September 2010

Posted to uoherald.com:

New Fiction! - Joy and Rain

Calvin Crowner

30 Sep 2010 16:43:29 EST

                                                                        *   *   *

A cooling wind had settled over the courtyards and archery buttes.  The matriarch and steward of Britannia unrolled the freshly deliver parchment with unveiled adoration. Breaking the wax seal of farmer’s plowshares, Dawn was careful not to tear the edges.

 The sun dimmed behind darkening clouds, and her heart lifted with the contents of the correspondence as well as the promise of rain.

Dawn smiled reading the slow, deliberate hand of her husband’s handwriting.  The letter lifted her spirits as always. She had packed sparingly, knowing her visit back to the shared homestead would be a brief but welcome break.

The fence is holding up nicely after the patches last winter. I don’t think I can handle one more day with these ugly beasts without your face to look on.  You smell so much better.

Dawn smiled. That was her Ors. Gentle and well-intentioned.  He never failed lifting her spirits with his simplicity.

There was a row in the tavern a couple nights ago. A bloke named Miegen and me bashed a couple heads and the rest found they had better things to do somewhere else.

Dawn cringed. She hoped her dear Ors had not fallen in with a bad lot. He was the loyal kind who was willing to give you the shirt from his broad and capable shoulders or go so far as to sheer one of his own sheep for wool if you were bare.  Over the years she had to take time to speak with more than a few merchants who would take advantage of his trusting nature.

What do you know about gambling? I know you played with your soldiers when away, but you never explained the rules. Miegen said something about filthy luck of a beginner?

Dawn sprinted from her chambers grabbing her bag, and letting the letter slip to the floor. Her cloak was on her shoulders before the page hit the floor.

Drops of rain hit the parched earth as her running steps pressed through the hallways.

---

Ors tossed the dice against the stone wall. Fists and curses rose as the dark dots settled in the sand.  Bets exchanged between the reluctant palms of the gathering. Backs were slapped, offering insult to sunburned injury in the heat of the early afternoon

 Miegen cheered with his new friend’s fortune.  “Seems your day and fortune are improving, Ors”

Ors shrugged off the praise focusing his mind on the task at hand. His skull ached with a slight fever as the din of the crowd jeered and faded into the distance. All Ors heard was the dull encouragement of a familiar rasp against his ear. He couldn’t place the timbre or resonance but he knew it sounded “fatherly.”

Had days passed since he crouched in this alley and been handed the tools of chance?  He hadn’t gambled before. His travel from Yew had been uneventful.  He’d spoken to one of the guards about uprisings against the Ophidian, and was suddenly surrounded by like-minded men and women.  He’d found a brotherhood that seemed sorely missing these days. He felt accepted.

In a sudden rush, his mind was pulled back to reality and his head doused with a cool wave of ale falling on his shoulders.  Whistles and mocking grumbles spread through the gathering. The crowd almost turned sour with the interruption until the news rose …

“There’s a game opening up the “Cane and Crutch!”

Ors and Miegen rose following the throng.  Ors pitched the dice absently one last time into the still-parched sand.  He wouldn’t be touching these particular dice again.  The dust settled revealing the first losing toss in hundreds of throws.  Miegen shrugged offering to his friend, “Oh well, at least it wasn’t for money that time! Let’s go.”

Ors nodded. His stomach turned, an uneasiness pushing through his chest, staring at the dice one last time.  He shivered feeling a breeze slip through the alley, a welcomed and thrilling change to the weather of late.  Rain?

Miegen wrapped his arm around the victor of chance. He grinned warmly as his forearm became exposed behind the farmer’s back, the mark of The Chosen unveiled briefly as they moved through the street.

The intermittent patter of rain fell through the street. Tufts of dust rising and immediately settling as the lanes darkened with the passage of the clouds … a separate set of footsteps headed away from the crowd, and was washed away as the clouds emptied in a torrent.

Posted to uoherald.com:

"Return of the Legends" Celebration Begins!

James Nichols

28 Sep 2010 10:26:22

Let the online pandemonium begin!

BioWare Mythic has summoned all former Ultima Online, Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning and Dark Age of Camelot players to join the Return of the Legends Re-Enlistment Celebration, beginning today, September 28. Returning legends will receive a hero’s welcome with free game time, bonuses, and events for the former players returning to the lands of Britannia, The Old World and Camelot.

Ultima Online’s 14-Day Return to Britannia re-enlistment campaign will be available from September 28 through October 11.

