Audyssey; Games Accessible to the Blind Issue 43: first quarter, 2005 Edited by Ron Schamerhorn & Lynette Frison Fun, Friendship, Knowledge, Charity +++ Welcome Welcome to the forty-second issue of Audyssey. This magazine is dedicated to the discussion of games which, through accident or design, are accessible to the blind either with or without sighted assistance. For the first quarter of 2005, we have a number of game finds and well written reviews. A few good tid bits in the letters section,news from a couple of the developers, and informative articles including the return of everyone's favourite hero Adam the immortal gamer! Note: This magazine uses plus-signs as navigation markers. Three plus-signs are placed above any articles or sections. Within these sections, two plus-signs denote the start of a new sub-section. Smaller divisions are marked by a single plus-sign. This allows people to use their search capabilities to go quickly to the next division they are interested in. For instance, the "Letters" section is preceded by three plus-signs. Each letter within it has two plus-signs before it. Answers to letters have a single plus-sign before them. +++ Contents: Welcome From The Editor Letters Adam the immortal gamer Games for hand ear coordination Encounter in the Worm's layer Making Nethack Accessible in windows News From Game Developers Fearless Flin Development Diary: Part III Game Announcements and Reviews Contacting Us Distribution Information and Submission Policies +++ From The Editor: Hello to my readership, I know this one has been a long time in coming but I hope you'll agree the wait was worth it. I feel this issue for the first quarter 2005 is a good one. The reason there was no issue before Christmas to wrap up the 2004 year was my computers fault. Perhaps also my own, though steps have been taken to ensure this problem won't occur again. In short my power supply died, a few days later it was fixed but the cache had been damaged and thus the computer was doing some odd things. It was taken back to the shop and fortunately covered under warranty for the work. Then with the holiday season, and other such events in life I finally got it back in early January. Then of course was the fun of getting all the programs I use regularly back on and such things. I don't think I lost any material from the drive, at least I don't think I have. I'm glad there was a good supply of material for this issue. At times I almost forget what there is to be put in the publication. Though this doesn't mean to relax keep the submissions coming in. After all I edit I'm not trying to write this all on my own. But without much further from me On to issue 43! Happy reading all! +++ Letters ++ Developer group started Hello Developers, This is just a quick e-mail to let all developers know that AGDev.org has Been officially launched. We're keen for you to sign up to the discussion system and start asking questions, giving support, sharing your ideas and contributing to the interest groups. Note that initially, membership is restricted to developers who have released at least one accessible game to date. Further invitations will follow for prospective developers. As a group, we've got a number of important organisational questions to answer at the start, too -- your input on those is vital to how things will be run in the future so keep on the lookout for a post that'll kick off this discussion soon. For more information on how to sign up, visit http://www.agdev.org/DiscussionArena and follow the instructions there. If you have any questions or problems, please don't hesitate to contact the list owner at agdev-discuss-owner@lists.agdev.org. Hope to see you all on-list/forum soon! All the best, David ++ Winfrotz and TTS Hello, Adventurer !!! While we're currently working on a lot of incredible things that we feel are newsworthy, our latest discovery couldn't wait to be announced. One of our blind customers, William H., has brought the existence of a new version of Windows Frotz to our attention with built-in text-to-speech capabilities! Ok, if you're not blind this news won't be terribly exciting for you so feel free to delete this email and return your attention to Pentari, Endgame or Greystone. For those of you that have relied on JAWS or other solutions for screen reading, this new release of WindowsFrotz is something you'll want to grab right away. It will totally enhance your Malinche gaming experience. Visit http://www.malinche.net/software.html and go download your copy now. +++ Adam, The Immortal Gamer and the Virtual Reality chip. by Phil Vlasak A dim light is still on in the Erindale Campus dorm room of Adam Taylor. It is Halloween night, and Adam looks up at the sound of rain hitting his window. The sky splits and a roar rumbles loudly, then echoes across the valley. "Hmm, he thinks to himself, perfect weather for a game of ghosts and goblins, but not for studying on-line." Adam starts to close his computer just before a brilliant flash blinds him and a force smashes the window glass and knocks him off his chair. When Adam wakes up he finds himself laying in bed on the second floor of a two family house. There is no broken glass or any sign that his ROOM was hit by lightning. As the mist clears in his mind, his memories start to come back. He is no longer a college student but a programmer for BSC Games living and working in Boardman, Ohio. "Wow, what a dream!" Adam says to himself. He thinks that nap after work did some good but wonders why his dream was about being in college, before VR took over the world. Then Adam remembers when he got off the bus this evening, he noticed the packing boxes on the curb in front of his house and furniture in the downstairs apartment. He thinks it will be good to have someone else living in the building. Getting up, opening the door to his bedroom he is greeted by a rather large egg balanced on two bird legs. It is dancing on his living room floor. "Whoo wee, whoot!" It says. When it speaks, its shell opens slightly and occasionally its large yellow eyes peek out from under the shell. He smiles as he recalls the first time he saw the bobbing robot egg doing that same dance at the Adora Entertainment lab. "No, not now Oakie, I need to work now. Go back and sit in your nest." The bird wines a little then turns around, wobbles over and crouches down facing away from him, the egg shell hat settling down to the rest of the ovoid. He felt sorry for the bird but knew that if he gave the toy any attention, it would take over his whole evening. He tells the micro what he wants and it reaches into the fridge and pulls out a package then heats it according to the bar code printed on the lid. After dinner he starts to work on his BSC Anasazi game. During a break, he looks out in his back yard and notices a woman and a teenage boy playing baseball. She was pitching to the boy, and he was trying to hit the ball. Half the time it flew over his head towards the house. Adam watches him run after the ball and throw it back to the woman. She has long blonde hair and a very curvy body, dressed in loose t-shirt and pants. The other times he hits the ball past her and she runs all the way to the back fence to get it. Even from this distance he can tell she is attractive. Adam watches them for a while then has an idea. He grabs a jacket, sprints down the steps to the back yard. Stopping by the house, picking up the ball he smiles and says, "Hi, I'm Adam and live upstairs." "Howdy, I'm Cindy and he's my son Matthew. We've moved in downstairs this morning!" she said returning his smile. She was a little shorter than Adam with dark brown eyes and a deep tan. Matthew was just as tall as her but skinny with a look of worry on his face. How about if I throw the ball and you catch it? he asks Cindy, then continues, "Then we'll see if your son can hit it." She thinks about his plan for a second, then answers, "Sure." The house had a large grassy back yard with a low fence but not big enough to keep a well hit fly ball inside it. Adam knew something about pitching from playing the latest VR version of Strat-O-Matic Baseball, so he threw curve balls low in the strike zone so Matthew would only hit easy grounders. After a while, the boy's hitting improved and Adam spent most of the time running after the ball. Adam stops when noticing the dark clouds looming over the house. "We'd better take cover, it's gonna' get pretty wet out here!" he exclaims. The three run towards the porch, just missing the downpour by seconds. Adam catches his breath and says, "It would have been better if we had gone to the Boardman VR center and played Strat-O-Matic baseball at Yankee Stadium instead. No chance of getting wet, unless you want to," he adds. Cindy turns to Adam and asks, "Hey, speaking of gettin' drenched, do yall want a cool drink?" "No, but thanks for the offer." he replies, knowing how messy it would be in her place the first day after moving. Cindy straightens her messed hair and says, "Well in that case, thanks lots for helping us, and we'll see ya later." Adam went up to his apartment to do some work but after a while he stopped. His memory of her kept him from concentrating on it. Images of her smiling face tossing her head and her blonde curls tumbling about distracted him. When Adam woke up the next morning, it was still raining. He opens an umbrella, grabs his briefcase then goes down to wait for the bus to downtown Boardman. Cindy was already standing on the curb waiting at the bus stop. Knowing the schedule Adam had about five minutes to talk to her. "Hi Cindy. You didn't have a chance last night to tell me all about your move to Boardman." "Hi. It looks like you work downtown too." She said glancing at his trench coat and briefcase. Adam says, "I'm a telematics Specialist and designer of computer games for BSC." She replies, "I work for Gates.Com as an executive in their publicity department. Right now I'm starting on the Spiracles campaign." She glances back at the house then turns to Adam and continues, "We were moved by them with all expenses paid. They packed all our stuff and unpacked everything!" "So your place wasn't filled with boxes!" Adam exclaims. "I should have taken you up on that drink invitation last night!" "Well, you never know when we'll need a relief pitcher again." she says. "I'd like to talk to you some more and since we're waiting for the same bus, how about sitting together? he inquires. Her eyes went far away for a second, then focused on him, "Sure." She said simply. "Where did you move from?" he asked. "North Carolina, can't you tell from my accent?" she says smiling at him. The bus arrived and there were two vacant seats together. It was one of those solar powered busses but on a rainy day like today it had to start up on its fuel cells. The low hum of the electric motors was hidden by the sound of the rain hitting the windows. As he talked about the town and what were the best restaurants he could tell by her body language that she was interested in him. As she was talking, Adam slips his right hand into his shirt pocket and pulls out a card. Pressing on the release square. It turns a pale green. He smiles at that, glancing towards Cindy and says, "I know I just met you yesterday, but I'd like you to see my ZIP card." "Ok" she said hesitantly. As Adam hands her the card he notices the green color increasing. This is the compatibility glow, green for go, yellow for caution and red for stop. She smiles and Adam sees a little blush forming on her cheeks. He knew that he could have kept the text secret and asked Cindy on a date just by the card's color. That is, if she's honest with her answers, he surmises. Cindy looks at the government regulated text which shows up filling the card's small screen. Name given at birth, Adam Taylor. Current Name, Same Web Name, Adam The Immortal Gamer. Web Site, Blade's Armoury. Marital Status, divorced Children, zero. Birth Date, November 17, 1976 After scrolling through the rest of Adam's data she smiles and says, "Thanks." As she hands the card back she continues, "So you were born in Mississauga Ontario? That's a long way from Boardman." Thinking about his answers on the card she adds, "I also like to read sci-fi and fantasy. I enjoy the stories of Karen Joy Fowler and Terry Bisson and sometimes even purchase the paper versions." She pauses a moment then reaches into her purse, pulls out her ZIP card and thumps the I d square. It glows a deep green as she hands it to him. Name given at birth, Cindy Visconti Current Name, Cindy Erven Web Name, Miss Cindy Web Site, Gates.com/Spiracles/Cindy Marital Status, divorced Children, one. Birth Date, April 7, 1977 Adam presses the scroll button and reads her relationship section. Best physical features? smile, and naturally curly hair. Hobbies? reading, writing, Virtual Reality games. Favourite type of music? Ambient Rock of 1K. Favourite type of food? Non-Lactase Vegetarian. Interested in natural or enhanced dates? both Any extra organs or body augmentations? Virtual Reality chip. As Adam hands back her card, he asks, "Since you and your son are new to Boardman, How about I take you both out to dinner tonight?" "Sure, but I don't think Matthew wants to go, he's so tied up with his VR game," she answers. After work, they met right outside her door and he drove her to the restaurant. During the meal Adam said, "I went to college at the Erindale Campus in Mississauga, and decided to go into the game design field. After college I went to work for BSC Games, and I'm still there. I'm working on a VR experience where you are a Bald Eagle flying over the south west set at the beginning of 1K," he explained. "You can see millions of buffalo swarming over the plains and watch the Anasazi culture develop." He looks in her eyes and said, "The VR chip makes the games easier to design." "Yes, my chip does make my work easier too." she replies tilting her head. "Do you use the VR at home?" Adam asks. "No, when I'm home I don't do much VR," she answers glancing at the table. Adam thought he noticed a little blush in her cheeks but put it off as the affect of the wine. "I get an intense contact high just living in this area." He says while sipping the last of his drink. "I hope I'll grow to love it too," she says Smiling at him. Eventually Adam says, "Sometimes I let my work rule my life. I should spend more time going out to dinner like this." "Do you ever talk to your computer?" Cindy asks while sliding her fingers through her hair. "No, but I do talk to my pet robot. Its a prototype bird that I'm testing out for Adora Entertainment," He answers as the waiter brings him the bill pad. Adam inserts his ZIP card then follows her out to the car. At her door Adam holds her hand, says goodnight and turns away. When he gets to his apartment, Oakie's eyes peek out but it doesn't move from its nest, it just wines. "Stop whining!" Adam commands, then sits down at his work station. He inserts the ZIP card into his Alchemy Game Studios VR unit and downloads the compatibility information that his card got from Cindy's. He goes to the physical model section and scrolls through the choices. USE THE ARROW KEYS TO ADJUST DOWNLOADED DEFAULTS. Adam moves to the PERSONALITY category. Affectionate, Brazen, Conceited, Coquette, Erotic, Flirt, Passionate, Provocative, Sultry, Sweet, Tease, Tender, Vamp. He chooses Affectionate and Sultry then clicks on OK. Adam climbs into his VR suit, fits the wires from the computer to the plug implanted in his brain, then his real world fades away... He fast forwards to the last time he saw her tonight. Adam moves to Cindy standing by her door, but instead of shaking her hand, he leans over, and kisses her lightly on the lips. He covers her neck with tiny, fluttery kisses from her collarbone to her ear. Adam focuses on the feel of his lips, putting a constant pressure on her ear lobe. When he kisses Cindy nothing else exists in the world. His entire life is wrapped up into the moment. Adam feels eternity and reaches back into the past and into the future. Without a word, she smiles, pulls Adam's arm towards her and closes the door behind them. They spend a while together, until he unplugs from the VR unit. Meanwhile, Cindy closes the door after saying goodbye to Adam, then goes over to her Alchemy Game Studios VR and inserts her ZIP card, downloading the compatibility information that her card got from Adam's. She goes to the physical model section and scrolls through the choices. and reviews the PERSONALITY settings. Affectionate, Audacious, Conceited, Dumb, Eager, Nervous, Passionate, Passive, Provocative, Sensual, Sweet, Tender. Cindy makes her choices and clicks on OK. As she puts on her VR suit, and waits for the romance to start she thinks about telling him the truth about how much she depends emotionally on her VR, but realizes that it is just too unthinkable. Her reality fades out... A rough approximation of Adam leans closer and looks deep into her eyes as they kiss. Music increases in Cindy's head. It starts with the notes prolonged and subtly erotic. Adam Taylor gets up from his VR unit and walks over when he hears his bird whimpering. He notices that Oakie is crying. Tears suddenly pour down Cindy's face. Weeks of pent-in frustration burst loose as she invites Adam to enter her secret place. Adam notices that the bird has dropped its egg shell hat off. He looks closer at the nest and picks out the small pieces of plastic shell. He studies them and thinks they could be dangerous if stepped on by accident. Even though they are in the nest they could drop out when Oakie uncouples from her recharger. He looks at the bird now struggling to break off the rest of the shell. As the door closes, Cindy takes off her baseball cap then unbuttons her sweater. Oakie reaches down with her beak and snaps off a chunk. Should he help the bird get free? He mulls over that for a minute then notices a large crack on the left side that soon splits completely and releases the baby bird. Adam bends over and picks Oakie up and looks at her plastic feathers closely for the first time. Cindy reaches down with her left hand and snaps off her belt. She looks up and he is smiling. She grabs hold of him firmly and pulls him towards her. Oakie's wings wrap around Adam pulling him closer. Her wings beat into his shoulders and her rubber claws scratch harmlessly down his belly as her beak stretches toward his mouth. Cindy leans forward to press a Passionate kiss on Adam's lips. Her head rests on his shoulder and then she pulls and nibbles on his ear lobe making him gasp. She bites harder and pierces his skin with her sharp teeth. With the blending of her Vampire saliva and his blood, he is bonded to her. By her bite he will never be able to die. And he will never be able to leave her. Leading him inside her dungeon, she whispers, "Now we will be immortal together forever." Oakie's head rests on Adam's shoulder and her beak pulls and nibbles his ear lobe making him laugh. She bites harder and he feels pain. "Ouch! No, no Oakie! Stop it!" Adam yells as he yanks her beak away from his head. Adam puts Oakie down and she runs off and hides in the closet as He feels his ear slick with blood. He presses a tissue to try and stop the blood flowing. Adam looks at his ear in the bathroom mirror. It is really cut bad and refuses to stop bleeding. He runs downstairs and as he gets near his car, it senses the proximity of his ZIP card, turns on the lights, opens the door and starts its motor. "Emergency room!" He says while closing the door. The car finds the location of the nearest twenty four hour emergency hut on its GPS map and steps on the gas for him. Sensing other objects on the road and turning all the lights green on the way, his car rushes him there in three minutes. The car screeches to a stop near the microphone and camera and opens the window for him. "Please state the nature of the medical emergency." The automated Doctor says. "My robot bit my ear lobe!" Adam yells into the mike. While he watches the camera focusing in on the wound, Adam recognizes that the doctor's voice is from the old Voyager Star Trek show. "Please lean out of the car for a moment." The Doctor commands. Adam does so and is startled by two gripper arms that hold his head still as a laser cauterizes his bleating ear. "Youl!" Adam yells as the sharp pain hits him. "Sorry about that, the five milligrams of Nova spray would have taken too much time." The Doctor explains. "There are three other emergencies coming and we need this parking space." Adam's car starts up and pulls off before he has time to respond. He hears the Doctor's voice trail off behind him saying, "Thank you for using the Clara Barton Managed Care Medical Hut. Your ZIP card will be billed." Adam fades from Cindy's vision and she feels a cold chill run down her spine. "Excuse me, Ms. Erven, but your time has run out." The Alchemy Game Studios software lawyer says in Cindy's head. "You must verbally agree to the monthly payment to Alchemy to make this program fully functional." "Damn!" She says out loud. "Is that a verbal agreement to the payment plan?" The program asks. "No, You should know that by now!" Cindy shouts in frustration. As she slowly strips off the VR suit she mutters to herself, "Damn it, just when I get to the good part, the demo throws ice water at me!" "At the time of your purchase notification, you will receive a personalized password that removes these nag messages and unlocks all features of this Alchemy program." The computer voice continues in a monotone. Cindy turns the VR unit off, drops the cold wet suit into her hamper and puts on some dry clothes. She thinks about her situation. If I agree to upgrade from demo to the full thing, there goes Mat's college money. It would be great to hear Adam talk with his own voice instead of the stock one offered by the Alchemy demo. Then again it would probably be better to ask the real Adam to plug in and share my VR fantasy. Maybe I should have been more honest in my compatibility questions and asked for someone I really need instead of someone I could tolerate. If all my money wasn't spent on divorce lawyers I could even upgrade to a newer unit. Now I have to work hard just paying the bills for this old suit. Back in his apartment, Adam finds the bird hiding in his closet under a pile of shirts she pulled down over her head. "You can't hide from me girl!" He says angrily as he uncovers the bird, turns it around and presses the diagnostic button under her wing. "Good evening Mr. Taylor." The Adora Entertainment Softbird technician says. "What was your motivation in biting my ear?" Adam asks. It sounds strange to hear a human voice coming from the bird's beak. "As you know, Oakie senses your emotions in several different ways." The man says out of the now immobile bird. "It notices your expressions, your pupil dilation, your breathing rate and the speed of your motions. It also has a voice sensor to determine your vocal stress level. When you are not in the room, Oakie has the ability to pick up on your VR activity through sensing stray frequencies emanating from your equipment. This was the factor that controlled the biting" Adam thinks about his recently completed VR experience with Cindy. It might have detected him nibbling on her ear before kissing her but he certainly didn't bite it hard. "I think you need a slight adjustment." Adam says while checking out his still hurting ear. "Calibrate your program and restrict your biting to non living things." He commands. "Modification complete." The Adora Entertainment software technician says. The next morning Adam sees Cindy waiting for the bus. He greets her but all she can do is stair open mouthed at his bitten ear. It was the same one she had bitten in her VR experience! Unfortunately, there were only a few single seats left on the bus so she couldn't ask Adam about his ear. During a break at work, Cindy decides to revise her zip info on