September 2001

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Congratulations to Veneficus for winning this last week's MILLION gold jackpot! We will be having another jackpot lotto in a few weeks so stay tuned to www.uogc.net! Also for those of you who participated in this weeks House lotto hosted by the fine folks of Knights of Peace, the winning number has been published! If you hold the ticket 122 you just won yourself a house! Check your ticket fast because the winning ticket must be claimed By 11pm Central on Wed October 03, 2001. For more information on this house lotto please read their website at: http://www.geocities.com/uoauctionme/lottery.html

~Garden City Staff

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Hear Ye Hear Ye! The Mystic Mead's Grand Re-Opening is tonight! We are under new management and the fair folk of TCF are looking for you to join us in celebration! We will have free ale for all, as well as the Dart Turny that everyone loved so much that runs through the weekend! Remember it's winner takes all! No profit for the guild!

This will be an on-going event as it used to be, every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, from 6:00 pm PST till close each night!

We are located S of Trinsic at: 132°16's 51°19'E - Trammel Or check the Stratics review of the Mystic Mead HERE!

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Are Carpets still being worked on or have we just tossed them? I would really like to know the status right now of them. Now that vet rewards is finally done so many other things can be worked on. So whats the status on them?

Sannio responded:

Carpets have not been tossed, but they are currently "on hold."

=========
Sannio
Online Community Coordinator, UOM
Origin Systems

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I conducted the following interview with the High Necromancer Kain on Saturday, September 29. The interview was held in Kain's laboratory, which is located in the Blood Omen Keep, headquarters of the Death Corps commanded by Elmdor. Some of the text has been edited, but the speakers' intentions have been maintained.

-Tymaron

[What is your name and occupation?]

I go by the name of Kain, I am High Necromancer of the Necromari, as well as to the Dark Lord Elmdor.... I serve both, though my focus of late has been [to] the Necromari.

[So you freely admit to being involved with the Necromari?]

Indeed, there is nothing to hide. Why hide what is soon to be known to all?

[How did you get involved with the Necromari?]

As you know, Blood Omen Keep is just South of Wrong. Since the Dark Lord and I arrived on this plane, we have seen some Necromari come and go. I had traveled deep inside to find them there. They had some great knowledge which I had hoped to gain. It was there that I met the two head Necromari: Scaramandine and Armande DeSade.

Over the time, I kept in secret that I worked there. Then the fool Scaramandine turned on us and decided to help those who would destroy the Orb of Soul Seeking, as I am sure you know.

[Does Elmdor know of your Necromari relationship?]

Aye, he does.

[How does he handle it?]

He cares not for what I do with them, so long as I still serve him when called.

[If there should be a conflict, would you choose the Necromari or Elmdor?]

Lord Elmdor, of course. The Necromari, although strong, would not stand a chance against the Dark Lord's might.

[What are the Necromari's intentions?]

That would ruin the surprise now, wouldn't it? Fear not, Tymaron, soon you will know, as will all of Sosaria.

[According to the Grand Inquisitor, one of the goals of the Necromari is to recreate the Orb of Soul Seeking. Can you verify this?]

And as I had previously stated, you and all of Sosaria will know our intentions very soon.

[You mentioned that you had joined the Necromari hoping to learn some information. Have you learned much?]

Oh, indeed Tymaron. I have learned spells that have been forgotten for ages. Spells that the mind could not even fathom.

[The Grand Inquisitor may pursue justice against the Necromari and whoever abets them. Do you consider yourself an enemy of the crown?]

He has sent his men already, and each have failed. He cannot stop us.

[What is your relationship with Edinburgh?]

I go to visit select few who hold importance for me. Other than that, I care not for that backwater town.

[But you have been known to assault people there. Do you consider them a threat?]

They have assaulted me first. I have gone to do research and they attack me! They fear, Tymaron, what they do not understand.

[What are you researching in Edinburgh?]

Months back, the Death Corps had found a large gem. I had wanted research on this. Lady Ariel Joy, being my finest student, helped me to research it. She had brought many mortals here who did not complete the test (as you can see from these bones). However, one villager withstood the gem, to a degree. Ever since then, I had gone back. However, the one named Jacob will be the death of the town! For 'tis he who assaults me first and tries to get me to attack.

[I think it is his brother whom you are trying to experiment upon, that may be the reason why he is so agitated.]

Nay, the one I research on is Artemis.

[And this is the mysterious gem that has been reported that you possess?]

Aye, aye 'tis. I have it with me.

[Okay, don't show it to me, I believe you.]

Artemis is a strong boy. So it would appear anyways. That is why I continuously go to seek him in the village, but those fools try to get in my way! The mayor, bah! She has her own problems. Her child is fatherless, and she wants to worry about what I do?

[I'm sure she's trying to defend against what she imagines is a threat to her village.]

I gave her no reason to fear me. Not yet.

[How long have you been a necromancer?]

That is quite a long story. The Dark Lord had raised me centuries ago. Ever since then, I had welded the power of the Necromancer. And since I got here, I had begun to pass down my knowledge to Ariel Joy.

[I remember seeing you conduct the séance for Smithson*. What was the moltivation there?]

Very well, I shall answer that. As I had stated, I have been with the Necromari even during that time. Well, the village did not know that. And so knowing that, I tried to get knowledge from Smithson for the Necromari's gain, not to help those villagers.

They are blind to what goes on around them.

[Okay, do you have anything further to add?]

Hmm, to keep thy eyes and ears open. For our purpose will be known very soon.

***

*Smithson was the hapless miner who first encountered and then was killed by the golden elemental in the area around Edinburgh long ago. The golden elemental was the guardian for the golden seal that concealed the Orb of Soul Seeking.

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As a member of the newly named Yew Council, I would like to schedule a vote of confidence for the entire Council. Since voter turnout was so poor, I feel that the people have not truly be heard and I, for one, would rather sacrifice my position in order to ensure that the citizens of Yew have a say in their leadership. All in favor of this contact me in order to schedule a time that would be fitting for the majority of our fair City's citizens.

Victor Kincaid

Senior Councilor of Yew (BY DEFAULT)

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Arena Combat for Sunday 9/30/01

This week's tournament will, again, be 1v1.

1st Place - 50,000 gold

2nd Place - 25,000 gold

3rd Place - 10,000 gold

A map is here: http://images.game-master.net/temp/augustmoon.jpg

Rules and more info are here:

http://www.game-master.net/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=1&t=003589

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Unfortunately, quite a few folks had already sent in their application to become a Stratics reporter for the Sonoma shard. Even more unfortunately, those files (along with every other file I had ever saved) had to be sacrificed to the gods of the hard drive to insure a good harvest and a computer that does more than provide a gentle glow from the monitor. In other words, if you applied to be a reporter, please resubmit your application. The computer is up and running again, and I have learned a valuable lesson about the importance of floppy disks.

Just In case you didn't save your outgoing application, I have reprinted the questionaire you need to fill out. Just answer all the questions and mail it to [email protected] with "Sonoma Application" as the subject.

1. Real name
2. Contact email address
3. ICQ number (if applicable)
4. Character name (this must be the name of the character you will be using as your potential shard reporter)
5. Rate your HTML knowledge from 1-10, where 1 is poor and 10 is phenomenal
6. Answer this: Why do you wish to be a shard reporter for UOSS?
7. Include a brief writing sample, no more than 500 words (pictures are not welcomed and no attachments)
8. Any questions???

Good luck to all applicants!

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Greetings

A small report on the Ghost rentals... We showed up at Moonglow docks at
6pm. and the small parade made it to the wall of the armory Took folks a
few mins to figure out what exactly we where doing..)
And then it caught on... The Ghostly Crew made 10k And had a blast There was
Plenty of laughter to be had by all who stopped by... After the first hour
we had drawn quite a crowd of onlookers . I belive we shall try it again
next Friday night:)
Thank you
Capt Seawench

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09-11-2001
[...] I also am updating to say that I am still alive and well. I have moved and now started my university courses. They seem ok and my computer science courses will help my programming skills greatly. I am in need of a 3D graphic artist to do 10 monsters. That is the only thing needed to finish the game. You can contact me though e-mail. I thank anyone that comes forward and wants to help.

That is all for now. I am still going to finish the game but time is scares.

08-26-2001
[...] I added volume control to sound effects. To change the volume all you have to do is go to the options screen and choose Sound Effect Volume and press right to increase the volume and left to decrees the volume. I can't add volume control to the music due to non-existing in Direct Music. So now if you find the sound effects to loud you can lower the volume. I also fixed up the random generation of the game. I fixed the game now to generate a different world map if you do not choose the stats that are given to you. Also I added a new song for LB's castle and a song for the stats screen. There are a few other minor things, check them out in the read me file located with the game. As per usual you can get the newest versions in the download section.

09-20-2001
A new concept art has been posted. It features the Balron, introducing concept artist Karsten Sand
Peter's corner has been updated with more story details.
And at last but not least, new landscape shot testing the potential of our new editor has been posted in the screenshots page. We'll still be releasing later this month a monthly screenshot section in our page.

09-19-2001
Today the Ultima site had the pleasure of being slash-dot'ed. Because of the extremely heavy trafic, we've had to take down tech1.02 until the storm is over. Hope you all understand it.
Seb's plan has been updated.

09-13-2001
Telemachos' corner has been updated. As promissed, we will try to post the revised Avatar concept still this weekend, but there has been a short delay on that.
On another note, we are all shocked with the events of this unfortunate week. We offer our prayers to those lost in the horrible tragedy in the US and wishes of quick recovery to those injured.
Whatever happens now, we can only wish that more innocent lives wont be at the stake, but it's painful to see how difficult that has become. Still hoping though for the best outcome of this situation, we pray that somehow more civilians and workers will not have to pay with their lives to the tragedies of any war or political crimes.

08-30-2001
The concept for the Avatar character has been posted in the Concepts section under Media. This Avatar will be seen in the cutscenes throughout the game. Although we're not sure a female Avatar option will be avaible, concepts for her have been made and will be posted next week.
A poll has been set up and will be updated monthly. Click on the link above to vote.

09-02-2001
I have another release of the U3 Upgrade available that fixes an AutoSave bug. It also adds a new feature: the ability to reset the Sosaria map if you want to start a new game. Read about it here.

I've also included the edited MIDI files from the U5 Upgrade for download.

08-21-2001
Done! Read about it here and download it here.
And in other news... I updated the about page with some more detail on the purpose of the Exodus Project. And it looks like I might be getting ready to start Phase III of the U3 Upgrade Project fairly soon.
On the newsgroup, Ophidian Dragon reported a bug with the U3 Upgrade - it seems that the game still autosaves your party when a character dies in combat. I will try to have an updated release available for this bug at the earliest opportunity.

08-17-2001
I know I've been fairly silent for the past month on this page, but as those who read the RGCUD newsgroup are aware, I am working on another upgrade: Ultima V with MIDI music. I am pleased to say that the results have been fairly good. I have it all working with the exception of the endgame.
There were a few on the newsgroup that suggested I write for both the Atari ST version of the music and the C64/Apple II versions. (the latter being my preference) Both versions apparently had the same score, they just played different music at different points. While this at first seemed like a daunting task (even deciphering the first half of the code was somewhat difficult - it was compiler generated), it resulted in a much more robust design for the midi upgrade. The program makes a few key calls into a separate midi driver loaded at run-time. It has made me rethink my approach to U2 and U3 in a way that would allow for easier updates in the future... and possibly allowing me to overcome the shortcomings of midpak.
But anyway, I'm rambling on with info that's better saved for a readme file. Hopefully this weekend I will throw up a project page for it. And in a few weeks I should have a download available. In the mean time, you can look at this if you want something to drool over. Keep checking back, and so long for now!

09-29-2001
More 3D creature models! Added an image of a gazer to the media page.

09-26-2001
First look at the 3D creature models in Ultima IV: The Dawn of Virtue! Added an image of a reaper to the media page.

09-24-2001
[...]To happier matters. Today, Ultima IV: The Dawn of Virtue will start updating again. First, a large poster has been added to the media page. There will be many more updates this week.

09-07-2001
Just a progress update: the low-level game code is complete, and the 3D creature engine is currently being constructed. Once the 3D engine is complete, an animation of it in action will be released for download.

09-09-2001
Music Interview on PDS.COM!
Interview #2 is now online at planetdungeonsiege.com! This one is with Salanthalas Quel'Thas, our Lead Composer.

08-16-2001
Web Dev Interview on PDS.COM!
The first in a series of interviews with our team has gone up at planetdungeonsiege.com! This one is with Aegis Kleais, our Webmaster.

08-16-2001
A MP3 by Muzexia is now avalible in the Downloads Section. And unfortunately, Dungeon Seige has been delayed until next year.

09-27-2001

• Better animation timing
• Serpentine signs, books and scrolls have been implemented
• Hopefully it's now impossible to lose objects when dropping them onto walls
• All the flags for the actors are now saved
• Bug fixes in SI's plot

09-18-2001

• lots of animations bugs fixed
• Several List Field bugs (SI) fixed. Training should work a lot better now
• Some bugs related to dueling have been fixed

09-12-2001

• Fixed several bugs related to weight/volume checking
• Improvements to pathfinding code
• Fixed bugs related to teleporters
• Monsters that shouldn't leave bodies now don't (ghosts, slime, etc..)

09-04-2001

• Avatar and NPCs now restore hitpoints and mana hourly
• Several crash bugs fixed
• Various other minor bugs bugs fixed

08-25-2001

• Alpha 5 has been released! Get it from the download page.

09-15-2001
Dungeon Wrong finished. Yes it took time but I had other things to think about in the last days. I'm now going to work on LB's Castle as well as other places, like Citadel of Courage, Abbey of Love etc...
A few scripts have been worked on, thanks to the info already released. Those can't be tested but they are a good practice.

08-26-2001
Work on Dungeon Wrong started. I'm not sure if it'll be finished next week but it should be almost done. I'm also going to start thinking abuot programming and scripting issues.

08-18-2001
Fixing and experimenting with the website. Continued on rebuilding the maps. So far, Asylum, Cove, Abyss have been recreated from paper to NWMAP.

26-09-2001
It looks as if our little problem has been solved, thanks to patch saint TumbleWeed Dragon. A bug in the older editor seems to have made the file incompatible with u9name.exe. Since version 1.6 of the Dialogue Patch is playable now, you can safely download it from here.
I also took the freedom of directly linking to TumbleWeed's editor page instead of providing the Ultima IX editors here. This way, you will always be able to download the newest version of the editors. I also invite you to pay a visit to The Ultima Void, TumbleWeed's Ultima site.
- Grandor Dragon

09-25-2001
A bit of an "emergency" update to bring you today. We've been informed that there is a bug in version 1.6 of the Dialogue Patch that cuts off the beginning of each line in the game after using the u9name.exe file to choose your Avatar name. This poses no danger to your computer, obviously, but it's not the way anyone would want to play the game. We're in the process of getting an updated version of the u9name.exe file that will work with version 1.6. In the meantime, you have two options:

1)Install version 1.6 as usual, but do NOT run u9name.exe until a working version is available here at Fans for Ultima.

2)Reinstall the text.flx file from version 1.5 of the Dialogue Patch, which we will make available here until this issue is resolved. Then run the u9name.exe file as usual, since it works with versions 1.0 through 1.5 of the patch.

Sorry for any trouble this may have caused anyone, we'll get the fixed version up as soon as possible. We'll also be adding a couple more Ultima remake projects in the very near future.
-Maigo Dragon

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Thanks!

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Hail Newsperson! My name is Timothy Gnash and I am a 14 year old boy who resides in Yew. I write this to tell you of a very spooky event that has happened to a friend and I recently.

My friend and I like to hang out around the Yew Prison and play bad guys and good guys. Nobody is ever around except for some guards, and they never seem to mind that we play there. We were in the back of the Jail, the upper level, when we heard a deep voice coming from within. We went in further to look at who it was, perhaps someone visiting a bad man. When we turned the corner and slowly opened the iron doors, we got a very cold chill as we looked down the darke hallway. There stood a tall man, with a shadow for a cape dark armor as well. Wind seemed to be blowing yet the windows were too small for such a force. My friend was curios and began to creep slowly toward the person, I had tried to stop him but to no avail. We had figured the man was chanting now, for there was nobody else in the cells. The torches flickered as the wind howled. I slowly followed my friend and when we were no more than 10 feet away the being spun around swiftly and glared at us with his black eyes. His face as pale as a ghosts, his hair matching his skin. He just stood there, arms folded in front of his chest as if awaiting an explination.

I had recognized the man at once, for I have seen him attack Yew in older days. It was the Dark Lord Elmdor, Lord and Master of the evil army called the Death Corps. My friend and I were frozen with fear, we did not know why. Lord Elmdor was not the kind of... creature to slay people without reason. He just stood there, as if searching our very souls! My friend spoke, or tried to, explaining how we meant no inturuption. The Dark Lord just smirked an evil smirk and began to walk past us, he stopped directly behind us and my friend and I continued facing forward, afraid to turn around. He then spoke in a deep demonic voice "Play time's over children... run along..."

We spun around to see him fade to mist and then dissapear. We ran out of the Jail, the guards yelling at us to stop but we kept running untill we could run no more. We made it back home where I now write you this letter. It may be nothing, but a presence like him usually means an evil omen. Be carefull everyone.

Signed,

Timoth Gnash & Rubin Burr

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Come one, come all to our second fish net hunting. We will cast off from Skara Brae Docks on September 30, 2001 at 7pm EST. You can use your own boat or come on one of our boats to fight off the hordes of creatures from the fishnets and prosper off the treasures of their loot.

Rebbeca, Town Council
Nidaros

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The scenario content is published to the shards the Tuesday after the story is posted. The content activates following the Wednesday morning maintenance of each shard, local server time. That's why Oceania gets it on Tuesday night here in the U.S. It's because in Australia, it's Wednesday morning and Oceania has returned from it's maintenance. If for any reason we have to deviate from that schedule, we'll post and let you know.

We posted a story on Thursday, so that means, barring any major problems, the scenario will start on Wednesday.

I won't confirm any of the content of course, but I hope that answers your questions.

Jonathan "Calandryll" Hanna
Designer, Ongoing Content
a wizard did it

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Some people have been asking about housing, so I thought I'd point out that, yes, we are still refreshing houses in UO.

I pointed out, in another post, that "house decay isn't 'frozen in place,' and that houses will still 'decay' over the course of the day. You'll see houses move into the 'somewhat worn' category, but the next day they'll be refreshed again."

If you see a space where you thought a house once was, it's a pretty good bet that the house was collapsed by it's owner, either because he was upgrading to another house on that same plot of land, or decided to move to another house and collapsed the first (to get the money from the resale of the deed, perhaps).

Again, houses are still being freshed.

=========
Sannio
Online Community Coordinator, UO
Origin Systems

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Hail adventurer!

Ye want to know more about the strange events of these days? Then listen carefully!   

On Thursday some adventurers wandering in Ravenmoor heard strange news, they went to the Tavern to know more...   

The Tavernkeeper was worried a lot, the pirates attacks are ruining the Town. The trade routes are suffering badly from the attacks and commercial relations become very hard. The Town needs some help to stop the raids, someone should investigate in Buccaneer's Den, to learn more about the Pirates. Sadly, all the Ravenmoor Guards are needed to keep the town surroundings safe.   The adventurers proposed their help to put an end to the Pirates raids. They sailed to Buccaneer's Den.    When on the isle, they first visited the Tavern, as it is probably the best place to learn about the place. The Barkeeper told them about a ship which sailed for Britain with a big crew on board, though they were not well armed. But no other ship took the sea for a few days, so this could only be the ship they are looking for. The better place to gather some fresh news would be the Cat's Lair in Britain, as it is along the docks.

   The adventurers entered the Cat's Lair and started asking questions, they came across someone who saw some interesting things. A ship came to Britain, there were many sailors, looking more like fighters, they met a merchant in the Tavern, one with black hairs and a cold eye. They learned the merchant is a member of the Britain Merchant Guild.   At the guild they found that the man was a new member of the guild and that he bought many weapons. Also, he left with the Ship and was heading to Nuj'elm, but never arrived there, the ship was lost at sea.    

Returning to Buccaneer's Den, where most "lost" ships can be found, the adventurers discovered that it has been docking for a few hours then left to the Coast with a bigger crew and many weapons. A beggar standing there told the adventurers he heard the Pirates. They bought from him the location of the next attack. A raid on the Ravenmoor Territory was planned. Back to Ravenmoor the Adventurers warned the Elder Tyrghen and some joined to prepare the battle.

The Ravenmoor Militia came face to face with the Pirates. Then arrived some Knights send by the lord of the lands next to Ravenmoor. The situation seemed very bad until Twinkle Town soldiers came to reinforce the Ravenmoor Militia. Then both sides rushed in a terrible battle where many good men died in honor !
 
Involved Communities : Ravenmoor Town, Twinkle Town, Knights of Aldameir, Scurvy Dogs

Keep an eye on boards for the next adventures! 

Tyrghen [UT] of Ravenmoor

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Not much of actual UO2 fiction is being used. If you use UO2 as a basis to figure out this fiction, you will more than likely get thrown off eventually. While we may be useing creatures from UO2 (and they may have similar backgrounds)...the fiction is very much unqiue to UO.

Jonathan "Calandryll" Hanna
Designer, Ongoing Content
a wizard did it.

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Thanks to BlackHeart and Thalan for this very interesting information!

.

.

.

We don’t know if they are directly related to the upcoming event, or if these items will be in the game from now on. In fact, we don’t’ know if these items will be introduced on the production shards at all!

Enjoy!

The first image is of a new character:

The second image of of a control panel. The poster said the panel was used with “the new gems.”

New stones:

The final picture is of a Controller and a Golem

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No there is no upper bound, but if miners start selling ingots back to the NPC, the price will go down. I think in production realistically you won't see ingots at 55gp, because for that to happen, somebody will have had to buy 1000 ingots at 54gp, and 1000 at 53 gp, and 1000 and 52gp, and so on. Now, who is going to do that? At some point people are either going to mine their own or buy them from other miners way before people buy ingots from NPCs at 55gp.

Note: I didn't design this, I just implemented it. :)

Krom added:

This is for production.

and…

the price will probably start out at 5gp. I doubt people will be able to raise the price on ingots that high for very long, because at that point every miner and his dog...er pack horse... is going be selling back like mad, driving the prices down.

and…

The vendors will always have 500 of the "commodity" items which are subject to this system.

____

Woops!!

No! This does not apply to regs.

and…

It's not just ingots. There's some other things too, but I don't remember what they are. ... boards, feathers, and some other stuff.

Sorry, I don't have the details on me.

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Sometimes it's difficult to respond to posts like this that are very thorough and endeavor to make so many points. I think I can see where your point of view comes from, although there are some aspects that I have a different take on.

First let me say that the main reason why you will hear so many different members talk about so many different parts of the game is because each one is assigned his own systems to be responsible for. Therefor it's quite natural that they would address those systems publically, and consider them important. And in reality, they do work on their own respective systems and make changes/adjustments/fixes as necessary. The team leadership watches over each of the developers and endeavors to ensure that everyone's activities follow along a consistent focus.

You specifically mentioned the faction system changes that had been promised some months ago. Actually, those changes were neither abandoned nor forgotten. As luck would have it, they are currently being tested on Test Center 6. I think we could probably have done a better job communicating that with the public, though, so I can understand how people could have come to the conclusion that we forgot about them.

Another point that you made was that the team seems to constantly be in a state of flux. You have observed members of the team introducing themselves with comments from the team, etc. While we do hire on new folks from time to time, this can be a bit deceptive. Often, they are with the team for quite some time before introducing themselves publically. We did absorb quite a few new people back in March when the UO2 project was dissolved, and then very quickly thereafter we lost a couple of very visible friends to the competition. But the vast majority of the team has remained intact. Many of the people that made the team's ranks swell this past Spring were folks who were on the UO: Third Dawn project, not Live. But roughly 80% of the current team has worked on either UO Live or Third Dawn, and has therefor been with UO for close to 18 months. However, many of these team members didn't really make themselves visible to the public right away. Hence, they were "introduced" to the public in a staggered fashion, and I can very much understand how it would appear that the team is a revolving door for developer talent.

Take me for example, I've been on UO for two years now. But after we shipped Rennaisance, I began work with the Third Dawn product, and then moved back into UO Live in March. I'm not typically too visible, so I can definitely see how that provides the appearance of joining, leaving, rejoining the team. That's essentially a miscommunication of my own, and I'm working to correct that. However, to be clear, my particular goals and focus have remained stable while I've been here.

I also think I need to comment on the notion that the UO team is an "entry level developer platform", where people come to "learn the ropes" and then move on when they have experience. For what it's worth, I've personally been in the gaming industry for almost 12 years now, and I don't think my purpose here is to gain experience. I do continue to learn every day, but I don't think that's my main reason for being here. There are a significant number of others on the team who have similar backgrounds. Additionally, since OSI currently has no other projects under development that don't have to do with UO, then the experience our team earns will ultimately stay on UO.

I can understand your feeling that you don't expect what you hear from the dev team to be concrete from one month to the next. However, it's really more constant than you might realize. You definitely made a valid point when you stated: We understand that the policy of UO (and now standard for game companies) is to not divulge very much information to the user base, due to the concept that exists “if companies suggest it, users believe it will come”

I think that tendency applies here, and is probably another contributing factor.

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Racing Championship, Week 12 of 12: WIN 175,000 GOLD!

Sponsor: Drizzt (formerly run by ibn al'Asifa)
Facet: Felucca
Location: Race Track West of Britain, Felucca
Start Date: Oct 3 2001 7:00PM PST
End Date: Oct 3 2001 8:30PM PST
Recurrance: Bi-Weekly

This is it, this is the last chance to make it to the Season Finals. Last Season, the Grand Champion won his choice of an ultra-rare engraved dagger, an ethereal mount, or 250,000 gold. The Runner-up won 100,000 gold.

Winners of the 12 regular-season events, including this final event, will compete on October 17th for the title of Grand Champion Racer... and the prizes and fame associated therewith (including an interview on Stratics). THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE TO GET INTO THE FINALS IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY WON A WEEKLY EVENT!

There's no fee to enter so you have nothing to lose, and a good time to be had by all. For more information about the Races, check out http://www.sonomaraces.homestead.com.

See you there!

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Old Skool RED vs. BLUE Full Scale Battle

Sponsor: Aaron Lionel
Facet: Felucca
Location: Ironwood playertown East Of Skara brae in the large crop fields
Start Date: Sep 29 2001 7:00PM EST
End Date: Sep 29 2001 10:00PM EST
Recurrance: Weekly

I will be hosting a large scale RED vs. BLUE Battle. We will gather in the fields and sort color. Then we will go into full scale battle. I reccomend if you plan on Fighting to gather extra supplies in case you die and don't have to waste time gathering more. All types of Charaters are welcome and I hope to get some of the old players a little bit of the past and the new players a taste of what UO used to be!

I also would like the two colors not to start fighting until 7:10pm eastern so that players have a chance to gather. Thank you and i hope for a large turn out!
-Aaron Lionel~

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Greetings All,

This is a mass message to all those that have registered their email with The Lost Soldiers of Darkness PvP Tournament Staff.

Saturday, September 29, 2001, LSD will be hosting a 2vs2 Team Tournament in Deathmatch style. It starts at 10 pm EST (7pm PST).

Please register for this tournament, if interested. When registering, be sure to enter your partner's name in the comments field. That partner must also register seperately entering your name.

For more information, please visit:

Lost Soldiers of Darkness PvP Website

To learn more about LSD, please visit LSD website

Thank You,
Retribution

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There's been several posts/threads recently about house placement, and I need to point out that people shouldn't be explaining how to reproduce house placing bugs, or describing in what situations such bugs might be used, housing-related or otherwise.

It's true enough that sometimes what seemed to be a bug or exploit can turn out to be a legitimate method of house placement, according to the current game mechanics, but if you think you have found a legitimate house-placement bug then you certainly should share it with our QA team at [email protected] (or [email protected] if the bug was on a test center shard), and not be posting those details on how you think the bug is possible.

I've been passing along whatever information I could on this subject to the bug tracking e-mails, but I may not be seeing all the posts with such information, and I need everyone to help me out by sending any bugs they find to those addresses (and not post them here).

Our QA team is aware of the problems that people are bringing up here on the boards, and we're working to fix them. We definitely appreciate all the research some of you have been doing, but, as I said, it'd be best to send that kind of info to [email protected] instead of posting them on the boards. Thanks for your cooperation in this matter.

=========
Sannio
Online Community Coordinator, UO
Origin Systems

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On Saturday 6th October 2001 the wedding between Mrs Lancer and Kahlibar, of
the White Fang guild, will take place in Brit Castle at 11am GMT. This is
+10hrs for Sydney time.

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Minax history has been officially made, as was witnessed firsthand by this Trammel fashionista turned loyalist Minax merchant. When I heard the rumors that Ayumi's Tao and KoRn's Malagents guilds where to join with the shadow-of-it's-former-self Minax, visions of red female plate started to dance in my head. Not long after Minax was infused with this new blood, the battle for the sigils began.

At first it was not easy to rally the numbers needed to help guard the Minax stronghold. After many days blurred into even longer nights, KoRn, as the nonofficial Commanding Leader began to slowly but surely bring structure to leading Minax forces in guarding the hard won sigils. However, success wasn't immediate as raids continued to dominate the handful of able bodied Minax who were our only showing defense.

I speculate that for the past half a year, those that remained initially and did not abandon Minax when LoD left were more of the soloist type, with nary an interest for the perks of holding a town. Then something happened to help tip the scaled in Minax' favor. SL's leader, ArchAngel agreed to forge an alliance. Thanks to the thieving efforts of Jeremy and Bob in capturing the sigil for Magincia, the hour for what was to be our first town in approximately eight months drew closer and closter.

Together, Minax and SL fought off repeated attacks by UMA of COM and many other TB. The end result? With a decided air of celebration, Minax swaggers in to Magincia and claims it as her own. Everyone thought Minax was dead. Everyone forgot the infamous "red faction" reign of terror. Everyone will soon know what I know, Minax Is Back.

All is fair in fashion and factions,
Victorias Secret, Minax since Day One ;)

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Important Date Change for the Online Worlds FanFest - January 11th & 12th, 2002

To provide the best opportunity for our players to meet and mingle with each other and the UO development team, we are rescheduling the FanFest until the weekend of January 11th-12th, 2002. Due to recent events, we understand that this is not the best time to ask people to travel and leave their families. We also know that quite a few members of our community, both players and sponsors, have been affected personally by the tragedies of September 11th, and would not have been able to participate in the event if held in October. Since the FanFest is being held for the community, we think it's important to be sensitive to the needs of the community. By rescheduling the event, we allow our team members and the players more time to be with their families and to tend to those things that are most important at this time.

We will be giving special consideration to those players who have already made plans to attend in October, and we will be sending them a separate communication in order to see that those arrangements can be changed as easily as possible. All players who have registered up until this point will be considered as having registered at the $99 rate, meaning that anyone who registered at the $129 rate will automatically be credited with a $30 refund on their registration on the credit card they used when they registered.

Now for the good news! By postponing the event, we've managed to book the top-rated Austin Renaissance Hotel and convention facilities for the FanFest. In addition to offering the spacious exhibit hall located in the hotel itself, the Renaissance hotel has been rated #1 in guest satisfaction by J.D. Powers and Frequent Flyer Magazine, and features elegant meeting rooms for the Q&A and brainstorming sessions, built-in registration areas, and even a night club attached to the hotel. Located in North Austin in the Arboretum area, the Renaissance hotel is near several bars and restaurants and features an upper-class shopping experience as well.

Players attending the event will be offered a room rate at the Renaissance hotel of $79 (standard room, single/double occupancy) per night, which is significantly reduced from the standard rates of up to $179 per night. Players looking to share rooms with other players should see our FanFest board to make arrangements. We will also work with the Renaissance to see that players wanting to visit the downtown area are given the opportunity to do so.

In addition to the fantastic new location and the chance to meet other Ultima Online players and the UO dev team, here are some more reasons to register now:

• *Anyone who registers by October 31st at 11:59PM CST (including those who have already registered) will be automatically entered in a drawing to win a chance to stay in one of two of the Renaissance hotel's Deluxe King rooms for the nights of Thursday, Friday, and Saturday on us!
• One-of-a-kind collectible merchandise, including the newest pewter figure in the collectible Ultima Online dragon series by Rawcliffe.
• All attendees will receive a collectible Ultima Online CD!
• Get a behind-the-scenes look at the future of Ultima Online.
• After-hours cocktail parties and mixers with the development team.
• Win a brand new, high-end computer gaming system from AlienWare in our Ultima Online costume contest.
• The chance to meet and hear what's going on in the mind of Todd McFarlane!
• Hear from respected gaming industry speakers, including Gordon Walton and Will Wright of The SIMS Online(tm) and Brett Sperry of Earth and Beyond(tm).

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Hail To All.....we would like to welcome you all to attend the Wedding of Gritty McDuff & Star on October 27th at 10:00pm eastern time. It will be held at The Nu'jelm Palace in Felucca. It will be a beautiful and joyous occasion for us so feel free to attend. Gifts are appreciated, and food will be available!

Hail! I have opened up a new training house. The house was made for those who wish to train their item ID, arms lore and lockpicking skills. The house is a small tower and is located on Moonglow island on the trammel facet.

Coordinates: 10o 53'N 142o 32'W

Location: Follow the western road south of Moonglow until you reach the farmers market and wheat field. Continue south 1 screen past the large marble and you will see the training house there on the point. Water on 3 sides make getting there by boat just as easy.

Owner: Lotus (High Council member of the Guardians of Britannia [G*B])

Description: Small tower on the southwestern point of Moonglow by the farmers market. This small tower has 210+ GM locked chests and about 140+ GM Daggers. Everything is arranged nicely and is in no way cluttered. There is a vendor selling lockpicks and free food by the chests for lockpicking.

Membership: Membership is easy, and free. Just send me a private message "Lotus" (I assume he means via ICQ - Dmitri) is my nick, and we can set up a time to meet and friend you. Again there is no fee to join the friend list at this house. It is here to help you benefit. All I ask is you lock the chests when you are done picking.

Thanks for your time,

- Lotus

Darkness twisted about the room as Shardak sat back in a comfortable throne, hued to the color now surrounding him to allow a seemingly seat in nothingness. An awesome sense of power of the darkness radiated from this creature as it sat; fingers intertwined before its face as its hollow eyelids stared before it. From about the room, the howl of the Cainan winter air whispered through an open window, adding to the sense of otherworldly power present. Thoughts passed unheard through the ancient vampire’s mind as he sat in this solitude, thoughts in regard to the past eve’s and what it had brought.

He had found the book that now sat nearby in a secret location, one of possible immense power given the right possibilities. The book dictated the creation of what he was now, a Kiasyd, an elven vampire, and how to recreate such creations. Abusing this experiment to his own whims, he could possibly create an entirely new breed of undead, far superior to what not existed… and utterly faithful to him. With such creatures he could visit down on his enemies swift ends, putting a close to the work of Entropy on this world relatively quickly. Of course there would be the snags along the way, and finding the right combination to produce these vampires to begin with would take a bit. But the advantages vastly outweighed what would be lost in the trying. He would have at last the power he sought over those about him and Entropy’s touch would be vast indeed.

The concept that he could fail didn’t even enter his mind, and why should it? He was sure of himself, so much so that he was willing to stake his existence on this. Which was exactly what he was doing. If the Lich Lord found out about the more pure meaning behind these experiments, he wouldn’t be altogether terribly pleased. But such thoughts didn’t pass into his mind, so sure of himself as he was. All there was now was to bide his time and prepare the Hand for the excursion into Hyloth to gain the appropriate materials for the first run of experiments. As it was, the slaves would be rounded up by the Necromancers to provide the first test subjects of this new working.