As part of the Return of the Legends celebration, the brand new expansion, Ultima Online: High Seas is being launched on October 12.  All returning players will be able to play on the High Seas Beta Test Shard to get a taste of ship to ship combat and piracy on the Sosarian seas.

Watch "The Re-Enlisters" Video 

Ultima Online: High Seas can be purchased from the EA Store at: http://eastore.ea.com/ through the account registration page or UOGAMECODES.COM. All players will be able to benefit from enhanced boat movement system and ship mouse control for free.

For $14.99 USD, players will enjoy:

• Brand new NPC Ship Combat with enhanced ship-to-ship combat and damage states
• Bank/Character Storage Increase, Sea Markets, new fish, fishing buffs, and recipes, paintable boats, Level 7 Treasure Chests and new boss encounters: the Scalis and Corgul the Soulbinder
• All new ship combat! Features include new ship to ship combat,  ship weapons and ammunition, and NPC Ship Combat (Pirates and Merchants)
• Three new ship types with customizable colors, weapons and ammunition

Returning players for UO must visit the UO account center at: https://account.ea.com/myacct/uo/uo-hub.jsp?skin=uo.

The Syndicate Hosts Public Lottery Event

On Saturday 10/2 at 5:00pm EST, The Syndicate will be hosting another of its free, open to the public Lottery events. We have been hosting these going back twelve years with thousands of players having participated and many hundreds of winners. There are two parts to this lottery that will allow dozens of people to win. The first part will be our usual 25 prize event. If you show up you will be automatically entered and 25 random people will win very nice prizes. The second part is more of a free for all event in our castle with prizes scattered all over to be picked up by anyone who passes by and even more prizes placed on vendors (for 1 gold each) in an effort to get even more people walking away with a prize. If you attend the event, you are likely to walk away with 1 or more prizes.

The event takes place at our island city of Arx Draconis. Syndicate gaters (known by the LLTS over their heads) will begin gating at 5pm EST from the major banks. Look for them to hitch a ride to the event. The first prizes get called at 5:15pm and as soon as the 25th prize is called, the floodgates open for the free-for-all event. We hope to see you there!

The following are our Auctions for this week on Lake Superior:

Archdemon Auction

Date:  Monday, September 27th

Time:  9:00 pm CST

Location:  Out the North gate of Luna & 3 houses East

Contact:  Rose - ICQ 576122555

Date:  Friday, October 1st

Time:  8:00 pm EST

Location:  First House East of Luna Moongate

Contact:  Sir Landon - ICQ 475387548

*Note: MOA and BEC auctions are held every Friday night, each on alternating Fridays. There are house teleporters between these auction houses for your convenience.

Today was the day of the Red Egg & Ginger Banquet at Brit Castle. I arrived early to check on the Baby Dragon only to find she was not in her pen. Her toy building blocks, teddy bear, teething ring, chew toy, even her picture book was there but not the baby. Then I noticed a sign stating she was visiting her fairy godmothers so I went to the castles main hall. To my delight a crowd was already gathering.



It did not take long for the hall to become crowded. People were complaining, as they do, that others were standing on them, in their way, ect. Soon enough the Queen arrived with the Baby Platinum Dragon by her side.



The Queen informed there was a problem with the ceremony and she enlisted our help. The messenger that was sent out to get the messages from the three Fairy Godmothers had not returned. It was our task to visit each and return with the messsages. Fairy Benevolence was the first on our list.



With information in hand we returned to the great hall in the castle.
The next two Fairy Godmothers reside in Ilshenar so we set out to meet the great Queen Silvani, who by the way changes from man to woman to fairy * laughs *.



It was from the space of Silvani and the Tavern that Princess Nissa is known to hang out, and slosh down the ale, where the dark upset lay. In the middle of the road an attack of one not seen in many moons took place with much carnage resulting. What was this evil force and was it trying to stop the ceremony from taking place ? I have a feeling this is what happened to the orginial messenger.





Princess Nissa was indeed in the tavern as expected. Her breath reak of something stronger than ale, I swear. She tipped about and pointed us to a lily pond. Soon enough we got the message we were looking for via a book and back to the castle we went.



With all the messages in hand the Queen pronounced the Family of Britannia values three things highly.
One : Courage ( represented by a bell )
Two : Love ( represented by a candle of love )
Three : Truth ( represented by a book of truth )

She then gave the Baby Platinum Dragon her name, Mirendel



Mirendel also spoke her first word, " wuv " which excited the crowd.

As a keepsake from this historic event all those that attended were gifted red eggs with a special inscription.

