{"id":1923,"date":"2024-03-20T14:12:50","date_gmt":"2024-03-20T14:12:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/realmsofdespair.com\/wordpress\/?page_id=1923"},"modified":"2024-03-20T14:12:50","modified_gmt":"2024-03-20T14:12:50","slug":"cry-of-despair-102","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/realmsofdespair.com\/index.php\/cry-of-despair-102\/","title":{"rendered":"Cry of Despair #102"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-white-color has-text-color\">Holiday gift ideas; Hobbit cuisine; Half-Ogre Pin-up Calendar<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"cryofdespair\">\n _____________________________________________________\n\/ Contents - Cry of Despair, Issue 102, December 2005 \\_______________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\n   News From Around The Realms   - Sub-Editor: Aslan\n     Quest Submissions             - by Aslan\n     Write for the News            - by Aslan\n     Order News\n       Sanctus Irae                - via Aslan\n       Arcanes                     - via Aslan\n     TS\/VC\/CoE Updates             - by Mari\n\n   Fun and Entertainment         - Sub-Editor: Babui\n     A Game of Chance              - by Babui\n     Wedding Congratulations       - by Babui\n     Christmas Gift Ideas          - by Babui\n     Submit to Funnybones          - by Babui\n     Merry Christmas!              - by Babui\n     Cry of Despair Quest          - by Alysira\n\n   RP, Poems and Stories         - Sub-Editor: Mari\n     Nations News\n       Gralthai                    - via Romani\n       Hobbits                     - via Romani\n       Tyrrhenu                    - via Romani\n       Lomar                       - via Romani\n       Khazad                      - via Romani\n       Uruk'hai                    - via Romani\n     Poetry Submissions\n     Story Submissions \n     RP\/Poems\/Stories Submissions  - by Mari\n\n   PKill                         - Sub-Editor: Vortok \n     PKC Updates                   - by Vortok\n     A PK Story                    - by Vortok\n\n   General Knowledge             - Sub-Editor: Genge \n     Christmas Quest Results       - by Genge\n\n                                                                      Page: 001\n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n _______________________\n\/ Quest Proposals - Aslan \\___________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\nI am looking for people to think up ideas that we, the CoD, can put\nin our monthly editions. The quests need to be easily doable but\nmentally challenging so they can't be done in five minutes flat.\nEach month the winning quest proposal will be decided and featured\nin the following months CoD.\n \nHow to submit your quest idea:\n \nOn a mud signed note to the CoD with the subject My quest proposal\n \n1) Type of quest\n2) Players you think are needed\n3) Objects of quest\n4) Rewards\n5) Why you think your quest stands out from the rest\n \nAny questions please feel free to contact the CoD, of Mudmail\nVortok, Aslan, Genge or Alysira.\nGood luck\nAslan de wells Rotheschilde\n\n(End)                                                                \n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n ____________________________\n\/ Write for the News - Aslan \\________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nHello all,\nHave you seen something that needs to be reported on? got a hot\nstory or gossip that you feel should be shared in the Realms\npress? Do you seek to be a part of the News Desk? If you do then\nwhy wait any longer for a chance of a lifetime.\nSend in your News Desk Applications with the following details.\n \nMudsigned mail to Alysira, Aslan and Genge with the following\nsubject: News Desk Writer\n \n1) Why you wish to write for the news?\n2) Your past experience\n3) The type of stories that interest you\n4) Times of day that we can catch you online\n5) A short article to show us what you can do no more than 100 words.\n \nGood luck!\nAslan De Rotheschilde\n\n(End)                                                                \n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n _______________________________\n\/ Sanctus Irae News - via Aslan \\_____________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\n          |\/========================================================\\|\n          ||Happy Holidays From Irae!                               ||\n          ||                                                        ||\n          ||  As the first ivory flakes of winter pour from the sky ||\n          ||and dust the City of Lions, Irae, signs of the upcoming ||\n          ||Yuletide events bring a festive quality to her air. Word||\n          ||of various competitions, including those featuring the  ||\n          ||merchants of the City, spreads like wildfire whilst low ||\n          ||whispers carry rumors of the disappearance of the City's||\n          ||beloved Marquis.                                        ||\n          ||  The Sera River begins to ice over, permitting children||\n          ||and their parents alike to skate across her bright and  ||\n          ||lustrous surface. The streets are decked with ornaments ||\n          ||of myriad colours and shapes, all brilliant in their own||\n          ||right.                                                  ||\n          ||  But underneath the glossy mask citizens are instructed||\n          ||to tread carefully and mind their coin purses as crime  ||\n          ||has also chosen to take advantage of the generous times.||\n          ||  The City welcomes a new Cardinal after Father Acridian||\n          ||has seemingly vanished. This new man brings with him an ||\n          ||increase in the Cathedral guard.                        ||\n          ||  The Conservatory once more bustles with life as Elohai||\n          ||startled by the Il'Khan-Elohai conflict return to their ||\n          ||former studies. The guard keeps itself organized under  ||\n          ||the watchful eyes of Dray and Isiredo in Carnak's hiatus||\n          ||and maintains its watch over the growing City.          ||\n          ||  From the shadows of the Poor Quarters, plots are being||\n          ||hatched to spring various \"taxes\" on visiting merchants ||\n          ||despite the law and the trade guild's attempts to stop  ||\n          ||these efforts.                                          ||\n          ||  And amidst all the chaos, the tailor Raivanna gathers ||\n          ||the season in the form of a Masquerade!                 ||\n          ||  All of this excitement and more accompanies the dawn  ||\n          ||of the Yuletide season and the New Year.                ||\n          |\\========================================================\/|\n \n  On an OOC note, the Order of Sanctus Irae wishes well to its\nformer leader, Augustine Canto Rosa, upon his departure as Order\nLeader. Irae welcomes, with open arms, Falennt Sarien Ladisvale\nas his successor to lead us into a new year!\n\n(End)                                                               \n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n\n\n\n ______________\n\/ Arcanes News \\______________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\n  Under benevolent guidance of our new leader, the Order of Arcanes had been\n  swiftly growing during this month, both in knowledge, in roster, and in wealth.\n     \n     On behalf of every member of our Order, I'd like to extend many thanks to \n  Mephie for doing an excellent job leading Arcanes, as well as congratulate her\n  on her newly acquired title of Heroine in the Hall of Renown.\n  \n     I would also like to congratulate Abismo, Kremit, Rexoar, Faye and Ochk on\n  passing their trial periods and becoming full members of our Order. They are\n  the foundation of our team now, and an excellent foundation it is.\n  \n     Best of luck to Ikiris, Yibaroane, and Veneno who had passed their quests\n  and are now under consideration as Arcane Initiates.