June 2001

Lycaeum Academy Courses in July

 

 

(Tuesday - July 3rd AND thursday - July 5th:)   Preparation for - and combat against - intelligent opponents (PvP combat):

On 7pm UK time (6pm GMT, 20:00 CET) Karadryhel will present his course "Preparation for - and combat against - intelligent opponents (PvP combat)". This lecture informs about how to prepare for battle and how to act against the variety of existing opponents. It might be especially usefull when you plan to enter the faction wars.
This course is held in the Lycaeum on Moonglow island in Trammel.

 

(Monday - July 9th:)   Modern Magery I:

On 8pm UK time (21:00 CET, 7pm GMT) Kabach Cryonax will present the first part of his course "Modern Magery".
This lecture informs about the basics in magery and is especially usefull for starting mages.
The course held in the Lycaeum on Moonglow island in Trammel.

(Thursday - July 12th AND thursday - July 19th:)   Taming and Keeping Frenzied Ostards:

On 8pm UK time (7pm GMT, 21:00 CET) Honey will present her training session "Taming and Keeping Frenzied Ostards".
This session is ment to teach practical taming of ostards and self-preservation by doing it. It will also be shown how to use your frenzied ostard to fight dangerous preditors.
This session starts in the Lycaeum on Moonglow island in Trammel.
This course is ment for somewhat experienced tamers (skills 69+).

(Monday - July 16th:)   Modern Magery II:

On 8pm UK time (21:00 CET, 7pm GMT) Kabach Cryonax will present the second part of his course "Modern Magery".
This lecture informs about advanced issues in magery.
The course held in the Lycaeum on Moonglow island in Trammel

 

(Monday - July 23th:)   Modern Magery III:

On 8pm UK time (21:00 CET, 7pm GMT) Kabach Cryonax will present the last part of his course "Modern Magery".
This lecture informs about combat issues in magery. Practice will follow the theoretical part.
The course held in the Lycaeum on Moonglow island in FELUCCA.

 

 

More information about the Academy as well as a class schedule calendar can be found on http://learn.at/lycaeumacademy 

Please have a look at this calendar shortly before comming to the courses! Short term changes will be posted there.

 

Hope to see ye there!

Yoldran

Thanks

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Deepwater Charity Auction! PART 2!

As the topic says, its part 2 of the Auction, due to some strange things
that happend in rl, i had to postpond the event. Anyways..

This sunday, at 9pm CET, ill hold the auction in Deepwater, at the tower of
majiks, witch can be found in the east side of the town, just walk past the
tavern Owls eye, and continue east till you see a large tower, this is were
it will be held.

Hopefully there will be some good items for all, and if possible ill try lay
my hands on some rares or semi rares, we'll see.

So again, This Sunday, at 9pm CET in Deepwater, Charity Auction, and the
money that will be made here will go to Deepwater tresure. Who are trying to
save up to buy a house witch is for sale in Deepwater.

Elv'eng - Andune
http://andune.lemming.org

Thanks, hope it goes well this time

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Last evening while reading a book inside the CF tower I heard a noise outside. I went out to investigate and there was Amirth Takhista, (cousin of Rilla Takhista).

She apologised for being a little late for the meeting we had arranged to have, and we hurried off to the university. From the top of the tower I sent out pigeons that the meeting was starting. Once a few people had gathered [sorry can’t remember names, you know who you are], we started the meeting.

What was the meeting about you ask? I was just getting to that, be patient.

A few days ago we had found part of a very old book in the Moonglow Lycem. It was part of the book of Sacrifice and at the end was quite a long riddle about where the next book of spirituality could be found. It contained many interesting clues including,

"Find me near the recess of the land where stones grow one by one and where the earth is never at rest for I alone know the secret of…… Spirituality yet only in the dark of the moon when Hininbjorg reigns the cliffs of heaven on the night of that day of the soul figures number can my sprit rise"

My first thought was that it might be too do with a Moongate as there are stones there and the earth is not at rest as the gate leads to different locations, but which one? Mythradin suggested Minoc as that is known as the dark city.

Mythradin then suggested a Volcano as lava cools and turns to stone one by one.

Then after more discussion I had the idea of a grave yard as grave stones grow one by one as people are buried there. Mythradin then suggested Decit as that is one big grave yard and also at the recess of the land. But as Amirth pointed out it says near the recess of the land, so I suggested maybe it meant the Shine one ice island where Decit is located as that is about the only other thing on the island in that barren place of snow and ice.

But alas time was short and Amirth had to depart, and we agreed to look at the books and do more research. A Witch will be at Spirtwood tavern this Friday at 8pm GMT/BST perhaps she can tell us more? But she asks a high price.

Lord Falcore (Custodes Fati)

Thanks.

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It was years ago, long before Glunk was born into this world. The ancient scriptures had said that one upon a time Orcs ruled all the lands. Where humans were just getting established. And like all civilization there was war. But this was not war between Humans and Orcs. It was a war between the followers of Belok, the Orchish god of the underworld and the followers of Krenbluk, The Orc goddess of blood. Who gave birth to the Bloodrock Clan. The Bloodrock Clan was very mighty and large. But the followers of Belok convinced the humans to join them on their campaign to destroy The Bloodrock Clan.

The battle continued on for many years. Many humans and orcs alike where slain. This battle has never really ended and The Bloodrock Clan. Those who are left have been forced into hiding. Scattered throughout the forest of Yew, there is a non stop training to avenge the deaths of their ancestors. All in the name of Krenbluk.

Glunk stops reading the scriptures. Pulls out his jar of human blood and begins writing with his finger casually dipping it back in the blood.

Dis iz tu ull uu umies en fullurz ob Belok,
Frum diz dai furwerd Bludchok-hai hab pleb'd wur un ull dat git en owr wai.
Iv et meenz lief ur deth Bludchok-hai wul clomp owr wai bak tu beeng da unli Hai en ull da lundz.

Diz iz fur Krenbluk. En fur ull da Urkz hu hab gut clomped befur uz.

-Glunk, Da Eldur ob Bludchok-hai

-=Translation=-

This is to all the humans and followers of Belok (Orcish Devil),
From this day forward Bloodrock Clan has pledged war on all that get in our way.
If it means life or death Bloodrock Clan will clomp our way back to being the only clan in all the lands.

This is for Krenbluk. And for all the Orcs that have been killed before us.

-Glunk, elder of the Bloodrock Clan

He calls to his burd to come. Hops on and rides to Empathy Abbey where he posts the letter on the door.

(ooc: This is for anyone that knows us from other shards, Napa Urk is run by totally different people. And if you want to get a hold of a guildmaster example me icq me at 16685951. We are ready willing and able. Just say the word. There is how ever very few of us. This is a quest that will last into more and more quests. And you will find us when we are not training at our training house wandering the forests of Yew in Fel. If you want to fight us war us or tell us when you see us, we are more then happy to flag if there is a fair fight.)

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With the end of the first GQ comes the begining of the second. Much like everything in life when there is an end there has to be a begining.

Entry fee: Free
Style: Freestyle
Deadline: August 1st
Prizes:

• 1st 10000 gp
• 2nd 5000 gp

All submissions are to be made to [email protected] and include your charcter name and ICQ if you have it.

Official Golden Quills Page: www.geocities.com/johnathanswifts/Goldenquills.html

The second GQ is going to be another freestyle writing event. All entries will be judged on Style, creativity, and flow as well as originality. The Judges shall be different cept for me this GQ so our previous judges will also have a chance to enter the contest. The only editing done to stories shall be of Vulgar words and that is if this does not change the context. All stories submitted to the GQ become the property of I Johnathan Swifts to distribute and use as I see fit. Story rights remain that of the writers.

Johnathan Swifts
(Ancient One KoA)

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People of Trinsic,

The Council of Honor has been re-established in Trinsic. The mayor election for the provisional government in Trinsic was handled quickly. Magma and myself ran for the office, and I received the most votes. Other positions within the Council of Honor were quickly passed out in an effort to have an organized government. Those positions are...

Lord Protector - The Shadow
Vice Protector - Duke Mora
Keeper of the Peace - Coby Drakeswind
Keeper of the Truth - Blood Clot
Keeper of the Coffers - Richter Skyth

Members of the Honor Council:

Eli
Thrasher
Derek
Galahad
Magma

Applaud each of these men when you see them for their dedication to the city of Trinsic. A Charter for the city shall be drafted soon and another election will be held to cement the positions. Until that time, I am the Acting Lord Protector of Trinsic. All are welcome within our city's great walls.

The Shadow
Lord Protector

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They'll be in the first week of the next scenario. No specifc date for that yet though. More than likely, there will be a 4 week time off between the end of this scenario and the next one.

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After the release of Publish 12 to the Chesapeake shard yesterday (June 28th), issues related to the event scenario data required that the shard be reverted to a time before the publish was released. We regret this necessity, and are working to see that this problem is solved before Publish 12 is released again.

We are currently targeting to release the publish to the Chesapeake shard early next week, and we will update the players on the schedule when we are confident that the issue has been addressed.

Although this publish does contain the eagerly awaited veteran rewards system, please remember that to ensure the system is released smoothly, we will wait until all public shards have received Publish 12 before the veteran rewards system will be activated. Once all shards are running Publish 12, and we are confident that the veteran rewards system is functioning properly, we will begin to activate veteran rewards systematically on pre-determined shards. Please note that this means that players will not be able to choose rewards immediately once the publish is received. We are working to see that this delay will be as short as possible, and we appreciate your patience.

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I received this missive from the distinguished scholar, Anahera, Lead Teacher for the New Player Teachers of UO. The letter explains the NPT and their intentions to open a chapter on the Legends Shard. Read on, for further details.

Hail, I am Anahera. The new Lead Teacher for the New Player Teachers program now available. I am pleased to announce the program for NPT=New Player Teachers has spread to AOL Shard. This program will assist young players and old alike to learn skills. The link to apply for teacher positions is http://www.uo-new-player.com. As lead teacher I hope to see you apply and be apart of a great new program that is in the works!

I am thrilled with the new program! It brings the fire back in me that I lost months ago. I love to help others, and there is many more out there that do the same! Come apply! I am sure you will like it because the cordinator is real nice and it will give guidance to UO players that have questions on the game.

You will need to apply on website or goto stratics.com and go in the irc room for #new-player-classes to talk to us interviewers. *smiles* Come on in and check it out anyway.

Hope to see you there,
Anahera
Lead Teacher of AOL Shard for New Player Teachers Guild and Program

Cyn

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The mists swirled around the harbor near Caelum Mortuus. The clock on top of the bell tower seemed frozen at the eight position. Moonlight reflected off thunderstorms approaching from the east.

Boromir backed away from his telescope and spoke to Kandalor, “The stars say something dark approaches, but they also say it will be good for us. What else they say, I can’t figure out. They say something, but it is too blurry. I can make out that whatever it is that approaches, is said to arrive on July 1st.”

Kandalor looked from Boromir to the floor beneath them, then from his Shrine to the Temple’s doors, and then from the Temple’s doors to the lighting playing upon the ocean from the thunderstorm. “Something does approach, and for the life of me, I have a feeling it will be good for us.”

With that comment, a gust of wind blew in from the ocean, whipping Boromir’s hair back in the wind and skimming over the skin of Kandalor’s head. A grin spread across Kandalor’s face, “Aye, a great need has presented itself. Prophecies always come true.”

OOC: Those wishing to witness a joyous occasion for the dark forces come to the tower north of the Temple of the Black Dragon (78o 13'S 32o 24'E, Felucca) at 8 CST, July 1st.

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Once publish 12 gets active on all shards, you will now be able to rate the quality of service you received when a game master assists you. When the call is closed, you will get a window allowing you to rate the service from excellent to just plain bad. This is one of the many ways we are looking to improve the quality of service and feedback is welcome

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Thanks, everyone. :) You will hear from me again someday.

Melantus has left the building.

Melantus
Online Community Coordinator
Ultima Online
[email protected]

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A journal entry was found on the body of a wandering healer. The healer was found in a cave, where he had died from mortal wounds.

The Journal says...

'Research lead us to begin experimentations. The research failed, horribly. The subject was first brought to us by Inverness, a trusted healer and friend, who recently disappeared. We found dragons blood entagled within his own. We began the process of attempting to seperate the two. This apparantly gave the dragon's blood more power, and a soul entered the body.

The next few days were a haze, the Dragon seperated from Azareil it seemed and formed a new body to gather souls. After a short while, we found that the Dragon didn't actually leave Azareil's body, but masked his soul and made another. The other body lost energy, and decayed quickly, turning into ash.

The soul of Azareil managed to escape and form a new body, which is the body of an old man, who can apparantly, speak to animals. We studied him for a few days, before the Dragon attacked, we managed to get Azareil's new body out, but the dragon has wounded me beyond repair. He seems to have a poison within him that cannot be cured... yet.

I write this in the hopes that my research can be carried on, and the soul of Azareil be returned to its proper body, right now, it lies dormant in the artificial body it created. If it's possible... Kill the dragon, kill the demon of chaos. Then my soul will rest."

"The accur..."

The Journal abruptly ends.

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This is Marlene, Chancellor of the Town of Nidaros. Today I am writing to you on the update of how the planning of the parade, planned for July 14, 2001 at 7PM EST, is going.

This is a Large Scale Event with many guilds and player ran town participating. If you want to participate go to the link I am providing here to register and all other information.

The event is on July 14, 2001 starting at 7pm EST with the parade through The city of Britain in Trammel. Then, after the parade, we will hold a large festival in Lord British's castle.

The Parade has some of the most prominent player ran towns participating like The Town of Nidaros, The Town of Paxlair, The Town of Mythandale, The Town of Casandreal, and The Town of Evermore.

There are also many guilds that have registered for the parade like The Saints of Britannia, and The Realm of Healers. So all please come down and wath the parade and join in on our festival.

If you want to join in on the parade or the festival please visit the registration page at http://nidaros.chessienet.com/nidaros/id116.htm

(Click for a larger map)

Thanks a lot,

Marlene (Chancellor of Nidaros)

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ATTENTION ONE AND ALL

I would like to invite one and all to the Grand Opening of the new DEA (Dark Elf Army) guild house. On the 1st of July at 6pm PST DEA will host a party for all that wish to attend. There will be plenty of food and drinks for all. There will also be several contest type events and door prizes. So come one, come all to a night of food, drink, and prizes and help DEA celebrate the opening of their new guild house.

The new guild house is in Trammel, the first tower to the right of the wooden guard fort on the north east road out of Britain (just before the swamp between Britain and the Compassion Desert). The coordinates are 42°N 45°E

Brador

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Hear ye! Hear ye!

Citizens of Sosaria arise and count thyselves as residents of the world!

I, Gavin Horn, request information about each and every one of you for the General Survey and Census. The GSC is being conducted to better plan events and quests, ranging from wars to lotteries to hunting parties. I simply ask that you fill out a short form for each and every character that you play. It is important to know about all of these things on the survey and for each character so that I can gauge the abilities of our fine shard. How to register a character as a citizen of sosaria:

1.Fill out this form:

Character Name: Profession(s): Skill level in profession(s): Age(how long have you played pacific?): Character's Sex: Marital status(in UO): Do you roleplay?: What do you roleplay: Guild Affiliation: Faction loyalties: Status in faction/guild: How you would describe your playstyle: Reputation among other players: Anything else you think would help me plan fun, exciting, interesting events!

Please fill out one of these for each character an email or ICQ it to me. If all goes well I should be able to plan some fun events.

Email:[email protected] ICQ: 81659832

Gavin Horn

P.S.: I DO NOT discriminate against pks. If you are a pk and still wish to be considered a resident of brittania simply note that you are a pk. I guess thats it. I'll get some events running for you guys too

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The other day ago, in Corwyn, I arrived at the Black Rose Brewery at the request of a friend. I expected to see some patrons, but instead was greeted by a pack of beasts, later identified as jackals!

The beasts were roaming near the entrance, and going after a few of the local farmers. I quickly wrote a little message down to a local bard to help deal with the beasts. When I was finished, I stuck my arm out the Brewery's window, and threw the little birdie into the air. No sooner than that, one of the beasts jumped into the air snout first, narrowly missing my arm, but also failing to catch the birdie as a snack.

Once the jackals were slain, and peace restored, we noticed two corpses near the Brewery. Each contained a journal. From the journals, we have indentified that one of the killed was named Herbert, and the other was named Frederick. Judging by Herbert's journal, the two were some kind of merchants.

The presence of the jackals in Corwyn as well as any information about the two merchants still remain a mystery..

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The Gathered Spirits Community is pleased to announce to the public the details of Trumpets of Britannia, an enormous gathering of Britannians from all shards on Saturday, the 7th of July.

WHEN: 6 - 9pm PST

WHERE: Gathered Spirits Community Tower, Trammel, Pacific For a map to the venue, please visit the Trumpets website at http://www.gatheredspirits.com/gs/trumpets and choose 'venue'.

HOW TO GET THERE: You can either make your own way to the venue by following the map or you can catch a gate from the Minoc or Britain East banks between 5:30 and 6pm PST. Gates will also be provided for patrons of the Gathered Spirits Tavern (Felucca) just before the event starts.

Trumpets of Britannia will see more than 40 Britannians from 6 shards come together to tell stories about their lives in our world. The aim is to celebrate Ultima Online and the opportunities it gives its players to lead an enormous range of different and unique lives. The most outstanding participant will receive 500,000 gold pieces.

If you would like to join them and participate in the event, time is running out to apply. Applications officially close on July 1, but a few late applications may be considered. To apply, or for more information about the event, please visit the Trumpets website: http://www.gatheredspirits.com/gs/trumpets

Spectators are welcome. If you're not interested in participating but would like to come listen to the speeches, we'd love to have you. The Gathered Spirits' famous bartenders will be there to offer food, drink and conversation to compliment what should be a very exciting and inspiring evening of storytelling.

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The Gathered Spirits Community is pleased to announce to the public the details of Trumpets of Britannia, an enormous gathering of Britannians from all shards on Saturday, the 7th of July.

WHEN: 6 - 9pm PST

WHERE: Gathered Spirits Community Tower, Trammel, Pacific For a map to the venue, please visit the Trumpets website at http://www.gatheredspirits.com/gs/trumpets and choose 'venue'.

HOW TO GET THERE: You can either make your own way to the venue by following the map or you can catch a gate from the Minoc or Britain East banks between 5:30 and 6pm PST. Gates will also be provided for patrons of the Gathered Spirits Tavern (Felucca) just before the event starts.

Trumpets of Britannia will see more than 40 Britannians from 6 shards come together to tell stories about their lives in our world. The aim is to celebrate Ultima Online and the opportunities it gives its players to lead an enormous range of different and unique lives. The most outstanding participant will receive 500,000 gold pieces.

If you would like to join them and participate in the event, time is running out to apply. Applications officially close on July 1, but a few late applications may be considered. To apply, or for more information about the event, please visit the Trumpets website: http://www.gatheredspirits.com/gs/trumpets

Spectators are welcome. If you're not interested in participating but would like to come listen to the speeches, we'd love to have you. The Gathered Spirits' famous bartenders will be there to offer food, drink and conversation to compliment what should be a very exciting and inspiring evening of storytelling.

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> He looked out, from the roof of the guardtower, across the city of Kaladrym. The nation they fought to keep alive, they fought to liberate, they fought to defend.. reduced to this. It was nothing more than a bloodied battlefield now, hardly worthy to be called a home even to the most horrid of beasts. "Balin! Ye've been called to tae frontline, get yer arse mov'n, lad!" the yell could be heard throughout the city. The young dwarf, whom we now know as Balin, rushed down the guardtower into the city main. There, he met his squad captain, Dain. "The Hammer Squad 's suffr'n major losses at tae front.. Or'll take five men, and ye take five men. Clear out tae city, and meet at tae gate!" "Ai-ai, sir!" Balin responded ecstatically.

The city was completely corrupted. Orcs of all classes piled in through the gates, lunging through the Hammer Squad like a warm double-axe through a erkish skull. Balin ran his squad through the city, cutting through any orcs they found, rushing to the gate. He couldn't help but stand and stare in awe at the carnage he saw. Blood everywhere, limbs of dwarf and orc scatted inside of the gate, corpses piled high. "To me! To me!" came a cry from the gate. Balin and his squad rushed over, some applying needed bandages and forcing the wounded to drink down potions, others jumping into the chaos inside the gate. Balin climbed the steps up the wooden walls to the top, where he hurled down explosives onto the unsuspecting orcish horde.

The battle raged on, the dwarves slowly being pushed backward into the city. Balin knew if the force was pushed too far back, what little advantage they had left would dissipate. Dain and two engineers rushed up to the top of the gate alongside Balin to view over the enemy. "Balin, ow's 't look from up thar?!" Dain yelled as he ran up the stairs and across the wall. "..Balin?" He stopped, and turned his head to look at the near infinite number of orcs. His mix of fear and awe was cut short, however, as an orcish bomber tossed up an explosive, knocking Balin back into the city, killing one of the engineers, and throwing Dain into the orcs group.

It seemed impossible to continue. Rik Thorak Longbeard himself stood behind the force guarding the gate, with his military advisors close to his sides. "Or's Rik.. Or implore ye.. sound tae retreat!" Thorak looked down to the ground, knowing what it had come to. He looked to an older dwarf to his left, nodding slightly. The elderly dwarf ran off to the gate, picking up a small, bronze horn. The sound of the horn rang throughout the area, and could be heard as far as the graveyeard, far to the northeast. "What tae.." Thorak thought outloud. "Thak was nai tae..." his head jolted to the right, to the mountains between the fort and the city. "In tae name 'o Dumathoin, what 's THAK?!" spears lunged downward, piercing the chests of orcs and dwarves alike. "Wut dat?! Dem nub dorf!!" an orcish warlord yelled out, as if to demand response.

As the dwarven scouts climbed the mountains to discern what these people were, it could be seen from the peaks of the mountains a much larger force of them was appearing to the east, directly behind the orcs. They ripped through them, lashing with their spears like a silver serpent smoothly applies it's fangs to it's prey, as these savage humans hurled spears forcefully down to the dwarven soldiers on the opposing side of the gate. "R-Rik Thorak...?" "Sound tae retreat!" the bellowing roar of the horn was hardly as impressive sounding as the savages horns, but it got the point across. The dwarves at the front retreated quickly to the mountains at the western side of the city, where an entrance was carved into the mountain. The engineers activated their satchel charges at the gates as soon as the dwarves were a safe distance away, blocking the entrance with corpses.

Balin regained his senses, to see the dwarves fleeing to the mountains. He rubbed his head, to feel the warmth of blood pouring from it. He stood, applied a bandage to his forehead, and ran to the mountains. Savages were leaping from the mountains to the ground level, picking off those dwarves who were to slow too retreat, or the orcs who were unfortunate to be trapped within the city. As Balin rushed toward the mountain entrance, he could hear the engineers yelling: "1...2...3!" a massive explosion erupted from the mountain, rocks tumbling down, covering up the entrance. Balin panted heavily, darkness all around him. Was this Dumathoin's paradise..? Had he died in the explosion..? Dying while retreating.. what a travesty of an honorable warrior. A golden light.. coming towards him.. "Father Dumathoin.. ferg've Or fer nai fight'n t'tae death in yer name.." the candle approached his face as he saw an elderly, bald dwarf with a long grey beard. "... ye look 'lot like Rik Th! orak.." "Ye daffy numbskull! Or AM Rik Thorak! Get yer arse up, ye're nai dead YET!" "..." "Get down to tae undercity!" "Ai-ai, Or's Rik!" Balin ran off down the dimly light mountain hall. "Soon, Britannia... soon.." Rik Thorak thought to himself, as he blew out the candle.

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Sometime this weekend, the Gods willing, someone will cross the threshold of Nomad's door and be the 10,000th visitor to Nomad's place. In celebration of this auspicious event, the lucky individual (or the closest to it that he meets in person) will receive a gift package. The Grand Prize Winner can choose from the following:

• Warrior Package :
  Choice of any Vanquishing Bow, Crossbow, or Heavy Crossbow, Mace, Sword, or Axe
  An Invulnerable Metal Kite Shield
  A Large Painting and a Small Painting of your Choice
• Mage Package :
  Invulnerable Leather Armor
  1000 of each Reagent
  A Large Painting and a Small Painting of your Choice

It's been Nomad's pleasure to meet many of the people who have visited his house, and he looks forward to meeting the next 10,000! You can find directions to Nomad's Place in the Player-Run Establishments Section and Guide of the Drachenfel shard on the UO Stratics Website.

Thank you,
Nomad

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Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Tailors of Britannia!

The City Council of Concordia gives you the opportunity to show your skills to the world. In our fine "Ye Olde Concordian Tavern", we will host our first fashion show. It will take place on Saturday the 30th June 2001, at 8pm CET (7pm BST, 2pm EDT). Gating service will start 15 minutes before at the Eastbank in Britain.

Tailors (not required to have a grade in tailoring) must apply to be allowed to participate in this event. Each Tailor will have to create an original outfit for a male or female model. There will be three categories for which outfits need to be designed.

• Metal Armor
• Leather Armor
• Clothes

That outfit will be displayed on one of our models, and a jury will elect the best designer. The Grand prize for this event will be 60'000 goldpieces and a hundred bolts of cloth. Second prize will be 40.000 goldpieces and twenty bolts of cloth. Third prize includes 20.000 goldpieces and a some scissors. In order to apply, visit our website and fill in the small form there. There will only be room for 10 tailors, so hurry and apply quickly. There will also be a small application fee of 1'000 coins, to cover some small expenses. Get your scissorsready and create some nice and original outfits !

Sincerly,
Tanya Ironfist,
City Council of Concordia

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We are pleased to announce the global opening of the Mizuho shard on June 29th at 11:00 pm local time (JST). Mizuho is the 9th Southeast Asian Ultima Online shard and our 23rd shard worldwide. The name Mizuho dates from ancient times, when Japan was called "Land of Mizuho". Mizuho stands for beautiful water, and Japan has been long famous for its rich rice harvest. As a result of our localized shard policy, Mizuho has been open only to players located in Japan for the last two months to allow local citizens to build a community base and to allow us to ensure a satisfactory level of local support.

The Game Master hours for the Mizuho Shard can be found by clicking here http://support.uo.com/gm_0.html. For information on the shard's maintenance schedule, click here.

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Chesapeake Being Reverted

Due to an issue with the publish interfering with the event-related data on the Chesapeake shard, the shard was brought down at approximately 3:00 pm CDT. The shard is being brought back up now, and will be reverted to approximately 11:30 am CDT. We regret this necessity, and we will work diligently to see that all issues are resolved as soon as possible. We will update as to the publish schedule when we are confident the system is working optimally.

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Stablemasters do not withdraw more than the initial fee for stabling a pet.

Stabling a pet is for one week ONLINE real-time (in the game...if you aren't logged in, it doesn't count) of playing until it is 'let go'. In example, if you play 8 hours a week, your pet should not decay for 21 weeks real-time (over five months).

This system is not linked to house decay.

Hope that clears everything up.. :)

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When you make a bola you either make it successfully or you don't. The quality of the bola will be the same no matter who made it, so no GM mark will appear.
It's always possible that we could change that on future scenario craftables.

On the new vendor status menus the calculation to figure out number of earth days the vendor is paid up is incorrect. There are 12 UO days in one RL day. According to the Status menu, there are only 3 UO days in one RL day. You're going to have an awful lot of vendors quitting their jobs if players use your new RL numbers to pre-pay their vendors. I keep my vendors paid 3 RL days in advance. From last night to this afternoon, my alchemy vendor (with no sales since last night) went from 3 RL days to 10 RL days according to your menu...which I don't trust.

Here's the scoop and why it is displayed differently now...I'll repost this so everyone can see this information that reads this board.

The Vendor pay cycle does not pay out per UO day. It pays itself every 8 hours of real time. This means it is roughly 3 times per 24 hours. This does not include server maintenance, so the duration your vendor will last is actually slightly longer (depending on how long the shard is down).

So, the old report was wrong. The new report is more accurate.

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Lycaeum Academy Courses in June

 

 

(Friday - June 29th:)   Inherent contradictions of the virtues :

On 7pm BST (20:00 CET, 6pm GMT) Ridley will present his course "Inherent contradictions of the virtues".
This course will go over each virtue, along with a short history of how they have been applied in the past, or can be applied in present life. After the introduction on each virtue, a lecture/debate will be held, the purpose of which is to show how the virtues contradict one another directly and therefore must be cast aside, or new virtues should be named.
This course is held in the Lycaeum on Moonglow island in Trammel.

More information about the Academy as well as a class schedule calendar can be found on http://learn.at/lycaeumacademy 

Please have a look at this calendar shortly before comming to the courses! Short term changes will be posted there.

 

Hope to see ye there!

Yoldran

Belated but thanks

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Greetings to all!!

With the removal of the robed companions the new player program as been overwhelmed with ex-robed companions wanting to be part of this player run and shard wide program.

I can therefore now confirm that we have Lead Teachers on Europa, Drachenfels, Atlantic, Baja, Pacific, Great Lakes, Lake Superior, Chesapeake, Napa Valley, Oceania, Catskills, Sonoma.

Some of these lead positions have have been taken by ex RSC Companions and Senior Companions. Former Arch Companion SnowBunny is now an administrator of our forum on the main www.uo-new-player.com web site and Sonoma Shard Lead is the former Regional Senior Companion Gurney.

We welcome all former companions to join our new player team program if they wish to do so. The experience that they will be bringing to the program will be a huge benefit for us and for the new players to UO.

Positions that are still open are as follows.

1.Lead Teacher[not many posts left for this position]
2.Arch Teacher [positions on all shards]
3.Senior Teacher[open for positions on all shards]
4.Teacher [open for positions on all shards]

To apply for one of the above positions you can join us in irc channel #New-Player-Classes or send in an application form at www.uo-new-player.com

I would just like to say a special thanks to former Senior Companion Ravenwolf who is now the lead for oceania, former Senior Companion Silvermoon now Lead Drachenfels,Former Reginal Senior Companion Core who is now Lead of Atlantic Former Reginal Senior Companion Gurney who is now Lead of Sonoma. And thank you to the many more former companions that have joined our program.

A big thank you to Puppie our Arch Teacher for Europa.

Again the irc channel to apply is #New-Player-Classes or our main web site where you can send in an application form.

Best Regards,

Robert
New Player Team

Hail, I am Anahera. The new Lead Teacher for the New Player Teachers program now available. I am pleased to announce the program for NPT=New Player Teachers has started and we are looking for Teachers and Trainers for all Shards. This program will assist young players and old alike to learn skills. The link to apply for teacher positions is http://www.uo-new-player.com. As lead teacher I hope to see you apply and be apart of a great new program that is in the works!

I am thrilled with the new program! It brings the fire back in me that I lost months ago. I love to help others, and there is many more out there that do the same! Come apply! I am sure you will like it because the cordinator is real nice and it will give guidance to UO players that have questions on the game.

You will need to apply on website or goto stratics.com and go in the irc room for #new-player-classes to talk to us interviewers. *smiles* Come on in and check it out anyway.

Hope to see you there,
Anahera, Lead Teacher of AOL Shard, Senior Teacher for Baja Shard, for New Player Teachers Guild and Program

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The popular trend toward provincialism continues and yet another Sosarian City has been claimed. The Lady Makayla has ascended the Throne of that most honorable home of the Paladins, Trinsic. Read on!

Hail Travellers,

I, Makayla and my armies have as of this day occupied the city of Trinsic. The city and surrounding area shall as of this time be refered to as the Trinsic Empire by proclomation of Her Royal Majesty, Empress Makayla.

I shall, within the next several days, be forming a Senate to help as advisors in running this mighty Empire, as you all know, this requires alot of hard work and time. All those living in the Trinsic area and interested in being a member of the new senate should contact me, directly.

That is all for now.

Her Royal Majesty,
Empress Makayla

Cyn
Ace Reporter and Patron Saint of Sosarian Taverns

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It was...breathtaking. The three of us stood there with our jaws wide open. I had never seen anything like it.

Twin serpentine statues that snaked towards the ceiling were just inside the main tower. Their eyes were made of fat, yellow gems. All along the marble scales were sparkling diamonds inlaid in a geometric pattern. Enough wealth to make you rich a thousand times over.

Shemyazza stepped forward. “What the hell are you waiting for?”

Kneeling at the base of the serpent he began to pry the closest jewel from its source. Kral and I just looked at each other. There was...something that didn’t feel right, but that wouldn’t stop us and soon we had our knives out and were along side Shem trying to dig at the treasure.

I had no idea how long we were going at it. There was a worry about when it would get dark and as I watched the sun dip in the horizon I kept thinking; ‘Just one more’ even though my bag was full.

Was I a greedy person? Yes, indeed.

Would this get me in trouble? Most definately.

I looked around and suddenly Kral was gone. One moment there, the next missing. Shem cried out in alarm.

Turning I saw three dark figures standing in front of the entrance. Effectly blocking us from running & screaming like little girls into the night. They held Kral upside down as if he were a rag doll. I wasn’t sure if he was dead, but he had lost an awful lot of blood.

As my eyes adjusted, I noticed their skin was a pale white and their yellow eyes gleamed in the dark like the gems from those serpentine statues.

“Welcome, to Carafax.” one of them hissed. Seconds later the darkness enveloped me.

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UO Concerns Policy

For players who want to submit feedback concerning Customer Support personnel (whether positive or negative), the [email protected] mailbox has been created for this purpose.

In the past, while all mails sent to this mailbox have been read, we have not replied to these mails due in part to the volume of mail and the fact that our privacy policies dictate that when action is taken against a player or an employee, those actions are not made public.
However, through posts on our message boards and mails into UO Concerns, we understand that some of our players feel the mails sent to this box are simply ignored, or even worse, unread.

It is important for our customers to have faith in our support process, so as of today, we have added two new steps to our methods of handling [email protected] mail.
First, all submissions to [email protected] will receive an automated response informing the customer that the email has been received. The automated response will explain the purpose of the UO Concerns email address, and list the criteria used to evaluate if the email is considered a legitimate compliment or complaint.

And second, all emails will receive a response from the staff member reviewing the email. If a complaint is verified, the player should receive a direct response from the CRMD (Customer Relations Management Dept.), and the assurance that the appropriate corrective action will be taken. These instances will then be discussed with the CRMD member involved and treated as a performance issue.

If a complaint is not verified, or if the GM was found innocent of wrongdoing, the customer should be contacted with an explanation as to why there was no violation found.

If a compliment is received, the compliment will be documented in the employee’s work history, and the customer should be thanked for the feedback.

Types of Responses

There are three types of responses that will be sent in regards to UO Concerns emails.

1). Incorrect mailbox
The response explains that the email was not sent to the proper address. The customer should be directed to the appropriate address to contact. There are several other avenues of communication that may be more appropriate, including:

• [email protected] for Ultima Online gameplay questions
• [email protected] for tech support issues
• [email protected] for all issues pertaining to in-game suspensions and terminations
• [email protected] for account related questions
• the MyUO Forums for suggestions and game ideas

2). Requires more information
The staff member responds to the concern with a request for more information regarding the issue. We will only act on emails that provide the account name that interacted with the Support Representative.

3). Resolution of the Situation
The email is considered valid, and the customer is contacted with notification of the resolution of the situation.

What constitutes a valid UO Concerns email?

We will only review emails that are submitted with the login name of the account involved in the Customer Service interaction. If a player refuses to provide their account name, the email will not be considered valid. Requiring a player to submit their account name allows us to more thoroughly research the issue.

Important information that should be included:

• The account name (EA employees will never ask for passwords) of the account you used when interacting with a GM.
• Date, Time, and Shard where the incident took place.
  
• An explanation of the reason why you called a GM.
• What type of service you received, and what GM took your call.
• The type of resolution you would have preferred.
• Any additional information that is relevant to the situation.

All valid emails will be noted in the player’s account history, with the submitted feedback as well as the reviewing staff member’s findings.

It’s important to us to see that our level of commitment to our players is high, and that our customers feel their concerns are heard. We hope that these changes will work to show our commitment to the Ultima Online playerbase and community.

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Many thanks to all the folks who came out to Friday Fight Night at Grimoire sponsored by Malkin! We may have a new record for he 3v3 turn out. A total of39 fighters fought the good fight! Here are the results:

1st place: Warmonger, Don King, & Fox
2nd place: Bast, Samba, & Lost
3rd place: Andrew, Vampire Hunter D, & Magnoc

Props go out the 1st place team! During one of their battles, they accomplished Grimoire's first ever come-from-behind-win. Usually when a team member dies, the rest of the team eventually falls. Well this team pulled through their match to win and this was a first at Grimoire.

Huge thanks to the Grim staff! Thank you Liberation, LeeLu, Fiona Pentell, Josh, Talmon, and Arch Bishop Horshack! Josh did a really great job running the event so smoothly...this was no easy task considering how many teams came out to fight. Thank you everyone, you all did really great!

Due to the 4th of July weekend, there will be no Fight Night Event this Friday, 6/29/2001. However, there will be refs available at Grimoire Tower for Ladder Dueling! Please stop by on Friday evening starting from 8pm PST for some Grimoire Ladder Dueling.

For more information look here:
http://grimoire.battlevortex.com/

Thanks and cya at Grimoire!
Baby-Grimoire Staff

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Yew War - The Beginning

Darkness covered the Stormreaver Fort like a blanket. Grishnak stood looking over the walls below him and pondered. The watch fires burned low and the quiet murmuring of an army asleep drifted up to his ears. Nodding to himself, he turned and reentered the sanctum of his tower, grimacing as his back twinged in pain.

Settling himself in his great chair, he looked at the cow skin stretched across one wall, the skin converted into a map of the lands surrounding the fort. Shifting his weight in his chair, trying to ease the pain of age, Grishnak stared through the map into the past. A long way since living as a street urchin in Britannia, he now ruled an empire. It had taken fourteen years to reach this point.

Fourteen years of struggle. Fourteen years of toil and war and preparations for this one final act. Grishnak had rallied the lost Orcs to his banner, claimed the ancestral fort, and proceeded to give rebirth to the once proud Orcish nation. Now the time was at hand to complete his great quest. Now was the time to drive the Humans and Elves from the lands of the Orcs for all time.

Sitting in his revere, Grishnak contemplated the events of the past. The war with Moonglow over their betrayal. The kidnapping of the dirt thief Cyan. Carrying off the Woman in Red to the depths of Despise and holding her there.

At that thought, Grishnak shuddered, remembering how she left him, singed and bleeding. Other wounds he felt, more and more with each passing year: the scar on his face from a Yewbie’s sword, the chipped fang from when Dunedain challenged him. What hurt him most of all were the memories of Orcs past.

So many lost. So very many.

Korgath, the mighty Orc Lord, lost on his mission to the mines. Snarfu, slain by the restless souls of his vanquished enemies. Marga’bud, the first Orc to answer his cry for unity. Krog the Elder, slain defending the Shame pass. Durin, the Renegade, who left the Clan to seek his own empire. Dead all these years.

Footsteps on the stairs behind him pulled him back to the present. Turning he saw Snarg, son of Snarfu, and the Tribe leaders Qog and Fugluk enter the room. The time was at hand.

Tomorrow would begin the final assault on Yew. In this, there would be no quarter. Either Yew would fall to the Orcs, or the Clan would shatter itself trying. Grishnak felt his age and knew if the Orcs were to retake what was theirs, it would have to be now, for this would be Grishnak’s final battle.

Yew War - The First Battle

Several days ago, I recieved word from William Smit the IV that the Stormreaver Orcs were going to finally live out the ultimate dream of the Stormreaver Orc Clan, to take their ancestral home of Yew from the humans. They wanted someone to witness this historic event, and they chose... me.

Somewhat distressed over William's reversion back to his old, orcish ways, and somewhat distressed over the fact that the Orcs were attacking Yew, I went to the Orc Fort, where Grishnak told me what his plan was, and that he needed someone who could speak the language of men to tell of the great battle. So it began.

Monday I arrived at the Stormreaver Orc fort, expecting the usual crowd of five or six Orcs. I was, quite simply, shocked. I counted approximately fourty Orcs milling about, snarling, eating strange things, and generally being disgusting. With the sudden appearance of a human in their home, the Orcs snarled and went on the defensive, surrounding me rather quickly.

"Dis de humie we not to clump?" Snarg asked Grishnak.

Grishnak looked. Then, he was distracted by a small rabbit hopping by, so he had to look again. "Err. yub. He mojo scwibble and draw pictures."

