___The Official AVATAR___________________________________
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________________________________________ 02 Oct, 1999 ___
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`~-._|
` ~ )Telnet to Avatar at: avatar.walrus.com 3000
- // Visit the Avatar web page at:
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Table of Contents
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1. Editorial by Dizzy
2. Change by Annastasia
3. My very first MUD - ever! By Morague
4. Delete NOW by Grant (the delete monkey)
5. The Vampire Chickens by Marvin
________________________________
1. Editorial by Dizzy
________________________________
Everyone needs a hobby. Something to engage the mind, will, and emotions
to such an extent that the cares of RL retreat into the background. We are
fearfully and wonderfully made in such a way that we are able to focus
with intense passion on our preoccupations...our hobbies.
I love to read. I'm currently revisiting Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's
intriguing characterizations of Sherlock Holmes, and his only friend Dr.
Watson. It's a running joke at my house that when I'm deep into a book
only the eyes and page-turning hand are still in this reality...all other
life has transcended this dimension. In short, I can be so intensly into
the story that jackhammers in the street, screaming children, and even Orc
hordes at the gate don't break through into "where I am".
I love to MUD. I've heard sharp criticism of players that seem to LIVE on
Avatar: "Yeah! No wonder is already . He/She
doesn't have a life! They LIVE here 24x7, for -sake!" I
don't criticize because I am also blessed (cursed?) with the ability to
suddendly realize that I've been playing for 10 hours straight....and
can't believe that the time has slipped by so quickly.
I admire the dedication, powers of concentration, and requisite skill to
achieve Hero and Lord in amazingly short timeframes. These are the power
MUDders, and I applaud them. You frequently hear me talking about
enjoying the journey as you travel through Avatar. Smell the flowers!
Explore! See how many times you can tickle Pestilence before you arrive on
the cloud!...... The power MUDder lives on the other side of the same
coin, and the thrill for them (us?) transcends poetic room descriptions
and mob interactions unless you are a very, very fast reader and
interacter.
Here's to the Oak heads. May your tribe increase.
Diz
________________________________
2. Change by Annastasia
________________________________
Little newbie #2813 awoke with a frightening start,
and put his delicate hand on his still beating heart.
With a frantic look around, he took in what he saw,
and felt a fear so new and raw.
He was on the cloud he thought with a weary sigh,
but where was the mysterious candle guy?
With a start he realized he had a magic ball,
all tucked into his back pocket, that's all.
He walked down and saw Nom standing there and began to feel at ease,
didn't have a care Little newbie #2813
got his corpse and all was ok,
(or so they say)
But when he went to his recall,
this ..place.. was new, yet quite dull.
With a sinking heart, he typed
- his recall was extinct, from the universe it did tear.
He never felt as alone as he did that day,
He whispered softly, "I wish I may,
I wish I might,
find a friend.. even a foe to help me out of this plight.."
Fearing for his sanity, he whispered, "Sanctum" quietly.
If change he did see once again, he would but flee,
for he could not take this place,
where no one knew his face.
When Little Newbie #2813 got there a most astouding thing did occur,
his friends were before him, even his Kzinti friend with fur,
his Sprite friend with wings so majestic and true,
and with a smile so grand, he realized his problems were few.
He understood now, that change is bound to come
to every person, and all of us, not just some.
Yet even while everything spins out of sight,
you still have your friends - old and new - to show you the light.
________________________________
3. My very first MUD - ever! By Morague
________________________________
I started playing Avatar a year ago because my boys were spending a lot of
time "mudding" & I wanted to see just what they were up to :) Their advice
to me was "Just start a human warrior, Mom, you can't get into too much
trouble with that & besides you'l l get groups real easy."
