Book Wyrm part 1
CHAPTER 4
The Book Wyrm
part 1
Sitting in the Infirmary office, Dr Codene places the satchel of books he had gathered from the Vampire’s lair onto the desk. Lighting a small burner flame nearby the room begins to glow and flicker with light. It is a cool evening and the clear sky and slight wind combine to chill the air. The good Dr. stands and lights a second burner to heat up water for a cup of his favorite tea. Sitting back down the cool breeze gusts outside as he opens the satchel of books. Writing down into a journal he records their titles and condition. Briefly skimming pages he lists a general context for the book. Some of the books are written in language unfamiliar to him while other are in common tongue. Many are written in what appears to be blood and after a simple test on a sample the assumption is confirmed. Nearly finished with this recording of the books; Dr Codene reaches into the satchel and his finger is cut by a sharp edge of a book. Opening the satchel wider and carefully looking inside he can see a dark covered book with metal bindings and ancient etchings. He picks up the book with both hands and a drop of his blood that remained on one of the metal binding seems to vanish into the cover itself….or was that the light flickering doing tricks to his eyes?
Examining the book from all sides, Dr Codene cannot find any text…only a symbol on the cover. The symbol is of a bird crudely and simply drawn standing facing the left. He brushes his hand over the cover and its cover is quite coarse and ancient. Realizing he has just smeared some blood from his cut onto the cover, Dr Codene moves to the supply chest for a rag to clean the cover. Returning to the book the Dr pauses as he sees that the cover has no blood upon it at all. Dr Codene picks up the book and again examines it from all sides….no blood. Placing a bandage on his hand he turns and with his uninjured hand he passes his hand across the cover again…..still the same etchings nothing new….except the cover appears to be less coarse. As Dr Codene becomes puzzled at this difference the quiet of the Infirmary is broken by the whistle of the water boiling for his tea.
The teapot steam billows out into the cool evening air and condenses on the window above. Dr Codene pours his water and makes his tea; as he lifts the cup to sip his Earl Grey his eye catch a glimpse of a face within the condensation on the window and he hears a whisper behind him…”Beware”. Dr Codene burns his tongue on the hot tea, turns to look for the source of the whisper and drops the cup of tea to the floor. His attention and gaze search the corners of the room, the window the shadows and then focus down to the book that lays now open on the table in front of him. On the corner of the desk sits a pair of blood vials and the contents of the vials begins to creep up and out around the caps that contain the blood within them. Dr Codene watches as the blood trickles toward the open book. Quickly gathering his wits he knocks the vials to the floor, slams the book closed, places the book back into the satchel and then wraps it tightly. He places the book within a small chest and locks it securely. He is amazed to see the wood of the chest begin to age and darken black….he places the small chest into a crate…..it again begins to blacken. Dr Codene places that crate into a larger chest and again it blackens but not as fast or dark.. Finally placing the blackened chest into a large crate the turning seems to be halted.
Dr Codene gathers the other books and places them within another chest and as he reaches for his journal notes he hears movement downstairs on the Infirmary floor. Reaching into the Alchemist supplies Dr Codene picks up an explosion potion and reaches for one of the Tribal spears he collected while researching the Savage Tribes. Sipping an agility potion, the good Dr then glides down onto the Infirmary floor like a man half his age. Dr Codene moves slowly and methodically from the one end of the Infirmary to the other, peering into the shadows. Nightsight he thinks to himself….always have Nightsight….old fool he thinks to himself as he realizes upstairs he did not drink one before coming downstairs. As the Dr reaches the end of the room a short gust pushes open the door of the Infirmary; as it creeks open the Dr can see a shadow on the doorstep. No longer does the night air feel chilly, for Dr Codene’s heart now races strong and as he moves closer to the doorway he snaps the trigger on the explosion potion.
Leaping out onto the porch he addresses the source of the shadow with a yell……….AAaaahhhhHHA!!!
Nothing is there except the shadow from a tree on the wall of Olympus next door. Relaxing a bit with a sign, Dr Codene then yelps and throws the ticking explosion potion toward the open ground nearby. The nights eerie quiet is broken with the explosion and the Olympus Sentry Tod comes over to offer aid.
“Dr…..is everything alright?” Tod asks.
“Aye…..just a slip of an explosion potion….my apologies for the disturbance”; answered Dr Codene with a bit of embarrassment.
As Tod turns to return to his post, Dr Codene asks; “Have ye seen anyone about this evening Sentry?”
“Nay…..was a quiet evening till your slip”; answered Tod the Sentry.
Nodding and waving goodnight, Dr Codene began to turn to go back inside when his eyes glimpsed a small imprint in some mud by the porch. Kneeling down the Dr traced the outline with his finger. The imprint was a large pawprint in the mud, one larger than he had ever seen before. Dr Codene returned to the laboratory and searched for some cast supplies to make a mold of the print. Upon returning to the imprint…..it was gone.. Dr Codene looked around into the night air and cursed himself again…..nightsight you old fool…..nightsight. Returning into the Infirmary he checked the books secured within their chests and they were all account for. It was late and for an old man the evening had been quite a stir. Locking up the Infirmary, Dr Codene walked around the corner of Olympus and there was Tod standing his post calmly.
“I think I will spend the night inside Olympus this evening”; Dr Codene remarked as he reached for the door.
“Very well sir…”; Tod smiled and helped open the great doors of Olympus Castle.
Posted by Borg
Saturday, March 30, 2002 12:00 AM EST
UO Stratics looking for a Catskills reporter
UO Stratics is currently looking for active, talented citizens of Catskills to add to our crack team of top-notch Ultima Online reporters. As a volunteer you are required to:
- Be a competent writer
- Be an active, knowledgeable member of the Catskills community
- Be willing to attend events and quests, interview other players, and report news of interest to the community
- Be able to dedicate a minimum of six hours per week to writing and/or posting news items
- Have a familiarity with basic HTML
- Be pro-active
Does the above describe you? Then what are you waiting for??? Apply... right now... do not hesitate! Simply fill out this brief questionnaire and fire off an email to elisa at stratics.com with "Catskills Application" as the subject.
