___The New Official AVATAR___________________________________
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___________________________________August 3, 2004____________
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/.--. The Avatar Gazette
|====| For subscription info,
|`::`| read HELP GAZETTE
.-;`..../`;_.-^-._
/\ / |...::..|` | | `| Produced by Angel Kenji
|:' | /'''::''| | | | With help from Gouki
@| /;-,/ :: |=========| New Hero and Lord Stats
`|| <` > >._::_.|=========|
|| `""` / ^^ | | | | and Iksiblat
|| | | | / Iksiblat's Interviews
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
It's been a busy month all around! A new class revealed
itself. Or should I say, it smashed the door in! Berserkers
have been introduced, thanks to Devastant. Congrats to Khyfa,
who became the first Lord to remort Bzk, and Mringasa who was
the first to hero.
On that topic, I have an exciting opportunity for you to win
a level 2 Human Berserker! Read below for details. Only one
can win!
I'm elated to present three more of the stories from the
AVATAR Writing contest we held last month. If you didn't get
in on the fun, you will have another chance soon. Watch for
the weekly news updates for an announcement!
If you don't currently receive Cerdwyn's Weekly News
Updates, subscribe to the Forum mailer. Read HELP SUBSCRIBE
for more info.
Because of my mistake in June, we have two editions of
Iksiblat's Interviews for you to enjoy this month. I just
hope Anessa can forgive me for forgetting her interview in
June!
This month's Gazette is huge, and packed with tons of good
stuff, so let's get to it!
------------------
Here is a brief summary of what's in store for this month's
Gazette. Enjoy!
Latest News
An interview with Devastant by Angel Kenji
Origins of the Berserkers - a writing contest!
AVATAR Creative Writing Contest entries
Mother of the Twins by Hideo
The Lonely Mage by Galley
A Dark Tale by Oona
Iksiblat's Interviews #1 with Anessa
New Hero and Lord Stats by Gouki
Iksiblat's Interviews #3 with Kariya
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Latest News
Keep an eye out on NCHAT and CHAT. If you see a new player
having a tough time of things, offer them a friendly hand.
Show them where the good areas are to explore for their
level. Teach them how to use RECALL SET and do their own
corpse retrievals. Introduce them to HELP MEADOW, HELP
LEVELING GEAR, and all the other useful help files.
The Angels, Imms and Staff can only be logged on so much.
We rely on the assistance of Heroes and Lords to help new
players get a positive experience of AVATAR.
With your help, new players will stick around, eventually
becoming Heroes and Lords themselves. Maybe someday, they
will be the one helping other new players.
And as always, the Angelic Host is looking for new Angels.
If you think you have the desire, dedication and love of
AVATAR to join the host, think of petitioning. Read HELP
ANGEL PETITION or speak to any of us for more information.
------------------
I know what you're thinking. "Kenji, where do you keep coming
up with stories, articles and recipes for the Gazette?"
Well, that's easy. You! The players of AVATAR are some of the
most creative people I've had the pleasure of working with.
So send in your short stories, game-themed articles, recipe
ideas and ASCII art for future Gazettes. Email your submissions
to gazinput@outland.org
Articles that are used in the Gazette may earn you Quest Points!
So, be sure to include your main alt's name in your email. (Or
the name you want QPs credited to.)
Email me if you have a large or multi-part story idea as well.
Angel Kenji
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An Interview with Devastant by Angel Kenji
Kenji: Hi Dev, thanks for agreeing to an interview. I'd like
to get your perspective on a few things in the game, being
one of the primary coders and builders for Av. Let's start
with the building contest. What were your thoughts on the
areas you received? Let's not mention my entry, it was the
first time I ever built. ;)
Devastant: I was actually really surprised at how many we
got, and the overall size and quality of them all. Normally
we only get about 12, and often some are very clearly minimal
effort affairs. Unfortunately, all these good areas makes
judging even harder.
Kenji: When can we expect to have a winner announced?
Devastant: God only knows. I've got assistants helping me
judge, and it's the next major focus for me, so maybe in the
next month or two?
Devastant: Unless I get distracted again. *cough bzk*
Kenji: Do you find that happening often, where you get dist-
racted by the next big project?
Devastant: Yes. I am, after all, here to enjoy myself, so it's
hard to work on one project when another is more interesting.
Kenji: Back to the area contest, what will happen to the non-
winner areas? Will any of them be incorporated into Avatar or
even Av West for posterity?'
Devastant: We'll probably keep the majority of them, not just
the winner. Areas that don't make the cut won't be used at all,
and will simply be gone I'm afraid.
Kenji: And overall, how are the ideas coming for the redesign
of the Pirate Lord Seas?
Devastant: Zahri and Vorak are hard at work on that content.