Today was the day of the Red Egg & Ginger Banquet at Brit Castle. I arrived early to check on the Baby Dragon only to find she was not in her pen. Her toy building blocks, teddy bear, teething ring, chew toy, even her picture book was there but not the baby. Then I noticed a sign stating she was visiting her fairy godmothers so I went to the castles main hall. To my delight a crowd was already gathering.



It did not take long for the hall to become crowded. People were complaining, as they do, that others were standing on them, in their way, ect. Soon enough the Queen arrived with the Baby Platinum Dragon by her side.



The Queen informed there was a problem with the ceremony and she enlisted our help. The messenger that was sent out to get the messages from the three Fairy Godmothers had not returned. It was our task to visit each and return with the messsages. Fairy Benevolence was the first on our list.



With information in hand we returned to the great hall in the castle.
The next two Fairy Godmothers reside in Ilshenar so we set out to meet the great Queen Silvani, who by the way changes from man to woman to fairy * laughs *.



It was from the space of Silvani and the Tavern that Princess Nissa is known to hang out, and slosh down the ale, where the dark upset lay. In the middle of the road an attack of one not seen in many moons took place with much carnage resulting. What was this evil force and was it trying to stop the ceremony from taking place ? I have a feeling this is what happened to the orginial messenger.





Princess Nissa was indeed in the tavern as expected. Her breath reak of something stronger than ale, I swear. She tipped about and pointed us to a lily pond. Soon enough we got the message we were looking for via a book and back to the castle we went.



With all the messages in hand the Queen pronounced the Family of Britannia values three things highly.
One : Courage ( represented by a bell )
Two : Love ( represented by a candle of love )
Three : Truth ( represented by a book of truth )

She then gave the Baby Platinum Dragon her name, Mirendel



Mirendel also spoke her first word, " wuv " which excited the crowd.

As a keepsake from this historic event all those that attended were gifted red eggs with a special inscription.

Posted to uoherald.com:

FAQ Friday #02 - 09/24/10

James Nichols

24 Sep 2010 15:21:31 EST

Greetings!

Welcome to FAQ Friday - Where we've collected together answers to Frequently (and sometimes not so frequently) Asked Questions within the community.

Want to see your question up here? We select questions from the UO Stratics "Ask the Devs" forum, so head over there to post your question and we might answer it in a future post! Please keep in mind that these won’t always address major topics of conversation, this is simply another way of sharing info about the game that won’t necessarily make it into a Producer’s Update or patch note.

Thanks, and have a great weekend!

gorgon lens and gargoyle equipment
From Nails

Q - "Currently gargoyles are at a disadvantage not being able to place or wear gorgon lens. humans and elves can wear on two slots to gargoyles zero slots. any plans to address this?"

Mesanna - This is something we plan to fix in the future.  Gargoyles should be able to wear the gorgon lens since they have glasses

What are the Benefits of having 120.0 Fishing?
Fat Lip

Q - “With the new powerscroll and skillcap for Fishing, what benefits will we get for having 120.0 Fishing vs. GM?

To fish up new Items & Fish? If so, can you please list what items/fish we will be able to get at 105, 110, 115, and 120 respectivly?[sic]”

Thanks."

Shade -These are the things that will be released with the High Seas booster.

Higher levels of fishing will now increase your chances of getting uncommon and Enchanted fish.  These bonuses occur at 60, 90, and 120.  Legendary fish cannot be caught unless you are a Legendary Grand Master fisher.

Certain orders in the fishing quest are not available until your skill is above 100 fishing.  This also means that certain rewards are not available from the quest unless your skill is above 100.

Expansion Pack and MIB's
type480

Q - "Now that the make-over of the T/Map system is complete, are there any plans to look at the MIB's, or is this going to be part of the new expansion pack. The stuff you get from normal MIB's is a little dated now, 99.9% of the stuff you fish up will go to the trash barrel"

Mesanna – We agree with you, and we are going to be updating them in the near future.

Sleep and Stoneform
Drowy

Q - "Sleep notes say it should be broken by damage and Stoneform should be able to resist paralysis. Both isnt working. 
So are the publish notes wrong or its not working as intended?"

Logrus – Sleep is broken by damage over a specific threshold, but not broken by self damage.   Stone form is broken in that it seems its not applying the damage bonus correctly  but stone form does not resist paralysis  it resists curses and poison  and increases resist.

running
whiterabbit

Q - "Do anyones know if they nerfed goblins running speed? Ozog used to out run horsie, but now can't keeps up. Just wonders if they dos dat or is it my puter"

Mesanna – I was aware of an issue with Orcs (which was fixed), never heard of an issue with goblins.  Anyone else seen this? Do the little guys have fast feets?

