
Oceania Phase Two (large houses and castles on Trammel): 11:00PM AEST

Tuesday, July 25th
Oceania Phase Three (all house types, both facets): 11:00PM AEST

Information Regarding Banning of Exploiters

Recently, we completed a search to expose a number of players in the game who have been using an exploit commonly referred to as "duping" on the North America Shards. This exploit allows players to abuse systems in UO to gain an unfair advantage against honest players, greatly hindering UO's economy. Currently, all accounts flagged by this system have been suspended pending further investigation. Each account will be thoroughly investigated individually before a determination is made whether to ban the account permanently or reinstate it. Every effort is being made (such as checking each account individually) to ensure that we do not erroneously ban accounts, while at the same time removing those accounts that are truly guilty. At this time, e-mails are being sent out to the holders of the suspended accounts.

We expect to have all investigations completed by the end of this week. The total number of accounts affected by this action is less than 250. We estimate that after the duped items attached to these accounts are removed from the game, over 50% of the gold on these shards will be removed from the economy.

We are committed to removing from the game those who chose to exploit Ultima Online and will continue to do so in the future. We thank all of you for your patience during this matter and assure you that we will conduct these final investigations in a thorough and fair manner for each individual account holder.

Nicholas Tamark Jul 17 2000 3:20PM

Jordan Cromwell rubbed his eyes wearily as he walked home from the docks. The people of Ocllo spent their time near the bank, which made the Public Library there a perfect place for him to do his research. However, time slips away within those shelves, and he had spent more time there than he had intended. Distracted, he didn't notice the pair of soldiers guarding his door until he had climbed his stairs.

Curious, he greeted them. "I don't recall ordering guards."

"I am Darkrider from the town of Yew," the younger guard said. He had the determined air of the inexperienced.

"You are a long way from the mainland, sir. What brings you to my door?"

The other soldier identified himself as Private Dunedain of the Yew Militia. "Captain Sunwolf called us in. We received word that NCR had been skulking about." At Jordan's blank stare, he continued. "Nasty fellows. A cult of infernal necromancy."

Jordan thought a moment, then said, "I have many dealings, but I don't recall those fellows."

"Sir, it seem the people art looking for a gem, and believe it may be hither. The people art enemies of the town of Yew, and all who tread in yon light."

"I must admit I often have shipments of gems. Why do you seek to stop these people from transacting with me?"

Dunedain bristled. "This group wishes to supply a special gem to an evil mage for a dark ceremony that may have something to do with a demon."

Jordan pondered that before responding. "Interesting. Well, although it's none of your business, I can tell ye I've had no unusual offers for gem purchases."

"I do not believe the knaves wouldst offer to 'purchase' it in the usual manner, but wouldst seek to 'take' what the knaves covet."

Chuckling, Jordan withdrew his key and unlocked his gate. "I've dealt with petty thieves before. Rarely has any shipment of mine been stolen. Of course there was that Westmark affair..." Trailing off, he sighed. "But I appreciate the fact that you two traveled so far. Care to come in?"

Both men could not hide their curiosity, and quickly agreed. Escorting the two guards inside to the dining room, Jordan frowned. "The place is a mess, I'm afraid. Ever since that blasted facet gate happened, furniture keeps appearing here."

Darkrider wandered away, looking at the various relics. Dunedain briefly looked around. "I have never been hither before. A sumptuous abode." The soldier quickly returned to business. "I be not sure of the exact nature of yon gem the knaves seek. There art eight total. We believe the knaves have found five of them already."

Jordan sat at his table, fiddling with an empty wine glass. "I have many, in various shipments and storage areas. I supposedly have one they are looking for?"

Dunedain nodded. "We received a tip to that effect. Sunwolf suggested we should try to maintain a presence here to keep an eye on the cult's activities."

"That's acceptable. However," Jordan pointed a finger towards the militiaman, "I give you a warning. Any guest of my house is under my protection. You will not assault anyone that is here on my invitation."

Dunedain stood straight and proud. "We wouldst not assault anyone indiscriminately. It be not our way. But shouldst thou find thyself assailed, we wouldst gladly come to thine aid."

Relaxing in his chair again, Jordan continued. "My thanks sir. I may take you up on that. Now, tell me more about this gem."

"I truly knowest little mineself. A while back a strange imp appeared at a battle between Yew and NCR, asking after gems for his master. It turns out his master be an evil mage. Apparently seeking yon gems for a dark ritual involving a demon, perhaps to free the demon from some prison."

"Sounds rather.... valuable."

"If you would allow me to summon a friend from Rivendell, who knows much more than I. She has been actively seeking the gems." Darkrider appeared in the archway to the room. "Pray thee forgive mine young friend. Dark?"

"Yes sir?" responded Darkrider, snapping to attention.

"It be not polite to roam another's abode," Dunedain said sternly.

Sulking a bit, Darkrider saluted. "Yes sir."

Jordan interrupted. "Nay, not a problem. I should be more of a host. Summon your friend, and I will show you around until she arrives." The three of them roamed the house, discussing various sites, until a young lady strolled through the front gates. Dunedain introduced Jordan to Lady Molly of Rivendell, and they returned to the dining room. The foursome chatted lightly, as strangers trying to learn about each other often do.

"Now," Jordan addressed Molly, "these two fine guardsmen tell me you have some information to give me?"

Molly grew serious. "Actually, I wish to ask you a few questions as well."

Jordan smirked. "As ye wish."

Smiling, Molly began the questioning. "I understand you have something that I am searching for, and was wondering if you would be willing to part with it."

"I am a merchant, m'lady," Jordan sighed. He quickly flashed a devious smile. "I have many things people desire. You'll have to be more specific."

"Aye," she agreed. "I am searching for a gem. A lovely but powerful gem."

Jordan turned to Dunedain. "I thought you said some evil thieves were looking for it, sir? She hardly looks the type."

Dunedain coughed. "Well those people art not the only ones. Of course I didst not mean Molly was an evil scallywag."

Laughing, Jordan returned his attention to Molly. "Ah, so you wish to keep it from them?" Molly nodded, overcoming her own laughter. "Well, as I was telling Dunedain, I have not received any unusual requests for a gem."

Molly leaned forward. "That is good news. The question now would be 'Do you own one?'"

The sound of bone and armor grinding together came down the hallway. Spinning, Molly turned to see a Death Knight standing in the archway, sword in hand. A chill began to fill the room as the militiamen put themselves between the undead warrior and their host. Their hands gripped their weapons tightly as the creature hissed.

"Ahh, OES arrives." Dunedain scowled in anger, then caught Darkrider's hand as the other began to draw his weapon. "Stay thy hand."

"Greetings, mortals. I am Fustiar."

Molly recovered her composure, and tried to look the creature in its eyes. "May we help you?"

Fustiar gave a skeletal grin. "Perhaps.."

Jordan had watched all this from where he sat, but raised his eyebrows at Molly's words. Standing, he stepped in front of her and stared at the warrior. "This is my home, Molly. I will greet my visitors."

Molly put a hand on Jordan's arm, and whispered in his ear. "These are the ones who seek to harm you." Jordan either did not hear her or did not react. It seemed the room was empty except for him and the undead knight.

"Ah, the famed mortal, Jordan Cromwell.." The words rattled out of the helmet. "I hath been searching for you, for quite a while.."

"I don't know you, Knight, but I've dealt with your kind in the past. What is it you seek?"

A hollow laugh rang out from the thing's helm, as it put away its weapon. "You know full well, I would think."

Jordan indicated the others in the room. "It may well be what these people before you seek."

"They are cattle, nothing of merit, relinquish the item into their hands.. and it shall be lost."

Unperturbed, Jordan continued. "Nevertheless, you will have to wait until I finish speaking with them."

The thing nodded. "Very well. Call me when I may have an audience."

As Fustiar noisily left the room, Jordan looked around at the others. "Please, return to your seats. The undead must be handled properly, but they can be handled." The others agreed, and sat back down as the desert warmth returned to the room.

Apologetic, Molly said. "I only wished to protect you. I apologize for my boldness."

"I have already offered our assistance shouldst he be assailed, Molly," Dunedain interjected.

Jordan smiled and waved it away. "Understood. I have many business partners, some less... worldly... than others. Now, you were saying?"

"Well the question would be, do you have such a gem?"

"I might. I honestly don't know." Jordan shrugged. "What does it look like?"

"It is yellow in color."

"Amber?" Jordan asked. "It's the only yellow stone. Citrine is yellow-orange as well."

"I am not sure of the type. Perhaps a Citrine. Amber is too large, and I know it's a small stone."

Jordan's forehead creased as he thought. "Anything else distinctive about it?"

"Nay it looks to be an ordinary gem, but is most clear and lovely."

"Hrm, that will complicate matters." Jordan thought for a moment more. "I'll tell you what I will do. I will check my shipments and storage areas for all gems matching what you've said. Is there a place I can contact you?"

The two of them agreed to meet at the Hungry Halfling tavern in a few days. Business concluded, Jordan ushered his guests toward the door. "I appreciate you bringing the gem's value to my attention, my lady."

Looking back down the hall towards the shadows, Dunedain stated, "I pray sir that thou wouldst not let such an item fall into the wrong hands."

"Can you tell me what you will require for us to attain it if you should find it?" Molly asked.

Jordan smiled. "We will discuss price once I take stock."

Nodding in agreement, Molly stepped outside. "I thank thee for you assistance, and be wary of your next visitor. He is evil. If you wish I will ask these men to stay with you until he leaves."

Shaking his head, Jordan replied. "Nay, that is not necessary. Thank ye for the warning, but he will behave here."

Saying farewell, Jordan watched the three descend his stairway. He stood there a moment, in dusk's light, absorbing what had just occurred. Long days spent in research looking for relics, and some things just fall into your lap. His instincts were telling him there was more to this that had been revealed yet. Hearing metal shift behind him, it was time to find out more.

"Now Knight, what can I do for you?"

Hail Ye!

I wanted to tell ye people about a very strange conversation I had with a ghost two days ago. I just was tending the bar of the Spiritwood Tavern, restocking those lazy vendors and cleaning the mugs left from the Festival, when I heard a strange noise at the door. I looked up and saw a ghostly figure floating through the closed doors of the Tavern. First I ducked behind the bar, reaching for my bow, but then ... well, shooting a ghost? I slowly peered over the bar and since the ghost seemed nay dangerous I tried to contact it. After a few tries I managed to establish contact to the lost soul and asked it who or what it might be, and what it sought in Spiritwood. The ghost, answering in a hollow voice, told me, that it's name was Bronco. "Bronco", I thought, "the Bronco of Deepwater mayhaps?". And indeed, it was as I thought. This ghost, standing there in front of the bar, was indeed the long lost ambassador of Deepwater. Suffice to say, that our conversation was quite difficult, though what I learned from the ghost, was, that he was seeking Dardan Brook to bring him back from the netherworld.

In the meantime Dogei of the Oymak clain and Delayla, a skilled healer, joined the conversation, while little Ivy was fooling around with the ghost. Delayla tried her best to bring back the lost soul, though to nay avail. I guess a strong power will be needed to reunite his body and soul. I hope Dardan Brooks reads this message and comes to aid his long lost friend.

Yours truly

Aranlindale
Barkeep of the Spiritwood Tavern

Oceania House Placement

We have scheduled house placement phases for the Oceania shard. All phases will take place at 11:00PM Sydney time. Staged house placement on the Oceania shard will take place on the following schedule:

Sunday, July 23rd
Oceania Phase One (castles only on Trammel): 11:00PM AEST

Monday, July 24th
Oceania Phase Two (large houses and castles on Trammel): 11:00PM AEST

Tuesday, July 25th
Oceania Phase Three (all house types, both facets): 11:00PM AEST

After a long fierce battle we managed to fend em off, and while we stood together wiping off the sweat and looking for more, the Red Panther sneaked out of the woods. We tried to communicate with the Panther, though it kept circling us, sniffing around as seeking something. Finally the Panther dropped a small note and ran off into the woods. The note read:

Do not despair. The panther's spirit is with you. I am held, but not harmed. Remember the prophecy. The place to begin is one of the seven deadly of mortal failings. Desire for what is not yours. Come to its depths and find the third among the great winged ones. Two fortnights have passed. Seek on wednesday night for the book, and nearby I am bound.

Rilla

Tomorrow is the day then to recover the third book and free Rilla. A force shall gather at the Spiritwood Tavern at around 10pm cet, wednesday evening.

Hail to all,

I am MoonFrost, Queen of the newborn Dragon Elves, and I invite you to auditions for the epic play, "The Princess Bride". It is an epic Fairy Tale, and an undiscovered classic, so I encourage all to attend.

Wages are negotiable, if you must hire out your services.

If you are interested please be at the Britannia Fairgrounds at 6:00 P.M. E.S.T. Tuesday evening. Thank you all, and I hope to see you there.

Yours Truly,
MoonFrost

Hail to ye.

The accusations of murder are grave, and not to be taken lightly. We do not know if Tanq Sibris is guilty, but the fact that the FVM are ready to take up arms to prevent him from going to court is merely a proof that he is guilty.

The Lord British Loyalists do not want war, and we do even less wish to break our treaty with the FVM. We assisted in the defense of Vesper, and in we defeated the KMK outside of Vesper. We fought in the first row, and we ensured that the KMK was unable to even get near the bridges that the Militia was defending. I am not saying that I do not recognize the great sacrifices Vesper had to made to remain free, but that both the LBL and the FVM won the war. Our alliance has been fruitfull for us all, and have ensured prosperity both in Vesper and the cities around it.

However, I hope we can still find a peacefull solution to this incident. If Tanq Sibris is innocent, then he has nothing to fear. Currently, according to what we know, he ambushed a Drow in Moonglow. Apparently, this isn't selfdefense, but if he had some reason for doing it, then he should inform the judges of it. If he is innocent, then he has nothing to fear.

The FVM claim that they abide to the Virtues, just like we do. But if they want justice to be served, then why does the FVM want to go to war to prevent just that?

There is no reason for anyone to lift a sword. We would definately not like to go to war, but if there is not other way, then the Free Vesper Militia should know better than anyone, that when there are no diplomatic solutions left, we will not hesitate with using our swords to defend the Virtues.

Xel'Naga, Leader of the Lord British Loyalists
ICQ: 20643899

Due to the second phase of house placing on the Chesapeake Shard, the Tuesday Night Pit Fights in Humility are being postponed to Wednesday in compliance with OSI's request that we refrain from the game if at all possible. We will however still have the grand opening of The Humility Shopping Center as scheduled.

In the meantime, nay far away a small event was held at Voronov's smithy. The visitors could ask the magic crystal if it deemed them worthy, and if they got a positive reply, the winner was given a finely crafted weapon.

Finally came the moment that many had been eagerly awaiting all night, the Big Event! Arrayed on the fields of the Spiritwood Arena, guest found a four-color square laid out. Here, four teams gathered for a special sort of tournament, half game of chance, half bloody hand to hand combat. After a brief dispute with the neighbors, the games commenced! In the red corner stood the Orcs, waving their war clubs menacingly and cursing all comers in their foul guttural tongue. In the Blue corner, a mixed team of Custodes and Oymaks, indicative of the fellowship enjoyed in our fair town. In the Green corner stood Custodes Fatis' finest, and in the Yellow corner a team of warriors and mages. The Yellow team and the orcish breed in the Red corner had a good start, leaving their opponents shattered on the playfield. After a few good roles by Dogei the Oymak though, the Blue team was catching up very fast, while the Green team had a somewhat slow start, which changed when Fabienne took the dice. The Blue team was the first one to have one of 'em in safety, though in the end, the Yellow team managed to get their remaining members home first. So the proud winners of the game was the Yellow team, consisting of: Grimreaper, Neil, Cold and PO GO.

In the end, the few exhausted remainders of the evening stumbled back to the Spiritwood tavern to toast the Yellow Team's success and to celebrate a grand night had by all!

Thank you all for coming and helping to make this a festival to remember!

