Piper

Good, for what would we do without Mike there to protect us?!

And this afternoon, a handful of us went to fight back the invasion in East Britain and gather hides along the way. In addition to myself, Piper, those present were Thom, Qu, and Scarst. Oh! And let us not forget our fearless equine compatriot, the finest steed in all of Sosaria and the primary subject of my article - Mike! Here he can be seen bravely vanquishing an enemy lieutenant. He was sorely wounded in the conflict and was nearly beaten down, but after some prompt care from field vet Thom... ...he was back in the ring again for another round with a little coaching from his proud master who, in no uncertain terms, assured us that Mike is "the best horse ever." Being naturally prone to skepticism, I wasn't entirely convinced of this far-fetched claim at first. The creature before us wasn't a nightmare, nor was it a ki-rin or, hell, even a unicorn. And it was certainly no dread warhorse; it was just your average, run-of-the-mill domestic horse, Equus caballus. ...Or so I thought. Needless to say, I thought wrong. Dead wrong. You unbelievers may scoff at the notion; yes, you may think me slightly mad. But I present to you this pictorial evidence to support my case, unconventional though it may be. Perhaps you, too, will adopt my perspective once you have seen this with your own two eyes, as I have seen it with my own. In this true-to-life rendition of the day's events, one can clearly see an enemy general writhing in his death throes while Mike stands victorious and completely unharmed! If this fails to convince you, dear reader, then there is nothing more I can do - no plea I can utter to persuade you to the truth. You simply believe, or you don't. If it is not plain to you by now, reader, I can say assuredly that Mike is, indeed, the best horse ever. Now convinced of this fact, I pressed on with my comrades - two- and four-legged alike - to seek out another general. After some brief reconnaissance, we found one to be taking refuge in the nearby tailor shop, of all places. Perhaps it was because she thought she would be safe from Thom's dragon indoors. She underestimated us, and this miscalculation resulted in her demise. But let me tell you, it is damn difficult to fit a greater dragon through a door that small. After dealing with her, we continued back to the streets and heard some townspeople shouting for help. We followed the voices to just outside the Chamber of Virtue, where the monks were doing all they could to fend off the invaders. ...Okay, so they didn't do the best job of it, and Mike was kind of crushing a dead monk's head under his hooves, but you saw what he did to that general back there. Would you want to say something to him about it? Yeah, I didn't think so. Finally, we finished off the two invaders in the street and went ahead into the Chamber of Virtues itself, where more lay in wait. Thom went first with his dragon while the rest of us hung back - that is, except for Mike who, as any fearless leader would, charged ahead into battle, fueled equally by adrenaline and a compulsive need for glory. I waited back with Qu by the body of our fallen adversary, contemplating Mike's daring actions and feeling more than a little humbled and ashamed that I was not as brave as he. Then I heard a scream of sheer terror. It was Scarst! I drew my weapon, sprang through the archway into the Chamber and ran ahead of Scarst, who stood momentarily stunned, to see what was the matter. Peering past Thom, there didn't immediately appear to be anything gone so awry as to warrant such a piercing scream. Sure, there was a pile of about ten dead monks scattered all over the place, but nothing to get too upset over. It was then that I saw it - just past the dragons, under their legs, lay the motionless body of our war hero Mike! Scarst and I ran to his side, our hearts skipping a beat as we feared the worst. Fortunately, closer examination revealed that Mike was still alive and breathing! He had just been toppled over and knocked unconscious by the huge dragons during the fight. He was still wounded, but thanks to some more expert care from Thom, he'll be back to his old self in no time. While Thom and Scarst tended to the injured steed, I wandered around the Chamber, admiring the scenery, what with the virtue tiles and the candelabras and the bloody corpses and everything. I was surprised and a little offended to be yelled at by one of the monks after I had just helped to slay the creatures that were trying to attack him. Okay, so maybe I hadn't done it in time to save his ten friends back there, but I tried. It was hard, okay! Qu thought that was a load of crap too, so she chased the guy into a corner and poked him. I just wanted to ask him what the deal was and see why he was so afraid of me, but he kept yelling at me anyway and wouldn't talk to me except to tell me to get out. Feeling dejected and unappreciated, as well as having been shown up by a horse, I sighed a heaving sigh of despair and recalled back to the loneliness of my house, leaving the rest of my companions to regroup without me. ((Okay so actually I had to go to class, but that doesn't sound as cool and melodramatic, does it?))

