Atlantis 3.0: Times 25 From: Geoff Dunbar <gdunbar@prankster.com> Date: Mon, 02 Dec 1996 00:00:00 +0000 Subject: Atlantis 3.0: Times 25 Atlantis 3.0 Times January, 3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Email admin30@prankster.com with game issues. Visit http://www.prankster.com (or email atlantis@prankster.com) for information or to join. There is a new version of the DOS GUI utility, fixing some bugs, on the ftp site (ftp://ftp.prankster.com/pub/submissions) as atlantis.zip. (This utility written by Bryce Bangerter) I'm not sure which one yet, but there will be no turn _one_ of the weekends around Christmas (before or after). I'll announce which as it gets closer. If you wish to keep playing, please be sure to explicitly let me know, even if you paid with a Visa card before. If you are sending a check (no need to email in this case), the address is: Merry Prankster Games 15600 NE 8th St Suite B1 #351 Bellevue WA 98008-3900 USA ------------------------------------------------------------------------ FINALLY The Chosen of Geoff have reached the promised land and will start building their temple. This is indeed a glorious moment for everybody. The skies will be forever clear and the crops will grow at unbelieviable speed. Blind Father Ib will be watching the skies and pray to Geoff for the never-ending summer and he will be heard. Father Sigurd The Church of Geoff (206) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The rain was coming down in sheets now, hopefully the storm would start to lesson soon. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The enemy has overran the city and have my remaining guards and myself trapped in the inner keep. So far we have held out the evil hordes for two months but I fear we will not be here much longer if help fails to arrive soon! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Running ------------------------------------------------------------------------ (Advice from a slave of House Acoma) Whoever the Pilgrims are, they should reveal themselves !! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Hmmm, to sail or not to sail, that is the question. My crew might mutiny, but I lack patience to wait for much longer. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ A merry Thanksgiving, and a turkey for all! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ building [BUIL] 1: A unit with this skill may use the BUILD order to construct buildings from stone. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Air. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Gimme five zero, please. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The winds of war are growing stronger ... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ >> David, the only way you will be truly safe is to restart and change your >> email address at the same time. Or will you not be able to find your mail >> then? If the Twee did in fact wipe you out, as I am inclined to believe, and >> we can take 'eviler' to mean 'less good' then they have indeed proven that I >> am truly "Eviler than Twee." Their act of factiocide qualifies the whole lot >> of them for sainthood, and even SEP too just by association. I doubt I >> could ever redeem myself in such a way as to bring more good to Atlantis, >> even if I sent 1000 assassins to pick off every last Twee and SEP goon >> around. Azthar! I am truly hurt :( And after your pledge that in your twisted way you loved us all..... and after the 97 spleens I gave you...... Just to make amends may I, faction 252 (soon to be The Old Ones again..), give my vote to give Azthar the Bronze Spleen award. I'd like to present it if possible cos I know just where to....... ... yes well; rebuild, rebuild........ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Oh oh," thought Dwight, "Boy does Coutet look angry. What's he doing, those City Guards have surrendered." Dwight ran over, between Coutet and the prisoners. Coutet advances, fire dancing from his fingertips, smoke all around him. "Coutet, stop! You can't just slaughter them!" "Out of my way, Dwight. We may be in the same Alliance, but..." "Coutet - they've given up, surrendered. We can't just slau..." Coutet shoved Dwight aside, in time to avoid the knife flying past. Fire flared from Coutet's hands, devouring the 5 remaining guards. "Lord Magus, my apologies, I've made a mis..." "Don't think of it, Dwight." ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *****BROTHERHOOD OF TWEE RESPONDS TO AIF ARTICLE***** In an unprecedented move the Brotherhood Of Twee spokesman has responded to the AIF article in last months times. The contents of the Brotherhood's reply is printed in full below. Dear Sir, It is not Brotherhood Of Twee policy to reply to threats and lies printed in your newspaper. However, we have been forced to reply to the article from The One (ex-one) printed in last months issue. In their slanderous article the AIF accused two things. 1) That the SEP was a bogus Alliance? In response to that I can only say that we at the SEP are unaware of any rules governing the formation and makeup of alliances in Atlantis. The Atlantis Convention as written by the great scibe Geoff does not state anywhere in its mass of articles and rules that "factions may not be made up of work colleagues and friends", and if it did I'm sure that all would agree that such a rule would be unworkable - indeed would the making of friends within the Atlantis game force Alliances to be broken up and would everyone be forced to include a list of all their friends, family and colleagues in their request to join the world of Atlantis, to be updated as they made new friends, changed jobs or their families grew? The SEP has never made a secret of its origins. To your second point, regarding the 'smartass using ten different names', I can offer no proof, unless Geoff wishes to examine the headers of all our respective members messages wherein he will see that they all, in general, come from different machines within our network. But I would therefore have to ask that he performs the same check on all members and new members in the future lest the cry of cheat be thrown at every Alliance who is doing well within the World of Atlantis. Sour Grapes? I think so. 2) The Brotherhood Of Twee blockade is bogus? All I can say is - call forth your dogs of war and we shall see whose carcasses litter the field of battle. It won't be those who follow Twee. Ric High Ambassador For The Brotherhood Of Twee ric@digital-animations.