Atlantis Times v1.1 v04n12 From: JJC%MP068@MPA15AB.mv-oc.Unisys.COM Date: Tue, 24 Jan 1995 02:05:23 +0000 ######################################################################## =-=-= Atlantis Times v1.1 Volume 4 Number 12 =-=-= =-= January 23, 1995 =-= ######################################################################## Words from The Big Guy: Please remember that the deadline for orders are 12:00 GMT on Sundays. Many of you are sending orders past that deadline. NOTE *** Atlantis is now closed. All full, no more starts. Just a reminder of the new AUTOTAX command: - AUTOTAX flag available. This is a new boolean command, similiar to GUARD and AVOID. If set, a unit will attempt to TAX every turn. If reset, no automatic TAXing will occur, though the TAX command will still work. AUTOTAX boolean is reset after a MOVE or SAIL command is executed. Send Times to: jjc@mpa15ab.mv-oc.unisys.com Send Orders to: JJC@MP068.MV-OC.UNISYS.COM Send problems/comments/bug reports/questions to me personally at: jjc@mpa15c.mv-oc.unisys.com I read the mail at the times address once a week, when I'm setting up the Times. I NEVER read mail where the orders go to, so don't send anything but orders there. Good luck, and enjoy. - TBG ######################################################################## The Big Guy sat back and looked at his creation. He felt a feeling of both satisfaction and frustration. The world had taken shape, but there was still plenty to do, if only he had the time. Time. That was his big mistake. He should never have invented Time. It was a big mistake. Unfortunately, it was too Late to correct it now. The Big Guy looked as his world. He saw factions forming alliances. He saw great wars, and even greater slaughter. His creations were adding to the chaos. The Seamonsters were everywhere, raiding and growing with every moment. The Dragons were living up to their promise, frustrating even the greatest alliances. The world was working as planned. Almost. His smile of contentment suddenly turned to a frown. What was this? Beings were leaving this world. How could that be? He did not recall creating any exits. He could not see where they were going, nor could he figure out how. This would never do. He must find out how, and why, people were leaving this world. With a thought, he summoned one of his many minions... Karak was busy working. He was working on The Big Guy's next creation. Karak laughed, thinking how those puny beings thought The Big Guy did it all himself. They would be surprised to know who did the real work... The Big Guy's frown deepened. "So, I don't do the 'real' work, do I?". "My apologies, BG!" Karak's laugh died the instant he became aware he was in front of The Big Guy. "Your wish, BG?" "Look!". With another thought, The Big Guy explained the situation. "You must go and find out where they are going, and why. Report back at once!" "Yes, BG!" The Big Guy was not patient. Karak set off... Karak looked around. He wandered about, wondering where he was. He knew the place was a city, and that it was called Atlantis. How odd. He explored, finding paths to other cities. He also noticed many others around as well. Some he recognized. He had seen them in The Big Guy's world. At least they looked like them. In any event, he had seen enough. It was time to report back. "Damn." Karak thought to himself. How do I get back? His magic seemed to have left him. He tried everything he could think of the return. Nothing worked. He even jumped up. He was beginning to realize he was powerless in this world. It was a humbling experience. After a time, Karak gave up. He'd have to settle down and explore this world for a way out. He also realized that survival in this world would be as difficult in his own. It was time to seek some allies... ######################################################################## TERROR SIEZES TARRASPAN A terror-crazed mob ran through Tarraspan today, burning and killing all in its path. News of overseas invasion fleets caused unheard of panic in the population. The Platonic Police Force were unable to hold back the crowds, who burnt down the Embassy of one overseas power, killing the Embassador. While official sources blamed the violence on foreign agitators, serious questions are to be raised as to who is in power in Tarrapsan. The military are ignoring orders from civilian leaders, and a coup, followed by civil war, could be a grim reality. **************************************************************** OPG (Other People's Gossip - by Spy, the Pacifica Gossip Columnist) Is Dr Vox and Merry Prankster an ITEM? Today, we were shown pictures of what was said to be Dr Vox and Merry Prankster, disembarking on a ship whose name, while obscured, appeard to be called THE LOVE BOAT. This all happened on the unspoilt continent of Pacifica, a popular honeymoon destination for many factions. While both were coy on any rumours of a nupital kind, they both have been seeing a lot of each other lately.... ######################################################################## What happened last time: Undine, the young sorceress, awake in the night by something unusual. The door to her room opens slowly. Undine's heart is trembling for fear. The door opens a little bit more and some thick black air seems to come in. "Light" , she thinks, "I need light. What about that spell, we have learned last week? Abrikidra, no Larifari, oh no, no, the word is:... " "ELEKTRIZITAET", she speaks in a loud voice. But instead of bright light, only a very little flame appears in