1. Real name
2. Contact email address
3. ICQ number (if applicable)
4. Character name (this must be the name of the character you will be using as your potential shard reporter)
5. Rate your HTML knowledge from 1-10, where 1 is poor and 10 is phenomenal
6. Answer this: Why do you wish to be a shard reporter for UO Stratics?
7. Include a brief writing sample, no more than 500 words (pictures are not welcomed and no attachments)
8. Any questions?
Elisa Montclaire (Catskills)
Posted by Borg
Tuesday, March 26, 2002 4:41 PM EST
Dr Codene's report on Vampires
Colin Mor received a report from the good Dr. Codene, Wandering Healer of the PGoH Empire. I had sent Dr. Codene to Ilshenar to investigate further the vampirism that seems to have taken hold of mages within the depth of the vast dungeon under Ilshenar.
Below is his report to Colin Mor.
<<<<<<<<
Good Colin,
It seems that indeed that the mages deep underground are infected with a blood disease that causes thier blood to deteriorate at a terrible rate. As my two Gladiator escorts, Felix Felthwin and Marcos the Black, kept the area secure...I conducted my tests as quickly as I could. The bodies of these infected mages tend to deteriorate quite quickly and only when I covered them and doused the lignts in the room did they remain for ample time. Though not sunlight...the lack of strength in the cellular make-up became very sensative to any light.
Within the books and records within the room were many a note about spells and ceremonies I could only guess at some of the context. These text are written in blood primarily and in various degrees of decay. Several of the tomes are illegible but others have reference to powerful regents and specialty potions. I placed a few of the books into a sachel and will begin to interpret as much as I can. I also wrapped tightly a few limbs of these corpses and have secured them within the Infirmary for later study.
The one thing I can report from these tomes is that the blood elemental was summoned by a very powerful spell in a blood ceremony. This ceremony did not only summon the blood elemental to become the mages slave...but the room itself was enchanted to be a cell of blood to be the portal for the blood elemental to appear within.
As we left the dungeon and headed for home, a pair of adventurers asked us for aid in recovering a fallen brother of thiers. It seems that to the North on the way to the Valor Shrine portal they had been ambushed by brigands. We did travel with them and I was able to ressurect the fallen traveler. The matter was our Honor to perform but I include this in the report that these brigands had taken up arms with mages at a shire. These mages all held blood moss and wore the similar cloaks. While they were outdoors in sunlight they did have pale skin. If these are related to the mages that exist now in eternal darkness...I do not know.
Dr. Codene, Wandering Healer, PGoH
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Posted by Borg
Tuesday, March 26, 2002 4:35 PM EST
UO Dev Team members
Meet the UO Team, in 100 Words or Less
Adrick
An active player of Ultima Online since August of 1997, Adrick’s focus as a designer in Ultima Online revolves around combat systems (PvP and PvM), guilds, factions, reputation, and player interactions and reputation (non-consensual PVP).
Alai
Alai has worked on all aspects of MMORPGs at some point or another, including (but not limited to) map building, customer support, art, sound, animation, writing, design, and programming. Over the years, he has managed to claw his way up the management ladder to Lead Client Programmer for Ultima Online where he’s coordinating efforts to improve the quality of the client in all ways possible. He prefers the green M&Ms.
Augur
Augur is a designer on the Ongoing Content team, responsible for creating everything from new monster and item additions, to devious puzzles and expansions to the Britannian geography. When not delving into the codebase of Ultima Online, he enjoys daydreaming about delving into the codebase of Ultima Online. You may have also seen him in such roles as "Dirty Hippy #2" in Stop, or My Mom Will Shoot! and "Topo, the Monkey Boy", in Circus Maniacs 2.
BIGtiny
Being the manager of the UO bug exterminators, BIGtiny's job is to make sure that bugs are quickly removed from UO society. Usually under the cover of darkness and with as few witnesses as possible. BIGtiny could not be reached for comment, but a spokesman said, "We have nothing against bugs; in fact, I have an ant farm at home. But when bugs enter the world of Britannia, they cross the line and must be dealt with... severely."
BulldoZ
After bodly catapulting the old UO pixels into the third dimension and working tirelessly to help track down the cause of crashes in Third Dawn, BulldoZ finally achieved the ultimate dream of all programmers and now spends his days on an obscure research project where he has nothing to do but think, eat and drink. In his spare time, he dreams of digital organic lifeforms.
Calandryll
Calandryll, a designer at Origin Systems, holds the esteemed title of the OSI employee most often blown up, killed or otherwise maimed in fan-produced flash movies. Calandryll got his start at OSI in the Community Relations department and later moved over to development on the UO Live Team. Currently he spends his time in a dark, locked, secret room working in shrouded mystery.
Cynthe
Since 1998, Cynthe has held six different positions at OSI, including Game Designer, Community Coordinator, and Web Content Supervisor. She is now Ultima Online’s Manager of Community Services, but leaves much of the delicate community work to her fantastically capable OCR team: Kerowyn, Greywolfe and Sannio. Her greatest joys include showing off pictures of her son, and busily writing “State of the Boards” addresses that are too long for anyone to actually read.
Evocare
A long-time Ultima Online player and virtual world enthusiast, Evocare is Lead Designer for Ultima Online. His responsibilities include managing a design team in such a way that the designers retain their sanity, determining which game features the design team works on, and giving the final "yay" or "nay" to said designs. In theory, this is all done to develop the most fun path to the cheese. Over time, he has developed his skill in claiming all credit for success while passing all responsibility for failure on to the Producer (much to Tajima's surprise).
FierY iCe
FierY iCe is a Programmer on Ultima Online, and works on all kinds of systems from server maintenance to monster tweaks to combat fixes, and anything that needs to be done. Previously working as a Designer, he still tries to help them out whenever they have Programming needs. His favorite things to work on are monsters and loot. He also gets a kick out of logging cheaters.
Greyburn
When asked about the myriad of intricate and sophisticated tasks on the plate of a UO client programmer, Greyburn describes his duties and himself eloquently as, “Client. Code. Bug squishin’, party improvin’, little talkin’ mofo’ with a lead foot and a cheap rental. Er, bugs an’ clients an’ stuff. And code. It’s all about the code. Yup.”