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Black Hawk Society ------------------------------------------------------------------------ For a view of avian road crossing from an existential perspective, we ask Jean-Paul Sartre our simple question, "Why did the chicken cross the road?" "In order to act in good faith and be true to itself, the chicken found it necessary to cross the road." One assumes that the chicken was not swayed in this choice by the national harvest festival now just passed in the largest chicken consuming nation on earth. Hope you found it a happy time, or at least a survivable one. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ WOOLLY JUMPER Allows each unit equipped to move without Winter restrictions. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ How do I go about finding information on the assasins guild? ------------------------------------------------------------------------ one more City, one more Firework !!! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Paw, The boys in Jining are starting to produce goods for distribution. That was what you wanted done, wasn't it? Maw ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Sire..?" "BRrrrrrrr.... I wish this winter would end soon. I mean, look at that pile of silver. Large isn't it?" "Indeed Sire." "Why don't you take the top coin..." "Sire?" "Go on, take it and it's yours.." "It's frozen, and stuck to all the others" "See what I mean, this winter is really bothering me." "Well, I'll just leave you now Sire... with my coin." "GLP!" And thus the so far loyal servant buggered off with all the cash. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ I wonder where this shaft goes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ At last! Our ancient homeland has been discovered. This time our home city will be in a plains hex instead of the desert. And this time we'll make sure the PCP doesn't show up to spoil our fun. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Seekers (40): New factions in the Nexus if you want to put most of your faction points into trade and/or magic come to Riggenthorpe. The UNCLE alliance will give you lots of help and advice getting started. Contact The Seekers faction 40. Quotes of the month ------------------- "I hate quotations." --Ralph Waldo Emerson Dilbert: "I'm tempted to try this chain letter." Dogbert: "Maybe for your first crime you shouldn't put your name and address on it and distribute it to ten thousand strangers." ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Did the Pilgrims sail all that way just to eat Turkey spleens? I dont think so ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Shadow Circle (6): >From the Office of the GALE Grand Marshall: At the request of the GALE Grand Marshall, the Shadow Circle (6) has begun the construction of a new fortress to house the Council of Defense and Diplomacy Headquarters. All GALE members in the lovely mountain city of Helsicke are encouraged to donate silver or stone to the project. Donations can be given to unit 14096. Upon completion of the fortress, each member of the CDD will be invited to move one official representative into the structure and set up an office. The additional space will be occupied by an elite CDD fortress guard. Pending successful completion of the project, the other GALE Councils will be supplied with the experienced builders to construct their offices. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The newly appointed CFO of the empire looked up from the reports and glared at his assistant. "What have you idiots been doing?" he roared. The assistant flinched and looked around for a rock to hide under. "We're spending 25% of our remaining capital per turn, with NO INCOME! So, Mister MBA, how long do you think we can keep this up? Hmmmm? I want the magical R&D budget cut by 75%, the army put to work, and find some peasants to tax. NOW! Oh, and find some idiot to write a Times article - we need all to silver we can get." ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Times change... the times is no longer what the times used to be. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ BioPhreaks (172): No time for times this week. Too busy studying TURK. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ANARCHY announces that it is taking the Thanksgiving Holiday off. There will be no Anarchist Attacks against GALE during this period. However, the spies and moles will continue to determine targets for assassination. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Chronicles of The Tribe _What happened in 70,90? Asked Guajajara behind a puff of smoke.. The spirits, recognizing the old man revealed that unfortunately all his allies left the region at the same time. _Your friends read the map upside down and moved away from their claimed land by mistake. Keep a peaceful attitude and everything will be resolved soon under GALE's tent. Guajajara lightened his pipe once again and went away. Paulo, Parrot-man of The Tribe (123) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Join the anti SEP alliance today ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Beware the Shadows ------------------------------------------------------------------------ I was too busy by learning STEALTH ! Blavon, VISE VERSA. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Anti-GALE assassination squads are now ready to strike .. GALE members .. beware! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Nash Zemlya (219): Reports of mass suicide in Glomera last month were premature. Nursie has decided to remain with the living for the time being. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Coup in Primoria ------------------ Reports from Primoria confirm that King Elfred has been forced to abdicate after a bloodless coup. The Council of Elf Elders has been dissolved and it's members will receive fair show trials. Mountain tribes loyal to Farelf, with the support of dissident elven groups, are moving to secure his grip on power throughout the lands. It is rumoured Farelf, who many believe is not an elf at all, shall take the title Khan. A Thousand Elf March through the city of Louer is already being planned to celebrate the glorious anniversary of Elfred's rise to power and the ending of the revisionist policies of Elfred and his lackies on the Council. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ To the (oxy)moron: Will your better half be playing A3 as well starting in the new year? Beware of painted signs, they appear everywhere in Rantlu these days. I have yet to eat at one of them -- I fear assassination. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ When a faction is reduced to a handful of grunts, and has no unclaimed silver left, that faction should issue the restart command. That's what the restart command is for! THIS IS NOT CHEATING! If you have such a problem with factions that are restarting, don't attack them! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ December, Year 2 ----------------------------------------------------- Karnath surveyed the city square. Unlike most cities he had seen aboveground, this one was dark, dank and full of oppression. The earth crawled beneath his feet. Looking down, he noticed the same mustard yellow worms crawling through the earth that he noticed crawling through the eyesockets of his (former) compadres. The city guard had utterly demolished his unit, and had looted their bodies. Then they had left the corpses to the worms which were making short work of the decomoposition. He reflected on the moment. The only reason he was here to see all of this was due to a mix-up in orders. Karnath was sure his commander had said "South", but apparently the city was just to the southwest. As it turned out, this was the only thing that saved him. Looking around, Karnath saw over a hundred dead bodies, all of them his former friends. Well, that wasn't entirely true. There were twelve larger bodies he didn't recognize and figured they must be the city guard. But only twelve! With such limited success, he doubted that his (not inconsiderable) skill with the sword would have made a significant difference in the battle. If the unit's mage hadn't been able to slow the guards with her usually successful fear magic, Karnath felt his single sword would have fallen with the rest. At that instant Karnath swore revenge. He would personally line up the heads of all hundred-plus guards in a row and see each one burned in sequence. For now, he would remain a scout in this dark, underground city. He couldn't figure out what happened, though. The same force had just come from routing the city guard in a province capital on the aboveworld. Yet the same mighty force was utterly destroyed now. How could such a thing possibly happen? ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Ancient One stood somber. The others gathered around awaiting his speech. It was not often that he would speak - and usually, it was not good news. There was a silence in the ruins of Old Helsicke. Not a complete silence that was prelude to an earthquake or hurricane, but a hushed silence with soft undertones of the rustling reeds and the steady drip of the monsoon rains. Indeed, these undertones provided the silence, subduing the normally raucous melodies of bullfrogs, droning insects, and chittering birds. He began in the hissing, clicking speech of the Folk, whom were known to the rest of the world as the Lizard Men. "I have made the journey to the northeast from our home in Old Helsicke to our brethrens' home in the Second City. To my dismay, i found there only their looted dens and several of their bodies from which their spirits have left to go on the hard journey through the Mists of Klackunnn throught the Stream of Time to guard forever the Place of Rebirth. The tailless ones had killed them and thrown them under the ground as is their manner. But others of the tailless ones had exhumed the bodies slit their backs and removed their spleens for unknown sorcerous rites. "I then meditated on the altar of the Eternal Guardian to seek enlightenment on the events that transpired. In a dream i saw many many tailless ones - some marching, others moving through the swamps surrounding the Second City on floating vessels. The air filled with dozens of flying sticks raining death upon 2 of the Folk. Other men slew the remainder of the Folk of the Second City with their spears and axes. It was a grim battle, our brethren did not even have a chance to earn honor in the face of the Eternal Guardian. All were slain by surprise. "I walked aimlessly and observed the settlements of the tailless ones. They grow more numerous by the month. New Helsicke has hundreds of new streets, hundreds of busy men. Other small settlements are found everywhere. "It is time now. And i fear that this time is indeed too late. If we do not act now, there will be no chance for the Folk in the future. Men, elves, dwarves, and orcs all fear the Folk for they know that we are the most ancient race and are the rightful inhabitants of Atlantis. But we stand in the way of their greed. In time they will attack us and try to remove us from our world. We must now strike at them - perhaps we will have a chance to secure at least Old Helsicke and the surrounding area. For Old Helsicke is the Place of First Birth. Remember that we were once the rulers of all Atlantis, but were struck down for our pride by the Eternal Guardian. It is a lesson that we have never forgotten. The Eternal Guardian has again sent us a test. We must have enough honor to protect our rightfulness, but humility to know that this life is merely a transitory stage for the metamorphosis of our souls. "I thus advise that we strike soon. Rid New Helsicke of tailless ones. But at the same time we must afford the transition stage to future souls. Before we strike, each female must lay a clutch of eggs and all of us must endeavor to find secure resting places for the eggs until such a time as the Eternal Guardian chooses to fill the eggs with souls." ------------------------------------------------------------------------ LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL!!!!! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ To the anonymous taunter of the RIP last issue: You mean you'll stop pursuing if I stop pillaging? You mean you expect me to believe you? Sheesh. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ SO these guys were pushing us around and then it was like, they wanted to fight and they said they were going to make our worst nightmares come true. But instead they ran away and like, pillaged every hex they could find. So I don't get it, unless... Wait! My God, they HAVE made our worst nightmares come true! They're going to *choke* ANNOY us to death! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Do you trust your allies? All 54 of us? ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Glorious Organization of Divineship, Monthly News ------------------------------------------------- GOD is a peaceful alliance located around Jotel. The members are Roses On White Lace (91) & Elves of Essedail (93) YUCI CONQUERED! The plan worked out exactly as it should. With too heavy losses to continue the fight, the City Guards tried to escape, but they had no chance; GOD forces completely wiped them. SINES ASSAULT DELAYED! Monsoon delayed the attack on Sines for two turns. And the GOD magic council was discussing not to aid the brave knights in the upcoming fight. Lord Smygelfh was angry, but he also knew that his loyal knights could do the job without magic aid. POPULATION INCREASE IN JOTEL! A whole bunch of peasants moved into Jotel last month. Most of them stated 'rumours of well-being' as the main reason to move. Lord Smygelfh was happy, because 'more peasant pay more taxes'. Afraid of the unknown? Don't be, Check out GOD HQ at http://www.student.tdb.uu.se/~m96thd/GOD *Contains THE BEST MONSTERGUIDE in Atlantis* ------------------------------------------------ GOD can be reached at m96thd@student.tdb.uu.se ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Are the atlantis world round ? Can one walk from hex 1, 55 to 320, 54 ? I have not read anything in the rules about it, maybe our fellow players from Dunster can tell ? ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Since my spleen suggestion was such a big hit, here's another idea: More than once I've tried to buy the wrong type of peasant (welf, self, etc.). I suggest that the BUY order be expanded to allow players to BUY PEAS(ant), resulting in the puchase of whatever type of people happen to inhabit the hex. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The end was silence. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Diastrophism (83): The values for Helsicke: Max population: 9500 (up 7495) Ideal workers: 5278 (up 4223) Estimated workers: 1302 (down 120) Price of labor: $15.4 (up $1.3) Entertainment: $20 (unchanged) With the boost in the maximum wages, the price of labor should return to $18 this month. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Further to the comments about so many of us using the one address, does it never occur to you that some of us don't have any access to the internet at home, so we use a friends PC at his work. Sure we cooperate, that's what friends are for, aint it? ------------------------------------------------------------------------ HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!!! Hello young world, prepare you to submit or succumb under feet of GOD like insect! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ok.. send out those scouts, and search every doghouse, outhouse, greenhouse in the area. I want a warm place to sleep tonight and I want you to provide it for me! Go get! ... And they ran as if demons were chasing them, like ants in a hive... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ What do you do when you have 4 units left and no place to run. Start Again ! Is there a record for highest number of restarts?? ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Vengis crept out of the tent he was studying in and walked over to the rocky clearing. The setting sun cast long shadows across the rocks, making his shadow and the shadows of the others seem like strange etheral being dancing on the ground. He muttered to himself, "Time to put principle into practice..." He reached the center of the clearing and smiled. Ahead of him were around twenty long tree limbs driven into the hard earth. The warriors with him grumbled about having to do the work, but knew the wisdom of having a powerful wizard with them. The limbs were arranged in a haphazard grouping, some limbs stood in clusters, others were solitary. The limbs almost resembled how a group of people would mill about... The warriors had noticed Vengis by this time and stood a distance behind him. They were curious, but wary. They've all heard stories of magical incantation backfiring on the caster. Vengis took a deep breath and then held up his hands before him. In his left hand was a piece of flint. In the right has a steel dagger. In the space between his two hand, he imagined a flame, the small flame of a candle. He carefully concentrated on that image, going over all the details, the flickering tip, the quivering core. The image became so real to him that he could almost feel the heat of the fire on his hands. The mage quickly brought his hands together. Flint and steel connected a spark was born of the union. The spark's life was not momentary. The spark remained between his hands and slowly grew, becoming more stable, feeding off of nothing but the will of the mage. The spark became a flame which became a fire. The candle that once burned only in the eyes of Vengis now burned for real. Vengis' concetration broke somewhat because he was surprised it actually worked on the first try. When the concentration wavered, so did the flame. The candleless fire spluttered and nearly went out before Vengis regained his concentration. He then realized what made this spell so difficult: having to keep the level of concentration need to keep the flame alive while continuing to the next part of the spell. The magician slowly let his gaze go through the flame and into the air beyond, the air between him and the upright limbs that were his target. Soon another image began to grow in his mind's eye. He could barely see the slow rippling of the air, the movement caused by a slight breeze. The normall clear air took on faint hues of blue, green, and purple. It seemed that barely visible misted floated before him. Now his mind changed the image, causing air to change direction. Instead of the random flow of air around him, the mists formed together and flowed away from him. He saw the mists flow by him, around him, away from him, and pass through the target limbs. The air formed a channel between him and the wood. He slowly took a deep breath, and blew into the flame. As his breath touched the flame, the fire bent with the air, It lengthened and stretched out, entering the air channel. As the fire grew, so did its velocity. By the time the flames reached the target, they were travelling near the speed of an arrow. The flames engulfed the limbs, the magical fires twisting up and down the lengths of the limbs until they consumed the limbs entirely, creating a funeral pyre for the victim. Vengis dropped his hands to his sides, breaking his concentration. The moment his hands moved, the small flame before him disappeared, the fuel of the mage's will having been removed. However the great fire before him still raged on. A small smile crossed his face and that is when he heard the cheers and curses from the warriors behind him. "Bloody dragon's teeth..." "Damn, that's spooky..." "Well, burn my ass and boil my head, did ya see that?..." Vengis turned and saw Samas, the leader of the warriors, walking towards him. Samas yelled, "Damn, we'll never need to build campfires to cook the food, Vengis! That'll stop a whole crowd of warriors! hey, anything we can do to help ya?" Vengis' face broke into a broad grin and said, "Well, with practice I can cast that spell faster and stronger. Um...any chance I could trouble you gentlemen to find some more limbs for me?" Samas hooted with laughter and yelled, "Grab yer axes, boys! Lets find some firewood!" ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 50 silver, please. Magicians are hard to feed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ City Guards in a Village, is that weird or what? Or maybe I'm just very confused. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Golden Empire (189): General Delath sat back a contemplated the news. Reports from various areas of the Durness region indicated little SEP action of late. Seems they've holed up for the monsoon season. He sighed deeply. On a positive note, reports indicate that the remaining GE troops have made good their escape and are re-establishing themselves at their present locations. "Hey," he though, "I suppose its better to have a dispersed army than no army at all. I suppose I'll have to report the current status to Lord K. He really hates bad news, but we've had worse months than this." He put on his council tunic (at the same time wondering when finances were going to allow armour - for the officers at least), and headed out to perform his duties. ############################## Vote #2 for Azthar's spleen. Since Azthar's requests for signed votes has gone unanswered from all but me, let me proposed another vote: Do I hear (see) any signed votes for the removal of Azthar's spleen ? Azthar - I have included below my Ascii Art Apleen for use in vote casting: \==\ \ \ | ] / | /o o\ [ L ] \_-_/ Surely you know FUBAR ? You got me with BOHICA - spell it out,thing..err..man! As far as the "Practice Exercise Not Involving Soldiers" goes, the only practice my soldiers get involves fleeing from LARGE SEP forces, or wearing down the SEP mages by forcing them to spend a few waking moments every few months casting fireballs. All I can say to you is: Some tyrant rulers of Atlantis need greater empathy ! Cheers. I hope the padded walls hold up. Lord K. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The submarine is on fire, quick break the porthole. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Da rasclass "Mugwump (829)" had better not cross our Irie way again, lest him want to die... You, bloodclass Mugwump, performed a sneak attack on us, and all dat for a meaningless armor! Denn you will die...eventually. Falafel, da Rastapantha of Irie Kaya (73). ------------------------------------------------------------------------ It appears that Ettins vanish if you watch them for long enough. Is this a bug I wonder? ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Stuck in the mountains in the monsoon weather. "HELLOOO... Hellooo... hellooo..." "ECHOOO... Echooo... echooo..." Hmm, nobody here but us hermits. Wish I'd brought a book. Wish I'd brought a horse even more. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Daununda Enterprises is NOT pleased to report the discovery of a BOG THING and thinks it will be pleased to report a hasty retreat. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ah! Iron wood! Great for my new ship....A Pirate ship! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ There are only two powers in the world, the sword and the mind. In the long run the sword is always beaten by the mind. -Napoleon ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ahhh, the lands hunger for blood... let the monsters come forth and feast on the unwary!! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Solution to Eggman's Third (not-so-easy?) riddle: Mailshirt BTW These are authentic Saxon riddles. Anyone who can guess this one is a dang good riddler. Eggman's Fourth Riddle: A strange thing hangs by man's hip, hidden by garment. It has a hole in its head. It is stiff and strong and its firm bearing reaps a reward. When the retainer hitches his clothing high above his knee, he wants the head of that hanging thing to find the old hole that it, outstretched, as often filled before. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Accord Ltd. (191): An open letter to the leaders of New Atlantis: Ladies, Gentlemen, I had previously written to warn you of the imminent threat known as the Mingling -- the time when the Inner Cities would inexorably grind together. Now that the Mingling is full upon us, I write you with equal urgency to shine a light upon the unique opportunities that now arise in this time of crisis. In the Inner Sphere, the Age of the Warlord has dawned in its full glory. The grand armies muster and march, bringing fame or infamy to the select handful who have donned the mantle of power. The stakes of their playing at swords is nothing less than control of the six Inner Cities. For those who have already heard the earth groaning beneath the weight of iron heels and hooves, this is perhaps no great revelation. I mention it only because, given this knowledge, you may have already gleaned that this coin has its obverse -- the rise of an equally potent force in the remotest corners of the Wide World. Far from the thronging war-torn Inner Sphere, a second elite ruling class is being born -- the Merchant Princes. Their hour brought round at last by recent breakthroughs in the Art of Gatelore, the Princes can command the scattered resources of far-flung Gate cities and carefully orchestrate them to reap instantaneous profits. Whether trader, smuggler, financier or mercenary, the Merchant Princes will carve out their empires in the Wide World as the Warlords contend for the ultimate prize -- the Prime Empire. These are the two great dynamics of the Age that is now before us: the tight mass of swirling conquest orbited by sweeping new elliptics of exploration and commerce. I urge any visionary leaders interested in forging the shape of this new Age to lend us your council, your guidance, your voice. I look forward to working together, --Accord Ltd. egriffin@atl.mindspring.