Olympia Times 043

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+----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | The Olympia Times issue g1-43 | | April 19, 1995 | | | | turn 43 193 players | +----------------------------------------------------------------------+

Questions, comments, to play: info@pbm.com

Olympia PBEM

* * *

Note:

Last turn some provinces were reported to be at civ levels far higher than they should have been. Mt. Olympus [bx22], for instance, was reported to have civ-55.

This bug has been fixed, and the civ levels were returned to their proper values before the turn 43 run.

Player-contributed press

The Lords of Revelstone are nearing the completion of their work in restoring part of the Land that was damaged in the Ritual of Desecration uttered by High Lord Kevin so many years ago. To celebrate the triumph over part of the legacy of Kevin's betrayal by Lord Foul, the Lords would like to announce the opportunity for another epic betrayal of the efforts. Specifically, the Lords are offering to sponsor a new faction, rescuing them from the press of bodies in Imperial City, and preparing them in skills, money, and property to be a viable force in Olympia.

There are conditions:

1) The faction must be a new one, and may not be a restart of a faction which has had many turns previously in this game.

2) The faction must be a goody-two-shoes kind of faction. The Lords of Revelstone are not going to help "The Bloody-handed Reavers of Death" or "Conoco Oil and Despoliation, Inc." to make their foothold in the world.

3) The faction must _not_ be on any side in the various wars and upheavals currently raging. The Lords are manifestly abstaining from involvement, and are not going to set up a group that immediately runs out and settles old scores with any gang of thugs or self-appointed policemen.

4) The faction is expected to ally itself with the Lords, assist them in their work, and come to the aid of the Lords if threatened. The faction is _not_ expected (or asked) to stay with the Lords for more than the time necessary to get on a solid footing, perhaps three months. That said, interested factions are requested to write to the Lords via the game's mail server. One faction (at this time) will be contacted, and a stack will come to pick them up at Imperial City. It is requested that the faction learn Shipcraft, and that it consist of as few nobles as possible. We will take you to a place of power, provide learning, supplies, money, and, eventually, a ship to take you away. It's our way of giving something back to the Land.

-- Lords of Revelstone [ad4]

Because of fear of unrest and a large influx of immigrants to a continent with low resources, visitors to DRUCARTAN are asked to procure a visa before entering the area.

THIS INCLUDES ANY ARMIES FROM AOO OR ANTI-AOO FACTIONS. DRUCARTAN IS NEUTRAL IN THE ONGOING DISPUTE TO THE SOUTH.

If you want a visa, please send a message to John Sen[m6f], describing the nobles in the party, the size of the party, and the reason for visiting Drucartan. There is no fee, and requests will only be refused in rare ( i.e. I am bringing 2000 men to kill all nobles ) circumstances.

-- The Sen Clan [di4]

Sorry OOMF, can't do the Young Man From Nantucket without going for the obvious. So here instead, is something completely different.

"Excuse me! Miss!"

"Waddya mean 'miss'?"

"I'm sorry. I have a cold!"

-- Draconian Elite [fg4]

Let it be known: "Olympia is flat, like a sheet of paper. If you don't believe me, just look at your map."

-- The Flat World Society [ks3]

Please be advised that Drucartan is now largely settled and very little land remains to be claimed. We are open for tourism and will grant almost any visa requests. Please send them care of John Sen (see anouncement in this issue) and cc your request to the Rangers

-- Roack's Rangers [lk4]

Coming to Ossicus? Contact me. My advice/ recommendations are guaranteed to be worth exactly what they cost.

-- Circle of Hope [lp3]

What the hell is this? Emperor's Gardens [by22], forest in Provinia, safe haven, civ-27 ^^^^^^

-- The Mystics [nt7]

advertisement*advertisement*advertisement*advertisement*advertisement

VISIT THE ILLUSTRATED MAN'S IMPERIAL EMPORIUM!!! There was a commotion at 2 High Street, the Imperial Emporium, last month, as the Illustrated Man showed off his new catapult to crowds of idle unrecruited peasants. Several bags of flour were hurled in the general direction of 1 High Street, the dilapidated shack that is the dwelling of the decrepit First Among Many at the top of the hill. Several onlookers thought they saw the reclusive corpse shake his fist from one of the broken windows, causing the children to scream and hide behind their parents. The Illustrated Man comforted them by handing out Atnos-shaped lollipops.