\n  \n     Alas, as I had been so busy with the Arcane matters, I had became somewhat\n  out of touch with my old colleagues in wizardry. The time came to call for\n  our usual Magician Sabbat, but I realized I no longer know where my magician\n  friends reside.\n\n     I will provide their descriptions and I hope someone can find the locations\n  of my Arcane friends. Your assistance shall not go unrewarded, of course.\n  I will personally see to it that the first person to locate all five of my\n  colleagues walks away with a new and excellent item; should there be many\n  more entries, I will randomly pick one out of five full correct entries\n  and reward them as I see fit.\n  \n     Here are their descriptions:\n  \n  As you look at him, he looks back at you suspiciously.  He is busy        \n  concocting potions, writing scrolls and performing magic of spectacular\n  heights.  He has a long white beard and beady blue eyes, which stare at\n  you with impatience and furour.\n  \n  Clothed in a white cloak and bathed in a soft light, she stares blankly   \n  at the wall.  She appears to see something, something not visible to\n  your own eyes.\n\n  He looks at you in a solemn sort of way.  His gaze seems to penetrate \n  through your innermost being.  He is wearing a silvery cloak and holding \n  a multi-colored staff.  Although he appears to be older than the oldest \n  man, he seems to have an inner strength which most mortals cannot overcome.\n\n  Deeply tanned for his life out of doors, he tends to the gardens of the keep\n  with a magical skill. Without his ministrations, there is no question that the\n  garden would quickly fall into disrepair. This is his life's work, and indeed, \n  his life's passion. Still, looking after these grounds is a huge job for just\n  one man.\n  \n  He brews potions all day long so that those who return from battle may \n  purchase what they need.  He has grown weary from the many days of standing \n  over a boiling cauldron and now seeks his new love, scroll scribing.\n  \n     In conclusion, I would like to note that the Order of Arcanes welcomes \n  applications both from experienced and newer players - aside from being a\n  mana-using character, the only requirements are to be willing to meet new\n  friends and to have fun!\n     \n     Should you have any questions regarding our Order, do not hesitate to\n  ask any of the coded leaders or regular members of Arcanes, though bear\n  in mind that all the membership applications are handled solely by the \n  three leaders.\n    \n              Best of luck to you in the Realms, and remember:\n             \n                          As one, we are strong!\n\n(End)                                                       \n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n  \n  \n __________________________\n\/ TS\/VC\/CoE Updates - Mari \\__________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\n                         +-+-+ +-+-+ +-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+\n                         |T|S| |V|C| |C|O|E| |N|e|w|s|\n                         +-+-+ +-+-+ +-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+\nTS\n\nNovember 7, 2005\n\nPassed TS \n=============================================\n* Staff of Barad-Dur Anti-Change - Allow barad-dur staves to \nbe brandished by all classes.\n\n* Container Proposal- TS\/Leonidas - get multiple items from \na container using the item's abbreviation.\n\n* More char physical traits - TS\/Gelroos \n\n* Custom Colourschemes - TS\/Oggiemoge\n\n* Mail Forwarding - TS\/Zanzidor\n\n* Induct \/ Outcast messages - Ts\/Dargolith- Allow all Orgs their own \ninduct\/outcast messages.\n\n\nVC\/CoE\n\nNovember 7, 2005\n\nPassed CoE:\n\nAllow note vote changes\n \nDenied by VC:\n\nNew shields\nIf we start throwing numerous different shield varieties\nout there, it will be quite difficult to deal with the shield issue\nin either mkill or pkill unless we opt for a lesser damage type, which\nthen moves it back to the pre-shattering realm of pointlessness.\nAn across the board addition of shield types for every spellcasting class\nis not in our interest.\n \nNotice in light of issues brought up about in-area quests:\nMini-quests are being added regularly. Some quests will not be\ngiven to every player - that helps deal with the constant issue of players\nfarming for desirable items. Some quests will only be available to those who\nmaintain an awareness as they play. They -will- find these quests. That said,\nplease do submit any individual -specific-, -quality- quest ideas to Loril.\n\n\nTS\n\nNovember 21, 2005\n\nFailed\n=============================================\n\n* Hall of Heroes and adding a written description about the reasons for the\ncharacter being there. Although this was a nice idea, it was not seen as \nsomething overly valuable to the game. Further, the content could be unwanted \nby some of the nominees which should be avoided. Management of the text would\nalso be an additional strain on resources that was perceived as unnecessary.\n \n* Config +noexp for Peacefuls\nThis idea has been brought up in the past and was denied mainly for abuse\nreasons. It was also suggested that if you have a low level character who you\nwish to remain that way, you can simple die a sufficient number of times as to\nlose enough experience to have leveling not be an issue.\n\n  _____________________________________________________________________\no(__    ___    _ __     ____  _   __     ____  _   __     ____  _   ___)o\n |                                                                    |\n |                        o( TS Member List )o                        |\n |                                                                    |\n |                                                                    |\n | Immortal Head: Cappadocius                                         |\n |                                                                    |\n | Immortal Member: Akael                                             |\n |                                                                    |\n | Mortal Head: Mari                                                  |\n |                                                                    |\n |   Aeryn          Mobine        Qaulorn        Vibra     Zistrosk   |\n |   Fenrir         Myceran       Rikkath        Wiglaff              |\n |   Haviland       Ordem         Sumitra        Wren                 |\n |   Maratsade      Oxnyx         Syniad         Zabanire             |\n |   Matanza        Padraig       Theodore       Zanzidor             |\n |                                                                    |\n |__    ___   __    _____   __    _____   __    _____   __    _____  _|\no(_____________________________________________________________________)o\n\n\n                                ,       ,\n                               \/(       )`\nHave you ever thought          \\ \\__   \/ |\nabout making a difference      \/- _ `-\/  '\nin the Realms?                (\/\\\/ \\ \\   \/\\\n                              \/ \/   | `    \\\nEver thought about how        O O   )      |\nthings work here?             `-^--'`<     '\n                             (_.)  _ )    \/ \nEver have an idea that        `.___\/`    \/ \nyou thought would improve       `-----' \/\ngameplay?          <----.     __ \/ __   \\ \n                   <----|****O)))==) \\) \/========()\nWell now here is   <----'    `--' `.__,' \\\nyour chance to stand out        |   TS    |\nfrom the crowd and be            \\       \/ \npart of something exciting.  ____( (_   \/ \\______\n                           ,'  ,----'   |        \\ \n                           `--{__________)       \\\/\n \nApplications are now being accepted for Open Positions within\nThe Symposium, Please visit [ http:\/\/ts.silverwolf-den.com\/ ]\nfor details on how to apply.\n\n(End)                                                        \n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n  \n\n __________________________\n\/ A Game of Chance - Babui \\__________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nA game of chance.\n\nThose who read the CRY earlier on this year might remember this game.