Greywolfe
Greywolfe, UO’s Online Community Coordinator, spends a great deal of time on the MyUO Message Boards. After a busy day reading and responding to hundreds of posts and emails and attending various meetings, the ‘wolfe likes to play UO while enjoying a strong cup of Sumatra coffee, write a little horror fiction, or attend various dog-type functions with the infamous Toy Fox Terrier “Kajun-Fox Beausoleil.” Greywolfe has been known to comment that if only coffee and Beau were in the game, all would truly be well with the world.
Gromm
Gromm is a member of the Ongoing Content team and has adopted the duty of Fiction Poobah. When not trying to think of new and interesting ways of spreading waves of mass destruction across the world of Britannia that leave nothing but blood, ash and suffering in their trail, Gromm enjoys spending time with his kitten. Although he enjoys working on UO tremendously, the position is only temporary until he returns to his homeworld of Gritt'hhhya''sfvvv'''eee to continue genetically installing thumbs on other races in the galaxy.
Hanse
Hanse is a UO designer and bug fixer extraordinaire. When he’s not eradicating bugs with a vengeance, he’s busily creating new content for systems such as creature spawn locations/amounts, bulk order deeds, magic spells, map changes, decorator tools, monster enhancements, and many others. Hanse likes to stare at orange juice containers because they say 'concentrate'.
Helios
Currently, UO Designer Helios is deftly working on the New Player Experience / New Player Retention initiatives and design-side localization stuffs. Of course, he also works to keep his sanity while sharing an office with Hanse, Vex and Adrick every day, which is a job all on its own. :-)
Ignatz
Ignatz started life wandering in search of truth and love... or failing that, a job in the video game industry. One fateful day in 1997 while walking in downtown Austin, Ignatz noticed a scrap of paper stuck to one of his boots. Ripping the newsprint from his shoe, he noticed a classified ad soliciting applicants for a testing position on Ultimate Onlink... or something. Intrigued, Ignatz applied. Now, after almost five years of working on just about every facet of UO, Ignatz is a UO Live Designer and has recently landed yet another position on the Ongoing Content team.
Jalek
When not bringing in donuts for the entire team, Jalek spends his time sitting in the dark void he calls his office, shunning the sunlight and hissing at passers-by while working on mysterious and complex background programming tasks.
Kerowyn
Kerowyn is the Online Content Editor and current reigning “Miss Tackiest Office Color 2002”. When not stalking her co-workers for their Team Comments, she spends her time communicating with the fansites, arranging chats and interviews, posting web updates, and completing various other miscellaneous writing/editing tasks.
Krum
After leading the programming effort behind Lord Blackthorn’s Revenge, Krum volunteered to take a break from actual game development and courageously took on the arduous task of developing an automated testing environment for our quality assurance staff, which will provide the team the ability to release a higher quality product in less time.
MrTact
MrTact is the newest server programmer for UO, having recently moved over from QA Engineering. He is notorious for fearlessly asking EA executives pointed questions during company-wide meetings, yet still somehow retaining his job.
Oaks
As a designer for Ultima Online, Oaks works on a variety of systems ranging from world-building to spell effects, and has recently tackled things like improving the new player experience and leveling the playing field in regards to the taming profession. He is easily identifiable by his vampire-like skin and brightly-colored Hawaiian shirts; testament to his long hours of game playing and programming. His online alias, Oaks, originates from a favorite pen-and-paper RPG character best known for his non sequitur dialog and insatiable battle hunger.
Prophet
When not camouflaged as a Canadian hockey fan at the Olympics, Prophet handles the responsibilities of Lead Programmer for Ultima Online. When asked to describe a typical day at work, Prophet replied succinctly, "I do stuff. You know, press keys, a lot, and deny everyone’s new feature requests. It's in my job description." His l33t programming skills can be summarized by the following anecdote heard from his peers while watching him crash a test center while trying to fix it: "If that's him trying to fix something, god help us if he actually tries to break something."
Sannio
Sannio is Ultima Online’s “Online Content Coordinator,” which is simply a more professional way of saying he’s the company’s official “Town Cryer.” As the main researcher for the OCR department, it’s his job to sort through all the myriad bits of paperwork, e-mails, scraps of notes, and back-alley conversations that relate to UO, and somehow present it to the players in such a way that the company doesn’t realize valuable gaming information is being given away for free.
Stellerex
Previously a Senior Producer for Ultima Online Live and MVP of the year for 2000 at OSI, Stellerex now works behind the scenes, ensuring a bigger and better future for UO. He is an avid player of almost every type of game, and a chess fanatic.
Stormwind
Stormwind is the Director of Technology for UO. When he's not evaluating libraries and technologies for use in UO products, he's forcing the programmers to follow coding standards and write technical design documentation. Stormwind has been around since before the public beta of UO, forcing letters and numbers to line up and stand at attention on the screen to make the servers work better. He also serves as a backup programmer as needed.
Tajima
Tajima is the Senior Producer for Ultima Online's "Live" Team. He oversees the efforts of the programmers, artists, and designers while coordinating with the Customer Service, Game Masters, Operations, Engineering, and Marketing teams. In his spare time, he enjoys playing Tech Support rep on the Discussion boards.
Usul
Being one of UO’s Lead bug exterminators, Usul’s job is to make sure our QA group is using the latest and deadliest insecticides. Many of these insecticides are potentially harmful to the environment, and sometimes downright illegal; so his duties also include keeping the EPA and left wing environmental groups off our backs. Hey, you may not like carcinogenic chemicals in your food, but at least your dinner plate won’t be garnished with a cockroach.
Vex
Vex, a designer on UO Live, started programming 8-bit home computers at age 11, and later built a map editor for Ultima IV on his Atari 800XL using a BASIC compiler. In school and for a while afterwards, he played bass (the guitar, not the fish) in an alternative rock band before eventually moving into database and Web development. Vex started playing UO with the release of T2A, and began working for Origin shortly after the release of Renaissance. In addition to systems design, he also programs, fixes bugs, and does world building and testing.
WindRider
WindRider is the senior artist on the Team. WindRider is responsible for giving life to the art, the creatures, and buttons you click on. When WindRider is not pushing pixels around for new menu screens, he is teaching the creatures how to walk, run and eat in the creature aerobics class.