Kenji: Here is something that has been discussed in the past
that still seems to come up every now and then. Is there any
plan to allow 'houses' or 'personal areas' in Avatar?
Devastant: No. Lockers will probably be fixed someday, but
otherwise it's a big headache, and you wind up with tributes
to players that have left, sometimes under unpleasant circum-
stances.
Kenji: Okay, on to the design of classes. Everyone is abuzz
about Berserkers. I haven't remorted an alt yet, but the
class looks extremely fascinating. And I have to admit, I
love playing Archer, another of your designs. What other
ideas do you have in mind?
Devastant: Nothing more than loose ideas. I find myself
wanting to "fill in the blanks" per se'.
Kenji: Such as?
Devastant: Like druid or arcane archer for arc100/mag150 and
psiblade for mon100/psi100. Now I have no ideas for those
except names, of course.
Kenji: Will all new classes be remort? Or are there any ini-
tial build classes being thought of?'
Devastant: I think Snikt now intends for new rangers to be re-
mort. I think sages are supposed to be creatable. Other than
those two, there are no classes in development.
Kenji: Hypothetically, let's say I have an idea for a new
class, called Jed-eye. What do I have to provide you to get
you to look at it seriously? Are you willing to look at class
ideas?
Devastant: The idea command would still be the way to go. I
know it's a short limit on typing, but most class proposals
live or die in a one sentence description.
Devastant: We're always willing to consider, and remort does
open the door for a lot of class ideas that wouldn't quite cut
the mustard as creation classes.
Kenji: What about the class itself? I've noticed most new
classes are rather unique, and not described as something like
'the fighting of a war combined with the magic of a mage'.
Devastant: Well, asn and pal are hybrids (though they do have
some of their own flavor). That's an example of something that
works as remort, but wouldn't as creation.
Devastant: In general though, the more unique it is from exist-
ing (classes), the better chance it has of catching a coder's
interest.
Kenji: Good examples, with Pal and Asn.
Kenji: Are there any plans to change or redesign any of the
traditional classes like Psi, Cle, Mag, War, Mon or Rog?
Devastant: I have no plans. I remember someone wanted to redo
mage and give them a more organized spell progression.
Kenji: We all have real life time constraints. If you had un-
limited time & resources to work on Avatar coding, what would
you do?
Devastant: Noctopia.
Kenji: ??
Devastant: It's the final planned lord plane, the end of
many storylines. It's what I've been saving all my really
evil area ideas for.
Kenji: Ooh.. now you have me completely intrigued.
Devastant: Also if infinite time, a major revamp of weapons,
so we can have 2-handed ones, double-ended ones, faster
ones, slower ones.
Devastant: Kinda like with bows.
Kenji: Anything else you would like to discuss? This is
going out to all the Gazette readers.
Devastant: Well, I just got bzk done, obviously. All their
stuff was surprisingly easy. Stuff I thought was going to
be a nightmare to code took an hour. The coding fairies
were on my side.
Kenji; Any plans to give one away as a contest prize, etc?
To get more play testers?'
Devastant: I'll leave that up to the questies.
Kenji: Hmm... I might have to talk to Kariya. I see an idea
for a good contest . A fantasy story about the history of
Berserkers.
Devastant: Cool, go for it.
Kenji: Anything else you would like to discuss? I kind of
cut you off there.
Devastant: Nothing comes to mind.
Kenji: Thanks for the time, Dev. I look forward to running
this in the next Gazette.
Devastant: No sweat.
Kenji: And let me know if you need another bzk play tester. ;)
Devastant: You wouldn't believe how many people have mentioned
that.
Kenji: Oh, I would believe it.
Kenji: heh.. I only have one lord, and not able to remort bzk,
so I guess I'll live vicariously through Khyfa.
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/- _ `-/ '
(// /
/ / | `
O O ) |
`-^--'`< '
(_.) _ ) /
`.___/` /
`-----' /
<----. __ / __
<----|====O)))==) ) /====EricStick
<----' `--' `.__,'
| |
/
____( (_ / ______
,' ,----' |
`--{__________) /
Berserker Origins Writing Contest
Now that Dev has you completely intrigued about the new and
exciting Berserker class, you're probably wondering how you
can get one. Well, here is the Berserker Origins contest:
Write a fantasy story about the history or origin of the
Berserker class. The story should be exciting and fun, and
involve the AVATAR world in some aspect. First or third
person stories are fine!
All normal AVATAR language rules apply. Spelling and grammar
are also judged, so spell check your work! Submissions
are to be in .txt file format, and approximately 1,000 to
1,500 words.
All entries will be judged by myself and two other members
of the staff. Results will be published in September's
Gazette, along with the winning entry. Entries are due by
August 20th.