\n\nIn the spirit of Christmas, I'm bringing it back for one December round of\nCHANCE.\n \nWhy December, you may ask. Christmas! Quite the perfect time for meeting new\nfriends, rekindling broken friendships or just sharing a great time with your\ncurrent friends!\n\nForgive and forget! Sharing and giving! Yay. *calms down*.\n \nThis is a very SLIGHT change though....\n\nRead on to find out more!\n\nA Game of Chance\n\nIn this MUD game we all play in, there about 22,500 characters....(says Conran \n- accurate approximation!) What are the chances of meeting a certain person?\nWhat are the chances of finding someone you can call a close friend?\n \nChances are given, whether you take the opportunity, is entirely up to you.\nThis is a game created for chance. Well, for entertainment purpose too.\n4 lucky people will be given the chance to meet someone...someone you may \nor may not know...it is all up to...chance.\n\n                             ,---')\n                            (  -_-(\n                            ) .__\/ )\n                          _\/ _\/_( \/        _.---._\n                         (__\/ _ _) ,-._   \/  o    \\\n                           \/\/)__(\\\/,-` |_| O  o o O|\n                       _\\\\\/\/\/==o=\\'      |O o  o O |\n                        `-' \\    \/        \\O o   o\/\n                             )___\\         `'-.-\\\\\n                            \/ ,\\ \\       ____)_(____\n                           \/ \/  \\ \\     '--..---,,--'\n                          |\\_\\   |\\_\\       \/,-.\\\n\n\nExplanation of the process:\n \n- 5 participants of any gender will be randomly selected on a first come\n  first serve basis. All participants will choose a name to be associated with.\n\n- The first participant(A) will ask a question and mudmail it to me. I will \n  make 4 copies, and send them to each of the remaining participants. They will\n  answer the question in a mudmail to me.\n\n- Forwarding the 4 answers on a separate mudmail to (A), (A) will decide which\n  answers are more preferred and eliminate one participant.\n\n- This continues - 3 questions, 3 people outcast, and (A) will meet up\n  with the remaining participant! \n\nNote:\n\n+ The questions must be general (eg, what is your favourite area?) and must \n  not reveal\/hint at a person's identity (eg, what organization are you in?)\n+ The mudmails would all be posted to me, so it'll be anonymous - until the\n  final meeting where (A) will know who was chosen and who was given up!\n+ The results and questions\/answers will be published on the cry, so be ready.\n+ This is not a dating game. The final person's gender may not be your preferred\n  choice.\n\nI am now accepting applications for this game.\n \nThe first person to apply will automatically be selected for asking the\nquestions, unless specifically requested otherwise in the applying mudmail.\n \nThere is only one requirement for this game before you apply. You must be\nactive!!!! We cannot wait for daysssss for the mudmails exchange.\n \n\nThis is a game, if you get outcast, don't be sad, don't be mad, just have\nfun!\n\nBe ready to be shocked, be surprised, and be happy! Apply now!\n\nThis is a chance to meet a new friend, or catch up with an old one!\n\n\nSend a mudmail to Babui saying you're interested now!\n\nRemember to specify in the mudmail a nickname (don't be too obvious about \nyour identity and keep it clean please!)\n\nAgain, this is on a first come first serve basis. First 5 applications will be\nentered. I apologize in advance for any inconvenience =(\n\n(End)                                                   \n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n _________________________________\n\/ Wedding Congratulations - Babui \\___________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nA friend just got married? Want to congratulate them along with the whole of\nrealms?\n \nYou just got married? Want to announce to the whole of realms your love for\neach other?\n \nWell, here's the place!\n \nSend me a mudmail with the couples' name, the date of the wedding, and any\ncomments you would like to make =)\n \nStart NOW by showing you care! Start NOW by showing you are truly happy for\nthem\/yourself! Start NOW by announcing to the world!\n\n_____________________,88888e \n______________,a888b.9888888i \n______________888888888888888 \n______________88888888888888Y\n______________'8888888888888\n________________\"S888888888\"\n__________________\"7888888Y \n_____________________\"e88j \n______________________-> HaPpY WeDdInG!\n\n                                          As the night of halloween draws near,\n                                          near, creatures from all over realms\n                                          were invited to a halloween ball....\n              .o######0o.                      \n             0###########0.      .         and witnesssed.... \n            o####\" \"######0.    (## m#o\n            ####(    ######0  ._ ##.##\"nn   the moment two vampires declared\n            0####o   ###\" ## (##o.######\"   their love for each other....\n    o00o.    0#####o,##. ,#\"  \"#######(\n  .0#####0.   0###########0     ########       on this ghostly day of\n .0#######0.   \"0#########\"  _.o###'\"00\"         28 November 2005  \n.0###########o._ \"\"################       _  .\n0####\" \"#########################0      .0#0n0    \n#####.   \"\"#####################\"    _  0#####     --- Nivek and Mari ---\n0#####.     \"###################._.o##o.#####\" \n\"0#####..##mn \"\"#############################   \n  \"0#######\"\"_    \"\"##################\"#####\"  joined in unholy matrimony.. \n     \"\"####m###m      \"\"############\"   ####        \n    .########\"\"\"         .########\"     \"##\"     \n    ####\"##\"###o        (0######\"        \"\"     xXx CONGRATULATIONS xXx        \n    \"##\".###,##     .o#o \"\"####.                  \n         \"##\"      .0############.                \n                 .n###############   \n\n(End)                                    \n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\t\t \n\t\t \n\t\t \n\n\n\n ______________________________\n\/ Christmas Gift Ideas - Babui \\______________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nChristmas! Christmas shopping always give me headaches. What to buy? What to\ngive?! Who did I miss? RAAAaaaA! Well, I racked my brains and came up with a \nfew possible Christmas gift ideas!\n \nA fish head                       \nThe skill from dissecting the head carefully and ever so beautifully from the\nbody of the fish shows care, effort and dedication. It gives the feeling that\nthe receiver of the gift is the subject of the thoughts inside your head,\nmaking this the perfect gift for someone you care about. I'm sure they'll\nexcuse the smell.\n \nA token to drow hometown          \nMany of you may know, and even have visited (even if you pretend not to) the\nbrothel in the City of Inquity. Xander or Sadath will keep your friend happy \nfor hours, or if you wish, you can be an excuse to hop in the fun yourself.\nPerfect for those who loves spamming mobs with lovey socials or alternatively,\nfor someone you prefer to be locked in a room (together or away) for Christmas.\nNote - not an option for neutral genders unless you employ the magical usage\nof belladonnas\/scroll of changes.\n\nA small pillow                     \nSomething to dance with when happy, to hug when sad, to punch when angry, to\nsleep on\/with when tired. Perfect pillow, perfect friend. Always around to\nshare the day, to help when need. Even if you are physically unable to be\naround 24\/7, this gift from your heart can. A very thoughtful gift for a\nfriend.\n\nA tall mug of frothy beer          \nGood for those who ain't such great conversationalists. For those who dread \nthe small talk about your family, day, plans, job, school and definitely\nabout academic reports, this is a perfect gift. \"Yay! Drink up!\". Continue\ndrinking until one passes out. No small talk required. Probably also the best\nChristmas gift for the many beer lovers out here on realms.