{"id":1948,"date":"2024-03-20T17:44:50","date_gmt":"2024-03-20T17:44:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/realmsofdespair.com\/wordpress\/?page_id=1948"},"modified":"2024-03-20T17:46:53","modified_gmt":"2024-03-20T17:46:53","slug":"cry-of-despair-106","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/realmsofdespair.com\/index.php\/cry-of-despair-106\/","title":{"rendered":"Cry of Despair #106"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-white-color has-text-color\">CoE Answers, Romani: a Gith ship, eerie captain&#8217;s wheel turning on its own<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"cryofdespair\">\n _____________________________________________________\n\/ Contents - Cry of Despair, Issue 106, May\/June 2006 \\_______________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\n     Ask CoE                     - by Reuel             HELP CRY2-4\n\n   RP, Poems and Stories         - Sub-Editor: Mari     HELP CRY5-31\n     Sanctus Irae News             - by Jalisa              HELP CRY5\n     Nations News\n       Human                       - by Sealom            HELP CRY6\n       Gith                        - via Romani           HELP CRY7-8\n       Halfling                    - via Romani           HELP CRY9-10\n       Gnome                       - via Romani           HELP CRY11-12\n       Half-Ogre                   - via Romani           HELP CRY13\n       Dwarf                       - via Romani           HELP CRY14\n       Drow                        - via Romani           HELP CRY15\n       Elf                         - via Romani           HELP CRY16\n       Half-Troll                  - via Romani           HELP CRY17\n       Half-Elf                    - via Romani           HELP CRY18\n       Sea-Elf                     - via Romani           HELP CRY19-20\n     Poem Submission               - by Vortok            HELP CRY21\n     Story Submission              - by Gyraz\/Zistrosk    HELP CRY22-27\n     Story Submission              - by Vortok            HELP CRY28-31\n\n   PKill\/Deadly Matters          - Sub-Editor: Vortok   HELP CRY19-20\n     Amante's Levelling Guide      - by Amante            HELP CRY32-39\n     PKill News                    - by Vortok            HELP CRY40\n     PKC Survey                    - by Vortok            HELP CRY41\n     Interview: PKC Head           - by Vortok            HELP CRY42-49\n     Interview: New Catarrh Leader - by Vortok            HELP CRY50-58\n\n     Goodbye                       - by Alysira           HELP CRY59\n\n                                                                      Page: 001\n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n ____________________\n\/ Ask CoE - by Reuel \\________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nReuel: \nFirst and foremost, I must say thank you Kinux for allowing me to resurrect \nthis article from the ashes and to breathe new life into this project on behalf\nof the CoD and all the curious players in the Realms of Despair.\n\nKinux grins.\n\nKinux:\nMost welcome.\n\nReuel:\nIn terms of the coding recourses in the mud, how involved are non immortals in\ntechnical support, and how does a capable coder ever hope of becoming involved?\n\nKinux:\nNon immortals' main role is in testing and reporting. That said, we have had a \nnumber of non immortals forward code fixes to us over the years. The second \npart of the question... It is possible to become involved by talking to Conran,\nour Code Council head. He can take in the code submissions, or assign needed \ncoding projects as required. While not as frequent as in the 1.4a days, it \nstill does happen.\n\nContinued...                                                          Page: 002\n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n\n\n\n ____________________\n\/ Ask CoE - by Reuel \\________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nReuel:\nThe Cleric revamp project... how is that panning out? Do Clerics really have \nhope of breaking out of the brew bot shell? In the Cleric help file mention is\nmade to mystical might and martial prowess, will this play any part into the \ngreater scheme of things?\n\nKinux:\nIt has been mentioned many times before that Clerics will never be a 'hitter'\nclass. The Cleric project was meant to deal with a number of issues that arose\nfrom the adjustment to Clerics with the shattering... A little history...\nAfter the shattering a council of mortals who played Clerics came together and \nbrought together a list of suggestions for the class. In addition to thematic \nchanges, there were a number of spell changes proposed. It is high on our \npriority list to get this project completed and into the game, as it had sat \ndormant for far too long. But there is quite a bit of renewed interest in \nseeing it completed.\n\nContinued...                                                          Page: 003\n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n\n\n\n ____________________\n\/ Ask CoE - by Reuel \\________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nReuel:\nThird and final question... Are there any other big projects on the horizon?\n\nKinux:\nThere are always projects on the horizon. Right now we are really focusing on\na multitude of coding fixes and upgrades from VC, TS and the Ideas file. We \nalso have quite a few new and revamped areas being prepped for porting in the \nnear future. If you are asking are we going to do another shattering? No. But \nthere are substantial upgrades in the future I think I'll need to leave it \nthere, before I misspeak on something that should remain private.\n\nReuel:\nYou guys are an amazing team, and I must just encourage you all by saying...\nkeep up the good work.\n\nKinux:\nMany thanks, but it's the players of the Realms who keep us doing what we do.\n\n-\nMudmail any questions you would like to see addressed in our next edition of \nAsk CoE to Reuel. Every month the top three questions will be selected and \nrepresented in the next issue of CoD. You may choose to remain anonymous if you\nso wish, though it is required that you indicate this in your mudmail. \n\n(End)                                                                 Page: 004\n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n _______________________________\n\/ Sanctus Irae News - by Jalisa \\_____________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nThe City of Irae would like to congratulate Talisha and Shareed Dracos on the\nbirth of their twins Kaleena and Astalder.  They were born at 3am and 6am \n(respectively) on the Day of the Sun, 20th the Month of the Grand Struggle.\n \nWe would like to welcome our newest visitors Jericho and Ophy.  We hope their\nstay here in our City is a pleasant one.\n \nWhen visiting Irae you may notice a few changes.  Construction crews have\nbegun work on a new gate for carts and wagons.  Wooden scaffolding can be seen\nalong our streets as we are repairing many of the older buildings to\naccommodate our new residents.  Keep an eye out for these new and exciting\nchanges.\n\n(End)                                                                 Page: 005\n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n ________________________\n\/ Human News - by Sealom \\____________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nAfter months of civil unrest, Malcom Dragonfang, has abdicated. He has\npacked his belongings and left Lomar in a self-appointed exile without\na proclamation stating a reason why.\t\t\t\t      \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t      \nPrior to his abdication Malcom offered the Throne and Crown of Lomar  \nto Sealom Bancridhe, one of the primary opponents to his reign. Whilst\nSealom rejected the title of King he has accepted the responsibility  \nof leading the Nation in new directions.                              \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t      \nSurveying the state of the Nation, Sealom recognized the problems that\ncould arise with regards to accountability within a monarchist state. \nDue to this, he dissolved the Monarchy and instituted a new Republic  \nwhere all Human Citizens will have the ability to voice their opinions\nand views in the Senate.                                              \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t      \nIn addition to the dissolution of the Monarchy, Sealom revoked Nobilic\nprivilege as an established system in the Nation. These two moves     \ncaused considerable ire amongst the Aristocracy and has given rise to \na pro-Royalist faction who seek to undermine the Republic and restore \na King to the Throne of Lomar.        \n\n(End)                                                                 Page: 006\n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n ________________________\n\/ Gith News - via Romani \\____________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nThe storm comes,\nThe waves crash and collide against the rocks that run along most of the\ncoastline of Realms as a violent storm batters the oceans almost as if\nthe spirits of the sea have awoken, and yet in that wake comes a Galleon\ndrifting in silence.\nA Galleon made from purest black oak and the strongest ebony reinforced\nwith giant metallic plating that makes the ship more of a  floating\njuggernaut than humble pirate Galleon. Giant masts reach up to the \nheavens that seem to reject this boat as the rain and winds batter its\nsails and yet the royal Gralthai flag seems to fly in its on wind.