Sighing to himself, he waves a hand and from the darkness rose a book to hover before him on a cushion of night. Flipping it open with a motion, he began a small incantation and with that several paged unwound themselves from there bindings, so as not to appear as if they whereever removed. Book and pages disappeared again, and soon another parchment appeared. Dictating to the darkness what was to be written, he bade a raven forth with a telepathic message and had the creature sent off for the notice to be copied and posted about the realm.

-----

Hear one, hear all!

The Asylum of Perdition opens its doors once again come this Sunday at 9:00 PM (EST). Drinks, games, and good company twill be presented to all that wish attend. We look forward to thine good fortune at our gaming tables and voices in our fine establishment!

Such games as twill be provided as:

Dare Devil Dice

Darts

One, Two, Three

Order vs. Chaos

Regular Dice

Also the most talented Yelena the bard twill amuse the occupants with tales of woe and grandeur for our most esteemed patrons. Come, attend, and enjoy thyself this coming Sunday eve! Caina can be found in Northern Ice Isle, within the Fellucca facet. For those who do not know whereabouts such tis, visit this web tome: Caina, Dark Jewel of the North

Shardak Mardas

Each contestant can either choose a judge, a consenting member of the audience, or bring his or her flirt partner. The contestant then has 3 minutes to Flirt with his/her partner. The partner is free to respond and interact with the contestant When the 3 minutes are up the judges then "rate" the contestants performance on a scale from 1-10, 10 being the top score. ONE MINUTE will be called out to help the contestant know when to start wrapping it up. There will be two rounds combining all the judges points, highest points win.

Come and bring friends!!! This is always very very funny. Come and participate or just watch!

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Welcome to the GUL pit fights. Hosted at Oc'Nivelle (Yew Forest 47o 17`N. x 34o 56`W). Designed to be a place for fighters of all play styles to come together to battle it out, the GUL Pit fights will be held every Saturday. Registration will begin at 8 pm pst fighting will begin at 9 pm (11 pm central, midnight eastern). Players wishing to register must do so by 8:50. No late entries will be accepted.

This Week's Pit Fight (Saturday, September 29th)will be 2v2 blind draw. A blind draw is a little different than a regular 2v2 tournament. You do not bring your own partner. All registered fighters will be randomly assigned a partner when registrations are finished.

Prizes

• 1st place - 250,000 gold pieces
  
• 2nd place - 100,000 gold pieces
  
• 3rd place - 50,000 gold pieces

There is no entrance fee
Sponsored by GUL

Guardians of the Undead Lords Pit Fighting rules

• No magic weapons, no magic armor, no charged magic items.
  
• Pre-poisoned weapons are not allowed. Fighters with the poisoning skill may poison there blades once the fight has started.
  
• No casting of field spells, or summoning.
  
• No pets, this includes spectators. Please stable your pets before arriving at the tower.
  
• No looting.
  
• No stealing
  
• Loss of connection during a fight will result in that fighter losing the match.
  
• Tournaments are single elimination (the exception being fighters who lose in the semi-finals will be asked to stay and fight for 3rd place)
  
• All fighters are subject to snooping by the Oc'Nivelle staff.
  
• Any spectator interference will result in the spectator being banned and the fight starting over.
  
• No one is permitted inside the fighting arena except the fighters for that match and the ref.
  
• Fighters may not hide or cast invisible during their fight.
  
• To reduce lag anyone not fighting will be asked to hide during the fight. Players who consistently do not hide will be removed from the tower.
  
• No smack talking. The point is to prove what you can do... If you just "owned" someone we all will have seen it, no need to spout off about it.
  
• The ref will have final say over any match, issues or complaints with the rules of GUL's Pit Fight will not be discussed until after the tournament has ended.

For questions please Icq Jade @ 51610361

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I just wanted to remind people to be careful as they move their items around within their homes.

It's probably a good idea to check for hidden characters before unlocking any items which you want to move around. It can be heartbreaking losing a rare that you wanted to move to someone who was hidden and watching you, and then later finding out that GMs can't replace any items lost in this way.

=========
Sannio
Online Community Coordinator, UO
Origin Systems

Most of us know this technique. There are some who don’t, and many of us who forget to use it even though we know better.

So, this is an appreciated reminder.

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I know this isn't the answer y'all want to hear, but:

We don't feel that the low chance of making exceptional platemail is a problem. There are currently no plans to alter the success rates of these items. Please take note, however, that players will soon be able to see their exact chances of making a particular item (overall success rate and exceptional success rate). That should make quite a difference in how it feels to be a crafter.

I already know from personal experience -- I have played a GM smith since before I came to work here. When I started here, I found the time to go digging through the item creation and skill gain documentation and code, and learn exactly how it works. Once I could observe that there was nothing weird going on with the random number generator, I found I got over a lot of my frustration. Once you don't expect to get lucky every time, or take a bad run of luck personally, it's much more fun to make full plate suits.

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We had 8 noble and valiant souls show up for the event.

Several tales were told including one that was made up on the spot. We also had the start of episodic story. Seems that Evermore Scribe is planning on telling part of the tale every week. He promises a longer part of it next week.

First to the winners. Dragyn came in second (5K prize) with an ancient tale of the death of a father and his son bring the murders to divine justice. Kaylar McCloud came in first (10K prize) with a tale battle in which suno harms shade.

Now here is a reprint of the beginning portion of the story Minds eye.

The rain started to fall as the night opened its arms to the awaiting fears of the prior day. Khan had attempted to find the jewels, that had been stolen by Ivan, and which if not returned would bring down the royal family. For they had used these items as their source of power. These where the magical jewels of legend. They held the past, present and future trapped within their glowing lights.

Today had been a day of pain for all that had opposed Khan. He had used methods that would have made Genghis blush and were better left unspoken. Suffice it to say if you knew you would never trust another llama. But the results had been less then fruitful and now the night promised a return of darkness. However it was not a lack of light that he feared but the turning of the jewels. If the thief turned the jewels to evil then they could cause the destruction of all he held dear. At that moment a cry rang out that pierced the night. It was the sound of walking death and it seemed to be right outside. As he grabbed his sword, the door burst open
and ....

come back next week for the next installment

Your humble servant
Raeven Aurora

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Exhausted, Guilhem tossed down his spear and sat heavily on a stone in the swamp. The small party of surviving savages took notice of his mood and warily drifted away from their aggravated leader. Weeks ago the Master had ordered him to increase the tribe’s attacks into the human cities, but now they had been forced to settle here, defeated. He had known going into the fight that the odds of holding even one of the cities were slim, and he had tried to express that to the Master. But once an order was given, it was expected to be followed to the letter. Guilhem had seen the penalty for disobedience and had no desire to again, especially from the victim’s point of view. He wondered again what the penalty for failure would be and shuddered.

When the Master had first given him this assignment he had almost been insulted, although he had dared not show it at the time. Lead an unimportant tribe of primitives into the orc lands and drive them away. Live as one of them, gain their trust. To his surprise, after his time with the tribe, he’d become comfortable. He had learned their customs and traditions, even made friends. Never before in his life had he felt guilt, but now it consumed him. Guilt for being the instrument that led the savages away from their home and into the slaughter.

Absentmindedly he rubbed a few flakes of his kin paint off of his itching chin. He would soon need to reapply his tribal markings. The itch manifested itself on his arms and then spread down to his legs and soon encompassed his whole body. Within seconds his skin was numb and he could not move or speak. Light faded from his eyes and his mind went blank as the sensation of movement filled him. Reality blurred and he lost all concept of time. Then slowly, he could feel his thoughts return and feeling prickled itself back into his flesh. He was no longer in the swamps. He lay on cold stone. Around him he could hear a slight clicking sound and lights danced on the other side of his closed eyelids.

“Guilhem, I trust I did not interrupt anything vital?” said the Master.

“You were to report in weeks ago! Explain yourself!” barked the Master’s lackey.

Fighting the initial shock of his journey, Guilhem pulled himself upright and into a standing position, shading his blurry eyes from the bright lights in the room. Despite his dislike for the Master’s servant, he carefully kept his face free of any disdain. If he was going to report a failure, he wanted to keep every chance of living through it.

Guilhem responded steadily, “The humans took the cities back from us in days. They were too powerful; the tribe had no chance of success. We were forced to retreat to the swamps. I beg forgiveness for my failure, Master; my only wish is to serve you.” He knew the last words were a lie even as he spoke them.

The master paused for a moment and then spoke. “Guilhem, you have performed well. I do not consider your distraction a failure.”

“Distraction?!” Guilhem cried, trying desperately not to let his anger show. Hundreds of the clan, perhaps thousands were slaughtered… all for a distraction. “A distraction, M’lord… I do not understand… You sent orders that I was to take the tribes into the cities and hold them. We were defeated.”

“Indeed,” said the Master. “Your primitives occupied the Britannians quite well. Our efforts here were not discovered, thanks to that diversion.”

“However, our assets are far from secure.” A deep voice took Guilhem by surprise. In his nervousness he had not noticed a figure standing in the shadows, concealed by a dark cloak.

“We still have the issue of the renegades.” The stranger spoke in low tones, but with an air of power behind his words. “They have been making attempts almost daily to expose us. If the humans found the city now, they could shut down production of our forces. The savages did distract the Britannians, but it is still too soon for us to be discovered. We need more time.”

Guilhem stood tensely. He had never heard anyone speak that way in front of the master, as if they were an equal! He had seen men die for far less a transgression. To his surprise, the Master responded to the stranger, “What do you suggest?”

“That we launch the golems now. The Britannians are still unfocused after the chaos caused by the orcs and savages. The renegades remain a nuisance. Enough golems have been produced to afford us the ability to have the Controllers both search for the renegades and divert attention away from our work. That should give us enough time to establish our security structures.”

There was a long silence as the whirring sound increased and then settled. “Phoseph, notify the Controllers of our new plans. They are to begin as soon as possible.” He paused while the lackey made some notes on a scroll and then left the room. “Guilhem, step forward.”

Guilhem knew as he stepped forward he could not hide the slight shaking of his legs or the look of anxiety on his face. His mind raced with anger and confusion. He tried not to look in the direction of the dark stranger who was moving silently across the room. He stopped behind Guilhem, casting a slight shadow over him.

“Guilhem, don’t presume to be able to hide anything from me. Although you performed your task well, your growing fondness for the primitives is clear.” The Master spoke in his usual calm tones.

“I… I have come to know them, M’lord. My purpose remains to serve….”

“Your purpose is mine to decide, as is your reward. You still wear the marks of the primitives. You wish to live as one of them.” A dark blue light enshrouded Guilhem and he rose a few inches off of the cold floor below him. He tried to scream but his face froze in astonished horror. “And you shall die as one.”

Guilhem felt the warmth of his own blood running down his body as he was impaled from behind by the dark cloaked stranger. Through the pain of his spine breaking in two he imagined the home of the savages and let himself have a quick, bloody smile before slumping to the floor.

“I have matters to attend to elsewhere. We are not yet secure,” said the dark figure, not giving a thought to the blood on his cloak.

“For the moment,” replied the Master. “But soon we shall be. The Britannians will not be able to withstand our forces. The renegades shall soon be found. The land will be ours.”

Silently the figure moved out of the room, leaving a small trail of crimson droplets behind him.

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1st - Grim Reaper of CCC (50,000 gold) 2nd - Ranaulf (25,000 gold) 3rd - Jenny of W^C (10,000 gold) Pictures, commentary, and more can be found here: http://www.game-master.net/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=1&t=003559 or www.game-master.net under "PvP Tactics and Tales" Thanks to all that came out, stay tuned for more announcements for upcoming events!

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"THEY KEEP COMING AND WON'T STOP!" Lord Rendra yelled from the top of his lungs as his words of power come flying out of his spell book.

"I'm right behind you My Lord!" he heard from behind.

Rendra had barely enough time to glance over his shoulder to see Lady Yishana's sword laying a fatal blow to the drake that was about to take his head off.

"Ah, again you have saved my arse Yish"

"Enough talking - let's finish off these vial creatures!"

"Is that a grin Yishana?"

"You know me M'lord - the heat of battle is where I belong..."

For what seemed like hours the pair fought valiantly - back to back - spell book to sword. "The numbers are dropping and so is my strength" Yishana gasped.

"Fear not Yishana - we will prevail!"

They had been fighting in the dungeon for hours but did not notice where they had been. "Where are we Lord Rendra?"

"I am afraid we may be lost....I see some light up ahead...."

"Let's finish off this one and see what that light is."

The daring duo wail on the final dragon - Parry, Thrust - Parry, Dodge.......until that one final blow. THHHWWWUUUUMMMPPP the dragon falls. "Whew - that was one tough Draggy, Yish."

"Yes, M'lord - it was" sighed Yishana as she pulled her sword from the dragon's neck.

"You seem saddened Yishana"

"Only that we cannot carry all this gold!"

Both laugh for only a minute for the sound of laughter is broken by the harsh snarl coming from the light up ahead.

"I don't think it's a good idea to go up there just yet"

"You are right Yishana, we must find another way out...If only we had a moongate to get us out of here - I'm afraid my powers have weakened." Mysteriously enough - a moongate appears in the hallway in front of them...Out comes Lord Bugsy.

"QUICK - COME!" Yells Bugsy.

All three enter the gate...and there is silence and darkness..."I found them my liege" says Bugsy.

Yishana and Rendra awaken to the deep voice of King Raolin. "I see you too have been fighting again - what are we going to do with them Alhana?"

*chuckling*

Tee Hee giggles the queen. "It seems they are quite a handful those two."

Rendra struggles to get on his feet. "Hail My Liege, King Raolin and Queen Alhana" (bowing)

"Huh- what?" Yishana shakes the cobwebs out of her head and gets to her feet. "Hail King and Queen" and bows.

"I had Lord Bugsy track you down, I needed to discuss a few things with the nobles of ROA." says King Raolin.

"My liege, if you will pardon me for interrupting."

"You may precede Rendra."

Turning to Yishana. "My fierce Lady Yishana - again you have saved an old mage's arse."

"Where there is a battle - I am there." replies Yishana.

*chuckling* "Aye, you are...Yishana, as a token of my appreciation, I would like to give you something."

"NAY M'lord - no rewards are necessary."

"But this is a special reward, Lady Yishana, I would like you to have this." Rendra hands Yishana a necklace, a heart necklace.

"What...is this?" questions Yishana.

"It is a symbol of my affection, my heart, and I give it to you to keep for eternity."

*blushing* "Lord Rendra, does this mean what I think it means" again, questions Yishana.

"Aye, Yishana, I have watched you on the field of battle for many moons, I’ve admired your poise and fierceness in the face of danger, your honor and beauty no other can compare to." Rendra gets down on 1 knee - "Yishana, will you do me the honor of being my Bride?"

"OH MY!" gasps Yishana - "YES, LORD RENDRA - I WILL MARRY YOU! - that is of course, with the King and Queen's Permission."

"Well" sighs King Raolin "I don’t..." he is interrupted by Queen Alhana. "OF COURSE you have our permission." says the queen while giving the king a cold firm stare.

"Indeed, Make it so - Lord Bugsy - send out the pigeons, I want the entire guild here for this announcement."

"Aye My Liege"

Hours later...the entire Realm of Asgard assembles in the castle...the king rises.

"My fellow guild mates, I summoned you all here for an important announcement....Lord Rendra and Lady Yishana - please approach the throne..."

The two, once weary from battle, now cleansed and refreshed, valiantly approach the throne.

"It is my honor to announce the wedding of Lord Rendra - leader of House Rimordin to Lady Yishana - Leader of House Perth."

WOOT WOOT!!!!! is all that can be heard in the castle hallways...WOW!!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

King Raolin and Queen Alhana of the Realm of Asgard requests the presence of all Britannia’s citizens at the marriage of Lord Rendra and Lady Yishana.

THE WEDDING WILL TAKE PLACE ON THE DAY OF OCTOBER 6TH, 2001 IN NUJELM PALACE - 6PM PST/9 PM EST (Trammel)

-MAY ALL THAT HEAR MY VOICE ATTEND AND BE WELCOME ON THIS GLORIOUS DAY!

"Woo Hooo - Now to plan the bachelor party....." Screams Lord Bugsy.

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To all archers who would like to join in a hunt on Friday the 28th of September, please meet me at Empath Abbey in Trammel at 11:50pm. If you have a suggestion on where to go on the hunt, ICQ me at 79505659. So as not to create too much disorder we will be going to a location that had been suggested BEFORE the night of the event. Any ideas will be considered. Also, please note that this is a weekly event. So don't forget to mark your calendars and clear out your Friday nights!

Fairfax

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The Yew Antiquities Shop is relocating to more spacious and better accomodations. We are moving from the sandstone to the large Villa half a screen east of the old shop. To celebrate the move, many vendors will have low priced and the occasional FREE item on the vendors. Please come and enjoy all that the area has to offer...Three great shops and three incredible rune librarys, all nestled between the Yew Moongate and the Yew Bank in Trammel.

To announce the GRAND OPENING, I will be hosting a Scavenger Hunt this Friday, the 28th of September, at 9pm Eastern Time. The Prize is a FURNITURE TUB. Yup, the winner will receive a furny tub for the first successful returnee with all the required items.

My character, Number One, will host and judge the event. You can tell him quite easily as he is the one in full Phoenix Armor. There will be 3 more scavenger hunts, on the next three Fridays. The prizes aren't known yet, but will be very worthwile.

The rules of the scavenger hunt:
1) You can hunt as a team, but one person must represent your team. To reduce lag and spam, this team leader is the only one who should communicate with Number One.
2) To indicate that you are the leader, even if you are doing this yourself, please wear blue pants, white shirt, and any other piece of clothing red.
3) There is no entry fee. This is totally free.
4) Once Number One determines that hunt is to start, he will request that everyone leave the villa except team leaders. If this is still too many people, we will stage between the shop and the moongate. Number One will hand out books with the list of items in it.
5) The winner is the person/team who returns with the items first. It will be like bingo in that Number One will verify the winning pouch and if it is not complete, he will examine the pouch of the 2nd person to return.
6) The decision of Number One is absolute and final.
7) HAVE FUN!!!!

Yew Antiquities is located west of the Yew moongate in Trammel. It is the very first villa to the west. It has a small marble tower, called O'Deals YewGate, in front of it which houses the best Trammel rune library in my opinion. Runes for everything from treasure locations to taming spots to dungeons and cities to other libraries. This place has it all. I am also pleased to announce that Talisman Associates has joined our area by taking over the sandstone patio west of the villa where Yew Antiquities used to be housed. Welcome to our area, Talisman. There are many fine shops within one screen of the villa, come and look at all we have to offer.

Also, if you have hosted a scavenger hunt before, please contact me with your experiences at #1707945.

Gunthario of Steel

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

• Be a talented writer
• Be an active, knowledgeable member of the Sonoma community
• Be willing to attend events and quests, interview VIPs, report news of interest to the community
• Be able to dedicate a minimum of six hours per week to writing and/or posting news items
• Have a familiarity with basic HTML
• Be pro-active

1. Real name
2. Contact email address
3. ICQ number (if applicable)
4. Character name (this must be the name of the character you will be using as your potential shard reporter)
5. Rate your HTML knowledge from 1-10, where 1 is poor and 10 is phenomenal
6. Answer this: Why do you wish to be a shard reporter for UOSS?
7. Include a brief writing sample, no more than 500 words (pictures are not welcomed and no attachments)
8. Any questions???

Good luck to all applicants!

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Ron wasn't the only person who knew where here was, he was just the fastest. I got the correct Co-ordinates from King of Pain, Beregon, Atomforce, Lady Raven, Mythos and MrT. Raphalon and Raslion also sent in correct descriptions of the area, but remember, you have to actually go to the spot and send in Co-Ordinates to win.

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The fledgling Lake Superior Fleet of the Fishing Council of Britannia will be holding its first public net toss as a celebration as well as inauguration of the fleet's revival!

The toss will be held on Saturday the 6th of October, at 11am EST at the Magincia docks in Trammel. Gates will be provided from most major towns. Don't expect a gate from the WBB though. Try EBB instead.

All classes of characters are welcome! Archers, Warriors, Mages, Bards, Healers... however, tamers are requested not to bring along any high-level pets (dragons, drakes, wyrms, nightmares, ki-rins, unicorns, etc).

The fishers of the Fishing Council of Britannia bring their fish nets to the Trammel Maginica docks. We cast them onto the sea, 2, 3, or even 4 at time. As any proper fisher knows, but many landlubbers do not, each net spawns sea serpents, water elementals, and even the deadly kraken (who sometimes carry ropes or SOS bottles as loot). 'Tis great fun--many of the citizens die, but there is a friendly healer at the end of the dock who will quickly resurrect the victims. We will provide gates from Britain Main Bank.

The land-lubbers soon learn how tough a fisher must be---this is not a job for the weak or faint-hearted; but the rewards are great. Come and test your mettle against the leviathans of the deep.

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Britannia's favorite public slaughter happens again this Sunday at 6 p.m. EST (5 p.m. CST). One crewmember, Bayle Domon, has donated ALL of the nets for this week's event. We honor Bayle for his generosity.

The fishers of the Fishing Council of Britannia bring their fish nets to the Trammel Maginica docks. We cast them onto the sea, 2, 3, or even 4 at time. As any proper fisher knows, but many landlubbers do not, each net spawns sea serpents, water elementals, and even the deadly kraken (who sometimes carry ropes or SOS bottles as loot). 'Tis great fun--many of the citizens die, but there is a friendly healer at the end of the dock who will quickly resurrect the victims. We will provide gates from Britain Main Bank.

The land-lubbers soon learn how tough a fisher must be---this is not a job for the weak or faint-hearted; but the rewards are great. Come and test your mettle against the leviathans of the deep.

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They haven't fully tested the crafting system yet. That's how things may have been missed. There are many fixes and systems waiting to be viewed and approved.

Publish 13 is part of Publish 14. We rolled it into publish 14 to fix some problems and allow other publishes to go out at the same time.

So, publish 13's name was skipped, but the fixes have not been skipped...

-Hanse
UO Live Designer
Happy birthday to UO!

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Got one question for you Sanio.

IF that is a legitemat spot, why is it that the entrance to every other dungeon is a no build zone?

I mean take a look at covetous(Harpy Dungeon). A person could drop a large marble in there but it is a no build zone because it is a dungeon entrance..........

Personally, I believe someone sccrewed up the coding but.......
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A code was put in a while back to make the area in front of the entrances of dungeons "no build" zones. This was to help ensure that dungeons could be accessed, where some houses were placed in a way to literally block access to a dungeon. Some initial workarounds to that included scattering rocks in these entranceways, and this prevented houses from being placed. But, a stronger solution was needed, and a code was implemented to automate the rejection of house placement in these areas.

These areas are not consistent between dungeons, so the unplacable area in front of Wrong may be huge, while the one in front of Covetous may be considered small. Some of these areas still retain those GM-placed rocks, thus modifying the unplacable area further with material blockers.

I haven't seen every dungeon entrance on every shard and every facet, but that's some basic facts about house placement in front of dungeon entrances that will hopefully help in understanding why some houses can be placed closer to some dungeon entrances than others.

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I see you newb, running here and there,
Asking for gold or some food to spare,
You use this line and that to try your luck,
and when people refuse you say 'you suck!'.

Tis not nice the way you pleade,
You don't have wants it's just plain greed,
You ask people some questions,
But get mad when you get suggestions,
Like mining, hunting or harvest,
you whine and moan 'but that doth sound hardeth!'


So to you oh lost perma-newb,
who makes a habit begging for food,
go get a sword, club or Axe,
be self suffient not a UO a$$,
Lest you someday hear the words we all fear,
'Quit harassing me newb, I called a GM now outta here!'

- Rogal

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TX6 is now external. Test away... :)

-Hanse
UO Live Designer
Happy birthday to UO!

Have fun testing smithy bulk deeds and new tinkering options on the test shard #6. Don’t forget to post feedback under “Comments” below and on the MyUO Boards.

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Oh, there's also some new pictures of the Clockwork Minion, Clockwork Overseer, Iron Golem and Four New Gargoyle Types in the Hunters Guide.

Enjoy !

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Since this is my first "Comments from the Team" submission, I'd like to introduce myself. I'm Bryan Walker, better known on the UO boards as "Tajima." In the 3 1/2 years I've been here at Origin, I've served as producer for Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, producer/designer for Fighter Pilot, and producer/development director for Ultima Online: Third Dawn. Prior to arriving here, I worked on several standalone and online titles for Eidos Interactive/Domark Software as a producer and designer, and wrote freelance reviews for Computer Gaming World while serving in the US Army as an AH-64 Apache attack helicopter pilot.

Though I've been in the computer gaming industry for over 10 years, my passion for games goes back much further. In the '70s I had a lot of fun with the first pen-and-paper role-playing games such as the original Dungeons and Dragons, and went on to enjoy Traveller, Empire of the Petal Throne, Runequest, Champions, and Call of Cthulhu. I also played Squad Leader, Panzer Blitz, Car Wars, Star Fleet Battles, Cosmic Encounter, and Illuminati a great deal. I was very fortunate in being able to use my gaming addiction to pay my college tuition while working in hobby shops, teaching D&D as part of a gifted children's program, and doing some freelance play-testing and scenario design work.

I cut my teeth on home computers at about the same time as I was really getting into role-playing games. Starting with a TRS-80 Model 1 with 4k of RAM and a cassette drive, I began a consistent cycle of hardware upgrades as soon as the Apple II debuted. My online gaming experience started humbly, playing the original Adventure by Crowther and Woods on a Hazeltine 1500 terminal connected to a PDP-11/70 via a 300 baud acoustic modem! Thinking back, my first "multiplayer" online gaming experience was probably when several friends were gathered around the terminal yammering advice on how to open the jeweled egg in Dungeon, the mainframe game that went on to be known as Zork. In spite of that first experience, I was captivated by some of the MUDs to debut in the early '80s, such as The Island of Kesmai. Even though it only had scrolling text and symbols to represent the environment, it was still a great deal of fun adventuring with my friends (although, at $6 an hour we couldn't do it that often!). I went on to run a BBS as a hobby, and had a lot of fun supporting a small MUD along with some of the classic BBS games such as Trade Wars and VGA Planets.

All of that has now culminated here at Origin, where I'm currently working as a producer on Ultima Online. Having played UO almost daily for over 4 years, it's exciting to be part of the Live Team as we take the game in some bold, new directions. In fact, today's Live Team is probably the most passionate, hard-working, and technically savvy group I've seen since I've been at OSI. It's also been a great deal of fun talking to the players about what we're up to. I'm really looking forward to hearing their feedback when we unveil some of the new features that will take UO to the next level. The next few months are going to be exciting, and the next few years even more so!

Bryan "Tajima" Walker
Producer
Ultima Online

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For each new design, we fix many more bugs. We do both. UO grows as well as becomes more bug free. We've spent the last year and a half fixing bugs aggressively. We continue to do so. I personally worked on two new features and fixed near twenty bugs this week. The ratio is much higher than it may seem to you.

We are a live team dedicated to making the game more fun, as well as stable. You may notice some issues in the game that we do not address quickly. That's why our boards and our email contacts are available for you to report them.

Also, there is a slight difference in what you may consider a bug, a logical error, and a game balance issue.

A bug is something that does not work (ie: you can't get ingots, can't open a door, can't craft an item, can't lock down items, etc).

A logical issue is something that works, but not as intended (ie: you smelted ore and got 1 ingot instead of 2; you opened a door, but it opened the wrong way; you put on clothes, but they showed up in the wrong order). These range from minor to major. Minor logical issues are not fixed as soon as major, obviously.

A balance issue is a system functioning in a manner that outperforms/underperforms a comparative system. These are not bugs. These are possible design issues. Balance issues are touchier than the two above as they are more ambiguous. They vary per person due to their different perspectives on what the system should or shouldn't be.

-Hanse
UO Live Designer
Happy birthday to UO!

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A woman was found in Skara Brae, suffering of some unfortunate and mysterious ailment. She seemed to believe she had the souls of many other people living in her own, including the one of a man. Odd, isn't it? She was taken to the healers next door to the Falconer's Inn. They applied leeches, gathered through a walk in the swamps, and claim to have cured her of her delusions. I would like to thank Bill for this story.

Another bit of news came from my own sister Freya. It seems that as she was walking by the ranger huts right across the water from Skara, she was attacked by a large black horse. She ran down the road till she met some of the village residents, who helped her defeat the large beast. Later, she was informed that it was not a horse but a creature called a nightmare, and that she was lucky to have made it far enough to call for help. Indeed...

Last, but not least, is an interesting story which I must credit to my friend Tommy Boy. This is his report, in his very words, complete with a painting of the event.

It all started when my friends E, Overkill, and I decided to go mining for Overkill's blacksmith. We wanted to go to the Britain side of the mountain pass. My friend E cast a gate for us and when we walked through the gate, we came to a tiny island made of wood. In the center was the white gate. It was called: Bad Dream. A way off this remote island! We decided to be brave and go through it, unknowing what the result would be. We appeared at the rear entrance of the Britain graveyard, unscathed and very excited.

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Thursday at 6:30pm EST, The Syndicate will host another Craftsman Night at our castle on Arx Draconis in Trammel.

Starting at 6:30pm, gates from The Syndicate (recognized by their blue robes and distinctive 4 digit guild abbreviation, LLTS, over their heads) will be at the major banks offering rides to and from Craftsman Night.

Inside the castle will be a host of craftsman ranging from blacksmiths, carpenters, poisoners, inscriptionists and many more. They will offer you Free Repairs and also Free Item Creates (if you bring the raw materials, or you can purchase them from local vendors or vendors in town)

Craftsman Night will last until about 7:30pm EST and gates back to towns are provided! See you there.

I caught up with Genjuro of Ordo Sylvanus and asked him to help me out. His guild title, after all, is "The Wandering Sword," and his feet have touched just about every square inch of Sosaria. Genjuro accepted the commission, and took off for parts unknown. He found four or five spots for me, some relatively easy to recognize, some a little bit tricky. Then he took me and my trusty ostard Mintcup on a tour of these spots so I could scribeshoot them. I'll be posting his spots and asking, "Where's here?" all through the month of October.

The first person to correctly e-mail the co-ordinates of the spot pictured above to [email protected] wins 10K and the wild acclaim of his or her peers. Good Luck!

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What do you mean my Supplies are missing from the Hull? Screamed Capt SeaWench. I mean what I just said Capt. "Food Supplies are Finished we must dock this ship soon. A Low growl emerged from Capt SeaWenchs throat. Ill Dock her when im damn good and ready she screamed. The first mate Javis had been in this position before. There was just no reasoning with this woman from hell! But he dared not say that allowed...at least while she was in hearing distance. Javis just nodded and saluted her and left to get back on Main deck when Javis emerged from the Capt. quarters the sailors where all standing on deck. Awaiting the word to turn the Ship to Shore. Sorry boys there's no reasoning with her this time. It was long rumored among the men that Capt SeaWench was cursed with the most horrible disease amongst women. The Dreaded Reverse PMS, which meant she had only 3 good days a month. The men had known her long enough to know to stay the hell out of her way.



Arrgh" why does it have to come now one of the men shouted! Ye know why, give her another day she may come out of it replied Javis. Well we can supply up at Moonglows, whilst she sleeps murmured one of the men.

Aye that we can. But how do we make sure the Capt Stays asleep while we reload the supplies? Javis Blushed Suddenly. Err well we could draw straws to see who gets to entertain the Capt for the night, he suggested half heartily. A few Good laughs Erupted at that notion. Not that way you IDIOTS!. Javis wailed.

Just keep her mind off her problems, and the rest of the ship for a few hours during the night. Then we can sail off to Ice Island as we planned before the winter strikes us. Aye we get plenty for those walrus skins one man grinned.

Aye if we make a good Hauling we can be back safely in our home port with the wenches! So it’s agreed upon! Who's going to volunteer? I Nominate Rush shout one man. Aye shouted another there's not a braver soul amongst us!!

Rush who was tending the tiller looked up at the mention of his name. Aye and what did I ever do to you guys eh? No Grumbling now Mr. Rush Ye know you’re the only man that can sooth that savage beast. Yeah sure Ill do it but its going to cost you all Full barrel of Ale!



A short while after sun set Mr. Rush Gathered up his Lute and knocked on the Capt Door. Aye who is it came a voice from behind the door. Its I Mr. Rush. I’ve come to ease ya pain a bit Capt.. I don't think anything's going to Help me now Rush.but sure come in and try...

Has Rush opened the door the thick scent of Mandrake boiling, nearly bowled the man over. My god she must have it bad if She's going to drink that stuff Straight.

It took a few mins for Rush's eyes to adjust to the dimly lit Capt. quarter. As his eyes came in to focus he could see the Capt lounging on the bed with a Hot Water bottle pressed to her belly. Her Face Contorted in pain.

Well just don't stand there with ye damn door open, come in and shut that door.

Rush quickly closed the door behind him and said. I thought a bit of Music may easy yaw pain Sir, Then Rush quickly unpacked his lute and mumbled a curse under his breath. If it his spell doesn't work Ill hunt down that mage in moonglow and kill him first thing when I get back.

Rush began to strum his lute in earnest. Playing the melody over and over till the Capt's eyelids began to close. Then Rush changed the tempo to a more somber and peaceful melody. Thus sending Capt Seawench into a deep peaceful and pain free sleep.

A few mins had passed and Rush judged the Capt to be in a peaceful Sleep. He crept quietly from the Captains quarters and headed for the Main deck. He noticed that his fingers were bleeding badly in a few spots Arrgh! I must have been playing for a few hours Damn. We should be in Moonglow and half loaded by now. Rush quickly bandaged up his hand. They better not have forgotten me Barrel of ale this time he grumbled.

Taking the Stairs two at a time rush soon was on deck and expecting to see the ship in moonglow and Full of supplies. But instead he found a Crew of ghosts on the ship along with the Captain of the Moonglow guards Bruien

ARRGH!! What’s happened here Rush shouted. Bruien looked at Rush and said is this your ship? Nay its not, I just steer the damn thing Rush Replied. Where is your Captain? Bruien demanded. Umm... She's sleeping Sire and is not to be disturbed... Bruien then shifted his stance. Well if she's not on deck in 5 mins I’m Hauling this ship into the Impound yard and having it auctioned off to pay for these Ruffians damages. Rush visibly Paled at the thought of waking her up. Well I guess I got no choice. Rush immediately hit the stairs and slid down them. Has Rush hit the bottom Stairwell the Captains Door Flew open...What the hells going on here? And why is moonglow sitting on my Port side. Um Captain I think you had better come up on deck there seems to be a err. Disturbance. Aye ill come up those stairs she shouted at the top of her lungs...And when I get there you can bet your next pay check there's going to be a. Disturbance!

As Captain SeaWench Emerged from the Stairs to the Main Deck She was greeted by the Captain of the Guards. Bruien looked at her and asked is this your Ship? Aye it’s me damn ship and what the hells going on here?

Well Miss Its seems your Crew rowed ashore here in moonglow and got a bit Ale Happy at the Mcc Tavern. According to Reports Lord Anjin was there also drinking along with a few other MCC members, when a friendly game of darts started out. All was well for an hour or so but it seems one of the strayed Darts Struck Lord Anjins Dragon Yabu right in the back flanks. Needless to say the Dragon about Tore the Inn apart. Still cant figure out how he got that dragon threw that small door. He muttered...but that's another matter. Any how As Anjin was Calming the beast down One of your boys decided he could take the dragon and a few of his buddies jumped in and Pulled its tail. Needless to say that was your first group of ghosts.

Then Lady Victoria tried to calm everyone down and get them outside by Ejecting all the sailors from the Inn, Well to their misfortune Azroth was out there setting up his new Firecracker Collection...And one of your men just happened to be still smoking from the dragons breath.

