___The New Official AVATAR___________________________________
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_________________________________________________May 14, 2006
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/.--.\ 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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Gazette - Table of Contents
---------------------------
1) A Letter from Ayanna
2) The Blade Cinta - Part 2 by Kariya
3) Italian Sweet and Sour Pork by DaWiz
4) How I Came to Avatar by Sykle
5) A Call for Spam by Pulse
6) Top 10 Hero Levelers for the month of April by Daeron
7) Top 10 Lord Levelers for the month of April 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
--------------------
First, I would like to apologize for not getting an issue of
the Gazette out at the end of April. As I'm sure most of you
have experienced, finals week can be quite hectic.
I'm coming up on my senior year of college, and my professors
hit me with a barrage of assignments and exams to finish up
the term.
The flow of articles has been quite comforting. Thank you all
for your contributions. Please keep up the good work!
-Ayanna
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The Blade Cinta - Part 2 by Kariya
----------------------------------
A part of me still doesn't understand why she wouldn't agree
to my plans. It could have been so beautiful. My beloved Dyah
Yuyun Utami and me, sitting atop of the world. A world ruled
by us, built and destroyed as we see fit.
But I know thinking like that is folly.
It is the demon speaking, it is Pengacau. A deep, dark side
of me that I conquered all those years ago. At least I thought
I did.
A short while back I noticed a shift in the balance of the
multiverse. Forces of law were weakening, the agents of chaos
walked more freely. And even many of the great Immortals that
guard this realm were preoccupied. I knew this was to be my
chance if I wanted to conquer this world.
But I should have known Yuyun wouldn't side with me. And it
was only by her power that I didn't go through with the war
against the realm. Without me to aid them, my demonic army was
no match for the adventurers of Avatar. Despite the blood, the
carnage, the death, they kept coming back until Belag,
Killl'gher and all of the other demons of my house were
banished back to their prisons.
It seemed that all returned to the previous status quo, with
neither dark nor light having the advantage, but I knew
better.. After the confrontation between Yuyun and myself, I
noticed a change in Cinta. The blade contains her dark side,
and normally I can feel its semi-sentient presence. But not now.
This occurred after my lovely wife tried to grab the blade from
me. She was not to touch it. Since that moment, the essence of
the blade has been missing. And when shortly after powerful,
yet alien, beings appeared on this world I realized things
might never return to normal.
I knew who they were, I knew -what- they were. Elric of
Melnibone, Dorian Hawkmoon, and Count Von Bek. All aspects
of one being, the Eternal Champion. Some claim that I myself
am part of this same undying creature..doomed for strife. All
three of them were stranded, as part of their power was taken
away by the one known as Gaynor the Damned. They say it is
unnatural for more than one Champion to inhabit a plane of
existence so I had the heroes of Avatar retrieve the items.
Once that was done, they would be able to return to their own
realm. But not before telling me what they knew about the
events and the possible location of Cinta's essence.
Hawkmoon told me that the blade had been protecting itself,
that it had left this realm entirely. It was Count Von Bek who
told me that if anybody could help me find Cinta,it would be
a woman, known to him as the Lady of the Chalice. Lord Elric,
who once had to deal with a similar situation with his sword
Stormbringer, explained about what he called the Realm of
Swords. It was the home of many incarnations (or perhaps just
different aspects) of the Black Sword, one of the most
powerful forces in the multiverse. Elric mused if perhaps
Cinta was another of its many incarnations..
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Italian Sweet and Sour Pork by DaWiz
------------------------------------
2 lbs lean pork shoulder cubed
2/3 cup water
1/3 cup Balsamic Vinegar
1 Tbsp soy sauce
7 Tbsp sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch (mixed in 3 Tbsp cold water)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Saute' pork in a very little oil until well done.
Mix water, soy sauce, sugar and Balsamic Vinegar.
Add to meat.
Bring to a boil and simmer for about 5 minutes.
Add corn starch/water mixture.
Simmer until well thickened and glossy - stirring frequently
(about 4 minutes)
Serve over spaghetti
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How I Came to Avatar by Sykle
-----------------------------
In ages long forgotten, a young dwarf attained consciousness
in a far away Barren Realm. He called himself Sykle, and set
off to discover what fortune had in store for him. With much
assistance (divine, heroic, and otherwise), this warrior grew
in strength and power. His knowledge of the land also
increased, and soon he had obtained the lauded titles of Hero,
and later, Avatar of the Realm.
He had fought bravely, killing all manner of creatures from
tiny sprites and pixies to great demons of the underworld.
All the while, he grew stronger, but he yearned for new
adventures. The Barren Realms in which he had played as a lad
had become too familiar. He longed for new areas to explore,
and new things to experience.
With a grim backward look, Sykle set off in search of new
adventures. From a shifty-eyed stranger, he acquired a battle
chest, the contents of which set him in the midst of a battle
between humans in strange armor, noble aliens with psychic
powers the likes of which he had never before encountered,
and a brood of insect-like monsters whose appetite for
destruction was insatiable.