\nTwo giant lanterns at the front of the Galleon seem to unnerve those\nwho manage a glimpse of this blackened ship, lanterns like the eyes\nof a floating beast. As the wind passes and the storm dies a single\nviolin plays into the night, its haunting tune carried on a still wind\nas a haunting vision enters your mind, a vision of how things might\nbe. A vision of blood, chaos and carnage, of the dead piled in streets\nand of a city that will lie in ruin as a Duke falls on his blooded broken\nsword.\nAnd a message remains in your mind, 'They will fall soon...'.\n*Signed by a Gralthai pirate farseer*\n\n(End)                                                                 Page: 007\n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n _______________________\n\/ Gith News - via Romani\\_____________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\n*The journey of the black shadow continues...*\nAnd yet such a ship that moves silently over the chaotic waves of\nrealms seems to be itself lost, seeking out its cause in life and\nletting nothing come in her way. The royal gralthai flags flying\nhigh over the mast and an eerie captains wheel that seems to turn\nby itself, with no wind to guide it. Those who look upon the ship\nfeel the coldness of shadow, the bleakness of death, that will in\ntime come for you all.\nAs men themselves and Gith will admit that dead men tell no tales\nand in the dead of the night a ship under the control of a fearless\nfirst mate waits in silence, for its day of glory....and bloodshed.\nAnd yet their captain has come ashore, already blending with\nthe land to strike a fatal blow when the time comes.\n*Written by a shadowy robed Gralthai bystander*\n\n(End)                                                                 Page: 008\n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n\n ____________________________\n\/ Halfling News - via Romani \\________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nTo all Hobbits and those who are friends of the Hobbit Nation July 1st \nwill be known from this day forth as Saint Chickens Day in remembrance \nof Foofoo the first of our steroid injected chickens who gave her life \nvaliantly in order to save the life of 7 Hobbits.\nAs the Hobbit Nation began to grow we knew that we had to make a \nnew colony. At the same time in defense of all nations in the realms we \nhad to declare war on the evil Hobgoblins who were killing the young of \nall nations and stealing their weapons.\nCovering our tracks was crucial to this mission.  So from each chicken \nnest two or three eggs were chosen and the shells and the embryos were \ninjected with steroids. \nThe eggs grew at such a rapid rate that several hobbits at a time \nhad to take turns sitting on them to keep them warm and chicken costumes \nwere made so the hatchlings would not be two confused when born. Our \nbeloved Foofoo was one of the first eggs to hatch and as a newborn she \nwas over two feet tall.\nBy the time we were ready to depart for our trip she was a little over \nfour feet tall and a birch bark nest was secured to her back so she could \ncarry 5 Hobbits at one time.\n     There were several times when our enemies were spotted but they did \nnot attack because they did not see us hiding. The hobgoblins broke their \ntruce as quickly as they made it and a group of our hobbits were surrounded \nand attacked whiles harvesting berries. \n\nContinued...                                                          Page: 009\n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n\n\n ____________________________\n\/ Halfling News - via Romani \\________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\n     This time the vicious hobgoblins had dipped their weapons in poison. \nFoofoo who had accompanied the hobbits in order to carry the harvest back \nwas hit buy a poisonous arrow. Realizing the danger to her precious hobbits \nshe quickly gathered them under her feathers and let out a war cry signal \nthe need for help and then attacked the goblins with her mighty beak.\nSeven poisonous arrows she took one for the life of each hobbit she \nwas hiding. She let out a sigh of relief when she saw the army of hobbits \nand chickens arriving, gently brushed a feather against the hobbits she \nloved as if to say goodbye and then died.\n     We shall never forget you Foofoo, long may your memory live. As of \ntoday the eating of chickens and eggs is prohibited throughout our lands. \nEvery first of July we shall invite all nations who wish to participate \nto join us in Saint Chickens Day. We shall all dress up as chickens and \nrun around giving gifts to all of the chickens, have chicken dances, chicken \nraces, and make chicken scratches on the ground.\n\nMay you all be blessed with the courage of these chickens,\n\nSincerely Zasperlyn\nYour humble Nation Leader\n\n(End)                                                                 Page: 010\n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n ________________________\n\/ Gnome News - via Romani\\____________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nIn a sad turn of events, our dear Tiniegh, has fallen ill and can no longer\nattend to her duties as Nations Wisdom.  For the moment, her seat on the\ncouncil will remain empty.\n \nKairi will be assuming the position of Nations First once her schooling is\ncompleted.  She is a bright and energetic young gnome whom I believe will help\nbreath life back into our quiet nation.\n \nIn other news, preparations are still underway for the Olympics.  If you\ndesire to compete in this competition, please let someone on the Council know.\n\nIt is widely known that gnomes keep to themselves and that we are a secretive\nrace, especially given our history, it is understandable that many would feel\nreluctant to deal with the outsiders.  It is after all, a world for those who\nare tall.\n \nStill, we are a strong and proud people.  It is time to rise above our past\nand shed the fears of slavery.  \n\nContinued...                                                          Page: 011\n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n\n ________________________\n\/ Gnome News - via Romani\\____________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nIn other matters,  congratulations go out to Jessup and Amaleen Tallowood on\nthe birth of their sons, Gareth and Caleb.  Both boys are healthy and strong\nand Amaleen is doing well.\n \nNations Temperance Farlina would like to invite those interested in swimming\nand picnicking, to the Vale to spend time at Lake Chalsa.   There are many\nplaces worthy of visiting in the Vale, but those wishing to visit the Roaring\nDrunkard are advised to use caution and keep a tight hand on their purse. \n\n(End)                                                                 Page: 012\n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n ____________________________\n\/ Half-Ogre News - via Romani\\________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nDateline Opallinoc - An Adventure ?\nRaj, the Uruk'hai BattleMaster, decided it was time to dress his Progeny, \nLilraj. in a more appropriate manner. Looking him over, Raj proclaimed,\n\"Lilraj, you need some moccasins and the fabled Bracer of Light.\" Lilraj\nsmiled broadly at the prospect of new items to wear. Remembering the last\nincident of going alone, Raj thought it best to have someone watch his back.\nScanning around Opallinoc, Raj saw Klaatu, counting his retirement treasure.\nUpon inquirying if Klaatu would want to \"have some fun\", the Uruk'hai Chieftan\ntwirled his Vengeance of the Uruk'hai aloft and exclaimed, \"Let's go!\"\nKlaatu and Raj got their carpets running and headed out on the highway to\nthe Blasted Lands. Strolling in on Horus, they began the melee with Raj\nleading, as a BattleMaster should. Things progressed  slowly. Suddenly, a loud\nripping sound filled the air. Raj's  pouch was torn open. The goodies scattered\nall over the floor. A few more melee rounds and Horus was dead. Klaatu whipped\nout his large, long container, put in in Raj's hands saying, \"Use this thing.\"\nNext was Artemis. She was easily tracked through the forest. The two Uruk'hai\nattacked and shortly it was over. Far easier than the tribulations at Horus.\n \nDateline Revelation City - a Secret Place\nWhile meandering through the Barren Peaks, Klaatu visited 'Rev City' for the \ntroll's treasure. Scanning around, a dark, locked building was discovered.\nFruitless attempts at bashing the door open, searching and digging for the\nhinted key, all to no avail. Although it was found to be able to dig in a tree.\nAnyone with ancient knowledge of Revelation City on this, contact Klaatu.\n\n(End)                                                                 Page: 013\n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n\n\n ________________________\n\/ Dwarf News - via Romani\\____________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nDear Realmers of the Dwarf Persuasion!\n \n   The revitalized Olympics are coming up, and the Dwarf Nation wants YOU to\njoin the team! Interested dwarves should see me, mudmail me, or post a note on\nthe dwarven nation board.\n \n   This will be a great opportunity to ease your way into the Nation, into RP\nand into a Dwarf Mentality. It is also cheaper than Stoneheft's way (purchasing\nlarge quantities of ale, inhaling all of it, and yelling in a Scottish accent).\n \n   Hope to hear from you soon.\n \n-j\nThane.\n\n(End)                                                                 Page: 014\n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n\n\n _______________________\n\/ Drow News - via Romani\\_____________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nSome traditions date from generations out of mind and are carried on without\nrealizing their deeper meanings.  