__________________
Cynthe
Community Manager
ORIGIN Systems
Posted by Borg
Tuesday, March 19, 2002 12:00 AM EST
Call to Arms (Summoning part 4)Mondains Legacy
Posted by Borg
Monday, March 18, 2002 12:00 AM EST
Imperial Promotions
Greetings Citizens of PGoH,
It is my great HONOR to declare the following promotions and granting of titles.
Emperor Greg, Imperator Martok, Senator Wolf are hearby granted title of Ancient for thier years of service and dedication to the Empire and the realm itself.
Phalynx LizShue is hearby promoted to Centurion of Warlocks
Phalynx Baltazar Con Wec is hearby promoted to Centurion of Sagitarri(Shadowriders)
Aslan the Lion is hearby promoted to Gladiator Phalynx
(KNIGHTS seek Emperor Borg for your Cloak of HONOR that will never leave your spirit)
Daphne de Isles is hearby promoted to Sagitarri Knight
Nioeye Weksuye is hearby promoted to Warlock Knight
Overstrand is hearby promoted to Gladiator Knight
Brigandi Con Wec is hearby promoted to Gladiator Knight
approved.....Emperor Borg
Posted by Borg
Sunday, March 17, 2002 11:49 PM EST
War Status and WARNING To Lord Blackthorn
Greetings Citizens of PGoH,
In the last year the successful campaign by the Legion (under command of Imperator Martok, guidance of Senator Wolf and leadership of Emperor Greg) against the combined forces of the Orc Clans and the Undead...I have returned the Empire to a state of peace.
Unfortunately, Lord Blackthorn has returned under guidance of Exodus and aligned with the Juka in Ilshenar pose a grave and dangerous threat to all that live in the shard of Catskills.
While this hiatus time of past months has allowed our strongest and wisest to prepare and build foundations in ethereal lands for our spirits to journey in the future....the time has come for the lines of HONOR to return to duty and stand for each other and HONOR against Lord Blackthorn's twisted agendas.
This now is our greatest adversary we have ever faced....and his army and at hand allies (the JUKA and Savages) are hearby sent notice.
"Do not expand your current land claims from your existing city of Mistas. Do not harm or oppress any existing realm city or city controlled by the PGoH Empire or ally of PGoH. This declaration of warning is effective immediately and sworn to by all within the PGoH Empire"
signed.....Emperor Borg
Posted by Borg
Sunday, March 17, 2002 11:34 PM EST
War Status
Greetings Citizens of PGoH,
In the last year the successful campaign by the Legion (under command of Imperator Martok, guidance of Senator Wolf and leadership of Emperor Greg) against the combined forces of the Orc Clans and the Undead...I have returned the Empire to a state of peace.
Unfortunately, Lord Blackthorn has returned under guidance of Exodus and aligned with the Juka in Ilshenar pose a grave and dangerous threat to all that live in the shard of Catskills.
While this hiatus time of past months has allowed our strongest and wisest to prepare and build foundations in ethereal lands for our spirits to journey in the future....the time has come for the lines of HONOR to return to duty and stand for each other and HONOR against Lord Blackthorn's twisted agendas.
This now is our greatest adversary we have ever faced....and his army and at hand allies (the JUKA and Savages) are hearby sent notice.
"Do not expand your current land claims from your existing city of Mistas. Do not harm or oppress any existing realm city or city controlled by the PGoH Empire or ally of PGoH. This declaration of warning is effective immediately and sworn to by all within the PGoH Empire"
signed.....Emperor Borg
Posted by Borg
Sunday, March 17, 2002 11:33 PM EST
PGoH (Catskills)Recruitment Invitation
Greetings Ultima Online citizens,
Over the past years the world of Ultima Online has evolved from simple task/skill growth experiences to a world filled with unlimited possibilities to explore and have fun with. Regardless of your occupation or style; one opportunity that has never been limited, reduced or changed…Role-playing.
Role-playing is acting…and in Ultima Online….well; it is online, interactive and challenging. The submersion of yourself into a character or role can become quite compelling and rewarding. How deep and how vast your exploration within the role is an unknown only you can discover. Ultima Online provides the realm and template, while it is up to you how your character is ultimately developed skill wise and reputation wise.
The Honor Empire exists as a multi-game platform that has a guild within the current online multi-player game engines. These guilds are designed to provide a more specific themed atmosphere for your characters to become developed within. If you look at the Game Engine itself like a great city that has thousands of artists within it…the guild is the studio in which you can paint or sculpt your character into artwork or form. Exploration of many more possibilities thus then exist that you may not have thought of or had the opportunity before to enjoy or discover.
The Purple Guardians of HONOR (Catskills Shard) invite you, from any shard and/or any game to join their Ultima Online guild. PGoH is a rich blend of Roman/Greek roles that over the 4+ years has evolved and prospered throughout Catskills history. Successful in realm events, the membership has enjoyed being at the forefront of “Caravans of Duma”, “Followers of Armageddon”, “Trinsic Siege”, “Trinsic Liberation” and “ Fallshorn Stormguard”. Forces of Paradox, Juo’nar, Minax, The Dragon Dominion and Lord Ventryn all have failed to bring down the walls of Oympus, the PGoH Castle of HONOR. Now new danger prepares and evil armies strengthen under the command of Lord Blackthorn.
Below is a listing of current roles within the PGoH Empire on Catskills that await new citizens.