hear hand. "Hmm, this is better than nothing". Meanwhile the door is open. Undine looks out. Nothing as usual, there is no corridor, there is a black, very dark and cold tunnel leading to somewhere unknown. Now , Undine is a sorceress and she is a woman. That means, she is the most curious person in whole Atlantis. In spite of her fear, she walks in that tunnel. The little flame in her hand gives her more hope than a real light. She walks a long, long time in that cold dark tunnel. The tunnel seems always to be the same: no changes are noticed. Then after hours walking she sees in the distant a glimmering light. She approaches carefully. The light grows. Is this the end of the tunnel? And where is this end? ---- to be continued---- ######################################################################## Uynap was tired of those smelly sea monsters raiding the coastal villages. The monsters did not seem to be doing too much damage, but it was still annoying when one attacked a crew of lumberjacks. Skilled guards helped, but the attacks kept coming. The sea monsters always retreated before they received a lethal blow. Uynap wanted to get control of the situation and prevent the sea monster from retreating. Ropes were useless. The one time a rope was looped over a monster's head, the crew trying to secure the rope was dragged out to sea. One month Uynap turned a herd of horses into glue and spread that on the beach. During the next raid, sea monster ended up all covered in sand, but it still escaped. Uynap tried recruiting more troops to defend the villages. No matter how many swordsmen or bowmen were used, the sea monster still returned to the sea. Uynap in desperation requested the help of a spy hunter. The spy hunters were good at locating spies hinging in the trees or mountains, it seemed likely that one would be good at finding a sea monster hiding in the surf. The hunter walked the beaches for several months before finding the sign of a sea monster approaching the shore. Uynap quickly dispatched his troops who ran toward the beach. The sea monster was surprised to find a hundred armed men when it climbed out of the ocean. The sea monster's hesitation was long enough that the army surrounded it, preventing its escape. The men returned to the village in triumph dragging the severed head of the monster that had terrorized them so long. The month was declared a holiday and the town celebrated for the remainder of the month. ######################################################################## The Chafin is dead !!! Long live the Chafin The realm of Vaschort mourns their religious leader Chafin of Araku who had lead the Church of Agrik during the first years of chaos. In an attempt to convert the inhabitants of Jazkat to the true faith Chafin was brutally slaughtered by the great infidel Moe. May he be cursed for eternity. The hard task of religious leader has been handed down to Cronas of Elerninn who by this becomes Chafin II of Elerninn. He promises that the revenge on Moe will be terrible and that the word of Agrik will be spread over Atlatis just as it has been done during his predecceror. Chafin II says that although Moe is the biggest unbeliver on Atlantis the first task of his religious leadership will be to convert Bananaland to the right faith. After this has been accomplished Moe will be taken care of. ######################################################################## Maria, All is going as planned. Larache is cleared, the production of iron and wood is increasing and the deals with Cizerras Mud have been excellent. Also, trade deals with Lord Fanatic and TH are going well. Plans to produce two more defense groups continues. I agree with your request to build an archer group but plans to expand to the new territory have a higher priority. I am concerned at the lack of communication with Twist. After your return from Lord Fanatic, you should pay Twist a visit. Mat Westar ######################################################################## "My Lord, it was if the sun were come to Crieff. All golden and hot, it were. Not like anything I ever seen before. And magestic, too. Not a dumb animal, sire, not at all. Cunning, it were. Smarter than me, that's for sure." Thorin did not doubt for an instant that the newly awakened Dragon in Crieff was far more intelligent and cunning than the simple mountain goatherder who stood before him, recounting his tale. He dismissed the man and sat in silence, trying to determine an appropriate strategy that would match this awesome beast. The Seneschal had sent one of his most powerful mages to add his arcane skills to the coming contest. Thorin had studied every tome he could find that might shed some light on the possible tactics to utilise against their terrible foe. And even now hundreds of Morgoth's best bowmen were gathering within the walls of the mighty Citadel that had taken more than four hundred cartloads of stone in the making. Would it all be enough? ######################################################################## YEAR 2, PHASE 2. The Staff was gathered around the desk, all was set for the anual meeting. That is, the first anual meeting, for Freaky Inc. only existed a little over a year. But what a year; one could be proud of the results. Production grew fast, people were constantly recruited and sales were not too bad. The office walls were covered with drawings and graphs. All of them showed a huge growth. The entire board sat back in his chair, and waited for the President (Mr. Freak Himself) to speak to