Atlantis 2.0: Times 17 From: Geoff Dunbar <atlantis@rahul.net> Date: Mon, 29 May 1995 00:00:00 +0000 Atlantis 2.0 Times July, Year 2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Game Master Notes: atlantis@rahul.net for information, problems, or to play. If you have suspicions that someone is playing more than one faction, please discretely let me know, and I will look into it. DO NOT confront the player, or send mail to atl-players or anything like that, because if you are wrong, you are hurting the innocent player's name. Bug Fixes This Turn: 1) Sea elves were only allowed to have combat 2, rather than 3 as indicated in the rules. 2) Some checking was added to buying and selling. 3) There was a problem where advancing units would not group together correctly when attacking an on guard unit. Additions This Turn: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Melvin stood over his map table, staring intently at one particular group of markers. The plans were laid -- soon he would wipe a large number of those markers right off the face of the map. With a little help, of course. Plans everywhere were progressing well. "Abercrombe," Melvin addressed his lieutenant. "Send out the command to General Matrim. His men are to attack as soon as possible." Abercrombe nodded in acknowledgement. "Send word to the scout: he is to continue is he has been." Abercrombe nodded again. "And when you've done that," Melvin paused. "See what you can do about getting me a decent meal." He grinned. "If I have to eat bark stew again tonight, I think I'll execute someone." ------------------------------------------------------------------------ It seems that Pseudo thinks we, the Free Companions, control too many hexes for one faction. As it happens, we are a Pure War faction, and "too many hexes" for a Pure War faction is 101 hexes. Since we don't control quite that many, we certainly don't control too many. More practically, "too many hexes" is so many hexes that you cannot adequately defend them all from attack. The Free Companions have several hundred trained soldiers, and we are quite capable of defending the hexes we claim. Thus, again, "too many" is not appropriate. As for Pseudo's allegations that I am suppressing Trade, this too is false; we have encouraged Trade factions to set up in our territories and are paying them well. In fact, in several regions, I am collecting the entire tax value of the area and paying it all to the Trade faction operating there and have promised more. The case of Pseudo (My faction name is a secret) is, in any case, not that of a Trade faction. We permitted him to enter the areas controlled by the Free Companions which he so publically described in order to allow him to produce horses. Instead of producing horses, however, he sent scouting parties through our territory, posted guards on a region, and declared the Free Companions unfriendly, attempting to block our access to a region where we already had units. Then he had the temerity to protest when these units of his were destroyed. These were the actions of a rival War faction, not a Trade faction, and I will freely admit that we intend to severely trounce any non-allied War factions that we encounter. the Free Companions faction 109 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Greetings From The Maurarhiannons A Notice to all you thieves out there. Faction 77, GIBOR attempted to steal in Monzon awhile back. Despite warnings, several units of that faction entered and remained within our territory. There are now 20 less units in that faction. We do not suffer thieves in our territory, nor do we tolerate their operations against us or any friendly or allied faction. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Slunecni Zare defeated Roman Republic 138:77 !! Heard in Rantlu: "I say Romans are going to attack this turn" said King's voice. "I don't believe that" replied Muuf as usually. "They are gathering armies close to our borders" continued King. "Don't be afraid. Not enought for defeating our forces." "You cannot be sure" King's voice seemed to be frightened. "Be quite. Only fool could attack without reasonable probability of victory." Later on, after surprising attack of Roman forces and their easy defeating, Great Muuf was seen murmuring "Shit. How it is possible ? Shit. Why did they attack ? Shit. Where could I make a mistake in my presuppositions. Shit." ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Who does the cooking and who does the wash up?", Boudiccea asks her apprentices. Her apprentices look at each other. Little Witch says: "But we should study. The stuff is so difficult. We must learn." "Hmm, yes you are right, you must learn and I must teach. But we need something to eat too." Boudiccea thinks and thinks .... suddenly she had a idea, why not hire a man to do the householding. Marvelous. And she goes to the market and find a man-servant, called "Left Hand". "Okay, you will be my "Left Hand", Boudiccea says to him and orders him what to do. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ For Sale: Slightly used 2 door magic wagon. 4 MPT (Movement Points Per Turn). A/C, Power Steering, Power Brakes. 1000 Silver OBO. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 'Ruse, will you bless the forest now?' 'No, our production capacity is not yet large enough to warrant wasting the spell. Soon, we will be requested to help increase the capacity of wood production.' 'What about the new swamp in (7,13) we are claiming?' 'Either Aravan or Baerus will be sent there to control the teritory.' ***** The Hand of Darkness, and our allies the Dire Didgett of Darkness, and the Melniboneans, now claim the desert in (6,15), the swamp in (7,13) and the forest in (6,14). All factions entering this region are requested to state their business. Hand of Darkness g8512580@mcmaster.ca Dire Didgett of Darkness richard@majinga.demon.co.uk ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Wiping the snow and sleet from his face Hagar stared at the expance befor him. Oh God How much more swamp! And what the hell is the weather doing? I'm sure that it was snowing just then, now its Monsoon!!! Either someone is mucking with the weather, God has stuffed up again or perhaps I shouldn't have eaten those Mushrooms.... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Komarken Tribune ================================================================== Pirates Sighted The Mayors of Komarken and Killorglin have seen fit to welcome the PolyChromatic Pirates (PCP for short, not to be confused with any mind altering drugs, these are life altering thugs [LATs for short]) into their cities, most likely for the added business for their respective entertainers and drinking establishments. It is rumored that the pirates are somehow connected with ABSTAIN, but both parties disclaim any involvement with each other, just a similarity of purpose (i.e. wanton violence, and complete disregard for the lives of others). Rumor has it that Mayor Hatred has contracted with the pirates to eliminate the city guard captain and any guards loyal to him so as to have free rein in the city of Komarken. More info on the PCP can be found by accessing the Pirates Cove at http://www.netins.net/showcase/fizweb/atlantis/pcp1.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The pirates made Richard the Elder put on funny clothes and a hat. "Now ye look ugly nuff for our group." Looking around he was robes of crimson, blue, purple, green, orange, black, gray, and pink; his white robes would fit right in here. Kind of a, err, polychromatic group. "What do we do now?" Richard asked. "Raid and pillage of course! The city of Komarken is loaded with treasures ripe for the taking." ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Land Claim Office ===================== The aim of the Land Claim office is to produce a list of usefull and dangerous land for the unsuspecting explorer, it is free and no claim will be enforced by the claims office. The decision to use it is entirely yours and you may claim as much land as you wish, although no claim of the whole world (or a large part of it) will be published. Claim Faction/Unit Contact 0,22 The Free Companions (109) yaj@cc.gatech.edu 1,18 The Free Companions (109) yaj@cc.gatech.edu 1,19 The Free Companions (109) yaj@cc.gatech.edu 1,20 The Free Companions (109) yaj@cc.gatech.edu 2,18 The Free Companions (109) yaj@cc.gatech.edu 2,19 The Free Companions (109) yaj@cc.gatech.edu 2,20 The Free Companions (109) yaj@cc.gatech.edu 3,18 The Free Companions (109) yaj@cc.gatech.edu 3,19 The Free Companions (109) yaj@cc.gatech.edu 3,20 The Free Companions (109) yaj@cc.gatech.edu 5,13 The Inner Eye Alliance mlyon@interramp.com 6,13 The Inner Eye Alliance mlyon@interramp.com 6,14 Hand of Darkness g8512580@mcmail.cis.mcmaster.ca 6,15 Hand of Darkness g8512580@mcmail.cis.mcmaster.ca 7,10 Renaissance (30) vjg@cbnea.att.com 7,11 Renaissance (30) vjg@cbnea.att.com 8,10 Lance Lunchnick and the Litigators (277) leete@slack.med.upenn.edu 8,16 The Harpers g77008@it3.eskom.co.za 8,18 The Church Of Envy (346) smygelfh@kuai.se 9,8 Picts pdxark@evol.gene.nottingham.ac.uk 9,11 multiple factions vjg@cbnea.att.com 9,15 The Harpers g77008@it3.eskom.co.za 10,7 Picts pdxark@evol.gene.nottingham.ac.uk 10,8 Picts pdxark@evol.gene.nottingham.ac.uk 10,9 The Nyx Alliance damian.penney@ncl.ac.uk 10,11 Lance Lunchnick and the Litigators (277) leete@slack.med.upenn.edu 11,6 The Nyx Alliance damian.penney@ncl.ac.uk 11,8 The Nyx Alliance damian.penney@ncl.ac.uk 11,9 The Nyx Alliance damian.penney@ncl.ac.uk 11,11 Renaissance (30) vjg@cbnea.att.com 12,9 The Nyx Alliance damian.penney@ncl.ac.uk 12,10 The Mauve Marauders (59) euaahg@eua.ericsson.se 13,10 The Mauve Marauders (59) euaahg@eua.ericsson.se 14,6 The Nyx Alliance damian.penney@ncl.ac.uk 15,7 Pain Killers Alliance d91frera@und.ida.liu.se 15,8 The Inner Eye Alliance mlyon@interramp.com 15,9 Pain Killers Alliance d91frera@und.ida.liu.se 16,8 The Inner Eye Alliance mlyon@interramp.com 16,10 Pain Killers Alliance d91frera@und.ida.liu.se 17,10 Pain Killers Alliance d91frera@und.ida.liu.se 42,34 M3 The Minnesota managing and magic cooperation [452] LEHMANN@reze-1.rz.rwth-aachen.de 46,2 Axion Imperium jts@telerama.lm.com 46,56 Los chicos de Edu & The Prophet Followers ecasas@mest.unizar.es & moustafa@mest.unizar.es 47,1 Axion Imperium jts@telerama.lm.com 48,0 Axion Imperium jts@telerama.lm.com 48,1 Axion Imperium jts@telerama.lm.com 48,3 Axion Imperium jts@telerama.lm.com 48,4 Axion Imperium jts@telerama.lm.com 48,5 Axion Imperium jts@telerama.lm.com 49,0 Axion Imperium jts@telerama.lm.com 49,3 Axion Imperium jts@telerama.lm.com 50,0 Industry(88) alb@cwa.com 50,1 Industry(88) alb@cwa.com 50,3 Axion Imperium jts@telerama.lm.com 50,6 Great Muuf and his family (117) maxera@fzu.cz 51,5 Great Muuf and his family (117) maxera@fzu.cz 51,6 Great Muuf and his family (117) maxera@fzu.cz 52,4 The Wanderes (112) ??? 52,5 Great Muuf and his family (117) maxera@fzu.cz 55,0 Holy Order of the Sacred Purple Kumquat (379) shook@ibg.colorado.edu 55,1 Holy Order of the Sacred Purple Kumquat (379) shook@ibg.colorado.edu 55,5 Holy Order of the Sacred Purple Kumquat (379) shook@ibg.colorado.edu 56,3 Acme Labs (297) tajones@beagle.colorado.edu 57,2 Acme Labs (297) tajones@beagle.colorado.edu 94,21 The Free Companions (109) yaj@cc.gatech.edu 94,22 The Free Companions (109) yaj@cc.gatech.edu 95,20 The Free Companions (109) yaj@cc.gatech.edu 95,21 The Free Companions (109) yaj@cc.gatech.edu 95,22 The Free Companions (109) yaj@cc.gatech.edu All claims should be sent to the office (claim@forsyth.demon.co.uk) with a means of contact, a summary will be included in the Times each month. If you wish your entry removed then also let me know. The Land Claims Office. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [Hadrian T. McRoot, Mgc.D. exclaims ...] What a beautiful weekend! Abernethy is so nice this time of year. Forget about antielves and antihorses, we're going on a picknick! Hmm ... let's see ... we'll need a sword, combat spells, cactus nodule detectors, and scorpion repellent. There, that oughta do it. This is a wonderful day! [Hadrian begins whistling as he walks into the desert ... ] ------------------------------------------------------------------------ **MONZON MOVERS** ***** UPDATE ****** Why YOU need the Monzon Movers: Your units are near starvation and you need to get money to them fast. Our speciality. Give silver to one of our units and the closest unit to your destination will give them the money you need (less small fee of course though this is negotiable). ** Still going strong ** You have just produces goods which are too heavy to carry to your customer/ nearest town: With several wagons in operation the Monzon Movers is the service for you. Armed escort available on request. *** FULLY BOOKED for 5 months **** *** Beat the rush - Place your order NOW !!! **** You want to relocate? By giving cash to our units in Monzon, we will purchase units for you in the Mountains or Tundra far West of Kashmar, This service so far has not been used. Moreover no other units have yet been seen in this region. As such this service will have a higher commision than the others. Please only contact me with GOOD offers. ** Still going *** CALL NOW AT pdxark@evol.nott.ac.uk ** We regret that not one will be available to take your call, please leave a message and we will get back to you as soon as possible** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ tik tap tik ... Mikey started awake. In front of him a strange little creature,looking much like a dog, was throwing grass seeds at him, trying to wake him up. "Who are you ... and what are you ... and where I am ... I mean, where am I?" Mikey asked. "Well, I could answer your questions, but you would have to give me this...," said the creature, producing Mikey's sword. At that Mikey grabbed at the little creature, bringing him to the ground. They tossled and eventually Mikey got control of his sword. "Now, you hairy little ... whatever, you'll give me a few answers or I'll make mincemeat out of you." "Well," started the creature, "My name is Ingle, and that will cost you one silver piece." Mikey menaced him, and Ingle continued, "You kind of people would call me a non-orc." "A non-orc? and what would you call yourself?" Mikey asked. "Well, I would call myself a non-orc, weren't you listening?" Ingle said. "Just get on with it," Mikey said impatiently, "where are we?" "Oh," said Ingle," I have absolutely no idea, I was hoping you would know. Eikelander zapped me here to look after you." "I should have known that Eikelander had something to do with this. Well, I have no idea either, the last thing I remember I had just escaped from the Republican guard, and then there was a flash, and now I'm here, wherever this is. By the way, where is Eikelander?" Ingle paused. "He's in 75,51." "What do you mean by that?" asked Mikey. "75,51," Ingle repeated, "Tromeforth, of course, Tromeforth forest, and he's trying to get to Nairn, you know, the City of Nairn." "What do you mean trying to get there, can't he just zap himself anywhere he wants?" Mikey asked. "Not since he broke his magic thing," Ingle stated matter-of-factly,"but he said it could be fixed in Nairn and that's only a half-month walk." "Good, glad to hear he won't be bothering me for a while. And as for you, why don't you just scram." "Sorry, it's my sworn duty to protect you and see that you get to Dramment safely," said Ingle. "What do you mean Dramment? Drammes or Derwent? Isn't the Republic of Rome in Drammes? Anyway, how are you going to make sure I get anywhere when you don't even know where you are now? and anyway you're not taking me anywhere." said Mikey, astounded. "I'm sure it was Drammes, I think, anyway, Eikelander said he would meet us there. Oh, and one last thing... Only you can see me." "You must be joking, right?" asked Mikey. But Ingle wasn't talking and they set off for Drammes...or Derwent. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Still Going: THE CARTOGRAPHER'S COOPERATION CONSORTIUM ! When you go out on a long series of travels and explorations, what should you never leave home without? No, it's not the Atlantean Express(TM) card. A Map! All travelers should have as accurate a map as possible. Well, here at the Cartographer's Consortium, we're endeavoring to put together such a map. But, we can only do it with your help. So, we're asking you to send in a copy of the reports from areas you have recently explored. In return, you'll get the up-to-date compilation of all Consortium entries. We're over 20-plus contributing members strong, as of when this ad was placed (Friday, 5/26/95). We currently have mapping data on ~450 areas, with economic data on perhaps one hundred and seventy, including portions of continents previously unknown and basic surroundings of the new gate cities. The CCC is now cooperating with the services of the Platinum Map. If you like the Platinum Map, you might like the additional service of the CCC, which adds a complied gazeteer of many of the regions mapped by the Platinum Mapping project. Write for info now. The CCC can currently be reached at "tim.hruby@his.com". Please include the prefix "CCC:" in your subject line. P.S., Sorry for the constant repetition (I've received a complaint), but the ad gets responses from new players every turn. I'll cut it back when/if the game is closed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ON THE NATURE OF MAGI? Chapter III of the Hermetic Discourse The greatest mystery confronting us as magi is not either of: how they get the Caramel in the Caramilk bar or where magic comes from. It is a more sublime and personal one. What differs between us and the rest of the population? Why is it that we can use magic and the average person off the street cannot? There are two schools of thought regarding this. The first one argues that anyone can learn magic. However it requires years of study and hard work and the average person has other things on their mind. Thus only the most dedicated can achieve mage-dom. The second school argues that there is a subtle yet significant difference between us and the mundanes. They often like to spout racially charged statements concerning the superiority of the mage-born over the rest of the herd. At the Hermetic Order we do agree that there is a physiological difference between the mage-born and the mundane. We believe that the mage-born mind is slightly different from the mundane one. This difference allows us to inately perceive the energy currents arriving from the ethereal realm. However, as was argued in a previous discourse, we do not see this as making mage-born superior to mundanes; only different. NEXT: In a future discourse we will discuss how the mage-born; being unable to control the energy currents in their natural form use Forms to perceive and wield these currents. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ************************************************************************ # # # ##### # ## # # ##### # #### # # # # # # ## # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # #### ####### # # ###### # # # # # # # # # # # # # ## # # # # # # # ###### # # # # # # #### ####### A slave Rushes in... # # # # # # ## # "Master", he stammers, "a New source of # # # # # Information!" # # # # # # # # ## "Let me see!" you reply, grabbing the parchment ####### # # from his weak hands. Slowly you read the strange inscription... ####### # # # ###### (See Footer ;-) # # # # # ###### ##### "It's just Someones Address!" you exclaim, striking # # # # the slave roughly. "Get Out Of Here!" # # # # # # # ###### "But Master", continues the (brave) slave, "There's all sorts of useful and up-to-date stuff about # # ####### ###### Atlantis there. Everyone else is going!" # # # # # # # # # # # # "Hmmm, might be worth a look..."; you look down at the # # # ##### ###### the poor thing, which thinks its boldness has gained # # # # # # it favour, then break its nose for the third time # # # # # # this week. "Don't be so insolent!" you scream! ## ## ####### ###### My Atlantis Homepage is rapidly growing, but needs YOUR help to make it Great! Current features include : - Quick Reference Section including rules(html), Instructions, Current Players List, Great Hall of Maps, and the Current Times. - A brief description/introduction to the game. - Advice on the mailing list and how to get off it! - Reviewed Links to (all?) the other Atlantis pages, including the Official Page. - Order Checker Addresses. - Complete FTP options for easy retreival of all FTP Atlantis Data. - Submissions and Articles provided by YOU the players! - Land Claims. - Newbie Help Pages (Unstructured as yet). - Skill Report List - Specialist Skills Breakdown. - Spell Report List - Comic Relief! - a test map. - Other Fantasy and PBEM links! This Page has probably completely changed (for the better) since you last saw it! (In fact the URL has recently changed too - see below for the new one!) I am quite happy to put your articles on it (if you have neither the time or the knowhow to write HTML, then I will convert any ascii files you send me). One thing I must ask is that you send me 'permanent' things such as treatises on combat / magic / war / trade / economics /anything like that. Advice on default orders for Newbies will be compiled into one really good set. Do not send me land claims etc or anything that is organised by other groups such as the ccc. I will talk to individual service providers about giving access to their info. Let me know your opinions! regards, Jon. (217) (Jon's Faction). (u3jph@csc.liv.ac.uk) (http://www.csc.liv.ac.uk/users/u3jph/Atlantis/index.html) ************************************************************************ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Puxa Que raiva que me da`. O exito que se mudo nao vcale nada. A Minha esposa esata gritando pra` mim pois que ela quer usar o telefono agora. Ate mai`s. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO o o O THE PLEASURES OF NAME SELLING O o o OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO Does anyone know what logic separates a country from another ? They don't seem to follow natural borders such as terrain changes or climate changes. It seems that God's Name Seller was a bit drunk. - The (sober) Name Seller of the Jokomicalaughunny Buffons (229) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ****************************************************************** * * * TTTTT RRRR AAAAA IIIII N N M M EEEEE N N TTTTT * * T R R A A I N N N M M M E N N N T * * T RRRR AAAAA I N NN M M EEE N NN T * * T R R A A I N N M M E N N T * * T R R A A IIIII N N M M EEEEE N N T * * * ****************************************************************** We're offering training services in ellesmere/menter area. Training costs: 1 applicant: 30 silver. 2 applicants:40 silver. 3 applicants:45 silver 5 applicants:50 silver more applicants: +5 silver per applicant. Other ways of payment can be accepted... ask previously. Skills we train: Combat Stealth Observation Entertainment Energy Riding Building Tactics Soon availables more skills. Ask for your trainment to ******************************************************************************* //////// Al Pertierra Al Pertierra: | _ _ | C/ Feijoo N49-4-A u0904872@soneto.etsiig.uniovi.es 6| * * |9 Gijo'n (Asturias) (u0904872@156.35.141.8) | < | Spain C.P.33204 Soldados Drakull (Drakull Soldiers) | _ | Faction 237 |____| ****************************************************************************** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ###################################################################### ###################################################################### ## ## Hey, you What are you doing with your life? See what other people is doing Awake and fight against the system You also can become an anarchist Health, Peace, Freedom & Love ## ## ###################################################################### ###################################################################### ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Hello players, Well some of you sugest that spanish message has his own times, but I disagree, sobre todo me parece una soberana tontada, si no sabes espanol te aguantas, que los demas ya tenemos bastante ingles que aguantar. Como se dice habitualmente: o nos la follamos todos o la puta al rio, es decir todos los idiomas juntos, o que solo se pueda escribir en un idioma (ingles, supongo). Some alliances has his own plans to attack cities, pero yo sigo siendo de la opinion que esto no es lo mejor (bueno, si es lo mejor, el que lo haga puede arrasar a los demas, pero ya me entendeis). Es una lastima que esto se combierta en un wargame, pero si, como parece, es asi, tendre que abandonar nis ideales de juego y entrar a saco; ya se sabe, si no puedes con tus enemigos, unete a ellos. Another thing, one player accused me from doing double playing, I think that this false things never se deberian repetir, que luego hay que escribir muchos mails en ingles, y a mi me cuesta un rato. A ver si cuando se ataca de esta forma no se hace hasta que se pueda demostrar feacientemente. Bye. y a continuacion ese mail con direccion anonima que tanta preocupacion a causado a cierto sujeto de por sledmere. (que conste que en la parte que se refiere a sledmere los unicos que pueden ganar algo vendiendo o ensenando son edu y pieter). MacFjm (Faction 245) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Saludos Jugadores: Se presenta ante vosotros la Nueva Alianza, somos el futuro, el progreso y la vida. Estamos establecidos en Stinchar y Sledmere, y puedes ponerte en contacto con nosotros, para comerciar en: an253128@anon.penet.fi Vendemos Caballos,madera, lideres, hombre tribales, nomadas,etc Entrenamos en energia, combate, observacion, Cabalgar, Herreria, mineria, entretenimiento, y a amaestrar caballos. Precio a convenir. Greetings Players: We are the New Alliance, we are the future, the improvement, and the life. We are established at Stinchar and Sledmere , you can contact with us, for trade only in: an253128@anon.penet.fi We sell Horses, Wood, leaders, Tribesmen, Nomads, etc We teach Energy, Combat, Observation, Riding, Weaponsmith, Mining, Entertaiment, and Horse Training. We would talk about money. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ HEllo adventurers.... A new service has born. The Prophet Services I will tell your future and like launch offer it will cost only 50 silver coins. If you want to know what will happend in your close future Mail The prophet Without cards, without crystal balls.... the prophet can see the future himself. What are you waiting? Mail the prophet. moustafa@mest.unizar.es ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DIRTBAG CHRONICLES - PART IV The mangy pack of orcs stood in a circle watching Dirtbag as he scratched lines in the soil with his hickory club. Ever since he had gone into the woods the previous week, Dirtbag had been acting strangely, even claiming to be the "Chosen of Gdunbar". Dirtbag stopped his architectural design work and turned to the orc pack. "Youze," Dirtbag shouted, "step to itz! Get working! Gdunbar has told Dirtbag dat IT must be builded!" Dirtbag pointed to a small gaggle of orcs, "Youze! Zippy, Flippy, Snappy, Flappy, Loopy and Droopy! Youze be my Vice-Presidents, whatevers doze be. Zippy, Flippy and Snappy - youze be gaddering rocks. Flappy, Loopy and Droopy - youze gadder sticks. Gnazhki make dis holy place for Gdunbar." As the week went by, it became apparent to Dirtbag that the orcs were not the greatest construction crew in the world. Truth be told, they were a rather insolent and lazy construction crew. It was time for an attitude adjustment. Dirtbag gathered his vice-presidents, who had increased to nine in number. He paced around them, slapping his hickory club into his palm. The vice-presidents were somewhat nervous, since the first thing a gnazhkam (ed. orc mother) taught little gnazhki was to never let another gnazhki stand behind you with a stick. "Youze gnazhki need to be a team! A team be strong, a team make work light! Do any gnazhki here not t'ink dat Gdunbar tell Dirtbag to make IT? Do dey?" Slurpy, one of the newest vice-presidents, spoke up "Dirtbag, gnazhki not be good at gaddering sticks and stones. Gnazhki be not good with dat and drop dem and break our bones! Look at dis!" Slurpy held up his finger which had obviously been crushed by a falling rock. Dirtbag stopped his pacing, standing directly behind Slurpy. "Dat be true, most loyal vice-president. Dat be true. Dat why Dirtbag plant jooba-nuts in horse dung, to hatch elfy-welfy slaves. Dey be good at gaddering sticks. But Dirtbag still t'ink dat you doubt that Gdunbar tell Dirtbag to bild IT!" With that, Dirtbag swung his hickory club at Slurpy's head - proving the wisdom of old gnazhams. Dirtbag continued to swing at Slurpy, until all that was left was a vice-president sized red spot in the soil. "Dirtbag t'ink dat all youze vice-presidents doubt dat Gdunbar tell Dirtbag to build IT." The vice-presidents hurriedly indicated that they were all in favour of building the mysterious IT. "Dirtbag will tell youze why Gdunbar want IT bilt. Dirtbag ask question - what happen when gnazkazi (ed. orcs) build huts?" Becky, the most junior vice-president after the termination of Slurpy, was pushed forward by her fellow vice-presidents. She hesitantly answered, "Umm, de nasty elfs, hoo-mans and rock-munchers (ed. dwarfs) come and burn dem down?" "Gud, Becky! You know de wayz of the gnazhkazi enemies. And what happen when gnazhkazi try to do dat to dey sole-less hoo-mans, elfy-welfy and rock-munchers?" Becky knew this one and answered immediately, "Da elfs live up in trees where gnazhkazi not able to get dem. De rock-munchers live in stony holes in ground which not burn. And de hoo-mans live in stone piles which also not burn. All we do is catch some for stew pot." "Dat right. What IT iz, dat Gdunbar want us bild, is a stone pile like de sole-less hoo-mans bild. What happen den?" This revolutionary concept was met with silence. "Dirtbag tell youze what Gdunbar tell Dirtbag. Da sole-less ones come to burn it like dey do huts. But it not burn. Gnazhkazi stay in forest and crush de elfs, hoo-mans and rock-munchers against stone pile like Gdunbar crush dem in his fist. Dere be much food for stew-pots den! Right ?" ------------------------------------------------------------------------ brrrrrriiinnnnggg. brrrrrriiinnnnggg. hello? uh huh. um. ok. no, yeah sure that would be great. 