___The New Official AVATAR___________________________________
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______________________________________June 7, 2003____________
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/.--. The Avatar Gazette
|====| For subscription info,
|`::`| read HELP GAZETTE
.-;`..../`;_.-^-._
/\ / |...::..|` | | `| Produced by Angel Kenji
|:' | /'''::''| | | | With assistance from
@| /;-,/ :: |=========| Atoz (Lord alt)
`|| <` > >._::_.|=========| New Hero/Lord stats
|| `""` / ^^ | | | |
|| | | | /
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I need to apologize to everyone for my absence the last few
months. Not only have I not put out the Gazette since March,
I have also been absent from AVATAR as an Angel.
As with all things, real life has to take priority. My own
real life has been very hectic as of late, both good and bad.
But things have slowed back down for me, and are somewhat
normal again. Which means your AVATAR Gazette is back!
------------------
Here is a brief summary of what's in store for this month's
Gazette. Enjoy!
Latest News
Top Levelers & New Lords by Atoz
A Table of Adventurers by Angel Kenji
a short fantasy story
Recipe: Homemade Twinkies and Jelly Rolls by Merck
inspired by KoalaKnight!
A Lesson Learned from Krelian by Angel Kenji
thoughts about players on AVATAR
AVATAR Quest Contest - Summer 2004
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Latest News
So many changes over the last few months. I recall a comment
that someone had posted on TopMudSites late last year that
AVATAR was a stagnant MUD, and that the lack of development
was a death knell. Well, what would you say the recent
changes mean? AVATAR is up and kicking, better than ever.
Cerdwyn has been posting a weekly news summary to the forum
mailer. If you don't currently subscribe to it, read HELP
MAILLIST in game. Here is just a brief summary of some of the
changes to our beloved game:
New Race - Ent
New Race - Verbit (an evolution race)
New Race - Firedrake
New Race - Draconian
New Race - Tuataur
New Class - Paladin
New Class - Assassin
New Class - Priest
New Areas - too many to list!
Added a Lord Mudschool!
Change to character sharing policy.
Changes to sneak & racial sneak.
Three new Acolytes!
One billion socials added. (estimated)
And about a hundred other things that I have forgotten about.
Not too bad for a dying MUD, is it? ;)
------------------
Snikt has had it with the connection problems! He wants to
look into the possibility of getting a T1 connection, but
there is a problem: a typical DSL line runs about $50 a month.
A T1 connection runs between $500 and $1500 a month. Now,
Snikt lives comfortably, but not enough so as to afford a
$1500 AVATAR bill!
So here's the deal. Think about where AVATAR rates in your life.
If you place AVATAR above watching TV, chatting on the phone,
etc, could you commit to sending Snikt $5 or $10 a month? If
only 100 players pony up $5-10 a month, it adds up to a large
portion of the T1 costs.
I have personally committed to sending Snikt $30 every 3 months.
What can you do to help AVATAR? Here is a note posted on the
Immortal board from Pliny:
Number: 225 Board: immortal
From: Pliny
To: all
Date: Fri May 28 21:22:41 2004
Subject: Consistent donations
--------------------------------------------------------------
In case you haven't heard, Snikt very badly wants to improve
Our internet connection. He is looking into purchasing a T1
connection. What will a T1 connection mean? No more router
hangs and a near elimination of AVATAR lag.
In the past, we have asked for Paypal donations. Since a T1
is a recurring (and expensive) endeavour, we are asking for
people to say "yes, I can commit to giving a couple bucks each
month." and for them to actually follow through. If you don't
have a constant source of income, you could still make a
one-time donation and commit to donating monthly when you do
get employment.
Paypal donations are still welcomed with open arms, but
monthly Paypal donations are even better. :)
Pliny the Elder
------------------
I know what you're thinking. "Kenji, where do you keep coming
up with stories, articles and recipes for the Gazette?"
Well, that's easy. You! The players of AVATAR are some of the
most creative people I've had the pleasure of working with.
So send in your short stories, game-themed articles, recipe
ideas and ASCII art for future Gazettes. Email your submissions
to gazinput@outland.org
Articles that are used in the Gazette may earn you Quest Points!
So be sure to include your main alt's name in your email. (Or
the name you want QPs credited to.)
Email me if you have a large or multi-part story idea as well.
Angel Kenji
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Here is a call to anyone who thinks they have the knowledge,
skill and patience to help the newbies and players of AVATAR.
Read HELP ANGEL PETITION. The Angel Team is looking for good
players who are interested in becoming one of AVATAR's finest!
(Sorry, stole that from the NYPD ;) )
Feel free to ask any of the Angel staff about their work. (No,
we won't give you the answers to the interview.)
