April 2012

The Awakening – Act IV Submitted by UO_Herald on April 30, 2012 at 5:38 PM CDT Originally posted 30 Apr 2012 14:56:14 EST by Kai Schober on the UO Herald: Written by the EM Team The thundering echoes of metal clashing against stone rose up again from the western walls, as yet another of the mechanical beasts managed to clamber its way out of the hole that led to their entombed shrine to do battle with the Gargish defenders. Alone the creatures were not a lethal threat, but any mistake would lead to injuries, and the gargoyles could not replenish their forces as the machines did. Add to that the defecting gargoyles that joined the twisted and insane controllers inside the mechanized temple to a long dormant deity, and Ver Lor Reg sat on a precarious perch. And though the sounds of valorous physical battle carried from the site, a far different but decidedly no less heated battle took place inside their council chambers. To read the full story on the forums, click HERE.

2012 Great Lakes Rares Fest Schedule Submitted by Martyna_Zmuir on April 26, 2012 at 3:25 AM CDT The 2012 Great Lakes Rares Fest is being held in Rares Fest Park, a specially created area northeast of Vesper on the mainland (85o 46'N 120o 56'E).  A gate will be available from the city of Luna. Teleporters are available to many off-site attractions and events in the Teleporter Hub (NE building). Rares Fest Schedule of Events: Thursday, April 26: Rares Fest Park - Vendor set up begins April 28-29: Majestic Oaks Auctions Castle (Arctic/Ice/Dagger Isle) - 8:00 pm CDT, Welcome to Great Lakes  - Giveaways for travel & shopping ease - Guilds of Great Lakes information display Monday, April 30:  Rares Fest Park Events - 7:00 p.m. CDT, Meet & Greet with GL EMs Malachi & Elizabella - 7:30 p.m. CDT, Celebrity Tic-Tac-Dough Game - 8:30 p.m. CDT, Are you Smarter than a Neophyte? Game Tuesday, May 1: - 8:00 p.m. CDT, Britannian Vintage Meeting (Royal Spies) EM event Wednesday, May 2: - 8:00 p.m. CDT, Fourth Britannian Armed Forces Fundraiser (Doom Runs) - 8:00 p.m. CDT, Scavenger Hunt (non-combat) at Rares Fest Park Thursday, May 3: - 8:00 p.m. CDT, Live Majestic Oaks Auction Friday, May 4: - 8:00 p.m. CDT, Guardians of Valhalla Dungeon Crawls - 8:00 p.m. CDT, Tavern Night at The Pub on Ice Isle Saturday, May 5: - 3:00 p.m. CDT, Hearts Incorporated Net Toss at Buccaneer’s Den - 6:00 p.m. CDT, Live Majestic Oaks Auction Sunday, May 6: - 1:00 p.m. CDT, Live Majestic Oaks Auction Monday, May 7: Clean up & final auction payouts [Discuss This Article]

Fourth B.A.F. Fundraiser Submitted by Martyna_Zmuir on April 22, 2012 at 9:54 PM CDT From the desk of Grand Marshal Galen Knighthawke: Wednesday, May 2, the High Council's militia, known as the Britannian Armed Forces (B.A.F.), will host another fundraiser for the poor of our realm. Previous fundraisers have been very successful; many have been fed by our efforts. Meet at 8pm Central/9pm Eastern, on Wednesday, 2 May 2012, at the center of the Rares Fest Park northwest of Vesper (85o 46'N, 120o 56'E). We will be raiding the Doom Gauntlet. Gold Skulls will be provided. Those who are around for RaresFest are welcome to attend. -Galen Knighthawke Grand Marshal of Virtue, Ministry of Britannian Armed Forces [Discuss This Article]

April’s Treasure Hunt Challenge – Catskills vs. Legends Submitted by UO_Herald on April 20, 2012 at 3:08 PM CDT Originally posted 20 Apr 2012 14:24:26 EST by Kai Schober on the UO Herald: A new (old) Challenger has come forth! Last month the Gold Diggers of Legends Shard defeated a surprisingly fierce team Awesome Sauce of Lake Superior. There will be no surprises this time around, however, as the Gold Diggers face a seasoned team of veterans, the Blue Beetles of Catskills. The following is the Challenge laid forth by Catskills, and the response issued by Legends: My Dearest Helios and Miko, How are things? It has been some time since we have spoken. How has your shard been, and Miko – did you ever get that boil removed? Adris and I have been quite well on Catskills – busy as always, of course. There always seems to be something, you know? Anyway, I am writing to you to say “congratulations” on your two victories in the Cross Shard Treasure Hunt Challenge. You and your team truly are Legends. Well, in your own minds, perhaps. But don’t get me wrong – I wouldn’t begrudge you your hard-earned victories. I mean, as the saying goes, I’d rather be lucky than good, eh? To the point – if you fancy a bit of competition, I think Catskills would like its’ trophy back. What do you say? We EAGERLY await your response. Sincerely, Barnaby, Adris, and the Blue Beetles of Catskills Appreciative of the concern for Miko, the Legends EMs responded promptly: It will be interesting to see if such civility will stand when the competition between these two proud teams heats up. The Gold Diggers are looking to become the first team to win three Challenges in a row, but the Blue Beetles (former two-time champions themselves) should prove a difficult opponent. As if this wasn’t enough to provide drama to the match, EM Sangria has promised a surprise for this Challenge – something special to mark the occasion of two veteran teams meeting. Interested in seeing how this all plays out? Come to the Chessboard in Nujel’m and watch Catskills take on Legends in the Cross Shard Treasure Hunt Challenge! Date: Sunday, April 22nd Time: 9pm EST Place: Nujel’m Chessboard, Test Center Shard Spectators are encouraged to come and cheer on their favorite team! Gates will be provided from the New Haven bank prior to and during the event. [Discuss This Article]