SALES: NEW!! Catapults: 90 gold Clay Pots: 1 gold

And of course, Maps!

What are these maps? They are drawn in 7 colors, with graphical symbols representing all kinds of terrain and internal locations. They are available by surface mail only, upon payment to the Illustrated Man (s5e) in the Imperial City, or the supplying of new terrain information. Just send me the info or payment and your surface mail address, and a map will go winging to you!

Prices: New customers -- 75 gold or 15 new provinces Repeat customers -- 35 gold or 10 new provinces Custom Sizing -- Add 100 gold to your order, and any two map squares. We will send you a map for the rectangle defined by those squares, in addition to the regular maps of Provinia and the world! Other special arrangements also available -- just ask.

This offer brought to you by...

The Midnight Carnival ___ ||||| /\ =====----`==== oo oo /\ /\

-- The Midnight Carnival [nx2]

ANTI-PIRACY LEAGUE REPORTS

Any pirates caught plying their trade in the Atnos Channel will be caught and ruthlessly dealt with! Find a safer way of making a living, besides preying on defenseless newbies! End floating scum!

-- The Midnight Carnival [nx2]

We have found a few locations including hidden ones, but most require special items to attack their monster defenders. The swamps seem to be without any significant noble activity. The lack of stone and slow movement makes it a poor choice to build anything.

-- Seekers of Knowledge [tt4]

A small cloud of dust on the trail forewarned Daphne that someone was approaching. She notched an arrow, then relaxed as the first ox came into view, soon to be followed by four others and the man on horseback driving them. "Ho, Daphne!" Chester pulled to a halt and dismounted; the oxen, grateful for the respite, began looking for the sparse vegetation that grew near the quarry. "Chester. Good timing; the next load is ready. Oh, and here." "A clay pot? For *me*?" "Well, I had a spare moment, and nothing better to do." She quickly changed the topic. "How's the castle coming?" "Beats me. It looks bigger each time I get there, but I'm no expert." He stopped to wipe the sweat and dust from his face. "Besides, I only get to stay long enough to unload before riding back for more stone." "At least you get to see things. Do you know how *boring* it is here? Work for four days quarrying, then do nothing but practice archery for the rest of the month. It's gotten so bad that making the pot was a positive pleasure! Hades, I even look forward to *your* getting here." He grinned back. "I'd take your place, but I don't know nuthin' 'bout quarryin' stone." He paused. "If you really are that bored, you could always go over to the next province and quarry there. The oxen could handle half again as much stone each trip." "Oh, great. What a change - I get to walk on mountain trails for twenty days a month." "Hey, at least you get to travel that way. Besides, the more stone you cut, the sooner the job's over." "I guess it's better than that endless archery practice. Maybe I will." "That's the spirit. Oh, speaking of spirits..." Daphne gave a short laugh. "I knew you'd be here today, so I picked up a couple of bottles in town. Are you sure you have the time to spare?" "Surely you jest! I think you know me better than that." "Yeah, I do. That's why I got two bottles."

-- The Smaller Horde [vg7]

--------------------- CAMARIS Update ---------------------

All three Camaris'es now have active castles and garrison efforts in place; travellers should coordinate with us before venturing into these lands.

-- Compte du S. Camaris [b4q]

-- The Crazy Quilters [vn7]

Pilgrims Aid Society

There were some questions in the rumors section of the last Olympia Times. Here are some answers:

Hades. While both the AOO and Oleg are frequently recommending the other go there, most Hades accesses are through graveyards. Such graveyards usually have a sign posted and require a fee to be paid to the gatekeeper. The fee at my local graveyard is 100 gold per head.

I have always heard AOO stand for the Ancient Order of Olympians. As for what they stand for - ask them - or Oleg depending on your point of view.

As for which castle belong to which alliances, the last Land Claim Log - Version 4 - took a stab at identifying the alliances of the various castles. Beyond that, contact the castle owner and/or his neighbors. I'd love to hear what you find out.

-- Akmall Benhalla [p3p]

The Olympia Atlas is accepting contributions, and is available for download! Be the first to contribute information for unexplored lands (Faery).