Now according to reports the Town Folks say that they saw the flash from the Bank in moonglow. Needless to say the Inn was a total loss and a few other houses where damaged in the explosion. Now your men have been charged with disorderly conduct and will be expected to pay for the damages. And seen they where a bit grey the healer refused to help them. So I brought them all here for you to pay for the damages if you pay for the damage all charges will be dropped by the city of moonglow. The Captain stood silently for a moment and then asks. Well how much damage can some fireworks do? Well Capt. according to the Insurance Company its about 2 million dollars in lost revenues and structure damage to the inn.

Capt Seawench visibly changed in colour. A few mins later she said Ok Guard " Ill pay the fines but first give me a min with my crew.

Captain Bruien Stepped off the plank and stood on the dock of moonglow He knew this wasn't going to be a pretty sight.



Captain Seawench Glared at her crewmembers all decked out in grey robes and not a single OooO was forthcoming.

Ok ill play your little game. Ill pay the fines that you Cutthroat Ship rats ran up but ill tell ya what. Ill not pay a dime to have a single one of you rezzed!!

She screamed . And Your going to work off your debt to me as ghosts, ill Rent your sorry carcass out till the bill is paid in full! With that she turned and walked towards the plank.

Lets go Bruien Ill meet ye at the bank I can promise ya wont hear a peep from my crew for a while...

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For four years it has always loomed over the fashion world, an ever constant threat to decent, clothes-hungry citizens everywhere.
But now it is time for me to publicly warn of this danger. The vile, disgusting state of dress that can only be called: The Nude Epidemic.

A dreadful number of fellow Brittanians have chosen the path of nudity or 'nekkidness' as they call it, thus marring what would be a dazzling landscape of the finest colored fabrics with their horribly rendered bare flesh. Oh thank heavens that OSI had the sense to permanently graft undergarments or else it would truly be a grim time for us all. Not only is running around 'nekkid' a crime against our limited range of fashion, it is downright lewd and uncalled for! Also, those who run 'nekkid' often slap on hastily made garments dyed in horrible colors just to draw attention! Surely it is not too hot in our fair land that you must constantly flash the world? If your dexterity is so shot, then why not wear leather armor?! Even an all-natural set of the stuff would be a vast improvement!
It is sad to say, but I doubt that they will wise up to our discomfort anytime soon. But until a miracle happens, whenever you see one of these brazen defilers of fashion, just close your eyes or turn your head the other way. Trust me, things will get better once you do.

Fashion Tips To Live By

Men - please use discretion when wearing clothes colored true black. One covered from head to toe in the stuff does not look their best, if you catch my drift.

Women - please do not bear one's chest when wearing leather armor. You can get the same 'wenchy' effect by wearing a matching bustier without looking as tacky.

Trend Alert! What's Hot and What's Not

--Recently with the publish of the veteran rewards, we have seen a trend in gorgeously colored clothes and leather via the special and leather dye tubs. I highly recommend the special dye tub to the fashion-minded, as it has wonderful colors that were previously unattainable save by killing certain NPCs (some colors, from evil mages). The reds and the violets are simply GOREGOUS, especially when carefully matched with other colors. Also, those with more 'quirky' tastes will enjoy the metal robes and cloaks, especially fighters who desire an AR boost in any way they can get it.

--Sadly, a rather alarming trend as of late has surfaced as well: the flaunting of neon-purple sigil clothes. Not only is this to taunt OSI because they formally issued an ultimatum on them, it's to show off their exceedingly poor fashion sense! One dressed monochromatically in this color, especially with matching hair, is becoming a serious fashion crime. Although it is a mysterious and intriguing color, like the glacial neon blue, too much is well... TOO MUCH! Not to mention very illegal.
Another no-no in my book is those who dye clothes and leather to match savage tribal masks. Another case of 'too much, too ugly'! Please refrain from the singular color overkill, please.

Well that is all for now! I look forward to the next time in which I can enlighten all and try to help the masses with their fashion needs. If you have any questions about style, or are having a fashion crisis, please e-mail me!

Ciao!

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...The scroll that shows in the trade window opened by initiating a house trade doesn't look anything like a deed. Also, it will continue to show the owner and coordinates. The only difference in that display will be replacing the house name with its type.

The requirement that both parties be within 2 steps of the sign is probably good enough to prevent the house scam, but it certainly won't hurt to get an arbitrary player-input element (the house name) out of the trade window.

With these changes, there won't be any doubt about which house it is that your're actually buying.

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How do you plan to extend this to player run areas? ie. Some people have player run craft fairs in there towns, it will be impossible to create repair contracts there. Forcing them to stock up on a backpack full of service contracts in advance seems kind of silly.

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You can create them anywhere. You can only use them in an NPC blacksmith/armorer shop. The reason for this restriction is to prevent players from using them anywhere, at any time, like in the middle of a battle. The idea is that a PC blacksmith can create and trade away a contract for the services of his guild, and the NPC blacksmiths and armorers will fulfill the contract.

We chose to not allow the items to be sold on player-vendors or to take any multi-use or stackable form in order to allow small stockpiles but not allow enormous ones. We want you to still go to a blacksmith for repairs, not a blacksmith's vendor, and we don't want you to be able to store up hundreds of repair contracts.

Note that the primary aim of this system is to eliminate blacksmith repair scams. Now, you have the option -- if you don't know a blacksmith and don't want to risk losing your stuff, you can arrange for repair contracts. If you know and trust a blacksmith, you can still hand your things off to him to repair

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Why will you not be able to sell the contacts on player owned vendors?
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People like to meet other players at smithies while they get their armor & weapons repaired. It's one of the foundations of UO's in-game community. Although the "need" to meet at NPC blacksmith shops may have diminished as player housing came about, it's still a very valuable location-based service that we want to continue to prosper, and allowing players to sell these repair contracts on player vendors will likely have a very harsh impact on players who practice their smithing craft in NPC shops.

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So if someone wanted a set of armour repaired with there weapon and shield, it would take 8 of these contracts? Tunic,legs,arms,gloves,gordet,helmet,shield,weapon.
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Yes, I believe so: one repair contract per item to be repaired.

...Actually, the player wouldn't use the deed on an NPC smith, he'd use it directly on the item-to-be-repaired.

Here's the basic breakdown of the process:

- The smith double-click his smithing tool, target a blank scroll, and create the repair contract. (The smith does not have to be in an NPC shop to create the contract.)
- The smith would somehow hand off the repair contract to his customer (probably with a secure trade window)
- The customer may, at any time after the contract transaction, enter an NPC blacksmith or armorer shop and double-click her repair deed. The customer will then target the item-to-be-repaired, and repair it a certain degree.

Since customers who will be using these contracts need to go to NPC shops, and you can't sell the contracts through NPC vendors, I think blacksmiths of various levels still have a reason to congregate in NPC blacksmith shops to practice their trade.

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We will be performing an unscheduled maintenance at 3:00 PM CDT today for the AOL Legends, Siege Perilous and Oceania shards. We anticipate the downtime to be no more than an hour. This maintenance period will take the place of Oceania’s normal Wednesday morning maintenance (Oceania local time).

Great questions! I think I know the answer to one off the top of my head...


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3. Oh and do you plan on implementing these bulk order deeds to say scribing or alchemy.. since I'm assuming you did say tailoring and other's skills...

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Initially, it will only be blacksmithing. It may be possible to introduce similar systems much later on for other skills, but that's not something we plan on implementing right now. Before we can even think about expanding the concept to other skills, we'll need to keep an eye on how the blacksmithing bulk orders go, and decide what adjustments might be made with it first.

I'll see if I can find you some answers to the other questions

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About how much would the deed cost
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Probably around 50 gp or so. Not much. But we can't give them away free or people would build towers of them on top of the bank just because they could

In reply to:
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Will these deeds be blessed.
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Absolutely.

In reply to:
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Good points. One I'd like to see addressed is can we sell a "filled" deed on our vendors?
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Tentatively, yes. That is to say, I'm not going to special-case them to not be sellable on vendors (like the repair contracts) unless some unforseeable problem with doing that crops up.

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This Thursday (the 27th), begining from 20.00 (CET) We welcome everyone to drink and have merry to Cove tavern night. So doth come to enjoy and perhaps take part to knife throwing competition, to determin this week's champion.

The tavern is located North of Cove on the Trammel facet. More detailed map can be found at http://cove.rper.org/.

I hope I see thou there Traveller,
Gaveston Family

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IMPY'S ARTIC FAIRE…

Weekly auctions will be held Wednesday and Thursday evenings at 9pm by the Eastern Sky.

This week Impy's would like to remind everyone that we have a new event coming up…and we NEED special fishing nets for it! If you'd like to sell yours cheep, or just give them away, we'd be happy to relieve you of the burden of them.

This week offers a WONDERFUL selection of rares and armor. Coal Ingots, Ore and Gorget, Pink Champaign Bottles, Valentines Bag, a Full 97 Holiday Bag, Naught Bag, 3 Joined Locked Picks, Clothing Blessed Deeds, Newbie Tickets, Light Fur, Leather Dye Tub, a FULL SET of First Year Statues, several Pixie Statues, several Plants, some Odd Colored Ingots, Colored Muffins, a Fruit Basket, Ranger Sandals and Blessed Black Sandals, several Bells, Full Jars, a full set of Daemon Bone Armor, rare Orange Armor (from ticket system) and a Gold Box. There are many GREAT vanquish weapons, including: a short spear, bows and axes. Also several wonderful armor pieces of invulnerability.

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.

If you need a rune visit one of our rune vendors located through out the lands. Vendors can be found at: Star's Shoppe (out side Vesper in Trammel), next door to the RD Stables (in Felucca), on the porch of the Sandlewood Box Inn (in Felucca), Cove Merchant's Guild and Blacksmith Shoppe (located just at the front gate of Cove in Felucca), the Mystic Rose (in the wooded glen in Trammel), the Garden City Mall (located just north of Cove in Trammel), or at Krista's Ranger Station (in Felucca).

~Impy's Staff

www.impys.net

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A method for increasing the security of house trading will implemented.

House transfer procedures will continue as normal, with the following modifications:

• The deed in the trade window which represents the house-to-be-traded will no longer list the house's name, but will instead list the house type
• Both the buyer and seller must both be within two paces of the house sign in order to initiate the trade

Players are invited to comment on this concept on our message boards, here.

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New items known as "commodity deeds" will give players the opportunity to transport and trade resources, of sizes that were previously unable to be held within a character's backpack, with greater ease and security than before.

Listed below are some additional details:

• These contracts will appear in the form of a silvery-hued deed
• When first created, commodity deeds will be empty and hold no items
  • Empty commodity deeds will be labeled as "an unfilled commodity deed"
• The commodity deed may be filled by double-clicking the deed, then targeting an applicable item
  • The target item must be of a stackable type (ex. logs, ingots, or Mandrake Root)
  • The target item must be within the targeting character's bank box
• Commodity deeds can only be filled once
  • Attempts to re-fill a used commodity deed will display: "To claim the resources represented by this deed, drop it into your bank box."
  • Used commodity deeds will be labeled as "a filled commodity deed," along with a second notation in the form of " : "
• Players may "cash in" a commodity deed by dropping it into her character's bank box
  • The "cashed in" commodities will appear in a stack in the bank box

Players are invited to comment on this concept on our message boards, here.

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One of the cornerstones of Ultima Online is the activity of players sharing items with other players in order to obtain repairs for their armor and weapons. A supplement to these transactions will now exist in the form of "repair service contracts".

Listed below are some additional details:

• These contracts will appear in the form of a deed
  • The contracts will be labeled as "a repair service contract from a [level] blacksmith," where [level] is the skill level title of the smith which has created the contract (i.e. apprentice, journeyman, expert, adept, master, or grandmaster, as appropriate).
• Characters with the blacksmith skill will be able to create the repair service contracts by performing the following steps:
  • Use a smithing tool as normal
  • Choose the "Repair" option from the menu that appears
  • Target a blank scroll. The scroll must be within the blacksmith's backpack.
  • The repair service contract will appear in the creating character's backpack.
• Blacksmiths will not gain skill by creating these contracts
• These items cannot be sold on player vendors
• Characters must be standing in an NPC blacksmith or armorer shop in order to use a repair service contract, as follows:
  • Double-click the repair service contract
  • Target the item-to-be-repaired
  • The used repair service contract will disappear after use

Note that the current blacksmithing repair methods will not be removed. Blacksmiths will still be able to gain skill by repairing items directly.

Players are invited to comment on this concept on our message boards, here.

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Whew! I came back from the morning's meetings to see a novel or two. :) I'd like to respond to the idea that seemed to be on a couple of different people's minds: Why has such a seemingly simple fix been avoided for multiple years? Well, the answer will probably be less than satisfactory, but I'll give it anyway. The composition of the dev team have changed dramatically more than once over that time period. Several times, in fact.

Every time we bring a new person onto the team, it takes them some "ramp up" time to get acclimated to the code and the development environment. It's not a simple matter of "plugging in a new programmer" and watching him write code. All of you coders out there know that. Especially when dealing with something like UO that has many hundreds of thousands of lines of code, it usually takes a couple of months to become fairly productive.

Up until very recently, the development team has been reasonably small. So take a small team of people that changes composition often, and add in a substantial "ramp up" time, and you find very often that you don't have a lot of manpower for anything other than battling lag monsters, hackers, exploiters, etc.

Fortunately, as I've mentioned in my last couple of comments from the team, we have more resources than ever before. This means that we can attend to issues that are important, but not "mission critical" now, when we didn't always have that option in the past.

And yes, we do hear your comments. The people on this thread feel that better implementation of the title system should be a priority.

(Oh, and to respond to SneakyTommy's other comment, I haven't posted much in the past, this is true. I've been with the development team for about 18 months, but I'm not usually the type to enjoy having a spotlight on him. However, I realize it's too important for me to take that luxury, so I think I need to become a lot more active on the boards.)

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Hail dark friends,

The Wizards of old have asked that we Guardians protect and insure their safe return to Sosaria.

My duties as Guardian call upon me to protect the lich of our lands.
I must prevent those that would destroy these magnificent elders for a handful of gold and fame.

If you wish to hunt the beasts of Wind and Shame, be sure to don the blood-drenched scarf, or thee shall meet thy doom in a flurry of metal and magic!

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

www.game-master.net

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We will be releasing a client patch on Tuesday, September 25th at approximately 2:30 pm CDT. This patch contains a fix for a data error, and does not contain any gameplay changes.

NOTE: As there are no executable changes contained in this patch, the in-game version numbers will not change, and should still read 3.0.4p (2D client) and 3.0.4p Build 77 (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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Pax Lair is having their weekly adventure night on Thursday the 27th of September starting at 9pm est. For those who do not know of Pax Lair, we are a player run town in Felucca. If you need a lift, I, Lord Roland, will be at the Shattered Skull Tavern in Skara Brae just west of the Bank, giving gates to town starting at 8pm est. There will be a chance to stop at a bank and gather any other equipment you may need before we hit our final destination. This is in Fel so remember, pack light(Don't bring anything you don't want to lose)! Hope to see you there.

Lord Roland
Bard of Pax Lair

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Yes, that's it! You heard right! Casino!

The only active one on Chessie!

Every Thursday at 8pm, the casino will be open! Bets will be made! Money WILL be won!! You can't win unless you're there.

A 500 bet limit is placed. However, if a high roller is on a streak, I may be able to let him roll on! :)

Games will be explained, plus, if any players has a fair game, I might consider playing it!

Mages, bring your reagents! Several times a night, I might challenge one of you to a summoning duel! Summon random Animals and fight. To the winner goes the money!

How do you get to Corwyn? http://www.chessienet.com/corwyn/maps.htm has a map! The event will be held in the CBR Brewery on the top floor, back room. I open it once a week, and only for this occassion! This IS A Feluccan event, but Trammelfolk are very welcome too! I will be opening gates back to the bank in case you're overflowing with profit.

Wait! Did I forget the door prize? 20k worth of gold (not a huge amount, but still! If you win, why worry if you're going to go broke gaming?!) to a random player who is there BEFORE 8. Easy Money for walking in, and easy money for playing!

If you have any questions, send me an email or a pigeon at 46788591 and feel free to ask :) I'll be glad to help.

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….The fact is people will try to maximize skill gains whichever way possible. Our goal here is not to remove power gamers from the game. In fact we fully recognize that as one of many different play styles that coexists within the realm of UO. There is NO "use based" skill gain system that can be devised that will allow casual to average players from gaining skill easily but prevent power gamers from gaining. In fact such a system is un-ethical in some respects since it prevents the power games from playing the way they want to.

There has been a lot of talk here about forcing the player to be online to gain skill. That is no solution as they are just as likely to be running some macro running which will keep them online and hoping they don’t get caught.

In fact one of the problems with suspending the clock while your offline is that you will decrease the effectiveness of this solution for the casual to average player. As we said we define the casual player as someone who plays once to twice a week for a about a total of 4 hours. With the suspension approach it could very well be likely that he not gain any skill during a week period while with the other system he will. On the other hand you haven’t decreased the effectiveness of the system for the power gamer at all as they are likely more then willing to hang around in game waiting for their skill timer to go off.

So if your goal is to make it harder for the casual player to gain skill then yes, it would probably be better to suspend the timer while offline. But that’s almost the complete opposite of what this system is designed for.

Anyway I realize I have just scratched the surface of this topic and I’m sure we will continue the debate on it for some time to come.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY UO! WOOOOOHOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Prophet
Lead Programmer

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Please keep in mind that way back when the original game systems were being developed, no one really recognized that a title system would manage to achieve the significance that it has. As a result, it wasn't constructed in such a way that it was easily scalable. Over the years some additions have been made, but in order to make a solid system it would be preferable to rewrite it from scratch. It's a bit more complicated than you might realize, but by no means impossible. It's really more a matter of finding some development "free time" when we're not battling an endless number of higher priorities.

That said, we have indeed looked into fixing/changing the title system. Several members of the dev team have expressed an interest in working on it, and of course numerous players have posted their ideas for a title/nobility system in the past.

and his comment on establishing the priority of the title display system:

Please don't assume that because a title system isn't the "top" priority, that this makes it a "low" priority. This is not true. My post said that we have had to deal with issues that had a higher priority than a title system. Sometimes the necessities of keeping the game running produce an unfortunate drain on our resources. And you are also right that we understand how things like title systems are important, especially to RP-ers. In fact, as I mentioned in an earlier post, several of the dev team members are quite interested in working on the title system. I'm being honest when I say that we really are looking at trying to find the time to repair the title system, hopefully expanding the capabilities and utility of it at the same time. There are an awful lot of people playing UO, but we do try to look upon everyone's opinions as being valuable. Obviously, we can't possibly accomodate the requests of that many people all at once. But we will try to assign priorities as best we can. That's why threads like this one are so useful. They help us to get a good feel for how many people are interested in any given subject or feature.

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….you can only have up to two barkeeps in any particular building….

…. barkeeps will not trigger another barkeeps responses

and more:

…if the owner of the barkeep wants to choose keywords that are uncommon, that's his choice. But many people use more common words like "hi," "hail," "news" or even the name of the barkeep.

If you use "news," which is convenient because it's a word they all currently use, you'll get both the scenario new in the bottom left of your screen and your custom news above the barkeep's head. A tip to the barkeep works in a similar fashion.

Normally, when you say the name of the barkeep it turns to look at you. However, if you use the barkeep's name as a kepword it won't turn, it will only reply with the keyword-triggered phrase.

I like to "string" my keyphrases together. So, for example, I might have a dialogue situation like:

You: (give the barkeep a tip)
Barkeep: Thanks for the tip! It reminds me of the tip "badbart_sonoma" gave "Cuffs86"

You: badbart_Sonoma
Barkeep: He's the jolly fellow who enjoys posting messages, especially in reply to "Calandryll"

You: Cuffs86
Barkeep: He had some interesting notes for "Calandryll" about barkeeps.

You: Calandryll
Barkeep: Calandryll enjoys giving advice about barkeeps to "badbart_sonoma" and "Cuffs86"

Granted, my barkeep dialogue isn't that sophisticated yet, but perhaps as players develop certain standard keyword conventions, we can adapt to make the "conversations" seem more lively.

=========
Sannio
Online Community Coordinator, UO
Origin Systems

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Below 70 skill, blacksmiths can be offered bulk deeds of items that would give them skill gains. This allows them to be focused on helping out the blacksmith, breaking up monotony, and getting a reward for their toils. The small bulk deeds do not give out any of the high-end rewards. They do not request exceptional or hued items.

The deeds of 70 skill and above are random and do not focus on skill gain. They are for the veteran players (although, it does not focus on only high-end rewards). There is a chance for exceptional quality, specific ore type, and either a small deed or large deed type. The more difficult orders give out better rewards.

So, the bulk order deeds are for all blacksmiths.

-Hanse
UO Live Designer
Happy birthday to UO!

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Swordsman pitted against swordsman, in a battle of strategy and endurance*

The town of Destiny presents this Swordsmanship Tournament Friday, October 5 at 7:30 CDT/8:30 EST at the Destiny mage tower.

Gates provided from Needful Things Provisioner in Jhelom, Felucca at 7:15 CDT (168°45'N 7°48'E)

Entry fee: 100 gold pieces per contestant

Combatants are asked to come with empty packs. Each contestant will be snooped and asked to store any items not allowed in the tournament in a secure container in the Mage Tower. All combat materials will be made available before the tournament.

The Rules:

1. No magic, poison, shields or use of potions not supplied before the tournament. This is strictly a swordsmanship duel.

2. A exceptional quality sword of choice (no axes), a full suit of GM studded leather, a helmet, 5 greater healing potions, and 20 bandages will be supplied to each combatant. Nothing else maybe used in combat.

3. Duels will take place in a small 8x8-tile ring. Leaving the ring means the combatant forfeits the fight.

4. Supplies will not get replenished after each battle. Each combatant will have to judge when to use bandages or potions and go without once they are used up. Combatants will be healed and refreshed after each duel. Food will be made available to combatants before and between fights also.

5. Duels are single elimination and to the death.

The Prizes:

First place prize will be a full suit of Valorite Platemail, a new weapon of choice, a magic shield, 500 of each reagent and a check for 5,000gp. Second place winner will be given a magic shield and check for 5,000gp.

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Dear Britannians,

This Wednesday, September 26th, there shall be an Archaeological Expedition into one of the feared dungeons of our land. This expedition is a search for knowledge pertaining to an artifact recovered by another such quest held earlier in the year. The details of the continuing quest of this artifact may be found here: The Statues of the Shadow Lords
Although this is a continuing quest, new comers to the story will not find themselves left out, and will hopefully enjoy this expedition as much as attendees to previous ones have. That said, the assistance of the many brave citizens of Britannia is crucial for any expedition to succeed, as the perils of the dungeons where often artifacts and secrets are found are great, and each sword, spell, and song given in the aid of Britannia brings us closer toward success.

Any and all are welcome to join in this quest, which shall begin at 9pm Central Time, Wednesday September 26th, and shall gather at the North Eastern Lyceaum Classroom in Moonglow.
Any questions regarding the quest may be sent to me, Aine Blackwood. Again, I urge anyone who wishes to participate in a quest for the cause of Britannia to attend.
Thank you.
Lady Aine Blackwood
3rd Seat, Yew and Justice
High Council of Britannia

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I am very proud to announce that PandoraRosesFellRuneLib has a new home in Corwyn, actually only a couple of screens from my old location.

The coordinates are 71°6'S, 26°51'W, a few steps from the Farm/Temple of Corwyn. ICQ me at 108794040, if you would like a rune as I need to mark a lot of them. And as always, if ANYONE has ANY runes that I don't have, ICQ me! I will pay you well for the trouble of getting it and letting me put it in my Library!

Also, I need Player Run Vendor House runes, though I will not pay for these. I will lock them down in my book and you will get a bit more business for your shop.

Come on out and give it a look. Let's keep Felucca alive, people! :)

Pandora Rose

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Dear fellow Sosarians,

I write to you all as a people. Not as a lass, nor a guilded brotherhood, but as one. For countless years, you have been manipulated by what you consider to be your "virtues". The virtues that the kingdom of Britannia hosts are wicked, spineless, and full of lies. No path consisting of these virtues is righteous. There is no specific path one can follow to attain inner-peace. You must adjust your actions according to your daily influences to do this. But I have spoken too much already.

Citizens of Sosaria. I plead to you. Discard these so-called virtues of this kingdom and realize the truth. They are a lie, look at them and you will see. Join us in our struggle to bring this fact to the light. Join the Outlaws of Sosaria in our quest to rid the world of these beacons of the greedy and heartless. I will speak no more, but I will convey my beliefs in the streets and in the fields of battle. The blood of many will spill, but the lives of so many more will be spared if they simply realize this truth. Farewell, I pray that I do not have to meet you in battle.

Lerris
General of O*S Forces
Vesper Region

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The Society of Archers (S|A) Baja Chapter, sponsors of last April's Archers Faire, are pleased to announce that it will be holding the first, of the soon to be monthly, "Best Shot in the Realms" Contest. We had a similar contest at the Archers Faire, and everyone seemed to really enjoy it. This time we are upping the stakes...with a purse of over 100,000gp!

The Archery Event will be held this Sunday (Sept. 30) at the Skara Brae Fairgrounds in Trammel. Signups for the Contest begin at 7:30pm EST (4:30pm PST), with the first round to begin soon thereafter. For those not fortunate enough to have seen the Fairgrounds, we will have S|A Archers providing gates at Britain West Bank (Trammel), Bank of Vesper (Trammel) and at the S|A Baja Chapter House, for 15 minutes 'til the hour.

The event is free for all Archers. All non-magical bows or crossbows are permitted. If time permits we will have a special "Beat the S|A Round" with a Heavy Crossbow of Vanquishing up for grabs. Some come one come all this Sunday Archers, and see if you truly are... the "Best Shot in the Realms."

Theoran
Head of Baja Chapter
Society of Archers S|A

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The stinky, friendly fishers of the Fishing Council of Britannia (FCB) are beginning a new public service for the citizens of Great Lakes. With inspiration from our Baja FCB fishing brethren, we have established a fleet of free ferries throughout the realm. Our stalwart new boatswains, Frederick and Franklin, will be maintaining a free ferry for public use in each of the following Trammel towns: Britain, Maginica, Moonglow, Vesper, Skara Brae, and Minoc . Look for our ships at the docks (the plank will be down) in these fine communities. Minoc's boat will be west of Town Hall. Our thanks to the noble Franklin & Frederick, who procured the fleet as well. Our swains will keep the boats refreshed, and sail them back to home port as needed.

Use these sailing vessels for improving your fishing, taking your date out for a Sunday sail, or just to learn the allure of the sea. Please leave a note in the book in the hold and let us know if you enjoyed it.

More information on this service, and information on sailing and fishing, can be found at http://www.thefcb.com

~ Gem, Capt. Great Lakes FCB

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I would like to thank all Players that have been coming by at the Red Devil Auctions. This is a weekly event, so please continue coming. Our auction that just passed was a great success. Numerous rares were sold, as well as virtue weapons, plants, armor, etc. The Staff would like to thank The Burning Heart Guild for pulling the Guard Duty, You all have done a wonderful job. Keep it up.

Our next Auction will take place on Tuesday the 25th, 8:30 pm CST/9:30pm EST. Submission items will be taken on the Monday before the Auction, at the same time. We also will take submissions one hour before our Auction starts on Tuesday night.

The Tower is located at these coordinates; 34o43N/44o51E, or a brisk 5 minute walk from the east side of Brit. You may also find runes to the Tower at the Cover Merchant Guild {Felucca} just outside the Cove gate inside the house, the vendors name is Kerry, also at the Acadian Provisioners and Rares Museum {Felucca}, south from the city of Yew, to the first clearing west of the road, the vendors name is Dewey. As always the {GLV} Guardians of Light and Virtue will be handling all aspects of the Auction, as well as The Burning Heart Guild will be handling the Guard Duty.

Come on out and enjoy a nice evening, meeting old friends and making new aquaintances.

Rattler {GLV}

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I’m auctioning these Holiday Rares to help victims of the September 11 attacks. Please ICQ, email, and/or post your bids.

*5 Firework Wands
*5 Predicting Crystal Balls
*5 Jaana's Hangover Remedies
*5 Commemorative Plates
*5 Commemorative Coins
*5 Anniversary Bags
*6 Whispering Roses
*6 Pink Champagne

NOTE: Do NOT send ANY money to me. The winning bidder will send money to the legit organization (Red Cross, United Way, etc.) of his or her choice. All I require is proof of your donation before I give you the items. You can scan the receipt or cashed check or just anything that proves you really donated the money. (But keep your receipt for a tax write-off.)

Thank you,

Laura – ICQ 18509189
e-mail [email protected]
AOL IM FeeriqueChanson

P.S. – I doubt it needs to be said, but this is real life currency only.

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New comic is out, this one's called Suiting Up. Some of the older players will probably identify with this, before the changes to Blacksmithing this was fairly common. May still be.

You can find it any many others at:

http://www.outofcharacter.com

Enjoy!

-Arak

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The epic narration of Crudely Drawn Warrior contines in episodes #3 and #4.

http://superguild.homestead.com/CrudelyD3.html

http://superguild.homestead.com/CrudelyD4.html

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In the event Comedy:
1st-Ballderk aka Xzzy
2nd-Trick Daddy
3rd-Black Widow

Race event:
1st-Kosi
2nd-Zidaine
3rd-Loki

Tournement:

Tied for Third Seg Sequtorio
Amy

Tied for First
Cat'trina
Britney

I would like to personally thank the workers involved in pulling this off.

From the guild Angels of Mercy
Victoria's Secret
watcher
Tarak
Morph

From the guild House of Spanking
Scarlett Arrow
NOVA

From the guild Guardian Warriors of Destiiny
Torous
Delilah
Conrad

From the Wolf Pack
Kiernan

From no guilds
Robert
Magneto
Joan aka Aboo on the UO.com boards

From Warcry:
Moll
And from Stratics:
FatherGanja

It has been my distinct pleasure to work with these people, they are truely unselfish and caring people. This is not the first endeavor they have helped LS players on. Most were tailors or Cupids for the Valentines Giveaway. Most were present At last years Halloween Contest. They even added prizes yesterday, and every event they work, so they don't just donate their time they donate items of value as well.

Most of them I have known for my entire time in UO. They are the best of the best. They make Lake Superior a superior shard by their involvement and caring. Lake Superior has been blessed by having players of this caliber.

Guys: you are the best, Thank you all.

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Hardly initially on UO-Europe and published by UOWorld then also in the news, I [Slagdale] became witness yesterday live and in color of the first Bagball-game on DF !

As a ground the harvested wheat field was chosen near Skara Brae and Anselm Pechan [Landlord "To the boozing troll"] as well as to Redwood O`Culoch [Barkeepers "Blackmore`s Tavern"] set up the ground as the rules described it. This aroused also at the same time the attention of the mayoress of Skara Brae and Lady Alisha Truesong watched the event with a sharp eye from there on.
Hardly the ground was accomplished, when by magic gate trip also the two teams along with fans ran in the "stadium" and convened around Redwood, that performed the task of the referee.



Shortly the rules were synchronized once more, the fans were banished to the edges of the ground and already the "ball" was unlocked. In the red shirts the brotherhood of the light [BdL] grabbed the ball also fast to itself under their team leader Anselm and started the first attack on the Opposing Gate. This was clearly not in the sense of the guild for Miner [G*M] and Tedrik gathered fast his "blue" team to a strong defense, around the aims of the ones "red" to foil.



So the game surged back and forth and at the beginning one noticed the players were quite unexperienced in the contact with the "ball". So it lasted quite long until the BdL could achieve the first point for itself. But after that a quite uproarious fight of the two teams which included defense job hard as stone, counterattacks swift as an arrow, row-similar scenes and a lot of fun for all participants as well as spectators followed.
Finally at the fair end of the game it stood to 4:1 for those [BdL] and Lady Truesong could not be taken it to pronounce their cordial thanks to all person present and in particular the two teams. She even promised, for the case of a repetition, to bring the whole thing before the court of the city and to attempt to set up an official team for Skara Brae.



After this official part most people collected still for a small celebration, for fun and in joy, to end this event among friends !

Here once more the original rules:
"The game is played on a pitch approximately 23 paces long, 15 paces wide. It has a half-way line marked as well as two goal posts approximately 5 paces located at each end of the pitch. The game is played by two teams, each team comprising of four players. The 'ball' is a bag containing a large number of logs, so many that it is impossible to carry, but it is possible to drag and throw the bag short distances. The game starts with both teams on opposite sides of the pitch, near their own goal. The ball is placed at the centre of the half-way line, and both teams are then given the signal, after which play begins and both teams lunge toward the centre line, hoping to keep the bag on the opposition's side of the pitch as much as possible. Goals are scored by throwing the bag over the oppositions goal-line, having first thrown it on the line itself. This gives the opportunity for players to clear the bag before it is thrown over for a goal. A referee should be nominated, someone neutral to both teams, to confirm goals, judge foul-play, and decide when play begins and ends."

These were applied also for the DF-game. However, they should be expanded by following rules:
Two semitimes à 5 or 10 minutes [according to number of the games at the evening].
No spells or allowed potions.
PS: A big "thank you" onto the inventors of this humorous pastime as well as the organizers [especially Anselm] for this premiere of yesterday :-)

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The Shattered Crystal Network closes it's doors.

Effective today the Shattered Crystal Network www.shatteredcrystal.com is closing it's doors. Almost all of the 26 sites in the network will be integrated into the one site that started it all. www.markeedragon.com.

The following sites will remain on their own and will not be integrated:

Age of Camelot
Black Dagger
FreeGameCam
UO Powergamers

This is a sad day as several of the sites so many volunteers spent hundreds of hours of time on are closing. But with Internet ad revenues declining below 10 cents per thousand impressions it is just not possible to support a large network.

www.markeedragon.com will continue to support UO as well as many other MMORPGs. We look forward to your continued patronage and support in the future.

God Bless America,

Marcus Eikenberry A.K.A. Markee Dragon

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It was with much fear I made my way into the city. Drow, Vampires, Humans even a troll walked freely in the streets.

I made my way through the twisting and winding roads, following directions I had receieved earlier. Finally I found what I was looking for, The Den of Debauchery and Sin... Naeloths infamous brothel.

There were rumours that a tournament was to take place that night, one of magic and summoning. I made my way in and sat in the corner, many exotic woman roamed the brothel, and might I add, what they wore did not leave much to the imagination!

Eventually the keeper of this establishment - Adiss appeared and spoke. There was indeed to be contest tonight, one where with ten attempts at summoning a creature you must conjure the most hideous and foul beasts you could muster.

Early in the tournament, Lord Xirzin De'Muz - the Drow ruler of Naeloth - took the lead with summoning four dark and foul monsters. He looked like he would easily win the tournament, but another Drow, Menel Ithilkir another high ranking lord of Naeloth managed to summon forth five foul denizens!

The contest was over as the Drow won, and quickly finishing my ale I made my way outside. As I left the city I heard the clash of steel and the chants of magical spells... I shudder to think what had happened afterwards.

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The 50K bounty smitten w love placed on KMSEMPERFI has already been won. Last night, a contestant named Ciraj came out of nowhere and beat KMSEMPERFI in the first round. Well done, Ciraj! As for KMSEMPERFI, no one is particularly worried that we have seen the last of him. I fully expect to see him back owning the pits next week. Owning the pits can almost be called his career at this point.

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Congratulations to Multani, Tassleholf and Black Rider for their outstanding teamwork.
Each of them received 40k gold each.

-XGod (GM of HE)

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Do you like to drink?
Do you like to either make up tales or listen to them?
Do you a have a tale from the past before the worlds separated? Or per chance you are a bard and have tales to tell.

All are welcome but PLEASE STABLE YOUR PET BEFORE COMING.

The Dragon Tavern will be having its second and now weekly story telling night on Wednesday, 9-26-01 at 7PM PST.
The prizes are 10K for first place and 5K for second.

