__The New Official AVATAR__________________________________
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_______________________________________________June 21, 2006
____
/.--.\ The Avatar Gazette
|====| For subscription info,
== |`::`| read HELP GAZETTE
|| .-;`\..../`;_.-^-._
@/\@ / |...::..|` | | `| Edited by Ayanna with
|:'\ | /'''::''| | | | help from the Avatar
|\ /\;-,/\ :: |=========| Immortal Staff and Track
||\ <` / >._::_.|=========| Members
|| `""` / ^^ | | | |
|| | \ | | /
|| | | |\_|_|_/
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June 2006 Gazette - Table of Contents
----------------------------------------
1) A Letter from Ayanna
2) I'm new to Avatar and I love it! by Valdemar
3) Siren's Song - Part 1 by Maigen
4) Searching Ancient Places for Ancient Treasures - Part 1
by AlexyAnna
5) The Blade Cinta - (part 3 of 5) by Kariya
6) Top 10 Hero Levelers for the month of May by Daeron
7) Top 10 Lord Levelers for the month of May by Daeron
8) Quirky Help Highest Facts by Daeron
9) Submission and Publication Schedule by Ayanna
10) What We Are Looking for in the Gazette by Ayanna
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A Letter from Ayanna
--------------------
Here it is! Sorry for the delay. I took a vacation and had
a fabulous time in the Pacific Northwest where I grew up. I
hadn't been back home in about 1.5 years!
Keep those articles coming in.
-Ayanna
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I'm new to Avatar and I love it! by Valdemar
--------------------------------------------
I joined Avatar in December and I loved it. I had never
played a MUD, but I had always wanted to try. My brother
had introduced me to Avatar, and I was soon warmly welcomed
by many new characters. I loved the possibilities of the
game, and everyone was so friendly; if I ever needed help,
people were more than happy to help out.
The help files take care of most of my questions, and this
game has many interesting things. I wanted to see if every
MUD was as good as Avatar so I tried others, not one was as
fun or as good an environment as Avatar. This game is fun
any time and I play it a lot. It is a perfect game to take
me away from real life. People are so friendly and I hardly
ever have problems. I love to get on the game and just lose
myself. If I can't level after so long it's just as fun to
have conversations with everyone in the game.
It's awesome when I get into a tight spot there is always
someone there to help me. The Angels and Immortals are a
tremendous help whenever it's needed.
I think that Avatar is a great game for all ages and believe
that many more people should try it. I love Avatar because
of the friendly people, the awesome help for the game, and
because of how fun everyone helps make it.
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Siren's Song - Part 1 by Maigen
-------------------------------
This is a tale of Tantras the Mighty, the second ruler of
Midhir as seen through his eyes. The lost king still
wanders the shores of the Isle of Surimin today. Poor soul.
Have you ever felt it, that one instant where time suspends
itself over your life, one instant where Fate determines
whether you will live the rest of your life in bliss or in
regrets? No, I suppose not, you are young. Life has not yet
made her marks upon you. Perhaps I can open your eyes and
make you aware, so that you will be prepared for it when
your time comes.
You are saying to yourself, "He is not as old as that. What
does he know of life?" No, I am not old, but here inside...
inside I am dying and my acceptance of that fact made me
older than you can imagine. No, I am not dying of an
incurable disease, but of heartbreak and the knowledge that,
in that one instant of time, I could have changed everything.
I first laid eyes on her on a day unlike this one. The sky
was black as midnight but it was barely noon. We were on a
passage back to Freeport from the Island of Minos. The
Descendant was a fast ship and it was making good time. The
crew thought that they could outrun the storm and be home
before the coals from the midday fires cooled. They were
wrong; the thunderclouds broke without warning. When the
lightning set the mast afire, there was nothing left to do
but pray. The waves swelled up over our heads like the fists
of Titan to smite the ship, it snapped in half like it was
nothing more than a child's plaything.