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Assassination is really only worth it if you can gain and decisively exploit a tactics advantage, or kill a mage that has spent more than a year studying. Unless you are not only certain of success, but certain of escape as well. At this stage of the game, it is easier to catch and kill an assassin than it is for one to get away. You should consider the value of being able to see and elude your hunters if you wish to keep your investment in training. Assassins, choose your targets carefully and be wary. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ My alliance hoped to establish commerce & free movement areas within our environment. Instead we met with violence at each town, city, & village. Even underground they attacked us. Now, as unfortunate as it is, we too have become violent. H O W D O E S I T F E E L ? ------------------------------------------------------------------------ What a discovery - a mountain town where I can recruit more than 300 orcs every turn. Now I just have to find mithril, and there'll be no stopping my uncountable hordes. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ACME Spleenmongers (117): Announcements from the Grand Assembly of Learned Elders and the office of the Grand Elder: Membership fluctuations have left our number of factions at 54. Check the web site for the latest list. http://www.wolfe.net/~azthar/GALE New factions interested coming to Helsicke and joining GALE are encouraged to contact any GALE member or the GALE Grand Elder at azthar@wolfenet.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------ You can tell by the smell of that special blend, it must be time again for -- Azthar's Smoking Wing. Where only the libations flow more freely than the splenetic pensmanship. Welcome! I've been waiting for you Obi-Wan. Man might be one of the "Great Apes", but I really don't know much about civilization, except the glorified rumors I read in history books. Seriously, I often find empty shell casings from large caliber handguns out on the street near my house. Even more frequently I hear nearby gun shots. Just because we can send smoke signals to each other across the valley, doesn't mean the clan down the river is civilized. If civilized ape and unique intelligence are my only only two choices, I'm inclined to go for unique intelligence by process of elimination. Maybe you need to define "civilized" to compensate for my surroundings and cynical attitude. On the street, as on Atlantis, anarchy is nature's law. However, there is something that allows man at times to transcend this natural anarchy. Is that civilization? I don't think so. As you have assumed, it is a function of the dynamic interpretation of experience through a filter of psycho/social values. This "filter" as it were exists in all beings, but is potentially much more complex in humans. Many human filters contain values like "obey the law" and "act civilized," however if everyone "acted civilized" there would be no need for laws. The very reason we have laws, police, armies, etc. is that a large portion of the world does not "act civilized," including a fair amount of lawyers, politicians, police, generals, etc. Humans (some more than others) are equipped with an advanced ability for symbolic abstraction, which allows large quantities of information to be passed not just through space, but time as well. This gives humans the greatest degree of "intelligence" that we have perceived. Some forms of information we are not well equipped to receive, the ultrasound component of dolphin communication for instance, but we can make tools to expand the range of our inputs. Gorillas and chimps and other apes seem to be capable of a similar type of symbolic abstraction as humans, but at a much simpler level. Chimps can be taught sign language, but word puzzles might not come too easily to them. Humans like to think they are "civilized" and by virtue of their advanced symbol-aided intelligence, humans are able to convince themselves they are not apes even if their actions suggest otherwise. A cat has a unique intelligence, as does a dog, but generally speaking we believe a human's intelligence is more complex as we can create and manipulate lasting abstract symbols outside ourselves. So, to say man has unique intelligence does not convey much information. I would say that humans have a potentially more complex intelligence than the other apes, and other animals too, but humans are not necessarily civilized. You asked for it... Tarot reading? Only rarely. I spend more time studying astrology than tarot. I would not have considered it appropriate in the context of the game. But I'm always game for a challenge. I'll keep you posted. Done well, tarot reading is a mental excercise that aids introspection. Through the simplifing tools of symbol and metaphor it helps uncover and make sense of the complexity of the input into our lives that we often ignore and bury. It is actually quite useful, when approached seriously and practically. It is not the cards or the symbols that hold power, it is it the meanings we give them that hold power. Mockery is of course the highest form of flattery. Hail weary traveller! - Azthar (811), ACME (252), avoiding, behind, leader [LEAD]; A gibbering idiot, raving about spleens. Welcome to Helsicke! Remember our unwritten rule number one: if you leave the city, reveal faction or die. It's really simple. Just like a moth to the flame. Every evil tyrant needs a body double to better fool would be assassins. You are more than welcome to study in the ACME Spleen Museum. Do you need instruction in the proper techniques of performing a splenectomy with a sledge hammer? We want to be sure the disguise is a foolproof one and we certainly wouldn't want you to hurt yourself. You must also practice your ranting more. Existence is not sorrow, it is pain. I hurt therefore I must be. Pain is proof of existence, but to experience the wonder of the universe is joy. The joy of experience soothes the pain of existence, turning it to mere irritation. With out the pain of existence there can be no experience and no joy. Eat, drink, and be merry, because chances are tommorow you will still be alive and it's better to have fond memories than sour ones. So speweth the anti-Bhudda. I asked ACME Moving Company "Why did the chicken cross the road?" and he said: "Probably becuase he p***aged the hex he just left!" Barring legal action by the phone company, or that ever looming threat of catastrophic vulcanism, we'll do it again real soon. Thanks for joining. You know where to find me! VISA/MC/AMEX cheerfully accepted, cash preferred. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Eye for an eye......... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ It's a hell of a thing, seeing your unclaimed silver drop to zero. So I'd better start to do something about it!!!!! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Get new, powerful, Toilet Duck. Removes all Priests Of Muldoon. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The soldiers huddled around a smoking campfire - the best they could manage in the constant drizzle of the jungle. In the distance, they could hear their commander humming cheerfully as he batted around a lizardman head with a heavy branch. "This whole campaign was a waste! Months of trudging through bleeding swamps, and in the end we barely got enough loot to double our wages." "Yeah, and his mighty-ship over there acting barmy, and won't even let us touch that keg of wine we got from the lizards." A third soldier, this one looking a bit older and maybe wiser, said, "Knock that talk off right now! We're paid to follow orders and fight what the commander says we should fight, and we all get our wages regular, so there's no call for arguing over booty. Just be happy we wiped out the lizards without anybody here losing his life." "Yeah, okay," said the first soldier. "But what about the way he's acting?" He indicates the commander with a jerk of his thumb. "It kind of disturbs a man's sleep, knowing we have to follow orders from a blooky loon. D'you think we ought to try to contact someone higher up about him?" "Aye, but who?" another soldier asks. "His mother? She won't give him the time of day - or anyone else, so I hear. Or the High Lord up in that bubble thing? How'd we go about getting a letter up to him?" "That'd do no good, either," the older soldier says. "He's a bloody ghoul, and barmy himself, too." Dropping to a whisper, "I hear he sleeps with a corpse - the body of an old lover he keeps preserved with the dark arts." More loudly, he continues. "No, lads, we're in this for the long haul, so we're gonna have to just put up with the leaders we have over us. Myself, I'm hoping when we get back to the plains, to get that Frenchy fellow to take us on. I hear he's pretty level-headed, when he ain't mooning over some high- falootin' woman. But now it's time to take watches and settle down; we've got another day of slogging through the mud ahead of us, so get your rest, you men!" The buzz of conversation faded as the soldiers broke up, some going to soggy blankets while others took up posts around the perimeter of the camp. All the sound that remained was the cheerful humming of the commander, now withdrawn into his tent with - mercifully - the flaps drawn, for none of the men relished watching the ways he amused himself late at night. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ I may have forgotten to submit! I SURRENDER! There, I feel _much_ better now. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ I am looking for a pure magic faction to ally with me in the lands I have found through gate lore. I can provide a place to study and funding for study. All you will need to do is get here. Send email to koth@zorda.com if interested. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ So much land so little time. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ OK, someone start a war, dammit! This is just getting too boring! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Need this silver badly. Is there any hope for the future? ------------------------------------------------------------------------ If I'd just had 60-70 more men, I could've taken you!! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Glass Chompers (65): Slow week this week. Last week I had reports of a lot of information this week has been fairly slow. I do have some new mapping information but haven't had time to put it up on the pages yet. In any case come visit at: http://www.kraby.pair.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Shuriken's are sharp. The glinting edges lightly coated with the barest amount of morguth. In the hands of a master, a mere flick of the wrist will result in death. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The waiting is unbearable, can we survive to the deadline, what aid is coming, will the scouts survive there next month. All of these questions flicked through the mind of the Old One. However the Company was almost ready and new opportunities are appearing. His forces here may well maintain there foothold but he would no longer be staying. It is time to return to his stronhold. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Another Monsoon season, another slow time to study up for the killing season. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Big Al looked over the alley. His skill had improved. Where before he saw nowhere to hide, he now say 3 or 4 good hiding spots in a matters of seconds. Even though they were not good enough to fool the most keen-eyed, they would certainly do to hide from those less skilled. His excitement rose. He knew there were more hiding places, he just had to be patient to find them... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Hmm, are these dragon scales good for anything? Only cost me a couple hundred troops :P ------------------------------------------------------------------------ I nominate the BioPhreakes for the most entertaining Times entries. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The cave was dark. The cave was dry. And it smelled like shitted pants. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The markets are still pretty silly. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ To his clubfooted son said Lord Stipple As he poured his postprandial tipple: "Your mother's behavior Gave pain to Our Savior And that's why he made you a cripple." ------------------------------------------------------------------------ One can easily do a disservice to the whole human race. All you need to do is not take all of your antibiotics. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Did the person establishing the Assassins Guild ever come up with an anonymous communication system? I'm still interested if you can find a way to guarantee anonymity. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The monsoon will end soon I hope... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lakotah (77): The Lakotah are now at sea and seeking long haul trade opportunities in rare items and products. Contact: barrowsm@agate.net ------------------------------------------------------------------------ YOU ARE DEAD! A whining voice to a foreign unit: Oh please, please reveal your faction. I ask: What mighty land owner is this, who cannot afford an observationer? Death to those effeminate questioners! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ To the seas I will go with the might of my empire. Those on shores all across the land need be afraid. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ weaponsmith [WEAP] 3: A unit with this skill may use the PRODUCE order to produce mithril swords from mithril. Mithril swords give units a +4 bonus in combat, rather than the usual +2. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Kender suicide squad is now back on line! Sorry to all the kenders who have missed the wounderful deaths of Tas. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ In this time of Thanksgiving I want to thank Geoff. Atlantis gives me so many things to be thankful for. If it weren't for Atlantis I'd probably: 1. be a much more efficient employee. 2. have time for a girlfriend. 3. spend more quality time with the family. 4. read more. 5. do the little things (like balance my checkbook, send letters to friends, clean the cat's litter box, etc.) that need to be done. Of course, I'm thankful that these things now find themselves farther down on my priority list. Long live Atlantis! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The sea voyage has now lasted 2 months and there is no land in sight. Hopefully land will be found before the pirates find us. It is dangerous to wander about in such a small craft. But who could know that the water stretched so far! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Clan McCloud (166): NOW ENROLLING! If you are a new faction joining Atlantis, and want to be magic 5, then we want you! Come study at the Rantlu Magic University. Syndic8, the dominate alliance in the Rantlu area, will provide a monthly stipend to cover your costs while you study at our University. Contact pep@frii.com for details. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Yes, makin' mock o' uniforms that guard you while you sleep Is cheaper than them uniforms, an' they're starvation cheap... For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Chuck him out, the brute!" But it's "Saviour of 'is country," when the guns begin to shoot... >From Rudyard Kipling's Tommy ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The spiral is black! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ...and there was a bright flash of light into which all the snow and rain vanished. There will be no more WEATHER down here, a voice declared... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Deld's Consolidated monster list (for turn 15): Giant Lizard [GLIZ] (Combat 3, Hits 5), Attacks 5?, TACT 0 imp [IMP] (Combat 3, Hits 1), Attacks 1, TACT 0? skeletons [SKEL] (Combat 2, Hits 1), Attacks 1, TACT 0 lich [LICH] (Combat 4, Hits 40),Attacks 40?, TACT 2+ Fear ~25 lion [LION] (Combat 3, Hits 2), Attacks 2?, TACT 1+,STEA 1+ bog thing [BOGT] (Combat 4, Hits 20),Attacks 20?, TACT 1+,STEA 1+ roc [ROC] (Combat 4, Hits 15),Attacks 15?, TACT 1+ undead [UNDE] (Combat 3, Hits 6), Attacks ?, TACT 0 sphinx [SPHI] (Combat 4, Hits 50),Attacks 50? TACT? kobold [KOBO] (Combat 2, Hits 1) ,Attacks 1, TACT<2, STEA 1 ettin [ETTI] ? dragon [DRAG] (Combat 6, Hits 50),attacks 50?, TACT 1+, Fireball 1+ ogre [OGRE] (Combat 3, Hits 10),attack 10, TACT 0 Please submit battles with creatures to kbrors@aol.com to make this a better creature manual. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Hmm.... Great holiday. Someone stole the rear wheel off my car... And if that wasn't enough, I just got Win 95, and I have NO IDEA how to use it... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ We declare war on GALE. Soon you will die. SEP ------------------------------------------------------------------------ >>>> Decisions, decisions... Should I kill the strange units in my hex >>>> or should I send them a letter first asking their business? >> >> The nice thing to do would be to send them a letter first if you can >> identify them. You never know when you stumble into someone else's camp >> yourself... How would you like to be treated? Nah, kill them. Do unto others before they do it to you... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ I feel the hounds' hot breath on my back as I flee to the south. The weather is not good for sailing but perhaps I may find a ship to give me safe passage to a safe land. All these people around me, touching, bumping, feeling, I hate crowds. The prospect of a ship full of love hungry, lusty, sailors sounds only remotely better. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Living within a large alliance can be a pain. There are just too many people that you have to know - teachers, soldiers, guards, mages. It really takes dedication. Oh well. It's worth it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Rien ne sert de courir, mieux vaut partir a point... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ****************** NEWS FROM THE SAILORS BROTHERHOOD ******************* The Sailors Brotherhood has now SEVERAL MEMBERS in the following areas: GRAEVBYGD, HELSICKE, RANTLU, DURNESS, RIGGENTHORPE, ALFARO, DORNOCH Half of the members are in fact spokesmen of Alliances, so our international community really counts a lot of people now. * No New Discovery reported this turn * Reminder of the Last Discovery (previous turn) The crew of the Rossinante, belonging to The Party have encountered a town to the north of Graevbygd. It is named Kaddervar and is located at plain (38,30) in Panyu. Of course, The Party claims it. Congratulations to them!! * Talks with the other Intrenational Organisations Did you see the Times article about the Hub? The Sailors Brotherhood is now working with GALE and the IR. This community of 3 international guilds will soon become the best service provider on Atlantis!! LEGITIMATE YOUR DISCOVERIES by sharing them with the now official Sailors Brotherhood. DON'T SAIL IN THE DARK, join the brotherhood and you'll get cartographic information to help you decide where to go. Don't be the last sailor to join ! Contact cyrilb@microsoft.com. Participate to the World Community by joining the first International Organisation ! Pinpanikaye, King of the Minstrels. ************************************************************************ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ah, just as I suspected. Another population cluster. Hmm, a mountain city and a plains town. How very yummy! "Summon the Orcish Horde!" ------------------------------------------------------------------------ I like Vikings. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Up