relationships. Then she'll be able to see if Adam is still compatible. Cindy Touches her lips just for a second thinking about the strange coincidence of the ear, then clicks on his picture to invite Adam for dinner. Adam arrives downstairs at seven PM. He brings his robot Owl along to show it to her and Matthew. This is the birds first trip out of the apartment. "I know he'd like to see it but I just can't get that kid away from his game on the VR." Cindy says while serving stuffed mushrooms. "I'll just put his dinner in the micro so he can eat it later." "Now then, what happened to your ear?" Cindy asks. Matthew Erven is too deeply involved in the GMA game, Shades of Doom version twelve to stop for dinner. In a level where the monsters roam free, their search for him is intense. It's night and the dim light of the moon makes hiding more difficult. The flashlights, yellow beams burst over the near cliff face, then search the ceiling of a cave. It's cold and he is naked, having lost all of his weapons and armour at the entrance to this level . Laying flat on his back in the tall wet grass, the mutant humans pass near by Matthew. There is no defence for him except by stealth. The nearest searcher pauses a few seconds then moves on. Matthew stops breathing and goose bumps raise on the back of his arms when the voice of the growling creature gets louder. They search in vain. He understands that their weapons are made of rubber, but when shot too close, they can really sting. The thud of their foot steps beat off to the west. He sighs for the time being, his body is safe from their bruising weapons. The grass hides Matthew as he turns onto his belly. Some of the blades are short but most are tall enough to hide him. The sounds of their feet are scarcely heard now. It takes courage to peek out to see how far they have gone. There are three of them and Matthew is in no immediate danger from being spotted. A rare deliverance from their attacks. Matthew crawls on his hands and knees over to where they had already been, to look for a refuge from their search. He examines the cavities in the cliff face, then enters a wide mouth gash. It gives Matthew room enough to stand up and still be hidden. He hears them coming back. He is doubtful that his location is safe from a close inspection. Matthew thinks some of the caves are connected by tunnels but many have no other way out. The existence of a long tunnel is what he hopes for after all his efforts to escape. It's damp in the cave. Hundreds of bats hang off the ceiling in the gloom. They are perpetually in motion, breathing and flapping. He hears some of them swoop down and pounce on the first sight of food. The flashlights have attracted flying insects that the bats gobble down quickly. Strange noises come from them. It's the combined sounds of hundreds of hearts beating and lungs swelling and relaxing. Matthew is discouraged. It's impossible for him to stay here. But they are still searching. Matthew sees the lights fanning outside getting closer and closer. It's clear that he has no other place to go but further into the cave. He finds refuge in a small notch four feet up in the wall. In Cindy's apartment, Oakie swings her head left and right looking up at the ceiling then jumps up on the couch and watches them eat. "I've been thinking of our talk about relationships." Adam says between bites. "When you said that you were still hurting from your divorce and that after a long marriage you drifted apart. When did you realize that you weren't compatible?" He asks. Cindy looks at Adam and pauses eating. "It was the socks and shoes. He had a strange way of putting them on and taking them off. At first I thought it was cute, then after a while, it bugged the hell out of me. He would sit on the edge of the bed and lean over and put on his right sock and shoe first. He would repeat the process with his left sock and left shoe. Then he would slip his pants over his shoes. "Why did he do that?" Adam asks. "He said that when he was a child he was afraid of fires. He thought it would be better if woken up in the middle of the night to put on one sock and shoe then hop outside than to put both socks and shoes on. He told me he had been doing it ever since." "It really bugged you that much?" Adam asks. "I told him that I would just run out with bear feet. He refused to change. I thought he was deranged and I told him to stop, but he didn't." She wraps a chain around her wrist, smiles and continues, "Then there was the other thing, his tiny feet." Matthew examines the ledge he is sitting on. Luckily it is not inhabited by any bats. As the lights drift away from the cave opening, he gradually hears the chatter of thousands of small feet echoing around him. and the sound is getting louder and louder. His skin shrivels at the realization that the floor is covered with cave crickets. Just then, one bat looses its grip on the ceiling and falls to the cave floor. He hears the insects swarm over the screeching body. In the gloom of the cave, he can just make out that the bugs quickly strip the flesh off and the bat is reduced to shining bones. Matthew realizes that the carnivorous insects were scared off by the search lights and now are back to trap him in the notch. When the crickets are done with the fallen bat. They settle down to a glistening black surface covering the floor below him. Matthew gets the creeps thinking about those bugs and what they could do to his naked feet if he tries to run out. He has the horrible thought of falling asleep then slipping off the ledge and falling into that mass of creatures unable to breathe as they enter his mouth and nose while thousands of pinchers dig into his flesh. So much for a vivid imagination. He can feel that here, alone in this place, he will die. In this cave, death happens so often that there is nothing to mark its passing. His cramped little notch is a sanctuary but only until he becomes too thirsty or hungry to stay. Matthew wishes he had a trap door to the top of the hill where he knows the monsters would not look for him. He is tempted by the cave opening, so near yet impossible to reach. With his back tight against the wall Matthew still sees the searcher's lights dimly fanning outside. It's clear that he has no other place to go. Hiding in this hideously damp dark cave He explores the small notch in the wall with his finger tips, touching the ceiling above his head. Then he reaches behind him. An instant of dread crosses his mind when he touches a soft mushy object that feels like an enormous spider. Matthew is ready to unleash a fury of fists at the thing but pauses to think. If it's a spider he is dead, but if it's something else, something he can use, then it's worth clicking on. He decides to explore it further. It turns out to be a mushroom. This could be a food source or the instrument of his end if it's poisonous. He examines the small ledge and there are several fat mushrooms on it the size of tennis balls. Oakie starts to whimper as its head swivels back and forth as if it was seeing something crawling around the room. Adam goes over and picks Oakie up and brings her back to the table. Holding Oakie on his lap Adam doesn't see the bird take a big bite of a mushroom. Oakie squirms off his lap and runs back to the couch. Matthew picks a mushroom and tosses pieces of it up to the bats. They fly over and snatch the pieces out of the air thinking they are flying insects. Now he only has to wait to find out if they die from eating the mushrooms. A few minutes later, Adam feels something hitting the back of his head. He looks around and sees Oakie spitting out a little chunk of mushroom then slapping it with her right wing like a tennis serve. It flies over his head and plops down on the table. Cindy is carrying dishes into the kitchen so he cleans up some of the most obvious mess that Oakie made before she notices it. Matthew starts a long vigil listening for the telltale thud of their bodies. It's clear to him now that the chance of escape is small. He wonders if he should call out to attract the searchers to come back and save him from starving or being eaten by bugs. If they decide to kill him, at least it will be quick. The bats still hug the ceiling. The mushrooms seem to not have affected them. Matthew is stricken rigid by the fear of falling asleep and dropping off the ledge. He is famished. The mushrooms are too tempting not to try. He reaches out and picks one and takes a bite of its smooth surface. It's moist and tart but not terrible. He is tempted to eat more right away but being careful he decides to wait and see if the little piece makes him sick. He debates with himself how long to wait to find out the effects of a small taste. He hears a sharp crack outside. Matthew is frozen in place waiting for the searchers to pass. He can't move but he must stay alert. Every now and then he begins to fall asleep and nearly loses his balance. He thinks of his life outside of this world. He wonders if any of his peeps are the ones searching for him. He murmurs, "If they are, I'll get those bunches of bad fakers!" Matthew has sat still so long that his muscles ache. The sound of flapping catches his attention. The bats start to fly out of the cave by the hundreds. The incessant beat of their wings form flying blurs, their little pupils glimmering like thousands of stars in the sky. The stench in the cave caused by the bats is overwhelming enough to cause him to hold his nose. He has to wait until the air clears. Has he waited long enough? His increasing hunger makes him test the air. It is breathable. Now he must try to eat some more. It doesn't appear that the mushrooms are poisonous. Matthew takes another bite. The sight of the bat's yellow eyes reflecting the flash lights as they flew out of the cave makes him shiver. Matthew presses tight to the back wall of the notch trying not to be seen from the entrance. It looks like the searchers will not explore the tunnel. They are coming and going by, their nearness reflected by the beams of light passing at intervals. The lights make the mass of remaining bats vibrate and tremble. The direct light occasionally stirs the bats. After a while, Matthew notes a group of stationary bats sitting in a niche directly across from him. He can hear a faint squeaking from them. Their voices give the impression of a nesting mother with babies to feed. It's not bats, it's rats! They must have come in by a different route since they could not have walked on the insects without being eaten. He can just barely see their small round eyes glimmering in the fading search light. He realizes that the way to freedom maybe at hand. Matthew gathers the mushrooms until his arms are filled then starts throwing them on either side of a path across to the rat tunnel. The insects surge towards the mushrooms reacting like they are falling bats. This leaves a narrow path clear of them. Matthew springs out of his notch and rushes towards the other hole in the wall. His jumping into the rat infested tunnel scares them off. This is good because he can follow their fading scratching sound in this area of total darkness. Matthew hears small bones break under his bare feet but no sign of the deadly insects. He is free to slowly explore the tunnel and does a full circuit of the new space. His hope of escape dwindles as there is no easy way out. He gropes the walls, higher and higher, leaving no place un-searched. Though the floor is continuous there are numerous small niches in the cave walls but they are too small for him to enter. He can feel the ceiling of the cave a foot over his head. When Matthew turns around to face the entrance of this side tunnel, he feels a draft on his face. This raises goose bumps in the sure knowledge that there is a way out. But is it large enough to squeeze through? Their is a rustling of tiny feet further into the tunnel. He feels a deep notch waste high in the wall to the right. He enters that passage. The smell of damp rat fur is stronger. As Matthew pauses to listen, the sound of the claws fade away. There seems to be an unbroken surface but the constant breeze from the bats is intensified in this narrow tunnel. Beyond a point the wind stops. He moves back to where the breeze is on his face. Matthew feels up a foot. He feels a ledge over his head. With the agility of a cat Matthew grabs it and pulls himself up and onto the ledge. He squats with his legs cramped underneath him on a smaller shelf than before. He takes a breath. Sitting is impossible for the shelf is only three inches wide. There directly above him is an opening. Matthew raises his head and feels the air streaming past. With his eyes grown sensitive to light in the complete darkness he perceives a slight glow from above. He searches for a hand hold on the wall and finds a narrow groove that the rats use to enter the cave chimney. He can imagine the rats above him slipping off the ledges and falling on to his head. By feeble fits and starts he climbs slowly up the impossible sheer walls. Resting is unthinkable as he clings perilously to small finger and footholds. Some of the cracks and crevices are slimy, crumbling and a half inch wide. He gropes with one hand compelled to continue up for if he falls, no one might hear his scream, or if he cries out the searchers will capture him. He doesn't know which would be worse. The persistence of the fresh air flowing around encourages him. Matthew slowly moves up another foot then looks up and sees an edge above him filled with stars. He threads his way slowly up the last few feet. He reaches out with his hands and grasps a clump of grass. Matthew inches upwards until he can extend his arms over the edge. He feels the cold temperature of the hill top. His breathing intensifies as he is almost at the end. It's unthinkable that he stop now, but he is exhausted. He pauses a few minutes to recover then grabs the two sides of the hole and pulls his body out. He flips on his belly and holds onto the grass clumps to keep from falling back. Safe now, Matthew rolls over and lays flat panting. He looks up at the sky and the radiant full moon. As a beam of light shoots down circling him, he realizes that his quest on this level is over. When Adam looks back at Oakie she is gone. He hears a rustling from the fire place. It's the sound of the bird squeezing up the chimney trying to get out. Adam reaches up just in time to pull her down. Her wings loosen clouds of black dust that fall all over Adam. He finally reaches far enough up to hit the shut off button. Cindy pulls out her ZIP card from her purse, thumbs the on switch and smiles at the green glow. She hikes up her skirt a little, picks up the tea cups and comes in from the kitchen. Her eyes grow large with the shock at her soot covered living room. "What did you do to my apartment!" She exclaims. I don't know what happened with this dirty bird!" Adam croaks, looking at Oakie's blackened wings. "She never did anything like this before. All I can say is that I really apologize for bringing her here." Adam continues to beg her to forgive him as Cindy pushes him and the bird out her front door slamming it behind them. Before she starts to clean up the mess, she plans to call her sun for dinner again. Walking over to her VR unit, she feels a wet squishy object on the carpet. She picks up and examines what looks like a piece of her mushroom dinner. Then she notices two paths of mushroom pieces leading from the couch to the fireplace. "Matthew, time to eat dinner." the whispering voice of his mother rings in his ears. "Damn, she always interferes with my game!" He cries out. He realizes that luckily it wasn't while he was climbing or the interruption could have made him fall. Matthew saves his position, sets the omni- directional treadmill to frozen mode, then still dressed in the VR suit studded with small pressure solenoids, walks over to the side and steps off. As he does, thousands of programmable friction balls lower themselves on their telescopic stems turning the rugged hillside of his game world to a flat surface. He removes the helmet, unplugs the nose filter and spits out the taste generator, turns off the air system and slips out of the suit. He looks his body over for any bruises caused by the game. He can feel the strain of climbing the chimney in his fingers and shoulders but he still looks edgy slim. He would have to wait to check the really flight game sites until he could afford a better unit, and he wished he was already twenty one so he could get the chip implant like his mom has. His cell phone rings and it's one of his peeps from the game. They talk about how he got out of their trap. Adam gets back into his apartment with Oakie, and puts her back into the nest. Zap! Crash! Lightning flashes outside of Adam's house and the power goes out. He wakes up with his nose pressed into the carpet. He looks up into the blue screen of his college dorm computer as it starts to re- boot. Looking out the window, he is back at the Erindale Campus in Mississauga. He thinks to himself, was it all a dream, or was I in the future? +++ Games for hand/ear coordination By Gerardo Corribio Have you ever wanted a game that would serve the double purpose of (1) bettering your hand/ear coordination and (2) have fun at the same time? Crazy Darts, deek Out, and Bopit, all free games do exactly this. First, though, let's define the term hand/ear coordination: According to the American Heritage dictionary, coordination is defined as the Harmonious functioning of muscles in the execution of movements. Though vague, we can redefine hand/ear coordination for this article as the Harmonious functioning of muscles in the execution of movements proceeded by auditory input. Suppose a friend throws an empty coffee can on the kitchen floor, thus making a clang sound. The hand/ear coordination required for this example is to hear where the can lands, locating the clang sound by our hearing it, and afterwards search for the source of the clang, finding the coffee can. Though this is a very basic example, the games being discussed for this review require us to go a bit further. continuing with the coffee can example, if it were one of these games, it would require us to instantly locate the coffee can upon its fall. Beep baseball is another example in that apart from the words "ready go" commands, one must hear where the beeping ball is approaching from and hit the ball with the bat. The famous children's Simon Says game is another example of hand/ear coordination in that upon hearing a verbal command you follow it. Now that hand/ear coordination has been explained, let's go with the games and explain how the hand/ear coordination principle applies to them. Deek Out, which one can download from www.bscgames.com/deek.asp only requires that one's computer have Direct-X8 or higher installed and is playable without sighted assistance; the game is self-voicing so no screen reader is needed to play. Once you launch DeekOut, you're presented with the task of trying to avoid the computer. Using the right, left, up, and down arrows, move away from the sound of the computer player because if the computer gets you, you lose the game. However, one way that helps you in adding points (to your score is the more you can avoid the computer the more points you get. Is to stay in one place when you hear a different sound from the computer's. So ready to try and avoid being caught by your computer? How is hand/ear coordination used in this game? With the act of listening for the computer and avoiding it, thus moving yourself away requires that you listen to the origin of the sound and using your hands' muscles and instantly move away from the sound. Suppose you're walking around the block and you hear a dog bark at you. What would you do? Quickly get away from the danger of the dog biting you, thus this is the purpose of DeekOut, to get away from the danger of the computer getting at you. Crazy Darts which can be downloaded from www.bscgames.com/dart.asp is self-voicing, playable without sighted assistance and only requires Direct-X 8 or higher to work. The purpose of Crazy Darts is to aim and shoot the dart at a randomly-moving target. The closer to the center you shoot the more points. Sound easy? Pay close attention to the target's movements because each move is different from the one before. When you feel the shot is right, press the spacebar to shoot the dart. The hand/ear coordination is used in that suppose you get verbal or sound cues to where you need to throw a basketball? If the cue is more to the left/right you either wait for it to be more in the center by you moving a bit or you risk and throw the ball, hoping you get it in. Remember the Bopit toy popular a few years ago? Jim Kitchen has adapted the Bopit game for the PC. In case needing a refresher, Bopit involves twisting,pulling and bopping in different combinations and faster each time. To download Bopit, which needs a screen reader to run and playable without sighted assistance, go to Jim Kitchen's page at www.kitchensinc.net/ From there, go to the Free Windows Games link and you'll see the Bopit link. Once downloaded, installed and making sure you've got your screen reader running, launch the game and with yes no prompts, it'll ask you if you want to read the instructions, if you want voiced commands or tones (I recommend starting out with voiced prompts), the beginner level you want and finally you get to start the game. Once started in order to bopit hit the down arrow key, pull it is the left arrow key, and twist it is the right arrow key. Be quick because one wrong key or waiting too long, and you lose. Every time you correctly issue the command the game speeds up faster and faster. When you get to 100 points, though, it speeds up even more! The hand/ear coordination used is the same as the Simon Says example; you get a verbal command and follow it. However if you fail to do it correctly the first time around, similar to the Simon Says game, you lose. The Simon game, which is playable without sighted assistance and requires a screen reader to play, from James Boden site at http://freespace.virgin.net/jr.bowden/programs.htm follows this same principle in that you need to hear the sound and remember what key is associated with the sound. but wait! It goes even further because it requires the player to hear the sound and remember the sequence. In that it's the first sound + sound B plus the number of notes you specify in the configuration with the f3 keystroke. To remember what key is associated with what sound, you can go into Free Play mode from within the Game menu. To start playing the game, press f2 or Start Game from within the menus and you're all set to play So want to start working your hand/ear coordination and have fun at the same time? Enjoy these games! +++ Encounter In the Worm's Lair. By Phil Vlasak and others. This Dungeons and Dragons adventure is in the public Gamer's room on Audio-Tips, Sunday night at nine o'clock Eastern time. Audio-Tips is at: www.audio-tips.com Note: This story contains graphic descriptions of violence. It therefore may not be suitable for younger readers. Part 1 of this story was published on the Blind Gamers list in December. If you want to skip it, search for, Part 2, Underground Enemy List of characters: Alustrial, An Elf fighter with Psionic powers. She can cause great damage with her mind as with her sword. Shem al Adeen, Holy Warrior of Varice, God of the Sun. Being a man of the desert, he finds himself in strange surroundings. Chalk Casselwort, Gnome Priest of Sedric, God of the Heavens and Travelers. Pledged to help and support the party, his size and lack of strength makes him reluctant to battle. Gabriella and NightShade, Elf sisters, Magic User and Thief. Strangers to most of the group but old friends of Mace. HeartString, Elf Priest of Liyyera, the goddess of love. His healing powers are aimed to help broken hearts and bodies. Mace