1295 Days

Welcome to Realms of Despair, Vilexur...
You were last online on: Wed Jun 21 09:39:00 2017

 

It looks like much has changed. To be continued...

Even More Deck Adventures

I've had a few adventures with the Deck of Many Things recently (well since February) with positive results. Here is the first:

The Deepening Darkness
The curving passageway has become increasingly more difficult to descend. Water still flows upon the floor, and from the ceiling large droplets fall, further eroding the already saturated soil. The air is much thicker, making it increasingly difficult to breathe, and while large enough to fit most humanoids, the unstable nature of the tunnel heightens a  sense of foreboding.
Exits: north southwest
The Deck of Many Things lies in wait for a brave soul.
The Deck of Many Things says 'If you can find a card within me, you might be lucky enough to draw something of value.
However, once you submit to chance, you put yourself at the mercy of the cards.
The Deck of Many Things winks suggestively.

> g key dec
You get the Key to the Deck of Many Things from the Deck of Many Things.
The Key to the Deck shudders menacingly.
You drop the Key to the Deck of Many Things.
Vl'aresch gives you one gold coin for your sacrifice of the Key to the Deck of Many Things.
Be Forewarned : You could lose all that you own.
Modra has been given the chance to draw from the Deck of Many Things.
 

> g card deck
You get a card from the Deck of Many Things.
A mystical being appears and points at you. Your senses reel as you are flung through the void to another place.
The card twists and wriggles in your hands.
A great flash of light envelopes the room, blinding you momentarily.
When your vision returns, you see that the Deck of Many Things lies before you once more.
It is highly recommended that you examine the deck before drawing from it. When you are ready, simply take the card.

> g card deck
You get a card from The Deck of Many Things.
You see that you have drawn The Page of Swords.
What this card bodes for your future, only an immortal of level 57 or above can discover for you.

> tell destre Hi Destre. Can you please help me with the deck
They aren't here.

> who imm

-----------------------------------[ IMMORTALS ]------------------------------

Scapezist       Zistrosk is adepting shapezisting.  Gotta stay in shape. (Deity of Dragonslayer) [Quest Council]
1 player.

> tell zistr Hi Zist. Are there any 57+ imms around to help me out with the deck?
You tell Zistrosk 'Hi Zist. Are there any 57+ imms around to help me out with the deck?'

Destre steps out of the dark umbra.

Destre says 'hi :>'

> say hi
You say 'hi'

> eat card
You try to nibble on a card...

> give card des
You give a card to Destre.

Destre grins.

> cross
You cross your fingers and hope for the best.

Destre says 'exactly'

Destre drops a card.

Destre sacrifices a card to Destre.
Whispering voices fill the room and a faint breeze blows from somewhere...
The Page of Swords confers a Knight's gain in health upon you.

> oo
You go ooOOooOOooOOoo.

Destre says 'nice one'

> nod
You nod solemnly.

Destre says 'take off all your stuff please'

> rem all
You stop using the Dragonhide Breastplate.
You stop using Set's ring of Power.
You stop using talisman of Darkfire.
You stop using a crystal dragon bracer.
You stop using talisman of Darkfire.
You stop using a turqoise anklet.
You stop using Dark, fated mists.
You stop using a set of icy leggings.
You stop using boots of ancient spider venom.
You stop using the Matrix of Desolution.
You stop using a turqoise anklet.
You stop using a shadowy pair of dragonscale arm guards.
You stop using a crystal dragon bracer.
You stop using the black belt of Tigorly.
You stop using the shade helm.
You stop using the shades.
You stop using an earring of GlassWalker bone.
You stop using the Robe of the Magi.
Removing the vestment, your body returns to its corporeal form.
Ok.
You stop using Set's ring of Power.
You stop using Sin.
You stop using darkness.
You stop using Shifting black flames.

A cold breeze from the winds of never washes through the void.

The deck of many things is once again shuffled and dealt by the Gods.

Destre says 'you know I have never seen this pull'

Destre says 'have to figure out how to actually do it'

> say last time i got this card it was bad and i got -hp on the char's base
You say 'last time i got this card it was bad and i got -hp on the char's base'

Destre says 'thath should have done it'

Destre says 'yah, now your hps are up 20'

Destre says 'be sure and save'

> nod
You nod solemnly.

> save
Saved...

