Profile for Arancaytar
Field | Value |
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Displayed name | Arancaytar |
Member number | 2984 |
Title | Law Bringer |
Postcount | 8752 |
Homepage | http://encyclopedia.ermarian.net/ |
Registered | Wednesday, May 14 2003 07:00 |
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FORTRAN in General | |
Law Bringer
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written Wednesday, March 14 2007 14:28
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By the way, one of the problems I've had with dynamic arrays was that I couldn't find a way to get their size back (as LEN() does for the string length). Do I have to store the number that was used in the ALLOCATE command separately, and pass it to any subroutine that needs it, or can I just pass the array and somehow get its length back with a function? -------------------- Encyclopaedia Ermariana • Forum Archives • Forum Statistics • RSS [Topic / Forum] My Blog • Polaris • I eat novels for breakfast. Polaris is dead, long live Polaris. Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair. Posts: 8752 | Registered: Wednesday, May 14 2003 07:00 |
I have a confession. in Richard White Games | |
Law Bringer
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written Wednesday, March 14 2007 13:42
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Vaguely? But still, wow. There aren't many jokes that are both original and nasty. -------------------- Encyclopaedia Ermariana • Forum Archives • Forum Statistics • RSS [Topic / Forum] My Blog • Polaris • I eat novels for breakfast. Polaris is dead, long live Polaris. Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair. Posts: 8752 | Registered: Wednesday, May 14 2003 07:00 |
Odd. in General | |
Law Bringer
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written Wednesday, March 14 2007 13:15
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If you mean the one that will contain the period from 17th to 28th of February, that's the March topic. I've explained why I do it like this a few times, and now I just mutter vaguely that the turtles work in mysterious ways. The March topic has not been posted. It wouldn't be here even if the stats were still going, because it would arrive on the 17th of March, next weekend. I've considered posting the stats without rankings again, but I doubt that's such a good idea. But maybe I can make a final statistic that looks at the trend for the last two years - after all, this would be stats topic #25, second anniversary of the launch. -------------------- Encyclopaedia Ermariana • Forum Archives • Forum Statistics • RSS [Topic / Forum] My Blog • Polaris • I eat novels for breakfast. Polaris is dead, long live Polaris. Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair. Posts: 8752 | Registered: Wednesday, May 14 2003 07:00 |
Nalyd: in General | |
Law Bringer
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written Wednesday, March 14 2007 13:10
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But putting it in a PM would have deprived us all of the chance to see you two (potentially) burying the hatchet (well, we'll know after Nalyd posts here). Well, deprived the rest of us, I mean. Because everyone knows we mods can read your PMs. (Current strategy: Grossly exaggerate powers in attempt to gain more influence/respect) [ Wednesday, March 14, 2007 13:11: Message edited by: Dr. Johann Georg Faust ] -------------------- Encyclopaedia Ermariana • Forum Archives • Forum Statistics • RSS [Topic / Forum] My Blog • Polaris • I eat novels for breakfast. Polaris is dead, long live Polaris. Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair. Posts: 8752 | Registered: Wednesday, May 14 2003 07:00 |
Pi in your face! in General | |
Law Bringer
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written Wednesday, March 14 2007 11:55
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quote:42. :P -------------------- Encyclopaedia Ermariana • Forum Archives • Forum Statistics • RSS [Topic / Forum] My Blog • Polaris • I eat novels for breakfast. Polaris is dead, long live Polaris. Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair. Posts: 8752 | Registered: Wednesday, May 14 2003 07:00 |
Pi in your face! in General | |
Law Bringer
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written Wednesday, March 14 2007 10:42
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As I trolled on Slashdot (anonymously, of course): "What. The. Hell? Pi is obviously 3, unlike those whacky scientist who can't even distinguish theory and fact would have you believe. Let people make up their own mind! Why would God let Pi be such a weird number? It doesn't make any sense!" -------------------- Encyclopaedia Ermariana • Forum Archives • Forum Statistics • RSS [Topic / Forum] My Blog • Polaris • I eat novels for breakfast. Polaris is dead, long live Polaris. Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair. Posts: 8752 | Registered: Wednesday, May 14 2003 07:00 |