Knighthammer, Magic User/ fighter. To him, stealth and cunning are traits foremost in dealing with others If he can get past his temper. Molbo, Patriarch of Perasin, God of War. His wisdom does not quite make up for his lack of smarts, and he likes to fight, too. Hitomi Reju, Samurai Fighter, Priest of Helandra, the goddess of knowledge and secrets. His honor is foremost in dealing with challenges that he takes on willingly. He is master of the edged weapons, katana and wakazachi. SpringRight, Elf fighter. He is young but eager to try out battle techniques learned from his tutors. Taliesin, Half Elf, Bard. Prefers to fight with his tongue rather than his sword. The Battle begins. Molbo has his supper and then starts to make a cheese soup. Shem goes over to see what he is doing & Molbo asks that Shem put someone in place of him so he can honour his deity's gift of new powers. Shem asks and Andy takes Molbo's place. The cooking site is about 30 to 40 yards downwind from the group. Chalk comes over to see Molbo at his pot and asks if this stuff could attract animals. Molbo doesn't think there should be a problem. Taliesan comes over to Molbo and inquires as to the outcome of the pot. Molbo explains that either he dumps it on his next kill or he must drink it. Mace and Gabriella continue dagger- throwing training. He has only lost 1 so far. At about midnight, Molbo sits down & wraps himself in a blanket and watches his cheese soup simmer. At 2 AM chalk and SpringRight notice the earth shake feeling thumps from the south east. Chalk starts tooting his whistle. The rest of the group awaken quickly. The ground is really shaking by the time all are out of the tent. They can't see anything, though. Molbo is now on his feet and is making sure the pot doesn't tip. Edam, Molbo's yak, is getting kiddish & soup is sloshing about. Molbo tries to calm the beast while keeping an eye on the pot. Taliesan casts an ARMOR spell on himself. Shem dons most of his armour. SpringRight and Reju go to see Molbo. Reju asks Molbo if he's causing the ground to shake. Molbo doesn't know if his cooking is causing the trouble. Chalk has also gotten his bow out. He's in shooting distance with the Elven sisters and Taliesan. A six foot high ten foot wide purple worm breaks out of the ground. It is twenty two feet long with a stinger on the end of its tale. It starts slithering towards them. It has a big maw at one end. Molbo puts himself between the pot and the advancing worm. Reju takes up a position next to Molbo. Taliesan manoeuvres around to get a clear shot of the worm, but keeps his distance. SpringRight goes to Molbo's other side and takes up a position to fight with his sword. The worm heads straight for Molbo, surges towards him but misses him, distracted by the smell of cheese. SpringRight running straight at it, swings his sword and hacks a big chunk out of it. Reju runs towards the creature with two swords, swings his katana and carves a small gash out of it's head but then misses with his short sword. Molbo swings his really really big axe but just takes a small slice out of it. chalk shoots an arrow that does about the same amount of damage as Molbo's axe. Reju's katana hits the worm for a good slice. But the huge, subterranean creature's mouth surrounds Reju sucking him into itself. He is swallowed whole, partially crushed inside the worm's gut being slowly digested. Reju will die in six minutes if not recovered. chalks second arrow misses the creature. The worm's tail swings at Taliesin and hits but his armour spell takes the brunt of the damage. chalk fires another arrow but it just nicks the worm's side. SpringRight swings his sword and misses. talesen's crossbow bolt plunks into the worm with very little effect. Molbo takes a very big swing, but his axe cuts through air without hitting the creature. chalk's second arrow hisses through the air, bounces off SpringRight's armour and plunks talesen in the leg. mace swings his bastard sword and takes a big chunk out of the creature. Shem ignites his sword and cuts a sizzling slice out of the beast. SpringRight fumbles slips on a patch of the worm's blood, falls and drops his sword. Molbo with another mighty swing misses. The purple worm, seeing the small creature on the ground, smashes into SpringRight squishing him. On the ground trying to get away from the worm, SpringRight grabs his sword and keeps rolling away. The worm's tail hits Shem with a mighty thwack but the poison stinger misses him. chalk fires another arrow but misses. Reju, trapped inside the purple worm attempts to cut his way out with his short sword but its digestive juices weaken him, so each swing does less and less damage. Molbo spins around and around with his axe held out, with each revolution gaining momentum, until he sinks it deep into the head of the worm. talesen backs off from the range of the swishing tail. mace takes a mighty swing with his sword and it sinks right through the worm's skin bouncing off Reju's armour. talesen's crossbow bolt plunks it in the side but to little affect. Shem prays to his god and with a great swing his burning sword sinks deep into the worm's brain, killing it instantly. At the same time, Andy runs in and pokes it through the side. Reju eventually hacks his way out of the worm's gut. To celebrate the victory, Molbo dumps his pot of cheese on the dead worm's carcass. Reju finds that his belt pouch, scabbards and boots were eaten away by digestive juices. His magic healing Ioun stones were in that pouch and are still inside the dead worm. chalk uses a healing spell and cures SpringRight and Reju. Molbo cures Shem and talesen. Reju chops at the dead worm looking for his healing stones until Mace walks over and hands the Ioun stones to him saying that they rolled out of the dead worm during the battle. Molbo comes over and suggest they get going as scavengers will be coming. Reju wants to know if they should bury the creature. Gabriella suggests going into the tunnel it made and checking its lair for deposited treasures. They could also put the critter back into the tunnel. Mace goes with putting it back in its hole. Shem comes up and inquires as to what we're discussing Andy chimes in and puts his suggestion in to just move the caravan. But Reju doesn't want to move. Shem waves the rest over to join in. Mace suggests that maybe there is another worm in the hole. Maybe we should block the hole. Chalk suggests going into the hole come sunrise. Molbo disagrees. We should block the hole, but we have to protect caravan, get it to shaiyo, and get to Odifferus. Gabriella thinks they need to put some distance between them and the worm. be it us moving or moving the worm. They discuss burning the worm & what critters that may draw. Molbo suggests we ask Ravin, the caravan leader what he wants to do. Gabriella goes to seek him out & talk to her elder sister, Nightshade. Shem thinks there is no additional danger leaving the worm where it is and staying ;those who'd want it, won't want us. Nightshade, Gabriella, and Ravin the caravan leader come back now. Ravin heads over to Shem, stops & puts his hand over his nose. Shem explains in brief ;do we move on or stay? Ravin seems to think it might be better to move, but doesn't want to wake all the drivers up. He decides we should stay till daybreak. We'll move out with the rising sun. SpringRight still suggests going down into the hole ;asks Gabriella, Nightshade, Chalk if they want to go. Mace, Shem, and Molbo decline due to size & caravan protection. Nightshade suggests Andy might like to go ;since he is a smaller warrior. Andy considers ;how much time do we have before sunrise, Molbo? Molbo: maybe an hour or two. Nightshade asks Molbo to attach her rope to his cooking pot & hold the rope for leverage as they slide down the hole. Shem cautions engaging any potential foes down there. SpringRight offers to go down first. Nightshade agrees. Andy, you take up the rear. Andy agrees and asks SpringRight for his whistle. Molbo asks if they need light. Nightshade assures them they won't need it. Chalk asks & Molbo produces his light stick. Chalk takes it and promises to return it in good order. Entering the lair. The small group that includes Chalk, SpringRight, NightShade, Gabriella and Andy get ready to enter the worm's hole. Chalk leaves his bow and arrows behind on the surface and also puts his rations on the cart to lighten his load and make more room in his backpack. He brings his fifty foot silk rope, daggers and staff for any close range trouble. Being a Rock Gnome, he has special abilities such as Detecting Underground Features, locating sloping passages, flawed stonework, and his approximate depth and direction underground. He has a feeling that his god, Sedric would want him to do this but worries that having already used some spells after the worm was defeated, he can not help as much as he would like. He knows that if he can pray for new spells at sunrise, he would be much more helpful in this adventure in the worm hole. SpringRight [To Nightshade] Wait until I reach the bottom before you come down. To avoid too much noise, I'll shake the rope twice if all is clear. And if it's not... well, I'll yell up to you the situation ...if I can. [he smiles grimly.] [SpringRight thinks for a few seconds.] SpringRight: Three shakes if I need to be silent, but it means there is trouble. SpringRight makes his way hand over hand down the rope. Every few seconds he looks behind him to see what he is lowering himself into. Once he reaches the bottom, he looks as far down the tunnel as he can before the invasive light kills his infravision. Mace thinks to himself "I hope I don't get 3 tugs I really need to get some sleep so I can study in the morning" The tunnel continues at a 45-degree angle for about 60 feet, then begins to level off. When Spring Right reaches the end of NightShade's rope (100 feet), the angle has reduced to about 30 degrees. Looking with his infravision, it appears to continue to level off for the next 60 feet or so, at which point the angle is perhaps 15-20 degrees. Spring Right hasn't seen any sign of life, but the tunnel seems fairly stable, although there's a bit of loose dirt here and there. Since all is clear, SpringRight pulls the rope twice, and starts moving towards the next incline. He has his long sword in hand if there is enough room to swing, otherwise he will be holding a dagger. He will check to make sure all of his weapons are close at hand. At the jerk of the rope Chalk motions the others to start down the rope, not wanting Spring Right to get too far without backup. He has his staff strapped to his belt and his daggers in their sheaths so his hands are free to use the rope. NightShade and Gabriella make their way down. NightShade seems to have little trouble, barely even touching the rope. As she approaches SpringRight, she asks if he needs the additional coil of rope. Space-wise, it's a bit tight for a long sword, but it's usable. Overall, it's about 5-6 feet wide all the way around. SpringRight replies to Nightshade that he can take the rope if she likes, but he has examined the upcoming tunnel and he says there is only a gentle descent ahead. He takes the rope anyway thinking that there may be worse inclines past what he has explored. SpringRight looks further down the gentle incline to see what is ahead, but he waits there until all in the small party make the descent. Chalk also reaches Spring Right and says, "If we run into trouble I may have to pray for new spells since some of mine were used after we killed the worm." In the light cast from Molbo's rock Chalk examines the walls and ceiling of the tunnel looking for fissures or cracks that could lead to its collapse. he looks back to see if Andy is following. Andy has a bit of trouble getting down the incline, even with the rope, but he catches up with Chalk after a moment. Chalk looks around, and the tunnel seems fairly stable, but thinks that they probably shouldn't test that too much. In the light from Molbo's stone, they can see a good distance ahead. The tunnel is leading off to the south, and continues its gradual flattening over the next 100 feet or so. NightShade tells Chalk that she and the other elves shouldn't need any more rope from here, but to keep it handy just in case. Andy says "I think we might want the rope a bit further... if not now, then when we come back up." SpringRight looks at the group, and though he never considered himself a leader, feels that he might need to play that role now. SpringRight: I'll take point again. Let's move on. We should try to move as quietly as possible. Keep in order. Keep our eyes open for anything you might see along the way. Stay alert, and keep your spells and weapons ready. He gives a confident smile to everyone, but an especially warm one for Gabriella. SpringRight starts moving down the gentle incline with long sword ready. Chalk looks at the walls to determine if they were made by the worm or was it a natural cave or perhaps a tunnel dug by Dwarves. He says, "Since we are headed south, I think we're not headed under the lake." He glances down to see if there are any glittering bits but realizes he would not know an unfinished jewel unless it was a faceted one from someone who was eaten by the beast. He asks, "Nightshade, do you have skills in detecting treasure? I could pray for a Locate Object spell if I get some time to do it. I would have to fix in my mind either jewellery or weapons." After the last person disappears, Molbo says a silent prayer to his deity: 'The flimsy ones are being foolish. Even though they do not know what battles they face, let them come away from them stronger. Then they will be ready to face whatever the one-eyed things throw at us without being fearful.' He continues to hold the pot tightly while straining his ears to listen for the first sounds of trouble in the worm tunnel. Reju rests a hand on Molbo's shoulder. "No worries my friend. I'm sure both your god and my goddess watch over our friends this night." Reju will use his rope use proficiency to double check the rope to make sure it's secure. He'll also do a scan of the area around this hole for trouble. NightShade says "Do I look like a Dwarf, Chalk? If something catches my eye, I'll pick it up, but otherwise, I'm going to be keeping a close eye on SpringRight in case we need to beat a hasty retreat." Gabriella adds "Indeed, be careful, SpringRight. Being underground always makes me nervous." Chalk looks around and sees that the tunnel is regular, but not so regular as to be Dwarven in make. It's definitely not a natural structure, though. The party continues on for a few hundred feet more, and the tunnel is almost flat now. Chalk would estimate that they are perhaps 75 to 100 yards below ground. As they press forward, NightShade lays a hand on SpringRight's shoulder and whispers "Wait... listen..." SpringRight hesitates, as it's difficult to hear much of anything with Andy clanking along behind, but Gabriella motions to him to be still. Andy pulls up short (no pun intended), and after a few seconds, SpringRight can just make out a faint squeaking sound coming from up ahead. Mace still drinking the cider wonders if he will have to go down there to bail out his friends After Taliesan returns from getting the cider and ale. He pulls out a set of pan pipes and starts to play softly. Stopping briefly he asks Reju when he is to take the watch and where? The question is asked in a manor that it flows with the music. mace after finishing his cider and seeing that Molbo and Reju have things in hand will go and cut around the worm and see if any new trinkets fall out. (boredom is a terrible thing). SpringRight whispers, "Rats? I hate rats!" He turns to Nightshade and asks quietly, "Do you think those are rats?" "Let's move quietly ahead, and have your weapons ready." NightShade replies "Could be. If they are rats, that's a good sign." SpringRight says, "Let's move on then, but quietly." He motions to the rest of the group to follow. Chalk whispers, "NightShade, what do you mean a good sign?" He thinks a minute and suggests, "Is it that rats feed on dead bodies, or what is left of them when going through the worm?" Chalk remembers something and whispers, "Gabriella, do you have that detect magic spell memorized? If we run across items in this hole, the magic ones would be most valuable." NightShade says: "Rats mean we could be close to its lair." Gabriella shakes her head and says "I cast my detection spell on the stones Mace found." NightShade then shushes everyone as she moves forward behind SpringRight. The squeaking gets louder as they move forward, and NightShade puts her hand on SpringRight's shoulder. She says "Listen to that echoing... it sounds like a large open space ahead. Tread carefully." Chalk says, "With Molbo's light pointing us out, I don't think being quiet will do any good. I may have to pray for a Detect Magic spell myself. NightShade steps back and bends down to whisper to Chalk: "A lot of things that live underground don't have very good eyesight and are very dependent on their hearing. Rats can see, sure... but they may not be the only thing up ahead. However, you do make a good point -- perhaps we should douse the light." Good idea." SpringRight whispers, "Let's kill the light and take care as we proceed." Once the light is doused and his eyes become accustomed to the dark, SpringRight starts moving forward slowly. Heeding NightShade's advice, and not totally trusting his infravision, he slides his feet on the ground to ensure his next step is not down a large drop. With the light covered, Chalk sniffs the air thinking that after smelling the worm that they battled, he would recognize the foul stench if there was another worm up ahead. Hearing Spring Right slide his feet, Chalk whispers, "If you are worried about pits, we could tie ourselves together with my silk rope." At the dousing of the light and the talk of a large open space ahead, Chalk realizes that they may encounter side passages and want to identify the tunnel that they came in, so he reaches into his pouch and pulls out a Casselwort chalk and quietly kneels down and places marks on the floor. He plans to mark their path every ten feet. "Good idea Chalk. Pass me the end of the rope." SpringRight calls back quietly. Once SpringRight gets the end, he loops and ties the rope around his waist. "Good. I'll be able to move a little more quickly now." SpringRight says to himself. "let's keep moving now." He whispers back, "But let's maintain as much silence as we can, given the armour we have in the group." SpringRight says this as he looks back at the Halfling. After handing the end of the rope to Spring Right, Chalk passes it to each of the others to hold on to. He ends up behind Andy with the rest of the rope looped around his left arm. Chalk plays out a little rope to put about six feet of distance between him and Andy to keep out of the way from the Halfling's possible sword swings. He is thinking with his poor hand to hand fighting skills and lack of spells, he would be least likely to survive a confrontation with another worm. If they do find treasure with no beasts to fight he could help in collecting it, or praying for his lighten load spell to use on it. After everyone is attached, the group moves slowly forward, scanning the area with infravision. As he gets closer, SpringRight begins to see small shapes moving around up ahead. Also, they are definitely detecting a change in the air -- the smell of the cheese is fading, replaced by the smell of offal. SpringRight continues to move forward, and now can definitely make out rats in the tunnel ahead. A couple run up the tunnel past them, perhaps following the cheesy odour. The group is now perhaps 20 feet away from the large chamber Chalk noted, and indeed they can see that it's almost spherical, about 50 feet in diameter, with dozens of rats scurrying around piles of dung. It's very hard to make out anything else at this point, but there are certainly no additional worms here -- though there are at least a couple of other tunnels exiting the chamber that they can see. "Does anyone want to look around here?" asks SpringRight. "If not, we should continue down one of the other tunnels. Any preferences?" Chalk speaks up, "When the worm eats someone, then the treasure they were carrying is probably mixed in with that dung heap." And the other tunnels could be exits." Thinking a minute, Chalk continues, "We could explore the other tunnels a little to see if they head down or up or if fresh air is coming from them. If they go down, then it is probably not an exit." He says, "I have marked the floor of our tunnel with white chalk every ten feet so we won't get lost. I suggest we uncover that light stone to make searching this pile easier." "Sure Chalk, take a look for me as well." SpringRight says with disgust. "In the meantime, I'd like to scout out a little ways down each of these tunnels. Anyone interested in joining me?" Gabriella says "I'm not sure I want to stay down here much longer. Could another worm be down one of those tunnels?" NightShade counters "Come on, little sister... we'd be able to hear it coming. Besides, Chalk seems to be more than willing to do the dirty work. Meanwhile, I could check a couple of the passages. What do you say, SpringRight?" SpringRight says: "Let's look up both of them a ways. Maybe a hundred yards or so. If you don't have any preferences NightShade, let's take the tunnel on the left. We shouldn't take too long though, since the others will want to get going once the sun rises." SpringRight looks at Gabriella: "Don't worry Gabriella, if we come across something more than we can handle, we will just retreat back up the tunnel." SpringRight smiles and pats his sword: "Besides, I'm not too bad with this." NightShade says "Do you want us all to go up the same tunnel, or should we split up?" Chalk says, If you give me that glowing rock of Molbo's I will stay here and pray for a spell that will make finding things easier. But please whistle if you hear any worms coming." SpringRight ponders the question for a few seconds: "NightShade, Our strength is as a group. We have a combination of skills and talents that make us stronger together, and so I don't think we should split our numbers. On the other hand, if anyone could go alone, you could, and so if you wanted to explore one of the tunnels, that would be reasonable. It would need to be your choice though, but the rest of us better stick together." NightShade replies "Oh, I have no intention of going alone ...I was thinking that if you and little sister went one way, then I could go with... ah," She glances backwards at Andy, who is rummaging through his pack, then continues. "Hmmm...perhaps we SHOULD stick together." She gestures with her dagger toward the leftward passage. "Lead on." Chalk says, "I would not be of too much use going with you without more spells. I will wait here but whistle if you need me. SpringRight frowns and says, "We should not leave Chalk alone, how about Andy staying with you?" Andy pulls out a sandwich and says, "That would be an excellent suggestion." SpringRight removes the rope tying him to the others and the three elves continue down the left tunnel. After traveling about fifty feet, there is a loud shout from SpringRight. He has fallen through the floor landing on his back causing a slight damage to his arm. He looks around and discovers he is in a different type of tunnel, this one is square in shape not round and it looks like it is carved from solid rock. hearing the yell of SpringRight, Chalk and Andy head into the left tunnel and reach the hole in the floor where Gabriella and Nightshade are standing looking down. SpringRight tells them he is fine then continues down the passage a little until he reaches a great iron door. Impulsively he tries opening it but finds it is locked. Heading back to the hole in the ceiling, NightShade has thrown