Gates will be sent to Vesper Bank (Tram) prior to the event.
Dragon Tavern is located on ice Island at: 87o53’N 164o41’W

Wolf of Evermore
ICQ: 39012719 for more information.

Your humble servant,
Raeven Aurora

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The Atlantic Forum was designed to give players an opportunity to interract with each other, gather information and share their concerns about anything dealing with the Atlantic Shard. Interested in checking it out? Then stop by and take a read of some of our current threads and join in the fray! You can find the Atlantic Forum here: UO Stratics Atlantic Forum

New to the forums? A FAQ has been created to get you on the road to sharing your thoughts on a multitude of subjects. You can find that FAQ here: Frequently Asked Questions

See you on the boards!

At 9:30 p.m. EST in West Verity, at the Moonglow Town Council Headquarters of Trammel, William Smit IV will be executed publically. After the reading of the charges against him for which he is guilty, and his sentence will be carried out by Militiamen of the MTC. His body will be permanently destroyed, and the link from his spirit to it will be severed by fire.

Seating is limited, and once full we will accomodate standing room. Orcs and members of the Order of the Ebon Skull may not attend. Militia will be present in full force to see that the Execution goes smoothly, and will attack en masse should any dissenter or enemy of the state appear.

Additionally, the execution may be a slow process. Those with weak stomaches and small children are asked not to attend or be in the immediate vicinity (due the smell).

Regards,
Mayor GreyPawn
Moonglow Town Council

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Thank you all for attending the Lost Soldiers of Darkness Tournament. And what a turnout it was.

After a 3 1/2 hour tournament, Tusk was declared the winner. The final (Championship) round was a long, but interesting one. The combatants stopped the match and agreed to split the prize. They were informed that their must be a winner, so they continued to fight.

After another 20 minutes of, seemingly, no advantage to either contestant, they again agreed to stop the match. In a show of equal respect, Spencer double forfeited himself leaving Tusk the winner. In return, Tusk paid Spencer an agreed sum of money and kept all the prize winnings.

Congradulations to Tusk and Spencer. For a fight well done, and for showing respect towards each other in their agreement.

Any contestants that have not picked up their per-round-winnings, please icq the Tournament Icq. Tusk, when you are available, I have your vet reward.

Good Job, All....

Tentative for next Saturday:
2vs2 Team Tournament. See the LSD PvP site for updates.
LSD Tournament Website

Retribution
LSD Tournament Staff
Contact LSD

Your humble servant,
Raeven Aurora

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We received this announcement from Aranlindale of the Spiritwood Tavern:

This Sunday, September 23rd, the Spiritwood Tavern will host another Lottery. It will start at 9pm cet (8pm gmt). The grand prize is 100.000 gold pieces!

You can buy keys from the vendor outside the Tavern, but you need to register the keys with Aranlindale, by telling him your number(s) by choosing a number consisting of three digits and each digit ranging from 1 to 3. Aranlindale will be available from about 7pm cet or ya catch him around town. The keys cost 1000 gold pieces each. One person cannot buy more than two however. Perhaps that number will be the lucky number... Please try to buy one before Sunday. Good luck everyone!

You can find the Spiritwood Tavern if you follow these directions: If you start at the Skara Brae docks right outside town, go east. Take the second road to your right (south) (at a crossroads). Keep going south until the road turns eastwards. Keep following it and you will end up in Spiritwood. From the end of the road, go a little to the northeast and you'll see two large brick houses. The eastern one is the Spiritwood Tavern. The sextant coordinates are: 65S 27W and we are on Felluca. If there are questions, please go to the #spiritwood IRC channel on the irc.stratics.com server or mail me at [email protected].

I hope to see you all there!

Aranlindale, Spiritwood Tavern Barkeeper

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While exploring UO posts, we discovered these possible spoilers here. These changes were included in the last patch (Build 77).

I did not follow UO2, but I understand from MyUO Discussion posters that the “Clockwork Overseer” and the “Clockwork Minions” are UO2 style. Also, I’ve read from many posts that the new area is already in each shard, but is not accessible yet.

All of this looks exciting and different… where or not you may agree with using futuristic style monsters in a medieval fantasy.

But, we should not assume too much. Just because graphics and text have been downloaded in a patch doesn’t guarantee they will be in the game. We know there are graphics in the files that haven’t been “turned on.”

It’s still fun to speculate!

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….A lot of stuff that would normally be in a cliloc (a patch) is being done server side. There is a lot to this scenario that players have not discovered and can't until its in the game since it's not something we are patching to them. Plus, even if you do see a cliloc message or a monster, the story behind them and their powers/abilities are still not known in advance. Some things have to be patched, but messages from an item (like orc masks) don't have to be, so this time, we did it server side.

Jonathan "Calandryll" Hanna
Designer, Ongoing Content
a wizard did it

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Nocsaal rose slowly from the writhing mass of serpents, which lay across his entire lair like a living carpet. A multitude of scales reflecting the brazier’s dim light, casting eerie shadows all around. His eyes glowing pale green as he floated menacingly towards a stone platform in the centre of the vast cavern.
“I have awoken!” His voice resonated through the underground passageways, shaking the ancient rock walls. Stalactites broke loose from their ancient bindings, before landing upon the writhing mass beneath and being carried away like a ship on a scaly sea.
Nocsaal began to laugh, a deep guttural sound that chilled Nyeel to the bone. Fear broke her concentration, and the image became misty for a brief moment, before disappearing completely. The surface of the crystal ball once again merely reflected the candlelight and the grim decorations within the small wagon around her.

Nyeel gathered her flowing dress with both hands, before dancing happily outside into the cool evening air. She was too young to understand the significance of her visions, and had yet to discover that what she saw was reality, not just images of fantasy created by her own imagination. Soon it would be her 9th birthday, it was not common that gypsy folk who had the gift could draw visions before the age of 20, but Nyeel had seen that which others cannot since birth.

Growing up as a gypsy had offered her freedom which many other children born to townsfolk in Britannia could not dream of. Her home was a wagon, shared with only her father since her mother had died during childbirth. This had affected her father deeply, and his attitude towards Nyeel has always hinted at an inner resentment. She had relied on the kindness of other gypsy families that they travelled with to bring her up correctly, and in particular Volmaa, who at 87 was one of the oldest members of their group. Volmaa found Nyeel playing alone in a thicket close to their temporary camp.

“Hello there Nyeel” She spoke with a soft kindness, she loved Nyeel as if she was her own, the daughter she never had.
“Volmaa!” Nyeel rushed up, dusted her skirt off and embraced the old lady tightly around the waist.
“Come to my wagon Nyeel, I shall prepare a warm drink for you.”

The two gypsies sat down, the wagon was always warm, and richly decorated with shining trinkets and rare oddities collected during years of travel.

”I have brought you here for a reason” Volmaa said as she poured some liquid into a wooden bowl, before handing it to Nyeel who was perched on a small stool nearby.
“Have you been having any more day-dreams?”
Nyeel nodded, glancing at the crystal ball which sat on a small table nearby.
“Of the snake man?”
Nyeel nodded again, showing a brave face despite the fear this subject brought to her.
“Do not be afraid” Said Volmaa, placing a hand upon the young child’s knee. “It is a gift, not something to be afraid of. In fact, I too have dreamed of this man.”
“You have!” Cried Nyeel, delighted at the news.
“Aye, and he has spoken to me directly. He has told me that he will present a trial, a challenge, to the people of Britannia.”

Nyeel sat upright, excitedly listening to the story.

”Ah sweet child, I’m afraid I only have a small message to convey, I was told but one sentence..” Volmaa smiled.

“The journey shall begin in a town of fighters, deeper still, within the house of the dead, a body shall reveal the beginning, a mind shall reveal the end.”

“I will take this information to those who need it Nyeel, but if this man does come to you in your dreams, do not fear him, for fear doth feed his powers”.

Nyeel nodded, still smiling. It was such a relief that Volmaa had seen him, people would listen to her stories and take heed of the words she reveals. The old lady motioned for Nyeel to leave her now, as she began to scribe the message given unto her. Volmaa smiled a toothy grin as Nyeel left, but as soon as the door was closed, a grim look passed over her. She already knew too much.

Nocsaal had awoken.

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Unfortunately, due to ISP issues last night, I was unable to complete the Lightbringer Academy Open House.

Rather than wait even longer (such as next week), I've decided to have it again tonight at 8pm PST. Someone will be opening gates from the Ironwood Inn at Vesper to Lightbringer a few minutes before the Open House is scheduled to begin.

Sorry for the inconvenience,
--Lord Zeromus

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We received this report from the Oymak Dabuni Khoang. He reports about my rescue from a remote island after I shipwrecked upon my return to Britania. If yer in need of a translation, do nay hesitate to contact us.

It wus de night bish dat long ago, meh wus djust back frum tsereg quest. Der was Custodes kuraltay, meh stuud der proud wit scars on face an bodee. Giyaa was making faces at meh an meh was laughing at 'er. It was night of ih of joy, Giyaa got reunited wit de Batachikan stoneghost, an meh got de rank uf tsereg as meh reallee deserv it now. Shri sey dat her find old wet buuk, de ol' dusty buuk hun Scriptori sey dat Pad hun write it. It sey sumdhing about him wus coming home frum far awey lands, and maybeh shipwreck sumwhere where der was big serpunt pillar. Hammurhand led two boats close tuh der. Qagan Dogei wus bussee carving new bagdes fur Giyaa an meh. When dat done Ric-hun made egg fur ush tuh get on tuh boat. Den meh was ih ih lost meh kept trying tuh ask baga erhun in end uf boat what wus going on, but himz djust tell meh tuh stey awey in ih ih mad tone.

Den ush get tuh big serpunt pillar in sea, suddenlee de boat sway ih ih much. Hammurhand djust stay at end, an' wus neber reallee nervous: Meh bish reallee dhink himz normal hun maybeh himz part fishy, tuh love de seas so much as him duh. Ush sail up close tuh ih cold place an meh sort o' recocnize de land ush see der. Ush all started running around luhking fur Pad-hun, Qagan an meh had harws in hands an' ush make de jebeis fly like dey had fire in arse. Giyaa dsaluu still so her djust stey on boat, an fall asleep der. Ush chase ice munsters fur 30 minutes, budala Paxi-hun wus yelling budala dhings as himz alweys duh. Maybeh it becasue himz reallee want tuh have dat fairy Godmuther outfit on dat meh saw himz in a few deys latur.

Den Gui-hun sey dat der uther places tuh luhk tuh, ush all sey okeh, an jump on boat ageen. Hammurhand sail baga bit bettur dis time, bish hit dat manee rocks. Den ush got near tuh desurt places, dey bish dat big, but der scorpions an' a few uther munsters der. Ush seach de ferst one but bish saw anee thing. Ush sailed on tuh de next one, der meh bish saw anee dhing but den Paxi-hun an meh saw sumone though baga whole in cliffs. De erhun luhk like paintings ush see uf Pad-hun. Meh ran screaming tuh boat ageen an sey dat dey shubd onlee sail one more cove. Den ush did dat, der was baga dragun wit poisoned tail, it almost kill Paxi-hun, sajn dhing data himz have de ih sajn goyuu hun Dabuni Khoang der tuh cure himz. Next tuh watur dogei an meh find maps dat Pad-hun try tuh stear by. Ush pick dem up an sey dat ush ask himz latur if dey anee help at all. Aftur long sail tuh Jhelom, where ebery hun was scraming at once, asking Pad-hun huw himz was an' wha wus going on, sumone make egg back tuh Spiritwuud. But meh djust uver head dat Bob wus asking Pad-hun what dis news him had was.

When ush finallee wus back in Spiritwuud, Padhun bend duwn an kiss ground. Meh ferst thought dat himz was so hungree frum de shipwreck, dat himz begin tuh eat de dirt. Den ush walk tuh CF tower where ush all make fun and jokes, an all wus shaking head at Dogei when himz make jokes wit Shri. Pad hun tell ih ih long storee uf uther lands. Himz also sey dat himz meet relutive uf de big Qagan Ogodei der. De shono went on fur ih ih long time, an ush wus all ih ih happee huw it turn out. Meh wus djust rathur confused, as tuh why Tanris wus luhking fur rune tuh Nealoth in de corner.

Dabuni Khoang, Tsereg-Oymak

OOC: After an extended break from UO, I'm finally back to and thanks to Xena reporting again for UO Stratics, so expect me again haunting this place *smiles*

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The dusty landscape seemed to melt into darkness as the twin moons of Britannia began their slow assent into the night sky. Twas dusk and the arid area seemed to slow, no longer did life bustle around in the nearby woodlands.
Most of the inhabitants had returned to their burrows or nests, preparing from the cool nights that were common for this time of year. Upon one of the sandy dunes a lone tower had been constructed, its walls seemed warn and the building had fallen into a state of decay. The peaceful setting of the sun was interrupted as several silhouette crossed the dunes heading towards the Tower.

Six heavily armed knights in pure black armour formed a protective ring around four cloaked figures; the group marched in a uniformed pattern towards the aged tower. The cool evening air licked at the formation, the group gave off a cold aura, shadows seemed to congregate around the central figure, a slender looking being heavily robes in black and trimmed with purple, the figures face was covered by a skull helm but its piercing eyes seem to wander the landscape looking for any irregularities. The group halted in front of the large iron doors, one of the robed figures stepped forward and began to chant in some ancient tongue. Slight wisps of magical light seemed to emanate from the figures hands as he swirled them in a large arc, the air grew heavy with static and the atmosphere seemed to weigh heavily on the group as they stood waiting for a reaction to the spell. One by one-ancient runes that bordered the doors lit up, hot white light shone from each rune as the spell took effect, with a hiss and a crack the doors swung open revealing the pitch-black innards of the ruined tower. The skull-faced figure raised its hand and pointed towards the opened door, in unison the Black Knights walked into the tower, closely followed by the robed strangers. A thick blanket of dust lay heavily upon all items within the towers first floor, most of the furniture was infested with woodworms and they, like the tower they were housed in, had fallen to pieces. The six Black Knights kicked a path through the debris; each slash of their ruin-encrusted swords sent a wave of dust into the dank air. Once again the mage began to chant, his arms wove and cut through the air with the grace of a Vesperian dancer, his mastery of the arcane lore and world of magic was absolute, his power ever growing, he was a valued member of the group even if there was little trust amongst any of the dark strangers. Suddenly as the mage completed his spell all the long since dead touches that lined the walls of the tower ignited with a burst of light.

The tower still seemed dank and uninhabited; the walls were thick with dust as were most of the furnishings. The party looked about the room, a slight wisp of smoke ever so faint to begin with crept and swirled its way up towards the ceiling. The smoke seemed to originate from an ancient Urn that lay smashed on the gray slate floor. As the group walked towards the ceramic container the smoke grew thick and a piercing laughter echoed around the small confines of the room. The Black Knight closest to the urn lifted from the ground as if some unknown force had picked the man up and now held the flailing warrior above its head. With the force of a mighty black dragon the knight was flung across the room, hitting a warn bookshelf, as the figure hit the frail piece of furniture he sent pages and splinters of wood sailing across the room. In unison the other five Black Knights stood in their battle stances, the skull-masked figure produced a Kryss that was previously concealed within the heavy robes.

" Ahhhhh, Looks like pain." the second robed figure laughed as he also produced a Kryss.

"Find, FIND." the skull faced stranger screamed and the remaining knights looked about the room for the attacker "I want the WORM, KILLED...murderrrrrr" the Skull faced figure continued as it cackled.

The mage and the second robed figure slowly stepped away from the group commander as the shook their heads. Everyone knew she was mad, after many years of constant torture any person would be in her state. Screaming within the skull, voices in the ear and pain beyond that of any felt before where all factors in her current state, she was very untrustworthy and yet she had the intelligence to formulate potent and dangerous schemes to destroy the goodly folk. She was a valuable member of the group even if most of Britannia hated her. Once again the air felt heavy with static, magic was being worked by an unseen enemy, suddenly and without warning the slate floor shock violently sending three of the Black Knights to the their knees. The warriors had minimal time to recover as a violent wave of energy skipped across the hard floor, the wave sent all the men reeling back as a distorted figure slowly shimmered into view.
The Skull masked woman was of course the first to rise slowly followed by her companions.

" Gooooooo Nooooooooo Furthhherrrrrrrr OooOoooooooOo" the ghostly spectre announced as its pale finger pointed towards each member of the group.

" Ye..Ye...Ye think ye can stop the forces of Darkness........Darknessssssssssss. Murder......Lies......" The Skull figure cackled as she pointed her figure towards the ghost.

In response each Knight charged for the fearsome creature slashing violently with their weapons. The ghost blinked away and appeared in a corner of the room its lips began to move, speaking in its ancient arcane tongue, instantly flames erupted around one of the knights sending the charred corpse towards the cold floor. The Knight that was thrown against the book shelf charged the ghost and slashed with his ancient rune encrusted sword, as the blade entered the spectre it sent a trail of green liquid splashing to the floor. A snarl now crossed the ghosts face as it blinked to another corner.

"Yerrrrrrr.....weapoooooooooooons ......OOooOOOo.....Goooooooooooo Nooooooooooo Fu....." The ghosts howling sentences was cut short as the tip of a Kryss protruded from its stomach region. With a hollow howl the beast was dispelled, behind him came the smirking face of one of the robed figures.

" Yessssssss, Lots of Pain." The man laughed.

Each member of the group had been equipped with ancient magical weapons able to cut down any foe, Ethereal or not. The second robed man enjoyed pain, he seemed to look for it himself, enjoying torture in many shapes and forms. He was very untrustworthy much like all the members of the group but he was always able to lend a hand when the situation got to.........disastrous.........if of course he benefited. He was a valued member of the group......as much as any one man could be.

The group's attention turned to the rickety staircase that crept up the wall towards the second level. The stairs were in poor shape, much like the rest of the tower, neon slime grew in the cracks and crannies all over each step, coating the entire stair case in a thine layer if slime.

With the loss of one Black Knight the group's formation had been altered although the robed figures were still protected in the centre. The top of the staircase opened out into a formal sitting room, well padded chairs and once lavish furniture lay scattered about, once more dust lay heavy on each piece and the woodworms were once present in all the wooden furnishing.

Large potted plant that had long since perished due to lack of nutrients hung limp and brown across the path. Once more the Black Knights hacked away through the debri, splinters of rotten would scattered with each sweeping arc. The group stopped in front of an archway, its entrance blocked by tattered red curtains, to the groups side a second set of stairs led upwards towards the third level. With her Kryss the skull faced figure slashed at the old curtains, with little effort she brought down the rags revealing a smaller room, raising his hand the mage ignited the touches that hung on the walls, as the light filtered the room the group found that once more the furniture was ruined, but a solid metal door still looked new, as if someone has still been polishing it after all these years of decay. One of the Black Knights reached for the door and pulled on the ornate handle, with a click and a hiss the door swung open, halfway through the hinges clicked and several darts were flung across the room embedding themselves deep within the Black Knights armour. Blood began to flow from the dart wounds; the knight's helm fell to the floor as he desperately looked about with his pale face. The other members of the group watched as their comrade fell, yet both the Skull faced figure and the male figure who enjoys pain seemed to smirk as they watched the life drain slowly away. Falling to his knees the Knight tried desperately to stop the flow of blood with his hands, within a few more seconds he was dead, a pool of crimson blood welled around him.

" Six to start with, four to go " said the Skull faced figure as she smirked to the remaining Black Knights.

With seductive grace she stepped over the knights body allowing her foot to drag along the mans corpse, when she entered the room she saw that four statuettes with candles that still burnt were at the far end of the room. She recognised each symbol that were carved into the statues, the first was of Helm, the second of Torm, the third of Tyr and final came the statue of the Red Knight. Somehow each of the statues still had lit candles that seemed to shed enough light to fill the entire chamber with a mystic glow.

Suddenly the temperature rose within the chamber, the door slammed shut behind the group and once more a shimmering figure began to materialise, Holding her hand up to her face the skull faced figure tried to block out the glowing haze, she saw the looming shadow of an armoured man standing with a large battle hammer.

" KILL, KILL, This follower of a FALSE GOD" Snapped the skull faced figure as the Black Knights charged headlong into the haze.

" Sindra, was this planned?" The smirking face of the pain man looked down at the skull mask as he stood her up.

"Aye shadow, murder is such beauty....so....sensual..." Sindra Smirked as she looked into the eyes of her comrade.

Shadow looked away shaking his head slightly, the battle was already in full swing, all four of the Black Knights stepped outside the arc of the giant war hammer as it cut the air in front of them. "NoO ooOOooOOOooo OooOOooone ShaaaAaaaaAll PasSsssssss oooOOOOoooo" The ghostly figure echoed as it struck one of the knights.

Blue spark flew as the war hammer smashed itself into the black armour, with a sickening crunch the Black Knight was flung across the room where he lay, motionless, and without life.

The mage chanted and the air once again seemed thick with static.

" Kal Vas Flam" the mage chanted as his index finger pointed directly at the apparition.

Flames erupted around the ghostly figure as it swung once more at the remaining three knights.
As the spells effects finished the figure stopped and looked with a cold hard stare directly at the Magi, within the blink of an eye the ghost had teleported directly in front of the frail man. Desperately the mage staggered back holding his arms up as if vainly trying to defend himself. The Ghost held his hammer high in the humid air, his cold lifeless eyes bore into the mage like twin spears, Down came the hammer directly upon the mages head sending the pulpish flesh and blood scattering like some ungodly explosion across the room.

As the ghost turned he spied Sindra with her Kryss ready to one side of the room, as if beckoning the fight to come Sindra raised her hand and ushered the challenge to begin, a smirk constantly crossing her face. Once more the ghost blinked and was within striking distance of Sindra before another breath was drawn.

Sparks flew as the two warriors dueled, to most spectators this would simple be like any other combat round, yet within the minds of the competitors it was a battle for their Gods.
Sindra slashed her kryss in a wide arc catching the ghosts arm, a shallow howl erupted from the spectres mouth as green liquid poured from its wound. Once more Sindra ducked the angered blow from the ghost, she stepped to the side with her drow speed and again stabbed the ghost, this time in the side of his chest. Sindra fought on a smirk still etched across her face, the final blow came as the ghost swung down trying to crack Sindra's skull and yet Sindra dodged to the side easily able to out maneuver the blow, her Kryss came down stabbing directly into the ghosts back. As the ghost hovered there for a few seconds the hot air seemed to be sucked up and replaced by the usual dank smelling air that was present before the ghost arrived. As the spectre slowly dissipated each candle flame went out with a hiss, eventually leaving the warriors in complete darkness.

" Murder is such FUN" Sindra cackled.

The group turned and walked out the chamber doors towards the stairs. Much like the previous flight of steps the staircase was covered in neon moulds that made the climb allot riskier. A cool breeze ruffled the open curtains as the group rounded the corner of the stairs finally ending up on the third floor of the ancient tower.

Rubble seemed to cover half the room; the ceiling had collapsed exposing the night sky, thousands of stars shone down on the remaining group members. A small metal door was half exposed to one side of the room.

"There....." Hissed Sindra as her tongue flicked out like a giant serpent.

The group now considered of Sindra, Shadow, three Black Knights and the robed stranger who stood at the back watching the group as the explored the ruined tower, his job was simple, well simple enough for a man who only thought he was coming along to watch. Sindra on the other hand had a few other ideas. The three black knights pulled away the large rocks exposing the half shattered door. With little effort the door was forced open revealing a fully furnished room. The chambers were indeed different to the rest of the tower, instead of being infested with woodworms each piece of furniture looked as if it had been polished just moments before. The tiled floors were waxed and the plants seemed to be living rather well. The air was fragranced with rose oil and the room seemed to give of a sickly sweet smell. As Sindra entered the room she let out a slight hiss, her taste in living environments matched the other rooms, she preferred the dank dark ruins rather than the opulence of this chamber.
In the centre of the room a round pedestal rose up from the floor, a shimmering crystal stood in its centre. The jewel seemed to shimmer purple then black as slight echo's of tortured souls could be heard from within.

Sindra stepped towards her prize, the instant her foot touched the tiled floor flames erupted around the perimeter of the room. One of the Black Knights was engulfed in flames and vainly attempted to put the fire out by rolling on the floor, within seconds his body was charred and he was no more. Sindra, Shadow and the remaining knights Jumped to the side pulling the uncoordinated stranger with them. The loud clang of armour seemed to trigger two shimmering figures to come into focus. Both seemed to be Knightly characters, one dressed in deep crimson armour, the second was clad in gold.

" Follower of Cyric, ye shall not succeed on thine quest to retrieve Cyric's Soul Stone." The Crimson clad knight announced.

" This relic is no longer in the hands of evil and we intend to keep it so" The Gold knight added.

" Ssssssssssssstop, Me " Hissed Sindra as she Smirked.

Shadow charged into the Gold armoured Knight as the Two remaining Black Warriors charged the Crimson Knight. Sindra watched the battles as she studied the attacks; Shadows speed was an obvious advantage as he ducked the large battle-axe swinging past. One of the Black Knights had been struck with the heavy war mace and was knocked back, blood oozed out of his armour and pooled up around his feet as he slowly dropped to one knee. Parrying the other Black Knights Blow the Crimson warrior slammed her mace across the head of the injured man, the bludgeoning weapon easily knocked his head from his shoulders in a brilliant fountain of red blood. The final black knight attempted to bring his large broad sword down on the detracted Knights head but stopped suddenly as a war mace broke his rib cage sending him spluttering backwards. Without mercy the Crimson knight took her mace and ended the Black Knights life with a single smash of her war mace. Sindra smirked as her companions fell, it simply meant that she would not have the pleasure of ending their lives herself. Within the blink of an eye the crimson knight was in front of Sindra.

"Ye shall not succeed this day Cyricite, the power of light shall end thy quest."
A smirk crossed Sindra's face in response, she drew her kryss and the duel began.
Sindra jumped backwards in a brilliant display of dexterity avoiding the war mace as it cut through the tense air. The crimson knight held her mace tight as she attempted another hit, this time Sindra ducked and rolled to the side, bring her Kryss in an arc across the back strap of the crimson Knights leggings. In surprise the crimson warrior looked down at her now loose leg strappings, giving Sindra enough time to rise and us the pommel of her Kryss to land a hard blow to the Knights helmet.
Shadow dodged another heavy blow as he pounced to one side of the Gold Knight landing a clever blow on the warriors breast plate, the poison hissed as it ate its way through the mans armour. With a mighty shove Shadow caused the Gold knight to stumble backwards, giving Shadow the perfect opportunity for the final blow.

The crimson knight stumbled backwards holding her face; Sindra smirked once more. The two warriors circled each other, suddenly Sindra darted forward thrusting her Kryss into the chest region of the knight, the metal hissed as it came in contact with the poison. The crimson knight began to spasm as the poison took effect, her body slowly faded away, along with the Gold knight.

"Finally." Shadow smirked.

"T-t-t-t-tTIME for Power, GREATNESS."Sindra cackled.

" Come, come stranger, look on the glory of CYRIC." She added as the stranger walked up to the pedestal that held the glowing crystal.

"This is the great treasure ye wanted so very much?" The stranger stared at the crystal half gob smacked half surprised.

Sindra's eye narrowed as she advanced on the stranger, throwing her arm around the man she made him jump slightly as he looked into her cold eyes.

"Yesssssss." She smirked.

Placing her hand around the crystal Sindra felt the souls desperately trying to get within her mind, her maddened state seemed to protect her from the full force that was contained within the stone, but for how long?
Lifting the stone high in the air Sindra let out a scream as she plunged the stone into the chest of the unsuspecting wanderer.
Instantly the man fell to the floor clutching his chest, his body spasmed and shook violently as both Sindra and Shadow looked at his flailing body. Screams of agony and pain echoed around the chambers. The stone slowly dug into the man's chest until it was finally fully submerged, the wanderer rose slowly and began to chatter and talk madly, thousands of voices trying desperately to be heard. Sindra lowered herself to eye level with the mad wanderer; a smirk crossed her face.

"Don't worry, someone else is to be our Soul Seed, ye are simply a vessel." she cackled.

Shadow frowned as he watched Sindra pick the man up and begin to walk for the door.

"Who?" Shadow asked.

" Strength of mind is nay wanted, only strength of heart and fist." Sindra Smirked.
Once again shadow shook his head, it was harder to get a clear answer from the witch even at the best of times.

"There be one soul I know of who has the barbaric strength we need." Sindra Cackled as she disappeared around the door.

As both warriors stepped outside into the dawn haze the Tower slowly began to fall apart, great chunks of wall fell exposing the towers innards. It had failed at its task and now the world of Britannia was doomed, unless of course......

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Hail to thee Traveller, Strange days are coming in Ravenmoor ! A new threat has arise, rumors spread... The town might need help once again against the dangers surrounding it. If you have a brave and true heart, come to defend the innocents !
On the Thursday 27 at 7PM GMT, anyone can join the Quest ! At 8:30PM GMT, only the members will be able to take part. As we have a problem with our skypage here are the useful informations : You need to go to Ravenmoor on Thursday to start the Quest of The Border Line, there you will find the first clues. Everyone is welcome !
Tyrghen [UT] of Ravenmoor http://ravenmoor.ng22.com/

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Some of you may have heard of Monday's "tragic" events that took place atthe Trinsic Council of Honour's meeting in the town's Counsellor's hall on the Trammel facet. Four members of the council have been consumed by an evil force that made it's presence felt when the four council members (Mentazm,Don Pedros, Gladiator, and Drakys) slaughtered Crowley (Dimplomat for the Duchy of Trinsic), Clarice (High Diplomat of the Trinsic Paladins of Honour), and Tulkas (Paladin of the TPH) in cold-blood. This happened while several Trinsic citizens looked on in confusion. As Mentazm dashed out of the Councellors hall a tome thumped on the meeting table and the event become clearer - the council had become so corrupt through their dabbling in politics that a long-forgotten dark force known as the 'Overlord' had claimed their souls. The Overlord's purpose is to spread chaos, disorder, mayhem, disease, pestilence, and ultimately death throughout the land of Britannia. The Overlord has claimed his first victim in the Trinsic Council, who will from this point forward carry out his message in and around Trinsic. The 'Overlords of Trinsic' (OT) are controlled by the forced of Chaos, and invite any Order or 'Good' guild based in or around Trinsic to send a decleration of war (the guild conforms to the ROE of ERPA). The Overlord is looking for more souls to consume and use in the search for chaos. If you are an evil character who is interested in player v's player combat with a purpose, feel free to email Mentazm ([email protected]), or pigeon him on 9921764 for more information. Your skill level need not matter - the Overlord is willing makes no discretion on who he consumes...his power will become your power (ie. you will be trained up if you a new char *smile*). Mentazm, Overlord of Kaos Overlords of Trinsic (OT)

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:I think the rares collectors (myself included) are forgetting a very simple issue thats been with us since UO opened up- most of these "rare" items shouldnt have been rare in the first place.
--Very true and well said.

The current trend the dev team is taking is a correction to a mistake that should have been fixed early on. We are supposed to be immersing ourselves in the world- remember, persistant?
--It's not so much about correcting the mistake. When we do decide to add something new, we look for interesting and cool items that we think players will want to have. ALso, we have to try to be consistent. If we wanted to expand blacksmithing for instance, we couldn't add something like book shelves just because they are an item that isn't rare. By the same token, there are lots of items that would fit, like hanging armor, the horse barding armor, and the decorative armor suits. We aren't going out of our way to nerf or hutr the rares collectors. For the most part, none of the rares were the result of an exploit (like some of the status were), but as you said, they were the result of less than careful world building, bugs and virtually none of them were designed to be rare. That doesn't mean we are just going to add new items without checking their rare status...we do check. And in a case where something is a rare, we will at least rename it. Looking at the rares list on sites that track them, many of the rares are nothing more than a normal item that anyone can get, but with a different name. The different name still holds value.

How logical has it been to have swords of vanquishing common, but a frying pan or alchemist flask, cauldron or dirty bowl "rare"? Comon now, think about it- Vets, if we keep our heads screwed on straight and leave greed out of it, its us expecting the "list" of rare items to remain the same since inception. If we fooled ourselves into beliving that keeping a frying pan or flask, (add your otherwise long arsed list in here) rare, then we had it coming.
--I've often felt the same way.

Quest items, "named" items and special colored items should have and should BE rare, not items you'd expect to be commonly found in the world. Its being very self centered to deny the game these common items- admit it, people always have wanted to be able to decorate/use tools that add to the experience, and visiting a rare museum isnt the answer- it never was the CORRECT one and we know it.
--Right. And most quest items are common items (like a sword) with a different name, hue and maybe an extra power...and of course they have some history behind them.

Tout vets leaving over rares being made common, and itll backfire on you- theres way too FEW of these items in existence to justify the ol' bean counter god's calculator not being turned on the dev team. Yes, Ive collected, sold and still have rares that would be devalued. I KNEW that eventually it'd come to this and Im happy for it, because the years I spent trying to belive that empty bowl of stew with a few pieces of fruit locked down on it was a fruitbasket just aint cutting it anymore- to the point of it not being worth 40$ a month to me, especially knowing that doofus mentality governing the "rares" list prevailed.
--Again, we are sensitive to those who enjoy rares. And for me, this isn't about the majority over the minority (although that arguement alone is strong). It's about offerring new items for crafting skills, something that has been sorely lacking of late.

The game and experience for the long haul will benefit wether a few quit or not, and have long term effects contributing to a already, borrowed time game in its PRESENT form. Ive spoken as a person on both sides of the fence on this issue for years, and even though I worked my arse off for some of these things, the end result for everyone doesnt devalue the fun Ive had so far- especially not to the point of stagnating or outright denying other people the deco rights they should have been given by design.
--I don't want anyone to quit. Which is why we are going to rename any item we do add if it is considered a rare. And while some folks might leave, I think in the long run, the game and the community at large will benefit from new items.

Face it- they are correcting a mistake that may bother a few, but please very many. If they keep it up, they might even get 40$ back out of me a month. ;)
--We'd like that very much. :)

--I'm not going to confirm the additition of any specific items though. We don't talk about scenario designs or systems until they are actually in the game, even if some clues are in the patches.

Its nice to know *something* is happening, that I'll give you.

Oh, that's not problem, I can confirm that, already have many times actually. :) There are craftables in this scenario, more than in the last one.

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Four years ago, I joined the game and drove my co-workers to distraction with my tales of running around in Ultima Online. I'm still proud to say that I'm an avid player of this game and look forwards to more to come. Thanks everyone who has ever interacted with me in the game and helped me enjoy a rich multiplayer experience. :)

-Hanse
UO Live Designer
Happy birthday to UO!

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I would like to thank everyone for showing up. Much thanks also to Nikki Bane Cannon and Kaela for their help.

Results

• 1st Cid Vicious 150k
  
• 2nd Segamo 75k
  
• 3rd Reality 25k

Village of TOR

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Four years ago marked the birth of Britannia as Ultima Online was first released to the world. Over the last four years, our players have created their own towns and guilds, adventured for fame and glory, and bartered for wealth and status. This week we look for stories of your first experience from years ago. What was it like when you first entered Britannia? How has the world changed? How have you changed as a result of the world? Pull up a bar stool, tell your tale, and raise a toast to this momentous anniversary!

Send an e-mail to [email protected] by Friday, September 22nd, and tell us a story of your experiences in the world of Ultima Online. Please be sure your story falls between 500-1000 words, and include “4th Year Anniversary” in your subject line. Please provide a name and phone number for verification of the story. Submissions to “uo-profiles” become the property of OSI and may be used for special events, promotions, and/or advertising. All submissions must be made by the original author and are subject to verification.

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Have you ever read an interview and wondered "who in the world is this person"? How many times have you avoided reading an interview on a faction member because you don't play factions and could care less about this person?

Well now is your chance to read interviews of players from all walks of life. Ever wondered what a bank sitter has to say? Or how about that chump at the bk wall who likes to talk big and warn you with threats like, "If i was on my 7X GM and we were in Fel". How about a newbie, or those pvpers who like to rez kill and then yell "OWNED" afterwards? Meet Dud Brown, known to the ladies as "Dud the stud"....