> say it worked :)
You say 'it worked :)'

Destre jumps into the air and gives you a MEGA high five! Woo hoo!

> say thank you very much
You say 'thank you very much'

Destre says 'enjoy :>'

> thank des
You thank Destre heartily.

 Plus 20hp on the base of any character is a big win even if I did use a back up mage for this pull. My second deck pull was:

Small Hut
These are the living quarters of these villagers.  Very simple looking, it is circular in shape with pots and pans along one side, an outhouse along another and miscellaneous items scattered about.  These people live a very simple life with no luxury.  You wonder how they entertain themselves.
Exits: south
The Deck of Many Things lies in wait for a brave soul.
The Deck of Many Things says 'If you can find a card within me, you might be lucky enough to draw something of value.
However, once you submit to chance, you put yourself at the mercy of the cards.
The Deck of Many Things winks suggestively.

The desecrated Clan Tree mourns for a more prosperous time.

> g key deck
You get the Key to the Deck of Many Things from the Deck of Many Things.
The Key to the Deck shudders menacingly.
You drop the Key to the Deck of Many Things.
Vl'aresch gives you one gold coin for your sacrifice of the Key to the Deck of Many Things.
Be Forewarned : You could lose all that you own.
Juxarn has been given the chance to draw from the Deck of Many Things.

> g card deck
You get a card from the Deck of Many Things.
A mystical being appears and points at you. Your senses reel as you are flung through the void to another place.
The card twists and wriggles in your hands.
A great flash of light envelopes the room, blinding you momentarily.
When your vision returns, you see that the Deck of Many Things lies before you once more.
It is highly recommended that you examine the deck before drawing from it. When you are ready, simply take the card.

> g card deck
You get a card from The Deck of Many Things.
You see that you have drawn The High Priestess.
What this card bodes for your future, only an immortal of level 57 or above can discover for you.

> who imm

-----------------------------------[ IMMORTALS ]------------------------------

Muse            Romani de Carpathia: I love the darkness in you. Vote! http://tinyurl.com/thoric http://tinyurl.com/thoric99. (Deity of Baali) [Head of The Symp
osium]
1 player.

> tell romani Hi Romani. Can
you please help me out with the deck?
You tell Romani 'Hi Romani. Can you please help me out with the deck?'

Romani tells you 'Sure, sec'

Romani climbs out of your pocket.

Romani smiles happily.

> smile
You smile happily.

Romani wonders 'First draw?'

> shake
You shake your head.

The deck of many things is once again shuffled and dealt by the Gods.

Romani nods solemnly.

Romani wonders 'Card please?'

> give card roma
You give a card to Romani.

> cross
You cross your fingers and hope for the best.

Romani says 'Good luck'

Romani drops a card.

Romani sacrifices a card to Romani.
The High Priestess gestures with her right hand and hope fills your heart.

Romani says 'One piece of armor please (not ankle or back)'

> eq
You are using:
<used as light>      (Red Aura) Shifting black flames
<worn on finger>     (Red Aura) (Humming) Set's ring of Power
<worn on finger>     (Red Aura) (Humming) Set's ring of Power
<worn around neck>   (Red Aura) talisman of Darkfire
<worn around neck>   (Red Aura) talisman of Darkfire
<worn on body>       (Red Aura) (Humming) Golden Plate
<worn on head>       the cloth hood of the Chosen
<worn on legs>       the cloth leggings of the Chosen
<worn on feet>       (Magical) (Glowing) demonscale Boots
<worn on hands>      gauntlets of the deep lode
<worn on arms>       armguards of the deep lode
<worn as shield>     shield of the deep lode
<worn about body>    the cloth robe of the Chosen
<worn about waist>   (Magical) (Glowing) the platinum band of the Draco Viridis
<worn around wrist>  the cloth wristband of the Chosen
<worn around wrist>  (Magical) (Glowing) a crystal dragon bracer
<wielded>            (Magical) (Glowing) The Dragon Claw of Legend
<held>               (Red Aura) the Matrix of Desolution
<worn on ears>       an earring of GlassWalker bone
<worn on eyes>       the shades
<worn on back>       stripe of the badger
<worn around ankle>  a turqoise anklet
<worn around ankle>  a blue, glassy chain
(type 'garb' for a list of all wear locations)

> rem golden
You stop using Golden Plate.

> give golden roma
You give Golden Plate to Romani.