Bots? in General | |
Law Bringer
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written Wednesday, March 14 2007 10:40
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quote:It's like the Dr., only with metaphysics. (I mean the real Dr. of course, the one on Polaris. Did we call him the Good Dr.?) -------------------- Encyclopaedia Ermariana • Forum Archives • Forum Statistics • RSS [Topic / Forum] My Blog • Polaris • I eat novels for breakfast. Polaris is dead, long live Polaris. Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair. Posts: 8752 | Registered: Wednesday, May 14 2003 07:00 |
Survey this way! in General | |
Law Bringer
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written Wednesday, March 14 2007 10:26
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quote:Funnily, I actually noticed that and had it fixed in the edit form already, but then apparently fell unconscious before submitting it. Sleep deprivation is not a pretty sight. Lacrimosa was meant as the funeral piece, not the wedding. I simply couldn't tell apart weddings and funerals in that state. They're both pretty final, solemn, celebrated in churches, etc. :P Oh, and I'm not sure how to interpret that. "You're off the hook, since obviously your poor mind has been pulverized by that crap"? :P -------------------- Encyclopaedia Ermariana • Forum Archives • Forum Statistics • RSS [Topic / Forum] My Blog • Polaris • I eat novels for breakfast. Polaris is dead, long live Polaris. Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair. Posts: 8752 | Registered: Wednesday, May 14 2003 07:00 |
FORTRAN in General | |
Law Bringer
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written Wednesday, March 14 2007 10:06
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Memory leakage until the program closes, or permanently (until I restart my computer)? Thanks for the hint about ALLOCATE, I hadn't even thought of that... -------------------- Encyclopaedia Ermariana • Forum Archives • Forum Statistics • RSS [Topic / Forum] My Blog • Polaris • I eat novels for breakfast. Polaris is dead, long live Polaris. Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair. Posts: 8752 | Registered: Wednesday, May 14 2003 07:00 |
Happy Birthday Tyran! in General | |
Law Bringer
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written Wednesday, March 14 2007 07:25
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Nalyd, Sarasaphilia, what is wrong with you people? Okay, in this particular thread, I mean Sara. But you're both in a more or less constant guerilla flame war. Cut it out. I mean, please. -------------------- Encyclopaedia Ermariana • Forum Archives • Forum Statistics • RSS [Topic / Forum] My Blog • Polaris • I eat novels for breakfast. Polaris is dead, long live Polaris. Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair. Posts: 8752 | Registered: Wednesday, May 14 2003 07:00 |
Odd. in General | |
Law Bringer
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written Tuesday, March 13 2007 19:05
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What the. Seriously, it's like, right here, people. http://www.ironycentral.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=004101 -------------------- Encyclopaedia Ermariana • Forum Archives • Forum Statistics • RSS [Topic / Forum] My Blog • Polaris • I eat novels for breakfast. Polaris is dead, long live Polaris. Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair. Posts: 8752 | Registered: Wednesday, May 14 2003 07:00 |
I have a confession. in Richard White Games | |
Law Bringer
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written Tuesday, March 13 2007 19:02
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quote:No offense, but if you diss AoE II, you're the pathetic one. That game seriously rocked, and moreover it did so on a machine that you wouldn't be able to run a 3d shooter on. When I think of Empire Earth by comparison... my poor 2.4Ghz 512MB notepad went to its knees even in the main menu. -------------------- Encyclopaedia Ermariana • Forum Archives • Forum Statistics • RSS [Topic / Forum] My Blog • Polaris • I eat novels for breakfast. Polaris is dead, long live Polaris. Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair. Posts: 8752 | Registered: Wednesday, May 14 2003 07:00 |
Survey this way! in General | |
Law Bringer
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written Tuesday, March 13 2007 18:56