I had made my peace with the Gods as the sea laid siege on my
life. Then I saw her, she had the face of an angel, her hair
of spun gold and a tail of a fish. I knew then, that I had
died and gone to some place unknown. Darkness claimed me as
her arms enfolded me to her bosom.
I woke to the songs of angels as she sang to me. Her voice
spoke of love undying and it lifted me from death into an
unspeakable world of joy. I had thought her unreal, something
seen only by my delusional eyes. I reached out to touch her
hair, and it felt like silk to my tortured skin. During my
sleep, the sun freed itself from its imprisonment and took
revenge upon my body. Saved from drowning, I was to die of
thirst and the unforgiving light of the sun. As if she knew
my thought of dying, she moved close and bestowed upon me,
a kiss. The taste of her lips on mine was sweeter than nectar
and I was lured into a dreamless sleep of the innocent.
It was night when I broke free from the sweet embrace of
sleep. There were people about, the other survivors from
The Descendant; of all her crew and passengers, only a
handful of us survived. My beloved angel was gone. By saving
me, they had driven away the one real thing in my life, my
maiden of the sea. I tore at them, screaming out my rage and
pain as they tried to carry me to safety. I denied them their
existence, told them to leave me, but they would not listen.
Against my will, they rescued me.
Eventually, my injuries from the wreck receded but my memory
of the mermaid remained. I went back to the place where she
had pulled me from the sea, near the shores of the Isle of
Surimin. For months, I searched the stretch of beach for any
signs that she was not a creature of dreams. If she was real,
if she knew that I was there, she did not make herself known
to me.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Searching Ancient Places for Ancient Treasures - Part 1
------------------------------------by:AlexyAnna------------
Zei lowered herself down into the manhole, grimacing at
the smells that came from below Ofcol's sewer. The thief
almost slipped as her foot lost its place on the rain-
slicked rung, but she managed to keep her grip somehow.
Shivering in the sudden cold, she tried to tell herself
that this trip down below would be a lot easier than
finding their way back to their temporary Ofcol residence,
what with the old streets riddled with mud and sand from
the nearby mountain-hills.
She took a deep breath of fresh air coming from above,
hoping it was not her last. She paused a moment, screwing
her face up at the quickly blackening sky. "Seigh, where
are you!" she uttered, her words laced with half-felt fury.
She really couldn't blame him if he wanted to back out.
Who wanted to go down into the sewers when the city was
flooding? But, after a moment, she was surprised to see
the face of Seigh peek over the edge of the hole, looking
as nervous as she felt.
She bit her tongue, saying nothing to the middle-aged magus,
deciding it would be more prudent to just continue downward
into the darkness. When she was a few rungs from the bottom,
she jumped.
Her feet sank into the wet mud - what she hoped was mud -
absorbing most of the shock, though her knees almost
buckled. She didn't hesitate, but pulled out her small ivory
dagger as she stared at the shadows around her. A sudden
voice behind her made her jump, and she almost fell over
trying to turn around in the mud. Seigh was behind her,
looking very amused, hovering a few inches above the wet
ground.
'Jerk. Could have mentioned you had a fly spell,' she thought
to herself, though she did not say it aloud. She figured by
his smirking reply only the shadows would answer.
* * * * *
Zei glanced around, a certain weariness seeping into her
bones as she found herself back at the same place again
and again, slinging a backpack she found in a basilisk's
cave over her shoulder. "I wish I had listened to my father
when he tried to teach me how to track, but I was too busyÅ "
Seigh stared at her a moment, shook his head, but did not
speak. He knew that in her culture, track wasn't taught
until people reached adulthood. To be taught earlier was
to break the sacred vows.
She brandished the dagger in front of her, though it was
short enough to be nearly concealed by the elongation of
her wrist. Most of her victims never see it coming.
Seigh finally spoke. "Tell me again why we picked today,
of all days, to go after this monster?" She shrugged, taking
a step forward, trying to peek around the corner before she
spoke.