down a rope and anchored it to the floor with a spike. SpringRight climbs up back into the worm's tunnel. He says there is another type of tunnel down there, and a large metal door but I think we need more support if we plan to investigate it. Before leaving the lair, the group checks out the other tunnel but finds it flooded by water from the lake. The five head back out of the worm's tunnel the same way they got in. Back on the surface, SpringRight describes to the others what he found below ground. Since the group has about an hour before sunrise another party decides to go investigate the door. Reju has put on his spare pair of boots and is using his healing stone, which is spinning above his head. He wants to join the others, Mace, NightShade, SpringRight, Taliesin, and Vishler. They carry down a wagon axle to span the hole SpringRight made which will be used to anchor a rope. The six reach the door without problems. the iron door is ten feet high and seven feet wide and the lock is a little higher than normal, about 4 feet from the floor. NightShade listens in before checking for traps and hears a low rumbling behind it. Taliesin reveals the thieving nature of the bard by also listening and hears a constant low pitched metallic moaning sound. Vishler astounds the group by saying it sounds like a chain saw or bulldozer. He then suggests a forge or people doing metal work. The group thinks that it could be an iron Golum monster which could do them serious harm if the door was opened. Vishler is interested in this discovery and says he will go with the party the rest of the way to Odifferus and back here to give the door a full investigation. They promise to come back after completing Molbo's quest and investigate more with a full complement of people. SpringRight suggests that they search the other end of the tunnel and when they reach a T in it, they see a light coming from the left passage. Back on the surface, Chalk meditates for a while. Sitting cross legged on the ground, he rises up in a twisting motion, bowing to the four cardinal directions. He feels comforted that Sedric gave him more powerful spells, ones he had not had before. He was aware that a group went down into the hole a wile ago but is not sure what they are attempting to do. He notices the glow of the sun brightening the east horizon. Chalk walks over to Molbo, smiles and says, "It's a great day today, friend Molbo!" Molbo, too, is keeping an eye on the brightening sky. He doesn't answer right away. Molbo: It will be a great day if our friends come out of that tunnel and we get the caravan to the Elf city. The longer we delay in getting to Odifferus, the more bad things may be happening. We have never been without our Sacred Crock of Cheese. We must get it back as soon as we can. He looks towards the tunnel's entrance. Molbo says I hope they come out soon. I do not think the caravan leader will be happy with any delays either. Chalk thinks for a second then says, "I now have my god's power to help them if they are in trouble. I will go down and see what is keeping them and help them if it is needed." Chalk checks his staff and daggers then slides down the rope into the worm's hole . Molbo is startled out of his own musings by Chalk's sudden disappearance down the hole. He immediately looks for Shem and intercepts him in one of his rounds. Molbo says, "Shem, I do not know what has happened, but Chalk has gone down into the hole. I can only assume his god told him something. Do you think our friends are in danger? Chalk reaches the end of the rope, then sprints to the large open area filled with dung piles. Chalk is tempted to use his detect magic spell to locate if any magic items are in the piles, but he thinks he will have plenty of time on the way out to discover them. He knows there is a hole that SpringRight fell through in the left tunnel, so he enters it cautiously. Chalk is aware that the group took a wagon axle down the hole so he looks for something that is slightly warmer than the surrounding worm tunnel. When he reaches it, he doesn't see the party so he climbs down the rope. At the bottom he looks around and listens for any voices. Just as NightShade starts to move around the corner, they hear a loud mechanical noise. The rest of the group sees NightShade dive backwards into the corridor as two iron gates descend --one in each of the two "T" passages. NightShade picks herself up and says quickly to SpringRight "I must've tripped a pressure plate... we need to get out of here!" She then begins to run back toward the rope and waves for everyone else to follow. Mace who's danger sense is highly accurate at the first sign of something going wrong, starts running towards the rope and then barks out a authoritative go! out! and make sure you mind the hole! SpringRight raises his already naturally raised eyebrows and says to Mace: What do you mean by asking us to mind the hole? We need to climb up through it with the rope. In any event, it looks as if no one will be pursuing us from this direction. I'll run past the rope and protect the group from anything coming from the locked door. Chalk hearing a loud crash from one of the directions faces that way and sees the party moving towards him. He can understand Mace's loud voice say 'Go' and thinks the party may be getting away from something rather than fight it, so he quickly begins to shimmy up the rope. Just before he gets to the top he sees six humanoid shapes coming toward him, that seem to be that of the six party members. Sadly, the gnome's legs are too short to reach the wall in order to climb up the rope properly, and he slips and lands with a "thump" on his backside, taking a little damage to his pride and rear. NightShade quickly gets to him and begins to climb the rope herself. The party hears sounds of shouting from the passage beyond in the direction of the locked door. Taliesan is the next to reach the hole, and he sees Chalk struggling to get up. Behind Taliesan are Mace and Vishler, running nearly side-by-side, followed by SpringRight with Reju bringing up the rear. Mace watching chalk fall back into the tunnel thinks to him self "if chalk isn't up and moving by the time I get to that opening I'm going to reach down and toss him up topside" Chalk's hands had slipped on the damp rope causing him to land on his butt. "Rats!" he exclaims as he struggles to get to his feet. In the light of the stone carried by the party he sees that they are unhurt and is relieved. He looks around himself to make sure he didn't drop anything in the fall and when he looks up, NightShade is already half way up the rope. As Taliesan reaches chalk he says you ok? hold the rope for me and I will shinny up and NightShade and I can hoist you up together. Chalk says to Taliesan, "I'm not too bad. It's ironic, I hurry to help you and I'm the only one who needs help!" He grabs the bottom of the rope to steady it. Taliesan says no problem. as he grabs the rope. Once he is in the upper chamber he will ready himself to hoist the gnome up the rope, at the same time he calls up telling NightShade to help him with the rope so we can hoist the others up quicker. Once SpringRight makes it to the rope, he runs a few feet past it, and readies his sword. He yells: Climb as quick as you can, and when you are all up, I'll grab the rope. If you all then pull, and I climb at the same time, I might just get away. Reju, can you help me until the others get up, and then I can guard your exit? mace says to SpringRight I can make myself invisible so let Reju go and I'll stay with you I can sneak up last or second to last Mace now looking at the gnome getting off the ground then looks at SpringRight and smiles "you never know what might drop in" As the party starts climbing the rope Reju draws both of his blades and waits just long enough for the others to get ahead of him so he can guard the rear. SpringRight looks at Mace: Good idea, but if you are going to go invisible, you better start now. They are nearly on top of us. Reju will wait long enough with both his blades drawn watching the passage they came from. Then once the party has safely made it's way up the rope. He will sheath his blades and climb up himself. If Chalk is still being ignored. Then Reju will tell him to climb on his back and he'll climb up. Reju to SpringRight, I've got your back. Head on up. Reju says over his shoulder. Both of you get going before these guys find us. Meanwhile, back on the surface, Shem looks at Molbo: "Perhaps. Chalk was convinced that one of his prayers would be able to help them, so it could be that he completed his prayers and went to offer the assistance they provide." Looking around to see who remains above ground, Shem continues, "We are still rather weak up here. I will investigate, so could you collect Andy, Paul and Gabriella together?" Shem adds in a gruff and surly manner, "With only four on the surface our strength should not be divided on the perimeter." Shem approaches the hole, but waits for Molbo's response before lowering himself. Molbo nods. "I will get the perky one and the little ones. I just hope that our lack of strength up here doesn't last too long. Should I get the caravan leader, too?" Shem nods, and, using the rope for assistance, walks down into the tunnel. Shem has some difficulty navigating the cramped hole, but not nearly as much as Mace had earlier. He lights his sword, so that he can see when he reaches the chamber with the dung and all the rats. He notices no sign of his comrades at this point, although he does notice chalk markings along the walls going down to the left tunnel. As 19 he turns that way, he sees a faint light glowing down in that direction. As NightShade nears the top of the rope, Taliesan can hear the shouting of strangers from up ahead coming closer, accompanied by the sound of running footfalls. In the confusion, it is difficult to tell how distant they are or what is being shouted, but Vishler is about 10 feet behind the party at this point, and his light shows nothing, so they are at least 50 feet away at this time. Taliesan takes a moment to help Chalk to his feet as Mace and Vishler catch up to him. Chalk plans to go up the rope after Taliesan, since he offered to help him. Chalk says if anyone wants a dust packet he has some. If anyone responds to his offer, Chalk will throw them one hoping they know how to use it from past experiences. Reju will continue to hold his weapons drawn, and face the direction of the strange voices as the others start to make their way up the rope. SpringRight is moving past the group about 10 feet towards the approaching voices. Reju is doing the same -- they are standing side-by-side there. Mace opens a packet of Chalk's Invisibility dust and covers himself with it. Taliesan is following NightShade up the rope. After him, it will be Chalk and Vishler. Shem is looking down the tunnel -- he can't hear what's happening, but he can make out the glow from Molbo's stone (currently carried by Vishler), although he doesn't know that's what is glowing. Mace will apply the dust packet the same way he saw chalk do it the last time he used it. SpringRight prefers to be on the left. Reju will be next to SpringRight then on his right. GRIN Since he can fight with both hands. Reju of course will not take any of the dust. NightShade finishes pulling herself up through the hole, and Taliesan begins climbing the rope. Mace is able to apply the dust to himself as SpringRight and Reju elbow their way past to face down whatever might be coming. Shem can just make out movement in the flickering light of the tunnel to his left, and he now begins to hear some kind of commotion as well, though it's faint. Just as Vishler is helping Chalk to secure the rope around himself, SpringRight hears what might be a shouted command from up ahead in a language that sounds vaguely familiar -- whoever it is is very close, perhaps just outside the range of the light stone... mace standing invisible near the rope prepares to cast a spell As Vishler attaches the rope to the gnome, Chalk says "Here is a dust of disappearance packet, if you sprinkle it on yourself you may escape notice. It is limited in time but will allow you to cast spells and still stay out of sight." When Vishler takes it, Chalk will use the hand to hand contact to also give him some aid, saying "This spell will bless you and give you more strength." Shem quickly steps into the tunnel. SpringRight yells in common to the approaching threat: "We mean you no harm. Let us leave in peace." He then repeats it in Elven. Upon hearing the shouted command, followed by SpringRight's response, Vishler blanches and says "oh, shit"... At which time the entire area around the rope crackles with energy... Chalk has just cast his spell, and Vishler has just finished securing the rope to Chalk. As Shem moves into the tunnel, the light grows slightly brighter. He can now make out two figures in the tunnel ahead. Still with sword aflame, Shem moves forward. He's being guarded, trying to move as quietly as possible without sacrificing too much speed. Feeling the magic around the rope Chalk quickly thinks what kind of spell the owners of this tunnel would do to prevent a group from leaving the area? Spider web? Chain lightning? Part 2, Underground Enemy As Shem continues down the passage, he can make out for a brief instant that the two figures in the tunnel ahead are bipedal, slightly smaller than human-sized. One appears to be helping the other to his/ her feet. Shem is now about twenty yards or so away from them, when he hears a loud BANG from somewhere down below... Down in the tunnel... The air around the party crackles with energy for an instant, but it is a very strange kind of energy -- cold, like the energy is being sucked from the very air around them. Then, there is a flash of what might be described as anti-light --sort of like a bolt of lightning, but completely light less and with dark tendrils flaring out. It touches everyone remaining in the passage, and for an instant, nobody can see anything. The bolt hits.., ziz, ziz ziz zap! Chalk and SpringRight are both down. Mace surveys the damage and yells "Haul him up! Now!" through the hole Mace is still invisible, so the rest can't see him. . Vishler and Reju look to be in really bad shape, but are still standing. Vishler immediately begins casting a spell as an invisible someone begins lifting SpringRight's body. Shem can just make out someone shouting "Haul him up!" as he continues his approach. Shem charges full tilt down the tunnel. He'll be prepared to cut down the first biped, but after that yell he's definitely going to make sure that's not a friend before swinging. Shem doesn't get very far -- he's only a bit outside of torch range as it is -- before he can make out that it's Taliesan and NightShade. Taliesan joins NightShade in starting to haul on the rope. As those who got knocked for a loop recover, Vishler says "Those are Dark Elves! We need to get out of here!" After that, he seems to be preparing to cast a spell. Shem rushes forward and helps NightShade and Taliesan to haul Chalk up. It appears that Mace is working on picking up SpringRight. The only person still standing that Reju can see is Vishler. Chalk's unconscious form is being hauled up via the rope. SpringRight is being lifted by an invisible person who sounds an awful lot like Mace. Taliesan helps nightshade haul chalk up. When he sees Shem he tells him to give us a hand hauling, we have four others down the hole and something strange is occurring, I don't think that it is good. Shem's presence immediately doubles the combined strength on the rope, and Chalk is lifted quickly into the upper chamber. As Chalk's body is being hauled up, Reju surveys the scene. Vishler casts some kind of spell, and Reju turns to him and asks "Are you ready to run?" Vishler turns to look at Reju incredulously. "Are you insane? The only place to run is a dead end, unless you intend to bash your way through a wall. If my Sanctuary spell worked, you're in more danger than I." Shrugging, Reju makes for the rope. "Okay stay here then. I meant flee up the hole. As Reju reaches for the rope, a hail of crossbow bolts comes in. One just misses Vishler, and one bounces off Reju, but another one slices through a gap in his armour. Reju stumbles to the ground, stunned. Reju cries out, Damn I hate Drow poison. As soon as Chalk gets pulled through the hole. Taliesan takes his climbing rope and ties it onto the axle and then drops it down to the others in the other chamber. mace would hope that you would grab SpringRight first then toss down the rope for what I think will be Reju Chalk has been hauled up into the tunnel, and Shem unties the rope from the Gnome and drops down into the hole with it. Taliesan pulls out a second rope and begins attaching it to the wagon axle. Reju is on the ground, on his hands and knees, trying to shake off the cobwebs. SpringRight's unconscious form is now hovering in mid-air as the invisible Mace grumbles asks if someone can grab and pull SpringRight up. Vishler looks at Shem and asks him if he should go up the rope, or stick around to cast a spell that could help. Reju uses the last vestiges of his strength to stand up and head twwards the rope. Shem's a bit confused by this situation. Pulling himself together he snatches the end of his rope, and holds it steady waiting to help Reju climb. "Vishler, I don't even know what we are facing. I know only that we seem over matched. (calling up the hole) Chalk, get Molbo. You can do little here!" NightShade calls down, Chalk is not conscious. Vishler nods "Dark Elves, I think. I heard one of them shout something that sounded like their language, but I can't be certain... I'd best cast something to protect us all." out of the nothingness mace says "that sounds like a really good idea after what they have done with only one spell all ready." As soon as Taliesan finishes getting the rope off Chalk's body, he drops it down the hole. As he does, he realizes that SpringRight's inert body is hanging in mid air. "oh shit! NightShade can you give me a hand over here SpringRight is right here!??" Taliesan understands that there is a time and a place for diplomacy. This just is not one of those times. He thinks that time is of the essence right now. Although he does not know these adventurers very well he has a respect for each and does not want to see any one of them harmed. NightShade immediately grabs the rope with Taliesan and both struggle, to slowly brings SpringRight up. NightShade quickly unties the rope and drops it down for another member. Reju gives a loud shout as he leaps from his crouched position to jump onto the second rope, but he is having difficulty climbing. Vishler begins casting a spell, and the party hears a couple more shouted words from out in the darkness. Another hail of bolts flies, this time all directed at the newly-arrived Shem. One hits him slicing a gash in his leg. Additionally, something else flies out of the darkness toward Reju -- some kind of grey blob of energy that strikes him right in the midsection while he is halfway up the rope. Then, there is a sudden bright flash about 60 feet away, and for an instant it illuminates four dark elves with crossbows trained on the group and, behind them, what appears to be some kind of dark fog. After the flash, there are a few shouts from the darkness... SpringRight's unconscious form is just BARELY dragged over the lip of the pit by NightShade and Taliesan -- bits of dirt and small rocks are falling on those beneath, but not enough to hurt. Reju gets hit with the grey blob and is sent flying through the air like a rag doll. He lands about 10 feet down the corridor in a heap. Shem shakes off the effects of the crossbow bolt and glares down the passage, sword aflame. Vishler says "I don't have much else that can help now... I'll go attach Reju to the rope." NightShade looks down at Chalk and SpringRight and says "Little sister better thank me for this..." as she starts digging through her backpack. Mace sounds like he is preparing to cast another spell. mace steps away from Shem who can't see mace while waving a flaming blade and continues to cast Taliesan gets one of the ropes and sends it back down the hole so that one of the party can use it to get out of there. after Mace casts his spell he will look around to string up anyone so they can be pulled up The ropes are down. One is being attached to Reju by Vishler, the other is just kind of hanging there unused. Taliesan prepares himself to help haul anyone up or lend assistance. Taliesan says to NightShade "Should I go get Molbo?" NightShade looks at Taliesan and spits out, "Do I look like I'm going to haul anybody up here by myself? Why don't you cast a spell or something!" The group left below hears some very excited voices from the darkness. Shem is the sole remaining fighter on the ground in the lower tunnel. He steps ahead of Mace's voice and shouts out, calling the forces of good to purify the evil ones in an atempt to turn them. It sounds like his turning worked, as they hear running footsteps departing. Then, they hear a popping noise from the same general area & can see an icky greenish, brownish mist spreading out, followed by choking and coughing from the cloudy area. Vishler while tying Reju onto the rope makes a discovery and exclaims, Reju is dead! Suddenly there is a voice from the darkened area. A group of humanoid things come out of it & head towards Vishler, Shem and Mace. Vishler sees the shadow monsters & assumes a defensive posture, asking, "Should I continue to tie Reju up or go up ourselves?" Shem asks if Vishler knows what they are & he says No. Mace calls out, Vishler, hurry up the rope! Nightshade pulls two vials out of her bag, but determines that Chalk is dead so focuses on SpringRight, and gives him a healing potion. Before climbing the rope, Vishler asks if he should leave the light rock. Shem says No, I have my sword lit. Mace says he will turn Shem invisible as he stands to fight letting the others time enough to go up the rope. NightShade tells the others of the fate of Chalk as SpringRight is brought just barely awake with the healing potion. Down below, Mace turns Shem invisible. Shem sees what looks like grey orcs down the tunnel. Vishler throws the LIGHT STONE up to Taliesan, who catches it, before he climbs the rope. Shem finishes tying up Reju with the second dangling rope. Vishler with help from Taliesan makes it up into the upper tunnel. Shem bumps into Mace as he tries to tie Reju. They do an awesome job & Mace hollers for Vishler etc. to pull Reju up. SpringRight now on his feet, will lend a hand in pulling up Reju With his gauntlets of strength, SpringRight doubles the speed it takes to pull Reju up. It is now quiet down the lower tunnel as The Dark Elves seem to have disappeared. Mace ties himself to the rope and climbs up. Then, the group in its entirety, pulls up Shem. Just as Shem is pulled up, there is a loud clanging noise from the lower tunnel. Shem declares, Someone needs to run back to the caravan & get them going. They discuss torching the hole, but decide to get the two bodies out first. Vishler takes the light stone and heads for the caravan. SpringRight picks up Reju and starts heading out of the tunnel. Nightshade unties, coils the ropes and heads after him. Mace plasters some of NightShade's oil around the axel on the upper tunnel hole and drops the rest down to the lower tunnel. He ignites the oil then picks up Chalk and leaves. Vishler climbing out of the hole, alerts Molbo to the situation. Molbo takes off to warn the caravan & runs into Gabriella. He urges her to get them moving. She does her best to hurry them along & Molbo races back to guard the hole. Taliesan and SpringRight get to the top of the tunnel and note that the caravan isn't moving. Taliesan does his best to get things going. He tells Fimbert that they may be pursued and Fimbert