The winner will receive a level 2 human Berserker. No other
prizes will be awarded. All entries to the contest become
the property of the AVATAR Gazette, and I may use them in
future editions of the Gazette at my choice.
Email all submissions to me at gazinput@outland.org with
Berserker Contest as the subject. If you have any questions,
feel free to speak to me in game, note me on board 2, or
email me above. Staff/Angel/Imm alts are free to send in a
story, but can not win.
/
o======|=====================> <=====================|======o
/
AVATAR Writing Contest Entry
Mother of the Twins by Hideo
The sky was a low ceiling, dark and claustrophobic. The
rain beat down hard, and I was thoroughly soaked. Water
streamed down my back and legs in rivulets; my boots were
making loud slurping noises. This cold and wet was appar-
ently too much for Midgaard's citizens - the streets were
nearly deserted. A minor concern; it meant I was easier
to track.
I had been wandering in the city for less than an hour,
but it stretched onwards - I wasn't dressed for this
downpour. Grumbling, I took the next alley, attempting
a slow circular sweep of the city. I gradually became
aware of the vibrating scrying stone in my pocket. I had
been too caught up in my own violent shivers. I took cover
in a pile of rotting furniture to my left, and grasped the
round black stone.
My awareness shifted subtly, and I felt a tug in my gut,
like weak vertigo. It was pulling directly south, into
the building whose alley I had been slogging through. I
quickly let go; I could not afford the release of a notice-
able amount of magical energy. My prey was sought by
darker forces, so I had to be careful.
The woman at the bar was doing her best to busy herself,
scrubbing stains out of countertops. Her eyes were dark
and sharp, contrasting with the skin which hung from her
bones like cloth. She was a worn creature, oozing fatigue
from every pore. I knew from the first glimpse that she
was the one I wanted.
I slinked through the bar, dodging empty tables and the
odd sleepy-looking patron. Many had just crawled in out
of the weather, judging by their wet clothes and the stale
smell in the air. Reaching for a stool, I seated myself
and waited, watching the barmaid's movements as she noticed
a new customer and came over.
She sauntered up to me; by her gait, I guessed she had
several drinks this morning. "What can I do you for?" she
inquired, relaxing. Her elbows settled on the counter. Her
voice was surprisingly elderly, almost scratching against my
eardrums.
I casually removed my right glove, and placed it in my belt
satchel. I looked up, into her eyes, confirming my victim.
"I'll be fine." I swiftly placed my right hand on her arm,
gripping her tightly. Her eyes widened in shock, but before
she could scream I had whispered a word of power into her
ear. Her body was mine.
Simultaneously, my left hand was reaching for a tiny
crystal bottle in my belt satchel - a gift I had hoarded
for many years. The moment my charm spell had melted her
will, I commanded her to cover her ears. I quickly tore the
bottle from its place and threw it over my shoulder. The
delicate shatter had barely been heard before all the bar's
patrons were completely unconscious. An angel's whisper:
too much for a mortal's ears. No witnesses; I hoped it would
buy me a little more time.
My lady's eyes were locked on me like a terrified deer's. I
would have smirked, but my business with her was deadly
serious. My command still held her in perfect stillness,
but it was definitely time to leave.
A flash of green and we were gone.
The dusty square of Thorngate solidified around me. Not
two feet in front of me stood a towering centaur, shifting
his weight uneasily. His eyes drifted to my female acquain-
tance, and he frowned. "Let's get to work, eh?" He cocked
his head, stamped a foot, and galloped into Bandu's. His
speed was unexpected, but our unusual cargo was making
even myself a little worried. I hurried after, leading my
lady by her arm.
Delicious smells were drifting from the Bandu Kitchen as we
marched down the hall and into Room Number Three, which I had
reserved. Stepping inside, the door was promptly slammed
behind me, and I spun on my heels.
"Have I ever told you about your impeccable taste in
women?" the troll smirked, slipping his dagger back into his
boot.
"Just stand guard, Reg. Ready, Jaro?" I glanced at him,
and he nodded. A sudden gust of wind blew dust into the
room, and I suppressed a sneeze. "Hurry." Jaromil, the woman,
and I linked hands; I felt a slipping sensation, as if my
understanding of reality was suddenly utterly wrong.
"Dearest..." His hot breath dominated the whisper, oozing
into my ear. I shivered, the warmth reminding me of the
bitter rain which beat down on the roof, the wind that made
the windows rattle. I feigned sleep, but I doubt he be-
lieved me. I was shaking, too upset to dare speak, lest I
cry all day.
"Wish us luck."
I heard the front door open, and many footsteps shuffle
in. My children would be gagged as they awoke, bound to
immobility and carefully carried away to our master's
temple. If only they knew their fate would not be death
but immortality; if only my heart would believe the same.