Yours
Pad O'Lion

A personal note: It is very nice to see, that events as this one still can be organized on Felucca, although the European Shards are in dire need of an IGM and some support for such endeavors to prevent griefing horse killers to spoil an event that is fun for so many.

Silently she left the garden, as was her way these long ages past in total silence. Elehhni and Narbeleth watched with concern as she returned to her small home. They had followed Therindë into this life after the fall of their people and remained as before faithful friends and trusted handmaidens to the ancient queen of their people. In the glorious past of their people few had matched the raw magical talents of Therindë and had gifts so perceptive in the art of foretelling.

All of them had families within the other world and even here in this simple paradise, concern would still enter concerning them. Therindë's gifts provided them an insight into these realms across the vale of tears; both Elhenni and Narbeleth followed their mistress into the house.

By the time they had caught up Therindë had reached her loom, and was stood in deathly silence surrounded by the tools of her craft a look of intense concentration upon her face, it had been aeons since she had last used her gifts. She appeared to take stock of her threads and began to inspect the heddles of the high warp loom she used. So intense was her concentration that she missed the apprehensive glances that Elena and Narbaleth darted between them. They both knew that powerful magic would be soon be taking place in this room and worried deeply about the effects on a friend who had lost much during the dark years, indeed who had never truly recovered.

Therindë had finished her initial inspections and now checked the action of the looms beater, the part that pushed the weft of the cloth against the cloth after each row of weaving, wordlessly she sat down and started to weave ..........

We hope that over the next few months we will be getting more and more guilds involved in the ongoing saga.

Daefaroth
Ernil na Cuceleb (MsS)
Icq: 44218220

Just recently I was traveling through the woods around Yew and heard several strange noises like an ogre chanting. I started to skulk through the trees and had to hide when I heard the cries of a creature unknown. I hid and saw a group of Balrons walking outside the woods.
They formed a circle and started to chant the words "Is Mani Corp Ylem,Is Mani Corp Ylem". After roughly 2 minutes of this chanting the "Father Of The Damned" appeared in the middle of this circle and said in a booming voice "My slaves, you have summoned me from the dead and for this I am grateful. We can now carry out our dark driven mission to destroy Sosaria!". After this the Balrons yelled, grunted and screamed, they then ran off. I did not give chase or follow it not being something one thinks about when a Father Of The Damned and a group of Balrons are Promising to destroy the world appear!

I tried to peer closer to see who was talking there, but I only saw one, a Warrior by the name of Draco, Grandmaster of the blade.
While not knowing how much of this happened, nor what became of these Balrons. It is clear, that IF this turns out to be true then Oceania could be in for some dark times ahead.

Recently we held a Cluebook contest as an Opening Event for the opening of our new channel on Stratics IRC, #ultima-series. There were 2 winners for each type of cluebook (see below). The contest ran through June and the winners were picked the first week in July. The channel is for the discussion of the Single-player Ultima games. People should feel free to drop by anytime if they need any help getting through Ultimas 1-9.

And now for the winners!

Ultima 9: Ascension Cluebook Winners:
Mike Grazier
Andrew Johnson

Ultima Collection Cluebook Winners:
Casey Harrell
Michael Martins

• Boats will no longer become "stuck" in the oceans near Haven
• To provide an easy way for players to recognize official OSI volunteers (including counselors and seers) without accessing being required to look at their paperdolls or clothing, volunteer names will now appear in purple above their heads. This change will not affect companion names.
• You will no longer be able to cut up corpses on the Trammel facet
• For the duration of house placement, pets with "evil" tendencies will vanish from the world if they are released or go "wild"

This week's poll is a bit different. We are in the process of redesigning the UOSS web site, and would like your input on how the navigation system should work. So, head on over to the Periodic Poll and let us know what you think!

Hear ye Hear ye!

The Jovial Jester Tavern is proud to announce it's grand opening of our Trammel tavern.

The doors will open at 7:00pm PST and will close at 11:00pm PST on Friday 21st.

There will be a comedy contest for the best jester on Trammel. The contest will start at 8:00pm PST.

Prizes for the contest: First Place 100,000gp

Second Place 50,000gp

Third Place 10,000gp


There will also be a random person from the audience to receive a Vanquishing weapon at the tavern.


Rules for the comedy contest are as follows:

Racial jokes will not be tolerated.

Sexual harassment will not be tolerated.

Please try to keep jokes as clean as possible.

Cursing will be allowed but try to keep it to a minimum.


The tavern is located (67o 51'N 64o3'E) to the north of the city of Cove next to the road to Britain.

Hey there!
Willy's Golden Gauntlet inn is opening in Pacific! We are located near to Minoc and we are offering food and drink for our customers.

We will have events but they are still being planned. ICQ me at 57054886 or e-mail me at [email protected]

We have scheduled house placement phases for the European shards for the upcoming week. All phases will take place at 8:00PM London time on Europa and Drachenfels. Staged house placement for these shards will be on the following schedule:

Tuesday, July 18th
Europa Phase One (castles only on Trammel): 8:00PM GMT Drachenfels Phase One (castles only on Trammel): 8:00PM GMT

Wednesday, July 19th
Drachenfels Phase Two (large houses and castles on Trammel): 8:00PM GMT

Thursday, July 20th
Europa Phase Two (large houses and castles on Trammel): 8:00PM GMT

Friday, July 21st
Drachenfels Phase Three (all house types, both facets): 8:00PM GMT

Saturday, July 22nd
Europa Phase Three (all house types, both facets): 8:00PM GMT

We have scheduled house placement phases for the European shards for the upcoming week. All phases will take place at 8:00PM London time on Europa and Drachenfels. Staged house placement for these shards will be on the following schedule:

Tuesday, July 18th
Europa Phase One (castles only on Trammel): 8:00PM GMT Drachenfels Phase One (castles only on Trammel): 8:00PM GMT

Wednesday, July 19th
Drachenfels Phase Two (large houses and castles on Trammel): 8:00PM GMT

Thursday, July 20th
Europa Phase Two (large houses and castles on Trammel): 8:00PM GMT

Friday, July 21st
Drachenfels Phase Three (all house types, both facets): 8:00PM GMT

Saturday, July 22nd
Europa Phase Three (all house types, both facets): 8:00PM GMT

MONDAY

7:00 PM CST
Foot race (Empath Abbey)
Fast on your feet? Show us your sprinting style and you could help place your town's team in lead!

8:00 PM CST
Horse Race at the Winner's Circle Racetrack!
Celebrate the first race of the summer at the elegant new racetrack behind the Empath Abbey. Wear your finest, bring your betting money, and take part in an exciting race to show your speed and skill.

TUESDAY

7:30 PM CST
Archery contest at the Sturdy Bow shop
Available for teams and solo participants. No magic bows will be allowed to ensure fairness.

9:00 PM CST (Empath Abbey)
Lumberjacking race and Deer hunting contest

WEDNESDAY

The housing commission has declared this a day to place. There will be no games on this day. Good luck!

THURSDAY
All events will take place near the Winery, unless otherwise announced.

7:00 PM CST
Bear Wrestling
Think you're tough enough to take out a bear? Come find out.

8:00 PM CST
Summoning Race
Mages get ready to compete for glory and fabulous prizes!

9:00 PM CST
Boat Race
Know your way with a sextant? Able to navigate the high seas blindfolded? Show your skill here. *Please note all contestants must furnish their own boat. A limited amount of sextants will be provided first come first serve.

FRIDAY

The housing commission has declared this a day to place. There will be no games on this day. Good luck!

SATURDAY
All events will take place near the Winery, unless otherwise announced.

4:00 PM CST
Tailoring contest
Compete with other tailors across the land and find out who is champion!

5:00 PM CST
Drinking contest
Come one, come all to the silliest contest we could imagine. We'll bring the wine and the party hats, you bring the endurance!

6:00 PM CST
Scavenger hunt
All that glitters is not gold but you may find another few things to catch your eye. Collect your items and redeem them for points during this event.

8:00 PM CST
Bard contest
Bring out your best stories and songs. Original works only, please.

10:00 PM CST
Closing and Awards Ceremony

It is our pleasure to announce the continuation of our History series at the Lycaeum this Tuesday evening. While we encourage everyone to take part and enjoy the festivities in Yew, we also look forward to thy attendance for this week's field trip. After gathering, we will travel to our selected location in Felucca for the evening. Please meet at the Lycaeum northwest classroom upon the hour of nine thirty (to give Britannian Games travellers time to head back from Trammel) sharp central Moonglow time. All transportation to and from our destination will be provided, no additional transportation is available from the facet of Trammel at this time.

Thank thee for thy support of higher education in our realm!
Lady Clio Temesa
Professor of History and Philosophy, Moonglow Lycaeum

Safe Journeys, signing off, this is...

Hail!

The Free Vesper Militia bears great news! The siege of Vesper by the aggressor, the Knights and Mages of Kha, has been lifted! A standdown between rogue forces of Kha and a FVM patrol was decisively won by our brave men. Only short after our victory, the encampments of the besieger could be seen being taken down, and siege engines being rolled off. Back to their outpost in Cove, or maybe even back to their hidden empire of Kha. May they draw a lesson from their fruitless campaign. Vesper is free and will stay free!

The bravery and valor of our men has been remarkable, only bettered by one man: I proclaim Tanq Sibris, Guard of the FVM, to be the Champion of Vesper! It's an honor to all of us having you in our ranks. His mace and warhammer slew many an opponent during the final battle, and his very presence raised our morale and hope which decided the battle in our favor.

Only a few days after our victory, a messenger delivered a sealed letter at our headquaters. It appeared to originate from the court of British, and it's seal bore the sign of the Lord British Loyalists, our allies for the time being.

To the Free Vesper Militia.

In the past few weeks, rumors have had it, that one of your members, Tanq Sibris, has committed murder in the city of Moonglow. In our investigation, we have found eyewitnesses as well as physical evidence pointing in the same direction. We have shown the evidence to one of the judges in Yew, and he has decided, that Tanq Sibris is to be placed before a court of Truth, to test the accusations of brutal murder. Thus, we ask you to hand this possible murderer over to us, and we will take it from there to assure that justice is served.

Xel'Naga, Leader of the Lord British Loyalists

The implications of these accusations are outrageous! The only deed committed by our champion was to have done battle with an enemy. Of course it was a fight to the death. Not to notice that the 'citizen' which is being referred to, was a Drow. It seems that British is condoning the presence of the evil Drow once again, like he did when his forces where trying to conquer Vesper. Condoning them for his own advantage. We will make no other statement but complete refusal. We will enforce our support to our Champion by arms, might British make it necessary.

Yours,

Legolas(ICQ:70258367) , Leader of the Free Vesper Miltia

After careful thought, I have decided to allow the original case between Trek'guk Luav and Shen, Greybeard of PaxLair, into our court system. We have decided to hold a pre-trial hearing/arraignment for Shen this Thursday at 8:00 by the Eastern Sky. This is the formal post from the PaxLair Message Board: "Sunday July 16, 2000,
It hath stricken down on me that this messaging nonsense is destroying the Law System. After a long period of thought, I have decided to break the new PaxLair Law rule and allow for Trek'guk Luav to proceed with charges against Shen of PaxLair.

The newly created rule will stand for all crimes hereforth. The hearing is hereby set for this Thursday at 8:00 by the Eastern Sky atop the North Tower of PaxLair. The hearing shall consist of readouts of the charges Shen is to be tried for and will also consist of formally stating the witnesses who will be called to court for the actual trial.

Anyone from lands afar may attend this hearing but must nae interrupt the court since folk will only be allowed for observation purposes.

At this time, I strongly suggest that Shen of PaxLair should find himself an attorney, possibly KurrieKat or Luinil. We also require 3 Magistrates to serve jury duty and a fourth in case one takes ill. If you would be interested in serving as a Magistrate for the actual trial and/or the Hearing, please contact me by means of hawkfeet at [email protected].

Perhaps now that this case will take place In Character, we will see everything from a new angle."
- Lord Neo of Lothlore, Chief Magistrate of PaxLair

"M'Lord Neo, With respect and a request foir reciprocal courtesy, I hae advised ye afore that I be out of Britannia for a fortnight. I hae asked ye in prior communications to seek ta schedule proceedings in consultation. I regret that ye hae nae done so. It be absolutely nae possible fer me to be in Britannia on tha day ye hae scheduled for I be far away from any ability to bring me presence into tha virtual world o' Britannia. I pray that ye cancel tha hearing ye hae set without consultation and instead seek to hold it when those who should be present can be."

We met at the Journey's End to hear some stories and poetry. When Janos and I arrived, Marisa Mordin, the interim proprietor of the Journey's End Tavern, was outside in a panic. The doors had been locked and blocked off with chests. A note was on the boxes claiming it was closed due to back taxes not being paid. Marisa said she had tried to pay them, but both times she did she was robbed. She had called ahead to both the judge and the guards to let them know she was coming to pay. Immediately we were suspicious. While a group of us were discussing how to fix this a man named Fordac Shalk and a guard named Damon showed up.

They informed Marisa that she was to meet Judge Jurma to pay her taxes, including late fees for a total of 45,000 gp. What was odd was Fordac said the judge's offices were in Nu'jelm and that is where we were to meet him. When questioned as to why a judge from Nu'jelm would have any jurisdiction over Moonglow Fordac and his lackey became irritated and had no answers. The two officials left after threatening Marisa.

We met at the tavern at the designated time to meet with the judge. Fordac came with his bodyguard again. He said that Jurma would meet us in Moonglow instead of Nu'jelm. Leading us to the meeting place the guard became rough with Marisa. After being repeatedly asked to stop manhandling her we finally met up with the judge. The guard's rough treatment of Marisa will be reported.

Instead of being in an office like most judges, Jurma was standing on a small stone block outside near the teleporters area. He must have been trying to intimidate us. It was not working however. Jurma postured and pontificated on his office and how Marisa was in the wrong for not paying and how she would go to jail if she didn't pay immediately. He refused to hear the fact that she had been robbed twice while trying to pay the taxes after notifying him and the guards. He ordered her to meet him at his "office" in the Buccaneer's Den Bathhouse the following night. After the judge left Marisa said she had recognized him as being involved with those who robbed her; in fact she identified him as the leader of the thieves. Hearing that Jurma might be a fake, Fordac said he would look into the Judge's credentials after the meeting in Moonglow ended.

Wanting to guarantee Marisa's safety a group gathered to escort her to meet this judge in Buccaneer's Den. Fordac showed up with some information before we left. He said that after researching Judge Jurma he found no record of this man. Big surprise there! None of this had sat well with us from the beginning. Several folks came to escort Marisa. We were able to convince Fordac to accompany us to meet Jurma in Buc's Den. We knew if Fordac was there and we were able to prove that his man was no judge Marisa would be able to pay the correct taxes and the tavern would be opened again. If we could not the tavern would have remained closed until the gold was raised. Scum like Jurma would have still been able to walk free and harass other innocent citizens. After promises of his safety Fordac reluctantly agreed to come. In his profession he had many enemies and Buc's Den was a favorite spot for them to convene.

When we arrived in Buc's Den we were immediately set upon by brigands. Knowing this might be a trap our warriors were ready. Members from the guild Warriors of the Dawn were a huge help. Bearclaw, Lance, Razor, Slasher, Mishell II, and Will Scarlet all were great! Many thanks to Razor for healing me. Robin Hood of AoL, Drizzt of KJV, and Cyril of GVD were also there protecting Marisa and Fordac. I am sorry if I have forgotten anyone. Everyone there was great.

During the fighting Jurma showed up. Oddly enough the brigands avoided him but tried to murder everyone else there. When we accused him of setting us up he tried to claim we were the ones who brought the brigands. That didn't go over well.

Fordac demanded Judge Jurma's credentials and after careful examination declared them a fake. Sputtering that Fordac was wrong the Judge quickly found himself surrounded by the warriors. Gwydion attacked and Jurma ran. Coming back to the group after barely eluding his attacker, Jurma became enraged. He said something I missed, and then attacked Marisa!! He was quickly disposed of and Marisa healed of her slight wounds.

