September 2002

The next meeting of the High Council shall be on Monday, September 30th at 8pm CST in the Magincia Parliment building of Trammel. Topics for the evening's discussion shall include news regarding new Town Councils being established, two or three proposals ranging from a royal city charter to be used by the High Council members who are spearheading the foundation of new city governments to a reformation proposal to lessen the chance of corruption in governments.

I also have a couple annoucements:

The High Council is now accepting applications for the head of the newly formed Office of the High Council Press and Publicity. The Office's duties would include bringing news of the High Council to the public via town criers in the cities of Britannia and also making official documents, laws, statements of the Council prior to each public meeting. Applicants should include their name, background, and reasons for wanting to start up this new office. The Council is looking for a serious minded person who isn't afraid of a fairly large undertaking, as the selected candidate's first duty would be the building of this office.

In addition, I would also like to mention that the High Council now has a site on the web. The site is incredibly well designed and includes almost anything you might need to know about the council. Its creator, Ra'Dian Fl'Gith did a wonderful job. My thanks to him. It can be viewed at: http://64.94.44.84/council/

As always, the public is encouraged to attend the meeting on Monday and I look forward to seeing you all there!
Doctor Jerred Ghyss,
Chancellor of Virtue

Sorry for the short notice, but Lilly Thann and Nate
Byrd's wedding has been postponed due to real life
issues for many of the wedding party. We apologize for
this late notice and we will surely announce it as
soon as we set a new date.

Nate & Lilly

Hail Britannia,

By now, many of you have heard of the newest race to appear here in Britannia.. the Solen. Your military has been working around the clock to find more information on the solen in order to protect the citizenry of Britannia. As a result of our intelligence gathering, I am compelled to issue a Travel Advisory across the entire nation.

Solen antholes have appeared near roadways throughout Britannia, most prevalently near Vesper, Near Skara Brae, and on the North Road between Yew and Vesper.

The Solen are inherently hostile toward non-insect life, this means that they are a thread to Humanoids, Mounts, and Stablery pets. If you are planning a journey, we advise caution.

I have deployed the Royal Knights to help secure the roads, but there are so many Solen that we cannot guarantee your safety while travelling. We welcome freelancers, privateers, and fortune seekers to assist our efforts.

Thank you,

Marquis Alazraham
Grand Marshall of Virtue,
Britannian Military Force

You might notice a new feature over to the left there, the DS180 WebMail feature. This allows all of you out there with DS180 pop3 accounts to check your E-mail over the web, and you wont have to worry about Yahoo and Hotmail attaching ads to the bottom of your messages.

For those of you who don't have a DS180 E-mail, you can get one, but they're limited. For the moment, I'm restricting the number to 10 on a first-come first-serve basis. DS180 mail has the virtue that you can pick virtually any name you want, and it won't be taken.

If you're interested, send a mail to seafort@ds180.net using your present E-mail address, and let me know you'd like a spot in the WebMail program.

Hail readers!

I've removed the Automatic submit feature today due to the fact that nobody actually used it properly, which resulted in mashed up posts like the two below this one.

From now on, you'll need to use Manual Submit, or send your submission to seafort@ds180.net

From Nate Byrd:

Hear ye, hear ye, We would like to announce the joyous event of a wedding for all of Britannia to come and enjoy. Vesper Ambassador Lilly Thann and TAT owner Nate Byrd will be wed for all to witness on Saturday, September 28th at 8pm under the central skies. The location for the wedding is the top of Yew Abbey. Gates will be made available for about 15 minutes from before the wedding to the time of the beginning of the wedding from Skara and Vesper bank and Tales and Ales Tavern. Once again When: 8pm under the Central Skies, Saturday September, 28th Where: Top of Yew Abbey Gates available from Skara Bank, Vesper Bank and Tales and Ales Tavern. A reception to be held after the wedding at Tales and Ales. Lilly makes a request that no bloodshed occurs at the wedding and that if enemies are at the wedding to let them be unless they start something first. She says this is a happy event and that it doesn't need to be christened with the spilling of blood, no matter if the enemies are enemies of the state. If any trouble arises she will cordially boot the trouble makers off the top of the abbey.

Tales and Ales Tavern needs your help, whether it be you individually or your guild. My staff and I need to find guilds that are willing to host a night every week or every other week. Due to my schedule (don’t we all love college?), I am unable to host Tuesday and Wednesday nights. These are mainly the two nights we need a guild to host, whether it just be tending the bar or holding large, exciting events. Currently, Tales and Ales employs the help of the Yew Militia on Thursday nights, but other than that, it is our staff that does much of the work. Also, Tales and Ales Tavern is in need of some bartenders, barmaids and most other forms of help. Tales and Ales, as some of you know, has its own guild stone. This guild is an RP PvM/Merchant , mainly consisting of characters whom help tend the bar. We are in need of help at the moment, as many of us have grown busy with college and work. We are looking for dedicated, hard working people who enjoy talking and… ermm… serving drinks! If you or your guild is interested in either of these, please contact me via ICQ at 1743120, via our forums at http://pub89.ezboard.com/btalesandales or via e-mail, at williambirkin34@yahoo.com Thanks for taking your time to read this! Nate Byrd Tales and Ales Tavern www.talesandales.com

Just a reminder -- due to the chaos of the events last night, the High Council Meeting has been postponed until tonight, Tuesday the 24th at 8pm CST. The meeting will still take place at the same location -- the Skara Brae Town Hall in Trammel. Thank you.

Dr. Jerred Ghyss,
Chancellor of Virtue

Affixed to lampposts throughout Britannia:

Minoc:
-Minoc Town Goverment is setting up and is looking for people interested in helping.
-Problems with Bregan's D'Aerth have sprung up since the installment of the new goverment.
-Minoc and its defenders, Highland Guard, asked the High Council to declare war on the Bregan's D'Aerth and have them removed.


Moonglow:
-Citizens of Moonglow, or well of the farmers of farmland south of Moonglow proper, have begun to riot over equal representation.
-Councilor Kellor, acting leader of the Moonglow Magus Council, ordered General Basil and Third Army into South Moonglow to quell the uprisings.
-General Basil and Third Army were investigating matters involving the Coven with the uprising, upon which they were attacked when they tried to bring Ariyana Sune in for questioning.


Skara Brae:
-Councilor Cornelius and Dark Fool have begun the initial process of setting up a town goverment in Skara Brae, see them for more details.
-Ranger Enforcers of Sosoria offered to protect Skara Brae for the new goverment.


Trinsic:
-The Trinsic Goverment tried to secede from Britannia.
-Duke Gurney is helping set up a new local and political goverment.
-Mayor Tyrone and Councilor Lotus have stepped down as the political leaders of Trinsic, but will remain as events coordinators.


Lore Denin and the Ankh:
-The Ankh is involved in creating a local community called Whispering Winds east of Skara Brae.
-Lore Denin continues his campaign to be Lord Regent of Britannia.


Crusader's of Virtue:
-Papas Alaric has been injured and left for death. His location is unknown and the Crusaders, especially Lisa LeVey, are in a panic.
-Knight Brothers Thunder andTym and Knight Maiden Gilhoa aid Storm in finding her baby taken from her shortly after birth.


Ranger Enforcers of Sosoria:
-Members Jasmine and Dark Fool were married, the wedding took place in Haven.


Coven of the Secret Shadow:
-Tempers continue to heat within the Coven towards the current goverment of Moonglow.
-Someone is seeking Ari's surrogate brother, Thunders.
-Just finished the Mabon Ceremony over the weekend at the Harvest Moon Festival
-Will be having the Samhein Festival around Halloween.


Temple of Mondain:
-Duran has returned from his quest, where a balron has agreed to grant him power.
-Duran is supposed to return soon to this Balron, with another.
-Trullivan has accused Jakob of the Highland Guard of murder for attacking Mondainites that were interfering in the war between the Guard and the Bregan's D'Aerth.


High Council:
-The High Council has at this time chose not to recognize Lore Denin as Lord Regent.
-Declared war on Bregan's D'Aerth for their attacks on Minoc.
-Are investigating the possibility of action agains the Coven for their apparent involvement in many different criminal plots.
-Will meet tonight (23rd) in the Skara Brae Town Hall at 8 Cst, in trammel.


Tales and Ales:
-Aislyn Byrd was apprehended after her infliction of pain upon Councilor Thann and the murder of her unborn child.
-Justicar Edguardo decided not to have Aislyn Byrd placed on trial for now.

As always, just a quick reminder:

The High Council of Great Lakes will be meeting on Monday, September 23rd, 8 CST in Trammel at the Town Hall in Skara Brae. An emphasis will be placed during this meeting for those seeking ambassadorship or representation on the council (such places as Germania and Newcastle). Leaders from these communities are encouraged to attend.

Look forward to seeing you there!
-Dr. Jerred Ghyss, Chancellor of Virtue

From Lore Denin:

Hail Citizens of Britannia,

For those who do not know me, I am Lore Denin, Paladin of the Virtues, and founder of the Ankh of Unity.

A few weeks ago, I stood before the High Council seeking support of my claim to be Lord Regent of Britannia. In the absence of our Lord, Lord British, I hope to take on the duties of King in his absence until his return or another Monarch named. It is not on the strength of documents which name me Lord Regent that I dare take on such responsibilities but the truth of my character, faith in our government and the love for the people and kingdom of Britannia.

This Monday, September 23rd, I shall begin an eight-week campaign throughout our magical and beautiful lands. The journey will take me through the many cities of Kingdom as well as the wilds. The purpose of this campaign is to hear the voices of the citizens, learn their thoughts and idea's and to reach people from all walks of life. It is my belief that with the support of the people, a Lord Regent can be successfully crowned and that with a Lord Regent and High Council, Britannia will be stronger and more closely united as it was in the days when Lord British sat upon the throne.

The Campaign will begin in the Southwest of the Kingdom in Trammel in the Bastion of Courage, the City of Serpents Hold. From there the path will head to Trinsic, Skara Brae, and then to Yew. From Yew we shall travel down to the cities of Cove, Vesper and Minoc. From where we shall set sail to Moonglow, Magnicia and Haven. The eight-week campaign will end in the Britain, the nation’s capital and city of compassion.

I shall travel without the use of transportation magics, with the hope no citizen is overlooked along the journey. Excursions will be taken into the wilds and even the dangerous dungeons. I will post a more detailed itinerary each week of the campaign detailing that leg of the journey, noting public meetings, events and hunts. These events are open to all citizens in the Kingdom.