gets things together rapidly. Underground, the rest of the party reach the large open space that is the worms lair. They can hear faint voices from way behind. On the surface, SpringRight lays Reju's body a little ways outside the hole. He searches Reju's body for his healing stone but can't find it. Below ground, Mace, Shem, and Nightshade are crossing the large worm's chamber. Shem re-draws his sword Mace says he wants to check out the dung piles first for Chalk was sure there could be magic items in it. Nightshade will keep an ear down the tunnel to see if she can understand what the voices are saying. Mace said he ignighted the axel to make theDark Elves exit from the hole more difficult. After a bit, Mace finds a silver piece in the dung. A couple minutes go by & Nightshade hears faint voices & now footsteps coming at a decent speed towards them. Shem tells Mace to place a flask of greek fire on the ground & for Nightshade and Mace to head up the tunnel. Meanwhile, back on the surface, Molbo wants to know where the enemies are when Nightshade comes up. She explains that Shem and Mace are setting up a bomb to stop their progress. Molbo steps away from the hole and goes over to see what SpringRight is up to. SpringRight asks Molbo to help him lift Reju into a wagon. Down in the lair, the dark Elves emerge out of the tunnel into the chamber. Shem tosses the Greek Fire at them and turns visible. They shoot a LIGHTNING BOLT at Shem who takes a massive hit. Shem is badly shaken, but is still on his feet, so he takes off out of the tunnel at full speed while the heaps of dung burst into flame behind him. Molbo helps SpringRight get Reju's body into a cart. Mace carrying the dead Chalk, and finally Shem emerge from the tunnel. Mace dumps Chalk in the wagon with Reju. NightShade unfastens the rope from the cooking pot and coils it up, and Molbo stores the pot on his yak. The caravan takes off a bit earlier than expected. Molbo gives SpringRight a CURE moderate WOUNDS spell that helps heal him. Paul gives Shem a cure light wounds spell but it only helps him a bit. Vishler rides up & warns Shem of possible Dark Elf raiding parties coming after them at night. Shem wishes his TURN EVIL was more effective ; he thinks his deity doesn't trust him enough yet. They discuss the nature of the Sciences that may play in a battle. Shem questions how Vishler will report this incident. Vishler: Your party was a bit fool hearty after hearing the loud noises behind the door. You were going to go back down there after Odifferus, etc. etc. Shem's response is very stole. At lunch, Molbo will give his last Cure light wounds spell to Vishler. Molbo is tired, but will keep vigil on the camp while others rest. Ravin, the caravan leader, goes to see Shem who explains what happened. Ravin expresses his concerns about this groups ability to keep watch on the caravan. He doubts Glar's wisdom in hiring us. Ravin: I am reconsidering having you continue as our guardsman after Shaiyo. Shem: You will do what is best for your business. They renegotiate ;we'll stick with Glar's agreement to reach the city of Shaiyo. Ravin: I am unwell to commit to anything beyond that. Ravin: You will get 5 gold pieces per day for this half of the journey. The caravan makes it as far as the next lodge without any difficulty. At the Lodge. The caravan arrives at the lodge at about 4 PM. Taliesan goes to clean up. Paul gives Vishler and Shem each a Cure Light Wounds spell. Mace asks if anyone has any more healing spells. Molbo and Paul say no luck. SpringRight and Taliesan are down at the water. The rest go inside the inn. Molbo finds a cot in a corner of the lodge and rests. Shem looks about and sees a well-dressed female elf among the others in the lodge. Their is also an Elven cleric ;neatly dressed with a heart medallion with an arrow through it. SpringRight returns and sits near Gabriella and chats. He's not feeling particularly well. Andy and Paul are willing to take watches at Shem's request. Molbo is willing to help if needed, but is not alert as he should be. Taliesan when he returns to the lodge, looks well rested. Shem also goes to see Gabriella for her guarding aid. Gabriella: I only cast 1 spell. I shouldn't need more than a little time before breakfast. I can take a watch early in the evening. Nightshade chimes in her okay as well: Yeah, we do need help. Nightshade and Mace can help in an early watch. Nightshade tells them to rest. We may need you tomorrow. Mace hopes he can get some healing in the morning. Taliesan notes the 2 well-dressed Elves. He introduces himself to the female elf who is preparing a stew by the fire. He tells her of his mission. She isn't particularly interested and they part ways. Taliesan is about to go to the male elf, but he has since walked out of the lodge. Nightshade asks Taliesan about the female elf- Nightshade says she'll have a chat with her. If there is something going on in Shaiyo, we need to know about it. Nightshade chats with the female and tells her of the Dark Elves we encountered. This peaks the stranger's interest and she'll need to get a message to their king in Shaiyo. She offers her sword. Nightshade recommends she talk to SpringRight about our mission. She suggests she join the group to chat. Andy & Paul are out on their watch. Nightshade introduces Alustrial to SpringRight and Gabriella. SpringRight introduces Mace, Vishler, Fimbert. SpringRight tells her of all the monsters we faced and the Drow underground. Alustrial's still very concerned about how close the Drow were, despite being underground. The elf priest comes in and noticing the injuries of several group members, offers his services as a healer. His name is HeartString, Priest of Liyyera, the goddess of love. SpringRight asks if he has Resurrection. HeartString: alas I am too young. SpringRight says Mace is the spokesperson of the group if HeartString is looking to join. HeartString mentions that he is on his way back to his home temple in Shaiyo. Meanwhile, he has many healing powers that he could share, and also does marriages. He says this while looking at the two elves sitting together. The group banters about SpringRight and Gabriella. Ultimately, it is suggested that the priest join as there is safety in numbers. The conversation turns to things going on in Odifferus. While the party talks of who gets HeartString's healing, Alustrial heads to sleep. Gabriella settles down to study spells before taking a watch. HeartString gives a Cure Light Wounds spell to Mace, SpringRight, and Vishler, and a Cure Moderate Wounds spell to the sleeping Shem. Taliesan checks on Paul and Andy ;all okay ;just disappointed nobody wants to go to the desert to help with their quest. The next morning about 4 a.m. (sunrise) SpringRight and Mace on last watch. Shem asks SpringRight about the 2 new- comers. Mace asks SpringRight of the female elf. SpringRight seems to think there is more to her than just a hired sword. Mace wants to test her skills in Shaiyo. There we will need to take a couple days rest. Shem thinks Molbo will want to press on. Shem goes to do his prayers. Over the next hour of so, the rest of the party begin to stir. Molbo and Vishler are up to pray at 4. The Rest of the caravan are up at 5 for breakfast. The Caravan is planning on leaving at about 6 a.m. Alustrial comes to see SpringRight. I am willing to join your group. Molbo walks around to see who needs healing. Molbo heals Shem, SpringRight, and Vishler. Molbo and Shem go to meet Alustrial & HeartString. The main party will discuss how long we stay in Shaiyo. SpringRight introduces Molbo and Shem to Alustrial. In the discussion of Alustrial's sword skill, they learn of her psionic abilities. Ravin, the caravan leader comes over to Shem: Are you prepared to move out? Shem: Yes indeed e are. Ravin: We'll be leaving in no more than 15 minutes. HeartString introduces himself to the caravan leader who accepts his coming with us. On the Road Again We will discuss if the 2 newbies will join the group in Shaiyo. We leave at about 6 a.m. 32 HeartString is riding a small one horse carriage which has 2 seats behind him. He rides between the forth & fifth wagons. Ravin: We want to balance HeartString & Talisan's vehicles. His is just back of center, Between sixth & seventh wagons, don't want any weak spots. Alustrial has her own steed and rides near the front of the caravan. The morning passes uneventfully. At lunch Ravin informs Shem that if we keep up this pace, we'll arrive at Shaiyo in about 4 to 5 hours. Shem comments to Ravin, no patrols? Ravin: The patrols don't go beyond a few miles beyond their borders. Shem: no farms or life further out than the 5 miles? Ravin: Not that I'm aware of. The city is pretty unusual. You'll have to see it for yourself. Shem nods & Ravin goes back to his duties. Taliesan comes to talk to Shem about our mission. Taliesan: My plans after this are unsure. I want to see the King of Shaiyo, but after that, no plans. I'd like to learn more about your mission. Shem: We'll be moving on towards Molbo's home country. I do not know what is going to happen after that. With us losing a couple members, we'd have some room. It will be a rough couple of weeks, though. Taliesan: I think we'd be willing to come. My wagon can carry some of your supplies to make the journey easier. Shem: I travel light. I do not know about the others. What other skills would you bring besides your copious liquids to cheer us. Taliesan: I can assist with gaining secretive info. I can sing well. Fimbert is a skilled huntsman. Shem: (brightens at mention of the huntsman) If you insist, you would be welcome. Taliesan: I am in it for the adventure. I want to learn more of the area. I want to know what Odifferus has in store. They part ways with the understanding that Taliesan will be coming with the group. The party sets off and after travelling 15 to 20 minutes, SpringRight spots 3 figures standing alongside the road ahead. They are on horses & potentially elf sized and shaped. SpringRight signals to Molbo who slows down to allow SpringRight to approach the figures. Alustrial will also come forward to greet them. They don't respond to SpringRight's hail, but Alustrial recognizes one of them as Logo. They have a brief exchange and Qually is sent back to alert the King of their approach and the exchange of serious news. Logo wants to go back and see Glar. We tell him that Glar is no longer and he shakes his head. He starts heading back to the caravan. They meet Molbo and then continue to the cart with the caravan leader. Logo: Twan, stay at the front of the group while I go talk to Ravin. Twan assumes a position parallel to Molbo. Logo rides up to the cart, nods at Shem. Alustrial explains that there are several spokespeople ;Shem is one. Logo rides over to greet Ravin. Logo: I am sorry at your loss of Glar, I knew the previous caravan leader well. We will escort you if you wish. Ravin: If you like, you can speak to Shem about all the monsters we faced. I just want to get the goods to Shaiyo safely. Logo rides up around the back of the wagon to come up beside him. They chat and Shem tells him of the Drow a day and a half from here, the worm, and how we came upon their lair when ensuring no more worms were coming. Logo indicates that this is closer than they've been thus far. Shem doesn't want to go into too much detail as he doesn't know the elf. He will give all details to the King. Logo assures him that an audience with the King will be arranged. Shem notes that Logo wears a Holy Symbol, but doesn't recognize it. They discuss the role of Vodyus & Varice. Alustrial was able to get her message through and get one in return. Logo & she discuss the Dark Ones. Perhaps something more is going on that they are so close. We're heard that there've been disturbances to the South. If they are from the North as well, this is ill indeed. Some force has arrived on the scene that has driven away the wildlife. It is quite powerful & evil in nature. We wanted to send folks to investigate it, but no decisions have been made yet. She tells Logo of the groups going on to Odifferus and beyond, but would give no details. Logo: We will see what comes out during the talk with the King. We must determine of they are up to investigate on our behalf. If not we'll send our own party. The caravan travels for a couple hours without event. Shem calls out to Twan: are we almost there? Twan: Yes, I can see its outline now. SpringRight sees a medium-sized dot of greenery in and amongst grey, white and brown surroundings. It looks like someone took a southlands forest ;maybe 2 miles on a side ;and plopped it next to the lake. It sticks out from the rest of the surroundings disiduous trees. The third elf returns and heads to Twan first. Qually: The King wants to have an audience with the group. You can go back if you like. (She then rides on towards Alustrial and Logo) The King wants an audience with this group for first thing in the morning. He is quite upset regarding the closeness of the Drow. Alustrial, you should deliver your message immediately. To Logo: The King has invited the entire group to stay within the city. It is not something that is done very often. Qually rides back to let the King know they have accepted the invitation ;a place will be presented to you by sunset. Logo goes to Ravin, the caravan leader: Wait here. We shall bring bearers to take your goods into the city. We will bring ours out on the morrow. Ravin calls a halt. HeartString will go back to his temple to see if he can join in on the audience with the King. Ravin comes over to Shem and hands him a sack. Ravin: As we agreed, here's the pay I promised, 330 gold pieces. We will be remaining here for the next couple of days. We do need to be getting back to Tommard soon. Shem wishes him luck. Ravin: I would be open to your group accompanying us back. Mace wants a message to get back to his homeland. Ravin agrees & Mace will draw it up for you. Shem pays each member equally, Molbo, Mace, 2 Elven sisters, SpringRight, and himself. Mace mentions the machinery sound to Shem that was behind the door underground. Shem: We can discuss this more with the King tomorrow. Alustrial approaches Shem and Mace: I must go deliver my message forthwith. I will be very interested in your adventure. I may wish to come with you as you are headed South. This, after what news I heard from the city. Shem asks if there is a temple to Varice in the city. Alustrial tells him there is a shrine on the eastern edge. Nightshade asks if outsider elves are allowed in the city or should we wait outside with others? Alustrial: No, you may come in. It is very different from your city-style. Taliesan: What about half-elves? Alustrial: As you are not quite a member of this party & thus the invitation hasn't officially been extended to you. I will allow you to come in. But I must accompany you. Taliesan accepts graciously. Alustrial "warns" Nightshade not to practice her "art" inside the city. Nightshade is mock- shocked. I shall not do such things in such a fair city. I shall let Gabriella & SpringRight know. Twan "suggests" that Alustrial deliver her message. Alustrial heads towards the city. SpringRight asks Alustrial if there is a Shrine to the god of travelers. Alustrial: We have a shrine at the entrance to the city. Taliesan speaks up and offers to say a few words about the deceased. Molbo says that Reju is happy now. Vishler: perhaps since we are on mission for the temples ;maybe they'd bring them back? He then asks if he can take part in the meeting as well. Vishler tells Molbo he wants to continue to Odifferus & Molbo is okay with that. In the Elven City After Taliesan makes his pitch to join the group Vishler talks to Shem and Mace. I will go with you if you agree to check out the drow tunnel after we take care of the Maluur in Odifferus. This took place underground with Nightshade, Mace, SpringRight as witnesses. It was a deal I'd only made with Reju. I want to know where you stand on aiding me with this after the current mission. Vishler wants the group to come back and tell him what happened in the city. At sunset, Logo comes back to invite us & our mounts into the city. Andy and Paul are asked to stay with Fimbert. The subject of the dead ones comes up. eight of the group eventually agree to go. When the group approaches the forest, they definitely feel a slight tingling sensation in the air. When they cross through the trees, the temperature shoots up to seventy five degrees. The amount of activity also is dramatically increased. The trees are interconnected by platforms, rope bridges, ladders, etc. None of it is on the ground. Shem asks Logo how it is so warm. Logo: We don't keep it this warm. The rest of the world changed to be colder. It is a long story. Perhaps one of our bards can tell the tale later. Logo lowers a ladder to the group. They all make it up the ladder with some minor slips. The party is thirty feet off the ground when they reach the platform. Molbo asks if they will get wet seeing the easily made holes in the leaves surrounding the sleeping area. Alustrial assures him they will be dry. We are well protected. Logo: We will meet with the King tomorrow morning after breakfast ;8am. Someone will be sent. Logo asks if Alustrial will stay ;I will for for some time. Taliesan has a written message for the King. Both Alustrial & Logo are taken aback by this. It is against protocol. Taliesan: it is a message requesting a diplomatic audience with the king as representative of Taliesin's kingdom. Logo: I shall take your message to the council and see if one of them will speak to you. He then stuffs the message into his belt. He descends the ladder. Alustrial whirls on Taliesin and rebukes him for overstepping his bounds. Taliesin explains apologetically that he was doing his duty in the most efficient way possible. HeartString says he can contact one of the dead members to ask them some questions tomorrow. And suggests the members think of which would be most needed. Alustrial "asks" if Mace wants to have their sparring session. Mace is hesitant but Shem is game. Molbo wants to watch the session & tags along. Alustrial is very strong in her sword arm. Her speed is good. She wears a very fine chain mail armour. Shem is injured in the match but gains health thanks to Alustrial's expense. He sees wounds open up on her body as his quickly vanish. Shem is shocked. Mace shares in the feeling. Vishler checks things out. Alustrial then "heals" herself. She assures the group that one who is evil only uses her special healing power in reverse. Vishler wants to experience it himself and Alustrial offers to "show" him. HeartString asks about her healing power. Alustrial: ? ;the power to do this comes from inside. I must "recharge" before I do it again. Molbo expresses his concerns about this ability putting herself in danger during battle. Alustrial assures Molbo that she has other abilities to use. HeartString gives SpringRight a Cure Moderate Wounds spell and he's almost back to full strength. After all that, Alustrial looks a little green around the gills. The next morning* Twan comes to the tree. HeartString asks us again if we have questions for the dead ones. Molbo says we already know what killed them & so we do not need to ask them questions. The rest agree. Shem asks of etiquette points. do not speak unless asked to do so. ;I think this may be an open session, tho. Standing upon King's arrival. Do not interrupt those who are speaking. Taliesin ;how shall we address the King & councilors? Twan: Address councilors by their given names & the King as My Lord. The group gets to the tree and climbs sixty feet up by ladders that are already in place. There is one table ;Logo already there with a couple of other Elves. There are Seats set across from the table. Twan gestures the group sits in these ;audience style (4 rows) Alustrial already there & seated in this group of chairs. Twan leaves the chamber as the party takes their seats. They chat as a few other elves either. Seated separate from table and audience chairs. At 1 end of the table there is a very elderly looking Human man with a bandage around his eyes. Molbo recognizes him & mentions this to Shem, Name of FaSeer ;says a lot of strange things, but knows a lot. A gong is heard & a young elf steps forward and announces the King's arrival. All in the room rise in acknowledgement that Lukeon The King arrives: he appears quite young for an Elven monarch, has golden hair, fairly short yet wavy, carrying some kind of scepter, decked out in very bright green robe with nice embroidery, looks uneasy as he takes his place at center of semi-circle table. Lukeon makes a downward motion with his hands & the council & we sit. He addresses the assembly. Lukeon: I received a Message from Alustrial from the East: much strife. It is spreading & it may be north of us as well. There may be Dark Ones as well near us. He asks for 1 among us to tell of the Dark Elves. Mace tells the assembled of the experience in the purple worm's lair. One councilor wants to know if we have any idea of how big the complex may have been. Mace cannot elaborate & asks SpringRight to fill in the details. SpringRight: We only saw a small amount of their tunnels. They were quick to react. Logo: Could you tell if they had any connections to any other goings-on in this part of the world? Alustrial points out that Vishler may have more info. Vishler rises and steps forward: When I listened beyond the door & heard something of what the others heard: The sound put me in mind of machinery at work. I have never known the Dark Ones to use such devices. I think this may indicate they are in cooperation with another party. I do not know who that'd be, however. I could make a better guess if I knew what they were doing. Lukeon: We will get to that. Is there anything else to bring forth. Molbo brings up the One-Eyed Things & this seems to please the King. Lukeon: You know of the Maluur then. Shem explains in brief on how we all came together in Nazivonema. Lukeon The King tells us that the land of PeLing is experiencing the same fighting situation as Odifferus. He says that FaSeer may shed further light on things. FaSeer rises & then addresses the assembly. The Maluur's destruction of the Nexus at Shall I'vor is only the beginning. They are still fighting to get the nexus under Thair Mountains. And they are now trying to take control of the nexus near Odifferus. He then explains their origin. The Maluur want to control all nexus magic on Ardrana. They can be defeated: I will tutor those who will face them. I do not know who their current master is. He controls them from a great distance. I would like to travel with you in an endeavor to destroy the Maluur. He then returns to his seat. Lukeon asks Alustrial and grants HeartString to go with the party. Molbo asks why they want the crock of cheese. FaSeer says it protects Molbo's people from the Maluur's power. That is why they fight amongst themselves. The group all in their own ways accept the mission. The King says they should leave as soon as possible but tomorrow is okay for them to leave as FaSeer will be able to join them then. Lukeon dismisses the council & they leave. Logo stays behind and wishes the group all luck. Lukeon tells the group to make lists of what they require of a magic nature to help them in their defeat of the Maluur and give them to Logo. That afternoon, Logo returns to the group with a young elf, carrying a couple of baskets. First, he addresses Mace: "Friend, I would gladly grant your request to learn spells among us for this trip, but time is short. I have therefore brought for you three scrolls of a power that may suit you. Do with them as you wish." Logo then hands Mace a small bundle. Assuming you open them later, you discover that they contain the spells Fly, Lightning Bolt, and Protection from Evil, 10 foot Radius. Then, Logo turns to HeartString. "Your faithfulness is