After seeing the proof about the Jurma, Fordac agreed to give Marisa a week to come up with the gold for the true amount of taxes and reopened the Journey's End for business.

Elise Antero, AoL

Thanks!

Rats Plague Britain Farmlands
by Erik Valstrom, printed in the BNN on Jul 10 2000 7:56PM

"I had never seen such a swarm of vermin in all my life, and I worked the Skara Brae docks for years! Out of the woods they came.. all shapes and sizes. Hungry and vicious they were! A few ratmen were among them, as if leading them onward. My crops were devastated, and even my home was invaded by them!" Such is the tale told me by Beechel Kire, a long-time Britain farmer and rancher, as I surveyed the damage wrought by the horde which had, strangely, but thankfully enough, retreated back into the dark forest whence they came.

The bodies of the grimy creatures lay in stinking heaps among what were cabbage hills and rows of onions in the well-tended fields west of the city. Beechel's was one among many of the farmlands ravaged by the swarm. Fields adjacent to his were no less subject to their depredations, and at least one farmhand was killed from wounds inflicted by multiple bites of the creatures, or by one of the ratmen accompanying them, it is not known which. If this kind of devastation continues, there will be a shortage and what vegetables we do see will likely be imported from Yew or Skara Brae farms, something Britain farmers, if not consumers, will be saddened to see.

"'Twas almost as if it were an expedition of sorts... or a foraging party of some kind. When examining the corpses, we found unusual amounts of gold and items upon them, stored in their mouths, uneaten, like packrats hauling it away for storage or something! Gold coins were even recovered from their oversized jaws... and what a rat would want with gold is beyond me!" Beechel went on to say. Indeed, this does not appear to be any usual vermin infestation, but one that may have something more behind it. Worst of all, this one raid may not be the end, but a beginning.

Stormguard Revisited
by Ferran Azelle, printed in the BNN on Jul 12 2000 3:06PM

As I have reported in the past, the relics of Stormguard have caused great turmoil for the people of Northwood. After lengthy searches spanning the land of Britannia the people of Northwood had nearly all of the ancient relics in their grasp and prepared to utilize them against Lord Ventryn. However, depressing news reached my ears this day..

The relics of Stormguard have been lost to Lord Ventryn, the vile fiend who intends to utilize the power of the relics for his own dark and evil intentions. After orchestrating an elaborate deception and acting as the spirit of Lord Pythos, Ventryn captured the Helm of Thunder, thus completing the chain of relics. Once Ventryn utilized the initial power of the Stormguard relics the true manifestation of Lord Pythos' spirit could materialize. Reportedly the spirit informed the people of Northwood and their allies of the coming dangers that would emerge from Ventryn's newly acquired power. With both Thain Fallshorn and Xenthyl the Phantom captured by Ventryn, Northwood and their allies must act alone in their battle against Ventryn. Lord Pythos warned that the results of Ventryn's power would soon become evident, but no one suspected it would occur so soon..

The following day Ventryn's onslaught of attacks began. Stark's Keep, the acting haven for the people of Northwood and their allies, was the obvious target. Informants have reported that the intensity of the undead attacks have increased dramatically and steadily throughout the day, each wave of undead more significant than the last. Rumors persist of rarely seen undead beings, such as lich fiends that seem to be the most powerful undead minions of Ventryn's army.

As the undead armies began to increase in size so did the frequency of their attacks. Various informants have reported that there are only brief pauses before more minions arrive to terrorize Northwood and their allies. People from all over Britannia rush to defend Stark's Keep from the dangers brought forth by Ventryn's attacks. However, as Ventryn's power gradually increases as a result of the relics, it is suspected that his army will grow as well. How much longer can these battles continue?

Apparently the defenders of Stark's Keep can only wait until Ventryn makes himself vulnerable to a direct attack against him, which unfortunately is unlikely. With the power of the Stormguard relics at Ventryn's whim, direct attacks against him are nearly impossible.

I hope that my next report will chronicle Ventryn's defeat and not the defeat of those who oppose him...

We are currently planning to move forward with a staggered house placement schedule, opening housing phases on a no more than "one per night, per region" schedule to ensure that no two shards in a single UO shard region will open housing phases on the same night. We are confident in the server load-balancing mechanisms and wish to extend our thanks to everyone who took the time to participate in one or all of the staged house placement tests.

We will be completing the North American staged house placement over the next two weeks beginning on Wednesday, July 12th. The following schedule includes staged house placement dates and times through Sunday, July 16th. We will be releasing additional schedule dates in the near future. Please note that all start times for this schedule are at 8:00PM local server time.

Monday, July 17
Catskills Phase Two (castles and large houses only on Trammel): 8:00PM EDT

Sunday, July 23
Catskills Phase Three (all house types, both facets): 8:00PM EDT

If you plan on placing a house during any of these phases, we recommend that you log in several hours prior to the opening of the phase, retrieve your deed, and either log out from the location in which you plan to place, or set a recall rune for the location. Participation during a house placement phase will be subject to the following load-balancing mechanisms:

1. Limited Spawn: We will be limiting the shard to only essential NPC spawns (such as stablemasters) and will delete all others prior to opening house placement

2. Relocation: If a subserver becomes too crowded, we will ask players to relocate based on certain criteria. In the event that we are required to move players, we will be automatically relocating them to cities on Felucca and we will look at the following factors to determine which players may be moved:

If the player currently co-owns a house
If the player has no house deed
If the player has a house deed, but it is not appropriate to the current phase (for example, a small house deed during Phase 1 Castle placement)
If the player currently owns a house
If all of the above players have been removed from Trammel subservers and the situation continues to remain critical, we will begin randomly selecting players for relocation to Felucca.

Depending on the server load, it is possible that a subserver may progress through these stages extremely quickly. When this process relocates a character, the character will be unable to recall or gate for a period of 10 minutes.

3. Backpack Check. If a character logs in and does not have a deed appropriate to the current phase, they will have 10 minutes to acquire the deed, or they will be logged out of the game for a period of two hours. If you are disconnected from the game in this manner, you will be unable to return to the game until the two-hour period is ended. Additionally, attempting to re-enter the game before the two-hour period has ended will cause your timer to be reset to two hours.

4. Logout: Once a player has successfully placed a house, they will have 10 minutes to conclude house business before they will be automatically moved to a safe location in Felucca and logged out of the shard for a period of two hours.

Any player transferred to the Felucca shard will receive a moonstone allowing them to travel back to Trammel once they are able to return to the shard.

Congratulations to all who got their castles placed last night. From what I've heard, stage 1 seems to have went well. Let us hope the same is in store for stage 2.

For some time now we have been working behind the scenes. Aye, working to move the pieces and position ourselves to fully blossom before unveiling ourselves to the public in the fullest extent. A great deal of networking, community building and ideal spreading has been done in the construction of this force that we are to unveil shortly. Much work has gone into this massive movement. A movement we call The Awakening.

We are the Heralds of this movement. Our coming has been fortold and our stirrings have not gone unnoticed by those who would but look. We are a people embracing the light and spreading it to the far corners of the realm. We are inspiritation, we are the powers of Creation, we are Virtue embodied.

The Heralds of the Awakening is an organization founded upon the eight Virtues of Honesty, Justice, Compassion, Sacrifice, Valor, Honor, Spirituality, and Humility. At long last, we shall be making our grand opening this Tuesday, the 18th, as a fully public functioning entity.

What is the Heralds of the Awakening?
The Heralds of the Awakening is an organization like no other. There is no one person responsible for our work here, rather, it is a collection of individuals working together to serve the community in a variety of ways. Many have asked for us to outline the goals of the HoA. No easy task this, but hopefully this document will serve as an education in regards to the nature of our organization. And perhaps even inspire you to find your own place within the movement.

Defining the HoA
The HoA is many things. It is an alliance, it is a think tank. It is a meeting place, it is a forum. It is passion, it is understanding. It is a beacon of hope, it is a moment of peace.

But, do not be confused. The HoA is not a church, as there is a difference between religion and Spirituality. We are not a war council, although we do not deny that use of force is a reality in our realm. We are not an elitist organization, because it is only through our diversity that we are strongest. And although this may not spell out the specifics of our organization, we hope that it at least gives you insight into the nature of who we are.

The HoA serves the Atlantic Community by offering venues for communication and relationship building. People involved in the HoA understand the importance of relationships. We are committed to finding common ground with in the vast diversity of opinion that is the Atlantic Shard. Through friendship the load is lighter, and the walk less weary. Through collaboration a dream becomes a reality. We know this to be a fundamental truth, as the work you see before you is the proof. The method we use is communication, alliance and a mind set that works from the paradigm of possibility.

Some say 'How can we do this?'
We say 'How can we not?'
Some say 'It cannot be done'.
We say 'It can, and together we shall!'

A building is made brick by brick. Only through collaboration and cooperation will we find our greatest glory. We lose nothing by empowering each other for success. Successful collaboration takes nothing from you, on the contrary, it is through joyful interaction that we are the most rewarded as individuals.

"My good friends, our time is arriving shortly. The masses are clammoring for a nexus of Light and we are mere days from Virtue Day. The Forces of Light, and the powers of Creation and Virtue are soon to be exploding onto the streets of the cities and towns of the realm. Overwhelming, and purifying glory shall wipe clean the stains of evil that dwell upon the people of our realm and a new age will be born in tears of joy."

"Truth, piercing the veil of shadows that engulf the land, Love, warming like a fiery blanket of blessedness, and Courage, bravery and nobility edified, all...will bring us into this bright new era. The Triumph of the Virtues is nigh! Make ye way for those of holy bond and those whom seek the righteous life. The Divine pays visit upon the keeper of good in his heart and in his soul. Let him with the thrice sharp sword lay it down and join hands with his enemy. Let him who is quiet in the cold night hear the voice of Creation speak soft of the future and its promises. Let the child who hungers lead the great man to weep uncontrolled in the midday brilliance. Realization and Enlightenment comes upon the whole of the people, the darkness drawn back. Oblivion and its forces will fall not by our hand, but by its own undoing. Tolls and price shall be exacted for that that was taken, and in its stead, left nary but the grins of those whom shall see vengeance fall upon them."

"Our time comes shortly. All is well at this morning dawn and perfect light stands with us. Those that embrace the light, shall be humbled by it, and made virtuous by it.Embrace the Light....for it is here."

Hail,

It is not the history of the Drachenfels shard that I want to tell you about, but instead the history of the real castle Drachenfels in Germany.

It all began long before the year 0 of our time reconing, when the Romans started mining for stone in the Drachenfels mountain. After the Romans left around the year 456 the mountain dropped out of knowledge for several hundred years. In or about the year 1100 it was the Archbishop Friedrich of Cologne (German: "Köln") that discovered how well suited the Drachenfels peak was for placing a castle. He had a small stone castle build that overlooked an important and narrow bend in the Rhein river.

50 years later (1149) the new Archbishop Arnold decided to extend the castle and build a small surrounding stone wall. And in the year 1167 the hitherto small castle tower was upgraded to a fullgrown large castle tower. Nevertheless the castle remained to be of minor importance and value right until the year 1248. At this time the city of cologne decided to build a large gothic cathedral (which is a fascinating story in its own right) and needed lots of good stone. After 800 years of disuse the almost forgotten mines of Drachenfels were rediscovered and once again stone was mined. The nobel family that owned castle Drachenfels at he time suddenly became very rich and important by selling the stones. But the newfound riches led to fights wihtin the family, that finally led to the assasination of Count Clas of Drachenfels by his own nephew in the year 1526.

The castle came to its end in the "30 year war" in 1633. A Swedish army conquered castle Drachenfels and used it as a military base for rampaging the countryside. And so, in the year 1634, the Archbishop of Cologn ordered the castle to be blown up. All that remained was a useless ruin. Well, almost useless, because the stones of the ruin were claimed and used for buildings in Cologne.

Mining activity in the following years caused some remaining parts of the castle, like the tower, to collapse. Therefore all mining activity was stopped, by royal eddict, in the year 1836. At qround this time the historical value of the remaining castle parts was recognized and efforts began to conserve what was left. Most of the work was done in between 1855 and 1900. Castle Drachenfels was now secure to visit and slowly became a tourist attraction.

That was the history of the old castle Drachenfels. But as the moutain was a very prominent spot alongside the Rhein, there is another castle Drachenfels, which is alot newer and in excellect condition. In the year 1884 a beautiful medieval castle was built halfway up Drachenfels mountain. It has never been damaged or harmed and today it is one of the most beautiful castles in Germany

And last but not least there is the story of the Drachenfels dragon. It is rumored and said that the hero Siegfried from German mythology has slain a huge dragon right there on Drachenfels. About halfway up the mountain there is a large cave and in this cave, so rumor and mythology have it, the dragon lived. There is a big stone statue of a dragon in front of the cave and inside of the cave they show the original dragon skeleton (or so they say).

That's it. I hope you liked the story. This posting is supposed to contain three pics. But as I have never posted pics before, I don't know whether it will work. All pics and the original German story can be found on this German website.

Oh, BTW, the text already mentions it, but here it is explicitely: the Drachenfels moutain is close to the German cities "Köln" (Cologne) and "Bonn".

Friday morning
I had yet another encounter with a wisp. It kept repeating the same words all over 'Xyytcnhs Tmy Scmm'. Going through the book I borrowed from the moonglow library that Heigel wrote about wisps, I hope to get further clues on where this creature is leading me...

Saturday evening
I have been following the wisp for 2 days now, and yet i'm not closer to understanding its language. Could it be I'm doing all this in vain? I have left my home, my friends, even my husband in search of a way to defend my beloved against the ravaging attacks our city faced from trolls sent out by Minax. My studies left me to believe that wisps are the key in understanding the future that lies ahead. I have vowed to my former mentor in Moonglow that I shall not return before finding conclusive evidence for this.

Sunday morning
This night I had not much sleep. My camp was attacked by a ferocious band of ogres. If it were not for my faithful steed Shadow Dancer, I would surely have perished. I better get looking for reagents now since the battle last night has taken a toll on my supplies...

Wednesday evening
Grave news was passed along to me this day by a wandering healer. It seems our fair city 'The costa del Magia' has fallen into the hands of trolls. It is a sad day. I only wish I could have been there to stand by the side of my companions. This fact surely strenghens my beliefs. If I am not able to understand the wordings of the wisps maybe all is lost. I have invited the healer Asa to camp with me tonight.

Thursday
Upon bidding eachother farewell, Asa told me that she had seen a strange grouping of wisps up north a few days ago. I'm heading there now....

So far the journal, part of it was unreadable due to rain washing away most of the last pages.

If i find any more info, i'll be sure to inform you

Feidra, carpenter of Britain

European Staged House Placement

We have scheduled house placement phases for the European shards for the upcoming week. All phases will take place at 8:00PM London time on Europa and Drachenfels. Staged house placement for these shards will be on the following schedule:

Tuesday, July 18th
Europa Phase One (castles only on Trammel): 8:00PM GMT
Drachenfels Phase One (castles only on Trammel): 8:00PM GMT

Wednesday, July 19th
Drachenfels Phase Two (large houses and castles on Trammel): 8:00PM GMT

Thursday, July 20th
Europa Phase Two (large houses and castles on Trammel): 8:00PM GMT

Friday, July 21st
Drachenfels Phase Three (all house types, both facets): 8:00PM GMT

Saturday, July 22nd
Europa Phase Three (all house types, both facets): 8:00PM GMT

Hail Travelers!

I bring you more disturbing news from the city of Saturnalia! While wandering the city trying to collect more information about the strange shipment, I saw the Disciples of Mondain and the Lords of Vengeance gathering outside the main tower of the city. All of a sudden, a massive attack occurred with hundreds of Gargoyles! The battle raged for over an hour and when the smoke cleared, there was but a single gargoyle left. He uttered words of a book but was then overwhelmed by the forces of Mondain and the city. Mordain the leader of the Disciples began to speak and mentioned something about the Gargoyles knowing his plans (perhaps they know more about what's going on and if we could somehow contact them?). However the gravest news came when I over heard what the shipment contained....Blackrock! But what could they be using it for? I quietly followed them back to their temple where it was attacked by gargoyles once again. Obviously they were trying to stop the Disciples from returning it there but again they were killed....I fear what may lay ahead.

