___The New Official AVATAR___________________________________
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________________________________September 16, 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
`|| <` > >._::_.|=========|
|| `""` / ^^ | | | |
|| | | | /
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
This is going to be a very short Gazette. I've been very busy
dealing with RL job issues, trying to figure out if I am
getting sent on a trip out of the country or not. If so, it
will be the greatest adventure of my life. If not, it will
be the biggest disappointment.
I am very pleased to announce that this month's Gazette will
reveal the winner of the Berserker Origin writing contest.
Read ahead further for the winner and his exciting entry!
I'm also elated to share one of my favorite recipes for
homemade fried rice. And as always, a few other goodies from
my mortal helpers.
------------------
This month's lineup includes:
Latest News
Origins of the Berserkers - the winner is announced!
New Hero and Lord Stats by Gouki
An editorial by Kenji - the Truth About AVATAR
Homemade Fried Rice - a recipe by Kenji
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Latest News
First off, let me welcome Vital to the Angelic Host! Be sure
to say hi to him when you see him, and die frequently to give
him some practice!
------------------
The Quest team has been as busy as ever, running various
contests, trivia quests, etc. One of the newest ones on the
Lord plane has been "Mob Wars," where one large mob does
battle vs. another, with Lords getting to bet on the outcome.
Pliny makes an excellent Don King, in my opinion.
------------------
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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So, you've been waiting to hear who the winner is. Sending
tells to me has proved fruitless! Now, I finally get to
announce the winner of the Berserker Origin writing contest.
All of the entries were great. I would love to award each and
every entrant with a level 2 Human Berserker. However, to be
fair, the rules stated one winner, and I have to stick to that.
Galladan scored the highest in a review of his entry. Congrat-
ulations to Galladan, and please enjoy his explanation of the
origin of the Berserkers here.
------------------
There was blood. In his vision, on his hands, in his mouth...
in his eyes. No. There was no blood in his eyes, only the red
tinge of the rage. But his foes were dead, and soon the
bloodlust would lift. Feeling his senses returning, he looked
back on the trail of the dead. Even beyond the bodies, there
was a trail of blood reaching back into the years nearly
beyond memory. How had it begun? There had been a pilgrimage.
a battle...a death...and...a resurrection? Yes...that was the
beginning.
The Spring of Maniroth. Surely it had begun there. Surely
there had been no taint on his soul before that day. He had
been young. A warrior in the service of Werredan. He had
heard tales. Tales that spoke of a spring devoted to the
God deep in the caverns of Devil's Peak. The legends said
those who could pass the Guardian and drink from the spring
would be numbered amongst Werredan's chosen. And so he had
traveled. Alone, he had passed through Solace, taking
blessing from the Marshal Diana there, he had scaled the
first cliffs surrounding the fabled peak.
Dark had been those days. For one night he had sheltered
against the cliffs, not daring to seek shelter in the
caves. Voices lurked in the caves. Though he believed
himself strong, he dared not face the terrors lurking in
the depths of Devil's Peak while the hunting moon rose
above. In the morning, he descended deep into the lair
of the demon Tssassakas and challenged the Lord of the
Deep to battle. Though the dead rose from their sleep
and the demon did turn his blood to fire, he had sur-
vived...and standing over the demon, knowing he had but
moments before it rose again to destroy him, he had spoken
the words he had learned and the Gate opened before him.
The Shade had warned him. As he entered the chamber he had
seem the Warrior's Shade. The Shade had whispered that the
spring was for no man and that none must touch it. Young and
foolish as he was, he had pursued. Wisdom of the old is
wasted on the young. The Guardian had been beyond anything
he had faced before. Greater than the Shade at the entry, its
blackness filled his vision and its cries deafened his ears.
When he plunged his blade into its essence, the steel had
smoked and cracked, burning his hands and filling his lungs
with burning. Oh yes...the Guardian struck him down. But as
it advanced slowly to pull the final life from him, the death
from which no cleric's hand could bring him back, he had pul-
led his broken body toward the spring that flowed from the
wall. Feeling the talons of the Guardian dig into his flesh,
he had fallen deep into the waters of Maniroth. The Guardian
did not follow him into those depths...the waters filled his
vision and entered his wounds, his belly and his lungs. Then
he had known true pain.
Perhaps the Shade had spoken true. Perhaps the Black God
Bhyss had tainted the spring long ago. Perhaps this was the
true blessing...and curse...of Werredan. But the waters of
Maniroth that flowed from Devil's Peak and fed the lake of
the demon Tssassakas did not give the expected gift. All
magic was ripped from him and was replaced with something
else. He had emerged from the spring and faced the Guardian
again. At the first touch of the burning claws against his
flesh his eyes had misted over in bloodlust and a strength
had flown into him. He had banished the Guardian and walked
from the chamber with the bloodlust still in him. Down from
Devil's Peak he had strode and still the rage burned. At
Solace he was confronted by Diana and she barred his way.