An example of this is Lil Shar'tleg, or The\nTurn, a celebration that harks back to the solstice celebrations of the \nSurface.  A time for feasting, competition and frequently all-night revelry,\nLil Shar'tleg is no longer held annually, but instead every four years.  As\nfar as I can see, the reason for this is that the Drow do not, as a habit, get\non well with each other.\n                              Excerpted from \"Ilythiiri: Betrayers of the Sun\"\n                                    Attributed to Agramar the Bland\n \nSuliss del Veldrin'Velve invites the Ilythiiri to Lil Shar'tleg, to occur the\n18th of June at 7pm, hosted amidst the High Society of Iniquity in view of the\nranked houses.  Food delicacies and fine drink will be provided by Veldrin'\nVelve, but all guests are welcome to add their favourite dishes to the spread.\n \nAs it would not be a Drow feast without a demonstration of strength and\nprowess, there will be competition and games as well !  Dress to impress.\n \nIt is requested that those wishing to bring non-Drow guests please speak with\nValsharess Suliss to make arrangements ahead of time, lest there be an\ninternational incident.\n\n(End)                                                                 Page: 015\n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n\n ______________________\n\/ Elf News - via Romani\\______________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nA thick mist drifts across the Island of Irrybis a dense and troubling mist\nthat holds an air of foreboding.  The island is quiet and still although the\npeace feels somewhat drained.  Reports have been coming in of ominous shadows\nfrom all sides of the islands coast.  Advice has been issued for all Quendi to\nstay in their homes unless on important business and that the coast line is\ntemporarily off limits.  May the blessings of Tel'Seldarine watch over you\nall.  - Aran Gildeth Calon Dracos.\n\n(End)                                                                 Page: 016\n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n\n\n _____________________________\n\/ Half-Troll News - via Romani\\_______________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nRising from the ruins of an old mountain, the fortress of the\nHalf-Trolls stands in dark splendor. The fortress is\nsurrounded by a deep moat full of vicious beasts, and guarded\nby some of it's own. Lying amidst the Southern Mountains, the\nHalf-Trolls have made a home for themselves. The fortress\ncontains a small city, complete with shops, lounges and other\nconveniences which make this hardy race comfortable in this\nharsh environment.\n\nIf you are interested in being part of this great nation please \ncontact your Nation Leader or post to the Nation board. \n\n(End)                                                                 Page: 017\n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n\n\n ___________________________\n\/ Half-Elf News - via Romani\\_________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nGqlwuerwh lwgwmc umqooqo, Uecuqi aeuf oumqlbo xr pxhi, rmlvq l otwhzuqi\nrltq lci l zlem xr zeqmtecp pmqqc qnqo. Ec ufeo vqvxmn xr ielchl'o, qhil'o\nulhh repqmq eo thxufqi ec rxmqouecp plmg. Ofq eoc'u ovehecp, gwu.. \nDwou, oxvqufecp ec fqm rltq vlbqo nxw umwou fqm. Tlmmnecp l oulrr uflu\nhxx bo vxmq hebq l aqlzxc uflc l alhbecp ouetb, ofq hxxbo glbt lu nxw \njwqouexcecphn.\n \nA = W, W = U\nSolve the cryptogram to get the riddle and answer it. Send entries to Amalia\nvia mudmail by:\n \nJune 1, 2006\n\n(End)                                                                 Page: 018\n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n ___________________________\n\/ Sea-Elf News - via Romani \\_________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\n-..-..-```-..-..-..-```-..Aerandiri News..-..-..-```-..-..-..-```-..-\n \nThe shores of Mathlaan are quiet these few months. A brave warrior \nby the name of Yerishio has promised Speaker Isarda that he would\nbe her spokesperson to the Valsharess of the Drow. Although Isarda\nhas no idea what the Drow Queen has in mind, the Coral Throne has\nwarned her discreetly about the double-dealings of the Dark Elves\nand she must be careful of any terms with them.\n \nIn the Council of the Aerandir, Speaker Isarda has drafted many\nletters to some of the Nations of the Realms with trade in her\nmind. She has also consulted the rulers of the various Sea Elf\nkingdoms about trading with the other races of the realms and\ndrew up a detailed plan of what to obtain from each Nation.\n \nFrom the Pixies, she would like to trade for sugar and honey.\n \nWith the Gnomes, she has thought of sending some of the young\nscholars in the Colony to study with the Gnomish Scientists.\n \nFrom the Humans, she does not know anything yet but perhaps\nthey might have milk and cheese to trade.\n\nContinued...                                                          Page: 019\n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n\n\n\n ___________________________\n\/ Sea-Elf News - via Romani \\_________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nFrom the Elves, she does not know anything either so perhaps\na visit to the Island of Arbolon might let her learn something.\n \nIf any other Nation wishes to trade with the Aerandir, we have\nmany things to offer such as pearls, oysters, silver, sea-salt,\nwatersilk, seasilk, fish and seafood, construction materials\n(limestone, granite, hardshell).\n \nWe are also willing to form trade alliances with more nations.\n \n                 _.-,\n             .--'  '-._\n          _\/`-  _      '.\n         '----'._`.----. \\\n                  `     \\;\n                 jgs    ;_\\\n                ,-._\n              _.-'  '--.\n            .'      _  -`\\_\n           \/ .----.`_.'----'\n           ;\/     `\n    jgs   \/_;\n       ._      ._      ._      ._\n   _.-._)`\\_.-._)`\\_.-._)`\\_.-._)`\\_.-._\n\n(End)                                                                 Page: 020\n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n _____________________________\n\/ Poem Submission - by Vortok \\_______________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nA PK Poem #1:  by Vortok\n   \nI never knew the sorrow that would follow with this choice,\nI barely have a conscience now; a silenced inner voice.\nThe bloodshed and the horror that befell them from my blade,\nThe nightmares and the terror, the screams that they all made.\nThe sounds of dying children, crying as they bled,\nAnd then the sounds of mothers as they saw their children dead.\nI chose the path of shadows, the deadly way of life,\nThe path that costs a fortune; my children and my wife.\nEvery lurking shadow that seems to pass my way,\nCould be my final calling, my final living day.\nThere are many in the lifestyle, but few that I'd call friend,\nMost would show a smile but then knife you in the end.\nSomething keeps me going, something I can't explain,\nPerhaps it is the head rush when I hear them scream in pain.\nPerhaps it's just the way my heart races when I'm weak,\nWhen I'm running for my life in a deadly hide and seek.\nPerhaps it's when you score a kill and revel in the cash,\nOr when you flame your fallen foe and they start talking trash.\nRegardless of the reason, there's one thing I can say,\nDamn I love this lifestyle, I'll never quit PK!\n\n(End)                                                                 Page: 021\n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n ______________________________________\n\/ Story Submission - by Gyraz\/Zistrosk \\______________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nThe Cold and Dark, Misshapen PK Showdown of Flareon and Nelkum\n \nChapter 1 - The Rain in Spain Stays Mainly a Total Pain\nIt all started one day when Flareon, hanging out with her best friend and\nfellow spellbot-in-arms Merry, noticed that it had been raining and snowing\nan awful lot, and that the weather was dreadfully dreary. Both of them knew\nthat bad weather did not a busy spellbot make, and after playing rock,\nscissors, paper for the honor of inquiry, it was agreed that Flareon would\ninvestigate into these dreary goings-on.  So with a heartfelt sigh, she donned\nher Snow Goggles, her overboot galoshes, and her Botter's Friend (c) Raincoat,\nand set off in search of the source of these mysterious weather patterns.\n \nChapter 2 - Oh Gremlin, Where Art Thou?\nMeanwhile, 7e of Darkhaven Square, Nelkum sits doing his solo spell routine\non whomever is passing by.  He too, notices that the weather has been very\ncold and gloomy lately, but since his eclectic collections of useful things\ncontains gear for such an occasion, he is not overly disturbed.  However,\nas he is standing there, plying his magical wares, he notices a short, gremlin\nlike creature enter the gates of Darkhaven and head south.  As it passes, he\nnotes a mysterious semi-darkness cloaked about it, and the chill of cold air\nas it passes. Sensing danger, darkness, and evil, he almost does nothing, for\nafter all, he is a Drow.  But then it occurs to him, this ugly little creature\njust might interfere with his own plans of Spellcasting, and decides to leave\nhis post for a while to investigate.\n\nContinued...                                                          Page: 022\n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n ______________________________________\n\/ Story Submission - by Gyraz\/Zistrosk \\______________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nChapter 3 - Gremlin Schemlin!  