"Because we didn't know it would flood. It's not like the
water level is that much higher, yet. We should be in and
out before the water rises too much. And right now the
water isn't that high." She paused. "And also because someone
recently mentioned killing most of the things down here. So
we have a clear path straight to the monster."
"Then why do you look so nervous?" he asked, grinning. Zei
rolled her eyes, and rather than answer, decided to go around
the next bend. Suddenly she stopped.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
The Blade Cinta - (part 3 of 5) by Kariya
--------------------------------------
The Blade Cinta (part 3 of 5)
For a long time I knew what my destiny would be like. I knew
it would be inevitable. I had no choice but to face and embrace
it. It is the way of the multiverse. It all goes in cycles,
and death brings birth.
Yet I never knew I would get caught up in events like these.
The moonbeam roads have started to cross one another. The
walls between the realms have faded. Beings that have been
locked away for long, suddenly walk freely. I found myself
in a realm that was strange to me. Filled with brave heroes
and mighty lords and ladies. Here too the balance was falling
apart as a power hungry demon named Belag had opened up the
gateway and had summoned one of the most fearsome creatures
in the multiverse.
Gaynor the Damned. The fallen Knight of the Balance. He
brought more of his kind, and together they plotted against
this world. They realized that if they could destroy this
realm they could destroy the very fabric of time and space.
And they rejoiced in this realization. Yet a powerful
incarnation of the Eternal Champion stood against them.
Kariya, though a creature of Chaos, is pledged to the Balance,
and he defied them.
Yet they were able to bring him to a halt. The sword Cinta
was taken from him. This blade is a very powerful source of
magic and an item created by the Balance. But when it went
missing the balance shifted. Kariya came looking for me, but
I wasn't able to contact him. He had a brave and wise band of
adventurers follow the clues to my location, and they barely
beat Gaynor's henchmen to me. He brought me to the sanctuary
of the temple of Utami. But with so much disruption in the
realm, I wasn't safe here.
Gaynor mustered an attack, throwing wave after wave of minions
against the mighty heroes of Avatar. At first the denizens of
this realm were able to take the attack to the soldiers of
GranBretan, but eventually they were driven back. First inside
the temple walls, then into the inner halls. Without any care
for their own survival the heroes kept repelling the forces
of evil.
Some of the more daring soldiers fought their way through the
first line of defense, but none made it to me and got to lay
a hand upon me. The battle raged for an hour, accumulating
in a frenzy of carnage in front of the throne room, but just
as sudden as it had started, it was over.
His men expended and the day lost, Gaynor retreated. But he
will not give up. He craves the destruction of this and every
other world and will not stop before he has succeeded.
Then it was time for the moment I have known, yet feared, all
my life. In the private chambers of Kariya and Yuyun I told
them what I knew. I told them that Cinta could be found in the
Blade of Realms, a most dangerous world. I explained to them
there was only one way to open the path to this realm. In
order to start a new cycle of the multiverse, to restore the
balance, there has to be a sacrifice. And only one person is
capable of making that sacrifice. I saw the shock in Yuyun's
eyes. But Kariya nodded grimly. He reached for his kris. He
told me it is named 'murderer' and know he knows why. Yet this
isn't murder. Those brave heroes did not protect me just to
watch me get killed now. This is destiny. This is sacrifice.
I feel a moment of pain when the cold steel slides into my
body, yet it quickly passes. I feel elated as I watch my
own life-force flow from my body, opening up a gateway
towards a brighter future. Then there is nothing. And I
wait for death to bring birth once again.