INTERVIEW WITH A BANK SITTER

You see: Cosmic Assasin
Cosmic Assasin: (Servant, Shadowlords)

Dud Brown: Great, ok we’ll begin. Now realize, this is all in good fun and please answer in detail just to make it more interesting because readers would get bored reading “yes, no” answers.

Cosmic Assasin: It might be offensive to ppl. A lot of people hate me.

Dud Brown: Great, the nastier the better! What luck!

Cosmic Assasin: Koo, I am well known too by a lot.

Dud Brown: Ok, shall I begin?

Cosmic Assasin: yes

Dud Brown: First thing i'd like to ask, how long have you been playing uo?

Cosmic Assasin: hmmm i been playing since beta, 4 years exact. I lost 2 accounts, banned.

Dud Brown: Ouch, how were you banned?

Cosmic Assasin: For scamming, duping, house break ins. I got banned first back in 98 for making a really offensive name and caused lots of trouble.

Dud Brown: what was the name?

Cosmic Assasin: Weener Suprem of GL. We destroyed establishments, pks around there, kill ppl in quests, and harass a lot of ppl for fun.

Dud Brown: So you were a regular badass eh?

Cosmic Assasin: Yeah basically. Used a lot of bugs too like the magical arrow pk bug when it did 40 damage LOLOL.

Dud Brown: Do you ever play uo fairly or is that beyond you?

Cosmic Assasin: Actually no. When u play UO and get pked when u young, not with this sissy ass 1000gp young bullshit, you trust no one and give no one money.

Dud Brown: aye so yer a bitter player eh?

Cosmic Assasin: yes very

Dud Brown: what main skills does this char have?

Cosmic Assasin: depends, this char is a mage lockpicker. I like to lock my mages skills at 99.9. All skills at 99.9 and 99.8, I like to get my fame up, own ppl, and when I do I harass them by saying they got owned by a 0x gm picker or miner.

Dud Brown: heh original, how do those skills help you at the bank?

Cosmic Assasin: well they dun really help. They make ppl think I am a newbie when I talk shit, then they wanna duel me and I kill em and tell em they got owned by a 0x gm trammie.

Dud Brown: ahhh i see, how many times have you fought in that ranger armor?
You see: a studded tunic, ranger armor

Cosmic Assasin: nope, never. Daemon bone, I also dueled with pheonix armor.

Dud Brown: in fel or tram?

Cosmic Assasin: fel, no way u can duel in sissy land

Dud Brown: you dueled in phoenix armor in fel?

Cosmic Assasin: yeah

Dud Brown: you really are a bigshot! I’m impressed.

Cosmic Assasin: ppl try to murder me

Dud Brown: so you're invicible?

Cosmic Assasin: i was, I still am. Yeah but one thing, I got hacked 1 week ago and lost 23 mill, all my rares, everything. But I made 1.4 mill in 1 week.

Dud Brown: let me ask you this, is a bank sitter more impressive in ranger armor or bone armor…why?

Cosmic Assasin: Ranger, because everyone wears bone armor and it is seen a lot.

Dud Brown: but bone armor has that cool helm

Cosmic Assasin: helm is nothing, it spawns. When I wear ranger, ppl think I am not ordinary.

Dud Brown: but yer not?

Cosmic Assasin: when ppl pull up my paper doll, they like “ranger wtf is that?”

Dud Brown: i'd assume a person of your nature has about 20 bone helms in stock?

Cosmic Assasin: nah, bone armor is worthless. I can die with a daemon bone helm and I wouldn’t care.

Dud Brown: i hope i see you in fel one day wearing some $)

Cosmic Assasin: hehe, now everyone can know how I am rich and how being good pays things.

Dud Brown: what do you think of those “newbie” bank sitters coming here in their tribal body paint?

Cosmic Assasin: i could care less about them. They supply me with money.

Dud Brown: so they don't intimidate you any?

Cosmic Assasin: nope, actually I like them. I scam them all the time, easy money. I sold a spider death weap to them and said it kills teratheans. When I pay 3k for em I sell em for 60k…their life savings.

Dud Brown: you truely are the best

Cosmic Assasin: when i scam I like to wear a disguise kit…75 stealing here.

Dud Brown: you dont do much stealing in tram though do you? It would be pretty hard.

Cosmic Assasin: nope, the way I steal, when those newbies pull up a chek and accidently press the diamond, I just take it LOL.

Dud Brown: do you freqent fel bank much?

Cosmic Assasin: no way! How am I going to make money?

Dud Brown: Dunno, leave the bank?

Cosmic Assasin: basically yeah. Well when I was rich boy I pvp a lot. Since I got hacked I bank sit. I buy low sell high. For 2 hours I can make about 400k trust me, I can get anyone to lower their price 75%.

Dud Brown: how many hours would you say you bank sit?

Cosmic Assasin: about 2-3. wanna know how I can drop the prices? No matter what I can drop it, I was just doing it to the wig seller.

Dud Brown: impressive! Let me ask you this…Do the tamer bank sitters on the bank roof think they are better than you guys down below? They always seem to look over the roof like they are more important.

Cosmic Assasin: well i dun really care. I like to piss em off, teleport up there and spam..bring the spam there LOL.

Dud Brown: so you are a spammer too?

Cosmic Assasin: hell yeah, get my buddies and spam all day. They like to talk s***.

Dud Brown: do those tamer bank sitters ever say anything?

Cosmic Assasin: well they like to duel me thinking I’m a newbie. They bring their wyrms.

Dud Brown: do they duel in bone armor too?

Cosmic Assasin: nope, I wear newbie cloth and I gate there drag some where when it attacks. Then they try to kill me knowing that tamers suck at pvping.

Dud Brown: i should attend one of these duels one day! Which do you enjoy doing the most, rushing to rez a ghost at the bank to show off your skill, or rushing to kill a players horse that accidentally went wild?

Cosmic Assasin: Horse of course ahahah. Ebolt it or light bolt it in 1 hit, it is dead. People say “nice eval”. LOL.

Dud Brown: Wow, you even get praised for doing that eh?

Cosmic Assasin: ya but the horse guy gets pissed off.

Dud Brown: wouldn't it be more impressive killing a monster instead?

Cosmic Assasin: monsters, i gave up monsters.

Dud Brown: ahh to hard for you?

Cosmic Assasin: why should i stay 1 hr making 5k boring my ass off….

Dud Brown: when you can kill horses for nothing?

Cosmic Assasin: when i can exploit these ppl and make 300k a hour.

Dud Brown: oh my fault, I get it.

Cosmic Assasin: i gave up monsters, boring.

Dud Brown: if you guys all went out hunting once in awhile, don’t you think that would free up the lag at the bank?

Cosmic Assasin: hmmm i doubt it, i never lag, I am on cable, I dunno anything about lag so they screwed.

Dud Brown: you don’t care about the other people on modems?

Cosmic Assasin: nope, there fault they too poor to buy it.

Dud Brown: ok, my last question and we’re done here. Have my dashing good looks made you feel insecure at any point during this interview?

Cosmic Assasin: nope

Dud Brown: not even a little?

Cosmic Assasin: i am not impressed by anyone or intmitated.

Dud Brown: what if i was holding a glowstick and wearing bone armor?

Cosmic Assasin: nope, been there, have that. Only newbies carry glow sticks.

Dud Brown: well great! Guess we’re all done here.

Cosmic Assasin: ok, well i am off

Dud Brown: i thank you for your time, I’ll cya around cosmic!

Cosmic Assasin: bye

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Hail to all,

The Dread Lord Hammersmith is elated to announce that the Glorious Lady Ciere has accepted his proposal of marriage.

We would like to invite all of our friends to join us on September 28th at 7:30 p.m. Pacific time to celebrate this joyous occasion.

People will be made available at K*V castle and the Trammel Nujelm Bank to gate all to the ceremony and reception to follow. Please plan to arrive a little early so everyone can be gated in time for the ceremony.

The service will begin precisely at 7:30 p.m. and will be officiated by the Lady Brightstar.

Thank you all,

The Dread Lord Hammersmith
The Glorious Lady Ciere

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That's right! Only two weeks until our fourth Annual UO Players Lunch at the Texas Renaissance Festival. We will meet at 1pm at the Italian Village on Sunday, October 7th (Columbus Day Weekend). I need a final headcount by this Monday, Sept. 24 so sign up today!

Send $45 by Paypal (to [email protected]) or $44 by US Mail (see the UOLunch webpage for my address, don't forget to send me an email confirming you have sent a check or money order). Please include your real name, game name, and shard. The cost covers your Faire ticket, catered meal, nametag and BEvERage. If you have season pass and only need a meal, send $25 per person. You do NOT have to purchase tickets from me to attend. But, please, if you are planning to come, send me an RSVP by email so that I can add you to the guest list, which we use to print nametags.

Get your costumes ready and brush up on your UO Trivia. OSI Representatives will be there to hand out prizes and answer questions again this year. You can order UOPLTRF01 Merchandise from CafePress. iNetWebguy was gracious enough to design a FANTASTIC logo again this year!

There will be a group of UO players (myself and my family included) camping out in the parking lot of the TRF again this year. I expect we will begin to gather around 5 or 6pm on Saturday night. We will attempt a group meal for dinner as well as breakfast. Shoot me and email if you would like to join us and I will give you something to bring.

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The Avengers Federation Guild is looking for a few able bodies, primarily Bards, Mages, and Archers to assist with our plan to summon and defeat a champion in Ilshenar.

We are looking for robust and self sufficient people in this unique venture. If you know of anyone that might be interested, please forward my ICQ to them so that we can make contact. 42660840 - Glorious Lord Seeker, UOA. Thank you.

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Navigators Of Brittain is going to create a runebook with the 16 best player runned shops.
Therefore we want shop-owners who want to be in the book to submit information about their shop.
If you'll end up in the book depends on the following:

• Prices
• Interesting for the customer??? (Do you sell something special?
• Are the vendors regularly restocked?
• Monster-spawn around the shop?
• We'll try to fill the book with the whole range of available player-made or found goods.

The shops WILL be checked, even if you're on the list already.

The runebooks will be sold on all the shops on the list and are sponsored. The player will pay for the book, but not for the runes. Therefore shop-owners on the list will have to provide the runes.

If you want to be on the list, Send an e-mail to: Monomatapa

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Battle Vortex has an audio interview with Lead Programmer, Chris "Prophet" Lassonde from Origin Systems Inc. about the veteran rewards system for Ultima Online. Topics Include: Introduction to Prophet, Areas of focus, Who determines what rewards will be added, How the rewards system works, 4th year rewards, Player input on rewards, Challenges with the rewards system, Possibilities that rewards might have been scrapped, Accounts that acquired more awards then usual, Ethereal horse challenges, GM Rating system, and much more...

Formats are mp3 streaming and mp3 download, requires an mp3 player - Show running time is 32 minutes - Download is 3.68 MB - Recorded on 9.19.2001 - Hosted by Fear

Click here for the interview options

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From the shadows and underground of Britannia we bring you the latest gossip, the rumours and lies…

Some people have sensed an ethereal disturbance, gypsies and mediums throughout the realm have begun converging to discuss a possible link between the visions each has been having. The underlying belief is that Nocsaal, who some know as `he who walks with serpents`, is stirring in his lair...

The arena structure has almost been completed now, the pier leading to it being located near the Nujel`m Court on Felucca. The arena itself seems to include systems of an arcane nature, touching the statues apparently leads to being immediately summoned into the arena, and only the correct words spoken aloud will lead to release. We still await an official statement on the arena`s function, suffice to say excitement is already spreading among Britannian folk, curious to know what lies ahead.

Work has begun on a huge platform rising on ominous pillars from the sea. Some have said this could be linked with the mysterious chess-board style designs reported several weeks ago...

Although news of the mysterious animal experiments said to be occuring within Lord British`s castle has died down, higher level officials have indicated the significance of these experiments, and informed us that their true intent shall be revealed in the coming weeks...

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Okay, some of this information comes from Cal, some of it comes from GM sources.

1. Baiting. This tactic is fine, because that's what it is--a tactic. As long as there is no luring of monsters onto other players while in Trammel, there is no problem with baiting.

2. Invisible wall taming. This kind of taming is illegal. According to the GM sources I consulted, "If a player makes a pet invisible between the player and a monster in order for the monster to not be able to attack the character it is considered an illegal tactic. If the pet is visible it's fine, (read baiting) but if it's invisible it should be treated the same as if thethe player was using boxes." Invisible or hidden players should be treated about the same, because of the greater control over that state.

3. Wall taming. It's dodgy, because you can take spell damage, but the creature can't follow you if you run. But the ruling on this one seems to be that places like the Fire Island Daemon temple sound as if they need to be fixed, but players should not be held accountable for taming in areas like that. As long as you can access a place in a normal manner (not using an exploit) and you remain safe because of see-through walls it should be all right. Just don't expect to always be able to do it, though, as the changes are a-coming. :)

Two caveats:

1. Just because you can tame through a wall in a particular place now, doesn't mean that you will always be able to do so. If you rely on it for taming dragons at the Daemon Temple, I would start working now on alternative tactics.

2. In the past, GMs have had differing opinions on wall-taming. I would rely on wall-taming as little as possible, just to be safe. But that's me.

That's it for now. I hope this information helps.

Actually, that's how it works - the timer is based on the server, so you do not have to be logged in to refresh the timer.

... you don't have to stay logged in while the timers reset.

This means you could theoretically log in before dinner, try a skill, succeed, log out, and come back an hour or two later and be guaranteed of gaining a point of skill the next time you succeed on an attempt (the time would vary depending on the level of skill). At the extreme higher levels, this would most likely reduce the amount of time you'd need to spend "working skills" considerably, and allow you to spend more of that time doing whatever you choose.

Yes, you would be able to make a T-map every four hours or so to get a guaranteed gain, as long as the map is at a moderately difficult skill level for you at the time, and you succeed on your attempts. Although keep in mind that there would be a limit on how many guaranteed skill points you'd gain within any 24 hour period (this limit not affecting use-based skill gain, though).

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Arena Combat Tournament for Sunday Sept 23rd at 9 PM Eastern time. Rules and other information can be found here. A map to the location is here.

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** Note ** This system is currently in a "concept", or idea phase, and may change significantly at a later date. Also note that this proposal might not be used at all, depending on design and feasibility factors, as well as player feedback.

To learn more about the thoughts behind this proposal, please read the joint Comments from the Team on skill gain from Evocare, our Lead Designer, and Prophet, our Lead Programmer, located here. To provide feedback on this system, we invite you to post your thoughts here.

In essence, this modification would eliminate the need for "power hour" by providing opportunities for guaranteed skill gain during normal play.

Guaranteed Gain System (GGS)

The core of this system is the guarantee that if you play "normally", you will gain skill. Under the GGS system, if you have not gained skill under the current use-based system after a certain time period, the system would recognize this and force a point of skill gain (point meaning a tenth of a point, as in moving from 70.1 to 70.2). The length of the time period, or timer, is based on the level of skill. The current time periods are listed below, but note that they are subject to change. In addition to the time intervals listed below, there would also be a limit on how many GGS points total per day a player can earn once their skill reaches 70.

Skill Value Ranges Time Between Gains
10.0 – 14.9 160 secs
15.0 – 19.9 200 secs
20.0 - 24.9 250 secs
25.0 - 34.9 300 secs
35.0 - 44.9 400 secs
45.0 - 49.9 500 secs
50.0 - 54.9 10 mins
55.0 - 59.9 15 mins
60.0 - 69.9 20 mins
70.0 - 79.9 40 mins
80.0 - 89.9 80 mins
90.0 - 94.9 120 mins
95.0 - 98.9 150 mins
99.0 - 100.0 240 mins


As always, you can only gain skill when you successfully perform an action. So an example of this is as follows: Let's say you cast a spell of moderate difficulty, and succeed, but you do not gain skill. If the relevant time period passes, and you have still not gained a point in that skill, then the next time you successfully use that skill again, you will gain a point. These time periods are based on the server system clock, meaning that you don't have to be logged in for your timers to refresh.

This does not mean that players would be unable to gain skill until the timer refreshes, because the GGS would not be replacing the current use-based system, but it would be implemented in addition to it. You would still be able to gain skill under the current use-based system, but the GGS would now keep track of how long it has been since you had gained a point of skill. If the time period had passed and you had not gained skill through the regular method, you would gain a point through the GGS. The use-based system, though, would not be restricted by time. Even if you had just gained a point through the GGS, the game would still check for skill gain under the use-based system, although admittedly it would still be incredibly difficult to gain skill in this way at the high end range.

To ensure that characters could not become Grandmasters overnight, there would be a limit on how many points of skill a player could earn through the GGS during each day. This limit would be high for players of low skill, but as players' skill levels grow higher, the limit on how many they points they can earn through the GGS grows smaller. This means it would still take longer to gain skill in the 90's then it did in the 10's or 50's (this is nothing new). Note, however, that this limit does not affect the current use-based system, so players who reach that limit can still gain more skill through the old skill system, by using the skills themselves.

The most noticeable difference from the current system (not including power hour) is that skill gains in the 90's while playing normally would not only be possible, they would be guaranteed (provided you are performing your skill in or around your current skill level). For example, casting Magic Arrow with a magery skill of 90 would provide no chance whatsoever to gain skill in magery, even with GGS. You would need to cast higher level spells to see guaranteed skill gain. Similarly, crafting daggers with a blacksmithy of 80 would provide no chance to gain skill in blacksmithy. Skills that are not difficulty based, however, would always have a chance to gain.

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Seems our friends out at Impy's Artic Faire are in need of some special fishing nets for a new event they are getting ready to kick off. If this event is run as well as their weekly auctions, then we are all in for a great new event to attend on Tuesday nights.

Impy's Searches for Nets

That's right, our new event will have "something" to do with special fishing nets. And we need a LOT of them! So, we are asking the general public to help us out. Since we will need between 25 and 50 nets per week to host this event, we are willing to beg, borrow or steal them. Hmmm. Correction: we won't steal them - we aren't like that, we can't really borrow them - they won't be of much use after we 'use' them, BUT we will beg for them!

Please contact any of the staff, ICQ numbers for the staff can be found at www.impys.net. As a reminder of the weekly events at Impy's:

Everyday of the week: Great vendors located on the east and west wing of the second floor.
Tuesday: Soon to be the NEW event.
Wednesday: Auction starting at 9pm EST.
Thursday: Auction starting at 9pm EST.
Every Week: A new question is posted to the public forum found at www.impys.net, give the 'best' answer and win 50k!!

~Impy's Staff

www.impys.net

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Welcome to the GUL pit fights. Hosted at Oc'Nivelle (Yew Forest 47o 17`N. x 34o 56`W). Designed to be a place for fighters of all play styles to come together to battle it out, the GUL Pit fights will be held every Saturday. Registration will begin at 8 pm pst fighting will begin at 9 pm (11 pm central, midnight eastern). Players wishing to register must do so by 8:50. No late entries will be accepted.

This Week's Pit Fight (Saturday, September 22nd)will be 3v3 single elimination.

Prizes

• 1st place - 300,000 gold pieces
  
• 2nd place - 100,000 gold pieces
  
• 3rd place - 50,000 gold pieces

There is no entrance fee
Sponsored by GUL

Guardians of the Undead Lords Pit Fighting rules

• No magic weapons, no magic armor, no charged magic items.
  
• Pre-poisoned weapons are not allowed. Fighters with the poisoning skill may poison there blades once the fight has started.
  
• No casting of field spells, or summoning.
  
• No pets, this includes spectators. Please stable your pets before arriving at the tower.
  
• No looting.
  
• No stealing
  
• Loss of connection during a fight will result in that fighter losing the match.
  
• Tournaments are single elimination (the exception being fighters who lose in the semi-finals will be asked to stay and fight for 3rd place)
  
• All fighters are subject to snooping by the Oc'Nivelle staff.
  
• Any spectator interference will result in the spectator being banned and the fight starting over.
  
• No one is permitted inside the fighting arena except the fighters for that match and the ref.
  
• Fighters may not hide or cast invisible during their fight.
  
• To reduce lag anyone not fighting will be asked to hide during the fight. Players who consistently do not hide will be removed from the tower.
  
• No smack talking. The point is to prove what you can do... If you just "owned" someone we all will have seen it, no need to spout off about it.
  
• The ref will have final say over any match, issues or complaints with the rules of GUL's Pit Fight will not be discussed until after the tournament has ended.

For questions please Icq Jade @ 51610361

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The LSD tournament will be held on Saturday Sept. 22nd at 9pm EST (6 pm PST). It will be at the Felucca LSD Tower. See the Tournament Arena section for coordinates.

No Entry Fee. Prizes will be 65k for the Champion and 10k per round won.

Added 9-20-01: Additional prize for 1st place winner. 1 choice of first year vet reward! Offered by Lady Rose Brightblade.

If you have any questions or comments, please email Tournament Staff: [email protected]

Go to the registration page and Register NOW!!

When you register, please add the tournament icq to your icq list.
News and Updates are sent through that medium. Thank You.

LSD PvP Tournament Website
http://lsdarkness.com/lsduo/uopvp

Thank You,
Retribution

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Nidaros and KCH are holding a PvP tournament on Sunday September 23rd, at 7 PM EST, on the Trammel side, in the town of Nidaros. The town can be found by following the road towards Britain from Skara Brae until the traveller comes upon a multitude of barrels arranged to go along the road edge. Once you reach that, you have entered Nidaros.

There will be an entry fee of 5k, and 2 competitions, the Mage fight and the Warrior fight. Unguilded participants may join a guild made up for this event, guilded participants will have to contact Lothar and war all other guilds involved. You can contact him at [email protected] or ICQ him at 59646938.

The rules for the Warrior fight are as follows...

All participants must be fighters, magery is allowed, however the primary mode of attack must be a weapon, therefore the participant must have at least 60 dex, and must use a weapon to be considered a fighter. All weapons and armor must be GM made and there is no limit to the number of weapons and armor you may bring with you to the tournament.

You may carry as many potions as you like, however there is a limit of no more than 7 potions to be used per fight. Referees will be counting the number of potions used during the fight and will disqualify any who uses more than 7 during the bout.

Poisoned weapons are only allowed if the participant poisons them during the fight using one of the 7 potions that he is allowed to use. Once again, those who bring pre-poisoned weapons will be disqualified. There is a limit of 50 bandages to be carried into each fight; participants will be snooped beforehand. All fighting must be done on foot inside a designated fighting arena: leaving the arena will result in disqualification.

The rules for the Mage fights are as follows...

All participants must be Mages, a fighting skill is not allowed, therefore the participant must have at least 60 int, and must use magery to be considered a mage.

You may carry as many potions as you like, however there is a limit of no more than 7 potions to be used per fight. Referees will be counting the number of potions used during the fight and will disqualify any who uses more than 7 during the bout.

All fighting must be done on foot inside a designated fighting arena: leaving the arena will result in disqualification. There is a limit of 50 bandages to be carried into each fight; participants will be snooped beforehand.

These are the complete rules, let's have some fun!

Lothar, Knight of the Rose, KCH

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KMS is like ruling the pits. I don't know what to do. I am beginning to wonder if there is anyone out there that is capable of 1) behaving themselves long enough they don't end up getting themselves banned from the fights and 2) of defeating KMS.

So here's what I'm going to do. Nobody gets to pick their fights. But if you're the next one we match up with KMS after today, either during one of the preliminary rounds, or you make it to the finals and actually beat KMS, there's a 50k bonus in it for you. Don't be coming in asking to be matched with KMS cause that will make me tend more towards making sure you are good enough by having you fight everyone but KMS until I have no choice.... It's all in the way the cards fall.

I feel very confident in making this offer cause I doubt there is anyone out there that can actually take KMS out following the rules, haha. Come on out and take your shot at him. Also mind you I cannot guarantee that KMS will be there every week. He did miss a couple for a bit, but has been there fairly regularly.

Also I would like to send my thanks out to the people that have responded to help. I would really like to get a few more of you involved so people can actually take a FN off and relax with their family without us getting whacked down to just 2 pits. So come on people....drop a post on the MB at http://pub70.ezboard.com/boasisfightingpits saying you are willing to lend us your hand. You'll not get a better seat than inside the pit.

Also, People please keep your cool. One of the better fighters that has fought at FN managed to get himself perma-banned from FN. This was a very poor act of judgment on his part since he had taken 1st place in a previous week. By getting banned, he actually managed to throw away his chance to come back as one of the weekly winners and contend for the 1 million gold pot on OCT 28. I find this to be very distressing.

I can guarantee you all that I am not perfect in the judgement calls that I have had to make at FN. Nor are the judges. We try to do the best we can, and I feel we are well above the 95% range in our accuracy. But sometimes you have to make the call, and nobody ends up happy.

Please keep that in mind, and please remember that the judges are out there in the pits, not because they get anything out of this, but because they want to help make this event possible for you. They are also the ones that kept me from closing the doors to the pits forever early in the season. They supported me and kept me going, and by doing so they have supported you.

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This is an open call to all archers who would like to join in a hunt on Friday the 21st of September. We will meet at Empath Abbey in Trammel at 11:50pm. If you have a suggestion on where to go on the hunt, ICQ me at 79505659. So as not to create too much disorder we will be going to a location that had been suggested BEFORE the night of the event. Any ideas will be considered.

Fairfax

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The Town of Nidaros is having another anniversary event! This one is an auction: this is an event to sell off extra supplies, magical weapons, magical armor, rares, and MUCH MORE!!! So come with your checkbooks and gold and be ready for some of the best deals you can find!! The auction will be held at the Knights for Nidaros headquarters on FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 21ST AT 8PM EST! We hope to see you there. Feel free to pigeon me at 37706470 if you have any questions!

-Rebbeca
Town Council

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A guild resources thread has been added to the Stratics GL Forum.

The new thread will be updated monthly, providing GL citizens a resource and advertisement for guilds on the Shard. This is a brand new addition, so your participation is paramount to making it successful.

You can find it here: Great Lakes Guild Information

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Joshua Rowan and I have planned the last two Seattle Player luncheons and are considering our third. Before we get too involved, we need to find out if there is interest in such an event. We are looking at a date of Dec. 8th for a luncheon. If this is something you'd be interested in attending, please write to Ursula at [email protected]. This does not committ you to anything, it's just giving us an idea on how many people are interested.

Ursula
Golden Brew Owner, Golden Knight

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Avatarian Wares is honoured to be the site for the new Europa boardies shop opening this coming Saturday the 22nd September.

Grandmasters of their profession have been working to bring you the finest wares at the best prices. We also have public use facilities including an extensive rune library and collection of dye tubs.

Avatarian Wares is located on the border of east Britain on the Trammel facet (co-ordinates 14o 3'N 24o 49'E).

Hope to see you there!

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Glassblowing Menu
gargoyle vase
large gargoyle vase
gargish chair
gargish table
small flask
medium flask
curved flask
large flask
bubbling flask
empty vial rack
full vial rack
gargoyle hourglass
high quality granite
blow pipe
Blow Pipe
flask (small)
flask (medium)
flask (curved)
flask (large #1)
flask (bubbling blue)
flask (bubbling purple)
empty vials
full vials
spinning hourglassflask (large #2)
flask (bubbling red)
Sand
sand

You don't have enough sand to make that.
You must be near a forge to blow glass.
There is no sand here to mine.
You dig for a while but fail to find any of sufficient quality for glassblowing.
You carefully dig up sand of sufficient quality for glassblowing.
Your backpack can't hold the sand, and it is lost!
You haven't learned masonry.
Perhaps you need to study a book!
You haven't learned glassblowing.
Perhaps studying a book would help!
Requires masonry (carpentry specialization)
Requires glassblowing (alchemy specialization)

Masonry Menu
Decorations
Furniture
Statues
stone block
small statue (south)
small statue (north)
small statue (east)
medium stone table (east)
medium stone table (south)
pegasus statuette
large stone table (east)
large stone table (south)
You don't have any stone!
Stones Mallet and Chisel
You have no idea how to work this stone.
You cannot work this strange and unusual stone.

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SOURCE: Origin Systems

Origin Systems to Host Online Worlds Fanfest 2001
Fans Offered Access to Latest Developments in Ultima Online and Opportunity to Interact with Industry's Top Creative Talent

AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 18, 2001--Origin Systems, an Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS - news) development studio, today announced that it will host Online Worlds FanFest 2001 on October 26 and 27 at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas. Origin Systems expects more than a thousand die-hard computer game fans to gather at the two-day event to meet and interact with some of the industry's top game producers, get a glimpse into the future of Ultima Online(TM) (UO) and socialize within the enormous UO community.

``The Online Worlds FanFest is an event that showcases one of the most popular and longest- running online games available, Ultima Online, and pays homage to the continuously growing community that has flourished through participation in the game,'' said Ben Noel, vice president and chief operating officer of Origin Systems. ``We are excited to show UO fans what the future of Britannia holds for them as well as provide a sneak peak into other immersive online worlds that are in development at EA.'' Industry Luminaries Share Their Views

A stellar lineup of speakers will ratchet up the excitement with presentations of their visions on the future of online gaming. Event keynote speakers will be Maxis Co-Founder and Chief Designer of The Sims(TM) Will Wright and Gordon ``Tyrant'' Walton, vice president of Maxis and executive producer of The Sims Online(TM). Other presenters will include Grammy and Emmy-winning Producer and Director Todd McFarlane, the creator of Spawn and founder of McFarlane Toys and Spawn.com, as well as Brett Sperry, chief creative officer at Westwood Studios and executive producer of Earth and Beyond(TM).

Online Worlds FanFest 2001 is also an exciting opportunity for the UO community to gather and meet each other in-person to celebrate their virtual-world relationships. In some cases these virtual teammates, called guildmates, have been playing together for several years.

How to Register

Registration for Online Worlds FanFest 2001 is open now at www.onlineworldsfanfest.com. Early registration runs through September 30 and carries a discounted fee of $129.00 per person. Beginning October 1 through October 25, the cost is $159.00 per person. Registration at the event on October 26-27 will be $200.00 per person. The registration fee includes a two-day event pass, lunch on both days and a t-shirt.

During the show, attendees can also participate in a silent auction offering exclusive UO collectibles. Proceeds from the auction will be donated to the UO-designated charity, Families of Spinal Muscular Atrophy. About Electronic Arts

Founded in 1982, Electronic Arts posted revenues of more than $1.3 billion for fiscal 2001. The company develops, publishes and distributes software worldwide for the Internet, personal computers and video game systems. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTS(TM), EA GAMES(TM), EA SPORTS BIG(TM) and EA.COM. More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://www.info.ea.com.

Contact:

C.H.E.N. PR
Erica Yenni Thomas, 303/394-1968
[email protected]

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This Saturday the 22nd, registration will begin at 8pm. eastern at Castle Dennar. People planning on entering their chickens in the Tournament on Sunday must enter their chicken on Saturday. No entrants that have not registered will be accepted on the day of the Tournament. Remember there is NO COST to register.

A few things I must point out from questions I have been receiving. No Deadly Poisoned Beaks will be allowed; as well as any chicken found wearing feathers of invulnerability would also be disqualified.

Also good news on who will be judging the Comedy event. They will be FatherGanja from Stratics, Sinjin and Molly from the COB Network. I ask any players that would like to act as photographers please feel free to take as many screenshots as possible.

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My name is Lady Malynn, and I'm a brand new member to the Stratics team. I will be reporting General and Community News. I couldn't be happier! I've always admired Stratics. I'm still pinching myself to make sure this is real!

Until recently, I was the Lead News Reporter for the Markee Dragon fan site. I learned a lot there, and will enjoy learning more here. I LOVE digging out the news. Before I started with Markee Dragon, I used to send the news to my extensive icq list.

Hmmmm, what else would you be interested in knowing about me? .....

I'm a real live woman and a hopeless, certifiable UO Addict. I co-lead one of the top 10 guilds on Great Lakes. I love PvM! I love doing things with others.. working and playing as part of a team.

I play UO for fun, adventure and friendship - not gold. There is nothing I enjoy more than sharing an exciting adventure with good friends. The most fun I've had in the game lately was when 2 of my friends and I summoned and killed the very first Champion ever in the game. To the best of my knowledge, the three of us are still the only players in the game to have earned the 3rd level hero title.

As far as my news style, I believe in factual, unbias reporting of the news. I have a business management background, so I often understand the business motivation behind some of OSI's decisions. In my forum posts, I often try to help others understand those as well.

If you have news leads or a story to tell, I encourage you to e-mail me.

Any way, back to the real reason of the post! It's to say: HI!!!

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Due to the recent tragedy that has befallen us, I have been away for quite some time. However, I have come back after visiting some family and friends in New York and New Jersey. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience this may have caused some of you who have sent us news over the past week. On a lighter note, however, I bring you the third and final part of Winter Tales:

As Artur leans on the back wall of the cave he hears noises coming from the other side. "Listen to this," Artur says. Doc and Ironfang put their ears on the wall, and they too hear the noises. "Frost trolls," Doc states. Slowly the noises go away. Doc and Ironfang are Grandmaster miners, and because of their skill, they had a hole in the wall in no time.

As they enter through the hole they, discover that they are in a large passageway. "Listen," Doc says. "More sounds, coming from over there." With Artur Hawkwing leading the way, they come upon a small doorway. As the men enter, they see that they are behind a throne of pure ice. A woman's voice is heard, and they listen to the conversation.

"Which of you two is Steelfang?" they voice says. "I am," comes a familiar voice. "What is it that you want of us wench?" Laughter is heard, and she replies, "Kulder has told me that you are not from here." Artur slowly pulls out his long sword as Doc and Ironfang gab their twin sets of battle-axes.

"Wait," Artur says. " Let us wait and see what she wants first." As they wait in silence, they still eavesdrop in on the conversation. "I am in need of something Kulder says you have: three small pieces of metal forged from blackrock." The other voice answers, “Aye, I do know of what you speak of, but you cannot have it. It is in Lord British's care now."

"Now," Artur says. As the three men enter, they see that there are no guards; only Steelfang, Jbdix, Kulder, and a strange man in a pure white robe can be seen. The woman looks at the man. "Kang, you may do as you like, but get me that metal," she commands as she magically vanishes. Kang looks around, as if hoping to find something. "She pays me well but I'm not a fool. 'Till we meet again, Steelfang. Here is a gift for you and your friends!" He pulls a piece of string from his pocket, and in a strange tongue he chants Kar-Mon-Akk, then he yells Kal Ort Por and disappears.

As the string starts to grow, Kulder yells, "A giant silver serpent! Run!" Artur stops and tosses a spear to Steelfang and a katana to Jbdix. "It's been fun but now we fight," says Artur. The three men attack the serpent, but at the first swing of Jbdix's katana, the serpent disappears. "Hhhmmm...," Steelfang says. "Smoke. Some mage, huh?"

As the moongate opens outside of the Green Leprechaun Tavern, six men come through. "Drinks are on the house! Besides, none of you ever paid before," Ironfang says. Standing outside on the porch with Jb and Artur, Steelfang recalls what had happened to him. "This is not over yet. Be on your guard. She will be back with help this time, be sure of that. Let's go in and eat drink and forget for now...."

A glorious end to a mysterious tale indeed! However, many questions remain unknown. Who is this mysterious "Ice Queen"? What does she want with the blackrock pieces? These and many more may be answered soon, for evil is stirring among us. Until then, safe travels, and have a merry day!

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After working intence for the last couple of weeks we have been able to publish a "press release" or basically a preview of the new "paging" utility for the UOT program, if you dont know what the UOT program is visit our website at http://uoteacher.cjb.net or our UOT Forum on the Stratics Boards. The client is designed to make it easier for the teachers to help the students. However we are wishing to help all players regardless of experience that don't feel waiting hours and hours in a GM que.

You can also check out the preview of the new utility.