Romani utters the words, 'uoculoihuyl'.
An item held by Romani briefly luminesces.

Romani gives you Golden Plate.

> c id golden

Object 'Golden Plate' is infused with your magic...
It is a level 48 armor, weight 23.
Locations it can be worn:  body
Special properties:  hum dark evil
Alignments allowed:  evil neutral
This armor has a gold value of 0.
Armor class is 12 of 14.
Affects damage roll by 8.
Affects hit roll by 8.
Affects hp by 100.
Affects dexterity by 2.
Affects mana by 100.
Affects affected_by by flying.

> save
Saved...

> oo
You go ooOOooOOooOOoo.

Romani says 'Enjoy'

Romani grins.

> say thanks'say that one is nice
You say 'thanks'say that one is nice'

> wear gold
You fit Golden Plate on your body.

Romani says 'That one is sweet'

> nod
You nod solemnly.

Romani says 'Sending you back'

Romani has transferred you.
Small Hut
These are the living quarters of these villagers.  Very simple looking, it is circular in shape with pots and pans along one side, an outhouse along another and miscellaneous items scattered about.  These people live a very simple life with no luxury.  You wonder how they entertain themselves.
Exits:
The Deck of Many Things that lay in wait for Juxarn rests here.

The hazy sun rises over the horizon.

> tell romani Thank you very much for that one
You tell Romani 'Thank you very much for that one'

Romani tells you 'I am glad it was a good one.'

Two good pulls in a row. I must be starting to get lucky.

For Absent Friends

It has been quite a while since my last post on here and sadly during this period we have lost not one but two members of our Realms of Despair community.

Firstly in November there was the tragic news of Kellian's passing. I knew he had serious health problems but his passing came as a shock to me. The announcement posted on the Archives was:

[ 19] Romani: Kellian
Wed Nov  2 21:38:38 2016
To: All
It is with a heavy heart that I bring you the news of Kellian's passing last Monday. As those close to him knew he was ill for a very long time. He was always a man full of energy on the game and he did live his life to the fullest here.

You will be missed.

Kellian I knew from the Guild of Nature. He was an excellent leader, a good listener, patient, wise, funny and dedicated to the people who played in the Realms of Despair. He was an all round great guy who I loved just chatting to one on one.

When going through old logs I found a farewell message from him which sums him up well:

Kellian guildtalks 'Later Nature Types, friend all :)' 

 More recently there was the news of the tragic passing of Dexamph/Benibyle. This has personally shaken me to the core. The announcement was as follows:

[ 22] Dornado: Benibyle/Dexamph
Sun Mar 19 21:41:27 2017
To: RoD
Hi friends

I'm sad to report that Benibyle/Dexamph passed away over the weekend. He played here between around 97 and 05. He held leadership spots in GoV and RB.

Regards
Cory

I first knew Dexamph through the old Guild of Vampires and later I met him in person through a group of local RoD players.  Over the years I have felt close to several players I have never met in person but only met a handful in the real world. The few who I have met in person though have left a lasting impact and we share a common bond. While I hadn't seen him in years I'll always have fond memories of having a beer and chatting with the man about RoD topics like what strategy to use on certain mobs, which mudclient is best and so on. He left a mark on me and I will personally miss him.

Both Kellian and Dexamph will be missed. I feel privileged to have known them both.

Bereft in Deadly Bloom

I've been working a little on Zistrosk's undead scourge quest. The quest message is:

(  1)  Zistrosk     10/08/16     A dangerous undead scourge marches across the Realms...

News has reached Darkhaven of a deadly group of undead souls that have been involved in sinister trapping rituals. Peaceful living beings are having their very souls extracted and trapped in gravestones! The gravestones seem to be most commonly found near those with great power, where adventurer deaths are common. The motivation of the  undead and the purpose of their soul storage are unknown, but it is clear that their intentions are not benign. Who or what could be behind this sudden attack on the Realms?

A call to action has been raised by the good citizens of Darkhaven. Find these gravestones, free the innocent souls trapped there, and fend off any undead souls that dare to make themselves known.

Scapezist's Note: This quest will run throughout the month of October, with a climactic end-event on Saturday, October 29th. While any level player may free souls, only AV players should fight the undead, so choose your one char to involve in this event wisely. When questing, be IP1 in the area, and if player corpses are on the ground at the undead please select another target to attack. Quest activity will be tallied automatically. Declare your quest character to me please before you start, so there is no misunderstanding (tells/mudmail). Scoring will be a composite of gravestones sacced, and undead kb'd. All actions must be taken on your declared quest character to count. If you have yet to start this quest you have until the final event on the 29th to join in.