Fredrick the Traveler

Silently, a group of people have been working diligently to organize a 3 night Royal Caribbean Cruise to the Bahamas, since our last gathering in Walt Disney World.

More information will be forthcoming as soon as all the details are received from our travel agent. However, we do have a room block set up leaving from Port Canaveral, FL on Thursday Feb. 22nd, 2001 and returning on Sunday Feb. 25th. Prices are set to range between $400-$500 per person.

For more information on the cruise itself and on the liner, please visit: Sovereign of the Seas

For more information on this event, or to let us know of your interest, please email Angel Storm.

I have started the web page for the cruise too.. the address is http://uochesapeake.net/bahamas

European Staged House Placement

We have scheduled house placement phases for the European shards for the upcoming week. All phases will take place at 8:00PM London time on Europa and Drachenfels. Staged house placement for these shards will be on the following schedule:

Tuesday, July 18th
Europa Phase One (castles only on Trammel): 8:00PM GMT
Drachenfels Phase One (castles only on Trammel): 8:00PM GMT

Wednesday, July 19th
Drachenfels Phase Two (large houses and castles on Trammel): 8:00PM GMT

Thursday, July 20th
Europa Phase Two (large houses and castles on Trammel): 8:00PM GMT

Friday, July 21st
Drachenfels Phase Three (all house types, both facets): 8:00PM GMT

Saturday, July 22nd
Europa Phase Three (all house types, both facets): 8:00PM GMT

Hail good citizens of Britannia.

The United Blacksmiths of Britannia, along with the KoR and MB guilds have an exciting announcement for the dedicated players of Lake Superior. Only once in a lifetime does such an event occur, and we are pleased to be the ones hosting it for you. If you are interested in seizing the opportunity of a lifetime and displaying you mighty skills in the art of PvP then this is your chance. This tournament will no doubt attract the greatest of warriors and mages from across the realm. If you think you are good enough and man(or woman) enough to conquer them all, then please read on.

The format will be simple. 3 divisions (1v1 warrior, 1v1 mage, and 2v2). You may enter the 1v1 and 2v2 competitions, but must decide on which 1v1 division suits you.

RULES WILL BE:

GENERAL: All potions allowed-no magic weapons or armor-all types of poisoning IS allowed, but weapons must be crafted by UBB and poisoned after you receive them-precasting and pre-drinking of potions is allowed but you must wait until you enter the ring to do so.

WARRIOR RULES: No magic weapons or armor. All weapons and armor will be provided by UBB. Warriors need only bring their potions and bandages-bring as much as you think you will need for your fight.

MAGE RULES: mages are allowed no armor or weapons. All potions are allowed as is precasting (see GENERAL rules).

2V2 RULES: teams can be mixed or pure class teams. the same restrictions apply to individual team members as above( ie warriors receive weps from UBB, mages follow you set or rules).

TOURNAMENT FORMAT: As I stated, the tournament will consist of 3 divisions. We will be accepting no more than 32 participants in each of the 1v1 divisions and 24 teams in the 2v2 competition. A winner will be crowned for each division, but that is not the end. The grand finale will pit the 2v2 winning team against a team made up of the 1v1 winners (that means 1v1 warrior and 1v1 mage team up).

PRIZES: Division Winners Receive -1st place=125k, 2nd place=75k, 3rd place=50k, 4th place=25k GRAND FINALE Prizes=1st Place Team=100k, 2nd Place Team=75k

Because of the extreme amount of contestants we expect you MUST RESERVE a spot in the tournament. We are only asking for a 1k entry fee per person(teams only pay 1k as well). If you wish to take part in this magnificent event you MUST email me at [email protected]. I need the following information in your email: character name(or team members names), which division you will be entering, and a return email address (no icqs). I will return your email as soon as you send it to confirm your spot in the tournament. I will have the draws set early for everyone to see what time their match will be. There will be no late entries and no late matches. If you are late then your match will be considered forfeit. Until then, PREPARE YOURSELVES!

Hail Good Citizens:

It is with extreme joy I announce the opening of Castle Dennar. The castle will host a tavern and a wide variety of vendors. The castle is located north of Minoc on the Trammel side. The castle will be opening to the public on Monday July 17th. Vendors will be moving in all week. I will be holding an Grand Opening Ceremony very soon in the future.

With the opening of land we are opening as fast as we can so citizens can find furniture and addons as fast as possible. We will have Carpenters fully stocked by Monday. The Carpentry vendors are our first concern. A rune will be placed in the GSS Keep, Felucca side, recalling to the rune, then crossing over will bring you to the front wall of the castle. I will be traveling all of Trammel during the week handing out runes.

I would like to take this oppportunity to thank Gor owner of the GSS Mall for his aid in making Castle Dennar possible. Without his aid this would still be a dream.

With the opening of Castle Dennar my other place, Dennar's Grand Bazaar and Tavern will be closing. I hope to see old faces and friends at the Castle and meet new friends there as well.

Safe travels all,
Dennar

For the benefit of all new players to UO the Red Dragons of Lake Superior has moved it's Training Academy to Trammel (new lands).

All you have to do is walk out of Britain on the East Road and right near the swamp you can find our public castle with lots of training dummies and people sparring. If you are new to UO and want a freind, stop in! Our Castle is your castle! We will also have a rune library by the end of today (Sunday) for your dungeon crawls.

All companions are welcome and any seers wishing to drop in are invited as well. This July is our 4 year anniversary as a Gaming Clan. The Red Dragons invites you to celebrate with us in the new Red Dragons Academy Castle! Come one, come all!

http://www.networkautos.com/uo for map to the Academy.

Greetings all, and well met! I'd like to invite everyone to the Grand Opening of the Blizzard Cape Hall of Warfare located in Trammel. Come, grab a seat, order some free food and drinks, and discuss battle strategies with players from all around the land. Tell tales of mighty deeds on the field of combat, narrate glorious victories over enemy armies, and reminisce over days of old when danger was always present! All races of people are invited, be ye Elf, Man, Dwarf, Halfling, or Orc. Alaric of the Crusaders of Hope (C*H) will be discussing current events with the group and will be announcing a new quest...

Not enough for ye? How about the vast amount of door prizes that will be given out at random throughout the night? That's right, FREE GM armor sets in various colors, GM weapons, and free repairs available at all times! And if that's not enough, we've got games set up and ready to go as soon as we get the people to play them! Fabulous prizes await for those who participate!

The event will begin at 8pm under the Central Skies at the Hall on Saturday, July 22nd on Ice Isle. Gates will be opened at Minoc and Britain at 7:30 and 7:45 for those who would use them. Come and see what the Hall has to offer:

+ GM Armor Sets and GM weapons as door prizes to random patrons!
+ Free food and drinks!! That's right lads, you may want to bring along your designated GATE'r to bring you home :)
+ Great Stories and fabulous tales entwined with a new quest brought to you by Alaric and yours truly!
+ Pubic Rune Library Open!! Yes, now you can get to any city in the land, and we also have a few dungeon hot spots for you to use!!
+ Weekly Lottery Game! Buy your chance to unlock the mystery chest and win hordes of treasure!! The more players, the bigger the prize!!
+ A great place to just relax and catch up with old friends in a comfy atmosphere. And if you're just too eager for battle to sit around and talk, then use the Hall as base camp for your expedition into Deceit! Either way, we'd love to see you drop by.

Elrond, Chancellor of FAS

What could these gargoyles possibly want from us? The battle began as swords were drawn and magic incantations were cast. After hours of bloodshed, sweat and fatigue, finally we were able to dispose of the last gargoyle while protecting our sacred temple. But this was not the end.

As the warriors and mages of DM regrouped to try to and regain our strength, we were left to wonder what this all meant. Who was behind this attack? And what purpose did it serve? Before we could even catch our breath, a pigeon was sent forth by our allies Vng. Alas, another gargoyle attack on the fair city of Saturnalia!

As DM fled to the aid of Saturnalia, I could not help but feel the tension in the air, something was not right. I said a quick prayer to myself that Mondain would guide us in our time of need. As we arrived to Saturnalia, an even bigger horde of gargoyles was present to greet us. We had arrived just in time for our allies Vng, were outnumbered and beginning to retreat to the tower.

And so the battle once again begun. More gargoyle bodies littered the grounds of Saturnalia as DM and Vng valiantly fought off the foes. But before the last one was disposed, one of the gargoyles stepped forward and shouted "Fools, you'll never acquire the book..." but before he could utter his last breath, his chest was pierced by the blades of the warriors and he fell.

As we once again picked ourselves up to catch our breath and regain our strength, Arkain of Vng thanked DM for our help in defending the city. For tonight is to be the official grand opening ceremony for Saturnalia. The attack almost spoiled the festivities but the celebration is to go on.

After our business was conducted in Saturnalia we returned to our temple only to be met once again by another gargoyle attack! I wondered to myself when this nightmare would end but there was not much time to think. As I grasped my sword one last time, I rushed into battle with my armor tattered by the ongoing battles and my blade dulled by that clash of steel to gargoyle flesh.
Alas, DM and Vng disposed of this third and final attack and relief overcame everyone. But is this really the end?

As I sat in my chair inside the Temple of Mondain, I pondered the recent attacks and what it all meant. We are left will little clues but I have a haunting feeling we will be seeing the gargoyles once again. Not all is right, the confusion has set in amongst the guild of the gargoyle attack and I also wonder about our personal safety. This was surely a message sent by the gargoyles. A message that still needs to be deciphered. Perhaps with time, this message will become clearer.

On a lighter note, the celebration of Saturnalia's Grand Opening will still go on. The celebration will commence at 10:30 PM EST. The city is located on the ice island in Felucca at the following co-ordinates 120 40 N, 175 56 W. A rune to the city can be found on the roof of the Temple of Mondain also in Felucca.

Endren Fenixfyre
Dark Magistrate, DM

The sun sank over the ocean shore as Red William sat at the bar of the Silver stag, strumming soulfully on his lute. He leaned back against the wall of the tavern, as his young protégé, Samus, accompanied him on his lap harp, playing a bright melody as an armor clad warrior walked in. The bards stopped playing and looked at the warrior, who was decorated in the garb of a Trinsic paladin.

Red recognized the steadfast warrior as soon as he pulled off his platemail helmet. The worn face, the gray receding hair, and the still massive frame of Sir Gurney himself shone in front of him.

"Hail Sir William!" The aged warrior said with a bold smile.

The flame-haired bard leapt from his stool and quickly stood in front of the warrior, taking his outstretched hand in his, "Gurney!" he said happily, "What an unexpected pleasure to see you, my friend! I haven't seen you since the taking of Trinsic."

Gurney shook the bard's hand with a little less enthusiasm; "It has been a long time, my good friend." He said with sincerity, "How is your fine tavern doing these days?"

"Just fine." Red replied, "Its quiet enough here, and no one bothers us."

Gurney smiled and walked to the bar, where he plopped down in front of an empty mug. Samus returned to playing as Red slipped behind the bar, reaching into a crate for a bottle of wine. He pulled off the stopper and poured a generous helping into the mug in front of Gurney. Gurney just sat there, staring into the rippling red liquid.

The bard leaned against the bar and frowned, "You didn't come here to talk about the tavern, did you?"

The Paladin shook his head sadly, "I need your help, Red William. With the migration of our people to this land, we were forced to sacrifice a lot of our supplies: Most of which is iron. Most of our miners were slain by wandering undead during the war, and the great battle cost us a lot in weapons and armor. What scrap we had was smelted down, but it didn't help much for long."

Red's brow furrowed as Gurney continued, "With our militia being reformed, the need for iron and iron-crafted weapons and armor is in dire need. The town funds are too low to buy metal from Minoc, and we don't have the manpower to mine any to the west. Our blacksmiths and tinkers have nothing to do half the time."

"And what do you want from me, Gurney?" Red asked solemnly.

"You have influences in many areas, William." The paladin said sternly, "The ears of many people turn to your words. If you were to notify them of our needs, perhaps they can help the city."

Red looked down at the mug, contemplating his words. Metal was hard to come by, even from mining. Miners usually hoarded what iron and rare metals they could get for their blacksmiths and tinkers. What metal Red had he smelted bit by bit from the slain Orcs and Ratmen weapons and armor he took.

A candle seemed to light up above the bard as an idea came to him.

"Gurney...I think I got an idea."

***

The Silver Stag in Moonglow, partnering with the citizens and militia of the city of Trinsic with to announce the Metal against Minax Iron Drive. This drive is designed to replenish the waning supply of iron in the city of Trinsic, and to provide much needed weapons and armor to the Trinsic Town Militia. Simply send your iron ingots, scrap armor and weapons, and other resources you wish to donate to the Silver stag tavern, SE of Moonglow, or take the metal to the city of Trinsic in Trammel, giving it to any TTM or TTC guildmember. Both locations are unable to provide incentives, but will be grateful for your generosity. Please show your support for the city of Trinsic by helping them provide much needed resources to defend the city of honor.

Many nights ago the ancient wizard Aderick Volten came to the Holy Disciples of the Darkness with a plea for help. He needed us to help him in his quest for eternal life. Immortality without undeath. He claimed he knew a spell he had researched over his long life time that would give him that immortality he so desired.

We agreed to his request to help him, after he named an ambiguous, but tempting, price. He then told us the first component of his spell... The sword of a Balron. This was a daunting task, but it was accepted. Then the old man added a stipulation. Though we could enter by magical means, we wouldn't be able to leave through similar routes. The magic of the spells would taint his work and make it all for naught. The old man left and bade us return it within a set period of time.

We spent many nights of aborted missions and planning before we finally gathered the troops we needed to decend into the bowels of Hythloth and retrieve the sword. Many decended into the depths to retrieve it. Navrip, the Dark General of the Holy Disciples led the excursion, along with Mara Jade of H^D, Dreamweaver, Bestial Warlust, Anwar, Selie, and Rune Artisem of OES, and Merlin of CIN.

The party gated into the infernal pit and found themselves face to face with a horrible Lord of the Abyss. Time was short and the party quickly headed to safer ground to plan their attack. Hordes of lesser monsters protected the beast. It was decided that these should be slain from afar by Meteor Swarms tossed by the skilled hands of Merlin and Rune. After some time, a clear path was made to the Lord, who had suffered some minor damage from the previous meteor swarms.

As one, the party entered the dwelling of the Lord and did battle with it. Several fell, as even a wounded balron is a creature able to kill many ordinary men. Luckily, few, if any, of those gathered were human. Some were undead, others drow, one even a machine. Finally, the balron was felled and Navrip pried the magical broadsword it carried from it's dead hand.

"I have the sword," Navrip declared. "Let us leave this place!" The weary band, many of whom were aided in regaining corporeal form through the spells of their allies, agreed heartily.

Just then, a loud cry came from behind them. "Yuu kill Bloodgud! We clump yuu!" a horrid orcish lord proclaimed. All ready weary from fighting, the force turned to the new threat. The orcs put up a good fight, but they were soon felled.

"Quick," Navrip said as he tended to a wound. "We must get to the exit before another balron comes to investi - "

"So, puny mortals, you are those who killed my brother? Well, you shall now pay!" a booming voice rang out. As one, the band turned to see a huge Slayer standing before them, blood dripping down it's unholy blade.

"Retreat!" Navrip ordered.

"Run!" some one else shouted. The party turned tail and ran, knowing that the new balron would be too much for them. The creature laughed and lazily followed behind his prey, picking them off one by one. A few managed to escape to an upper layer, but Navrip, who was holding the sword, fell.

Luckily, the mages survived, perhaps because they weren't burdened down by the heavier armor of the fighters. Rune and Merlin set about ressurecting the fallen. "We must retrieve the sword!" Navrip said.

The others grimmly agreed, but none knew how to face the onslaught of the balron below. A few waves of attack were made, but all were defeated. The ghosts were given solid form again by the healers and everyone settled down to plan.