Library of Sosaria Reopens! Submitted by Martyna_Zmuir on April 13, 2012 at 7:20 PM CDT After several weeks of remodeling and frenzied decorating, the Library of Sosaria has reopened to the public! The first floor contains hundreds of books, with many more to come soon. The second floor has displays of historical artifacts from around Sosaria. The third floor contains the archives of the Royal Britannian Guards, the Britannian Royal Spies and various events in the lives of our more interesting citizens. In the near future, there we will be holding a literary contest for original short stories. Stop by the Library of Sosaria Complex at 71o 53’N, 39o 14’W or teleport from the fourth station at the Luna Banner Hub. [Discuss This Article]

THE YEW TIMES - A Newspaper for Sosaria Submitted by UO_Herald on April 12, 2012 at 7:36 PM CDT Originally posted 12 Apr 2012 11:18:00 EST by YEW TIMES Editoral Office on the UO Herald: Written by members of the UO community Issue 3 WORLD NEWS Golem Experiment Falls Flat A year's worth of dedication in perfecting the mechanical shepherd has been rife with numerous failures, says controversial tinker and inventor, Harvey Croblink. "Mind you, the mechanical golem though a modern marvel, is pretty much simple-minded in it's tasks. It lacks the gentler touch," says Harvey. Improvements in the golem's intelligence and problem-solving capabilities seem to have made matters worse, despite the machine's ability to understand more complex commands. An order to herd sheep to another corral, might result in the golem hurling the poor creatures in a catapult fashion 100 furlongs through the air. Bystanders were horrified to witness the metal colossus forcefully plowing a new born spring lamb through the narrow fenceposts when a request was made to retrieve any lost strays that had wandered off. Animal trainers have stated that the sheep are so traumatized at this point, that when they see the metal monster, they tend to try to hide under the nearest sheep and it is not uncommon for cowering sheep to inadvertantly be crushed under a massive sheep-pile in the interests of self-preservation. Last but not least are incidents where the golem will attempt to forcefully feed a malnurished sheep until it bursts. So it's back to the drawing board for our famous tinker. Better luck with your next promising invention. To read the full article on the forums, click HERE. [Discuss This Article]

Festival of the Grape Harvest Submitted by Martyna_Zmuir on April 11, 2012 at 12:09 PM CDT Gather at Empath Abbey (Trammel) for the annual Festival of the Grape Harvest. One of the monks has been working on new varieties of wine and will be holding a wine tasting. [Discuss This Article]

The Awakening - Act III Ad Submitted by UO_Herald on April 10, 2012 at 4:53 PM CDT Originally posted 10 Apr 2012 17:15:38 EST by Kai Schober on the UO Herald: [Discuss This Article]

The Awakening - Act III Submitted by UO_Herald on April 10, 2012 at 12:06 PM CDT Originally posted 10 Apr 2012 11:39:43 EST by Kai Schober on the UO Herald: Written by the EM Team There was hardly anything left after they were done. He’d borne witness to the frantic looting of the castle and had found himself only able to escape with his life. It was unthinkable, and as such it had caught him and seemingly everyone else completely unawares. Explosions were set off throughout the capital city…though there wasn’t much point in even calling it the capital city anymore at this point. Britannia was on the brink of collapse into a fully-fledged group of independent city-states, like Nujel’m had always been. All he had been able to salvage were the clothes on his back and the rumpled piece of cloth in his hand. He thought back to the incident in his head, still confused over the choice he’d made… To read the full story on the forums, click HERE.

Jeff 'Gryphon' Skalski Interview on UOForums Submitted by DaKaren on April 7, 2012 at 10:32 AM CDT Originally posted 04/06/12 by Rupert Avery on UOForums: The Ultima franchise Producer kindly took the time to answer some of our burning questions. This is part one with another round of answers to come. Hope you all enjoy Interview with Jeff 'Gryphon' Skalski - UO Producer Part 1 [Discuss This Article]

Rares Fest Comes to Great Lakes Submitted by Martyna_Zmuir on April 4, 2012 at 4:48 PM CDT From Melian of Majestic Oaks Auction House: Great Lakes Shard April 28th to May 6th (with May 7th being a final clean up payout) Auction Host is Majestic Oaks Auction. Majestic Oaks Auction has been running live auction on Great Lakes for over 10 years every week. We have the same crew in tact as the last Great Lakes Rare's fest 3 years ago. One new gater who has been with us 6 months (no secure auction house access). Thus far locked in on our end live auctions Thurday May 3rd 8 p.m. CDT, Saturday May 5th 6 p.m. CDT, Sunday May 6th 1 p.m. CDT Vendor hand outs will begin Thursday, April 26th through Sunday April 29th (NO early exception. Stragglers will be added during fest as needed). Vendor mall will be the Majestic Oaks Auction castle on Artic/Ice/Dagger Isle (depending on what you wish to call it). Vendors will be 1 per patron until everyone has one then we'll see what we have to work with 94 slots in the castle, another MOA house about 20 pixels behind, another MOA spot on the island in reserve. No rental fees on vendors will be charged, only stipulation is content on vendors be rare in nature. Contact Melian at 294-317-507 about a vendor spot or reply to this post. To read the full announcement on the forums, click HERE.