Posted to uoherald.com:

High Seas Open Beta Has Begun!
Bonnie Armstrong
24 Sep 2010 11:10:48 EST

Greetings!

We are excited to present High Seas Beta to everyone on the High Seas Test Center.  For the duration of Open Beta TC1 will be closed down.  Stratics was nice enough to give us a dedicated forum and I have divided it up into different topics for everyone.  Please post your issues/comments in the appropriate thread.  The installers can be found here:

Enhanced Client

Classic Client

The Stratics forum can be located here:

http://vboards.stratics.com/uo-beta-test-forum/

Please note that these clients can not log into production shards.

For more information see the High Seas Beta FAQ (Updated 9/24):
http://mythicmktg.fileburst.net/uo/media/pdfs/HS_Guide.pdf

The decaying, gnarled body of Relvinian slumped against a stone wall at the bottom of a long shaft deep underneath the Hedgemaze. As a Lich risen from the dead, his physical strength was tied inseparably to his magic. With his stores of power utterly depleted, he would need some time to recover before moving on.
Above him he heard cries of victory mingled with calls for further pursuit of the Undead mage. "Fools. They do not realize there is a reason I didn't leave this way in the first place," Relvinian muttered, the tattered remains of his face twisted into a permanent snarl.
Indeed there was a reason, he thought as his malevolent gaze searched the way in front of him. Defeated, escape to this place was his only option. He knew what he would now face, and powerful as he was, he could barely comprehend that which could be found underneath his grave.
He knew his passage here would not go unnoticed – the best he could hope for is that the entity that dwelled here would not take an interest in him. This place was not a source of evil, as one would expect such a location to be, but was nonetheless a source of great power. Relvinian did not fear what its' sole inhabitant could do to him, but rather the interference it could have on the plans of Ix Tab and himself.
Relvinian had little doubt that he would escape what was to come. But his entrance here ensured that he wouldn't be the only one escaping the depths of the earth. The voices above having quieted to a murmur, he could hear something ahead – laughter from deep within the darkness.

Township Summit Report
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Summit Chambers, Britain
By: Merik

Allegiance to The Crown
[Action] [Dragons Watch] [Guardians Gate][Gyldenfeld] [Colt] [Merxmere] [Nidaros] [PaxLair City] [PaxOku City] [Pitmuck] [Silvervale] [Zedland][Templar]


Aggressive to The Crown
[Aryslan] [Cimmerian Pass] [Citadel of the Fallen] [Kijustsu Anei Keys] [Kijustsu Anei Village] [Moria]

1. Castle purified water supplies have been released
2. Advisory to not eat any fish caught from the castle Moat
3. Tomas O'Neerlan will provide any township, with schematics to detailed water purification devices

You receive an engraved invitation. Your name has been written on the blank line in beautiful lady-in-waiting calligraphy. The invitation reads:


~*~*~*~*~*~

The Lord Chamberlain is Commanded by The Queen to invite
you to a Red Egg and Ginger Banquet at Castle British
Saturday, 25th September 2010 at 4 o'clock in the afternoon,
Central Daylight Time
~*~*~*~*~*~

You recall hearing about this ancient Tokuno tradition. On, or shortly after, a baby's thirtieth day of life, the parents throw a Red Egg and Ginger party to celebrate the infant's health and to formally announce the name.

The party site is usually decorated with red eggs (symbols of renewal and harmony) and ginger (for strength and balance, and to ward off evil spirits). Red represents happiness and good luck.

To the Tokunese, names are very important. The entire family helps to select an auspicious name for the baby, with the final choice formally announced at the Red Egg and Ginger party. The name is inscribed on a scroll, which is placed next to the baby. The baby is then told her name.

This evening Avery was passing about drinks to the locals in the Britain Tavern near the Bank. (Thanks to Aurelius for letting me know! )



He was talking about his travels on sea and suggested to us to always follow the virtues and our leaders.



Avery left the Inn around 8:50. Very best wishes to him and his travels on the high seas.

Ready Your Pens and Write a UO Play!

1. All entries MUST be PG-13 which will be determined solely by the Grand Duchess Wildstar. If your entry is not found to be PG-13, it will be returned to you and you will have one chance to resubmit it.

2. Your submission must be an original work created by you; either at some time in the past or just for this contest.

The following are our Auctions for this week on Lake Superior:

Archdemon Auction

Date:  Monday, September 20th

Time:  9:00 pm CST

Location:  Out the North gate of Luna & 3 houses East

Contact:  Rose - ICQ 576122555

Date:  Friday, September 24th

Time:  8:00 pm EST

Location:  First House East of Luna Moongate

Contact:  Sir Landon - ICQ 475387548

*Note: MOA and BEC auctions are held every Friday night, each on alternating Fridays. There are house teleporters between these auction houses for your convenience.