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The RotK soundtrack? Dikiyoba, you just gained even more respect from me. :P Unfortunately, until my external hard drive resumes operation, I am limited to Irish pub songs and folk rock, which I have stored locally. However, I'll pretend otherwise and simply fill in the title when it comes up, regardless of whether I can currently listen to it. This song will be playing when I meet the love of my life: Shadow of the Moon, by Blackmore's Night. Melancholic to the point of being emo. But it's definitely nice music, and even kind of romantic. Right now, I feel: Schwarze Sonne, by E Nomine. Okay, not all Folk. This is actually something I can't quite place - metal? Hard rock? Anyway, think Rammstein and texts like "Vom Feuer Das Den Geist Verbrennt" and you've got it. And amazingly, it fits. Caffeine can do a lot of "Geist-verbrennen". What makes me happy is: Fantasia para un Gentilhombre, by Andrés Segovia. My love of life was inspired by the song: Prelude in C Minor by Bach My message to the world has always been: Wish You Were Here by Blackmore's Night. Next time I'm in front of a crowd, I'll say: Father and Son, by Cat Stevens My friends see me as: Imagine, by John Lennon When I'm drunk I say: No Second Chance by Blackmore's Night. If I ever got drunk, I mean. My alter-ego is: Cartouche, by Blackmore's Night My deepest secret is: The Hamster Dance. Oddly appropriate. I never thought I'd tell anyone that was on my playlist. My day will be like: Oceania, 'tis for thee, by George Orwell (music by Dominic Buldowney). Don't ask. When I'm in the shower, I sing: Anthem of the Soviet Union. Er, wait. I don't actually have that in my library, do I? Oh yes, I do. My favorite thing to do is: Requiem: Dies Irae, by Mozart My parents are like the song: Symphony of Spam: III. YOUR HELP IS NEEDED FOR A GOOD WORK, by Ben Rogers. My ultimate song for dancing is: Greensleeves. At my wedding they'll play: Requiem: Lacrimosa, by Mozart. Appropriate. The story of my life is: El problema by Ricardo Arjona. That's so sad. My innermost desire is: Wait for me by Rebecca St. James. Cute To cheer myself up I sing: Jesus of Suburbia by Green Day. At my funeral they'll play: Come Clean by Hilary Duff. I swear that's the only song I have from her! -------------------- Encyclopaedia Ermariana • Forum Archives • Forum Statistics • RSS [Topic / Forum] My Blog • Polaris • I eat novels for breakfast. Polaris is dead, long live Polaris. Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair. Posts: 8752 | Registered: Wednesday, May 14 2003 07:00 |
Mountain of Shadows RP: the sequel in General | |
Law Bringer
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written Tuesday, March 13 2007 18:29
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Zing. Burned. I guess I deserved that for procrastinating. And I don't even have the excuse Prem did back when we finished Pretenders of Pralgad (losing net connection). So what did we do and who survived? I suppose Sequoia at least made it, that didn't sound like a dying soliloquy. Cain definitely didn't. Tuulentekija? Who knows. Edith? Possibly not. Melora? I'd rather she did. Lisha? Oh, definitely. Filbert? I'd be amazed if he didn't, he seems to slip out of anything. Cyrus and Caecus and Andros? Uh, well. Gnosis? Ask me a tough one. But the taint was removed - and some force must continue to guard the Mountain of Shadows, causing the freak weather patterns. And the peak was blown away. But wait, that was just the epilogue. Let's see what led up to it... --- Yighth mghlha nga'i! Ngaaaa'i! Ngaaaa'i! Fwoz ogrha mezha'i! Mezhaa'i! Mezhaaa'i! A short, vicious downward movement of the knife. Blood splattered on the horned golden mask, while the acolytes broke out in a frenzy of chanting. The masked master shouted the final kadences of the guttural litany over the din, and held the silver cup below the groove in the basalt altar, where it was swiftly filled. The cup rosed toward the lips, but only for ceremonial effect: The mouth opening was barely enough to breathe, definitely not enough to drink through. The cup was passed among the acolytes, who did not have this luxury: By the time the cup returned, its vile content had been drained to the last drop. The robed priest turned from the dead goat and left the shrine. Hardly outside, the uncomfortable golden mask was discarded and white hair tumbled over red cloth. Reaching her own chamber, she exchanged the red robe for her black travelling cloak. Learnt all from these fools there was to learn. Peasants who worship made-up demons and drink the blood of their livestock. Yighth mghlha nga'i indeed. Melora took up her longbow as she left: She was not coming back. --- Blurred images came first, then sound. Then pain. Where am I? The image came into focus. A ceiling filled with stalactites. She was lying down. Some kind of stone table. An odd table, too. It seemed to be solid rock, rough but hewn. A groove ran along it, passing right beneath her throat, its purpose all too clear. They're right out of goat, she drowsily thought. She tried to move her head, but her muscles did not react. There was a shadowy cloud over her mind still, and the darkness lay ready to engulf her. Had she awoken