No. Earlier. Go back.
Everything flickered.
We had spirited away into the garden. I had to giggle,
as he was being so goofily energetic - this was a child-
like quality I had never seen in him.
"We did it, they were chosen!" He laughed and grinned.
The smell of flowers was almost overwhelming, a pleasant
sort of suffocation. The warm wind blew through my hair,
making it a complete mess; but I hardly cared. My love
had his arms around my waist, and we were nearly dancing
as we spun around in the garden.
"So, the ritual - it's ready?"
"Very nearly. We should be ready within the week." His
face changed quickly from glee to utter seriousness.
"You have to understand; there is a risk."
"I know." I didn’t want to consider it, though.
"But, if it works - if their elfin half becomes fae - the
result would be what we've always wanted. Their progeny
could reside in perfect harmony with all the planes! No
dependence on magic, no hiding on the astral plane. The
power of our forefathers would finally be returned to us!"
I kissed him, and he lifted me and carried me inside.
"Bingo. But what went wrong?" I wondered.
"Let's see."
"Hideo!"
My eyes popped open; my head was roaring with sudden pain.
"Sorry." Jaromil was gruff, but meant it. "Those memories
are too painful. I had to cut us off before we were injured."
I groaned.
"Looks like we get to do this the old fashioned way!"
Regret's dagger was in his hand as I blinked, and in another
second was at my lady's throat. "Let'er up nice n' slow."
I eased my grip on the charm spell, and her eyes fluttered
and looked around. Slowly, comprehension of her situation
came to her.
She hissed, but did not move. "You defiled me."
"It was necessary." My _expression was grim, and my eyes
would not let up. "Your children have made a bit of a mess
of things, as you may or may not know. We need to know what
went wrong."
Her cold mask of a face let slip deep regrets when I mentioned
the children. "Nibnobe Decly; I thought they were dead."
"If only, milady. If only." Regret pressed his dagger tight
against her throat. "Now tell the nice man what he needs to
hear."
"I suggest you do what he asks. Regret tends to be a
bit erratic." Jaromil chuckled.
"It's not as if I care. What's done is done." She sighed.
"When the cult gathered and the ritual was performed,
everything went perfectly. A little too well, even. We
expected their human half and fae half to peacefully coexist,
but there was a synergy involved.
"We weren't prepared for the enormous energies that we
released. The minds of everyone involved were ravaged. Our
master was crippled. My husband; he's gone. We lost 10, al-
together."
"And the twins?" Jaromil's voice quivered. I had never heard
that before. He looked almost frantic; I realized how little
time we had.
"The shock knocked us all out. They were gone when we awoke.
My master thought that the power surge might have destroyed
them, or driven them insane. Their minds were so young, but
their power was more than anything we had dreamed of."
The air began to shimmer above the woman. Jaromil ushered
us to the back of the room. Regret released his grip, and
slipped outside. The lady crumpled to the ground like an aban-
doned marionette, for one reason or another surrendering to
something. The shimmer, like hot air in the distance, began to
coagulate into two shapes.
"Where would they have gone?" the centaur's voice boomed,
like thunder.
"I don't know." The woman was completely negligent to
the magic at work behind her. "They always loved the
ocean."
The shape of a boy and girl, now solid sapphire silhouettes,
reached for her; and snapped her withered, remorseful neck.
ooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOo
AVATAR Writing Contest Entry
The Lonely Mage by Galley
Rain fell last night- quiet, gentle rain
That tapped against my widow pane
And called me back from troubled sleep,
To soothe a heart too numb to weep.
My loneliness was too deep and real,
And like a wound that would not heal,
It throbbed within me, and I knew
My arms were empty without you.
But as I listened to the sound
Of soft rain falling on the ground,
I heard your voice, tender and clear,
Call my name, and oh my dear,
I threw my window open wide,
To let the sweet rain rush inside.
It kissed my lips, my eyes, my hair,
And love, I knew that you were there.
Tears that my heart could not release
Fell down from Heaven, bringing peace.
Last night while gray clouds softly wept,
I held you in my arms and slept.
Galley.
"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"
AVATAR Writing Contest Entry
A Dark Tale by Oona
It was a bright and sun-filled day, and the air was vibrant
with the sounds and smells of summer. Throngs of people
crowded the village square, enjoying the annual fair, keeping
themselves busy with browsing the various stalls filled with
trinkets and food.
There was one person in the village that wasn't out there
having fun. Cloaking herself with her cape she was lurking
in the darkest shadows of one of the buildings. Her eyes
shaded from the sunlight, she sat and stared at the villagers,
eyeing their movements with sardonic amusement.
