+----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | The Olympia Times times@olympia.rt.com | | September 19, 1992 v5n8 | | | | Turn 39 87 Players "Pardon our dust" | +----------------------------------------------------------------------+Turn 40 orders due: Friday, September 25, 1992
Orders are due 6:00pm EDT, 22:00 GMT.
Questions, comments, bug reports, to play: olympia@rt.com
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The huge number of combats this turn flushed out several bugs which have been lurking in the code.
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Changes next turn:
FORM, RECRUIT and IMPRESS will not function
The LORE skill and related commands will not function
The plague will go away
Roving Reporter's Column ========================
The Final Days ==============
As it was oft told by the seers, the coming of the Bird of Death, Graendak, and it's evil companions Razorbeak and Thornclaw, foretells the end of the world and all upon it. The Great Ghod Atnerks has looked upon the lands in sorrow and decreed that death is the only punishment for the great evil man (and woman) have done to each other.
The lands are polluted, their forests and plains stripped bare in the persuit of lumber and horses, their mountain tops ripped away in search of precious gold and ore, and the towns and cities run red with the blood of the slaughtered.
It is only now that the Dark Prophet is accepted in his wisdom. There have been other prophets of doom, each sent by the Great Ghod Atnerks to warn of the final days, but each was ignored and treated with as only man can treat with such disdain. The prophets of the past, Dr Pain, the plague, each was a warning writ in blood, each warning was ignored and fought against. But both of these were messengers, foretelling the great wasting still to come, harbingers of a greater doom ! Alas that none could see their meaning in time.
And so we go, all into the great mystery beyond, into the great unknown... Will there be a shining light beyond that mystery, leading us to a better place ? Will there be a rebirth ?
Will there yet be.......OLYMPIA 2 - Revenge of the Ghods ?!?!
FREE TO ALL NEWBIES, AND OLDBIES TOO: INFORMATION Need to know something about Olympia? Lore sheets galore? FREE Maps? Locations of towns in the Old and New World? Where to INFORMATION buy that all valuable plate mail? Want to know what the heck FREE a Sword of Aerondor [73] does? Is it for fighting Calyxian INFORMATION snakes? Is it for leading dragon men? AND MORE FREE Just send e-mail to: INFORMATION cyu@athena.mit.edu FREE INFORMATION Contributions are welcome and requested, so this public service FREE can be continued and useful. Tell me about the town you live INFORMATION in and the prices on the market. Tell me about battles and FREE murders you witness, so the strengths and weakness of evil- INFORMATION doers can be revealed to the world! (Just don't send entire FREE turn reports, please!) And in return, all of Olympia can be INFORMATION provided with details such as which towns to visit to make the FREE most of trade and get the best bargains!
Old-timer: Hello rookie... Newbie: Hi, I'm new to this game. Is it good? What should I do first? Old-timer: Well, there are many possiblities in a game as big as this... Newbie: Could you give me some help? Old-timer: Do you have any weapons? Newbie: No. Old-timer: Do you have any armor? Newbie: No. Old-timer: Have you studied combat? Newbie: No. Old-timer: Have you studied archery? Newbie: No. Old-timer: Do you know any spells? Newbie: No. Old-timer: Have you recruited any men? Newbie: No. Old-timer: Do you have any allies? Newbie: No. Old-timer: Do you have any money? Newbie: Well, I have this bag of gold I started out with... Old-timer: THEN DIE!!! YOU STUPID NEWBIE!!! HAH HAH HAH!! EASY PICKINGS!! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
Newbie: .... Old-timer: Correction, *I* have this bag of gold you started out with...
Old-timer: Hello rookie... Newbie2: Hi, I'm new to this game....
BIRD OF DEATH DESTROYED IN ANTRESK!!
Be happy and rejoice, for Graendak, pet of the Gods, is no more! He was defeated by Battle Scared Veteran [1498] in Antresk. Fifty worthy men died in the claws of the monstruous beast.
Residents of the Southern Lands,
As most of you are no doubt aware the forces of the evil Amber have left the Castle Chardia unprotected, and I the Mighty Badger have taken up residence in the powerful fortress. I now call you all to me. That's right to me my friends and allies. Join me in a stand against evil, and destroy Amber and all he stands for. We have the castle, we have the power. Let us once again band together and crush the evil that crusades the land. We destroyed Dr Pain, and from his ashes the evil Amber has arisen. Good men and women of the Southern Lands make haste to the Castle Chardia, from which I shall lead an attack that will crush the foul stinking breath from Amber and his army of pustulant warthogs. Let us cleave his head from his shoulders and mount it upon the very walls of the castle to be a remimber to all of the fateful past. Join with me and we can not, and will not lose.