NON COMBAT ROLES
Senator of Espionage (Rouge)
Senator of Genesis (Bard)
Senator of Arcane (Mage)
Governor of Illyceum (Trinsic/Skara/Jhelom/SerpHold Areas)
Governor of Dalmatia (Islands and Britain)
Emissaries (Inter-guild reps)
Praefectors (Provincial Guards)
Herald (guild reporter)
Caravan Ridge Runners
Healers
Ranchers (Sheep, Cattle, Horse, all ridables)
All Trade workers (Citizens)
COMBAT ROLES
Centurion Herans (Beastmaster)
Gladiators (melee/parry)
Warlocks (mages)
Archers (archers)
Cataphractii (horsed melee)
Sagitarri (horsed archers-Shadowriders)
Lancers (horsed longspears)
Pikemen (Halbreds)
Fleet Admiral
Marine (naval warriors)
Sailors (naval range)
Grenadiers (naval alchemists)
ENHANCED COMBAT ROLES
High Elf (Elf leader)
Elf Rangers (archers/warriors)
Orc Guardian (Orc leader)
Skullcrusher Orcs (warriors)
Locust (Gargoyles)
Praetorian Guards (elite combat role)
UPCOMING NEW ROLES IN DEVELOPMENT
Necromancer
Herbalist
Brew Master
Sculptor
Painter
Vampire Hunter
Werewolf Hunter
Minstrel
Interior Decorator (Rugs, Tapestry, Shields etc)
Architect
Yardman (Boat crafter)
Casino Staff
Archeologist
Demolition Expert
Siege Crafter
Executioner (Torture Devices)
Mausoleum Director (Tombstones/Crypts)
Astronomer (Mystic Tarot Gypsy)
Posted by Borg
Sunday, March 17, 2002 11:18 PM EST
PGoH (Catskills)Recruitment Invitation
Greetings Ultima Online citizens,
Over the past years the world of Ultima Online has evolved from simple task/skill growth experiences to a world filled with unlimited possibilities to explore and have fun with. Regardless of your occupation or style; one opportunity that has never been limited, reduced or changed…Role-playing.
Role-playing is acting…and in Ultima Online….well; it is online, interactive and challenging. The submersion of yourself into a character or role can become quite compelling and rewarding. How deep and how vast your exploration within the role is an unknown only you can discover. Ultima Online provides the realm and template, while it is up to you how your character is ultimately developed skill wise and reputation wise.
The Honor Empire exists as a multi-game platform that has a guild within the current online multi-player game engines. These guilds are designed to provide a more specific themed atmosphere for your characters to become developed within. If you look at the Game Engine itself like a great city that has thousands of artists within it…the guild is the studio in which you can paint or sculpt your character into artwork or form. Exploration of many more possibilities thus then exist that you may not have thought of or had the opportunity before to enjoy or discover.
The Purple Guardians of HONOR (Catskills Shard) invite you, from any shard and/or any game to join their Ultima Online guild. PGoH is a rich blend of Roman/Greek roles that over the 4+ years has evolved and prospered throughout Catskills history. Successful in realm events, the membership has enjoyed being at the forefront of “Caravans of Duma”, “Followers of Armageddon”, “Trinsic Siege”, “Trinsic Liberation” and “ Fallshorn Stormguard”. Forces of Paradox, Juo’nar, Minax, The Dragon Dominion and Lord Ventryn all have failed to bring down the walls of Oympus, the PGoH Castle of HONOR. Now new danger prepares and evil armies strengthen under the command of Lord Blackthorn.
Below is a listing of current roles within the PGoH Empire on Catskills that await new citizens.
NON COMBAT ROLES
Senator of Espionage (Rouge)
Senator of Genesis (Bard)
Senator of Arcane (Mage)
Governor of Illyceum (Trinsic/Skara/Jhelom/SerpHold Areas)
Governor of Dalmatia (Islands and Britain)
Emissaries (Inter-guild reps)
Praefectors (Provincial Guards)
Herald (guild reporter)
Caravan Ridge Runners
Healers
Ranchers (Sheep, Cattle, Horse, all ridables)
All Trade workers (Citizens)
COMBAT ROLES
Centurion Herans (Beastmaster)
Gladiators (melee/parry)
Warlocks (mages)
Archers (archers)
Cataphractii (horsed melee)
Sagitarri (horsed archers-Shadowriders)
Lancers (horsed longspears)
Pikemen (Halbreds)
Fleet Admiral
Marine (naval warriors)
Sailors (naval range)
Grenadiers (naval alchemists)
ENHANCED COMBAT ROLES
High Elf (Elf leader)
Elf Rangers (archers/warriors)
Orc Guardian (Orc leader)
Skullcrusher Orcs (warriors)
Locust (Gargoyles)
Praetorian Guards (elite combat role)
UPCOMING NEW ROLES IN DEVELOPMENT
Necromancer
Herbalist
Brew Master
Sculptor
Painter
Vampire Hunter
Werewolf Hunter
Minstrel
Interior Decorator (Rugs, Tapestry, Shields etc)
Architect
Yardman (Boat crafter)
Casino Staff
Archeologist
Demolition Expert
Siege Crafter
Executioner (Torture Devices)
Mausoleum Director (Tombstones/Crypts)
Astronomer (Mystic Tarot Gypsy)
Posted by Borg
Sunday, March 17, 2002 11:18 PM EST
PGoH (Catskills)Recruitment Invitation
Greetings Ultima Online citizens,
Over the past years the world of Ultima Online has evolved from simple task/skill growth experiences to a world filled with unlimited possibilities to explore and have fun with. Regardless of your occupation or style; one opportunity that has never been limited, reduced or changed…Role-playing.
Role-playing is acting…and in Ultima Online….well; it is online, interactive and challenging. The submersion of yourself into a character or role can become quite compelling and rewarding. How deep and how vast your exploration within the role is an unknown only you can discover. Ultima Online provides the realm and template, while it is up to you how your character is ultimately developed skill wise and reputation wise.
The Honor Empire exists as a multi-game platform that has a guild within the current online multi-player game engines. These guilds are designed to provide a more specific themed atmosphere for your characters to become developed within. If you look at the Game Engine itself like a great city that has thousands of artists within it…the guild is the studio in which you can paint or sculpt your character into artwork or form. Exploration of many more possibilities thus then exist that you may not have thought of or had the opportunity before to enjoy or discover.
The Purple Guardians of HONOR (Catskills Shard) invite you, from any shard and/or any game to join their Ultima Online guild. PGoH is a rich blend of Roman/Greek roles that over the 4+ years has evolved and prospered throughout Catskills history. Successful in realm events, the membership has enjoyed being at the forefront of “Caravans of Duma”, “Followers of Armageddon”, “Trinsic Siege”, “Trinsic Liberation” and “ Fallshorn Stormguard”. Forces of Paradox, Juo’nar, Minax, The Dragon Dominion and Lord Ventryn all have failed to bring down the walls of Oympus, the PGoH Castle of HONOR. Now new danger prepares and evil armies strengthen under the command of Lord Blackthorn.
Below is a listing of current roles within the PGoH Empire on Catskills that await new citizens.