I breathed a sigh of relief and sat down to watch the "festivities" as the fourty something Orcs hit each other with blunt (and not so blunt) objects, cut cloth into bandages (which they called healies.) and ordered the slaves to bring them more of the "Majuk waddah" which, for all practical purposes, seemed to look exactly like potions, though I noted that their refreshing red potions contained more blood than most alchemists require. I also noticed that the Orcs were rubbing dead, rancid rats up against their weapons, much in the way that assassins poison swords, and, as only a few Orcs had this ability to rub rancid rat against a sword properly, many of the others were asking these gifted few to "rat" their weapons for them. I noted this and began to wonder if it would be effective in battle. "Fark!" Grishnak began to shout. "Fark! Who tuld them idits to go to da ruins?!" Apparently, this was not a good thing, as Grishnak began to beat his head against a wall. "Me wunt everyone to get into the fort!" he shouted. "Into da fort!"

"Into da fort, into da fort!" the Orc chorus began. "Ju too, humie." Shak'nak said, pushing me along.

When everyone had gotten into the fort, it was a shocking site indeed. I counted the Orcs, there was a line of thirty Orcs, with various high ranking Orcs, which Shak'nak said were the "Waarghs, Captains and nobs" milling about on ostards. I had never seen the Orcs ride any mount before - usually I saw them eating mounts. Grishnak stood before the shouting, smelly masses, and began to rally his troops. I could not always hear him, being in the back, but the effect was profound. When he charged the Stormreavers to take back the land that the pathetic elves and humans had conspired to take from the Orcs, the troops were so enthused that they could have taken on the Bludgod himself.

Just as Grishnak finished his first round of shouting, the hulking demonic form of the Bludgod himself came from the ground, his towering figure merely observing the gathered Orcs. The Bludgod smiled and nodded and then vanished back to where ever it is he hails from.

"Fur da Bludgod and Grishnak! Hoowah!"

"HHooooowwwaaahhh!"

"Take ober Yew! Har har!"

"Hoowwhaa!"

With that, and a few shouts from Grishnak, the Orcish horde thundered from the fort, shouting a vicious warcry as Qog led them to the battlefield.

"Dis is really sumthin, humie." Grishnak said to me.

"Indeed." I replied.

"Ju be drawin' sketches an rememberin wut happens, cuz dis be de beginin of de time dat de Orcs take back wut we had taken frum us!" And with that the Orc chieftain ran to join his shouting troops, the nobles running along side him with the frightened ostards, through the woods towards Yew. I ran after, unable to keep up the frenzied pace of the berzerk orcish hordes.

Out of breath, I arrived at the ruins north of the fort and south of Yew where the Orcs were laying their ambush. Grishnak took a break from whipping his troops into a bloodlusting frenzy to do some cold, calculative military planning. As he ordered the troops to split into three groups, I felt someone tap me on the shoulder.

"Ah, Garrett." I heard him say. It was William Smit the IV. "How do you like my handiwork?"

"Your handiwork?" I replied. "I thought that retaking Yew was the calling of the Stormreavers."

"Aye, it is..." William replied. "But I helped bring it to this." "Oh really." I said.

"Yes. Enjoy the show, Garrett. And make sure you don't get killed." "I always manage." I replied.

I muttered some unheard words beneath my breath. Had Will had given the Orcs this idea so he could take Yew in this manner after having lost the mayor's election? But, there was no time for that, things were happening.

Grishnak's troops, the largest force, remained in the center of the battlefield. He sent the other two forces off, one to the east, one to the west, so that the forces formed a cup that would surround the Yew army as it marched in from the North. Tactically, it was a brilliant plan, except that the Yew army decided to march in from the east instead of the North. The eastern wing was slightly outnumbered, but they fought well, the filthy rotten rat on their weapons was apparently as deadly as the strongest poison, though the fierceness of the assualt was being pushed back by the Yew advance. Then, Grishnak's wave of troops charged in, clashing against the Yew lines. The screaming horde of Orcs outnumbered the soldiers at least three to one. It did not look like something the Yew army would survive. I saw Grishnak himself slicing men in half with his axe as the Orcs around him laid into their opponents with filth-covered cutlasses and scimitars. As the rear line of Yew's mages saw the battle, they began to cast all manner of spells - magic was thrown about, stunning the Orc forces and dropping more than one Stormreaver, but the mages had never counted on having Orcs on ostards attack them with full force. Just as the Yew lines broke and the fighting settled down, the Western wing of the Stormreaver army arrived, finding little to do other than chase down stragglers and beat down the few remaining members of the Yew army. The Orcs had won the day.

"Dere be other battles." Grishnak said. "But we win dis one! TO DA FORT!" He shouted, and a warcry arose from the gathered Orcs as they raised their weapons and the severed heads of their enemies to the sky, saluting Grishnak and the bloodgod.

"Fur Grishnak and duh bludgod!" they shouted, as the mages opened gates to the fort.

The festivities at the fort were amazing. Food and ale flowed like water, and I helped myself to a bag of ale as the Orcs killed the ostards they had been riding and began to cook them. But, my time there was done. Just as I was about to leave, William Smit the IV stopped me again.

"If the battles contine in this manner - which they will - Yew will never be the same." he said.

"I remember when you were vice-mayor of Yew." I said. "Seems like alot of trouble to become mayor, all this."

"Not mayor of Yew, Garrett." He said. "Mayors work for Lord British. I work for the Bludgod! And I will be chieftain of Grishnakopolis!"

"Sounds like a bad tourist attraction." I said.

"All humans will have a place in Grishnakopolis." William said. "Some in the mines, some on our dinner tables!" and with that he let out a rather wicked laugh. I felt it was time to leave.

So this is the story of how the Orcs won the first battle of Yew, after years of planning to do so, this is the culmination of the dreams of the Stormreavers. I can only hope that the citizens and guilds of Yew will protect and defend their city with greater numbers in the future.

Garrett Granth;
Guildmaster, Master Author
Guardians of Lore

Yew War-The Second Battle (we fought for sheep)

The drums beat in the cool night air, while the watchfires burned along the palisades. Inside the Orc Fort, the Nobs gathered around the sheepskin map of Yew. With charcoal in hand, they made various markings on the map, indicating the different possible directions of attack. After much arguing and bashing about, all the Nobs agreed that they had the perfect plan for taking of Yew. Picking up the sheepskin, they carried it over to the Chief's tower to present to the Chief.

Inside the tower, Grishnak was drunk. Celebrating the victory over the Yewbies had lasted for days, each day getting more and more fuzzy from the accumulated effects of stale ale and lack of sleep. Retelling the story of how he slew a hundred armed men with just an axe (he was, after all, trying to impress a fem), he jumped atop the table and swung his axe in a mighty circle. The circle ended in with the axe imbedded in the wall. Sumbling, Grishnak fell from the table, kicking over the brazier burning in the corner and setting fire to the fur lining the floor.

Qog, Og'din and Fugluk burst through the door and thrust the plan to Grishnak. With his helm covering most of his eyes, Grishnak took the sheepskin and began to beat the fires with it. Howling with singed knuckles, and to the horror of the Nobs, Grishnak tossed the sheepskin map atop the blaze.

Thinking quickly, Zhan'ee jumped up and stomped out the flames with her boots, then smacked Grishnak's helm clear around on his head.

'Tupid pug! Ju ruined da plan!'

Grumbling, Grishnak grabbed hold of the horns of his helmet and tried to pull it off, smashing his nose in the process.

'Bah! Nub need plan. Meh knu wut tu du. Meh just gwu nort!'

Looking among themselves, the Nobs just shrugged and agreed it was a good plan.

Dawn found the Orcs staggering out for battle. With them rode the dark knights of the Shadow Counsel and the Holy Disciples of Darkness. Their objective, sieze control of the farming communities of Yew. Key to control over the farmlands was the sheep farm south of the Town Square. From there, the Orcs could both control the farms and prepare to launch their offensive deeper into Yew territories.

Vargen, Captian of the Yew Militia, surveyed his defenders. The losses suffered in the last battle had been replaced, and reinforcements had arrived from the Lost Order of Akalabeth and Clan Moor. Mighty knights, resplendant in arms and armor, and stout yeomen bearing the arms of freemen, all pledged with one task: defend their homes.

Realizing that they still were outnumbered by the Orcish hordes, they hoped to reinforce the structures of the farms and fight a defensive battle. Assembling all their forces inside the walls of the sheep pen, they stood fast, the sounds of marching feet approaching from the south.

From the south and the west, in two great waves, the Orc hordes desended upon the defenders. Spying the foe holed up inside the sheep pen, Grishnak let loose a mighty yell and hurled a smoking purple flask into the mass of human and horse flesh blocking the gate. The resultant explosion knocked Grishnak off his feet and into the darkness of unconciousness.

The waves of Orcs assaulting the gates began to pile up bodies all along the walls. The Yew plan was working! Orcs could not breach the gate and the few knights who fell were quickly replaced. Even the guards of the absent king lent their aid, slaying the Orcs who sought to pull the riderless horses to the ground and roast them.

Thinking quickly, Gogmagog and Shagrat, Orcish Shamans both, hurled their combined magic at the forces in the gate, opening up the ranks of the humans long enough for Durgoth, Grekunk Tribe Captian, to lead a charge.

Into the breach came the remaining Orcs, spilling into the now open ground of the sheep farm. Now that their numbers could be brought to bear, the human lines fell back. Isolated knights were pulled from their horses and pummeled. In the end, all that remained were the Orcs and the sheep, and the sheep were scared.

Yew War- Third Battle

Grishnak strode through the fort, kicking up dust with his boots. Looking around, he saw the Orc war machine in full gear. Pugs hammering out more weapons, more armor. Majuks preparing their erbs and chanting to gain the power of the Bludgod. Wargh'Chai's rubbing their blades down with rancid rats. The push into Yew town was going well.

The little one Zha'Sheik runs up to Grishnak with a rock and drops it on his boot. Yelling in surprise, Grishnak hops on one foot, holding the other, then falling over onto a cookfire.

"Gah!" he yelled, rolling about trying to put out the flames. "Wot woz dat for?"

Grinning mistchieviously, Zha'Sheik replied "Meh bopped ju! Har Har!" and darted away.

Rising to his feet, the bruised and burned Chieftain grumbled, then glared at the watching Orcs, all who suddently found other things to do.

Snarg came up to Grishnak, trying very hard not to let his smirk show.

"Dem redy for ju buss," he said.

Nodding, Grishnak went up into his tower to confir with Navrip and Smogg, leaders of the Disciples and the Necromancers. The three of them confered and planned and schemed. The next offensive into Yew took shape.

The next day, the Orcs assembled for war. Leading off were the Grekunk, the green death. Fading into the shadows of the forest, they moved into position overlooking the Yew Town Square. Noting the defensive lines the Yewbies had assembled, Og'din the Unseen left Voqk to watch and returned to the assembled horde at the Yew Sheep farm.

There he found Grishnak and Qog rousing the spirits of the Horde with shouts and promises of blood. Quickly Og'Din reported the position of the Yewbies and their numbers. Darting out between the legs of the assembled troops, Zha'Sheik yelled at the top of her little lungs "Meh wonna bop dem!" and she stooped to pick up a rock. Laughing, Smogg rallied his assembled Necromancers and started heading north. The Orcs swept to the west, circling the south side of the Town Square and striking the Yewbie lines from their west flank.

The Yew Militia, the Clan Moor, the Sic Semper Gloria, and the Lost Order all had assembled a defense anchored on the Bowyer shop and the Butcher shop in the town center. A line of mounted knights stretched between the two, with archers and mages behind them. Covering their flank was another screen of mounted knights.

All knew that this battle would be critical. If they lost this, then the Orcs would be knocking on the doors of the Abby in no time. They HAD to push back the hordes. Their hope, that the Urban Knights would arrive at the field of battle in time to throw their weight of numbers into the fray.

The Orc horde crashed into the Knights, pulling them from their horses and pummeling with axes and spears. The sheer ferocity of the attack pushed back the line momentarily, and a moment was all that was needed.

Springing from the shadows, Grekunk Captian Voqk plunged a rat coated blade into a Yewbie mage, causing panic in their ranks. The bend in the lines of the knights became a breach, and into it poured the Orcs.

Several Orcs lay dead or dying before taking 3 steps into the Town, but over their bodies rushed more. The mass of numbers soon pinned the Yewbies against the Bowyar's walls. Now the Necromancers entered the battle, hurling their black magic spells into the few remaining knights. Their charred and blackened remains sliding to the ground in a tinkle of broken chainmail was the death durge of the Yewbies.

The last knight, unhorsed, threw himself to his knees. Pulling his helm off his head, he looked up at the massed Orcs.

"I beg of you, mercy!" he cried.

Pausing, the Orcs laughed cruely at his plight. Then Zha'Sheik darted out between their legs and bopped him on the head.

Yew War- Fourth Battle Lost at sea

Grishnak leaned over the side of the ship The Broken Fang, and emptied the contents of his stomach into the sea for the fourth time.

"Har Har!" laughed Sugrod, behind him. "We nub eben get uut ob da bay yet"

Glaring, Grishnak turned back and heaved over the side again.

Far ahead, the assembled fleets of the Urban Navy, the Town of Yew, and Clan Moor waited. Vic Twenty, the Fleet Admiral, surveyed his fleet and pondered. His intelligence told him that 12 ships, carrying almost 50 Orcs was heading his way. Grimly he went about counting the number of arrows and greater explosions each ship possessed.

The Orc fleet made the turn out of the bay and into the Ocean proper. That's where things took a turn for the worst.

Signalling to the fleet to come about, the Orcs on the following ships looked at eachother.

"Wot dat means?"

"Err, means gwu rite!"

"Nub! Means gwu left!"

"Tupid! It means thwo da booom booms," and that miscreant triggered several on his own ship, obliterating the vessel.

As the Orc fleet got more and more bedraggled, a dark storm appeared on the horizon. Vic Twenty eyed the approaching storm with trepedation. Orcs he could handle, he hoped. Storms he could weather, usually.

Orcs and a storm?

That might be hard.

As the dark clouds blotted out the sun, the ships from the Orc fleet sailed into the waters surrounding the Yew Prison, Orcs intent upon freeing William Smit and installing him as Chieftain of Yew. The first clashes between Orc and Yewbie were undecisive, ships becoming lost in the waves. Soon the pelting rain was such that ships floundered, men and Orc thrown overboard, ships beaching themselve on any land and disgorging sea sick Orcs and Men.

Some ships actually came to grapple range and fierce, but short, battles raged across the decks. These battles had no weight against the storm however. Try as they might, the Orcs could not press home their attack while the storm scattered them across the ocean.

Yew would stand another day.

Final Conquest of Yew, Loss of a Chief

William Smit sat in his prison cell, playing dodge the rats with the other denizens of his small enclosure. Occastionally a guard would wander by, either on some errand further past him, or to drop off a bowl of gruel.

Whenever that happened, William would shout out to the guard.

"Hey turnscrew! You're gonna like it in the mines, I'll see to it!"

Invariably this brought laughter to the guards early on in his captivity. As the Orc forces pushed closer and closer however, the guards would avoid eye contact and hurry away.

Soon the smell of smoke was hanging in the air, and the clash of metal on metal could be heard in the distance. William just sat back in his cell and played with his long and nasty beard and smiled.

The defenders of Yew knew this was their last stand. They had to hold the line here and hope that reinforcements would arrive. Fast riders had gone out to call in the military might of neighbors to the north and east, but no word had yet reached them. Though they swore to defend Yew to the last man, each feared that today he would be called upon to perform the final task.

Vargen, Captain of the Yew militia, felt his drop as the ranks of Orcs marched towards the walls of the Court of Truth. Knowing they could not match the enemy man for Orc, Vargen had hoped that by fighting from the Court, he would be able to use the superior defenses of the stone ediface to his advantage. Upon seeing the ranks of Orcs preparing to assault, he knew that the stone walls would not make a difference.

"GAH!" Grishnak cried out as he fell off the featherless bird for the fifth time. Climbing back to his feet, he drew his scimitar to slay the beast, only to be stayed by the laughter of the Orcs around him.

"Shaddap! Alla ju shaddap ur get clumped!"

Grumbling something about traditions and not riding food, Grishnak climbed back atop the ostard, which seemed even then to glare at him with a malicious look.

"Oki birdee, ju nub like meh, und meh nub like ju. Meh makee deel wid ju. Ju nub du dat agun, meh nub eat ju win dis ober."

The ostard settled down with those soothing words, and the Chieftain
continued to troop his lines. Satisfied with the sight of 50 Orcs and the outriders of the Shadow Counsel and Holy Disciples of Darkness, he gave the signal to advance.

The Orc Horde smashed into the defenders at the Court of Truth like a tidal wave. Man and beast were pulled from the walls of the Court and hurled into the courtyard. Swarms of Orcs assaulted up the steps to the walls.

Trugak and lu'zan charged into one battlement, only to be confronted by a barrier of piled boxes. Laughing at this feeble attempt to hold them out, Trugak smashed into the barrier with his axe. The resulting explosion blew Trugak and lu'zan to the Bludgod in tattered rags. Bits of Orc decorated the entire room.

U'nuk, with several Runts in tow, charged into the room and stopped.
"eep!" he hollered, then charged right back out again.

The fighting moved swiftly into the bowls of the Court of Truth, the
dwindling numbers of defenders falling back farther and farther towards the prison. Their task was hopeless. For each Orc that they managed to slay, two more stepped up to take his place.

Soon they were fighting outside the cell of William.

"Should we slay William," one asked, knowing the situation to be that
desperate.

"No," sighed Vargen. "It wouldnt make a difference. The Orcs will just find another puppet"

William pressed his nose gleefully against the bars of his cell and watched the last Yew defender fall before the scimitars of the Orcish Horde.

"Get me outta here!"

Laughing and shouting Orcs quickly broke the door to his cell and cut the chains off his wrists. Escorted to the Court of Truth, the Orcs sat William in the chair of the High Judge.

At last the battle was over. With William installed as Chieftain of Yew, the Orcs had won their war. William immediately signed the documents surrendering the souther half of Yew to the Orcs, foreswearing all claim of territory. That which had been stolen long ago was returned. The Orc Nation was reborn.

Grishnak sighed and leaned back against the wall, then slid down till he was sitting on the floor. It was done. Fourteen years of fighting over in an afternoon. He felt the aches and pains in his body. Age, affliction, and wounds, all felt worse and worse with each passing day.

As he watched the Orcs parade about and loot and pillage, he smiled to himself and closed his eyes to darkness one final time.

A boot to the ribs brought Grishnak quickly to his feet, snarling and
reaching for his axe. The sight that greeted him stopped him cold.

Laughing eyes stared at him, eyes he had not seen in years.
"Korgath," he said. "Ib dat reely ju?"

Laughing again, Korgath nodded, then pointed behind Grishnak.

Grishnak turned and saw he was in the courtyard of a mighty citadel. A pen of pump horses occupied one corner, a giant black tower took up the view on one side, and rows of hunched slaves carted kegs of ale into the tower.

Amazed, Grishnak looked back to Korgath.

"We been ekspekting ju," Korgath said.

Grishnank looked down his body and realized his pains were gone, his wounds healed. Then he realized were he was, and grinned.

"Kum, lets gwu. Da Bludgod waitin for ju," Korgath said. Spying Krog the Elder leading in fresh horses to the feast, Grishnak knew he would like it here.

- by the Spirit of Grishnak

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This news sent in by the Hunter's Clan.

While wandering the vast lands of Sosaria have you glanced into the faces of each weary adventurer in hopes of finding your soul mate and easing your lonely heart? Perhaps, you dream of spending romantic hours talking over a sunset dinner and a long walk under the stars as you get to know someone special?

The Hunters Clan (H*C) wish to extend an invitation to one and all lonely hearts, to the aptly named – Lonely Hearts Ball – on Friday, June 29, 2001 at 8:00 pm (EST) at the Nujelm Inn (directly behind the Nujelm Bank). Gates will be provided from the banks in Britain, Skara Brae, Moonglow and Trinsic (royal bank) by H*C members.

So pack up that armor, dust off the formal wear and come enjoy fine spirits, good food, and perhaps meet that special someone. Along with dinner and dancing, there will be a Fortune Telling Gypsy, contests for prizes including a romantic prize pack to one special couple, and much more.

Perhaps if we had a heart to be lonely with we would attend. Ah well. *chuckles*

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We have published the changes listed in Testing for Next Update to the Chesapeake shard, and the shard will be brought down for a brief maintenance at 12:00 pm CDT, allowing these changes to take effect. We will update further as to the publish schedule for the remaining shards, and the changes will be added to Latest Game Updates once the publish is active on all shards.

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Just wanted to make sure everyone knew that this scenario is going to be 9 weeks long (instead of the planned 8). I’ll explain why (basically it had to do with splitting up week 4 into two weeks to give QA more time on week 5-8) when I write up my scenario document. But next week is not the final week.
-Jonathan “Calandryll” Hanna
Designer, Ongoing Content

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I received a report from Galam, the Gargoyle, that men and women of the wild were appearing at the gates of Cove this morning. As the city guards took notice they were spell bound at these strange looking peoples. An Orc Chopper nearby in the woods took notice and engaged in a fury of bezerker attacks upon the strange ones. Galam reported that the battle between the Orc Chopper and the "Savage" as he called it went on for several minutes...back and forth they fought. The Savage using a longspear and the Orc Chopper his now infamous axe. The commotion brought attention of more Orcs and from out of the trees came more Savages.

Back and forth these now lines of Orcs and Savages fought. Orc Bombers took position upon the Cove ramparts and sent down a flury of explosives. Savages surprised these Orc Bombers and charged from one of the Ramparts. As Galam flew around the city he could see now more Savages entering Cove and engaging Orc Choppers. Galam thought this interesting....indeed.

Magical Gates appeared at the Docks and out rushed the mercenary men and women that had retired from the evening in Britain. At first they stood in awe at the sight of the battle unfolding....this was soon interupted by a hail of arrows from several Orc Scouts that hid at the waters edge. Now within the city of Cove fought humans against Orcs and Orcs against Savages. During the rage of battle and in the opinion of Galam; the smell of blood...seemed to increase the presence of the Savages. A huge warrior stood in heavy battle with several Orcs and like lightning a Savage leaped onto his back biting down hard on his ear! Swallowing the ear whole the Savage ripped at the gorget of the warrior now in incredible pain and confusion. An Orc Lord burried his axe into the chestplate of the warrior and the Savage then tore out his throat with its teeth.

Now the Savage covered in blood raged and swung out at the Orcs rummaging through the carcase...and again another battle erupted as humans attempted to save the body of the fallen warrior from being desicrated any further. These Savages are cannibals and have now shown thier taste for human flesh.

Galam reported that the Savages wore nearly no clothing,but had very good healing ability. Their bone arms and legs seemed to give them defense as they traveled through the brush and treelines with great speed. Thier head was adorned by colorful masks of tribal connections...at least 10 different Savage tribes that sent reinforcments to Cove.

Also, even with such little armor these Savages had the power and ability to dismount a horseman with the bola weapon. Amazingly also it seems these Savages have a close connection to the wilds and thus have knowlege of beasts unequalled. This knowlege they put to quick use by easily killing any supporting pets local tamers did bring and any horses that lost their riders.

Colin Mor

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Hear ye, Hear ye!

You are cordially invited to attend the Vamp's Lair Merchant Convention.

Vamp's Lair is the main city of The Kingdom of Darkness which engulfs Trinsic and Britain and spans from Trinsic north to Vamp's Lair, just north of the city of Britain on the Felucca facet.. Its citizens make up the guilds known as the Children of Darkness. We are a non-traditional role playing Monarchical Society (King and Queen) with our very own storyline and encourage our members to find their place within it. We also are the proud owners and operators of Vamp's Lair Public Castle and Trade Center... a public castle mall left on the "Forgotten Facet".

Vamp's Lair will be sponsoring the 2001 First Annual Merchant Convention. This convention will be filled with merchants all knowing in all the crafts that UO has to offer. Its a convention for the new and elder merchants to come together and discuss their ideas, opinions, and tips on several great topics such as pricing, running vendor shops, keeping a vendor, gathering resources, building skills, and participating in the community. Its our hope to bring together ALL the merchants, even those from Trammel and also other neighboring shards. We would love to compare the differences between shards.

Since alot of people are weary of the dangers of Felucca, Vamp's Lair will be heavily guarded on this occassion (as it is on most days) by CoD's SWAT team, Children of Darkness II (*2*), which is Headquartered at the center of our city and is made up of PK Killers and Noto-PK Killers (Reds and Blues). These are folks not afraid to take a count for the honorable members of the community.

We hope that each and every one of you stop by to meet and greet one of Catskills oldest and most organized group of friends and merchants. If you are mainly on another shard other than Catskills, we would love to meet you and your group as well; so create a new character in Catskills and one of our "trollies" will come get you. You may also email us, if you cannot physically attend any of the nights our Merchant Convention at: [email protected] . Please visit our websites listed below for more information:

To learn about The Children of Darkness Guilds, visit: - http://www.childrenofdarkness.com

To learn about our city, Vamp's Lair: City of the Undead, visit: - http://www.vampslair.com

Sincerely,

The Royal Council of Darkness
The Vamp's Lair Merchant Association

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As if the beleaguered city of Cove didn't have enough problems, a new and even more mysterious foe has laid siege to the area. These beings, known only as "savages" have demonstrated a nasty penchant for attacking orc and human alike, and are rumored to carry strange items on their persons. Here's one of the most recent accounts of an excursion into Cove:

Greeting and Salutations to ye, Cyn.

I bring thee news from the city of Cove.

In my latest journey to the city cove, I have met a huge army of Orcs waiting for me in Cove Square. As I fortified one the buildings Orcs just kept on coming and coming. It was among the bloodies battles I have ever seen in my life and let me reassure ye I have seen a lot of battles in my days, but this was unlike any other battle I have witnessed. First, the Orcs rushed out at me, 'tis was fine with me but all the sudden these "Savages" as ye might know them as, massed a small party together and rushed forward. The Orcs regrouped and quickly counter-attacked.

As I battled the Orcs, a few brave souls appeared. Sire Chareos, EvilBlade and Mr. Amish were their names. All four of us battled as long as we could but 'tis was not enough. To many Orcs to defeat at once. The day looked grim on us as we abandoned building by building, trying hard to escape the slaughter in the hands of Orcish army the very thing that we tried to avoid has happened to us. Myself and EvilBlade the only ones who made it out alive from the little hamlet.

'TIS I URGE the fellow worriers who venture into cove to seek the masks that the "Savages" carry. Please think twice of what you doing. Personal gains is not all that important. The savages are our only ally in this horrid war against Orcish invasion. We don't want them to turn on us.

Avatar

Cyn

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Heading out from his hometown of Minoc, the young man traveled in search of the fabled Paladins that lived in and around Trinsic. Soon after departing his home, a group of brigands jumped him on the road. He first fought, and then ran; but they were faster and ran him down. After being pummeled and looted he sat on a log by the road and mended his wounds. Left with only meager rations and the clothes on his back, what was even left of them, the young man thought of his journey ahead of him.
Just about that time another traveler came upon him. Weary from his walking he joined the younger man on the log. The old traveler then asked if the young man could spare some water. The younger man thought about this for a moment. Barely having enough for himself for his own journey, he made the old traveler an offer for not only water but also a full meal. As the two sat on the log sharing the end of the younger man's supplies the elder revealed his true identity. He was in fact an ancient mage. Comatose.
The mage took the young man under his wing. Giving him guidance and training. When the younger man had matured and was ready to leave for a life on his own, the elder mage requested only one thing of his pupil. To share this gift he had given with others in his future. And from that day, Thunders knew the path his life would lead.

My evening began later than planned and I arrived at the Saturnalia city center just as dinner was finished. Thunders was a gracious host, offering me food and drink as I arrived. We settled into the great room on the third floor, in front of the massive wall sized fireplace. Many of his guild mates floated in and out of the room with us. All of them treating me as if I was an old friend, although most I had just met on my way up the stairs.

Thunders explained his early life. His meeting with Comatose. And then the beginnings of Vengeance (VnG). Settling first in a small home on Scorpion Island. The guild started as four members with Thunders the leader. More and more like-minded travelers joined the ranks over the first few years. Casper was one of the first, joining in the first month or so of the guild's birth.
Two years into the VnG's life, a man by the name of Avarice Joe sent a pigeon to Thunders requesting him to his private tower on Ice Isle. Once there, Thunders found out that the tower he was standing in was to be the new home of the VnG; as Avarice Joe was giving it to Thunders.

So the VnG moved out to Ice Isle. Many of the members began to buy homes near the guild tower. They began to defend the miners who worked the mountains to the south of their homes. Soon the local population turned to Thunders as a leader in the war to run off the murders and looters of the mines. After a hard fought battle, good over came evil. As the battle came to a close the people of the area realized they had formed a community, Saturnalia.

I was treated to a full tour of the community. Shown the vendor's various shoppes, the local tavern, the city center and the guard towers. This massive community joined together, all under one common name and one common goal. "Do unto others, as you would have them do to you." Not only a guild motto, but a community theme. My night came to an end as we sat and chatted over a fine glass of wine at the tavern, telling tales of the days of old and enjoying life as it should be, "among friends and family" as Thunders would put it.

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My apologies to the staff at Impy's, some how I missed this scroll on my porch...<frown>

IMPY'S ARTIC FAIRE
Weekly auction will be held Wednesday evening at 9pm by the Eastern Sky. 

This past week at Impy's started off with a GREAT auction. And then over the weekend, Impy himself was by to speak with a few employees and visitors at the Faire. He didn't say much, he never does. But it was quite exciting to see him run through.

This week at the Auction we seem to have collected several "bags". A holiday bag from the 1997 holiday season, a full set of the Mondain anniversary items. We also have many other rares, tons of weapons and a pile as tall as Impy of armor. Please remember that if you see the item you want listed on the website, but we don't get to it this week, they generally are one of the first items at the next auction.

For directions and a complete list of the items up for auction please take a peek at www.impys.net. As always, Runes to Riches and the Mystery Chest games will also be played this week following the auction, so please stick around and take a chance with lady luck. Impy has asked that you please stable your pets before the auction as he is allergic to wet fur.

~Impy's Staff

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Well, the fiction for it is that savages are adept at taking on large (think things like wooly mammoths - or in UO terms, dragons) and/or deamonic creatures (deamons, nightmares, etc.). They understand where the weak spots are and are able to do more damage. I don't consider this a nerf though, but it does represent some challenges for tamers. You can't simply bring in two dragons and let them run into the fort...they'll die. Now you have to keep track of your pets, heal them, and make sure they don't take on more than they can handle.

Close to 30 total.

The majority of savage names are named after OSI staff, mostly Dev and QA. I changed the names to make them sound more in keeping with what a savage might be called. There is one called Kahl too. :).

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There is A 2k entry fee. Sign up for quest starts on Friday, 29th @ 10:00pm EST (7 pm PST)

Go to THE BRIT FEL BANK for gates to sign up on the stone, look for people in YELLOW robes. Sign up ENDS at 11:30 EST (8:30 PST) and at this time you are to go to the TRAMMEL BRIT MOONGATE then at 12:00pm EST (9 PM PST) WE WILL TAKE YOU TO QUEST LOCATION TO BEGIN THE QUEST.

Like always if you would like to be an actor, staff member or sponsor contact me by icq at 48731685 or email at [email protected] also you can goto the quest website at http://cod.4mg.com

Rules: No Pets , No Magic Weapons , No Posioned Weapons, No Looting

Awards: Angel Statue-Relic, Bola Ball, and all of the entry fee goes to the winnning team diveded evenly amongst the questers on that team.

-Scar

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I'm leaving UO and I thought I would do something nice for everyone by sharing a little of my wealth before I left.

This Friday the 29th, 7:00 central, 5 pm Pacific @ 63o 53'N 2o 31'E. Icq me if you need a rune: 71691906.

The Rules for My Leaving UO Tourny are:

• No casting or attacking before the stone wall drops
  
• No pets of any kind not even regular horses.
  
• No magic items at all. Usage of anything magic will get you banned.
  
• No summoning Energy Vortex Blade spirits or any summon Spell
  
• No casting Recall or Gate
  
• No leaving the top of the tower or going past the tables while you're fighting.
  
• No stepping into the ring if it's not your turn to fight

This is just a Quick Run through of the Rules if they're changed every one there will be notified.

Spells such as Poison field, Fire field & Paralyze field are allowed.

Pre poisoned weapons are allowed

Stealing is allowed so don't forget to bring the locked boxes

There is no limit on how many potions you bring

Bring whatever you want as long as its not magic

Breaking any rules is an auto ban no matter how little or how big. I have 0 tolerance for someone that breaks the rules

All fights will be 1v1. There is no Double Elim. Lose once and your out.

Losing connection during a battle Ii an auto lose. Sounds kind of mean but since so many people are going to show up I have to keep the fights going so if you're on dial up turn On *70.

The winner Of the tourny takes 2 Million Gold! there is no 2nd or Third place.

The Winner Can challange Me for my Villa in Fel.

Remember to sign in at the door of the tower. If I don't take your name down then you're not in the Tourny.

Remember, it's 2 million gold pieces. It's everyone against everyone.

Good luck to everyone who shows up.

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A faction first happened Monday evening when TB and SL allied for a raid on the Minax Fort. Sure various factions have allied during an attack on a stronghold. But never like this TB and SL meet at a undisclosed SL members house, dyed their clothing all the same color so they could tell each other apart during the battle, posed for paintings, and then left for Minax’s Stronghold where several sigils were being held by those elite boys and gals from LoD.

The SL and TB group numbering over 45 members and lead by TB Commander Longshot and SL defacto Commander archangel, assaulted the front of the Stronghold drawing every defender to the ramparts and archway. For 15 minutes the battle raged with only a few causalities. When suddenly from the north CoM showed up to assault the rear flank of the combined SL and TB forces, seeing that CoM was attacking, Minax instantly formed up for a charge then sallied out of the Stronghold to pinch the TB and SL forces. Within 90 seconds many ten’s of the SL and TB were slaughtered between the two forces.

With the SL and TB in retreat at this time CoM and Minax began to fight, when several Minax went to check the rear of the Stronghold and noticed the Sigils missing….

SL thieves (having fallen asleep at the feet of the Stronghold monoliths earlier in the day) woke up, stole the sigils, and then handed them over the ramparts down to the waiting factions members on the ground at the rear of the Stronghold. Mystified and alarmed at the missing Sigils the Minax regrouped and gated to the SL Stronghold. (But not before calling the guardian mages to complain) Where they took up temporary residency and waited.

Mean while TB and SL was regrouping at the Yew Moongate. They formed up as a group again and then proceeded with the Sigils to the SL Stronghold.

Were they found… the enraged Minax evaluating the dependability of the SL Stronghold. For an hour or so the battle raged with many TB and SL getting killed by the effective use of chain lighting and meteor storms that went through the Stronghold flooring to hit the enemy in the passage way below.

At the end, Minax lead by Galen, GoreChild and the other elite LoD was left standing with quite a bit of blood on their magery robes, a ton of loot, and all the Sigils.

A photo by LoD can be viewed at the following website http://www.lordsofdeath.com/ultima-online/index.asp

Durham Stargazer
uojournal.com

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All are welcome to attend the opening, and notoriety-based killings will not be allowed, save for attacking thieves who steal and those who attack first. I hope for a night of fun-filled festivities, and an ongoing attendance at the Sword's upcoming events.

An added bonus is the easily accessed and amply stocked vendor house next door to us, which sells everything from lockpicks to longswords. The owner of the tavern is Edward, the great merchant. The current barkeeps are Ian Crowe, the Rev Horton Heat, and Slob, the merchant who owns the vendor house nearby. So come one, come all, and enjoy the fun.

Ian Crowe
Barkeep of the Sword and Shield
Heroic Pirate of BC

Hear ye, hear ye!

To be coming this Sunday at 9:30 PM EDT, the new and improved Casino twill be opening its doors to the masses for a night of gambling, drinking, and such other pleasures as to boggle the mind! Come one, come all and partake in this grand festivity... mix, mingle, and order another ale!

Such games will be present as:

• One, two, three
• Dare Devil
• Lucky Darts
• Order vs. Chaos

Fights twill not be hosted the coming eve, but be assured soon enough they will be coming!

To find thy way to the Asylum of Perdition (or, Casino if'n ye would prefer), enter into Caina and find thine way to Golgotha the tower of Skulls. Hence on the left from facing its doors shall thee find a large house made of plaster with a patio. This tis the building then thou doth seek. If'n thou doth nary know whereabouts such a place as Caina be... well, twill be gates provided from Skara Brae as well as Jhelom at a time around 8:50-9:10. Information can be gleamed of Caina’s location at www.ebonskull.org. Any questions regarding such can be forwarded to my by sending a pigeon to 36628955.

We look forward to seeing thee there!

Shardak Mardas
Cabalist of the Tal’mahe’Ra
Order of the Ebon Skull

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On the date of Thursday, June 28th at 9:00PM of the eastern moon, I present to you games of a most gruesome nature. I invite you to come to the Well of Souls located due north from the Tower of Skulls : Golgotha
The city of Caina is located on the northwest tip of ice isle, gates shall be provided from Moonglow and Skara Brae. From 8:30-9:00PM

Rules for the Gladiator Battles
All combatants are to pay an entry fee of 5000 crowns.
The prize is half the entrance fee money
No outside assitance whatsoever
Combatants are to stay within the designated fighting area. The official will determine if something constitutes falling.
Combatants are not to attack until the explosion potion has exploded. Each warrior is allowed one ‘fault’ in which they moved before it exploded, and the battle will be reset. Any further ‘faults’ will result in disqualification.
Each fighter will use any weapon they wish and armor : as long as they are not magically enhanced.
Magery is prohibited.
If a combatant has other items in his backpack, he is given three minutes to remove them before the battle and place them somewhere safe. If they do not comply, or they take longer than three minutes, they are disqualified.
Each combatant is required to ‘flag gray’ off of the official before the battle. This is accomplished by attacking him from a distance, and then ‘tabbing out.’
If a combatant is slain, his belongings are dumped in the trash pile inside of the pack horse that holds the weapons and armor.

Rules for King of the Well
King of the Well is a brawl ontop of the Well of Souls in Caina, all men shall battle to the death at the sign of the official, the one who survives this bloodbath shall be showered with half the entrance money and a bonus prize!
The entrance fee for this fight is 5000 crowns
All contestants must flag off the official before the event starts and the battle commences when the purple potion explodes
The King of the Well is the last man standing after the brawl.
Contestants must bring their own armor, bandages, potions, etc.
The rules are as follow : No magic weapons, no outside interferance and no magic.

Rules for The Power Struggle
This event is the contest of the power of the mage, prove thy worth in the circle of death and flame.
Entrance fee 5000 crowns
Prize : 8000 crowns
Mages start on the designated arena's and do not leave the arena disqualification shall occur if this is not followed.
All but field and summon spells allowed

Gambling
We will provide anyone who wishes it the chance to gamble, via prize chests.
Pay a fee of 3000 gold to pick one chest!
There are many fabulous prizes including : Up to 200K in golden crowns and many strange and unusually rare items!

Hatefully yours,
Alarin, Lord of Entropy

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I'll do my best to clarify some things...

1) Regarding the anatomy bonus:

Currently (as in right now on all production shards) GM anatomy gives a 40% damage bonus against players, and 20% against monsters. Under the new system described In Development, GM anatomy will give a 30% bonus for both pvp and pvm.

Net effect: "stronger" melee hits against monsters/npc's, and "weaker" melee hits against players.

Similarly, since the lumberjack bonus for 100 skill will be 30% instead of 33% (the 35% bonus previously listed was actually incorrect), the axe weapons will also do very slightly less damage then before in PvP (a warrior with 100.0 anatomy and 100.0 lumberjacking skill will do 13% less damage in PvP, and 7% more damage in PvM).

2) Regarding strength-altering effects like greater strength potions:

Strength and Max Hit Points are two entirely separate statistics, with their own modifier values. As a result we can modify the two independently of each other.

Due to the above, a player with 80 strength and a greater strength potion can in fact have 110 hit points (80 strength = 90 hit points naturally, + 20 point bonus to both a player's strength and max HP values.

Feel free to try this out on Test Center 6 t if you still aren't sure what it all means. =]

3) Regarding "ignoring" certain skills:

What you see In Development is a first round of combat changes. The changes are intended to keep things relatively well-balanced on their own, but they do not mean that there will not be any more combat enhancements in the future.