I am mostly recovered from my Blackrock poisoning, though I have lost most of my sense of taste. Regardless, know that I am well enough to resume control over the guard.

I have many requests to form new regiments. The Guard is growing stronger by the day.

A list of prospective regiments:

Royal Navy in Serpent's Hold. Captain : Victoria Navarre

Royal Guard in Moonglow. Captain : Grimmjow

Royal Guard in Yew. Captain : Dallen Bowsong

Spy Regiment in Skara Brae : Malachi

Royal Guard in Luna: Lady Flutter

Royal Guard in Luna: Zuckuss

—-

In order to obtain official captaincy status over your regiment, I will require the following from each prospective captain.

A test of strength – I will pit your regiment against captured monsters to determine your strategic skill and battle prowess.

A Captain's interview – Why are you more able to preside over a regiment than others? Will your regiment respect your authority, and thus the authority of the commander? Discuss a detailed battle plan for your prospective town protectorate.

A list of regiment troops, a list of houses owned by regiment troops in your towns area. Numbers and strategic outposts are necessary in wartime. Protecting your home, loved ones, adds extra incentive to protecting a town.

——-

OOC Notes -

1) The list of regiment troops/houses should be a physical in-game book given to the commander during interview.

2)The troops participating in the test of strength must be under one tag. Tags for town protectorate status are not limited to RBG_. An existing guild can act as a RBG regiment without having RBG in the tag. They will be under the RBG theme, however, and will answer to the commander in an RP sense.

3) A lone individual is not acceptable to start a guard. Town numbers are finite; therefore groups are needed so everyone has a chance to participate.

4) Be honest in your numbers and with those participating in your test of strength. Everyone will be documented, and each member will be expected to participate in their guard theme.

5) Current regiments are grandfathered in these rules, the guard is always evolving, so I won't hold that against prior regiments.

5) Magincia, in its current state, is not accepting a regiment. There is nothing much to protect.

6) This takes a lot of effort on the parts of Mesanna and I. If you aren't interested in participating, or are just here to see a headquarters erected, please don't apply for captaincy of a town.

7)Headquarters will take effort to acquire. These aren't things that will be simply handed out. They are -not- decoration. They will not be extensive. Keep that in mind when working toward your regiment.

8)Captains on this list, get in contact with me through email to provide a time we can do the tests!
[email protected]

Posted to uoherald.com:

FAQ Friday #1 - 9/17/10
James Nichols
17 Sep 2010 16:33:07

Greetings!

Today we start a new Herald feature: FAQ Friday - we've collected together answers to Frequently (and sometimes not so frequently) Asked Questions within the community.

Want to see your question up here? We select questions from the UO Stratics "Ask the Devs" forum" so head over there to post your question and we might answer it in a future post! Please keep in mind that these won’t always address major topics of conversation, this is simply another way of sharing info about the game that won’t necessarily make it into a Producer’s Update or patch note.

Thanks, and have a great weekend!

MORE

Posted to uoherald.com

New Fiction! - Clarity
Dave YukainDan Youakim
17 Sep 2010 15:42:02 EST

The warm Sosarian sun radiated its energy across the deck of the sloop as it planed effortlessly over the waves. Mist, aloft in the sweet salty air, gently caressed Avery's face as he reminisced of much more innocent times. Seagull paced his vessel, squawking in delight as they occasionally dove into the water; snatching one of the many sardine formed into a bait ball by the dolphin below.

It had been so many years since the former Captain of the Guard could enjoy the perfection of a calm sea. The absolute paradise and freedom that came with it. It was out here that he could truly feel at peace. Away from the politicians, the militants, the wanting people. Away from his jailors …

His last thought panicked him. He jumped to his feet, unaware that he had even been laying down. The beautiful blue sky turned dark. The warmth from the sun fled and was replaced with a sudden chill. The squawks of the seagull became the murmurings of people. That glorious salty air now stale and musty.

It took several moments for his alcohol-soaked brain to catch up with what his senses had already made apparent. He was back in The Cat's Lair. His paradise nothing but a dream. Or perhaps a nightmare, taunting him with images of his simple adolescent existence he had enjoyed in what seemed a lifetime ago.

“Avery?” The feminine voice was distant in his head. “Are you okay?”

I feel sick, he thought to himself.