NON COMBAT ROLES
Senator of Espionage (Rouge)
Senator of Genesis (Bard)
Senator of Arcane (Mage)
Governor of Illyceum (Trinsic/Skara/Jhelom/SerpHold Areas)
Governor of Dalmatia (Islands and Britain)
Emissaries (Inter-guild reps)
Praefectors (Provincial Guards)
Herald (guild reporter)
Caravan Ridge Runners
Healers
Ranchers (Sheep, Cattle, Horse, all ridables)
All Trade workers (Citizens)
COMBAT ROLES
Centurion Herans (Beastmaster)
Gladiators (melee/parry)
Warlocks (mages)
Archers (archers)
Cataphractii (horsed melee)
Sagitarri (horsed archers-Shadowriders)
Lancers (horsed longspears)
Pikemen (Halbreds)
Fleet Admiral
Marine (naval warriors)
Sailors (naval range)
Grenadiers (naval alchemists)
ENHANCED COMBAT ROLES
High Elf (Elf leader)
Elf Rangers (archers/warriors)
Orc Guardian (Orc leader)
Skullcrusher Orcs (warriors)
Locust (Gargoyles)
Praetorian Guards (elite combat role)
UPCOMING NEW ROLES IN DEVELOPMENT
Necromancer
Herbalist
Brew Master
Sculptor
Painter
Vampire Hunter
Werewolf Hunter
Minstrel
Interior Decorator (Rugs, Tapestry, Shields etc)
Architect
Yardman (Boat crafter)
Casino Staff
Archeologist
Demolition Expert
Siege Crafter
Executioner (Torture Devices)
Mausoleum Director (Tombstones/Crypts)
Astronomer (Mystic Tarot Gypsy)
Posted by Borg
Sunday, March 17, 2002 11:17 PM EST
The Honor Empire expands
It is with great pleasure for me to announce that The Honor Empire now has expanded its realm 5-fold to accomodate the many new opportunities and entertainment for its membership enjoy.
What began as one game guild (The Purple Guardians of HONOR) PGoH in Ultima Online...is now in multiple games as unique themed guilds based on the game engines.
Ultima Online........................PGoH (Purple Guardians of HONOR)
Everquest.......................SLoT (Sacred Legion of Tunarre)
Dark Age of Camelot.....V V (Valhalla Vanguard)
soon to appear are
Shadowbane..............LoA (Lords of Ardan)
Galaxies................ TBA
Horizons.....................~E~ (The Eclipse)
World of Warcraft.......SCO (Skullcrusher Orcs)
Posted by Borg
Sunday, March 17, 2002 11:12 PM EST
Call to Arms (Summoning part 3)Insight
Posted by Borg
Saturday, March 16, 2002 12:00 AM EST
Call to Arms (Summoning part 2)
The Summoning part 2
Elwe D'Loche, nicknamed spawn affectionately by his Legion brotheren, rode back to the Impeial barracks in Trinsic. Dismounting, he ran to the officers quarters in search of Centurion Baltazar Con Wec. Centurion Coldren sat at the steps sharpening his tools of craft in the afternoon sun.
"Looking for someone my little friend?"; asked Coldren, Centurion of Gladiators.
"Yes sir....Centurion Baltazar"; replied Elwe
"I saw him this morning pack heavy for a journey to find the Praetorian Guards"; answered Centurion Coldren.
Observing that Elwe appeared a bit edgy and that it is rare to see a Shadowrider disheveled, the Centurion Coldren attempted to put the Shadowrider at ease.
"Come on lad, lets get some lunch in you and see if any reports have come in, perhaps there is something that I can do."; Centurion Coldren said as he motioned Elwe to join him at the mess hall.
"Yes sir, but I do...."; Elwe began to reply but stopped short of finishing his statment.
"Do we have sentries on the Ramparts of Trinsic and Olympus?"; continued Elwe
"Only the city guards and Olympus holds one...the area is secure Shadowrider, why....no army can march upon us without the outposts sending word."; answered Centurion Coldren.
Stopping at the doorway to the mess hall, Elwe looked up at the Centurion of Gladiators.
"It is not an army marching upon the city of Trinsic I worry about. It is the......"; replied Elwe as Centurion Coldren opened the door to the mess hall.
Shouts of ELWE, SPAWN, ELWE come from several brotheren inside the hall feasting on lunch.
Raising his voice a bit to Centruion Coldren, Elwe turns to him and finishes his statement.
"It is FLYING INTO TRINSIC I AM CONCERNED ABOUT"; Elwe finishes and is pulled into a seat by fellow Legion warriors.
Centurion Coldren absorbs what he says and with a tightining of the brow; Coldren begins to look back at the city skyline toward Destard. The Heran Knights, while thier lines thin, have controlled the skys with thier Dragon forces. What could Elwe be that concerned about.....an Army cannot fly. Coldren's thought is broken by a shout by Marcos from inside the hall to shut the door.
"Centurion, did you grow up in a barn?....shut the door!!!", Phalynx of Gladiators humorously jokes.
Centurion Coldren blinks a bit while he see a squad of Legionnaires return from training....turns and enters the mess hall completely. Looking down at Elwe eating with his brothers, Elwe looks at the Centurion and jestures slightly by pointing to the air.
Centurion Coldren continues to join his Gladiators line as they eat...but while he does he thinks about Elwe's concern and waits for after lunch to discuss this further...now is not yet the time to send alarms through the lines that reform slowly.
The Legion is not ready....soon....soon....Centurion Coldren thinks to himself.
Posted by Borg
Friday, March 8, 2002 12:00 AM EST
How to use your own MP3s in UO
Included in the list of features for Ultima Online: Lord Blackthorn’s Revenge is “MP3 support.” Those who have registered and play either the 2D or 3D versions of UO:LBR will sometimes hear certain MP3 music selections that will play and/or loop while playing UO, in addition to the MIDI music that may still play in certain areas (Note: MIDI music will only play if the associated MP3 file cannot be opened, or when an MP3 isn’t defined for that location/activity.)
Although this MP3 music is selected from a standard playlist automatically, enterprising UO:LBR owners have the option of playing their own supplied MP3s, rather than UO:LBR’s “official” MP3s, in one of two possible ways.