'k bye. click Well honey, Mom and Dad are coming over. Right now? Er, ahhh, in about half an hour. Fine. They want to grill out with us for the holiday. Did you tell them the kids are sick? Well ahh.... Did you tell them that you have to work? ..You see I was.... O.K. you get up and make the coffee and I'll get things organized. But I have a turn due in Atlantis hon. What? You know that game I play..... The one that you spend all the time on? The turns are only once a week.. Does this sound familiar to you? We understand. Come to Atlantis relationship/life withdrawl center. We can help. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ATLANTIS INDEX (WITH APOLOGIES TO HARPER'S): This month's topic: Factions -------------------------------- Number of factions including the word "Purple" in their names: 3 Number with "Black": 5 Number of rip-offs on the name "3M": 3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Finally, after many months of struggling, we were in the clear. No more creditors hassling us, no scrounging of every last penny just to buy some food. The Orcs were well paid, providing protection for several merchants in the area. The Troupe was finally bringing in enough money to support the studies, and the rest of the money can now buy more workers. I'm sure that by now the Orc population hates us, but they love the sight of money. Hiring them was a great decision, because they live on so little. Jias and Kraa are now very skilled at manufacturing weapons of war. General Cheix is studying at the Abernathy Combat School, and doing quite well also. Sliin has been studying with the street-side jugglers, and he has been putting on shows in the local taverns. Within a few months we will be able to teach the Orcs the newest combat techinques, and then we will be a force to be reckoned with. With the swords and platemail that Jias and Kraa will make we will have a powerful army. I will no longer have to lurk in the shadows, ashamed of who I am, and what my Tribe's name is. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ >From Mr. Lunchnick to the Don of Rio: Hang in there, Bro'! Sorry you're having a tough time. Meet me in The Saucy Wench in Atlantis City and I'll buy you a few rounds. We should be playing some pool, real soon. See ya, Lance Disclaimers: 1) Use of this product may cause extreme urination. Use only under direct supervision of a trained physician. 2) No portion of this message may be reproduced without express permission of Lance Lunchnick and the Litigators. 3) Go Flyers!! Bring on da stinkin' Devils!! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ** MONZON WOOD EXCHANGE ** Monzon Bulletin #8 Published by the Monzon Wood Exchange (289), thayer@sangamon.edu * Monzon Beat - Another peaceful month in our beloved Monzon. * DEMON unmasked! Seventeen players from unizar.es can now breathe easier, just as the nine players from lakeheadU.ca did before them. A new contender for the title of "Suspiciously Large Numbers of Players From a Single Domain" has emerged. A perusal of the players list for Atlantis 2.0 reveals that EIGHTEEN players send in their orders from within "demon.ac.uk". Three of these players are named "atlantis", statistically improbable, as fewer than one in a dozen englishmen are given that name. A staffer's innocent remark that DEMON is also a recursive acronym for "DEMON eats more orc 'nads" further piqued our curiosity so much that we dispatched our man on the scene to investigate this would-be band of world conquerers. His report: "It was fairly easy to trace the domain 'demon.ac.uk' to a small rental flat in one of the seediest districts of London. Examination of comings and goings from the flat revealed a constant stream of pre-teens with spray-tinted hair and clip-on nose rings. Intrigued, I climbed to the roof of a nearby building where I was afforded an unobstructed view of the interior of the flat. Inside, a small group of adolescents clustered around the amber glow of an aged '286 workstation. They seemed very intent on what they were doing. " Further investigation revealed the obvious: all eighteen addresses used by this "gang" map to the same machine: an IBM PC/AT running an old version of XENIX. Only one member of this unholy alliance has been spotted in the Monzon area, and it is believed that she is on a peaceful mission to scout out and secure the tender delicacies that give this alliance it's unusual name. An advisory has been issued to orcs in the area based on the experience of their brothers in the Abernathy area, who have been known to be missing more than their purses after a night of carousing: "Stay away from the booze and from dark alleys". More on this developing threat in the next issue! * Monthly Reminder The Monzon Register is a freely available almanac of information about the Monzon area. To receive a copy of the Register, send email to thayer@sangamon.edu, with the subject 'MONZON REGISTER'. You will receive the most up-to-date version via return mail. We continue to solicit contributions of economic or mapping data, as well as faction descriptions or land claims. *NEW IN THIS ISSUE* - now includes a list of units seen in Monzon, sorted by faction! - region data is now better organized: if we haven't yet received an economic report, the terrain type of the sector will be listed, and if we don't even know that much, the sector will be listed as "unknown". *COMING SOON* a much improved map. * Business Opportunities In the interests of brevity, the business opportunities section of this bulletin has been moved to the Monzon Register, which can be retrieved according to the instructions given above. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Mazwold ironed the last of his stary cloaks. That was the problem of being a Wizard; so many flowing robes, all needing to be kept clean. Of course there were servants, but servants never seemed to be particular enough, or always got the creases in the wrong places - His concentration was interupted by a knock at the door. Mazwold sensed the presense of Archibold. Flustered he made his way through the piles of clothes and opened the door enough to pop his head out. "Ah, Mazbold," said Archibold, "you took your time." Mazbold, who knew Archibold didn't approve of him doing his own laundry, looked sheepishly to the ground, still holding the door tightly. "I was studying," he said. "Good! How are the lessons going? May I come in?" "The lessons?" said Mazbold agitated. "Oh, they're coming along very well." He blushed noticably. "Look, Archibold, Sir, if you don't mind, I'd be happier if you could call back later..." Archibold gave a faint smile. He patted Mazbold on the shoulder. "Don't worry," he whispered, "I was young once! Don't keep her waiting my boy!!" With that Archbold waved and strolled away whistling, seemingly amused. Mazbold shut the door, and rested his head in his hands, even more embarressed than before. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Slowly, the sun dropped below the horizon until it was nothing more than a glowing lamp behind a shade of stone and earth. The viking's lance cast a long shadow that draped over the tent flaps and stopped abruptly where the tent was fastened to the tree. The viking, no more than a boy really, was sharpening his lance when a second shadow, long and thin with feathers near one end, met the first with a thud and a gurgling cry. The orcs descended and began the butchery...and so began the battle for the landbridge. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [ This message comes to you from the Most High Aide to the Lord Hallelujahgobble. Note that this is the true Lord H., not the faker from the (Un)Holy Church of Fundaligionism. ] The Lord Hallelujahgobble wishes to announce His continued mirth and merriment at the uproar about the announcement that Hallelujahgobble is not some holy praise word, but just the name of a good Lord. He understands the personal troubles that you all must be going through at this time, as you slowly realise that you have been hoodwinked! He wonders if perhaps a little troll has been pulling your leg? Lord Hallulujahgobble realises that you poor people, groping for the light, had thought that you had found it in your "month of confusion, August 1", but unfortunately, it is a fact that my Lord has been around since pre-history; He has seen many more things than mere mortals from the world of Atlantis have seen. People say that the Great Lord is a fraud? Well, He has recently pinched himself, just to make sure... and He can assure you that He is indeed real, and unfortunately you are not dreaming of His existence. He also checked is birth certificate, and it does indeed name Him Hallelujahgobble. You ask for Lord Hallelujahgobble's head, just because of His name? What a silly excuse! Surely you don't think that Mr Phineas should die because of his name, and I don't ask for that... but, using Lord Hallelujahgobble's name is vain... now, that is a VERY different matter. My Lord still requests that I make it known that no more shall His name be used in vain. Such an offence is still punishable by death; we realise that the courts of the land are a little clogged up at the moment, but don't let this make you think that our Department of Language won't catch up with you eventually. Signed by the Most High Aide to the Lord Hallelujahgobble ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Renaissance seeks the owners of the units in 8,12. We've been wondering who it is who is maintaining more elves in that region than the region is capable of supporting. We trust that, whoever you are, you are keeping a close watch on the lair, just in case it should open and release something dangerous. Please contact us at: vjg@cbnea.att.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------ A warning to all in the Abernathy region.... There are thieves in the city. I have been hit twice out of the past three months... I advise all to keep their silver well hidden... They even robbed my dog... Poor people... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ THE PRAESTBYGD CHRONICLES ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ - Exploration is over, My Lord. - And ? - All the explorers agree : We discovered and mapped all the Praestbigd region. At least, this side of the ocean.... - Good, and how huge is it ? - her.... You mean the overall Praestbigd region ? - Yes ! How much ? - Her... My Lord, considering all the reports from all our explorers, it seems that... all the Praestbigd region.... is here. - What do you mean....? - I mean, here. This swamp ! - .... - Her, My Lord ? Are you all right ? Just consider the good point : We just have to control this swamp, and you are Lord of Praestbigd ! - ??? - Yes. And think, at the moment, who can claim to be the lord of Dezou, Prince of Orrebygd, King of Carnforth, or Emperor of Moffat ? - BY GEOFF ! You're right, soldier ! Claim this swamp, and starting from now, call me EMPEROR OF PRAESTBIGD'S SWAMPS !!! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Now playing at the Abernethy theatre: 1: A wedding and fourhundred funerals. A comedy about the gods and a 400 people alliance who invited the orcs for dinner. Nominated for three Orcars. 2: Snowman. A beautiful and tender play about a commander who suffers from a brain injury due to cold weather. The leader orders all people in a city to leave so that he can kill the city guards and pillage the city, despite the fact that it is winter and the people can't leave. Got eight Orcards. 3: Dumbo An action play about a man who gets convinced that he is God. To prove it, he decides to treat everybody in a hostile way. As a first result, he attacks the city guards in Atlantis City. All tickets cost 50 silver each, except for Bamboo, which is only 5 silver, mainly because it is only 10 minutes long, including the 5 minute break. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Oh dahm, dahm, dahm" shouted Moz, pacing in an almost frenzied fit. "What, what's the matter, have you stubbed your toe again?" asked Jostin? "No, No" answered Moz testily, "That's not it at all". "Well, what is the problem?" inquired Jostin. "Well," started Moz "I've made a very important discovery, a new spell that will put us on the map". "What's the problem then? That seems like great news." Jostin answered, a touch of humor in his voice. "Well, I know that when you discover something, you are supposed to shout something to let everyone around you know what you have done, but I cannot remember what the word is? I tried shouting Hooray, then Yippie, then I had a brainstorm, and tried Eudora, then Ectatic, I even tried Euphoria, but none of them seemed to work!" ranted an iratated Moz. "Oh" answered Jostin calmly, "the word is -" as Moz cut him off. "I don't wish to know, it's too late now anyway, save it for my next discovery" and with that, Moz stamped out to the workers and started to gather swords. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ NEW NEWS: An unit are singing around Sledmere while they work, they are Real Zaragoza's supporters and their song is: "There is a lady who's sure all that glitters is gold and she is buying a stairway to heaven when she gets there she knows if stores are all closed with a word she can get what looking for and it makes me wonder really makes me wonder...." (by Led Zeppelin.) Well, perhaps you think that I am too lazy to write all song but excuse me because I don't remember it at all. Oscar loves rock and roll. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ abERneTHy's NEweST reLIgiON: _ / \ Growing Cooler! ____the____ Come Join Us! We teach: Observation(4) C H U R C H Stealth(3) o f Armorer(3) E N V Y We still recommend people to leave their money | | at home, our pay us a tiny fee, our try your | | luck. We might choose another victim as well... | | \_/ Joining us: Send 100 Silver to unit 517, our leader. After that, you have to pay 50 silver every third month. We suggest that you send a letter, so we're sure about who you are. The Church Offers: Protection Against Thieves & Assassins Access To Our Claimed Land Cheap Training The Church Of ENVY - We want YOUR money... smygelfh@kuai.se ------------------------------------------------------------------------ This are MY SSSS ATANIC VERSES S SSSS S SSSS Andras & the living ------------------------------------------------------------------------ << - ZZZZZ , ZZZZZ , ZZZZZ - Alors, le travail avance ? >> L'elfe, interpelle par son chef, s'arreta de scier du bois. << - Regardez Chevalier, cette arbalete est presque au point ! - Ha ! Hmm, pourquoi presque ? - Oh, il reste a regler des details, comme la hausse, etc... - Details, details, la production commence quand ? - Oh, le mois prochain ce sera bon ! - Le mois prochain, pouquoi le mois prochain ? - Euh, c'est que, euh, il nous faut du bois... - Et bien, vous en avez abattu du bois, et des quantites meme, j'ai vu tomber au moins 6 arbres. - Euh oui, Sir ... - Et bien alors ? - Ben, c'est dur de faire des arbaletes, alors on s'est entraine ... - Quoi ! Vous l'avez tout utilise, il n'en reste plus pour mes arbaletes ? - Euh non, Sir ... - ! - Et puis, c'est fatiguant de s'entrainer a travailler le bois. D'abord des chevaux, maintenant des arbaletes. Notre syndicat exige des vacances ! Sinon c'est la greve. On est au bord de la mer, alors on voudrait en profiter un peu. - Sgnif, sgnif, BOUHOUHOUHOUHOU !!!! - Oh, ca ne va pas ? Chevalier ? Vous etes tout triste d'un coup ? Vous etes surmene vous savez, vous aussi vous auriez besoin de vacances... Rien de grave j'espere, vous n'auriez perdu personne de votre famille ? - ... (sob) - Bon, euh, je vous laisse, hein, reposez vous bien. Ah la la, c'est toujours du soucis la famille, surtout quand on est loin, en Quete et tout. Le pauvre... >> Memoires de Sainte Quete, par Cat Lord, Page de Sir Cendre de Sang-Dragon. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Knowleswright was out into the vast reaches of Atlantis now. The Mage was a bit friendler, he had saved her from some pillagers coming into their path of travel. But, it was still him, an escort, and not anything else. He could see progress, and was she was good looking! How long would he have to wait, he didn't know, but she sure looked worth it. Speaking about long, he had heard some of these mages lived a long time. Now just how old could she be and look so beautiful? ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Hear Ye, Hear Ye, now open off the main Stinchar Plaza, Big Bob's House of Odds. Now accepting wagers on a number of matters of interest to all Stinchar area denizens: Will the next major conflict between between the Republic of Rome and the Slunecni Zare occur within the next two months? 5:3, Yes:No Who will be the winner of the Battle? 4:3, RoR:SZ Will Peace be declared within the next 6 months? 2:1, Yes:No Will Raiders from Komarken land before the end of the conflict? 1:5, Yes:No Is there *any* source of wood on Komarken Island? 4:1, Yes:No Will the Republic of Rome be satisfied with "just" the lower Stinchar plains, or will they chase the Slunecni Zare down the penninsula, past 51,6? 3:1, Yes:No Big Bob is now taking wagers on these and other matter, just stop by the House of Odds, or reply in this periodical. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Further investigations on the philosophical and metaphysical nature of the Universe, by the Collegium Pataphysiquum. This month: The Two Principles. ------------------------------- The Universe is basically made up by the Two Principles and their bond to the One Law. The Two Principles are both the prime subjects and the reason to be for the One Law. The Law and the Principles are so tightly linked, it is difficult to decide which came first(*). It is nevertheless accepted that this interplay provides the necessary background to support the Universe. Given the One Law, it is clear the Two Principles are of opposite nature. They are traditionally represented as white and black, and associated with the Light and Dark sides. This might be the most obvious manifestation of the Principles, but there is more to them. For instance they can also be associated with male and female genders or active and passive forces; the concepts of good and evil need not necessarily apply in the characterisation of the Principles. The Two Principles interact within the bounds of the One Law. They can combine in a vast number of ways, generating a great potential for creation and evolution. Life is a good example of the work of the Two Principles. Also the Two Principles being basic to the Universe, they are part of the Essence of all things. The Mage uses the Two Principles, their interactions and combinations, to alter the nature of things by manipulating their Essence. Of course the One Law will stand. (*) There is a number of theories of creation, none of which is significantly more satisfactory than the others. The old Dragon and Egg riddle... next time: The Three Realms. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ***High Elves Wanted*** Kashmar City 85sp contact anthonyc@cet.co.jp *********************** I went to the shaft, to see what is has, I looked up high, I looked down low, There is no mithral there. Oh Sam! Oh Sam! There is no mithral anywhere! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Longbows are cool. Without knowing the skills of a town/city guard, the longbow is a must. The probability of hitting is independent of the skill of the defender, so the battle becomes a known quantity. Throw in a few shock troops (cannon fodder) to bear the brunt of the guards attacks, and you're all set. They fire every turn, and without armor the city guard just becomes target practice. Cool, huh? I'll let you know how it turns out. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Dear All, I have a highly skilled mage who is researching spell after spell, and at last standing I personally know of 6 spells. On the other hand, myself and a friend, Dave McGaw, run a spell syndicate with other mages. We trade spell descriptions between each other and are always looking for elusive new ones! However, the syndicate does protect the anonymity of it's contributers, so all donations are treated with exclusive secrecy. There are some spells that have come to light that the contributer does not want to share with anyone else, besides myself and Dave. This is easily accounted for, by placing an asterisk ('*') next to the description. This spell will not be given out to others. We deal on a YSMBAISY system (You-Scratch-My-Back-And-I'll-Scratch-Yours), where the contributer sends us a spell description, with a request for a spell description in return. We then endeavour to send the spell description out ASAFP (As-Soon-As-F'ing-Possible). The first spell you send us, it doesn't really matter what it is, will not yield you a return spell (as we have all the first level spells), but we will send you a list of the spells we do have so you can see what takes your fancy and submit a request for it later. As for the question "Why not just send out the list to anyone?", we ask for a description for two reasons, firstly to guarantee a mage is a donator (not a War/Trade faction just after spell info) and also to show good will that you will send us a spell in return for info! Any one wanting more info, or spell questions, can get in touch with us (please mail Dave as my mailbox is ridiculously small) on : Tony Sheldon cs0u308d@liverpool.ac.uk Dave McGaw u3djm@csc.liv.ac.uk There is a password that is floated around the syndicate that you will get to know upon a valuable submission. Those contributors that have given the syndicate a sought after spell receive this password immediately, entitling them to free info on almost any spell (except the confidential ones marked with a '*') regardsless of the YSMBAISY system. Other contributers not knowing this spell have to make use of the system as it stands, while just plain requests for info have a standing charge of : $10 x no_of_main_members currently this is $40 for info on spell description without a trade. Final note and Summary - IF you are after a spell description without a trade of a spell in return, the cost os $40 IF you are after a spell description with a trade, the spell has to be one not on the current list. IF you answer an advert for a certain spell then you will be given the password for free info (much sought after spells for a much sought after position) There are many WWW pages out there asking for help with spell descriptions, and are doing good buisness, try out Jon Harvey's for instance, but the main spells from level 2 up in most foundations is unlikely to be found on these pages and this is where we come in. Again, for info on the syndicate, etc etc, mail me or Dave (preferably Dave) Thanks for listening Atlanteans Tony ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Never the world of Atlantis saw such an activity. The great mage Petrosilius Zwackelmann runs up and down, left and right. -- "A splendid idea!" He vanishes into one house, comes out with some wood, rushes over to another shop, carries some golden items to his small, dark room. -- "A terrific idea!" He runs into the wood, starts a fire, and brews a mixture of a strange white vegetable no one ever saw before in Atlantis, some sausages and some acid fluids. -- "A splenterribolic idea!" ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The cloaked figure moved silently through the camp. All around were the tents of sleeping centurions... He shifted from shadow to shadow; paused as a two-man patrol passed within ten feet. He breathed again, then slipped into darkness. Nearing the heart of the encampment he moved stealthily on. At last he recognized the tall white canvass of the Captain's command. Motivated now, as a man nearing his target, he unslung his sack, and untying it's cord, drew out the necessary tools... Day broke. The encampment at Sorisdale (55,1), was in chaos. Orders were being thrown about in confusion. All attention was drawn to the Captain's command. There, across the stretched canvass, painted one hundred times, in letters ten foot high, was the legend: "ROMANI ITE DOMUM" ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CHRONICLES OF FLORINA, VOLUME THE SECOND This section being an Impartial Disquisition on the Nature of the Free Companions, written without Much Aid by myself, Sir Elegantium, First Lord of Florina, Plenipotentiary Ambassador to Their Celestial Highnesses, Wearer of the Golden Garter. Now I have recovered from travails of travel to my Noble Home, Fair Florina, and I do turn in contemplation to the nature of these Free Companions swine who showed through disregard of Chivalry their base breeding and nature. Who are they to kill my best brave men and send me home in disarray, leaving my baggage, miniatures, best Madeira, poodles, all to their dirty fingers? Here I discourse on their Very Nature and expose the reader to my learned bent. What manner of beings are these Free Companions? In some writings and in parlance of the common folk, they have hitherto been fashioned as Dogs, Jackels, Incubi, Slimy Vermin, and Stinkpots. I aver this is an Untruth, for I have seen them with mine own eyes upon the field of battle. While it is true that their manner of bathing is not that desired by gentle folk, and they do indeed exude a fulsome stench to flavor whatever wind might favor them, they are not Stinkpots of the the magic sort, but are mere mortal bags of unwashed flesh. And though their raiments are not cut to measure nor of fine stuff, and most resemble sacks for bundling turnip roots come harvest time, indeed they do wear clothing of a sort, and neither do they have horns upon their heads nor fangs like dogs. Thus, I conclude they are but mortal men, and you who do ascribe your own weak Fear, Incontinence, and Dread to inhuman nature of these Free Companions do only to excuse your Lack of Heart and Chivalry, so different from the noble inclination of those Florinian bred. And so, in hopes of further understanding of these Foe, so that mine vengence might be fully wrought, I have set my First Minister of Learning and Expostulation to discern the True Nature of these Men. His first report, preliminary for the nonce, is based on exegetic examination of their name: Free Companions. His report reads as Follows: Most High Excellency, Defender of the Faith, Wearer of the Golden Garter, Analysis of the Free Companion name gives clue to what they are. In truth, these lowly curs, who dare not soil the sole of your oldest boot with their lapping tongues, must be nothing else than Harlots of the lowest sort. The nomenclator who gave these men a label did them justice. "Companion," as all men know, is another word for Hoor or Harlot. This much is clear. These men, if men they are, give of themselves as playthings to each other and their king. "Free" at first provides some pause. If they are free and charge not for their services, then how can they then be Harlots called? The answer's in the way one reads the word, for "free" does also signify "profuse, copious, acting without restraint, and open to all." With this reading the meaning's clear, they are but Harlots who ply too much their trade and with too much Will. Whether this assessment is the truth, I do not know. To this end I ask that all wise men throughout Atlantis' Realm publish too their discourses on this issue that we might resolve the True Nature of these Free Companions so as to find their Achilles' Heel and strike it with our Serpent's Sting. Then to exenterate them all and feed their entrails to our swine. On the other hand: If Mighty Free Companion armies hurry near, I bid you welcome kind relations, without fear, That we might share a fine repast With lifted glass, Your nature cannot be Except refined and gentle to such as me. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ FFFFFFFFFFF FFFFFFFFFF FF FF FFFFFF FFKFFF FF FF FFUNDALIGIONNEWS. hallelujahgobble!! FATHER PHINEAS IS GOING ON TOUR!!! and he's after converts!Look out for him in months to come! See him at a venue near you on his "BURN A HEATHEN" tour!! Be amazed at his holy words of wisdom! Delight at his radical ideology! GASP! as he tumbles great heights and remains unscathed! GAWK! as he flys naked through flamin hoops! Free burning torches and "stoning" stones for the kiddies! Don't look out for dates, he could turn up anywhere, anytime! Message to possible hostile factions! Please don't hurt Father Phineas he means no harm. Declare him neutral at least. Faction 408. (Go on you know its a good idea!) Now lets join hands for the official Father Phineas song: "He's Ph-Ph-Father Phineas, And nothing rhymes with Phineas! Ph-Ph-Ph-Ph-Ph-Ph-Ph-Ph-Ph-Ph-Ph-Phineas. hallelujahgobble!!" Anyone who can think of a word that rhymes with Phineas, please send it in! This message brought to you by Father Phineas in conjunction with the Holy Church of FUNDALIGIONISM. hallelujahgobble!! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ I was just going to tell you the story. It was a knight that fled from battle. All his friends and allies were dead and dying. He went out onto a hill and wished he could travel far away to the stars. Scenes of battle fled through his mind about butchers with no remorse laughing and massacring his companions. His courage returned, imbued with magical strength, he return to the battlefield. Without a look at the vast hordes, the knight in shining armour swung his sword and ten foes died. The enemy thought him a fool, trying to withstand them all by himself. That is until he drew close to them and their own companions began to fall. Then they deemed him an avenging Death sent by the gods. He ravaged through them all, they were left dead, dying, or fleeing in terror. Return to his king first brought dishonor, then honor, as the truth was found on the battlefield. But Honor is fleeting, he soon died from his multitude of wounds. "Sinners, Heros, Kings and Commoners.... Everyone Dies" RIP -- the UNDERTAKER -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------ WEAPONS BOUGHT -------------- I want to buy a sword in good condition and possibly a longbow. I am definitely willing to pay 40 silver each. I want the weapons delivered to (9,8), and you will recieve the payment in (3,18). If you are interested, just put your unit carrying the weapons in (9,8) and change its description to "Your faction name is silly, your units are ugly and besides, you stink!". You will then be contacted. The Arms Collector ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The fine herb producers will be able to produce herbs in two turns time. Herbs weight nothing and can save your life in a war. So why shouldn't you buy some? Make your offers now! Faction 418 The Angels aggelos@hra.ergasya.tuc.gr ------------------------------------------------------------------------ (3,18) wan't actually much better.The miners could mine less than half than they could.Oh my god will we have to move again?My feet are killing me said the single dwarf. Yes said the Master Miner we will move and move and move till we find iron. Enough iron for us to mine.Don't forget there are always miners for iron! Yes but where are we going to go? I don't know said the Master Miner we will see. Another unsuccessful faction ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Are you about to set sail for New Worlds? To go where no man has gone before? Well equiped healthy male with good finances seeks to join you on your adventure. All offers are considered, transport and/or financing-geographical info. The Aesir (438) D92joaar@und.ida.liu.se ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Too long have the peoples of Atlantis languished in ignorance. It is time for the Mutant Black Robes to spread the word of Geoff out among the infidel. Native villages and Towns have heard the WORD of the Mutants, and the rumours say that Cities, and yeah, even other factions may yet become converted to the faith. This message brought to you by the PCP and the colour BLACK. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ************************** ADVERTISEMENT **************************** Announcing our latest product from Other-World Enterprises, Joojenta 2000 Fireflash Sensitive Sunglasses (tm)! These marvellous items from another dimension are perfect for those balmy summer strolls though the plains, allowing you to admire the scenery, take in the air, attack your neighbours, without fear of Fireflash Mages. So, no more embarrassing defeats due to the unexpected arrival of Fireflash mages and they look really cool too! Also, why not take advantage of our special offer of receiving the Peril Sensitive "Happy Life" (tm) clip-on attachments. At the first sign of danger, these stylish clip-ons turn completely black allowing the wearer of the Joojenta 2000 Fireflash Sensitive Sunglasses (tm), to be completely oblivious to any life-threatening situation and continue their peaceful existence. A representative of one of our biggest clients, the SZ, says, 'Ya, zeez Sunglasses, combined wiz zeez cotton wool buds in our ears meanz vee can live in our own little world wizout hafing to fight anyone. Cool, daddy-yo!' These products were brought to you by Other-World Enterprises, GATEing in to hex near you, soon! ********************** End Advertisement *************************** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The way is open Lets all pour forth and multiply .... or at least have a lot of fun trying !!! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ La Alianza no funciona. Como creo que esto es evidente para cualquiera que no este en zaragoza, e incluso para algunos que estan alli, no voy a entrar en detalles y simplemente informare de lo que hemos decidido algunos de nosotros. De momento somos tres y oficialmente anunciamos que abandonamos la alianza y tambien Sledmere. Para ello dos de nosotros hemos tenido que abandonar el juego y volver a empezar. Nuestra presencia en Sledmere es meramente simbolica, salvo Jason que no quiso reempezar y mantiene algunas unidades en la zona, todas con propositos comerciales. Quiza en el futuro se nos una mas gente de la UAM o de otro sitio pero tendra que cumplir dos requisitos: declarar ally a todos los companneros y mandar su report a un servidor central que lo procesara. Que quede claro que no tenemos ninguna queja personal y que no queremos enemistarnos con nadie. Nuestro lema es colaboracion y estamos dispuestos a colaborar con quien sea. La lista alianza@piano.icm.uam.es quedara suspendidad dentro de una semana a menos que la gente quiera que la mantengamos como foro de discusion sobre el juego en castellano y como medio de compartir informacion. De todas maneras nadie la ha usado hace la tira de tiempo y no creo que ahora la encontreis a faltar :-( Para finalizar solo decir que habiamos preparado una serie de programas para automatizar la informacion que recibiesemos, incluidos los mapas y los reports. Estan bastante avanzados por lo que si alguien quiere colaborar o simplemente le interesa que nos lo comunique. Pero que tenga en cuenta que en nuestro grupo toda la informacion se comparte. Firman: Jason y sus Argonautas (464) Misterio (648) Circulo Interno (693) _, | Jason y sus Argonautas >?B | (464) `H H H H --: \\-O-Q-@-Q-O-Q-@-Q-O-Q-@-Q-O-Q-@-/| `\ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ / D ~~~~~~~~~~~\~~~\~~~\~~~\~~~\~~~\~~~\ ~~~~~~~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Elric looked down at his men. 10 of the most gut-wrenchingly ugly creatures he had ever set eyes upon. And his bodyguard. They were the elite of the elite, trained to be soldiers before they could walk. They well deserved their name, The Immortals. No man could kill them. Impassive as the mountains they called home, they eagerly watched the passes to the NE. That way lay Klen, a city nestled in the foothills of the Carnforth Mountains. Elric had had word of eight previously unkown troops within the City walls, and he meant to divine their intentions. A man of bearing, possibly the leader of this force, had been spotted in the region. "Thor", he sneered. That was the invader's name. Missives had been sent to the foreign troops hiding within the city, but none had been answered. One more night of ill-mannered ignorance he would stand, for mercy's sake. If they meant to advance further into Melnibone, beginning NW of the city, he would have to kill them. He suppressed a smile. Bloodbaths would do the kingdom no good at such an early stage, though he quivered at the thought of it. He hoped the other members of the Nyx Alliance could control their bloodlust too. If not, the widows of the Crimson Crusaders would, one presumes, have some cause for lament. He glanced at the night sky, seeing the moon through blood-hazy eyes. ------------------------------------------------ Lord Elric de Melnibone, of the House Melnibone http://www.ncl.ac.uk/~n264946/new/ If any merchants in the Anstruther region are interested, I have outlined my plans for trade on the page below - http://www.ncl.ac.uk/~n252263/Atlantis/infotrade.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Titler, Fantastik og Romantik Nar man gik i Ellesmere, sa man nette damer med en bog op for ojnene og nu-og-da et hurtigt blik til siden imod et af de endelose, uophorlige malerier, ned til skiltet under dem med titlen: Jo, det var virkelige det billede, de leste om! - og sa gled de videre ind i de horisontfjerne tager af malerier og gallerier. strevet af pf@nrg.dtu.dk faction 480 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ A war seems inevitable in the Sledmere region. Prepare thy soldiers, cause blood will soon spill as armies march for conquest. The cities shall fall, but who controls them next year? I don't think even the great god Geoff of Atlantis knows an answer to this. We shall see. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ PLAGUE IN SPAKKER Travellers are warned there has been an outbreak of the deadly Itolya Virus in Spakker. Itolya not to come but you did anyway. Now you are dead! signed The Unseen Emperor owner of all lands of Spakker ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Loremaster looked out of his tent and saw his newly appointed mage coming. "And?" the loremaster asked, "did you find somebody to teach you?" "Well..." was the reply, "I did and I didn't. The problem is that the only teacher that I heard of is situated in Ellesmere just southeast of here." The loremaster thought for a while and answered "that will not do! we are stil far too small to split up and before we can travel en masse we will have to have more silver than we do now, we simply are too poor to travel at this moment, and the risk is too great if you would wander off without us." [Any factions that can help my Leader become a magic user? We are situated in sledmere. Any offers are welcome, The Guild, andre@targon.uucp ] ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The World around Abernethy has become very crowded. There seem to be a lot of people with things to sell and a lot who would like to buy. We need a Trade Centre in Abernethy, Ettrick and Esterfan. I would like to start this trade Centre and will try to put people in contact with each other as much as possible. If you would like to Buy or Sell anything contact the Harpers, present currently in Abernethy and Ettrick soon to have a representitive in Esterfan. At the moment I will not be charging for this service but later I may start charging a nominal fee of 1% of transactions. PLEASE CONTACT ME FOR TRADE OPPORTUNITIES!!!! The Harpers Thanks William Cairns (g77008@it3.eskom.co.za) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ THIS IS WHAT SSS AAA TTT AAA N N WRITES THIS WEEK: S A A T A A NN N SSS AAA T AAA N NN S A A T A A N N SSS A A T A A N N Devil:" Satan I have received info, that people try to track us down!" Satan:" Well your stealth should be high enough." Devil:" No, no, they try to capture us through our position in the times!" Satan:" Maybe we should ask the great Geoff, to mix the orders of the times?" TO ALL PLAYERS IN ATLANTIS, WHAT DO YOU THINK: Should you be able to detect someones faction number through its position in the times? THIS IS THE COUNTRY OF PEACE AND FRENDSHIP! SSS AAA TTT AAA N N S A A T A A NN N SSS AAA T AAA N NN S A A T A A N N SSS A A T A A N N & the Undead ------------------------------------------------------------------------ When my faction came to the point of facing either complete disaster or one hell of a fast retreat, I remembered that great prophet (Neil Young) and his words on life "Better to burn out, then to fade away" so I went for the juggular and burnt out. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ For all those budding mages out there, keep your chin up and keep studying over the last few weeks I have realised the full talent of my powers and soon you will too. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Estimados amigos hispano parlantes, la presente es para reprenderos vuestra poca vision empresarial. Esto es debido a que todo buen empresario sabe que lo mas barato que va a encontrar en el mercado es lo que le regalan, y que mas barato que las 50 monedas del Times? No me vengais con hipocresias del tipo de es que el Times no es para eso. A ninguno nos van a perjudicar esas menedas aunque solo sean como revulsivo moral, y ademas son unclaimed. Ademas, a todos nos gusta entender por una vez todo lo que se escribe en un articulo. Monica Dallo. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Are we coming from the south 'emisphere' ?" Asked Kahina. Go there ... to Spakker and Yakleks. See if the 'Imzaye' region exist. Is there some people called Amzayen ... She send some explorer to these regions and they are looking for the legendary region called Imzaye region. They have also another quest ... See if the world has an END. The explorers will go more in the south and will give the news next times ! We have heard that there are not more than 60 hex in the south. Is that true ? We want to know ... So we move to the South as fast as we can. But, what will we find after the last region ??? Kahina. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ New lands mean new opportunities, just imagine recruiting and receiving all the recruits that you requested! Taxing and receiving a full $50 per taxing character!!! Meeting a band of disgruntled Trolls in the mountains and getting thumped on the head!!!!! Get out of the cities, go to the country where the living is easy! Mike Inman NIMS@CRIS.COM ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------Classified Advertisements------------ Business opportunities 015 Maritime enterprise seeks business contacts in Kashmar/Leighlin area. We are seeking suppliers of metal products as well as markets for woodland products. Any faction seeking herbs at the Leighlin market price should contact us immediately. We are also interested in offers from security operations in either city. Please contact jbaclask@adnetsol.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Our Scouts are back! They are back!" comes the resounding cry as 3 horsemen ride back into town. Yes, they made it back. Not one was lost. What news do they have? New lands, and great adventures to be retold. We are ready to move, onward we go. Forward Ho, with the wagons. After debriefing, we will know the best lands, the best watering holes the best hotels to stay at. Wait, no hotels available, maybe we can find a town to stay at. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Trade/Magic faction in Monzon looking for alliance opportunities in Monzon. All inquiries welcome. You want it, I'll try to make it. Contact John at "bk411@freenet.buffalo.edu" ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Greetings World! We offer a service in the near future! Boats! Passage on Boats! and Transport of Goods! All those in need of a boat to get out of Komarken, contact me at vlatimer@hilbert.maths.utas.edu.au With subject line: Boats Send me what you need and we will supply the boats. Very reasonable costs! Send now for a quote! Loki. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Well Sistors, Where are the rest of us" "It is never mind that they didn't make it here, we were able keep the gate from opening." "Yes, next month we will all be ready to depart." "Not with out my Girl Scout Cookies, I hope!" "No, Wednesday, we will bring all the cookies you want. "Look, there is Mortisha now. Lets get set to call Shadow and reopen the gate." ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Were off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of Oz. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ To all players in the Area of Sledmere! I write this mail as I want to "talk" a little about the strategy to survive the next rounds around here. You have probably realiced, that the three towns are hard to leave, and if you draw a map of it, you will see that Sled. is nearly CIRCULATED and someone is blocking the way out east. I guess this faction/s are ALLIED and what will a strong faction in this area do? THEY WILL TRY TO TAKE SLEDMERE! This is easy to guess, as Sledmere is probably the richest town in all the game, so I would TAKE IT IF I COULD! We probably are to weak to defend alone against such a threat, so what should we do? I suggest this: DECLARE ALLY WITH THE CITY GUARDS! (Declare 0 ally) This will help us to establish a pretty hughe army, we would have 200 Guards at level 3 +swords, as the guards from Ell and Menter would help us in Sledm. and the rest of the force would be WE. Even if we are weaker alone togethere we could outnumber the enemies, probably. And some general suggestions for surviving: Set the avoid flag to 0! If you have , e.g.: 10 units with 6 men each, the attacker would only need to attack you with about 15 men of equal strengh, to kill 60 of your men, simply because he can reduce the number he is going against to 6 each combat round. But if you have avoid 0, your men will join, which would make a force of 60 men, leaving the attcker to have some well trained units, or a LARGE number of warriors. Understand? AVOID 0 The next thing is: DO not declare ANYONE hostile! If you are e.g.: in a town and feel safe in there, and an enemies unit enters the town, you will attack it and so the city guards will join your enemy against you! So DO NOT DECLARE ANYBODY HOSTILE! DECLARE xyz UNFRIENDLY WHat is goinf to happen after somebody has attacked SLEDMERE? Well EVERYBODY WILL MOVE OUT to run away, but where should everybody go and where shall he sell his products now, where will you be able to buy swords and where will you be able to feel safe? NOWHERE! SO: You will be attacked from the bad guys and they will have no problem in capturing the town. Stay in the towns and attack the enemies after that, if you have not declared 0 ally and believed me I and my friends are moving a COMBAT FORCE up to the towns, but it is winter, and so it takes a few rounds, until it is up. Anyway: you will not succeed to escape from the towns to the south, as there will be units guarding there, probably too. WHEN WILL SLEDMERE BE ATTACKED? Probably after winter is over. At least I would attack then. SO THIS is the ONLY chance to survive in this AREA ! DECLARE 0 ALLY and AVOID 0 DECLARE xyz UNFRIENDLY DO NOT move out! (This will also decrease our power...) You probably have noticed that the forces IN SLedmere, Ellesmere and MENTER are quite STRONG so if we all turn against some enemy, and we will ALL, as we can move to the towns, so we will all JOIN one LARGE BATTLE Greetings Your Source you can RELY! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ This WAR thing is great. No need to work at all. Just TAX, recruit more troops, force Trade to sell us swords, then TAX and recruit some more. I think I will claim all the hexes around me. Who can stop me. Surely not those puny trade ninnies. All these lands belong to ME now. You will have to pay me to use my lands, I have exclusive rights to all forests, horses, mines, herbs and whatever else in on them. If you dont like that, contact me and let me know. I will send out a couple hundred negotiators, with swords, and try to peacifully convince you that my way is divine, that I am right and you are dirt. I know you will see it my way, you don't have any opinions or options of your own, just what I am willing to let you have. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Komarken. July. The weather's finally gotten warm, at least as warm as it's likely to get this far north. You can walk around at night without a cloak, tunic, and shawl. But the question remains...would you *want* to? It started with a rock, thrown from an alley, at least that's what the kid on the street said. But the city guards were in a bad temper that night, and decided to come down a little hard. And that's when all hell broke loose. Me, I never expected to get a story this good. I was just here looking for rumors of ABSTAIN, and getting no leads. But you wouldn't *believe* the pictures I got with my new Land AEX-80 equipped with Fireflash! Guards dying horribly, throats cut, and the Mayor...boy, who would have thought he could do THAT! Got some pictures of that Des-something-or-other guy too, heard he planned out the surprise raid. Poor guards never knew what hit them. Anyway, the rest of the folks in Komarken are mostly holed up in cellars or tryin' to hide in the shadows. But us journalists, we can't afford fear, y'know? So there I go, snooping around, trying to find out who's really behind all this mayhem, thought I might finally have a bead on ABSTAIN. Boy, was I ever wrong. ABSTAIN's no more, y'see. ANL, prob'ly never was. They've all gotten together in one big band of viciousness and rowdiness, the likes of what's not been seen on this multiverse. The high-ups, they wear robes, all different colors, and big puffy shirts. They carry these wierd glowing cutlasses. And they call themselves: The PolyChromatic Pirates. That's right, you heard it here first! PCP, for short, and let me tell you, ya don't want to run afoul of this lot. Lucky for me, I got some friends, ya know, and they owe some favors. So I not only found out where their Pirate's Cove is, but I found out the secret incantation to let ya in there. If yer brave, that is. Just stand outside and whisper: http://www.netins.net/showcase/fizweb/atlantis/pcp1.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The sadows shifted and the Sadow Master found himself standing in the deserts blinding sun. After searching he found that the area was inhabitred by a tribe of nomads. He placed his staff on the groun and began negotiations with the elders. The elders agreed that some ninteen of the tribe would jion themselves with the Shadow Masters. The shadow masters claim the desert hex of 50,32 and the surrounding 6 hexes. contact rutht@m-net,arbornet.org for details. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ I am all set to put the blade between my teeth, swing from the yardarm on to another ship. Fighting, slashing, kicking, punching, and duels to the death. I speak for this man's earring, the one I just lopped off. That wench over there is my new bride. No, you can't have her, she needs a Hero to defend her. You wouldn't treat her right. I will give her a choice, become my bride or walk the plank. I will not force her like you would. After a short fight over the pretty wench, I lose a finger, have a gash on my face. What a handsome scar that will make. The loser now will have to have a hook instead of a hand. But I win my bride. She accepts my generous proposal. The Captain marries us. Now for my share of the loot. What a haul. I notice the Captain gets ten times what we get. One day I will be Captain with my own ship, I dream as the ship rocks me and my bride Cathleen to sleep. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ And unto the great sea toward the going down of hte sun shall be your coast. There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with moses, SO I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Be strong and of good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for and inheritance the land, which I sware unto thier fathers to give them. Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ One beast and only one howls in the woods by night. The Orc is carnivore incarnate and he's as cunning as he is ferocious; once he's had a taste of flesh then nothing else will do. At night, the eyes of Orcs shine like candle flames, yellowish, reddish, but that is because the pupils of their eyes fatten on darkness and catch the light from your lantern to flash it back to you - red for danger; if an Orc's eyes reflect only moonlight, then they gleam a cold and unnatural green, a mineral, a piercing colour. If the benighted traveller spies those luminous, terrible sequins stitched suddenly on the black thickets, then he knows he must run, if fear has not struck him stock-still. But those eyes are all you will be able to glimpse of the forest assassins as they cluster invisibly round your smell of meat as you go through the wood unwisely late. They will be like shadows, they will be like wraiths, grey members of a congregation of nightmare; hark! his long, wavering cry... an aria of fear made audible. The Orc song is the sound of the rending you will suffer, in itself a murdering. Beware the Orcs of the Nyx. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ This is a message from the Atlantean Police Department: WANTED FOR POSSIBLE CRIMES & THIEVERY : This warning is especially for the new players and the inhabitants of the city of Abernethy (8,17), Komarken (27,2), Kashmar (3,17), Yakleks (76,54), and Spakker (80,53), as now that these thieves and assassins are no more safely hidden, they could emigrate to these peaceful cities. The people following are considered to be potential thieves and assassins by the Atlantis City Police forces: - Tiny (846), leader. - Ezekiel (543), 3 leaders. - Chief Topssot (653), leader. - Bronco Billy (2319), leader; Trying to ride, but keep falling off. - Varain (2563), leader; a man of many talents. - Taranis (2647), leader; seeking to entertain you. - Dustmote (2400), leader; dancing in the air. - The Sound (800), leader, horse. - Lord of Rheadon (2938), leader, horse; Tough looking elf with a well-chewed cigar stub in mouth. - Under Influence (2932), leader. - Moonbeam (3040), leader; diligently studying something he doesn't understand. - Sundog (3041), leader; lost, confused, and not very bright. - Uuseff Tammuz (3096), leader. - Unit (320), leader, 2 horses; I promise to do my atlantis turn earlier.. - Unit (3347), high elf. - Ich (3424), high elf, horse. - Boozeman (647), leader. - Maerdnim (778), leader, horse; A gaunt man with a pale asetic face.. - Unit (3502), leader. - Unit (3553), 2 leaders. - Unit (3584), leader. - Unit (3613), leader. - wind (3958), leader. The people following were considered to be potential thieves and assassins by the Atlantis City Police forces, but since the last month, they are no more reported in Atlantis City, whether they have gone or they became too stealthy for the Police: - Kermit (695), leader, horse. - Arturo (786), leader. - Audrey (327), leader. - Unit (856), leader; Bucolicas y alocadas florecillas silvestres. - Mr Jones (2949), leader; Wearing a well-cut business suit. - Unit (605), leader. - Unit (712), leader, horse. - Unit (847), leader. - Arendal (3422), leader, horse; A slightly off high elf. The Atlantean Police Dpt. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Finally, a breath of fresh air!! I did not think I could stand being trapped in Atlantis City any longer. Being an elf, I would rather be in the woods, by myself, with the beauty of the trees and grass around me. Now I am in the forest and I feel free and fresh! I do not think I will ever go back to the city. Elistar the Elf ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ----------------------- The Cooperative ---------------------- Faction 627, representing the Atlantis Guild Cooperative ("The Cooperative") announces a further progress in the development of the alliance with the Church of the Purple Snowflake (Faction 72). Last month's preliminary report on the alliance contained a faux pas that did not result in any lost momentum in the progress of negotiations. In an editing mistake, the "sacred/profane" contrast was mistakenly written as "secular/profane," leaving the Church of the Purple Snowflake in the awkward position of being fundamentally mis-identified. Ambassadors from both factions overlooked the mistake. As a testimony to the good will and strength of relations possible in a frequently-malicious world, however, the error was quickly rectified. The alliance has already lead to certain transactions between the factions that, as of the date of this writing, remain confidential. Address correspondence to kalmar@acf2.nyu.edu ----------------------- The Cooperative ---------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------ But where to go? That was the question. Everywhere he turned, "This square claimed by ...." What a pain in the neck. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Emperor's Voice knelt, and waited. Even after so long, not even the hint of a breeze or a ripple in the shadows forewarned him of the approach of the Presence. He did not mind, nor was he overly startled when addressed. "Speak, Our Voice! What is done? Have you fulfilled Our will?" Into the emptiness, the Voice replied, "Yes, my Emperor. It is done as You have bid. We have come into the new land. The winter rules here, with an iron fist. There are many newcomers into the land, and two mighty alliances have desired the lands surrounding this place." He paused, saying no more, waiting on the Emperor's Will. The Presence spoke, simply and without hesitation. "Touch not what they desire. Speak courteously unto them and pass through in peace. We foresaw this in the beginning, and you know that it was never in Our heart to be an Empire of conflict and competition, but rather that such things should be done away. Go, as We have designed . . . ." The Emperor's Voice ached with need, craving a boon from his Master, but contained himself. "It shall be done, my Emperor," he said, and the audience was ended. He cursed to himself, alone. "Would that I could have the wish of my heart!" he mused to himself. "This accursed mailing list and the endless volumes of repetitious drivel, so many people not simply corresponding, but echoing each other's messages back and forth to each other, wearies me so. Yet, what if even one such a message had importance to my Master and His Will?" And he had cause for such doubts, for some indeed had importance. The Emperor's Voice sighed, and Spoke, and the Emperor's Will was done. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Hi all, i'm newbie and i'm starting playing this game. I would soon become a horse producter, so i'll soon sell horses.. any faction interested on buying them send me a e-mail. alf@odin.etsiig.uniovi.es faction 634 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "What do you mean I can only hire one Elf this month? I had the money for twenty!!" "I'm s-sorry, Miss, but there's a glut on the market. So many people are hiring, its really quite fortunate that you got the canidate who did apply, and...." Realizing he was talking to the woman's back, the clerk at the Atlantis City Unemployment Office winced in anticpiation. Not being one to disappoint, Jessica *SLAM*ed the door in frustration. Outside, her companion David detached himself from the wall he'd been leaning against and started walking with her as she strode towards thier residence. "Not go well, Hon?" Her eyes flared slightly, "How'd you guess?" "oh, you know, the subtle clues. The way you're walking, the glint in your eyes, the way you were yelling loud enough to be heard in Sledmere even after the Gate there closed...." Jess winced a bit at that, catching the admonition in his voice, "Its just so annoying! We went so far as to break the 4th Directive to get this money and now we can't spend it! It stinks!" "Very true. And I keep reminding you..." "I know, I know, it was a bad idea. I apologized already, and I even went looking around to see if I could find the rifle, but no dice. Whomever baught it could be worlds away by now." She sighed and looked at the flowing colors of the South Gate to Yakleks, "Literaly." "And if the Assassin's Guild got it? Or some Mage with the right spells who can analyze it? Or..." "Okay, okay, I know it was dumb, you don't have to keep reminding me! But most of the team's still missing, and we've got to do some..." Her eyes caught on a man in robes, a gaudy purple symbol of some sort, maybe a sunburst or a snowflake, dangling on his chest was staring at them, maybe even listening to thier conversation. She stared at him, and he stared back. Thier eyes met and Jessica thought she felt something....but she wasn't sure what, when a long finger suddenly poked her in the side. She jumped and turned to look and saw Dave looking back at her curiously, "Still with me?" Cursing at the distraction she looked back, but the man in robes was gone. "Dammit!" Dave raised an eyebrow, "What's the matter?" "Didn't you see him?" "See who?" Jess sighed, "Never mind, let's get back to the inn. We're going to start packing." "Packing? I thought we wern't leaving for another four months?!" Staring off towards where the man had stood, Jess shook her head, "We can't hire enough people here...and I've just got a bad feeling about staying in this city." Without another word, the redhead turned and strode perposefully towards the inn, her puzzled companion trailing in her wake. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Businessmen E-Mail Pages If you would like to have your company in the E-Mail Pages, then send them to me at or if you have changed your add :send to ae485@freenet.toronto.on.ca The Price: A report of your current city that you are in. Delivery people Name Price Address Location MONZON MOVERS n/a pdxark@evol.nott.ac.uk Kashmar and Monzon? ITEMS FOR SALE NAME Price Address Location horses $60 shook@ibg.colorado.edu PLATE ARMORS $400 andrew@hra.ergasya.tuc.gr (4,18),(3,18) Colonists Name Address King Chromic Acid pfleming@eros.otago.ac.nz Name Price Infomation Location Spy Reports 30 u3jph@csc.liv.ac.uk Atlantis Protection Theif 30 u3jph@csc.liv.ac.uk Teachers (based on groups of 5) Name Price Address Location Armorer n/a andrew@hra.ergasya.tuc.gr Kashmar $50 u3djm@csc.liv.ac.uk Kashmar Building n/a andrew@hra.ergasya.tuc.gr Kashmar 50 u3djm@csc.liv.ac.uk Kashmar 60 u0904872@soneto.etsiig.uniovi.es Sledmere Combat $50 u3djm@csc.liv.ac.uk Kashmar $50 mlyon@interramp.com Monzon 60 u0904872@soneto.etsiig.uniovi.es Sledmere Energy 125 u3djm@csc.liv.ac.uk Kashmar n/a u0904872@soneto.etsiig.uniovi.es Sledmere Entertainment. n/a andrew@hra.ergasya.tuc.gr Kashmar n/a u0904872@soneto.etsiig.uniovi.es Sledmere Herb n/a andrew@hra.ergasya.tuc.gr Kashmar $50 u3djm@csc.liv.ac.uk Kashmar Horse Riding n/a u0904872@soneto.etsiig.uniovi.es Sledmere Horse Training n/a andrew@hra.ergasya.tuc.gr Kashmar n/a u3djm@csc.liv.ac.uk Kashmar Lore n/a andrew@hra.ergasya.tuc.gr Kashmar Lumberjack 50 u3djm@csc.liv.ac.uk Kashmar Magic $60 maximum) opt93ph@soton.ac.uk. Ellesmere Nature 125 u3djm@csc.liv.ac.uk Kashmar Observation 125 u3djm@csc.liv.ac.uk Kashmar 100 mlyon@interramp.com Monzon 90 Landt@acf4.nyu.edu Atlantis City Riding 50 u3djm@csc.liv.ac.uk Kashmar 50 mlyon@interramp.com Monzon 60 u0904872@soneto.etsiig.uniovi.es Sledmere Tactics 400 mlyon@interramp.com Monzon Tactics n/a landt@acf4.nyu.edu Atlantis City Stealth 125 u3djm@csc.liv.ac.uk Kashmar u0904872@soneto.etsiig.uniovi.es Sledmere 200 mlyon@interramp.com Monzon Weaponsmith, n/a andrew@hra.ergasya.tuc.gr Kashmar Reward Capture of Theirf 100 NORK 46,54 *Most prices based on five students Sledmere/ellesmere JOBS LOOKING FOR WORK Type of work Address armorers stu2@ergasya.tuc.gr weaponsmiths stu2@ergasya.tuc.gr AVAIBLE WORK SPYS WANTED (49,54) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Herger looked carefully at the message inscribed upon the door. It was glowing with a soft blue light. The message read "Turn Back Now All Yee Who Wish To Enter! Great Evil Lurks Beyond! Do Not Break The Seal!" Herger read the message again and almost laughed out loud. "These people must have been idiots" he thought. "First there was the cheap locks, then those backward hinges, and now this. It serves them right, that I should just walk in here and help myself. Hell, they were able to hire a nice mage. There must be some good stuff inside." The door was similar to the one upstairs, except that it was set into the wall and had some time of material running around the edge. One major feature was missing though. There was no lock. Herger grabbed a hold of the door handled and pulled. The door did not move. "Damn" Herger cursed. Looking around the door, Herger could not see any type of lock mechanisms. "Wizard locked" he mumbled. Pulling a small silver hammer from pack, Herger looked at the door. "Well this better work or I will be paying somebody a visit" he thought. Herger struck the hammer against the door. The result was almost anti-climatic. The sound of glass breaking echoed in the hallway, the silver hammer disappeared in a small puff of smoke, and the blue glow slowly faded. Herger stopped and listened for a few minutes to see if anyone heard the noise and would come to investigate it. After a little while, he tried to the door again. The door still didn't open, but Herger thought he saw it move a little. He tried again. This time he braced his foot on the wall and pulled. Within a few seconds of pulling his all his might, the door started to move then WHOOSH! It flew open with a loud groan. The view inside of the room stopped Herger in his tracks. There were precious metals and jewels all around. A great gold and jewel encrusted sword and shield were hanging on the wall. Although, the amount of wealth in the room was stunning, this was not what stopped Herger. Instead, it was the body of a man dressed in a finely crafted suit of chainmail armor, holding a magnificent sword on top of his body, and wearing with a beautiful pendant in which rested the largest ruby Herger had ever seem. The body was resting on a marble slab in the middle of the room. The body looked well preserved; almost sleeping. The man was tall and handsome with a strong muscular build. He had long black hair. Even in the man's present state, his body seemed to command respect. After admiring the figure for a short time, Herger quickly got about to the task at hand. Pulling two large sacks from his pack, he deftly filled them with gold and jewels. Occasionally some small trinket of other item in the room would catch his attention and he would stuff that in the sacks as well. About twenty minutes later, Herger was standing in the room with both sacks filled to overflowing and his pack stuffed. He had dumped out a number of coins from the bags before he was able to close them. Herger was about to leave, when we remembered the pendant on the man. The ruby seemed to draw his eyes to it. Putting down the sacks, Herger moved over to the man. He felt a chill pass over his body as he reached down and took hold of the pendant. The ruby seemed to almost glow in the light of the lantern. With shaking fingers, Herger tried to remove the pendant. It was in the man's clothing. Herger tried again to remove the pendant; being as careful as he would if the man was sleeping. It still wouldn't come off. Time was running out, Herger had wasted too much time admiring everything. In a little while the night watchman would be coming around again and if Herger didn't hurry, he might be seen. With time pressing on him, Herger pulled out a small knife. He was about to cut away the cloth from the pendant when the eyes of the man sudden opened. With a yell, Herger jumped back away from the man. The man slowly sat up and seemed to look straight at Herger and into his soul. With an evil grin he smiled and said "Thank you releasing me from my long slumber. Now let me grant you a reward." Herger slowly backed up towards the door, almost tripping over the sacks on the floor. The man chuckled and stood up. Herger reached down and pick up the two sacks. He was about to turn around when the man said "Leaving so soon? And without your reward? Such poor manners." Herger ran from the room into the hallway. Looking back he saw that the man started to walk towards him. Herger raced up the stairs. He was about to run out the door when it sudden closed shut with a loud band. Herger pushed frantically against the door, but it wouldn't budge. All Herger could hear was a set of slow footsteps echoing down the hallway. Looking down the bottom of the steps, he saw the man standing there. The man meet his looked and smiled. Terrified, Herger turned around and started banging and pushing on the door. The last thing that he heard was the sound of his own screaming and footsteps on the stairs...... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ralf shivered. It was cold. He figured he was way north, for it to be so cold in June. What bothered him was that the trees still didn't have any leaves on them. How could they grow if they never got leaves? He shrugged. It was yet another mystery he would never figure out. He sighed. His magic had left him, and he was never going to get it back. What could he do? What should he do? His magic was gone. Was Ralf to become another warlord, claiming territory? He'd already started that. Was he to become a merchant, making and selling goods? He didn't know, and he felt lost as a result. He sighed again. Perhaps if he slept, it would come to him... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Where are those builders I ordered. They should have arrived last week. How can be get my manshion built with out anybody to lay the stone? My, but we did get some great plans drawn up. This will house 1200 people. And we have protection from those dirty roving bands of cutthroats. The ones calling themselves War Factions or some such nonsense. WE all know they exitst only to bleed the honest worker of hard earned profits from thier honest labor. Taxes indeed, we all know only ones to actually produce in this world are of any use. Of what use is any one who taxes the workers. They should all be taken out and used for target practice. Now if I could only get some of the other workers to resist the unjust yoke those wish to have around our necks. I have made a few contacts and we are growing in resolve. Look out, we don't need you, you need us to survive. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Skritch walked quietly into the room bringing an all to brief report from Kesado, only to have Shaats current mood braught to his attention in the form of a flying book. "They delivered the wrong books!", Shaat holds one of the offending books out and shakes it to punctuate his point, "These books are useless. I wanted specifics, not more books on the general nature of the foundation!" Skritch wondered if he shouldn't make his report at a later date and almost made it out of the room before Shaat noticed him. "What news have you for me, Skritch." Skritch braced himself, "Me got word from Kesado." His master's eyes lit with interest, "...and?" "Kesado say he still snowed in." Skritch worried his wiskers for a moment as Shaats forhead hit the desk with an audible thump. "Have you any GOOD news to report Skritch?" "..no..but you ask Skritch if Skritch have idea for house coat of arms. Skritch have idea...", at that, Skritch pulled out a small sheet of paper and placed it on the desk. Shaat looked at the paper curiously for a moment. "It's a crude anarchy symbol, Skritch." "No-No, it upside down!" Shaat nods after lifting the paper and flipping it over. "Like it, yes-yes?" Shaat nods again, "Yes I do, we'll use it. Thank you Skritch. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have studing to do...assuming I can get the right books this time." Skritch ducked out the door with a noticable bounce in his step... House Dervish [666] dervish@gcomm.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------ As I enter Abernathy I am surrounded by villany and scum... I must watch myself... My only friend is the sword at my side... For I cannot trust man, woman, or beast... but this, this I can trust!!! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Saga of Clan Stoneheart ( ...Continued) "What's that?" Thorak pointed out into the stormy skies. In the distance, but getting nearer at amazing speed, was a figure, humanoid, leading what appeared to be some kind of canine. The figure was a thousand feet off the ground, flying through the air. "Warlock!" Allon turned to his friend. "It must be Charis Fein. He moved into the mountains 15 years ago after defeating the Athar Circle, and has slowly been taking over the various tribes in the north." He sighed. "We hoped that this day would never come, but at least we had time to prepare." Turning to a runner, he said "Begin the evacuation. We will hold him here." The runner dashed off down the tunnel, and soon there was the sounds of rushing feet. The dwarves were prepared for this, had lived with this possibility for the last 15 years. The evacuations proceeded in an orderly fashion. Outside, the trolls had gathered near the tunnel entrance, occasionally throwing missiles and boulders, but mostly just staying out of sight. The apparition floated slowly down from the clouds, continuing to grow as the distance got narrower and narrower. As it approached missile range, bolts and arrows flashed out from the defending dwarves. Most flew accurately, hitting the warlock or his hound squarely, but none seemed to have an effect - if anything, they seemed to pass right through. The warlock had grown to over 20 feet in height, his dog reaching more than 6 feet at the shoulder. Both had glowing red eyes, and where they trod, flaming footprints sprung into being, floating in mid air. Slowly, one hand lifted, pointing at the mouth of the tunnel and the clustered dwarves. Bolts of flames shot forth, striking a dwarf full in the chest, flinging him 30 feet back down the tunnel. Screaming, the trolls began to charge. "Fall back," Allon and Bloodaxe took the point of the retreating wedge, slaying any troll that ventured to near. Another bolt of flame appeared, coming through the mountain, before striking and slaying another dwarf. Fifteen more dwarves died, either to the claws of the trolls, or the wizards bolts of fire, as they retreated slowly down the tunnels, eventually coming out into a large hall. The dwarves spread out, holding the entrance against the oncoming trolls. "LEFT!" screamed a dwarf, before dying under the withering flames of the Warlock. Walking out into the hall, through the stone, was Charis Fein. Behind them, a deep horn call echoed throughout the dwarf hold. "Scatter," shouted Allon. "Make for the gates." Dwarves broke and ran, each heading for a separate entrance. Soon, the hall was empty but for the warlock and a horde of bewildered trolls. Surveying the area, the warlock nodded. "Now this Hold is mine." Deep in the Hold, Allon, Thorak and Bloodaxe stood in front of a stone archway, leading to a small cubicle. "Through here, Thorak. This gate will transport us to safety." "What about the Hold. Are you just going to leave it in that witch's hands?" Allon chuckled. "Of course. He can have the entire Hold and its contents. I believe there's over 12 tons of oil and blasting power scattered throughout this mountain." Bending over, he moved aside a rock panel, lighting the powder he found inside. "He can have it for about 15 minutes." He turned back to the gate, bowed and motioned them both through. "Come, we must leave." "Were does this gate go, anyhow?" "Another world, my friend, a world discovered by the Athar Circle. A place called Atlantis." There was a crackle of energy, and then the tunnel was dark and silent, except for the distant crackle of flames. ... Continued ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The strangely dressed man sighed. His help wanted posters has failed to attract much help. G.O.O.D. Ltd. was off to a shaky start. "Six elves. Six stupid elves. What more do they want? I give them stock options, decent health care, an orc free workplace... So what if I want them to work a measly fourteen hours a day." He was even more woried about the quality of the help. He had assumed that they were called "high elves" because they lived in the mountains or something. But almost as soon as he had hired them, they began to take frequent "smoking breaks". And it still amazed him how much they ate right after one of their breaks. At least he'd gotten them interested in reggae- they seemed to identify. Still, things could be worse. He had managed to get a sweet licensing deal with Morador-Borandil Incorporated where they would ship a cheap G.O.O.D. dagger with every suit of armor. Even better, he'd managed to buy all the dagger making equipment from a local tradesman for almost nothing. MBI was such a pain to work with though: demanding secrecy, sending hordes of useless flunkies to spy on him- it was enough to drive him nuts. He'd been forced to study observation just to spot them. Luckily it was pretty easy- MBI forced all of its workers to wear blue armor. So much for camoflage. He'd have to see about getting some deals with its competitors... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ $$$$$$$$$ Money to Burn $$$$$$$$$$$$$ I'm new to atlantis this turn and am interested in becoming a magic faction. If anyone in atlantis is interested in teaching me ENERGY and is willing to sell spells, please contact me at mkush@engin.umich.edu. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ What was this going on? Who were these scurrying peoples? Why the pointed ears on so many? What is this, a bag--with silver in it? Where am I? How did I get here? What can I do now? ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Denbigh read the headline carefully: "Small peaceful village targeted by thief. Peasants seek observant hero." It seemed that the Atlantis City School of Observation had opened at an opportune time. There was a definite profit to be made in the skill of seeing. The Centre turned a page in his newspaper. He was amused to find a full page advertisement of Observation Reports for sale within Atlantis City. "Hmm..." ----- An hour later, Denbigh had finished the modifications to the sign he had put up the previous month: _______________________________________________________________ | | | * Be a hero to towns like Nork! | | * Why pay others to observe what you could see?! | | | | ENROLL NOW! | | ----- Atlantis City School of Observation ----- | | (landt@acf4.nyu.edu) | | | | a division of the | | Church of the Purple Snowflake, in coordination with | | | | *CRIMEWATCH* and T T T | | | | (classes in Tactics also available) | |_______________________________________________________________| | | | | As Denbigh stood back to admire his handiwork, a man wearing a purple snowflake pendant similar to his own approached. The man appeared to be upset. "What is it, good Pillar." asked Denbigh with concern. "Sir, our new allies..." he was waving a copy of the AtlantIIs Times in the air. "The Cooperative, yes. What's the matter?" The man handed him the newspaper folded to an article toward its middle. "Have you read their article this month!?" Denbigh took the paper calmly and began to read. He shouted, "Profane!?" He looked up at his associate, "They can't mean our Church, surely!" ----- Apparently however, he had. During negotiations, there had been some misunderstanding on the part of the Cooperative representatives as to the nature of the Church of the Purple Snowflake. That this should have been overlooked by Denbigh, who was busy in seeing his last two children off through the gateways, was perhaps understandable. But what was not understandable, what should not have been possible, was that the otherWorldly creator, who had personally overseen the negotiations on his own earthly plane, had overlooked it, no, had commended his earthly compatriot for the eloquence of his speech. Denbigh quickly sent word to the Cooperative representative, and the misunderstanding was corrected. But still the matter remained. It should not have been possible, but as it was, it was most definitely improbable. And yet it had happened. The Improbable had occurred again. [This fictoid brought to you by the Church of the Purple Snowflake (72) -- landt@acf4.nyu.edu] ------------------------------------------------------------------------ To anyone planning on, or, currently dealing with THE FREE COMPANIONS. They are liars, and cannot be trusted! They will say one thing, and then do another depending on what will benefit them the most. I had an Alliance with them then they turned and attacked me just so the could "Rule" the hex I was established in. They are forminable, but they can be broken down with a complete boycot. I urge you all NOT to do business with them at any cost, because sooner or later they will turn on you just as they did me. The *Free Companions* are the lowest type of scum on the plannet, and sooner or later will be defeated! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ It is late in a college computer room. After a long day of work a poor grad-student is fast asleep at his terminal. Thunder can be heard off in the distance as the stars in the sky start to blink out. The wind starts to pick up outside as the student continues his slumber, oblivious to the approaching storm. The lights start to flicker as the lightning gets closer and closer. The thesis on the computer screen start to flicker from page to page. When it reaches the end of the paper it starts displaying random images. It seems to be searching for something with a mind of it's own. Until......BANG......the lightning strikes just outside the window and the lights go out. The student, climbing out of his deep sleep, rubs his eyes and looks up at the computer. The last thing he sees on the screen is one word: "ATLANTIS". Just then a blinding flash of light remove the rest of his sight. The first thing to register is the noise. People talking, foot steps, basic crowd noises fill the air. Sounds of buying and selling as if a big market place was near. "I'll take 10!" "Give me 50!" Slowly the clear blue sky starts to come into focus. Looking around he find himself in an alley of a strange city. At the far end is a street filled with many people scurrying around. A rather tall man with fare skin and pointy ears enters the alleyway and approaches the man. "Hello? Are you O.K.?",he says. "Who are you?" Quickly the former student searches his mind for a response to these questions. He suddenly realizes that along with not knowing where he is, he doesn't even know who he is. Shocked by this sudden memory laps, he stumbles to his feet pushing the strange figure out of his way. He runs into the street and continues down it. At the edge of town he stops to catch his breath. Looking around he finds a sign. ----------------------------------------------------------------- | | | ATLANTIS CITY | | | | Population 1600 High Elves | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- | | | | wwwwww In his pocket he finds a voucher for $5000 silver. Shrugging his shoulders he heads back into town. He must find some way to survive. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Hola a todos, jugadores de Atlantis, soy nuevo aqui, por eso espero que no os porteis muy mal conmigo. Mis intenciones son pacificas y comerciales.Daniel. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ Hola soy un nuevo jugador de atlantis .A ver si me voy aclarando con las reglas de este juego,por ahora me estan aconsejando,creo que bien. Bueno deseo a los demas jugadores un feliz, prospero y fructifero turno. Vladymir $#$#$*$#*$#*$#*$#*$#*$#**********$#*$#*$# ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Another boring month of a cold and wet winter gone. A few more thieves observed, a few less silvers left. Seems to be the way of the world... It couldn't have been less than 15 times in the past month that Samuel has come running up, asking for a few more coins - "Just to buy a lolly... pleeeeease!" It was the same every time. Somehow I knew that all the money wasn't going towards lollies, but I was too busy worrying about other things to take much notice. What with diplomacy efforts to get through, dispatches to read and send off, and organising a bunch of lazy ice elves, things have been just getting too hectic to manage! I've now decided that before I go totally crazy, I'm going to hire a right-hand man (or woman - we'll see who applies ;) Hopefully that will calm things down abit. Now, what is Samuel doing with all that money? A boy his age really shouldn't be eating so many lollies... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ KOMARKEN SEIZED It has been reported that the city guards in Komarken have all been killed and that the city is under "new management". Units attempting to move to the city are being turned away. Units that advance should be prepared for battle with the force that just wiped out 100 leaders armed with swords. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The adept arrives into the village after spending the month on the Great Mountain. He seems to glide across the ground as he pokes his head in and out of the various huts, looking for someone. The adept finds the mage in the dining area of the faction's village, engulfed in thought with several old tomes surrounding him. The adept seats himself across from the mage and begins speaking. "Guess what?" the adept begins. "Huh?" was the initial reply, the mage finally noticing the youthful adept leaning across the table. "You wanted something?" "I've just returned from the Great Mountain, and I believe I've found my magical focus... in nature." The elder mage scoffed. "You're in a barren wasteland, you went to the top of a mountain to meditate your focus, and now you believe you're focus is to study nature." The mage let out a soft chuckle. "You're definitely in the wrong place for that kind of study." The adept leaned back a bit, showing some pain from the words just spoken to him. "You know I can't go anywhere else right now," he began, a bit of tension reflecting in his voice. "I don't have the silver or the experience to move yet. Once I have the silver, I'm going to find myself a nice forest to settle in somewhere - you'll see." The mage let out a hearty laugh. "Slow down, cub. You'll have plenty of time to pursue your heart's desire, but for now the Council needs you to grow into your path, whatever it may be. I just thought the irony of the situation needed to be commented upon." The mage smiled. "Maybe you're right. I know the Council has some plans in the near future. For now, I just want to return back to my mountain." The mage nodded. "Good luck, little cub." The adept began to walk back the way he came. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ... The dawn comes, and brings with it the blackest of storms and hurricanes. Am I prepared to leave this sanctuary known as Atlantis City? I certainly hope that my troubles have not been for naught... ... From the journals of the Black Rose ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Roy looked at the shaft. His attempt to enter it last month had ended in disaster - a cave in at the first level from which he was lucky to escape with his life. Today he was ready; soon he would find what he was seeking, he knew it in his bones... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Republic strikes back (Part 2) _________________________ They had fought valiantly. Despite those terrible flashes of fire which had been thrown after them, and the fact that they had been outmaneouvred, they had fought valiantly. But it had not been enough. 138 roman soldiers now lay dead. It would take a full three months to recover those losses, and what would those accursed Slunecni dogs be doing meanwhile? Trying to make others do their work for them, no doubt, the Legate thought. He looked down one last time on the battlefield were soldiers of the Dragon Legion now lay in piles together with 77 soldiers of the Slunecni Zare. He had lost this battle, but the war would continue... Victory would come to the Republic. Hannibal had learnt this, so would the Slunecni Zare. ************************************************************************* The Forum Romanum is the official Atlantis Home Page of the Dragon Legions and the Republic of Rome. For our latest land claims, visit the Pillar in the forum. Forum Romanum: http//www-i8.auc.dk/~strategy/Atlantis.html Land Claims: http//www-i8.auc.dk/~strategy/Proclamations.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lord Mayor Hatred sat quietly on the floor of his magic chamber, meditating. He was certain that he had found a new spell. He was preparing to cast it when he felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. A familiar ringing started in his ears. He stood up and went to his scrying glass. In it, he saw his student, Greed, forcing his way past his secretary, demanding to see the Mayor. "Oh well", thought Hatred, "Time for Greed's next lesson." Hatred sat down on the floor and withdrew a peice of chalk from the folds of his dark purple robes. With the chalk, he drew a symbol on the polished floor. Next, he took a hot coal from the burning pit and placed it in the center of the symbol. Adding a small bit of sulfur to the coal, Hatred began his incantation. Hatred uttered words of arcane magic and traceed intricate designs in the air with his fingers. When he was done, he calmly picked up the glowing ember and held it in his hand. After a few seconds, his hand began to glow a bright orange. "Now, I will see my student", thought Hatred. Greed burst through the door, not even bothering to knock. "This is outragous", he screeched at the top of his lungs. A second later, a bright light filled the room. Burning tendrils of white hot pain filled his brain. Clawing at his eyes, Greed screeched again, this time in agony. When the pain subsided, he found Hatred glaring down at him. "Don't you ever come barging in here again. When I wish to speak with you, I will send for you. Is that clear?" "Y-yes Lord", replied Greed, "B-but the g-g-guards...t-they have s-stopped..." "Get a hold of yourself, Greed, I can't understand you with all that stuttering." yelled Hatred. "The guards have decided to stop turning over the taxes to me..I mean you. They say they are going to keep the silver for themselves as a bonus." "Kill them!", ordered Hatred. "Lord?", asked the astonished student. "Do it!", demanded Hatred. "Will you be joining the battle?", asked Greed "Just kill them and don't bother me with these questions. I have work to do. You may go, Greed", Hatred dictated imperiously. "Yes, Lord", sniveled Greed as he left, still rubbing his eyes. He would probably be seeing those green spots for the remained of the week. Hatred went back to his studies. He was at last ready to try the new spell. Again using chalk, he drew the same symbol on the floor. This time, however, he placed a piece of Ogre toenail in the center. Using a small pin, he pricked his finger and let a few drops of his own life's blood drip onto the toenail. "Unta, ertu canna unnn", incanted Hatred as his fingers weaved the fabric of the spell. "Maltu froda seena trun!", shouted Hatred. He began to grow taller, and his muscles began to bulge. He felt strong. Hatred uttered a laugh that could only be described as a deep growl. "Perhaps I will join the battle.", he snarled as he went out the door, not even bothering to open it. He laughed the whole way to the Guard House. Hatred had learned a new spell and to a wizard there was no greater joy in the world. -- Geoff Dunbar <atlantis@rahul.net> Up