In the tradition of Oleg's Map (tm), the Atlas is a compilation of geographical information useful for explorers, traders, and adventurers. Best of all, it's absolutely free!

To contribute to the Atlas, simply send turn excerpts (cut out all the incriminating parts) that contain the following information:

o) Mapping data (region & route info) o) City market reports o) City skills lists o) Inner locations

and send it to sx6@g1.pbm.com. We'll include it into the next version of the Atlas.

The Atlas is available by ftp from your nearest PBM ftp site (ftp.erg.sri.com in the USA, check the PBM FAQ for other sites), in the directory /pub/pbm/olympia, as atlas.X, where X is the turn of the last update.

The Atlas is also available on the PBMGames forum on CompuServe, in the fantasy games section, as atlas.oly.

Brought to you by the Skulking Vermin (sx6)

-- Sludge [x0o]

I do hereby declare myself the rightful heir of the realm of Oleg the Loudmouth. Anyone who would challenge my rightful claim should take a number -- I'm a little busy.

-- Son of Oleg [a0y]

___ ___ ___ / / ) / ) /___ /___/ /___/ / . _ _ /_ / )_ __ / / _ _ . __ . _ / / / _> / /___/(_>/ //< of / / (_)|// / // (_>

The First Bank of Provinia has now opened offices in some of the major cities on the continent of Provinia. The FBoP offers the following facilities.

o Excellent Interest Rates on Bank Accounts. o A Fast and Efficient Courier Service. o Money Transfers. o Short and Long Term Loans. o Insurance Policies.

Call in at your local branch for further details.

-- First Bank of Provinia [v0z]

Platinum Jak would like to announce the winner of his Lotto during Fierce Winds. But he cant Because not even one ticket was bought from Platinum Jak during Fierce Winds. Well so much for a bad idea.

-- Platinum Jak [n9x]

This is monthly notice if you wish to visit the environs of Cycarth and Redwine please be courteous enough to let m9l know (you can reach him at heyman@camis.stanford.edu. I do not currently plan to restrict access, but would like to know who is wandering around in my front yard. I would especially like to know if you plan on using any of the natural rsources (peasants, wood, and the like) in the provinces bt25 bt26 bt27 bu25 bu26 bu27 bv25 bv26 bv27 bw25 bw26 and bw27.

By order of Darkman, caretaker of Dark Castle

-- Dweezil [e5q]

I beg all Noble Fractions to let me explore around without killing me. If I invade you cliamed land, I do it unintensionally, for I did not know you claimed it.

-- Firelord [w3e]

WANTED: a pair of winged horses will pay 400 gold each, see Joao Ferreida de Alimeida [f0w] in the Imperial City for details.

-- Joao Ferreira de Alimeida [f0w]

A Reminder..... Visitors are allowed on Allasus Island, but PLEASE notify Tiglath [M2N] or one of the other Lords of Allasus in advance. We do not want misunderstandings with fellow nobles to turn unfortunate.

-- Dega Spar [g4b]

MONTHLY NOTICE

The Brotherhood of Ormos claims the city of Avalon [ao0k] and all lands and resources inside the boundary of [bp05]-[bp08]-[br06] -[br09] inclusive, as its sole and lawful demense. Those wishing to visit Ormos are required to request a visa and await clearance before attempting to make landfall. All unauthorized visitors are unwelcome and looked upon with extreme prejudice. Captains needing to make landfall at Avalon for emergency repairs will not be molested, but are still required to contact me for a visa.

-- Pelinore Dragonslayer [p4s]

Journal - Snowmelt, Year 6

Farseeker has his Captaincy back. He is strangely silient now.

The Lord of the Morning, The Dragon,

-- Lews Therin Telamon [m3m]

New Land Claim: the island of Ilion (six circles on the Rough Map south of Atnos occupying the area enclosed by ci17 to cn28) is under the control of myself and my allies. Contact me if you're interested in trade or joining my alliance, keep out if you're looking for resources to poach. This includes selling fish at Petelinus and Newbald.

-- The Weird One [j2g]

Wow--a few comments in the newsletter and all kinds of questions about me come up. Some of those comments must be pretty accurate, especially about Chateau Olympique's owner, Duck Moron (whiner that he is...)