Replacing a UO:LBR MP3 with their own MP3, where their own MP3 has been re-named to match the one being replaced.
Opening the MP3’s config.txt file in a text editor and modifying the details within.
Locating your MP3s: UO:LBR stores it’s MP3 files within Ultima Online’s \music\Digital\ subdirectory. Both the 2D and 3D versions of UO:LBR will be sharing the same directory, and using the same MP3 files.
All MP3 files need to remain in this directory in order to be used, otherwise the game client may not be able to access them.
Before making any changes to these files, it’s a good idea to back them up into a safe location. Thus, at any point afterward if you feel like reverting back to “square one,” that option is available to you with minimal effort. Otherwise, should you need to return to the original configuration/files, you may need to reinstall UO:LBR from the CD.
With the exception of the introduction song, the server will send a “song identifier” to the UO game client, which will then attempt to play back the specified song. The file that maps song identifiers to file names is “config.txt,” which is stored in the same folder as the music.
Deciphering your config.txt file: Within the aforementioned config.txt file, you’ll find a listing that looks very much like the following:
0 turfin,loop 1 turfin,loop 2 turfin,loop 3 turfin,loop 4 turfin,loop 5 turfin,loop 6 turfin,loop 7 turfin,loop 8 stones1 9 britainpos,lop 10 britain1 11 bucsden,loop 12 jhelom 13 lbc 14 linelle 15 newmagincia,loop 16 minocpos,loop 17 valoriapos,loop 18 ambrosia,loop 19 stones 20 scarabreapos,loop 21 trinsicpos,loop 22 vesper1 23 yew1 24 yewpos,loop 25 dungeon 26 dragonshi,loop 27 citynightedit,loop 28 walking,loop 29 citynightedit,loop 30 walking,loop 31 citynightedit,loop 32 boattravel 33 citynightedit,loop 34 tavern1 35 tavern2 36 tavern3 37 pubtune,loop 38 goodevil,loop 39 humanoids,loop 40 gargoyles,loop 41 turfin,loop 42 deathtune 43 victory 44 overlordv2 45 nujelm 46 dragonslo,loop 47 cove,loop 48 moonglowpos,loop
Each listing has basically two or three parts:
Song identifier number
Song name
Loop (this is optional)
Currently, some songs may not currently be used in the game even though they’ve been assigned numbers in the config.txt file.
Swapping MP3s: You may swap your own MP3 for one that already exists. Don’t forget to back up your files before making any changes.
Open the \music\Digital\ directory mentioned above, note the name of the original song that you want to replace, and delete it. Select the replacement MP3 and move it into the Ultima Online \music\Digital\ directory. Rename the new MP3 to be the same as the original MP3, and you're done.
For example, if the official UO song file is named “Bucsden.mp3” and your replacement song is “CarminaBurana.mp3” (by Carl Orff), delete “Bucsden.mp,” move “CarminaBurana.mp3” into the \music\Digital\ directory, and rename that copy of “CarminaBurana.mp3” to “Bucsden.mp3.”
Changing the config.txt file: Instead of swapping MP3s, you can add MP3s into your Ultima Online directory and change the related config.txt file. Don’t forget to back up your files before making any changes.
Open the \music\Digitial\ directory and open for the “config.txt” file.
Copy your MP3 into Ultima Online’s \music\Digitial\ on your hard drive. You should simplify the new MP3’s file name before proceeding, removing any spaces or special characters.
For example, if the original name of your MP3 is “CarminaBurana.mp3” (by Carl Orff), it’s good to simplify the name to something like “carminaburana.mp3” before proceeding.
Open the config.txt file in that directory and look for the line which contains the name of the song you'd like to replace. Remove the name of the existing song and type in the new name of your replacement MP3. If your game client is already running, you’ll need to close it and restart before any changes can take effect.
For example, you might change the line that reads "22 vesper1" to become "22 carminaburana”—and after doing so, restart your game client for the change to take effect.
Now, your game client will now play “carminaburana” where it would previously have played the “vesper1” MP3 song.
If an MP3 song name is ever removed from its listing, the default MIDI song will play in its place.
Special note on changing filenames: When you’re changing the names of your MP3 files to work within our MP3 support scheme, it might help to know that our parser can handle anything but a space, comma, newline, and null character.
Example of usable renaming: “Carmina Burana.mp3” could become:
carminaburana.mp3
carmina_burana.mp3
carmina-burana.mp3
Example of unusable renaming: “Carmina Burana.mp3” should not become:
carmina burana.mp3
carmina,burana.mp3
carmina
burana.mp3
Looping MP3s: I’ll need to refer back to that config.txt file for this one (at “\music\Digitial\config.txt”).
Not every song will be set to play continuously. If you want a certain song to playback forever in a loop, you’ll have to change a setting for that song within the config.txt file (within Ultima Online’s “\music\Digital\ subdirectory).
Open the config.txt file and look for the name of the song you’d like to loop. If the song does not have “,loop” immediately after it, it will play once and not loop. In general, if the song does have that loop notation it will play until you leave the associated area, you stop or complete the associated activity, or until a new song is triggered.
For example, the entry listed as “45 nujelm” is not set to loop. However, changing “45 nujelm” to “45 nujelm,loop” will activate the looping process for the song "nujelm.mp3." Without that extra ",loop" comment, the song will only play through once, and then end.
Another example is the “24 yewpos,loop” entry. This setting indicates that the “yewpos.mp3” song file will play continuously when triggered. Removing the “loop” notation will compel the song to only play through once and then stop.
There are some “looping safeguards” in place, however. If you move into a new “trigger situation” within 10 seconds of the previous trigger situation, the previous song will finish out a full ten seconds of play before changing. This is designed for such occasions when, for example, you need to cross between two trigger locations frequently but aren’t really interesting in hearing the first fraction of each of the related songs quickly swapping back and forth.
Songs that play but aren’t set to loop will end after a certain period of time, and may incorporate both a fade-in and fade-out effect. (These fade-in and fade-out lengths are “fixed,” and cannot be changed by the players at this time.)
There also a certain small amount of randomness built into one or two of the song selections. Players can create their own small system of randomness as well. Although each listing only contains one song entry, each listing can instead contain multiple song entries, with a single space in between each. Each time that listing is called upon to play, one of the entries in that multiple-entry list should play.