After trekking around the Realms I found my first grave in this room one before Blackmote in the Tower of Despair. It appears that Zistrosk has put a lot of effort into this quest. Here it is:

The Last Cells
The cells to the east and west are denied access to by a pair of iron-bound
wooden doors.  Upon each door is a sigil depicting a crescent moon entwined
by serpents.  Both cell doors glow with a red light, outshining the flicker of
the torches.  A lull descends over the hallway.  The horrid stink near the
altar has faded, but been replaced by wisps of a strange ether.
Exits: north [east] south [west]
The ground is covered in a thick misty haze of undead evil.
The gravestone of a trapped soul lies here preventing a happy afterlife.
A mystical spring flows majestically from a glowing circle of blue.

>exam gravestone
You take a closer look at gravestone on the ground...

Sacrifice the gravestone and the following happens:

>sac gravestone
Vl'aresch gives you one gold coin for your sacrifice of gravestone.
The gravestone crumbles into rubble, freeing the poor trapped soul within.
The Undead Minion Master moans as its power weakens!
Vilexur's help in freeing trapped souls has been recorded.
The ground shakes and shifts as an undead minion rises to protect his master's interests. 

The undead minion pops and looks pretty cool too:

The minion isn't too hard to kill, especially for a vampire, though you will need a handful of heals. Without too much trouble it will die:

An undead soul's bite grazes you.
An undead soul's kick scratches you.
An undead soul tries to bite you with his disease ridden teeth!
(a strand of polished jade gets damaged)
Your pierce rips an undead soul!
Your pierce gashes an undead soul!
An undead soul is DEAD!!
An undead soul screams loudly!
An undead soul exclaims 'The master will avenge me, and then you shall be turned to dust!'
Vilexur's deeds have been noticed by The Undead Minion Master.
An undead soul gasps his last breath and blood spurts out of his mouth and ears.

You get 967100 gold coins from the corpse of an undead soul.
The corpse of an undead soul holds:
     Nothing.

Quite a nice amount of gold on it too. Thanks to Zistrosk for running this quest. I hope I can find some more gravestones and am ready when The Undead Minion Master appears.

 

The Deck of Many Things (Round 18)

Found the deck again a couple of times this last month. One good result and one not so good. For the first deck pull I used my nephandi and the second one I used my evil warrior. Here is the first result:

>g card deck
You get a card from The Deck of Many Things.
You see that you have drawn The Sun.
What this card bodes for your future, only an immortal of level 57 or above can
discover for you.

>ot I found the deck and got the sun...
You ordertalk 'I found the deck and got the sun...'

 >who imm

-----------------------------------[ IMMORTALS ]------------------------------

Princess        Akael Windsinger. (Deity of Arcanes)
Muse            Romani de Carpathia: I love the darkness in you. (Deity of Baali) [Head of The Symposium]
Scapezist       Zistrosk is dizzy from trying to decide which tree to hug! (Dragonslayer) [Quest Council]
3 players.

>tell romani Hi Romani can you please help me out with the deck
You tell Romani 'Hi Romani can you please help me out with the deck'

Kris ordertalks 'Could just run crab guards on a leveling alt I suppose.   Oooh, what's Sun mean? I've never played the deck.'

>ot can be good or very bad
You ordertalk 'can be good or very bad'

Akael ordertalks 'Deck pulls are SO cool :) What's it doing now? :)'

>ot waiting for an imm
You ordertalk 'waiting for an imm'

Akael ordertalks 'I haven't seen a lot of the newer ones.'

>ot usually means something added to an item
You ordertalk 'usually means something added to an item'

Akael ordertalks 'Er...an imm like me? Or a different assortment of Imms?'

>ot like a 57+
You ordertalk 'like a 57+'

>whois akae

'Akael Windsinger.'
 She is a female level 57 Pixie Princess, 4138 years of age.
 She is a peaceful player, and is Deity of the Order of Arcanes.
 Akael has accumulated 536 glory in her lifetime.
 Akael has yet to create a bio.

Akael ordertalks 'That looks like me!'