The Badger [872] badger@tellabs.com
ARMEGEDDON IS HERE!!!!
RAGANAROK. CHAOS. WAR. DISCORD. ANARCHY. REVOLT. THE END OF THE WORLD.
THE WHITE RIDER APPEARS OVER THE HORIZON. DEATH, UPON HIS PALE HORSE, RISES OUT OF THE GROUND BESIDE HIM. THEN FAMINE, BLACK AS THE NIGHT, BLACK AS THE STARVED EYES OF HIS VICTIMS, RIDES OUT OF THE PLAINS, THE FIELDS. THE LAND IS SUDDENLY BATHED IN A BLANKET OF BLOOD, RED AS THE SCARLET DAWN THAT GREETS THE NEW CRIMSON SUN THAT NOW RISES OVER OLYMPIA, AS WAR, UPON HIS WAR HORSE JOINS IN THE CHASE. THE FOUR HORSEMEN RIDE SWIFTLY, YET WITH A DEATHLY CALM, OVER THE BODIES OF THE DAMNED, AS THE APOCALYPSE NEARS. THE FORCES OF GOOD AND EVIL GATHER IN THE VALLEY FOR THE BATTLE THAT SHALL END ALL OF TIME AND EXISTANCE.....
IT IS JUDGEMENT DAY!!!!
To all survivors of the uprising which began this month and Friends of the REVOLUTION !
The time of the revolution has dawned !
The uprising is NOW. I urge you all
DECLARE 0 HOSTILE
and let the bodies fall where they may !
EQUALITY in DEATH !!
(from the quill pen of Quastar for the Olympia Liberation Organization Soon to be extinct)
Regarding the attack on Oleg's unit, let it be noted that Calliope is one of BtA's units, and used my men (previously the garrison in the Castle of the Art) for the attack without my permission. Let it also be noted that I am currently having a meaningful discussion with BtA on the subject of compensation for dragging my men all over the *@#&! Southlands for two months.
Amber
I, Dr. Oleg [810], evil twin of Oleg the Loudmouth, do hereby declare that I have seized control of most of faction 810. Following in the footsteps of my illustrious forebearers, but possessing greater resources and a better attitude on life, I have set out to rid the world -- or at least the Midlands -- of players. Live fast and perverted, for the end of the world is at hand.
A pair of wide pitch black doors opens in the Tower of the Art in Chardia. Behind those doors lies the Black Chamber, a magical laboratory which occupies the entire top floor of the Tower, and from it emerges a tall, thin figure. It rests heavily on a long, smooth black staff. But despite its exhaustion, the magical power invested in it is now almost visible even to the uninitiated and to an initiated observer it would be clear that this power is now second to none living and equal to that of only a small group of beings who also rightfully carry the title of Archmage.
"It is done... Let us rest for a while now."
"But what about Leonic ?" asks a second man who follows out of the Chamber. It is of merely average height, even if the flabbyness of his cheeks suggests that at least until recently he was of more than average corpulence.
"Let him lie, Finingle. The servants will put him to bed. In a week or so he should be all right again."
An hour later both men are resting on two of the dozen armchairs in the main hall of the Tower as a young apparently excited boy in the uniform of a messenger comes running into the hall.
"Sir ! Sir ! Finally I can talk to you !"
"What is it ?"
"They have capitulated ! They are offering to send tribute ! They ..."
"WHO capitulated ?"
The messenger mentions the name of a northern lordling.
"Why wasn't I informed of this ? I certainly would have sent an army to our old ally !"
"But you did, sir ! It is ..."
"My army capitulated as well, how ... "
"No, it was to your army that they keep capitulating !"
A look of horror begins to overshadow even the exhaustion in the face of the archmage.
"MY army ?"
"Actually, one could with equal justice say MY army. Most of the men in it were my men." These last words are spoken by an elegantly dressed man in his thirties who just entered the hall. What seems to set him apart from so many other sons of aristocrats or rich Chardian merchants is an air of quiet, even lethal competence which suggests that he would be as much in his element leading an army on a battlefield as in a drawing room.