For example, song ID number 45 lists:
45 nujelm
If you’d like to add some randomness to what plays when that ID is called and possibly hear the “moonglowpos” or “victory” songs, you can change the entry to read instead:
45 nujelm moonglowpos victory
With the above configuration, upon entry into Nujel’m you might hear the “nujelm,” “moonglowpos,” or “victory” songs.
Further, even if they are in the same listing, not every entry has to be set to loop or not loop—you can mix & match.
For example, song ID number 47 lists:
47 cove,loop
If you’d like to randomly hear the “cove,” “moonglowpos,” or “victory” songs, and the cove or victory songs should loop but the moonglowpos song shouldn’t, you can change the entry to read instead:
47 cove,loop moonglowpos victory,loop
With the above configuration, upon entry into Cove you might hear the “cove” song looping, the “moonglowpos” song play once, or the “victory” song looping.
Reverting to the backed-up files: Hopefully you backed up all your files before making any changes, as suggested at the start. If so, you may simply close out of UO, copy all your saved “masters” back into your \music\Digital\ directory, and start up without concern.
If you haven’t backed up your files, it’s likely that the best way to recover your original MP3 files is to reinstall UO completely from the CD.
There’s actually a third option, for those feeling a little adventurous. You can, in a sense, copy the files you need from the CD, but it’s not as easy as just moving them across into your computer's UO directory. Here’s some notes on this procedure:
You’ll need to find where the music is stored on your UO CD.
The music files themselves are collected into a cab file on the CD, in the same location as on your computer. That means your music may reside on your computer in a directory labeled as “Ultima Online\music\Digital\” (or words to that effect) and the cab file you need should be on the CD in a similar subdirectory, along the lines of “Client\Music\Digital\client5.cab.”
Simply having the cab file itself isn't enough—you’ll need to have some program to extract the music files from within it. An application called WinZip that many people have may be able to let you open up this cab file, and Windows 2000 and Windows XP have built-in features for opening cab files as well.
Once you’ve opened up your cab file and extracted the files from within, you can replace all these “new” files within your \music\Digital\ subdirectory with these “original” files.
The choice is up to you. If you're not comfortable opening cab files then I'd suggest reinstalling. If you don't mind experimenting a little by opening the cab files and moving them into your proper UO directory, then you have that choice as well.
MP3 Song triggers: Different songs are triggered by different in-game events. Essentially, there are two trigger types: becoming involved in combat and walking into a certain region.
Songs are triggered when you perform an action or enter a region that has a different song than the one that was playing. Examples of regions might be the wilderness of Britannia, the city of Skara Brae, or any NPC tavern.
No two songs should be playing simultaneously, whether new MP3 or original MIDI.
MP3 Song listings: Below is the complete config.txt song listing. There are four columns:
ID: This is the song identifier.
MIDI NAME: This is the name of the original MIDI song that was set to play on pre-UO:LBR game clients
MP3 NAME: This is the name of the default MP3 song that plays when the song identifier is caller for the UO:LBR game clients.
DESCRIPTIVE: This notation was a part of the original MIDI-based song-calling code, and may serve some players here by helping identify groups of songs that play during certain occasions.
Please note that this listing is only a guideline, and is subject to change.
ID MIDI NAME MP3 NAME DESCRIPTIVE 0 oldult01.mid turfin,loop 1 create1.mid turfin,loop Nostalgic songs 2 dragflit.mid turfin,loop 3 oldult02.mid turfin,loop 4 oldult03.mid turfin,loop 5 oldult04.mid turfin,loop 6 oldult05.mid turfin,loop 7 oldult06.mid turfin,loop 8 stones2.mid stones1 9 britain1.mid britainpos,lop Town and named location songs 10 britain2.mid britain1 11 bucsden.mid bucsden,loop 12 jhelom.mid jhelom 13 lbcastle.mid lbc 14 linelle.mid linelle 15 magincia.mid newmagincia,loop 16 minoc.mid minocpos,loop 17 ocllo.mid valoriapos,loop 18 samlethe.mid ambrosia,loop 19 serpents.mid stones 20 skarabra.mid scarabreapos,loop 21 trinsic.mid trinsicpos,loop 22 vesper.mid vesper1 23 wind.mid yew1 24 yew.mid yewpos,loop 25 cave01.mid dungeon Generic area songs 26 dungeon9.mid dragonshi,loop 27 forest_a.mid citynightedit,loop 28 intown01.mid walking,loop 29 jungle_a.mid citynightedit,loop 30 mountn_a.mid walking,loop 31 plains_a.mid citynightedit,loop 32 sailing.mid boattravel 33 swamp_a.mid citynightedit,loop 34 tavern01.mid tavern1 35 tavern02.mid tavern2 36 tavern03.mid tavern3 37 tavern04.mid pubtune,loop 38 combat1.mid goodevil,loop Combat songs 39 combat2.mid humanoids,loop 40 combat3.mid gargoyles,loop 41 approach.mid turfin,loop Event songs 42 death.mid deathtune 43 victory.mid victory 44 btcastle.mid overlordv2 Miscellaneous 45 nujelm.mid nujelm 46 dungeon2.mid dragonslo,loop 47 cove.mid cove,loop 48 moonglow.mid moonglowpos,loop
Some questions from players:
Are there any limitations on quality, file size, type, or length of the MP3s which can be played?
Not that we are aware of.
Are there any unused MP3s that came with the UO:LBR CD, like there were unused MIDIs with the original client? If so, which ones are unused?
There are some MP3s that are currently not in use, but this is subject to change (depending on Development needs, scenario requirements, etc.).
If for some reason someone wanted to revert back to the old MIDI music instead of having the new MP3 music play, would that be possible? If so, how would one do that?
We currently have no plans on implementing such a feature. However, it may be of note that, as mentioned above, if an MP3 song name is ever removed from its listing, the default MIDI song will play in its place. With that in mind it’s possible to remove each MP3 song name from within the /music/Digital/config.txt file.
=========
Sannio
Online Content Coordinator, UO
Origin Systems
Posted by Borg
Monday, March 4, 2002 12:00 AM EST
Call To Arms (Summoning part 1)
Posted by Borg
Friday, March 1, 2002 12:00 AM EST