It had been several months now since she had come to the surf-
ace world. She was somewhat out of her element here, but she
had managed to adapt, and start a new life. The only thing
that bothered her somewhat was her loneliness. She couldn't
return to her own city, or she would be executed. Living with
any of the other races on the surface world, but also below
ground was out of the question. She was drow, feared by most
but hated by all. A lone drow would be attacked at sight,
especially if they found out she had been expelled from her
society.
With her forty years, she was still young in drow terms
where life usually spanned several hundred years. Yet in that
short time she had managed to become one of the best rogues
and thieves that had ever creepy-crawled their way across the
underground city. She boasted there was no place she couldn't
reach, no item she couldn't steal from under the nose of the
owner.
One night, she had answered a challenge. She was to go into
the chapel of Lolth and steal one of the sacred spiders from
the altar. She had managed to make her way into the heavily
guarded temple of the drow goddess unseen. She had managed to
take one of the golden spiders from the shrine and she had
managed to make it to a deserted house on the outskirts,
where she was to meet those that had challenged her to the
task.
Shortly after, the building had been surrounded by the temple
guards, accompanied by several high priestesses. Right away
she knew she had been betrayed; unless they had been following
her there was no way they could have been here already. And
she knew for a fact that she had not been followed. That feel-
ing of betrayal was confirmed when her companions suddenly
cast a magic portal, closing it behind them before she had a
chance to escape along with them.
The reasons for this treachery were clear. Drow only looked
out for themselves, and the thieving guild obviously wanted
her out of the way as she was too big of a threat to their
power. But there were more reasons. Although she had always
been a loner, she was the daughter of the ruling matron of
the city's first house. She was the youngest daughter, but
not the least in power and skills. It was always profitable
for someone to eliminate one of the ruling house, and it was
extra sweet if that drow could be used to discredit the house.
And there was no bigger discredit than to defile the shrine
of Lolth.
She didn't care for the spider queen. She feared her like most
Drow because she had been taught to fear, but never had she
desired to blindly follow this deity from the Abyss like her
sisters. Her love for excitement had been stronger than her
fear for Lolth, and thus she had decided to steal the arachnid
symbol from the temple. Maybe she would have brought it back
later, but those kind of ideas didn't matter now. She would
be tried and executed before the day was over.
Sitting in her dark corner, unseen by any of the villagers,
she still couldn't believe how she had been able to escape
death. During the trial, just as she was about to be con-
demned to her doom by her own matron mother, an apparition of
the spider queen herself had faded into few, demanding that
she would live...Instead of death she would be forced to go
live in the outside world, a place dreaded by all drow. The
bright light would burn her eyes, and according to the proj-
ection all who lived above ground would hunt her down like
the lowest animal. In the light her stealth would be useless,
or so it was proclaimed.
In hindsight, she grinned a wicked little smile. She always
knew Lolth was a senile old deity. At that time however she
had believed her life to be forfeit as she had been beaten
and battered before they had left her out on the surface,
on top of a hill so that when the sun came out she would be
exposed to the cruel light. Yet just as the sun's first rays
touched her, she regained enough of her senses to crawl away,
hiding in some bushes nearby. She had been stripped of all her
weapons, posessions and clothing and all she could do was roll
herself up in a ball, hoping she would remain unnoticed until
the night came.
It was a long and horrible day for her, with the sun growing
higher in the sky and its light becoming more and more
intense, but eventually it became dusk and she knew she had
survived, at least for a day. In the relative darkness of the
night she crawled out from the bushes, her body even more
battered than before due to thorns and bug bites. But she
was able to think away the pain and started looking for a
better hiding spot. Eventually she found a small cave, the
entrance hidden behind some vegetation and a brook nearby.
Here she bathed, washing away the caked blood and trying to
tend to herself as well as possible at this point.
Later that night she made a crude weapon out of a piece of
wood and managed to kill a small rabbit. Until then she had
figured she would wither away in the light, if she wasn't
killed by someone, but waiting for the sunrise, in her cave,
with a stomach full of food and water she realized she might
have a chance. Sure it would take a long time before she could
adapt, but she was resourceful and anything was possible.
So this had been several months ago, and here she was. The
bright sunlight still burned her eyes on occasion but she had
gotten used to it and was able to function to some extent
during the day. Her rogue skills had enabled her to find
clothes and weapons in the nearby villages, as well as food,
if she hadn't been able to snare an animal in one of her
traps out in the forest.
What was even more interesting was that she had felt the power
of her former deity Lolth decrease. She wasn't sure if that
was because she had simply left her domain or if the spider
queen's might was faltering all over the realm. She did know
she had never felt better in her life. The punishment was a
blessing after all.
Even in the bright daylight she was able to move about, and
still be stealthier than most creatures, and in the night,
there was none like her. She had been inside places that
would be unreachable for others.