I hope to see you in my travels, so that we may bring to life the dream that is Britannia,

Till All Are One,

Lore Denin, True Heart Seeker

From Jakob Covenant:

“Another rainy day in Minoc, and what do they have me doing?” asked Private McKinley, not caring who was listening, nor really expecting an answer. “I will tell ye what they have me doing,” continued McKinley, “digging ditches is what I am doing!” “I fripping joined the regiment to master the art of using a shovel, I did!” “When I left me home I told all the lads that I was going to realize me highest ambition in the Regiment: to be a master shoveler.” “And I swears to ye all that I will turn down any promotion that will part me from me dear shovel, and when I sees the enemy they will freeze in awe as they watch me dexterous manipulation of this fine digging tool!” continued Private McKinley as the soldiers digging with him got a good chuckle from the sarcasm.

“Nay laugh lads!” “This is high adventure.” More laughter ensues as McKinley keeps a stoic look on his face.

“That’s enough out of ye, McKinley, more work and less talk!” growled Corporal Nimn, “Ye should’ve been a bleedin’ bagpiper the way ye drone on, ye soggy lout!” “Now the sooner we get this ditch done, the sooner the construction squad can finish placing the wall here and we can go pursue McKinley’s type of high adventure at the tavern.”

Despite the complaining and the ribbing, the Black Watch soldiers of the Highland Guard worked at a fast pace, all eager to get out of the rain and into a warm shelter. The soldiers did not speak of it, but they all remembered the ambush at the Isle of Valor that took place just a few days ago. The Highlanders had all sailed to what was thought to be an uninhabited isle on a treasure hunting expedition. All knew that the mission was the last leg of a quest to recover the throne of the first Highland Chieftain, a relic of great historical value to them. And all the soldiers had hoped that there was also a large treasure of coin, gems, and jewels from which they would get a share. Most soldiers also knew that they would have had to contend with the large serpents and the usual cast of strong but slow monsters that normally protected treasure hordes. Ogre lords, demons, elementals, liches, would not have deterred the Highlanders from that expedition.

The patrol had worked its way through the thick jungle and arrived at the shrine of valor. The soldiers had froze as they saw a ghost dressed in traditional highland garb appear on the shrine. As the ghost had began to speak what seemed to be a warning, arrows streaked from behind some of the trees hitting various members of the patrol.

“It was the Drow that ambushed the patrol,” Lieutenant Marcus told the men that had remained at the garrison, “They rushed us with their dark blades dripping poison.” “Most dressed in strangely made armor which was as silent as they were, and their faces were black as the night which contrasted their snow white hair.” “If not for their obsidian skin, you would have thought them to be elves.” “And it was the Drow females that fought the fiercest, never underestimate them.” “The Drow caught us by surprise, they attacked with speed and ferocity, and in the end it was them that took the Throne and the spoils.”

The rain continued to gently torture the ditch squad. “I hears the veteran sergeants speak of how dangerous these Drow be,” piped up McKinley, “Fie I says!” “All elves be the same strange lot, be they pale and fey or dark and deadly, and I will knock their bleeding, pointy-eared, heads with me chuffing, eminently accurate shovel of vanquishing and ditch digging!”

“You will get your chance soon enough,” laughed Corporal Nimn, “The High Council approved the Commander’s proposal and we declared war on the Bregan D’aerth clan.” “But since you have finished this beautiful ditch, we will stop speaking of blood and war and go to the tavern to warm up!” “Aye, aye!” responded the squad as they beat soggy boots toward shelter.

From Kerowyn at UO.com:

Launched in 1997, Ultima Online stands as the longest-running, most successful online subscription-based game in the history of the interactive entertainment industry-and we're still growing!

Today, as we approach the 5th birthday of UO, Origin is proud to announce the opening of Lake Austin, our newest North American shard. The Lake Austin shard opens today, Wednesday, September 18th (CDT). It is the 12th North American Ultima Online shard, and is our 25th shard worldwide.

In honor of UO's 5th birthday, the new shard is being named after the twenty-two mile long body of water in Central Texas that runs right past the place where UO was born in 1997. The home office of Origin Systems, the central location for the creative vision of Ultima Online, overlooks the waters of beautiful Lake Austin from the high cliffs along its banks.

Initially, Lake Austin will be available only to players on new accounts (those created as of Sunday, September 15th, CDT) for a period of one month. This will ensure that players new to UO are given a period to learn the game and establish a solid foundation on the shard before it is opened to all players worldwide. For players interested in opening a new account and joining this shard, we are also featuring a special anniversary promotion, with 50% off the purchase of UO from participating games retailers Electronics Boutique, GameStop and Amazon.com during the period of September 20th - 30th, 2002! After 30 days, Lake Austin will be opened to all Ultima Online players, allowing the shard to develop the diversity and strong camaraderie found on other UO shards.

Please note that the Lake Austin shard will only be visible in the shard list to new accounts for the first 30 days.

From Mona Barrington:

I woke this morning in my Villa outside of Yew located in a peaceful part of the forest. What I woke to was not the sounds of the birds in the trees but a strange high pitched sound what was new to my ears. Leaping from my bed on the second floor I ran down the stairs to the livingroom to find a huge red ant at my front door. I said to myself " Mona Barrington, this is not an ordinary ant by any means".
Quickly I dressed and went to Brit to get help and it came in the means by Lord Fortubo. Together we tackled this hymenopterous insect of great stature. Knowing that ants exhibit social organization there would be more of these creatures nearby and indeed that was the case. I sent a pigeon to qtkat and she joined us. The three of us roamed the forest and killed many of these invaders, some stronger than others. So if you are feeling antsy get out there and hunt!
Fondly, Mona Barrington

Must... control... self... must... not... cuss...

*lips and an eye twitch*

Can't... be... for... real...

Even OSI... can't be this...

From Luke:

As the torch lit the way through the cavernous depths, Luke swiftly advanced, being only cautious enough as to not fall into one of the many rumored endless pits. He was getting closer, pushing cobwebs out of the way. He could feel it in his bones, ignoring the skeleton to his left. None other than greed was what drove Luke, for the pirate in him told him there was treasure to be found here. With the tattered map close at his side, and but a few lockpicks with him, the dastardly thief came to a rope suspended wooden bridge. Luke struck up another torch, then, tossing the first ahead of him, looked down and watched as it diminished into an ever shrinking light until, nothing.
This pirate was smarter than most, but one thing ever clouds a mans judgement such as him. That thing is greed, unpure, distorted, consuming greed. He quickly grabbed the brittle map from his pack and unfolded it ever so carefully. But, it did not matter, for the bridge is the last thing the map showed. "By de grave o' Cap'n Red Eye 'emself," the aging man cursed under his breath as he spit into that horrible darkness. "De tings I do fer dis wort'less plague beas *@#$," Luke thought to himself, "It'd betta be wort' an ale n' a wench." The pirate dug furiously into his leather pack again, clenching onto a rope. Tying one end of the rope to a stalagmite, and one end to his pouch of lockpicks, he slowly started spinning the coarse rope faster and faster. Then... *tttthhhhhHHWWAAAAAAAAAP!!!*
Luke felt a burning pain in his leg, spreading like lamp oil from a broken barrel, as he hit the cave floor like a falling rock. The pirate had been spotted by a gigantic black spider, with green fluid dripping like that same lamp oil from its fangs. He had to think fast as he was being drug. Luke whipped around his fiery torch as he held steadfast onto the rope, bashing the spider on it's head. The montrous black beast recoiled with the speed of a unicorn. Wounded, the pirate hastily drank a curing potion. The man was no good with a sword, nor very adept at magery. Using the heavy prickly rope, Luke began to whirl it around like an energy vortex, releasing it and letting it coil around the spider's hairy legs. He picked up a broken bone and thrust it forcefully into one of the black unforgiving eyes, killing the spider. That was that; the limping pirate took back his rope and left the vile creature, continuing back to the ledge of the endless drop.
Now completely enraged and the pulled by the lust of treasure, Luke hurled the weighted rope, hearing it hit vehemently onto the floor of the other side. He pulled it tight and made sure it could take the pressure, then headed across, having no light with which to see. Sweat and blood were dripping from the gruff man as he finally made it to the other side. Luke lit up another torch, much to his dismay, as he slowly lifted his eyes, for what he saw next was more than enough to cause most men to go insane with uncontrollable fear...

~continued later~

Sept 13/14/15 marked The Syndicate's 2002 World Conference in Washington DC. As one might expect from a guild of 550+ members, who's average age is 28+ years, turnout was huge with close to 100 people attending. On Saturday we held a large guild meeting. Another 50+ members participated in the meeting via a conference call.

via UO.com:

The follwing is an additional story for the FIRST week of scenario fiction. The fiction for week 2 will be published when the scenario gets back on schedule.

The Keg and Anchor in Trinsic was usually a calm place, where a weary traveler could stop in for cool ale and a hearty meal. The barkeeps always tried to keep the atmosphere relaxed and pleasant, with a good joke or an entertaining story. Most well-traveled adventurers knew they could find a night away from the rigors of battle and turmoil in a game of chess and a well-played round of dice-tossing in the warm setting of the pub.

Only one problem that occasionally broke the calm and that was Crazy Miggie. None of the Keg and Anchor regulars knew where Miggie came from, or what exactly had made him crazy in the first place. Truth be told, they found it hard to care after putting a few pints in their bellies. Miggie, like most famous beggars, was paranoid. He was convinced that every threat that had ever fallen Britannia was there to claim him for evil purposes too horrible to repeat.

Miggie fit the description of “crazy beggar” as if he had carefully researched it with a team of librarians and taken a “What do you consider to be an insane beggar?” poll across Britannia. His wild gray hair sloppily shot out in all directions, as if he has just had lightning bolt cast on him; his clothes stank as if he had washed them in a dead plague beast. His face was a maze of wrinkles with one eye that was nearly wrinkled shut. To say the least, Miggie was not a pleasant looking man. People avoided him whenever they could. Mongbats avoided him whenever they could.

Nevertheless, Miggie was familiar to those to frequented the Keg and Anchor and his heated ramblings had become more of an amusement than an annoyance, mainly out of necessity to those trying to enjoy themselves. Time and time again he ran into the pub screaming of danger when none was to be found. Miggie had a tendency to become very alarmed very late.