Finally, Merlin thought of something. Without explaining himself, he rushed down the stairs. The balron turned to chase him, but as Merlin rounded a corner, he cast a spell of invisibility about himself. The balron turned to slay him, but found an empty hallway. The thing looked about for his prey, but couldn't find it.

In the mean time, the others had retrieved the sword. The balron was drawn off by the sounds of other adventurers who meant to invade his new lair. Relieved, the other turned to limp their way out of the dungeon.

They were only moments away from the entrance, when a huge family of orcs, with several ettin cousin, decended upon them. Groaning at their luck, the group fought through the first group. The second group surrounded several of them, and had mages among their number. These brought several of the party low. The others were driven off when gargoyles came and split the group apart.

When the survivors were being counted, they noticed that none had the sword. Cursing their luck, they headed back down, prepared to find the blade. Merlin summoned a daemon, who waded into the packs of orcs and ettins, slaying several before it was brought down by their mass.

To the horror of the questors, the blade was no where to be found. All hope was lost until Merlin casually announced, "I found the sword." The others stood in shock as he produced the sword from his pack. It was indeed the sword from the balron. "An orc had looted it. Aparently, that thing is bad luck. Everyone who touches it gets killed!"

The others agreed and set sail back to Caina. The sail was uneventful. Finally, the boat landed on the shores of Caina. There, in the Chapel of Desolaion, Navrip produced the blade to a waiting Aedrick. The old man was wracked with coughs and spasms, and leaned heavily upon his cane.

"Yes, this is definitely the sword!" the aging mage said excitedly, before being wracked with coughs.

"Aye," Navrip hissed, "now, where is our payment?"

"Ah," Aderick said. "Yes, you did a very valiant job. Very worthy of payment... once you have retrieved the other components of the spell, of course."

Everyone was irate. "What other components?" Navrip asked, after insults were brandied about.

The old man suddenly yawned. "You shall see tommorow. I am weary from waiting for you and must rest. Farewell."

The old man left, giving only his word that he would return on Sunday at 10:00 PM, Caina (Eastern) time.

Prellis the scribe Jul 10 2000 2:58PM

It was a common enough night at the Barnacle, the local inn and tavern situated in Minoc. Throughout the eve a slow, yet steady stream of miners and lumberjacks filtered in for a drink prior to heading to their homes after a long day's work. The tavern-keeper had an easy job in this remote town, serving the local patrons and occasional visitor.

He made his way about the spacious room, cleaning up empty mugs and waking the few drunks resting their heads on the table. Even before he began to approach one such table, he could hear the loud snoring of one who had far too much to drink and would not be going home this eve. Without much concern for waking him, the tavern-keeper cleared off the table, took a last look around the room and retired for the night. In his drunken slumber, Lupov Thagrad, the sometimes alchemist, shifted in his seat, his face turning to the side and his hand dropping from his lap to dangle limply in the air.

Were any inhabitants in the tavern awake, the sounds of the snoring echoing off the table would have covered the slight sound of the door opening, would have covered the near silent foot falls of the man who entered and approached the table Lupov slept at. Even had the alchemist been in a normal sleep, the masterful hands of the assassin searching through his belongings would not have stirred him.

Having not found what he was looking for, the assassin, cloaked in a cape of red, drew his kryss blade, the thick poison that coated it gleaming in the candlelight. Perhaps it was the scent of the poison on the blade disturbing the alchemist's keen nose that caused him to shift again in his sleep, perhaps it was a bad dream brought on by the watered down wine, but whichever it was it had saved his life. For when Lupov made that little movement, the hand that dangled in the air opened and a small gemstone fell to the floor.

The tourmaline landed on the floor with a loud thump and then proceeded to roll across the ground, the assassins eye fixed upon the glimmering stone. As he reached down and retrieved the tourmaline his lord had sent him for this night, he could hear the sounds of the tavern-keeper stir from his sleep, awoken by the sound of the gem striking the ground. Pocketing the gemstone rumored by many to be one which was sought after by the daemon Nostur'yl, the assassin quickly left the building, leaving only the still-sleeping Lupov to be seen when the tavern-keeper entered.

Yours in the Light,

Last night we witnessed that Ventryn has begun to truely harness the power of the relics, now being able to assume human form once again, and cross into the realm of Tremmel. Shortly after another onslaught by Ventryn tonight, Qua'Tel, the elementalist appeared, summoning elementals to attack Ventryn, and forcing him to flee.

After Ventryn's retreat, Qua'Tel met with us inside Stark's Keep. He informed us that because Lord Pythos sent Ventryn's daughter into war unprepared, she perished. In that human life, Ventryn was known as Sylvan, and Brother of Pythos. With the death of his daughter Sylvan swore vengence and became Ventryn. Even after killing Pythos, Ventryn's rage did not end, and became the creature he is today.

There is hope however. Ventryn's daughter still exists in the ethereal void, and quite possibly knows where the fith relic exists that will destroy Ventryn. In a night soon to come some brave warrriors shall give their lives to cross into the ethereal void, knowing very well that they may not return.

Until that time we can only fend off Ventryn's attacks on Stark's Keep.

Gorion - Preafactor of Trinsic

On July 15th another merchant ship has been plundered and looted by the United Pirates on its route from Yew to Trinsic. The pirates had ambushed the ship near Buccaneer's Den, and a fierce battle broke loose. Rumors say that the pirates are gathering wares and cargo in order to establish a public Black Market on Catskills.

View a detailed report at:
http://www.extraweb.com/ultima/stories7/story207.htm

News about the Black Market will be revealed soon on the United Pirates homepage at:
http://www.unitedpirates.uoguilds.com/index.html

An anonymous messenger

OK folks I know it's Friday and Housing going in (we hope) is no
laughing matter but head on over to my site for a couple of laughs
while you are staring at the "Connecting..." screen. I've got a new
ImaNewbie 'toon (not about housing) and a new Enquirer (about housing)
so check em' out.

Added Friday, July 14th:

- ImaNewbie Episode #116 - And Now, a Word From our Sponsors.
- The Britannia Enquirer - Volume 1, No 10 - There's a Place for Us.


ImaNewbie does Britannia
http://www.imanewbie.com/

later...Tryon

This is an information "in-advance". The City Council of Moonglow will organize new elections in a few weeks.

Positions to be elected are:

• Mayor(ess)
• Vice mayor(ress)
• Treasurer
• Town Constable
• Council Advisor
• Towncrier

All citizens of Moonglow (Trammel and Felucca) can candidate for the above positions as well as giving their vote. In order to candidate, you need to be nominated by another person.

More detailed information will be given, when the nomination starts. If you wish to gather more information now, either come to the weekly council meetings (Moonglow councelor guild on Trammel - Saturdays - 19:00cet [6pm GMT]) or send a letter to [email protected].

I hope to see you then!
Yoldran
- Mayor of Moonglow

Thank you, Yoldran!

Yours truly,

The Village of Humility would like to welcome the citizens of Britania to our newest shop, the Humility Shopping Center on Thursday, July 20th.

The Shopping Center has a vendor for almost every need. There is a GM Smith, an Alchemist selling greater heals and cures, a GM Carpenter selling every home add on, a recall vendor, and 2 additional GM carpenters selling every type of furniture and containers. Also, we can direct you to other shops within the village if there is something you want that is not offered in the shopping center.

Beginning at 7:00pm eastern, there will be citizens of the village in Britain, Moonglow and Magincia passing out runes to the shop. Also, the craftsmen will be available to restock the vendors as items sell.

We welcome all to come, and hope to see you there. More information at Humility.

Fellow Sosarians,

After a great deal of research in the vaults of Wind, I have discovered a means to overcome the wards of defense that surround the ancient gargoyle, Sythandris. The answer, most suprisingly, is hidden within the alchemical lore of Sosaria.

Sythandris possesses the Orb of Ollathair, and he adamantly refuses to return it to the Fellowship. It is imperative that we recover this artifact before Drerya Jahr manages to do so. Should the once-mage of Magincia claim the Orb, the peril is beyond imagination.

The Fellowship hereby sends forth the call--we shall meet in the township of Havenhold on Sunday, July 16th, at 9:00 o'clock in the evening (Pacific). Runes may be found at the Dark Tower, Ironwood, and the YMCA.

More will be made known when all are gathered, and then we shall depart to find the means to defeat Sythandris.

-Aegis Dalamere
[Keeper of Balance, .:.]

It is to my regret that the once beautiful town of Caendryl has been occupied by forces from Golgotha Kingdom to the north. Desaad of TFA and Val Venus of TOE were seen leading the attack. Many valiant warriors from the Arcadian First and Only guild tried to hold the city, but were driven back by the evil warriors. The remaining Arcadian forces left to regroup for a possible counter assault. It is unknown at this time what Lich Soulstealer has planned for Caendryl, but now with the shrine of spirituality tainted and many powerful artifacts unguarded in the museum, the Lich may be trying to use them for some unknown spell. I implore all good people to be on the watch for these evil ones. There is no telling what they have instore for us. As you can see, Golgothan forces are very powerful and I pray they can be stopped.

Signed...
Jarod of Yew.

Hail All..Let me Introduce myself I am Jupitor Skygazer and am opening a Public Keep in the Trammel facet located just South of the Ironwood Inn in Vesper. I'm looking for people who would like to place their vendors there...you can contact me at [email protected] Look forward to hearing from you, Thanks!!

Jupitor Skygazer

On Friday, July 21, Terdeus Hall will be celebrating its Grand Opening! The event will start at 8:00 PM PST, and all are welcome to attend. Terdeus Hall, located on the Trammel facet, is a place for Gargoyles and Humans to gather together, as well as other races. There will be free drinks for all, as well as a book hunt, followed by a drunken relay race. The event is expected to be a great time for all, and to mark the beginning of a great new establishment. I look forward to seeing you there!

Sauron of Terdeus

Thanks!

Greetings all! Once again, the Village of Humility would like to invite you to attend the Tuesday Night Pit Fights at the Bloody Keg Tavern.

We may have an additional round this week. Due to a time warp last week, the final round between Edgar and Jedi was not fought. If they both show, we will allow that round to be fought first before beginning the regular event. All are welcome to enter the fight, but come early. Eight contestant tickets go on sale at 8:30 eastern, and the fights begin at approximately 9:00. You will find a complete set of rules on our website: Humility. As a precaution, we suggest stabling your mount for it's safety if possible. One final note, if you have been a winner of this event in the past, please stop by the village and speak to our mayor, Tesla. We are scheduling the invitational event, and need to be able to contact the winners. We hope to see you there!

Saturday, July 15th at 2pm EST marks the next Arx Draconis Lottery!! This is a reminder to get those good luck charms warmed up and plan to be there. BIG prizes are up for grabs and you dont want to miss out.

The Lottery is FREE and OPEN to all players. Syndicate members (dressed in blue robes with LLTS over their heads) will be in all major towns starting at 1:30pm EST on Saturday offering gates to the lottery. To enter, simply take a gate and step inside the large OSI temple there. Once inside you are automatically entered. Random names are drawn and you simply proceed one building to the west and enter the Dragon Claw Tavern to get your prize!!

You can also avoid the hustle and bustle of house placement and check out the vendor on the steps. He is holding your chance to win some PLACED houses!! You dont want to miss out on those!!

See you in Saturday at the next Arx Draconis Lottery!

-Dragons

The evening had passed by slowly and with little trouble within the walls of the Hungry Halfling. I figured I would close up shop soon since most of the patrons had left or were talking quietly and did not need my aid. I leaned over the bar and peered out the window looking for an end to my boredom. Well an end did arrive...not the kind I was hoping for though.

The blue glow of a moongate streamed in the windows of the Hungrly Halfling alerting everyone to the presence of a mage. Three separate gates appeared and I began to worry. To my worries end only one man appeared through the tri-gate system. He was a man of average height with dark hair and rather simple clothes. He strode slowly into the center of the tavern and announced in a arrogant tone " Who is the leader of this place." I stood up thinking he referred to be and stated that I was the current tender of the bar. He walked towards me slowly and spoke softly "Where is Gregory Ironhand?" I explained to him that he was at Serpents Cross Tavern earlier that eve, but had long since retired. He seemed displeased by my news and asked in a stern tone "Where is he now!?" I began to wonder of his motives and asked "What do you want with him?" This really agitated him for his face turned red and he shouted out " That is none of your business, Guards come forth." What transpired next shocked and amazed me. The Red Cloaked Assassins that I thought were just a myth of the land appeared before me. Two of them in chain armor one with a long spear the other with a kyrss. The dark one spoke again. "If you value the lives of your patrons I suggest that you tell me." I dashed from behind the counter to the face this new threat.

I called his bluff and pointed to Solidus..."kill him then I said in a joking manner." Solidus turned pale and stepped next to the aggressor. "Well sir I shall show you the way to Gregory's home", Solidus said slowly. The red cloaked pair lowered their blades. The sinister figure chuckled a bit and sad "your friend has saved all your lives." I found that funny and made a small joke,but it was ignored by the general group.

We left from the Hungry Halfling by a gate straight to the town from which Gregory is from.*due to the recent event I am nae allowed to give the location of Gregory's home away*We marched through the town all the while I was attempting to start a fight with the sinister figure for I knew he meant to harm Gregory. Solidus lead them as I said what I could to deter him. Nothing worked and we arrived at the doors to Gregory's home. This was the final chance I had to stop them. With the fellow members of my group being nova, Gladir, Solidus, Thoma, and I we stood there watching them. I started to really push the arrogant one into a fight and it worked. Much to my surprise the red cloaked warriors appeared and attacked Thoma. I went to my aid as did everyone else, but Solidus. I paid dearly for my attack for my soul was quickly separated from my body. By the time I finished collecting my possession they were all gone. They being the assassins and Solidus.This story continues, but I grow weary and am unable to finish.

It was an unusually busy night at the Serpent's Cross Tavern. Many patrons had come and go, and the tavern was a mess. Gregory Ironhand had even stopped by earlier in the night to have a drink and discuss the goings-on of the world.

Now, the patrons were gone, and Perianwyr and Hendall were cleaning up before heading off to bed. I decided to stick around for awhile, as I hadn't seen Perianwyr in ages. Luckily, remaining there was the best decision I had made all night.

Through the open door of the tavern, I noticed a trio of mystical gates appear. At once I could feel that something wasn't right. Whether it was the tingling in my fingertips or my instincts, I am unsure. A moment passed, and a wealthy-looking merchant emerged from one of the gates. I immediately recognized him as some sort of Dread Baron, though I can't seem to remember his name.

Perianwyr greeted the guest with a smile. "Hello there, welcome to-"
"I am looking for a man named Gregory Ironhand. Has he been here?"
The anger in the merchant's voice was painfully noticable. I quickly rose from my stool, realizing this character was obviously up to no good.
"Who?" Perianwyr questioned. "I don't think I know what you're talking about." At this, the Baron snapped his fingers, and a red-cloaked assassin wearing chainmail emerged from the shadows. He carried a wicked looking spear, and he thumped it against the floor threateningly.
"What is this?" Perianwyr and I exclaimed in unison.
"You had best not be lying, friends, for your own sake." The Baron looked toward Hendall. "You. Have you seen Ironhand?"
"Of course I have, he was here but an hour ago," was Hendall's response.
"Where did he go?"
"Do you think we asked him?" I questioned haughtily.
"You will wish you had."
"Well, maybe some of us aren't as nosy as others." At my comment, the Baron sneered and snapped his fingers once again. I caught the motion of a shadow in the corner of my eye and whirled around to see another assassin, this one identical to the first in clothing and in weapon.
The Baron gave a final look in our direction, then waved his hand nonchalantly as he moved toward the door. "Rowan, Richter, kill them. They are of no use to me."
Perianwyr and I couldn't help but laugh as I drew my war axe, just in time to parry the first assassin's spear. The second leapt over the table and slew Hendall with ease, then turned his attention toward Perianwyr, who was firing arrows into the fray. Multiple times my war axe connected with my assailant's armor, yet he wasn't phased at all! My eyes widened in disbelief as he shrugged off blow after countless blow. Then, he caught me when my guard was down, and I was impaled on his spear. He yanked it out of my torso, and I collapsed to the floor, coughing up blood. Perianwyr had lead the other assassin outside, apparently. My opponent left me for dead on the floor of the tavern.