appreciated by our people, and by the High Priests of all Shaiyo. For you, a measure of protection is in order." Logo then hands HeartString a Cloak (this would be a Cloak of Elvenkind). He then turns to Alustrial. "Your prowess in battle and in the mental disciplines is known. Your requests for equipment of an archer were therefore the cause of some confusion. However, we gladly will grant this small boon." With that, Logo hands to her a rope of climbing, in case you didn't guess). Alustrial looks at the 60-foot long rope which is as thin as a slender wand and weighs three pounds. When held at one end, Alustrial can command the rope to snake forward, upward, or downward at 10 feet per round and attach itself securely wherever she desires. It will unfasten itself and return in a similar manner. The rope can also be commanded to knot itself at one-foot intervals making climbing easier. Logo then turns to Taliesin. "Would that we had a Harp such as you requested, but I know of your fondness for stringed instruments. Hopefully, this will be a suitable substitute." Logo then hands Taliesin a small, three-stringed instrument -- a Fochluchan Bandore. The harp allows Taliesin to Cast many spells including Faerie Fire, which outlines objects or creatures with a pale glowing light. It can also allow him to use charm spells more effectively, and has the powers of levitation and invisibility amongst others. He then turns to Molbo. "I understand your desire to get back to your people quickly. We had thought to provide you with Horseshoes of Speed, but we have none that will fit your steed, nor that of Shem. Fasir, it seems has discovered a rare incantation that will allow great numbers to be teleported. He is in his chambers, researching this magic, so that he might transport you all immediately to Odiferous. In addition, since your mighty ax is already enchanted, we shall, with your permission, add to its power by allowing it to glow with a faint light in the presence of Evil on command." Logo then turns to Shem. "To you, as to the others, I will relay a message from Fasir: 'Strength against the Maluur will not avail you. They cannot be harmed by weapons unless they are enchanted.' We know of your blade, and that of Alustrial, and of the ax of Molbo -- if there are still any of you who carry no enchanted weapons, speak now, and they will be provided. Also, for you, Shem, this item was chosen." Shem is then handed a Ring (a Ring of Blinking, to be precise). When Shem issues a verbal command he will be able to teleport from one point to another at a random time and in a random direction, so attacks against him would automatically miss after he has blinked. Logo then turns, finally, to SpringRight. "Since you asked little, you will receive what you need." Logo then hands SpringRight two quivers of magical arrows. I will enumerate to you what they are, as there are several kinds, 20 in all. Logo also hands SpringRight a plus 1 shield. Finally, Logo addresses the group as a whole. "Your safety is tantamount -- you must reach the Nexus safely. Shem suggested a particular item, which we will provide. This will keep you from the view of enemies while encamped." Logo hauls out a large, packed-up tent (a Mist Tent). On a command word it will set itself up, and repack itself. When the flap is closed it turns invisible from the outside and raises ten feet into the air. From the inside the walls look like opaque white mist and the fabric is fireproof. "Finally, one item that should be of benefit to you all, as requested by HeartString." Logo hands to the priest a wooden Staff -- a Staff of Curing, to be exact. "All of the Elves of Shaiyo wish you well on your journey. Our future may well hang in the balance." Shem: "Your generosity knows no bounds. Your sage advice, powerful gifts, and hospitality will prove essential when the time comes to eradicate the evil from this land. May Varice send his warming rays down on your lives, and the light of goodness never fail you." Molbo's eyes open wide as he hears of how much shorter the journey to Odifferus will be. Molbo: "We cannot rid this land fast enough of this terrible evil. To detect such things before they know their enemy approaches is a VERY good thing!" (he pumps his fist in the air, then pauses and looks at Logo) "Where shall I bring my ax to be enchanted?" Mace, after taking the scrolls says "with these scrolls that I am accepting I hope to conquer all foes of this land."" these tools that you have bestowed onto me will assist me with the challenging task ahead. ""I thank you for your generosity." HeartString says, Logo, would you please thank his magisty for his gracious gifts. The Cloak of Elvenkind will truly allow me to heal the others while lessening the chance I will be attacked myself. And this staff will indeed be of great help in healing our party. I would hope to know how potent a thing it is. I have heard that some staves can be used up to twenty five times before needing a high priest's attention. Alustrial: Thank you my friend. The generosity of our king and our people is with out bounds. I will treat this gift with the up most reverence thank you. Taliesin Accepts the instrument, eyeing it reverently. He bows respectfully, I thank you for your generosity. Please pass my appreciation on to the king. Looking down Taliesin says "I carry no enchanted weapons, as well as my companion, fimber. Molbo listens to the rest of the party as they thank Logo for their various gifts. He seems pensive as he stares at the bundle that was identified as the tent that would keep us from enemy sight. Molbo: "I am curious about that tent, Logo. Will it keep our animals from being seen as well as ourselves? It is a very good gift, but if our animals cannot be hidden, they will give away our position." He looks at Shem for some support as he seemed to be the one to suggest the idea. "Shem, our mounts are a most certain giveaway if there are evil things that know us and follow us. We must protect them." He turns back to Logo. "I do not mean to seem ungrateful for the gift. I do not want to see my faithful mount hurt and perhaps endanger my friends if he is seen. Shem: (startled) "I must admit that I did not think of this fact. Of course we must protect the mounts! But then the mist tent I saw before came out of a small bottle, and this one seems to be larger when packed. Perhaps it is larger when unpacked?" Logo turns to Molbo: "No, sadly, this is not large enough for all of your mounts. Some, yes, but not all. Perhaps, since so much distance is being cut from your journey, the mounts can be left in Odiferous?" HeartString puts a hand on Molbo's arm. "I see that you have a true love for your steed. I admire the thought so would it not be safer at your home? I was planning to travel with my carriage, which could hold two or three more normal sized humans. Although not what I would call an average marriage couple, I might be able to carry Molbo and Shem. And maybe the Bard could carry a few on his cart too. That would cut down the number of animals by four." Looking at Logo, HeartString asks, "Would that be enough reduction to fit the rest in the tent?" Molbo ponders this for a bit. Molbo: Yes, I think Edam would like to be back at home. He has done a good job and deserves rest. (he turns to Shem) I do not think my people have ever had to take care of a mount like yours before. Would you still want to take your mount or could you tell my people how to take care of your camel? Shem: "It is very important for me to stay with him." How far will it be to the Nexus from Odifferus? Mace: When this was originally discussed, back in Nazivonema, it was estimated that it was a day's journey north mounted, so perhaps 2 days or so on foot. Logo: I will gladly take your ax to be enchanted, Molbo, and would return it this evening. Mace: If the goal is to be sure where we camp is not visible to potential enemies, anything outside of the tent would give us away. Molbo: Yes, HeartString, Edam is more than just a mount to me. He will stay in Odifferus as he has done all he can. To ride in your cart, however, would prevent me from protecting my friends. I will not hide from potential foes. Molbo retrieves his ax and stands it on one end. Molbo: Logo, would you need help carrying it? It is a very heavy ax. Logo replies "I would guess that no more than four animals would fit in the tent in addition to the...I believe it is twelve people that will be going. Mace: Well it should be around 2 days walk to where we have to go so we may not need to take all the mounts Alustrial: It would seem to me then that we should possibly leave the animals behind. Unless for those who's animals are a part of them. We could take those along as scouts. I know you Molbo and Shem need your animals. Who else would need theirs? Alustrial: If you are able to leave your yack in Odifferous. Then that would be one less animal to take and house in the tent. HeartString speaks, "I do use my carriage for more than just weddings. A gift I received for my services was a Beaker of Plentiful Potions. I have recently purchased many empty glass flasks to contain them.So I use my carriage storage trunk to hold a chest that protects them from breaking." He thinks for a moment and continues, "In the past I have used the carriage to transport seriously wounded, or unconscious people. It has a soft padded bench seat that does quite well for that purpose." He looks at the item in his hands and says, "My new Cloak wwill make me almost invisible at night, and we Elves enjoy sleeping out where it is not too crowded. So if it would make more room under the tent, I could sleep on my carriage covered in it so there would only be a slight chance that I would be detected." He looks to Molbo and continues, "And when we capture the sacred crock of cheese, what better way to safely carry it back to your land than sitting on the seat of my carriage?" In response to HeartString's question, Molbo replies: "There are injuries in battle. Perhaps your cart can carry them back to Odifferus. After all, not all of you are as huge and hardy as me..." (he pumps his arms a bit) "...except you, Mace." (he pauses) "I have not seen all of you fight. I cannot say what will happen in battle. We do knot know much about our enemy. Perhaps we can hide the cart by camping near trees?" (he turns to HeartString) "Only you know what way is best to carry your potions. If they are to help in battle, they must be kept safe. If we take this cart, would they be safe inside it?" Are you sure you want to bring the cart, my friend? If you value it as much as I value Edam, you may wish to leave it behind. It could get damaged as flimsy things do in the battle to come. I do think you do have a good point about keeping the Sacred Crock of Cheese Safe until it is returned to my people. If I were taking Edam, I could store it safely on his back, but I am not. I do not want it damaged. How can we keep such an important item safe from harm? (He looks to the other spellcasters for advice.) Do any of you have anything that would keep it safe? If not, I shall have to see what we have in Odifferus. Mace: I wonder if it is possible if our Elf friends could have camouflage netting made to be placed over the carts before we leave? Taliesin Says, "I have casks on my wagon so that I can hull provisions and supplies. I do not however have any magical protections though. I would like to take my wagon as far as odiferous. From there provided that would be ok I could leave it there, if this will help to expedite our travels. I do have equipment and sustance that could be quite helpful. Molbo: "Of course you can leave your cart in Odifferus. I do not want to see it damaged." (turns to face the group) It seems several of us have things we do not want to get caught in the battle. When we get to Odifferus, we can find a safe place for them. We must not be distracted from the enemy. The Elves here and many other people are counting on us to defeat the evil one- eyed things. Then, when the enemy is soundly defeated and we return to Odifferus with the Sacred Crock of Cheese, we can celebrate by having your tasty drinks along with Odifferus' finest cheese! (Molbo's tone and manner become very animated) I know we can do this, friends. Let us go forth and be triumphant! Mace turns to HeartString: we could distribute some of the empty viles for your potions. Mace to logo: do you think your fine elves may be able to make a camouflage blanket to throw over one maybe 2 carts? HeartString: Thistledown is the material from which cloaks of elvenkind are made. But after being cut and sewn, it needs to be enchanted with a permanent camouflage spell. I figure a Thistledown sheet large enough to cover my Carriage would cost 3,600 gold pieces, plus the need for magic spells to turn it into camouflage. Mace: maybe there is a natural way it can be done without magic Logo replies: If you mean camouflage of a non- magical nature, I am sure such material would be quite easy to be found. I will ask. I admit that I personally know little of Odiferous -- although if there are stands of trees as Molbo says, then certainly it can be done. mace turns to Molbo "Do you think you could help the elves with a description of your land?" "Maybe from your description they may be able to furnish us with something that may help us hide the carts." Molbo replies: Well, many trees in this area have needles that almost touch the ground. These trees are hearty and can deal with cold weather. Still, there are some that lose their leaves, but they should be starting to get their leaves back now. Is it possible to have a covering to fit in with both types of trees? I cannot say exactly what we'll see on our trip to the nexus. Alustrial: Well: the cloth that we would be getting if we have enough. Would most definitely give us concealment in all most any woodland setting regardless of type of tree. mace says: I would like this cloth, but if it is not available to us we will need an alternative. Mace then turns to logo We do appreciate all that you have given us. It is most plentiful and gracious, (at this point mace does a bow) but is it possible that we can impose on you further? Some points that my companions have made make sense. We may need the wheeled vehicles to carry back wounded or supplies to the nexus. If you do have the cloth it may make it easier than if we had to make 2 different kinds of netting or such to conceal the carts. In any event friend logo we would gladly accept any assistance you can render. Shem: "It occurs to me though, that all of this discussion of carts and carriages may be worthless. I assume there are no roads from Molbo's home to the Nexus. Open ground is no place to take laden carts, let alone carriages. We will undoubtedly suffer stuck wheels and broken axles all the way there and back." Molbo ponders for a moment. "Shem, you bring up a good point. Since we do not know where the nexus is, I cannot say that any roads I know of would help us. Perhaps we will be able to return to Odifferus the same way we are getting there now when the battle is over?" Taliesin turns to the group and says," My wagon is built very sturdy, however even the best built wagon is prone to damage when taken off road. The way that I understand it time is of the essence. I believe that Shem is right in saying that taking the cart and wagon maybe a mistake. I think that leaving them in Odifferus might be the best plan of action. We can move much quicker without them. Mace: If logo can help up with the cloth we will have that as an option and make the final descision in Odifferus. HeartString: Geographically, Odiferous is in a fairly narrow belt of arable land between the devastation to the north and the Seven Deserts to the south. But I don't think we are sure if the nexus itself is within this belt or north of it. Molbo: Let us decide now if we bring the carts or they stay in Odifferus. Our friend, Logo, won't have to get the cloth of hiding if we leave the carts with my people. I say leave them in Odifferus. They won't get damaged and we can get to the nexus faster. And the sooner we face these evil things, the sooner we can all rest knowing they have been defeated. Molbo looks at the rest of the party for their input. Alustrial: Of course the decision for their property is the owners to make. But in my opinion it is wiser to leave the carts behind. We can distribute any necessary equipment amongst our packs. If we are to sneak up on the Maluur. Then it is most important to move swiftly. We of course can not do that if we are worrying about wagons and carts breaking down and such. HeartString says, I will leave my vehicle and horse in Odifferus. But, Molbo, how large is this Sacred Crock of Cheese? Is it small enough for one or two to carry? And would they have to hold their noses when doing so? I can carry enough of my potions in a backpack for a few days, and I can give some of you flasks for new ones as Mase suggested. Molbo: "The Most Sacred Crock of Cheese will be too big for someone as flimsy as you to carry, friend HeartString, but I shall take full charge of its safe return. I would do no less for my people. When we get to Odifferus, I shall ask for something to carry it in that will keep it safe. The potions' safety I will leave to you. I can carry them, but I would rather take things that would be harder for you weaker ones to carry...like the tent. The Mission Continues* Molbo is very concerned about releasing the Crock of Cheese once he has it, but party assures him we fight as one & he cannot fight as well if he keeps it. We discuss and decide to have the camel and SpringRight's horse come with us. SpringRight will continue to scout in front of party. Alustrial wants to bring her private horse. Taliesin will bring his draft horse & we'll see what saddle we can get in Odifferus. Molbo gives his axe to Logo & his assistant who brought our items. We talk of the tent & decide that a guard would be okay so long as they hide. We discuss the items Reju and Chalk had ;dust of disappearance packets, ioun stones (lost), helm of mind protection, sundial. Nightshade says she "found" 4 packets on Chalk's body as he was hauled out of the hole. She has 2 & Gabriella has 2. SpringRight has Reju's stone (not the healing one) he seemed to use it right before and during a battle, but it may be damaged. Mace questions if we can have the item tested. Logo could assist with this but it would take an extra day and he encourages us to leave as soon as possible unless this divination would be pertinent to the battle ahead. Both stone & dial are put into the basket to see if an ID can be done. Gabriella offers to DETECT MAGIC on the stone to see if it is still functioning. Logo looks at the item's dim glow and says it should still do what it was meant to. He is about to go & Taliesin wants to look at them. Taliesin believes the stone has protective properties, but the sundial is foreign to him. Because it is an unknown, They all decide to have the sundial examined. Logo takes the sundial and will make it first priority in the research he will ask to be done. Logo leaves. HeartString tells us of his Beaker of Plentiful Potions The potion of thinness will make the drinker as thin as parchment and as light. We talk of uses for the potion ;Nightshade ;can be used in limited circumstances. If Malure have a stronghold built it could be used in stealth. HeartString gives Taliesin 1 Thinness Potion & 1 to Nightshade. The Potion of Regeneration would only work on Alustrial. You may be interested in this as it gives you your normal strength back in half the time. HeartString gives Alustrial the 2 Regeneration Potions & advises she use them within the next month as they'll be ineffective after that. Potion of Metal Immunity: a sword can go through u but u can't hold a weapon of metal. You can use a bow, though. HeartString can use 1 potion & Taliesin may be interested in the other. Molbo wants to stretch and practice before battle. Alustrial leads Molbo, Mace, Gabriella, SpringRight to a practice area. HeartString suggests using his SPEAK WITH DEAD to ask Reju about the stone. Vishler suggests using it to ask Archivenk ;the dead ice wizard about the sundial. Taliesin wants to go with them to see it. Shem objects. Let the dead lie. The ID spell hasn't run its course. The consensus is not to do the speak with dead spell. Taliesin suggest finding a place to get some Elven meed and swap a few stories. HeartString takes Taliesin to an Elven tavern for a drink. He wants to see how they make the wine right in the grape. Mace buries himself in his spellbook. At PM Logo and others return & give Molbo his ax. The King invites us to dinner. A court mage can ID the sundial. We all go to the dinner. Mace & Faseer will not be at dinner as they are both preparing for the battle ahead. Their is a table set for 16 and we all take our seats. Lukeon comes in unattended shortly thereafter. Molbo hears Alustrial and the King talk of how the dragon that protected the city of PeLing disappeared. The city is in great strife and the dragon has not made its traditional appearance to settle things down. A great search has been made of the countryside to find its lair with no results. Faseer thinks the Malur are preventing the strife news from reaching the dragon. The Malur may be sending dragon false messages. A group of four Elves were sent to check out the nexus & only 1 returned ;the Malure have erected a fortress on the site of the nexus. The Elves were set upon by Garbears Orcs. It is not known if these were controlled by Malure or just mercenaries. Shem asks for the composition of the fortress: Its outer wall is fifteen feet high, and made of stone. We discuss how the nexus strengthens mage spells cast in its area. Faseer tells the King that the Malure are not getting the power of the nexus for themselves, but channeling it to their master. The Garbears Orcs use metal weapons. We know not how many there are ,but the longer we wait the more forces the Malure can gather. To date, we'd not seen them use spells. Garbears Orcs were made by Kurpatis during the Wars of Arin. After he dies, they went amuck in the Northlands. The King "suggests" that we have 13 instead of 12 to avoid Kuraliskar's numbers. Perhaps Tuong goes with us? When HeartString asks the King what the Nexus does, "he says, Magic items with variable powers may be affected. For example, there would be a stronger healing power with the staff of Curing, but it would have the same number of charges, etc. To hear more about the adventure to Odifferus & Beyond, visit www.Audio-Tips.com Sunday Nights at 9:00 PM Eastern time. +++ Making Nethack Accessible in Windows By Michael Feir In the good old Dos days, Nethack was a tremendous amount of fun for blind people with speech or Braille access technology. Everything could be in text symbols making it not too difficult to examine the dungeon layout around you and play with competence. Now, it's a Windows world out there and Nethack can still be just as fun as ever. Making it accessible involves making a few small changes to the contents of the game's configuration file. I have no experience with any other screen-readers than Jaws For Windows which is what I use. However, this should in theory work with them as well assuming a certain level of similarity. To look around the map requires the use of an independent cursor which the player can move around without effecting the game. The screen reader should also be set to echo everything which appears on the screen so that messages the game generates will be spoken. Finally, due to the extensive amount of punctuation marks used in the game to depict things, screen readers should be set to a mode where no punctuation is pronounced unless it is gone over by the independent cursor. It can be most annoying hearing an endless string of periods which represent empty floor spaces, dashes which form the top and bottom walls of