Phantom Orchid

[quote name='Fenrir Greycloth' date='12 November 2009 - 06:27 PM' timestamp='1258079242' post='47333'] I admit to doing the first template as a practice run fo quests. My current quest is actually that. A quest. It is a choose your own adventure style quest. It's really hard to run. [/quote] Is it so hard when you accept coin (and keep them) from questors and then decide to stop the quest?

Phantom Orchid: *reaches into her robes and pulls out a sealed letter* Captain Karak has given this for me to read, it says as follows: Phantom Orchid: I had begun research and found that a trail leads amongst various figures of the realm and that they are sworn to secrecy unless a particular word is spoken to them by the one fated to find the Chalice Phantom Orchid: In a fit of the Goddess-knows-what I misplaced my initial notes in the archives and believe a current or former archivist may have scooped them up and held on to them for safe keeping. Phantom Orchid: . I had labeled the notes: Moon Chalice and they should mention this to the holder to begin. Phantom Orchid: Strength and honour, Karak

Good point! Who but the Angien who opened the box would know what came before...? I feel compelled to comment by saying that we are the stories we tell ourselves. We are defined by our own notions of who we are. People define themselves by their jobs, lifestyles, families, roles, relationships, etc. They seek stories (lore) to feel safe because they wish to identify with their surroundings. Stories help to explain their surroundings - myths/religions spring forth and grow because people desire to explain and/or connect with various phenomena experienced in their world. Each member of any given culture/religion shares in a common story - it is part of their identity. Our sense of identity is necessary for our survival, both culturally and spiritually. Most cultures/religions/myths of the world have a 'creation' story - every one sounding just about as 'crazy' as the next (generally speaking, if it is not one's own). For example, the myth of Western science proves that the world is 6 billion (or whatever) years old - though certain religions proclaim it as a few thousand years old. There are many of these religious believers, and for them, their truth stands firm. But the question of 'what is reality?' is, well, another discussion. Though it is impossible to tease out which is influenced more - our stories by us, or us by our stories - both influences shape ourselves and the world around us. Stories can easily, though, turn into labels - and the more we label ourselves, the more limited we are (the more we label others, the more prejudices and stereotypes arise) - it's like being stuck in a box that gets smaller and smaller. A question arises: Even if stories are based fictitiously - do they have no meaning? Fiction cannot change true events of the past but it can shape our perceptions about them. For MD, I know not what the implications of this are... I do know, however, that stories (based in truth or fiction) carry power when enough people believe in them. A brash example might be to think of crusades, conquistadors, tyrants, etc. Propaganda (story) is often their most effective weapon. ==================================================== There is an Oak, growing in MD Archive land. It is told a story each day, For Oaks are the keepers of knowledge. It is blessed, for it I pray It holds the secrets of our homage

I am offering a Wishpoint (donated by yrthilian) for the best story, poem, or song about Knator Commander. Send submissions to me via PM on forum or in-game. Entries must be in by end of event. There will be a panel of judges to decide the winner. The winning story will then be archived for others to read.

[size="3"][b][font="Century Gothic"][center] Hear the wolf howl - follow the horn Revere Her now, enter a path unworn Seek how you may - offer your best To me and observe, my ritual blessed [/center][/font][/b][/size] [center] [img]http://www.newmoon.uk.com/ritual/moongoddess.jpg[/img][/center] [font="Century Gothic"][size="3"]The calling was at 04:00 server time day 293 at Fenth's Press - the blessings (written in Player's Log) happened then. Those who missed it can find either myself or our Holy Sibyl (Dark Mystic) in person to receive a blessing[/font][/size]

After reading your 'hate list' (below), you are already on my hit-list Kamisha [quote] My personal hate list for all to see. Personal hate list Bob the tree. Defenders of Bob the tree. The Armors of golumus coming to destroy the land of MD hopefully also Bob the tree. Vines that protect Bob the tree. ...Bob the tree in general. [/quote]

[quote name='Poppitz Resurrection' date='13 October 2009 - 04:29 PM' timestamp='1255476579' post='44603'] Hahaha! I almost have a desire to participating, since i'm below 40 Days old now.. But when i get to the "NO TOKENS ARE ALLOWED" I was having a Migrain right away! Well well..Good luck for all participant! [/quote] This is because I want this to be focused more upon the strategy of creature combat and the art of ritual making --- which seems to have subsided on account of tokens.