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Rune Libraries?
Public Dye Tubs?
Good Shops and Wares?
Public Skill-training?

We've introduced a new section to the Great Lakes Forum for you to easily post and find the information you're looking for. This is brand new, so until you post, there's not a lot to see...

Also in the works is a system to better accomodate Guild Recruiting on our Shard.

Come check out the GL Forums for the info you are looking for!

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Last year, the Olympics were a huge success. The Chesapeake Events Team has taken up the responsibility of organising the Olympics this year. There will be many Contests including Fighting, Crafting and Racing Contests and also Opening, Closing and Winners' Ceremonies.

The requirements for taking part in the Olympics are on the Chesapeake Events website at http://chesevents.ontheinter.net but I will repeat them here.

Teams: 8 People may be in a team but only 6 of that team will be allowed to take part in team events. This allows for absentees and those who can't make it to the contest in time. Teams will be required to register for the Olympics 1 week before the opening ceremony, which will be announced on the Chesapeake Events website.

Single Person Contests: Anyone can enter the Single person contests but only 3 members from any one Team can enter, giving non-Team players a chance. There will be 1st, 2nd and 3rd place Positions for each contest and also Team player points. Points are awarded to Team members who take part in the single person events and come in at places 1-4. The team at the end of the olympics with the most contest points will win a bonus prize as well as the prizes they have gained through winning the contests.

If there are any Towns who wish to sponsor the Olympics and donate prizes, please Email me at [email protected]. A link to your Town will also be added to the Olympics Website.

We are also accepting applications for those who wish to be part of the Chesapeake Events Team and help out with the Olympics and any other current events we have planned.

Companion Black-RAM
Lead Chesapeake Events Co-Ordinator

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The old man met his spooked contact within a bar on the jungle island of Jhelom; the old man was a rare book dealer and the contact a lock picker from Trinsic by the name of Fryp. If Fryp proved to be worth the bag of gold the old man paid, the elaborately copied book within his hands was of one of the rarest books within Britannia. A copy of a journal from a translator of the Codex of Oblivion, the most revered of all the texts from the Order of the Ebon Skull.

The old man watched Fryp leave the bar carefully and he peered over both his shoulders with sweat peeling from his forehead like a fountain and with a long breath he threw open the cover of the journal and he began to read...

The Translation of the Codex of Oblivion

Inside the Codex of Oblivion is told the history of the Cult of the Skull, the coming of the Arch-Liches, of the Convergence of Unmaking, of the Rituals of Unbirth, of the Deities of Darkness and of the Final Resistance.

The Codex of Oblivion is a book written in an ancient forgotten language, from the first worshippers of Oblivion, thus compiling and translating all the old manuscripts is a task for several years, all of which, I cannot unfortunately spare.

The Codex has been the object of my study recently, and the reason of my ingression in this Order. It is my personal belief that the Codex holds the secrets of the making of the universe, of the seed of all life energy and predicts the arrival of the End, and knowing these secrets would be the source of Ultimate Power in wise hands. There have been several translations of the Codex made by other scholars.

This is my own view of the issues accounted within, and it is somehow contradictory to the vision that built the base of the Knowledge and Teaching of the Order of the Ebon Skull.

Of the Convergence of Unmaking

It is somewhat unclear, even to the ranks of Oblivion, the definition of Oblivion and Entropy, which rest somewhere between real facts, and the creed built upon them, sometimes shadowing the truth behind our history. I was never satisfied with the lack of a precise definition of these concepts. Concepts, which erected the Table of Conduct of all Undead, the Conclave and their followers.

I wasn’t willing to believe that all ancient documents understood Oblivion and Entropy as being purely matterless forms of incorporeal and conscious energy, a destructive force willing to engulf all existence and itself.

From my old experiences with astronomy, and thaumaturgy, I deduced the first step in this research was actually understanding the truth about these elements.

It was never clear to me the nature of Entropy, or how the adoration and cult to it could be related to the exact meaning and connotation of the word. Were they the same thing? As per see, Oblivion, the nothingness, the void, and Entropy, the decay and undoing, a process through which all matter eventually is faded to, were not in conjunction a reason for cult and adoration. They are scientific elements, natural components of the cycle of life and the universe. What reason led this Order to adore them, and through them acquire mystical powers to raise their banners and march their hordes in conviction of their beliefs? Were they just Apocalyptic lunatiques?

My first task was to read through all the documents I had and get rid of the devotional notations and all partiality that is typical on any manuscripts written by a cult of fanatics. Little substantial information could be found and used from the creeds and mythological notions. With the raw information in hands, I could head on to a historical research on the myth of the forces that control the universe, from several points of view and relate them all, to a point in which the folklore and fantasy were reduced to straight facts. A hard task given that the Codex was originally compiled by several hands.

The hardest point in comprehending the Theory of the Convergence and duality of the two natural entities before my research was accepting it's impersonal nature as motive for contemplation. It was a force, and naturally, if not obviously, it was deprived of any personality, will or consciousness. Had it been regarded as a Deity, a god, or a being, it would not have been so abstracted to the point of doubt. It is known that in the beginning, humans were devoted to natural phenomenon and objects that fled their knowledge of the material world, but then, they used mythology to give them character and feelings instead of abstract form. Was that the case here?

Speaking of the abstract, the theory that is predominant in Britannian is that of Balance, which is kept by the existence of Order and Chaos. Through which, the world is shaped by opposing forces that must be equal in an ever going struggle for superiority. Existence though, would cease to exist if one of the sides prevailed, thus evil is necessary so that humanity can learn to avoid it.

These concepts are present in almost all religions. It intrigued me that the followers of Oblivion did not relate themselves to the Circle of Chaos, but instead, preferred to abstain themselves from this particular conflict, and settle themselves in another ideology.

Yet, to achieve their goals, they applied means that were contradictory to those not adept to Chaos, and that could easily fall in the category of chaotic doing.

To understand how the Theory of Balance with the existence of Entropy could coexist, without eliminating one of them, was a challenge. Naturally, the easiest way would be to prove that the Convergence of Oblivion and Entropy would be but a new interpretation of the forces of Chaos.

But if Oblivion were to consume everything, what would be made of Balance? This quickly retreated this line of thought. Evil and Good are opposite forces wishing to prevail over each other and gain control. Entropy desires destruction and return to the initial Oblivion, which then would be also final. Nothingness and ultimate desolation could hardly qualify as balance.

Then I thought, that Oblivion, could be Balance itself, consuming either what is good, and what is bad, regardless of any conscience or Will. But what moved the desire to support the form of Balance that would make us all perish, including the defenders of this very theory? Or are all followers of Oblivion simply slaves to its will, condemned to eternal suffering and the ultimate death because they no longer carry control over their actions?

It was then that I first engrossed in the Order to examine the behavior of the Undead and have access to their documents. I understood how the Order had been put together and how it was structured, and how Chaos was not evidenced in their acts, which were gruesome, but had a share of Law and Order.

Unable to fit them in either side of the struggle of Balance, I started to assume that Oblivion was an overlooked Third Element, necessary to keep Balance, and had always been present in the composition of our universe. While the other forces are conflicting to create, the force of Oblivion is willing to undo. Acting as a dissipation element necessary to maintain the cycle eternal. The Order of the Ebon Skull is not aligned to the forces of Light, but it does not cause it immediate destruction. It will not align itself with Evil, because Evil that does not serve it is destroyed likewise. What the belief of Oblivion was doing was exactly being a Third component in the cycle of Balance, without which, one of the sides would have arisen victorious. As death in nature, Oblivion represented not the good or the bad. It represented the end of the Cycle, from which it could start again either in Chaos, or in Order.

But again, something intrigued me. What would come after the End? To Order, Chaos would be the End. To Chaos, Order would represent the End. What about Oblivion? That's when I needed the aid of the Codex, for that part was unclear. The reason, the goal. Destruction did not seem like a reason worth fighting for. So, what would come after? What would be the reward for those willing to believe in Oblivion as a competitive force in the ever-going struggle?

It took me months to finally come up with some concrete theories. Of those, one seemed more coherent, and I decided to develop it further.

My research took me to the Beginning of the formation of the Order, and I learned something about the Arch-Liches and the first members.

The Cult of the Skull was formed when a young man called Nizar, found in the depths of some Ice Caves (what would later become the dungeons of Deceit) an old tome written in an unknown language and an Ebon Skull. By touching the skull, he gained insight to the writings of the book. Amazed at his newfound artifact, it did not take long to attract interest towards it, and soon he was the first leader of a beginning Order, such like the many we have nowadays.

An unlearned man, Nizar quickly grew into a sage of unknown parallels, absorbing the knowledge of the book and practicing many of the rituals described in the book. He grew sadistic, and his soul was twisted and obsessed by death and the spiritual world behind it. His cult brought many diseases and plagues, and gave birth to the Dungeon Deceit, their first Den. Many were tortured there, for decades, and in those rooms, several calamities were called upon the world of that time.

I stopped at this point, as I had already two questions. Was Nizar driven mad simply because too much power had been granted to him in so short notice? And was the Ebon Skull and that book found purely by luck (Or lack of it) or was something greater involved? It seemed possible that some Divine influence had been involved in the finding of the book and the expansion of the Order. The killing, the rituals, the disease, they all seem too coherent and ordered now that we commonly accept that Entropy is the tool through which Oblivion engulfs the living forces. But was this concept developed by the sadists that initiated the Order, or were they sadists because they were made so? To learn that, a third question was raised. What was the Ebon Skull?

I have deep knowledge on the ancient and extinct races of Britannia, and the culture that originated the Codex in its untouched newly found version was unique and unmatchable. Some intelligent entity must have written it, but who?

I found references to names that either have been forgotten or omitted from the present teachings of Oblivion, and fragments of texts that indeed confirmed that some conscious being or beings were behind the Dark Religion, but in what degree they were involved, was still a mystery.

Gholad, Ghurlag, Ghorlon, Grahad. These names were a riddle to me, and they were often mentioned in high standards, and it soon became obvious they were not members of the Cult, but the object of their devotion, higher agents of Entropy, and thus, the personality I had been seeking for so long. But how did they get forgotten?

I visited the shrine of the Skull in a cold Saturday evening. The Skull was sitting there, over blood stained pillows in a marble altar. I was not allowed to touch it, but I observed it for a while (space here). In my parchments, a copy of the 22nd chapter of the Codex of Oblivion. It described the Skull:

"A dark, polished skull it was. It had no imperfections of any kind. Nor was it dirty or rusted, even though it was half sunk in the dust, between dead rats and insects. Only one tooth was missing. And it was ornated only with a large pentacle, which was carved deep on the forehead."

Odd, I thought. The skull's forehead as smooth and no sign of the mentioned pentagram was to be found. Now the puzzle had really been set before me. I shivered at the thought that the Ebon Skull that we know was not actually the one that was found. I kept translating though.

The leader, Nizar, became the First Lich-Lord after his death. It is unknown if Lich-Lords that followed him are different entities or the same one, and I frankly have no resources on that. It is well known though, that for some periods the Order was led by the High-Priest and the Clergy, and historical references to the Lich-Lord are strangely missing, perhaps suggesting that Lich-Lords spawn only in certain time spans.

After the coming of Mondain though, the Cult had gone through a period in which absolutely no entries have been written into the Codex, and it remained like that until the present time, when Azalin descended into Britannia to restore the Order. The new Cult, the Order of the Ebon Skull adopted the Principles of the Codex, but since it's now written in a dead language, I assume much of the original religion was changed or corrupted, or simply replaced with abstract and vague views.

I went back a little for more study on those names I found. I could not find anything, until I came across something of interest. Doing a preparation for a mass, I was looking into some old engravings and illustrations, when I noticed a reprint of an ancient drawing. The original was of unknown date and artist, and was a rudimentary figure of a spider like creature. What caught my attention was the name Ghorlon, scribbled faintly in the stone plaque. The spider figure was drawn standing over an altar, and several worshippers waving right below it. I also found references that this particular engraving was taken from a book, an encyclopedia compiled in the First Age of Darkness.

With this new material in hands, I was glad to verify that the other names I had previously researched were also mentioned, and that the Cult of the Skull considered them to be Gods of Darkness, the progeny of Oblivion, and that these entities could manifest themselves physically, and the four of them were considered to be a single being. Entropy. So I stood correct. Entropy indeed had a conscious mind, and these four entities taught the Cult to run rituals and sacrifice the living, all in favor of Ultimate destruction, in the name of Oblivion, and the end of all. Their personal interest is yet unclear, but it did not matter. I had found the reason and the hands behind the finding and crafting of the Skull and the Codex, and the motivation behind the expansion and power of the Order. Intelligent beings, behind the curtains of a yet unclear path of destruction and its origin.

The gods did not manifest themselves in this Age. The Codex is for the most part confusing and written in different and complex language. Perhaps they can only be awakened again or brought to existence through certain rituals. Or maybe they watch silently the events of this plane, and have sent themselves the Lich-Lord to start their reign. Or maybe yet they have turned their back to us and are planting their seed of evil elsewhere.


My thoughts are, what if the Order has not reached yet the full comprehension of the power behind it? What if worshiping these gods is the key to understand their true objective? What if fulfilling their desire is the key to ultimate Ascension? What have the gods promised the original believers beyond unspeakable powers? Or have they threatened them and bent their will to their evil plots?

And then I needed to come up with an answer as to what comes after the End. Ultimate knowledge? Ascension? Redemption? Or even who knows, the power of a god?

The Lich Lord is the commander of the Forces of Entropy. He is their tool and personification, but in the theory of Deities, one question arises. How much does he know? Perhaps he is waiting for the right time to unleash the power and with it the knowledge to this answer?

I cannot tell. The Codex may contain this knowledge, but I may be years behind it. I do not know what comes after the End, and what is the purpose behind these Entities' will. I also do not know if the Lichlord knows, and what part the Ebon Skull plays in this long scheme of events.

Yet, It's told in the Codex, as a prophecy, that the arrival of the Avatar of Death would be a new Age to the Order. Only questions remain as of now...But curiosity asks...Will returning to old creeds be a step forward to discover the secrets of Oblivion? Is the Avatar of Death the embodiment of all the four entities? Will the Lichlord become the receptacle for the Avatar, growing in power through the centuries so that it can host the Deities when it is strong enough? Meanwhile its lackeys are to do the dirty job, collecting souls and lives and binding them within the Ebon Skull, which would serve as a key to Outer Planes?

Who knows...It is too early to tell....

The old man threw the book's cover shut quickly and for the first time since he began reading the text took a breath of air. It was exactly what Fryp said the text would be he mused to himself, now he had notes upon the Codex, he should just merely acquire a copy of it and his collection of books would be complete...

As the old man left the bar he was struck upside the head only to awake with his copy of the journal taken and a small piece of paper place in his pocket:

Dearest Robert,
Unfortunately a higher bidder has come long for the journal and I was required to take it off thine hands. Truly, no offense towards yourself, he was just quite persuasive. His name is Anton and is apparently a scholar of some type who is quite intrigued as to how I came about this text. The dangers that follow with it lead me to be suspicious but he is quite persuasive with the gold. I will contact you once I can procure another copy...
Regards,
Fryp

The old man crumbled the small piece of parchment into a wad and threw it at the bar's doors, as he did he was surrounded by shadows, by wraiths. The end had come for Robert the book dealer; the Ebon Skull spares no mercy for those who interfere in their affairs... No mercy for those who would pry into the affairs of Azalin, Nizar, and the Codex of Oblivion.

Where: Lightbringer Academy
When: 8pm PST, Friday the 21st
What:An Open House for people or guilds who are interested in the Academy.

It has finally been finished after much work, and now looks much better than compared to the earlier days. It also has an American Flag on the roof in light of last week's tragedies. For more information on Lightbringer Academy, you can look to your left frame and find a link from the Sonoma Page. I hope everyone has a good time this Friday Night, hope to see you there!

--Lord Zeromus, Regent of Lightbringer Academy

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We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience, and thank you for your patience.

Players can now say the command "powerhour" to discover how long it will be until their next powerhour begins.

** 09/18/01 ** 5:00 PM CDT *** POWER HOUR NOTICE ***

As of Tuesday's patch, players can now type the command "powerhour" to see exactly how long remains before their next power hour begins. For more information on how the power hour system works, see http://update.uo.com/design_368.html

The complaints we've seen so far (OSI collected complaints):

1) The system seems too focused on single players.

Response: That's intended for low skill blacksmiths that are exploring the game. Although, it should not be an issue for high skill blacksmiths.

2) The deeds can be completed by non-blacksmiths.

Response: Blacksmiths are required to collect the deeds. The rewards for high-end deeds are usable by blacksmiths only.

3) Some folks want the deeds to be non-transferrable/non-completable by original owner of the deed.

Response: This breaks the ability to swap deeds. The chances of getting all 7 deeds required for a large bulk deed for platemail of the same type is very low (would take a good while) and almost requires transferring of deeds between blacksmiths.

4) Ingot prices will soar.

Response: This is player regulated and not regulated by a game mechanic. Although, you can mine ingots without purchasing them. :)

5) People will camp vendors for ingots.

Response: We have a fix for this in testing. Also, iron ingot bulk deeds would yield significantly lower rewards than colored ore deeds.

6) People will camp shopkeepers for deeds and run the shopkeepers out of gold.

Response: The deeds will be available from both armourers and blacksmiths. Most towns have at least two shopkeepers of one or the other type (or more). This will alleviate camping. Also, deeds are not given out constantly. They are random and a delay occurs after receiving an order.

-Hanse
UO Live Designer

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In honor of the new tel'Ruid winery and the coming autumnal equinox, tel'Mithrim will be hosting a wine festival.

The main attraction will be a drinking song contest at 8:30 pm Central in the winery, hosted by Camris.
Everyone is invited to come by and sing, or listen, play darts, chase women (or men...or llamas) and just have fun in general.
The new winery is located just a bit south of the bowyery, which can be found in Trammel here.

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I'm sure everyone probably has alot on thier minds at the moment, just a quick note to let everyone know the comic is up.

www.outofcharacter.com

-Arak

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We will be releasing a client patch on Tuesday, September 18th at approximately 3:00 pm CDT. This patch contains the following changes:

3D Client

• Paperdoll no longer closes and reopens to refresh the paperdoll model.
• Players will no longer be able to equip non-wearable objects by dropping them on the paperdoll background. This was causing drag slot problems preventing them from picking things up.
• Various animation files added.

Both Clients

• Fixed a crash bug that occurred whenever non-humans tried to sit.
• Various localization files added.

The current versions should now be 3.0.4p (2D client) and 3.0.4p Build 77 (3D client).

NOTE: Windows 95 users that have not upgraded to Winsock 2 may receive the error “missing winsock32.dll”. To fix this problem, these users should download and install the new version of Winsock, which can be found here. 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] [email protected]...

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Greetings!

I would like to invite all playwrights and those interested in theater to get involved with the artistic community on Baja.

As a founder of The Golden Brew Players, our intention was to promote original works and encourage other groups to produce their own productions.

The Golden Brew Players have done several plays throughout the past few years and would love to give another group or individual a chance to step up and show their stuff.

We have a theater located in the Town of Golden. It is available for any group that would like to put on a theatrical production. If you'd like to see one of your stories produced write to me, Ursula. I can try to get a group together or interested in putting it on.

We have many talented and creative people on Baja, let's join together and continue to build a wonderful artistic community.

Ursula

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[For the record, state your name and occupation.]

My name is never given out, I go by Grand Inquisitor.

[Why?]

The work I am given requires it. Much like the executioner whose face is kept secret from the mob. A means of allowing me some privacy and security.

[What is it that you do?]

I have been given the arduous and dangerous task of apprehending those who pose a deadly threat to the crown’s interest. Criminals largely. But others are brought in for interrogation also. I am help his Lordship keep order in the realm.

[So you are not just after one person or group?]

Correct. However, I try not to get involved in local magistrates’ affairs. I aim for the larger criminals and organizations. Those who pose a serious threat to the realms as subversives and miscreants.

[Explain your duties.]

I have been authorized to appoint any number of what may be called agents. I send these out to obtain information. When enough is collected on an individual or group, I seek to have these apprehended or at least interrogated. Provided of course the information is reliable and incriminating. I do not accept rumors as fact.

[Who does the apprehending?]

It depends. In the beginning, the criminals were of such power that I had some ability to send the royal guards. But as these were rounded up and neutralized, that power was relaxed, shall I say. Now I send those whom I deem fit for the job and try to pay them well.

[And you handle the interrogations?]

Aye, that is my primary task.

[What criminals or groups have you investigated in the past?]

When I was first commissioned, there were two individuals who required immediate action to apprehend. Artarion and Baron Nocturnis. Artarion disappeared as did Ventryn. I search for them in vain. However, I did arrest Baron Nocturnis and put him to death. The group, the Necromari, is presently under my scrutiny.

[Who is Baron Nocturnis?]

Ah, yes. Baron Nocturnis was Scaramandine the Elder’s henchman. A lich lord (the Baron, that is). He was involved in restoring his master to this plance once more. We failed to arrest him before he accomplished that. However, Scaramandine is a shadow of his former self and poses no serious threat to anyone now.

[Where are you in the present investigation?]

Well, at a bit of a stalemate. As ye may know, the Elder was planning to construct a new device. One which purported to have the power to consume the souls of citizens of entire towns. Apparently, he realized his doom was imminent, so he hid the parts in seven places. Hoping to come back to it should he return. I am pleased to say we now have six of the pieces. So at least the threat of it is extinguished. But I will not rest until I have the seventh part.

[A new device?]

You recall the device called the Orb of Soul Seeking? This would be a more sinister version. Also, there has been some Necromari activity in Minoc. It seems they wish to control the town, like for its gold supply.

We have identified key agents there and perhaps arrests will come soon.

[Why not destroy the six pieces to prevent the device’s construction?]

The Elder was clever. The parts defy all our efforts to destroy them. The Necromari, of whom he was one, know the ancient magicks spells which we cannot fathom nor reproduce so they are powerfully ensorcelled, protected by wards.

[I trust these pieces have been entrusted to Nystul?]

Of course. We hope to find some means to hide them away where they can ne’ er be found, but we fear even that they seem to seek each other out almost as if they have a mind of their own.

[What do you know about the Death Corps?]

There is some indication they are in an alliance with the Necromari. The Necromari representing the death cult’s mages and henchmen and the Death Corps as its military arm. But this is all conjecture at the moment.

[What do you know about Kain’s magic gem?]

I have heard of this Kain fellow but not of his gem. It may be something akin to it or something else entirely. I do not wish to seem vague, but I have no knowledge of the device he has, I have only heard reports of his activities.

[I have learned from Watts, an elder of Edinburgh that the souls of Scaramandine the Elder and Scaramandine II have joined in the same body. What do you know of this?]

So I have heard as well, they were banished together while the younger, Scaramandine II, cast the spell of banishing to rid us of his forbear. The Elder cast a soul transference spell and entered the body of his kinsman, so both were banished together. And it seems the two souls inhabit the one body that was restored by the Baron’s work. ‘Tis a theory of course. I think it is foolishness.

[What do you know of Scaramandine?]

I have met the man since his return, even had him arrested for a time, when he walked the lands before. He was nosferatu, a vampiri. He is so now again. Hence my belief ‘tis only he who inhabits the body. Why would his penitent kinsman be so cursed?

[Are the Necromari the only criminals you’re pursuing at the moment?]

Nay, but they are at the top of my list now. There are many petty criminals at large. I wish to begin with those I know to be a threat to the crown and that is their aim, no doubt.

[Last week, the King of Winterfell was murdered. Are you planning to launch an investigation into the matter?]

I have had no concourse with their representatives, but my door is always open to those who suspect foul play, especially when it seems out of bounds or proportion to the means available to deal with it. I would surely aid them if they wished.

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A new e-mail worm that appears to be a retooled combination of several other successful worms -- and which an Internet security firm says was first released almost to the exact minute of the one-week anniversary of the World Trade Center attacks -- is spreading rapidly across the Internet.

This worm, named W32/Nimda.A-mm, is dangerously different than virtually all e-mail borne viruses: It can infect a computer when a user simply clicks on the subject line in an attempt to open the innocent-looking e-mail, or visits a Web page housed on an infected server.

The e-mails arrive from addresses both known and unknown to the recipient. No action beyond opening the e-mail is required; therefore, the virus is spreading rapidly.

The virus, according to preliminary analysis, combines the worst features of the two worms that have crawled across the Internet since June.

"The rate of growth and spread is exceedingly rapid -- significantly faster than any worm to date and significantly faster than any variant of Code Red," read an alert issued by TruSecure.

TruSecure's release also said, "We cannot discount the coincidence of the date and time of release, exactly one week to (probably to the minute) as the World Trade Center attack."

W32/Nimda.A-mm sends itself by e-mail, as SirCam does, and also scans for and infects web servers like Code Red does.

At least with Code Red and SirCam, computer users had a fighting chance.

Servers could be patched to protect against Code Red, and unclicked e-mailed attachments couldn't spread SirCam.

But most e-mails containing the W32/Nimda.A-mm worm do not have a visible attachment. When the subject of the email is clicked so that the recipient can read the e-mail, the worm is immediately activated and attempts to run a programming script.

Infected Web servers will also attempt to spread the virus to anyone who visits websites that are housed on that server by pushing a "readme.exe" or "readme.eml" file to computers that visit the infected sites. The virus is activated automatically upon transmission.

W32/Nimda.A-mm appears to be exploiting a hole found last year by bug hunter George Guninski. The hole allows malicious hackers to force Microsoft's Web browser and e-mail programs to automatically open small programming scripts embedded in Web pages or e-mail. These scripts can contain viruses or worms.

Guninski said the only workaround is to "Disable Active Scripting" in the Tools/Options/Security menu, which can be accessed from within Outlook or Explorer.

Steven Sundermeier, vice president of Central Command said that initial analysis indicates that the worm is attacking servers via the "Unicode Web Traversal" exploit, in the same manner as a Code Red variant, CodeBlue. Information and a patch for this exploit are located on Microsoft's website.

The worm seems to be infecting only servers that use Microsoft's Internet Information Server software. But the worm's constant scanning for other vulnerable computers may cause slowdowns across the Internet.

Once the virus is active, it attempts to infect all compressed files, such as ZIP archives on a computer's hard drive, as the IRC worm called "readme.exe" does. It then e-mails copies of itself out to selected addresses in the infected computer's Outlook e-mail address book and Web cache folders, and begins scanning the Internet for Web servers to infect.

"We've caught 400 copies in the past hour," said Alex Shipp, at MessageLabs, an antiviral screening company, at noon EDT.

Other antiviral companies report a similar flood, and are analyzing the worm. They hope to post remedies on their sites on Tuesday.

The virus appears to be using the names of archived files on a computer hard drive as the subjects of the e-mails it sends out.

E-mails with long subject names such as "desktopsamplesdesktopsamples" are a particular indication of the virus, but some copies are arriving with short names such as "xboot" and "sample."

When clicked, depending on a particular system's configuration, a dialog box may open asking if "readme.exe" should be opened or saved to file. Regardless of the chosen option, the virus has been activated.

Even deleting the e-mails that contain the virus is difficult. Clicking on them to select them for deletion activates the virus.

Currently, the only way to avoid the virus is to disable scripting and refrain from opening any e-mail that is unexpected, or whose subject line does not relate to an on-going conversation.

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The Black Mass held by the Clergy of the Ebon Skull was one of the few things that I could always find pleasure in. The message that Bal-Anon Dak brought before us tonight was a special one, filled with meaning and purpose. It was close to the point that in which the Black Mass would have been dismissed, had it not been for the shouting of Virtues coming from the back rows. I quickly turned to see what kind of idiot had lacked the intelligence to do such a thing. I was not pleased with what I saw...

Umbra Moonstone... The Sage of Spirituality...

That idiot Sage had been sparring against me and my rule of Skara Brae Trammel for some time... And now it seemed that he had decided to come to Caina to continue this... Oh but the poor fool had no idea what he was doing. For he was in a chamber with some of the vilest creatures of Caina... Bal-Anon Dak, Shadow, Xanatos, Dreamweaver, myself, and many many more...

The Sage was quickly made helpless due to the forces of Darkness that now laid siege to him. The new and recently passed laws by the Tribunal of Entropy made it very clear that members of the Heralds of Awakening were not allowed to enter Caina... Lest they would suffer a terrible fate... Many of the ones there were screaming for the Sage's Death and so it would have been had I not step forwarded with my dark plan...

For a wonderful idea had been brewing inside of my head for some time now... Many ages ago, the forces of Light were able to rescue Umbra Moonstone from a creature that dwelt in the pits of Hythloth... A creature so terrible that many feared even his name...

The Lord of the Abyss...

Many weeks had already passed since Moonstone had challenged my control of Skara Brae Trammel... I knew that he was a being much more dangerous then the Regent and all the armies of Moonglow... For Umbra Moonstone had been imprisoned by The Lord of the Abyss for untold centuries... He had been freed by the forces of Light, and eventfully became the Sage of Spirituality...

It would be this dark and tragic past of Umbra Moonstone's that I would use and twist to eliminate my greatest threat...

I spoke before those who had come to the Black Mass and was able to persuade them not to slay Umbra Moonstone. But that he did deserve punishment for defying Caina and the Shadow Conclave. And that he should also be placed as an example to his fellow Sages and Oracles...

I spoke my wonderful designed plan to those there. We would travel to the far depths of Hythloth and locate Umbra's former master. There the great infernal beast would be slain, and his essence would be merged with that of Umbra's own being. And the creature that would exist after this would be a great and powerful boon to the forces of Darkness...

It was decided that this would be done. Umbra Moonstone was moved into a prison cell within Golgotha for the time being. Both myself and Bal-Anon Dak then proceeded to gather our respective brethren for a combined assault on Hythloth. The High Priest of the Ebon Skull was able to muster some of the most dangerous and evil beings ever to serve Obilvion... Xanatos, Azin Rosewind, Keaira, Drake, and Daubentonia all came to the call of Bal-Anon Dak. And I was able to summon Lynne Darkthorne, Crystal Ice, and Erland Silverose of the Society. Such a combined force of Darkness should easily be able to bring down The Lord of the Abyss...

Moonstone was ushered out of his cell and put in shackles. Words of powers were placed upon him to ensure that he would not present a problem within Hythloth. His mind was placed into a relaxed state and his body was made weak. Now all was prepared for, and the dark gate to the pits of Hythloth was opened...

It was worse then we had expected. The assaults of demons, gazers, and other infernal beasts was tremendous. We slowly marched through the hordes of creatures to the chambers of the Lord of the Abyss. All seemed silent and unmoving with the sole exceptions of a few gazers. The forces of Hythloth were soon sent to Obilvion. Then a huge infernal scream came from the northwest of the room. The Lord of the Abyss had returned to his home, and he was quite displeased.

The creature let out another huge scream and began tearing through our ranks. Both swords and spells meet him head on, yet they seemed to have no effect. And it seemed that he knew what belonged to him had somehow returned to Hythloth. For he was moving directly towards Umbra Moonstone. Combined words of powers were said between myself, Bal-Anon Dak, and Lynne Darkthorne; and now a cloak of shadows suddenly appeared over Moonstone. Not even the Lord of the Abyss could lay eyes upon him now. For only us three could now see the Sage now. The great infernal beast then became rather angry and began tearing into us like a fury I had never seen. Our attacks upon him continued for what seemed days...

And then...

The Lord of the Abyss let loose a shriek and fell dead upon the floor.

The spell that hid Umbra was quickly dispelled and he was moved upon the infernal corpse. His struggle was great as he knew what was coming. And yet it was also in vain. Words of power came from the mouths of Bal-Anon Dak and myself. A wall of black energy appeared and seemed to shut off Umbra Moonstone and the dead balron from the rest of us. Our chanting continued even as another creature... The Slayer... appeared to avenge his slain brother. The black energy then seemed to compress it's self around the two that were to become one... And then...

A blinding flash darkness that even I could not see through radiated from Umbra...

It was soon over... Umbra Moonstone stood proud and strong... For he was now one with Darkness... The essence of the Lord of the Abyss and his own were now one...

His beautiful and mad laughter filled the halls of Hythloth. It was terrifying to hear... For even the Slayer was terrified of the creature called Umbra Moonstone...

We quickly departed Hythloth, as the Slayer would not have stayed in fear much longer... And survival of another assault by a balron would have proven to end with failure.

I thanked my dear allies of the Skull for their assistance in this matter.... A great blow had been dealt to the Light... And a great victory it was for Darkness... The Society and dear Umbra made way to Skara Brae Trammel. There I spoke with Umbra and made certain of my bindings. He had indeed been bonded with the essence of the Lord of the Abyss... And he was now ready to resume his old duties and to assist with the running of the government of Skara Brae...

Umbra Moonstone was now ... mine...

Forever...

My Sage of Hythloth...


In Eternal Darkness,

Rune Artisem
Lord of the Society
Overlord of Skara Brae
Minister of Race Relations to Caina
The Society of Arcane Shadows

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By Sam Costello
September 18, 2001 10:40 am PT

A NEW WORM that can infect all 32-bit Windows computers and propagates using multiple methods has spread across the world Tuesday morning, according to Roger Thompson, technical director of malicious code at TruSecure.

The worm, called Nimda (admin spelled backwards), can spread via e-mail attachments, HTTP, or across shared hard disks inside networks, Thompson said. The worm can infect all 32-bit Windows systems -- Windows 98, 2000, Millennium Edition, XP, NT -- because it scans systems for between 10 and 100 different vulnerabilities and exploits them when found, he said.

"It looks like they've made a Swiss Army Knife," Thompson said, referring to the number of different tools the worm can use to attack systems.

"Every Win32 system is going to be vulnerable, if not from one [vulnerability], then from another," he said.

When spread by e-mail, Nimda arrives in inboxes as an attachment called "Readme.exe" or sometimes Readme.eml, Thompson said. The Readme file, however, has a malformed header (the data at the beginning of a file that allows a system to identify its type) which makes the computer think it is a WAV, or sound, file, he said. However, Readme.exe is in fact a program and can be executed just from the preview panel when viewing it without it being opened, he said.

Once the worm has infected a system, be it by HTTP, e-mail, or disk sharing, it then scans its local subnet (a chuck of the Internet) looking for vulnerable systems, Thompson said. Although some systems, such as those that are up to date on their patches, are protected behind firewalls or those that are filtering .exe attachments, will be safe from some aspects of the worm, that it spreads via three methods makes it more difficult to stop, he said. The spread of the worm across shared disks, which are more than likely entirely unprotected, "is going to be a real pain," he said.

The worm was discovered by Thompson's worldwide network of "worm catcher" systems at 9:08 a.m. ET Tuesday, he said. Within half an hour, it had spread across the whole world, he said.

"[Nimda] is certainly much faster, much more aggressive, and much bigger" than Code Red, Thompson said. Code Red was another recent worm that caused a good deal of damage and consternation for systems administrators worldwide.

Although Code Red did not ultimately have an impact on Internet performance despite some initial claims to the contrary, "we may actually see a hit on the Internet [and its performance]" with Nimda, Thompson said.

Computer security bodies the Computer Emergency Response Team/Coordination Center (CERT/CC) and Incidents.org both issued alerts about increased activity on the Internet Tuesday, stating that the activity may be related to the worm.

The spread of Nimda comes after warnings from a number of groups saying that attacks on networks and Web sites were possibilities after last Tuesday's terrorist attacks against New York and the Pentagon, outside of Washington. Although Thompson declined to comment on a possible connection between this worm and those attacks, saying it was inappropriate, the advisory released by TruSecure said, "we cannot discount the coincidence of the date and time of release, exactly one week to [probably to the minute] as the World Trade Center attack."

Sam Costello is a Boston-based correspondent for the IDG News Service, an InfoWorld affiliate.

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I arrived at the Wilmeth General Store to find several citizens already gathered, pack horses on their heels, awaiting the start of the caravan to Yew.