Dark is the day... dark is the day\nThe massive dark ogre turns south on Hawk St, pausing only to ensure that his\nmagical gremlin disguise is firmly in place, and that Nelkum noted his passing.\nOlanzirf,\" he chuckles to himself, \"this is going to be a day to remember.\nOff down the street he moves, towards the pet store, casting change weather\nwetter, change weather darker, all the while.  \"Just a few more casts, and\nit'll be permanent\" chuckles Olanzirf, flexing his hand into a victorious fist.\n \nChapter 4 - Perceptions of Darkness\n\"Oh!\" exclaimed Flareon, as she stumbled over a cobblestone, to the quiet\nsnickers of passers-by.  She had forgotten how difficult walking about was,\nsince she had been in the same place for so long. Casting fly, Flareon gently\nfloated off of the ground, nursing her sore toes.  \"Now, where is this strange\nweather coming from?\" she wondered. Casting detect magic all around her, she\nsensed something at the edge of her perception, something dark and cold, to\nthe south of her.  Resolutely, she headed south on Vertic Avenue, peering off\ninto the darkness.\n\nContinued...                                                          Page: 023\n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n ______________________________________\n\/ Story Submission - by Gyraz\/Zistrosk \\______________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nChapter 5 - Companions and Icicles\nThough the midday was at hand, Nelkum had to cast continual light to see\nwhere he was going in the thick darkness that lay before him.  Dark and cold,\nthe wind blew into his face, sending shivers up his spine.  Casting inner\nwarmth on himself, he smiled slightly, and turned his attention back towards\nthe gremlin creature that had disappeared into the night.  Where had he gone?\nTurning the corner onto Law Ave, he ducked into the Companions and Mounts\npet shop. Standing inside the doorway, he started shaking the water off of his\ncoat, and then suddenly stopped.  Something was wrong, he could feel it.\nLooking up, he expected to see Ellien's smiling face, but instead the man was\nstanding there with a look of frozen shock and horror on his face. Approaching\ncautiously, Nelkum noted that Ellien was literally frozen solid, in what must\nhave been an excruciatingly painful way.  Nelkum quickly looked in the back\nof the store and all around for the perpetrator.  All of the animals were also\nfrozen in place, and every surface felt ice cold.  No sign of an intruder, or\nof what had happened to them, was evident.  \"That gremlin!\" Nelkum thought out\nloud, \"He must be behind this! I must stop him!\"  Without another word, Nelkum\nheaded out the door, and resumed tracking that mysterious gremlin.\n\nContinued...                                                          Page: 024\n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n ______________________________________\n\/ Story Submission - by Gyraz\/Zistrosk \\______________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nChapter 6 - Want some Cheese with your Whine?\nFlareon turned off of Vertic, going east on Horizon avenue, certain she had\nsensed something coming from this direction.  \"I hope Matilda is OK.\" she\nthought to herself. As she reached Matilda's Dairy Products, she let out\na small cry.  \"No! It can't be!\" she cried!  Matilda was sitting with her\nbeautiful blond locks flowing down behind her chair, eyes wide open and\nstaring forward in a frozen look of horror.  Ice covered nearly her entire body\nand was two feet deep at her feet.  Something, or someone, had clearly frozen\nher, and the entire shop, in some kind of evil spell. \"Hold yourself together,\"\nFlareon told herself, \"You've got to get to the bottom of this!\".  Taking her\ncourage at hand, she looked around for any sign, or clue, of what had done\nthis. She didn't find any sign of an intruder, but she noted that the milk,\nlemonade, and cheese were as frozen as everything else in here. Suddenly losing\nher self control, she grabbed a frozen wheel of cheese and began to beat\nat the unyielding ice encasing her friend.  She tried and tried, but the ice\nmust have had some magical property, and did not yield.  Finally, sobbing, she\nknelt down and held the cheese in her hands, crying.  Tears fell, and froze\nbefore the hit the frozen floor, making a crystalline tinkling sound upon\nimpact. After a few minutes, she heard a familiar voice behind her.\nFlareon, is that you?\n\"Nelkum!\" Flareon cried, bounding up and moving over to him as quickly as she\ncould, \"It's terrible!  Matilda's been frozen!  I can sense the cold evil,\nbut I was too late to stop it!\"\n\nContinued...                                                          Page: 025\n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n ______________________________________\n\/ Story Submission - by Gyraz\/Zistrosk \\______________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\n-Cont from Chapter 6-\n \n\"There there,\" said Nelkum, putting his arms around her, \"we'll find whoever\ndid this and make them pay.\"  He didn't tell her about Ellien, since he didn't\nwant to upset her any further. \"I tell you what, lets go see Merry, get you\nall healed up, and then we'll go hunt this creature.  I think he's some kind\nof gremlin.\"\n\"Okay,\" Flareon said in a shaky voice, putting the wheel of cheese into\nher extradimensional portal, \"let's go find this gremlin.\"\n \nChapter 7 - A Hushed Chill Descends Over Darkhaven\nOlanzirf, chuckling to himself, mentally reviewed his progress.  \"Olan, you're\ngonna make it, nothing can stop you now.  Nimith, Grillek, even mighty Orun\nwere no match for you.  Just three more shops, and then a final spell at\nthe Square, and eternal icy death shall settle on Darkhaven forever!\"  Olanzirf\ngrunted in satisfaction.  He knew that his plan was flawless.  He only needed\nto lure two spellbots to the square once the shops were frozen, to have all the\ncomponents he needed to make his ultimate wish come true.\n\nContinued...                                                          Page: 026\n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n\n ______________________________________\n\/ Story Submission - by Gyraz\/Zistrosk \\______________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nChapter 8 - The Challenge\n\"I think he's in the Square, Flareon,\" Nelkum commented.  Flareon nodded, still\ngetting used to the novel idea Nelkum had proposed.  Nelkum and Flareon had\nfound that by combining their powers they could more accurately detect and\npinpoint the location of the gremlin.  Merry had nearly completed healing them\nboth, so Flareon said \"LSPELLS\" and Nelkum said \"the works\" and they spelled\nup to prepare to face this evil gremlin. Suddenly, a loud voice echoed over the\nentire city...\nFLAREON AND NELKUM - I CALL YOU OUT!  MEET ME AT THE SQUARE, IF YOU DARE!\n\"What was that?\" both Nelkum and Flareon asked at the same time.\nNelkum turned to Flareon, \"It must be him.  Let's give him what for!\"\n\"Yes, Nelkum, let's give him his comeuppance!\" exclaimed Flareon.\n \nTo be continued next issue!\n\n(End)                                                                 Page: 027\n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n ______________________________\n\/ Story Submission - by Vortok \\______________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nTale of the Night: My First Bite\n\nThe night was still, not a cloud in a sky, and the full moon illuminated\nthe cornfield just outside my bedroom window.  Our home outside the tiny\ntown of New Ofcol seldom seen activity, and the nights were typically\nquiet with the exception of the occasional young adventurer slaughtering\nour livestock.  Tonight was different somehow, the silence was almost\ntoo quiet, the crickets weren't chirping, the wind wasn't blowing, and\nthe house didn't creek.  I tucked myself tight into my blankets, scooted\nas far as possible into the corner and stayed as watchful as possible as\nI used the light of the moon to glance around the room.\n \n\"Oh no!\" I exclaimed, as I woke up a few moments later.  I had let the\nsilence defeat me, and dozed off for a bit.  I attempted to regain my\nbearing, and began scanning the room for any abnormalities that I hadn't\nnoticed before.  My heart dropped as I noticed the window, which had\npreviously been closed, was now open just a crack.  The summer nights\nair, and the lack of wind made it impossible to notice the open window\nby any means other that visual observation, but there was definitely a\nbeam of light coming in from under the window's base, a beam of light\nthat wasn't there moments ago when I originally scanned the room.\n\nContinued...                                                          Page: 028\n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n\n\n ______________________________\n\/ Story Submission - by Vortok \\______________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nI noticed during another quick scan that the far corner was completely\nblack.  Naturally there was a shadow there due to the lack of light, but\nthis was different.  This shadow was pitch black, absorbing every bit of\nlight that managed to make it's way to that area of the room.  The more\nI stared at it, the larger the darkness grew, I knew my eyes were just\nplaying tricks on me, it's one of the oldest illusions in the book.  I\nraised my fists to my eyes and began to rub them to return my vision to\nit's normal state.  I then lowered my hands and blinked twice to clear\nthings up...\n \n\"Ah...\" I tried to yell, but it was too late.  