[quote name='Udgard' date='11 October 2009 - 08:41 PM' timestamp='1255318908' post='44441'] Hmm, although it's a good idea, I think it would be best if writing book are left to the neutral archivists, and not to the alliances. Y'know, there would be an inevitable bias if alliances wrote their own reference book xD [/quote] Yes, indeed! I pray to see that happen. My suggestion is but an idea to expand upon what already great work the archivists do. Perhaps a counter-proposal might be to have such alliance specific 'books' housed in each respective land. My main push for this is for new travelers in the realm to have better access to this general knowledge.

[center][b]~~~ Attention Mind Power III Players ~~~[/b][center][/center][/center] [center]The great Goddess of the Moon demands a blood sacrifice! There will be a [i]quick and bloody battle tournament[/i] on [b]Day 287 at 02:30[/b] server time. Creature/s will be awarded --perhaps other prizes! First 6 players to arrive and register with me at back entrance of Loreroot at the above time will be entered into contest. Winner/s will be determined by battle log screenshot of who gains the most victories in one hour (and [i]only[/i] against fellow contest participants). No alts or tokened creatures allowed! No spells! This contest is designed for [i]new [/i]players (under 50 active days) -- please respect that. [[[ I am still accepting coin donations from sponsors]]][/center] [i][Updated 10/13/09 -- Also, players will be instructed on how to screenshot to show if opponent is using tokened critters][/i]

One idea of discussion has been to have representatives from each alliance (and/or faction?) have access to their own specific 'books' of reference in the archives. For example, each alliance leader could have one they are in charge of and responsible for. The archivists could be responsible for writing books for the information/wisdom/knowledge found in other places.

[quote name='Kyphis the Bard' date='11 October 2009 - 06:58 PM' timestamp='1255312726' post='44429'] The event was a success, with performances by Assira, Mya Celestia, Asterdai and myself. Thanyou to everyone who came to be part of the audience, I hope there can be many more events like this one [/quote] It is truly unfortunate that I missed it, for I hoped to perform on my nyckelharpa. However, I am organizing an event (entertainment, contests, you name it, etc. ) in honor of the Knator Commander. Those participants who performed and those who were unable all are invited to audition for this upcoming celebratory event. PM me in forum or in game.

Though I do see these positions as perhaps necessary - and welcomed - for the mechanics of gameplay, the prospect of having a monarchic rule by a king over the land of Loreroot is essentially inimical to the land itself. By definition, a king is a ruler or head of state. He (or she, if it be a queen - though that is another discussion) lays a claim [i]of entitlement over[/i] the land itself and all its inhabitants. It is this idea of ownership which is so unsettling. Loreroot is made of many[i] diverse [/i]inhabitants, and its resiliency is owed to this cohabitation of differences. What will happen when some / all of its inhabitants become relegated to serfdom! Once again, I welcome land-specific role coordination and having a representative delegate for Loreroot -- I just pray that we be cautious of, and, if we are left to, decide on someone who will act through council --- and perhaps we can call this person Head of Council (or something else - besides King). Secondly, I also second the nomination of - should a position of this kind come to vote - Princ Rhaegar, Tarquinus and Firsanthalas. Thirdly, it was a sad moment when the Knator Commander retired. Soon after that event transpired I spoke to a few Lorerootians about having a commemorative event in his honor. Time has passed, and he lost RPC status - but to hear now that he still lives (in some way) inspires me greatly -- I also propose holding a celebratory ceremony for him. Contact me if you would like to help coordinate this. Priestess Orchid of the Sanguine Moon Children of the Eclipse

Masochists for Mur! A scourge of PAIN... The winning contestant will do as much damage to themselves as possible by sacrificing critters (give away / sac), give-away of items, silver and gold, and stat loss. There are no runner-ups, no second or third place, only the one who prevails that wins prize - everybody else just loses! If you're really creative perhaps you will give up that which is dearest to you... [Screenshot proof required]

This is one of the better contests hosted in MD. The enticing rewards are wonderful enough for working on one's character development, though the real prize is uncovered during the journey - the essential process of defining character roles for new players in this realm. The collaborative efforts of the judging team are unsurpassed, and the format of this contest would be one any contest thrower would do well to follow.

[quote name='Shadowseeker' date='28 September 2009 - 10:28 AM' timestamp='1254158886' post='43113'] And, for the versed readers of certain books..this should be something funny [/quote] DON'T PANIC! ... As long as you know where you're towel is.

I could [i]say [/i] that the winner should be the one who caused you to lose more ve - but that would be biased Perhaps another single battle each for death ray and myself against you to settle it?