I had apparently passed out from the blood loss. When I came to, SunWolf had arrived and was patching me up. Perianwyr was standing nearby as well. I hoped he hadn't been injured.

"Ack... couldn't hurt... them..." I managed to utter before running out of energy to say anything more.

"I must have shot four arrows into one of them, but he just kept coming," Perianwyr mentioned as he took a seat behind the bar.

"We'd best be on our guard," SunWolf said as he helped me to my feet. "If these men find Gregory, it's hard-telling what they might do."

"These men... will obviously strike again when they learn where he is," I said. "Perhaps we should keep an eye on him as well."

"Aye, that we should," SunWolf agreed. "I've had enough excitement for one night. I suggest we all get some sleep."

After a brief visit to Moonglow, the three parted ways and retired for the night. I could only wonder if these men were in league with some evil in the realm, or if they were in it for themselves. Hopefully, some information can be found on these characters. I can't help but notice that the names of the assassins, Rowan and Richter, sound oddly familiar... ah well, all will be revealed shortly, I hope.

Yours in the light,

Kail, Yew Militia Lieutenant
Tactician of Yew

Twas a quiet night as I sat and enjoyed a glass of wine in the Hungry Halfling. After much talk of war and weapons I found myself heading to the bank in Moonglow, and when I arrived much to my surprise a pigeon from Malicite was awaiting me. As I read the message I felt the rage building within me, the same group of assassins that hunted the Ancient Wyrm Lady Liane were now in Rivendell. As swiftly as I could I setout to return and aid my friends. Much to my relief when I arrived Thoma Valient was already there as well, so we would not have to stand-alone. The Dread Baron Srantir and two of his lackeys Rowan and Richter were attempting to get the location to Gregory, and to my further bewilderment Solidus was gladly giving it to them.

Solidus gated them to Jhelom and escorted the Baron to Gregory's house, but luckily Gregory was not in. There we waited and the Baron spoke with Solidus, Thoma then tried to get some information about why they wanted Gregory while Malicite tried to provoke them into attacking, the Baron then order his assassins to kill Thoma and that when all hell broke loose. As the assassins went after Thoma I tried to reason with Malicite but he rushed into the fray to help Thoma then Nova joined the fight, with no other option I drew my sword and urged my horse forward. By that time Thoma had been injured and was forced to retreat, Nova and Malicite were left battling the two assassins but weren't having much success. I singled out Richter for my attack for Malicite was not fairing well against him and I guarded his back as he retreated to as safe location with Thoma, it was just Nova and myself against the two fiends. As Richter and I sized each other up I knew it would be a hard fought battle but I would nay be defeated for I could not lose my aid was needed. Richter and I exchanged blows locked in a bitter battle neither gaining any advantage, when I heard Nova cry out as he retreated. I was then confronted by two foes of great skill and against such odds I was forced to retreat. As we regrouped and healed our wounds I thought of our foes and their strength I knew we were outmatched but we had to return. Back into the heat of battle plunged Malicite first then Nova with myself to bring up the rear, Thoma stayed back for he had been greatly injured in the first attack. Upon my return I found Malicite beset by the two assassins and Nova trying to guard his retreat but to no avail, I was shocked to see my comrade fall and felt the rage that had been building finally burst from within to spring forth. With a mighty shout I rushed into the assassins, but try as I might I was soon overwhelmed by their skill and again was forced to retreat. By then Malicite had reached safety and I was able to heal his grievous wounds, and for the final time we went forth to seek battle. But much to our surprise the Baron, his assassins, and Solidus had disappeared. As we regrouped and thought on how to handle this new situation Nova recalled Solidus mentioning Gregory might be found at Moonglow bank so with much haste we set out for Moonglow.

At the bank waiting was Solidus, who seemed to be regretting his actions talking of being a dead man. Try as I might I could get no information on the whereabouts of Gregory or the Baron and his assassins. So with a heavy heart we returned to Rivendell seeking to make new plans.

Upon our arrival we found waiting Greypawn and many of MTC, they had heard of the battle and planned on helping so we then traveled to Moonglow and MTC headquarters trying to locate Thoma who was said to now have Gregory in a safe location. Greypawn then set out to locate Thoma and Gregory and soon after all three returned with a wounded Solidus in tow.

We then sought Gregory's counsel on why the Baron was after him but alas he knew nothing. After much debate on what to do and where to go the Baron himself showed up. There was much talk between the Baron and Gregory and to my surprise I discovered the Baron feared Gregory. After many words the Baron became upset and ordered his assassin to kill everyone.

The battle was joined as MTC rushed to protect Greypawn and Gregory, learning a lesson from last time I knew better then to join in close battle with the assassin I drew my longbow and set upon taking the vile wretch down. Alas to my unending regret and anger the area was too filled with friends for me to chance a killing shot. Much to my amazement the assassin withstood MTC and my allies' assaults and even outnumbered it seemed he had the upper hand. But the battle soon turned for we were able to get Gregory to safety and then focused on destroying the monstrous thing. But just as we had the advantage the assassin escaped into the shadows.

After regrouping we decided that the best course of action would be to return to Gregory's house which was protected by many an enchantment, and there we talked into he late night of the events of the eve and I learned that Solidus had served the Baron Srantir only to betray him at Lady Liane, the Ancient Wyrm's request.

And that is where my tale of woe and danger ends, Gregory wished the masses to know what had transpired that eve and I hope this will spread the tales so that many will flock to his aid if the need may arise.

The Illustrious
Galdir Aerios,
Initiate of Sic Semper Tyrannis
Formerly the Ranger of Peace

The Festival in celebration of Summer held by the Seers yesterday was a booming success! The fair grounds southwest of Britain started bustling with activity early in the day as hundreds from around the realm started arriving to partake in the festivites. Everyone from all walks of life was there, munching on good food and drinking a tad too much good ale. Guilds ranging from The Cult of Infernal Necromancy to the Trinsic Honor Guard were there partaking in the fun. The crowd was a constant hum of talking and laughing and one could easily find old friends and new ones at the turn of a corner.



The Bad Poetry contest began on stage shortly after the drinks were finished being poured, and I snagged a seat to watch Seer Oberon officiate. *chuckles* Well...in totality, it was an interesting event, even if there was no Orcish Haiku. Dirty limericks aside, Britannia seems to have a healthy amount of poets and songwriters.

The Costume and Insult Contest flew by so fast I couldn't catch em, but I heard screamings from both, so I assume they were fun. *smiles*

The Fortune Teller, Ivesa DevilDance, I came to see next. The old gypsy woman was swamped with people ecstatic to have their fortune told. A long long line formed just outside of the fairground tent, leading up to the old woman sitting sternly on a log, informing her present client what his or her future held for a paltry sum of fifty gold coins. Me being the curious type with my fascination with the other workings of the Occult Fundus, decided to get my fortune told. After waiting a good ten minutes in line, I slipped off my gloves and handed the gypsy woman my gold. She grinned and proceeded to outline my less than patient attitude towards the youth lately, with a stern reprimand to remember my own past. An interesting event and an informing one at that.

I exitted the fortune teller's clearing intrigued, heading towards two friends of mine needing introducing to each other.

"Talanithus, this is Azrielle Aeirs, Azrielle Aeirs, this is Talanithus." The elf bowed in a flourish, which is customary, and Azrielle giggled to herself (which is also customary). Talanithus Tarant had traveled quite a ways from his own homeland in Tel'Ruid to attend this Festival and he was quite a welcome addition with his musical talents and culture he brought with him. We spoke of fortune telling and prognostication and the sort, myself just having been scryed by the gypsy. The grey elf offered in turn to show me a more...accurate means by which to view the future, of which, I am still reeling from the realizations.

Continuing on with the Festival, the Drunken Footrace was an event I doubt I will ever see the likes of again. Picture if you will, all the crazies in the realm numbed into a drunken stupor, attempting to outrace each other while foaming at the mouth and drooling?

It was amazing to say the least. The wedding of Beltane and Deedlit followed up, during a riddle contest I myself, unfortunately could not attend. It was a beautiful ceremony, presided by Seer Oberon in the adorned in the usual green. The Thesbian trials were cancelled and a large portion of the crowd took off with the treasure hunting group after the ceremony. It was a most deliciously chaotic social gathering I must say. Sitting near the pond with my love Jaedra Ambermoon, we spotted a dolphin...yes...a dolphin, come to the waters edge and perform tricks for the people sitting about. It was quite a cute little critter as well and called in its own tongue towards the people surrounding.

The wedding of Keeshi and Rachelle Morveux was a most glorious sight to see. Seer Nikademus presided over it, and I myself served as the ol' pirate's best man. The bride and bridegroom said their own vows, and do take my word for it, there was nay a dry eye in the whole of Britain. The ceremony ended in a flourish of sparkling explosive applause and cheers.



The bachelor auction began shortly afterwards, with, as usual more bachelors than ladies. Several of the handsome men fetched quite a handsome price, and the slavers of course grinned wide when one of the ladies snuck up behind me and pushed me forwards onto the stage. I stammered to the back of the stage behind a goodly lot of other men quite more desirable than this old codger, much to the child-like giggling of my Oracle. A great deal of the men went with their respective "owners" grunting and strutting while I gradually inched away from the front of the stage. "We have a request for...a GreyPawn?" I said at this point "Cripes"...because if I didn't I would have said something else...less..Sagely-like. So I stood there at the edge of the stage, trying not to slouch and trying to look at fiercly solemn as I could, much to no avail. In the end, I went for a total of 75,000 gold pieces. Needless to say, I am still doing penance to rebuild my Humility. If Ivesa Devildance saw me now, I imagine the fortune she would give would be something like "Me see yousa pickin many turnips for while to come."

All in all, it was a most joyous celebration. The Summer Festival helped to create alot of new friendships, and renew alot of old ones. For that, I personally give my thanks and Moonglow's to those responsible for hosting this magnificent event.

Sincerely,
Your Humble Servant,

As many of you have heard, there has been talk of an amazing event fast approaching that's been said will brighten up all of our days. A grand world wide competition between people from all walks of life and all areas of Britannia. The games I speak of are the Britannian Games and they are being brought to the public by a grand fellow who goes by the name of Calum Carter.

I recently had the chance to speak with Calum at a brainstorming session that was held at the Yew Winery for the public to attend and provide input into the events. The transcript of the interview follows.

BNN: Greetings Calum, may I have a moment of your time?

Grizzly (with a gruff laugh): Most certainly fella, though you can call me Grizzly, seems its become a rather popular way to address me.

BNN: Good then Grizzly, you've really struck a chord with these Games of yours. The public has picked up on it enthusiastically, would you mind telling our readers about the games and what you have planned?

Grizzly: Well to set one thing straight, the games are by far not mine. The games are a celebration that I have spent many a days contemplating while admiring the greatness of this new land we've found. I often travel back to the lands of Felucca but my stay is short, I really miss the trees and the wildlife. I left Yew some years back and returned when I heard of the troubles with Keoneean. The Yew in Felucca is not Yew, we would be deluding ourselves if we felt that way. None of the cities in Felucca are of their former glory. So what am I rambling about? The lands we have found here are a rediscovery of the greatness of our world. This is the land that I fell in love with as a child and I believe that many citizens feel the same way! That is what we are celebrating with these games!

BNN: So, in essence, these games are a celebration, not a competition?

Grizzly (starts with a laugh): No, not to misunderstand, these games will be the essence of competition. Many of the games will be rigorous exercises meant for only the greatest of athletes and the most experienced of people. The events we have decided on will cover a great variety of of abilities across the realm.

BNN: What are the events that we'll see during these games?

Grizzly: Well, as I said, we will have a large variety of events. We'll have horse races, three man hand-off races, boat races, hunting competitions, tailoring competitions, magical competitions, lumberjacking competitions, wrestling matches, team and solo archery competitions, bardic contests, and even a grand scavenger hunt. Winners of each of these events will be granted points based on their place and their event. At the end of the games, the totals will be given and the winners' will be given a trophy to display for all to see!

BNN: Indeed! Who all will allowed to compete in these competitions?

Grizzly: Anyone and everyone that can find their way to the events! Of course there is always a catch.

BNN: What do you mean?

Grizzly: Well because these games are centered around the world as we know it, we have decided to make these games team based. The most logical teams for these games are broken up into cities. So that will be the basis of our competition.

BNN: So each city will be represented in the games?

Grizzly: I suppose that will be up to each city. I have spoken with the High Council two days past and they have provided me with a listing of all the cities in this registry*. Any town or city that is within these registries are allowed to form a team to compete in these games. I hope to see each and every city represented in these games. I would like nothing more than to see Britain's reknowned horsemen race within the games against the well ridden paladins of Trinsic.

BNN: How will you organize all of these people?

Grizzly: We have a number of resident experts on running large games like these at our beckoned call. Many members of the community have volunteered their time to help these events go well. We encourage the cities' teams to design and color uniforms to wear during the events to show their team pride.

BNN: So will towns outside of those ruled by Lord British be allowed to compete?

Grizzly: Oh certainly! We have already heard from towns such as Destiny and Tel'ruid who have expressed intent in competing in the games. As I said, the registry provided by the High Council was well encompassing it seemed.

We will be taking athlete registrations for events directly before each event starts, but only cities who participate in the opening ceremonies will be allowed to compete.

BNN: What if someone shows up to the competition and isn't really involved with their city, but wish to compete for the team anyway?

Grizzly (while rubbing his beard): Ah, I see your point. So long as someone has registered the team during the opening ceremonies, then all they have to do is show up at the event. If there is a team to compete under, then they can compete for them. If someone wishes to register the city of Britain under the games, then they will have done so. Anyone who comes up to register Britain after that will be told that the team has been registered and that they should just announce their team affiliation after the events. It might help if athletes have their guild titles branded on their uniforms during the event to show their team affiliation as well. Don't worry though, so long as you have a city to represent, then expect to be able to compete. To be extra sure that your city is being represented, showing up at the opening ceremonies will be the best way.

BNN: When will these opening ceremonies take place?

Grizzly: The Opening Ceremonies will begin with a grand Torch Run across Britannia, through all of the virtue cities. They will begin on this upcoming Sunday at 5pm as the Eastern bird flies. We will be choosing torch runners from the athletes who show up for the torch race as well as from well known members of the community.

BNN: And you will be registering teams prior to the Torch Run?

Grizzly: Yes, the first event will mark the opening of the games. These games will take place over the entire course of a week with the closing ceremonies taking place on the following Saturday.

BNN: Will these games occur more than once? Or will the team who wins get to keep the 'trophy' forever?

Grizzly: Well, the greatness of a champion is that they can defend their title!

BNN: Do you have any closing remarks for our readers?

Grizzly: Certainly. We all know how great our community is, but its rare that we get to show it with everyone there. Gather your friends, your family, and all your neighbors and bond together to compete and show who has the best community out there!

___________________________________________________________

So there you have it, straight from Grizzly himself. Gather your teams and be ready on Sunday! These will be games we'll never forget!

*Grizzly provided me with a copy of the High Council's registry, the cities listed are as follows:

Felucca facet:
Britannian Towns: Britain, Cove, Jhelom, Magincia, Minoc, Moonglow, Serpent's Hold, Skara Brae, Trinsic, Vesper, Yew
Other Towns: Buccaneer's Den, Delucia, Nujel'm, Occlo, Papua
Settlements: Alliance Village, Destiny, City of Dragons, Evermore, New Fawn, Forest Keep, Rivendell, Shadowmire, Village of Tel'Ruid, Unity

Trammel facet:
Britannian Towns: Britain, Cove, Jhelom, Magincia, Minoc, Moonglow, Serpent's Hold, Skara Brae, Trinsic, Vesper, Yew
Other Towns: Buccaneer's Den, Delucia, Haven, Nujel'm, Papua

Hearing of the increased lizardman activity in the jungles south of Trinsic and the arrival of the mysterious "Eye of the Lizard" in the Alliance Knight's Village, I thought it prudent to investigate these matters for myself. I arrived to find the Village quiet and peaceful, the famed Eye resting across the clearing on a block of sandstone, not unlike that of Trinsic's walls.