Angeling is a job with its own rewards: the knowledge that
you are helping to make AVATAR a better place, help new
players become self-sufficient, and stand out amongst our
mudding peers!
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Top Levelers and New Lord stats
by Atoz
LORD ADDITIONS:
31 Heroes morphed in the last four weeks. Please
congratulate the following on their success.
Akane, Caellin, Darkwolf, Devonshire, Elaie, Elipse,
Elixis, Enda, Govannon, Greenhide, Hideo, Kumbassa,
Kylissa, Leandra, Mcmurtry, Mordsith, Noob, NTT,
Obliterator, Papio, Phreddy, Pique, Raslin, Rathe,
Shawna, Silvarous, SYnDromE, Torgoth, Twinkyshot,
Xuken, and Zen.
LORD REMORTS OR REBUILDS:
REMORTS(RACE): Mindgame from drow to human,
Cereletic and Hector from troglodyte to tuataur,
AshA, Blaise, Crunge, Parast, Reno, and Zzz from
lizard man to tuataur.
REMORTS(CLASS): Draeger from rogue to assassin,
Glarg, Milliard, and Rhodry from archer to assassin,
Triskal from ranger to assassin, GoodKnight from warrior
to paladin, Fin from cleric to priest, and Delvin from
mage to sorcerer.
LORD DELETIONS:
There was 1 Lord deletion in the last four weeks.
Take a few moments to mourn the following:
MakMorn, Lord 29, human sorcerer
May he find what he seeks outside the realm.
------------------
NEW HERO ADDITIONS:
No Hero update this month, Kenji. The Herolist command
seems to be broken. Perhaps it'll be fixed next month. :)
------------------
TOP LEVELERS:
This is the top ten-ish levelers at the Hero and Lord tiers
during the last four weeks. Perhaps in four weeks your name
will show up here, too. Good luck, and level a lot the next
four weeks.
Disclaimer: if you didn't show up in the hero/lord list four
weeks ago, you won't show up here. Sorry.
last month leaders
Yany 136 Raslin 531
top 10ish Lord levelers top 10ish Hero levelers
Yany 97 Herolist is broken.
Bertrand 46 maybe it'll be fixed
Haldol 42 next month. :)
Hahati 41
Rosetta 41
ToSsStyLeZ 40
Natalia 35
Elwar 30
Tammo 28
Windancer 28
/
o======|=====================> <=====================|======o
/
A Table of Adventurers
by Angel Kenji
Otto glared down at the empty tankard between his hands. He
would have to get up from his bench and confront the bartender
to get a refill, and with the mood the large man behind the
bar had been in, Otto didn't look forward to it.
His brother continued to talk for the benefit of the entire
party at the table. Excited and animated, the shorter
brother was now half standing as he described his narrow
escape from the guards of Midgaard. Otto smiled as he
thought about his brother's penchant for exaggeration. He
didn't quite recall there being that many guards or the
fights being quite so perilous.
The pretty redhead across the table from Otto smiled as she
finished her stew. She too, knew of the younger man's love
of the tall tale, and grinned as she listened. Their last
exploit into Midgaard had been a profitable one and, with
everyone in their close party coming home, was to be
considered a successful adventure. As she looked about the
table, she thought about the close-knit group she had come
to consider her family.
There was Otto, the handsome man who was good with his
sword. Otto was only a couple years older than she, and
had caught her eye in the past. But she was sure that he
was more interested in profits than settling down, and so
she had never let her feelings be known.
His younger brother was the comedian of the group. He was
also incredibly gifted with his hands, and there had never
yet been a lock that wouldn't yield its treasures to his
touch. Also, the reason their last venture into Midgaard
had been so profitable was in part because of his quick
hands. Several coin purses found their way into his
possession when he walked by. Nicknamed 'Wolfie' by his
older brother, she couldn't even think of what his real
name was.
The leader of their group sat at the end of the table. A
larger man, and a few years older than she, Sieghard was
clearly the most experienced of their small party. He was
also the best fighter, and had proven his skill many times
over in the past. Quiet and brooding, they had all learned
to leave Sieghard alone after an adventure, while he
analyzed and pondered the performance of the group. He was
an unyielding taskmaster when it came to perfection, and
he demanded that each group member master their skills. He
made everyone around him better.
Uda thought about her role in the group. She never thought
she would be an adventurer like this, but then, when she
left her village, she really didn't know what was in
store for her. Talented with a sword, she handled herself
as well as any of the men in the group. She took pride
in knowing that she could hold her own.
Otto noticed Uda staring off into nowhere, and asked if
she were okay. Smiling up at him, she responded, "I'm
fine, just a bit tired." She wanted to say more, but
stopped.