[quote name='Liberty4life' date='21 September 2009 - 06:02 AM' timestamp='1253538155' post='42286'] enough of bs lets just fight, talkin is for gals, ya say wot ever ya want neither i nor my guys will care, cya on frontline [/quote] Your words fight for us forever more effectively than our swords ever shall.

[quote name='Jester' date='13 September 2009 - 04:48 PM' timestamp='1252885726' post='41705'] The peace that has been covering this realm like a plague has caused the inhabitants to become stagnant. Instead of learning and progressing, people have become secure with their ineptitude and do not work or grow. We plan on teaching them the folly of their ways. Khalazdad said that people must adapt and change in order to survive, and I plan on enforcing this lesson in the most brutal way possible. Do not misunderstand us, our purpose is not to cause pain and misery. We merely desire combat, true combat, not combat without meaning or purpose. Among our ranks there may be people who desire only to inflict suffering, but they are not representative of the views of the Sentinels as a whole. [/quote] I am compelled to ask: What is your definition of war? In the homeland of my previous life, in the land of Druids, people did not frequently die in wars - they fought with (mostly) non-lethal means in order to settle differences. It was 'clean', clear cut - the victor was the one who either gained new hunting grounds, rode off on the opponent's horses, and/or settled in the more fertile lands, etc. It was ritualistic; there were ceremonies of blessing which celebrated the tangled dance of life and death. War was _not_ annihilation, neither destroyed nor decimated populations as a whole - suffering was never its purpose. And my second, and more important question is: Who are you fighting? Perhaps the purpose of combating stagnation (which equals death) is truly your ends, and we will just have to wait and see the answer to this question, but I do wonder who is responsible - in your opinion - for the peace and stagnation that plagues this realm. And my third, and even more important question is: What does the mighty land of Necrovian have to say when it speaks to you? May your sword ever remain as sharp as your wits, Priestess Orchid - Knight of the Full Moon Children of the Eclipse

[quote name='Pipstickz' date='17 September 2009 - 03:51 PM' timestamp='1253227892' post='42026'] EXACTLY! This is me ^^ xD [/quote] Does this mean we all get fries? *pokes Pip*

[font="Lucida Console"]The only memory I have of life before coming into this realm visited me in a dream. This dream came to my as I was curled up next to Amoran at the base of the Oak Fort... [b] We were suffering a winter without end, a season of blowing granular ice and frosty winds. The clouds floated, heavy, nestled between the ridges of looming mountains. The bears were emaciated, our supplies were exhausted, and the village folk were frightened. Naturally, they looked to the druids for help. It was on one special evening, crowning the day which marked the beginning of my first moon cycle, that the druids decided that my initiation into the Order would commence. They would use the magical powers of my budding womanhood coming into fruition and harness this energy in an attempt in ritual to force the turning of the wheel of seasons.[/b] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ My training had begun earlier in the year just before Beltaine, festival of the Fire of Creation, as an apprentice under the great druid Deirdre. My classrooms were the glades of the forests, where Deirdre taught me to observe the wisdom of the trees. Druid, as she explained to me, meant 'having the knowledge of the oak.' She said, "When humans were as vapor, trees were also as vapor. The forests are older than memory and time is stored in their roots and branches. It is the nature of trees to be generous, so open yourself and be still. Receive what the impart." From Deirdre I learned that the Source of All Being is the single and singular force of creation, yet has many faces. Mountain and forest and river, bird and bear and boar, each reveals a different mood of the Creator, a different aspect. Each is therefor a symbol of the one Source, but we reverence these nature gods separately with individual rites, showing that we understand and respect the diversity of creation. Every entity must be free to be itself. I learned to listen to the trees. Deirdre taught me about spirits, about the pattern they make. "I am not certain of the pattern myself," I admitted. "You speak of it so often. But just what is it?" Deirdre pointed toward the interplay of light and shadow among the branches above us. "There is the pattern. From star to tree to insect to moon, each fragment of creation is part of one design, the pattern of being, that extends unbroken from the Other world to this world. The pattern is constantly in motion, connecting us in life and in death to the Source of All Being." "Noise is sound and sound is structure and structure is pattern," Deirdre told me. "The harmony that holds the stars on their courses and the flesh on our bones resonates throughout all creation. Every sound contains an echo. Before there were humans, or even forest, there was sound. Sound spread from the Source in great circles like those formed when a stone is dropped into a pool. "We follow waves of sound from life to life. A dying man's ears still hear long after his eyes are blind. He hears the sound that leads him to his next life as the Source of all Being plucks the harp of creation. "Energy is the life force and it flows through everything created by the Source, even through stone. The trees, always our teachers, sink their roots into the soil and draw out energy. Life. Take off your boots as we walk and feel the earth with your bare feet. Feel, as you have learned to hear." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [b] Sometime after the moon disappeared behind the sacred grove, a wind arose. The trees became its instruments. It played them with undulating volume, with sweeping susurrations of sound, with a great plumy movement billowing through, sighing away. Each tree had a voice. Oaks creaked, beeches moaned, pines hummed, alders whispered, and poplars chattered. I lay absolutely still, drowning in sound. I lay upon the alter, my senses dazzled by the the beauty of existence. Then everything came together. I was caught up in the rhythm of dance, ecstatic and sublime, that had been going on long before there was any such being as myself. I was dissolving into wind and moss and leaves, into a rabbit huddled in her burrow, into an owl swimming through the night on silent wings. Water rolled down my cheeks. Perhaps rain. Perhaps tears summoned by beauty. The night sang. The earth smelled of rotting wood and tender shoots in darkness, feeding on decomposition, death and birth together in the pattern, one springing from the other. Both in me. Both of me. I of them. I was the earth and the night and the rain, suspended in the apex of being. There was no time, no sound, no sight, no need of them. I was. Rapture.[/b][/font]