rooms, etc. With Jaws for Windows as well as other screen readers, you can make a configuration file specifically for Nethack which will make these sorts of adjustments for that program. I certainly couldn't guarantee that this will work with any and all access technology. However, the reward is worth the effort of trying. With that said, let's proceed to the changes in the defaults.nh file needed to make the Windows version of Nethack accessible. This is a simple text file which contains a series of lines with various options. It also contains lines of information which explain those options. If a line is to be treated as this latter kind of text, it is preceded by a number sign. You make one by shifting the number three on the keyboard. Removing a number sign from in front of a line will cause the text in that line to be treated as instructions to be interpreted by the game. The first change to be made is to a line which reads: Options=IBM graphics You want to put an exclamation mark in front of "IBM graphics" so that the line reads: Options=!IBM graphics This change will force only ASCII text symbols to be used rather than the more pictorial symbols available in the extended ASCII set. The next line to be changed effects how keyboard commands are handled. A lot of screen readers use the number pad to control their independent cursors or for other functions. Sighted players, on the other hand, find the number pad a handy way to move around more intuitively than with the letters used on the Keyboard to command your character to move in many games of this type. There is a line saying: OPTIONS=time,noshowexp,number_pad:2,lit_corridor You have to change the "number_pad:2" to "number_pad:0" to turn the number pad off. There are a number of other changes I've made but these are more optional and a matter of personal preference. I find the traditional rogue like menu style to be helpful to me. To have this, make certain the line reading: OPTIONS=menustyle:traditional Is present and isn't preceded by a number sign. You may want to disable autopickup. You can do this by preceding the "autopickup" word with the word "no" so the option is "noautopickup". These changes will result in nethack being as accessible as it can be. The next thing to consider is how to play the game. You are represented by an @-sign on the screen. However, other humanoids such as shopkeepers, soldiers etc are also represented by @-signs. Fortunately, the PC cursor is always located where your character is. Therefore, in Jaws for Windows, routing the jaws cursor to the pc cursor will put you right where your character is in the dungeon. You can then use the jaws cursor to explore the area around him/her. I know that it is theoretically possible to build up a mental picture of the whole dungeon level as far as it is known to the player. However, I don't play Nethack all that seriously. I tend to look only at my immediate surroundings such as the room I'm in. However, I've talked to people who use their Braille displays to gather a much better sense of the overall dungeon level. One very useful command in the game is the autopilot. It goes a long way to solving the insurmountable problems of retracing your steps once you find the down staircase and is also useful in locating doors you may have missed in your explorations. Jaws for Windows won't give you row and column coordinates like the old Dos screen readers did. Therefore, unless you're really good at orientation, it was previously all too possible to become trapped on a level you had explored fully unable to find where the staircase down to the next level was. You would either have to go down immediately and sacrifice the exploration of the rest of the level or risk having the above fate happen to you. Now, the autopilot will move you towards any fixed feature of the dungeon such as the down or up staircases, closed doors you have found but haven't opened, etc. The autopilot is invoked by using the underscore key which is the shifted dash or hyphen. The autopilot won't help you find objects such as a weapon you may have left lying around. Nethack certainly isn't a game for everyone. It's not at all like interactive fiction. You have to be willing to put time into learning the ropes as well as being more than just a casual user of your screen reader's review features. It's apparently a bit more intuitive with a Braille display. There are many commands to learn and you must also learn what symbols represent what objects. The slash command is another indispensable command for blind players. Be certain to read the file called guidebook.txt. In a game this full of complexities, it's vital that you have an idea what you're doing before plunging in. The online help and the above mentioned guidebook are very well written and easy to access. Being a merely casual player of the game, I haven't progressed even a tenth of the way through it. There are many levels to the regular dungeon plus numerous special levels. Judging by the descriptions of them which I've read, there very well may be access difficulties later on in the adventure. One area of likely difficulty is the Socoban puzzle where you have to push rocks into pits. There are also levels like the Gnomish mines which are mazes rather than whole rooms. Most of your time is spent in narrow corridors and it is quite easy to become disoriented. Despite these issues, Nethack is easily one of the most interesting and inspiring games I've ever come across. You'll never have the same experience twice due to the staggering amount of randomness built into the game. Perhaps, some day, there will be sound based role-playing games of equal complexity and replay ability. Until then, for those with sufficient patience and willingness to learn, there's Nethack. I hope this writing makes it a bit easier for new players to get started. +++ News from Developers ++ News from BSC Games Greetings Gamers! Coming in 2005... the Void is a new fast-paced first-person 3D gaming experience, set in the distant future. A new threat to the long-standing peace between the human colonies have arisen from the shadows and can only be described as "the Void," for leaving nothing but mystery in their wake. The Mackenzie Star Station has severed all communications, and you, as Commander Jeremy Blake, have been re-assigned to investigate. Cramped quarters, spine-tingling suspense, and challenge at every turn will greet you as you move through the old station. It will be up to you to discover the cause of communications silence, attempt to restore communications, and then make your report. With the Void as suspect to this incident, the nature of your mission may change, and the danger could escalate beyond your control. We are also continuing development, slowly but consistently, on CastleQuest which will be our first online multiplay RPG. You can read up on cq at www.castle-quest.com (note the dash between castle and quest). We are developing version 3.0 of BSCGames.com which also has us quite occupied these days. We are revamping the navigation and graphical layout of the site for 2005 and we hope that you will find it easier and more straight-forward to get the information you come looking for. Graphical layout? Stay tuned on that one. While visiting BscGames.com, feel free to join our game talk list where gamers talk all about BSC Games. Feel free to sign up for our newsletter for updates on the Void and cq and their progress. Best Wishes, Justin Daubenmire - owner BSC Games ++ USA Games Inc. Star Trek Final Conflict Alfa 4 by Thomas D. Ward. USA Games inc. http://www.usagames.us Sometime in February 2005 USA Games will be releasing the latest test release of it's popular Star Trek strategy game, "Final Conflict." Final Star Trek Final Conflict is a move based, self-voicing, strategy game in which a player commands five Galaxy-Class starships and two starbases against an allied force of Romulans, Cardassians, and the Breen. In addition, Final Conflict includes one special bonus level in which the player can command his or her forces against the dreaded enemy of the Federation, "the Borg." In the previous three test releases of STFC the game has captured a large number of fans and followers. Thanks to their input, help, and suggestions Alfa 4 is sure to be the most exciting, stable, and most popular version of STFC to date. So what is new in STFC? In previous versions of Star Trek Final Conflict the game simply used stereo panning to move sound effects around in the game. In STFC Alfa 4 the game has been completely updated to use true 3D positioning of the sound effects. It is now possible to hear if an enemy is shooting from far away, or is shooting at a vessel at a very close range. With a good set of headphones now it is even possible to hear an enemies weapons from any direction. The new test release of STFC has also added and updated many of the sound effects to the game to add a richer sound experience for the player. For example, now when restocking weapons or power from another ship or starbase the player will hear the starships transporter as the weapons and power are restocked. When a Breen or Romulan uses it's cloaking device the ship can be heard by the player cloaking and decloaking during game play. The old docking sound effect has been replaced by a better docking sound which sounds more true to the Star Trek Next Generation and Deep Space 9 television shows. When a Federation ship receives damage during an attack it is possible to hear the system powering down. When development began on Star Trek Final Conflict Alfa 4 it was understood there were technical problems with the existing artificial intelligence in the game. The first thing that was done was the old artificial intelligence was deleted and rewritten from scratch. As a result of the rewrite many of the issues with the artificial intelligence have been solved, and the game is now easier to play against. As development progressed it was soon discovered why a player had such a hard time winning the game. A bug was discovered in the game that when shields were reduced the hull was reduced as well causing the player's ships to be prematurely destroyed. Now though, in Alfa 4 this bug has been fixed, and the shields must be at 0 before the hull can sustain any damage. This has resulted in the players ships lasting much longer during game play. Alfa 4 also has a new feature most gamers will find useful. In the first three test releases a ship would have to go to the nearest starbase to repair damages to the hull. In Alfa 4 all ships can dock with any Federation ship and receive in-flight hull repairs no matter where they are. This can be used as longer service time away from Federation space. One of the most requested features has now been fulfilled. Many early testers has suggested some kind of a menu to help learn the commands to play the game. At last, STFC Alfa 4 has a fully menu driven interface which allows a player to use either hot keys or menus to activate all of the games features and commands. When F1 is pressed a player is taken to a main Menu which has several submenus like: Game, Information, Status, Navigation, etc. When one of these submenus is opened a player will see all the options in that menu with a key attached to it such as Autopilot (A), Course (C), Power (P), etc. By pressing the associated key that command is acted upon. Of course, the player can simply arrow to that menu item and press the spacebar to activate that command as well. In addition to the technical changes Star Trek Final Conflict Alfa 4 has had a major facelift as far as game play, ships, and enemies. In Alfa 1 and 2 the game was thought to take place sometime during star Trek Deep Space 9 season 3 or 4 in the Star Trek timeline. Later, in Alfa 3 we attempted to see what the game would be like playing in Star Trek deep Space 9 season 6 against the Dominion. Now though, it has been decided that the game should be reversed in the timeline to Star Trek Next Generation season 6 or Star Trek Deep Space 9 season 1. This change may come as a disappointment for some, but USA Games is certain STFC Alfa4 has better play value, stability, and better action than any previous version. All Federation ships in STFC Alfa 4 are based upon the Galaxy-Class starships seen on Star Trek Next Generation and Deep Space 9. According to Star Trek references there are five Galaxy class ships that have been named: U.S.S. Enterprise, U.S.S. Odyssey, U.S.S. Galaxy, U.S.S. Venture, and U.S.S. Yamato. All five Federation starships in STFC Alfa 4 have been named after these five Galaxy-Class ships. As many STFC players know the Romulans were removed in Alfa 3 but now have been returned in Alfa 4. Many felt fighting both the Romulans and Breen at the same time was to difficult because both use a cloaking device that renders them invisible to the player for a majority of the time. However, as mentioned earlier what was not known then was bugs in the artificial intelligence and the code for shields and hull were the cause of so many ships being destroyed so soon. However, the enemy certainly does have a tactical advantage with so many ships that can become invisible. So how does a player defeat so many invisible warships? Final Conflict is all about tactics and strategy. Finding out how to defeat the cloaked ships is one of the key elements to a successful mission in STFC. Since it is so vital USA Games does not want to give out to many secrets which could spoil the games replay value. However, we can lend a few hints which may get the old and new STFC player well on his or her way to a successful mission. When a player plans to attack a group of cloaked ships he or she must think about what they would do if they were in command of those ships. What are the strategies a Romulan or breen commander could use? The obvious strategy would be to cloak, become invisible, and ambush the players ships as soon as they came in to range of the cloaked ship's weapons. Since the player must assume his or her ships will be ambushed he or she must be ready to expect an ambush from an unknown number of enemy vessels at any time. Another obvious strategy a Breen or Romulan commander might use with a cloaked ship is cloak, get behind the fleet, and take out the Federation starbases while the ships are away. By destroying the Federation ships' only supply of photon torpedoes the player's fleet is almost assured to loose the battle. Keeping the cloaked ships away from the starbases should be a high priority for any STFC player. When a player enters enemy space it is always wise to send more than one ship in at once. The Federation ships should be close enough that they can aid each other with weapons, power, and do in-flight hull repairs. Often having more than one ship attacking the enemy in their own space keeps them away from the Federation starbases and gives them many targets to attack and not any one target to fire at. However, I have seen this strategy turned against me when there were several cloaked ships in the same area. In one game I was testing I sent three ships in to Romulan space to destroy as many Romulans as possible. What ended up happening though was my fleet got attacked from four Romulans from the front, but I had no idea there were three Breen ships cloaked behind my fleet. I quickly killed the 4 Romulan ships, and as I tried to get back to Deep Space 9 the Breen attacked destroying all three of my ships, but not before I destroyed one of them. Then, the Breen and remaining Romulan attacked Deep Space 9. The starbase did manage to destroy 3 more cloaked ships, as well as a couple Cardassians, before being destroyed itself. Which really did leave me pretty weakened. However, the enemy did loose allot of cloaked ships during the battle. Eight in all. As it turned out I did win the game, but at games end I only had one starship left. It was a tuff game, was tricky to win, but by destroying several cloaked ships at the start of the game it was easy to attack and destroy the Cardassian fleet which can not hide from sensors, and destroy the last two Breen. STFC Alfa 4 is still under active development and private testing. The good news is the public Alfa should appear sometime in February 2005 once private testing has completed, and it can be certain most bugs have been fixed. While the game is not currently for sale it should be ready for sale later this spring. However, you can visit http://www.usagames.us to download all our test releases for this title. You can also go to http://www.usagames.us/news.php to read the latest news about our game titles. If you would like to talk to others about our games you can go to http://www.usagames.us/lists.php and subscribe to our support mailing list. +++ Fearless Flin Development Diary: Part III By Michael Feir While it isn't as polished as I'd like, I've at last taken my design document to the point where I can begin working on other areas of development. I haven't yet worked out all of the special items or how all the special enemies will be defeat. However, the mandatory and optional quests are all present now as well as the basic abilities of all companions. After careful consideration, I've done some radical changes to how special places could only be restored once special foes associated with them had been dealt with. Now, all special foes must be vanquished before escape from the current arena is possible. Other changes have also been made to make certain that the game's interface and options comply with the "easy to learn, hard to master" philosophy of classic arcade games. Improvements in the game engine, particularly the number of variables available, have given rise to still more changes. Defeating the game's special enemies is one major area in need of continued work. I'd like to have a couple of different methods of defeating special enemies. It should always be possible to do so without having any companions. However, where possible, I'd like to come up with ways that certain companions can prove very useful. All companions will be useful in general. The archer can attack from a distance, the priest can exorcise ghosts and effectively fight demons. They should also be able to effect major change if players know where and when to use them. For instance, the prince or princess can capture goblin castles turning them into royal castles which help Fearless Flin. The peasant can work in the garden or forge causing these places to be more productive. I'll be thinking on these issues while I begin working on sound effects. One thing user-defined variables are excellent for is when you have similar items to be collected but not necessarily used. They don't need to take up inventory space. They are also how you can indicate to the game whether certain conditions have been met such as quests being completed. The engine is constantly being updated by David Greenwood and I expect that even more changes will have been made by the time I get around to starting to try to program the game. I've decided to spend the next few months focusing on creating the game's sound effects. Before I start programming, I'd like to at least have the basic sounds ready to plug in. Having spent the last half year thinking about what my game should sound like, I now feel that it's time I started seeing how close I can come to my imagined experience using the sound effects packages I have available along with Sound. I also want to work on the script for Fearless Flin's human companions who will be able to say a variety of things as they travel with our adventurer. Additionally, the game will have a narrator who will also need lines worked out. Special foes will also have a series of phrases, taunts, and the like which they will say while present in the arena. If there's one overarching lesson the past while has impressed upon me, it's that I can't seem to compartmentalise game development very well at all. I need to try to keep moving forward more slowly in more than one area at a time. All attempts at completely finishing one area of development have caused me a lot of frustration. I suppose I should have known better since I never enjoyed writing in secondary school once I had figured out where a story was going or was forced to write an outline and then stick to it. It's impossible to do a game without having some sense of its ending and limitations. However, there are a number of facets of development which I'll have to become proficient in and this challenge will keep things interesting for me. It also helps that my game deals extensively with random factors. I don't think I'd be very good at all producing more linear adventures. Until next time, I'll leave you to enjoy the rest of this issue of Audyssey. Michael Feir Creator and former Editor of Audyssey Magazine 1996-2004 +++ Game Announcements and Reviews: Below are some of the new games available. Though an old treasure or two may be discussed too. It's noteworthy that in some cases it's only an announcement of a game, taken from the email list, and may not be a full review, or an official notice from the developer. Reviews of games will not appear in any particular order. The only exception to this will be when we have more than one review for a game. In this case, reviews will be placed consecutively so that it is easier to compare them. ++ Azteca Commercial text adventure http://www.malinche.net Hello Again, Adventurer !!! I seldom send two emails in the same month much less in the same day. Just as earlier in the day, an important development has just occurred - the release of Azteca Release 2! Azteca Release 2 corrects a few minor bugs and oversights that will enhance your experience in the temple. All Malinche games come with a full set of maps. I have an ongoing zero tolerance policy where bugs are concerned and you can always expect the latest, most up to date versions of all my games on a regular basis. Now go have a look at the calendar stone, examine the statue of the jaguar and smell the incense among other things. And most of all... enjoy! Howard A. Sherman Implementor http://www.malinche.net 1070 Highway 34 Suite H Matawan, NJ 07747 ++ Blind Eye Abandonware I think Hi Charles, Here is from the online blind eye documentation: The object of the game is for you to move around in a virtual city where you have to locate a number of musical instruments that have been placed in different locations. The instrument will start playing when you are in its vicinity. You will easily be able to hear where the sound is coming from and when you get to where the instrument is, you will automatically pick it up. Then, a voice will tell you how many instruments are left for you to find. When you have located all of the instruments, you have to find a garage where a hurdy-gurdy man is playing. All of the instruments will play for you and the game ends. You have a maximum of 60 minutes to complete the game and you must beware of colliding with cars and walls or you will lose energy. If you have not located all of the instruments within the time frame the game is over. Now Phil's comments. The game was a beta which could use some improvements. The pace of the foot step sound was slower than I would like and the turn left or right arrows moved the sounds more than what would be natural to me. I am not sure but it sounded like fifteen degrees with each arrow hit, which would spin you around in twelve hits. To me I am used to the 5 to 7.5 degree turn of the GMA games. The sound changes when you get close to an obstacle like a house is much too subtle and thus I hit quite a few of them lowering my energy and getting snide comments from the voice, like can't you see that house? and , Dou you need new glasses? I imagine after playing the game for a while I would be able to distinguish the small changes in sounds so as not to lose energy. For those who missed it, here is the direct download site: http://www2.hku.nl/~audiogam/ag/theblindeye/ and here is the web page to