\n\nA rainbow potion                   \n\"You are my rainbowwwwwww, my colourful rainbowwwwwww...\". Is there a special\nperson who fills your day with the many colours of the rainbow? Here, you have\na rainbow potion to express what they had done and is doing to you, and a\nchance to give them back a rainbow of your own. Result = two colourfully happy\npeople with a great day with the colours of the rainbow. Oh joy.\n\nA tiny forest green cap            \nReminiscing to the days when you were little children, little newbies lost in\nthe Halls of Knowledge. The forest green cap symbolizes Peter Pan in Neverland,\nthe land where you never grow up. Brings back joyful memories of time together.\nA gift for a friend you have known for a long time or share alot of memories\nwith. Afterall, memories are what made who we are today!\n\nAn expensive-looking pocket watch  \nContrary to the cap, the watch symbolizes upcoming time. This implies you are\nwanting and awaiting the friendship to exist, to continue to exist, for a long\ntime to come. No matter how many hours, how many days, even how many years fly\nby, the friendship will always continue. Also very useful for checking the time\nas time passes the fastest when you are happy. A gift with both symbolic and\npractical uses, great for a good friend you spend many fast hours with and\nstill looking forward to more time spent together.\n \nGifts are just a symbol of thought. I'm sure no matter what the actual gift is,\nit will mean just as much to a friend as the most expensive and shiniest gift\nin the world. In fact, if you really forget everything and approach empty\nhanded, I'm sure a big hug from the heart or a mudsigned note with your\nthoughtful wishes will do. Afterall, it is the thoughts that count. Hope you\nguys have a great Christmas with lovely thoughtful gifts =)\n\n(End)                                                    \n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n ______________________________\n\/ Submit to Funnybones - Babui \\______________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nIs there some log, bio, title, events, random personal thoughts...or even\nastrological or food stuff things you would like to share!? ANYTHING really...\n \nWhy not share your logs\/thoughts\/anything with the entire mud community?! Have\nyour logs and articles published on the CRY, so we all can know more new\nrandom stuff or laugh at cute little silly peoples and events =P HAR...I mean.\n...We can all be entertained in a nice polite fashion... *nod self*...\n \nOh oh! Or some ascii drawing you did you might want to share! ANYTHING!\nSend me your article\/log\/note\/whatever via mudmail! Yay! Send your mudmails to\nBabui now! =D\n \n         .-. .-.       .-. .-.\n        (   Y   )     (   Y   )\n         `|   |`       `|   |`\n          | 00|_       _|00 |\n          |  ,__)     (__,  |\n          |,_|           L_,|\n          ||               ||\n          | \\_,         ,_\/ |\n          |   |         |   |\n          |   |         |   |\n        (`  A  `)     (`  A  `)\n         '-' '-'       '-' '-'\n\n(End)                                                                 Page: 022\n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n\n __________________________\n\/ Merry Christmas! - Babui \\__________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\n.qggL  *  .gggr.  .         '            .              *            .     +\n  PMML  . \/|MM        '.       +                    '\n  |!MM,' \/`|MM  .d\/\"q,  qgg;+Ml qgg;+Ml vgg. .y.            Vv   Vv   Vv   Vv\n  | YMM,j' |MM  MM;.jMl |MM` \"  |MM` \"   qM| j`   x  O      o,   o,   o,   o,\n  |  qM#'  |MM  MM|     |MM  +  |MM    .  MMg'  \/(_){-}+--===--===--===--===\n.j|.  qF  .+MM..'MMbxr` jMM.    jMM.  *   'MF   \\=====\/   > >  > >  > >  > >\n .   *                                  x, \/\n  .x\/--\\xxl ,xx     .   *     ,gb       v#' .        . '                 *\n.dMT    'q| |MM  '            '\"'         .dM               *\ndMM  *    ` |MM\/dMg,  qgg;+Ml qgg  j\/\"`+  qMM-. qgg\/dM#,w#Mb  ,g'`fg, j\/\"`+\nMMM    .'   |MM  MM|  |MM` \"  |MM  MMbx\/  |MM   |MM  |M|  MM  `p'. M| MMbx\/\n'MMl  +   . |MM  MM|  |MM  .  |MM  .`vMMl |MM   |MM  |M|  MM  , ,!. | .`vMMl\n 'vMb...r\/` jMM..MM|. jMM.  + jMM. +,.,P' 'MMx: jMM..dM|..MM, M j't | +,.,P'\n     \"\"         .'        *                  .     *        <=-=:: -=->   . ' \n\n(End)                                                        \n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/ \n \n \n \n __________________________\n\/ Cry of Despair Quest - Alysira \\____________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nLast month's quest was to design a Thanksgiving dinner using items from\naround Realms. Again, only two entrants, only two winners. Congraultions\nto...\n                            Wysper and Praesagus!\n\nPlease see me for your prizes ASAP. For everyone else, here is this\nmonth's quest:\n\nTell us your ideal Christmas gift. It can be anything, ranging from your\nleast favourite MUDder being Balzhured, or that pony you always wanted\nsince the first grade. Just MUDmail Alysira with your response by the 25th\nof December (Ho ho ho) and the two funniest\/cleverest\/originalist\/I'm\njust making up words nowist\/ entries will be selected as winners!\n\nMerry Christmas to all!\n-Alysira\n\n(End)                                                           \n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n \n \n\n _______________________\n\/ Gralthai - via Romani \\_____________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nGreetings Gralthai\n\nOOC We are currently working on new plots and getting more active in the\ncommunity. We also welcome anyone who would be interested in joining the\nNation and\/or starting new plots with us, Mud-Mail Mari for more info.\n\n Leaders:\n Aslan, Captain (Gralthai Pirates)\n Mari, Queen (Githyanki)\n Heathir, Queen (Githzerai)\n \n   |`-.    .^.               .-.___.\n   ( `.)  (_:_)          _.._`\/._.'            .\n    `-'`.__.'.         .'    `-._.--.         ( .`._.           .-.\n      .'      `-.     (    .--._    `.  _    .-\/._.' .-._.-.._ \/  )\n      `.       _.)     `. (     `-.___)' `.-'   )    `.    ( :)  (_\n    _ \/)     ( )`---.   )(  `-  _.  .'  .-.  .'       )    \\ : ( `)\n    ( :(    _  \"    .(`-' `._    _.-'   \/.-<-(   .-._.'      V   \\(\n    \\ )`._(.`._.  ( :`.     \"\"\"\"      \/ .-'  `-(_..              `\n     )'     `..'    `. )               \\(       (`. )\n                      v                 `        `-.|\n\n(End)                                                           \n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n\n ______________________\n\/ Hobbits - via Romani\\______________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nGreetings, Hobbits near and far!\n\nFirst I bring you good news from our second territory.  The harvests have been\ngood to us and all homes have been made comfortable and warm in the hallow\ntrees. The second wagon train landed safely with no attacks thanks to keeping\nour operations secret and excellent guards. Though we are a peace loving\nnation we are ready if we have to go to war against the evil Hobgoblin\nwarriors.  We continue to get reports about Hobgoblins stealing weapons\nand engaging others in fights but since no nation has asked for our help we are\nobserving them and waiting to see which area they are to attack. Have no fear\nmy people for we will be victorious if it comes to a battle. Right now snowman\narmies stand day and night guarding our territories while once again those\nparticipating in our white pudding cooking contest get out their brandy.\n \nFor those looking for a wonderful holiday feast try Orc heads stuffed\nwith apples. Boil the heads first to get rid of all vermin. Then surround\ntheir tiny brains with chopped walnuts and butter leaving room for at least 5\nsliced apples to fill their cheeks and the rest of their head. Be sure to\nsprinkle with plenty of curry and salt and pepper. Pour one quart of plum\nbrandy on top and bake covered in the fire or hot coals for 3 hours. This is\nserved with hot crossed buns or pipe weed bread.