Curiosity got the better of me, and I set out to examine the Eye for myself. It seems that no one witnessed the arrival of either the block or the Eye itself. Reports indicate that the block preceded the Eye by roughly 2 days. Loosened soil around the base of the sandstone block and the traces of faint streaks of dirt leads me to believe it rose out from beneath the ground, though I am certainly not an expert in these matters. The Eye itself is something of an enigma, its substance and purpose remains a mystery. I was, however, able to ascertain a few points of interest. The Eye seems to be made of a rough green material not unlike that of an unpolished emerald. Placing my lantern on the opposite side of the Eye and peering through at the light, I found it to be somewhat transparent, further confirming my suspicions.

I retreated to the a tavern just south of the Eye's resting place for a quick mug of ale before beginning my long journey back to Trinsic. As I sipped my ale I heard an odd rumbling off in the distance, as though a massive force was marching through the jungle. I ran to the window in time to see a great force of lizardmen burst forth from the surrounding jungle. By this time a pair of knights had wandered to the clearing, and were bearing the bulk of the assault. Echoes of battle rang from the south as well. The Village was under attack.

From my perch it seemed as though the lizardmen where being led by 3 chieftains, each approaching, with army in tow, from a different direction. It was not long before more defenders rushed to the aid of the village and an all-out war broke loose. The Lizardman forces broke away to engage the defenders, while the three Chieftains, joined by a forth lizardman, gathered around the Eye. The forth bore markings not familiar to me, but seemed to lead the Chieftains in some sort of ceremony around the Eye.

Elsewhere the battle was raging; the ground littered with the bodies of bloody lizardmen. To my relief the ratio of fallen lizards to that of the defenders was largely in favor of the defenders. All about the village, the Knights beat down the oncoming lizardmen, but still they came, pouring out of the jungle. Their beady yellow eyes filled with rage for the human defenders and awe for the artifact resting atop the sandstone block.

My attention turned back to the four lizards gathered about the Eye, where I was surprised to notice all but the fourth was dead or dying. It frantically fended off the attacks of the Knights, all the while hissing at them to "Leave this place!" or to "Be gone!" More then once I heard it utter the phrase "This is sacred land". With a final warning to the villagers it vanished.

Throughout the Village the last of the invading lizards were found and slaughtered. The defenders gathered their wounded and began to prepare for the next wave of attackers. There was no doubt in anyone's mind; this was merely the beginning.

In a possibly related story: Reports from all over Britannia indicated massive movements of lizardmen in a southbound direction. Any relationship this migration has to the events in the Alliance Village is unknown.

GLADIATORS WANTED!!
The Provisional Council of Valor is holding an event to test nothing more than skill! Tired of tournaments where warriors buy their way to success? Does it irk you to watch someone else's poisoned katana in the hands of a non-assassin? Hate the fact you don't own a warhammer of vanquish but your opponent does? Well, show us what you've got at the first bi-monthly Jhelom Gladiator event!

THE REQUIREMENTS

• Come empty handed with nothing in your bag except potions, bandages, poison and/or oil cloths (if you are an assassin), and one piece of identifiable clothing (something that will make you stand out).
• Again: NO WEAPONS AND ARMOR MAY BE BROUGHT. This is a test of skill, folks!
• No mages! Sorry, guys. Warriors only!
• No tamers! Sorry again, gang. Warriors only!
• Be ready to have FUN!

THE RULES

• All participants are to have FUN!
• Participants enter the Duelling Pits and are required to fight until only one man is standing.
• Participants may not loot fallen fighters. Any signs of doing so will result in immediate disqualification.
• Any participants that leave the Duelling Pits forfeit.
• Only the gear given out by the contest holders may be used.

EQUIPMENT GIVEN

• ONE-HANDED: all participants wishing to use one-handed weapons will receive three kite shields and any one-handed weapon of their choosing.
• TWO-HANDED: all participants wishing to use two-handed weapons will receive a studded leather tunic and any two-handed weapon of their choosing. *
• CLOTHING: participants have the option of wearing kilts, short pants and leather tops (if they are female). Other than that, they've got nothing but the skin on their backs! These are Gladiators, folks!

THE PRIZES

• 1st Place: Full suit of valorite plate, any weapon of their choice (each grandmaster crafted) and 5,000 in gold. The winner will also be hailed as the Champion of the Gladiator Pits, and will be asked to return.
• 2nd Place: Full suit of iron plate mail, any weapon of their choice (each grandmaster crafted) and 2,500 in gold.
• 3rd Place: Full suit of gold or copper archer, any weapon of their choice (each grandmaster crafted) and 1,000 in gold.

WHERE IS THIS HAPPENING?

Meet Saturday, July 15th, 9pm Central Sosarian Time at the Jhelom Duelling Pits on the Felucca Facet. All participants are required to pay a 500 gold entry fee.

Please be sure to come if you feel that YOU are the best fighter in Sosaria or if you just want to watch and root on your friends!
David Wingate Provisional Council of Valor

As many of you have heard, the Alliance Village has been under a state of near constant siege for over a week now. This all began with the appearance of a sandstone altar in the village and a green object known as the "Eye of the Lizard" that appeared on the sandstone two days later. There were infrequent attacks before, but since the appearance of those objects there have been near constant attacks by wandering bands of lizardmen and large attacks led by a lizardman shaman that claims we are on sacred ground and we need to die. The attacks occur at random times of the day and in random amounts ranging from 12-100+ lizardmen, and sometimes they are led by darker Chieftains, Guardians, and a Shaman with special abilities.

As the days pass the attacks grow worse. From reports we have been receiving, all the lizardmen in the land are migraiting to the village and that is becoming obvious as the attacks grow larger and larger. It is now difficult keeping the village defended at all times, and to drive back the large bands, led by the shaman, that have now twice attacked. We were able to drive back the lizardman army both times, but the second time was a struggle. Wave upon wave attacked like a mindless horde and drove us to barricade ourselves inside the houses of the village until reinforcements could arrive. We even tried to make peace with the Shaman and his response was basically that he was going to make us bleed. He thinks we somehow mock the lizardmen and their shrine. I do not understand this. They build a shrine in our village and begin attacking everyone on sight, but we are mocking them. We have tried a peaceful resolution and the shaman chose to laugh at it, so there will be war.

The Knights of the Alliance and the citizens of the Alliance Village hereby request the aid of any and all honorable able bodied warriors and mages in the defense of our home. Any help would be greatly appreciated. A library has also been created to record all information for those interested, and to help better organize those involved in helping to defend the village.

http://www.allianceknights.com/lizard.html

I believe what we see now is only the beginning, but we will defend our homes to the last man if that is what it takes. We will not give up. We will not admit defeat to the evil forces arrayed against us. Long live the Alliance!

Thank you for your time,

Galahad
Knights of the Alliance

Getting Magic Stormed

Once everyone who is not qualified to place a house during the phase is moved off a subserver, if the numbers of people on the entire subserver are still too high, a random selection is made and people who should be able to place will be moved.

This is to ensure the shard does not crash and lag does not become unbearable (though it may be quite bad when a magic storm hits).

At least 3 of the Trammel subservers tend to go through this magic storm multiple times just prior to and during early house placement on all 3 housing phases. But it can occur on any subserver if the load gets too high.

I hope this helps clarify the situation, though I know it does not help when you miss the spot you really wanted because of it. :(

Gordon Walton
VP Online Services
Origin Systems, Inc.
"Oderint dum metuant"

Re: Getting Magic Stormed

The last level is when:
1) all but the essential NPC's are gone
2) everyone without a deed, with the wrong deed or a co-owner is already gone and there are still too many people so needs to clear them out to keep running

We are looking at the other problems reported here and elsewhere btw, we are not ignoring them.

We did have 3,600 people on the shard (a new record) as the housing opened, and well over 2,000 houses placed in the first few minutes.

Gordon Walton
VP Online Services
Origin Systems, Inc.
"Oderint dum metuant"

Since I already had houses, I didn't really worry about hurrying and placing a castle. BUT a castle is still a castle, and anyone would try to place one if he could. So I was about 4 hours before the T time and I found a single spot for trying to place my castle. I knew that having several runes wouldn't help since everything will be placed. I saw players logging off near me waiting for the crucial time.

Well after all this waiting, people started to really show up about 45 minutes before 8 PM. My friend told me it was worse at Oberons Pass. At my spot there was about 20 players, but in overall Arctic Island was pretty much full right when housing started. I got a sort of connection failure in my zone and I had to get back to Felucca (my bad luck). By the time I got back, I started running and I saw a castle fall from the sky right in my face! The same thing happened to me several times as I ran all around the island ... no luck.

Now I'll try to be satisfied with my tower and large patio. In overall I think Trammel won't be so nice, there is no sense of danger. Only castles and towers on the horizon.

The Tales of a Traveller had recently an honour to interview Fenris, the keeper of Spiritwood tavern. Fenris' tavern locates in the heart of village of Spiritwood, and is famous from its lotteries and meetmarkets.

Also what do you do on a rainy day on summer, besides play UO? Watch videos of course. To help you in your selection the Tales of a Traveller has made a list of Fantasy, Historic and Dark Ages related films, just the kind of films that might give you new, fresh ideas for your role-play characters or story in Ultima Online.

Videric
The Tales of a Traveller

Hear ye,
Hear ye,
Hear ye,

Gather round goodly souls and hearken to these joyous words!

As you've undoubtedly noticed another season has passed, it's the warmth and the diversity of colors that shows us the long awaited summer season has finally arrived. Ancient custom has it that when spring passes and summer approaches a celebration is held, not just any celebration, but the ...

Grand Summer Festival!

As tradition dictates this celebration is for all kindred spirits to enjoy, hence we would like to hereby invite you all to join us, in our celebrations...
We invite you all to come and enjoy yourselves, play one of the games, watch one of the many spectacular shows, have a drink or take a chance at the all you can eat contest. There is no admission fee or other hidden costs, all we ask in return is that you have a good time. This Year's Spiritwood Summer Festival shall take place on Sunday the 16th of July, starting at 20:30 CET, (7:30 GMT). It is an event for the whole community and all well-behaved folk are welcome to come and join us in the celebrations of the Summer's bountiful pleasures. You can find the town of Spiritwood if you follow these directions: Start at the Skara Brae docks right outside town, go east. Take the second road to your right (south) (at a crossroads). Keep going south until the road turns eastwards. Keep following it and you will end up in Spiritwood. From the end of the road, go a little to the northeast and you'll see two large brick houses. The eastern one is the Spiritwood Tavern. The sextant coordinates are: 65S 27W.
Schedule of events:

20:30 CET (7:30 GMT) The Grand Opening

The Grand Opening of the Spiritwood Fair will this year be held at the Spiritwood tavern, where there shall be a plenty a food and drinks for all.

21:00 CET (8:00 GMT) Lottery

The Summer Festival will open with one of those famous Spiritwood Tavern Lotteries, a not-to-be-missed chance to join the ranks of the financially well to do in one fell swoop. The grand prize is 100.000 gold pieces! You can buy numbers at the tavern all week and they cost 1000 gold pieces each. One person cannot buy more than two however. Perhaps that number will be the lucky number... Please try to register as soon as possible. Good luck everyone!

21:15 CET (8:15 GMT) Talent Show

Come one come all and take part in this rare opportunity to show everyone what hidden genius lurks deep behind your placid façade. Set in the Spiritwood Theatre, high atop the Town Hall Tower, the Talent show provides a forum for all to show their hidden skills. Each slot will be a maximum of 10 minutes duration. Anything goes: Songs, sketches, comedy, tragedy, historical comical tragedy, tragic (or just plain bad) poetry, performing animals, serious recitals, or feats of daring do- if you can pull it off, we want to see it! A panel of judges will be selected prior to the event to pick the best act. The winner will receive a rare work of art for first prize and will then have the opportunity to make a long and embarrassing acceptance speech. Get those acts together and sign up now!

21:45 CET (8:45 GMT) Fashion Show

Final presentations and Judging completed for the Summer Fest Fashion
Review. Come along in your most glorious costume and take a turn on the catwalk to see if you can bag this year's Best Dressed Sosarian award. First prize will be a costume of your choice done by our very own maven of haute couture, Fabienne, Grand Mistress of tailors. No request too exotic.

22:00 CET (9:00 GMT) The Main Event!

"Mens Erger Je Niet", "Sorry!", "Ludo" or "Mensch Ärgere Dich Nicht", whatever ye like to call it-This action packed event is sure to please. Held in the Spiritwood Arena, (Fields to the west of the Tavern), 4 Teams line up and take it in turns to progress across a full sized playing board towards the center goal, when contestants meet, they fight it our for the right to progress! Think of it as part team sport and part rumble! Four teams needed, so get those guilds organized folks!

Throughout the evening, there will be ample food and drink on hand to satisfy even the most demanding reveller. For those of you who can never get enough, there will even be a fish-eating contest! So, come one, come all to the Grand Spiritwood Summer Festival Extravaganza!

The Spiritwood Festival Organization Committee

Time: July 17, 7:00 p.m. PST
Location: In the valley northwest of the entrance to Covetous (Trammel)
Map at http://www.webzone.net/belldl/brazmule.html

Announcing the Grand Opening of the Brazen Mule, a Public Forge and Alehouse! Drinking starts at 7:00 p.m. PST, horse race at 7:30 (first prize 5k, second 2k), then more drinking followed by a drunk and disorderly assault on Covetous!

So come on over, bring your horse and appetite, but leave your sobriety behind!

Leyf Bolden
Wanderbard, Golden Knights

The staged house placement schedule has been updated with additional shard dates and times for the week of July 17th. We will begin opening staged housing on the Korean, Taiwanese, and Japanese shards during the upcoming week, as well as completing staged house placement on the North American shards. The current schedule for staged house placement is available here.

To facilitate the opening of housing on Felucca only, we will be bringing the Arirang and Balhae shards down for a special maintenance period at their normally scheduled time on Sunday, July 16th. Upon return from this maintenance period, the Arirang and Balhae shards will have Felucca house placement active.

The staged house placement schedule has been updated with additional shard dates and times for the week of July 17th. We will begin opening staged housing on the Korean, Taiwanese, and Japanese shards during the upcoming week, as well as completing staged house placement on the North American shards. The current schedule for staged house placement is available here.

To facilitate the opening of housing on Felucca only, we will be bringing the Arirang and Balhae shards down for a special maintenance period at their normally scheduled time on Sunday, July 16th. Upon return from this maintenance period, the Arirang and Balhae shards will have Felucca house placement active.

Double-clicking a vendor you own will now bring up a window offering two options:

"Customize" and "See Goods". Selecting "See Goods" will display the contents of the vendor backpack. Selecting the "Customize" option will open a menu system through which you may customize your vendor.

Customization options will include:

• Clothing Style (for shirts, hats, pants, etc.)
• Hair Style and Facial Hair (if any)
• Hand Held Items (such as fishing poles or spellbooks)
• Clothing Color
• Vendor Name
• Vendor Gender
• Vendor Greeting (allowing you to personalize the way your vendor speaks to customers)

If you are not the owner of the vendor, double-clicking it will open the vendor's backpack.

Double-clicking a vendor you own will now bring up a window offering two options:

"Customize" and "See Goods". Selecting "See Goods" will display the contents of the vendor backpack. Selecting the "Customize" option will open a menu system through which you may customize your vendor.

Customization options will include:

• Clothing Style (for shirts, hats, pants, etc.)
• Hair Style and Facial Hair (if any)
• Hand Held Items (such as fishing poles or spellbooks)
• Clothing Color
• Vendor Name
• Vendor Gender
• Vendor Greeting (allowing you to personalize the way your vendor speaks to customers)

If you are not the owner of the vendor, double-clicking it will open the vendor's backpack.