If any given skill was not specifically addressed in these changes, it is not meant to imply that everything is absolutely hunky-dory with those skills and/or that no changes are being considered to them.

4) Regarding wrestling move impacts:

Wrestling moves will continue to work as-is (ie: the wrestle disarm move will still disrupt a spell being cast by a player target). In addition, the wrestling moves will be usable while casting a spell (currently, these moves appear underpowered, and we don't feel this change will overpower them).

5) Did I use bold text enough? ;]

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I've received yet another missive, regarding the ongoing struggle between the Alliance and Avernia. This latest message is courtesy of Lord Martin, Sultan of Nujel'm. Read on.

To the Iron Brigade and her allies:

Thy idle and harsh threats amuse me greatly. 'Tis pathetic... Avernia hast already proven to ye, that 'twill be impossible to capture the city and Governess Alissa. Our forces outnumber thine's by scores. Virtuous ambitions of glory are beyond foolish to follow...

I hath entered this conflict on behalf of the royal citizens of Nujel'm, and I assured them that our forces shall be victorious. Take heed now, cooperate with Avernia's terms of surrender, and be spared the mercy of thy captors'. If not, I look forward to seeing several necks in mine guillotine...

Lord Martin Westmark
Sultan of Nujel'm

Cyn

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We will be releasing a client patch on Tuesday, June 26th at approximately 5:45 pm CDT. An issue with the patch released earlier today (June 26th) required some players to alter a line in their uo.cfg file in order to run the client successfully. This patch contains a fix for that problem.

The current versions should now be 3.0.2g (2D client) and 3.0.2j Build 67 (3D client).

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Removing the HdUsage=min line in your UO.CFG file should get you up and running.

-Tajima

We are getting a fix for this made now and will be publishing it in just a bit. Sorry for any problems this has caused. If you are getting this error, hold on just a bit and we will have it taken care of. :)

Melantus.

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Monday 25th June saw the latest weekly meeting of the Trinsic Council Of Honour (TCH).

The council met in the Counselors Hall at Trinsic at 8pm (GMT). The following were in attendance:

Attendees: Drakys TCH, Mentazm TCH, Handsome Chris TCH, Lord Yoldran CMg, David, Gladiator TCH, Crowley TCH,Maria delSythia TCH, Gohan Vernon KT, Clarice TPH.

Apologies : Ewan Blackmane, Kaine.

In between a lot of discussion as to ideas for events, the main points discussed were:

1) Lord Yoldran brought it to the attendees' attention that there was a new regent in Britain.  It was suggested that we introduce ourselves on behalf of the Trinsic Council of Honour.  This will be discussed by/at the next meeting.

2) Crowley suggested postponing the election and holding events in the meantime to raise awareness of the council, and what they will be doing for the people of Trinsic but, unfortunately, the full council was not present at that point to vote on this issue.  This shall be discussed in more detail next week.

3) No other nominations had been received for the election.  Anyone who wishes to nominate themselves, please send your details to [email protected] and the council will contact you.  Please remember the closing date for nominations will be 30th June with the election itself being held on 31st July (as at 25th June.)

If you would like to attend future meetings to discuss these matters, build some community spirit, and make some new friends then the next meeting will be held in the Trinsic Counselors Hall in Trammel on Monday 2nd July at 20:00 GMT.

Drakys, Acting Scribe.

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This Wednsday 27th of June, at 9pm CET! i'll hold a charity auction at the tower of magiks in Deepwater. So, if ye wish to help Deepwater, then come and buy items. All the gold that will be made this evening will go to the Deepwater found. So keep bidding ye hear? *grins* The gold that will be made, will also help the Deepwater citizen to buy the Center villa.

I'll see what i can come up to sell, but i do have some items i've have fished up from ships, and plund.. err *coughes* BOUGHT from other ships on the sea.

So again, this Wednsday the 27th of June, there will be a Charity Auction, at the Deepwater Tower of Majiks. All are welcome. Thank ye.

Ryndir - Sea Merchant
The Cursed Skull Clan

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I would like to thank all the staff that helped out especially the Relic Protectors.

At midnight three teams rushed into Shame to make their way to level 4 to find the Relic of Death hidden away in a bone container. The battle between the teams; Blue, Green and Yellow was fierce. They knocked each other about in the caverns...their din echoing through the night.

Soon the Green and Yellow teams fell quickly to the might of the Blue team which outnumbered them both. For the next 20 minutes the vanquished players banded together to conquer the blues, but to no avail.

With that out of the way the blues advanced to the lowest level and found the protectors of the relic. In another fierce battle the protectors and the blues beat the stuffing out of each other with the blues finally leaving their bloody corpses to rot and capturing the relic of death for themselves!

As the blues congratulated themselves on a job well done, they were ambushed once again by the Greens who were waiting at the lvl 1 gate. Still having to get the relic outside to win the blues handed the artifact off to a couple of their members who broke through the ranks of the greens and escaped!

- Scar
http://cod.4mg.com/News.htm

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WHAT: 1 MILLION GOLD PRIZE AWARDED IN the GRAND RE-OPENING of The Oasis Fighting Pits.
WHEN: Sunday, July 1st at 4:00PM PST
WHERE: The Oasis Fighting Pits, City of Oasis, Felucca.
WHY: The World Needs a Hero. The job pays more than 1 MILLION GOLD. Need I say more?
WHO: Well that's the real question, isn't it? :)

Announcing the Grand Re-opening of the Oasis Fighting Pits! Fight Night is back, with some HARD, PIPE-HITTIN' prizes to award. Come one, come all, and be a part of history reborn. This is consensual PvP as it was MEANT to be, with NO ENTRY FEES.

Register to compete by SHOWING UP and filing into the pithouse. That's all. No forms, no ICQ, just be there. Contestants will each face a random opponent. There will be no pre-scheduled matches, no bias, no categories, no brackets. If you win, you advance, if you lose, you're done for the day.

The last contestant standing wins 600,000 gold and a spot in the Finals at the end of the season. The runner up wins 300,000 gold, and even the 3rd place finisher walks away with 100K. Not bad for an afternoon's work.

No mounts and no magic weapons, armor or items will be allowed; beyond that you just do what it takes. Just win, baby. Potions? Bring 'em. Bandages?  Load up. The Oasis facilities include a stable, and possibly soon a bank as well.

Plus there'll be two special prizes awarded: A surprise award to a non-winning contestant and a drawing for a door prize to be awarded to someone who DID NOT COMPETE.  Examples of possible prizes include a full suit of GM armor, a potion keg, a reg pouch, a house add-on deed, cash, and more. So even if you don't think you can compete for your share of the million, come and cheer for your favorite warrior and you may walk away with a prize anyway.

Now here's the really interesting part. There will be 16 more events, EACH WEEK after the first one on Sunday. Each weekly winner will collect 60,000 gold. Each weekly runner up gets 30,000 gold, and each weekly 3rd place finisher gets 10,000. WEEKLY WINNERS can come back and compete each week, increasing their odds of winning in the Finals by winning more events. At the end of the season, the weekly winners, however many there may be, will compete in the Finals for a winner-take-all 1 MILLION GOLD prize.

But we need judges. The Oasis Fighting Pits is looking for three to five responsible, dependable individuals to assist with operating the event each week. If you can help, ICQ 60003378 or 6015983.

Wow, sounds like it is time to spruce up your PvP characters and head to Oasis! The fighting pits are located in Felucca in the desert that houses the Shrine of Compassion. Just head to Co-ordinates 67o 14' N - 47o 31' E.

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I am Elven Counsel. The new Lead Teacher for the New Player Teachers program now available. I am pleased to announce the guildstone is up and running for NPT=New Player Teachers. This program will assist young players and old alike to learn skills. The link to apply for teacher positions is http://www.uo-new-player.com. As lead teacher I hope to see you apply and be apart of a great new program that is in the works!

I am thrilled with the new program! It brings the fire back in me that I lost months ago. I love to help others, and there is many more out there that do the same! Come apply! I am sure you will like it because the cordinator is real nice and it will give guidance to UO players that have questions on the game.

You will need to apply on website or goto stratics.com and go in the irc room for #new-player-classes to talk to us interviewers. *smiles* Come on in and check it out anyway.

Hope to see you there,
Elven Counsel Lead Teacher of Baja Shard for New Player Teachers Guild and Program

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While we are committed to releasing Publish 12 as soon as possible, several issues have arisen in testing that we feel need to be addressed before it can be released. This update (which includes veteran rewards) is still our priority right now, and we are targeting to release Publish 12 to one shard later this week.
That being said, we are aware that the veteran rewards system still has issues, and while we appreciate the need to work quickly, we are more concerned with seeing that our update is stable and polished. To help us accomplish both of those goals, Publish 12 is still active on the external test shard Test Rewards, and we encourage all players to send any bugs found there to [email protected]. As always, non Test Shard-related bugs should be sent to [email protected].
A full list of the changes included in this publish can be found in Testing for next Update.
Considering the complexities of the rewards system, we will wait until all public shards have received Publish 12 before the veteran rewards system will be activated. Once all shards are running Publish 12, and we are confident that the veteran rewards system is functioning properly, we will begin to activate veteran rewards systematically on pre-determined shards. Please note that this means that players will not be able to choose rewards immediately once the publish is received. We are working to see that this delay will be as short as possible, and we appreciate your patience.

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That's Right Folks, "the rumors of my death were greatly exaggerated", as the old saying goes. ImaNewbie is alive and well and happily ensconsed in his new home right here on the Stratics Network. The URL is the same as always so no need to modify your bookmarks, just get yur butts over to my site and check out the latest! Enjoy :)

Added June 25th, 2001

• Toon Episode #140: In Danger of Collapsing plus
• Britannia Enquirer Vol 2, No. 4

ImaNewbie does Britannia
http://www.imanewbie.com/

later...Tryon

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***List of Fixes and Features for Release Version 66:***

1) An toggle has been added to the “Interface” subcategory of the options gump that lets players use the old-fashioned style container gumps instead of the new versions.
2) Sound effects play when you open and close container gumps.
3) Shopping gumps should now be much, much faster.
4) A zoom slider has been added to the quick menu.
5) NPCs should no longer continue to walk in place after they’ve stopped moving.
6) Players can now turn off object handles under the “Interface” subcategory in the options gump.
7) Object handles now stack in a certain order - more commonly needed items tend to be on top. For example, handles for corpses stack above all others.
8) Object handles are now color coded re: red/blue/grey for mobiles depending on notoriety, other objects have gold handles.
9) Speech and All-Names are now clickable for targeting, use, and attacking.
10) The player can now disable having the paperdoll model animate.
11) An issue whereby health bars would not update has been resolved.
12) Objects dropped in a container should now show up at exactly the location they were dropped at.
13) A problem where players would not be able to pick up objects has been resolved. This should also resolve problems players have had looting their corpse.
14) Skills are alphabetically sorted for players using languages in the ASCII character set.
15) Skill lock toggles will no longer go awry when a skill is moved from one group to another.
16) Command macros should now save properly.
17) The location of speech text over players’ heads has been adjusted.
18) This patch also includes several fixes to resolve numerous other bugs and crashes reported by players.

2D and 3D Client Patch

We will be releasing a client patch on Tuesday, June 26th at approximately 1:30 pm CDT. This patch contains an interface update and various bug fixes.

The current versions should now be 3.0.2f (2D client) and 3.0.2i Build 66 (3D client). If you have any difficulty receiving this patch, please check the following:

• Check the "Patch" directory within your Ultima Online directory (the default location is C:\\Program Files\Ultima Online\Patch). This directory should be empty. Any files in this directory should be deleted.
• If you are unable to connect to the patch server at all, and are using an original (Non-T2A) version of Ultima Online, you may need to update your verinfo file. For details on updating this file, please see the information posted at http://support.uo.com/tech_6.html.
• Run a virus scan on your computer. Undetected viruses may cause conflicts with patching Ultima Online. For information on up-to-date virus detection software, please visit http://www.mcafee.com/myapps/vso/default.asp. If after trying the above, you are still experiencing difficulty patching the Ultima Online client, please contact Technical Support at [email protected].

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Spell Changes
Several spells will have their power increased, particularly low-circle spells. Spells such as Magic Arrow, Fireball, and Lightning Bolt will do noticably more damage then before. The energy bolt, explosion, and flamestrike spells will be given a small damage increase. In addition, some spells will have lower reagent costs (note: until players receive a client patch these changes will not be visible in the spellbook).


The Harm Spell
The “Harm” spell will have its damage scaled based upon the caster’s distance to the target. The closer the caster is to the target, the more damage it deals.

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The maze itself came into view, impossibly well-tended, square and manicured it stretched for hundreds and hundreds of feet. He smelled magic. How else could the even rows be maintained thus? Methlas whinnied as if to say, "I smell it too." Grimly Quall readied his spear and entered the maze. Inside this green topiary tunnel everything was muffled, and even the hoof beats hardly made any sound in the soft manicured grass.

There was but one way to go, and Quall made his way briskly. Then a fork - which way? Right, and the plan: Reaching into his pack he dropped a fishsteak on the ground. Possibly the most worthless thing in Sosaria, he mused, and disgusting; finally a use! And so it went, sometimes he ran into a dead end and had to back track, but he would follow his fish steaks and try the other fork.

Silent, step step, quiet, moving in time with every third or forth fall of the horse's hooves, the watcher watched, followed. Shallow breath, but easy, there was no fear here, for was he not death himself? Carefully he studied the young man before him: Blonde hair, strong to wear the armor, and quick to use the spear he did not like at all. Spear wounds may not kill instantly, he knew from experience, but when impaled just right the pain can cause you to forget where you are and freeze-- many a mage has died that way. Not me, he thought, not today. Today the boy pays the ultimate price for his trespass. The man knew something about ultimate prices. A flicker of pain crossed his face to be replaced by hatred and a dark implacable rage. This look was why he could not go near a guard. This look said, 'I kill, it's what I do best.'

The house was a good one, two storied and large-- prosaic. But what was that god-awful din? Mooing and clucking and baa-ing, by Lord British himself, what was it?

Inside a medium-sized pen, packed edge-to-edge, were dozens and dozens of animals: Sheep, goats, cows, bulls, chickens, pigs, all making noise. Odder there was no filth and no apparent food. Startled, nay shocked, quall gasped as a sheep appeared in a small open spot within the pen. Now this was magic!

There was a bang and a rattle as a chain turned somewhere, and the gate that barred the house's front entrance slowly lowered.

Puzzilan the puzzler is attacking you!

Where? Who? Then Quall noticed the red robed guy bouncing off the portcullis, foam-flecked beard, dead pale skin. Crazed, the man bounced off, punching the air, and Quall would have laughed but the man's hands glowed and something shot from them: A spark, fat and fast, which imploded on his breastplate-- and it hurt! The gate was down, the madman was on him swinging and glowing. Quall stuck his spear in his chest, splashing blood everywhere. Hands beat on his armor and Methlas snorted, startled, sidestepping. A crackle of lightning and pain!! More pain as the next spell hit him. But it couldn't last, no matter how crazed a person was and immune to pain, people just aren't designed to have pointy things repeatedly thrust into their vital organs. With a cry Puzzilan died.

Gasping, sweating, hands trembling Quall opened his pack and applied a bandage. Then in a moment he laughed.

"The mighty mage of the hedge maze, what a joke," Quall said and he smiled. "Is this all that there is?"

The watcher smiled too, his death smile, and thought, "No my young friend there is a great deal more as you shall soon learn and then you will find that the joke is on you."

Ok, a bit of a lack of communication here. As I understand it, this change
will make it so that when you cast a spell any weapon you are carrying will
unequip. Re-equipping during the spell will cancel the spell. However, the
spellbook will not go into your hand. The spellbook isn't required to be
held to cast the spell, but you do need hands-free to cast. Sorry for any
confusion on that part of it.

Melantus

I went back to talk to the designers about this. As I understand it, when you cast the weapon you are holding will un-equip. The book will not go into your hand automatically, but you do need hands free to cast the spell. Re-equipping during the casting will interrupt the spell. After the spell is over, you can re-equip the weapon.

Melantus

Just a quick FYI
The orc slayer weapons are being fixed in this week’s content update. The fix makes the weapons work against all orcs, including the new content orcs.
Augur fixed it a while ago and QA already passed it. So if all goes well with the content update (which it should), it’ll be fixed tomorrow.
· Jonathan “Calandryll” Hanna
Designer, Ongoing Content

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These changes are currently active on "Test Center 6t". We encourage players to test these changes and provide feedback.

Hit Point Calculation The following change will be made to the manner in which hit points are calculated for players.

Hit Points = (str/2) + 50

Note: Any spells or effects that modify strength will also modify the target’s maximum hit points equally. For example, under the new formula, a player with 80 strength will have 90 hit points. However, if they drink a greater strength potion, their strength will be 80+20 (100) and their maximum hit points will be 90+20 (110).


Anatomy Damage Bonus A bug causing the anatomy damage bonus to be doubled against players will be fixed. However, the maximum damage bonus for anatomy will be increased to 30% upon reaching 100.0 skill (the damage bonus will still be 20% for players with less then 100.0 anatomy skill.

This change will have the following consequences…

Under the current system, a player with an anatomy skill of 100.0 can receive a 20% damage bonus against monsters, and a 20% damage bonus against players. Under the new system, a player with an anatomy skill of 100.0 will receive a 30% damage bonus against both monsters and players.

Similarly, a player under the current system with a skill of 80.0 can receive a 16% damage bonus against monsters, and a 32% damage bonus against players. Under the new system, this player will receive a 16% damage bonus against both monsters and players.


Lumberjack Damage Bonus The lumberjack skill will now add a damage bonus to axe weapons using the same formula as described for the anatomy damage bonus.

The bonus is 20% of the lumberjack skill until 99.9 skill and 30% for 100 skill.


Spellbooks Players will no longer be required to equip their spellbooks while casting. They may continue to do so if they so choose (holding a spellbook will not prevent you from casting a spell).

Players will be able to gain wrestling and/or tactics skill while holding a spellbook if the appropriate skill is marked to go “up”.

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The conflict between Avernia and the Alliance continues to grow in both scope and intensity. From Tamara, Gildmistress of I*B comes this latest announcement and "mission statement."

There comes a time when persons that consider themselves to be virtuous, must take up arms in the face of a malignant evil. Such a time has now come to pass. The Iron Brigade has taken up arms against the evil that is masking itself as freedom and equality in Avernia. We have placed Avernia under naval blockade with a portion of our fleet and will carry the battle to them, though we must cross facets to Trammel in order to do so.

Blockade runners will be dealt with in the harshest manner possible. We feel that such evil cannot be allowed to continue, as maliciousness of this sort rapidly spreads like a brushfire. It must be contained when it first flares up, or it will soon be too strong to contain, and may spill over to the already devastated Felluca.

Our intentions are to capture the Governess of Avernia, and try her for crimes against the Virtues. We will endeavor to take her alive, but will shed no tears should she fall in battle, or resist capture in such a manner that results in her death.

This we pledge,

Tamara
I*B Guildmistress and Fleet Admiral

Cyn

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Today, I'd like to share some views with you, on the skills necessary to thrive in the world of Sosaria. Skills are like clothing. We all, (well, most of us) wear clothing because...well, because....ermmm..well, we just do. But the "type" of clothing we choose is diverse in both function and appearance. We choose our skills in much the same way, in combinations that suit our needs, and to some degree, our personalities. Simply put, some skills are necessary for life in this world, and others are "window dressing." But how much of a particular skill is truly necessary?

Of all the skills in the land of Sosaria, few are coveted as much as GM Resist. And, as we all know, raising resist can be a major task, especially for the solitary hunter. But how much resist skill is really necessary? Recently, several folks from across the various shards have been conducting analysis on this subject. Here are some thoughts from those who've tested the protection afforded by the resist skill.

From Mousey, as submitted to Warhall

Ok, Lately it seems my fencer has been taking ALOT more damage from spells. Now, he's gm resist. But PvP is so "luck based" I took it in stride, thinking I was on a bad run of luck. Well, I went to a friends house today to do some dueling and he killed me 3 times in a row with 3 spells each time. Now, I've been PvPing for a while now and I know what I'm doing.. but I got on a missing spree and he got off 3 back to back spells. In all 3 cases it was Explode, Explode, Ebolt, Two of the times he killed me after the two explodes hit I had less than 10 hp's left and the ebolt finished me. The third time I had 12 hp's left after the two explodes. Well, after that I was a tad disturbed and logged off my home shard of Atlantic to cool down some. Well, my boredom got the better of me so I signed on Test and started testing damage some. My findings are as follows. The numbers present 100 full strength, the amount of life after the spell and total damage from the spell.

E-BOLT AT GM RESIST 100/79 - 21 100/85 - 15 100/90 - 10 100/58 - 42 100/88 - 12 100/63 - 37 100/67 - 33 100/72 - 28 100/63 - 37 100/58 - 42 100/58 - 42 100/63 - 37 100/72 - 28 100/76 - 24 100/79 - 21 100/90 - 10 100/76 - 24 100/63 - 37 100/72 - 28 100/67 - 33 100/58 - 42 100/82 - 18 100/58 - 42 100/84 - 16 100/88 - 12 100/79 - 21 100/67 - 33 100/81 - 19 100/72 - 28 100/63 - 37

Average Damage = 27.63 per E-Bolt.

E-BOLT AT O RESIST 100/66 - 34 100/63 - 37 100/72 - 28 100/63 - 37 100/63 - 37 100/58 - 42 100/67 - 33 100/67 - 33 100/90 - 10 100/81 - 19 100/76 - 24 100/81 - 19 100/58 - 42 100/90 - 10 100/81 - 19 100/63 - 37 100/85 - 15 100/67 - 33 100/58 - 42 100/73 - 27 100/72 - 28 100/63 - 37 100/85 - 15 100/58 - 42 100/72 - 28 100/72 - 28 100/63 - 37 100/85 - 15 100/67 - 33 100/58 - 42

Average Damage = 29.43 per E-Bolt.

30 ebolts done at GM Resist, and 30 at 0. As you can see the difference in average damage done between GM Resist and 0 Resist is disturbingly small.

Now, I'm VERY sleepy, So my numbers may be off.. but I looked them over and redid the addition twice, to make sure.. and came up the same numbers, both times. I think I'll follow up with explode damage and maybe FS as well. If I have the time and inclination anyway.

If anyone else has done a RECENT damage average test of resist at different levels I'd like to take a look at it. Im hoping, no, down right praying, that someone proves me wrong, or I screwed up the math somewhere and the difference in average damage at GM level and at 0 isn't THAT tiny.

Well, there's something for us to mull over I suppose. Please post any comments/questions on this post as Id like to get some feedback on resist and what not... And maybe find out if anyone else has noticed this and Im not the only one.

For "control" purposed, this test was done in Fel outside the Brit guard zone on the Test Shard. The character used was named Bless, and his skills were as follows: GM Magery, GM Med, GM Eval and GM resist for 30 of the ebolts, and 0 resist for the other 30. 100 str, 100 int, 25 dex.

I tested this a couple months ago or so on Pac with gm magery/ei vs gm resist.

Explosion (50 casts) - max damage 42 - min unresisted damage 10 - min resisted damage 5 - average damage 21.02 - resisted 30%

Energy Bolt (50 casts) - max damage 42 - min unresisted damage 10 - min resisted damage 5 - average damage 22.06 - resisted 30%

Persoanlly, I've battled Elder Gazers, with both O resist and GM resist and I MUCH prefer the gm resist. Still, given the "test" overall results, one can only wonder if its a worthwhile purpose to pursue resist to all the grandmaster level. If you are one of the few who've gm'd this elusive skill and have a definite opinion backed by experience or "tests" please share your findings with us. And if your'e one of those folks who firmly believe that 80 or 90 resist is enough, we want to hear your reasons, as well.

Until next we meet, safe journeys to you, one and all.

Cyn

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• injury to players
  
• death of drakes
  
• financial loss
  

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Who? Anyone. Mage, warrior, tamer, bard, newbie.
Where? Alliance Villiage
When? Friday 29th
Registration? 8:45 p.m. EST Event begins promptly at 9:00 p.m. EST

Description: This will be a one on one event with a few "important stipulations." The players will begin battle as normal. Throughout the battle a the players (ones fighting) may call out a number 1-10. For each number I will have a spell assigned. The spell may be benefical or it may be a damage spell. Its sheer luck. Whatever spell that is it will be casted on your opponent. You may not call out a number more than once. Example player 1 calls out #3. Therefor he nor his opponent may call out #3 for the duration of that match. The first number I see between combatants will be the first spell I cast. Then ill cast the other players number. A player must wait until his spell and his components spell has been casted befor calling out another number.

Rules:

• No magic weapons
• No hiding
• No paralyze
• Limit of 3 cures and 3 greater heals.
• No tamed or summoned creatures
• No EV's
• No Deadly Poison

Prizes:

• First place will recieve a FULL quest bag. Including an orc mask, orcish bow, 4 bola balls(If requested Ill make into a bola glob) and a orc helm.
• Second place will recieve 4 Bola Balls (If requested Ill make into a bola glob as I like to call it.

Come on out to the Villiage and have a great time if not competing then chatting with friends.

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First, thanks to everyone who has posted ideas here. While I am not directly working on the rewards, I did help design some of them and have kept an interest in the feedback. I would like to give some feedback though to help all of you when presenting your ideas by letting you know some limitations. Two things to keep in mind are that vet rewards should not give the player too much of an advantage (the ethereals are about the largest advantage that should be given from a vet reward) and that vet rewards are meant to be a symbol of the player's veteran status.

That said, I've read a bunch of the ideas and I'd like to comment on the ones that I fear would be problematic or imbalancing, thus making them unfit for a vet. reward. Note that this represents current thinking, future enhancements to UO could change this...

Stat/skill increases - we have no plans to permantently increase skill or stat caps at this time. Aside from the balance issues this would create there are also tons of code issues as those caps are inherent to many other systems.

New wearables and art - not possible in the 2d client because of the issues with making them work on your avatar. Unless you wanted us to make wearables that ONLY worked in the 3d client, we cannot add new art like this to the game. Note that Blackthorn and British armor are not wearables. Most new art has these limitations at the moment.

Blessed deeds/weapons - we removed the bless deed last year because of balance issues. While we know there are some in the world still, adding more (that are only available to vets) will not help.

Name changes - again, Name Change Deeds were removed becuase of balance and support problems (mostly support). No plans whatsoever of ever putting these in, either as a reward or a general update.

Stables - a great idea, but one fraught with peril. The stable master or hitching post idea has issues with the spawner that until resolved keep it from being considered. In truth, should those ever be resolved, this would probably be a general update, rather than a reward though.

Please don't take this post as a slap down or my way of saying the ideas are bad. They're not. However, I do think it is usefull to you to know the limitations and the boundaries when scoping out your ideas.

Again, thanks to everyone who has posted, we actually have not even started coding these yet (almost all efforts are on the upcoming publish) so there is time for revision. No promises of course, and I am glad to see so many positive responses to the current plan.

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For years, citizens of Sosaria have reported various encounters with that most mysterious of entities, the Mystic llama Herder. Yet, the following account is perhaps the most amazing encounter that I've yet to see. Read on, pilgrims!

Hail, good citizens of Sosaria.

I am Viagraphite, Mystic Thief of the Lady Vision. In one of my most recent outings, I encountered a strange being who said nothing, only stood there with glassy eyes, looking over the deeds that I was committing, as well as the deeds of others. I will now tell the of my story, come sit by the campfire, warm yourself, eat, and listen well...

As I stood there in a veil of darkness, hiding, from the fierce warriors whom were battling devilish creatures called Elder gazers, and watching Enchanted tamers fight along side their dragons, I felt a cold chill brush through the dungeon air. The warmth of the blood of the warriors and monsters dying around me were all but smothered. A strange chill seemed to almost crawl along the dungeon floor, seeping into 'tis cracks, crawling up the walls. Bringing a power unknown to any of those around me. It force was overwhelming....

Breaking out of my mysterious trancelike state, I wake to see the warriors and tamers running all around like it was he death that was reaching for them. It was then that I realized a beastly dragon had freed itself from its "owner" and was making mince meat of all those who stood in its way. Still hidden in my corner of darkness, I soon realized others had hidden or fled the dungeon itself, leaving their fallen comrades to fend for themselves. This now wild beast was free to roam where it pleased.

Being absorbed in the beauty of the beast, I failed to notice the strange veil that had taken over the dungeon. As if the darkness had spit him out itself, a mystical being stepped forth. From accounts previously in other times and other lands, I knew this being to be the one known as the "mystic llama herder." As if being calmed to a peaceful manner, the dragon slowly walked towards the being, and as quick as the mystic one appeared he left, seeming to take the dragon with him. Where that was, we do not know, nor did we dare try to follow. All we knew was that many lives had been spared and this strange being seemed to have performed a great service to us all. many questions remain, where did he come from? What did he want? Will he appear again?.... These things have yet to be answered. Will they?

This has been my story, and the rarity of its style. Spread word to all, that they might watch for this amazing being.

Back to my petty theft
~Mystic Thief~ Viagraphite

Cyn
Patron Saint of Taverns

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Absolutely not. That is someone using an insecure proxy out of Turkey.. posting a copy of the Ultima registration page that uses a redirect to an @home FTP site. This sends your account name & pw to them if you used it. I have e-mailed @home already about this site.. someone else nuked it.. I don't think it is currently online at this moment. I have not been hacked.

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The ability to select rewards has been temporarily disabled on the test shards. Sorry for the inconvenience. We will re-enable this as soon as testing of certain features is finished.

Those who picked all four rewards on the first reward test center cannot pick more rewards on a second test center. This is as designed since it mimics the production environment. I'm sorry that the previous shard is no longer available but it had to be re-assigned for another use.

Remember that rewards selected on any test center are not deducted from the rewards you will have available on production shards.

There never was an announcement. A rumor got started that the publish may have been today but it was obviously a false one. As with everything else on the internet you should double check when receiving information from non-official sources.

Regardless we are all working hard to get the next large publish out before the end of the month. That being said we will only release it when we feel confident that the entire publish is solid.

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A (K)Night of Virtues
By Marianna
Squire to 1st Knight Azor Ryurik
“Prepare yourself.”

Lady Arianna, Guild Mistress to Council of Honor stared into the darkness of the night, oblivious to the stars. Seemingly unmindful of me seated behind her, listening intently, until Arianna turned to me once more.

Taking a deep breath, she repeated the entire phrase from the urgent message that she was delivered near the East Britain Bank a few nights ago. “Prepare yourself and thy guild, to rid the world of those who seek to banish the Virtues…”

A message that put into play a series of events that are now embroiled upon her memory, and those of her guild members, for all eternity.

“Aye, Mistress Arianna.” I leaned forward, urging her to continue her tale.

Smiling ruefully to herself she proceeded. “One thing I have learned as both a warrior, and as one who upholds the Eight Virtues is this: One can never be fully prepared when dealing with those who believe not in the Eight Virtues.”

Turning once again to look out into the night, she continued her accounting of the Night of Virtues. “One must learn to expect the unexpected, and be flexible.”

“This message came from a mage known as Prometheus, by way of his apprentice Freya. We were urged to assemble quickly and meet him near Deceit’s entrance.”

Looking over her shoulder at me, “The rain fell heavily that night. A sign to be sure.”

Turning fully to face me, Lady and Dame Arianna’s eyes were solemn. “It was here we learned that Prometheus and Freya travel across all of Britannia, urging others to advocate the Virtues as they do. As we do, ourselves.” She sat next to me, and continued softly.

“There has been a disturbing rise in the populace of those that choose Minax’s path in life. Or choose indifference. I am not sure which is worse…but I digress.” Arianna took a moment to reflect here, and I respectfully remained quiet. After a moment, she was ready to go on.

“Although he appeared very frail and sickly, I saw a wisdom in Prometheus’ eyes that was both humbling and reassuring. And I also saw a kindred spirit. And knew that we would do what we could to help his cause in anyway possible. This is what transpired…”

After an intriguing, yet short briefing the Council of Honor began a mission of sorts...a test if you will, at Prometheus’ request. He had caught whispers about our guild, being based upon the Eight Virtues. How tightly based upon them...CoH was about to prove. Or die trying.
It began with them in pursuit of a blessed journal inside Deceit, a book in which they were to record their travels that night, for others to learn from. Given the choice between searching this book out, or altering a pre-existing journal to make it theirs, CoH chose the high road in favor of Honesty, to no great surprise of mine. After returning with the book, they found Prometheus gone, and in his place was Freya, his apprentice.

Being informed of a lady whose son had been kidnapped from the town of Britain, CoH then dared a brave rescue excursion into the depths of Despise. After a joyful reunion between mother and son, the guild was gifted with a ring, as a token of her appreciation for the Compassion she was just shown.

“This ring has no end, nor a beginning…as does your compassion you have shown me.” Arianna smiled softly in remembrance of those proudly stated words.

I sat back and listened raptly as Arianna went on to explain how they were given a Sword of Valor by Freya, and used this weapon to dispatch an evil dragon that resided in the dungeon of Destard. During which time both Arianna and her 1st Knight Azor Ryurik gave their lives, before finding someone to help them join body and spirit once again.

Upon trudging out of that cursed place, the Council of Honor was then met with the challenge of tracking down and capturing a criminal by the name of Fang. Learning that he romped throughout all of Felucca, the guild then traveled by way of a magical gate to Fel-Britain.

Here they joined with an old friend who was also in search of Fang, and who had been fortunate enough to obtain some information regarding his general whereabouts. Together, they were able to track and capture this thug, and would receive a nice reward upon his delivery to the Yew Court of Truth.

Shaking her head, Mistress Arianna turns to me once again. “This proved more difficult than the dragon. Those of us who follow the Eight Virtues tend to forget how corrupt the rest of the world can sometimes be.”

After some slight setbacks during their tracking process, such as thieves stealing their weapons and engaging in battle to retrieve these weapons, they managed to get Fang into custody. While en-route to the Yew Court of Truth, a jailbreak of sorts was attempted by an acquaintance of Fang's, named Snake.

Catching wind that his friend was about to be brought in, he attempted to persuade the guard to leave his post. Having no luck here, Snake then caught up with CoH, and their indignant prisoner.

Amidst cries of “This is not justice!” from Fang, and numerous ugly insults issued by Snake, the group persevered and managed to hand Fang over to the guard, in Trammel. It was then that Snake grabbed Arianna about the neck, holding a dagger to her throat.

Cries of alarm rang out, as he demanded Fang be set free, or he would kill her. There were several long, tension filled moments while the guard refused to release Fang, and everyone tried to talk some sense into Snake.

Finally, apparently having realized that the guard would NOT be letting Fang go, and that he was grossly outnumbered, Snake threw the blade down, shoved Arianna away from him and ran off into the night. Hissing over his shoulder that it was not over.

By this point, the group is exhausted, beaten, and bruised. And also faced with a new challenge. The guard passed to them a message to be delivered to Prometheus, with a slight catch. Prometheus has died, and the Spirit Speakers could no longer communicate with him, for reasons unknown. Therefore, only another spirit could find him, and so the guild set out for the City of the Dead…the last known location of Prometheus.

Once there, Arianna volunteered to sacrifice her own life in order to deliver the important message that must make it into the hands of Prometheus. While the others battled skeletal knights, wraiths, and other various evil, the guild mistress was able to find and speak with Prometheus. It is then she learned that the evilness in the City of the Dead had been preventing both his resurrection, and his communication with the Speakers, out of fear of his power.

After escorting him safely to the shrine known as Spirituality, Prometheus was given the scroll containing his message, and he in return gave the Council of Honor his heartfelt thanks, as well as a Spirit Harp.

Arianna stopped here for a moment, and I tried to absorb all I have been told up to this point. My mind was swimming with images and questions, but I remained silent, for I know the tale does not quite end here.

“I was very proud of the guild that night, Marianna.” Mistress Arianna smiled in my direction. “Each new challenge was met with such bravery and courage…it was an honor to fight by their sides.”

Nodding, I silently urged her to continue.

“We followed Freya to Paladin Isle in Trinsic, where Prometheus stood waiting for us. And it was there that he bestowed much honor upon us. The tide was again changing in the battle between the Eight Virtues and Minax’s evil- doers. And it is changing in our favor.”

She motioned me over to a locked chest that sits in a corner of our guildhall. Kneeling down, she opened it, and I was in awe at the sight that greeted me.

Nestled inside upon a bolt of satin, was a glowing staff of such beauty; it stole the very breath from my body. Looking up at my guild mistress I asked, “Is it truly the one?”

“Aye…tis the Staff of Truth, Love, and Courage, Marianna. Prometheus entrusted it into our safekeeping for the time being. As were the items we found along our way that fateful night.”

She motioned me to a display case, where I gaze upon eight seemingly ordinary items that were not ordinary at all:

The Book of Honesty, the Ring of Compassion, the Sword of Valor, the Scales of Justice, the Spirit Harp, the Shroud of Sacrifice, the Crook of Humility, and the Grail of Honor.

“These few material objects are but a symbol of what we strive for young squire.” Lady and Dame Arianna of Council of Honor placed her hand upon my shoulder.

“The Night of Virtues was but our test to prove out worth.”

“Others need to be told of it, My Lady.” I looked at her with respect.

“So that they may learn from it, and prepare, should the time for their test arise.”

Smiling to herself, she leaned forward looking me in the eye. “Tell all you can, Marianna. For their time IS coming. And may the Gods have mercy on them when it does.”

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It's been delayed just a bit. We think it should still be in before the end of the month. However we want to be sure to get it right as opposed to trying to make an end of the month "deadline". There isn't really a deadline, because if it goes in on July 1 then it's still the same patch and the players will still get all the benefits from it. It's a rather large publish, too.

Melantus.

Not tomorrow folks, but they hope very soon. :(
You don't want it until it's ready.

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There are regular companions that do companion-ing with a play character,
then there were robed companions (Senior Companion) that wore robes and had
powers specifically for that duty. Those robed companions can definitely
still be a regular companion, but the extra powers wont be there.

Melantus
Online Community Coordinator
Ultima Online.

I dont think the regular non-robed companions changed in any way or
even will change. I believe the procedures to become one are still the same,
but I'm not too familiar on that. This is how I understand it at least.

Melantus
Online Community Coordinator
Ultima Online.

"You are in charge now, make of this program what you will."

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There have been several threads here relating a possible housing bug, in which houses that have been refreshed have fallen, decayed or switched owners somehow. We have been unable to identify or repeat this, but it's important to see that all possible issues like these are investigated. If this has happened to you, PLEASE send your information to [email protected]. This mailbox is read by our QA members, who make sure that each issue received is put into the bug database. The more information they receive on a particular bug, the more likely they are to be able to pinpoint the validity or the cause.

If this has happened to you, on one of your own accounts, please send the relevant information to [email protected], including your name, account id (we will not ask for your password), the shard you play on, the facet and coordinates where your house was located, type of house, character name, and any relevant information such as whether or not it was a public or private home, whether or not it contained a guildstone, and any other info that you feel might aid us in the investigation. Please do not mail us to relay the story of this happening to a friend, or a friend of a friend... we need first hand information to determine how to address it.

Thanks! :)

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Interview with Adam Ant, an Evil Role-player from the Ultima Online, Napa Valley Shard.

Topics include: Introduction to Adam, Why Adam turned to the dark side, Adam's time as a member of the BV network, Adam's new domain, Adam Vision for Quests and Grabby, About the red bandana, Honorable Evil, Adam's alias, GUL's evolution, Role-playing Evil, Stat Loss, Angel Island, Favorite Memories in UO, How Adam met Fear, Adam's most evil act in game, Adam's thoughts on how long UO will last, and more...

Show running time is 46 minutes - Download is 5.24 MB - Recorded on 6-22-2001 - Hosted by Fear

listen to the broadcast here:
www.battlevortex.com/media.php

Show Notes:I had some technical difficulty in the beginning of the show with getting Adam's voice to an acceptable level. This gets better about 10 minutes into the broadcast. I have made some adjustments to the recording equipment to help prevent this going forward.

Thanks for listening!
-NF

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Grey Wolfe of the Order of the Silver Serpent (OSS), infamous for his arrest of Ti Eless and his adjunct Grunk and the martial law levied upon the orc-battered cities of Cove, Minoc, Delucia, Ocllo and Skara Brae, and Singlarad Sereglim Arlista, High Council representative of Minoc and of HOS (Minoc's town guard) met, along with several members of their respective organizations.