Having played his part in this war, he found the same strange
merchant, who offered yet another chest. This one transported
Sykle off to a distant land where Humans, with the assistance
of both nocturnal elves and noble orcs, fought against a horde
of orcs and elves who had become corrupted by a demonic force
too evil to be described here. With great sacrifice, Sykle
and his noble comrades prevailed yet again. His assistance no
longer required, he took his leave from this land as well.
Still eager for new experiences, Sykle continued in his
travels. He found both strange, beautiful worlds and horrors
that still haunt his worst nightmares. But through all of this,
Sykle felt drawn to go home. So he set off to return to the
place where he first drew breath. When he arrived, however, he
realized with great sadness that his birthplace had indeed
become barren. While some of his comrades had obtained
immortality through their exploits, many more had fallen from
the world, their warcries never to be heard again. Even the
great immortals whom he once had counted among his friends
seemed to have disappeared into the night.
And so it was that Sykle set off in search of a new home. He
visited many new realms, some crowded, and some almost totally
abandoned. He found realms where chaos reigned and all manner
of creatures slew each other in open war. He found places
where castes had been established, seemingly to prevent
newcomers from ever gaining a foothold in the society.
Sykle had almost given up his search for a new home when he
stumbled into a land he had never visited before. Here, he
found a land full of strange and wonderful creatures. A
dynamic world filled with areas which seemed familiar, and
yet were unique in their own way. A land where the local society
was made up of creatures he had never before encountered except
in unbelievable tales overheard in taverns.
He felt a sense of belonging that he had not felt in a long
time - not since his early runs as a young lad. Sykle had
found himself a new home in a land called A.V.A.T.A.R.
-Sykle
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A Call for Spam by Pulse
------------------------
A few weeks ago, not long after I was given the opportunity
to be visible to players, I had a very nice and surprising
experience: Someone came up to me, asked something about a
small quest and notified me of a slightly buggy item, which
could not be taken out of a container once it was put into it.
And this was a positive surprise? Let me explain...
About a year ago one of the projects I was working on was
adding some mini-quests to the game. One of those was a small
story spanning a few lowmort-areas. As none of those quests
yield particularly amazing items they have not been noted
much, and with regard to that particular lowmort one I had
been under the impression that the story had never been even
noted, not to speak of the quest solved. Wrong! So those tiny
things do not get unnoticed! Believe me, to realize that can
be a real source of motivation for someone like me who
relishes in creating small riddles and stories.
In all earnest, I personally would love to receive more
feedback or tiny notes about the areas I write. And I would
think that goes for most of us. Things that are inconsistent,
glitches in the story, a riddle that was solved, an
especially bad or unfitting description, something well
done... anything. We do learn most by our mistakes, and there
is always room to slightly modify an area, or at least use
some of the received comments for the next writing task.
Let's take for instance Transfigured Forest. There are a few
small quests in there, and I have honestly no idea which ones
have been solved so far, and which ones are still un-trodden
territory. Are the hints really hidden too well? Do I need
to make more obvious clues in other areas or even modify the
ones there? I do not know...
It is very nice to know that players (or at least a number
of them) take the time to follow the stories of an area. This
even surpasses the joy of seeing the first ones die to a
particularly evil mob there, :). And more feedback, either
detailed or short, could be quite a help to sharpen ones pen,
overcome the re-occurring slumps in motivation and to improve
ones writing style.
A big thanks and hugs to all those who take the time comment
on areas, stories and quests. Keep that sort of spam coming
please... :)
-Pulse
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Top 10 Hero Levelers for the month of April by Daeron
-----------------------------------------------------
1 .) Acurri (506)
2 .) Aylen (455)
3 .) Draxi (432)
4 .) Bimpwocket (369)
5 .) Zharn (356)
6 .) Warierlo (353)
7 .) Ssam (336)
8 .) Wyph (311)
9 .) Tahn (301)
Lama (301)
10.) Hayami (300)
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Top 10 Lord Levelers for the month of April by Daeron
-----------------------------------------------------
1 .) Cronus (94)
2 .) Waite (79)
3 .) Callavero (59)
4 .) RecUrve (55)
Halandra (55)
5 .) Cyzarine (53)
6 .) Tern (49)
Vickie (49)
7 .) Jaguar (44)
8 .) Aurion (39)
9 .) Laventish (36)
ZugZug (36)
10.) Ebin (35)
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Quirky Help Highest Facts by Daeron
-----------------------------------
TOP 5 Draconian
#1:Glamdring (Psionicist)
#2:Siam (Mage)
#3:Lytor (Shadowfist)
#4:Raskaloth (Psionicist)
#5:Highligh (Wizard)
TOP 5 Black Circle Initiate
#1:Satarel (Tuataur)
#2:Rhodie (Lizard Man)
#3:Zharn (Lizard Man)
#4:Tenken (Lizard Man)
#5:Egnaro (Draconian)
TOP 5 Dragon Monk
#1:Darkhorse (Lord 92)
#2:Versuchi (Hero 653)
#3:Peaches (Hero 259)
#4:Mottle (Hero 246)
#5:Glacior (Hero 240)
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: The last day of the month and the 2nd Friday
Publication dates: Middle of the month, and end of the month
Articles submitted will either be published or returned for
edits by the deadline for the next issue.
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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' wouldn't
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 webhost 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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