Just as Otto was about to comment to his brother about
his ears getting tired, there was a loud crash at the
back of the bar. The sound of several pans falling to
the ground, and then a loud scream, brought Otto to his
feet. Craning his neck to look around the corner, he
yelled to Frau Kruger to inquire if she were okay.
The Frau and Herr Kruger had run the Weisspferd for
longer than he could recall, and he had come to view
them as his family.
Just as he looked around the corner, an arrow whizzed
past his head and buried itself in the wall behind him.
The sounds of a fight brought his entire group to their
feet. Unsheathing his sword and rounding the corner, he
saw a large group of brigands battling Herr Kruger
over the bar. A large ogre clad in plate mail armor
was doing face to face battle with Herr Kruger, while
an elvish mage stood to the back, speaking in the
mystical words of magic. A small gnome sneaked along
the back wall behind the bar, approaching Herr Kruger
from his back, while a large centaur reached across
the bar, striking Herr Kruger in the side with his
sword.
Herr Kruger was streaming blood from several wounds
on his chest and shoulders. Thrusting across the bar
with his large sword, Kruger pierced through the
joint of the plate armor to strike the ogre in his
shoulder. The ogre howled in pain, and tried a weak
attempt at parrying Kruger's thrust. But with his
attention turned to the ogre, Kruger missed the small
gnome padding up behind him, and grunted as the gnome's
dagger struck home in his back. Blood streamed forth
from Herr Kruger's mouth, and he collapsed forward
onto his bar.
The centaur reached his hand out to his ogre companion
and recited a few words, and the blood stopped
streaming from the joint in his armor. Looking relieved,
the ogre now turned his attention to Otto and his party.
Otto glared at the ogre and growled, "You're going to
pay dearly for that." He started forward to avenge
the death of Herr Kruger, and he could only assume,
his beloved wife as well. Just as he got near the ogre
leader of the group, an arrow struck Otto in his left
side, as he now realized he missed another elf in the
group, this one standing near the door to the street
holding a longbow. Otto grunted as the barbs of the
arrow dug into his flesh. It wasn't the worst injury he
had ever suffered, but it certainly hurt.
His brother Wolfie screamed and lunged at the elvish
mage, while Uda and Sieghard both threw themselves at
the party. Otto traded a few sword swings with the ogre,
while the ogre carefully positioned himself between
Wolfie and the mage. The ogre now traded blows with both
Otto and Wolfie, while the mage began chanting more
mystical words. Otto yelled for his brother to get out
of the way of the mage, but his words came too late.
A searing bolt of energy left the mage's outstretched
hands and surrounded his brother. Wolfie screamed as
his body was racked with pain, and Otto could only
stare in horror as his little brother collapsed on the
ground in front of him.
Sieghard slashed his scimitar down at the small gnome,
and his blade struck home as the gnome staggered from
a large wound across his chest. The ogre warrior
moved to his right and placed himself in front of
Sieghard, as his glowing sword struck Sieghard's
sword arm. Sieghard howled as he dropped his scimitar,
blood streaming from a fresh wound in his right arm.
Otto thrust his sword forward to stab the ogre warrior
while his attention was turned on Sieghard, but the
ogre was too fast and turned back to parry his thrust.
Brandishing his shield in front of him, the ogre
slammed his body forward, and Otto found himself
knocked to the ground, his body sliding back into
the legs of the table he sat at just a few minutes
earlier.
As Otto scrambled back to his feet, he saw the lovely
Uda locked in battle with the centaur. Uda was bleeding
from several wounds on her arms, and the centaur was
reaching back for another swipe with his sword. Otto
looked to the side and saw the elf archer draw another
arrow back on his bow, aiming towards the elder leader
of their group.
Otto tried to scream to warn his leader, but the
words just gurgled in his throat, as he felt the tiny
dagger bury itself in his lungs. He had lost track of
the gnome, and his stupidity betrayed him now. The
gnome's eyes glistened as he looked in Otto's face,
and Otto slumped to the ground. Feeling the strength
slipping from him, he looked up to see the fate of
his friends.
The arrow had struck home in Sieghard. This arrow had
pierced through Sieghard's armor, and the large man
had collapsed, unmoving. Otto turned his fading
attention to Uda, just in time to see the cleric's
sword strike home. Uda collapsed, her head facing
Otto as he lay on the ground. As his life faded from
him, he looked into the eyes of the lovely Uda, her
pretty red hair falling around her face.
The last sounds Otto heard was the leader ordering
one of his groupmates, "Search them for gold. Split
what you find."