So, I started Morague. I went through Mudschool & got my promotion, read
the help files & asked the boys lots of questions. I was level 5 when they
went to bed. I played some more, got lost a few times & somehow I ended up
at the Park. Well, I was pretty confident by this time & there was this
silly, little duck there & I had been killing all kinds of animals in the
meadow, so I attacked the duck. Next thing I know I was on this cloud - I
had died! I was in a pure panic because I didn't know how to get ba ck to
the Park & everyone was asking me if I needed help & I didn't know how to
reply. I tried to go get off the cloud but it kept telling me
"Nah.....you're too relaxed." Finally someone told me I had to stand up
first! Sheesh :)
A little past 10th level some little mage asked my to group him & I said
that I didn't know how to group & that I was really bad at this game, but
he said "don't worry, just kill the mobs". We grouped, he led me to the
Shire where there were a bunch of yo uths milling about. Now up until this
point I had not killed a single child! I though it was bad to kill
children, so I just killed lots of animals, goblins & torsos :) My mage
friend said "Kill you"...pause..."Kill you". Well, I thought he was pretty
mad at me if he wanted to kill me, but I also knew that Avatar did not
have player killing. We got it sorted out after a lengthy discussion :)
Now I had some real information! Some "children" were evil & it is ok to
slay them & I didn't have to type out the mob's whole name! Boy, after
that things got much easier.
I progressed along quite nicely, usually only dying once every other
level. Pretty soon I was close to level 20 & a nice hero gave me some
equipment. Later that day Gigi spoke to our group. I was so impressed that
such a high level Hero would speak to us! She asked me if I was good & I
proceeded to tell her that I was trying very hard to learn the game, but
that I really wasn't doing very well. Everyone bonked me! "She was asking
about your alignment, silly." Doh! Someone explained how aff worked at
this time, too.
As I grouped I asked questions & kept reading the help files, I started
buying vials & learned how to compare equipment. Around level 35 another
Hero gave me some more equipment & pretty soon I had a real mess. I had to
figure out a better plan because I was having problems remembering what
gear was for what. I made notes, but then I couldn't find them when I was
getting close to leveling. My son suggested that I get a bag or a pouch to
put the level gear in, that way I would know what was level gear & wh at
was not. Now I was really cruising!
Finally the day came - I Heroed! Me!! I was so excited, it was all a blur.
Mags took me to Sanctum (my first time there!) I thought Sanctum was just
for Heroes & Lords. There were several Ladies & Lords there & Mags
introduced me all around. Right away so meone noticed that my equipment
was pretty shabby - they said "Gosh, it's been a long time since I've seen
a new hero using the Golden Feather as a holdable." I am certain they all
felt extremely sorry for me, because next thing I knew I had some new, bet
ter gear.
I put my name up on "Who group" all the time & just as my son said in the
beginning - I did get invited to join groups. Was I ever in for a shock. I
had no idea you could go through areas that fast! I gave up trying to read
everything. When I was close to leveling, I changed gear & my tank nearly
fell over :) He was wondering why I had so much stuff to put on! I tried
to explain that it was my level gear, this time I learned that all of the
equipment has stats & since I had trained my stats to the maximum , I only
needed a few pieces of equipment to get my stats up. I didn't really need
6 or 7 pieces of level gear. At Hero level 7 I got Identify & was able to
figure most of it out.
I learned to carry extra vials & got a displacer cloak so I wouldn't get
separated from the tank. I listened to what each tank told me. Wear your
displacer cloak, sneak, move hidden. Don't autosac or autoloot corpses.
Bash & smash if you can. Get some hea ling gear to help out. Learn your
spells (good thing I saved all those practice points :)) There was only
one problem - now I needed to worry about.......mana & I didn't have any,
but I found out that there was a way to get some from equipment & that you
wear this equipment when you are regenning.