-- Tigris Ripclaw [b3f]

******* Advertisment ******* WEAPONS FOR SALE Only a few stocks remaining. I'm in Aetherlern and have a few weapons left to sell. =3D 20 pike, at 15 each, =3D 7 crossbow, at 14 each =3D 1 longsword, at 25. If your interseted. contact the Orlanthi Knights [gp5] on honeywil@headley.demon.co.uk. I may haggle.

-- Suvac [d4v]

I claim the right to NO lands. My companions and I simply want to explore,trade, and study. We will be heading East then North from The Imperial City and hope that our journey will be peacefull. Faith will be my armor and honor my sword. (Since thats all I have...)

-- Parthos the Pious [t6j]

My my, an entire large island without a city, and all the inner locations have been cleaned out. Too bad really, as it could have made a nice home for a faction or two. Oh well, at least exploring keeps my '# of provinces visited' rating nice and high. -- the Crimson Sage

-- Seline Fireflower [w0l]

Rumors

Why is there no information on Faery in the Atlas? Has anyone been there? If so, when and where?

All of East Camaris is claimed. If you want permission to visit, please contact Duke Marat

No survivors will be permitted without prior approval.

You have been warned.

If you have a spare Elfstone and you want to give it to someone make certain that they wash first.

After all, do you really want to GIVE 69 without the minimum in personal hygiene?

Dear Doubter,

Just another IDOL boast, I expect.

--- Squire

I hear a lot of talk about AOO-this and AOO-that.

"The AOO are a bunch of tyrant war-mongers..." "The AOO are only building huge armies for defensive purposes..." "There are AOO bandits on Ossicus!" "I just had a tangle with an AOO noble..."

But who is the AOO? Marat and who else? Just how large are they? Do they accept new members? (their name would tell me no, but who is to say...) Are there any nobles that are actually PROUD to be a member of the AOO? What are the group's goals? World domination? Why dont anti-AOO people print "black-lists" of AOO bad guys so we other non-aligned nobles know who to avoid?

And perhaps most importantly: Is this all just "much to do about nothing" ?

Reply or be misunderstood forever!

HANDS ON FOLX IF you NEED a TARGET THERES ONE FROM THE AOO :-)

A vision of Faery city [im0l] appears:

Faery city [im0l], port city, in province Forest [ia2k]

Routes leaving Faery city: North, to Ocean [dz7a], 1 day West, to Ocean [du0l], 1 day Out, to Forest [ia2k], 1 day

Skills taught here: Scrying [162], Artifact construction [164]

Inner locations: Courts of Chaos [f38], castle, defense 40, owner: Shimizu [c4a], earl, wielding Dart of Roshun [dr8k], with 46 peasants, 15 workers, 33 soldiers, one riding horse, one orc Oberon [fp6m], savages, number: 61, "under player control", with 40 crossbowmen

Argh! This time we couldn't sail because the boat was overloaded!! I *told* that damn captain to repair it. Sigh. It wouldn't have helped, we'd still be 500 lbs over. Who wanted to bring all those extra peasants, anyway? And why all these damn pots? I just wanna know why it took a whole month to figure that out! Somebody is gonna get terrorized *extra* well this month!

Yoshanawa: No one's irritated that the AOO's trying to get their piece of the Olympian pie. & no one's pissed that they abide by their treaties.

Except, of course, when the allies the AOO defends are bandits who prey on fairly defenceless newbies; & they do this from a fortress placed, well I'll be, as close to said newbies as physically possible! If you don't want to be associated with the bandit-like actions of these people, well, then don't associate with them! If you didn't want to be defending bandits, then you shouldn't have agreed to do so when you made your alliance.

The only thing worse than banditry against newbies, is whinning about the just deserts this activity earns you.

So buck up Taira, & take it like a man. It's time to pay the Doggie!

Wanna castle? Ask the AOO! They're giving them away!!

(brought to you by the SBTJ; The Society for Better Tabloid Journalism)

Has anyone seen any evidence that cleared-out lairs, islands, groves, etc. restock themselves occasionally? Or are there species in danger of becoming extinct in the wild? Perhaps we should start an organization to establish wild game preserves, so that new beastmasters many turns from now will still be able to see and capture creatures in their native habitats.

The rumour that the rumor claiming Noren is (sic) the last times and (sic) requiring permission from Duke Marat to visit there is completely false, is completely false. The Duke has an interest in Noren. The Duke has no interest in ungrammatical morons.