\n\nHere in the burrows we shake the bushes and find all kinds of wonderful\nthings on the ground left from the great Hobbit Deity. By the time you read\nthis most of you will be finished with the last of your Christmas baking and\nhungry for something new. May I suggest Passion fruit rice pudding?\nThis is a fun recipe I discovered during my journey to find a safe new out\npost which has turned into a nice settlement now.\n\nYou will need a large bag for this, big enough to fit 3 full grown elves.\nSlice two pounds of carrots, one pound of sweet onions, two pounds of\nraisins and add 5 pounds of passion fruit. Now find any three elves engaged in \nan argument and give them each a bottle of fine wine. Offer to give them each a\nsecond bottle of wine if they will finish their argument while stomping around\nin the bag. This they will gladly do. Throw in a few pounds of nuts while they\nare yelling or some hung over pixies. Such will be the heat from their\nendeavors that the mix will begin to boil. Be sure to remove the elves and\npixies since they would spoil the taste of the pudding, wash them off and give\nthem their wine. Now add one gallon of sweet whipping cream and two quarts of\nrice. Carefully tie the bag shut and lower the whole bag into a bed of hot\ncoals. Now pour one gallon of brandy on top and light the bag on fire. By the\ntime the fire dies down the pudding will be ready and will be enough to feed\nyou and your friends. If you have any left over go out and make new friends.\n\nIn conclusion my beloved Hobbits, I would like to thank each and every one\nof you for the privilege of being your Thain. It is something I hope to be as\nlong as I am with you in this realm. But it is only fair to warn you that\nlately I have felt my true love calling to me. When he was killed so many\nyears ago by a poisonous arrow while defending our village from attack for so\nlong I nearly died of loneliness. He seemed so far away and though I tried I\ncould find no one to match my spirit like him. Now he appears in my dreams and\nsometimes I hear his voice as a gentle whisper. And now in the winter I feel his\nwarmth around me as if he is holding me close. I say this to you not to cause\nyou to fear but to let you know that true love does not die even if one is \nseparated for a time by death. I will be joining him, this I am certain of,\nthough I do not know when. My love for you, my dear friends will go with me.\nThere is a golden warmth awaiting me for which I draw near. Until then I wish\nall of us safety, health and friends and family to love in both the burrows\nand our new settlement.\n \nSincerely,\n\nZasperlyn, Thain of the Hobbits\n\n(End)                                                              \n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n\n _______________________\n\/ Tyrrhenu - via Romani \\_____________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\n   A new elder has taken over leadership in Nidaros. Farlina \nWillowbreeze has won the bid and steps up to bring her homeland \ninto better times. All the gnomes were in a high spirited celebration \nas it was announced and welcomed her with open arms and an air \nof warmth. \n\n   In her first days, she revived the Circle of Elders and tackled \nmany of the issues that were put before her by her Kinfolk.\nWhen asked what was in store for Nidaros now that she has taken \nthe position of Elder, she stated, \u201cNow we must keep our eyes to\nthe future and our past well in memory. Only then we will make our\nmark in the world of the tall walkers. Together, our \npeople will prosper.\"\n \n     Nidaros mourns for the loss of their Druid Wisdom. She led a \nvery fruitful existence while creating a very tight knit Druid circle. \nBut with their loss, comes the celebration of  her life, and for the \nselection of a new Wisdom. \n\n   Tiniegh Tumbleweed, who was on a quest for finding the lost \nwords of ancient healing methods, was summoned back to Nidaros. \nUpon her arrival she was given proper ceremony and rose from \nMaiden to Wisdom, thus joining the ranks of the Circle of Elders \nas the Nidaros Nation Wisdom. \n     When approached for comment of her new duties and status, \nshe stated, \"I promise you, Kinfolk, to uphold my duties as your \nWisdom. To Offer my support and warmth to all. I am honored to \nbe part of The Elder Circle and promise to  keep an unbiased \nmentality when dealing with anything put before me in our Circle \nof Elders.\" \n\n Ainsley Willowbreeze, the younger of the Willowbreeze twins,\nhas spent her days helping her sister Farlina in her day to day \nduties. \n\n   When asked of her thoughts of all the busy work ahead, She \nstated. \"I know I should be more attentive of the family business,\nbut I love nature! I\u2019m well known for letting even a single \nbutterfly capture my attention and off I go! I can lose track of time \nwhen I take Sasha to the meadow\"  It was at this very point that \nher statement was proven, and she took after a Monarch with a \nsmile on her face, her pet fox trailing behind her.\n\n   Even though this good natured gnome can be easily taken to \ndaydreams, she does help her fellow kinfolk. Many of them \nboasted about her attention to details when helping them get \noutfitted and armed for defense training. \n \n   Nidaros enters the Yule season in Good Spirits and with the\npromise of a brighter Future. And so its gnomes thrive and work\ntowards that goal. \n\n              -Tiniegh Tumbleweed\n\n(End)                                                  \n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n\n\n ____________________\n\/ Lomar - via Romani \\________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\n                  _..-'(                       )`-.._\n               .\/'. '||\\\\.       (\\_\/)       .\/\/||` .`\\.\n            .\/'.|'.'||||\\\\|..    )O O(    ..|\/\/||||`.`|.`\\.\n         .\/'..|'.|| |||||\\`````` '`\"'` ''''''\/||||| ||.`|..`\\.\n       .\/'.||'.|||| ||||||||||||.     .|||||||||||| |||||.`||.`\\.\n      \/'|||'.|||||| ||||||||||||(     )|||||||||||| ||||||.`|||`\\\n     '.|||'.||||||| ||||||||||||(     )|||||||||||| |||||||.`|||.`\n    '.||| ||||||||| |\/'   ``\\||``     ''||\/''   `\\| ||||||||| |||.`\n    |\/' \\.\/'     `\\.\/         \\!|\\   \/|!\/         \\.\/'     `\\.\/ `\\|\n    V    V         V          )' `\\ \/' `(          V         V    V\n    `    `         `               V               '         '    '\nThe Nation of Lomar currently stands without a leader to defend against \nthe encroaching Vampire sect. The citizens live in terror as these all \nbut unseen foes grow in strength and numbers. The Vampire Sect is also \nknown to have sired a would be leader in its attempt to bring forth \nruling of the nation from the the cities darkened streets.\n\n(End)                                                       \n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n\n _____________________\n\/ Khazad - via Romani \\_______________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nTo the Citizens of Darkhaven,\n \n   Qetag's Reach, once the homeland to many dwarves, was attacked by a band of\npirates who made landfall a week or so ago. In that time, they had raided the\nnearby villages, but a sufficient response was not mustered in time to repulse\ntheir attack upon the Reach.\n   They captured and occupied the Reach for approximately three days, until a\nforce of dwarves finally expelled them. Participating in the recapture of the\nReach with the Thane was Ryals Darkstone and Kerin Koran, a half-ogre of the\nGuild of Warriors.\n   The Reach is safe now. However, the leader of the pirates escaped unharmed,\nand I would not be surprised if he launches another attack. Beware, for his\ncompatriots may attack anywhere.\n \n   In other news of the Reach, after the pirates were expelled, rebuilding was\nrestarted upon the buildings, and after a census was taken to see who was left,\nit was discovered that a few of the dwarves had gotten mildly sick. Our healers\nare working to contain the disease, and we expect it to pass soon.\n\nJerald Vancour, the battlescarred.