After Minax had laid siege to the entire city of Trinsic. things gradually returned to normal. The Keg and Anchor was no different. A fair number of patrons had returned on the pub’s reopening for an evening of drunken entertainment. Rodger the guard relaxed in his usual chair taking long gulps of ale in-between boisterous guffaws. Ledge the mage and his portly warrior companion Rul sat near Samuel the barkeep trading stories and taking turns buying rounds of drinks. They needed to relax after seeing the city overrun with undead and relaxing was something they could do professionally if there was money to be made in it. These men were so good at relaxing that they hardly batted an eyelash when Crazy Miggie burst in the door like some sort of Insanity Elemental.

“MINAX! She’s here! Run for your LIVES! She’s come to take over the entire city with her dead man friend! Do I smell bread? I swear I smell fresh brea…. SHE’LL KILL US ALL!!” Miggie grabbed Rodger by his tunic and tried to shake the man, but the burly guard was so strong that Miggie just seemed to flail about wildly.

Rodger nearly spit out his ale. “By the shrines, man! Minax was driven from the city two weeks ago! If you do not unhand me this instant I’m going to cut the stink off of you with my halberd!”

“That’s a good idea there, Rodger!” said Ledge from near the bar. “I’ve never seen a halberd of mongbat repelling, could be valuable!”

Rul laughed aloud and turned to Samuel the barkeep. “I think I’ll have to hold off on that next ale, Samuel. Clearly this Minax business needs to be taken care of. Take me to her, Miggie! I’ll tickle her out of town! She’s quite the looker.” He giggled.

“Why, Rul, what would your wife say if she could hear you?” asked Ledge.

“Wife? Wife! I knew I forgot something! Another ale, Samuel, I like what it does to me!” Rul and Ledge cackled loudly while Rodger did his best to shove Miggie away without touching him too much.

“I seen her! She’s outside right now! VIRTUES PROTECT ME; SHE’S GOING TO DESTROY US ALL!” Miggie screamed loudly and ripped part of his own shirt dramatically. The customers winced at his gravelly voice. The barkeep, Samuel, had heard enough.

“Alright then, Miggie, out we go. Let’s go see this horrible Minax. Goodness I’m glad you don’t drink. Here.” Samuel draped his dirty bar towel on Miggie’s shoulder and then clasped his hand on it to lead the beggar out of the bar. Practically using Miggie to push the door open, he led the man a few steps in front of the pub. He could hear chairs shifting as people inside gathered by the window to watch the fun. “Now where is she?”

“There! THERE! Oh Mistress Minax, spare me! Spare me, I beg of you! I’ll do anything you say, please don’t feed me to your dead man friend!” Samuel blinked as he looked into the streets. A grumpy old woman pouring her laundry water into the street stared back with a grimace on her face.

“Sorry there Mrs. Brinstein, just Miggie having a bit of fun with us. Give my regards to Mr. Brinstein.” The old woman let out a growl that would scare wolf pack leaders. “Go on, Miggie, stay out of the pub tonight, won’t you? And while we’re at it, stay out of my garbage.”

Samuel gave Miggie a little shove, leaving his bar rag on the man’s shoulder. Miggie looked up into the threatening eyes of Mrs. Brinstein. Throwing the rag at her and screaming for mercy he bounded into the night to the laughter of everyone inside the bar.

* * *

“Exodus! EVERYONE RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!! He’s sent his wicked metal men after me! They want to make me a metal man! His horrible, horrible gargoyles chased me for days!” Miggie collapsed into a jittering heap on the floor of the pub, covering his head with his arms. He shook as if someone had cast earthquake.

Samuel didn’t even look up from the mug he was polishing. “Defeated three weeks ago, Miggie.”

“No! NO! Big angry Bolems are after meeeee!” Miggie swatted violently at the air around him as if trying to spread his smell around the pub.

“Golems, Miggie, Golems.” Ledge said from his seat at the bar. “Exodus isn’t going to send anymore Golems after us, he doesn’t have any slaves left to make them.”

“Nice people those gargoyles!” Rul said before chugging the last of his beer. “Ledge and I saw their city, beautiful place. Not much to drink there though.”

Ledge quietly nudged Rul and gave Rodger a knowing look from across the room. “Say, Rodger, you’re the city guard here. Why don’t you… um… take Miggie outside and show him there’s nothing to be frightened of?”

“Because I still have some ale left in my glass and besides it’s Samu… Oh, Oh, yes I am a guard! I am a guard and it is certainly my duty to make sure this citizen is safe! Here we go, Miggie, I’ll show you that there’s nothing outside that’s after you.” Rodger poked the quivering beggar with the back end of his halberd and got him to his feet.

Ledge and Rul were nearly falling over each other trying to hold in their laughter. Rodger poked Miggie out the front door of the pub and within seconds a scream was heard that nearly shook the building. A stinky gray streak blurred past the two windows. Ledge and Rul were almost on the floor convulsing with laughter.

“Samuel, I owe Ledge an ale.” Rodger said grinning. “You were right. Building your own golem was useful.”

* * *

From outside, everyone could hear Miggie’s crazed rambling growing closer and closer until the door was opened by the shiniest set of armor, quite possibly, in the world. Inside the armor was a very young handsome warrior with a brightly colored sword and scabbard at his side. The man looked as if he had stepped out of a child’s bedtime story about heroes and dragons. Miggie bounced around the man, yipping like a small, excited dog.

“Ants! Giant ants the size of horses! HUGE, HUGE insects that could eat a man for supper! They were after me for their next meal I tell you!” Miggie almost seemed happy to have someone new to talk to. The more drunken of the Keg and Anchor patrons watched Miggies reflection bounce about on the man’s mirror-like armor.

“What can I get you today good sir?” Samuel asked the man. “Mug of ale for your pleasure this evening?”

“Ale would make me less alert. A simple drink of water is all any good knight requires.” The man said in a haughty voice.

“I think that’s the prettiest man I’ve ever seen.” Rul giggled quietly to Ledge. The armored warrior shot a look at the two of them as if he could hear what they were saying. They coughed their laughter away.

“I need saving good knight! The giant ants want to eat me! I seen ‘em try to eat two orcs stuck up in a tree! They’ll eat anything! I’d be eternally grateful to you my liege!” Miggie’s throat made a sound like logs being ripped in half and he spit on the young warrior’s armor. Using the ripped sleeve of his shirt he began to polish the spit into a nice smudge.

The warrior, trying to ignore the new stain on his breastplate, looked around the room. “Who shall be brave enough to accompany me to seek out that which threatens this good man?”

The silence in the room became deafening. The laughter that followed it was nearly explosive.

“Wait, wait… you believe Miggie? Giant ants?! That’s classic, that is!” Rul’s face was bright red with giggles. “Miggie’s finally making up his own monsters, I don’t know if he’s getting better or worse!”

The man’s face bent into a scowl. He looked down at Rodger who had his feet propped up and the last half of a mug of ale sliding into his throat. “You good sir, you are a city guard - are you not? Does virtue not bind you to protect this man with your life? Have you no valor?”

“Certainly I have valor!” Rodger said behind a half-drunken grin. “I drink Samuel’s ale don’t I?” More laughter boomed around the room.

“You, wise mage…” the warrior nearly spat the words out. “Have you no compassion for this poor wretch?” The warrior was trying to gently stop Miggie’s effort to soil his armor.

“I think I ran out of compassion about three pints ago.” Ledge flipped his mug upside down and set it on the bar. “Sam, one more glass of indifference for the road, please?”

Samuel handed a fresh mug to Ledge and brought a glass of water to the young warrior. “We mean no offense, sir. Miggie here is known for his… creative… stories. If he says he saw giant ants chances are he fell face first into an ant hill and saw some up close.”

The young warrior seemed disgusted with the entire room. “None of you have faith that this man speaks honestly?”

If people exchanging amused glances had a sound it would have been louder than an orc bomber being tossed on a fire in the pub.

“I shall slay these giant ants for you if these cowards will not! Come good sir, and lead me to this nest of fiends that you… stop touching my armor. Now.” Miggie followed the man out the door of the pub bouncing around and chattering again as if he had never told the story.

* * *

The next evening the man in shiny armor had become the talk of the pub. Ledge, Rul, and Rodger laughed for hours imagining the so-called knight stepping on ants all night. It wasn’t until the pub door opened and Miggie stood silently in the doorway that they were stunned into silence.

Miggie looked as if he had been run over by a stampede of balrons. Blood caked his hair and his clothes. He stood with a slight slump. These details were difficult to notice, however, due to the large ant heads clamped on to his body. The jaws of the heads clung onto him as if the ants were still biting him in death. One was locked around his neck, one around his right arm and one around his ankle. He looked as if he was wearing some sort of bizarre jewelry. In his left hand he carried the dented breastplate of the young warrior from the night before.

His footsteps seemed to echo in the room as he limped slowly up to the bar and leaned casually on it. “Ale, please?” he asked calmly. Samuel nodded silently and poured a drink and slid it down the bar into Miggie’s hand. Miggie casually pulled the giant ant head off of his wrist and set it on the bar so that he could guzzle the ale. He slammed the glass down on the bar and lifted the shiny armor, then dropped it with a clang in front of Samuel. “Will this cover the drink?”

Samuel nodded.

Miggie smiled and picked up the ant head from the bar and stuck it under his arm. As he shuffled out of the pub he looked at Rul and Ledge. “So… giant ants, eh?” The pair nodded, still to stunned to speak. Miggie stopped in the doorway and very slowly turned around to look at everyone.

“I almost forgot. That golem thing? Not funny.”

With that, he turned and walked into the night.

From Dugald:

Hail all citizens of Britannia,

It is with great pleasure that I, Dugald McTaggart, announce the formation of a new Minoc Town Council. The citizens of Minoc, after two weeks of organizing and discourse, have now elected Lord Golfile Orion as Mayor of Minoc. Here is an excerpt of Golfile Orion’s speech to the citizens:

“I was raised by my uncle, Moleif Orion. He taught me to mine, and make a living, and he also taught me to be proud of my town! Ever since I was old enough to convey thoughts, I dreamt of joining the Minoc council to make a difference, and now I have the chance. I will make Minoc a better place, and the proudest town in Britannia, if elected.”

The Mayor and councilmen have now formed a cabinet and appointed various officers:

Drakonis McBlade, Treasurer-Minoc
Dugald McTaggart, Spokesperson and Thane of Minoc
Ehud of Bucs Den, Justiciar of Minoc
Henry.Vezen, Sheriff of Minoc
Mission, Military Liaison

The councilmen and officers are currently occupied drafting a Charter for the Town of Minoc and other legal documents, and these will be published as early as is possible.