To be continued
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Top 10 Hero Levelers for the month of May by Daeron
---------------------------------------------------
1 .) Stoic (726)
2 .) Cinture (545)
3 .) Soben (534)
4 .) DeMortE (525)
5 .) Aedolyn (507)
6 .) Batista (431)
7 .) Thian (429)
8 .) Yrth (413)
9 .) Lokmar (388)
10.) Calp (360)
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Top 10 Lord Levelers for the month of May by Daeron
-----------------------------------------------------
1 .) Evenfall (124)
2 .) Laventish (107)
3 .) Mefisto (88)
4 .) Callavero (82)
5 .) Elak (81)
6 .) Vyper (79)
7 .) KungMing (71)
8 .) Varian (60)
9 .) Mactabilis (59)
10.) Cyzarine (57)
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Quirky Help Highest Facts by Daeron
-----------------------------------
TOP 5 Bodyguard
#1:Duh (Giant)
#2:Arguile (Minotaur)
#3:Riser (Giant)
#4:Gits (Troll),
Parabola (Giant)
#5:Fatal (Giant),
Suam (Ogre)
TOP 5 Dragon
#1:Char (Warrior)
#2:Galladan (Mage)
#3:Sashi (Cleric)
#4:Darkhorse (Monk)
#5:Ereshkigal (Warrior)
TOP 5 Drow Sorcerer
#1:Rapid (Lord 407)
#2:Delvin (Lord 304)
#3:Respect (Lord 150)
#4:Rosetta (Lord 33)
#5:Haldol (Hero 851)
Is there a special combination you'd like to see included
in the Gazette? Email gazinput@outland.org as well as
daeron@outland.org for consideration!
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Submission and Publication Schedule by Ayanna
---------------------------------------------
The publication schedule for the Gazette will be as follows,
barring RL interference.
Submission dates: Last day of the month, 2nd Friday of the month
Publication dates: Middle of the month, and end of the month
Articles submitted by the will either be published or returned
for edits by the following publication, respectfully.
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What We Are Looking for in the Gazette by Ayanna
------------------------------------------------
WE WANT YOU...to submit Gazette articles!
You may think that you cannot write...but, you never know.
What types of articles do we want? Creative ones! For some
ideas to get you started, review the list below.
Newbie help info - do you have any tips or stories that
Helped you learn a valuable lesson when you were new to
Avatar? If so, you can share them and they could be
published and henceforth known as part of Avatar's history!
Area help info - Are there areas that are just inherently
difficult to run? Do you have a trick that has helped you?
to overcome these difficulties? Again, share them and they
could become part of Avatar's history! (No quest spoilers,
please)
In-theme fiction - Short stories, poetry, recipes, etc.
Keep it MUD or Fantasy related please!
Reviews - Areas, quests, movies, books, music, etc. Again,
Be sure to keep in-theme, a review of 'I, Robot' would not
exactly be appropriate on a MUD that's fantasy based, would
it?
ASCII Artwork - If you aren't too good with words, how about
pictures? We'll gladly accept new submissions of ASCII art
for both the MOTD and the Gazette. To see what past ASCII
has been for the MOTD, please read help history. To view
past ASCII for the Gazette, please visit our online archive
located in the design section of our website www.outland.org
(After our web host move is completed!)
Note:
Send submissions to gazinput@outland.org. Prizes/Rewards will
be given dependent upon the quality of the article submitted
and whether it gets published.
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============================================================
This is the new Avatar Gazette. It is published with the
permission and cooperation of the Avatar staff and edited by
Ayanna. (Original concept by Asamaro and Dizzy.)
The Gazette is written in plain vanilla ASCII text to ensure
that everyone can enjoy it regardless of computer type.
To subscribe to the Gazette, send internet e-mail to
majordomo@outland.org. In the body of your email put:
subscribe gazette username@hostname (MudName - RealName)
e.g.subscribe gazette snikt@outland.org (Snikt - Kevin Jagh)
If you have any questions, comments, suggestions, criticisms,
compliments, or (best of all) articles that you've written
for the Gazette, please send them to via email to the
address: gazinput@outland.org Please use 'Gazette' as your
subject.
You can also view the latest issue of the Gazette while
playing Avatar by typing 'help newgaz' anywhere in the game,
or on the design web site at
http://www.outland.org/design/gazette.php
Original credit for Ascii art or other submissions is given
if known.
============================================================
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