“Hey!” The same voice, louder now, pierced his brain like a sharp dagger. At that, Avery keeled over vomiting.

“Give him a moment, Marily.” This time a man was speaking, “That brandy them Seven Tears monks distill is potent enough to eat a hole in any man's gut.”

Looking up, wiping his mouth, Avery suddenly felt flush with embarrassment. The two speaking were the keepers of the tavern he had spent so many of his nights in. Marily and her husband, Slade. They had put up with him for what seemed months, though in his perpetual drunkenness he had lost track of the days. Patiently watching as he and his new-found drinking friends got into raucous behavior of all sorts. The pair was always undaunted by the mess that was left for them.

Clearing his throat he finally found his voice, “Marily. Slade. I'm sorry.”

An amused look flashed across Marily's face. “It's a tavern, Avery. I think we are accustomed to cleaning after a bit of illness.”

“No,” Avery shook his head, “I am sorry for bringing all my problems here. The drinking, the games,” he let out a sigh, “the fighting. It isn't the type of man I was brought up to be.”

“Drinker's remorse,” Slade thought the answer to simple, “does this to people. You'll feel better after having something to eat.”

Avery's stomach churned. “It isn't that. It isn't just the drinking.”

He again felt the gentle and reassuring hand of Marily on his shoulder. “What is it?”

“I cannot escape what I was,” Avery spoke so soft it was almost a whisper. “I held the office of the Captain of the Royal Guard. I fought many battles. To some I am a hero, to others I should be back in jail.”

Slade let go a laugh, much to Avery's surprise. “Everyone knows you. Knows what happened. You'll always be remembered, in the good ways.”

That's the problem, Avery thought. Everyone did know him, and there wasn't a place on land that he could go undisturbed. He desired the peace he had lost so long ago, before entering into service of the Crown.

Avery chewed on this for a moment before speaking, “One last drink with my friends. Then I need to go.” At that, Avery grabbed several bottles of drink from the counter, leaving more than enough gold to cover the charges he had amounted, and started for the door.

“Where've you got to go?” Slade called after him.

Without missing a step or turning his head as he opened the door, Avery left but a single word to hang in the air.

“Paradise.”

Finding the Hooby Jooby Bird

A crowd gathered at the Counselor's Hall in Trinsic and Fynn Barrett arrived on the dot at eight.



Fynn recapped the previous weeks events, About finding the five remaining bottles of Serpentwyne - A possible cure for the miners in Britain. Fynn asked for one bottle so Father Grant could take a look at it.



Fynn and the Royal Guard arrived at Father Grant, But something was wrong. One of the two snakes had died - Of starvation according to Father Grant, He has possibly fed it the wrong food.



Fynn handed Father Grant the bottle of Serpentwyne and he confirmed it was the real thing, However in such small amounts it would not do enough healing for the poor miners.



Father Grant remembered some co ordinates regarding the feeding of the serpents, The guard decided to follow the co ordinates to see if they could help gather the correct food.



Fynn Barrett gated the guard to his boat which then took everyone to the Lost Lands.



The co ordinates lead to a small hill, Fynn began to dig as people moved back to give him room.



Fynn screamed "I think I got something" when suddenly guardians began appearing from the hole!



Once they had been killed a box was found, Inside a book, The book said the serpents are fed Hooby Jooby bird eggs. These birds could be attracted by young wyvern blood.



South of the dug up box several young wyverns were found and killed, Their blood collected to try atract some Hooby Jooby birds later.



With enough blood gathered, Fynn gated everyone to the Hooby Jooby bird nests, The blood was to be smeared around the hole and everyone to scream the Hooby Jooby mating call to lure them out, HOOBY JOOBY!! - Then tamers could tame them.



The Royal Guard and Fynn began to scream HOOBY JOOBY!! around each nest, The birds began to appear and the tamers soon got to work gathering a flock.



A while later Fynn Barrett gathered everyone and gated to an empty cage in Moonglow.



At Moonglow Fynn locked the captured Hooby Jooby birds in the cage, It would be a few days before they laid any eggs for the Ancient Silver Serpent in Trinsic to eat.

Owain shivered uncontrollably as a slight wind blew against his wet skin. The drip of water from his hair and flesh to the stone floor echoed throughout his otherwise silent, bleak surroundings. As he focused on the sound, vague memories flashed through his mind in a frantic effort to recall how his condition had come to pass.