The Minoc Town Council invites all citizens of Minoc to participate in the development of the Council. The Town Council will meet again at 6 PM under the central skies on Saturday September 21, 2002, at the Minoc Town Hall.

From Duke Gurney Halleck:

There will be a public meeting this evening called by the Trinsic Town Council. It will take place at 6pm CST in the Town Meeting Hall.

From Kerowyn, UO.com:

Curious about the future of UO? Want to know more about the role and background of UO Live's Producer? Then head over to Stratics! Tajima recently took some time out to answer a few of their questions, including the following snippet:

Please tell us about your responsibilities on the OSI team. What is your role?

As Producer, my job is to coordinate the efforts of our development team and synch them up with our QA, Community Relations, Engineering, Operations, and Customer Support groups. I'm very, very fortunate to be working with great people in all regards, and that makes what can be a very difficult job much, much easier.

Want to read more? You can find the complete interview here!

From Alec DeLeon:

As a citizen of Trinsic, I cannot stand idle while members of my own local government make monumental decisions without the consent of the citizens. I list the following grievances in my petition:

1. A public Town Council meeting has not been held within the last 6 years. Nobody I have spoken with can remember when the last public meeting was, nor can I find a written record of such an occurrence. I contend that the Government of Trinsic has no clue as to what it's people want because they have not spoken to those people in at least 6 years.

2. The Town Council, specifically Mayor Tyrone and White Lotus, embarked on a covert plot to secede Trinsic from the rest of Britannia. This is a prime example of how out-of-touch they are with the populace.

3. I contend that the authority of being in power has corrupted both Tyrone and White Lotus to such an extent that they are more interested in their own fame than they are with serving the people of Trinsic.

4. The Town Council has disbanded the Trinsic Town Militia without the consent of the people. Again, the people were not informed, nor were they given an opportunity to express their desires on the issue.

5. When asked about these charges, and others.. the Trinsic Town Council refises to answer for it's actions, citing that it does not have to answer to the people, because we are merely citizens. In actuality, the reverse is true.

For all citizens of Trinsic who hold to these Grievances, or have additional grievances of their own, please respond here and show the High Council that the people of Trinsic speak for themselves because they are not allowed to do so by their local government!

Petition Link

The sound was soft, yet unmistakeable. He looked up from his desk, down the hall to the stairs, and called out, "Sol'ca'Yl sko'urhk'rec."

"I've come only to ask that ye cancel your meeting regarding the moongate Lord Denin claims to have gone through," came a voice that he knew well.

"It was you," he reminded the stone wall at the staircase, "who asked me to investigate."

"Aye, that I did. Nor did I expect ye to find answers so soon."

"Why the sudden change?" Valeryx asked as he stood and walked to the other side of the desk. He leaned upon it, staring at the nothingness before him. "You know I have the proof you need."

"Aye, ye do. Of that I am certain. It would change little though. Those who support him would support 'im stronger, and those against him would be further outraged. The voice o' those who should have say would become but pawns in a verbal war, for as long as it remained verbal."

A smile played across the Enforcer's lips. "So be it. I shall cancel the meeting."

"As long as his focus remains noble and upon the people, I care not where those papers came from," the voice said, growing softer. "And... Valeryx... Minax?"

"Anything is possible, Y'rec'dal. He could only travel to a facet of this shard to which we are bound, or by luck alone, to the Ter-Múr Ver, as some of the gargoyles have called it. We searched all manners of area, and while we found a facet as yet undiscovered as best we could tell, we did not find this 'Lineage' that the Sol'Kohn spoke of."

"Aye, Nemesis... but in the future, watch how many bees you may anger before you shake the nest."

"Ayn, Y'rec'dal."

He could hear the steps leading away, and he walked over to the stairs leading to the temple's roof. Climbing slowly, he lookd over the acolytes wandering around the seven moongates and smiled. "Recall our men," he called out. "We may close the gates."

Stepping forth to one, he looked into the depths one last time. There was a tinge he had not recently felt, one that made him feel he was being watched. And perhaps he was...

Turning away, he pulled a silver moonstone from his belt pouch. "It is a shame," he muttered. "I would have enjoyed seeing their faces..."

He returned to his desk and hastily scrawled a note.

Citizens of Britannia,

By request, we have decided our research into the moongates, particularly the one that Sol'Kohn Denin claims to have journied through, shall remain a closely guarded secret for now. It is our understanding that the Sol'Kohn has returned his focus to the people, and as long as he remains virtuous, we shall maintain our silence. Know that should his virtue prove false, we shall present our evidence for all to see.

He signed the note as usual, and sought an acolyte to deliver it...

The next public meeting of the High Council of Great Lakes will be held this coming Monday at 8pm CST in Trammel. The meeting will take place in the north western most room of the Lyceum (it is a class room, but don't worry, I've been assured our meeting won't impend on any young wizard's lessons).

Topics for up for discussion will vary from Lore Denin's quest to become accepted as Lord Regent of Britannia to a talk on the revelation that Trinsic is considering seceeding from Britannia. I urge all citizens concerned with Britannia's future to be in attendance of this meeting.

I also would like to remind everyone of my previous open invitation that still stands. If anyone else out there in Great Lakes is holding events of any sort on a weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, etc basis, please email me. I strongly feel that more events held on a regular basis are needed, as they bring the community together. Drop me a notice about your events, and I'll annouce them along side the High Council annoucements. You can email me at winski@redlow.net

As always,
Looking forward to seeing everyone at Monday's meeting.

-Dr. Jerred Ghyss,
Chancellor of Virtue

By Nick Westendorf ('Redlowwinski' of Ultima Online)


I love this country, yes. I love the people, I love the land, I love the history, and I love the ideals for which we have generally made strides towards: peace, equality, liberty. Love it or hate it, there is no one who will deny that the United States of America is a great nation. For 'great' is a vague word with no reference to right or wrong and good or evil. People and countries make mistakes, including the U.S.A. Right now, I believe our leadership is beginning to make mistakes. But I do not wish to go down that route at this moment. I only wish to bring forth my current view points on the United States as it relates to this essay.

In the wake of the one year anniversary of the attacks on the United States on September 11th, America is remembering. America is paying respect to those who died and to their familes. America is looking back with new perspectives that only the passage of time can give us. Some are holding vigils. Some are collecting the various magazines and newspapers with specials on the anniversary to help them remember in the coming years
and perhaps, as they are passed down, the coming generations.

It is right to hold vigils, to pay respects, to pray (if one is religious and the religion includes prayer), to hope silently for a bright future for the victims of 9/11. These are good and natural things to do on the anniversary of a day in which thousands were killed in a matter of minutes.

However, the vigils and rememberances are crossing the border between the real and the unreal. Or, as easy to guess by the title of this essay, real life and computer games. This cross over, I believe, is not a good practice for several reasons. One, it is disrespectful to people who died in the attacks to attempt to remember them in a computer game. Two, it shows a general apathy and lack of effort. Three, the game worlds are not relevant to real life. And last, Americans should be stepping forward together, all across the nation -- not taking this introverted step of logging on to a computer world to remember the attacks. The only reason I might retract this statement would be if a person who attends or plans one of these rememberances has taken part in something similar in the real world or is physically incapable of attending one.

Coming together in a computer game to remember an event in which thousands were killed (with a potential for tens of thousands had events been more chaotic than they were) is disrespectful to those who died, those who survived, their families, and the nation itself. The game world is not the real world. If this is a hard concept to grasp, then picture it in this manner: Suppose a married couple lost their son in a horrific gun shooting. Now suppose that married couple logged on to a computer game to remember their son rather than attending his funeral. It may be an exaggerated comparison to what is happening now with the vigils on 9/11 -- or perhaps it isn't. Let's compare the two. In my example, one person was killed. In 9/11, it was thousands. In mine, only the son's immediate family and friends were affected. In 9/11, the nation and in some respects, the entire world was affected. In my example, no one risked their life to save the boy. On 9/11, hundreds risked their lives to save people and many of them died in the process. The process of which continued weeks and months even after those people who risked their lives knew full well that there were no longer any survivors. Consider these differences and understand the example of the family attending a rememberance in a computer game instead of a real life funeral is not so far off the mark on what is happening now

Holding or attending a vigil in a computer game to remember September 11th shows a general apathy and lack of effort and caring. How much effort does it take to log on to a computer game as opposed to driving somewhere and attending a mass or concert or meeting in rememberance of that day? Indeed, I have more respect to the person who chooses not to pay any remembrance to 9/11 than to the people who attend vigils in computer games. At least those who make no remembrance of the event are not hiding their lack of concern or effort.

The computer game worlds most who read this essay play in have no relevance to real life issues. They are completely and wholly seperate worlds. To attend a vigil in a computer game for 9/11 is akin to going to a wedding to mourn someone's death or going to a funeral to celebrate someone's marriage. The attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center as well as the sacrifice the passengers made in the flight that crashed in Pennsylvania happend in real life; they happened in America -- they did not happen in the computer games we play.

As I have said now numerous times -- the attacks on 9/11 happened in the real world. Perhaps on some basic level, it is at least something to attend a vigil regardless of where the vigil is. However, we as Americans need to come together in unity. Fleeing from the horrors of reality by logging in to a computer game is not the right thing to do. All across this great country we should be coming together on this day that notes that dark moment a year ago. We should not become introverts and sit in front of the computer. On this day, more than any other, we should be stepping outside of our homes, our appartments and smiling at each other, greeting each other, and shaking hands with brother, sister, and stranger alike.

via Stratics:

Animals of Justice Tournament Great Lakes
September 12, 2002 Nujelm City
Sign Up; 7:30 Pm Central (meet at the Nujelm Bank)
Tournament; 8:00 Pm Central (meet at the Nujelm Chessboard)
Under the guidelines of the R^C Drake Tournament all rules apply to the Animals of Justice Tournament. Entry fees for the Animals of Justice Tournament are 5k per Unicorn and/or Ki-Rin.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Long ago there were myths of the white horned horse from the Northern Hemisphere and myths of a shimming rainbow horned horse from the Middle East lands. We will make them come alive for you today. What is their myth their legend?

The KiRin is the Unicorn of Middle East: Its since of life was a never failing Justice. It would appear in the courts of the elders in the Middle East to slay the guilty and free the innocent. When they do appear the elders viewed this as a good luck omen but only if that person was of a virtuous path. Welding in the lands the Ki-rin stands alone as the soul protector of Justice. It was honored as king of all animals and was said to bring peace and prosperity to all that are deserving.