Recently she had contacted a rogue guild and had done some
jobs for them, and although they were somewhat reluctant to
deal with her due to her heritage, when she had shown up with
the missions completed they realized she would be an inter-
esting new party to deal with. The best thing was, unlike
back in the underworld, where she had been outschemed by her
drow companions, these surface dwellers weren't nearly as
treacherous as she was, so she would be able to smell a
trap or treachery long before they even thought of it. Yes,
life was going well.
There was even a new deity she was willing to pledge her-
self to. Although not necessary, she knew any god-given
power was an extra. And this one wasn't as treacherous as
Lolth though probably even more evil. He was said to be of
demon blood and oft referred to as The Dark Fire. He had
visited her in a dream, and filled her mind with more power
and influence, and she had liked it.
So armed with new powers, and a mind more cunning than this
world had ever witnessed, she was ready to go beyond her cave,
beyond these lands and explore a whole new realm. She was
ready indeed. The question remained, is the world ready for
Oona the DreamThief?
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Editor Note:
I have to apologize. I accidentally ran Iksiblat's second
interview (of Cerdwyn, last month) out of order. This was
meant to be the first interview in his series. It should
have been run in June. Instead, you will get to enjoy
two interviews this month!
Iksiblat's Interviews
Good evening Avatarians!
I'd like to welcome you all to the first installment of
Iksiblat's Interviews! This evening I had the pleasure to
talk with Anessa, an Imm of Avatar!
We got together to talk in a cozy study, filled with book-
cases. Sitting next to the warm fire in the fireplace, I
managed to get a couple questions in to the player behind
Anessa.
Iks: 'Good Evening! Thank you for taking the time to meet
with me.'
Anessa: 'My pleasure.'
Iks: 'When did you first start playing Avatar?'
Anessa: 'I started the first time, about 5 and a half years
ago, played for a few months, then left for a year.'
Anessa: 'Then I came back, about four years ago, and haven't
left.'
Iks: 'What are some of your duties as a Goddess of Avatar?'
Anessa: 'Monitoring channels, helping players that are new to
the mud, and players with problems. I am an active quest team
member, and am on the Design team, but not active there atm.'
Iks: 'What made you decide to continue playing Avatar?'
Anessa: 'I'd have to say.. the people. There are some really
great people here, I enjoy the variety. Not too many places
where a 16 y/o high school student, a 28 y/o chemist, and a
40 y/o woman look forward to playing a game together every
night.'
Iks: 'I agree completely!'
Iks: 'When did you first feel immortality calling you to
step up and become an Immortal of Avatar?'
Anessa: 'Literally, about 5 minutes before it happened.'
Iks: 'Really?'
Anessa: 'Since I first started playing.. it had been sort of
a goal of mine to run quests and trivia and stuff for the
players I'd reached that goal, by being on the Quest team'
Anessa: 'I have to admit, it crossed my mind a time or two..
but I had no clue it was about to happen, until just before
they promoted me.'
Iks: 'That must have been very exciting!'
Iks: 'If I could, I'd like to direct these next questions to
Anessa the Sprite Goddess of Avatar.'
Iks: 'If you could switch places with one of the inhabitants
(mobs) of Avatar for a day, which would you choose? '
Anessa: 'Nom, he gets to greet all the new people!'
Iks: 'What is your favorite race in the land?'
Anessa: '*gasp* Sprite!'
Iks: '*snicker* What a shocker there folks, remember you heard
it here first! *grins*'
Iks: 'Where would you like to vacation in Avatar?
Anessa: 'On the black sands beach.'
Iks: 'I'd be worried about getting sand in-between my scales,
but I hear that's an interesting location.'
Iks: 'What is your favorite activity in the land of Avatar?
Anessa: '*smiles* Feeding the Ultimate Dragon!'
Iks: '*evilgrin* That sounds like a fun job..'
Anessa: 'Oh yes.. someone even made me a special sign.'
Anessa holds a beaten sign that says, Go UD! in her hands.
Iks: '*lol*
Anessa: 'I get lots of laughs when watching the fighting!'
Iks: 'If you could tell everyone in Avatar one thing, either
about you, or in general, what would you say?'
Anessa: 'Relax, enjoy the game, and remember that each
groupie, each person on chat, each new person that finds
us, has something to teach us and deserves to be respected.'
Iks: 'That is a great motto there, folks!'
Iks: 'Thank you very much for taking time to speak with me
tonight, I hope you've had as much fun as I have.'
And so ends the first installment of Iksiblat's Interviews.
I hope you have come away from this with a smile on your face
and a better understanding of who Anessa is when you see her
in game! Join me next time, as I track down another staff
member to interview!