I bet Mike could've taken that paragon greater dragon solo if only Scarst had let him try!

Alright, guys, here's the deal. Katherine had an idea for an RP/PvP event: a caravan from Trinsic to Britain, to bring supplies to the city since it's been under attack. The PvP part comes in because we'll get raided and have to protect the caravan of pack horses from the raiders. The problem is getting everyone together at the same time. Thom won't be able to attend if we do it Saturday night, so how is Friday night for everyone? Around 9:00 PM EST? DISCUSS!

No, it's my birthday, Piper already had hers on the thirtieth of October. So you can't do any of those silly in-game things for me that you people are wont to do, ha! My plan is a success. Thanks. I'm only looking forward to it because of cake, to be honest. Red velvet aw yiss.

Yes, we've done that several times as well, and it's another that could be done again if there's interest shown.

Ohhh yessss I'd been wondering if you were still wanting to do this. We need to get on it when we can. Hit me up. GUYS this is the link to Katherine's thread for event ideers. GO TO IT read it POST IN IT go go go go go http://www.thehonorempire.org/forums/index...showtopic=12843

Yes yes this is good. Katherine you are fabulous~ The mining excursion would be especially helpful for people in the general community. Also, if some turned out to be in need of fire beetles, chances are we could take care of that problem as well. Personally, I never charge people for them anyway, and they respawn immediately. Also, maybe our crafters could offer free repairs and such for a little while some evening for people who need them. Perhaps enhancements too? This could be good for people who would otherwise have no way to do these things. Our non-crafters could assist in gathering the necessary supplies in advance, maybe some gargoyle pickaxes as well. In addition, I'd like to round up some help gathering money for prizes so we can get jousting and Bard's Night up and running again. The jousts especially catch the attention of a lot of people because it's so determined by chance, and I think they like that. Maybe sometime this weekend we can do a hunt (providing my lag isn't as horrendous as usual) and get some of that out of the way. I will be thinking of some more things over the next few days. guys Guys GUYS. GIVE US YOUR IDEAS we hunger for them~ *grabbyhands*

That's an interesting theory, but not quite right... hm. No, wait... I think you're onto something. YES! THAT'S IT!

(OOC) Piper has seemingly vanished, not having been seen or heard from in two days without expressing any plans to leave. There are no signs of struggle in or around her house, nor is there any evidence indicative of a break-in. The front doors, usually kept locked and barred, have been unlocked, and Piper's keys are nowhere to be found. Her hat and uniform, however, were left behind, set neatly atop one of the loveseats in the living room. Other than that, nothing is amiss.