The words of power; he remembered uttering them above Relvinian's grave, he remembered the earth contorting into a chasm beneath his feet, the yells of the Royal Guards as he was consumed by rock, the light fading from view as his scabbard scrapped against the tight, cavernous confines of his hellish freefall. He felt terror, falling, unable to see anything around him. In an instant the plummet had stopped as abruptly as it had started. Owain struck feet first into a pool of water, unprepared for the gush of liquid that entered his gasping lungs. He struggled to maintain consciousness as he swam toward the surface, kicking off his boots. Emerging, he spat the thick, bitter liquid from his mouth and breathed in gasped, ragged breaths as he pulled himself from the pool. The only visible object was a blue speck of flickering light in the far distance, which seemed to cast no illumination on his surroundings. The last moment he could recall, he was falling to his knees, losing the struggle for consciousness.
...
(more, part 1)
...
(more, part 2)
...
Event Time/Date: Friday, September 17th, 8:30 p.m. EST
Event Meeting Location: The EM Hall

This evening was a sad yet joyous occasion for one of the largest guilds on Great Lakes, the -Y- Guild.

Though the -Y- Guild has several guild houses the main guild house is in the beautiful city of Zento. Many of the homes in Zento are owned by -Y- members.

I was invited to a memorial service and dedication this evening by the -Y- Guild and I accepted. Upon entering the guild house Temptress greeted me, as she greeted everyone, and gave me a purple hat for the memorial service. Purple was the favorite color of the person being honored, Tami. In the realm you may have known her as Trey, Bluebelle or Maize. Tami passed away this past august I am sad to say.



The dedication of a memorial stone took place behind the guild house near a beautiful gardened pond and performed by EM Elizabella.







EM Elizabella also locked down a Rose of Trinsic at the base of the memorial.
The Guild Master of -Y-, Kid Icarus gave a few words about Tami and some personal heart felt memories of Tami. It was however when Synister spoke that there was not a dry eye in the garden. Tami was Synister's best friend and it is always hard to loose a loved one but a best friend is even harder.

There was a respectful moment of silence then a wave of thank you's directed to Elizabella for taking the time and sensitivity on this lose.



~ REST IN PEACE TAMI ~


note: When in Zento please stop by the Memorial Stone

Hail all,

I had mentioned in-game, but wanted to post on this forum also; I am going to be taking a leave from the EM Program. I need to focus more time to real life issues and do not at this point have the energy/time to participate in the EM Program. I have greatly enjoyed my time with Atlantic and hope many players have had fun at the EM Events over the past 13 months. I am sure EM Bennu will be up to the challenge of carrying on. I hope you all have fun adventures in the future! I will miss trying to count all the death robes.

EM Nestor

Posted to uoherald.com's

Producer's Update - 9/10/2010
Calvin Crowner
10 Sep 2010 16:03:14 EST

This week I’d like to follow up on some questions asked during the Town Hall as well as continue to clarify what a booster pack means, and what you are paying for and what you are NOT paying for.

What is the plan for the next Booster? When will we see it?

Booster packs are geared for semi-rapid dev cycles plus testing. The goal is to release two per year. We have several ideas right now. But in the short term we are going to focus on completing the current design, delivering arenas to test center as soon as we can, and fixing bugs in game.

The booster went into Alpha testing Wednesday (September 8th) and we have an aggressive bug schedule we are digging into, to get players hands on it and to an external test center in the not too distant future.

Most importantly, the cost of the booster pack does not include “the cost of labor.” This means that we fix bugs and core systems that EVERYONE will have access to. What you pay for is the content surrounding those updates. For example, with the current booster in production everyone will receive the benefit of smooth boat movement. It is core functionality we cannot actively separate from the game. What the customer pays for are new ships, new quests, and access to “cool stuff” like new recipes and boss battles.

As for all content, the booster is available for both clients. Smooth boat movement was initially developed and tested in the Classic Client, and later developed and tested in the Enhanced Client.

Players do not pay for the Ultima Online clients. You pay for the content.

When will we see actual tangible merchandise from UO, and will we see a box on store shelves?

It is unlikely you will ever see another box for Ultima Online on Target or Best Buy store shelves. Much of the industry is moving toward digital distribution. However, in terms of merchandise (t-shirts, cloth maps, Mesanna bobblehead dolls); we have taken that recommendation into consideration and trying to come up with a plan that will work for the business and the community. What we found out during the Town Hall is that many players take pride in their knowledge and association with the legacy of Ultima Online. You would the ability to share your dedication in more ways than downloading and paying for virtual items.

It will not happen any time soon, but I wanted to let you know we heard the request and are making an attempt to address it.

When will you fix access for individual player housing, as it was in the Kingdom Reborn (KR) client?