them... -Gentlemen, welcome. Now that we have had our first year behind us, I can say I am pleased with your reports. We have succesfully overcome the trouble at the start, and we can call ourselves a Company. But let these results not blind you. There is still a lot to do. Production is only a tiny part of what it can be. Our goal was to be something, take part in world history. So, gentlemen, I want you to recruit more men, produce more wood, iron, and horses. Get the money wherever you can get it. As long as you get it. -Then I can come with phase 2 of our plan: expansion. And we all know what I mean. I allready sent out scouts into the world, an also ordered the recruiting of special officers, trained for only one thing: Getting other companies to join us, voluntarily or not. So I want you all to bring in your best men, and support these trainees in their duties. I want full support for them, for some people might not be to happy when we start taking over things... ######################################################################## THE LUMBERJACKS OF BERGLAND, part IV On the top of a hill that towered in the southern part of Bergland, a group of hardy lumberjacks where working. They had lived in the swamp in many month now and they had finaly learned to appreciate the lonelines of its dark waters and thundering rainy weather. This was a particulary clear day and from the back of the hill they could stare for mile around the surounding swamp. One of them, Mullin infact, had taken a break from the work to enjoy the view and was relaxing his eyes by trying to figure out how far it could be to the horisont. Sundenly he realiced that a dark shape was watching their work from a smaller hill to the west. He couldn't clearly make out what kind of humanoid it was, but it seem to carry some kind of bow. This startle him as he was not used to wary groups from his home in the peaceful valley of Skommer. Mullin slowly motioned to Thuul, a local woodsman, whose eyes where quite remarkebel. "Can you make out what's hidding in the bushes of that hill to the west" he wispered being very careful not to point. Thuul informed him that it was a stranger, probably human and he seemed to be carrying both a crossbow and a longbow. A lot of thoughts rushed through the mined of Mullin, had this faction evil plans. Maybe plans of manslaugther and stealing, why else did he hide and why else was he armed. Would they live to chopp threes annother month. << TO BE CONTINUED >> ######################################################################## The Adventures of the Stranded Tourists Part 16: Spies of the Warmongers Must Die! "I MUST lead the attack." screamed Janice "Comrade Kael will lead " ordered Janet. "But Hans refused to marry ME! I must have my revenge!" she howled. "No. It is said that Pranksters are the lackies of the warmonger Vox so we cannot afford to disclose or true skill in tactics." "Oh,I never have any fun anymore!" cried Janice as she stormed out. Janet turned to the other members of the Central Commitee.. "I will lead a small party to hunt down the spy seen some months past. The Red Guardians will deal to the two here." "Who will lead while you are away?" asked an alarmed Unisc "Janice??" "Deroc. He is preparing the reconstruction plan forced on us by our pigeon troubles of the past months." "What of the Mercenary Mages?" asked Karen "Since the mass starvation of our lumberjacks we cannot pay them the bows promised." "We have paid compensation to their factions and ,perhaps, they will still fight with us against the evil ones. We may need all the help we can muster. I will address the masses before I leave." Karen, Political Commisar (Atlantis2) Janet, Queen of North Karothea ######################################################################## VOX IS GREAT !!! VOX IS POWERFULL !!! Last month, a mighty army of Lord VOX (The Huge) anihilated one or two peacefull factions in Lochinver. There was no warning, no casus belli, no dialog... With 150 well armed men and a skilled leader, VOX's "voracious assault troup" slaughtered some lumberjacks, one or two scouts, and a handfull of poor guys, for a total of exactly 52 persons. Nice job, VOX ! During the same month, an "Ugly Sea Monster" killed 73 peasants in the same region. Damned, VOX, could it be possible you're not as strong and stupid as an "Ugly Sea Monster" ? To all factions in our island : beware the "Stupid Sea Monster" ! This one can attack inland... A few peacefull peasants waiting for the kill ######################################################################## Part 8 - Because we must Gurithim had been reading far too much about invasions here and slaughters there. He was wandering aimlessly around camp when he wondered aloud "When will it all end?" A new recruit, a young messenger, turned to him and said, "It never ends, Sir. Some of us are destined to be conquerers, and we will conquer until our last breath. Some of us are destined to be conquered, and no matter how hard we fight, we will lose. We each fulfill the other's destiny. One cannot exist without the other. And when we die, we merely start over again, perhaps switching roles, but still fulfilling a destiny already handed down to us. We do what we do because we must do it. We have no other choice." Gurithim thought about what the boy had said. This idea of predestination had merit. In fact, he could use it as an excuse for some of his more boneheaded mistakes. "Predestiny made me do it" could become his new motto. He could have a lot of fun with this. Seeking more