A discussion had been held at the Britain Town Council meeting to combine the efforts of both Britain and the Town of Wilmeth in gathering and delivering supplies to the City of Yew. For many months, the Yew Militia and their allies have battled to free their lands from the firm grasp of the orcs. These battled have depleted the supplies of the Yew forces, and so, we gathered in secret hoping to move under cover of the forests to deliver much needed supplies without attracting the attention of the orcs.

We made our way from the General Store through the mountain pass to the clearing at the entrance of the Town. Here we awaited the arrival of Britain. It wasn't long before scouts from LFE and B(K made their way through the pass and announced the arrival of Britain.

After a short speech from Auren Therion, Mayor of Britain, we made our way through the Forest of Samlethe to the Northern road leading to Yew. Just beyond the training tower we met up with representatives of the Yew Militia and BTF who were to escort the Caravan through the forest of Yew to the BTF Castle where supplies were to be stored.

Lord Dunedain waited patiently as stragglers joined up with the group. Once all were present, Dunedain requested that Thorin, Mayor of Yew, lead the group to the castle. And so we set out on the final leg of our journey, cautiously eyeing the trees for any sign of those stinky orcs.

We gathered outside the castle and prepared to unload the packhorses. A cry rang out from somewhere in the trees that the orcs were on the move. Dunedain was quick to respond, gathering the packhorses inside the small tower where the supplies were to be unloaded. As the battle raged on outside, Dunedain worked diligently to keep the mass amount of supplies from the hands of the orcs. When the last pack horse was empty, we emerged from the building to find several orcs still in the area as well as numerous fallen comrades.

Despite the coordinated attack by the orcs, they were unable to stop our caravan and the supplies are now safely stored.

Many thanks go out to all organizations who were involved to make this happen: LFE, B(K. KoW, MoW, H*C, Yew, BTF, the City of Britain and the Town of Wilmeth.

Analeiza
Mayor of Wilmeth
Sage of Spirituality [HoA]

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Host a Murder--This is great for player run towns. House owners can get together and coordinate clues that lead to other barkeeps in order to find the murderer. You could even try this on a small scale with some PC actors and 2 barkeeps...

Scavenger Hunt-- Again, really great for towns. Different barkeeps would give out what items are required, where to bring them etc.

Public Announcements-- With our regular shard activity, I propose the following for player run establishments: we develop a universal keyword (i.e. "events") and the barkeep announces what the players are up to. Example: I would be more than willing to set my Barkeep to say "This Wed's Hunt : Destard 9/20" or to publicize other events, set by the word "events." This may help us keep track of each other.

These are just some suggestions for possible use of Barkeeps. I think they would be MOST effective for groups or guilds if several were coordinated for a certain task.

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The folks at Impy's left this scroll for me this morning.  Sounds like their second auction for the week is going over quite well.

IMPY'S ARTIC FAIRE…
Weekly auctions will be held Wednesday and Thursday evenings at 9pm by the Eastern Sky. 

This week at Impy's we would like to invite everyone to stop by and visit our vendors through out the week. The Impy Vendors have a wide variety of items from tinkered items to smith items, items for all kind of mages and fighters. Stop by today.

This week has the usual HUGE amount of rares. This week's collection includes: a "Fish" (looks like a big fish, but labeled 'fish'), several pieces of Daemon Bone Armor, a Full set of Ranger Armor, quite a few Deeds (Clothing Bless, Potted Plants and Newbie), some Iron Ingots, piece of Valentine Candy, some Green Eggs, a Dark Fur, a couple Plants and Trees, Orange Gloves and Gorget, some faction Silver Coins, Executioners Cap, several Snow Globes, the Skull of Piccolo, a Bucket, a Scroll, a very full Picture Collection, a Bell, a full Anniversary Bag (includes a plate), a No Draw Tile and a BLOOD Tile! (phew) There is a ton of armor (literally). Several nice sets and a few loose pieces. And the weapons this week are completely awesome!!

We here at Impy's also have a Sandstone home that will be auctioned off this week. It had long been Impy's policy not to auction homes, that policy has changed and we welcome home owners to consider using Impy's Artic Faire for the sale of their home.

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.

If you need a rune visit one of our rune vendors located through out the lands. Vendors can be found at: Star's Shoppe (out side Vesper in Trammel), next door to the RD Stables (in Felucca), on the porch of the Sandlewood Box Inn (in Felucca), Cove Merchant's Guild and Blacksmith Shoppe (located just at the front gate of Cove in Felucca), the Mystic Rose (in the wooded glen in Trammel), the Garden City Mall (located just north of Cove in Trammel), or at Krista's Ranger Station (in Felucca).

~Impy's Staff

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After arriving and settling in at Sandlewood, Railstin began speaking. His first words were, "we have formed an alliance." I paused, hesitant to ask, but did any how, "and who is 'we'?" He then began to explain about an alliance of evil, soon to be known as the Empire of Armageddon. His words chilled my very inner soul as he spoke. Explaining their desire to bring down the crown. The goal being the complete destruction of their enemies, and their first stop being Nujelm'. My mind is racing still today with a swirl of thoughts.

As I am allowed more information I will be certain to pass it on. Perhaps someone in this crowd of chaos, knows or is responsible for my own abduction last week.

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'Twas a dark night in Vesper, many of the locals had gathered around the town to dicuss and talk about the day when from the shadows emerged six figures on horseback, there skin was as black as the night itself and red eyes stared out. Perhaps more disturbing behind them came a pair of demons from the abyss itself!

I quickly made my way into the mages shop and peered out the window, a conversation was struck up between a pair of Vesper milita and the Drow. From the corner of my eye I noticed one of the militia, a mage casting a spell.. Then all hell broke lose, the demons were sent back to the Abyss and the town square erupted into chaos as the Drow attacked, I seen many of the militia fall from where I hid, yet not a single drow fell.

Then the earth trembled as a Wyrm, as white as the purest of snow came from a magical gate, sitting on a wonderous and rare Ki-Rin was its master, a tamer from the Militia. With the yell of "Kill" the tamer urged his Wyrm forward to destroy the black devils. But he was quickly silenced by speeding blades and dark magics. All that was left was the Drow raiding party and a massive wyrm.

I seen the battle rage, many magical spells were cast and the Drow charged in with barbed spears and blades ripping vicious holes into the side of the Wyrm... Eventually with a thunderous roar the Wyrm exhaled its last breath and fell on a bridge, blood pouring from it.



As I studied the area, I noticed not a single Drow had fallen this night, yet many bodies of the Militia lay still alongside the Wyrm. If this is what the Drow can do in a moments notice, I hope we never see them prepare a full invasion...

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Hear Ye ! Hear Ye !

Don't miss the Monthly Lottery at uo-casino.com !
it's currently at 145.000 Gold for Europa and still growing !
You still have till the 1st October to buy up to 8 tickets for it...
Each time you buy a ticket, the pool increases !

Do not miss it ! Test your luck and Get rich !!!

Farewell and be safes,
PaPy JoE.

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This Wednesday (the 19th), begining from 20.00 (CET) we shallt once again open the doors of the Tavern of Cove. We welcome everyone to drink and have merry, and perhaps take part to knife throwing competition.

The tavern is located North of Cove on the Trammel facet. More detailed map can be found at http://cove.rper.org/.

I hope I see thou there, Traveller.

Videric and Reynard Gaveston

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Hiya ! The Royal Crown Casino is proud to propose you it's brand new Contest : The bi-monthly Amazing Hunt. The rules are simple, each player will receive a book with a list of 10 "things" hidden in the riddles, to bring back us asap. The maximum allowed time will be 3 hours. After this time, if there is no winner with the 10 items, the faster player with the most found items will be declare as the winner.
The Elder ones who tried the Ce'Nedra Challenges won't miss that at all I bet on it ;-)

Be ready to wander in the whole Trammel, check your Cities and Dungeons runebooks out, because with us, you must be ready to hunt for "stuff" you never imagine before. Don't worry you won't be forced to buy any kind of rare. You just need a good UO knowledge, a good map, and a fast horse or ostard and in case of, to sharp your sword and check your regs out ;-)

The prizes will be :
- A 100K Check for the first one
- A 75K Check for the second one
- A 25K Check for the third one

This first contest will start on the Saturday 22th of September at 9PM CET (GMT+1).
We are located at UOAM Coordinates 75o 56'S 30o 14'W on the Trammel facet. Have a look at the pics beyond to locate our establishment too.

I wish to all of the players a really good luck and a happy hunt :-)

Lord Belgarath (Special Events Manager)
HM Robert IV (Casino Manager)

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Even as we resume our lives after the tragic events of September 11th, we at Origin understand that many people are still unable to attend to things at home, due to travel issues, communication difficulties, or concern for missing loved ones. To help accommodate those players who have been in any way affected by these events, Origin Systems will be automatically refreshing all Ultima Online houses through the entire month of September.

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One Million Gold Piece Lotto at Garden City!

Due to popular demand, this week we have 2 lottos running at Garden City!!! 

The first lotto is for 50k and is being done in the "crate" style. Simply buy a crate for 1k and break it with an axe. If you find a check for 25k you win! There will be 2 winners for this lotto (25k each). Crates are on sale now! The second lotto is the one everybody has been waiting for, "The Highroller Lotto." 

Runes for this lotto are on sale now for 15k a piece. We have upped the odds of winning by 4 times (only 125 tickets will be sold), and, the jackpot... 1 MILLION GOLD! That's right! 15k could win you 1 MILLION this week. Recall off your rune at 8pm EST on Saturday Sept 22nd and if you see Mayor Nemonis standing beside you, YOU WIN! If you wish to take your chances with lady luck, you better run on over to the Garden City Hall soon! 

Garden City is located seconds north of Cove in Trammel (41o50'N 68o29'E). For more information about this events and Garden City please read our board located on the halls of www.uogc.net

~ Garden City Staff

p.s.
Congratulations are in order for Alex who won last week's jackpot of 250k!

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In Griffon Township, a sleepy little settlement due east of Dungeon Wrong and just south of Galaway Point on the shard called Felucca, charges of attempted murder were brought against the Infamous Lord Quill, a prominent member of the Fellowship of the Holy Dragon, by Scribbles,a local citizen. A trial will be held on Saturday 9/22 at 9:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time. It will take place on the front lawn of the Griffon Monestary and is open to the public at large. If you have not witnessed Griffon Law in action, you would do well to attend this event.

A note on Griffon Township:

Although located on the notorious shard called Felluca, Griffon Township has for ages allways offered safe haven to citizen and traveler alike. Permanent housing is offered to anyone in need and the local monks offer classes and training in any skill or trade you may be seeking. The only requirement is to be of good heart. Young or old are welcome to settle in Griffon Township.

Zahava
Order of the Griffon

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At 8:45am, on Tuesday morning, September 11th, 2001, the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were struck by three hijacked passenger airplanes, with a fourth plane crashing in a remote area in Pennsylvania, killing hundreds and leaving up to 5000 missing.

Today, New Yorkers are returning to work, Wall Street has reopened, and although there won’t be another Twin Towers, the owners have said they will rebuild in some way. Our players have also begun to resume their normal playing and posting habits, and we’d like to ask that our boards return to their previous status of Ultima Online-related posts as well. For those who feel a need to continue to discuss the effects of last week’s tragedy with other Ultima Online players, we’d like to point out some of our sister boards at Crossroads of Britannia and the Stratics UO Hall OT Forum.

One of my favorite things about my new position as an Ongoing Content designer for UO is the chance to work with the rich Ultima Prime fiction. I, like many of you, played the Ultima games when I was a wee lad. I grew up with people like Iolo and Dupre for heroes, and monsters like Mondain, Exodus, and the Guardian as enemies. The stories and characters from those original games influenced me growing up. Now I’m in a position where I’m partially responsible for those characters and stories

The functionality of the items or the color of the items are unique. Some of the rewards are for showing off your skill to other players. Some of the rewards are even more impressive. The top end rewards should be sufficient (aside from the massive amount of fame you can get) as a reward for the huge amount of effort required to fill the order (including a large monetary reward).

Any combination can be requested.

Ie (each line is a different deed):
10 Ringmail arms
10 Exceptional Ringmail arms
10 Ringmail arms of dull copper
10 Exceptional Ringmail arms of dull copper

Reward would be equal to half its vendor's value in gold for non-large bulk deeds, a bit of fame, and an item.

Gold rewards below 5000 gold is a pile of gold and not a check.

Items cannot be removed individually from a deed, once they have been combined with it (technical reason: stacking issue...items lose their properties...the deed does not store each object in it).

Ack, good point. The functionality is internal and does not look at the vendor's stock for calculation of the price. It's the absolute value and not the calculated value of the NPC's wares. I'm sorry for being misleading on this point.

So, if an object is valued at 200 gold outside (something arms lore might return, but I'd have to check on that to be sure), then it would yield 100 gold multiplied by the requested amount (ie: if chainmail were valued at 200 gold and you made 20 of them, (200*.5)*20=2000 gold...)

Ore type and exceptional quality properties are not considered when turning in completed small orders. They are only considered with large orders. Ore types and exceptional quality items are not requested for blacksmiths in training under 70 blacksmithy skill.

Of course, this is subject to change if issues arise in the QA process.

Yes, that's basically how the NPC's request items through the deeds. The challenge is to gain skill in the beginning of your smithy career. The repetition is what is meant to be broken up, at that point. Many folks don't have that many ties in the game yet (when you're new to the world). This allows a mini-game and a direction for your blacksmith to follow as a young player.

The higher skill smiths tend to have developed friends that they help out, craft for, repair items, etc. Their community involvement with the system is the swapping of deeds. The completion of the deeds might seem a challege...

If you're wondering if swapping deeds will actually become a dynamic, then you need to consider the magnitude of how many order combinations there are.

Small order deeds possible: Over 2500 varying deeds
Large order deeds possible: Over 150 varying deeds

This is all pending QA, of course.

Well, being that it's in General Testing means that it's passed through the "I've got an idea" and "possibly be in the game" stages to "probably be in the game" stage. We can't guarantee anything that's not yet made it's way all the way through into the game, but things are looking good on bulk orders making it all the way through.

Players have been asking for more attention toward methods of crafting and the results/rewards for that crafting. I think that players of various experience levels will like the bulk orders system--those players with little experience in smithing will be able to train in a more diverse fashion, and more experience smiths will be rewarded for their highly-skilled efforts.

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Rivendell proudly presents round four of the Tournament of Champions!
Registration begins at the Rivendell Tavern at 630 pm CST, Thursday 20 Sept. Fights start promptly at 7 pm.
The City of Rivendell can be found at these coordinates.
The winner will recieve a check for 100k and a spot in round thirteen, with a 1 Million gp prize!.
Details may be viewed here: http://home.jam.rr.com/lstoc/index.html
The council hopes to see you there!

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Meanwhile, smitten with love, the owner of the pits, is looking for a few good men or women. Right now, Fight Nights are running on two pits due to a lack of reliable staff. smitten needs one more qualified Judge and at least two more guards to be able to open all three pits. Both judges and guards must be willing to take a murder count should the need arise. As one Fight Night regular worker says, "You don't get any money, you don't get any glory, and a few sore losers cuss you out and every now again try to kill you, but hey, you get to see some great PvP and have fun working with a really cool group of peeps. Also, people really love this event. Makes me feel good that I can help keep it running." If you are interested in working at Fight Night, go to the Fight Night BBS at http://pub70.ezboard.com/boasisfightingpits and address a post to smitten w love and/or Tarapazu.

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Greetings!

It's that time of year again...time for the Third Annual UO Gathering/Northern California Renaissance Pleasure Faire thingy! Last year's event was a great success, and this year we anticipate an even greater turnout, with an imported cheerleader (Spinkickr :), and players from as far away as Pennsylvania and Ontario, Canada...so be there or be square!

WHEN: Saturday, September 29th. Meet in front of the ticket windows no later than 9:00-9:30 Pacific, if you wish to get a break on ticket prices.

WHERE: Northern California Renaissance Pleasure Faire at the Nut Tree, Vacaville, off of Interstate-80 (link with map to follow)

WHAT: A chance to meet other UO players within the atmosphere of 16th-century England. The initial entrance fee covers continuous entertainment from 10:00am to 6:00 or 7:00pm, when the faire closes. Full-contact jousting tournaments, staged plays, roving jesters, Salty Seadogs, ribald revelry, juggling, puppet shows, belly dancers (don't ask), bawdy songs and sweet ballads, Bold and Stupid Men, swashing and buckling...something for every taste. :-)

HOW MUCH: The normal price for an adult ticket is $17.50. HOWEVER, on the 29th, I will be awaiting you outside the ticket window with a fistfull of coupons to allow you to gain entrance for half-price (or 8.75), and all children (up to age 11) will be admitted free on that date. I'll post a link with my picture from last year's faire, so you'll know whom to look for and bug. :-)

WHAT TO BRING: Food on the premises is most delicious---and very pricey. I recommend bringing your own, so that if you're smitten with an overwhelming desire for some bauble while you're there, you'll have the means to purchase it. (There are ATMs available as well) Bottled water is a good staple, as it can get extremely hot. FILM! Bring your cameras and LOTS of film! Costuming is not required, but I think you'll find a lot more...uh...opportunities..if you are costumed. *winks* The only prohibitions on items brought into the faire are: No glass containers, no alcohol, (though ale, wine and mead are available onsite at the Ale Stands) no unsecured weapons, and no live pets. (I dunno about dead ones)

FOR THOSE WITH CHILDREN: There are TONS of things for children to do at faire, including (but not limited to) the Traditional School of Crafts (basket-weaving, pomander-making, doll-making, painting, etcetera), the chance to participate as actors onstage in an ongoing play, pony rides, turtle races, archery, the Dragon Maze, the Moon Swing, the Maypole...many of the kid's activities are free. My 9 year-old daughter has attended every day for the past four years, and she's still not bored. A great place for kids. :-)

WHAT TO LOOK FOR: If you manage to miss me before opening, try to find my booth. It's very small...classified as a cart. :) It's called "Eggwife's Dowrie", and is located on Threadneedle Market, west of the Washerwoman's Well, beneath a spreading (dead) walnut tree, at the bend in the road just before the Big Swing(s). We are directly in front of Tickle thy Fantasy, immediately across the road from Gypsy Soles, the banner booth, and Steven Overstreet's Romantic Regalia. Please try to print out these directions and take them with you, as the maps which are issued onsite are very vague, and the Information booth is not likely to be of much assistance.

I've arranged to take the day off, but intend for the booth to be used as a message center for the day, and will be checking back there often. Just bug Janessa, my lovely booth sitter. She will be happy to help however she may. I will leave an itinerary posted there, so that latecomers may hook up with the rest of the group at various points throughout the day.

ITINERARY: This year, we have a schedule of shows to attend, whilst still allowing for plenty of free time to do with as you will. The shows are all free, and seating is all first-come, first-served, so try to be prompt! If you miss us at opening, please look for us here:

10:30 am: (approximately) EGGWIFE'S DOWRIE: At my booth (as described above) where you may store your valuables, leave messages, etc.
11:30 am: TOURNAMENT ARENA: The Shire Joust. As you face the bleachers, look for us to be seated on the left-hand side.
12:30 pm: THE OLD NUT TREE STAGE: MooNiE the Magnif'cent
2:00 pm: ROGUE'S REEF STAGE: Bold and Stupid Men
3:00 pm: The MULLAH'S (near Trader's Market Stage) Turkish coffee, iced chai and bellydancers in the shade :-)
4:00 pm: CAT & FIDDLE COMMON: The Puritans 5:00 pm: THE OLD NUT TREE STAGE: Broon & MooNiE (fire-eating, sword-swallowing, juggling, mayhem and general audience- harrassment :)
Schedule is flexible...any updates will be posted at the booth.

For Faire-specific information (including current weather report and directions) go here:

http://www.recfair.com/2001/nocal/home.php

To see what I look like so that you can hunt me down, go here:

http://ogd.syix.com/images/RenFaire01.jpg

For pics of OGD's portion of 1999's fun, go here:

http://ogd.syix.com/RenFaire.html

A links page, for those interested...it has about 100 Ren Faire-related links, covering everything from mead-making to armor to language to costumes to performers, etc., etc...(Mine is even on there!) Check it out at:

http://www.kalani.net/FaireLinks.htm

That's all that I can think of for now...thanks for your time. :-)

If you've any questions, email me at: [email protected], and I'll try to answer them. Hope to see you there!

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Wednesday 19th @ 11 pm EST (8 pst). Sign Ups 1 hour before!

Located at TOR Evil Village tower UOAM Cords: 69o 57N, 35o 22W

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 looting is allowed
  
• The only pre-casting allowed (casting done before the match countdown) is Magic Trap, Reactive Armor, and Magic Reflection.
  
• The Event Coordinator's decision on all matches is final and will not be disputed during 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.
  
• The Event Coordinator reserves the right to adjust these rules at any time without notice.

Contestants and Spectators must observe and obey all the Village Laws. Failure to do so can end in your death and/or banishment from the village.

Prizes:

• 150k 1st
  
• 2nd 75k
  
• 3rd 25k

I would like to thank our sponsors:

Unicron of TOR
Rick-Guardian Knight
Canon Guild Master IOR
Merlin TOR

-Vince Neil of TOR # 43601419
Village of TOR

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As this is a time to show our respect for the many people who are risking their lives to help with this tragic event, I would like to announce that I am setting up a category in the movie section of Glitter Movies for an tribute movies to anyone you might have known who's life was lost, or anything having to do with this event. I will personally be working on a movie soon for this. Please, only tasteful movies. Any movies which show complete disrespect to this event I will not accept.

Anyone out there that has lost family members, or friends in this event I am deeply sorry.

Please visit http://www.glittermovies.com to submit your tribute movie.

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With the Implementation of Barkeeps, and the UO Seers (not affiliated with OSI) program trying to get off the ground a website has been setup where Roleplaying Assassins and Mercenaries can list their character name and ICQ to be hired out for guard/protection and mock battles for guild and shard events on the Baja Shard.

http://members.home.net/assassinsofbaja/index.html

The Roster will be updated daily until we have a sufficient amount of players to accept contracts from guilds. Then weekly.

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If you have been looking for a fun, new thing to get involved with, here is your chance, as it sounds like they have something for everyone. For details about the new and upgraded programs, visit the Swamp Village Website at http://www.nefertete.com/swampvillage .

Or you can go to Swamp Village itself and participate in a planning meeting. Every Tuesday and Thursday and 8PM Pacific time, interested players can gather at the Swamp Village Town Hall to sign up for programs, get more information, or give some input about how the programs could be improved. Thirty minutes before each meeting, Nefertete will be at Britain Bank, passing out runes and throwing gates.

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Weekly market on Drachenfels/Trammel/Yew/Abbey on Sunday at the 20th hour !

And again there is a market in Yew with many attractions. It is the market at itself with his offer that reaches from the single bolt up to the death bringing magic crossbow and from the tanned leather up to the sparkling armament.
Preachers will hold again mass and also bards play their songs. Easy ladies are indeed the good citizen a thorn in mind, however, how one says so beautifully, allowed is what does fun.
The tavern opens again their receptions and guarantee the physical welfare of the visitors.

Also a tournament will occur for:
1st sword fights.
2nd lance twinge.
3rd barbarian fights.

The rules look as follows:

Basic rules:
For the individual fights arms are given out before the fights in order to guarantee an equal opportunity.

Barbarian fights: No armament, no potions.
Per fight of 10 bandages. Shields can be used and are given before the fight.

Lance twinge:
Weapons must be pole arms.
No armament, no potions, no bandages.
Transitions until somebody falls from the horse or gives up.
Should progress as far as possible so as with the knight games.
Therefore at each other past up to the turning point, swivel and back again.

Knight fights:
Full outfit, 15 bandages, 10 potions in total after choice.
Weapon after choice. Restriction: No magic items, no healing with magic, and so forth . Prefered are NPC armaments and weapons.

Registration for the tournaments under the dovecot: 4840963 Thora of Arkon.
Registration for a state at the market place at: 104056507 Sheila Ingot or 32583576 Deuchris.

So let the games begin...

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I have to click the arrow button, then type my message in mainscreen...hit enter...then type the keyword and hit enter. Each time I do this I get the "Error (SSTID): Null String message".
That error message is supposed to say "Tell me what news you would like me to say to guests." We're looking into why this is happening.

NONE of your characters can actually buy anything from him because if you dbl click him everybody (on my account) gets the customization menu
Try good old fashioned "vendor buy"

After going throught the error messages and setting the messages/keywords, they work fine but if I say 'news' all I get is "Error (SSTID):Null String".
Same problem as your first question. We're not sure why that's happening yet but we should track it down soon.

Keyword: Hi
Message: This job sucks!!!
You must have hired the same barkeeper I was testing on my standalone machine. :D

We've published some fixes with the barkeeper to the shards, some of which are active now and another will take place once the shards return from maintenance.

These are active now:
- you can no longer entice a barkeeper
- you can no longer gain eval int from a barkeeper
- noone but the owner will see the barkpeer messages for adjusting settings

This one will be active after server maintenance
- you can no longer ban a barkeeper from a house (same as a vendor)

We're still trying to figure out the null string error bugs. It's odd because the localization is done server side and yet it appears that people with the smae clients have different results. We'll keep checking on this one though.

Jonathan "Calandryll" Hanna
Designer, Ongoing Content
a wizard did it

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Various updates and bug fixes, including paperdoll updates, localization files, and a crash issue involving non-humans trying to sit.

3D Client
Paperdoll no longer closes and reopens to refresh the paperdoll model.
Players will no longer be able to equip non-wearable objects by dropping them on the paperdoll background. This was causing drag slot problems preventing them from picking things up.
Various animation files.

Both Clients
Fixed a crash bug that occurred whenever non-humans tried to sit.
Various localization files.

Innkeepers are selling the deeds. Any innkeeper in a city should have them in stock.

We're looking into the availability issue with the barkeep contracts and should have them sorted out soon.

BUG!
The barkeep torches don't light up!
That's as designed for technical reasons.

Let's say i am using "vendor buy" as a keyword. Now if some player has a "vendor buy bank guards" macro the VENDORS will react to this, but the barkeep stay silent!
Why is that? Can you change this?
Currently, no. The barkeep needs to work this way so that it will work in all languages.

Also it would be great if you could add several keywords seperated by commas.
Great idea. Someday I wouldn't mind adding more features to the barkeep but that of course will take coding time, QA time, etc. I'm not saying it's impossible but for now we have no major changes planned.

One last thing: Since when do we have these nifty messages windows with leaves? :)
I added those in. :)

The building needs to be Public in order to be able to place a barkeep.

I may end up repeating what other people have already posted, but this kind of information bears repeating.

Here's the top three points listed in the Ultima Online Rules of Conduct:


In reply to:
----------------------------------------------------------------------

1) You may not harass, threaten, embarrass or cause distress, unwanted attention or discomfort to another player.

2) You may not use any offensive or sexually explicit language.

3) You may not use any unlawful, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, defamatory, vulgar, obscene, hateful, racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable language toward any other player.

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

If you feel someone that someone's comments in the game are offending you, you have several options you can attempt. You can walk away or leave in some way(although I think most of us know that this doesn't always work), you can use the "ignore" filter in your options menu, and/or you can tell the person that they are offending you and ask them to stop.

If you have asked the person to stop and they continue with their verbal offenses, you could call a GM with your help menu. When you do that a portion of the recent dialogue is saved and a GM will be able to use that to determine how to proceed. Please keep in mind that you won't always see the GM appear or any immediate action taken, but that doesn't mean nothing is happening, just that whatever is happening is doing so "behind the scenes."

===
Sannio

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Bulk Order Deeds

Bulk Orders
Bulk orders will be a new feature for crafters, and will be randomly offered by NPC craftspeople to players who sell goods, depending on their skill in the respective craft, and how often the player does business with the NPC.

The bulk order feature is a new addition, and will be implemented only for blacksmiths at this time, allowing us a chance to evaluate and improve the system before expanding it to include more of the crafts.

Players with a sufficient skill in blacksmithy will have a chance to recieve bulk order requests from NPC Armorers and Blacksmiths when they sell goods to those NPCs.

When offered, the bulk order is in the form of a grey deed. Double-clicking this deed brings up the details of the order, such as the item name, amount to make, quality of the item requested, and the ore type.

To complete a regular order, the player can use the "combine" button on the deed to combine the crafted items with the deed until the amount of items the deed requests has been reached. Once the correct amount of items has been created and combined with the deed, the deed can then be dropped on the NPC for a reward.

Small Orders
Small orders, the only ones given to players with less than 70 skill, will request items that will allow the player to gain skill.

Large Orders
Large bulk orders will be extremely difficult to fill, in that each large bulk order may consist of filling and combining several smaller bulk orders. For instance, a large bulk order for blacksmiths may require 20 full sets of armor to be made. The player must obtain several smaller bulk orders, each requiring 20 pieces of an individual piece of armor. These smaller orders for the individual pieces must be completed, and combined into the large bulk order before the large bulk deed can be returned to the NPC for a reward. The smaller orders must be for the same number, quality, and ore type as the original large bulk order. Large bulk orders offer higher rewards, and are only offered to blacksmiths with 70 blacksmithy skill or higher.

All items craftable by blacksmiths can be requested by a blacksmith's bulk order. The quality, quantity, and ore type are chosen at random. The quality is limited to normal or exceptional. The quantity is limited to 10, 15, or 20. The ore types are iron, dull copper, shadow, copper, bronze, golden, agapite, verite, and valorite.

Rewards
The rewards are threefold. The first reward is gold. A check will be given to the person fulfilling the order if the amount is equal to or above 5000 gold. The second reward is a special item not available currently in the game, chosen based on the difficulty of the order. The third reward is an amount of fame, which is based on the difficulty of the deed.

The reward items are not listed here, in order to allow blacksmiths to discover for themselves what rewards will be available.

Examples
The easiest bulk order to complete would be an order for 10 buckler shields of normal quality and made with iron ingots. The reward would be a moderate amount of fame, some gold, and a special item.

The hardest bulk order to complete would be a large bulk order for 20 suits of platemail (all 6 pieces) of exceptional quality made with valorite. The player would need to have a large bulk order deed, as well as six small bulk order deeds, each for the same number, quality, and ore type, and each for a different piece of the full armor set. These six small orders (each for 20 of a particular armor piece, of exceptional quality, and made from valorite ingots) would need to be combined into the deed. The reward would be an enormous amount of fame, a bank check for a large sum of gold, and a magical item.

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63rd Assembly of the 6th High Council

Date: Monday September 17th, 2001
Time: 10:00 PM EDT/9:00 PM CDT
Location: Magincia Parliament Buildings, Trammel Facet.

Agenda:

• Announcement regarding the adjutant position for Trinsic by Lord Galahad.
• Other items to be announced at the meeting.

The High Council of Britannia
Lady Geneveve Orseau
High Council Archivist

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In order to correct an issue with the latest publish on the West Coast shards (Pacific, Baja, Sonoma, and Napa Valley), those shards have been brought down for a short period of time. We anticipate the downtime to be less that 45 minutes. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

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Timothy (P_V)

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3rd Monthly Mythndale Flea Market

Just keeps getting better -- GM your bartering and haggling skills as you hunt for bargains and sales among the many wonderful items that will be available.

If you didn't find that perfect painting for your house or the just-right weapon or you couldn't sell all those trinkets and wares last time, join the fun and barter, trade, and haggle to your heart's content.

Saturday, Sept. 29, 8-10 pm est Mythndale Tavern inside and on front lawn

Browse, shop, chat, and have fun!!

FREE: food & drink, furniture, special cloth dye, and leather dying, armor and weapons repair.

NOTE: All Crafters, merchants are welcome to set up early, (7:30 p.m. est). Reservation is not required, but let us know ahead of time if you need special equipment (i.e. forge\anvil), of if you'd like your wares mentioned in the posts on Mythndale Town Hall before the flea market. Also feel free to give out runes to your regular vendor location and/or player-run establishments. To contact us visit our tavern and leave a message with one of the staff members or email [email protected] with "flea market" in the subject. A packhorse is recommended if you plan to carry a lot of raw materials and/or items.

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In remembrance of the victims of this week's attacks, we would to join the rest of the gaming community in conducting a moment of silence and reflection in game at 8:00 PM CDT (6:00 PDT). Please note that this is voluntary, and we ask that players not call our support department to report others who choose not to participate.

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Player-owned bartenders (listed in Testing for Next Update) have now been published to all shards, and will be active shortly after their next scheduled maintenance period.

Note that the bartenders will not be active immediately. In order to enable players to purchase bartenders, we must first wipe and reset all current non-essential NPCs, including shopkeepers and creatures. This will not affect stablemaster NPCs, players’ pets, or player-owned vendors. This wipe will be done on Friday morning, Sept. 14th CDT, and players can expect to see a low creature spawn for a short time until the numbers have returned to normal.

This change will be added to Latest Game Updates once the bartenders are active on all shards.

We've just received word that Telehouse (a major NAP or peering center on the internet) in NY is being shut down due to lack of power and fuel. Internet traffic will be re-routed through other NAPs, but more than likely it will not be ideal. Some of you may experience network degradation, especially those on the northern east coast playing on the east coast shards. European players playing the east coast shards may also be affected.
I'll try and post again when it's back up, but in light of current events and priorities, it may be a few days.

Here's what I found out (some of which you may already know, so please indulge me ;): When you find a treasure map it is supposed to be coded to be used within the facet you found it in. Since there are no treasure locations in the Ilshenar "facet," any map you find there will be "broken."

Our team knows about this issue and has a fix in mind that they will be working to get into the game as soon as they can, but that may not be for a little while yet.

I'll post more information as it becomes available.

I think what happened was that there was a coding "hiccup" that happened a few weeks ago to a few treasure map holders, where the maps they had which were contained in their houses were "converted" to the facet in which they were held.

So if you had Felucca treasure maps in your house in Trammel during this instance, your maps were converted to Trammel-based maps. (Any Trammel based maps you had would have been unaffected.)

This facet-changing was not an intentional effect. This conversion shouldn't happen again ...

Also, the fix will convert maps to working maps that you have found in Ilshenar once it goes in. So, if you do not have time to wait around for a GM to fix them, then you can store them until the fix goes in

We'd like to ask that a moment of silence be observed in-game on Friday, Sept. 14th at 8 PM CDT, 6 PM PDT. This is not a game-enforced thing, and players will not be warned or suspended for not participating... but we will be in game at that time, and will observe a moment of reflection. We invite all who are reading to do the same... and feel free to spread the word.

Thanks.

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Sept. 13 — President Bush, Congress and the Pentagon on Thursday pledged a sustained military campaign against terrorists, beginning with Osama bin Laden, who U.S. officials said they had determined was directly responsible for the terrorist strikes in New York and Washington.

U.S. GOVERNMENT SOURCES told NBC News’ Jim Miklaszewski and Norah O’Donnell on Thursday evening that based on “overwhelming” evidence, the Bush administration had concluded that the al-Qaeda organization run by bin Laden had executed the breathtaking operation in which U.S. jetliners were hijacked and flown into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

O’Donnell reported that a sustained military attack on bin Laden, the exiled Saudi millionaire who has vowed to destroy the United States, would likely include air, land and sea forces. Two aircraft carriers are in the Arabian Peninsula region, each carrying 75 bombers capable of launching long-range missiles.

Our prayers go out to those men and women who are and will be involved in this military action.

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A log of the Destination Games/NCSoft chat has been posted, so take a look if you weren’t able to be there.

http://chat.stratics.com/log/celebrity_chat.html

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

Gilthas,
Channel Administrator,
#Ultima-Online, Stratics IRC
http://uo.stratics.com,
http://chat.stratics.com

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On Friday, Noon EST (9am PDT, 11am CDT), I am asking everyone within the Gaming Community to take 60 seconds of their time to stop whatever they are doing, whether it's in game or what have you, and consider the ones we have lost in the horrid attacks.