She told him that none so tainted would enter the sacred
halls of Werredan. Cast out, he had wandered. He had joined
with other adventurers...only briefly as even the most stoic
warrior could not conscience the destruction he wrought on
his foes when the madness took him. Strength was his surely...
but at what price? How could he walk in the presence of
Werredan when he had caused such pain and death. No honorable
death for his foes. Limbs rent from their sockets, skulls
crushed, hearts ripped beating from the chest...
There had been a great battle. His allies dead around him, he
had faced down against the warriors of Arcanthra and Crul-
lius. Wave upon wave crashed against him. Nameless horrors
rose from the ground but still he did not yield. The blood-
lust was part of him now and it had risen to face his foes.
Now...hours later as the red mist faded from his vision, he
again witnessed the battlefield that was his. Terrifying were
the faces of the dead who had fought on, but worse were the
faces of those who had tried to run. None escaped him when the
rage filled him. For good or ill he was the hand of a God and
none would stand against his strength. He was a knight no
loner...he was a killer...a destroyer...and he wept.
-Galladan
Galladan, see Kariya in-game to make arrangements to get your
prize!
/
o======|=====================> <=====================|======o
/
Here are the new Hero and Lord stats between August 6th and
September 6, 2004:
LORD ADDITIONS:
31 Heroes morphed since August 6th, 2004.
Please welcome the following to the Lord tier:
Aleax, Beone, Blackout, Bloodsworde, Chewey, Crovax, Dahak,
Delvin, Diag, Eloric, Fitwon, Laststraw, Lydoc, Lyria, Manu,
Meatcliff, Miasma, MockMaw, Morthas, Mringasa, Netascha,
Persona, Rapid, Rhodry, Silk, Slinger, Supremacy, Tange,
TLara, Xyth, Zantar
REMORTS:
11 Lords remorted since August 6th, 2004.
Please wish the following good luck:
* Ardneh from High Elf Priest to Human Rogue
* Dace from Troglodyte Archer to Tuataur Archer
* DrDeath from Drow Psionicist to Minotaur Psionicist
* Erion from Drow Archer to Human Assassin
* Ezekial from Dwarf Warrior to Dwarf Berserker
* Hekla from Human Warrior to Human Berserker
* Tin from Drow Mage to Troll Mage
* Tsabrak from Giant Warrior to Giant Berserker
* Watt from Duergar Warrior to Duergar Berserker
* Zaheer from Orc Warrior to Troll Warrior
1 Hero remorted since August 6th, 2004.
Please wish the following good luck:
* Draeger from Human Assassin to Orc Assassin
DELETIONS:
1 Heroes/Lords deleted since August 6th, 2004:
Psyk
HERO ADDITIONS:
Please congratulate 39 characters who reached Hero 101+:
Alya (101), Ignite (101), Isaela (101), Smaug (101), Arenis
(102), Scamitar (102), Seletiel (102), Gerald (103), Razorsedge
(103), Darkdeath (104), Sauron (104), Sorunteer (106), Dysan
(107), Tebor (107), Vanuzk (107), Indra (108), AEton (109),
Sagrit (110), Jab (112), Misharai (112), Trancecast (115),
Nagash (116), Vortex (121), Tinuviel (122), Strongbox (128),
Arie (139), Zaheer (141), Haldol (147), Mystify (148), Siam
(154), Revenge (159), Nomadic (160), Gerut (161), Oye (164),
Medea (182), Fuzzywomper (186), Briarbuck (260), Gafgarion
(290), JackBlack (346)
Please congratulate 31 characters who have achieved Super Hero+:
Helios (500), Icearrow (500), Icestorm (500), Longshot (500),
Enzo (501), Tangarth (502), Darcis (507), Amaranthus (512),
Wolv (514), Pguin (515), Shakti (518), Noctis (521), Bertrand
(525), Cleites (525), Gobo (526), Kontra (526), Hawkwind (528),
Siras (531), NightHawk (549), Grach (551), Goddessa (555),
Teivin (561), Solack (574), Burukan (580), Warzon (592),
Pumpkin (594), Zyzzx (600), Rattlesnake (613), Razelle (632),
Elak (638), Azariah (680)
FAILED MORPHS:
8 Heroes failed to morph since August 6th, 2004:
Neara, Strider, Kessen, Sabotage, Zahria, Deprived, Dreya,
Taulmaril
TOP 10 LEVELERS
Hero
1 .) Goddessa (348)
2 .) Longshot (337)
3 .) JackBlack (334)
4 .) Rattlesnake (321)
5 .) Damiano (249)
6 .) Nyxx (242)
7 .) Rooks (237)
8 .) Gafgarion (235)
9 .) Aris (224)
Javor (224)
10.) Elak (221)
Lord
1 .) Merkin (79)
2 .) Alister (69)
3 .) Scarface (68)
4 .) Snap (51)
5 .) Tammo (49)
6 .) Somet (45)
Grazz (45)
Kwihree (45)
7 .) Menton (40)
8 .) Enda (39)
9 .) Atrocity (38)
10.) Brahma (36)
Sansa (36)
ooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOo
The Truth about AVATAR
An editorial by Kenji
As most everyone knows, I'm in the US Army. A few years ago,
I put a great deal of work into setting up a series of
physical tests to measure a soldier's endurance, speed, and
ability to fire a weapon at the end of the test. It was all
part of an evaluation to see if the soldier was worthy to
join the ranks of the Cavalry elite. There was a very
elaborate ceremony at the end, where the new Cavalry trooper
earned his 'spurs.'