\nThane.\n\nFrom, the people of the Khazad.\n\n   The Thane seeks to downplay the events of the Reach, and this is especially\nobvious after his cowardice in battle. The 'few sick' that he mentions is\ngrowing daily, and the healers cannot seem to find a cure. We can only thank\nAule that it is not spreading like wildfire.\n   While it is true that there were three participants in the battle, the true\nhero of the hour was Ryals Darkstone, our former Thane, who stood between us\nand the dark knight who led the pirates into our homes. While the half-ogre\nand former Thane Darkstone were battling scores of pirates and a being of great\nmagical and physical strength, Jerald was busy lying unconscious on the floor,\nnapping his way to victory!\n   Thus, we have changed his name. No longer shall the dwarves of the Reach\ncall him Thane Jerald Vancour the battlescarred, but instead we shall call\nhim Thane Jerald Vancour, the Coward.\n \n-from the pen of the Khazad Journalist.\n\n[ooc: the scenes are going well, and the Reach would like to welcome the new\n      RPers that have joined us.]\n\n(End)                                                            \n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/      \n      \n\n\n _______________________\n\/ Uruk'hai - via Romani \\_____________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nFrom the Opallinoc News Bureau -\nDateline Opallinoc: Winter Solstice Festival\nThe plans are finalized. Meeka's swill is brewing. The great bonfire is\ncalling the Uruk'hai brethren to the annual Winter Solstice Festival.\nTales of adventure, conquest and plunder are sure to be heard. Foods from\nacross the Realms to tingle the tongue. Wide variety of liquid refreshments\nto be sampled in the copious manner as only an Uruk'hai can. All FREE!!!\nB E  T H E R E ! ! ! !\n\nDateline Opallinoc: Annual Half-Ogre Pin-up Calendar\nGet your order in now, for the limited edition Females of Opallinoc calendar.\nSee your favorite Uruk'hai and Half-Ogre females selected for each month.\nHere is a sample of the ilLUSTrious Uruk'hai females you will see ---\nNathalia - rare picture of the former Uruk'hai leader.\nKittany - the fertile Mother of numerous half-ogre children\nSilvia - the Earth Shaker of the Ringbearers\nDascia - the newbie caregiver of the NC\nShardla - whether her new owner likes it or not\n\nAnd no calendar could be complete without Klaatu's life long heart throb -\nCresis - the Ice Queen.\n\nGet your order in soon for holiday gift giving. limited edition when they're\ngone, they're gone - don't miss out \n\n(End)                                                          \n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n ____________________\n\/ Poetry Submissions \\____________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\n   ___________  _______________________________________\n  \/\\          \\|                                       \\\n |:::\\::;,,..           The Requiem                .,:::\\\n |::::\\::;,,..                                      ,,:::\\\n  \\::::\\::;,, Words of madness whispered in my ear  ..,:::\\\n    ``` \\::;,,Falling rain making all the black clear.,,:::\\\n        |:::Cleanse my soul that has been stained red ,,:::|\n       \/:::,,...                                   ..,,:::\/\n      \/::;,,..  Hide the sadness beyond my eyes   ..,,:::\/\n     \/::;,,..     Bury me in the sea of night    ..,,:::\/\n    |::;,,..    Unravel my soul, allow me to die .,,:::|\n     \\::;,,..                                    ..,,:::\\\n      \\::;,,..                                    ..,,:::\\\n       \\::;,,..     Take away all the voices       ..,,:::\\\n        \\::;,,..   Those who tell me I'm fine        .,,:::\\\n         \\::;,,.                                      .,,:::\\\n     ____ _\\::;..     Take away all my choices        ..::::\\\n    \/::::::\\::;..     My choice to live or die         ..::::\\\n   l:::::::\/::::..                                      ..::::\/\n    \\:::::\/::;,...      [By Anshuna and Maridia]        ::::\/\n     \\::\/::;,.......                                ..,::::\/\n      \\\/_____________________________________\/|____________\/\n\n(End)                                                                \n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/      \n\n\n\n\n\n ____________________\n\/ Poetry Submissions \\________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\n   __ \/\\ __       Sea\n   \\_`\\\/`_\/  I open my eyes\n   <_>()<_>  No one is there\n   \/_,\/\\,_\\  All I see is darkness,\n   \\_`\\\/`_\/  in my own sea of despair\n   <_>()<_>\n   \/_,\/\\,_\\  Am I dying?\n   \\_`\\\/`_\/  Will I find the land?\n   <_>()<_>  All my crying...\n   \/_,\/\\,_\\  I wonder, am I that bad?\n   \\_`\\\/`_\/\n   <_>()<_>  I float and I swim\n   \/_,\/\\,_\\  I wail and I scream\n   \\_`\\\/`_\/  I will become his footstool\n   <_>()<_>  And as times before... \n   \/_,\/\\,_\\  My back will begin to bow. \n   \\_`\\\/`_\/ \n   <_>()<_>\n   \/_,\/\\,_\\  By: Maridia Fyremusik\n      \\\/\n\n(End)                                                          \n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/      \n  \n\n\n\n ___________________\n\/ Story Submissions \\_________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\no--+++---------------------------------------------------------+++--o\n       ___    ___        __________________        ___    ___\n  ____\/ _ \\__\/ _ \\_____ (------------------) _____\/ _ \\__\/ _ \\_\n (  _| \/ \\\/  \\\/ \\ |_   ) \\    Anshuna     \/ (   _| \/ \\\/  \\\/ \\ |_  )\n  \\(  \\|  )  (  |\/  ) (___)  __________  (___) (  \\|  )  (  |\/  )\/\n   `   `  \\`'\/  '  (_________)        (_________)  `  \\`'\/  '   '\n           ||                                          ||\n           `'                                          `'\n                    Anshuna  \"The Beginning\" Part 1\nAnshuna grew up in the sands of Teracchei, raised by her mothers handmaidens.\nShe knew very little of her parents other than they were of the royal family\nand the many events and banquets she was forced to attend. At a very young age\nshe decided to leave her home with all its pampered seclusion and make a\nlife of her own. After many days of wandering the sands she came upon a\nshipyard and after talking with a few of the ship mates, the life they\nspoke of intrigued her so she joined them. Starting as a deck hand was a\nlot harder than she could have imagined, but in time through perseverance\nand hard work she moved up the ranks to the title of First Mate. She spends\nmuch of her time at sea or in a tavern sipping on spiced rum and carrying\nout business with the many inhabitants of the realm. In her trading she\nhas acquired much wealth of her own but she is not ready to settle to one\narea just yet. Maybe in time she will change her mind and join the land\ndwellers in a nice, quiet retreat.\n\no--++++---------------------------------------------------------+++--o\n\n(End)                                                             \n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n \n\n _________________________________________\n\/ RP Stories and Poems Submissions - Mari \\___________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\n .__ .__    __..___..__..__ ._..___ __.  .__ .__..___.  . __.\n [__)[__)  (__   |  |  |[__) | [__ (__   [__)|  |[__ |\\\/|(__ \n |  \\|     .__)  |  |__||  \\_|_[___.__)  |   |__|[___|  |.__)\n \n          HH\n          HH\nBBB       HH                                        ,z.\n=== .___. HH     %%%%                   .o.       ,zZZZ>\nBBB |   | HH 838 \\\\\\\\ EEE    AAAAA     ,0X0'    ,zZZZ\"\nBBB |<<<| HH 838 %%%% EEE ## DDDDD    ,0X0'   ,zZZZ\"\nBBB | C | HH 838 %GR% +++ ## AAAAA   ,0X0'  ,zZZZ\"\nBBB | O | HH 838 %%%% EEE ## <>  ,0X0' ,zZZZ\"\nBBB | D | HH 838 %%%% EEE ## AAAAA ,0X0',zZZZ\"HH$HHHHHHHDDHH$HH\n=== |<<<| HH 838 \/\/\/\/ EEE ## AAAAA.0X0 zZZZ\"  EE$EEEEEEEDDEE$EE\n \nThe Cry needs you! Please send your poems and RP stories to Mari!\nIf you wish to submit simply follow the criteria below.