This is a good post, Tyr. Or, shall I say, "nicenice." It needs to be addressed, so here is my long-winded response! As we already discussed, these are some good ideas that Thom and I have gone over multiple times before. However, executing some of them has become increasingly difficult with both of our weird schedules. Her hours at work are long and often irregular, and my own schedule is all over the place since school has started. We need help from members to make some of these things happen on a regular basis since a lot of the time, she and I have a hard time telling exactly when we will be available. I know that you in particular, Tyr, are always willing to help, and I think I can speak for both of us when I say that we appreciate that very, very much. :3 Now and then, the guild goes through fluctuations like this when everyone has to get busy with real life, thus spending less time on the game. This is unavoidable in some respects because sometimes circumstances dictate that there's little we can do when time is a problem, and real life should always come first. I've seen this happen before, and the good news is that it doesn't last forever. Just hang in there. However, one thing people need to keep in mind is that if they don't log in, this makes having events much more difficult since when we schedule things, most of the time, no one shows up anyway. As I said, though, this time of year is hectic for a lot of people, especially students with classes, midterms, and final exams, not to mention the holidays, so I understand the lack of activity on our roster. At the same time, we need people's participation in order to be successful. (I know you're with me on this, Tyr, I'm just repeating it for everyone else as well.) For instance, no one really shows up for meetings anymore. And I don't want you guys to feel like you're not allowed to hold your own events! If you want to do something, go for it. If you're bored some night, round up a hunt. Tyr is great about this with his treasure hunts, and Katherine is good about rustling up things to do at the last minute. If we had a few more people helping out with little things like these, that would be a step in the right direction. If there's something you want to do, just ask us about it, and we'll do our best to set it up. If one of us can't be there, appoint someone to lead it in our absence. Don't feel like an event or outing has to be "official" in order for it to happen. Spontaneity isn't a bad thing. Like you, I've also recently found myself wanting to get more involved with other guilds again. This fell by the wayside when, again, real life took precedence over the internet in terms of scheduling and being able to attend events. I personally am not usually able to attend interguild functions on a regular basis, although I would like to be able to more often. In my own case, I've fallen out of contact with some folks from other guilds because when I do find myself able to be in-game for any length of time, I choose to spend that time with you guys. This will be something I'll have to try to work out for myself. And yes, the activity of the entire Catskills community has seemed especially slow lately, and I'm sure this can be said of some other RP guilds as well. The RP Ring forums have had hardly any new posts in a while, so I think everyone may be experiencing this same lull in activity to some degree. As a side note, as Thom and I have stated before, the uniform will not go. It wasn't implemented by us and isn't our place to make any changes to it; it's been around for a long time and won't be going anywhere. This is one of the very few rules people agree to follow upon joining PGoH, along with following basic RoE and staying in-character as much as possible. It's a guild tradition. A lot of RP guilds have uniforms of some sort, and ours is not all that different. In fact, we're a lot less restrictive than some guilds you may find elsewhere when it comes to what you're permitted to wear, particularly as it pertains to armor and artifacts. Plus, wearing the uniform only at meetings or special events would defeat the purpose of the uniform, which is to make us immediately recognizable as members of PGoH. Remember, IC, characters can't see your [PGoH] guild tag floating above your head. Much in the same vein, Catskills is and always will be PGoH's home. This is a very old guild. Keep in mind that PGoH has been a presence on this shard since the beginning of the game. Who are we to end that? Catskills is where PGoH belongs, and it's where it will stay. The population of shards rises and drops; Catskills has seen busier days, sure, but we're not going to up and leave just because of that. If we did, we would just be contributing to the problem of people leaving our shard. We've acquired a lot of new property in the Olympus area (props to Katherine). Our "town" is expanding again. Now we just need some more members to populate it. We need more characters "living" in this area rather than just visiting it; Thom, Piper, Katherine, and Calli are the only active characters living in and around Olympus. While I feel that this is a major hindrance to us as a guild and significantly decreases the opportunity for interaction, this is an issue that I won't really get into right now. But I will add that if you'd like to have a house in the Olympus area, please please please get in touch with Katherine or me, and we will hook you up with a decent plot, maybe even an 18x18. We need more people around, and we both keep an eye on the area for any spots that open up. Moving closer to everyone is one thing you can do to help. This last part isn't directed at you, Tyr, since I know you already agree with what I'm going to say. It comes down to this: It takes everyone to make the guild successful. It does little good for us to set up events if no one ever shows up for them. I think one person showed up for the last meeting I was at. People stopped attending Bard's Night and the jousts, and it wound up being just us and maybe one other person. A part of this may be because we're sometimes around at times when other people find it difficult to be, but in some cases, there's little to be done about that due to extenuating circumstances. That's when we need you guys to take the initiative and set things up among yourselves if you find yourselves bored some evenings when there's nothing scheduled. There have been some very serious things going on in my personal life these past several months - actually, this past year - that only a couple people are aware of. I don't feel comfortable sharing the details, but I can tell you this has contributed greatly to my own inability to be in-game as much. Such is life. And this is part of why I need your help keeping PGoH fun until things get back to normal. Increased visibility of the guild will increase our membership as well. We do currently have a few RP scenarios going on within the guild, one of which also allows for the possibility of PvP - the storyline involving "Sam" and her assassination attempts, as well as a new one I'm just rolling out today involving Piper's disappearance (info on that: http://www.thehonorempire.org/forums/index...showtopic=12839). Along with continuing the hunts we've been doing, your participation in these scenarios would be a good way to get involved. Give it some thought, and if you get bored, jump right in. One thing is that people are often hesitant to take an active stance in RP when they're first starting out because they're afraid of doing something wrong or coming across as silly. Don't worry about this; we just want your participation. If you don't really know how to RP and make a mistake that needs to be corrected, we'll point it out to you in a constructive way so you'll know for next time. It's not a big deal, and it happens to almost everyone. Don't feel embarrassed. Remember, we are first and foremost a roleplaying guild. Ultimately, guys, this is not super-serious business. It's a game to be enjoyed. Remember that and have fun with it. TL;DR version: IAWTP, mostly, and Tyr rocks.