>ot Oh - you're 57! Congrats!
You ordertalk 'Oh - you're 57! Congrats!'

Akael ordertalks '*rofl* ;) Thanks! Have been for a while! :D  Did you want me to come see what it says?'

Kris ordertalks ':D'

>ot Sure - Romani hasn't replied to my tell
You ordertalk 'Sure - Romani hasn't replied to my tell'

Akael ordertalks 'I'm just checking with her ;)'

>l
Within a Small Circle of Mystical Stones
All the world is blank. Nothing is visible here but a gathering of smooth rocks, set into a pattern of circular form. Each rock has a faint glow to it, and each one is slightly different. They appear to have been ravaged by the winds of change throughout countless eons, and have been left in this blank void as a testament to the truth of eternity.
Exits: none
(Glowing) (Humming) One of the rocks in the circle glows translucently.

>exam rock
You take a closer look at an opaque rock on the ground...
A faint white light issues from the rock, barely illuminating the space around it.

>where

Players near you in The Deck of Many Things:
| Wroth          (Arcanes)               | Within a Small Circle of Mystical Stones

>garb
You are using:
<used as light>      the sigil of Vl'aresch
<worn on finger>     (Humming) Set's ring of Power
<worn on finger>     (Humming) Set's ring of Power
<worn around neck>   talisman of Darkfire
<worn around neck>   talisman of Darkfire
<worn on body>       (Humming) Golden Plate
<worn on head>       the shade helm
<worn on legs>       Leggings of Arcane Magicks
<worn on feet>       (Glowing) demonscale Boots
<worn on hands>      (Humming) the Bloodied Claws of the Demon Trickster
<worn on arms>       a shadowy pair of dragonscale arm guards
<worn as shield>     a huge shield of oak
<worn about body>    (Glowing) the Robe of the Magi
<worn about waist>   Corruption of the Innocent
<worn around wrist>  woven webbing
<worn around wrist>  woven webbing
<wielded>            (Glowing) darkness
<held>               the Matrix of Desolution
<worn on ears>       (Glowing) a sliver of glass
<worn on eyes>       the shades
<worn on back>       [nothing]
<worn over face>     [nothing]
<worn around ankle>  a turqoise anklet
<worn around ankle>  a blue, glassy chain

Akael tumbles in on the end of a rainbow.

>smile
You smile happily.

Akael says 'Romani's not answering me either, so I figured I'd come :)'

Akael grins.

>nod

Akael looks at you.
You nod solemnly.

>give card aka
You give a card to Akael.

Akael drops a card.

Akael sacrifices a card to Akael.
The bright light of the sun seems to gently enhance your faculties.

Akael says 'Ooh, interesting.'

>nod
You nod solemnly.

>say that's a good one :)
You say 'that's a good one :)'

Akael exclaims 'I need a piece of equipment!'

Akael grins.

>rem trick
You stop using the Bloodied Claws of the Demon Trickster.

>give trick ak
You give the Bloodied Claws of the Demon Trickster to Akael.

Akael emits an unrivaled cheer! Woo!

Akael utters the words, 'uoculoihuyl'.
An item held by Akael briefly luminesces.

Akael exclaims 'Now, to remember how to do it!'

Akael attempts to straighten her halo.

>heh
You seem to get a laugh from something saying, "heh heh heh".

The deck of many things is once again shuffled and dealt by the Gods.

Akael exclaims 'Huh, I thought that would do it. Sorry, one sec!'

>heh
You seem to get a laugh from something saying, "heh heh heh".

>say I've seen a few imms do things wrong with the deck
You say 'I've seen a few imms do things wrong with the deck'

Akael grins evilly.

Akael says 'At least I'm just failing, not actually messing it up more ;)'

>nod
You nod solemnly.

Akael says 'Aha! I was typing "scry", the term was "scrying".'

Akael rolls her eyes.

Akael utters the words, 'uoculoihuyl'.
An item held by Akael briefly luminesces.

Akael gives you the Bloodied Claws of the Demon Trickster.

Akael says 'Save :)'

Akael grins.

>save
Saved...

>c id dem

Object 'the Bloodied Claws of the Demon Trickster' is infused with your magic...