I put several years into designing these tests, which
included various sit-down tests to identify friendly and
threat armored vehicles, a 3 mile run, wind sprints, and a
small-arms weapons range at the end of the running. It was
a rather grueling test, and when a soldier finished, he was
exhausted. He was also elated to be joining the elite ranks
of the 'Order of the Spur.'
Imagine how frustrated I was after I learned that some of
the soldiers were taking shortcuts. One soldier figured out
that if he cut across a field during the run, he cut almost
a mile out of the 3 mile run. Another small group of soldiers
were caught sharing answers to the sit-down tests together.
And a final soldier was caught substituting his weapons
range score with a range card that he had shot on his own
previously.
I was furious. All the work I had put into making a
reasonable and demanding challenge for my soldiers was being
routed by cheating and taking the 'easy way.' In the end,
the soldiers had made a joke of the process of earning their
spurs, and the attainment of the order meant less than it had
before.
Sound familiar? If you figured out my analogy, give yourself
a pat on the back.
I kind of embellished in my story. There is an 'Order of the
Spur' in Cavalry. I did go through the tests myself, (passed)
and watched others take the easy way, including cheating.
However, I didn't put the tests together myself. Someone else
did that years before I ever enlisted.
But, the analogy stands. Think of the work that Snikt, Crom,
Dev, DaWiz, and countless other Imms have put into AVATAR.
They have busted their rears to put together a game for US
to play. Not for our triggers.
Now, I know what some will say. Triggers aren't cheating!
But, if Snikt says they are, guess what? They are. He pays
a great deal of money on a monthly basis, not to mention the
time that he puts into the game, to keep it up for us.
Now, I know that the trigger argument is a hot one. People
feel that the game just won't be as much fun if their
triggers aren't there for them, doing the mundane stuff.
Heighten Senses, for example. It drops, and a trigger brings
it right back up. How easy, how convenient.
How simple. How hard is it to type HEI by yourself to get it
back up? Even use a local trigger to highlight it dropping,
so you won't miss it.
Snikt had made it very clear that he wants all triggers that
output to the mud gone. He has also said that aliases are
more than acceptable. And, he has no problems with triggers
that highlight information to your client, on your end, as
long as they do not output to the mud.
This makes things very simple. You want a rescue trigger?
Set up a trigger that highlights someone getting jumped and
populates their name to a variable. Then set up an alias to
rescue that variable. Pretty simple, huh?
I used to be the biggest advocate of triggers, back in the
day. Now, I'm one of the biggest advocates of losing the
triggers, and running the game 'au natural.' And you know
what? I love it even more. Give it a try, you might too.
^><^><^><^><^><^><^><^><^><^><^><^><^><^><^><^><^><^><^><^><^
Homemade Fried Rice
A recipe by Kenji
This is one of my favorites to make and enjoy, especially
for leftovers. It's pretty simple, and can be made many
different ways.
Required:
2-4 cups cooked white rice (Mahatma brand, etc. Not Minute
Rice or Uncle Ben's instant-type rice)
3 large white eggs
1/2 cup diced carrots
1/4 cup diced green onions
1/4 cup frozen green peas
3 Tbsp margarine or butter
Soy Sauce to taste
Optional:
1/2 cup meat - can use diced ham, diced stew beef (pre cooked),
diced chicken (pre cooked) or salad-sized shrimp.
Fry the three eggs, making sure to break the yolks. Dice the
cooked eggs.
Cook the rice normally, drain the excess water.
In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt 1 Tbsp
margarine, then add the rice and vegetables. Add the
cooked egg, and keep flipping the mix, bringing the bottom
rice to the top, etc. As it seems to dry out, add more
of the margarine. Add the meat after a couple minutes, and
keep the rice mixed. Add the soy sauce, 1 tbsp at a time to
color & flavor the rice. Be sure not to add too much, as
soy sauce has a very strong flavor.
Four cups of white rice will usually produce enough fried
rice for 2-3 people.
You can also mix other things into your fried rice as you
see fit. Here are some others that I have tried:
Almond slivers or peanuts (unsalted)
Diced veggies: celery, corn, etc.
Diced turkey
Teriyaki sauce
Enjoy.
=============================================================
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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