The KiRin seen in the myths represented with fish scales, shimmering in every shade of the rainbow. It had the body of a deer, the hooves of a horse, the tail of an ox and on the forehead a horn curving to the back, with length up to 2 ft.

The Unicorn of the Northern Hemisphere: Its life was to represent the virtues of all women. Though it did stand for the valor and nobility of knights. Its duality of the twin virtues stood its ground of strength and purity, might and right of all. Even the men that it was held for the nobility found its weakness. Men discovered that their horns were absolute against the effects of poison. If wine was poured into a drinking cup fashioned from a Unicorns horn the poison became innocuous. Rulers of the kingdoms now paid great sums to know that their lives were never threatened by being poisoned by their enemies.

The Unicorn seen in the myths had the head and body of a horse, the legs of an antelope, the tail of a horse or a lion and the beard of a goat. The distinguishing feature was the long, sharp, twisted horn growing from the middle of the forehead.

____________________________________________________________________

"Perhaps the unicorn has judged us, and found us lacking, considering us unworthy of his friendship and beauty. Maybe the unicorn has merely gone into exile until a generation of philosopher kings reestablishes a reign of justice and truth that justifies his return."

---from The Cosmic Storyteller, a novel

via Stratics:

Come one Come all and celebrate this happy occasion!
All are invited to join our family of NOV in our joy as our guildmistress Kata Raudbok pledges her love to Artemis.

This joining of souls will take place on Sept 15th at 8pm CST at the Shrine of the Virtues in Ilshenar.

There will be escorts available from the compassion shrine starting at 7:30pm CST.

It has come to my attention that Lord Lore Denin so seeks the Throne of Britannia based upon papers that he returned from some farsical land with word from Lord British. He has so claimed to travel through a Red Moongate and thusly returned. At the behest of an aged friend of mine, I have investigated into the magical nature of this matter, and determined wholly that this Red Moongate could only have transported him to Minax's domain, and that Lord Lore Denin is currently engaged in a plot to take over the throne of Britannia, and then, once installed, may intend to announce Minax as his queen. I am certain he will deny such, but this coming Sunday afternoon (9/15/2002), at the hour of 12:00 noon, atop the Tower of Nexchronosis* in Dracona upon the Feluccan facet, we shall present our evidence to the public. All are invited to attend and learn the true nature of this man's "noble" quest. For I have, as other Draconans have, wondered why a man who so wishes to represent the people would argue so vehemently that he must be King to do so. We have the truth, and we intend to prove such is true.

Dor'eg-l'nar vi'ert o'nerin fa',


Valeryx
Famis Qalil'ut, Cult of the Azure Dragons
Leader of the Independent City-State of Dracona

* The Tower of Nexcronosis may be found by traveling East from Britain, past the swamp, south-east from Yew along the road, or northwest from Vesper or Minoc along the road -- it lies at the crossroads of the Britain - Yew - Minoc/Vesper roads, just north of the healer and guard tower that spans the road.

Form Lore Denin:

Lore sat quietly in his study, reflecting on last evenings High Council Meeting.

His support had been strong and even some of those who had come to stand against him, had changed their views. For those who believed the High Council vote was the end of this Campaign for Lord Regent, they did not understand motivation nor the character of Lore Denin.

The continuing manner in which the High Council conducted itself only further lent itself to the need for a Lord Regent. They could not be held accountable by the people, as they are elected among themselves not by the people they represent. They continue to censure people at their meetings, which were suppose to be public, where all citizens opinions and input should be welcome no matter the length required to hear them all.

The idea of holding city meetings to learn the opinions of the people was a great idea. However the application of it was rushed. Council members held spur of the moment town meetings, with only 24-hour notice, to learn the people’s opinion on the issue of the Lord Regent. With such short notice it would be easy to contact those who shared the council members opinions while others would not hear of the meeting until it was to late. Even further, these meetings were held without ever speaking to the one who would be Lord Regent to understanding the duties such a position would entail and accurately inform the people. These were meetings held in the Shadow of Truth’s Candle to further the Council’s own ends not to discover the truth of the people’s thoughts nor held with the best interests of Britannia at heart.

In a few weeks, Lore will once again stand before the High Council and once again seek their support. This time he hoped that those who attended would be able to speak. He also hoped town meetings would be announced at least three days in advance, and that the information of what a Lord Regent would mean to Britannia be accurately provided. The council should work to empower the people giving them accurate information so they could make an educated decision on the matter, not manipulated then into making a decision held by that city’s council member whether that be in support or against.

To answer the many questions about what it would mean to have a Lord Regent, I will outline the plan of action, I hope to work towards with the High Council and as the Regent of Britannia

1) To work towards creating stable town and local governments, that in time will have the power to hold elections for their own representatives rather then having them assigned by the current members of the Council. This process will not to be rushed but when a local town government has shown stability over time it may appeal to the High Council to be allowed to represent itself and hold town elections for their representative.

2) To aid the High Council creating the national law of Britannia, known as the King’s Law. Once the
King’s law is established to further make the laws of the land known and easily accessible for reference
and scrutiny by the people.

3) To aid the Grand Marshall in organizing the national armies of Britannia, to protect the people in Trammel as well as citizens residing in Felucca. (Creating Divisions of National Armies (protecting both facets), Homeland forces (Trammel), True Britannians (Fel Forces) and Town Militia’s.

4) To balance the powers of the High Council, as Lord Regent with the power of veto, if ever laws are passed that stand against the ideals of Britannia set forth by Lord British or infringe on the rights of the people. Reversible on appeal to the High Justicar.

5) To likewise, surrender the absolute authority of Lord Regent, and allow the High Council to balance the actions of the Lord Regent, deemed to be against the will of the people of Britannia

6) To aid the High Justicar in establishing the High Courts of Britannia.


Proposed Amendments to the current High Council Charter.

That the position of Lord Regent be added, to take on the duties of King in the absence of Lord British

The duties of the Lord Regent would be as follows:

*Article 1: Purpose

A. Grant of Power. The power of the High Council of Britannia ("the council") derives directly from the Throne of Britannia. As advisors to the king and in his absence the Lord Regent, the council is answerable to his person and the King’s Law, and is expected and authorized to speak on his behalf when he is unavailable.
B. Authority. The council assists and supports The King or in his absence the Lord Regent, in his daily management of the realm. Specifically, the council is authorized to pass laws that do not contradict the basic tenets set forth by Lord British. Additionally, the council may authorize and oversee the operation of local governments in any of the cities represented by its councilors.
C. Responsibilities. The council serves as advocate for the needs of Britannia's citizens, to uphold and support the rule of the King and in his absence the Lord Regent and to promote the eight Virtues. The council is also expected to preserve, promote, and enhance the unique cultural heritage and identity of the realm.

Clarification on Article 1:

A) National Laws of Britannia, known as the King’s law, must be ratified by ¾ of the Council and signed into law by the King(Lord Regent)

B) Local Laws that contradict the national laws can be deemed invalid by the Lord Regent or the High
Council and appealed to the High Justicar.

C) A law supported by ¾’s of the High Council but not supported by the King or Lord Regent, can be taken before the High Justicar, who will weigh the rights of the people, the ideals of Virtue set forth by Lord British and the will of the people.

D) The Lord Regent will have a royal cabinet consisting of the Grand Marshall, High Justicar and
Chancellor of Virtue.

3,066 people were killed a year ago in a disastrous attack, the remaining 288 million citizens of the United States honor their memory, along with others around the globe. Among this multitude is our small corner of society.. Great Lakes players, who have gone out of their way to construct mosaical memorials.

This Patriotic display was put up on the roof of the Bardic Conservatory in Britain.


This is the southern portion of Great Lakes' largest memorial in the streets of Moonglow.


This is the midsection of the same memorial, showing the Flag display.


As you can see, both tamers and dewds were in a patriotic spirit today. Also, not pictured were 2 tamed eagles named Liberty and Justice, and a sewer rat named "binLaden".

Trinsic, the city of Honor.. made completely of sandstone and wood. The city has undergone an invasion of Orcs, an invasion of undead, been capital of Minax' empire, and been invaded by Blackthorns Chaos Dragoons. The city has had 10 rulers, 8 of those being Mayors. At one point, the government bridged 5 guildstones and employed over 30 people. One is hard-pressed to find any city with as much corruption, scandal, and political intrigue as Trinsic.

Tonight, it happened again. Around 6 in the eve, the Trinsic Town Council assembled in a private session to vote on a serious issue: the secession of Trinsic from the kingdom of Britannia. In attendance at this meetihg was the entire Council, including Duke Gurney Halleck, Mayor Tyrone, and White Lotus. The secret measure for secession passed the vote, and Trinsic seemed set to secceed.

Two hours later in the evening, Duke Halleck chaired a citizens meeting which he had planned only hours before the Councils monumentous decision. His conscience grating, Duke Halleck publically announced the Town Councils intention to seceed, much to the astonishment of the local citizenry, who were in no way consulted.

Rightly outraged, the citizens of Trinsic did not riot, nor did they attempt to rampage. They demanded explainiation from the only council member present who voted in favor of seccession: White Lotus. Her responses: "You are only citizens of Trinsic when you want to be," and "I havent seen you in Trinsic often" did not go over well with the assembled denizens. "We didn't want to do what the High Council told us to do," was the answer when asked "Why would you want to seceed?"

We checked into claims of the Trinsic Town Council, and found that the High Council had never ordered the local government to do anything. Furthermore we discovered that such an action is, in fact, illegal as per the High Council's own charter.

At the conclusion of the meeting, and at the insistance of the citizens, Duke Halleck declared that he would bring the matter before the council post-haste, and that a solution beneficial to the citizens would be found.

More as it develops, here on the Herald!

Discuss your thoughts here!

Penned by the Acting Chancellor, Ra'Dian Fl'gith

Meeting Minutes from the 10th Public Meeting of the High Council of Britannia (9/9/02) held at Castle Britain in the North Dining Room.

Councilors present: Jakob Covenant (1st Seat), Duke Gurney Halleck (2nd Seat), Alex (3rd Seat), Ra'Dian Fl'Gith (4th Seat), Dunamis (5th Seat), Kellor (7th Seat), Cornelius (8th Seat), RavenMaster (9th Seat).

Ambassadors present: Lilly Thann (Vesper)

Officers present: Edguardo (High Justicar), Alazraham (Grand Marshall)

Introductions
Dunamis was introduced as the Councilor of Jhelom, and Lady Aureal was announced as the Adjutant for the Seat of Humility, working with Ra'Dian Fl'Gith.