and fallen unconscious before? If so, she must be getting worse: Dim memories resurfaced; she was lying on an altar with Edith. And Cain - that treacherous bastard - and undead chanting. She nearly faded again. Poison. She had been tricked, like a... a human. Yet, no rage, only detachment. Is the poison calming me down? No, the Shadow is. Even now, battered and bruised and drugged, she could feel it tugging at the back of her mind. Once woken, it would remain active for a long time. What did I think when I unleashed it? But now it would give her an advantage. Focus. You are harf'er'melora. It needs more than poison to cloud the mind of the Shadow. Again and again, she tried, but the cloudy tendrils held fast. And then she realized they were aided along by some magic emanating from Cain. He's... using us as a power source, she desperately realized. He's draining my power, not my blood. And without her power, she was helpless - shadow or not. Slaughtering goats in a backwater temple dedicated to fabricated Elder Gods seemed like an attractive career option just about now. --- Weapons clashed with ringing clangs, undead growled. She must have nodded off again, she realized as her eyes opened once more. Again, she tried to raise her head and was surprised when she could. Shouldn't I be getting weaker as the poison takes hold and Cain saps my strength? But her mind was piercingly clear, and even though her drained aura made her feel like a fish dragged helplessly ashore, she grew aware that she was no longer being sapped. And neither, it appeared, was she poisoned. What? A sour smell lay in her nose, and she suddenly realized. Not Shargali. Juice of Hassadar. A nasty opiate that could immobilize its victims for hours, but sharply limited: Its effects on humans faded after only a few hours - far sooner in a Firstborn. But what of the sap? Melora looked around again. Another revelation: Filbert. The poor fool had been caught as well and tied to the third platform, serving as a power source for Cain. Somehow, his addition to the ritual must have freed her. For all his experience with demonology, Cain appears to be woefully ignorant of magic itself. And then another thought - once he realizes, I'm toast. All around them, the fighting continued. She grew aware of Sequoia crackling with power, of Lisha battling her way through waves of undead. Tuulentekija was nowhere to be seen. What do I do? The Shadow answered her immediately: Get Gnosis. You are the pawn, and he is the opposite side of the board. She smiled sarcastically - the Shadow often used chess analogies. Gnosis. The book. It was the only way to make contact, but she did not have it. Her pack! It was right there, beneath the altar! Apparently, her captors had been in such a hurry to tie her to the platform that they had hardly bothered with looting her. Now if only... but her hands and feet were all chained down with heavy iron links. Kinky. She needed to get the chain off while her mind was her own. And she needed to do it without alerting Cain/Orloki... --- Just then, the continuing crackle of power rose to a crescendo: A blue nimbus was surrounding the druid, and she could only imagine the destructive forces he was about to unleash. Does the fool not realize that if he releases that kind of power, the detonation will kill us all? White light glittered in Sequoia's eyes and she realized he was beyond reasoning - he belonged to the mountain as surely as Cain belonged to Orloki. As she belonged to the Shadow. Again the question: Are we but pawns for the immortals to play with? A knife whirred through the air and struck the druid's arm. What the! Her head whirled around to see Lisha grimly fighting the undead with her other knife. "Shadow of the Moch'ronn", she muttered. What was Lisha doing, attacking her own allies? Then she remembered that the assassin had likely saved all their lives: The druids staff dropped and the glow partly faded. He seemed to be unaware of his surroundings or even that Lisha had thrown the knife: Sequoia was cradling his arm and muttering vague, disconnected phrases of power while she desperately advanced toward him. "Lisha!" She was the only one who could aid her now. And if Melora could contact Gnosis in time, perhaps they could even save the druid. But she must not draw attention to the fact that she was no longer drugged and being drained. And still Lisha fought through the undead. Toward Sequoia. "LISHA!" She risked a shout over the din, throwing caution to the wind. But the southern assassin did not hear her. A skeleton engaged her in combat but was quickly dispatched: With a single swift movement, she lifted up the frail structure and threw it over her shoulder. A moment later, Melora felt a crunching pain as a heap of bones landed on her legs, chest and face. If I get out of this, Lisha and I are going to have a long talk about where to throw trash. The skeleton, only