The meeting began casually with a discussion of Minoc's history. For those who are not familiar with Minocian history, Minoc has been witness to some shocking and at times exceptionally violent events. Wolfe spoke of the Crimson Grove, where a grove once-healthy trees had mysteriously turned from gold to black many moons ago, and Samara spoke of the Gelidum and detailed the events surrounding the massacre of the Troll Chieftans in the very hallowed halls these officers of the Realm currently stood.

The meeting then turned to more current and pressing matters. Wolfe apologized for his decree of martial law in Minoc, stating that his intent was honorable, however, his choice of words were inappropriate. His intent, he stated, was to call a State of Emergency, which is within his powers when cities of the Realm are under attack. Singlarad agreed to the State of Emergency.

Wolfe also informed Singlarad that he spoke with Amanda, still High Council representative of the city of Skara Brae, and also cleared up the matter with her. Skara, as it now stands, is also in a State of Emergency due to the orc presence there.

Wolfe then spoke of the pressing concerns of OSS. While they were conducting their own investigations into the orc presence in our cities, their primary concern was to defend the cities and towns "at all costs." Wolfe then advised that patrols should be established in the embattled cities from time to time, and that OSS would work in conjunction with the Minoc Town Guard to assist in the protection of their city. On this point, Singlarad again agreed with Wolfe.

Together they began a joint patrol of the city of Minoc, and slew all orcs who had attacked them. Wolfe then suggested that they also patrol the town of Cove, as it had been recently hit by a number of orcs, most probably due to its close proximity to the orc fort on the other side of the mountain pass. Wolfe indicated that OSS would concentrate their efforts of protection here, yet, a meeting with Benito Gundar, High Council representative of the City of Britain, would be in order as he also maintains jurisdiction of the small town.

Upon arriving in Cove, they had discovered Benito under attack, however, due to his seemingly severe wounds, Wolfe was unable to hold council with Benito.

We will keep you informed as more information regarding this interesting situation develops.

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Monday, July 2, 7:30 pm CST, the grand opening of the Stratics Centre will be held.

Hope to see you there!

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Strange news from East Trinsic this morning:

The day began as an ordinary one. I was spending the afternoon spinning wool and making bandages. Upon returning to the bank in Trinsic, I heard a strange sound. It reminded me of the spectres and shades of Britannia's graveyards. I searched for the source of the chirping and saw a pale figure staring at me. He was on the isle of paladins in East Trinsic.

I cautiously made my way over to get a better look. This ghastly figure was human in appearance with some striking qualities. Firstly, he had no clothing or armor, with the exception of a common loincloth. He held a longsword in one hand. His skin was stark white from head to toe. His face was featureless and his head was hairless. Gazing at nothing in particular, he paced around the area. He had the appearance of "a paladin the mystic llamaherder" but nothing else could be determined.

He would not respond to any of my efforts to communicate. He would not talk, nor would he accept gold or food. I called upon a mage, I believe her name was Tintin, to see if she could Bless the poor being but the spell would not work. In my examination, I accidentally attempted to check his inventory and felt the karma drain from my body. It was then I decided I would only hurt myself in dealing with this vision.

I know many people will think I am losing my mind in my old age but those who know me also know I am incapable of being dishonest. I swear upon the lives of my fellow Avatars of Justice that I have seen this mythic figure yet can no offer no explanation to why it appeared to me. Perhaps you will have better luck than I.

~The Admirable Wilhelm~
Guardian of Truth

Thank you for writing to us about this phenomenon, Sir Wilhelm. Perhaps others will share their own experiences with this strange presence.

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Our thanks to Nick Seafort of The Daily Herald for bringing this announcement to our attention:Hail Britannia!

I am happy to announce that the first wave of Trinsic senators has been chosen! When next you visit Trinsic, be sure to greet Senators Kyla, Tajqa, Lothar, and Solusek!

Four chosen, Five positions remain. Are you interested in running community events? Do you enjoy working with other people to build a thriving community? Trinsic wants to hear from you. Contact Marquis Alazraham for more information on applying for Senate!

Best regards to you all,
Marquis AlazrahamCongratulations to the new senators.

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The grim look on Jheli's weather-worn face told me that the contents of the scroll he was passing to me were not joyful. I knitted my brow, questioning him with my eyes. He said naught, but pressed the paper into my hand and sat on a nearby stool as I read the anonymous letter:

Off in a clearing near Ocllo, a rabbit sat chewing on some grass. It was an ordinary day for the rabbit, just another day to go out and try to make its way to the farms. Not very far away from the rabbit a human made his way out of the brush towards the clearing. The figure looked tired, but nothing that fighting off orcs would cause. The man made his way towards a rock and sat down on it resting.

The rabbit moved a bit to the west ignoring the human. A great shadow fell upon the rabbit, which it noticed and froze thinking its end had come. Yet, nothing happened. The rabbit curious tilted its head towards the sky. A great thunderstorm had appeared out of nowhere. The rabbit wasn't the only one puzzled; the human was also surprised and titled his head towards the sky. The man didn't know it was supposed to rain today, otherwise he would have brought his robe with him.

The man started to stand when a huge thunderbolt of lighting ripped its way out of the sky and struck where he was standing. The rabbit was too petrified to move. It kept its eyes locked on the crater where the man was. A hand reached out and grabbed the edge of the crater pulling a burning figure from the crater. The figure stood up straight, it seemed to be smiling under the burnt flesh. With that smile bristling, the figure moved his arm and brushed off the burnt flesh. It fell off as if it were dirt being brushed from clothes. The figure started to walk towards the brush, but stopped, turning to face the rabbit. The rabbit's mind was bombarded with images of a cause it could not understand. The rabbit's mind was then bathed in a sense that what was about to happen to it was for a good cause. With that, the figure raised his finger to his lips and made the "sssh" noise.

The rabbit fell over dead, the only thing in the world that had seen the return.

The Black One had returned to Britannia.

His mouth was set in a hard line. "Aye, ma'am. Tis what I thought, too. But they's talkin' in some of the towns. They's talkin' that it is so."

"Based on this one piece of unnamed prose?" I shook my head. "You spend too much time listening to the prattling bar maids, Jheli. They believe anything they hear. Unsubstantiated gossip is fodder for their useless conversation."

"It weren't just the servin' wenches, ma'am. I heard it at the bank, too. Couple o' guards discussin' it."

I rubbed my chin. To print the story, which may be nothing more than the beginning of an elaborate hoax, could start an unfounded wave of panic across the realm. On the other hand, to not publish the account, and have the words be true, I would be denying the readers a chance to prepare themselves for what may lie ahead.

Retractions are easy to print, I reasoned. The people must know.

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It was with great anticipation that the crowd flooded into the sadly neglected Throne Room in the Royal Palace of Britannia, eager to see if the talk on the streets was indeed true and a new dawn was about to break over the war torn lands of Britannia. For many months the rumours had been rife, Lord British, absent for so long, had at last heard the pleading voices of the haggard masses, worn down by the continual warfare and near to giving up all hope. At last he had apparently taken action, for tonight there was to be the first public appearance of none other than Barahir Netanve, the new Regent of Britannia!

Into the throne room they came streaming and were not to be disappointed for there, standing before the Sovereign’s Throne, stood a tall and distinguished looking nobleman, flanked by guards, the new Regent himself. He greeted the crowd cordially and began his address by telling us about his appointment by the hand of none other than Lord British himself, and how he would do his utmost to heal the rifts that tore at the realm, bring the warring factions together and forging a new future from the many divergent communities of the land. He spoke of the pitiless trials and tribulations that tested the peoples of Britannia, how the never ending war cut down the young men of the realm, how the mayhem at the banks clearly demonstrated the wrecked and desperate state of the economy, and how the simple folk of the land suffered with not enough food for their tables nor clothing for their frightened children. He pledged to levy an army to wage unremitting war against the Orcs that plagued the town of Cove. He called on the leaders of all the towns and cities to unit in a new alliance of national unity, that they might raise up as one and smite the evil that plagues the land, the forces of Minax, the rampaging Orc hordes, the newly emboldened Drow houses and the wicked forces that creep unknown still from the shadows. He spoke of the great teachings of the Virtues and how they can give us all strength in these troubled times. Even the appearance of evil men and drow warriors at the back of the crowded hall did not dampen his spirit nor dull his inspired words.

The people listened, some crying out their support, others more cautious, the memory of Lord British’s own failures still fresh in their minds as were the gaping wounds upon their own flesh. Too long had the realm drifted rudderless and scepticism was thick in the air, mingling with desperate hope in a heady cocktail of uncertainty about our collective future. Sensing the mood of the crowd, the Regent turned to those he recognised, one after the other, introducing first Kulgan of Moonglow, his new Court Treasurer, then greeting Videric Gavestone, Trader of Minoc and Elliot, commander of the Vesper Militia. They spoke of their shared hopes for the future even as others questioned his role and asked about that other famous exile of Britannia, Lord Blackthorn, pointing out that there might indeed be other philosophies to consider rather than simple blind adherence to the rule of Lord British, who many feel had so sorely neglected this sorrowful realm.

As for myself, I stepped forward and spoke of the town of Spiritwood, so long a beacon of hope and freedom in this troubled land. I pointed out that the Skara Brae region, of which fair Spiritwood is a proud part, has for long basked in a relative freedom from the harsh dictate of the Britannian court, how it jealously guards it independence and how many share a discontent with the absentee rule of a King, whom many feel has abandoned the simple folk of the land to the tender mercies of the minions of destruction. My own noble order, the Custodes Fati, and many others like us have long ago stepped selflessly into the breach left by the King’s absence and defended the innocents of the realm, and now feel uncertain about relinquishing our independence to a monarchy many believe has lost touch with the true values of its subjects. A consummate politician, Barahir Netanve assured me that our views would not fall on deaf ears and he kindly agreed to my invitation to come to Spiritwood and sit in consultation with the local leaders to hear our grievances and to thence “negotiate” an agreeable conclusion.

We look forward to such a visitation to our territory and feel sure that it shall be the first of many as the new Regent of Britannia consolidates his position and takes the first strides towards healing the many rifts that split the realm

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57th Assembly of the 5th High Council

Date: Monday, June 25th, 2001
Time: 10 PM EST/9 PM CST
Location: Magincia Parliament Building

Agenda:

• Announcement regarding the 8th Seat of the High Council.
• Statement regarding incident at last High Council Meeting.
• Other items to be announced at the meeting.

The High Council of Britannia

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The Library of Knowledge at Ix invites you to a Scavenger Hunt this Tuesday, June 26, at 8pm Central time!

Come test your Britannia savvy against others for exciting prize packages. Contestants will be given an list of items and a set time to have as many on the list as possible. The first person back with the most items wins!

Gates will be provided from Empath Abbey (Trammel) from 7:45 to 8pm. The Library of Knowledge is newly relocated at Ix, which can be found here (www.calamity.net/ix).

We look forward to you joining us!

Chino,
Librarian at Ix

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Litha Summer Festival hosted by the guilds of Tel’Ruid

Currently running!

Cryptogram Puzzle posted at www.grey-company.org by Morchella at The Silver Arrow Message Board (there are 6 posts on the message board to complete the puzzle)

• Prize for first correct answer posted "a Fish Trophy"
• Prize for second correct answer posted "a full Greater Healing keg, and full Greater Cure keg"
• Prize for third correct answer posted "a full Greater Healing keg"

Wednesday June 27th starting at 7:00pm CST

7:00pm-8:00pm CST "Scavenger Hunt" by TirNaNo’g at The Silver Arrow

• First Prize "an Orcish Kin Mask, and set of GM Green Studded Leather"
• Second Prize "an Orcish Bow, and set of GM Green Studded Leather with a GM Verite Helm"
• Third Prize "a Basket of Rare Foods, and set of GM Red Leather Armor"

8:00pm ­9:00pm CST "Pet Races" by Veil and Celes Xavier at The Yew Races Track (behind Empath Abbey)

• First Prize "a Statue"
• Second Prize "Message in a Bottle, and 5k gold"
• Third Prize "Message in a Bottle"

8:00pm-11:00pm CST "Tarot Card Readings" by TirNaNo’g at Elven Temple (Large Marble House two houses North of The Silver Arrow)

By Appointment only, after 11:00pm cst walk-ins welcome.

8:30pm CST Complete "Blacksmiths Contest" by Bill Evens and RZ hosted by Tel’Ruid for the UBB at Forge on North side of Tel’Ruid bay (stop at The Silver Arrow for directions)

• First Prize "a Glacial Staff, (compliments of Vinceint), Valorite Location Rune Book, 5 Level 1 Treasure Maps, and 160k gold"
• Second Prize "a Statue, Agapite Location Rune Book, and 60k gold"
• Third Prize "40k gold, and a GM Studded Leather Suit"

9:00pm-11:00pm CST "Bard Contest" by Camris Lindar at The Silver Arrow

• First Prize "a Pile of Snow"
• Second Prize "30k gold"
• Third Prize "20k gold"

For Direction to Tel’Ruid see www.telruid.com

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Greetings to all!

We can now confirm that we have lead teachers for Europa, Napa, Baja, Great Lakes and Atlantic Shards. This is a call to all current veteran players that have applied for a volunteer teacher position and to all veteran players from all shards that wish to become part of the new player classes team of teachers.

I therefor ask that you please join us in irc channel #New-Player-Classes. Once you arrive in the irc new player classes room you should add a student tag and shard tag to your name. Instructions on doing this are provided in the channel.

Once we have your student tag and shard tag then someone will interview you for the position you wish to apply for.

Positions are as follows.
1. Teacher
2. Senior Teacher
3. Arch Teacher
4. Lead Teacher

Before you start your interview each of the above positions will be explained in full. All you need to do then is to pick which position you wish to take and then we will give to the correct interview for the position you wish to try for.

I must also state at this point that some higher positions have already been taken so you may have to apply for a lower teacher position than you wished. The main thing that all teachers have in common is that not of status but that we are here to give the new players all the help they need to get a good start in ultima online.

If you can't seem to understand how irc works then just contact us at www.uo-new-player.com We will then send you detailed information on how you can setup irc.

Once again i would like to thank you all for the huge response we have had for this player run volunteer program.

Best Regards,

Robert
New Player Team

I'm pleased to confirm that Lord Hallf of Europa Shard will now take on the role as Lead Teacher for the new player classes program on the Europa Shard.

I also wish to confirm that Omnikus of Europa Shard will be taking on the role as Arch Teacher for the shard.

I would like to thank all of you from all shards who have sent in your applications to be teachers and to confirm that you will now be receiving instructions to start your teacher training and becoming part of the new player team.

Please send any comments to Lead Teacher Hallf at [email protected] and for Arch Teacher Omnikus to [email protected].

Applications should be sent in through the main web site at www.uo-new-player.com

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While the publish was scheduled for Monday, it's possible some last minute fixes may make it a bit later than that... not sure yet. But it's coming out as soon as it's ready, and it's a major priority to get it out asap. :)

Cynthe

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Thanks to all who attended Goldie's Emporiums first Free Armor Repair Night. It was a great success, as many young warriors received repairs to there armor.

Even a few purchased a new set of armor,I would like to thanks all who particpated in the event and look forward to more events from Goldie's Emporium in the future.

A special thanks goes out to Elminster Aumar of CNS for the gate he provided for last nights event.

Lord Kodeth

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Hi, I'd like to take a minute and announce the opening of a new UO fan site, The Black Staff. This site is meant for any UO player, whether roleplayer or monster basher. Check out our UO fan fiction, and submit some of your own! Ever wondered about some of those strange places in Ilshenaar? No problem!! We've got guides to many different areas there, telling all about the habitat and features of the areas, and what monsters you can expect there. You can also check out our skills guide and items guide, as they grow to contain more and more useful information. While there, take a while and browse and post on our forums, and chat about rares, screenshots, UO, or just come to chit-chat. We also have a marketplace there for you to buy and sell items.

The URL for The Black Staff is http://www.theblackstaff.co.uk. Come check us out!

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Pushing her long hair back from her face, Aricia removes her gloves and slowly sits in a chair. Weariness and excitement mingle in her face.

Hearing the cries of the wounded and the muted whispers of the already dead all around her, she checks her supplies. "Soon I will have to try and get to a tailors and buy cloth for bandages" she says aloud. Realizing she is alone in the Hostel, she grins.

Last night Gerrad, Ieon and Ravensong came to help. Rup was here this morning. She had seen Raticker and Locke also. Rubbing her shoulder, she rises and walks to her steed. "Once more we ride old friend" she whispers to her steed.

Opening the door of the Hostel, she rides into the street. The smell of oil and death fills the air making it hard to take deep breaths. Riding swiftly to the bank of Vesper, she stops to rez another casualty. Healing and watching him retrieve his belongings, she spots a scout sneaking up. "Are ye alright now friend?", she asks. He replies that he is alright and runs to the South.

Reaching the bank, Ari grabs some gold and heads for the tailor shop. Now trolls have joined their orc friends. Racing for the shop, she stops once more to heal a wounded warrior who is attempting to kill a chopper. After making sure he was alright , she heads into the shop and once again gets a supply of bandaids.

"When will this end" she thinks to herself. "Where are the citizens of Phoenix Rising? Where is anyone who can wield a weapon?" Reaching for her meagre food supply. she takes several bites and prepares to sweep thru the city.

Searching thru her pack, she finds a piece of parchment and quill. Frantically writing as she calmly watches the bomber come in the door, she
scribbles this hasty note:

I need help. We are losing the battle here. We need supplies and manpower to drive these foul creatures out. If I die here alone, please bury me in my home of Ocllo. If anyone gets this note.............tell the people of Britannia that if we don't fight back, we will lose everything we have
struggled so hard to get.

As the first bomb hits, Ari reels back in pain. Raising her bow, she fires at the red bomber and tries to heal herself.

-Aricia DeLong

I do hope this young lady made it back home to Ocllo safely.

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OYE! OYE!

New epsiodes of the adventures of ZOG are finaly online:

11 - Dont touch my bolas!
12 - The New Monster
13 - The new guy around

Enjoy :)

www.imacat.t2u.com

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Additional Changes to UO
Changes to visual/sound problems within Third Dawn, Changes to the zoom-in feature, Vendor Menu Localization - Full Story

"Blue" Players Stuck In The Minax Stronghold
Information on "blue" players becoming stuck in the Minax Stronghold - Full Story

Additional Fixes
Additional fixes to Faction messaging and blade spirit/Energy Vortex changes - Full Story

Localization Changes
Fixes added for some localization text - Full Story

Change to Weapon Skill Modification
Changes to how modification of skills from weapons appear on the skill itself - Full Story

Various Fixes and Changes
Various Fixes for Ultima Online - Full Story

Ultima Online Rewards Program
The Ultima Online Rewards program is designed to reward our long-term players for loyalty to the UO community - Full Story

Unused Character Cleanup
This system is designed to reduce back-up times by removing unused characters - Full Story

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This in from the Syndicate and the city of Arx Draconis.

The Syndicate is beginning another
round of its Vendor Lottery today at its island city of Arx Draconis (the Felucca side).
The game works like this:

Go to the Treasure Map Rune library
Locate the vendor on the steps
He will be carrying a series of locked chests
Inside each chest is a prize. Get a chest and open it to see what you
won.

Prizes this time include:
An Evil Orc Helm
An Orcish Bow
100,000 gold
Various Semi Rare items

Come check out the vendor lottery and while you are there look over the
Treasure Map runes (decode your map, lookup the rune to it on the AD
webpage linked above, and recall right to the spot. No searching!) or
checkout the many stocked vendors.

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Scottish UO Meet-Up

After a preliminary prod, due to phenomenal interest, the first Scottish UO meet-up is going to take place next month.

We're looking at meeting on 28th July, in 'Espionage' on Victoria Street (just off George IV bridge) in Edinburgh, at 3pm. If people don't know Edinburgh I shall be waiting at the left hand side of the WH Smith entrance in Waverley Train Station at 2:30pm - I shall be leaving to head to 'Espionage' at 3pm. The reason for Espionage is that it has large booths with large comfy leather seats that can easily accomodate 10 people each. 'Espionage' is a 6 floor labyrnth of rooms, corridors and bars - so it can be quite easy to get lost if you don't arrive early. The place where we will (hopefully) be sitting is on the ground floor to the right after you walk along the corridor at the entrance. If you are still having problems, contact me - [email protected] - and I shall give you my mobile number. We will also all have name badges, so it shouldn't be too hard to spot us.

There's talk of moving on to a club later at night, but I'll leave that to the day to arrange, coz not everyone's keen on it.

Could you please leave a note here if you wish to attend with your RL name, main character name, guild (if any), and pigeon/mail number. If your too shy to leave your RL name here send me a pigeon on 9921764 or email - [email protected] - with your details...

The Specifics:
Where: Espionage Bar, Victoria Street, Edinburgh, Scotland
Date: Saturday, 28th July, 2001
Time: 3 pm

Contacts:
Coordinator: Mentazm
[email protected]
ICQ 9921764

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As dusk approached, Theressa hurriedly lit the remainder of the candles in the two story home of Augustus. She reminisced for a moment of the days of Gorvan and his band of killers, the oLo. They, who had stalked her kindred day after day. She smiled in relief , knowing those days were behind them now. And tonight, they were holding a meeting in the very home of those that plagued them tirelessly. This home was their’s now, a place of safety and security for them all, especially the youngest and weakest of the army, those not unlike herself.

A sudden commotion had her running to the window to see what could be causing such a loud ruckus and she began to laugh uproariously at the timely arrival of her sister Tea’. Tea, in her suit of armor with weapons dangling at her sides and from her horses pack, resembled something of a traveling salesman, and the sound she made as she brought her horse to a halt at the steps of the Ocllo home, resembled the clanging of pots and pans. “Tea’!” she squealed, so delighted she was to see her. Tea’ tripped at the doorstop as the face shield of her helm fell as she stumbled. The youngest always felt safest with Tea’ in their midst. Inspite of her lack of obvious grace, she was a strong warrior, and always the protector of her younger siblings. Why even Sirus the so-called Virus had realized the strength and power of her skills. He was heard to be whimpering softly, something to the effect of “Mommy” the day she smite him down with her powerful sword, just before he made a squishy and malodorous mess at her feet . She felt safe now that she had arrived.

They settled in to wait for the others to arrive. As they sipped warm ale by the fire, Theressa asked of Tea’, “What is it that has prompted you to ask that all of our sister’s be here this night? Surely it must be something of great importance?. Tea’ only smiled, “We must wait for the others …rest if you feel the need, for the night is sure to be a long one”…….

Theressa helped Tea’ with the removal of her armor and weaponry, then insisted she sit by the fire and rest herself while she busied herself with the food preparations. Many of her sister’s would be coming in from the field with appetite’s to match any warriors. She thought fondly of them all, those that would be arriving this eve as well as those that had been lost. She winced at the memory of the loss of her own family years ago but was quick to smile as she thought of her new family, the Army. How good they were to each other and how big her new family had grown. This night, all of her sister’s would be under one roof and they would dance, and drink, and celebrate being together before they sat down to more serious discussion.

“And I say a home without a forge is like a thief without a target, makes no sense t’all!” It was Lecya , making her way into the house with a backpack of weapons in tow, obviously in need of repairs. “Let me take those for you”, Theressa placed the weapons in the corner and made a mental note to call for a blacksmith after the meeting had ended. Tea’ rose to greet Lecya, her sister in arms. They embraced with big smiles and at that moment, Theressa noticed a meeting of eyes that passed between them, revealing subtle amusement. She could barely contain her curiosity at what this secret meeting might reveal but dared not ask again, lest she be scolded for pestering her older sisters.

Theressa jumped, then dropped to the floor as the sound of many horses were heard running up to the Ocllo home. From the sound of so many hoofbeats, it was surely a surprise attack. Lecya and Tea’ were on their feet quickly, swords drawn and each taking a side at the front door like sentry’s. Lecya placed her finger to her lips and her ear gently to the door and listened. Suddenly footsteps were heard running up the steps and the door flew open so quickly it almost came off of it’s hinges! “I’m so hungry I could eat an Orc!” . It was Raffles with Tear Drop, Misha, and Megami following her inside. “You came quite near to being tonight’s main course Raffles! A thief shish ka bob!! Lecya and Tea’ laughed and dropped their weapons, helping the three new arrivals settle in. Raffles the matriarch and mentor for all, Tear Drop, the sweetest, Misha, a “borrower” with friends in BWF (Britannian Wrestling Federation), and Megami, a most accomplished thief in her own right but more than able to defend herself against retaliations. The warriors she targets have been known to throw their hands up in futility before asking her of her marital status. “Any word from the others?”, Megami asked. “ They will be arriving later this eve”, Tea’ replied, “ for now we have enough to begin…..."

Theressa - Army of Thieves

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Just Rewards, Part Two

Raffles addresses the ladies of At...

As the women finished their meal, they retreated to the front room and positioned themselves near the warmth of the fire. The group had grown to include almost all of the sisters. Just as they had seated themselves, Temple Flame had arrived accompanied by her younger siblings Mootamba, Grace Jones, Firefly, Milennia, and Celeste. Other than those that were no longer of this realm, joining the group was almost complete.

Sitara stood at the hearth of the large stone fireplace and appealed to the girls to quiet themselves so that she could claim their full attention. When the room was silent, she motioned for Raffles to come and stand near her to address the group. They waited attentively for information. "As you all know", she began, "our leader, Augustus, has called upon us to claim dominion over all of Britannia. Our brothers have heeded our Guild Master's call and are quickly claiming their purpose from within the largest cities to the smallest towns and villages. I have summoned you here tonight, to implore you to support your family to the fullest and by any and all means necessary. Our fiercest enemies at the forefront are finding it difficult at best, to keep pace with our growing army. There are others however, that seek to join the crusade of opposition. Word has come to my attention that many warriors are assembling at this very moment.

The time to unfurl our tresses as much as to sharpen our swords is now. The thieves among us must ready their agile fingers to strike against those that dispute our intent. But don't forget to sharpen the skills of your gender, your feminine wiles! Fight beside your brothers but embrace your power. Utilize the means that only you as women possess. A damsel's deception is truly the means of which wars are won and lost! Tea' and Grace looked at one another perceptively and a smile of delicious amusement passed between them.

The room once again became quiet as Raffles allowed the group to absorb her proposition for their own position of war, when a rustling in the far corner of the room prompted all to turn their heads in search of the origin of this disturbance. It was none other than little Mootamba, the tiniest urchin-like thief of them all. She was slowly rising to her full 4 feet in height, while she fumbled with a daemon bone hairpin. The pin that kept her hair securely tucked away beneath her red floppy hat. They all watched as she slowly released her dark brown locks and allowed them to fall softly upon her shoulders. She looked at her sisters as a blushing grin began to form across her lovely face. "Me thinks, me likes, cuz me thinks me never do that and me want to", were the words that came forth from her lips. Stunned at the unexpected response ,from none other than the meekest and shyest among them, the girls burst into laughter. It seemed that hours passed before they composed themselves enough to continue.

The evening progressed into an outright celebration. They danced and sang in their renewed courage. Firefly strummed the lute, producing the most beautiful melody, while Hera tapped her drum and Roxy shook her tambourine. They whooped and clapped their hands as each girl demonstrated her talents. Finally exhausted, they focused their attention on Lecya, who had engrossed herself in sharpening the blade of her longsword while the others enjoyed themselves. She put away her sharpening stone and turned to face them. With a nod of her head, she bid each of her sisters to step up to the hearth. Touching the tip of the sword with her fingers, Raffles was the first to pledge. Her life's promise, in blood, to participate in and to promote the Army's victory, to follow the code and commands of their beloved leader Augustus, and to passionately provoke those that would resist the quest for dominion.

The next day, as they recovered from an evening that lasted well into the night, the eldest planned their first move. A course was mapped that would initiate their plans for domination. The target would be made known to those that would be expected to lead and kept secret to the rest. The time of the strike, before the next full moon. The battle tactics, to be carried out with a fresh and unexpected twist.

May the Spirit's of Sosaria have mercy upon the hearts and the souls of the eligible warriors of Britannia.

Theressa - Army of Thieves

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There I be, walkin' along, when I noticed a crowd of folk swarmin' in front o' Luigi's in Paxlair. Thieves, dey was, disruptin' the peace o' the town yet again. I scrambled into Luigi's, sans a few pouches that were full o' old fishbones.

An adventuring company had evidently attracted the thieves to the door, and I quickly learned dey were plannin' on movin' out quick. Miss Audrey opened a gate to Trinsic, and Stormchaser, Hong-Kong Fooey, Visago, Monk, Bel'la Kyorl, Isabella Veaux, and Soul Miner quickly stepped into it. I sensed a mysterious presence follow me as I joined them in the portal.

Once everyone had come again to their senses, the Gatekeeper appeared in a pillar of fire!. His unearthly moanings indicated that he required the party to undertake a task - to find a female Red Dragon in Destard, to command it, and to slay two other dragons that could not claim to be innocent. The Lady Dragon could help putting the corrupted Dragons out o' their misery.

Evidently the Lady Dragons combat with others of her ilk would help awaken something in her mind... which the Gatekeeper would somehow fully expose if we could manage to meet the task and get her back to Trinsic.

A long and seemingly impossible task awaited us. When we arrived at Destard a dire portent greeted us: many ghosts wailing outside of the dank entrance to that fetid place!. Doing what we could for those lost souls, we entered Destard. I'll not say much about what happened there, but our first efforts at finding the Lady met with death for many of us. The dragons swarmed, and Stormchaser attempted to command a Red Dragon.

Evil souls lured dragons to us and then dissappeared into the shadows. Probably future recruits of the Army o' Thieves, damn them!.

We were forced to retreat and regroup. I believe it was Audrey who suggested we try an area by a waterfall. Yet another magical Portal opened, and we found ourselves up to our waists in flowing waters, with a Female Red Dragon awaiting us on the bridge nearby. Stormchaser was guarded and kept alive, and after weakening the creature, she was able to command it.

The Gatekeeper observed as the Lady Dragon dispatched many corrupt dragons, and beckoned us back to a Portal Leadin' ta Trinsic... where alot of strange and amazing things happened!.

The Gatekeeper startin' wailin' agin, and this is what I can remember of it:

' let me tell you of Mylanth, a Dragon that has been lost for many years. She is the sister of a Black Dragon. Mylanth must be protected at all costs for several reasons'

Evidently the self-same Red Lady Dragon Stormchaser had commanded was Mylanth!. Even as the Gatekeeper communcated with us, its very presence was awakening something in the mind and soul of the dragon before our disbelieving eyes!. The Gatekeeper continued:

' Mylanth is a sister of the Black Dragon, who knows of Haden Ventri'

As facts unfolded, it surprised many to know that Haden Ventri was a creation of the Black Dragon!. As such, Lady Mylanth views Haden as a nephew. The Gatekeeper informed us that we must seek out one Azariel, and communicate to him that the Black Dragon's sister is in the care of Stormchaser.

Somehow, this may aid in keeping Lady Mylanth safe as future trials are met by those active in the quest for the Maid. The Gatekeeper supplied more facts:

' The Dragon has wandered a long time, seeking a child who will enter the realm from a door still hidden '

Then Lady Mylanth stepped forward, wings unfurled -n'er had I seen a more majestic creature - and spoke to us!.

' I vow to bring you closer to the gate. Together we will fight what we must so she may enter. I do not know where she will appear, but I am ready to fight with you! '

The Gatekeeper began to wail again... evidently Lady Mylanth would be needed with regard to her brother, the Black Dragon, as well as the Maid and her appearence in our realm!. A truly amazing turn of events, says I.

Stormchaser stabled Lady Mylanth comfortably, and returned to find the Gatekeeper projecting one last thought:

' Let others know the Maid cannot be found. The Dragon is the key to finding the Maid '

Audrey, Luigi Aiello, Isabella, Bel'la Kyorl, Monk, and Gunther watched as the ghostly form of the Gatekeeper drifted out over the waves of the Trinsic harbor... and that is all I can remember of these strange and miraculous events.

Zog the Fishmonger [ Comment on this article ]

It seems rather silly to ask a ghost if it's alright to stable a dragon, but that's exactly what I found myself doing Tuesday night. It all started when I went to PaxLair. Trotting by Luigi's, I was hailed by Miss Audrey Brooks and Isabelle LaVeaux, who told me my services as a tamer were needed. Upon further questioning, I learned that a ghost, called The Gatekeeper, said that a red, female dragon must be tamed and brought to him. I followed Miss Audrey to where a number of people were standing around this ghost. I laughed when I saw that someone had named their pet, "RedDragonFemale". They must have thought this would appease The Gatekeeper's request.

Our first destination was Destard, where we tried, and tried, to tame a red dragon, but the fates were not kind. Many of us died, and I've never angered a beast so many times, in all my years of taming. To make matters worse, other dragons were brought down upon us, along with other beasts. It was not a pretty sight. Just as we thought we might finally achieve our goal, a lone warrior rode in and attacked the weakened dragon I was taming. At that point, I asked my companions to kill the dragon. As the creature died, I thought I saw a great dragon spirit arise from the corpse, but then I blinked, and it was gone.

We took some time to regroup outside the Destard entrance. Miss Audrey and Isabelle told me they had found a lone red dragon near a waterfall. It was calling out to us. With their help, we gated there, only to find that a few of our companions were stuck in the raging waters. Thanks to Zog's quick thinking, he was able to mark a rune and gate them out before Luigi's pizzas became too waterlogged.

We found the red dragon and after a long ordeal, I finally tamed it. I could never have achieved this without all the help from Miss Audrey, Zog, Isabelle, Bel'la, hong-kong fooey, Visago, Luigi, Aphra, and Monk. According to The Gatekeeper, we had to take the tamed dragon and kill two gray dragons with it, so back to Destard we go. The red dragon quickly dispatched two gray dragons along with a few other beasts. I collected the loot from the two gray dragons and we headed back to Trinsic, to tell The Gatekeeper that our task was complete. Little did I know, that the task had just begun.

"You must take this hawk, he said..." [Oh sorry, wrong fantasy]. "Her name is Mylanth, " the Gatekeeper said, "you must name her so. You must protect her at all costs. She is the sister of the Black Dragon and knows of Haden Ventri. Haden Ventri was created by the Black Dragon. You must communicate with one called Azareil, if you can find him. You must communicate that the Black Dragon's sister is in your care. She MAY be able to aid Azareil. Keep Lady Mylanth safe. The second reason Mylanth is here is rather vague."

With Zog's help in translating what the Gatekeeper was saying, I was told to turn the dragon to face the crowd and the dragon would speak through the Gatekeeper. Lady Mylanth speaks, "It has been a long time since I have wandered. I have sought a child, one who will enter the realm through a door still hidden. I vow to bring you closer to the Maid. Together we will fight what we must, so she may enter. I do not know where she will appear, but I am ready to fight with you. I am yours. You must keep me safe and call me forth when needed. I will be needed with regard to my brother, the Black one."

So, rather than an ending to this tale, it seems it's just begun. I'm now the caretaker of Lady Mylanth and she's a key for things to come. I must now make preparations to find those she spoke about. Perhaps my companions of this night's ordeal, will help me once again.

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Sighting Lady Dell from a window inside the Chaos Tower, I ran down to greet her. I knew only something of grave importance would bring her to visit PaxLair on such an inhospitable eve and in her condition. Scrambling out the door, I ran headlong into Crimson Dragon, who tried to entice me to join him for some fun. "I have to find the Lady Dell first," I tossed over my shoulder, as I ran in the direction I had seen her heading. With relief, I found her inside the Ladie's Lair.

After I exchanged greetings with her, Rhiannon, and Wrath, Lady Dell asked to speak with me on the patio. Finding a comfortable place to sit, Lady Dell said rather gravely, "I have just come from seeing Olivya and Charity. They are ill."

"Ill?" I asked, perplexed as I took a seat on the opposite bench.

Dell nodded and replied, "I know it seems impossible. Kindred do not get ill, but they are ill." I asked if it was the plague we have heard about. Staring at me intently, Lady Dell asked, "Others have it too? My lady?"

I confirmed that there are rumors of others having unexplained illnesses, but assured Lady Dell that I was not afflicted.

"Remember the party that Hephaestus gave in the tower, and everyone became ill?" I nodded and she continued, "The Prince contracted with some monks to manufacture a plague."

You think this is similar?" I asked.

"The monks didn't just make a plague for mortals," she explained. "They made one for Kindred as well. Hephaestus mentioned it." We were joined by Wrath of Shadowcove, while Rhiannon bid us all a good night.

Continuing our discussion, I offered a possible solution, "The citizens of PaxLair have suggested we seek out the witches of Cove. I have warned them that this is dangerous. Cove is under orc attack now."

"I know Gam'e and Savon," Lady Dell informed me. "Gam'e Mistress is often in the Britain Library."

"They are two of the witches?" I inquired.

With a nod, Lady Dell added, "Gam'e, Savon, there are a few others. I have only met those two."

"Witches?" asked a puzzled Wrath.

Dell nodded, as I said, "I would like to speak with them. But JeTamme seeks them more than I do."

"When thou do, if thou find them," said Lady Dell solemnly, "tell them that the plague was made by the monks of Kaeghur."

Wrath asked if either of us had been to Shadowcove recently. I shook my head, and Dell replied, "I was looking for Olivya in Shadowcove. It is how I found out she is ill." Looking concerned, Lady Dell added, "Winmere, vampire do not get ill. They are immortal, perfect. If vampire are ill, then the monks succeeded in making a plague that infects vampire, as they did the mortals so many years ago."

"I am here everyday to try to find my lady..." said Wrath wistfully.

"Is that such a bad thing?" Winmere asked Dell with a sigh.

Speaking softly, Lady Dell said, "Olivya is dear to me." I begged her pardon, since I knew of her bond to Olivya and it had simply slipped my mind. At that moment, I would have sacrificed much to see the worry and pain withdrawn from her face, and her mind at ease. "My time is near," added Lady Dell. "I myself cannot... search for a cure. I would reward those who find and cure Olivya."

I nodded my assurance and said, "I will search the Libraries then. I will make that a priority. Only for your sake. Not the vampires."

With a soft smile, Lady Dell replied, "I am ever in they debt."

"Never," I responded. "My heart commands and I do," I smiled. "'Tis simple. The doing is not so simple."

"Ever a creature of passion, Lady Winmere?" asked Dell.

"Aye," I replied, "I suppose my passions rule me."

We spoke for a few minutes more, before she took her leave. I assured her I would do all in my power to help find a cure. As I sat alone on the patio pondering upon what I remembered of the Kaeghur plague, it suddenly dawned upon me that the witches of Cove are not the only witches that might have an answer to this. I remembered one from long ago... yes, she was a witch alright, although I am not sure she called herself such. "I will be searching for 'that' one too," I mumbled harshly.

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Hi. I am a worker at the Ye Olde Winery in Yew. Last night a small group of Orcs from Da Drigka Gomxorakk attacked Yew, killing many of the people people as who had come to the Winery. Knowing the orc to be mean, I ran to the back of the Winery to hide. I thought for sure they would burn the place down, knowing how they hate wine, but, instead, they seemed to pour some weird thing into the wine.

We are not sure what it was but believe it to be some kind of poison. To make sure no one gets sick from our Yew wine we have stoped making the wine and are getting rid of the stuff we have now to be on the safe side.

We are sorry for any late shipments of wine, We should be able to make new wine and have it ready in about a week.

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Trumpets of Britannia

Apply now to join Britannians from all shards in celebrating the diversity of our land in Trumpets of Britannia, an enormous gathering to be held on the Pacific Shard on Saturday July 7. The deadline for applications has now been extended until July 1st. If you've got an inspiring or exciting story to tell, and would like to stand the chance of winning half a million gold pieces, submit your application now!

We'll be celebrating our world on an unprecedented scale - by inviting 80 Britannians, who can be from any shard, to address the gathering. Each Britannian will bring with them one item to symbolise their life in our world.

At the conclusion of The Trumpets of Britannia, we will compile books of all the addresses made by all Britannians at the event. The books will be shelved and made available for public viewing at the Gathered Spirits Tower, and published online for all to view as a lasting memory of the way of life in our world. If the event is successful enough, we may even be able to print real-life hard copies of the transcript, and send them to all participants.

There will be a prize of half a million gold pieces (500 000 gold) for the most outstanding participant. This participant will be invited to make honourary addresses at other gatherings on Pacific and beyond.

In order to qualify for participation in The Trumpets of Britannia, you must apply in advance. You can fill out our online application form at http://www.GatheredSpirits.com/gs/trumpets/ - you'll be required to submit your character information, the name of the item you'll be bringing with, as well as a brief extract giving us an idea of the type of address you'll make. The final application deadline is Saturday July 1.