National Day of Prayer and Remembrance
for the Victims of the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks

A Proclamation by the President of the United States

On Tuesday morning, September 11, 2001, terrorists attacked America in a series of despicable acts of war. They hijacked four passenger jets, crashed two of them into the World Trade Center’s twin towers and a third into the Headquarters of the U. S. Department of Defense at the Pentagon, causing great loss of life and tremendous damage. The fourth plane crashed in the Pennsylvania countryside, killing all on board but falling well short of its intended target, apparently because of the heroic efforts of passengers on board. This carnage, which caused the collapse of both Trade Center towers and the destruction of part of the Pentagon, killed more than 250 airplane passengers and thousands more on the ground.

Civilized people around the world denounce the evildoers who devised and executed these terrible attacks. Justice demands that those who helped or harbored the terrorists be punished -- and punished severely. The enormity of their evil demands it. We will use all the resources of the United States and our cooperating friends and allies to pursue those responsible for this evil, until justice is done.

We mourn with those who have suffered great and disastrous loss. All our hearts have been seared by the sudden and senseless taking of innocent lives. We pray for healing and for the strength to serve and encourage one another in hope and faith.

Scripture says, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted”. I call on every American family, and the family of America, to observe a National Day of Prayer and Remembrance, honoring the memory of the thousands of victims of these brutal attacks, and comforting those who lost loved ones. We will persevere through this national tragedy and personal loss. In time, we will find healing and recovery; and, in the face of all this evil, we remain strong and united, “One Nation under God”.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim Friday, September 14, 2001, as a National Day of Prayer and Remembrance for the Victims of the Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001. I ask that the people of the United States and places of worship mark this National Day of Prayer and Remembrance with noontime memorial services, the ringing of bells at that hour, and evening candlelight remembrance vigils. I encourage employers to permit their workers additional time off during their lunch hour to attend noontime services to pray for our land. I invite the people of the world who share our grief to join us in these solemn observances.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord two thousand one, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-sixth. PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH

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In light of the recent nation-wide tragedy, the Children of Darkness would like to publically extend their condolences to our fellow players in the New York and Washington DC area that may have suffered a loss of a loved one due to this unbelievable attack on human kind.

We would like to hold a candlelight vigil to remember those that lost their lives in this horrible act of terrorism on Friday Night at 9 PM EST at Lord British's castle in Trammel. We ask that everyone show up with a candle (or light source) and come to pay their respects.

On an off game issue, we would like to remind everyone that blood is the source of life, and many many pints are needed to help those injured. If your health allows, please do your part to donate blood to your local Red Cross Center.

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During difficult times, people look to their friends and their community for strength and for solidarity. The Ultima Online community is no different. People from all across the globe and from every walk of life have joined together in the wake of recent tragic events, and have come forth to show that we are strong, and we are unified.

Images from around the UO Community

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Hail and well met. My name is Hoff. I am a guard to the messengers who deliver important documents to and from Lord British's castle. I have a tale of true terror regarding my most recent task.

Several guards, including myself had been given the arduous task of escorting a messenger from Britain to a scholar at the Empath Abbey of Yew. We had been walking for days and grew weary from our travels, but we continued to journey on. The forests of Yew are well known for the dangers that lurk within and it was not safe to set up camp.

Just when I thought my legs would carry me no further, the forest opened up into a small village. If my compass and my maps read true, we were not far from the city of Yew: just a hair southeast of the Yew Moongate. Quaint and quiet, the village looked like a fair place to rest and gather supplies to continue our journey. Exhausted, the others were eager to get to sleep and dozed off rather quickly.

It was my duty to stand guard this night, and as the others slept contentedly, I decided to take a stroll through the village. Peering in the shops, I found that they were well stocked and obtaining needed supplies should not have been a problem at sunrise. Glancing around at the town, it was indeed a fine place. Odd that I did not find it marked on my map.

Then, looking up, I noticed the sign. I gasped in fright as I read it: Village of TOR. I had heard the horror stories of other guards and travelers in taverns. Just recently, a guard returned to the barracks barely alive. He spoke his last breaths about a gruesome ambush by men who wore the sign of TOR.

I had to get my men out of the village before we were discovered. Quaking with fear, I quickly and quietly awakened them and we began to gather our belongings. We breathed a sigh of relief as we headed for forests once more, safe. We stopped just outside of the forests to check our maps before embarking on our journey once more.

I glanced up from my map, and a most horrifying site was set before me. Vince Neil! I'd seen his picture and his name many times on the Lord's bounty. I trembled with fear and my knees buckled. Vince opened his mouth and belted out a cackle that echoed through the forests. As if on cue, and seemingly from nowhere, a brigand rushed in. Men dressed outlandishly in glowing colors and each bearing the symbol of TOR. They screamed and shouted and laughed a most insane and hideous laughter as they swarmed about us. I felt for a moment that I was in the very deepest depths of Hell.

Thinking quickly, I took shelter and hiding with the messenger behind an old Yew tree. It was from here that I watched as each guard fell to his demise. The men of TOR cackled with glee as they as they attacked with swift fury, opening the sky and bringing forth bolts of energy, striking my men repeatedly. Within moments, each of my men lay upon the ground mutilated and lifeless.

I listened in horror at their lack of remorse as they discussed the mutilated corpses on the ground. It seemed they took great pleasure in their actions.

I summoned every ounce of courage within my being as I took the messenger by his hand, in an attempt to make a run for safety. A few words of power on part of the men quickly dismissed my hopes of escaping and I quickly fell to the ground. The messenger was snatched up and carried off and the forests resounded with their evil cackle.

Injured badly, I made no attempt to move. I waited, lying there, assumed to be dead. When I could no longer hear the horrific sounds of TOR, I mustered all of my strength and pulled myself to my feet. I stumbled and staggered until I reached the safety of the Empath Abbey where my wounds were dressed and a safe rest made available at last.

The wounds will heal and the scars will fade, but the terror I witnessed on this night will remain fresh in my mind forever.

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It was a snowy night (Wow strange snow on ice island) as the brave travelers of Sosaria came to the Dragon Tavern to rest their weary bones.

They had heard that drink and food was beyond compare and that tonight there would be a story telling contest. As in all taverns people came and went but 12 showed up this evening. We heard tales of a shemale and the drunken slime, one called the Truth and the Lie and another about the T-hunter who would not stop digging.

However these tales did not win. The 2nd place and 5K went to Jake Stonefist and his story about an adventure with a toilet. 1st place went to the Noble Lord Khel and his tale of a young lord and a very mean bird.

All seemed to have a good time and it was decided to make this a weekly event.

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Avast ya land lubbers, are you ready to match wits and sailing skill with others, all for the honor of winning the respect of your opponents....and more gold than you can carry?

If so, the First Annual Nidaros Boat Regatta, Tuesday, September 18th at 8 pm Eastern skies, is for you! We will be having teams of 3-5 people race from Magincia beach, to several predetermined checkpoints, and then to Skara Brae Mainland docks and run their way to town on the final leg. First team back wins 35k per team member.

To make sure everything is fair, each team will get an official who sails with the team, and at each checkpoint, the entire team has to get off onto the land for that checkpoint to be officially "checked" Entry Fee is 5k per team, boats must be brought but can be rented for a 5k returnable deposit from the officials.

To make sure the race keeps you awake, the checkpoints have been placed to minimized sailing times, so the entire race should take approximately an hour, maybe more or less depending on how well your team works together. To enter the race, be at Magincia beach, in Trammel, at 8 with your boat and entry fee ready. We hope to see you then, Happy Sailing.

Alrick, Town Council
Nidaros

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Pause good reader, and revile in what I say. Casandreal, by Mayor Moonbabie's decree, shall be holding a play for one and all to see. The date for yon play has not been fashioned, for the play is still a relatively new concept! That is why we need you to be a part of it! Everything from scenes to costumes to even being a performer in the play! I urge you to contact Moonbabie or myself to get the details to this wondrous idea! Thank you, good sir, and do have a fine evening.

Kazun Devor

Please ICQ Kazun Devor if you have any questions 115464322

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The United Sosarian Brotherhood is pleased to announce The Felucca Contest. What do I win?, you ask…Let me tell you, the prizes are great! Besides bragging rights, the prizes include:

· Metal Kite Shield – Invulnerability/Strength – 39 charges
· War Fork – Vanquishing/Fortified/Accurate
· Mace – Substantial/Power/Accurate/Clumsiness – 23 charges
· Quarterstaff – Vanquishing/Durable/Surpassingly Accurate/Mages Bane – 13 charges (Unused)
· Crossbow – Vanquishing
· Thigh Boots – Invisibility – 99 charges
· Thigh Boots – Spell Reflection – 55 charges
· 3 Metal Chests
· Bag (rare) – Happy Valentine’s Day
· Deed for a Holiday Tree
· A bow (practice weapon) – rare
· 2 Large Paintings
· 2 Portraits
· 1 Small painting
· 1 keg of Deadly Poison
· 6 Tribal Spears
· 5 Bolas
· 6 Orcish Bows
· 4 Savage Kin Paints
· Large Dragon Ship
· Coil of silver wire
· 250 Faction Silver
· 4 Pillows
· AND a check for 150,000 gp!!

There may be more – we’ll see…

So you ask…What are the rules?

This is Felucca – We don’t need no stinking rules! Anything goes! Just win the contest to claim the whole enchilada! (Disclaimer – the prizes do not actually include any enchiladas or other foods of any ethnicity. That was just a figure of speech.) (Another disclaimer – no [young] players. The youth of Sosaria should not have to witness this thing.)

Then you ask…Who gets to play?

Frankly, we don’t care if thou art a role-playing Lady of Splendor and Sagacity or can roxxor with da b3st of d3m. Noble guild members, townies, red PKs, thieves, craftspeople…whatever. Just no [young]s, please. And you need to use ICQ.

You look puzzled and ask…How do we play this Felucca Contest?

The game is pretty simple. Pre-entered contestants will receive an ICQ at more or less 2 p.m. EST on Saturday, September 22. This message will have map coordinates for someplace in Felucca. You go there and meet a guild tagged USB member. They will give you the next set of coordinates. The first person to reach the twentieth coordinate AND show Shakespeare of USB a book containing all 20 coordinates (you write them down as you go) – wins!

We are also setting a time limit of two hours. At the end of two hours, all contestants will be ICQed a set of coordinates. Anyone arriving at those coordinates within fifteen minutes need to present their coordinate books to Shakespeare. The contestant with the highest number of accurate coordinates will win. In the case of a tie, the tying contestants will roll dice. Highest player wins. This tiebreaker may continue with dice rolls until there is only one winner.

That’s it! Oh wait! I almost forgot! You’ll need to buy a book and put your name on it to put the coordinates in as you go…and you’ll need a ship to use for at least one of the coordinates. I ain’t saying when you’ll need it.

You ponder for a bit and then ask…What do I do if I get to a spot and your USB guy is a ghost because somebody killed them or they accidentally drank some poison or dozed off and got eaten by a troll or something?

You either get the next coordinates through spirit speak or resurrect the USB member. We won’t be joining a “party” to give you the next numbers.

You think some more and ask…Hey, what if somebody kills me – like another contestant or somebody helping another contestant or a particularly ravenous troll or maybe three trolls and a rabid swamp rat?

Figure it out for yourself. This is Felucca.

You take a small step back, squint your eyes and ask suspiciously…So what’s in this for you guys?

Go get a soft drink – here comes the commercial. The United Sosarian Brotherhood is THE guild for Feluccans. We have gone beyond the hierarchal structure of the typical guild and left behind the ganking bloodbaths of factions, order/chaos and the ping battles of most other warring guilds (our sister guild SoR (Society of Renters) is a warring guild – with some twists). Essentially, this is a PR campaign for recruitment. Oh, yeah. And there’s an entrance fee of 5000gp per contestant. We won’t accept more than 50 contestants and, if we get less than 20 contestants, we’ll just refund all the money to the people who signed up. It wouldn’t be worth our time then. Oh, and Shakespeare will refund the entry fee completely of the first ten contestants who do a one page or more write up of their experiences during the contest and email it to him. He will use them in a story for posting on Stratics.

You smirk knowingly and say…This is a scam, right? You’re just going to take the cash and run!

We run the lucrative Brit Gate Peace Sanctuary vendor shop just north of the Feluccan Brit Gate. Frankly, we don’t really need the gold but we want to weed out the riff-raff, at least a little. Somebody who can’t drop 5K on a whim probably couldn’t win this contest anyway. Also, the contest earnings are going to pay for the time USB members have to sit and wait in the rain or snow or in the belly of a troll or just being bored waiting for somebody to show up to give coordinates to.

You get a really sly expression and say…I personally know somebody who is already in USB. You said that there are no rules so what if I bribe them and they tell me all of the coordinates?

You are more than welcome to give money to whomever you want. Odds are, your friend will gladly accept it before remembering that they don’t know the coordinates. Only two people in USB know all twenty locations and they aren’t talking!

You get that suspicious look again even though it really makes you look like your eyesight is a little bad and ask…Where do I collect my winnings if I win this contest?

Shakespeare will meet you or your chosen representative (we will provide all contestants with a code number via ICQ prior to the contest to make sure the recipient of the prize truly represents the contest winner) at any bank in Felucca except for Buc’s Den. He will also meet you at any bank in Trammel with a nearby Moongate (Shakespeare never goes to Trammel so he has no runes there. I think he is allergic to flowers or leaves or lag or something.)

You dig around in your bank box and proudly state that you will have 5000 gold pieces soon - if your luck holds out at the orc caves. Then you ask…How do I register as a contestant?

You will need to provide Shakespeare (ICQ# 99565649) or Atolycus (ICQ# 52440727) with an entry fee of 5000gp and your ICQ number on or before 2 am EST Saturday, September 22. Then be ready for the first set of coordinates around 2 p.m. that same day.

Good luck!

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Hail fellow players,

I can only describe the reactions that came our way as enthusiast and full of interest. So it fills us with pride to announce that over 100 applications for the tournament where received.

Thank you all for applying!

Due to a limited playerfield (32 characters) there will be no more applications accepted. A lottery will decide who gets one of the 32 places. If you get chosen you will be notified. A list of entrants will be posted on http:\\www.fiber-net.de

I would like to ask all participants to read the rules carefully.

Aldara (BdF)

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The Virtues. No system of ideals affected my own role-playing more than the virtues. My guild's charter was based on the virtues, my character's role-playing focused on them greatly, and the first design post I ever wrote on a UO fan-site board was a virtue system. Looking back, that design was horribly unbalanced and really didn't capture what the virtues are all about. Which is why, now that I have a couple of years of professional experience with UO under my belt, I would like to talk about them

We understand that many travel and communication avenues, businesses, financial institutions, etc. have been hampered or closed due to yesterday's events, which has no doubt caused many players difficulties in accessing their UO accounts. We are also aware that yesterday was a day for helping others and a day of concern for family and friends. Due to the seriousness of this occasion, we will be refreshing all houses automatically this afternoon in order to help players who may have been unable to access their accounts.

Two Scenario-related matters are being updated:
(a)Players wearing savage paint will now be trackable using the tracking skill.
(b)The orc brute will have its loot increased and will have a chance to carry (and use) a magic war mace

Sometimes, such as now, it's important to say things straight out, and to not presume that the people you interact with all think the same way, and this is one of those times.

Do not create a character named "Osama Bin Laden," or any variation on the spelling of that name, or any other name intended to signify or idolize known terrorists or terrorist attacks, in Ultima Online.

If you have already created such a character, please delete it now.

Anyone found having such a character will have action taken against their accounts.

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Last Night I created a Shrine to those who have fallen and those who were hurt by the tragedy that happened yesterday. This is a place to meditate and leave your thoughts.

Location is Baja/Trammel/North Ocarina Island/Small Stone Tower/Humble Abode

Can be Reached also through a rune at Humble Outpost Just outside of Moonglow

My sentiments to everyone hurt and their families.

26o27'S 50o37'E

Athena/Apollo/Mercury/Wesley/Buttercup/Valentine/Carabella of Baja

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It isn't often that a tragedy as great as yesterday's occurs anywhere in the world. The fact that it happened in a country inhabited by peoples of all the world makes the tragedy even more senseless. We live in a country where basic freedoms are not only expected but actually form the cornerstone of our society and laws. We may never truly understand the minds behind these cowardly acts.

We can, however, show our support for the family and friends of the many unfortunate souls who lost their lives in this tragedy. I invite all of you to join me in wearing Red, White and Blue tomorrow not only in remembrance for the many innocent people lost in this attack, but, also, to show our support to the many people helping in the rescue attempt.

No matter our individual political, social or religious views, we can all agree that this attack was not, as we are meant to believe by the cowards performing these attrocities, an attack on America. But, rather, an attack on basic human values that transcend borders and policies. Wear RED tomorrow to represent the loss of life that can never be replaced. Wear WHITE tomorrow to represent the peace which these unfortunate souls have gone to and the peace that will, hopefully, return to us all. Wear BLUE tomorrow to represent the honor and bravery of all of the rescue workers and families having to deal with this great tragedy first hand.

Wear Red, White and Blue tomorrow to remember. . .

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As a subcontactor for the pentagon, visiting the building regularly, making electrical plans and floor blueprints for the concurrent renovations that have been happening there. Also, working for a connecting material command, which requires my input from that section as well. It is a job that I loved doing because of the people I met, worked with and respected.

Luckily, I work a few months out of the year there, this month is not one of them. Many of my friends and coworkers were injured or killed during this horrific terrorist act. I wish to ask that you pray for the fallen and injured and remember their sacrifice, although unknowingly, will drive freedom for this great nation.

Devio, Sangui VaZeer bv

To my Family and Friends In UO:

Yesterday's Tragedy home for all of us. I lost my Uncle Miguel and in the World Trade Center along with a friend of mine in game losing his mother, brother and uncle. We must be strong and hope the best will come of this. I hope that one day things like this aren't even fathomable to anyone living on the earth.

God Bless all of those that have lost someone and their families.

Sincerely,
Lady Kyara Lionheart

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The issues with the Veteran Rewards system have been resolved. The system should be active on all shards that had Veteran Rewards active previous to the downtime.

The Veteran Rewards system was activated on the Siege Perilous shard yesterday, September 11th. We are targeting to activate the system on the Baja and Europa shards sometime today. Please refer to the previously released schedule for information on when we anticipate Veteran Rewards to be activated on the remaining shards. You can find the schedule here.

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Many players sent in their prayers... This came in from Jeb Stuart, of the Raiders of Valor:

Greetings,

We would like your prayers for one of our members, RockBottom, who worked on the 90th floor of the World Trade Center. We haven’t heard anything yet of his status and we can only hope for the best. RockBottom (Martin) is a fine bard and an aspiring cook for the Raiders of Valor on the Chesapeake Shard.

Thanks,

Jeb Stuart
GM, Raiders of Valor

Many vigils were held, and another one will be held on Friday:

I am holding a memorial service Friday night on the 14th at 8:00 p.m. est to remember those in the bombings and for their families.

The memorial will be held at the West Britain bank on Trammel. Please show up and bring only a robe and a torch, we will dye it black for you.

Remember the fallen.

-Phrozenheart of Chesapeake

Idun Syn
UOS Chesapeake Reporter

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Are you good at sailing the seas of britannia? If you are, would you like to test your skills against your fellow landlubbers?

I, The Frost Merchant, am sponsoring a Race to see who is the best and fastest ship sailer. Entrance fee to participate is 10k per person. this is 100% payback. 75% goes to the winner, 25% to the Runner Up (2nd Place)

The race will take place on Sunday, September 16th, at 1 PM PST (4 PM EST).

Here are the rules:

1. Any type of boat useable
2. Entrance fee must be paid upfront. If you pay, but do not show up, that money is placed in with the other's monies.
3. No usage of currantly launched boats. You must have the boat in your back pack. You will need to name the boat after yourself and show me it in ship model form in a trade window to verify this. When you sail back to finish line, this allows me to verify that who is coming and so I know to check my records if entrance fee was paid.
4. Everyone, once verified and paid, will all meet at the Magencia Bank in Trammel. This is where we will have everyone launch once I give out the first coordinates.
5. There will be 5 ship coordinates you must navigate to. Each ship has the coordinates to the next ship to sail to. Also, on these ships, will be a password that is random. you MUST keep track of these words in order to win. If you get back and do not have all 5 passwords, you must sail out and find it. All locations are only known by me.
6. The last ship will tell you were the finish line will be at (Not at the starting line :) ).
7. You must sail to that finish line. anyone caught recalling in and then placing a boat, will be disqualified. (I will be hidden and I will be watching for you)
8. This is in Trammel only, no Felucia or T2A coordinates will be used.
9. UO Auto Map, Sextants, and UO Tiller program may be used to navigate to where you need to go.
10. Cutting off your opponents is recommended if you want to make them have to try to outsail you.
11. And most important.......... HAVE FUN !!!!!!!!!!!!

If all goes well, we will have this on a monthly basis and we might make the stakes even higher, which means even higher entrance fees. Think of this like the America's Cup in Yacht Racing in Real Life.

This is all information on the race. ICQ me at 11963580 if you wish to participate. My email is [email protected] if you have no ICQ.

Happy Sailing !!!!
Sknird Dloc II, aka The Frost Merchant - GM Fisherman

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As many of you now know, the United States was attacked by terrorists thoughout the country, resulting in the destruction of New York's Twin Towers, severe damage to the Pentagon and a daunting loss of life.

I ask that all vendor operators throughout the shard place a book with messages on their vendors in memory of those lost in these horrific events.

Thank you for your time, and our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of those lost.

-Bob Barker
Manager, Events and Promotions
G*B Mall

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IMPY'S ARTIC FAIRE…

Weekly auctions will be held Wednesday and Thursday evenings at 9pm by the Eastern Sky. 



Due to Technical difficulties the www.impys.net site has not been updated this week, a full list of items up for auction this week can be found on the table at Impy's Artic Faire.



This week at Impy's we have a HUGE amount of items lined up. Up for auction this week: Valentine Cards and Bags, a Gold Box, enough Plants and Trees to fill a florist shoppe, a Ship Model and the Rope to tie it to the docks, Ranger Armor and Daemon Bone Armor, Coal Ingots, Clothing Blessed Deeds, a pile of Glacial Staffs, a Time Piece, Hammer and Chisels, several MIB's, a half dozen Tall Candles, a couple piles of "Scrolls", a couple Buckets, Green/Black and Dark Blue Eggs and a full set of Christmas Tree Ornament Jewelry. We always have Virtue Weapons, Vanquish Weapons and Invulnerable Armor, this week is no different!



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.



If you need a rune visit one of our rune vendors located through out the lands. Vendors can be found at: Star's Shoppe (out side Vesper in Trammel), next door to the RD Stables (in Felucca), on the porch of the Sandlewood Box Inn (in Felucca), Cove Merchant's Guild and Blacksmith Shoppe (located just at the front gate of Cove in Felucca), the Mystic Rose (in the wooded glen in Trammel), the Garden City Mall (located just north of Cove in Trammel), or at Krista's Ranger Station (in Felucca).



~Impy's Staff

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"In a semi-secret meeting in the Skara Brae town hall, this town crier witnessed an odd turn of events. Where many other groups have tried to wrest control of Skara Brae from the powerful lich lord, Azalin, the Rangers of the Realm have succeeded with mere words.

A strange gathering it was, and I feared for my life should I have been discovered! Among those in attendance were Lady Cymidei Fier, wife of Azalin and Empress of the Shadow Imperium. And of course Emperor Azalin the Lich himself. And many of the Rangers gathered around Adian O'Rourke. But one face was a shock to see among the rest. The former Mistress of the Dark Tower, Lady Ivy. Apparently, I wasn't the only one surprised to see her there. She stood to Adian's right hand through the entire meeting, leaning only once to whisper in his ear.

The deal they agreed upon was questionable at most. Lord Azalin handed Skara Brae over to Adian under the conditions that the Rangers continue their "support" of the Shadow Imperium (of course, I'm not entirely sure what that entailed, as it was sketchy at best, and much debated) and that they not interfere with the Imperium's next target -Vesper!



What will come of this dubious pact? And what are the Imperium's plans for the lovely, water-filled streets of Vesper? An even better question, perhaps, is what evils are in store for the land with the Imperium's shift of power and the Dark Lady Ivy's renewed presence?

Luther,
Town Crier in Training

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I want everyone here to know that it was extremely difficult to delete posts this morning that expressed the same sentiment I was feeling about today's attacks. But as I said in my main thread this morning, Ultima Online is here to entertain, and to give people a way to enter a different world - one without the same concerns as this one.

I feel that this community is one that flourishes because we have a common interest, and that's a game that we all can lose ourselves in, even if for only a little while. Thus it was important to see that the events of this morning not overshadow that purpose.

But as I said, we are a community, and a strong one - that relies on each other to talk to, and to vent to. And it's obvious that this will affect everyone in some way.

So now that today is almost over, I hope that the posts on this will slow... but I'll allow them to be posted on the boards. I do have a few requests, however.

Please try not to start more new threads than necessary. If you are wanting to post your thoughts on the event, I ask that you find another thread on the subject if possible, and add your thoughts there. And please keep it to Discussions. Development should remain solely for development-related Ultima Online topics.

Do not post racist or inflammatory remarks. We are a global community, with players from every walk of life. The details on today's events are still not known for sure, no matter what the theories at this time may be.

Do not advocate violence. It's understandable to be angry, and to want to vent. But the basic guidelines of these boards remain unchanged. The community here can use each other to talk, to get feelings off their chest, to share emotions and stories, to commiserate, and to help each other deal with a tragic event, but bringing violence here is not acceptable.

And most of all, we can discuss ways to help. Donate blood. Pray, if that's something you believe in. And hug your families.

__________________
Cynthe
Community Manager
ORIGIN Systems

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Due to issues with the Veteran Rewards system, we have deactivated the system on all shards. We are currently working on the problem and anticipate the system to be back up and running in approximately an hour and a half.

In light of recent events, we’d like to take this opportunity to remind players that inappropriate behavior of a racial or hateful nature will not be tolerated in game. Inappropriate (racist, discriminatory, sexually explicit, derogatory, or offensive in any way) names and actions are in violation of both the spirit of the Ultima Online community and the Ultima Online Service Agreement.

Please be aware that if your character is caught with an offensive name, or is found acting inappropriately in game, your account will be subject to discipline and may be subject to permanent suspension.

As a reminder, players should always keep their account information current through the UO account management page at http://www.ultima-registration.com. It is vital that you keep your billing and contact information up to date to avoid missing out on important news concerning your account.

It's also important to note that the only way to link you to an account is through the personal data listed on the account management page, so in order to avoid disputes over account responsibility, it is imperative that the information provided is correct.

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Facet: Trammel
Location: Statues Square in the northwest of Minoc Bank, Minoc City
Start Date: Sep 14 2001 9:00PM GMT +08:00
End Date: Sep 14 2001 12:00PM GMT +08:00
Recurrance: Weekly

Formosa Night Market" is a local event, we Formosa citizens have held and enjoyed it for over half of year.

About "Night Market": it is a Taiwanese local culture, vendors gain up at night in a certain location like a whole street waiting for mass clients come to browse goods, shop or just play for fun.

We now need GM's help to lock down some desks and chairs, anvil and forge at a stationary location to keep this meaningful event proceeding. We hope you appreciate this Taiwanese precious traditional culture.

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Tonight at 7pm pacific time at the shrine of compassion on the trammel facet of the shard there will be a gathering and candle lit vigil for those injured and killed in the attacks on New York and Washington DC. Please bring your own torch, candle, or lamp.

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Hello friends,

There comes a time in the growth of a people, and a community as a whole when we must come together to show support for each other as fellow human beings. The unprovoked Attack on America this morning that has cost the United States at a late estimate, 40,000 men, women, and children.

Many of you know people who have died, friends and familly, in this terrific and soul-wrenching tragedy. We as a nation weep and bleed, and we as a community should show our support and solidarity in the only way we know how.. by coming together.

Tonight, Tuesday, September 11, 2001 a day which will live forever in the minds of all people everywhere as a day of horror and loss, we as a collection of people playing a game that is more than a game will come together in our world to show our support. At 10:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on all shards (9pm CDT, 7pm PDT), UO players are asked to come to the West Britain bank of the Trammel facet and share in respectful silence for the many dead and the many remembered. Players are requested to wear black robes, and hold a candle.

A man, Raph Koster, once wrote of a tree...
We need a forest.

Yours,
GreyPawn
Mayor of Moonglow, Atlantic Shard

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To honor our sisters and brothers

we gathered. Some wept, some yelled, and some said nothing at all.

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We received the following notice and wished to pass it along:

To all my friends and your friends. I would like to hold a candlelight vigil for the victims of today's tragic events. I suggest perhaps we meet around 6:00 CST at Trinsic West Bank cause of less lag. This is on the Great Lakes shard but we urge you to do this on all shards.

Dartanian and St. Germaine of Great Lakes

Our prayers and heartfelt thoughts are with all of the victims and their families. Thanks to Dartanian and Germaine for organizing this event.

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Rattler wished us to convey the following to his patrons:

Due to what has happened in real life today, the Red Devil Auction will be postponed till next week. This is being done in memory of all people that were killed today in the terrorist attack.

Rattler GLV

Stratics will notify our readers of the next auction date when it is announced.

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We received the following notice and wished to pass it on:

To all my friends and your friends. I would like to hold a candlelight vigil for the victims of today's tragic events. I suggest perhaps we meet around 6:00 CST at Trinsic West Bank cause of less lag. This is on the Great Lakes shard but we urge you to do this on all shards.

Dartanian and St. Germaine of Great Lakes

Our prayers and heartfelt thoughts are will the victims and their families. Thanks to Dartanian and Germaine for organizing this event.

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The thoughts and prayers of everyone here at Stratics are with the people, the families and the friends of those who have been hit by this senseless attack. And our hopes that as many people can be saved as possible.

Please use the link below to discuss the issue, to meet up with UO friends that may have been affected by this, and to keep in touch with each other.

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In honor of the grand opening, a drawing was held and several delicious prizes were given away. Ian Nottingham and Magus won Large Paintings, Shyft Lightfoot won a statue donated to the Tavern by Hecubus, Aaron Lionel won a fruit basket, and Del Xavier won the consolation prize.

Salty Pete's is of course named after the now dead Beggar who could often be seen cadging a few gold coins or a meal in various Sonoma towns. Salty Pete also began and led the original Wednesday Night Hunts. After his demise, the hunts were continued by Krysma Doomspeak, and are one of the most popular and well-attended regular player run events on Sonoma. At the end of the evening, Krysma donated a battered tricorne hat, all that is left of poor dead Salty. The hat will remain on display at the tavern.

Everyone who attended the grand opening was given a free rune to Salty Pete's, and the tavern is open to all. It's a great place to meet up with your friends to get a little Dutch courage before a hunt, or just to chat with some locals. Hope to see you there!

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The connectivity fix for the Veteran Rewards system has been published to all shards, and we are ready to resume activation of the Veteran Rewards system! We are targeting to activate the system on each remaining shard at some point during the day designated below, which means that players should not expect the system to be active immediately following their scheduled morning maintenance. Please note that this schedule is subject to change, and may be extended should any unforeseen issues arise with the rewards system.

All dates listed are Central Daylight Time.
Tuesday, Sept. 11: Siege Perilous
Wednesday, Sept. 12: Europa and Baja
Thursday, Sept. 13: Arirang and Great Lakes
Friday, Sept. 14: Catskills and Hokuto
Monday, Sept. 17: Oceania, Izumo, and Wakoku
Tuesday, Sept. 18: Drachenfels, Mizuho, and Asuka
Wednesday, Sept. 19: AOL Legends, Balhae, and Formosa

The power hour lasts for an hour. So if you get disconnected, and you get right back in, your power hour is still in effect until an hour after it began. If you are disconnected, and cannot get back in during that hour, then I'm afraid that you will not get another power hour until the 24 hours is up.

First off we do have a method in development to find out if you are currently in power hour or how long till your next power hour starts. It wasn't ready for this release but we decided to release the other changes anyway. Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause, it is only temporary.

Its per character not per account or anything like that.

Its 60 min from the time your power hour started (Whether your logged in or not) The fact is the previous system was buggy and sometimes did and sometime didn't save your power hour time.

The hour begins if you are already logged in. Ie the best way to keep your power hour start at the same time is to login a few minutes before your power hour resets.

If you check your vendors in the morning and it has been more then 23 hours since your last power hour then yes your power hour will begin.

This change was made not because we wanted to but because of necessity. Changes to external systems fundamentally broke the way power hour worked. Rather then trying spending days and months trying to come up with a fix it was determined easier just to change the system to something simpler, faster (cpu and memory) and faster to implement. We know that not everyone will be happy with these changes but please understand that overall its better for the game.

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Our city grand opening is at hand!

Here is the date, time, and place.

Date: September 16th

Time: 4pm to 7pm est

Place: Guardian City

There will be a brief opening ceremony at the Town Hall (North tower) where keys to the city will be presented to our GMs and our allied guild’s GMs.

Then the fun begins as we hold an afternoon of festivities. These events will run simultaneously and include a Tavern of Chance (casino), and a Regatta (boat race). We had initially thought each squad would host an event but then that used up all of our crafts persons so now each corps will sponsor an event. The prizes for the events will be furnished by each corps and given to the winner at the time it is won. We will hold a brief ending ceremony announcing the winners (they do not have to attend the ceremony). Please get with KoL if you are in first corps and GWoJ if you are in second corps to please help them with these events.

We will also have craftsmen set up on our tower roof for the duration of the afternoon and we will make any item, ie...armor, leather, addons, wooden items, etc for free if the person brings their own raw materials. If they do not have the materials, we will have vendors with raw materials on them at shop vendor prices for our guests to purchase and give to the craftsman for use. The whole set up will be very easy for the patron, as we will have books listing what materials are needed for each item.

The event will be come and go and will be a SHARDWIDE event. So we have a chance to shine!

In order for this event to be a success, I will need the full support of leadership and all members, if at all possible.

More details are available on our public board and on our news server.

I will let everyone know when the advertisement goes up on stratics and I will be posting this message and the stratics ad on the public board. I will also ask Pancho Villa to post the ad to all guilds on Catskills public boards. I can help with this.

Thank you all for making this a grand event we hope will leave a great impression on our shard comrades.

Your mayor,

Seven of Nine

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Do you like to drink? Do you like to either make up tales or listen to them?

The Dragon Tavern will be having it`s first story telling night on Wednesday, 9-12-01 at 7PM PST. The prizes are 10K for first place and 5K for second.

Gates will be sent to M^F castle prior to the event.

Wolf of Evermore
ICQ: 39012719 for more information.

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Gem and Sarah fretted. They were drowning in notes delivered by pigeons from fishers of the Napa seas. The message was always the same: "We want a Fishing Council of Britannia fleet on Napa!" The co-administrators of the cross-shard fishing guild had been searching for just the right Captain to restart the fleet and get it back on it's "feet". At last, a fitting candidate emerged--WestPac Widow. Grab your fishing poles and celebrate! The Napa Valley fleet sails again! For information and applocations, please visit the FCB Website.

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I was wondering through the woods near the town of Dragon's Watch looking for an adventure, some excitement. I began to wonder why there are so many mages about but no archers. "I am growing tired of adventuring alone." I said to a tree that was looking at me with a ponderous face.Then it hit me - I am talking to a tree, I need to be around people.

This is an open call to all archers who would like to join in a hunt Sunday the 16th of September. We will meet at Empath Abbey in Trammel at 12am. Remember - as the midnight hour tolls, Saturday is over and a new Sunday begins. If you have a suggestion on where to go on the hunt, ICQ me at 79505659. So as not to create too much disorder we will be going to a location that had been suggested BEFORE the night of the event. Suggestions that have come up so far are: Terathan's Keep, orc scouts(for the bows), and a trip to Covetous(for resist gains and the decent loot in there).

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