It is a level 50 armor, weight 10.
Locations it can be worn:  hands
Special properties:  hum evil magic
Classes allowed:  Mage Nephandi
Alignments allowed:  evil
This armor has a gold value of 500000.
Armor class is 14 of 15.
Affects damage roll by 5.
Affects intelligence by 1.
Affects resistant:slash by 3%.
Affects mana regeneration by 10.
Affects hp by 50.
Affects mana by 80.
Affects dexterity by 1 if class is nephandi.
Affects cost of demonskin by -10.
Affects affected_by by scrying.

>smile
You smile happily.

>say thanks a lot :)
You say 'thanks a lot :)'

>wear cla
You wear the Bloodied Claws of the Demon Trickster on your hands.
As you place them upon your hands, the claws dig into your skin.
You wince.  Ouch!

Akael says 'A very nice thing... 200 glory worth of upgrade :)'

Akael grins.

>nod
You nod solemnly.

Akael jumps into the air and gives you a MEGA high five! Woo hoo!

Akael wonders 'Need anything else while I'm here?'

>thank ak
You thank Akael heartily.

>shake
You shake your head.

Akael smiles happily.

Akael exclaims 'Have fun!'

Akael waves happily.

Akael is scooped up by a runaway rainbow.

>l
Within a Small Circle of Mystical Stones
All the world is blank. Nothing is visible here but a gathering of smooth rocks, set into a pattern of circular form. Each rock has a faint glow to it, and each one is slightly different. They appear to have been ravaged by the winds of change throughout countless eons, and have been left in this blank void as a testament to the truth of eternity.
Exits: none
(Glowing) (Humming) One of the rocks in the circle glows translucently.

>c wor
For some strange reason... nothing happens.

>tell akael One more thing... Can I please get a trans out of this area?

Akael ordertalks 'That was fun, thanks :) I love deck pulls :)'
You tell Akael 'One more thing... Can I please get a trans out of this area?'

Akael tells you 'Oh, no fun ;)'

Akael has transferred you.
Darkhaven Square
You are standing within the expanse of the famous Darkhaven Square. An immense stone statue of Duke Luther sits in the center of the square, surrounded by fountains of shimmering crystal water.  Gardens and shrubbery enhance the air of serenity and peace here in the center of the great city. A plaque set into the base of the fountain attracts your eye.  Cobblestone roads lead away in the four cardinal directions, while to the northeast and northwest are forested paths.  The cathedral spires of Notre Dame de Sioux rise with  majesty above the treetops to the northwest.
Exits: north east south west up northeast northwest
A large sundial lies here, a shadow creeping across the surface.
A silver key with the initials "D A G" carved on it lies here.
Stone fountains containing crystal clear water surround the Duke's statue.
Mossweaver the friend of small, furry, woodland creatures. is hovering here.
Mossweaver is ensphered by shards of glistening ice.
Jessyl the reptile is standing here.

Akael tells you ';)'

>ot Thanks for it all, so far you're good luck
You ordertalk 'Thanks for it all, so far you're good luck'

The parts I enjoyed about this were I could tell from the message when Akael sacrificed the card that it was a good pull, secondly that she had been promoted to level 57 and third, good old Mossweaver was sitting at DH[]. My second pull was a lot shorter:

Weapon Shop
This is just the remnant of a shop that looks like it was once thriving. Many abandoned tools are left around, none of them looking of of any real use.  Rust fills the room, and the stench of old and foul air sticks in your senses.  You see a counter at the end of one corner, and shelves that once held valuable wares still stand erect on the walls.  You scan  quickly around the room for something that may be of use, but find nothing.
Exits: south
The Deck of Many Things lies in wait for a brave soul.

> exam deck
You take a closer look at the Deck of Many Things on the ground...
The deck takes the appearance of a very finely wrought and veneered wooden card case, yet the strong magical aura surrounding it offers proof that this artifact is not simply what it appears to be.
The Deck of Many Things appears to be full.
The Deck of Many Things contains:
     the Key to the Deck of Many Things

> g key deck
You get the Key to the Deck of Many Things from the Deck of Many Things.
The Key to the Deck shudders menacingly.
You drop the Key to the Deck of Many Things.
Vl'aresch gives you one gold coin for your sacrifice of the Key to the Deck of Many Things.
Be Forewarned : You could lose all that you own.
Skold has been given the chance to draw from the Deck of Many Things.