We would like to extend a special invitation to Britannians from all other shards. You don't have to be resident on Pacific to participate - the event will be even more successful if we have different perspectives from different worlds. If you have trouble creating or setting up a character on Pacific, or getting transport to the event, please do not hesitate to contact me through the webpage.

More information about the event will be released to the general public later this week.

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Trumpets of Britannia

Apply now to join Britannians from all shards in celebrating the diversity of our land in Trumpets of Britannia, an enormous gathering to be held on the Pacific Shard on Saturday July 7. The deadline for applications has now been extended until July 1st. If you've got an inspiring or exciting story to tell, and would like to stand the chance of winning half a million gold pieces, submit your application now!

We'll be celebrating our world on an unprecedented scale - by inviting 80 Britannians, who can be from any shard, to address the gathering. Each Britannian will bring with them one item to symbolise their life in our world.

At the conclusion of The Trumpets of Britannia, we will compile books of all the addresses made by all Britannians at the event. The books will be shelved and made available for public viewing at the Gathered Spirits Tower, and published online for all to view as a lasting memory of the way of life in our world. If the event is successful enough, we may even be able to print real-life hard copies of the transcript, and send them to all participants.

There will be a prize of half a million gold pieces (500 000 gold) for the most outstanding participant. This participant will be invited to make honourary addresses at other gatherings on Pacific and beyond.

In order to qualify for participation in The Trumpets of Britannia, you must apply in advance. You can fill out our online application form at http://www.GatheredSpirits.com/gs/trumpets/ - you'll be required to submit your character information, the name of the item you'll be bringing with, as well as a brief extract giving us an idea of the type of address you'll make. The final application deadline is Saturday July 1.

We would like to extend a special invitation to Britannians from all other shards. You don't have to be resident on Pacific to participate - the event will be even more successful if we have different perspectives from different worlds. If you have trouble creating or setting up a character on Pacific, or getting transport to the event, please do not hesitate to contact me through the webpage.

More information about the event will be released to the general public later this week.

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Hail and well met!

I am Cikander of the Knight's Nook Tavern on the Trammel facet of the Lake Superior shard. We are now open for business with our vendors, and soon open for business as the tavern itself. The tavern is not yet open due to renovations that must occur in order for the actual tavern to start serving the people of Brittania! Located at the Britain Crossroads (sextant coordinates 74° 10'N 54° 8'E) all of our nine vendors are there to assist you! Many more vendors to come as the grand opening of the tavern draws closer.

If you need any assistance, just go to the website of the Protectors of the Blue Flame, the guild that runs the tavern itself. The url is: http://www.geocities.com/uopbf

Much thanks to all, and I hope to see all of you there!

Cikander,
Guildmaster of the PBF and owner of the Knight's Nook Tavern

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• At least 20 developers, primarily artists, will continue to work on the game to develop new content.
• The developers intend to continue to work on a "global events" system, to allow them to introduce dramatic, dynamic events that effect the entire gaming world and contribute to the developing, serialized fiction of the game - such as the invasion of the town of Trinsic during the Renaissance expansion, and the events the occur in Asheron's Call.
• Related to the previous point, the developers want to introduce additional "global storylines", and those storylines may result in different outcomes on the different shards hosting the game, differentiating the shards in material ways.
• Additional monsters, weapons and items should be introduced on an ongoing basis, and the 3D client will continue to be improved to feature particle effects and other 3D enhancements.
• There are now approximately 240,000 active subscribers to the game, 50% more than last year, and that growth has come fairly equally from the U.S. market and overseas (primarily Asia). The company believes that Europe remains an area where the game's subscriber base as the European population gains cheaper access to the Internet.
• The company significantly upgraded its servers last year, so that there are now 23 servers, each with 4 GB of RAM. The company intends to continue promotions such as "power hour", allowing players to gain experience more readily during the first hour they play a game in order to discourage longer play sessions. Still, most players play 12-13 hours a week, so the average UO player there aren't a lot of casual gamers playing the game.
• Over 80% of players play in non-player vs. player mirror shards, a figure which greatly surprised the developers (who had initially required all players to be subject to attacks from other players). UO belatedly adopted an option to allow players to avoid being attacked by other players, long after EverQuest and Asheron's Call demonstrated that the majority of players preferred avoiding "pkilling".
• Despite rumours to the contrary, the company doesn't believe there were additional account cancellations as a result of the Company's decision to cancel Ultima Online 2.

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Hi Everyone!

The Blackcomb fights had a nice attendance and turnout. We had some great fights and energy. At the end Hollywood would take home the Gold.

• 1st place - Hollywood
• 2nd place - Samba
• 3rd place - Richard

Congratulations to all fighters for a job well done.

Special Thanks to fight staff.
Isabella, Sarius, Liberation and Lecither.

Regards..
Kamsheema

Your humble servant,
Raeven Aurora

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The Third Dawn zoom-in feature will receive the following changes:

• Update range will automatically be changed in relation to the screen size and zoom factor. For example, if you zoom in really close to your character, your update range will be reduced to a small amount around your character since the other areas are no longer visible.
• Objects that are out of range will appear as "greyed out" coloring. This will assist players with being able to better drop and pick up objects at the various zoom-in degrees.

The lightning spell effect is receiving fixes for Third Dawn players, to make it appear during each use.

A change is being added for the Third Dawn appearance of the White Wyrm body type.

Vendor Buy/Sell menus will have been adjusted to work with Localization.

A problem with NPC shopkeepers restocking their items has been fixed.

Blue players within the Minax stronghold will be able to become “unstuck” from that location. Some blue players may have possibly logged out inside that stronghold before certain recent changes were put in to restrict blue player entry. This has caused some blue players to become stuck within the location.

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Tomorrow will herald the launch of a new ingame newspaper produced by the Council of Skara Brae. It is called The Skara News and will go onsale at Skara Brae bank from 3pm to 6pm BST (4-7pm CET, 10am-1pm EDT), costing 50gp. Every 10th customer will recieve a mystery gift.

Peter
Jester, Skara Brae Council

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"Hear hear ! The City of Light will celebrate the first Bards' Night for all its citizens on Saturday at the ninth continental hour. Storytellers, singers and poets alike are busily preparing to entertain their guests... Here's the current list of bards who announced their presence :

• Ferun Sionta
• SinGSangG
• Nuena
• Elodra Monsi
• Zoltan
• Chris da Silva

This Bards Night will be a part of a larger city celebration. Bakers, Fortune Tellers, Merchants and other helpful people are very welcome to hold stands and offer their arts and crafts. All this will take place at the Trinsic harbour. Assassins, rogues and fighters should remember that weapons and fights should remain at rest. The Paladins and Guards of Trinsic will make sure that law is enforced.

Alia of Ulvar
Councilor in Trinsic

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I broke the familiar wax seal of The Town of Phoenix Rising and read the message sent to me:

The Shadows were lengthening around the buildings as the sound of explosions echoed in the distance. The scorched smell of burning things filled the air as fires in buildings burned out of control. Every now and then you could hear voices calling for help or futilely trying to organize a defense against the hordes that were attacking the city.

Jon sighed as he continued to help the wounded, the orcs never stop coming just wave after endless wave. Looking around the room at the dead and dying he spotted Aricia by a window firing off arrows as fast as her fingers would allow. So much for their scouting mission to Vesper he thought, the isles are rapidly falling to the orcs.

Too much attention is being paid to some cities in Trammel and not enough to the poor people in Felucca. Just the other day he remembers being outside of Cove in Trammel when a tamer came by with two dragons in tow, slaying orcs left and right. He chuckled grimly to himself self as he thought, "What I wouldn't give for that tamer to be here now".

His thoughts were shattered as the sound of splintering wood filled the air!

In the doorway was a golden colored orc with an axe.

Choppers they call them and for a good reason, that orc can wield an axe with the skill of a master. Dropping his bandages and yelling for Ari to help, Jon grabbed his broadsword and shield to stop the orc from entering further. With a sound like the wind howling, the orc quickly shattered Jon's shield and gashed his armor. Jon grabbed the broadsword with two hands and with a strength born from desperation he beat the orc back out the door and finally slew it. As he was standing there, a buzzing filled his head as a flight of arrows whizzed by striking the orc bomber that just rounded the corner and pinning him to the wall. Shouting his thanks to Ari, Jon finished him off with his sword. Glancing around he see that's the orcs are making rapid headway and only a few defenders are left standing so he heads inside and pens a note to Phoenix Rising.

It read:

"Council, the mission to Vesper in Felucca has been tragic. The orc numbers far outweigh what we originally thought and the few defenders there are cannot hold out. I call upon the town's fighting force to come to the aid of Vesper and drive back the orcs and hold the city.

You must send out messages to all the forces in the land of Britannia and tell them to unite!

This threat is against us all no matter good or evil, a citizen of Trammel or Felucca. We are all one in this land, we will stand as one and die as one if need be, but our cities need our help! So grab your weapons and spell books and aid the cities in need, my brothers and sisters. Jon von Darkmoor, Phoenix Knight

I personally have been avoiding the war-torn cities, though I hear reports of the tragic fighting each day. Our thanks to those brave souls who are risking their lives to push back the invaders. Best wishes to you all and may the peril be ended soon.

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Greetings
I come to report that there is a Big tournament sponsored by the Ut community, and the prize of this PVP tournament is 2 million gold !!! . Entry fee is 5K . For more information please go to this site. http://linux.telnett.no/~gslettv/UTT2001-1/index.html

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Scottish UO Meet-Up

After a preliminary prod, due to phenomenal interest, the first Scottish UO meet-up is going to take place next month.

We're looking at meeting on 28th July, in 'Espionage' on Victoria Street (just off George IV bridge) in Edinburgh, at 3pm. If people don't know Edinburgh I shall be waiting at the left hand side of the WH Smith entrance in Waverley Train Station at 2:30pm - I shall be leaving to head to 'Espionage' at 3pm. The reason for Espionage is that it has large booths with large comfy leather seats that can easily accomodate 10 people each. 'Espionage' is a 6 floor labyrnth of rooms, corridors and bars - so it can be quite easy to get lost if you don't arrive early. The place where we
will (hopefully) be sitting is on the ground floor to the right after you walk along the corridor at the entrance. If you are still having problems, contact me - [email protected] - and I shall give you my mobile number. We will also all have name badges, so it shouldn't be too hard to spot us.

There's talk of moving on to a club later at night, but I'll leave that to the day to arrange, coz not everyone's keen on it.

Could you please leave a note here if you wish to attend with your RL name, main character name, guild (if any), and pigeon/mail number. If your too
shy to leave your RL name here send me a pigeon on 9921764 or email - [email protected] - with your details...

The Specifics:
Where: Espionage Bar, Victoria Street, Edinburgh, Scotland
Date: Saturday, 28th July, 2001
Time: 3 pm

Contacts:
Coordinator: Mentazm
[email protected]
ICQ 9921764

Ment

Sounds Grand, pity i dont live in Scotland.

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We have recived reports that our new orcish friends are now using 'bola's. Ergo David and Goliath.

One report we recived:

4 bola balls & 3 Strips of Leather + 89.1 Tinkering (that is what we got so
we don't know what's the minimum skill to achieve this activity) = Bola Weapon.

By the way, It is not possible to place the bola weapon in the character
window.

Sounds Good indeed, our dedicated team will continue to keep you Europa UO Junkies on the top news concerning this quest *winks*

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Nick Seafort of The Daily Herald scribed and sent this missive:

Hail readers!

Recently, I've begun to acquire a list of hyperlinks to various roleplay communities on Great Lakes. If you have an RL community webpage and you would like a link to it on our front page, please use our Message Board and let me know your URL.

I am optimistic that this will help people who are new to our community to find a roleplaying group that is right for them.

Regards,
Nick Seafort

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Jheli, fortunately, gave up on his jam making tangent. Hopefully, this reminder from Rastus will not resurrect that pasttime.

This is Rastus, Mayor of Jhelom on the GL Shard.

Early this morning, a pigeon dropped off a message from Caprial asking me to remind everyone of the "Great Jhelom Slime-Off" coming up this Sunday at 2:00 under the Central skies in the Jhelom dueling pits of the Trammel facet. This event is sponsored by the JTC (Jhelom Town Council) and we look forward to seeing everyone there.

This will be a ton of fun, just as our last event was. So pack up your regeants and come on out.

Thanks,
Lord Rastus

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The folks from #GLRPC asked us to share this announcement:

When did the Sandlewood Box open it's doors? Why did Bloodrock post daily raids on the tavern? Was it really a gay bar deep in the jungles west of Trinsic?

Find the answers to these, and many other questions, this coming Wednesday June 27th at 8:00pm EST. GLRPC is hosting a live interview with Ryak, the founder of The Sandlewood Box. Join us in #RPCI to unlock the mysteries of the man and his tavern.

For information about our interviews, please visit the site.

Thanks
-Fixxxer

Thank you, Fixxxer.

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I found this note from Drew of MDL tacked to my door this morning....

A talent show on Great Lakes will be held on Sunday, June 24th, from 7 pm to 9 pm by the Central sun. There is a 10k entry fee to compete in three different catergories.
1. Cool Clothes. (We see who has the coolest looking design of clothes.)
2. Joke Telling (See who has the best joke.)
3)Ask & Answer (We will ask each contestant 3 questions.)

You will be scored points on the three catergories, either a 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Whomever ends up with the most points out of the three events wins.

Gates to the event will be provided from the back room of East Britain Bank, Trammel, from 6:40-6:50 cst.

The winner will get one of every item so far in the quest: orc mask, helm, bow, and bola, plus 75% of the entry fees.

The event location is: 124o46' N 77o 54' E, Trammel Facet .

Thanks, Drew, for letting me know about this. It explains why I saw Jheli Beene on Artic Isle trying to freeze his cloak because he wanted it look cool. Guess I'd better go explain...

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We realize that the fix may have caused some unintended errors with the groups and the private forums and that, in resetting users, we may have inadvertantly missed a few. We are asking for your help in correcting any of these issues. If your private forums are still unavailable to all of your users, have your guildmaster or forum coordinator send an email to [email protected] with the shard and full name of the forum(s) that is unavailable. If only some of your users, that previously had access to a private forum, are unable to access it anymore, then please have your guildmaster or forum coordinator resubmit a user access form for those users.

We do apologize for any inconveniences this may have caused and we appreciate your patience while we resolved the matter.

In addition, we have plans to send out a moderators guide to all Guild Forum Moderators. We expect the guide to help many first time moderators and moderators new to the WWWThreads forum software.

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Fourth Year Veteran Rewards

** Note ** This idea is currently in a "concept" phase, meaning we want to get feedback on it. However please understand that this idea may change to be quite different from this proposal when or if it becomes finalized. Also note that this proposal might not get put in at all, depending on factors in the design proces as well as the feedback we get from players. As more information becomes available about this concept idea, the update pages will become updated.

As some players’ accounts approach four years in age, the question of whether UO will offer a set of fourth year rewards has been raised. We do intend to dedicate some resources to developing additional Reward items once the Veteran Rewards system is successfully launched. These items are not yet in development, and we are interested in getting feedback on these items from the players.

NOTE: If you are a player with an account age near 48 months, please be aware that when you reach 48 months, you may be presented with the opportunity to choose another reward. The fourth year rewards may not be in production at that time, so if you wish to use that extra reward point on a fourth year reward, you must be sure not to use that point on a first, second, or third year reward!

As a player’s account reaches 48 months of age, that player will receive an additional Reward choice. At a point soon in the future, we are looking to add another tier to the rewards choices, and the following items will become available to 48-month veterans:

Dyeable Spellbook (a special spellbook that comes completely filled with all 64 spells)
Only players whose accounts are 4 years old or older will be able to equip it. It can be dyed using the Leather Dye Tub.

House Decoration Kits (bags containing eight decorative items suitable for use in player-owned houses)
These will be deed-style add-ons. Some will consist of multiple pieces, and they cannot be manipulated using the Interior Decorator’s Toolkit. Others will be single-tile pieces and can be flipped and floated using the Interior Decorator’s Toolkit.

There will be three themed sets to choose from:
• Day of the Dead - this set will include Halloween-themed decorations, including a skeleton in a coffin, a pool of fake blood, spiderwebs, skull candles, and scattered hay
• Gardener’s Delight - this set consists of several plants and cacti (some potted, some not) and a decorative rock
• Tavernkeeper Set - this set includes a large fishing net, suitible as a wall hanging. Additional treasures include dyeable wall-mountable shields, a saddle on a saddlehorse, a large ship’s anchor, and a bar complete with openable half-door

Magic Hat
Intended for emergencies, the user can pull out desperately needed supplies, like a recall scroll, a small number of bandages, a few arrows or bolts, an orange, yellow, or black potion, a few magic reagents, an apple, or even a cute fluffy white bunny rabbit. This stylish treasure can be used once per day.

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A group of crows screeched angrily and flew into the sky as the knight shooed them away from the corpse. He surveyed the area, looking for any evidence of the creature or creatures that had attacked the caravan. As he approached the body, he spotted an ax, covered in blood, laying in the dirt.
"Orcs, m’lord," the knight called out to his young leader, holding the ax high. The fact that the word "m’lord" was spat out like a curse did not escape the young noble’s detection.

Jarvis turned to regard the speaker, trying with little success to hide his revulsion. This was the first time he had ever seen dead bodies this closely. He had only just recently been given command of a company of knights...a favor to his father from the local lord. Jarvis knew well enough that few of the knights respected him. Every day he listened to their jeers, spoken just loudly enough for the noble to overhear. He was determined to show no sign of weakness, after spending the last two weeks dealing with their snide remarks and thinly veiled insults. He would get the job done, and win their respect in the process.

Jarvis surveyed the area, pushing aside his discomfort, looking for any signs of a survivor. After a thorough search, it was apparent the massacre had been complete. Not a single human had survived the attack. The entire caravan that had been sent to help reinforce Cove was destroyed completely. The stench of the dead lay thick in the air and Jarvis silently hoped he could maintain his composure as he bent low to examine the body of a fallen man. He glanced up at the sound of footsteps approaching. It was the ranger, the one man in the party who he actually liked.

"Look at the holes in his armor, and that wound along his leg. Orcs don’t make cuts like that," the ranger said, as if he was reading the young noble’s mind.

Jarvis noticed it too. Virtually all of the cuts were small, piercing attacks and slender slashes, not the usual large gash from an ax or the dents from an orc’s club. Jarvis nodded grimly as the ranger continued.

"My guess would be brigands. These attacks are too precise to be orcs."

"We haven’t seen brigands in these parts for a long time, Dustin. Besides, they didn’t take any of the valuables, just the food and other perishables. No, not brigands, someone...or something else did this," Jarvis said as he stood up, gaining confidence now that he was in his element.

The young noble always fancied himself as tracker or a detective, not the knight that his father wished (and had forced) him to be. He much preferred the company of the free spirited scouts and trackers ("common men", as his father would say snobbishly) to the strict discipline of these knights.

A hand on his shoulder pulled Jarvis from his thoughts. He stood up and faced the ranger, expecting him to disagree. After all, this was the ranger’s area of expertise, and he was just a nobleman! He should known no one here would listen to him. Instead, the ranger gave him an approving nod and smiled slightly.

"Well done, M’lord. We’ll make a ranger out of you yet!"

Pleased and more than a little surprised, Jarvis turned and was about to call out to the knights when he heard Dustin make a sound. Jarvis turned to regard Dustin. The ranger’s eyes were wide, staring at Dustin, his lips moving but no words escaping. Jarvis looked from Dustin’s face down to his chest, where a spear point was sticking out, covered in the ranger’s blood. The ranger fell to his knees, then to the ground, taking the spear with him. Jarvis would have gone to his friend to try to help him, but he stood transfixed as a large group of strange looking humans charged into the knights’ ranks.

The enemy had finally shown itself.

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While all over Britannia the orcish hordes are being hunted for the amazing weapons they are using, it seems the situation changed in Skara Brae. The famous Uruk-Hai ork clan seems to have come back from Felucca to help their comrades and take the town, as Council members could notice yesterday.

In that terrible battle, the groaning Orks were in larger numbers and had the upper hand in their fight against the guards. It wasn't only by numbers, but also through the renowned combat experience of the clan that the beasts achieved victory.

It appears the orks burned and plundered the bank, and brought the loot to their Bludgod. The citizens are advised to leave their horses and daughters at home, and to always carry enough gems and gold to pay a tribute to the horde should one come across them in the Skara Brae area. From what we could gather, they also appreciate horse meat and cider... another way to survive their savage ways.

Gug'ye !
Slagdale

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On May the first, I created a duel-based PvP league for all players of the shard. You can register through the DF-League website to meet opponents and prove your worth by climbing our rankings ladder.

The website is available both in German and English, and the rankings are updated regularly. There are currently aroung 70 registered players. So, are you ready to compete ?

Aragorn der Elf
www.aragorn.ch/dieliga

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This news sent in by the heralds of the Syndicate and Arx Draconis.

Thursday Night at 6:30pm EST, The
Syndicate will be hosting another craftsman night. Starting at
6:30, Syndicate members (known by their blue robes and the 4 digit LLTS
guild abbreviation) will be visiting the major Trammel banks. They will
offer gates to our castle where the craftsman will be waiting. The
craftsman will offer free item repairs and also free item creates if you
have the raw materials. Usually there are smiths, carpenters,
poisoners, alchemists, inscribers and tailors on site.

So look for your gate and we'll see you at Craftsman Night! If you wish
to go there yourself, its the same location as the Lottery was held this
past Friday and you can see a map at www.llts.org/ad.html.

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As everyone likely knows by now, the red Orc bombers are now carrying bola balls. Minor of Minoc reports that last night, he found a bola ball on roughly one out of every three bombers that he bested in combat. At this time, only the bombers are carrying the bola balls. For those of you unfamiliar with the term, I won't spoil the speculation. I will only say that the emergence of this weapon/tool gives rise to several theories, not the least of which is that we may soon see a new class of rideable critter in UO. Minor also reports that the bombers were causing damage in the 15-30 point range, despite his full pate armor. Thank you for the report, Minor.

I also made an interesting discovery yesterday, quite by accident. I had just been poisoned and instead of curing myself with the "new fangeled method" I decided to target a potion in my pack and cure myself the old fashioned way. As luck would have it, I targeted my oil cloth by mistake. When I applied the cloth to my "You feel nauseous and disoriented" self, I recieved a peculiar message, stating that," You have just removed all your body paint."

Now, my first thought was, "Zounds! Pray tell, what be this thing called body paint??" Then I surmised that perhaps I had staggered out of the Cats Lair last night and mistakenly entered Madam Fufu's Pancake House and Tattoo Parlor. I had little time to give the matter any further thought as I found myself nearly drained of life and acquiring a large and unruly, orcish fan club. Therefore, I beseech the good citizens of Sosaria, to please pass along any information regarding the appearence and uses of this "body paint."

Until next we meet, safe journeys to you, one and all.

Cyn

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I wanted to give everyone a heads up about this. We've changed the bola to not work against Ethereal mounts as we have gotten a few reports of them going wild because of the bola. After looking into it further, this is not actually the bola, it's the same bug that we are fixing for the next major publish. We're erring on the side of caution on this one.

The change to the bola is temporary and as soon as the bug is fixed, we'll change the bola back.

-Jonathan "Calandryll" Hanna
Designer, Ongoing Content

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The following items have been published:

• Addressed a lag issue related to faction lists. This problem addressed potential server-wide lag, not just a problem within only Factions.
• House deed prices when reselling to real estate agents raised to the correct level on Siege Perilous.
• Orc bombers will now deal damage to players wearing armor.

You can no longer provoke orcs onto a player wearing a mask of orcish kin.

Stealing from an orc while wearing the mask of orcish kin will now cause the mask to explode.

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I'm hearing a lot of feedback on the boards that emailing uoconcerns isn't working. I will tell you all that we have taken disciplinary action up to and including employee termination based on valid complaints that reach us with UO Concerns. I know it is working, but it seems that our customers don't like the process. The main feedback I have heard is that emailing [email protected]

1). Is not working as effectively as it could, and
2). Isn't working in a manner where our customers are satisfied.

So, what do you want to see? Keep in mind that we aren't going to discuss a GM's employment status. The goal of UO Concerns is for our customers to inform us of incidents where employees are not doing their job properly.

If you submit a *valid* mail to uoconcerns, do you receive an answer or any type of acknowledgement? If so, what's wrong with it? How important is it that you receive an automated response stating that we have received your email?

I want our customers to use UO Concerns when they have valid complaints about the conduct of GMs or Advisors, and I want the customers to have confidence in the process. What do we need to do to get us to that point?

Fight Night Event at Grimoire Arena,
3 vs. 3 Sponsored by Malkin

June 22nd, 2001, at (9 PM PST, 10 PM MST, 11 PM Central, Midnight EST)
No Entry Fee

1st place 60K gps, 2nd place 30K gps, 3rd place 15K gps.

Registration
To avoid confusion, registration will start at 8:00 PM PST, and end at 9:00 PM PST. No late entries. Tournament will start at 9:10 PM PST.

We must have a minimum of 4 teams to start this event!

Here are the rules:

• No charged magic items, clothing, or jewelry. No magic armor and weapons allowed.
• No pre-poisoned weapons. They may be poisoned during the battle.
• No use of summoning spells, offensive field spells, blade spirits, energy vortex, recall nor gate.
• No Stealing is allowed during battle.
• The only pre-casting allowed (casting done before the match countdown) is Magic Trap, Reactive Armor, and Magic Reflection.

Disclaimers:

• All contestants are subject to snooping by Grimoire Staff to ensure everyone is participating fairly.
• The Event Coordinator's decision on all matches is final and will not be disputed during the event.
• Anyone who disrupts the flow of the event for any reason will be banned until after the event.
• In the event that a contestant loses connection during the event, the Event Coordinator will make a decision as
• to the possibility of a rematch. That decision stands and may not be disputed. Any disputes will be handled after the event.
• A connection loss during combat events where the roof is sealed off, will result in an automatic forfeit.
• The Event Coordinator reserves the right to adjust these rules at any time without notice.

This event takes place in the Grande Grimoire Battle Arena. Once you have entered the Grande Grimoire Battle Arena, all Contestants are bound by the Rules of the Battle Arena. Failure to follow these rules may result in your death or banishment from the Arena. Contestant Battle Arena Rules

Contestants and Spectators must observe and obey all the Village Laws. Failure to do so can end in your death or banishment from the village. Spectator Rules

For calendar of events, rules, maps and community message board, please visit Grimoire

We hope you can make it,
LeeLu - Grimoire Staff

Your humble servant
Raeven Aurora

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CHICKEN RAMPAGE RESULTS - from June 15th
*Later that night, after all the guests had turned homeward...*

• Nester: That went over quite well, don't you think, Linda?
• Linda: *glares at him and continues to pick feathers out of her hair* Indeed, but next time YOU get the stable duty. I have never seen... So many... Chickens... In my entire life!!
• Nester: You got that right! The turnout was spectacular!
• Linda: So... Many... Chickens....
• Nester: Did you happen to see the fight?
• Linda: Aye, what a battle! Some of the most dangerous and vicious beasts in the realm came to this Stormhaven Watch Tower roof, with sharpened beaks and flesh-tearing claws! I believe they were named Davey, Victor, Kitty, Shadow, Chicken, Legs, Peanut, Erin, Ken, Babe, Fang, Rocky, and Jody.
• Nester: Oh my, those sound like true killers!
• Linda: Very much so. After a long period of vicious mortal combat, the cloud of dust and feathers subsided, and the victor was proven.
• Nester: How exciting! Who was the champion??
• Linda: Standing there among the carnage of battle-hardened chickens was Dr. Doo Little's war beast, Ken!
• Nester: Ooh, what did he win?
• Linda: The prize was a Check for 25,000 gold, a Vanquishing Mace, and an Evil Helm of Orcish Kin!
• Nester: I fear him.
• Linda: *finishes picking the chicken feathers out of her hair, and throws Nester a mop* C'mon, we had better go clean the roof. The tournament left it a bit.... messy.
• Nester: *draws in a breath, then lets it out* Ah, another successful event brought to Stormhaven by the work of the Storm Council and generous donors such as Lady Hecate. What will they think of next??
• Linda: *grins* Knowing Raine Storm, there really is no telling! Let's just hope for our sake the next one involves less feathers!!

Once again, many thanks go out to all who made this event a possibility, in particular the Storm Council and Lady Hecate. Also, a well-deserved thank you and congratulations to all who journeyed to Stormhaven from afar to try their Champion Chickens in the test of combat! Stop by frequently for updates and new events!

Valan Medatan,
Stormhaven News Correspondent

Sounds like a whole lot of fun!
Raeven Aurora

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That's new: Orcmask now explodes when you steal from orcs.
I tried to steal from an orc bomber today and got a "this item is to heavy for you to steal" then my mask exploded.
Before I was able to steal from every orc and got orc bows, regs, boards whatever...
Is this a bug now or is this actually the way it was intended to behave?
I don't wanna waste another mask!
:)

That's the way it's supposed to work.

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When I got on Baja today I logged onto my thief and started looking around for victims. When I found my first one, I pushed my stealing macro, did a random steal and all of a sudden the words "test!" and then "test2!" appeared over my head. Is this some kind of new nerf to stealing? Are test! and test2! going to eventually turn into messages saying that i'm stealing?

Checking into this now. I made a change to stealing with regards to the orc mask, but there is not "test" bark there so I am checking with other people here

No, didn't make them unstealable.

We found the problem with the test stuff and are working on a fix now. My apologies for that folks.

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Will the title system ever be fixed??
So long ago Mel said that there were some key parts missing to it, will those parts ever get fixed or put in??

The rest of the system will be published with the next major server publish. Expect some cool surprises. And with these cool surprise I highly recommend going to the spawn areas in groups. :)

The rest of the system will be going in with the next major server publish. Hopefully it will be before the end of June, but I do not know for sure.

And here is your teaser:
Evil will grow in size and power if left alone,
Evil will shrink and weaken if properly opposed,
Champions of Evil will awaken if their minions are overwhelmed...
:)

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On Saturday night June 23rd at 7 PM Pacific time, Rebecca Smithe will be retiring as Guildmaster of K*V, and Bagster o' Fresno will be crowned the new Guildmaster of K*V at the Valor Castle. This event will also mark the Grand Reopening of the Valor Castle mall. All the vendors have been color coded and organized by category, and more vendors have been added making the Valor Castle the largest shopping mall on the entire shard. There will be a joust and other exciting events during this celebration as well.

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A sense of community is essential to the success of any MMORPG and Ultima is no exception to this. It’s not the thrill of the hunt, the joy of gaining skills or the acquisition of yet another “l33t” item that keeps players “coming home” to Britannia each day. It is the atmosphere that they have created with a like-minded group of people from all across the world, regardless of age, gender, race, creed or status. The game itself sometimes fades into the backdrop, allowing the colorful personas to shine out.

Another building block in this virtual society, for players of the Great Lakes shard, is the IRC channel #GLRPC, Great Lakes Roleplaying Community. Open to anyone, this live chat room is open and populated 24/7. The mix of patrons is interesting: students, housewives, young urban professionals, blue collar workers, and even some orcs, yub. Whether one is in need of a rescue, advice, a recipe or technical support, there is almost always someone available there to lend a hand.

Fixxxer originated the channel in June of last year. As he explained, “Back then, #Bloodrock was the GL channel. Everyone was in #Bloodrock and it pissed me off. So, I made #GLRPC, sent everyone there so we could have a normal channel”

As a Bloodrock Orc Clan member, Fixxxer said, it was imperative that the official channel for the orcs be free of humies and other outlanders. “#Bloodrock was a guild channel. Everyone hung out there, including ingame enemies. We couldn’t do proper battle tactics without our enemies seeing it and others spamming the channel.”

The transition wasn’t easy. As in most other instances through life, the change was not easy to initiate. A paultry half dozen people would make use of the new channel and the orcs were still unable to use their own channel for guild-related purposes. In January of this year, with the introduction of what has been dubbed The Dragon Knight Quest, the new channel gained popularity, and the community continues to flourish.

“The quest was quite popular and people were upset, saying they weren’t being allowed to get involved; which, in my opinion is a load of [excrement]. However, with the help of Heather, word got out that if you want to know about a quest happening right now, be in #GLRPC and it boomed literally overnight.”

Fixxxer believes that the atmosphere and accessibility of the channel has created a sort of addiction for its regulars. “#GLRPC seems to have become the crack of UO. Well, IRC in general. People come back because they see familiar faces (or names) in there and they have the opportunity to meet new ones. It is, by no means, a clique. There are plenty of people in there that do not get along, yet they stay and usually are civil.”

It has been compared by Redlowinski, of Redlow.net fame, to the television comedy series Cheers. Fixxxer agrees with that comparison, but also believes there’s a bit of Days of our Lives mixed in, as well. “It is an online pub. However, many, many times it turns into a soap opera. You name it, it has happened in #GLRPC.”

Just as bouncers are a necessity in pubs, they are also needed in the sometimes chaotic chatroom. Thus, channel operators - “ops” - were employed.

“When I first opened the channel, I gave ops to Trugagh and Ryak, since, those were the two that were working on The Dragon Knight Quest with me. Basil has been great help, too, and was also involved in the quest. Soon after came Heather, for obvious reasons. So few have given more to the community than her. Palor, I worked with on the Atlantic Interest Team. Ever since, I look for people who are on IRC a lot, are level headed, can use good judgement, and try to be unbiased.”

Earlier this year, the channel began sponsoring interviews with notable figures involved on the shard. Advertised in the channel, the interviews are actually conducted live in a second channel. After the initial interview, the moderated forum invites users to pose their questions though the interviewer to the interviewee.

“The interviews, I admit, are inspired from Rok Hagor. Mad props to him. He did shoot interviews [“shoot interviews” = “interviews on the fly, spontaneous”]. Mine aren’t as in-your-face as his, [which were] no holds barred and, trust me, no holds are barred, but they were good, and interesting. That was partially the reason why I began interviews, not the whole reason, though.”

Fixxxer stated, “There are two others. One is that no one else in the GL community was doing them, so I figured I would. The other is.... well, a tad secret. This is a secret I'd like to keep so no animals are harmed in the making of this interview.”

There is no set schedule for when the interviews are conducted. “At first, we did as many interviews as I could get in. Noleeens and Wahooka are my interviewers; mad props to them.” He continued by saying that with both of the aforementioned interviewers taking a break, he is currently seeking out someone to fill the void.

The interview subjects themselves are chosen based on the role they play in the community or their involvement in current events and storylines. “I gave Wahooka a list of peeps I'd like to see interviewed,” Fixxxer explained. “I pointed one out that was #1 on my list. He chose Kandalor, but that didn’t work out, so he went with #1 on my list, which which was GB [Goldberry of Goldberry’s Great Lakes Gossip]. Soon after, we began the interviews, the Interest Team was cancelled, so that fell in my lap.” Several former members of the defunct Interest Program have been interviewed since it’s cancellation.

The logs of these interview chats, along with more information about the channel, are available on the GLRPC website.

Whether joined together in a harmonious moment of laughter and good natured teasing or heatedly discussing game issues, the atmosphere in this virtual pub is always lively and inviting. Fixxxer and the rest of this chatroom extend to anyone who wishes to enter a warm welcome. It is a place you can go, like Cheers, where everybody - eventually - knows your name. There’s no need to tip the bartender, no know-it-all postal worker to annoy you, and, best of all, you don’t even have to worry about them seeing you in your bunny slippers on a bad hair day.

To learn more about IRC, see these pages at Stratics:

• IRC FAQ
• UO Stratics Realtime Chat

For a user friendly list of IRC commands, compiled by Fixxxer, click here.

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Well meet and greetings,

On this Friday the 22nd, Goldies Emporium will be having a Free armor repair day. There will be Grandmaster Smiths on hand to repair items for free,also they will be available to purchase armor in all stlyes.

Goldies is located just east of Britian Bank at 15'47N 24'36'E. The time for this event will be from 6PM PST to 8 PM PST.

Hope to see you there,

Lord Kodeth

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1st Annual "Run with R A V E N" contest

I'm going to have a contest Sunday, July 1st. I'm going to pick a dungeon (randomly) and whoever can keep up with me through the dungeon will win 100k. This will take place on the Baja shard, but the gold can be transferred to any shard. Now the rules are gonna be fairly simple.

We will start from the entrance of whichever dungeon I pick from the marked runes I will have in a bag. I will gate us there. The first rule is, I cannot die, or the contest is over. Now don't think that I'm going to be trying to die. I'm not. But it might be in your best interests to keep me healed. We will do this till there is only one of you left with me, even if it means cycling through and hitting more than one dungeon. You can bring whatever equipment/pets that you think you will need to keep you alive through our run through the dungeon. Now, I'm not going to be rezzing any of you. If you bring pets and they fall behind you're going to lose me. I'm not that fast, I connect on a dial-up, so keeping up as far as speed shouldn't be any problem for any of you. So, let's see how slick you are. Can you keep up with the Mastah???

I'd like everyone who wants to participate in this contest to email me ASAP with his or her character name. I'd like everyone to meet me at Britain west stables at 7:00 P.M. CST. The Stables are accessible to everyone, and there will be far less lag. We will be leaving the stables precisely at 7:15 P.M. and this isn't just a guild event. Everyone that wants to come can, and even if you have no characters on Baja it might be fun to try, or at least run around as a ghost and see the event in good old black and white. :) UO Depot will transfer the 100000 gold from my Player's Vault account to the winner's account. there is no second place. there can be only one winner.

Sincerely,

R A V E N

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Oh mercy! - or hearts that need staked?. Tis pretty rare that I runs inta undead at sea, and I admit that I have only the basest of knowledge about...

Vampires.

I seen dem, though, in the mist. Yesterday evening, in Paxlair. It all started out innocently enough, with many of the locals gathered in the town, discussing plans and such. The mist set in, and all heard a terrorized whinny as a snow-white Unicorn bolted past. The fog thickened, and torches were set and fires built up. There was definately something more than a chill in the air.

JeTamme Deesse was talkin' in hushed whispers with a friend, and when she told JeTamme, in a loud voice, 'not to start a panic' - well, we all listened in regarding a problem facing those mysterious blood-drinkers - a problem that could affect us one and all!.

One of the good things about Vampires is that you don't see 'em much. This leaves us all with our vital fluids in place, see?. That's a good thing, eh?. The problem facing our towns is this: evidentely, the vampires cannot be satisfied any longer by the blood of the unfortunate victim who falls prey to them. They have a never - ending thirst that can no longer be even temporarily satiated by a fresh infusion of human blood. This maddens them, forcing them to frenzy, and seek out victim after victim fer a cure to a thirst that cannot be quenched. The more prey they seek, the more they expose the innocent to some sort of vampryic disease!.

It seems some type of quasi-vampirism can be passed along to their human cattle during the bite, placing them under the influence of one heard only vaguely of called the 'Master'. Victims show signs of increased hunger that cannot be satisfied. They perspire blood!. Looking around in terror, one of the crowd noticed that Rhiannon had almost imperceptible beads of blood on her brow!. Rhiannon was infected, and people quickly slipped away - some running into the mists - from which screams were heard only moments later!. This evil plague spreads like the wind!.

Vegeta himself suddenly swooned, mumbling about being drawn toward the 'Master'. As if in a daze, he wandered off, trailing blood, until he came to the Spring of Courage. There a gate did open, and a sinister being reached out from it to collect the helpless Vegeta!.

The blood was gathered in vials, and taken away to a secret place, where it feeds the roots of the whispering rose of Vizian, a vampire Lord who perished in ages long past.

JeTamme Deesse spoke to the frightened crowd - ' in the matter of your brother,' she said, ' seek ye the Witches of Cove.' Evidently, the Witches o' Cove, whoever they might be, possibly have some sort of answer about a cure for this horrific infection!. Strange portents and oracular divining showed some possibilities in the Yew Abbey, and the vast libraries of Jhelom.

Ahh! to sea! to sea!. This task is for those of more courage than I!


Zog the Fishmonger

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Hello, I have updated the site once again with 2 new episodes.

More Fun at Destard and Looting a Llama

You can see my site, The Adventures of the Secret Gimp! here: Secret Gimp

May the fortunes of others fall to your feet.