Another voice piped up, "That was pretty good
experience. A few more of those, and I'll level."
ooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOo
Merck's Recipe for Homemade "Twinkies and Jelly Rolls"
Inspired by KoalaKnight
Take your favorite cake mix and prepare according to the
directions on the box.
Once the cake has cooled, cut it horizontal to the table
about 1/2" thick, so you're getting pieces the same shape as
the original cake, just thinner.
Then prepare the filling.
Cream filling is simple:
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 Tablespoons of sugar
Whip together until soft peaks form
Fruit filling is a little tougher:
Take your favorite fruit cut (or leave whole if berries)
into about 1/2" pieces.
Put them into a small sauce pan with 1 Tablespoon of sugar.
Add enough water to not quite cover the fruit.
Bring to boil then reduce heat and simmer until fruit is very
soft.
While mixture is simmering mash some of the fruit to make a
"sauce". Thicken with a cornstarch slurry (mix 1 teaspoon
cornstarch and 2 tsps water). Add enough of the slurry to
thicken (note: sauce has to be at the boil). The slurry will
thicken the sauce very quickly, so add it very slowly.
This fruit "sauce" should be a little tart; sweeten with
sugar if desired.
Spread either filling onto 1 of the pieces of cake, then
cut the cake into squares about 4x4 and roll into a "log".
Refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
Enjoy.
Merck
"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"
A Lesson Learned from Krelian
by Kenji
I leaned back in my chair, kind of taken aback. I had just
read the email from Snikt about Krelian's passing. I didn't
know Krelian as well as some of the other players on here,
but our conversations had always been pleasant. He seemed
like a nice guy.
My wife walked in, and could see the look on my face. She
asked what was wrong, and I told her. She said "Gee, it
seems like someone is always dying on AVATAR. First, that
Ronan guy you mentioned, now this guy." I didn't have the
inclination to tell her that Ronan passed away almost five
years ago. Besides, wives are never wrong.
I started to think about what she said. It does seem like
tragedies strike people here on AVATAR quite a bit. But
is this because of some cosmic force that draws tragedies
to AVATAR players?
I started to think about all the people I know in real
life who have passed away. Two grandfathers. An uncle. A
young girl in a car accident. That kid in high school. The
two guys I worked with. Many others.
When you compare the numbers, it works out pretty much the
same. Real life tragedies strike people here on AVATAR at
the same rate as they do the people I know in real life.
It occurred to me then. People here in AVATAR are real, in
real life. People that I see, logged in to AVATAR, are
real. Real feelings. Real experiences.
The people I have come to count as friends here, are more
than text. Asghan, HealerHawk, Jakkbam. People like Laucian,
Madgor and KoalaKnight. All the Angels, Staff, Imms and
players that I have come to know and love. They are all
real people sitting at their keyboards.
Just like Krelian was. A real, young man.
I learned then to stop taking my fellow Avatarians for
granted. I've noticed that I'm now taking the time to talk
to a few more people. More than just a passing greeting as
I log in. Because they are more than just text. They're
people.
Thanks for the reminder, Krelian. I'm sorry I didn't get to
talk with you more. I won't let the opportunity pass with
another.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Website of the Month - Avatar Quest Contest Site
http://www.outland.org/quest/docs/questcontest.php
Have a creative flair for quest ideas? Want the help of our
quest staff in running your idea? Want to earn quest points
for getting to kill your fellow players?
Read up on the Summer 2004 Quest Contest! The Quest Team
is looking for your quest ideas, and is willing to reward
great ideas!
So, what do you have in mind? A massive, global campaign? A
new scrabble-like game? A free-for-all in the arena?
Submit your ideas to the quest team now!
=============================================================
This is the new Avatar Gazette. It is published with the
permission and cooperation of the Avatar staff by Angel Kenji.
(Original concept by Asamaro and Dizzy.)
The Gazette is written in plain vanilla ASCII text to ensure
that everyone can enjoy it regardless of computer type.
To subscribe to the Gazette, send internet e-mail to
gazette-request@outland.org. In the body of your
email put:
subscribe username@hostname (MudName - RealName)
eg subscribe snikt@outland.org (Snikt - Kevin Jagh)
Your real name is optional for the Gazette list.
eg subscribe snikt@outland.org (Snikt)
If you have any questions, comments, suggestions, criticisms,
compliments, or (best of all) articles that you've written
for the Gazette, please send them to Kenji via my e-mail
address: gazinput@outland.org Please use 'Gazette' as your
subject.
You can also view the latest issue of the Gazette while
playing Avatar by typing 'help newgaz' anywhere in the game,
or on the design web site at
http://www.outland.org/design/gazette.html
Original credit for Ascii art or other submissions is given
if known.
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