Hurray~ It's been fun, guys. :> And don't forget there'll be a hunt tonight at 9 PM EST courtesy of Tyr, followed by drinks at the tavern.

OOC: Mondays are my busy day, when I'm at school from early in the morning until late at night. So I won't be able to make it. :< Sorry, guys~

I'm moving to a new place, so I won't have internet access or be on UO for a bit, just in case anyone wonders what's up. That is all~~

I was thinking about giving Piper a haircut but wanted to draw it first to see how I liked it. She's rockin' the shag, haha. Also figured I'd color her eyes for once since that's usually not my style, but it brings stuff together better in this one. It was drawn at like 4 AM, the original picture is probably a mere 3.5 inches tall on paper, and I got three hours of sleep before coloring it, so give me a break, haha. By the time I got to her arms I was sleepy and said screw it with hands, hence why they're behind her back. However, I'm pleased with how her outfit turned out. I think I mostly just like drawing her fancy clothes. XD Soooo that is what I've been up to. In the colorless version she looks a bit like a female Viral from Gurren Lagann. D: Terrible.

I am so with you on the noisy eating, you have no idea. I don't need to see that mixture of saliva and partially-masticated ham sandwich dribbling out of your fat gaping mouth, thank you VERY kindly. >:E Hahaha.

It's been too quiet up in here, so I want to know... What are things that absolutely drive you up the wall? Pet peeves or things that send you into a blind rage - it's all good! Hm. I'm a word person, and the word "anyways" drives me insane. There is no S on the end, God durnit. Similarly, "irregardless" makes me want to beat people over the head with a dictionary. When did "regardless" gain this new prefix? I WANT TO KNOW. Also, impatient people in line at stores/fast food restaurants. You know the kind; such a person is probably a middle-aged white female with a tired look about her, and she uses the employee as her personal stress ball at the end of her mundane day because, at least on a subconscious level, she realizes how inexcusably lame she is. She huffs and sighs and tries to rally everyone else into a revolution against the establishment that would make Robes-Pierre's pants fit just a little bit tighter, possibly cursing and most certainly insulting the intelligence of the employees because obviously five extra minutes out of her day will spark World War III and bring an end to life AS WE KNOW IT. I can come up with so many more, but I want to hear youuuurrrrs! These sorts of things always make me laugh. Tell me tell me tell meeeeeeee.

PIPER LOVES YOU YES SHE DOES :3 The thread title actually refers to the sharp pain shooting up my right arm every five seconds from working on this damn picture. >:E The blood is mostly there because it was too boring otherwise and I enjoy coloring blood and haven't had the opportunity to do so in some time. :V The wound (from "Death") keeps reopening from time to time, so this kind of happens. GOGGLES. Funny, that. I came to the realization that Piper would be totally steampunk if only she had goggles. So I doodled a bunch of silly Pipers with goggles, and this particular grumpy face stood out to me, so I drew the body to go with it. Hurhur I was bored okay and doing stupid things to Piper keeps me entertained. I was worried that if I detailed the buttons on the chair, it might detract from the rest of it, especially with the busy pattern on the hardwood floor. So I guess I'll leave them that way for now. I didn't rush this one as much as usual (depends on how my wrist and arm hold up). Also, this was the sketchy version from when I was just finishing up the lines, so you can see how things progress. Moved everything down some, made a few alterations to her vest... the original was very quickly and sloppily drawn since I knew I'd go over it with the mouse anyway, so it wasn't meant to be completely accurate or look especially nice. Some parts were also chopped out and shortened digitally, hence weirdness. But I like the overlapping messy effect.