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For a computer game, age usually means extinction. In UO’s case, its longevity provided an opportunity to fine tune the intricate balance and augment the content that a MMORPG’s quality depends on. Third Dawn is the next step in these additions, and though any kind of change to a game with thousands of dedicated players is bound to attract a faction of disgruntled fans threatening to PK and loot its designers, it is hard to deny that Third Dawn is, at the least, certainly another solid step forward and an improvement in UO. It will not, for most people, have the impact of Renaissance. It does not revolutionize Ultima Online as we know it, nor does it stand much chance of preparing it to compete with the onslaught of flashy new MMORPGs for anyone except the already addicted.

What it does do is add a piecemeal 3D engine atop slight tweaks here and there and a new world designed for the 3D client offering a needed sense of something new for jaded players to explore. New player models, better looking monsters and flashy little spell and lighting effects help curb the boredom with visuals playing a persistent world for years can invite. None of it is really impressive by today’s visual standards. The player models have an average look from farther away but zooming in (another new feature) shows that Britannia’s drinking water comes straight from the sea of ugly juice. Animation, however, is smooth and fluid and watching battles becomes at least temporarily less tedious through the graphical improvement. The new three-dimensional monsters and scenery do add to the appearance and blend fairly well with the two-dimensional world and viewpoint previously in place. It should be noted that no actual ability to look around as in fully 3D games exists in Third Dawn, and so visually, the game still fails to rival competitors in immersion. Enhanced spell effects are a nice touch, and they reminded me somewhat of the console game style bursts of light and magic the simpler spells produce in polygonal Playstation RPGs.

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In order to facilitate testing a possible bug with the ethereal steeds, I have set up special objects on the Test Rewards 1 shard. These items are ankhs, located near the southeast corner of the West Britain Bank on both facets of that shard. When you double-click the ankh, you will receive an ethereal steed (random type). This item doesn't count as a Vet Reward choice and can be used by anyone, regardless of account age.

Please feel free to log onto Test Rewards 1 and play around with an ethereal steed. Use this thread to report any strange behavior you find. We are also logging them, and to gain as much information in these logs as quickly as possible, we need to have a lot of people using them.

Thanks, and enjoy!

Specifically, I'm looking for unexpected dismounts and instances where the character dismounts but the steed doesn't vanish. Of particular concern are instances where a character is dismounted but doesn't get the statue back. So far, the only instances of "unexpected dismounting" I've found in the logs have been due to use of the polymorph spell. There is no problem with that, and the dismount is being handled properly -- it's just that the logging code thought it to be an unexpected dismount.

We have published some changes to Test Rewards that prevent the ethereal steeds from being targeted in the fraction of a second during dismount. We've also prevented the steeds from being targeted by players as well.

When you have complaints about the service provided, email [email protected]. We take these complaints very seriously. When you send in such a complaint, here's what you should provide:

1). Date, Time, and Shard where the incident took place.
2). The account name (we never need passwords) of the account you used when interacting with a GM.
3). An explanation of the reason why you called a GM.
4). What type of service you received, and what GM took your call.
5). The type of resolution you would have preferred.
6). Any additional information that is relevant to the situation.

As far as allegations of abuse, we take those very seriously. We want to hear about these problems when they arise, so the best thing players can do is email uoconcerns as soon as it happens. The sooner we hear about a problem, the better, because it allows us to resolve the situation quickly, and prevents further damage.

Thank you for your obvious concern about the level of service we provide. We are constantly working to increase that level, and constructive feedback from our customers helps. Also, when you have a support related issue, please bring it to the support board (there is a much greater likelihood that I will see it there than on other boards

Give us all the information you can. If you don't know the GM, giving us the rest of the information will allow us to piece everything else together. With a player's account name, we can look at their call history, and see all calls placed, as well as which GM answered the call and closed

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Will you be resetting all accounts for people who selected vet rewards the first time they were turned on? Or will people who made there selection before they were turned off be stuck with those choices?
If new choices have been added in and someone has made 4 choices already then they wouldn't have the option to change those choices?

Unfortunately if players already picked rewards on shards that had rewards given out, then we can't reset that number back. The reason being the rewards would have to be reclaimed to make this truly fair so that the player could pick again from the start, but that really isn't possible. I know this leaves some players unable to pick four year rewards, and I wish it were different. However there really isn't a way to get around this without adding more of a problem.

The numbers for rewards given out could be reset. We could set it to 100 if we wanted to. But the items themselves have been out circulating within the game world for quite some time, to either be kept or sold. We would either:
1) have to somehow "repossess" the existing rewards. This isn't a good idea, because too high of a percentage might have exchanged hands by now.
2) Reset the rewards numbers back, and leave the existing rewards in the game. Once again, this just adds to a problem and cheapens the worth and value of the rewards that exist now.
There really isnt a way to do this that will please everyone. What we want to do is be sure to minimize potential problems that would impact our ability to deliver rewards to all the players. Doing this change you recommend would impact the veteran reward too nagatively. I wish it were not the case, but there just isn't a 100 percent good way around this to please all players and maintain our ability to deliver the rewards.

In reply to:
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Even still you could do something with coding that would allow players that still have the original 4 items they picked to be turned in / exchanged for something different.



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That is a good suggestion, and I'll certainly pass it along. However it would have to be closed off to potential abuse.

Ok, I messed up a bit so let me clarify:
Let's say you have used up your veteran reward points already. When the fourth year time rolls around, you will get another point. If we put in a fourth year reward, you can spend that new point on that fourth year reward.
This is part of what messed me up: If you already spent your points, then those are spent. You wont be able to get back those points to spend them on fourth year rewards. But as I said above, you will be able to spend this new point as you wish.
Sorry for getting some of that mixed up in my head. Yes, trading rewards back in to get the points back, or having us collect them and credit you somehow would be very hard to do.

Four year rewards are something we are considering currently. Right now it's still not an absolute final decision, just an idea that we like.

In reply to:
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OK, what about this one Mel..
I got MORE than 4 rewards. In the meantime, my account age has reached 48 months (on TC), giving me 5 picks there.

When rewards go live on the real shards, will I get that 5th pick?



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I don't know, but quite possibly. If the system was fixed, then it would count the rewards you picked (and that actually stayed picked) as counting.

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I found this scroll tucked up under my door mat this morning...

Impy's Artic Faire
Weekly Auction to be held on Wednesday at 9pm by the Eastern Sky.

This week the staff at Impy's would like to welcome it's newest member, Laney. She was recently hired to help the staff with the collections of submissions as the Grandmaster Scrounge. And the Staff would like to thank the members of the VnG for stopping by last week during our small Orc invasion. And a thank you to everyone who helped make last week's auction such a success.

This week's auction will feature a furniture dye tub, a stretched hide in a box, thick scattered hay, silver and vanquish weapons and a couple thousand stones worth of armor. Make sure to come early for a seat up front so you can inspect those items as they hit the auction table.

For directions and a complete list of the items up for auction please take a peek at www.impys.net. Runes to Riches and the Mystery Chest games will also be played this week following the auction, so please stick around and take a chance with lady luck. There will also be a gate provided from West Brit Bank starting 30 minutes before the auction. Impy has asked that you please stable your pets before the auction as he is allergic to wet fur.

~Impy's Staff

I heard a rumor that Noel was thinking of auctioning me off there, I hope they don't allow for human submissions.

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Rivendell Rune Swap this Friday 9 PM CST

Always wanted a rune to the Star Room?

Need bank runes that are a bit off the ground?

Tired of having to walk to Destard?

Have no idea where the Yew Crypts are?

Then come to the town of Rivendell's rune exchange. Bring runes to your favorite locations and trade them for the ones you need. Bring a few extra runes to your favorite town/tavern/shop to give out to others.

Free rune books will be provided, and there will be a few fun prizes.

Rivendell Board: http://members5.boardhost.com/Rivendell/index.html?992922337

Thank you.

Landicine of Rivendell

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People of Trinsic!

For too long we have allowed the tyranny of the High Council and their agents within the Order of the Silver Serpent to oppress the people of our city. They have aided in the creation of their own City Council's in Trinsic, all of which have failed. The one council that they had nothing to do with, they quickly squashed with their agents within the Loyalists of Lord British (LBL). Free speech has never been a right for the citizens of our fair city. Councilor Ti Eless and his adjunct, Grunk, were arrested at the last High Council meeting for speaking their mind.

Its time that Trinsic was restored to the glory that it once was. A time when Lord Calandryll sought a land of freedom. A time when all races were welcome equally within its walls. I seek to return us to that time. I am the Shadow. For years, I have been the victim of persecution by the High Council and its agents. They arrested me for alleged crimes and found me guilty. I have since payed for those alleged crimes, but will remain silent no more! I speak for a Free Trinsic!! I care for this city, and always have. Unlike the rest of the realm with their views...

"Trinsic's a rather boring place. Sandstone... nothing much to look at."
--- Samara, member of the OSS

"I've lived there. I wasn't fond of it."
--- Lady Joylah, former Yew Seat, High Council

Together, people of Trinsic, we can create a golden age in Trinsic. Join me, Wednesday June 27th and 9pm central at the Keg and Anchor to watch a new City Council be formed. Do not let the HC and its henchmen prevent us from having a voice!

The Shadow
Former Keeper of the Truth, Honor Council

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The latest city to form an independent government is none other than that snooty, exclusive city, Wind. Now, they have never let me visit Wind, so I would be justified in not covering their news, but I, of course, am bigger orc than that.

Anyhow, here is the official announcement from Joyous Darkness, Emperor of Wind:

The ancient city of Wind, long host of the Elder Council of Mages, has been for too long in neglect and misuse through the vile clutches of bureaucracy and democracy, has fallen to corruption and chaos. I have, through political and diplomatic manipulation, delegation, "appropriate methods", seized control of the city, and re-established order. I do hereby establishing a monarchy, with me as head-of-state, the Emperor of Wind. The kingdom shall be dedicated to the service and enlightenment of Mages, both new and old, and to promote a brotherhood of Mages to learn, grow, and fellowship, as well as to assist other towns, guilds, city governments, and what not, with Magical needs, dungeon crawls, orc infested town "cleansings" and what not.

My government operation will be as follows:

• I am supreme and sovereign, my authority is final, and I cannot be removed, deposed, nor usurped.
• I am keeping the original council, the Elder Lords, which will be made up of Veteran Mages. They will be assigned protégés, young inexperienced mages whom they will tutor and train in the arcane arts. The Elder Lords will carry the title "Lord of Wind" and are EXPECTED to be available to their protégés whenever they are called upon for help or advice, though are not expected to "rescue" them (i.e. they went to Cove alone and got ganked by the orcs and want their stuff back). You must be a Master or Gm to be an Elder Lord.
• We are a Kingdom of knowledge and wisdom, and will dedicate ourselves to the training and advancement of Mages, and thus to the Brotherhood of Mages. We are not a war-oriented Kingdom; we will go to war ONLY when deemed fit, and our members will not be expected to fight in any political conflict.
• Those proving dedicated members, who show courage in battle or excellence under pressure or those who go out of their way for the Kingdom, will be made a Prince of Wind, and thus, with the title of Royalty will be given their own domains, royal privileges, and of course, be in line for succession to the throne.
• I will earnestly listen to my Council's advice and a unanimous decision by my council will compel me to pass whatever decree they feel necessary, however, I have the right to over ride any decision that might undermine the royalty or power of the Kingdom.

A few other notes to be known. Elders will be expected to devote time and energy to helping aspiring mages. Whether you choose to help them financially is your prerogative, and the Kingdom will endeavor to financially share the burden (I will devote whatever resources, both regs and money, when I can). Of course, certain circumstances may sometimes override obligation to the Kingdom, but this will not affect your status unless it becomes habitual or it is shown that you purposefully neglected your duties out of apathy.

There will be a guild established. Elders are encouraged but by no means required to join the guild, nor will the protégés. The guild will establish events such as dungeon crawls, competitions, and for those that enjoy such things as PvP tournaments, those will be arranged as well. To be a prince/princess, you must be guilded.

We are neither good nor evil; we are neutral and serve our best interests as well as the interests of the protégés and the Sosarian community as a whole.

DISCLAIMER: The Kingdom of Wind does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, creed, religious or sexual preference, gender, internet connection, AND WILL NOT TOLERATE such acts. Anybody who offends someone else by action or word will be warned and then be ejected.

If you have any questions, please send me a pigeon.

Praise Minax!

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Hail,

This Thursday, June 21st @ 8 pm, the Dark City of Blackcomb will be the proving grounds for a night of fierce PvP combat.
Come join the combat and put your fighting skills to the test.

Location

The Dark City of Blackcomb

Rules

• No pre-poisonde weapons.
  
• No magic weapons or magic armor.
  
• No tamed animals.
  
• No pre-casting.
  
• 30 bandage limit per battle.
  
• 30 reagent limit per battle.
  

Prizes

• First Place - 50K
  
• Second Place - 15K
  
• Third Place - 5K
  

Gates will be available fifteen minutes before 8 PM PST at the doors to Empath Abbey in Yew

Be sure to come out and watch or participate! And above all, come and have fun!

For more info, check out the Dark City of Blackcomb

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Quest for Enlightenment

On Friday the 22nd of June at 7 pm est time. Desirea, the leader of The Royal Knights of British, and Necare, leader of the Britons, are hosting a shard wide event that seeks to enlighten the particpants on the Virtues.

100 books will be hidden throughout the land in various cities and special places. Each person that registers first will receive clues to the areas that are included.Participation is allowed without registration,but will be much easier to do if your register first and receive the clues. Each book contains teachings of a virtue and a prize number and special identifying words along with the sponsers name. Once found bring the book to Lord British Castle to match your books with their matching books for verification and claim your prize.

Rules of Event

Everyone is allowed to participate- even guild members of the sponsors, as this will be organzied in secrecy by the two leaders. No fighting. If anyone is attacked and prize stolen the offender will be disqualified. (must be proven) 100 prizes will be awarded including a grand prize for finding the most books. Grand Prize A small marble statue Prizes will include Gm weapons,Gm metal armor sets of various colors Gm colored leather armour sets,Magic weapons. Coupons good for various amounts of Cash prizes ranging from 1000 - 5000 gold. Coupons good for one of the guild members to be your personal guard or servent for 3 hours. Coupons for a romantic dinner for two served to you in a private setting by our professional cook,Includes a bottle of Pink champagne for your pleasure.

Registration is done by either icq 12372364 or email [email protected]

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Bola balls have appeared as loot on Orc Bombers. Balls on Bombers are rather common, around a 50/50% chance of getting a ball or not. They are only appearing as loot on bombers.

First bomber - had ball
2nd bomber - had ball
3rd bomber - no ball
4th bomber - no ball
5th bomber - had ball
6th bomber - no ball
7th bomber - had ball

  

  

4 balls, leather and a tinker (starting somewhere under 90 in skill) can make a bola. Tinkering skill was only 87 or so and I made the bola on the first try. When I tried to use it I got a targetting cursor, but I had to dismount my horse and unequip my spellbook before I could do so. I have not yet tried it on anyone, but in theory the weapon will be used to unmount a mounted opponent.

- Feenicks

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This announcement in from the Wilmeth Academy.

Event: Wilmeth Academy - An Introduction to Taming
Hosted By: H*C (Hunter's Clan)
Location: Wilmeth Academy
Date: June 21, 2001
Time: 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm (EST)

Wilmeth Academy will be hosting An Introduction to Taming for all young
tamers in the lands of Brittainia. This class is for those individuals with
50 taming or less and will begin promptly at 8:00 pm (EST) at the Wilmeth
Academy located in the valley at the entrance of Despise just a short walk
North from the city of Britain. Please click the link above for a map of
the location.

We are devoted not only to providing our students with a wealth of
knowledge, but also to providing friendship, adventure and a sense of
belonging. Our students will find our interactive classes to be more than
just a lecture, but a hands on training environment where fun is the key to
understanding.

More information, including an outline of the class and an application for
attendance, can be found at the Academy Website. Seating is limited, so sign up early
and join in the fun of hands-on training throughout the lands of Brittainia.

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This in from the Kingdom of Stormhaven and Wind Realty.

A Paige dressed in the gold and black of the Kingdom of Stormhaven trots past you and up to the town posting board. He tacks up a notice with efficient ease then trots off to his next destination. As you hear the crowd around the board begin to make Ooooos and Ahhhhs and chatter excitedly you decide to take a look for yourself.

Hear Ye! Hear Ye!

The Kingdom of Stormhaven is proud to welcome their newest residents and a

GRAND OPENING

Celebration for

WIND REALTY [W#R].

Wind Realty is the first in game Real Estate Office that will offer runebooks with runes to current homes for sale. Books are also located in the office to describe the homes, prices, current bids and a book so interested clientele can place their bid on a building.

Their Wind Realty Office is located in central Stormhaven Atlantic shard, Trammel at coordinates 30.29S, 5.7E and can also be found on the Stormhaven town map as listing #12.

GRAND OPENING EVENT!

JULY 1ST

RAFFLE FOR FREE HOUSE!

SCAVENGER HUNT!

MEET THE REALTORS PARTY!

MEET THE REALTORS: 12 Noon Eastern

The Grand Opening will be kicked off at NOON with a "Meet the Realtors" party at the Wind Realty Office in Stormhaven. Come meet the people and ask your questions, inquire about homes, view the listings of homes for sale and enjoy some good food and drink.

The REALTORS are:

IceBaron icq 12884335

Raven icq 91952458

Adrenia icq 85858229

Joah icq 19419602

They look forward to welcoming you to the grand opening and chatting.

SCAVENGER HUNT: 2PM Eastern

At 2pm eastern will kick off the Scavenger hunt with a grand prize, 2nd place prize and third place prize as follows:

First place: Vanquish Weapon, Your choice of (Katana, Halberd or Kryss)

Second place: Complete Ranger Armor Suit

Third place: Snow Globe, Your choice of city

Participants may sign up between 1pm and 2pm eastern for a entrance fee of 1k. They will be given books with items listed in it that they must go out and collect then be the first back to the Office within the alotted time that will be announced.. The first one back with all the items listed wins. If not all items are collected the first back with the most items will win and so on for the second and third place prizes.

Sign up time will cut off precisely at 2pm eastern. Any late comers, sorry.

RAFFLE DRAWING: 4:30PM Eastern

Yes, the Wind Realty will be raffling off a free mini tower for their grand opening!

Raffle tickets can be purchased at the Wind Realty Office in Stormhaven from the vendor just inside the main doors of the villa. The Raffle tickets are for sale now and up until the Grand Opening unless all tickets are sold prior to the drawing.

There will only be 400 tickets sold so don’t delay purchasing one!

The raffle ticket price is 5k.

A book next to the vendor will explain the rules and other information regarding the raffle along with a rune to the mini tower being raffled. A picture of the mini tower and more on Wind Realty can be found by clicking the listing for W#R on the Stormhaven website page:

http://www.geocities.com/sfirestorm/stormhaven.html

The winner will be announced at the drawing held at the Wind Realty Office on July 1st at 4:30pm eastern.

You do not have to be present to win.

The winner will have 3 days to claim his prize or a new ticket will be selected and a new winner announced.

So Everyone is invited to come out for a festive day of fun and prizes and witness a first in Britannia, an operating Real Estate Office for all peoples.

For more detailed information please contact any of the Wind Realty Realtors listed above.

Hold Honor High,

Lady Lipstick
Queen of Stormhaven

Wind Realty (W#R),
Realtor IceBaron
Realtor Raven
Realtor Adrenia
Realtor Joah

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In order to facilitate testing a possible bug with the ethereal steeds, I have set up special objects on the Test Rewards 1 shard. These items are ankhs, located near the southeast corner of the West Britain Bank on both facets of that shard. When you double-click the ankh, you will receive an ethereal steed (random type). This item doesn't count as a Vet Reward choice and can be used by anyone, regardless of account age.

Please feel free to log onto Test Rewards 1 and play around with an ethereal steed. Use this thread to report any strange behavior you find. We are also logging them, and to gain as much information in these logs as quickly as possible, we need to have a lot of people using them.

Thanks, and enjoy!

Specifically, I'm looking for unexpected dismounts and instances where the character dismounts but the steed doesn't vanish. Of particular concern are instances where a character is dismounted but doesn't get the statue back. So far, the only instances of "unexpected dismounting" I've found in the logs have been due to use of the polymorph spell. There is no problem with that, and the dismount is being handled properly -- it's just that the logging code thought it to be an unexpected dismount.

We have published some changes to Test Rewards that prevent the ethereal steeds from being targeted in the fraction of a second during dismount. We've also prevented the steeds from being targeted by players as well.

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Rest assured there will be a fan event this year. Keep an eye out for the announcements from Stargazer.

-Tajima

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A reminder about the festivities being planned for this week by Desdemona:

Krista's Ranger Station is preparing for the festival of Litha (also known as the Summer Solstice). The festival will take place from 8pm to 11pm CST on June 21st. This event will be a very special one, as we have Noleeens giving the blessing. Since the season is a hot one, there will be plenty to drink to cool off and fresh fruits and cheese to feast upon...as well as cookbooks for those who wish to take a little something home with them.

The events often get rather rowdy, so 'tis best to not wear your formal-best clothing (as it might get torn and stained). For some idea of what to expect, take a look at our "family album" at www.redlow.net under UO Pics (Beltane, Ostara and Yule are other festivals of note pictured there).

The Ranger Station is on the Felucca shard, southeast of Yew Abbey’s “bank” side. There’s a farmhouse at the end of a road about halfway there. The coordinates are 59° 14’N 34° 44’W. For more information contact “Krista” at ICQ 24124261.

We hope to see old friends and new at our festival! Blessed be!

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Monday 18th June saw the latest weekly meeting of the Trinsic Council Of
Honour (TCH).

The council met in the Meeting Hall at Trinsic at 8pm (GMT). The following
were in attendance: -

Attendees: Drakys TCH, Mentazm TCH, predator, Handsome Chris TCH, NuMark
TFi, EwanBlackmane WBK, lu xu, Lord Yoldran CMg, David, Lord Shady BdF, Vale
TFi, Inquisitor III Az, Mormegil, Gladiator TCH, Higgins, Kaine TCH, Crowley
TCH, Falcon, Bartok.

Apologies : Maria delSythia.

The mainpoints discussed were: -

1) From the next meeting onwards (25th June), the Council will meet in the
roomier Counsellor's Hall.

2) Mentazm will be working on the Trinsic Council of Honour skypage
(stop.at/trinsic).  Various ideas were submitted for inclusion on the pages
- including: previous minutes, council members (including deputies),
community events (and reports) and projects in development, amongst many
others.

3) Lord Yoldran gave as an idea of how Moonglow held their elections -
basically, candidates were situated in a clear area of ground and those
voting for them stood beside their choice.  The Trinsic Council took this
idea on board and is currently looking for a suitable venue to hold the
elections.

4) All nominations for election candidates MUST be sent to the following
address - [email protected]  This will enable the temporary Council to
contact those standing for election, in plenty of time.

If you would like to attend future meetings to discuss these matters, build
some community spirit, and make some new friends then the next meeting will
be held in the Trinsic Counsellor's Hall in Trammel on Monday 25th June at
20:00 GMT.

We are alos looking for representatives from all trinsic based guilds to attend meetings... everyone is welcome to come.
I wish to add that all TCH members though being guilded we are not a guild we are a council:)
Thanks.

Sounds Grand!

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Hello Fellow Brtannians,

Here is the weekly annoucement of the "Moonglow Beergarden":

- Every thursday at 20:00cet (7pm BST, 6pm GMT) west of Moonglow armorer in Trammel

You are all invited to come to chat a bit while drinking anything *smile*

This event is brought to you by The Moonglow City Council Of Europa :http://Stop.at/Moonglow

Wrtien by Bony Parker, Town Crier Of Moonglow

Thanks.

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Preparing my pack to do a bit of traveling, I glanced out the window to find Jheli flitting about the lawn like a headless chicken. I opened the door and called out to him, “What in the blue blazes are you doing?”

“A slime gathering contest?” I leaned against the door jamb, shaking my head at how ridiculous he looked. “Where did you hear that?”

“Left the scroll on yer desk, ma’am,” he puffed as he jogged past me. It was debatable, who was chasing whom here and if I had to lay a wager, I’d have bet the slime was winning.

On the desk there was a scroll with the words “Jhelom Slime-Off” printed along the side. I broke the wax seal, recognizing the official emblem of the Town Council, and read the notice, written by Caprial’s hand:

The Great Jhelom Slime-Off!

The Jhelom Town Council announces the Great Jhelom Slime-Off!

Place: The Dueling Pits of Jhelom, Trammel
Time: Sunday, June 24th, 2:00 pm Central

Now, just what the heck is a slime-off?

Well, it's a competition for mages, and the goal is to summon slimes. Groups of three mages will go head to head summoning creatures, the first to summon 3 slimes will move on to the next round. It's that simple, but it promises to be a lot of fun. So if you can cast 5th level spells, grab your reagents and come out to join us!

Entry fee is 5k, prizes to be awarded as follows:

• 1st place 50% of the entry fees
• 2nd place 30% of the entry fees
• 3rd place 20% of the entry fees

OEK and the Jhelom Town Council will be sweetening the pot with a few surprise items for the winners as well.

I heard Jheli shriek as I read the last line and caught a glimpse of him as he flew past the window again, arms flailing, scimitar cutting at thin air and his tricorne flying from his head. I reached for my bow and stood in the doorway again, trying to save him from the dozen slimes he had spitting at his heels. One arrow buzzed dangerously close to his knee and he squealed like a little girl. I found it hard to take aim, trying not to laugh.

Once the slime threat was behind us, I held out the scroll to him and explained, “It’s a contest for mages, you dolt. Not a contest of who can collect the most slimes. For the love of Davey Jones, learn to read.”

He took the scroll and skimmed it quickly with his eyes. “Ohhh,” he said, surprised. “What will I do with the eight I already sacked up?” He held out the bag to me.

I pushed it away, repulsed. “I don’t have any use for that!”

He snapped his fingers. “I know! Swamp jelly! A bit of honey, a sprig of mint. Think it will catch on?”

“Not likely, but maybe working to perfect your recipe will keep you out of trouble for a while.” I took the scroll back to my desk and began writing. As I worked, I could hear him out of the patio, bustling about with his new jam recipe no doubt.

Two pieces of advice, friendly readers: first, attend the Jhelom Slime Off!, sounds like a load of fun; second: Don’t accept any jams from Jheli Beene.

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Hail my friends!

Episode 16

This is your Brain....
*crack egg*
*Drops in Frying pan*
*This is your brain with bacon, and a side of hash
browns*

Thoth-Ammon's UO Comics

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Remember, we added about 2 months to everyone's account age. Technically, nobody could possibly actually have a four year old account until the end of September, since that is when UO shipped (Sept. '97) :)

The team is working on designs for the fourth year rewards though.

-Jonathan "Calandryll" Hanna
Designer, Ongoing Content.

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Have you ever dreamed of playing a game where you can be what you want and do whatever you want? Have you dreamed about inhabiting a virtual science-fiction world like Cyberpunk, Total Recall or Blade Runner? You might want to try the upcoming massive multiplayer online roleplaying game (mmorpg) "Anarchy Online" then.

Anarchy Online is developed by Funcom Inc. and is currently into beta testing. The date of it´s final release gets closer and closer and you might want to have a look about it before it is available in stores. If this all sounds interesting to you I would strongly suggest to have a look at http://ao.stratics.com which is one of the largest Fan Site Projects related to Anarchy Online.

Let me explain you the reasons why I am telling you about that game.

My name is Daniel Fischer, known as Stonegate in the virtual world and I work for Stratics.com which is the number 1 Fansite and IRC Network for MMORPG. We host Fansites for Anarchy-Online, Ultima-Online, Shadowbane, Everquest, StarWars Galaxies and almost any other popular Online Game.

Online Games are the Future of Entertainment. We realized that long ago and decided not only to host simple Websites with all kind of Information on it. We moved forth. We invented a totally new and very interactive way for Players all around the Globe to get in Touch with the Companies who design the Games they play.

We call those Events an "House of Commons Chat".

Let me explain how this works for a moment.

We host a large IRC Network with multiple servers beside our Fansite Project Pages. From time to time we arrange such House of Commons Chats or Celebrity Chats with famous and creative Persons from all kind of smaller or bigger Entertainment Companies. We had guests like Richard Garriot (Ultima Online), Starr Long (UItima Online), Jason Booth (Asherons Call) and many more telling about their visions, new ideas and plans on how to improve their games.

Its a way for the players to actively participate on the evolution of their favorite games and to get in touch with the Developers.

We see it as our mission to do those events for you since you normally don´t have a chance to talk with Developers and/or programmers.

The reasons for this lenghty text are on-hand.

I am proud and happy to announce the upcoming Anarchy Online House of Commons Developer Chat on Stratics IRC Network to you. It will be a pre-game release chat and you will be able to ask any question you ever wanted to ask about Anarchy Online.

Funcom Inc. and Stratics.com invites you to join a very special, unique and amazing event you will never forget.

Our guests will be: - Dai-Galean (Community Manager of Anarchy Online)
- Chac (Lead Developer of Anarchy Online)
- Amor (Lead Programmer of Anarchy Online)
- Gaute (Designer of the AO core system, story and PvP)

The Date: Sunday, 24th of June 2001

The Time: 3 PM EST / 2 PM CST / 9 PM CET / 5 AM Australian Time

How do I attend ?

To connect to Stratics IRC, first boot up your favorite IRC client. Two of the most popular clients are mIRC and pIRCH. Once your Client has been started, Access one of the following Stratics Servers by typing /server *.stratics.com:
irc.stratics.com
dhp.stratics.com
compu.stratics.com
frws.stratics.com
intworks.stratics.com
Or, feel free to use our own Java client via your web browser. You can access the Java client via the lefthand menubar of this website. This client connects directly to our servers and even allows you to select which channel you wish to access upon startup.

After you are connected to Stratics IRC you may want to join the House of Commons Chat Room which will be #aohoc To join that room simply type /join #aohoc and press Enter.

We are looking forward in seeing you in #aohoc on the Stratics IRC.

If you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions regarding that event feel free to email me anytime at [email protected]

Also feel free to have a look at http://www.stratics.com for general information and http://chat.stratics.com for IRC or Event related information.

I thank you for taking the time to read this and wish you all a very pleasant and informative Chat.

Regards,

Daniel - Stonegate - Fischer
Stratics Lead Event Coordinator

Stratics, the massive multiplayer IRC network
http://www.stratics.com/
irc.stratics.com port 6667

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Another marital union is set to take place in the land of Legends. Read on, for the official announcement.

Greetings fellow AOL friends. On March the 24th of the year 2001, I met a special lady. We became good friends and hunted many monsters. That's how we met. I rezzed her at the entrance of Despise. And now, we have fallen in love all and would love it, if you could come share our joy and attend our wedding. It will be on june 23rd, 8pm est at the Despise entrance on the Trammell facet. I cant say enough how much she means to me and want you all to come share in that.

Brian & Shewolf

Cyn
Patron Saint of Taverns

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At last Monday's meeting of the High Council, Grunk the Orc and Adjutant of Trinsic presented to the Council his findings concerning the growing numbers of orcs in cities throughout Britannia. At the end of his report, Lord Grey Wolfe, Grand Marshall of the OSS, called for Grunk's arrest on the charge of high treason after Grunk demanded that Lord British apologize to the orcs for his lack of control over his subjects. Ti Eless, Councilor from Trinsic, jumped to defend his adjutant and was also placed under arrest by the OSS at Lord Wolfe's command for interfering with an arrest. Despite the protestations of the Council, the prisoners were whisked away to the cozy cells of the Yew Prison to be held pending investigation of the charges.

Friday evening, Lord Wolfe received a distress signal from the Yew Prison about a growing crowd. He quickly dispatched Samara to investigate the call. She reported back that there were several people milling about after having heard rumors of possible trouble. Lord Wolfe acted quickly to assemble a band of Sea Serpents to head to the prison, instructing them to meet at the Abbey in Yew. Arriving at the Abbey, Lord Wolfe encountered Lady Faith who passed on to him what she described as "damning physical evidence" against Ti Eless, evidence that could conclusively prove that he had indeed committed high treason. Talanithus Tarant and Buzz Aldridge were also in the area and were witnesses to the exchange.

Once assembled, Lord Wolfe led the Serpents, Witchfinder Gen., GladStone, Shaun, and Merlin, to the prison. Samara had sent word that the crowd was growing. On their way to the prison, the Serpents passed a group of Eless Arms Industries guards who tauntingly tried to prevent their passage. Upon skirting this group and arriving at the prison, they found a large crowd indeed, gathered outside the cells. Veil of SIM was in the cell with Grunk at the permission of Samara and Ti Eless was in his cell alone.

The Serpents took up position outside the cell chamber, only to be joined shortly by the very EAI guards they had passed on their way there. Among those present in the EAI contingent were Angus Thorn, Coby Drakeswind, Dalu of Kray, Jestak Adai, Eric Windrider, Calandryll, Thoron, and Makari. As they approached the Serpents, they demanded the release of their employer, Ti Eless and the orc, Grunk. About this time, Lord Wolfe noticed that Grunk and Veil were on the wrong side of the cell wall, having exited via the secret door. He left two men at the entrance and hurried to stop Veil and Grunk. As he spoke to them, the Eless guards made their move, attacking the center guard and pouring through the doorway to the cell chamber.

The battle was short despite the Serpents' valiant efforts, they were quickly overwhelmed by superior odds. The four OSS lay dead and Ti was free. During the commotion, Grunk and Veil made a run for it and also escaped. The Eless guard and their leader, Ti Eless, made their way through the crowd, crowing of their victory, then disappeared quickly amid laughter and cheers for their own success.

Another party of OSS members was called quickly to try to track them, but they were long gone by the time this investigation got underway, leaving no tracks to lead their pursuers.

Sinjun D'Aerno
LS Community News(http://rp.warcry.com/uo/ls/)

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Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Tales are floating around, about a new player establishment!

You see a scroll, and written neatly inside:

Hail! I write this to say, that I am pleased to announce that the newly formed Village of Kurja is now open to the public. Kurja is a small village located at the entrence of Dungeon Despise, on the Felucca facet. This new establishment may still be somewhat small, but we have plenty of room to expand. We plan on bringing various events, fun, and enjoyment to the Lake Superior community in the distant future. There is currently a vendor mall located at the town hall, feel free to stop by and take a look! We look forward to seeing you.

Be sure to look forward to an exciting Grand Opening event to be announced soon!

Respectfully yours,
Kurzon (Founder, the Village of Kurja)

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A pretty little white dove with a blue ribbon about its neck and tiny bells on its legs carried this parchment to me. Such a bird can only mean one thing, a wedding proclamation. And so it was:

A Post Wedding Announcement

Last Sunday, under a cloudless sky in Britannia, Ariel and Lord Whitewolf pronounced their vows and were declared married by White Lotus of the Town of Phoenix Rising.

The simple ceremony took place in a lovely location of the maze and was witnessed by friends whom both the bride and the groom would like to thank warmly.

Ariel and Whitewolf

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Hail and Greetings!

The Blood Knights would like to invite one and all to our bachelor auction! Come and bid on a true Knight of your dreams! Bids will start at 100 gold and will be for one date only.

This event will take place on June 23rd at 9 PM CST at the Blood Knights Guild Hall in Trammel at coordinates 96o 9' N 64o 41'E. The auction will last until all the Knights have been sold!

This event is sponsored by Blood Knights Guild and the auctioneer will be the Guildmistress Kiana Storm, Holy Lady Enchantress. Gates to the Guild Hall will be provided 15 minutes before the auction begins from Britain's Main Bank. So bring some money and a sense of fun!

And hey guys, don't feel left out! Come and see what we will be offering next month for our Bachelorette Auction! I hope to see you all there!

Sincerely,

Kiana Storm
Holy Enchantress
GM-Blood Knights

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The meeting ended. Richard was out sick and had not been well enough to join us. Gregor sped away for parts unknown while Cheebatoke, Barth and I sat around the table on the roof of The Stratics Centre, listening to the wildlife around us. Jheli collected the empty mugs and cleared away the crumbs, whistling some forgotten old salt’s tune to himself. We looked at one another and smiled. Jheli is an incessant whistler.

I rose from my stool and announced that we were departing for an impromptu adventure. “Let’s go into town and meet new and interesting people,” I suggested. My colleagues seemed a bit apprehensive. After a few moments of cajoling, we departed for the bustling city of Britain.

At any time of day or night, merchants can be found there, milling around, hawking their wares. Guildmates gather and form hunting parties and the beggars thrust their empty hands or pewter cups in your direction. Ahh, the familiar sights and sounds of the West End.

Listening to the barking barrage of available goods and services gave me an idea. One of the topics of discussion in the meeting was the impending grand opening of our center. We knew we needed to finish our rune library and collect door prizes and such. That meant we needed funding. Though we are rich with words and good friends, none of us could afford to carry the financial burden of this event on our own.

Hence, my epiphany.

“Selling attractive, intelligent Stratics reporter!” I shouted into the din. “Selling intelligent, attractive Stratics reporter! Sews his own clothes!”

Cheeba and Barth turned at me with quizzical looks. Had I gone daft? Then, they turned to each other. Which of them was I offering to sell? Again, their eyes looked to me. I gave them a wink and tapped my forehead with my index finger. “Sheer genius, my friends, sheer genius. We’ll sell of Barth and use the money to buy what we need for the centre.”

Always a good sport, Cheeba joined in. “One Barth VanDorn for sale, personal slave, first 25k takes!”

I held up my hand. Even as fine a person as I believe Barth to be, I thought 25k was a bit steep. We needed to lower our expectations a bit if we expected to actually seal a deal. Barth was a good sport and did his best to look worthy of purchase.

Our efforts were unnoticed in the sea of sellers at the West Side, so we made our way to the East Side. Here, we met with failure due to a lack of patrons. Next stop was Delucia, which proved to be a near-fatal mistake. An orc scout attempted to take Barth from us without paying.

Barth offered a suggestion. “Now you know, if you want to sell me, take me to my home city of Vesper. Someone is bound to buy me there.”

“Vesper?” I cringed. “That place is a cesspool!”

Cheebatoke nodded, wrinkling his nose. “True.”

Barth shook his head. “Yes, it is a cesspool, but buying and selling people is common there.”

It was worth a try. Cheeba flipped through his runebook and made a gate for us. Once we arrived, we set right to work.

“Selling one Stratics reporter, in excellent condition; Pick from our fine stock!” Cheebatoke shouted.

I piped in. “Stratics reporters for sale. They know Xena Dragon! No reasonable offer refused.” I turned to Cheeba and said, smiling in Barth’s direction, “You know, we might have some luck at Bloodrock. The orcs may buy him for the meat.”

Cheeba shuddered.

Just then, a young woman appeared on horseback. She paused, listening to us, and I could see her giving Barth a look or two. The three of us stood and waited for her reaction.

“What is reasonable?” she asked, finally, “and what do I get?”

Moving closer, I recognized her. Jhesari of the House of Templari. She wore the family crest on her tunic. We had a sort of nodding familiarity. I regarded her with a pleasant smile. “The ostard alone is worth 2k,” I said matter-of-factly.

I heard Barth grumble and groan behind me, muttering under his breath, “Oh, geez. Come on, boss. I’m worth something, aren’t I?” I motioned for him to shush.

“What else will I be entitled to,” Jhesari asked.

“I’d say 5k was reasonable,” I responded. I glanced over my shoulder quickly at Barth. He sat grimly on the saddle. I think he believed he was being sold short. Then, there was Cheebatoke, looking like the last child picked for the team. “I can let you have them both for 10k,” I added quickly, trying to build my staff’s morale. “One can cook. The other... eats.” I smiled.

Cheebatoke snickered, “Which is which will remain confidential.”

We began to bargain over the price, though I felt the worth of both of them was much more than she was offering. Depsite their flexing and engaging wit, she simply would not go the full amount. Finally, we agreed to barter Barth in exchange for a fine quality treasure map.

I finished my business with Jhesari, handed Barth over to her and turned to see where Cheebatoke had gone. I saw him a few feet away, talking to a lovely lass on a nightmare.

“So,” she asked, “what would I possibly do with you? Do you guys need money? That desperate?”

Barth VanDorn answered her, “It's for a worthy cause,” and explained who we were and what The Stratics Centre was going to be.

The woman introduced herself as Shailyn and smiled down at Cheebatoke, “You are kinda cute, though.”

I seized the moment. “He’s very cute. Make me an offer.” I nudged Cheebatoke. “Do something spectacular, Cheebs. Show her your worth!”