Until then, may your gains be Max and your CR's nonexistent!
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
NEW HERO AND LORD STATS by Gouki
A little bit of a new look for the new Hero and Lord stats.
Thanks to Gouki for putting these together for me!
Here are the new Hero and Lord stats since July 26th, 2004:
LORD ADDITIONS:
11 Heroes morphed since July 26th, 2004. Please welcome the
following to the Lord tier:
Burton, Caress, Dace, DrDeath, Efestos, Fingon, Kinslayer,
Kpax, Lahrynn, Pico, Rosetta
REMORTS:
12 Lords remorted since July 26th, 2004. Please wish the
following good luck:
* Ballistic from Orc Warrior to Human Berserker
* Buntess from Giant Warrior to Troll Warrior
* Halandra from Human Warrior to Human Berserker
* Haldol from Drow Mage to Drow Sorcerer
* Jman from Lizard Man Warrior to Lizard Man Berserker
* Mulan from Kzinti Warrior to Kzinti Berserker
* Snag from Lizard Man Warrior to Lizard Man Berserker
* Tinuviel from Elf Archer to High Elf Archer
* TLara from Drow Mage to Human Sorcerer
* Ulic from Gnome Mage to Human Sorcerer
* Vortex from Elf Archer to High Elf Archer
* XannTariann from Drow Mage to High Elf Mage
HERO ADDITIONS:
Please congratulate 17 characters who reached Hero 101+:
Ereptor (101), Firemage (101), Hellown (101), Tobymac (101), Willie
(101), Nezaret (102), Nymr (103), Hector (109), Uric (113), Jobe
(118), Javor (124), Rooks (130), Som (130), Brayden (153), Goddessa
(162), RIvAk (215), Mringasa (349)
Please congratulate 5 characters who have achieved Super Hero+:
Mulk (500), Geson (502), Ragnoc (509), Deprived (536), Kyudo (581)
FAILED MORPHS:
11 Heroes failed to morph since July 26th, 2004:
Coyotee, Slinger, Galiandre, Emah, Aliza, Salib, Maglak, Morthas,
Rapid, Rhodry, Balor
TOP 10 LEVELERS
Hero
1 .) Mringasa (258)
2 .) Taulmaril (229)
3 .) Manu (184)
4 .) RIvAk (181)
5 .) Quintus (171)
6 .) Yangy (150)
7 .) Beone (127)
8 .) Som (123)
Zantar (123)
9 .) Rattlesnake (122)
10.) Silk (117)
Lord
1 .) Tammo (27)
2 .) Koichi (21)
Rubric (21)
Phelan (21)
3 .) GoodKnight (20)
4 .) Adon (19)
Scarface (19)
5 .) Rift (18)
Lycee (18)
6 .) Pyromanic (15)
RiVEN (15)
7 .) Brahma (13)
Ezekial (13)
Xanith (13)
8 .) Ombiez (12)
Tin (12)
9 .) Shell (11)
Brutal (11)
Warierlo (11)
Nebulate (11)
10.) Mochi (10)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Iksiblat's Interviews #3
Good Afternoon Avatarians!
Thank you for joining me in this danger-filled installment
of Iksiblat's Interviews.
Today, I found myself in a large room, filled with artifacts
and weapons, and most frightening of all, the floor below me
was clear and I could see right into a inferno of black and
red flames. Yes, folks, in this episode of Iksiblat's
Interviews, I get to speak with Kariya and the player behind
him...
Iks:'Good afternoon! Thanks for agreeing to be interviewed!'
Kariya:'No problem, it is a chance to reveal the real me
to the world..;)'
EDITORS NOTE:
You can find out more about Kariya at this website:
(home.wanadoo.nl/distortedmind/utami)
Iks:'When did you first start playing Avatar?'
Kariya:'Just over 10 years ago. April '94.'
Iks:'What are your duties as a staff member?'
Kariya:'I am head of the quest team, and overall bringer of
doom..'
Iks:'*wince* So the oracles have told me..'
Iks:'What is the most enjoyable thing in your opinion about
Avatar?'
Kariya:'Interacting with so many different people,
from all over the world.
Kariya:'It provides an outlet into a world of fantasy and
fun!'
Kariya:'That sounded like a brochure! But it's true..'
Iks:'When did you first feel immortality calling you to step
up and become a God?'
Kariya:'I had that at an early age. I been around for about
a year when I felt the urge to do more. I cared not for
fighting. At the time the mud was in a bit of turmoil and
was in need of fresh blood so I volunteered.
Kariya:'A few weeks later Snikt ripped open the sky in front
of me and asked if I wanted to IMM. I said yes, and he pro-
moted me. '
Iks:'*grins* He does know how to make an entrance doesn't
he :)'
Iks:'Well, thank you for your time, these next questions are
directed towards Kariya, the "Evil Dark Ruler of the Temple
of Utami."'