As I lowered my hands I\nblinked my eyes to find a set of solid blood-red eyes stating back at me\nno more than 6 inches from my face.  The dark figure covered my mouth\nand with a force of strength I had never felt before, my head was thrown\nto the right, exposing my neck and shoulder.  Seconds later I felt a\nsharp pain in my neck, but only for a moment before the area became\nnumb.  The creature kept hold of me for several minutes, and in an\ninstant all the pressure was gone, and I slowly turned my head to find\nthe creature had vanished, and the window was closed.\n\nContinued...                                                          Page: 029\n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n\n\n ______________________________\n\/ Story Submission - by Vortok \\______________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nIt wasn't long before I passed out into a deep sleep.  The dreams I had\nthat night were like none that I've ever had before.  Dark visions of\nbloodshed, death, and destruction.  Ancient battles between man and\nmonster were played in my mind with such reality that I could remember\nthe smell of the battlefield when I finally came to my senses.\n  \n\"Maybe it was all a bad dream\", I said to myself as I reached for my\nneck where I had remembered being bitten.  Much to my disappointment I\nfelt two large lumps on my neck, and the warm blood that was leaking\nfrom my wound.  My heart began to pound in terror as I realized what\nhad happened...  I had been bitten by a vampire.\n \nI ran to the bathroom as fast as I could to check the severity of my\nwounds in the mirror.  When I entered the bathroom I lit the small\nlantern above the sink, and turned my head to the right only to find\nthat the wound was gone; only the smeared blood remained from where\nI felt the wound in the bed.  \n\nContinued...                                                          Page: 030\n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n\n\n ______________________________\n\/ Story Submission - by Vortok \\______________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nMoments later my blood began to burn as it passed through my body.  The\npain started in my neck and made it's way to my head, face, chest, and\nfinally my heart.  Ever so slowly I could feel my heartbeat slowing\ndown.  The more I panicked the more my life began to slowly dwindle\naway, until finally everything began to fade to black.  I felt myself\nleave my body... ringing up into the air.  Moments later I felt a strange\npulling sensation as strange and colorful mists swirled around me.\n  \nI awoke to find myself laying on the ground before a large gate to a\nstrange tower.  My clothes were gone; only a pair of underwear, and an\nodd ring remained on my body.  Hovering just above my head, a small\nball of light illuminated the immediate area.  Beside me on the ground\nwas a strange paperback book.  The cover was too dirty to read the\nscriptures so I turned to the first page to see \"An Adventurer's Guide\nto the Realms of Despair\" written above the table of contents.\n\n(End)                                                                 Page: 031\n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n _____________________________________\n\/ Amante's Leveling Guide - by Amante \\_______________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nMONEY BACK GUARANTEE!!  2 to 50 in SIX HOURS*!\n\nHave you ever wanted an Avatar, but didn't want to put all that time and effort\ninto leveling it?  Maybe you have an Avatar, but you've realized you leveled\nsomething worthless like a Paladin or a Cleric, and now you need a Thief or a\nWarrior to actually run things.\n\nWELL CRY NO MORE, THE SOLUTION IS HERE!\n\nUsing my patented leveling techniques YOU can have an AVATAR in UNDER SIX HOURS!\nNo more wishing you had a Thief, now your dreams can come true in less time than\na day at that crappy job!  Call in sick, and surprise all your friends at the\nend of the work day with your excellent achievement!\n\nBUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!  For a limited time only, you will also receive this one\nof a kind naked picture of Genge!\n\nO-|-<\n\nIsn't he sexy!\n\nContinued...                                                          Page: 032\n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n\n\n _____________________________________\n\/ Amante's Leveling Guide - by Amante \\_______________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\n*Fine Print: 2 to 50 in six hours is in ideal circumstances, on a DEADLY. Ideal\ncircumstances being you have a constant source of spellups for your character,\na storage character with leveling equipment, and that your character is a Thief,\nWarrior, Bladesinger, Fathomer, Barbarian, Ranger, or Vampire. Actual times \nwill vary, but I have leveled most of these classes to 50 by age 20.\n\nYou will also need max int\/wis for the most experience. What I do personally is\nmax int\/wis on the character first, THEN load up with Damage Roll.\n\n--\n\nLevel 2:\n\nWith all characters, get your cage equipment (all east from the first room after\npre-auth). Don't get the spell cast by your class mob (when you look at it),\nbecause the duration is shorter than bot spells.\n\nOnce you have your cage stuff, pick up some leveling spells from one of the many\nbots that defile the good city of Darkhaven (just kidding, I love you guys).\n\nContinued...                                                          Page: 033\n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n\n\n _____________________________________\n\/ Amante's Leveling Guide - by Amante \\_______________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nShattered Refuge\n\nKill Gnomes until level 5. You should have practiced strike, so adept it and\nthen strike strike strike your way to level 5. Children at level 2, and as you\napproach 5, kill the women and men as well. At 5, go practice.\n\nLevel 5:\n\nNow that you're level 5, you want to pick up what I call a \"newbie satchel\".\nGet a Wanderer's Satchel from Grimoire, 20 sancs, 20 eldritch pots (buy 20 sanc\nand buy 20 eld works), 20 recalls, and as many herbs as you can carry after\nthat.\n\nCoral Depths\n\nYou want to be killing the fish in the ocean until level 10. This is likely\nthe slowest point if you're a 20 Strength character, but it's still faster than\nleveling a peaceful.\n\nContinued...                                                          Page: 034\n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n\n\n\n _____________________________________\n\/ Amante's Leveling Guide - by Amante \\_______________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nLevel 10:\n\nCoral Depths (still)\n\nYou're still going to be in Coral Depths, but now you want to kill the mer\npeople. Make sure you use the \"con\" command (who said it was worthless?), and\ndo not kill the built like a tank or dig a grave. Stick to weaker\/even\/a bit\nof luck or you're going to run into troubles. Kill merfolk until level 25.\nOne thing a lot of people do at this time is go to Darkhaven Art Gallery as\nwell. With my system you don't want to do that, and I'll explain why. With\nthe exception of Vampires, I never have to clean my buffer. Why? Because I\nnever kill the same mobs enough for their experience to drop dramatically.\n\nLevel 25:\n\nDarkhaven Art Gallery \/ Temple of the Moon\n\nIn DAG, you want to kill Welmar's hands\/mouth (wait on the eyes, remember\nthat deadlies can flee with no experience loss). Temple of the Moon you want\nto kill Pilgrims and Priest of the Moon. Killing anything more than these\nwill result in screwed up kill buffers, and you will be in trouble. So as\ntempting as those Acolytes are, don't touch them yet. Repeat this until level \n30.\n\nContinued...                                                          Page: 035\n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n _____________________________________\n\/ Amante's Leveling Guide - by Amante \\_______________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nLevel 30:\n\nDarkhaven Art Gallery \/ Temple of the Moon \/ Tower of Enlightenment\n\nIn DAG, keep killing Welmar parts, but now start killing the eyes. Temple of\nthe Moon you can start killing Acolytes and the Priestess now. ToE is a tricky\nplace. You want to kill the Fool, Magus, and Hermit. For the Magus to be\nworthwhile, you NEED shields. His Shockshield and spells together will tear you\napart, so you need to cut out half of the damage with shields. A few of the \nPrinces and Princesses can be nice experience too, but some of them suck so I\ndon't even bother trying to find the good ones. Do this until level 35.\n\nLevel 35:\n\nDarkhaven Art Gallery \/ Temple of the Moon \/ Tower of Enlightenment \/ Olympus\n\nDAG is the same, but now add Phunbaba. Temple of the Moon is the same, ToE\nis the same. Olympus is the one that needs information.  Stock up on heals\nand springs, and go to Cerberus (4n, 2e, d, GIVE 1 COIN CHARON, s). Kill him\nand the gates to Hades open. Once inside, find the Cyclopes. In the room with\nexits in nearly every direction, they are Southwest and Southeast. As an added\nbonus to these guys being nice experience, they drop 300k gold each (assuming\nyou aren't competing with gold bots for kills). Do this until 40, but ToE stops\nbeing good around 37 or 38.\n\nContinued...                                                          