Standing straight and tall, Cheebatoke adjusted his cap. He turned his face upward to her, eyes shining as they reflected his warm smile. He waved his hand, gesturing as he studied her ensemble. “I see we share a similar fashion,” he said in a smooth, low voice. I had to choke back a snicker by biting my finger. “You look stunning... amazing... but no outfit could ever do your beauty justice.”

Not to take anything from her beauty, but Barth and I had to giggle a bit at how thickly Cheeba was laying on the charm.

“Oy,” she squeaked softly, and then the magic word sprang from her lips, “Bank.”

We attempted to stifle our glee. I stepped toward her, careful not to crowd and make her uneasy. “Good Lady, what offer will you make me on this fine specimen of literary legend?”

“What do you want?”

“I'm taking a treasure map for the other one.”

She produced a tattered bit of paper from her bank box. “I have a treasure map, recovered from a demon’s lair and 5k.”

Cheebatoke and Barth had become competitive sometime during this exchange. He was determined to bring a higher price than his peer. “But for the goodness that I could give you is worth far more then a Map, or a 1000 of them.”

I tossed my arm over Cheebatoke’s shoulder, taking his chin in my hands, bidding her to look closely at his finely chiseled bone structure and good teeth. “Fair one, this is the Cheebatoke from Stratics. Have you read his work?”

Cheeba attempted to feign modesty, which hangs on him about as well as Jheli’s tricorn fits a crow. “Oh, hoho. Come now...” and he produced a most excellent bit of humble blushing and shifting of the feet.

Two road-worn adventurers leaned in closer to us. One of them, who wore a wide leather belt inscribed with the word (presumably his name) Nyte, grumbled, “Wow,” sarcastically. “I don’t know him and neither does my friend.” He gestured with a thumb over his shoulder at his companion.

I spoke on Cheebatoke’s behalf. “He knows Xena Dragon and Beans Baxter.”

Shailyn made an approving sound, dropping the map back into her bank box and rummaging around a bit more. I could hear the clink of coins.

Nyte was not impressed. “So, does he get a cookie?”

I shot Nyte a sidelong smirk and returned my attention to Shailyn. “What say you, good lady?”

She held out a hand, passing a bank note to me as she said, “Ten thousand.”

I nearly choked on my own tongue as I blurted out, “Sold!” I patted Cheebatoke proudly on the back. “Be good.” He was grinning ear to ear, satisfied with himself for the price he’d brought, especially when he saw the look of friendly loathing on Barth’s face.

As I prepared to take my leave, I heard the four of them discussing where they would go next. Cheeba was quite excited about the prospect of showing Shailyn sites unknown to her. Barth sat upon his ostard and tuned his lute, preparing to serenade his temporary owner. From the looks of it, all parties concerned seemed quite pleased with the transactions.

Jheli was grilling fish when I returned home. He tilted his head and gave me a questioning look, no doubt curious about the smile I wore. I explained what had transpired in our travels.

“What? I’m not good enough fer ya t’ sell, ma’am?” Jheli asked, looking a might wounded at my lack of confidence in his composition.

“It’s not that, Jheli. It’s just that... well, I need you here. I can’t have you out gallivanting about the countryside with unknown ladies when there’s so much to do to prepare for the grand opening.”

He growled low in his throat and turned his back to me, though I knew he wasn’t truly angry. It wasn’t his nature to be given to fits of pouting or jealousy, nor would it be for any old salt like our Jheli.

I went inside to count the runebooks Richard Cypher had created for our library and set pen to paper figuring the cost of runes and reagents. We could build the library and have plenty left for other essentials. I stared out the window and watched as night fell over the bay before me. I thought of what good sports my fellow reporters were and wished them, and their “owners” a night of merriment and adventure.

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Greetings fellow citizens of Britannia,

I would like to offer this opportunity to welcome ye all to my humble little
shoppe.  Open all day, with free drinks served, I intend to offer value for
money Magic Artefacts and hospitality.

For a list of prices and the location of the shoppe, please visit my skypage
at http://www.btinternet.com/ultherfireblade

I look forward to seeing you at my shoppe.

Farewell for now, and may the Virtues guide thee on thy path

Endorin Surefoot, Apprentice Treasure Hunter

 

Thanks, good luck with the shop!

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We've stated that the next major publish is targeted sometime before the end of June, assuming it passes QA by that point, and it should contain veteran rewards.
[…]
Cynthe
Origin Systems

Our general testing web page has a large list of items that are for the next publish. The looting rights is excluded from that (as Cal mentioned), but the rest of the list looks accurate.

-Hanse
UO Live Designer

Actually, we’re moving the looting fix over to testing for next update.
We don’t generally move stuff over to that section until they are 100% confirmed for a publish. If we moved all of that stuff to Next Update now, it would have caused confusion as, technically, the next update is the scenario publish, which of the things listed there, only has the looting fix.
The looting fix should be moved over to next update today.

-Jonathan “Calandryll” Hanna
Designer, Ongoing Content

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All those who had answered Blackmores Inn's invitation on Sunday had the opportunity to participate to a great party. Under Cinn Oir Liadain's lead, the staff had eagerly prepared to please the guests and welcome them cordially. Additional fun was brought by four small contests and the prizes the winners earned.

Zug'Zug, an Orkish Mojoka of the Uruk-Hai clan, won a statue for its success in the "Drunken Mage" tournament. Later, Lady Nemesis showed all guests what the word "accuracy" meant in a darts tournament, and was rewarded for her art with a painting she will place in her tower.

Luck proved not to be blind nor incorruptible in the Dices game : it was kind to Rahja Ashly, a true angel of our lands. She beat her opponents easily, and was awarded a set of Dried Flowers. In addition, the chess contest was also quite electric, and Serenity was finally designed the winner. She won a bone container and a Treasure map for her hard work.

The evening then slowly faded under the stars of Lady Night, while some people still doubted Zug'zug was indeed a female of her kin. *wink* The celebration came to an end with a Fashion show, during which guests could choose one of several - some being very daring - new uniforms for the Tavern's personnel. Winner collection was Cinn's "dream", green and vanilla, which will from now on be worn by the team during service. A Cream/Cherry outfit was the first runner-up, which will be used in the future for solemn events such as weddings.

Time passed quickly during all this, and once again Guests and Staff spent an enjoyable evening in the tavern.
Yours, Slagdale.

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Not sure about the major publish, but looting rights fix will actually be going in with this weeks scenario publish.

-Jonathan "Calandryll" Hanna
Designer, Ongoing Content

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Hi there, quick update on the Hit Point calculation formula...

One of the concerns I've heard over the new hit point formula surrounds the potential "nerf" of buff/debuff spells and effects. In order to ensure that those spells/effects related to strength (weaken, strength, curse, etc... ) aren't made less useful by the hit point calculation formula currently in concept ( HP = (str+100)/2 ), the buff/debuff effects will also directly modify the target's maximum hit points.

Therefore, imagine we had a target named "Fey" with 50 strength. Under the new formula, Fey's maximum hit points would be 75.

If an object (monster or player) with 100 magery skill were to cast a weaken spell on Fey, his strength would be modified to 39 (-11) and his maximum hit points would be modified to 64 (-11).

If Fey were to gain 1 point of strength while under this effect, his natural strength value would be 51, his natural maximum hit points would be 75 (the formula rounds down), his modified strength (from the weaken spell) would be 40, and his modified maximum hit points would be 64.

Does this adequately address your concerns regarding the "nerf" side-effect of the new formula? Let me know what you think, thanks! =]

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Since the subject matter of these comics is related to both (yay!) Roleplaying and the Scenarios I have decided to post updates here!!

Here are two new OoC comics:
The Bank
http://www.outofcharacter.com/bank.gif

UO Endangered Species
http://www.outofcharacter.com/orc_comic.gif

you can find those and many others at www.outofcharacter.com

-Arakasi

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Jon von Darkmoor of TPR penned this reminder about the upcoming festivities being held there this week:

The Town of Phoenix Rising and the people who reside within will be holding a Faire and Witches Sabbat, June 20th at 7 PM CST.

TPR (Town of Phoenix Rising), S*E (Sisters of Enchantment) and B/G (The Bloodguard) will sponsor a town faire with games, contests and a Witches Sabbbat in conjunction with the Summer Solstice.

Come watch King Oak battle King Holly for the change of seasons.

There will be games, such as a team Snowball fight, Damsel in Distress, Magery Contests, and the ever popular *Kissing Booth*. Wares will be for sale including witches charms and food and drink will also be available.

Gates from the banks in major Trammel cities will be provided by S*E. Phoenix Rising is located near the Desert of Compassion-Trammel Facet.

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Friday Night heralded another round of the famous Syndicate Lottery held at the island city
of Arx Draconis. Gaters spread out across the land at about 7:00pm EST and blanketed the major
Trammel banks. Shouts of "Gating to Free Lottery" and lists of prizes to be won echoed off the building walls. Soon the gaters were beseiged
with people wanting to attend. The gates opened in front of a large white structure with an old dragons nest inside. People streamed
through the doors to see Lady Venus upon the raised dais writing down all who entered so they might take their chance at one of the wondrous
prizes. All told the list of names approached 200 and they came from all across the land. From Delucia to Britain, Yew to Serpents Hold.

Soon it was time to pick the winners and names were drawn out and called to the crowd. Syndicate members in red hats located the winners and
escorted them to the castle just to the south where they were met by Elph. Reaching into a large chest prizes emerged and were handed to
each winner. Magical blades that hummed with power. Kegs completely full of wondrous potions. Rare items few had seen. And when the
lottery neared its close the Grand Prize was revealed. Ownership of a house on the island of Fire!

A hush fell over the crowd as Venus reached her hand into the bag and pulled out a name. Kossimon!! You have won the house rang out in the
building!! Congrats Kossimon!

Stay tuned to this news site as more events and more lotteries are coming!! More houses are slated to be given away, more rare items and
more things of beauty and power!

Congratulations Kossimon.

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The URL Jade Falcon provided is the right one (http://www.uo.com/uojobs.html) - I listed out there the specifics of what we're looking for.

Since we do have such a large group from which to find the right person (including the community and people currently within Origin), and since the job is such a vital part of the service, my requirements will be pretty high!

One of the most important parts will be genuine excitement about the job, the game and the community. I want someone who is highly driven to foster good community, and extremely motivated to talk to the players. Someone who is very level headed and who won't react out of bitterness, and is thick-skinned enough to weather not always being liked. :) Of course, the person will ideally be so likable that that won't be a problem, but I'm being realistic... there's no way to every make *everyone* happy all the time.

And of course, I'm looking for a good writer. When the company is represented by your written words, it's important that your writing be concise and accurate.

And game knowledge - lots of it! The website position can get away with only a common knowledge of the game, since service alerts come from working with the various departments to know what's happening in the service at any given time. The Community Coordinator, however, will have to know the game extremely well, since they'll be responsible for understanding bug reports well enough to respond to them and report them, and will have to know all the skills well enough to be able to answer questions, etc.

And being in Austin is an absolute necessity... I want someone who will be extremely involved with the dev team, making sure that the players are represented in every decision and willing to spend lots of time talking with the dev team to completely understand new systems in order to help explain them to the players.

The resumes can be sent to [email protected], and copied to me at [email protected] (I'll get the ones sent to [email protected] as well, but copying them to me just might get it to me a little sooner).

Hope that helps! :)

______________
Cynthe
Origin Systems

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Topics include: Introduction to Elezebethe, Starting out as a seer, How quests work, Thoughts about Seer/Counselor programs demise, What type of shard is SP, Dealing with distrupted events, ROT is GONE!, Questions from #SP, Event Stories, Seer compensation, Thoughts about Ongoing Content, and more...

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Heilsa, all my sea loving friends! Twas a truly marvelous eve' ta be out on the fair waters. The wind was crisp and clean and begging to take us all on a fine ride. Though the race was a small one, it was well received and lots o' fun!

There were two teams, there was. They sailed swiftly prow to prow! It was almost poetic, but then I be showing me softer side! *grumbles*

Omari and Steve Irwim managed to pull away in the last leagues and came into first place, with Malekai and Dagda Redhammer coming into second close behind. Steve and Omari received a treasure of 25k, 2 special nets and a mysterious Message in a Bottle. Malekai and Dagda recived 15k and also a special net. We of Ravenshire hope that they will find many more wonderful adventures at sea with thier rewards.

We hope to see you all at our next event! Until then may the wind always be at your back!

Bovide-Viking Breathern of Ravenshire

Greetings dear friends of Blackmores Inn !

We would be very pleased to meet you in harmony and friendship this coming sunday. Of course, many of you already visit us quite often, and entertain us with your stories, but what we had in mind was a celebration for your continuing support. That's also an occasion to strengthen the bonds with some of your friends or to meet new ones !

Socialization is what makes Britannia such a great place to live in, and we hope you will accept our invitation to the Tavern, where four small competitions are planned this Sunday, 17th June, starting at 8.30pm CET (7.30 BST, 2.30 EDT) : Dices, Chess, Drunken Mage tournament, and Darts. There will also be an additional Fashion show.

Thanks again for your support ! We hope to see you there ! Be reminded that the Tavern is an international meeting point, and the use of english is advised as much as possible.

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Meeting Notes:
12th June 2001
Trinsic Council Meeting:
Meeting Started 20:00 GMT

Attendants:
Mentazm (THC), Maria del Sythia (THC), Crowley (THC), Gladiator (THC),
Handsome Chris (THC), Kaine (THC)

Apologies:
Sydark and Ewan

1.  New Assistant Town Crier was purposed. The assistant town crier would not
be an official position. This town crier would not post on the boards etc.
He would announce upcoming events by addressing the people in Trinsic. The
proposal was voted for and passed.
2.  Some of the nominees for the upcoming elections were announced. Sydark
and Gladiator will be running for scribe. While Kaine will be running for
treasurer. Maria del Sythia and Mentazm running for the Mayor and Vice Mayor
positions.
3.  A proposal was made for all positions excluding mayor and vice mayor to
have a shadow. The shadow would fill in for the absent member of the
position. The proposal was voted for and passed.
4.  A proposal was made that once all the nominations were in the nominees
have to attend a few meetings. This way they can get an overall feel of the
job at hand. The proposal was voted for and passed.
5.  A proposal was made that the vice mayor and mayor, when the elections
began ran against each other. The overall winner would be mayor while the
runner up would be vice mayor. The proposal was voted for and passed
6.  A proposal was made that the meetings be made closed to the public. It
was decided that the meetings would not be advertised on the boards but
would be open to anyone that wishes to attend.

Meeting End 23:00

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First we have an 18 minute audio interview between Richard, Starr Long (former UO2 Producer), and Wired News:
http://www.wired.com/news/radio/0,1665,44316,00.html

And next we have a great written interview between Richard and Jonric of RPG Vault:
http://rpgvault.ign.com/features/interviews/rgarriottdest.shtml

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UODisney Registration Final Days

Last minute reminder concerning the UODisney Gathering in Orlando, Florida!

There are only 2 days remaining to join us for a weekend full of fun in sunny Florida! If you wish to join us, please hurry over to our site (http://angelsrealm.net/uodisney) and register (and make your payment, too!) before Friday, June 15th!

We would also like to take this opportunity to announce that we have also, just today, received confirmation that we will not only have Evocare (UO's new lead designer) in attendance, but also GM Lead Maleki!

Also, I will have all the final details for Friday (June 22nd) evening's happy hour gathering posted to the website by Monday, so everyone who is planning on attending that portion of the event be sure to look for it...you might be surprised by what we have planned!

Don't forget, the final days are here for you to order your t-shirt and have it in time for the gathering! So hurry to the site and order yours today! Don't be the only one not sporting the "official" shirt!

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Hail to all!!

This is a call to any veteran players who would be interested in joining our team of helpers to assist new players learning the basics of ultima online and also advanced classes at a later stage.

If you are the kind of person that would like to do something to help the new players get a good start in Ultima Online, then we would be pleased to meet you and explain what we do. You can also apply for a teacher position at this web site www.uo-new-player.com

The event will take place at the counselors guild in the city of britain Europa Shard on sunday june 17th at 8:00pm GMT BST, until 9:30 PM. Anyone who wishes to come from other shards are also welcome as we hope to expand shard wide in the coming weeks and months. Refreshments and food will also be served.

We look forward to seeing you.

Best Regards,

New Player Team

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Hear Ye hear ye,

The famed Spiritwood tavern shall be holding another of its splendid Lotteries on Sunday the 17th of June, at 8 BST/GMT, or 21:00 CET.

Come along and try your luck on winning the grand prize of 100,000 Gold pieces, or just join in the fun and friendly atmosphere of Sosaria’s favourite watering hole. To enter the Lottery, come early and buy a key from the Vendor, then register it and your personal number with the always friendly Tavern Staff. Then simply wait for the lucky roll and cross those fingers.

To find the ancient town of Spiritwood in Felucca, start at the Skara Brae docks right outside town. To get across to the main land, simply enter one of the small ferryboats there and say the word “Cross” to the ferryman. Once across on the mainland, go east on the road inland. Take the second road to your right (south, at a crossroads). Keep going south until the road turns eastwards. Keep following it past the local farms and you will end up in Spiritwood. The walk is short and the neighbourhood pleasant.

Good Luck!

Shri
Custodes Fati

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Thanks!

Well, getting someone capable of filling Mel's shoes will not be a simple task, but I have a lot of faith that it can be done. The emotion stirred up on these boards, while not always happy and adoring (ha!), shows that UO has a passionate fanbase. And between the people at OSI who are looking to move into a more public role, and the people in our community who've always thought they can do a better job, I'm positive that we'll find someone who will bring a necessary amount of knowledge, passion, and caring to these boards and Mel's position. :)

I wrote a Comments from the Team on it today as well, saying a lot of the same things. :)

I don't think we should begrudge Mel for leaving, nor do I think it appropriate to do so here. Everyone makes life decisions like this and none of us can really ever know the exact reasons behind them.

I'm certainly not going to take anything away from Mel...he's great at what he does and we are all going to miss him a lot. But, I also think it's important to point out that OCR will be just fine. I think of OSI Community Relations as sort of like a football team with a good offensive game-plan system. You can bring a Quarterback into that system and that QB will do well not only because of his talent, but also because the system is good.

We have a good system here at OSI for Community. Everyone who has ever entered into this Community system here has done well. That's not just because they are talented (which they are) it's also a product of the system here and how communtiy is percieved at an executive level. I know this first hand, as I am a product of and helped shape that system...as did Cynthe. People here are signed up to the community theories and the importance of community and development teams working together.

While again losing Mel isn't something I'd wish for if it were my choice, I also think it could create an excellent opportunity for someone else (perhaps even someone from the current UO player community) to bring new ideas to Community at OSI.

As far as me...I have no desire to leave. Nobody can ever predict what the future may hold...but right now, I love what I do, I love UO, and I still have faith in our ability to continue to grow and expand UO.

Well the board errors are continuing. A fix we tried this morning hasn't helped much, so we will continue to look at what is going on. I apologize for all of this, I know it is frustrating. I'll continue to keep you informed as I get the info.
Our webmaster guru Warhau is no longer with us, so we are trying to do what we can to get this resolved but it's not an easy problem.

There is a bug in which orc slaying weapons may not give the bonuses when dealing with orcs attacking in cities. Cynthe has said that he is looking into this. See this thread here.

In response to :

How do we know that the monsters fleeing into our towns are even truly orcs? I have evidence to the contrary. Pick up a weapon of Orc Slaying and have a go at the orcs roaming Minoc, ect. The foot-soldiers test as orcs, but the rest of the orcs DO NOT. Mages, Choppers, Bombers, Scouts - all must be mysterious polymorphed creatures since they do not take extra damage. All I can be sure of is that they are not undead, because they do not do duble damage to me.

(yes, this is tongue-in-cheek)

Cynthe replied :

That's actually an oversight on our part (much as I hate to admit it) and I'm not sure when we'll be able to correct it. I need to look at that code again.

and

Glad you are enjoying them. Normally I don't dispell rumors about the scenario, but in this case, since it's essentially a bug, I felt I should. Didn't want people to make guesses based on that.

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I wanted to talk with the players for a bit, to let you know some information about a change here. I will be leaving my position as Community Coordinator here at Origin/EA to pursue opportunities elsewhere. I have enjoyed my time with Origin/EA, and the UO team has been like a family to me. A lot of really talented people work here, with the full intent of working hard to make UO even better for you – the player.

Before the rumors start spreading about why I am leaving, let me just clear up a few things. I like working with this UO Live team, and I like my job. I have another opportunity, and that’s it. In no way should this be taken as a “sign of impending doom”, or anything else of the sort. Stellerex’s comments about the UO team being larger than ever before are definitely true, and there’s more momentum here now than there has been since I can remember. UO will continue to grow and improve, and there are some really good ideas being considered here. Calandryll’s Event Design team is moving in full force and has only just begun to really shine. More great things are coming from them in the future. Evocare is heading up the Design group, and is a very capable Lead Designer. Prophet is showing his talent and abilities in his Lead Programming position. Cynthe has been working to see that communication with the players remains a vital part of the service, and is stepping up as Community Manager.

This is a good time for UO, because the future is bright. In this industry, people change jobs a lot. You have seen it this past year quite a bit. remember that the online MMORPG business is growing as well, and is bound to have growing pains along the way. The bottom line is: Does the team that supports your game, have a passion for what they do and are they committed to the product? Do they take player feedback, and make changes based on that feedback? I believe the UO team is does just that. TIt’s a good group, and it wasn’t an easy choice to make. Ultima Online – and this industry – will continue to grow, and the lessons I have learned here will always be with me. I will continue to be here for a couple of weeks to help transition this position.

Melantus
Online Community Coordinator
Ultima Online
[email protected]

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Most of these Comments from the Team lately have started off with an introduction of sorts. Well, I've introduced myself before, so we'll skip that part. This is an introduction to a new beginning, if you will, of the Ultima Online Community Relations Department.

As you may have seen on the UO.com Employment Listings, we're looking to bring on a new Ultima Online Community Coordinator and a new UO.com Online Content Editor/Writer. This is pretty big news, so before anyone jumps to any conclusions, I wanted to lay out a few details of what's happening here in OCR, starting with a timeline of the OCR history since I have been here (I'll keep it brief).

When I came into OCR working on Ultima Ascension in November of 1999, LadyMOI was the OCR manager, Calandryll was the UO Community Coordinator, and Leilo was the UO.com Content Editor/Writer. I learned a lot from LadyMOI about management, and about community. I also shared an office with Calandryll and Leilo, and learned about the value of close communication, and about caring for the needs of the players. Later, when LadyMOI went on to a new role in Ultima Online development, Calandryll stepped up to Community Manager, and Melantus took over his role of Community Coordinator for UO. Leilo continued on in charge of the UO.com website content.

When Calandryll was presented with the opportunity to dip his hand into development and begin creating new global events in UO, he jumped at the chance, and Leilo ascended from her position into the role of Community Manager. I was brought into the UO OCR Department at that time, filling her role as Website Content Editor/Writer, and working closely with Melantus. But as Melantus mentioned in a recent post on our boards, this industry is growing rapidly, and people tend to move quickly when new opportunties arise. So as Leilo and Melantus move on to pursue those other opportunities, I've been given the opportunity to lead the department as Community Manager.

Losing friends is always difficult, and Leilo and Melantus are both extremely close friends of mine. Being talented people, they will no doubt be an asset wherever they go. But looking forward is important, and there is a LOT to look forward to! Stellerex's last Comments from the Team talked a lot about UO's future, and the exciting things planned... so I won't go into that again. But let's look at the OCR department. I've learned from the best, and I have a lot of my own ideas for things I would like to see happen. I want the discussion boards to become a more useful place. I want the players to feel we're listening on the edge of our seats. I want the community to have a voice in the game's design, and make sure the players' desires are heard and considered. I want the UO.com Update Center to show a steady stream of development and progress. I want a lot of things.

And what do I have? What I have now is a new position from which to work, and a completely open department. I have the opportunity to choose the people that will make this happen, and the people who will bring the most excitement and the most passion into the Origin Community Services department. And I'm going to do it soon... time is of the essence with a game as rapidly evolving as Ultima Online. It's not often that someone hands you the power and says, "Here - build the team that can do this."

It's a fresh start, and we're going to make the most of it. :)

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Reminder about the June 23rd Indianapolis Player Meet - Please note the June 15th deadline for sign up!

Indianapolis Player Meet, June 23, 2001, Jillian's, Indianapolis, Indiana

The Specifics:

Where: Jillian's Billiards Room, Indianapolis, Indiana
Date: Saturday, June 23, 2001
Time: 3pm - 5pm CST
Cost: $35 per person
Deadline: Friday, June 15th

Food and Drink:

Your cost covers the following food selections (buffet style):

• Jillian's Signature Tortilla Chips with Secret Salsa
• Fresh Vegetable Landscape with Dill Dip
• Chicken Tenders with Sauces
• Assorted Gourmet Pizza Slices

Your cost also covers 1 game card per person worth $10 of video games in Jillian's "Amazing Games Room" and our two hour rental of the Billiards Room.

Contacts:

Coordinator: Ari ni'Dalaigh/Mishca
Teresa Hamilton
[email protected]
ICQ #6557619

Links:

Kinship Village Player Meet Information
http://www.awnomads.com/kinship/player/jun2001.htm
Jillian's

http://www.jillians.com/

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“Night Eyes...”

I hear whispers all around me. They are beckoning. There is a thirst. I can feel it too.

“Night Eyes...”

The name is...strange. It’s not my given name, but...it’s hard to think. My previous memory is missing in large chunks. Not that I had anything all that great to remember.

“Night Eyes...come with us.”

That’s not my name! I think, straining at the limitations rattling around in my cranium. Who was I? Who?

Something appears from my dim past like a shadowy after thought.

“Fang...” I strain to listen.

“Fang...” Almost there.

“Fang, you fatherless son of a mongbat!”

Upon looking up I find myself in a dusky bar on the island of Skara Brae. My two comrades, Shemyazza & Kral stare at me.

“Hey, idiot! Get your head out of your butt and listen. I found us a score!” Kral’s eyes gleamed in the candlelight. Twin flames of avarice dancing in his dark pupils. We had been planning this heist for a long time. It was rumored that a town of strange creatures was nestled in the dead woods near Trinsic. Creatures that didn’t come out during the sunlight.

I left the thinking parts to Kral. He was good at planning. If he said it was going to be a piece of cake then I believed him.

“Their statues have all sorts of gems laid into the marble. Rubies, diamonds, emeralds...you name it. And the best part is...they hate the day time.”

Shem butted in. “You ever actually see these jewels? Or is this just another wild goose chase? Because, frankly I’m getting sick of your stupid ideas.”

They argued for a while, but Kral’s passion lust for loot drove us all down Greedy Avenue. I wasn’t so sure I liked doing a job during the day, but...

It was a week later when we trudged through the dead woods & brambles. It took us a little while to find the place and I was afraid that with our arguing we sounded like a herd of orcs crashing through the underbrush.

The first stone building was as old as the moon. Ivy snaked through the cracked granite like the tendrils of a corpser. There was a hush to the place. I think we held our breath as we surveyed the dead town. Other buildings jutted out of the ground like the remains of something long since past its prime. No birds chirped here. No sign of life.

I turned in a joking manner. “Welcome to Carafax, eh?” But the looks on their faces quickly wiped my smile away.

It was obvious we weren’t welcome, but as we stealthed towards that evil abyss our overpowering need of loot squashed the more primal instinct to flee as fast as we could.

This would prove to be a mistake...

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• Orc Bombers are red hued orcs.
• They seem to be somewhere between normal orcs and orc mages in difficulty level.
• They throw bombs at you that do 20-30 pts of damage each.
• The bombs look like flaming oil flasks.
• The bombs also remove stamina from you when you are hit by them. Making it difficult for you to escape.
• There was an early bug in which the bombs were only causing big damage to unarmored players, this has now been fixed and they cause equal damage to all players, armoured or unarmoured.
• Orc bombers also appear to be provoking pets, with great success, onto their owners. Dragon tamers and Nightmare riders should beware.
• When killed, their corpses appear as a charred orc corpse.
• Their loot varies greatly. They have two piles of about 80-120 gold pieces. One pile in a backpack on their corpse. They sometimes have purple explosion potions on them. They sometimes carry mortar and pestles. They sometimes have piles of various regs(generally sulpherous ash, mandrake, black pearls) ranging between 3-10 each in the backpack. Some have also been found carrying iron ingots. Essentially everything they might need to make their bombs.
• They have not been found to be carrying any new 'special' items.

  

Additionally there is one update for you all on the Orc Choppers as well as a picture of the Orc Choppers from the 3D client.

• Low-mid level magic axes(silver ruin, force and accurate of power) are sometimes found on the Orc Choppers. This includes the War Axe which is a weapon that uses the macing skill, not swords.

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Mirabel smiled at Alessa as the vendor handed her the weeks earnings, and separated a portion of the gold, handing it back to the girl. "And there you go, dear. Good work this week. I'm planning..." Mirabel trailed off as she noticed Alessa wasn't paying attention, but instead was staring, terrified, over Mirabel's shoulder.

Mirabel turned around apprehensively, absently thinking it strange that anyone had managed to sneak up on her like that... she rarely was so careless, especially at Darkmor, where so much had happened... she was usually so on edge the slightest noise grabbed her attention. Her hand went to her kryss as she completed the turn, and she blinked at the sight.

A ghost. But.. not like the usual kind she so often saw in her work, this one looked... menacing. He was staring at her in a way unlike any other spirit she'd seen. A blend of confusion... and something resembling pure hatred.

She closed her eyes warily, began to put herself into the mild trance she used for resurrection, when Alessa gasped and Mirabel opened her eyes to find the ghost had vanished. "Miss Mirabel," exclaimed Burke, setting aside his wares for the moment and walking over to her, "are you alright? What was that, I've never seen a spirit like that before!"

Mirabel smiled in what she hoped was a reassuring fashion at Burke and the others. "Probably just some lost soul. I'm sure he'll find me again if he needs my assistance, or he'll find someone else. Don't worry about it, any of you. Now, as I was saying! I'm planning a party. I'll be increasing your stocks over the next couple of weeks in preparation, so don't be alarmed. Marguirte, Tamlin will be here later this evening to discuss potion kegs..."

As she continued her explanation, outside the tavern, the ghost waited, staring up at the somehow familiar coat of arms hanging above the doorway. He -knew- he needed to be here... but why?

The Heaven's Forge Website

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The Longshot interview Part II

Durham Stargazer: What do you think of LoD? You have long history with them.

Longshot: They fight well. They are challenging opponents for sure. And a few of them are even nice.

Durham Stargazer: So what other non-TB's do you respect the most?

Longshot: Respect. Hmmm. Well, I would say Red Tenchi is one. And there's a reason, He plays fair, and if we kill him. He comes back and never talks smack... treats people with respect, and by doing that earns some. I'm trying to think of others.

Durham Stargazer: What about factions?

Longshot: What about them?

Durham Stargazer: Which faction do you respect the most for its capabilities?

Longshot: Minax for overall unit fighting tactics.

Longshot: CoM for perseverance and Axers with damned fast links to the magic flow, and blessed axes.

Longshot: True Brits for perseverance and making the best out of what they have.

Longshot: And SL for "I Ban Thee!"

Durham Stargazer: *laughs*

Longshot: That about covers it (smiles)

Durham Stargazer: Of your own TB's who do you respect the most as a warrior (dexers) and who as a mage, thief, tamer etc?

Longshot: Well, we have some really nice people... If I named someone then others would feel left out. I can tell you this... There are about 10 people who are always fighting and those people I appreciate the most, but I still like almost everyone.

Durham Stargazer: Why should somebody join the TB's?

Longshot: Because we are good people. We're honest, fair, and play fair. And I think for the most part we show a higher level of class on average. Of course there is always the rotten apple.

Durham Stargazer: What do you say to the TB who wear the colors on Trammel but rarely make an appearance on the Felucca side?

Longshot: I think they should put their money where their mouth is, or quit. I'd like to see one thing changed. I would like to see faction members in Trammel in a state of stat-loss while they are in Trammel. They could still go to their houses, they could shop, they could do whatever... but they would also have a good reason to return to Felucca. It would motivate the poseurs to quit.

Durham Stargazer: Well maybe they can't get into groups big enough. Or don't know how to get a hold of you because they play different times.

Longshot: I have a plan to fix that... once faction messaging is repaired. I've set up a Stratics chat room for TB's.

Durham Stargazer: What faction battle is most memorable to you?

Longshot: Oh there has been so many.

Durham Stargazer: I know but pick one.

Longshot: Well... there was one not long ago where all 4 factions were fighting in Magincia. It was pretty crazy. CoM was defending sigils and everyone was brawling in town bodies littered the place it was fun.

Durham Stargazer: What would like to see happened within the TB faction in the future.

Longshot: Well, I'd like to see people more organized and working together more cohesively. That takes a lot of time though. We need more people also.

Durham Stargazer: Is there one person you most like to kill in factions?

Longshot: Whoever is attacking me at the moment?

Longshot: I get singled out a LOT.

Durham Stargazer: Is there anything you would like to say to the other factions?

Longshot: Not really, we all know where we stand; I think SL needs to get out of the house fighting rut.

Durham Stargazer: Are there any questions you would have me to ask you?

Longshot: Well, I'll just make a statement

Durham Stargazer: Okay

Longshot: I've never claimed to be Mr. Badass, and I tend not to talk smack to people, I just get out there, try to organize some people, and do the best I can from there. I've got no delusions of grandeur; I'm just a guy doing his job.

Durham Stargazer: *Try to think of another question*

Longshot: I have one for you

Durham Stargazer: *listens*

Longshot: (Smiles) Why did YOU join GI?

Durham Stargazer: I like the feeling I get working with people I could respect and GI has a lot of people that are mature and older. And since I am as old as the dust, I prefer older company and those that act mature.

Longshot: Yeah, we probably have the highest average age.

Durham Stargazer: To me fighting has a lot to do with whom you are with. I have learned a lot from fighting with your group.

Longshot: We can improve on that aspect, there's a lot to learn for sure but competition improves the breed :) and we have a lot of that.

Durham Stargazer: If I was to sum it up in one word it would be “respect” without LoD's sense of bravado.

Longshot: I like that... You can stay. (laughs hard at this)

Durham Stargazer: thanks (smiling)

Durham Stargazer: I have no more questions

Durham Stargazer: Is there anything else you would like to add?

Longshot: Tell everyone to Join TB ;)

Durham Stargazer: I think you just did and I always do.

Longshot: Take care.

Durham Stargazer: Fare thee well

Longshot: I try :) but not always up to me though. Talk to ya later.

Longshot: Kal Ort Por Recall
Durham Stargazer: Kal Ort Por - Recall

Durham Stargazer
uojournal.com

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Grula scratched her butt. It was hot, she thought sullenly. Too hot. And she was starving. She had asked another scout to steal some food and cider hours ago from a nearby humie camp, and the stupid orc hadn't returned. It was a dangerous time for an orc to be out hunting and they were only doing it whenever they absolutely had to eat.

Turning to glance back down the path for what seemed to be the hundredth time, she heard a rustling. Finally! The orc scout she'd been waiting for burst through the bushes, panting frantically.

"Where my food? Where my drink?" she demanded gruffly, her throat parched from the dry heat.

The other orc looked momentarily confused. "No food! Humies chase then bonk then humies dead!" He pointed back the way he came. "Dere ledder agh rock tingy flyin agh bonk agh bonk, agh--" he gestured wildly and lurched to the side, throwing himself unceremoniously to the ground. "Humies get bonked, fall off four-legs!"

Grula tried to forget her thirst for a moment. "Ledder? Rocks? Who have ledder agh rocks?"

The scout stood clumsily, not bothering to wipe off the dirt that still covered him. "Nub know. Grendul thought it long way killers, but long way killers nub have rock. This different. Not kill, just bonk humie off four-legs. Kill come after but no see what kill." He suddenly stopped and looked around. "Tired. Need drink." He ducked as Grula threw her empty cup at him and growled.

Female orcs rarely fought, but Grula was an exception. Her cooking had been so bad as to have her forbidden from even touching the cookpots, and her smell was, to put it delicately, too much like flowers and spice to have a chance at finding a mate within the orc fort. Scouting worked fine for her... she had few friends, and spent most of her time alone, hidden. Watching. Although there hadn't been much to watch until recently, when every orc scout had been ordered to keep their eyes open for something. What that something was, they didn't know. They just knew that there was something out there, and that it wasn't friendly.

In the distance she heard the shouting of more humies in battle and coming her way on horseback quickly. Picking up the cup she had thrown at the other scout, she turned around and whacked him on the back of the head with it. "Hide! Humies come!" They dove into the bushes and waited for the battle to drift into view.

As they listened to the sounds of the fighting humies it was obvious that they were losing against whatever was in combat with them. Screams ripped through the air and fewer humies could be heard even though the battle was moving closer and closer.

From the bushes across the clearing a male on a four-legs burst through the foliage, panic twisting his face. Grula considered jumping out to meet him but a slight humming sound caught her attention and she hesitated. From behind the humie a blur shot out of the trees and slammed around his neck, knocking him to the ground. His horse, already galloping at full speed, continued running into the distance.

She sat in silence, waiting as the humie slowly got up, obviously dazed from his fall. Whatever did that to the humie, she didn’t want to meet. Thankfully, the other orcs hidden in the bushes had the same idea. Moments went by and nothing came from the bushes to finish off the male. Whatever had attacked was gone now. He stood and, thinking himself to be alone, pulled a jug from his pack and took a long draw of cider.

"Him have drink!" the orc beside Grula breathed as he stared at the jug as if hypnotized. "No see food."

Finally Grula leaned over to her companion in the bushes. "He fit in pot?" she whispered.

"Chopper make him fit!" he whispered back excitedly.

And that night, the orcs feasted.

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Announcing Test Formosa
To improve service for our Formosa players, we have secured new hosting and new hardware for the Formosa shard. A new server was brought external on the new hardware on the evening of June 14th (CDT), and has been designated as a Test Formosa shard. Once the transfer to the new hosting service has been completed and it has been determined that the new test shard is operating optimally, the Test Formosa shard will be wiped, and the data from the current Formosa shard will be transferred to the new hardware. We are targeting to complete the move of the Formosa shard early next week, and we will update as to the final schedule once it has been determined.

Japanese Shard and House Decay
As a result of the instabilities experienced on the Japanese shards, we have temporarily turned off the decay rate of houses to prevent players from losing homes until we have resolved the issue. We are working to resolve this as soon as possible, and we apologize for any inconvenience.

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In a post submitted a day ago, I asked the question, "And just where have all these previously undiscovered classes of orc been hiding, until recently?" Well, today I received an answer...of sorts...from an Urk (orc) named Ugak.

Now, my orc-speech is a bit rusty, but it seems that Ugak is implying that the choppers and bombers have been busy clearing land and excavating dungeons, using their respective skills. Ugak further states that the current invasion is in retaliation for numerous assaults, inflicted by humans, on orc forts and dungeons. At least, I think that's the implication. Read on and decode the orcish message for yourselves.

Ug Der Cyn

Ugak gut rut tu pont un wur urk brothers bun hudyn bafur raid Scuts used hud alung sud trays fur way clumb muny muny tray ut ettin urk bumber wut cusd al dum furest furs dut burned duwn un smashed muny huses un mud all dem caves un dungeons urk chuppers mud all dem clearings hummies bult un un ugak buliv urk brothers smash hummies in dur un tuns nuw-u raided bumbers caves un doungens built un chuppers clurd lund un smashed urk furts choppers chupped muny trays tu buld

Yur urk enumy,
Ugak(Urk Capitun)-URC

Until next we meet, safe journeys to you all.

Cyn

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The grand opening of Chesapeake's premier casino, the Wilderness, is upon us!!

The Wilderness Casino opened its doors to the public today, at 5pm CST. For information on how to get to the casino, and instruction guides on how to play our featured games, please visit us at The Wilderness Casino. If you have any questions and/or suggestions, please drop us a line at the Wilderness ICQ Contact: 17085687. Also, opening night is Feature Night, where we hope to have the many in-game celebrities attending!

So please stop by and try your luck at a few of our high-payout games, dine on some appetizers or just sit back, relax, and socialize in our friendly atmosphere.

Hope to see you there, thanks!


The Wilderness Casino

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Wind has assembled a standing army, culled from the fighting pits of Jhelom. If the Orcs come, Wind and his crew of fighters will be ready.  The Brave Wind Spent Quite a bit of time patrolling the East Bank, and grateful citizens gathered around him to thank him for providing the city with protection.