[center][b]Secret Places[/b] From our secret places By a hidden path, We come in the moonlight Safe from the wraiths. There the night through We soak in our pleasure, Dancing to such a measure As only the weald ever knew. To song and dance And lilt without a name, So sweetly breathed Devoid of all shame. And many a young maiden Is there, of mortal birth, Her young eyes laden With dreams of earth. And many a youth entranced Moves slowly in the weald o'er round, His brave lost feet enchanted, With the rhythms of fairy sound. Music so forest regal And piercing sweet would bring Harmony with blackbirds singing Their best in the ear of spring. And now they pause in their dancing, And look with troubled eyes, Earth straying children With sudden memory wise. They pause, and their eyes missing moonlight With wisdom growing cold, Grow dim and a thought goes fluttering In the hearts no longer old. And then the dream forsakes them, And sighing, they turn anew, As the whispering music takes them, To the dance of the Nymph crew. O many a thrush and a blackbird Would soar o'er the ground, And pine away in silence For envy of such a sound. So the night through In our sad pleasure, We dance to many a measure, That only the weald ever knew.[/center]

My deep affinity for trees began before entering this realm, when I was a Druid - one with the knowledge of the oak. That was before falling down deep into what some may call a rabbit hole... Down, down, down. When I first came into this realm I happened upon Bob, and have since grown to love the tangled stories threaded throughout his past and present. I have my truths and my legends about Bob, which could explain why I became his defender. But I am not alone here. Everyone else who has been touched by him too have their own tales - they are all interconnected. I defend him because I love him (and he's really cute - especially in bloom - but that's besides the point), as I love the courage that trees have taught me to carry. He has taught me the meaning of reciprocity. We live in community - Bob's defenders must never forget that. Furthermore, this is all not to mention how the fate of everyone in this realm is inextricably entwined, somehow, to the fate of this Tree. Phantom Orchid Priestess & Knight of the Full Moon - CoE

[center][b]No Less Than Full [/b] Our eyes See only the phases Though she is always full Our hearts See only the shadow But her love is always here Our minds Reason it away But her joy is always present Our spirit Knows without words That the Goddess of the Moon is always near O Lady of the Moon, in your full beauty O Love of the Nymphaea, come into the light that casts no shadow O Joy of the Winderwild, overflow our cup of reason with your wine O Goddess, fill us, fill us with your knowing That our hearts may again rejoice Our eyes may once again be filled Our reason overcome Spirits abounding In You.[/center]

I have a couple of cents of input to throw in... When I obtained permanent access to LR back entrance through wish-shop I was under the impression that this was the spell which 'opens the gates' - and through which others would be allowed entrance through, briefly, as the spell allows. My character was banking on this for roleplay purposes; for I would not have spent a wishpoint on this had I known it 'only' gave [i]me[/i] thru access. Blessings, Poe

: Phantom Orchid builds a small fire next to the arch to incant a lunar ritual next to it : Amoran smiles and picks up a jagged rock, placing the sharpest edge agains ther palm : Amoran cuts a large gash into her palm and lets the blood drip off of her fingers : Amoran circles Orchid, speaking soft words of protection before closing the circle : Amoran traces a few runes onto the wooden arch in blood before wandering back to the Oak Fort