Pretty soon I was doing OK. I was learning. I started exploring the
different areas. One night there weren't any groups, so I thought I would
explore the Haunted Forest. I started mapping it, I thought I was pretty
safe - I was invisible, sneaking & movin g hidden & I conned the mobs &
they were all easy. It was really neat - I found a secret trap door! This
was the first secret I had found. I went down & discovered a
long-forgotten cave. There was a danger message above the door, so I
scanned every room. Luckily I saw those Glowing Red Eyes in a room to the
east as I explored this cave, so I avoided it. I kept reading the room
descriptions - this sure was a cold place. I ran right into the Ice
Dragon! In mana gear, in offensive stance! Well, needless to s ay, I died.
But that wasn't all - the Ice Dragon is a corpse eater! There were some
wonderful Lords & Ladies & a special angel who helped me out. Thanks!
The rest of my time has been pretty uneventful, until the other night. You
see, I'm making a map of Avatar & I needed to know what is on the eastern
edge of Apocalypse (for the map). I've learned a lot. I don't explore in
mana gear anymore & I always spel l up first. I was careful, too. I
scanned rooms & even used Danger Scan. There was a bad mob to the east, by
an altar, so I decided to leave that place, but I must have typed e
instead of w because the next thing I knew, Pestilence was obliterating
me. Ma ny Lords & Ladies helped me yet again. Thanks again!
I've given up mapping Apocalypse for now. It will just have to wait :)
Maybe I'll try to figure out the Moose Lodge!
Thanks, Avatar, for a great year!
________________________________
4. Delete NOW by Grant (the delete monkey)
________________________________
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Please note, that this is simply a letter from a company which has decided
to advertise on the gazette. It does not reflect the attitudes of any of
the staff members of AVATAR.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear MUDder:
Why, hello! I am your new representitive from the Delete Now Foundation,
which is based in the 7th Plane of Hell, right next to the Foundation of
Divorce Attorneys and the bog pit. Although I doubt you could stop by
right now, I'd just like to take this time to introduce myself as well as
tell you a few exciting things.
My name is Grant and I'm a delete monkey. I know what you're thinking. A
monkey? Well, what better way for me to get onto your back about deleting,
I say! We were bred and given the ability to persuade by some of the best
devils of Hell, so fear not about our ability to get you to delete, and
get you to delete quickly!!! Some of you are already familiar with our
program and knew the previous manager of AVATAR, Howard. He retired this
month and we'll miss him greatly. Last time I saw him he was setting up a
beach chair next to the bog pit with a glass of fruit punch.
As I said, my job is here to help you. There are many of you out there who
saw that I was going to talk about deletion and you could not resist
reading more. You know you want to delete. I'm here to help. Do not fear
the unknown, I say! If you feel unwanted, by all means delete away! It is
a simple 3 part step. Delete , delete confirm, and then you need
to email my foundation so that I can fill my monthly quota.
There have been people arguing that you'll regret deleting as soon as it
happens. Those people simply want to keep the enjoyment of freedom from
you. Do not believe them. Let me repeat that because it is so true you
cannot hear it enough...DO NOT BELIEVE THEM! The real world is out there
and it is waiting for you. If you want to discuss the beauty of deletion
more, or want to contribute to the Delete Now Foundation, feel free to
drop by my office within the game. My name is Grant, and I'm looking
forward to helping you make the best choice of your life.
Sincerely,
Grant, the Delete Monkey
Delete Now Foundation
7th Plane of Hell
________________________________
5. The Vampire Chickens by Marvin
________________________________
One day after while resting after a successful attack on Gishes of the
outland plane 4 lords, Chuft (the fearless kzin war), IronGrip (a troll
powerhouse), Kalico (cleric extraordinaire) and Marvin (the Martian mage),
were interrupted by a summons from the Immortal farmer Dizzy for help.
(It seems that one of his experiments on his chickens has gone awry.
(Dizzy was trying to find a way to make the chickens bigger and stronger
to be able to defend themselves from the forest surrounding his humble
abode))
A large nexus opens up next to the table these four lords are sitting at,
and not even a second later a large explosion is heard from the other end
of it. Without a second thought they jumped up and entered the nexus to see
what had happened to their old friend.