Barrels in Yew, POS, BC Park Rangers
Nothing new on these fronts, with overall reports on POS and BC Park Rangers having been reduced significantly over the past week.

Clarity on Felucca
Dunamis rose question as to what our pervue in Felucca was, and it was explained that each Councilor was so responsible to decide on time spent in Felucca, and that the Council continues to meet there every fifth meeting.
Landmark Status of Buildings
Alex raised question on behalf of Nate Byrd and the Tales and Ales Tavern as to what it would take to become a landmarked establishment. It was decided that would be in the pervue of local governments.

News of a Prophecy in Yew
There was news from Alex that the Alaric family is experiencing difficulty and that the Yew Militia aids them in their quest to find a hermit. The quakes in Yew have becoming fierce, and a prophecy has arisen about a Red Queen and a Black Queen. Thunder, Alaric's Knight-Brother, confirmed much of Alex's tale, and mentioned the Order of Nelson.

Last of the Cult of the Black Dragon
Jakob inquired into the status of warrants for former members of the Cult of the Black Dragon, particularly Jacop. In addition, he asked for a Security Council meeting in regards to the Temple of Mondain.

The Issue of Lore Denin Seeking the Throne of Britannia
Aside from the chaos that ensued, many people wishing to speak their minds both for and against simultaneously, a vote was called based upon as to whether the High Council would recognize Lore Denin as King and Lord Regent of Britannia. The result was the the High Council does not recognize Lore Denin as Lord Regent of Britannia.
[6:0:2 - Vote against recognizing Lore Denin as Lord Regent of Britannia: Duke Gurney Halleck, Jakob Covenant, Ra'Dian Fl'Gith, Kellor, Cornelius, Alex - Votes against: none so recorded - Votes abstained: RavenMaster, Dunamis]

So adjourned the meeting of the High Council of Britannia.

From Gurney:

There will be a public meeting for the citizens of Trinsic at 8pm cst in the town meeting hall. Public will be allowed to voice concerns to the district High Council Representative.

Duke Gurney Halleck, Representative of Trinsic
High Council of Britannia

From Kerowyn of UO.com:

Ignatz recently participated in an interview with Videric of Tales of a Traveller and discussed a wide range of topics, including the following question about adding illustrations to scenerio fiction:

Videric: Gromm's stories are certainly excellent, but have you ever thought about illustrations or sketches with the weekly stories, just like in old Ultima manuals? Have you considered other approaches to tell the story?

Ignatz: Yes, I have personally suggested we add illustrations, sketches, or at least screenshots for use with scenario stories. The biggest obstacle there is time, but I would still like to see something like this added to future stories.

It was my duty this evening to act as the moderator for the High Council meeting as such responsibility has fallen to me in the absence of our Chancellor, Doctor Jerred Ghyss. As such, I've had the unique opportunity to be at the center of the goings on, and I certainly respect Doctor Ghyss's leadership in this regard. I want to begin with an apology to those who attended and witnessed the breakdown of the entire meeting... though I wish it could have been prevented, too am I not surprised such happened, as the final matter was a touchy one indeed.

I will be brief, as I have no desire to drag this out to undue lengths. I ask only that those who favor Lord Lore Denin as King understand the process that resulted in tonight's vote. Lord Denin had approached us with his claim, and it was by his timetable that we operated. To be truthful, as a Council, we could simply have said, "Those letters are false, we don't care that you think you're king, bugger off." We could have, and many of us did not. We held meetings in our respective towns, polled the people whom we represented -- maybe they weren't huge turnouts by comparison to a guild one-hundred-and-fifty members strong, but they did turn out.

Which is the point I wish to make, and ask all to consider. The fate of Lord Denin was in the people's hands. We knew many guildmembers who served with him would show on his behalf. Which is why we went to the street to find the other side of the story. We did not turn away those who came in support though. We were looking for a better feel. Those who have served with Lord Denin, who know him to be virtuous and true... with all due respect, that is an opportunity you have been afforded, and the rest of us have not.

Lord Denin's intentions may be well and sound. I personally have no reason to believe they are not. I do, however, have a duty to the Crown that I swore, and based on his claim by lineage to the letters, I could not support him. He then spoke of backing by the people, and to that, I salute, and respect. It was very possible many people would have supported him, but the voice of three or four guilds in the land does not make up even one percent of this land, and to judge based solely on that, we could not do.

Personally, if a day comes that people are obviously in support of Lord Denin, I too will back him as Lord Regent of Britannia. Until that day, I hope he will continue to be a voice to the Council as he has been in past, as his wisdom is often enlightening.

Thank you,



Ra'Dian Fl'Gith
Councilor of Magincia

PS - In closing, I welcome anyone's opinion and thought on this matter, and welcome and encourage you to write me at radian@alterythem.com

The thoughts came slowly and randomly at first, like feathers drifting through an open window in a slight breeze. A consciousness was forming; one that, like a young child, started with small awkward steps that led to an unbalanced run and quickly dissolved into a clumsy fall. It was... frustrating, especially for a mind that was just becoming developed enough to be frustrated.

After what seemed like an eternity of struggle the mind could manage to maintain the thoughts in a crude order, but not so crude an order as to be incomprehensible. Brief moments of understanding came in bursts, full thoughts that would not dissipate into a mist of confusion again, but would freeze like ice into a solid memory. Every new thought that was born led to the creation of newer and more complicated works of thinking. Faster and faster the consciousness grew, building ever stronger and more solid until a full cohesive principle was formed, one that would have more impact than any other upon the intellect.

The being became self-aware. For the first time the intelligence had a grasp of the concept that it was an individual. No longer was it a simple arrangement of crude instincts and basic reactions, but a being capable of recognizing itself as a separate entity. A universe of possibility expanded in an instant.

The creature, the mind inhabited, examined its limbs in the darkness. They were important. They belonged to it; it controlled them because they were a part of itself. The very thought was fascinating for a mind so young. Self-recognition was almost startling; suddenly the universe and the self were torn apart. The world that was once merely a backdrop for instinctive routine now hung like a mysterious curtain hiding incomprehensible wonders.

Looking around the creature tried to recognize other things, slowly at first so the mind could have time to remember. If a thought was grazed over too quickly it could dissolve into distraction and forgetfulness. It reached out with a limb and touched the wall in front of it. The dirt crumbled away slightly in a familiar manner and the creature could see some remain on its appendage. This place was familiar. The creature belonged here. Primitive instinct swelled and grew eventually blossoming into clarity; this place was home. There was safety here. The... something was here, something important.

Sounds from behind the being made it spin around quickly in surprise. A creature, something the mind was sure was alive, stood there silently and unmoving. The two remained still for a few moments when another sensation sent the being's mind reeling. Smells. There were old scents that went straight to the core of the new intellect's world and exploded in bursts of memory. Instantly there was no doubt, this new creature was a friend, a fellow. This place was also its home. It also seemed to recognize the being as nothing threatening and soon turned it's attention to the walls and the soil.

Everything was so new and was coming so fast, but the creature's mind was expanding quickly to keep up. The consciousness continued to grow and elaborate; birthing fresh concepts with each new sight and scent. It was... pleasing, enjoyable to discover so much at once. Learn, discover - there was nothing else at the moment.

Suddenly it all stopped in an instant. A new scent, one so familiar... so powerful... it was undeniable. The creature did not have to see anything with its eyes to understand this scent. With every part of itself it knew what message was being sent.

Leader...

This was not just fresh knowledge, this was something more. This knowledge came with purpose, information with direction. The creature could see that others like it also understood. Worlds of communication came with the instantly shocking scent and spread throughout every consciousness that was capable of detecting it. Commands. Orders. Instructions.

The creatures within the space looked around as if to confirm with each other that what they all knew was true. As one they began to act and carry out the will of the single being they would allow to command them. With purpose and determination, hundreds of creatures had the same thought at once, a thought so clear and so familiar there could be no mistaking it.

Dig.

Greetings Citizens of Magincia,

I apologize, but due to issues beyond my control, the 8:00 to 9:00 PM CST meeting in Magincia will be postponed. In its place, I will hold two additional meetings for those who would like to voice their opinions regarding Lord Lore Denin's quest for the throne. They will be on:

Monday, September 9, 2002 from 10:00 AM CST until 11:00 AM CST (for anyone around in the morning)
Monday, September 9, 2002 from 6:00 PM CST until 7:30 PM CST (prior to the Council meeting in Britain)

Both of these meetings will take place at the Magincian Parliament Building on the southwest corner of the isle. Thank you to those who attended the Noon to 1:00 PM meeting earlier this day, and the meeting for Monday, September 9, 2002 from 2:00 AM CST until 3:00 AM CST will still be held as scheduled.

I am sorry for the last minute notice, but a matter of extreme urgency arose.

Thank you,


Ra'Dian Fl'Gith
Councilor of Magincia

Hear ye, hear ye!

Tonight, Monday, September 9, 2002 at 8:00pm CST, shall commence the 10th Public Meeting of the High Council of Britannia, to be held upon the Trammel facet in the North Dining Hall at Castle Britain. The hot topic this eve is the support of Lord Lore Denin as Lord Regent of Britannia; he will speak before the Council and present his claim based upon the people of the realm. Many meetings have been held in the various cities throughout the past week, and tonight it all comes before the Council.

The public is welcome and encouraged to attend. In addition to the Lord Denin's claim, there will be other issues spoken on by various Councilors, and as always, anyone from the realm who has issue that need be raised to the High Council will be given time to address the assembly.

Thank you,


Ra'Dian Fl'Gith
Councilor of Maginicia
On behalf of Dr. Ghyss, Chancellor of Virtue

By vote of the High Council, this notice is to be posted for all citizens of Britannia to see; that it has been reported, and thereby recognized as a threat to tamers of the lands who journey to the Feluccan dungeons, that members of the Black Company have been posing as "park rangers" and slaying tamed animals within the confines of the dungeons. They are known to do so mostly near the teleporters that lead between the various dungeons and around the altars that summon forth great leaders of evil forces. We of the High Council wish this danger to be known to all, that information of such activity be spread about the realm.

On behalf of the High Council,

Ra'Dian Fl'Gith
Councilor of Magincia

Tailoring guilds are showing up all over the realm. Some are just BOD trading guilds while others are much more involved and involving, such as the TLC Guild.