get the instructions: http://www.theblindeye.com Smiles, Phil ++ Blind Cribbage Spoonbill Software Hi, You are receiving this email because you have previously requested Blind-gamers Cribbage 1.0 (wave). Spoonbill Software has just released Blind-gamers Cribbage 1.1 (SAPI). If, by any chance, you haven't got SAPI already, you can download the install file for SAPI Text-To-Speech directly from Spoonbill Software's Blind-gamers page. Blind-gamers Cribbage 1.1 (SAPI) has the same functionality as its predecessor Blind-gamers Cribbage 1.0 (wave) but with the following enhancements: · Version 1.1 uses SAPI, the Microsoft Speech Application Programming Interface, which makes use of synthesized speech rather than hundreds of pre-recorded wave files. This makes the program smaller and more flexible. · You can now vary the speed of the voice from very slow to very fast using the plus and minus keys on the numeric keypad. For this to work, you must have your screen reader turned off. · The Sort Hand option, on function key F 12, now applies to the computer's hand as well as your own hand and the cards in all hands and the crib will be sorted as specified by the setting of the Sort Hand option. · The F 5 function key not only announces how many games you and the computer have won during the current session, but it also announces how many games you and the computer have won overall, including games won in previous sessions. It also gives you the opportunity to reset the overall scores back to zero. · The F 3 function key now not only announces the current round total during the Play phase, but also the sequence of cards played in the current round of play. This will enable you to better decide if you can make a run, pair or fifteen during play. If you would like a copy (and version 1.1 is only 530 kilobytes instead of a whopping 2.7 megabytes for version 1.0) just reply to this email with a short note requesting the SAPI version. Thank you for your past interest in my Blind-gamers series. You can read more by visiting the Spoonbill Software website. Don't forget to visit the Newsletter page as well as the Blind-gamers page. Regards Ian Humphreys Spoonbill Software Albany, Western Australia ++ Cryple Hi Folks, I cut all the Cryple game stuff from Dean Martineau's Top Tech Tidbits for Thursday. I'm a sucker for number and word logic games, so I wasted some time playing Cryple, a free little game where each of the digits from 1-0 is represented by a letter, and it's up to you to deduce which letter stands for which digit based on arithmetic problems. the game works with JFW and Window-Eyes. I've prepared a 15-minute audio file explaining it, to justify my wasting time playing it. You can get the audio file at http://www.topdotenterprises.com/cryple.mp3 (you might want to right-click and choose Save Target As if your intention is to download the audio file.) and the game can be downloaded from http://www.topdotenterprises.com/cryple.exe ++ Chopper Patrol Reviewed by Gerardo Corripio. http://www.bscgames.com This very simple but very realistic game, can be played without sighted assistance. Have you ever wanted to learn how to develop computer games but at the same time have fun with an arcade-style game? Try out Chopper Patrol from www.bscgames.com/resource_center.asp *installation: Believe it or not, but no installation is required to enjoy this game. Only unzip the file that downloads from the above page and you're all set to start playing and/or learning how to develop games because aside from the executable game, you will find the source codes and the sound effects used in the game. also, from the above page, you can find the necessary tutorials to start bringing us game buffs more fun-filled games. *playing the game: Once you unzip the file, you'll find yourself in the Chopper Patrol folder. To start playing, just find/launch the Chopper-patrol.exe file having unloaded Jaws (or whatever screen reader you have), and wait a few seconds for the game to start. Once started, imagine yourself driving around in a tank; you will begin hearing either a helicopter or a jet coming from left to right or vice versa; use the left control key to fire on the craft; the cannon is used for the helicopters and the machine gun for the jets. If you miss three jets in a row, the game stops and asks you whether you wish to play again. Don't think it's easy for us who have never gotten the chance to play more advanced games like Tank Commander because it's a bit tricky targeting the jets because these come at you from either left to right or vice versa having to move the target to the opposite side of the screen and change to the machine gun in a flash with the up/down arrows, while the helicopter stays stationary while either on the left/right or center, thus being less tricky. If you get all the jets and helicopters, you win the game. Sounds simple I know but once you get the hang of it its very realistic! Enjoy! and for you folks wanting to develop computer games, good luck! ++ Easter Egg Hunt Reviewed by Gerardo Corripio. Playable without assistance http://www.l-works.net Want to relive all those Easter-egg hunts you went through as kids? L-Works' Easter Egg Hunt allows you to do exactly this, as well as improve on hand/ear coordination skills. To download Easter Egg Hunt, go to http://www.l-works.net/get.php?file=egghuntsetup.exe Once installed under the L-Works submenu then unload your screen reader since this game is self-voicing, launch the game and once the computer says On your Mark, Get Set, Go! get ready because you have three minutes to find as many eggs as possible! The game reports when you have two minutes, one minute and thirty seconds left to collect eggs. Use the right, left, up, and down arrows to find the eggs; when you hear the egg, indicated by a beeping sound. In the center, it will automatically be picked up so you can keep on searching for more eggs. These games have a system by which you can send the scores to l-works; this option can be accessed from within the games' menu. Let me just say that it's great they have this feature! because it's especially helpful to get yourself motivated to try even harder just by looking at other players' scores! Hopefully I'll see mine someday posted among the top 10; if you try hard enough hopefully you'll achieve the top 10 as well. ++ Jawbreaker For those of you who have a Pac Mate and are looking for a game you can play, Jawbreaker has been made blind friendly. I hope my description of how to play the game is not too confusing, but here goes: The game is played by using your JAWS cursor and your Braille display to look at the board. There are 11 columns with 12 jawbreakers in each column. You look for rows or columns of jawbreakers of the same color. Colors are represented by numbers on your Braille display. Press the routing button on your Braille display that is associated with the Braille cell that the jawbreaker you want to burst is on, and the jawbreakers that are contiguous as far as color is concerned all disappear. The jawbreakers in columns fall down to replace those that disappear. So, for example if you find 3 fours side by side and the column to the right has a 5, and just above the four in your third column is a 5, burst those fours and the 5 falls down to replace the burst four, giving you 2 fives in a row which you can burst. The game is over when you have no numbers side by side or directly in line in a column. You are given points based on the number of jawbreakers you burst on each play. The more you burst with each play, the higher your score for that play. I don't think that you can play this using speech, because the spacing is very important, and I think you need to feel, rather than hear, the numbers and their position on the board. To play the game, you have to copy a jawbreaker.jgf file into the windows\settings\enu folder, which may be hidden, into your Pac mate from your desktop PC. If you want a copy of the jawbreaker.jgf file, let me know off! list!! Absolutely no request through the list will even be responded to. You! must! ask off list. My Email address is wooferess@cox.net If you are already a member of the Pac Mate list, you already know about this fun little game. This Email is for those who are not Pac Mate list members. If you want to be a member of the list that discusses the Pac Mate, you can find more info at www.pacmategear.com ++ Pigeon-Panic Reviewed by Gerardo Corripio Playable without sighted assistance http://www.l-works.net Imagine yourself in New York city killing pigeons; they're everywhere (on benches, in peoples' houses, in cars, on the streets and sidewalks). You work out a deal with the city and get to work shooting them to help the city free itself of these birds. This can be done in l-works' newest game entitled Pigeon-Panic which can be downloaded from www.l-works.net/get.php?file=pigeonpanicsetup.exe Once the game is installed, you'll see a L-works program folder within your Start Menu/Programs. In it will be installed the Pigeon-Panic game as well as other l-works games you install in the future. The game is self-voicing, so be sure and unload your screen reader before playing. Once in the game you'll be presented with a menu from which you can choose a few options, including test speakers, start a new game, send scores to l-works and exit. it will all be spoken to you by a pre-recorded human voice. Once you select the Start new Game option, the computer will say set, ready go! and you'll start hearing one bird moving from left to right. When you hear it in the middle, press the spacebar to shoot. If you get him, the game will continue, however, if you miss you'll get two more chances before the game stops. While you're shooting birds, every so often you'll hear a chime and the game will be reporting your score; be prepared because each increase in score makes for faster-moving birds! So ready to shoot pigeons in New York? Now my comments: the sounds are very realistic-sounding to the point that you forget you're playing a computer game. ++ Private detective school Game demo available from www.codfact.com Full version only on cd, by the looks of things only available from ONCE, not sure about the Code Factory team direct Reviewed by Will This game, the latest from Code Factory has some fantastic concepts, which I would love to share with you. The story of this game, is that three pedals from the magnificent organ in the headmasters office have been stolen. Of course, you, the main character, are the best man up for the job and it is your task to try and recover the pedals to unlock a safe. It is the graduation ceremony and the diplomas are in the safe. Sounds a weird storyline, think I got it right, smile The interface, for those of you having played time adventures, you'll recognize the main character i.e. you, as Jacko from this previous offering from the company so in my opinion the acting is not bad. When I first started the game, and after the intro, I was dropped straight into it. It didn't say what to do to get help, but having played time adventures, I figured that pressing the f12 key would yield some information as it did in this game. I was told the usual element, i.e. cursor keys to look at items in a room and of course to move up and down menu items. Here however, was where the game began to get interesting. By pressing S you are presented with a whole map of the campus in which the game takes place. It takes place at the private detective school academy. When I pressed s, I was confronted with some cool music and then I thought, what do I do? The exciting part is you physically walk to each location! This means that as you are walking around, if you are by a wall the sound is wooden, if not and you are walking on the floor it is like a normal footstep Then, when one approaches doors it may say after the door sound "laboratory" etcetera. You have to solve each case, there are six cases in all which I assume make up the whole mystery. You have to solve them by examining objects, talking to characters, eliminating suspects etcetera. In the demo you only get the first quarter of the first case but the whole campus to explore It just sounds such a cool game, a lot of thinking will be involved. For example in the toilets there are three pipes labelled a, b and c. I guess everything is in this game for a reason. The game has animations as well, but so far only 2 music tracks which I find disappointing most locations are just quiet, well some have environmental ambience but only that and no music to accompany. It's hard to explain this game without giving it a go, it is a must, grins If you like thinking then you will like this game. I don't know as of yet, how to purchase this. I think for those of you living in Spain you can go to an ONCE shop and pick it up I guess. This is rather disappointing as I don't know the estimates for shipping this game or how much shipment costs. For those of us like me, who live in the united kingdom, I guess we have to do a bank transfer to code factory, I don't know how much that will cost for shipment either, read a full description at www.codfact.com under products, accessible then games, and finally entertainment games. All in all well worth your fifty meg download, and the navigation is almost like 3d as you walk around the campus. Doesn't seem a huge area to explore that I've seen but maybe there are more locations in the full version, but I don't think so Overall rating: demo at least, 8 out of 10 happy pedal hunting ++ Top Speed Reviewed by Gerardo Corripio. Playable without sighted assistance http://users.pandora.be/playinginthedark/download_e.htm Looking for a realistic-sounding and feel driving/racing accessible game especially for the blind? Try out Top Speed, a free game from Playing in the Dark, from Belgium. No special requirements such as ccp-net or WindowsInstaller is needed, reason for the ease of installing Top Speed. Once installed, unload your screen reader and either launch the desktop icon or the shortcut key you can create yourself upon the game's install, and after a few seconds wait, you should be hearing the Playing in the Dark Intro theme and then the game itself will start. A human recorded voice will tell you to use the arrow keys and enter to navigate through the menu choices which are, by pressing the down arrow, Quick Start in which you don't get to choose any of the options described below, thus only allowing you to race around a track; single race in which you get to choose which one of eight tracks you want to race, coincidentally named for different countries, select a vehicle in which by pressing the down arrow you get to choose one of four vehicles (between two cars and two motorcycles) plus the Go Back option which allows you to go back to the previous menu. Once you choose which vehicle you want to race in, select between automatic and manual transmission, I recommend first going with the manual transition even though it's very slow, to get familiar with the tracks. Once you make the selection for both, the model and the type of transition, the game will start by saying Start your Engines! "3, 2, 1, roll!" Then you pres the up arrow key to accelerate. A co-pilot will be saying the turns; you steer with the left/right arrow keys respectively. Though I'm blind from birth and have never driven a car except on the bumper cars, it sure feels like driving a real car because depending on if it says sharp or ark, I'd imagine it's how far you go left/right. When you crash and the engine starts up again, you continue from where you crashed until you either continue crashing or finish the track. Upon completion. The game reports your time and compares it with your previous time record, saying if it's higher or lower than before. Now let's talk a bit about the Street Adventures which is also very interesting: When you choose it, you get four "adventures". once you choose one of these, you get the same choices as in the Single Race option with the model you want to race in, the type of transition and away you go! To quit the track and go to another, just press Escape and you will return to the Main Menu on which if you select Quit Game it exits out of the game. Final Comments. Aside from the speech being totally human-recorded, the two other aspects I really enjoy about the game which makes it very realistic is the fact that when you select the car/motor cycle, the engine sounds reflect the model, thus sounding very realistic. Secondly, the way in which you steer the car through the track is very realistic because the type of turn you make, either arked or wide, reflects in how to proceed through the track and if you crash. Overall, this is a very awesome game which I recommend to whom ever wants to experience being either in a race or driving a car. I definitely feel the thrill one would feel of driving/racing because as you go along, especially in the street Adventures, you hear the wheels of the car changing from gravel, pavement and the like. Also, in both the races and the street adventures, you hear people cheering you on. So ready to race/drive? Try out Top Speed! ++++ Contacting Us All material to be included in future issues of Audyssey should be sent to me at the following addresses: Ron Schamerhorn 1180 Dorval Dr. #303 Oakville On L6M 3G1 [905]-842-1933 blindwonder@cogeco.ca rschamerhorn@hotmail.com for MSN no email. Brenda Green is the co moderator. Her efforts on behalf of the Audyssey community are very much appreciated. She can be contacted at: bdgreen@ns.sympatico.ca Kevin, co-owner/moderator of the blind gamers discussion list also helps out greatly with the community and can be contacted at the following email/msn: kream@eklyon.co.uk +++ Distribution Information and Submission Policies This magazine is published on a quarterly basis, each issue appearing no earlier than the fifteenth of the publication month for its quarter. All submissions to be published in an issue must be in my possession a minimum of two days before the issue is published. I use MS-Word to produce Audyssey, and can therefore accept submissions in pretty much any format. They may be sent either on a 3.5-inch floppy disk, or via e-mail to: blindwonder@cogeco.ca Please write articles and letters about games or game-related topics which interest you. They will likely interest me, and your fellow readers. This magazine should and can be a highly interesting and qualitative look at accessible gaming. To insure that high quality is maintained, I'll need your written contributions. I reserve the right to unilaterally make changes to submissions if I deem it necessary to improve them grammatically or enhance their understand ability. I will never make changes which will alter the spirit of a submission. All submissions must be in English. However, people need not be great writers to have their work appear in Audyssey. Many of our community come from different countries. Others are quite young. Where possible, I try to preserve their different styles of expression. The richness that this adds to the Audyssey experience far outweighs any benefits gained from having everything in prose so perfect as to be devoid of life. Audyssey is a community and magazine built on the need for blind people to have fun. There are no formal structural requirements for submissions. Within reason, they may be as long as necessary. Game reviews should all clearly state who created the game being examined, where it can be obtained, whether it can be played without sighted assistance, and any system requirements or other critical information. Although profanity is by no means banned, it should not be used gratuitously. Submissions not published in a current issue will be reserved for possible use in future issues if appropriate. * Those who are on the Audyssey discussion list should be aware that I often put materials from the list in the "Letters" section if I feel that they warrant it. Anything posted to this discussion list that in some way stands out from the common and often lively ongoing discourse will be considered fair game for publishing unless it contains the author's wish that it not be published. From now on, it is now officially a policy of the Audyssey community. This magazine is free in its electronic form, and will always remain so. I'm writing this magazine as much for my own interest as for everyone else's. Your articles, reviews, and letters, as well as any games you might care to send me, are what I'm after. Send any games, articles, letters, or reviews via E-mail, or on a cd or 3.5-inch disk in a self- addressed mailer if you want your media returned to you. Please only send shareware or freeware games. It is illegal to send commercial games unless you are their creator or have obtained permission to do so. By sending me games, you will do several things: first, and most obviously, you will earn my gratitude. You will also insure that the games you send me are made available to my readership as a whole. If you can, I recommend that you send e-mail. I can send and receive attachments with ease. This way, no money will be wasted sending me a game I already have, and you'll get my reply more quickly. You are responsible for shipping costs. That means, either use a disk mailer which has your address on it, and is either free matter for the blind, or is properly stamped. I can and will gladly spare time to share games and my knowledge of them, but cannot currently spare money above what I spend hunting for new games. I encourage all my readers to give my magazine to whoever they think will appreciate it. Up-load it onto web pages and bulletin board systems. Copy it on disk for people, or print it out for sighted people who may find it of value. The larger our community gets, the more self-sustaining it will become. Those who want to receive issues of Audyssey as they are published should send a blank E-mail to: Audysub-subscribe@yahoogroups.com The Audyssey discussion list facilitates discussion about games accessible to the blind between the publication of issues of Audyssey. All are welcome as long as they respect their fellow community members and keep in mind that the topic of the list is supposed to be games. Other topics are allowed within reason as long as they don't begin to monopolize the list traffic for too long. Newcomers should be advised that traffic is frequently fairly heavy. Anyone participating in the discussion list will have issues of Audyssey automatically sent to them via E-mail. Representatives from all major developers of games for the blind are actively participating on the list. There are two moderators keeping things civil and orderly. Be certain to read the Audyssey Community Charter as all list members are expected to follow its rules. If you want an active role in shaping the future of accessible games, this is where you can dive right in. To subscribe to this discussion list, send a blank message to: blindgamers-subscribe@yahoogroups.com Stan Bobbitt has made Audyssey Magazine available in HTML format for easy on-line browsing. To take advantage of this, you are invited to visit our home-page. People can easily and quickly navigate through the various articles and reviews, and directly download or visit the sites of the games that interest them. This will be of especial benefit for sighted people who wish to make use of Audyssey and/or join the growing community surrounding it. The Audyssey community thanks Mr. Bobbitt for his continued efforts on its behalf in this matter. Darren Duff also provides a home for Audyssey. http://www.angelfire.com/music4/duffstuff/audyssey.html .Where the issues can be read, downloaded individually or one zip file of all the issues. Thanks Darren! Another site has recently added Audyssey issues to its resources. We welcome: Note the dash in the below address. http://www.blind-help.com to the Audyssey community and hope that visitors to this site find our resource to be of value to them.