> g card deck
You get a card from the Deck of Many Things.
A mystical being appears and points at you. Your senses reel as you are flung through the void to another place.
The card twists and wriggles in your hands.
A great flash of light envelopes the room, blinding you momentarily.
When your vision returns, you see that the Deck of Many Things lies before you once more.
It is highly recommended that you examine the deck before drawing from it. When
you are ready, simply take the card.

> g card deck
You get a card from The Deck of Many Things.
You see that you have drawn the Tower in Ruin.
As you gaze upon it, the scene upon the card comes to life and is acted out.
Your doom is sealed and ruin engulfs you.
..Everything begins to fade to black.

You feel yourself leaving your body... rising up into the air, you feel
more free than you have ever felt before...

However, before your deity comes to collect your soul, you feel a strange pulling sensation as strange and colorful mists swirl around you...
Sonoria mutters a few incantations, waves her hands and points her finger.
Sonoria says 'Welcome back to the land of the living, Skold'

Sonoria utters the word 'gartla'.

This pull is about as bad as it can get.  The warning of "Be Forewarned : You could lose all that you own." certainly came true this time. I guess I was due for a bad pull. Maybe better luck next time.

The Deck of Many Things (Round 17)

While not playing much recently I did have one lucky break with the Deck of Many Things towards the end of June. Here it is:

On the Spiral Staircase
Exits: up down
The Deck of Many Things lies in wait for a brave soul.
The Deck of Many Things says 'If you can find a card within me, you might be lucky enough to draw something of value.
However, once you submit to chance, you put yourself at the mercy of the cards.
The Deck of Many Things winks suggestively.

> g key deck
You get the Key to the Deck of Many Things from the Deck of Many Things.
The Key to the Deck shudders menacingly.
You drop the Key to the Deck of Many Things.
Vl'aresch gives you one gold coin for your sacrifice of the Key to the Deck of Many Things.
Be Forewarned : You could lose all that you own.
Skold has been given the chance to draw from the Deck of Many Things.

> g card deck
You get a card from the Deck of Many Things.
A mystical being appears and points at you. Your senses reel as you are flung through the void to another place.
The card twists and wriggles in your hands.
A great flash of light envelopes the room, blinding you momentarily.
When your vision returns, you see that the Deck of Many Things lies before you once more.
It is highly recommended that you examine the deck before drawing from it. When you are ready, simply take the card.

> g card deck
You get a card from The Deck of Many Things.
You see that you have drawn the King of Pentacles.
The King's gaze sweeps over your armor, appraising your worthiness to appear before him.
A scroll of fine parchment appears in your hands.
The cold winds of never rush through the void, whipping the card from your hand and returning you to the mortal realm.

> i
You are carrying 15 items and have room for 5 more:
     a burlap sack
     pouch of combat
     a sack of holding
     black depravity
     a brown leather satchel
     (Glowing) a sliver of glass
     (Glowing) (Humming) scales of alpha & omega (2)
     (Glowing) the Ice Girth
     (Glowing) a magical mystery cookie
     an icicle wand
     a scroll of detect invisibility
     a small birch chest
     a magical tablet of disclosure
     a free rename scroll belonging to Skold

> save
Saved...

>exam scroll
You take a closer look at a free rename scroll belonging to Skold in inventory...
The fine parchment of the scroll has a short phrase inscribed upon it in
letters of gold...
This scroll is worth one free rename and belongs to the person named upon it.

>rec tab rename
You recite a magical tablet of disclosure.

Object 'a free rename scroll belonging to Skold' is infused with your magic...
It is a level 50 treasure, weight 1.
Special properties:  none
This treasure has a gold value of 0.

Failure, Uncertainty and Mending Broken Hearts

I haven't posted on here in months and have hardly been seen at all on in the Realms of Despair in this time. When on a few people have been sending me tells asking if everything is ok and how I am doing which I do appreciate, but things haven't been good lately for me in real life. Since the middle of January the other great love of my life, my wife of almost 8 years hasn't been well. It started off innocently appearing as a summertime flu, then the doctor's said it was bronchitis. Things didn't get better and by May they were saying she had heart failure.

Since then there has been much time spent in hospitals, more tests, ten different medications she has to take every day, doctor appointments and regular heart rehabilitation therapy. So far these treatments seem to be helping and I am trying to remain hopeful.

As a result of all this a lot of other areas of my life that used to matter more have fallen behind. I just wish things could be like they used to be before. In the meantime if you see me don't be scared to send a tell.

Thanks for all the support and understanding.