At the West Bank, the Army was not so well received. The West Bank was packed with a tribe of complacent merchants, much too interested in buying and selling to worry about the possibility that orcs could at any moment descend and put an end to all commerce, permanently. 

Meanwhile the guild members of Puf have been lifting the morale of their lackadaisical and often sleepy fighters by creating Puf Art on the city's bridges.

Unfortunately, not everyone is so civic minded. An aptly named Art Ruiner called Pestilence stole the cloth, attempting to spoil the efforts of Puf-sters to ready their guild for an invasion. Perhaps Pestilence is no ordinary party-pooper, but an Orc in a Mask of Human Kin.

The Puf members, however, were not dismayed. "It's cool," Said Ethan Lockhart, adding, in fine Puf spirit, "Whatever."

Should the Orcs turn their foul eyes towards the Capitol, rest assured that Britain will not be taken unaware!

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I found this note pinned to my door this afternoon...

Impy's Bonus Auction!!!

That's right, the chests are over flowing again with submissions. Time to do another BONUS AUCTION. Same great time (9pm Eastern). Same great place (Impy's). Same great staff (umm, yea, ok). 

We have a cow statue, a bunch of weapons, a bag full of statues, Easter eggs, and much much more! Stop by and bring a friend to this rare BONUS auction.

For directions and a complete list of the items up for auction please take a peek at www.impys.net. Runes to Riches and the Mystery Chest games will also be played this week following the auction, so please stick around and take a chance with lady luck. There will also be a gate provided from West Brit Bank starting 30 minutes before the auction. Impy has asked that you please stable your pets before the auction as he is allergic to wet fur.

~Impy's Staff

Sounds like business must be booming for Impy and the folks out there.

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How fast does new Heroes Title decay?
I can't really go into specifics too much, but killing more difficult creatures will allow you to keep your title longer. The more you kill, the longer it will stay...

-FierY iCe
Programmer: Ultima Online

Ideally, we'd kick off a scenario right after one ends. But, after looking at this one we may put off the next one for a bit to use some of the learning and to give QA a chance to catch up...hopefully no more than a month. If we wound up doing a two month scenario, followed by a one month break, and then another two month scenario, that would be about 4 scenarios a year. Again, I'd like to get it to where there are no breaks, but we'll have to see how it works out though. I don't want to rush anything or compromise QA because of an unrealistic schedule.

-Jonathan "Calandryll" Hanna
Designer, Ongoing Content

There is, just give us some time to figure it out. Again, we're learning a LOT from this scenario and already have changed parts of the next one based on this one.

Re: Orc quest is slowing vet rewards.
Different teams are working on vet rewards and the content updates. The content updates are not holding back vet rewards at all. Actually, most of the work on vet rewards is being done by server programmers while the content is mostly designer and client programmer.

Thanks for checking in, Rose.

We're still on track for releasing a major new publish by the end of the month that will add some exciting new content to Ilshenar. (However, the seahorse won't be part of this publish.)

There's also some artwork and code base improvements in development and QA for the Third Dawn client that should be well received.

It'll be a fun summer!

-Tajima

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Announcing Virtue Week -- June 16th-23rd

Hail Fellow Citizens of Britannia:

For too long the virtues have been forgotten in Britannia. It is my hope that this Virtue Week shall return the true meaning of the Virtues to our land, and that it will demonstrate what it means to be a Britannian.

Everyday a different virtue will celebrated with a unique event accompanying it. Some events will hopefully be epic in proportions, while others will be more solemn and subdued. Though, all should be equally fun.

We have planned a very wide variety of events for the upcoming weeks that will appeal to a wide variety of people. I hope that you are able to take some time to participate in these events and enjoy them.

The current agenda:

Sat. Jun. 16th -- Opening Ceremonies & Day of Valor
When: 7 p.m. PDT
Where: In front of Castle Britannia (Trammel)
After a short opening speach, the Day of Valor festivities shall begin... Valor is the virtue of courage. To be courageous is to face death, and in facing death, embrace life. As such, for the Day of Valor the group essembled shall plunge head first into the carrion depths of the dungeon shame. Fighting courageously we shall battle our way to the very bottom of this abyss and with a little luck, return alive. This test of valor shall infuse within us all the true meaning of this virtue.

Jun. 17th-23rd -- All Other Virtue Events
When: TBA
Where: Meet at the Chamber of Virtues (Trammel)
The following day's event shall be announced at the end of the previous day's event. However, all will probably take place around 7-9pm PDT and all shall begin at the Chamber of Virtues in Britain (Trammel).

--Emperor Krosis

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Game Features:
- 4 Character classes
- 4 Races
- 50 Characters/monsters
- 32 Dungeons
- 32 Towns
- 4 Castles
- 4 Keeps
- Huge world map

I've just finished up release 0.3 of the U2 Upgrade, now in Beta flavor. Please download from here. The game is (finally) much more stable; dungeons, towers, view helms, and outer-space are all functional; and you can play the game from start to finish. You can read all the details here.

The Ultima IV Upgrade Project
From Aradindae Dragon & Wiltshire Dragon comes the ultimate upgrade for Ultima IV, adding 256 color graphics and MIDI support to the original RPG classic. You may switch the graphics between new and old at will. Screenshots appear at the bottom of this page.
What Does It Do?
Upgrades Ultima IV to 256 color graphics with MIDI support. The patch replaces the tileset, font, game, and cutscene graphics, as well as correcting several conversation bugs within the original .TLK files. Adds command keys to Reload the last saved game and Exit to the OS.

What is Lazarus
Ultima V: Lazarus an exceedingly ambitious project that will greatly improve the graphics and sound in the PC version of Ultima V. However, that's not all. Rather than releasing an "upgrade patch" as happened with U4, what we're doing is a true from-the-ground-up remake of the gaming classic, Ultima V.
It will be built in the Dungeon Siege 3D RPG engine, which you can learn more about at SIEGEWORKS.ORG and it will have brand new graphics, CD-quality orchestral music (including re-mastered versions of the original U5 music plus some new pieces--you can hear an early version of our re-mastered "Stones" on the TAPESTRY page), improved and expanded dialogue, and a much more "alive" design for the Underworld, amongst other improvements. It will require you to have a copy of the original U5 to play (for obvious legal reasons), but it will not technically "patch" the old game--it will stand alone.
Gameplay Features
* The beautiful Dungeon Siege 3D engine
* All CD-Quality music, including re-mastered versions of the original Ultima V songs and a variety of new pieces
* 3D-Rendered introduction, cutscene, and endgame graphics
* New characters
* New side quests
* Deeper, richer Plot
* Enhanced dialogue
* Improved and expanded town and dungeon maps
* A much more "alive" design for the Underworld

About the U6 Project
U6P is dedicated to the revival of another of Lord British's triumphs in gaming, Ultima VI: The False Prophet. Released in 1990, Ulima VI was the last of the Age of Enlightenment Trilogy and dealt with the Avatar's quest to unite the Gargoyles and Humans in peace. It had great graphics (for its day) and the freedom to do whatever you want.
However, nowadays, its look and navigation are woefully antiquated. But what if the lands of Britannia could be reborn in stunning 3D? That is where the U6 Project steps in.
Using the Dungeon Siege engine, U6P is continuing the bold trend of re-inventing these role-playing classics for modern computers.

Ultima 7, an RPG from the early 1990's, still has a huge following. But, being a DOS game with a very non-standard memory manager, it is difficult to run it on the latest computers. Exult is a project to create an Ultima 7 game engine that runs on modern operating systems, capable of using the data and graphics files that come with the game.
Exult is being developed in C++ under Linux, MacOS and Windows using the SDL library to make porting to other platforms relatively easy. The current version supports much of the game's plot, allowing you to talk to NPCs, use items, solve quests, and even fight monsters. Music, speech, and the full introduction are also implemented. This, and further development, is only possible due to the work done by other fans who have decoded the various Ultima 7 data files, especially Gary Thompson, Maxim Shatskih, Jakob Shonberg, and Wouter Dijkslag.
Exult aims to let those people who own Ultima 7 (copyright 1993) play the game on modern hardware, in as close to (or perhaps even surpassing) its original splendor as is possible. You need to own "Ultima 7: The Black Gate" in order to use Exult, and we encourage you to buy a legal copy.

Okay, so we've now had a preety big development which i think had been on my mind for a while. It is that the current storyline (that the moons are going to land on Britannia) is preety tacky so we are probably going to change it to a nice new storyline, keeping all the quests that we've done already but changing everything so it is all for a differant purpose... which is probably going to be something to do with either this evil guy who worships the guardian and also happens to temporerily have taken over Britannia or something to do with the Daemon dimension. Or maybe even both. As soon as we dicide i will let you all know

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Perhaps the most anticipated update Third Dawn offers is the move from 2D to 3D. Now characters, good and evil, are represented in 3D rather than in the 2D sprites of old. This has drastically improved character animations, making them much more fluid and honestly more interesting. It also allows for gesturing similar to emotes found in EverQuest. Players can perform a variety of actions to help express joy, anger, and even sorrow.

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* A letter, covered in blood, found on an Orc Bombers corpse *

Dear Empath Abbey,

I found A Strange Place.

Our land seems to be full o' strange things lately, but I thought I would share this one with you, cuz I ain't never seen it afore. I was bringin' the good ship 'Skuld' inta shore, meanin' to gather some steaks from the local wild beasts, bein' sick o' fishsticks, n'all. A little poachin' never did any harm, y'know?. So there I be, my ship beached, and headin' inland afoot, lookin' fer some beef. Hell, chicken would do, aye!.

Anyhow - I came upon A Strange Place at coordinates 44o9N/88o31E. My first impression was one of shock!. There I be, hackin' me way through the brambles, when suddenly this ruined wall appears before me! I almost chipped me filet knife on the crumbling stone!. I discovered that as I walked along the wall, more ruined sections would appear in my area, and dissapear behind me as I kept goin'. I was feelin' me way along, when out of the bushes, a metallic looking 'Orc Chopper' begins ta bash me with a magik axe!.

My first thought was that somethin' had made an Orc Golem, seein' as how it looked all bronze-like. I wondered what that somethin' might be, 'cause I betcha no Orc is smart enough to be doin' all these changes!. Right as the beast swung at me, I teleported off, hoping to destroy the creature with my own type of magik, from a safer distance!. Just as I was finishin' me incantation, a ripping explosion engulfed me!. Yet another type of Orc emerged from the foliage, running up to me!. This one was deep crimson in color, and tossin' bombs!. An 'Orc Bomber', eh?!.

It hit rapidly, closing in as soon as it could, mano a mano. As ye know, this ain't good for a fisherman with some mage skills, eh?. I teleported away, paralzed the Chopper, and flamestruck the Bomber. I guess I lit him up purty good, or maybe some of his pots got jarred, but he blew up right enough - clean in half!. Arr! More chum fer me fishbuckets, har!.

I cast poison on the Chopper, and took him out right quick. After reflecting on the battles, I realized the bomber hit my unarmored body for near a third of my life force, and granted I ain't no hero, but I ain't no slouch either. It's a hard livin' bein' a fisherman, and I ain't exactly puny.

I found 5-7 explosive reagents, 200 gold, and some explosive pots on the Bomber. On the Chopper I found an 'Evil Orc Helm'. As I put the thing on, I became malicious, gained life force, and lost intelligence. Dumb as I am, I need all the smarts I kin git, so's I took it off. I also found some legs of lamb, solvin' my meal problem - whilst dashing me idea that the thing might be a Golem. Golems don't eat, do they?.

This gave me time to pay more attention to dem walls. I found a stone face floating in the branches above the first wall, and that struck me keen. Somethin' real strange was goin' on. I kept lookin' fer a way in, and finally found an entry surrouned by hangin' vines. This led to a large room, about two single houses, side by side, in size. In the center was an altar.

In the corner was a corpse chained to the wall. Wood covered a puddle of blood. Three skulls lined the northern wall of the room. A stone table and chair appeared before me. On the table was some alchemical vials, a feathered pen, and a book!. The book, glued down by magik, was securely locked. It was titled 'Githmore's Log #27'. I could nae unlock it wi' magik!.

Stumped, I thought about the stone head floatin' in the branches o' the trees. Why?. Well - stone heads donnae float in trees, that's why!. I'm tellin' ya, that head is attached to a stone wall that I couldn't see, 'cause of that vanishing and appearing stuff, ya see?. If I am right, it means this Vanishing Tower has yet another level!. I bet if'n ye can git inta the tome, ye might be findin' a clue. Maybe stand on the altar, speak, and be magiked up there!. Who knows what ye might find!. And log number 27!. Does this mean ders more out der?. Who in the heck is Githmore - I ain't never heard o' no Githmore!. Strangely, I cannae find any such altars in Yew, or Skara, only here.

Maybe a good 'picker could force the book, or a grandmaster mage. But not I.

I leave these things for your consideration. If you can figure out whats goin' on, I'd appreciate the knowledge of yer discoveries!

Gotta git this briney smell offa me!.

Sincerely,

Zog the Fishmonger

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Well, there I be, newly returned from the lands of the dead, still hungry fer somethin' besides yet another stinkin', briny, fishstick. I hoped that Empath Abbey got me last letter, but worry could wait 'til hunger was assuaged.

Sausage suddenly appealed to me.

*shrugs*

Nothing could beat the pizza's Luigi bakes on the ol' brick oven, though. Offs ta Paxlair I was, whistlin' the merry tune 'I'm a Cow'.

*chuckles*

Guess you hae to hear that one ta get it. It's worth askin' around, says I!.

Anyhew, a woodland nymph approached me on the forest trail as I continued on. Fair and tall she was, covered in nary a leaf!. Truly a sight fer sore eyes, she was. "Zog," she said sweetly, "be ready for the task to come - I have gathered these for you." She handed me a pouch filled with hundreds of each reagent, a crystal, some ale, and some type of muscle penetrating poultice. I touched the crystal lightly, realizing the spirit world was agitated, again at Paxlair.

I entered the welcoming atmosphere of Luigi's Tavern, located immediately North of the Paxlair Bell Towers. The pub was full of adventurers, once again gathering, as usual, during the evening hours on Tuesday. Visago, in his trademark feathered cap, Luthien, a rare Elven Lord who visits human towns at times, were calmly discussing possibilities of where to go at a corner table. Luigi was filling everyones plate with fine victuals and rare and exquisite spirits. Monk, a brave and capable Warrior, was discussing guild matters with Hong-Kong Fooey - both looked up in shock as Drizzt walked in. I immediately wondered why Luthien and the Drow Drizzt didn't join battle in the Arena, but, after all, Luigi's is a place open to all sorts, even angels. I shrugged off my worries and greeted Winmere, tracking Fetch in the shadows out of the corner of my eye as Winmere and I spoke. I sensed that Hong-Kong contained arcane energies of great magnitude, but sensed something beyond his aura that puzzled me.

Yes. There it was, again. Faintly glowing in the corner, barely visible behind some boxes Luigi uses to store his baking ingredients: The GateKeeper. The spirit that has arisen from the Underworld, often appearing at pivotal times, crossing points, when times can change, the balance shift. Winmere shuddered, trembling slightly, for she knew that its presence here meant once again that the eternal struggle between forces of light and dark would place mortals at risk, mere puppets acting on behalf of greater powers.

As the light faded to gloom, and hearty appetites were lost, and suddenly stronger drink became more popular, the GateKeeper drifted forward. I pulled out the Nymph's crystal, and did then commune with that cold wraith. It had much to say, more so than ever in it's shadowy past. It wailed, and screeched, and howled as the light grew even dimmer. Luigi stoked the fires as I passed along the information contained in the ghost's moaning monologue.

It sent to all in the room an image, one projected into the mind itself. It was an image of a town where shops stood above the groun. It asked us if we did know of this place. In my haze, I heard one of the adventurers speak of Papua. He was correct. A second image was projected, of a place where the light never dims, by night or day, and is upheld by the machinations of man. A lighthouse, it was. Another projection: Humility. Those who undertake a long journey, and do so with Humility - must walk with piety in their hearts. Emotion: Danger, Fear, Courage - Hope!. It is often difficult to describe how the GateKeeper can effect the emotions of mortals. Images were painted within the mind, of battle, pain, blood - the horrors of war all come true. Finally, the image of a tome formed. A book, long undiscovered, unknown to all, in a lonely place. The lighthouse.

The group puzzled over these images, concluding that a journey must begin in Papua, crossing jungle and desert with Humility, vanquishing the horrors that would beset them and challenge their passage to the lighthouse. To find a tome of ancient design. To undertake a spirit journey. To face a trial of courage, a test of virtue.

The group set out, the Ghostly presence of the GateKeeper flittering around them as they travelled. Did it do so to watch in glee as they fell into death, or celebrate victory if it occurred - who can say?.

The party set forth. Orc Scouts rained down arrows, Lords bashing warriors, Grunts backstabbing if given a cowardly opportunity. The rope bridge over the Gorge of Peril was crossed. Stone Gargoyles fell, and Harpies plummeted from the skies. Scorpions, imps, Wyverns - death visited with all. The group journeyed on, torn and bloody, defiance and determination shone from their eyes. Magics of healing and curing, destruction and death, cast forth as required as the fighters held the line, and archers stoically whittled the waves of horror down. The stone walls of the twisting valleys rose far above their heads as they traveled secret pathways, and sought to escape the blistering rays of the desert sun. Finally the beacon was reached, and the book found by Drizzt, covered in goat filth at the bottom of a rotting, empty keg.

The group Gated, the wailings of the GateKeeper calling them back to Paxlair. Here once again Luigi wondered why this spirit haunted his establishment, quickly clearing furniture to enshrine that which was lost, and found again.

Luigi, patient and noble. Who cannot celebrate the worthy spirit his flesh carries?. Always laboring, ever-caring.

The GateKeeper had many more things to communicate - of adventures to come, artifacts to be discovered and placed with the others at the shrine. Of Prophecies, clues - the resolution of mysteries, the rebirth of Nobility - a new Monarch? A King? A Queen?. What of innocence, and the the absorption of true knowledge, wisdom?. At the crux: a child. An innocent being, with hair of gold, who must be taught by a Holy Man, educated regarding the problems which plague our realm. Of adventures to continue - a rallying cry shouted across the cities and towns of Sosaria to one and all, to bring aid, and quickly - be it might of arms, magik, or insight.

If you would be part of this quest, then make it so. You are sorely needed, for a great task awaits willing hands. The start of your part in this tale may be found in the writings of the tome, at Luigi's, in Paxlair. See to it!.

* a thought occurs *

Did not Korin the Scribe write of something last week, regarding a lost King?.

Finally, as I drank the ale from the Nymph's pouch, I realized what the poultice was for. Even now I enjoy the warmth as it spreads throughout my hands and wrists.

*grins*

Thank you for your time, I know this was long-winded.

Zog the Fishmonger

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A hagged old man wearing a dark Tribal Mask walked around in circles, for no reason. The creature born from Hellfire stood, watching the man dizzy himself.

"Haden, It is time to move on." The demonic creature said. His mane was dark black, as was his fur. The creature was known as a Nightmare.

Haden stopped circling for a moment and scratched his head. "Move to where?" The old man asked.

The Nightmare snorted and slammed his right hoof to the ground. "Fool! I told you 15 times today! We must go to Dungeon Destard, there you will meet one of my friends named Price." the Nightmare took a deep breath and continued. "He will help you realize your true potential."

Haden walked over to the Nightmare and climbed onto his back. He spotted some movement in the corner of his eye, and saw a mage and a warrior staring at him as he talked to the Nightmare. "Why do they stare?" He asked his friend.

"Because they cannot understand me. They cannot make out the words which I am saying." The Nightmare muttered as he began heading towards the dungeon.

Haden began to ramble about something to himself. "Yes, I was a great warrior, fearless, strong, couragious, nobody would...". Haden talked gibberish for the rest of the trip.

The Nightmare closed his eyes and thought to himself. 'When he does realize his power, he shall be restored to his former glory... all I need is time...'.

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Sirus kicks in the door to the Ocllo rune Library, the often used HQ of the Army of Thieves. "It has to be here somewhere" he mutters to himself. Sirus starts digging through the parchment and scrolls scattered about. He finds a worn out book "The Army of Thieves Code" He sighs and opens the book and reads the large inscribed rules.

There are but TWO RULES: 1. Keep the Thieves Code: This is most important. Do not attack, reveal, snoop, swindle, steal from or call guards on any rogue, even those outside the guild, unless that person has broken the Code. We do this to win friendship and respect. Anyone who harms you on your [At] member character is an enemy of rogues and may be treated as such.

2. Be a friend to guildmates: This is an outgrowth of the Code. Treat fellow members as you would wish to be treated by them. If there is conduct unbecoming a friend, the guildmaster may eject you from the guild. Wren chooses members based on personalities he would like as friends. Do not attack or steal from members without their permission.

The Book is signed by Augustus , Wren and the rest of the members of AT. This is way to easy! I cannot believe I have gone through all this trouble fighting this gang of thugs. Sirus gathers up the book and hurries of to the town of Britain.

Sirus enters Britain and spots a large group of folks gathered near the bank and Sirus calls out. " Greetings I am here to Spread the word that the threat from the Army of Thugs is now over!". This catches the attention of the gathered crowd and may rush over to listen to what he has to say. "My good people! We have been waging a bloody war over these thugs for some time now. But I have found a simpler solution! It was right before our faces the entire time. These Thugs say they have honor I say we call them out on there honor lets see their true side. The Leader Augustus says that he is an honorable man that follows his Code to the letter. Well I say lets call them out on it! From this point on I declare everyone in Britannia to be a Rogue. If you are snooped by a thief, simply tell them you are a rogue. If you are stolen from tell them you are a rogue. By their own written code and rules they cannot steal, swindle, call guards on ANY rogue inside or outside the Guild of AT." The gathered folk clap and start looking at each other, one old woman shouts. "Will it work, will they leave us alone." Sirus nods and states, "Of course my dear lady it will work. If they steal from you after you tell them that you are a rogue, then they will be known across the land as a Guild of Liars that have no Honor what so ever and the Honor of Augustus will be shown to be false. AT preaches they honor the code and wont steal from thieves and other rogues, so we will put them to the test! If they can choose to call themselves rogues with no true ability to steal why can we not do the same? From now on we are all Rogues! I declare that from this point on our lands will be the lands of the Rogues. If anyone is stolen from by AT or any AT member will not give an item back after it is stolen when you tell them you’re rogue then cry to the heavens, let the world know the true side of AT. Lets see what kind of Honor they have and how well these thugs really honor there own code!

Sirus Smiles at his own genius and wonders what will the Army of Thugs will do. Will they steal from other rogues thus dishonoring themselves? Will they change their code? But whatever they do it will be a great sight to see everyone saying "I am Rouge" and putting the Army of Thieves to the Ultimate test of Honor. Since we are all now self proclaimed Rogues! The Honor Among Thieves and Rogues! Let the test begin!

Sirus the Virus

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One thing that really struck me regarding Ultima Online is its depth - this isn't just a rat-killing fest like EQ, this is a REAL ONLINE WORLD. It'll take a while to figure out what you're supposed to be doing, because if you just march out into the wilderness in UO expecting to slaughter rats and bats you may have another thing coming. I almost got my butt handed to me by a sheep for goodness sake! So you'll have to use a little more of your gray matter to determine the right courses of action in Ultima Online, but that results in a greater sense of accomplishment once you've accomplished a task or goal. UO is difficult to get into, but not IMPOSSIBLY so..

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Last minute reminder concerning the UODisney Gathering in Orlando, Florida!

There are only 2 days remaining to join us for a weekend full of fun in sunny Florida! If you wish to join us, please hurry over to our site (http://angelsrealm.net/uodisney) and register (and make your payment, too!) before Friday, June 15th!

We would also like to take this opportunity to announce that we have also, just today, received confirmation that we will not only have Evocare (UO's new lead designer) in attendance, but also GM Lead Maleki!

Also, I will have all the final details for Friday (June 22nd) evening's happy hour gathering posted to the website by Monday, so everyone who is planning on attending that portion of the event be sure to look for it...you might be surprised by what we have planned!

Don't forget, the final days are here for you to order your t-shirt and have it in time for the gathering! So hurry to the site and order yours today! Don't be the only one not sporting the "official" shirt!

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We have published an update to all shards to be active following their next scheduled maintenance period. This publish contains the following changes:

• Addressed a lag issue related to faction lists
• House deed prices when reselling to real estate agents raised to the correct level on Siege Perilous
• Orc bombers will now deal damage to players wearing armor These changes will be added to Latest Game Updates once the publish is active on all shards.

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Here it is, the final list of titles! Big big thanks to all of you who made suggestions, some of you will see yours in the list. We actually never planned on the list getting so big, but what the heck. Unfortunately I had to take "Coach" and "Norm" out to make room.
Now remember, if the title you were really hoping for isn't on the list you can always use the "No title" option!

And now the list...

1. alchemist
2. animal tamer
3. apothecary
4. artist
5. baker
6. bard
7. barkeep
8. beggar
9. blacksmith
10. bounty hunter
11. brigand
12. butler
13. carpenter
14. chef
15. commander
16. curator
17. drunkard
18. farmer
19. fisherman
20. gambler
21. gypsy
22. herald
23. herbalist
24. hermit
25. innkeeper
26. jailor
27. jester
28. librarian
29. mage
30. mercenary
31. merchant
32. messenger
33. miner
34. monk
35. noble
36. paladin
37. peasant
38. pirate
39. prisoner
40. prophet
41. ranger
42. sage
43. sailor
44. scholar
45. scribe
46. sentry
47. servant
48. shepherd
49. soothsayer
50. stoic
51. storyteller
52. tailor
53. thief
54. tinker
55. town crier
56. treasure hunter
57. waiter
58. warrior
59. watchman
60. No Title

Enjoy kids!

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While I know some players have been able to deduce some things by looking at the patch contents, I would ask that players please put the word SPOILER in any post that has information not in the game yet. I won't stop people from posting it, just please respect those that do not wish to have the surprise ruined.

Still reading? Okay, you must really want to know what several players have already discovered. Keep in mind that these things are NOT live yet, they have simply been patched into the Client for future use (if that). With that in mind, the following messages have been added to the client:

savage kin paint
tribal berry
You cannot disguise yourself while wearing body paint
You cannot polymorph while wearing body paint
You cannot use incognito while wearing body paint
You now bear the markings of the savage tribe.
Your body paint will last about a week or you can remove it with an oil cloth.
You wipe away all of your body paint.
Your body paint has worn off!
Your skin is scorched as the tribal paint burns away!
With a sack of flour a cook could make this into the body paint used by the savages.
You combine the berry and the flour into the tribal paint worn by the savages.
a bola bola ball
You begin to swing the bola
With 4 of these and 3 strips of leather a good tinker could make a working bola.
Your hands must be free to use this
You cannot use this while riding a mount
You can't throw this at yourself
You have no reason to throw a bola at that
The bola must be in your pack to use it.
You must wait a few moments before you can throw another bola
That is already being used.
You fail to knock the rider from their mount.
You have been knocked off of your mount!
You are still too dazed from being knocked off your mount to ride!
You make the bola and place it in your pack.
You do not have enough bola balls to make this.
You do not have enough leather to make this.
You fail to make the bola and ruin the leather in the process.

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This in from Dragons of the Syndicate and Arx Draconis.

On Friday Night, at 6:30pm EST, The
Syndicate is hosting another Lottery for players! These lotteries
are FREE and open to all players and they work like this:

At 6:30pm Syndicate members (wearing blue robes with the 4 digit guild
abbreviation LLTS over their heads) will appear at the major Trammel
banks. They will gate you to their island castle and to the Lottery
hall. Participants go inside and gather around the dais in the middle.
At 7:00pm the Lottery begins. Winners are randomly selected from the
crowd for one of 25 prizes.

Prizes include: GM suits of colored armor, rare items, magical weapons
of great power, kegs full of potions and much more. The Grand Prize
this week is a house which will be transfered to the winner immediately
following the Lottery!

So look for Syndicate members at your local bank Friday night OR go to
Arx Draconis yourself and participate in this free lottery! Cya then!

Thank ye, Dragoons. We wish the worst of luck to all participants. *chuckles*

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Hello, lot of things have happened on www.imacat.t2u.com

- New episodes of Zog (5,6,7,8).

- Since we have some new writers/designer/scenarist/traductors, we think there will be 2 or 3 new episodes evry week. This means this site is gonna soon be pretty big :)

- Zog will soon have a new friend in this game...but that's a surprise.

- Regarding the lastest event, we will NOT go ranting, but we are still going to analyse this game with our now legendary devious french sence of humour.

In Testing phase:
- including a 'Zog look' at the professions of UO...

In Developement:
- Zog helps you making your first char who actually works...

In project:
- General info and advice for new and old players who dont have a clue about that game.
- A french/german translation will be available soon.

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Lately, much as been bandied about in regard to a perceived decline in UO Customer Service. The creator of UO built this on-line dynasty by establishing a firm and unyielding commitment to the paying customer and this alone is among the two major reasons that UO has long endured as the premiere MMRPG. The other reason, is simply that, conceptually, UO is a dynamic "kick-butt" game. But I digress. This particular story is about the most visible aspects of UO Customer Service, the Game Masters.

Once in a great while, one hears a story that, as one veteran UO citizen stated, "helps restore a measure of faith in the Game Master program." I received one such story today, from Dread Lord Sammael.

Sammael's story revolves around an incident in which he lost a considerable amount of wealth to another player, under dubious circumstances. Sammael was ready to count his losses when he at last decided to page a GM. Sammael had little if any hope that the situation could be remedied, yet he felt the need to at least make the GMs aware of the issue. So, he placed his call for assistance and settled in for what he expected to be a prolonged wait. Sammael was stunned to see his queue jump from 60 to 4, in a matter of seconds.

Soon thereafter, GM Dengar appeared. Sammael relayed the details of his situation and was surprised when Dengar actually tracked down the offender, then transported himself, Sammael and the offender to an isolated location. Once there, Dengar orchestrated a "settlement" to help Sammael retrieve his losses, then sent the offender on his/her way. Afterwards, Sammael was surprised when Dengar stayed quite a while to discuss general shard issues.

Some might argue that Dengar only did what should have been expected of him, and no more. However, Sammael feels that Dengar went far above and beyond the call of duty and would like to express his gratitude for all the assistance. GM Dengar's actions on this day were a sterling example of "what is right" with the GM program.

To GM Dengar...*Salute*

Cyn
Ace Reporter and Patron Saint of Taverns

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Please forgive the cheesy title. I'm weak. I couldn't help myself. As many of you may now be aware, a new class of orc has suddenly appeared. Dubiously dubbed, "The Mad Bombers," these fellows are the color of a bad sunburn and seem overly fond of hurling "lesser explosion potions."

Whilst I have yet to encounter one of these rascals in the Land of Legends, I did chance upon several in the City of Minoc, on another shard of our Multiverse. This new class doesn't appear to be particularly strong or dexterous, but they do have an annoying habit of interrupting spells with those minor potions. At this time, I know of no new items associated with these orcs. Should any adventurer discover such an item, please send me a report, post haste.

In closing, I can only wonder at this latest, impotent class of orc. Surely, the "puppet masters" who've so callously set the orcs upon the cities, can and will do better than this! Thus far, the dread "invasion" has been nothing more than a minor inconvenience. Then again, the whole issue of "new orc classes" brings to us, another set of questions? Questions such as, "Where have these gold and red orcs been hiding all this time? And why do they choose to emerge at this particular time? Surely there have been other and better occasions for them to attack.

Is this the best the orcs can muster? Will there be other, more formidable classes appearing in the future? And to what end? Thus far, the orcs have proven nothing, except they die well, leave ugly corpses and gain little for their sacrifices.

Questions and more questions. And perhaps the greatest question of all...when will the "puppet master" appear? I suspect we will solve this question in due time, although we very well may rue the answer. In the meantime...safe journeys to you, one and all.

Cyn
Ace Reporter and Patron Saint of Taverns.

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Late last night it was discovered that the Nelic Grimoire, the item of power taken from the witch Aria, had been stolen from the magic school of Fairhaven Village where it was hidden. The village was quickly roused, and a thorough examination of the scene indicated that the thief had gone east through the deep forest.

I quickly formed a patrol, which included myself and most of the village's most able warriors and mages, and we set out along the trail to recover the tome. Luckily, such a powerful magic item proved rather easy to track. The trail led all the way to the Shrine of Justice, where we confronted our old enemy: the Lich Commander.

The pentagram of blood and the bizarre magical reagents present made it obvious he was performing some sort of pagan ceremony. We quickly entered the shrine, and I confronted him. He did not seem surprised or worried at our presence, and he assured us that his work there had just been completed. He would not tell us where the Grimoire was, only that it was hidden away in a place only he knew of. Although his speech was often punctuated by maniacal laughter, the kind one would expect only from a man who is truly mad, he did reveal that he was in league with the evil Minax, and that her grip of terror would soon extend to our peaceful facet once he broke the seal.

Unable to bear any more of his insane ramblings, we struck him down, but before he died, he assured us that we could not destroy him merely by destroying his body. He died with a crazed look of satisfaction on his face.

What we found on his corpse was most disturbing, and we immediately convened a village council to discuss the night's events. There we showed our mayor Silkon a letter, seemingly from the lady Minax, affirming an alliance between herself and the Lich. We also found 8 maps, each of the area surrounding a shrine of virtue, with the shrine itself circled in blood. We found no trace of the Nelic Grimoire. After long discussion, it was decided that with the

Grimoire in his hands, Lich was nearly immortal. He would be back, we were certain, and would come after the shrines again. We concluded that the only reason he would do such a thing, was if he wanted to break the Great Seal. When our people fled Felucca, Lord British used his magic to split the world in two, much like a mirror. The Great Seal was the barrier, the force that was set in place to keep the two worlds separate. If that seal were to be broken, it would be as if the mirror were shattered, and the two worlds would be one again. The shrines function as symbols of Lord British's power, and if those shrines were corrupted or destroyed, then Lord British's sealing would be dissolved.

We don't know when the Lich will be back, nor what shrine he will strike next. The village of Fairhaven will do its part to try to protect the shrines that are left, but it may not be enough.

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We will be releasing a client patch on Wednesday, June 13th at approximately 10:30 am CDT. This patch will contain new and updated scenario-related files.

The current versions should now be 3.0.2d (2D client) and 3.0.2e Build 65 (3D client).

If you have any difficulty receiving this patch, please check the following:

• Check the "Patch" directory within your Ultima Online directory (the default location is C:\\Program Files\Ultima Online\Patch)
• This directory should be empty. Any files in this directory should be deleted.
  
• If you are unable to connect to the patch server at all, and are using an original (Non-T2A) version of Ultima Online, you may need to update your verinfo file. For details on updating this file, please see the information posted at http://support.uo.com/tech_6.html.
  
• Run a virus scan on your computer. Undetected viruses may cause conflicts with patching Ultima Online.

If after trying the above, you are still experiencing difficulty patching the Ultima Online client, please contact Technical Support at [email protected]

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Hello, we're discussing implementing the following change to the hit point calculation formula. I'll detail some of the reasons below.

The current formula: Maximum Hit Points = Strength
The "new" formula: Max Hit Points = (Strength/2) + 50

Here are some examples of the results....
Str Hit Points
25 62
50 75
75 87
90 95
100 100
120 110

NOTE: This formula only applies to str/hit points... stamina and mana would continue to be derived from dex/int in the same manner we have now.

General impacts:
1) New characters won't die as easily.
2) Low-strength stat combinations become considerably more playable.

How do you feel about this particular change, and what do you feel the impacts would be? Thanks in advance. =]

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While I understand your concerns and I know that some people do not wish to participate in the scenario, (no system we have ever dseigned has made 100% of the players happy, with the possible exception of skill locks) we did make accommodations for that. For instance, less than half the towns in Trammel are under attack and of those we did not attack most of the larger towns (such as Britain and Trinsic) so people who did not wish to participate could easily avoid it. Anyone who wishes to never be attacked by an orc can do so easily. That said, as I have said before, yes we are going to throw some new things at you. Yes we are going to challenge conventional thinking of safetly, and yes, we are going to modify our designs based on feedback...both positive and negative.

As for the players being smart and having good ideas...I agree completely. And this scenario was based on those very ideas. I've read countless posts here on these very boards asking for something like theingTrinsic invasions (which up until the city fell, were wildly successfull) and we took the learnd fom Trinsic when we designed this scenario. We could have done just about any combination of events when designing the scenario, but we went with the town attacks for a few reasons. Players asked for them, Trinsic showed players liked them and that many considered them fun, we had pervious learning from Trinsic that we wanted to use, and we wanted to have a similar occurance to use as comparison between this scenario and those before it.

-Jonathan "Calandryll" Hanna
Designer, Ongoing Content

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Videric: To clear exactly what you do, could you tell of your duties as Interest Game Master (IGM) for Ultima Online and are you only at European servers or American ones too? Also could you tell how your job changed with the end of the volunteer program?

IGM Talos: I used to work very closely with the volunteers on the European shards, facilitating their events as best I could. I would build them scenery and locations as well as create them characters to use in order to provide as realistic as possible event scenarios. With changes to the way events work in UO my job has changed fairly dramatically. I now spend time writing fictional content for quests and events, and I am now working very closely with our Webmaster. We're working together on a few changes to the European UO website which should delight those who love quests and events. On top of all this I run as many in-game events as I possibly can, I absolutely love doing this, and it is important for players to see that events and quests are still constantly occurring.

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LAST CHANCE FOR THE INDIANAPOLIS PLAYER MEET

The deadline is coming up in the next couple of days to confirm your attendance for the Indianapolis Player Meet to be held June 23rd.  Your $35 per person cost MUST be received by Friday, June 15th if you intend to join us in the private room at Jillian's.  If you've not yet mailed in your payment, I highly suggest using PayPal instead.  You can use either [email protected] or [email protected] to send your payment through the PayPal website at www.paypal.com. 

b>The Specifics: Where: Jillian's Billiards Room, Indianapolis, Indiana
Date: Saturday, June 23, 2001
Time: 3pm - 5pm CST
Cost: $35 per person
Deadline: Friday, June 15th

Food and Drink:
Your cost covers the following food selections (buffet style):

• Jillian's Signature Tortilla Chips with Secret Salsa
• Fresh Vegetable Landscape with Dill Dip
• Chicken Tenders with Sauces
• Assorted Gourmet Pizza Slices

Your cost also covers 1 game card per person worth $10 of video games in Jillian's "Amazing Games Room" and our two hour rental of the Billiards Room.

Contacts:
Coordinator: Ari ni'Dalaigh/Mishca
Teresa Hamilton
[email protected]
ICQ #6557619

Links:
Kinship Village Player Meet Information
http://www.awnomads.com/kinship/player/jun2001.htm

Jillian's
http://www.jillians.com/

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The Trumpets of Britannia - A Celebration of Our Land

Our world Britannia is populated by an extraordinary diversity of peoples. Our citizens may be defined by their race, class, guild, faction or religion, but each brings a unique approach to life, making our land an amazing place with a multiplicity of different meanings for different people.

The Trumpets of Britannia, filled with the cobwebs of neglect, will herald on Saturday July 7 an enormous gathering of people from all walks of life, to be held at the Gathered Spirits' new Trammel Tower on the Pacific Shard. We'll celebrate our world on an unprecedented scale - by inviting 80 Britannians to address the gathering. Each Britannian will bring with them one item to symbolize their life in our world. The item can be a reflection of their profession (a sewing kit for a tailor), a metaphor for their belief (a sword for a proponent of Justice), or anything else - as long as it forms the basis of an address which discusses the character's life (or a particular incident from his or her life). The address must be entirely in-character, although powerful speeches will infer the significance and wonder of Ultima Online.

At the conclusion of The Trumpets of Britannia, we will compile books of all the addresses made by all Britannians at the event. The books will be shelved and made available for public viewing at the Gathered Spirits Tower, and published online for all to view as a lasting memory of the way of life in our world. If the event is successful enough, we may even be able to print real-life hard copies of the transcript, and send them to all participants.

There will be a prize of half a million gold pieces (500 000 gold) for the most outstanding participant. This participant will be invited to make honourary addresses at other gatherings on Pacific and beyond.

In order to qualify for participation in The Trumpets of Britannia, you must apply in advance. Any Britannian from any shard can apply. You can fill out our online application form at http://www.GatheredSpirits.com/gs/trumpets/ - you'll be required to submit your character information, the name of the item you'll be bringing with, as well as a brief extract giving us an idea of the type of address you'll make. Applications close on Saturday June 23 - but please submit soon to guarantee yourself a place!

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