slightly the worse for wear after its fall was cushioned by a drow, clattered menacingly, but appeared somewhat dazed. Its skull was inches from Melora's face, looking at her with a pale grin. She took her chance immediately. The Shadow rushed to the front of her mind and into her voice as she hissed at it. "Obey." I bid the wraiths move aside and they did. With fear in their eyes, she recalled. No darkness in the world would not be compelled by the force that rode her. At least, none used to servitude. The skeleton was no exception. It halted, its rotting eyes staring at the drow in fear. Its jaw clattered, but in the absence of vocal chords that would have to do. She might be the Shadow's, but now the skeleton was hers. We're getting somewhere. However, the skeleton still lay right on top of her, grinding sharp edges into her body. And to think I called it kinky before. "Free my arms. And get off me." Finally, the skeleton shifted and took its weight off her chest. Bony fingers reached for the link around her wrist, but rattled it in vain: It was locked, and not to be opened. I would need powerful magic to break it. Magic that only Gnosis can give. And with no hand free, I cannot reach the book. Chicken or egg. She was trapped - the opportunity had been for nothing. But still... "Open the bag next to the platform. Take out the green book and show it to me." The skeleton looked almost overwhelmed with a command of that complexity, but somehow it managed to obey. If only Cain doesn't look over right now - he'll notice that something is wrong. Melora looked around for Lisha and Sequoia, but could not see them: Undead were blocking the view. However, the sounds of fighting continued, and they must still be alive. At last, the book entered her field of vision, held by grey-white finger bones right up to her face. "Now open it and show me the first page." Was that formulated clearly enough? It had been long since Melora had to give verbal commands to undead slaves - expressing things literally and simply took lots of practice. But it was. The skeleton's hands opened the book and held its pages right up to her eyes. Chained to a sacrificial altar but left out of the ritual by a technical error, being made to read a book by an enemy skeleton taken over by my mind-control, trying to use the book to make contact with an incorporeal creature that may or may not even be able or willing to respond. That should top the past decade as far as Weird goes. Now let us hope this works, she thought as she desperately tried to focus on the ancient alien script as she had before. --- Lines flowed past her consciousness. She had instructed the skeleton to turn the pages when she nodded, and was already a few pages in. Impatience made her scan the pages only briefly, trying less to gain meaning from their words than to open her mind to whatever strange magic allowed Gnosis to communicate through the book. Why do I cling to desperate measures? Hope. She had trained herself never to give up while she was drawing breath. But surely there comes a time to accept the inevitable. A simple answer came immediately: She was mortal. Not mortal in that sense, of course; the century had passed her by without leaving even a line of age. But bound to her body, and definitely going to die if it was destroyed. No second chances for her, no dispersion to a nether plane until a mortal summoned her again - the luxury of the undying ones. The time to accept the inevitable was after it had happened. Is that then the entire secret behind mortal striving? With a sudden suspicion, she stopped thinking. "Hounds of Tindalos," she cursed. "Gnosis!" Was that not what you were trying to accomplish? And there is no need for the book now. or talking aloud. Gratefully, she ordered the skeleton to close the book and lurch aimlessly away from the platform. - And now, let's see some magic. Let me out of this thing. - You need to open your mind completely if I am to guide it. I sense an obstruction. - The Shadow! Melora had almost forgotten it. The Nameless now sat at the back of her mind, controlling it and apparently interfering with Gnosis. - Something from the nether planes? Did you do this to yourself on purpose? - Yes. It was necessary. The answer was more complicated, but she had no time to waste. Just then, another voice chimed in. "Congratulations, Pawn. You are now a Queen." - Wonderful. It's like there's a party in my skull. Will you please get your territories sorted out in there so we can accomplish something for once? And, just like that, her mouth suddenly opened of its own accord, muttering strange syllables laced with the metallic taste of power, and her bonds opened with a series of clinking sounds. We're back in business. She grimly stood up and stretched her aching back as she slid off the platform. --- Of course, it was at that moment that Cain finally realized what had happened. "YOU!" A