The guild house is located just outside Vesper but the site of assembly for this guild is The Lords Clothier/ Brit / Trammel.
You cannot miss any of the members as they are attired alike, white skinned and dressed in gray/black and the shades of the sun.

The most active members, BloodstarX, Lord Gunner, Rusty, Deja Vu, JadaKiss, Lord MC Hammer and the handsome Giorgio Armani will be more than happy to help you with any tailoring questions you may have. Then there are the two high ranking females of the guild. the ravishing morgaine le faye and the unforgettable Mona Barrington.

The TLC Guild does not just tailor shoppe sit. Events like one this past week involved a journey to Sacrifice for bone collecting. The death of many shadow wisps and the sound of cutting bones excited everyone.

If you are interested in joining this fabric frenzied bunch approach Guildmaster Dobanth-tb.

A year ago this week, an amazing event occurred in UO:

From the High Council:

The High Council will be holding town hall meetings around Britannia this Sunday, Sept. 8th. The town hall meetings are for citizens of the cities having meetings, so it would be suggested if you are not a citizen of one of the cities having a meeting, that you would please allows those that are the ability to speak for themselves and their city.

These cities will be having Town Hall meetings.






Trinsic - Town Hall 8 CST - Trammel

Moonglow - Lycaeum 8 CST - Trammel







Skara Brae - Town Hall 8 CST - Trammel







Jhelom - Library 8 CST - Trammel






Magincia - Parliament Building 8 CST - Trammel

Here ye all citizens of the fair town of Magincia, whether thou be from Felucca or Trammel, hear this request for your opinion on the issue of Lord Lore Denin's quest to seek the Throne of Britannia as Lord Regent, successor to Lord Dovolick, heir to the throne of Lord Marcus, who was appointed Lord and King of Britannia by documents brought from a far off land, which are purported to be in the writing of and signed by Lord British himself. There has been much speculation and doubt cast upon the validity of these documents, however, Lord Denin seeks the backing of the people before he will assume the Throne, and as such, I now call upon the citizens of Magincia to voice to me their thoughts on support for Lord Denin. I am looking for those who would speak in favor of Lore Denin, as well as those who would speak against his claim.

To this end, I will be available at the Magincian Parliament Building (southeast corner of the isle) for the duration of an hour across three different times so that all may come to speak their thoughts (if there are still folks present at the end of said hour, I will continue to hear voice until all have spoken).

The times allotted are thus:
Sunday, September 8, 2002 from 12:00 noon until 1:00 PM CST
Sunday, September 8, 2002 from 8:00 PM CST until 9:00 PM CST
Monday, September 9, 2002 from 2:00 AM CST until 3:00 AM CST

Please come and share with me your thoughts on the succession of Lord Lore Denin to the Throne of Britannia. It is by the people's voice that he shall abide, and as the Councilor of Magincia, so too shall I abide by your wishes.

Yours in Humility,


Ra'Dian Fl'Gith
Councilor of Magincia

From Nero and the Tales and Ales:

Word from the royal guard station near Yew reached Serpent's Hold with a request for the Order of the Silver Serpent. Nate Byrd, the owner of the Tales and Ale Tavern was in a panic... his wife, Lilly Than, the High Council Ambassador to Vesper, had gone missing, and Nate had just learned why.

His own daughter, Aislyn, had sent a note written in blood to the High Council Representative of Skara Brae, Cornelius of the Third Army, stating that within a fortnight, Lilly Than would be dead. Along with the note was a package containing her armor, her weapon and two fingers... when Nate had been shown the package, he knew exactly who the fingers belonged to.

Brother Nordal of the Order of the Silver Serpent arrived at the Tales and Ales Tavern, where Nate quickly told him the story... immidiately Brother Nordal sent word to the Order, the Highland Guard and the Yew Militia, who then quickly organized a search party to track down Lilly. The only clues they had to go on was that Lilly was last seen travelling the shrines of the Virtues, and that the kidnapper had ties with the Temple of Mondain.

And so the OSS set about searching the shrines in Felucca and the Temple of Mondain while the Highland Guard and Yew Militia went through all the shrines in Ilshnear and Trammel.

Nothing was found, not a single trace of Lilly nor her kidnappers. Both parties regrouped at the tavern to search the shrines in Trammel more thoroughly and as they were searching the Shrine of Humility, Brother Nordal's communication crystal began to shimmer..

The town guards of Haven were reporting that someone matching Lilly's description had been seen earlier that day being led around by another female. Immidiately the group gated to Haven and began the search. Not five minutes later BlackDawn of the Highland Guard broadcast a signal on his crystal indicating he had found them, but it was too late, when the group caught up with him they had gotten away.. but as luck would have it they had escaped to Skara Brae where there is always constant watch by the Virtue guilds, and all the forces congregated on the city and took back the kidnapped woman.. barely able to move she collapsed on the floor.

The knights, mages and rangers of the allied guilds quickly transported near the tavern to let Nate know his wife had been found, then teleported to the Highland Guard tower where Lilly was allowed to rest while her rescuers secured the area surrounding the tower should her kidnapper decide to try and finish what she had started. Strangely enough a group of Undead showed up very quickly, but they were vastly outnumbered and quickly put down.

The Order quickly set out a wanted notice for the arrest of Aislyn Byrd for the kidnapping and attempted murder of councilwoman Lilly Than of Vesper. Any information regarding her whereabouts is to be reported to the nearest guard station immidiately.

I know I know... Our fearless leader here at the Herald usually does the HOC coverage... but I was feeling a bit verbous this morning... so.............

Age of Shadows... and the ever popular topic ... HOUSING!

... In addition to the expanded availability of housing, a 'House Design Tool' will also be included....

That line is from the press release that came out July 16, 2002.

This is from last nights UOHOC Chat...

Lord-Xanthor - *Palinor* Will we be able to modify existing housing that is already placed in Trammel and Felucca after Age of Shadows is released?

Vex - Just to clarify, you won't be able to modify an existing house, but you'll be able to securely replace it with a "dirt lot" of the same footprint size and customize the walls, floors, etc. on that footprint.

Let me weigh my choices... keep two houses on GL and my third house on the other shard I occasionally visit... or dump two of them so I can re-design my house....

BLEH

That also means my tower... on my second account... would have to be completely emptied before I could play with this tool, yeah.... that's gonna happen.

Okay, moving on....

Lord-Xanthor - *Pali-Not_HERE* Will housing be included in the New land expansion that Age of Shadows is promising us?

Vex - Age of Shadows includes a new landmass. The new lands, called Malas, are specifically designed with space to place new houses. We estimate there will be enough space for around 1000 to 1500 new houses per shard.

OOO! OOOOH!

Lord-Xanthor - *Valeria|work* If you trade in your existing house for a customizable one, will it condemn all of the other houses on that account?

Vex - The precise details of how that will work have not yet been decided on. Sorry I can't give a better answer right now.

Okay, so they didn't come right out and say it.... they will.. it is coming.. I can feel it. **shudders**

Lord-Xanthor - *Sonol* when you place a AOS house and get the "foundation" and start to add rooms will it be ala carte? such as go buy steps and go buy the walls and windows?

Vex - Yes. You pick from the menu which floors you want to build, and then paint that floor down. Then you can go back and select a wall to draw, and draw the wall. Want a window? Select it and click a wall. You'll also be able to build staircases and teleporters for getting around your new digs.

mmm teleporters... that's kinda cool.

Oh yeah, remember that press release I mentioned earlier? Yeah... I talked to the PR Rep yesterday and nothing new has been put up for release yet. As far as she knows it is still slated for a early 03 release.

On a final note.. its Friday **smiles** .... and there's an auction tonight.... **goes to pick out something cute to wear**

Laterzzz

~Nols

Hail and Well Met People of Britannia,

Long has the throne of Britannia been vacant, Lord British our Liege for many years has been gone. It is with both heavy heart and great hope I relay this tale...

It began many years ago with a Quest to return Britannia's lost King. A Guild known as the Ankh of Unity, using the notes left by Nystul and a powerful artifact, opened a portal to another world, where Lord British was thought to have traveled. It is from this portal many months later a royal decree would come naming a new Lord of the Land.

This Lord and the document's validity were highly debated, and in the end the new Lord fell to murderous treachery. It was obvious that such papers alone would not satisfy the people and regardless of their validity, no king can arise without the support of the people.

It is with that knowledge I stand before you. I am Lore Denin, the Paladin True Heart Seeker and founder of the Ankh of Unity, Order Knight, True Britannian and a student of Virtue. I was named successor to the Throne of Britannia by Dovolick, son of Marcus. So name successor to the throne by his father's last Will and Testament. These papers mark me as King, but King in name alone. It is my belief in this decree that gives me the courage to stand and seek your support as Lord Regent of Britannia to do what is right for the people. I stand before the citizens of this great nation, your humble servant, seeking your support in bringing a new age to our beloved kingdom.

The men and women of Britannia will determine if a King shall ascend the throne, and so I am here before you seeking your support, not as King but as a man who has dedicated his life to Britannia and its people.

There is a void in Britannia, where a King once stood, a void that can be filled by the will of the people. There is great hope for our future. A future where the People, King and High Council work together for the good of Britannia. Where the actions of the King are balanced by the Council and will of the people, all working together to create a Unified Britannia. A Britannia that has long been lost, but never forgotten.

I ask that none support me blindly but neither similarly dismiss me outright. I shall travel to all the towns of Britannia and hold open court in Castle Britannia to meet all citizens and hear your views on Britannia and its future. Meet with me, learn of my character. Listen to my story and I shall do the same. I ask that you follow your heart, act with courage and seek the truth. For if you do these things whatever path you follow, it shall be the right one.

The High Council of Britannia will hold its meeting on Monday, September 9th at Castle Britannia(tram) I shall go before the High Council with all the people of Britannia and ask their endorsement as Lord Regent. It is on words of the citizens of Britannia the council's decision will rest and I hope that you will join us and voice your opinion, whether in support or against. All opinions on the matter are encouraged and welcome. For it is the truth of what lies in the heart of Britannia that is most important.

I will be holding open court in Castle Britannia(Trammel) to answer and meet with any citizens to discuss questions and concerns they may have. Days and times are:

Open Court:

Thursday: 12:00pm CST till 1:00pmCST and 10:00pm CST – 11:00pm CST

Saturday : 3:00 pm CST till 4:00 pm CST

The High Council Meeting:

Monday September 9th, 8:00 pm CST in Castle Britannia(Trammel)

May Virtue keep you, Till All Are One,

Lore Denin

From Ariyana:

The Coven of the Secret Shadow and the Fellowship of Outcasts are hosting A Bachelor/Bachelorette Auction this Friday, September 6th from 8 to 10 by the Central skies. Join us at the Skara Brae Fairgrounds in the Trammel Faucet.