\n \n1) Plagiarism of any kind will not be tolerated\n2) All notes are to be mud mailed to Mari before the 15th of every month.\n3) If your submission is a continuing story please inform me.\n4) Have fun!\n \nMari Fyremusik-Ke'Miravn, RP\/Stories\/Poems Sub-Editor\n\n(End)                                           \n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n   \n\n\n __________________\n\/ PK News - Vortok \\__________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nGeneral:\n-  PK player base still low.\n-  Artifacts: Art (Exc\/Mal), Dan (Fer), Marcus(Cat)\n-  PK Geo estimated completion, December...\n     \nCatarrh:\n-  Recent activity increased, is the old Cat back?\n    \nExcordis:\n-  Will selected as #2 for Excordis, congratz!\n \nFeralis:\n-  Wes selected as #1 for Ferlis, Congraz!\n-  Kulj selected as #2, congratz!\n-  Marcus departs Feralis and heads to Maleficae.\n      \nMaleficae:\n-  Dre still gone at Army boot camp, Brad leading.\n-  Marcus(Saki) comes to Mal and selected as #2.\n       \nUpdated 29 Nov 2005 @ 2:54pm by Vortok\n\n(End)                                                        \n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n\n ______________________\n\/ PKC Updates - Vortok \\______________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nPKC can be viewed by typing HELP PKC.  \n      \nIdeas Awaiting PKC Vote:\n-  Voices of the Damned, vanish on zap to be removed\n  \nIdeas Awaiting CoE Vote:\n-  High gold value pk items reduced to lower repair costs\n-  Clan EQ influx of 1 set per month\n-  Shove\/Drag gives adrenaline\n-  Proposed renames for Excordis clan eq\n-  Intra-clan pdeaths not counting against you (kills don't) \n-  Reduced lag for Backstrike\n-  Argument to affects command (\"aff sanc\" shows sanc only) \n-  2str, -1Lck change to clan eq stats\n-  Treachery's Dim Flicker to be made nonmagic\n\nIdeas that have vanished:\n   -  Removing or adjusting poison weapons\n   -  Adjusting charge for barbs in PVP\n   -  Reduce Barbarian suscept magic to 10% for deadlies\n   -  Adding AC to PK EQ\n   -  Silenced deadlies still warcry\n   -  Illusions of the Coryphee layerable with death cloak\n \nPassed CoE, Awaiting Code:\n   -  True sight potions sold in town\n   -  ^zCOPPER ECONEMY ADDED TO PK\n  \nPassed CoE\/PKC and Implemented:\n   -  Myriad of Arenas reinstalled, bugs all fixed :)\n   -  Clan light stats changed from 2dr\/20hp to 1dr\/50hp\n      \nDenied by CoE:\n   -  Reintroduce Brakky banners into pk\n     \nUpdated 24 Aug 2005 @ 5:44pm by Vortok\n\n(End)                                                \n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n ______________________________\n\/ Try level 24 Pkill! - Vortok \\______________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\n                       !!! 24 WARRIOR PKILL !!!\n\nThis message is for those of you that haven't had the chance to check\nout the PK realm, or maybe tried it on an AV and had some terrible luck\nlosing EQ (like I did when I started, and sometimes still do).\n     \nLevel 24 PK is a great way to enjoy the benefits of PK with little cost to\nyou except that of deadly heals, which are about 2k a piece (very cheap).\n    \nA level 24 deadly warrior will take an average person maybe 1 mudyear to\nreach the desired level, and all the equipment can be gotten solo. In\nfact, this equipment is so easy to get, that it is extremely rare to see\nanything looted on level 24s.\n \nPlease visit the PK website at the addy bellow:\n    \nhttp:\/\/hometown.aol.com\/PKsCry\n\nA full list of EQ along with where to get it (thank Argothian) is posted\nunder the EQUIPMENT--->SETS--->Warrior 24 link of the page. If it's\nyour first time playing PK there is a ton of into provided by Amante under\nthe PLAYER link on the main menu. Hope to see you there, its worth a try!\n\nLowbie PK Areas will be sent to CoE soon after the PK Geo, so be ready!\n\nFeralis would like to extend a big THANKYOU for the heaps of lovely clan eq\nand seth that Cararrh was so kind as to donate to our humble organization.\nWe will cherish it, friends.\n\nThursday, November 3rd 2005(5pm-7pm):\n\nLVL  Character       LVL  Character\n(50) Saki         vs (50) (Catarrh) Dockord ... Machine Dreams\n(50) Hektor       vs (50) (Catarrh) Espadas ... The Umbrageous Ruins\n(50) Saki         vs (50) (Catarrh) Dokken ... Shadow Grove\n(50) Hektor       vs (50) (Catarrh) Gaston ... Shadow Grove\n(50) Saki         vs (50) (Catarrh) Seothan ... Citadel of the Feralis\n(50) Vermicio     vs (50) (Catarrh) Gaston ... Grimoire\n\nLove,\nWes\n\n(End)                                                      \n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n __________________________________________\n\/ A PK Story: A Dream of the Isle - Vortok \\__________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nT'was all a dream, but it felt so real...\n\nA cool breeze sent a chill through my body, signifying that I was no \nlonger tucked nicely in my warm bed back in New Darkhaven. As I took\na glance around I noticed I was laying on a dirt path and at my feet\nthere was a large iron gate. I gathered myself and stood up to get a\ncloser look, and noticed that the gate was coated in a thick layer\nof dry blood. My stomach turned both in fear, and disgust. What vile\ncreatures would live in such an unsanitary and barbaric place.\n \nI opened the gate and began my journey south. Along the way I passed\nmany old buildings, crumbled and ruined. From the looks of things\nthe area I was traveling must have been a slum section for the old\ncity I saw north of the place where I awoke.\n \nAs I continued my journey I saw a large watchtower with a broken\nwater line just outside the entrance. There were fresh footprints in\nthe mud, so I knew trouble could lurk nearby. I treaded lightly, and\nmuch to my surprise, was undetected. Along my travels through the \nslums I saw many strange things: A warehouse, completely dark, with\na basement that had fumes so toxic I couldn't focus enough to cast\nany spells; A few abandoned houses, corpses still inside; and an odd\nchurch that for some reason had been untouched by time or trouble.\n\nAlong the western side of the slums was an old rope bridge that\nextended out over a large gulf. On the far side of the gulf was a\ndark swamp, but the bridge had a 3rd extension that led to the mouth\nof a large mountain. The swamp gave me the creeps, so I decided to\ntake the mountain path.\n \nMuch to my surprise the caves through the mountain were quite warm.\nAs I moved deeper into the center I passed a strange catacombs marked\nwith the names and praises to fallen combatants. This was clearly a\ncemetery for the honorable warriors that lived in this region. I soon\ncame upon an underground spring where I stopped to rest and grab some\nwater before moving on. North of the spring I found an abandoned rock\nfortress, quite amazing in its design, but in my weakened state I\nwas unable to access most of it as the doors were far too heavy. As I\ncontinued north I found myself looking over a large pit that lead to\nmolten lava below. I managed to bypass the pit and continued to the\nnorth, where the temperature suddenly dropped dramatically.\n \nI soon emerged from the cave to find myself in a barren ice land. All\naround me were large glaciers and snow covered mountains. I passed \nseveral caves, but dared not travel into any of them in fear of what\nI might find.\n\nDeep into the heart of the glaciers my fly spell wore out, and it\ncouldn't have worn out at a worse time. No sooner than my feet hit\nthe ground, an avalanche started. Without enough time to recast my\nfly I had no choice but to hold my breath and hope for the best. My\nbody was tossed and tumbled down a steep hill before I emerged in\na four way intersection and regained my composure.\n \nTaking to the winds I continued to the north and found myself on a\nlarge snow covered plateau. Northwest of this plateau was a towering\nstatue of the Goddess of Ice... Shiva. The marble statue stood a\nhundred feet tall, and was made of solid marble. Just beyond the\nstatue was a towering palace of ice.  