roar, but he stood immobile in his pentagram, trapped as much by the ritual as Edith and Filbert were. "Get the elf! Bind her!" He shouted at his minions, who converged on her. But this time, she was ready. "X'somhra! Ignaraxun X'somhra!" A first wave of the minions was reduced to dust, but more followed. Where is he getting all these corpses from anyway? King Albert's entombed army, probably. That was why all the undead were reduced to bones. Gnosis unleashed more of its magic, but there were too many of the undead. And of those strange cultists. How did living creatures come here, if they are living creatures? And then... The Swordsman has gone from us, Gnosis sounded in her mind. The mental image clearly conveyed that he was referring to Tuulentekija. He drowned in the pool of molten ice; I felt his life slip away. To her surprise she felt... grief. Hers or that of Gnosis? She had not expected to bond with her companions this much, let alone one she had hardly travelled with. But he was dead, and she felt sad, if only for a moment. Consciousness restored, mobility restored, magical power restored. What was next on her list? Get out of here alive. Modest objectives. She had come to find untold riches or learn ancient secrets of long-forgotten lore, raising her power to that of the immortals. But here she was in a room full of enemies, witnessing a demonic ritual nearing completion, hoping that the Druid did not manage to set off his super-destruction spell. Small accomplishments would have to do. Oh, and get the others out of here too. Evidently, years of living among humans had made her soft. --- Filbert was free and lay gasping on the floor as he struggled to get his drained body back under control. His expression was one of disbelief. "You..." For Edith, unfortunately, time seemed to have run out. Soon after Filbert had been captured and Melora had been freed, the drain must have overpowered her mind, forcing it first into sleep and soon into a deep, almost death-like coma. Perhaps she could still survive, but only with powerful healing magic and a lot of time. You may have died so I could escape, the drow realized with another pang of regret. Time to mourn the dead later. For now, I need to aid the living. But even as she half-dragged, half-supported Filbert back to where she had last seen Lisha, the cultists threatened to close in. "X'somh---" wait. A sudden idea had taken hold of her. "Halt, I command you!" She shouted over the din. "In the Name of the Unnamed," now *that* sounded ridiculous, she cursed herself, "you must obey me!" To her surprise, her words actually had an effect. Only a few skeletons seemed to be affected, and they were only mildly confused instead of possessed by her, but there was a momentary slack in the onslaught. "Slay my foes!" She shouted again. Simple, literal commands. The result was havoc. The skeletons began to fight each other and the cultists immediately, causing utter chaos to spread. "Halt! It is I who commands you!" Orloki shouted through Cain's voice. With the escape of Filbert and the death of Edith, the ritual had been interrupted, but it had left them merged in an indistinguishable chimaeric being. He was free of the pentagon now, but seemed to be oblivious to that as he continued to shout at his minions. "Get the elf! Slay the elf!" By now, Melora had reached Lisha. Amazingly, she was still alive and fighting, barely wounded. "Lisha! We must get out!" Even more amazingly, Lisha finally seemed to hear her. "Can't. The library," she grunted in between two knife-thrusts, "Gnosis." "I have Gnosis." In a manner of speaking. "Get the druid and get out." The druid! She had nearly forgotten about Sequoia. But Lisha suddenly shouted and pointed over her shoulder, and Melora turned around, the two free-loading entities in her mind as shocked as she was: Sequoia had lifted the other half of his staff up and had resumed his channelling. His nimbus was bright and glowing again, and lines of radiant power kept off the cultists who were attempting to get near him. "He's going to blow us up!" Melora shouted. "He will blow up the demon and my last chance at contacting Gnosis!" Lisha retorted. He will blow up nothing, Gnosis commented in her mind. The mountain's force is life, not death. But he will disperse me. A sudden feeling of wistfulness overwhelmed Melora. Gnosis himself was feeling sadness. Why disperse---", and as quickly as she had asked, she got her answer. Finally, understanding: A trinity of entities, locked away in here to seal away the lost secrets of the ancients forever. The Curator, to order and manage the library. The Guardian, Orloki, to keep away intruders. And Gnosis, the library itself. And all of them fueled by a magic that would never fade - the living force that flowed through the very roots of the mountain, enslaved since time began. Aeons had passed this place by, all adventurers swiftly