This is on our radar currently. This was a function/feature that was initially a bug in the KR client that was later fixed. The side effect is that players appreciated the option. We are talking about it internally, and trying to work it in to the next dev cycle once we are certain removing the restriction makes sense.

What’s going on with 3rd party program detection?

This week the first series of actions took place on 3rd party program use offenders. I will not share numbers or specifics on account names, locations of offenders, or how often we will take action.

Criteria for taking action are based on frequency of the offense. For example, account X was found using program Y, Z number of times. This implies that the account/player willfully violated the terms of the game. High frequency violators will be removed from the game. Low frequency violators will be warned and in time suspended if the offense continues.

Flames, vegetable throwing, and other creative methods of termination and suspension are not currently planned.

UO Assist and UOAM are sanctioned applications.

What happened to 5 of Friday and will it ever return? What about ask the Devs?

While this update might seem like a FoF … it’s not. We [team leads and the community team] had a chat after the week of the Town Hall to come up with a method to update you more consistently about goings on with the team. I am getting used to using the Ultima Online Facebook page for getting out information rapidly. The Facebook page, in concert with the UO Herald for more formal announcements and updates will hopefully help increase the frequency of updates.

Also, you can always find us lurking on the forums.

As time progresses we’ll continue ensure the information you need is accessible and any issues that keep you from enjoying our game are addressed.

What’s up with that newsletter that went out and why didn’t I get it?

I have heard that some players receive the Pogo newsletter but have heard nothing from UO. I have received a few private messages, and will make an attempt to get you on the EA notifications opt in list. However, in the short term you can view it here.

Why did you answer this letter in the form of an FAQ?

I thought this format would be best.

What’s with the still no mention of “X” feature…?

As always, I’m certain I have missed a few dozen other topics near and dear to your interests, but this is all I have space for currently.

Please have a safe and careful weekend, and see you on the boards.

Though Autumn is not offically here for 13 more days a Fall Tournament was held this evening at the Fairgrounds. It may still be Summer but Autumn was in the air.



There was a great turn out for the tournament and as I looked over the crowd some of the faces I saw were, Moonrush, Malag Aste, Lady Perenelle Flamel, Lei, Lindera, Ixtab, Drakmord, Lady Agatha, FLASHBANG, Kailee, HIGHLANDER, NightStorm, Sugar Cookie, Lord Neptune, Lord Grizzly Bear, Paul Rocks, Gabrielle, Blitzkrieg, Victor, Tranny Tami, Thorreain, Lady Martyna Z'muir, Car'n Underpants, Doll Master, Xavier and al Shain. No doubt there were more.

EM Elizabella left a book out for all to read before the event began explaining the rules.











Commander Keel appeared and the event began with some very strange looking red trees called Bare Apple Trees.





There were three rounds, all Autumn-themed: bare apple tree, the great harvester, and fallen angel. The last one was a pun *looks properly contrite*

The middle round was al'Shain, Blitzkrieg, Grizzly Bear, HIGHLANDER, Malag aste and Paul Rocks. They fought the great harvesters (skeletal lich with far greater magical powers than usual)

The last round was HIGHLANDER versus Paul Rocks. They fought fallen angels (crystal lattice seekers with increased stats and skillls). Be sure to check out the Award Hall with the winners name proudly displayed.

It was an exciting way to kick off the upcoming Autumn season.

Event Information:
Date/Time: Wednesday, September 15th, 7:30pm EST
Place: EM Meeting Hall in Britain (Trammel)

Howdy folks.

Do you want to represent Catskills in an inter-shard treasure hunt competition? Here is your chance.

In response to numerous requests, we are going to hold a preliminary contest to determine the top two teams of treasure hunters on Catskills. These teams will then go on to represent the shard in a fier…ahem…friendly competition with the current champions of Sonoma. For those not familiar with the previous competitions, feel free to consult the following threads:

Sonoma Preliminary

Cross-Shard Challenge

Here is a basic rundown of the event:

- Teams will consist of 2-5 members. Try and get as close to 5 as possible!
- One member of your team must be a GM Treasure Hunter with GM
Cartography and GM Lockpicking. Mining is not required but would be good
to have.
- On the day of the competition you will need to have a book ready with your
roster on the first page. Your Treasure Hunter should be listed first.
- We are limited to TEN teams for the event. Should we have more we will
work with each team and ask that any smaller ones join together.
- Team names and colors will be assigned at the event.

The event is a "race" competition where each team will strive to complete one of each of the six levels of treasure maps before the other teams.

So find your friends, call your comrades, and muster your mates so we can find the very best that our shard has to offer. I have little doubt that we can win the trophy from Sonoma.