Page: 036\n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n _____________________________________\n\/ Amante's Leveling Guide - by Amante \\_______________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nLevel 40:\n\nDarkhaven Art Gallery \/ Temple of the Moon \/ Olympus \/ Tower of Despair\n\nDAG is the same again, Temple of the Moon you can now add the High Priest,\nOlympus is the same. Tower of Despair is an amazing leveling area that you will\nnever see a peaceful leveling in. Ever. The leveling mobs have anti-multi \nprograms on them, and there's a DT within them, and Blackmote is only a few \nrooms away. Do not let this deter you, however, because it is beautiful for \nexperience. If you have a Mage, bring it with you. Blind then Sleep the Demi-\nLich, and then take your leveler through to the Evil Priestess (from Lich, w,\nu, all n, op e, e). There is a trick here, though. Don't let anyone know you\nare leveling here. Go chan -wartalk before you enter the priestess room, so you\ndon't war when she murders you. Remove your weapons before you enter, too, so\nshe doesn't scoop them when you flee. Close the door after you enter, then flee\naway from her. She does too much damage to be worth killing for most classes.\nOnce past the Priestess, kill the Dancing Man, Demonicentaur, silver wyrm, and\nBanshee. Use scry\/scan to make sure you enter the right cell. Dancing Man has\nvery low hitroll, but hits really hard when he lands. Keep yourself at full hp\nno matter what, and sanc\/eld up always. Flee before they wear off, because you\ndon't want to be hit with a sancless round.  Wyrm and Banshee both have poison\nwhich lands on anyone, and a lot - bring Gutbusters. Banshee also blinds and\ndispels. I use trues on the Banshee, so if I get blinded I can at least recall\nto cast the cure. Trues are available in pktown for cheap (buy true).  This \ngoes to 45.\n\nContinued...                                                          Page: 037\n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n _____________________________________\n\/ Amante's Leveling Guide - by Amante \\_______________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nLevel 45:\n\nLevel off another player (ideally a Vampire).\n\nLeveling off other players has been how pretty much everyone does 45-50 for\na long time. It costs a ton of heals, so you're putting out a lot more gold\nfor those last 5 levels, but it's very much worth it for the speed you get.\n45-50 typically takes 30 or 40 minutes, depending on class. A few important\nthings to mention is don't ever use Murder while doing this, and don't let \neither participant die. Spam isn't good for anyone, especially immortals.\n\nIf you don't have another player to level off, then continue with the 40-45\nplaces, but you'll probably have to clean your buffer once or twice before you\nAV, increasing the time by a couple hours (remember what I said about ideal\ncircumstances?).\n\n--\n\nFinal Notes\n\nA lot of people are probably thinking that I've left places out. I have.\nMithril Hall and Shadowport. Mithril Hall I use as my \"between repops\" area.\nIf everything else is dead, I go to Mithril Hall and kill the Grocer and four\nBlacksmiths. Between 25 and 45, you shouldn't have to go here often, so it\nstays clean in your kill buffer.\n\nContinued...                                                          Page: 038\n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n _____________________________________\n\/ Amante's Leveling Guide - by Amante \\_______________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nShadowport is a great place, but it's extremely dangerous. You can start at\n35, but I don't start until 40. Make sure you buy an Arena Key, since you'll\nbe going to the arena. If you fight the Pyrohydra, drop everything in your\ninventory before entering his room (you can't heal anyway) and fight until you\nhave 300 hp left. Flee, get all, go up, heal, and repeat. Make sure you pick\nup your disarmed weapons before you flee, or Pyrohydra will scoop them. The\nelven banshee can be difficult if she gasses early. When you enter, you get\nlagged for one round. Flee out high because you never know when you're going\nto eat a huge gas and die (and CR from her is almost impossible).  Keep true up,\nas she gouges once in a while. I don't even bother killing the Shapeshifter,\nit's too much of a hassle.\n\nIf you have a leveling area of your own that I haven't included, you can always\njust toss it into the rotation, and end up with more experience per kill.\n\n(End)                                                                 Page: 039\n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n ______________________\n\/ PKC News - by Vortok \\______________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nPKC can be viewed by typing HELP PKC. There have been\na few membership changes due to clan swapping and people\nreturning\/quitting. \n      \nIdeas Awaiting PKC\/CoE Vote:\n-  Dragon\/Demonskin potions to be sold in town\n-  Adrenaline time on retreat for arena PK\n-  Modify tronada macecle (fathomer) to drain moves\n-  Add Ally command for pk team communications\n-  Allow multiplay, (7 peacefuls\/1 deadly)\n\nPassed CoE, Awaiting Code:\n-  Copper economy\n    \nPassed CoE\/PKC and Implemented:\nA lot of recent additions to PK to include new HQ, code\nand various other projects.  Review PKNEWS regularly to\nstay abreast on the changes and approvals.\n     \nUpdated 21 May 2006 @ 3:50pm by Vortok\n\n(End)                                                                 Page: 040\n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n ________________________\n\/ PKC Survey - by Vortok \\____________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nPKC Survey: May 2006\n\nPlease take the time to answer the following questions.  We ask that\nyou only post one survey with any character you choose, but do not\npost using multiple characters.  \n\nCut and paste the following into a mudmail to Vortok.\n------------------START SURVEY-----------------\n\nShort Answers:\n1.  How many years have you been playing RoD?\n2.  Do you PK using deadly characters? YES\/NO\n3.  Are you a prior PKiller that has quit? YES\/NO\n4.  How many deadlies do you own? ##\n5.  Do you regularly partake in Arena PK? YES\/NO\n6.  Do you prefer Arena PK over Deadly PK? YES\/NO\n  \nLong Answers:\n1.  If you do not, or have quit PK, please briefly tell us why.\n2.  If you PK (using deadlies), what excites you most about PK?\n3.  What is the one thing that needs the most work in PK? (fixing)\n4.  What would have to happen for you to start PKing regularly?\n\n--------------------END SURVEY-----------------\n\n(End)                                                                 Page: 041\n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n _________________________________\n\/ Interview: PKC Head - by Vortok \\___________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nInterview with Marcus, Mortal Head of the Pkill Conclave\n\nVortok: How long have you led PKC?\n   \nBadrol: It must be close to a year or so, I came back after a little \nbreak and took over after Chas (Anarky)... last summer I think.\n  \nVortok: What other organizations have you led?\n   \nBadrol: I've lead several clans, and I've also been a leader in a\npeaceful organization years ago.  I've never been the leader type\noutside anything but pk to be honest.\n  \nVortok: What has been your greatest challenge since you have taken\nthe position as PKC Mortal Head?\n \nBadrol: Let's see... I guess a big challenge for me is convincing\npeople not to make pk easier, there's suggestions about new helpful\nthings almost every week.  I think pk should be the elite part of the\ngame, it should be hard, and it is hard.  We've removed a lot of the\nstuff that used to lead to deaths, to make it easier for noobs.  True\nsight potions are no longer an issue(sold in town), spring scrolls\nare sold in Grimoire, pk weapons aren't scoopable, there's no more\nburying of corpses, things like that.  some of the changes are good,\n\nContinued...                                                          Page: 042\n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n\n\n\n _________________________________\n\/ Interview: PKC Head - by Vortok \\___________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\n(burying of corpses, cough cough), but I think it's easy to get\ncarried away and remove some of the thrill in pk.\n \nVortok: What brought you into pk and how long have you been involved?\n  \nBadrol: I played peacefuls for maybe a year or two before I made my\nfirst deadly.  I just made my first deadly as sort of a joke, I had\nno idea what to expect and was instantly killed by a couple of level\n9 brutes.  I looked at their EQ and figured maybe I could do the\nsame to other people.  \n   \nVortok seems to get a laugh from something saying, \"heh heh heh.\"\n \nBadrol: After maybe 6 years in pk, I think I'm starting to get the\nhang of it.  for the first few years I didn't play half as much as I\ndo now, I liked to be sort of in the background on unknown chars,\nunclanned and ghetto.  mostly because I didn't have a lot of EQ, but\nalso because I figured I'd learn better, although I can't remember\nwhy I thought so.\n  \nVortok: What is your opinion on the current state of pkill?\n\nContinued...                                                          Page: 043\n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n\n\n\n _________________________________\n\/ Interview: PKC Head - by Vortok \\___________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nBadrol: I think pk lost a lot of great players when wow came in, but\na lot of peacefuls have made deadlies since and some of the very old\npkers are coming back to play.  activity right now is really good\nand I pk every day I log on to play.  