Upon reaching the end of the nexus they found that the room was a shambles,
large beams had fallen from the ceiling and the door was hanging on its
hinges. The floor was covered in blood and chicken feathers of all sizes.
(Some which are extremely large). Outside the door the 4 lords can see more
feathers in the darkness and can hear the sounds of chickens squawking.
Glancing around the room, Dizzy was nowhere to be found, so the 4 lords
went to see if he was outside and to find out why Dizzy's pride and joy
livestock were making so much noise when they should be asleep. Chuft and
IronGrip leave the room first with Kalico and Marvin right behind them.
Chuft having the better eyesight points at something rather large near the
tree line. IronGrip moves ahead to see what it is Chuft was pointing at. All
of a sudden eight chickens about six feet tall run out of the brush and
start tearing IronGrip to pieces and then start drinking his blood.
The 3 remaining lords decide to back off inside the workshop to prepare for
a battle against these large vampiric chickens. Marvin webs the door to
prevent the chickens from entering, Chuft gets his gear ready and Kalico
casts requiem to keep the corpse and soul of IronGrip in status until they
can rescue him. Then all 3 lords prepare themselves with spells of protection
to attack these foul beasts.
After Marvin dispels the web, and Chuft jumps into the fray his sword and
shield slashing away, Kalico staying in the shadows casting heals while
Marvin throws spell after spell at the chickens. After 10 minutes of solid
fighting and casting there is only one chicken dead, Kalico drops down from
exhaustion. Marvin notices that the first rays of light dawn are approaching
so protects himself and the body of IronGrip from the deadly rays of the sun
with a dark embrace.
As the sun starts to come over the horizon, Chuft finally falls, and knowing
there isn't much he can do Marvin summon all the last of his magic to summon
a massive meteor shower down on the battle field stunning all the chickens and
slumps down against the doorway exhausted.
As Marvin sits there waiting for the chickens to get their bearings, the first
rays of the morning sun start to shine, causing the chickens start to smoke.
The chickens start to squawk loud and burn faster. After a few minutes Kalico
sits up and notices IronGrip is still down casts regeneration on him to help
kick in his trolls natural regeneration.
Finally all the chickens are all smoking husks, IronGrip wakes up and groans
as his wounds quickly start to close. Getting to his feet he picks up the
unconscious Chuft and carries him back to the workshop. After resting for a few
hours everyone is awake and mostly functional. Marvin stands and decides to try
to do a locate item for Dizzy's staff which he always walks around with. The
locate item points Marvin to a hidden door at the back of the workshop that has
a large beam barring it shut. Chuft and IronGrip both use all their strength to
move the bar so Marvin can open the door. Inside the room the lords find Dizzy
who is quite happy to see them. After getting out of the room Dizzy comments on
changing the no transport and silence wards in the room so he can get out of it
case the door ever gets jammed like that again.
The 4 lords make Dizzy promise to never modify the chickens again, and instead
suggest a good ranger who can track the foxes and relocate them to somewhere
else to leave his chickens alone. With that done, the 4 lords go back through
the nexus to ThornGate Keep to heal and sleep.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The Avatar Gazette is what you've just been reading, and it is the
official newsletter of Avatar, it is published weekly by Dizzy, in
conjunction with The Avatar Staff.(Original concept by Asamaro).
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@avatar.walrus.com. In the body of your
email put:
subscribe username@hostname (MudName - RealName)
eg subscribe snikt@walrus.com (Snikt - Kevin Jagh)
Your real name is optional for the Gazette list.
eg subscribe snikt@walrus.com (Snikt)
You can FTP back issues of the gazette from ftp.walrus.com in
/pub/avatar/gazette.
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 Dizzy via my e-mail address:
dizzy@avatar.walrus.com.
You can also view the latest issue of the Gazette while playing
Avatar by typing 'help newgaz' anywhere in the game, or by surfing
our web site!
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