Anyone that wishes to sign up to be Auctioned off should contact either Kimber of F@O at #29354621 or Ariyana Sune of Cvn at #1337405 by 5 pm on Friday.

All Auctionee’s will have a great date package auctioned along with them; some of the themed date packages include Inmate Date, Star Room Picnic, Lover’s Maze, and many many more creative date packages!

**hints, not all the ladies and gentlemen on the auction block need to be bought for dates!!**

Kicking off the evening will be an Archery Contest “Apple on the Wenches Head” Score a bulls-eye, but don’t hit the Wench! Entry fee for this contest will be 5k per person and the prize money will be split for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place!

If your not much of an archer then browse and chat with the many Ladies and Gentlemen that will be on the Auction block that night, all of them will be designated with a brightly colored sash!

So We hope to see you all there to have a food and drink on us and get ready to open your pocket books!! This should be a night of fun and camaraderie.

I am going to start doing this weekly or bi-weekly, depends on how much time I have. I am gonna give the status of certain quests going on and the status of such organization as the High Council and Tales and Ales.


Moonglow: (this one will be a bit long since I haven't posted a thing)
-Basil was ressurected. It is suspected it was done so by the Coven.

-Kellor has created an army for potecting Moonglow called Third Army

-Basil now leads Third Army

-Highland Guard has been investigating Third Army. This has caused a state of uneasiness between Moonglow and Minoc.

-Edguardo was rescued by Third Army. Was found in the woods muttering something about the Coven. At first he couldn't remember who he was, but that was solved last night by Athelstan.

Yew:
-Reports of smugglers and the blackmarkets continue to fill the headlines in Yew.

-Barrels that were found were brought forth to the High Council for discussion.

-City Meeting coming soon, more information to come.

Temple of Mondain:
-Mordain and Fredrick have both disappeared, whereabouts unknown.

-Duran has taken control of the guild and debates within himself as to what he needs to do.

Highland Guard and Order of Silver Serpent:
-Both have been on active patrols in the Feluccan facet hunting for criminals that have committed acts of violence towards citizens of the crown.

-Highland Guard has been investigating the reappearance of Basil. Barbs of Honor and Honesty have been slung between the Councilor of Moonglow and the Councilor of Minoc.

Crusaders of Virtue:
-Quest continues. Book from the Order of Noson found on the remains of Alaric's wife telling them to seek a hermit.

The Coven of the Secret Shadow:
-Suspected to have been involved in the ressurection of Basil.

-Have been increasing their activity in the Moonglow area.

-Will be holding a Bachelor/Bachelorette auction Sept. 6th at 8 CST in the Skara Brae Fairegrounds.

Ranger Enforcers of Sosoria:
-Roxanne has been accused of murder by Minion. Minion decline to comment on who exactly was mudered.

Tales and Ales:
-Has reopened under new management.

-Every Friday night is roleplayers night. All are welcome to stop by.

High Council:
-Meets every Monday at 8 cst

-What was going on around Britannia was discussed at the last meeting, most of it focusing on Yew and Moonglow.

-High Council met with Lore Denin and heard his request to be supported for King. Final decision will be given at a later date.

-Next meeting will be at Castle British in Trammel.

And no, I can't cover the entire shard, so if you want to send me a little sentence blurb, send it to will@ds180.net.

Which is the more honorable thing to do? Go down with a sinking ship like an honorable captain, or be one of the rats that flees?

I guess thats the question alot of people are asking themselves over at the Quest for Britannia boards. You can already see some of the rats are scurrying away.

Oh my, I might have just gone and offended someone by saying that. I wonder if that means they will leave UO now?

I am gonna go against my better judgement and stick my nose into the QfB debacle, or wait, is my nose already in it because I am in QfB? I'll ponder that later.

When QfB originally began, I told Marcus it was a nice idea, but doomed to fail. That was when I actually thought Marcus was a good guy, before I found out what kind of jerkoff he was. I told Marcus, "people will never agree on Great Lakes, you don't change Great Lakes, it changes you." Of course he didn't believe me, then him and Nick got in a spat, and thus QfB was initially created to spit in the eye of the Herald.

Then Marcus messed up and blew a hole in QfB from the inside. She was sinking, and sinking very fast. Then a few people decided to get out the water buckets and try to keep her afloat. Up until a few days ago, it seemed they were able to do so.

Its amazing, incident after incident happened after Marcus's temper tantrem, but we still managed to go on. Who would have thought it would take dragging a personal grief public to start sinking the entire thing again.

Here, I'll give you a snippet of how things 'basically' happened.

The final straw with QfB was Saturday when I found out what Roxanne of RES had done. I'm sure many of you have heard about Wednesday's incident between BDA and RES. Different versions of what happened are circulating, but it basically started when an RES member or members killed BDA's Mistina after she won a duel. It escalated to the point where later Roxanne and other RES members killed three BDA members.

You know, I could have maybe believed this if it wasn't that the paragraph before hand was totally truthless. So now, I can't believe that what you said is 'basically' what happened.

Oh, pardon me, the paragraph before...

We were also involved in the formation of the Empire of Armageddon. It was fun, even when it seemed like every virtue guild on Great Lakes was lined up against us and the other evil guilds in EOA. The final battle was a free-for-all in Vesper where we experienced virtue guilds breaking just about every rule in the book. That was the final straw, so I pulled out.

First of all, being that I was Arch Mage of the EoA for a small time, then involved in moderating their siege of Serpent's Hold, I can clearly remember what happened. BDA didn't leave after Vesper, it didn't even leave after Serpent's Hold. Basically what happened was that EoA died due to inactivity after the log of their Council meeting leaked out. If BDA quit before that meeting, why were they in that log? Sorry Caleb, I think you are a good guy, and I know you probably won't like me after this rant, but draggin that entire thing out on the public board was pointless and stupid.

But now I am starting to stray, the core of this argument revolves around something I like to call, "Lack of participation."

Granted, RES did not know she wasn't wearing scale armor under her dress and neither she nor I knew it was against the "rules."

You should have known, you should have been reading the private boards, keeping up to date. This doesn't go for just Caleb, this goes for everyone that is in Quest for Britannia. I look at the list of QfB guilds, then I notice only about half of the GM's post on the private board, and then less than half of their other represenatives post.

Proof of this is only needed by the way others, like Lilly Thann, think in QfB.

I have been frequently ignored, bad mouthed (behind my back, and yes, it does get back to me), and most of all, in a community that is supposed to support RP, i've sadly seen little of it. I am sadly disillusioned by QfB.

There are lots of mouths in QfB, so many, that quite frankly I've stopped reading the General Board except when there is a good flame war going. I don't like checking the board and finding it being spammed with useless crap.

Don't believe me? Example of useless crap that spams the General Board.

Title:I have always wanted to say this hehe

Evil will always Triumph over good Because good is dumb...hehe (Spaceballs man its a classic)......There I said it now I am happy *Waves*

I am sorry, but I consider my time too valuable to have it wasted drudging through a message board for content. So dont be offended if I am not listening to you. People get too bent out of shape in this community about getting attention. If people don't listen to me, I could give a rat's ass. If you expect everyone to reply to you and pat you on the back everytime you say something, then you have come to the wrong place.

In all my time in QfB, and I have been the silent one, not saying anything because, well frankly, there are only a few people who's opinions mean anything on this board and their little clique who support them. They are the most vocal people and unfortunately, not the people I am friends with.

And we get the truth. As long as you view things this way, then things are going to be this way. I for one have no delusions, I know hardly anyone in QfB likes me, yet I somehow tend to get my point across on the private board.

I could go on with more and more quotes, but the sad truth is, the reason why QfB is dying is because its like five or six guilds that are really working hard for QfB, with about two or three more giving some help to them. The rest of them expect everything to come to them, which is why they hardly post on the Private forums.

So it all comes down to the lack of participation on alot of people's parts, including mine.

QfB is sinking, and this time its not going to be saved. People are getting political and quitting because someone is offended or because they don't like someone. I for one am not going to be a rat, I, and Third Army, will stay with QfB until its at the bottom of the sea. Yet, that doesn't mean I haven't opened my eyes to the truth.

Nothing like QfB will ever work on Great Lakes. People roleplay in too many different ways for it to ever succeed. I may get along with some people, but there are others I won't. Its like when I went to the Tales and Ales the other night, I met some great rp'rs, but I also met some really big kewl dewds that claimed ot be rp'rs.

Basically, all we can do is play the game, in the game, not out on some message board. Find people that fit with your roleplay, and play with them. That doesn't mean you have to ignore others, it just means you will have the most fun playing with like minded people.

Prepare the ship for dive!

"Aye Aye Cap'n!"

Say what you want here.

Monday night role around again and it is time for Tales and Ales Happy Hour! Drinks will be plentiful and events should be as well, pending any absences. This Monday won't be to celebrate our very very successful reopening. It won't be to celebrate the number of visits, ranging between 300 and 400, we have received IN A SINGLE WEEK. No, it will be to celebrate the fact that we have PURCHASED Tales and Ales, owning it in full now! (Special thanks to those who donated gold and items towards the cause) Monday night looks to be an excitingly busy night! Hope to see you there!

Let it be known the man known as Nate Byrd, the owner of the Tales and Ales Tavern, is to wed Lilly Thann, Ambassador to Vesper for the Britannia High Council, in these upcoming weeks! No date has been set, but an announcement should come as soon as Lilly has completed her journies to learn the virtues. The young couple is also expecting a small bundle of joy to grace their lives in the coming months, as Lilly is already expecting. The two are excited about this news that they share with the community, and Lilly promises that this will not affect her duties in any way.

The 9th public meeting of the High Council of Britannia is scheduled for Monday, September 2, 2002 at 8:00 PM (CST), on the Feluccan facet in the city of Serpent's Hold. It will take place in the Serpent Warrior's meeting hall near the Northeast corner of the isle. Items on the agenda so far are the discussion of the role of the military, and the Third Army in Moonglow; further discussion on the mobilization of forces in Felucca; and barrels placed on the Yew roads. All are invited to attend, and time will be given to any member of the public who has item or issue to present to the High Council.

Ra'Dian Fl'Gith, Councilor of Magincia
on behalf of Doctor Ghyss, Chancellor of Virtue