I think pkilling this summer\nwill be a blast.\n   \nVortok: Why do you think so many people quit and return to pk over \nand over?\n   \nBadrol: There're many things in pk that people quit over, some quit\nbecause they can't handle losing those big pieces of eq, some quit\nbecause their clan suddenly isn't any good, they can't get any kills\nor just because they get bored of pk.  I know I've wanted to quit a\nfew times, mainly because I've been busy with RL and\/or other games.\n \nVortok tsks at Badrol!\n   \nBadrol: I don't know :P  it's hard to quit playing a game like this,\nso many friends etc.  plus, rod pk is the only game I've ever gotten\nan adrenaline rush from :(  sad but true... \"THE SHAKES\"\n   \nVortok: Ah, yes... the dreaded SHAKES.\n   \nVortok cringes in terror at the thought of THE SHAKES.\n\nContinued...                                                          Page: 044\n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n\n\n _________________________________\n\/ Interview: PKC Head - by Vortok \\___________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nVortok: What are you and PKC doing to promote pk?\n   \nBadrol: It's always going to be hard to get new pkillers, most people\nwho try pk just don't have what it takes.. like I mentioned earlier\nit's really the elite part of the game IMO.  If 10 people try out pk,\nmaybe 3 or 2 of them stick around.  I'm always trying to get people\nto try out level 24 pk, which is a ton of fun, and when level 24 pk\nwas big, we got a ton of new pkillers who all turned out to be really\ngood.  I think it was mostly because level 24 damage is huge and it's\nvery fast paced, but with the current state of pk in which AV damage\nis high too a person could easily learn on an AV.  I guess I'm always\nkind of trying to convince peaceful friends to try out pk... and by\nnow 90% of my friendslist have pkers.\n \nBadrol frowns.\n   \nBadrol: Tough question.\n   \nVortok grins evilly.\n   \nVortok: The fun questions are coming in a sec!\n  \nVortok: What are your goals for PKC?  Short term and long term?\n\nContinued...                                                          Page: 045\n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n\n\n _________________________________\n\/ Interview: PKC Head - by Vortok \\___________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nBadrol: Short term I'd like to see some stuff like reduced cost on\nheals, IP rules changed to allow 1 deadly\/7 peacefuls logged, perhaps\nsome new skills for paladins, (thief - berserk circle;), and mage).\nLong term changes are sort of tricky, but I think everyone's goal is\nto create a stable pk environment.\n   \nVortok: What is a stable pk environment?  Everyone seems to have a\ndifferent opinion of it, and thus the dream of it is never reached.\nSome think thieves are balanced and don't need circle in berserk,\nsome think mages are fine the way they are and shouldn't be a pk\nclass, etc.\n \nBadrol: Yea, what I generally do when a new idea comes up is talk to\npeople and encourage them to talk to me about any ideas\/objections\nregarding the note so we don't get 10 people voting yes on a note just\nbecause \"their friends did it.\"  in my mind a stable pk environment is\none where EQ isn't too hard to get and where new pkers turn out to be\ngood pkers, rather than whiny beggars:(\n   \nVortok laughs.\n  \nBadrol: The pk areas have helped tons, but heal prices are still\nridiculously high, something that needs to be changed.  There's\nalways room for improvement :P\n\n\nContinued...                                                          Page: 046\n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n\n _________________________________\n\/ Interview: PKC Head - by Vortok \\___________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nVortok: Ok, next are some controversial questions, these answers are\nyour personal opinion.\n   \nBadrol: Alrighty then.\n  \nVortok: In your opinion, what is the weakest clan, and why do you\nfeel this is the case?\n   \nBadrol: I'd say it really, really varies.. when everything is working\nout alright and you have plenty of people on, even a clan with 100%\nnewbies could do great.\n \nVortok: You wuss, politically correct answer...\n   \nBadrol: I can't put my finger on the weakest clan, but whatever clan \nyou're in is pretty shi__y, b___h.\n   \nVortok rolls on the floor laughing hysterically.\n   \nVortok: In your opinion, what is the strongest clan, and why do you\nfeel this is the case?\n  \nBadrol gazes thoughtfully into space while rubbing his chin.\n\nContinued...                                                          Page: 047\n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n\n\n _________________________________\n\/ Interview: PKC Head - by Vortok \\___________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nBadrol: Maleficae right now.  We've been getting some nice kills\nlately, and we're really coming together as a team.  Brad has been a\nleader for a long time and he really cares about his clan, that helps\na ton and it makes people motivated to pk.\n    \nVortok: How do you feel about the proposed introduction of this PK\nGeo that has yet to pull through and why?\n   \nBadrol: Well :P  I've always been against big changes like that, I\nthink peacefuls watching other players getting killed at DH is great\nadvertising and it'd just be a huge change for peacefuls who want to\ntry out deadly life.  They'd basically have to relearn the mud, same\nfor pkillers really.\n \nVortok: On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate immortal support to\nthe PK community, and why?\n    \nBadrol: I'd give it a 10. the Imms have been really great lately and\nwe're seeing a lot of new code.  CoE hasn't been denying as much as\nthey used to, which is also good... I've always felt pkillers know\nmore than anyone about pk :(\n   \nVortok seems to agree.\n\nContinued...                                                          Page: 048\n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n\n _________________________________\n\/ Interview: PKC Head - by Vortok \\___________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nVortok: That's all the questions I have for you, Marcus.  Is there\nanything else you'd like our readers to know?\n   \nBadrol: Yessir! every day people complain about how boring rod can\nbe when \"nothing is happening\" - level a deadly! you won't regret it,\njoin the cool side of the mud!\n   \nBadrol flirts -- probably needs a date, huh?\n\n(End)                                                                 Page: 049\n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n __________________________________________\n\/ Interview: New Catarrh Leader - by Vortok\\__________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nChamber of Ashes\nExits: north down\nA phoenix of red crystal showers water from its beak.\nA board with nhoetes on it.\nExits: [south] \n(Catarrh) Mandracore is hovering here.\n  \nVortok: What brought you into pk and how long have you been involved?\n  \nMandracore: Hot pirate wenches like Iliana and Faceripper... and uhh\n5 years or so actively (with some breaks in there for other things)\n \nVortok: You just recently took control of Catarrh, for what reason?\n  \nMandracore: Ashtak was tired of leading, and I believe he was a\nlittle upset with Art, so he asked me to lead Catarrh.  \n  \nContinued...                                                          Page: 050\n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n __________________________________________\n\/ Interview: New Catarrh Leader - by Vortok\\__________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nMandracore nods and smiles.\n  \nVortok: What other orgs have you led?\n  \nMandracore: Uhh a few other deadly clans at various points, I was a\nleader in Ophanim and Scorn for various chunks of time.  \n \nVortok: Why do you think Ophanim failed?\n  \nMandracore: Because I left!  I wouldn't really say it failed, per se.\nIt was never meant to be a permanent thing, just a possible way to\nbring new folks into pkill.  Many newer folks think they'll just lose\nall of their equipment in pkill...and this fear keeps them from ever\ngiving it a shot to see what it's really like.\n \nVortok: Good transition for the next question :)... What is your take\non newbs in clans?  Does your clan induct newbs?  If so, how many are\nyou currently training\/plan to train?\n\nContinued...                                                          Page: 051\n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n\n\n\n __________________________________________\n\/ Interview: New Catarrh Leader - by Vortok\\__________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nMandracore: Well, I've always enjoyed having newer folks in my clan\n(it's great to have some new faces around in the pkill world). Our\nclan will most certainly induct newer people.  We've got some fairly\nexperienced pkillers in our clan, all of which would benefit a newer\nplayer greatly.  I don't really have a number in mind that I'd like\nto train, but I guess I just keep an open door policy for anyone who\nwants to give it a shot.  No mouthy newbies who can't handle dying\nthough.  Dying is a part of pkill, especially while you're new at it.\n   \nVortok: What is your opinion on the current state of pkill?\n \nMandracore: Slower than I'd like to see it.  We've got quite a few\ngreat folks in pk, but we haven't seen a lot of new players lately.\nNew players can do pretty well for themselves now, as people tend to\nhelp them out more than maybe they once would have.