Religous Festival

The first annual festival of "Miyuki's Delights" will be held the forth day of Sunsear in Grope Ally, Imperial City. All ordained clerics are welcome. There will be refreshments, sermons, workshops and a special dance performance by the Vestigial Virgins. 1000 rat spiders will be sacrificed at the gala closing ceremony. Make your plans now to be there.

Clifford's City Market Database: 111 city market reports and growing Send in a city market report not yet in the database and you will receive a report each week on the commodity of your choice. For further info, write to w4t@g1.pbm.com.

For the Good of Humanity and anything else we can grab!

Bloody savages! Leave them alone for a month, and suddenly the master's tower is gone!

At least there's plenty of stones around to build another one...

Hi Ho Hi Ho, The AOO must go!

Three hundred silver to the first person who can deliver the hearts of fifteen dead nazgul to our offices in Imperial City. Please send info to

15, Maim Street Imperial City Provinia

Address to Lord Nutter of F.A.N.A.T.I.C

Q: Know how to tell if an AOO noble is well-hung? A: You can't get your finger between his neck and the rope! (You're welcome.)

Where do rocky channels lead? That is the question of the month. I have found such a channel and wish to know where it goes. Well I guess the easiest way to find out is to actually follow th thing. More on that later.

Wow, I found an Elfstone! Elf Maidens, here I come!

Gee, I thought East Camaris would be empty!??

At last the force is ready To teach you what you lack

U'dqar settled down to wait for the Tempest to arrive at the coastal city. He could hardly wait to get off the ship, which had been battered by storm and wind during the long journey. U'dqar waited, and waited, and when the month ended, he was still waiting. Cursing, he asked the captain: "Why have we not yet reached our destination?" To which the captain replied: "We landed several days ahead of schedual, while you were still studying. Since we did not want to interrupt you, we sailed on." "Blast!" thought U'dar, "now I'll have to walk through the desert! That's the last time I try to do anything before waiting!" With that, he stormed off to ready his supplies for the long trek ahead of him.

The sounds of preparations for war sound through the dark woods.

Emperor's Gardens?

Looks more like "Emperor's Sewage" to me!

Now where did I put that parcel of Opium??

"Sir before you tumbled me, "You promised me to wed." "So would I ha' done, "By yonder sun, "Had'st thou not come to my bed." -Ophelia, Hamlet

Land ho at last! I thought I would never get off this boat!

They say that Hobbes is getting a swelled head from recent praise. Perhaps some time with Miyuki will cure it (get it?... swelled head, Miyuki... ha, ha, ha).

Fi, Fie, Foe, Fum, I smell the stench of an AOO man Crunch them and grind them eat them with wine then, Fi, Fie, Foe, Fum!

The eastward sweep is near Your deeds have marked you Learn to live with fear You=92ll be eaten when we=92re through

How much gold does a typical castle bring in to it's owner?

Can you travel from one continent to another through Hades?

HARD ROCK FINED!! Baraxes- The owners of the Hard Rock Cafe have agreed to pay a 12,000 gold fine to the city Ethics Commission for illegal campaign contributions made in the year 5 mayoral campaign of former Councilman Raoul Duke, according to documents. In the stipulated agreement released Monday by the Ethics Commission, Hard Rock owner Dark Star acknowledged making and being reimbursed for 2,00 gold in contributions to Duke- a violation of city law- and also for making contributions beyond the legal limit of 6,000 gold

Free at last! Tollus is free at last! Well, I sure hope so.

The Madam has opened shop!! Innkeeper found!! Dancers and Musicians for newly constructed Liberty Inn ecstatic with new facilities. Visit the finest entertainment available in the Jungle!

The time of strife has ended. The AOO may now tuck their tails and hide.

* Market Survey: I am interested in the further profits of bounty hunting. Serious reward offers considered. Satisfactory payment procedures required. Please submit "serious offers". I am currently interested in the rewards associated with killing Marat and the other AOO scum. Perhaps some of the forces attacking the AOO would like me to create a diversionary or real attack. Old book skills and gold would pay for a powerful force for several turns. Easier targets will command a smaller fee. I will contact you directly if I am willing to pursue your target. I am currently on an assignment for another turn. * Low Profile Bounty Hunters