Folks, let me break in here a bit.. Kariya is an imposing
figure. He appears to be tall, clad in black armor that
shimmers with strange runes that seem to shift as he moves..
He looks human..ish, but there is just something about look-
ing into his eyes.. Look at him the next time you see him
(if you dare) to see what I mean.
Iks:'First off, one of the questions on many minds I'm sure..
Just what is Pengacau?'
Kariya:'It means Chaosbringer, He who causes disorder, or as
I recently was told..disturber of the peace. It is actually
the name given to me by my father, the demon Belag.'
Iks:'Wow.. and I thought Iksiblat was a bad thing to name a
child..'
Kariya:'Well..demons usually don't go with Bob or Joe. It
reflected the destiny Belag had planned for me.'
Breaking in again, folks, this was very eerie..
I mean, this guy made my scales itch..
Anyway, I tried to go on..
Iks:'The token hard question... If you had to describe your-
self in one word, what word would you choose and why?'
Kariya:'The word: Wicked'
Kariya:'The reason..I can be very wicked as in truly evil,
but that is only when my demonic side takes charge. Depen-
ding on those moods I can be rather pleasant to be around,
but always ready for some wicked pranks and shenanigans..'
Kariya:'Like right now, I prepared myself and am able to
keep the darkness at bay.'
Kariya:'If not this would have been a very short interview.'
Ok, folks, it's me again.. Can you imagine what it feels
like when every scale on your body shifts at once..
*cringe* This was not my idea of a safe environment to be
asking probing questions.. Especially when the answers
were this scary.
Iks:'So do you think of yourself as a more mischievous
demon, or as an 'annihilate the world' kind of demon?'
Kariya:'The real Kariya is more mischievous.. I have a
human mother and even though I don't know her, I assume
she was a good person. As a result I have some good
traits. Also because of my upbringing in the Temple of
Utami I can deal with the good and bad things. I like to
mess with people's minds, and prank a lot. The other
side however..the pengacau side so to speak..'
Kariya:'Let's just say that in the past I have tried to
destroy everything that was dear to anyone..'
Kariya:'In fact..I stood face to face with my beloved
Dyah Yuyun Utami, ready to take her life before I came
to my senses..'
Iks:'Ok, let's avoid the darkness for a bit longer, and
tell me, If you could be a mob for a day, who/what would
you be?'
Kariya:'I'll say Drogo the Dwarf, from the old, old
Werith's Wayhouse. I killed that mob so often when I was
mortal. The Wayhouse was a lvl 10-15 area. Not that big
but lots of good xp and mobs to kill. Drogo had a great
low lvl axe.'
Iks:'Where do you vacation in Avatar?'
Kariya:'Hmm..if I am not in this room, I hang out in the
Temple of Utami. Nice company, and I have a hidden room
there with war trophies and such :)'
At this point, I asked him if he counted coup, which was
a barbaric practice of taking a bodypart from an enemy as
a trophy. No folks, don't worry. He doesn't do that..
It's much worse as you'll find out.
Kariya:'No, I don't do that. I take souls.. One of the
names I am called is 'the Dark Fire'. It actually fuels
me, and in turn it is fueled by souls.. Anything it can
get its hands on.'
Iks:'If you could change one thing in the world of
Avatar, what would it be? And no, world dominion under
your rule is not a valid answer'
Kariya:'*sulks* I wish there would be more gateways to
other realms, so that new races and cultures could travel
here and start communities. The other way around..it
would be great if some that have been here for too long
would go through that gate. For instance, isn't it time
the circus packed its bags? Stale tricks and overpriced
cotton candy!'
Iks:'Last question, if you could tell everyone one thing,
what would it be?'
Kariya:'Don't think I am a bad guy because I wish to take
your soul. Sure, over the years I've thrown hordes of
demons against Avatar's finest, but it never killed
anyone.. Well.. not permanently at least!'
Well there you have it folks.. I feel lucky to have esc-
aped from that interview with my scales intact, as it was,
it's going take me a week to buff the scorch marks off of
them. Anyways, join me next time as I interview another of
Avatars finest. Until then, may your gains be maxes and
your CR's nonexistent!.
=============================================================
This is the new Avatar Gazette. It is published with the
permission and cooperation of the Avatar staff by Angel Kenji.
(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
gazette-request@outland.org. In the body of your
email put:
subscribe username@hostname (MudName - RealName)
eg subscribe snikt@outland.org (Snikt - Kevin Jagh)
Your real name is optional for the Gazette list.
eg subscribe snikt@outland.org (Snikt)
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 Kenji via my e-mail
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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