\n   \nVortok: What are you and\/or your clan doing to promote pk, if\nanything at all?\n\nContinued...                                                          Page: 052\n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n\n\n __________________________________________\n\/ Interview: New Catarrh Leader - by Vortok\\__________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nMandracore: Well, we go out and pk first and foremost.  Just\nyesterday, all 3 leaders of Catarrh were out and pking, which says a\nlot for the quality of the folks in those positions.  As far as\npromoting pkill via other methods, I guess I usually am pretty vocal\nabout encouraging folks to try out pkill via public channels as well\nas in tells.  I plan to set up Friday night pkill mob runs for those\nthat are interested.  Interested folks could be from any clan, not\njust Catarrh.  I'm pretty familiar with all the pk run-mobs, and I\nknow folks need the gear.  Plan on reading a note about it in pktown\nsometime soon.\n \nVortok nods in agreement.\n  \nVortok: Good idea... What are your goals for Catarrh?\n  \nMandracore: Well, the typical goal of improving the pkill skills\n(and thus, equipment) of the gentleman (and lady or two) that are\ncurrently in Catarrh.  I would also like to change Catarrh's long\nheld reputation of being a rather homosexual clan into a reputation\nof Catarrh consisting of awesome pkillers who are also good guys,\njust in general.\n\nContinued...                                                          Page: 053\n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n\n\n __________________________________________\n\/ Interview: New Catarrh Leader - by Vortok\\__________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nVortok: Well, a lot of people are angry with your recent ascension\ninto leadership.  They feel you are \"homosexual\" as you put it.  How\ndo you plan to undo that?\n  \nMandracore: I'm a pretty good guy, as most folks who really know me\nwould attest.  However, when people do lame things to me (or good\nfriends of mine) on a regular basis, I often have no choice but to\ntreat those same people with similar lameness.  The problem stems\nfrom me being really good at what I do (in this case, being lame).\nThis results in hurting peoples' feelings.  I don't think I really\nhave anything to undo.  My actions speak for themselves.\n \nVortok laughs.\n  \nVortok: As I said earlier, some are upset with you becoming a leader;\nsince you've taken over a few people have already left, was this\nexpected from the start?\n  \nMandracore: Yeah, I actually suspected the Catarrh casualties would\nbe quite a bit higher.  I suspected we would lose a full half of the\nclan.  Thus far, it has not been quite so dramatic.\n\nContinued...                                                          Page: 054\n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n\n\n __________________________________________\n\/ Interview: New Catarrh Leader - by Vortok\\__________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nVortok: In your opinion, what is the weakest\/strongest clan, and why\ndo you feel this is the case?\n  \nMandracore: They're all on fairly equal footing now, or at least\nthat's how I see things.  Feralis was lagging behind a little there,\nbut with their recent acquisition of Jess...I believe they're back\nup to par.\n  \nMukul has just achieved Avatarhood! (Intentionally left in!  Gratz!)\n \nMandracore: Excordis is currently lacking a Number Two, but Excordis\nhas many just regular old members who log regularly enough to not\ncreate an imbalance.  I think we're all on fairly even footing with\nnumbers from each clan that seem to show up for pk.  If Maleficae\nlogged in numbers, they would probably have the most DR, but that\nvery rarely happens.\n  \nVortok: What are your opinions about the productivity of the current\nPKill Conclave?\n\nContinued...                                                          Page: 055\n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n\n\n __________________________________________\n\/ Interview: New Catarrh Leader - by Vortok\\__________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nMandracore: Well, since I haven't taken part in it recently...I'm not\nsure that I can be a fair judge of it.  I agree with many of PKC's\ndecisions, though I notice that several of the members need to be\nreplaced (as they are inactive).  Rhadamanthus does a pretty good job\nwith PKC, and hopefully over the summer he'll have time to work with\nthem s'more.\n   \nVortok: On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate immortal support to\nthe PK community, and why?\n \nMandracore: 8.  We have some really fantastic pk immortals, and I was\njust going to type out a list of the pk immortals that I like...but\nit would really just be a listing of all immortals that show up under\nwho deadly.  Even those who are not really so active in pkill\nthings... do things that benefit pkill in other ways (e.g. coding).\nThe only reason the 8 is not a 10 is that some of the pkill projects\n(n.b. copper) are a little past overdue ;)  Though I understand that\na good bit of work is involved there, so I don't whine about it (with\nthe huge amounts that we pay our coders, and everything :)\n   \nVortok: How do you feel about the proposed introduction of this\nPK Geo that has yet to pull through?\n \nMandracore grins.\n\nContinued...                                                          Page: 056\n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n\n\n __________________________________________\n\/ Interview: New Catarrh Leader - by Vortok\\__________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nMandracore: I like the idea a lot, and while I've heard mixed\nreactions from other folks...I think that ultimately it will be a\ngreat thing for pkillers.  It opens up all sorts of possibilities,\nand it means that we wouldn't have to rely on a mob to trans us to\npkill areas.  Also, I like a lot of the ideas that Jason has\nincorporated into the PK geo; new, fun-sounding things always seem\nto bring at least a few new folks into pk :)\n   \nVortok: Well, that's all the questions I have, do you have anything\nfor me or that you want our readers to know?\n \nMandracore: Are you bored?  Tired of killing a silly mob that's\ngotten all too predictable?  Make a pkiller and see what you\nthink... pkillers level twice as fast, so you don't even have to\ncommit much time to it ;)  Send me a tell or mudmail, and we can\ntalk about getting you inducted into a clan as well (no questing\ninvolved!).  Even if Catarrh is not your home of choice, I can get\nahold of the appropriate guy and likely get you inducted wherever.\n\nContinued...                                                          Page: 057\n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n\n __________________________________________\n\/ Interview: New Catarrh Leader - by Vortok\\__________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nVortok:  Alright Nick, thanks for your time.  :)\n  \nMandracore: Anytime Jason, now go work on the pk geo ;)\n   \nMandracore snuggles up to Vortok.\n  \nVortok gets a blank look on his face.\n\n(End)                                                                 Page: 058\n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n _____________________\n\/ Goodbye - by Alysira\\_______________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\\\n\nThis is my last issue with the Cry of Despair.\n\nI sincerely apologise for all the late issues and the lack of quests\nlately. I want to thank all the staff members who have worked so hard\ncompiling these articles, and everyone for putting up with this\ndisorganisation lately.\n\nHopefully as of next month, Reatha will be taking over the Cry,\nworking with Genge and the fantastic staff. I know she'll do a great\njob and give the Cry the attention I could not lately.\n\nThanks again to all the great writers, editors, and other various\npeople I've worked with on the Cry these past few years. Thanks for\nputting up with me lately, too.\n\n-Alysira\n\n(End)                                                                 Page: 059\n_______________________________________________________________________________\n|_____________________________________________________________________________\/<\/pre>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>CoE Answers, Romani: a Gith ship, eerie captain&#8217;s wheel turning on its own _____________________________________________________ \/ Contents &#8211; Cry of Despair, Issue 106, May\/June 2006 \\_______________________ |_____________________________________________________________________________\\ Ask CoE &#8211; by Reuel HELP CRY2-4 RP, Poems and Stories &#8211; Sub-Editor: Mari HELP CRY5-31 Sanctus Irae News &#8211; by Jalisa HELP CRY5 Nations News Human &#8211; by&#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-1948","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/realmsofdespair.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1948","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=1948"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/realmsofdespair.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1948\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1954,"href":"https:\/\/realmsofdespair.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1948\/revisions\/1954"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/realmsofdespair.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1948"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}