Hey man. I wondered what had happened to you and how you were doing. Glad to hear all is well, and we miss you! Best of luck to you.

Trinsic News Report: Extra Edition An unidentified source within the Purple Guardians of Honor has filled us in on some juicy little details about a certain escaped fugitive. Apparently, the criminal calling himself Death has been hot on the trail of pieces. Pieces of what? We're not sure, but we bet that some of you out there know! All we know is that there have been several conflicts between the Guardians and this criminal, and one in the city of Britain that even involved some people identified as pirates! We aren't sure what's more shocking: to hear that the Guardians are collaborating with pirates or to hear that the entire Guardians force has been unable to deal with one escaped prisoner. Don't worry, your roving reporter will do her best to keep at the bottom of things and to get the information straight to you! +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ At this point in time, there have been four confrontations with "Death," and he was defeated in all but one of these. However, he has managed to escape each time, even when initially captured. In the last conflict, he and his two "minions" bested several guardians along with the help of many nearby liches. He possesses what he calls the "Soul Devourer" - an artifact with the power to warp the minds of those wounded by it to do his bidding for a time. The "antithesis" to Soul Devourer is another artifact called the "Revivifier," which has been shattered to pieces and hidden throughout the lands. The Guardians currently have two pieces, and he has secured two for himself. One piece remains unclaimed, and acquiring the remaining piece is a top priority, as is recovering the two pieces in his possession. OOC explanation: Soul Devourer is an axe carried by the character Meleagant, known as "Death" for this scenario. During the course of battle, if this axe is used to "kill" an opponent and Meleagant's side wins, he can offer (OOC) the opportunity for the defeated character to join the evil side for a time. IC, the more the character likes fighting and the fewer qualms they have with killing, the easier they are to be controlled. The effects will wear off eventually, and the character can be "cured" once Revivifier is in one piece again. Revivifier is a Use Best Weapon Skill mace that will be usable by Maleagant's opponents. If, in battle, Revivifier is used to "kill" a character on Maleagant's side and the good team wins, the defeated character may be "cured." Revivifier is currently broken into five separate pieces, but once it has been mended, it can be used in battle. It shouldn't stay with one character for too long, instead passing between characters to ensure that nobody feels left out. IC: If held by one person for too long, Revivifier loses its powers and becomes a regular weapon. Its powers' duration will typically be limited to only one or two battles. OOC: All battles are on foot; no mounts are to be used. Characters that have been "killed" are to stay deathrobed for the duration of the battle. These rules are subject to change if they inhibit the opportunity for more fun and more roleplaying. In the event that any rules are amended, all parties will be notified of the change.

OOC: Information is worth more than the capture of the suspect because it takes a minimum of three living characters (non-deathrobed) to capture him. If the suspect is captured, he needs to be delivered to the Purple Guardians of Honor to obtain the reward. This is an RP scenario and the more information you acquire, the better suited you will be for the next part.

OOC: All conflicts will take place on foot, so please dismount when you confront the suspect. This is to help ensure fairness among all parties and keep things interesting.

I've started a new job where I'm going to have to work irregular shifts, so there's a good chance I won't be able to make events or meetings a lot of the time. In the event that Thom isn't there, you guys can still have meetings amongst yourselves, you know. Just wanted to explain my absence.

http://www.uoguide.com/The_Pirate_Conspiracy You all will likely want to keep an eye on this page since it will document the event as it happens. Most importantly, keep in mind the rules of engagement so we can avoid any conflicts. It should prove to be a fun event for everybody involved. :> Also, for reference, this is the United Pirates' website, if you didn't already have the URL: http://www.aschulze.net/ultima/pirates

Gotta love the pirates! At least when they're not trashing our tavern, hahahaha.