information, he questioned the boy. "Who or what decides our destiny if we do not?" asked Gurithim. "A large pickle named Gilbert that sleeps under my bed," was the boy's reply. "He's also rather good at chess. He doesn't smell so great, but that's what you get for being a giant pickle I suppose." Gurithim sighed. Maybe predestiny wasn't such a great thing to believe in. If anyone ever found out that his cosmological viewpoint was taught to him by a boy with a giant smelly pickle under his bed he'd be the laughingstock of Atlantis. Oh well, back to studying the tactics manuals. ######################################################################## "Hogli, my loyal servant! I require your assistance again. Have you a stock of the good parchment -- Diamante skin layered with Lost Boy, spice-tanned?" "Yes, of course, my Lord. I take it you write a special note announcing the doom of the Gresir Pact and the landing of the Blood Seraph?" "No, no, my faithful one. It is much more complex. I fear I shall need your assistance in composing this note, since it contains an element of...well, frankly, diplomacy." "My Lord! Surely you cannot expect your intended prey to come to your defense? Your dining habits are a matter of some legend worldwide, and your sheer rapaciousness..." "Exactly! Which makes this letter a bit of a challenge, you see. A bit of subtlety in the wording, and just a hint of humility, and a message oriented to self-interest. Now, perhaps we should begin:" ~~~~~~~ Esteemed Atlantean Residents of the Continent Containing Tarraspan, Which We have Kindly Named Hansalia, After its Discoverer Hans, Who Runs Atlantis 2.0 So Be Nice To Him, Greetings from Lord Vox and the Skinflayers. I regret deeply to inform you peaceful sheep [don't call them sheep, my Lord, it's an insulting tone! Quiet, Hogli, sometimes one must call a sheep a sheep] that your continent is about to be ravaged, seared, torn to shreds, your populace destroyed, your armies massacred, and your mages spitted and roasted. I regret even more deeply to inform you that the perpetrator is unlikely to be myself. My expeditionary barbecue ghouls have encountered medium-scale opposition from Larson's Efficient Empire, who seeks to import Lemurs in disastrous numbers to your fair and resource-rich lands. While I cannot claim exactly *peaceful* intent, I assure you that being ravaged by my bloodthirsty ghouls and turned into fine vintages is a *far* higher and more noble purpose than being overrun by Lemurs and assimilated. [very good, my Lord. *that* should be convincing argument.] Unfortunately, my numerous harvesting opportunities leave me in a questionable position to effectively oppose this Larson. He has the advantage of proximity. But I feel compelled to point out that unless you *all* get your fat happy little muffinbows and spark-mages over to the mountains around (15,15) you will soon have *no chance* of preserving your homesteads. I write this warning with the most generous of motives: I believe in diversity of the species. I would vastly prefer to see a diverse palate of selections in Hansalia when I am able to arrive in full force, rather that another island full of Lemurs. Already got one that's been overrun, and it's not pretty. Thus it is my fondest hope that one or more of you natives wish to aspire to be a Full Meal rather than a mere morsel. Consequently, I shall attempt to temporarily restrict my diet in an attempt to be neighborly. ute-winter, sorry about the scout, but he *was* very tasty. Ask a Prankster very nicely, and perhaps a map may be provided for your coming battle planning. Eat and Grow Large, Lord Vox. ~~~~~~~~~~ ######################################################################## BEWARE THE GREAT EVIL IN MOUNTAINS! - Part 5 I killed my first dragon this turn (with much assistance from my valiant allies). Unfortunately two more dragons awakened, and one dragon attack turned into a disaster. The plan was to send 500 some peasants and 500+ crossbowmen against a pair of dragons. The peasants would absorb the dragons free round and first round attacks, while the crossbowmen would kill 250 in the first round (breaking the dragons), and then kill them in the pursuit round. What happenned was the dragons raided first, inflicting 400+ casualties on the peasants, but only taking 99 casualties! Apparently only about a third of our crossbowmen fired in the raid. When we attacked, the dragons finished off the peasants and got in amongst the crossbowmen in their free round. The slaughter continued in the first round and this time less than a third of our crossbowmen fired before dying. The dragons then continued the slaughter in the second round (while our crossbowmen attempted to reload) and in the pursuit round. These two dragons now rule the mountain, and will probably totally depopulate it by the time our army can take them out. My first encounter with Lord Vox's troops was a pleasant surprise. Vox attacked, but my superior numbers overcame his tactics and I won the battle. Vox attacked 2 more times wiping out the rest of his attackers. This turn I should finish off his reinforcements that marched into the forest, but 2 of his galleons have landed in the plain to the north. The above report generated by the scribes of faction 59, "The Efficient Empire", formerly "Larson's Adventurers", reachable at "Bill_Larson@ncsu.edu" ######################################################################## =-=-= END TIMES 412 =-=-= ######################################################################## Up