"Amber, my old friend. Can you tell me what is going on here ?"
"What a coincidence. That was exactly what I was going to ask you."
Over the next few hours information is exchanged, old letters are read, and several times the magical equivalent of an international conference call is arranged. Slowly the complete story emerges.
[ Three months earlier in the Archmages main office in the Tower ]
Sitting behind a desk is the Archmage himself. To his right stands a man in armour with a impassive face. Across from them sits a young and rather attractive woman dressed in the greek fashion.
"Calliope, as you know I will spend the next few months in the Black Chamber piercing the Final Veil and acquiring the last of the even marginally useful magical incantations. For this endeavour I will require not only the help of my research assistant, Finingle, but also of the current commander of the guard, Leonic, who not only is a military man, but also has some skill in the Art." With a hand movement the Mage indicates the armoured man.
"I understand."
"Technically that places you in command of the half of the Guard stationed in the Castle. But that is a pure technicality. There won't be any problems.
Just one minor matter... One of my scriers indicates that a group of men who follows our old friend the Bigmouth will arrive here in Chardia in a few days. Please offer them the hospitality of the Castle. And make absolutely certain that they come to no harm. "
"Yes, sir. You can count on me to follow the orders exactly."
A few hours later the doors to the Black Chamber are sealed.
[A week later in the Red Lantern district of Chardia near the North Gate late at night]
A group of three men are slinking through the streets.
"My, that was easy bribing the guards at the gate with fake gold coins. Right, Dicker ?" says the man who leads the group.
"Brilliant ! I understand why the Boss made you the leader of the group, Dummer." replies the second man who is gifted with a considerable paunch.
"I'm scared," says the long third man, "what if the Mage finds us ? The Boss says that he turns people into orcs, and sends dragons after you, and snakes and BIG birds, hurls fire across the sea, and ..."
"Shut up, Langer. He only says that when he is drunk. When he is sober he says the Mage is a pompous fool who couldn't conjure his way out of a wet paper bag." says Dummer.
"But that is rarer !" replies Langer plaintively.
"No matter ! He'll never find us in such a big city !" But a cloud of fear spreads over the entire group.
After a few more minutes the trio arrives at the almost deserted Chardian market square. In the center of the square on a large pole hangs a sign.
BIGMOUTHS UNWELCOME. VIOLATORS WILL BE TOAD. OR WORSE. - THE ARCHMAGE
"That couldn't refer to us, could it Dummer?"
Dummer appears shocked by the sign as well. "No, it couldn't, Langer ! No, that is impossible. We are here to buy Cherry Coke."
All three men grin.
"Yeah, Cherry Coke !"
"Cherry Coke ! And a little real coke for the Boss ! I hear they have the best ..."
"Shut up !"
"May I welcome you to our beautiful city, gentlemen ?"
The trio turns around and find itself face to face with a group of a dozen armed men led by a young woman.
"I hope you will enjoy the excellent food at the Castle of the Art."
This apparently being too much for the trio, they turn and flee towards the nearest gate.
"Don't run away ! There has been a misunderstanding ! We're your friends !" shouts Calliope but the spies just run faster.
Another of the armed men lifts a crossbow, but Calliope stops him.
"The Mage said not to hurt them. Everybody after them !" With these words she sets out after the fleeing group.
One of the guards turns to another. "Do you think she really meant EVERYBODY ?"
"You heard what the lady said. I'll pick up the other five hundred men in the Castle."
So started one of the most bizarre races in Olympian history. In the following weeks the two groups chased each other through half the Southland. Cities which saw the approaching army generally found it to be in their best interest to open the gates and surrender. Fortunately few took offense when the "conquering" army just ignored all such activity and raced onward after its "guests".
[ Back to the present and the great hall of the Tower of Chardia ]
Wiping tears of laughter from his eyes the Archmage begins to speak again.
"Thank the gods for the cold heads off the leaders of the northern fiefdoms. If any of them had tried to mount determined resistance, this farce could have turned into the next major war. Calliope has been ordered to return to Chardia immediately and go to bed without dinner. Messengers have been sent to the northern monarchs to offer them our deepest regrets, thanks and compensation if they should so desire.
And - of course - to you my dear friend Amber, my deepest apologies for leading half your army on this merry chase. Whatever is in my power or my purse to compensate you for this will be granted."