The large block of ice blocking\nthe entrance to the palace was far too heavy for me to move, so I\nturned my body into mist and attempted to pass through the barrier,\nbut with no luck.\n \nThe path through the glaciers lead to the northeast. A dark stormy\nvortex was overhead tossing snow and hail upon the landscape, and I\ncouldn't help but hope that I would soon be away from this horrible\nplace. I soon found myself hovering over a frozen river that led to\nthe southeast, the temperature here was a little warmer, and heading\nto the south could only serve to make things better, so I followed \nthe river.\n\nAs I suspected the frozen river began to thaw as I headed farther to\nthe south. I soon arrived in the heart of a dark forest and joined\na path that went from east to west crossing over the river by means\nof a small wooden bridge. The forest was beautiful, and like nothing\nI had ever seen before. There was something strange about these woods\nand I was determined to figure out what it was.\n \nAs I stepped closer to one of the trees I noticed some strange\nmarkings along the bark. As I got closer I could hear the sound of\nsomething breathing, and before I could react something gripped my\nankles, and I soon found myself entangled in a web of branches. The\nlimbs maneuvered my body in a means so that I was facing the tree\nhead on, and that's when it's secret was revealed. The strange marks\non the bark opened to form a set of large green eyes, and a vicious\nlooking mouth filled with large thorns. No matter how hard I fought\nI was unable to break free. The large tree soon placed my head in its\nmassive mouth, and chomped down...\n \nIt was then that I awoke from my dream, sweating, scared, and in need\nof a new set of sheets. I have a strange feeling that this is not the\nend of my dream. Could this have been a vision from the Gods? A brief\ninsight of something to come? Only time will tell...\n\n(End)                                                           \n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n __________________\n\/ Paladins - Genge \\__________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nIt is not uncommon to hear people refer to Paladins as a cross between warriors\nand clerics. This isn't entirely accurate - they're not particularly good at \neither job. Don't get me wrong, they're a lot better than peaceful rangers - \nwhich are the single saddest class in the game by a long run - but the only\nthing making clerics useful is brew (which Paladins obviously don't have), and\nthey can't compete with warriors as tanks as they have less dex while lacking\nthe enhanced parry and dodge of druids to cope with the quaff drops. Their \nhybrid abilities do come in handy in some situations though. For instance, they\ncan cure blind while fighting (if they style down), and a group of paladins \nusing fortify and rescue can survive with a minimum of heal usage on some mobs.\n\nSUPPORT:\n\n  - Armor: Stock Armor spell\n  - Benefic Aura: Protect\n  - Fortify: Group heal, 70ish hp\n  - Sacral Divinity: Sanctuary\n  - Ward of Divinity: Res Drain, -ac\n\nUTILITIES:\n\n  - Bethsaidean Touch: Cure blind.\n  - Bless: Stock bless spell\n  - Breath of Heaven: Aqua Breath\n  - Divine Armor: Resist drain and -50 ac.\n  - Expurgation: Cure poison\n  - Feast of Faith: Create food\n  - Fountain of Faith: Create spring\n  - Identify: Stock id spell\n  - Invis: Stock invis spell\n  - Refuge: Group recall, to DH\n  - Remove Curse: Stock remove curse\n\nPaladins' combat skills break down as follows:\n - Bludgeons:     95\n - Long Blades:   95\n - Pugilism:      60\n - Enhanced Dam:  90\n - Second attack: 95\n - Third attack:  90\n - Fourth attack: 75\n - Fifth attack:  75\n - Dual Wield:    90\n - Rescue:        80\n - Parry:         90\n - Dodge:         75\n - Two handed:    90\n\n Surely paladins have a use, with a relatively decent set of spells for a \nfighter genre class? Well, yes and no. They're good with nasrs, rescuing and\nusing fortify if you don't want to use heals or are fighting something that \nrequires a massive amount of healing. Alernatively, you can use them as a tank\nfor mobs that do a lot of draining damage (mostly they're used for soloing \nDracula). Finally, you can use them as a storage, in the same style as rangers,\nwith one exception - Paladins aren't as ridiculously poor in actual combat. In\na pinch, Paladins can sub in for Warriors in many situations, since they do \nhave decent attack ratings. When fighting with a Paladin, you essentially have\ntwo choices for the offensive front. You can use rescue and hope to hit in\nextra melee, or you can use tzadkiel's touch, which is roughly as useful as\ngrasp suspiria. Which is better depends on what you're fighting, of course - \nbut the general consensus leans towards chain rescuing.\n\n(End)                                                             \n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n _________________________________\n\/ Christmas Quest Results - Genge \\___________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\n Excane has won the contest I held the last CoD, winning himself a shiny new\n pkill avatar. Sadly, this was the best entry I got. See how easy it would\n have been to win? Slackers. Oh, right. Excane won a PKav. Hurrah for Excane!\n \n Stoneheft - A stoneheft stout ale, because he's a simple dwarf with simple\n needs.\n Ryals - blade of the Abattoir, because being an RPer, one must have style when\n one illegally pkills someone.\n Dhaulagiri - Maul of Stone (preferably reweighted), seeing as how Dhaulagiri\n is the name of a mountain, wielding a huge-ass hammer with Stone in the name\n is appropriate.\n Jearan - a pair of rounded, metal pliers, so he can remove the spacebar from\n his backspace.\n Ceirana - a handful of rose petals, because I love her and they're green.\n Talinao - a dispel magic potion, because all good barbs fight without magic.\n Magic is the devil's work, it is!\n Grontak - Oblivion, to replace the one that was taken from him! And who \n doesn't want an Oblivion, really?\n Martsa - A new, preferably user-friendly mud client. Because it would help. I\n think.\n Genge - Saliwillow, because he keeps bugging me for it. So he can get one.\n Even though he already has one. Too bad, you're taking it.\n Cyril - taxes and fines. Sometimes, someone needs the Christmas present they\n dont want. Sorry, Cyril.\n\n(End)                                                            \n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/<\/pre>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Holiday gift ideas; Hobbit cuisine; Half-Ogre Pin-up Calendar _____________________________________________________ \/ Contents &#8211; Cry of Despair, Issue 102, December 2005 \\_______________________ |_____________________________________________________________________________\\ News From Around The Realms &#8211; Sub-Editor: Aslan Quest Submissions &#8211; by Aslan Write for the News &#8211; by Aslan Order News Sanctus Irae &#8211; via Aslan Arcanes &#8211; via Aslan TS\/VC\/CoE Updates -&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-templates\/full-width.php","meta":{"footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"class_list":["post-1923","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/realmsofdespair.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1923","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/realmsofdespair.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/realmsofdespair.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realmsofdespair.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realmsofdespair.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1923"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/realmsofdespair.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1923\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1938,"href":"https:\/\/realmsofdespair.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1923\/revisions\/1938"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/realmsofdespair.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1923"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}