Upon last night I awoke to a fellow guildmate informing me that a citizen of Winterfell was searching for me. After recalling off my rune, I was standing in front of Stark's Keep, the stronghold of Winterfell in Tremmel. I was greeted by four members and informed that a dark day has come.

Apperntly, Winterfell was tricked into placing the Helm of Thunder, one of the four relics needed to destroy Ventryn, The Black Lich, on the ground, where one of Ventryn's minions seized it. Ventryn now has all four relics needed to destroy him, and with them his powers have been increased beyond anything seen before. These new powers give him the ability to summon much stronger undead than he has been able to summon in the past.

It was shortly after I was informed of this that my good freinds, Ser Brightblade, Prefect of The Preatorian Guard of PGoH, and Emperor Borg arrived. We began discussing what was to be done. We asked that Duke Evin Ghlade be summoned so we may speak ith him. After he arrived The Purple Guardians of Honor, and the Kingdom of Winterfell, united toward the goal of the destruction of Ventryn.

Ventryn did nay wish to see such groups to ally, for at the very moment we allied, his minions stormed the keep, and were defeated quickly, that is the first wave was.

For nearly four hours Ventryns forces returned, each time the minions were stronger and faster, but the newly born allience called upon their own reinforcements. By the time of the final battle of the night, nearly 45 Soldiers and Mages had battled nearly 300 undead, consisting of mummies, skeletal mages, skeletal knights, and lich lords.

Tonight we also saw a lich that although green, was not like Jou'nar, it was weaker, and looked more of jade-like green. After the first encounter, but not the last encounter with it, we named it A Lich Fiend.

During the later battles we witnessed Lord Pythos, the one whos grave was desecrated by Ventryn. He seemed to watch over the battle, and after it, he informed us that this was only the first night. These attacks will continue every day, and each day grow stronger, until the final climatic battle.

And so, The Kingdom of Winterfell and Purple Guardians of Honor are now united, and at war with Ventryn, The Black Lich.

Gorion - Preafactor of Trinsic

The harbors of Vesper, Trinsic and Moonglow are reporting a large number of Pirate sightings in the nearby waterways. Simultaneously, a great number of attacks on small merchant ships and fishingboats working out of Vesper and Trinsic have also been reported. Loss and damages have been estimated in the excess of 70,000 gold pieces.

Most of the goods stolen were armor and weapons, but magic potions are also being targeted. It seems that the Buccaneer`s know far too much about this ships'cargo. They always pick out those ships with the highest profitable cargo and the lowest garrison. The Harbormaster and ship owners have come to an agreement about measure`s against the Pirate attacks, though what exactly these measures are is not clear. Most certainly, they will include a call to arms in defense of the local watercraft.

For more informations contact Falkon Zeil in Vesper ( Fisherman`s Wharf, pigeon number 5573972 )

Nystul , Vesper editor

We are currently planning to move forward with a staggered house placement schedule, opening housing phases on a no more than "one per night, per region" schedule to ensure that no two shards in a single UO shard region will open housing phases on the same night. We are confident in the server load-balancing mechanisms and wish to extend our thanks to everyone who took the time to participate in one or all of the staged house placement tests.

We will be completing the North American staged house placement over the next two weeks beginning on Wednesday, July 12th. The following schedule includes staged house placement dates and times through Sunday, July 16th. We will be releasing additional schedule dates in the near future. Please note that all start times for this schedule are at 8:00PM local server time.

Sunday, July 16
Catskills Phase One (castles only on Trammel): 8:00PM EDT

If you plan on placing a house during any of these phases, we recommend that you log in several hours prior to the opening of the phase, retrieve your deed, and either log out from the location in which you plan to place, or set a recall rune for the location. Participation during a house placement phase will be subject to the following load-balancing mechanisms:

1. Limited Spawn: We will be limiting the shard to only essential NPC spawns (such as stablemasters) and will delete all others prior to opening house placement

2. Relocation: If a subserver becomes too crowded, we will ask players to relocate based on certain criteria. In the event that we are required to move players, we will be automatically relocating them to cities on Felucca and we will look at the following factors to determine which players may be moved:

If the player currently co-owns a house
If the player has no house deed
If the player has a house deed, but it is not appropriate to the current phase (for example, a small house deed during Phase 1 Castle placement)
If the player currently owns a house
If all of the above players have been removed from Trammel subservers and the situation continues to remain critical, we will begin randomly selecting players for relocation to Felucca.

Depending on the server load, it is possible that a subserver may progress through these stages extremely quickly. When this process relocates a character, the character will be unable to recall or gate for a period of 10 minutes.

3. Backpack Check. If a character logs in and does not have a deed appropriate to the current phase, they will have 10 minutes to acquire the deed, or they will be logged out of the game for a period of two hours. If you are disconnected from the game in this manner, you will be unable to return to the game until the two-hour period is ended. Additionally, attempting to re-enter the game before the two-hour period has ended will cause your timer to be reset to two hours.

4. Logout: Once a player has successfully placed a house, they will have 10 minutes to conclude house business before they will be automatically moved to a safe location in Felucca and logged out of the shard for a period of two hours.

Any player transferred to the Felucca shard will receive a moonstone allowing them to travel back to Trammel once they are able to return to the shard.

'Twas a 'norm day in the fair City of Compassion. the Birds were singing, Lizzardmen and Ratmen were not bothersome, and peasents were toiling on the streets. A calming summer's breeze was blowing in from the south ocean. All seemed perfect.

There was one man in particular running about. He seemed to have a bad reputation with the townsfolk, but then again, this was Britain. He went by the name Octavious; But even the most moronic citizen could probably see the wig he was wearing. He was gathering a lot of things, planning for something no doubt. He was carrying several lockpicks, a candle, bread, and a book of instructions.

Written inside the book was:
"You have decided to take on this job. We need the following:"

A long list of armor of particular craftsmanship and trade was listed.

"You should be in and out as quickly as possible. Try not to wake any of the Nobles. Guards will be patrolling the perimeter. Good Luck"
The book was signed with a wax seal resembling a "D".

Octavious then went to the Mages shop in East Britain, and gathered some Teleportation scrolls. As he was walking back to the West side of the city, there was something odd. Several of the guards that were supposed to be watching the streets were nowhere to be found. Octavious almost aborted the job, but then remembered that there would be a festival in castle Britannia tonight, and perhaps they were on their way already. Many of the city's rogues would be out in full force tonight with the low sense of security.

Octavious thought: "Wonderful. Theres going to be an entire legion of guards in at the manor tonight, and thats where I'll be too! Perhaps I won't be noticed. Only the foolish would try to rob the castle when it would be swarming with guards, and they probably won't be expecting anyone." Octavious then finished his last loaf of bread, and now sipped a bottle of ale. He looked at his watch, which was a gift from his employer, and it said: "Ten past Eleven at night"

With seeing that, Octavious left the tavern, and went to the Main gate bridge, and teleported up top. He then drew a spyglass out of his satchel. Peering into it, he saw one lone guard patroling the top of the bridge at the main entrance to the castle.

Octavious stalked his way over to the guard's patrol route, but was not noticed. He then peered at his watch: "It is midnight" It had also turned dark outside. Octavious waited until the guard passed him and was out of sight. He then teleported across the drawbridge, and to the top of the castle. He lit a candle and proceded to head south.

A few minutes later, he was upon stacks and stacks of barrels containing what he was authorized to steal by his employer. Hoards of arms and armor that were reserved for the King's best. It would soon be out of their grasp. Octavious put the candle on the stone floor, and started collecting his wares. Several of the pieces of armor were heavy, and thus he had to leave behind some things, which he threw into the moat, as so they wouldn't be found. He then headed West along the castle roof. Upon reaching the South-West corner of the manor, a guard walked upstairs and almost spotted the rogue at work. Octavious grabbed on to the side of the castle roof, and dangled above the moat until he heard the guard pass.

After pulling himself up, he grabbed the candle he had left out on the floor. After getting the required merchandise, he proceded North, where he saw two other thieves at their best. Scubba Hood, and Collector. Octavious chuckled to himself because these two were criminals, and were free to attack. Scubba felt intimidated and started babling at Octavious. "Get lost ye rogue, unless ye are looking for a fight, woman!"

Octavious thought it would be best to leave them alone, for Collector was already armored up, and willing to fight. Just then, the guard that Octavious had dodged by hanging over the moat was back, and had about 6 other guards with him. "Arrest these three" the guard said. Scubba and Collector charged at them with weapons swinging. Octavious made a run back South, and with a running jump cleared the moat when he reached the end of the roof. He was badly hurt from the long drop, but was soon off into the night.

A few hours later, at the rendezvous point, Octavious waited where he was told to be. Escorted by someone named Gradenko, "D" walked up to Octavious, took the stolen merchandise, and handed him a check for 5 thousand gold pieces. He then bid his farewells, and was off into a blue moongate. Octavious looked at the book that was handed to him. It had more jobs in it. These looked harder, and would take more skill. But otherwise, he was up for the challenge...

Immediately he and Vylnt J escorted the merchant to the Yew prison.

Sometime later Thoem Bisul received a message of a fierce battle at the jail. He raced over to find Long Dong and Vylnt J trying to drag Elle out of her cell. Their hearts in the right place, but clearly not thinking logically Thoem put a stop to them. As they debated in the hall, a poison elemental snuck up and forced them in the cell with Elle.

After they dispatched this creature Elle claimed it was not an elemental, but some sort of shapeshifter. They pressed for more details, but she demanded they leave. Standing just outside, while she wept, they spoke in low tones about how confusing everything had become.

A few minutes later a man dressed as a guard tried to enter Elle’s cell, but they stopped him. He explained he was just doing his job, but seemed suspicious and when he took off running Thoem and Long Dong were on his tail.

Finally catching up with him in the new lands the ‘guard’ was forced to confess. He said he was hired by a follower of Minax to ‘get’ the girl at all costs. Claiming to be paid as much as Thoem for this deed.

Long Dong came to the realization that Thoem was wearing the same clothes as the master merchant who demanded Elle’s release in the first place. With shapeshifters on his mind they argued while poor Thoem maintained his innocence. Unfortunately the faux guard used this time to escape.

What to do now? Iai Jutsu, El Rojo Amanecer and the revolution, all now just motes of dust, whistling in the dusty road behind me, twirling their futile lives in the flurry of continuation I find myself in......again.

Suitors have sought me, in business and in love, promising coffers of gold, pack horses of gifts, anything they 'think' I might want. Only one can truly be my goal though, for his attendance, his ceaseless support engenders in me the one facet of this roaming life we share.....passion.

Passion for him, and for what I believe in, and for that I thank you, Azrael. It is the undying support and continuous desire to aid me in whatever flights of fancy I take up that make you not only my love and my husband, but my best friend as well. Because biased as he is, his viewpoint is one of rationale, even in the most testing times and stressful circumstances, and he is the mainmast on my ship of wayward sails, always stable, always precise and unbreakable in his stalwartness.

So to you Azrael, druid of the lands, worker of Galdyrs' Runic wardings, and King of my world, I give you the greatest gift a woman can bear.....the news that I am with babe. Yours pregnantly,

Marie Robespierre,
Custodes Fati

** 7/14/00 ** 1:00 PM CDT ** Housing Update **

We will be updating staged housing phases on the following scheduled shards this evening:

Chesapeake, Phase One: 8:00 PM EDT
Great Lakes, Phase Three: 8:00 PM CDT
Pacific, Phase Two: 8:00PM PDT

We will be deleting all non-essential NPC's and monsters from these shards approximately one hour prior to the start of their housing phase.

If you are not participating in house placement, we request that you do not log onto either shard for at least two hours following the start of house placement this evening.

** 7/14/00 ** 1:00 PM CDT ** Housing Update **

We will be updating staged housing phases on the following scheduled shards this evening:

Chesapeake, Phase One: 8:00 PM EDT Great Lakes, Phase Three: 8:00 PM CDT Pacific, Phase Two: 8:00PM PDT

We will be deleting all non-essential NPC's and monsters from these shards approximately one hour prior to the start of their housing phase.

If you are not participating in house placement, we request that you do not log onto either shard for at least two hours following the start of house placement this evening.

** 7/14/00 ** 1:00 PM CDT ** Housing Update **

We will be updating staged housing phases on the following scheduled shards this evening:

Chesapeake, Phase One: 8:00 PM EDT
Great Lakes, Phase Three: 8:00 PM CDT
Pacific, Phase Two: 8:00PM PDT

We will be deleting all non-essential NPC's and monsters from these shards approximately one hour prior to the start of their housing phase.

If you are not participating in house placement, we request that you do not log onto either shard for at least two hours following the start of house placement this evening.

** 7/14/00 ** 1:00 PM CDT ** Housing Update **

We will be updating staged housing phases on the following scheduled shards this evening:

Chesapeake, Phase One: 8:00 PM EDT
Great Lakes, Phase Three: 8:00 PM CDT
Pacific, Phase Two: 8:00PM PDT

We will be deleting all non-essential NPC's and monsters from these shards approximately one hour prior to the start of their housing phase.

If you are not participating in house placement, we request that you do not log onto either shard for at least two hours following the start of house placement this evening.

A picture is worth a thousands words. This is the one waiting for us when we got back from the Fire Caves near Papua.

Last Tuesday I was on hand as the heroes met in Lord British's castle to discuss finding information on those behind Elle's forced reign of terror. Going off the tiny bit of information that the evil mages might be involved we took a scouting party to the caves.

Many dead orcs & evil mages later we had nothing. (Ok, maybe someone got some cool red sandals...snatched right out from under my fingers, but that's a different story) So, we headed back to the meeting hall to be confronted by a terrible sight: Equipment strewn about and other signs of struggle. BladeSong was gone and in his place was this awful book. With no idea who the Merchant's Guild is we can only pray for our friend's safe return.

I would like the bring to the attention of the fine citizens of Sosaria, the events that occurred at the wedding of Aphrodite, to I Norn Iron Paul. As you may well know, Aphrodite chose I over the evil Kaos, and he was not too pleased, in fact he promised he would take the lady by force.

Since the threat, I had amassed a small crack team of militia, ready to battle off Kaos should he harm m'lady. This army consisted of Ultima Thule Members, Kardinal Mondane, Skitz, Madman, Mart, Lexx, Dermott, Mara, Pilsner, Athos Magnus, Valkyr, Gandalf and commanded by my first guard Ali G.

The wedding was progressing nicely this evening at the UTC keep in Feluccia, the vows had just been read, when suddenly the evil swine himself, gated to the front door with 7 other followers, of murderers and evil swines. His first action was to paralyse me, then his followers prepared to flame-strike me. He then issued a threat to Aphrodite, to come with him or shall die, I tried, oh I tried to convince her not to leave, but one of his team members cast a flamestrike at me, and that convinced the good lady to leave with him. I was surely shocked, saddened but mostly enraged by these events, and I promised I would hunt my love down till the day I die.

I therefore put a call out to all citizens of Sosaria, if they see or know where this evil coward Kaos is holding my love, then please let me know through the Ultima Thule website message board. If thou wishes to join in on the hunt for this madman, then contact the GM of the guild through the site, Lord Drexler, and he will add you to Ultima Thule.

I lastly put this question to the mysterious Lord Zithral, Kaos's noble master, do you condone the actions of your pupil, and will you stand by and let such actions take their course. You trained this treacherous scum, and that makes you partially responsible for his actions. If you know the whereabouts of my love, then please let me know as soon as possible.

Norn Iron Paul
Ultima Thule

Sosaria is a big place and you can listerally spend hours wandering around aimlessly when shopping from the various vendors located in Europa. I am in the process of compiling a site that consists of the various vendors that can be found in Felucca (and soon Trammel) to save time when shopping for something specific. Owners can mail me their shops and details as the site will be updated on a weekly basis. I will also be wandering around and add any interesting shops along the way. Anyone is welcome to let me know of a good shop or scammers.

All shops are grouped under the closest main city.

Thanks!
LadyAth
Ultime Oonline - Europa Vendors