driven away or killed by the power of the Guardian. The Curator and the Guardian becoming senile over the millennia, even as Gnosis itself was fractured when its books were moved over the lines of power. King Albert's men, intruding into the mountain, drawing Orloki's wrath. The Guardian taking sole dominion of the mountain, enslaving the Curator, the weakest of the three. And finally, Brother Sequoia being drawn to this mountain, the first mortal after thousands of years who felt the throb of the enslaved mountain beneath his feet, and endeavored to free it. "We must do something!" Melora shouted out loud. - No. Leave him be. I made my choice when I freed you. - Choice? - Maybe a choice. Maybe the druid would have managed to complete his spell without you drawing off the undead. Or maybe he could not have. But a choice made without foreseeing all the ends is still a choice. - But we can still--- - "Leave him. I do not mind oblivion." The voice in her head sounded somewhat unsure at this, but went on. She hardly realized that she had begun to speak the thoughts of Gnosis out loud. "I have learned curious things from you mortals. More than I could hope to fully appreciate. But I think I begin to understand this concept of 'compassion' at last." "Melora?" Lisha seemed confused at first, but caught on that her voice was not her own. - "It is one of the things that had me puzzled, you know. I have learned so much..." Gnosis' voice dropped, almost to a whisper. "Indeed, I anticipate oblivion. It is one of the few riddles that I have never solved. When you burn a book, you get ashes. When you kill a mortal, you get dead flesh. But where do their thoughts go? What becomes of that which has never had substance? I wonder..." Gnosis' voice regained strength. "In any case, I bid you farewell. You have proved very informative - and amusing." A moment later, Melora's mind and voice were her own again. She gazed at Lisha, who was staring at her. "Now get---" And then, a most curious silence descended over the world. ----------------------------------- OOC: This can transition neatly over into Eph's epilogue. See? I actually can get my butt in gear. Even if it's often after the deadline. I almost killed Edith, but Sherlock may want her to survive. So depending on that, Sequoia's spell could have either revived her ("it is life, not death"), or not. I did kill off Tuulentekija, because he said in his last OOC that he couldn't get out himself, and Lisha didn't get to him in time. If he should survive, we can rework it a bit. Other than that, I hope this rounds it off a bit. :) [ Tuesday, March 13, 2007 18:32: Message edited by: Dr. Johann Georg Faust ] -------------------- Encyclopaedia Ermariana • Forum Archives • Forum Statistics • RSS [Topic / Forum] My Blog • Polaris • I eat novels for breakfast. Polaris is dead, long live Polaris. Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair. Posts: 8752 | Registered: Wednesday, May 14 2003 07:00 |
This probly belongs on WoTC, but... in General | |
Law Bringer
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written Monday, March 12 2007 23:43
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quote:This is just a comment about your moniker. Did you perchance get the idea from xkcd, or do both derive from something else? -------------------- Encyclopaedia Ermariana • Forum Archives • Forum Statistics • RSS [Topic / Forum] My Blog • Polaris • I eat novels for breakfast. Polaris is dead, long live Polaris. Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair. Posts: 8752 | Registered: Wednesday, May 14 2003 07:00 |
I have a confession. in Richard White Games | |
Law Bringer
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written Monday, March 12 2007 23:38
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No you do not. You have merely begun to appreciate the majesty of Our Lord Richard White and his Grand Plan for our Universe. Welcome, seeker, to our Order. -------------------- Encyclopaedia Ermariana • Forum Archives • Forum Statistics • RSS [Topic / Forum] My Blog • Polaris • I eat novels for breakfast. Polaris is dead, long live Polaris. Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair. Posts: 8752 | Registered: Wednesday, May 14 2003 07:00 |
The Agent's Skin in Geneforge Series | |
Law Bringer
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written Monday, March 12 2007 23:24
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Given that the Shaper wears a shadowy robe that leaves only creepy red eyes visible, and the Guardian wears full body armor, the only skin you can actually see is the Agent's. Perhaps they're all like that - which would be one thing that clearly distinguishes them from the humans in the game... -------------------- Encyclopaedia Ermariana • Forum Archives • Forum Statistics • RSS [Topic / Forum] My Blog • Polaris • I eat novels for breakfast. Polaris is dead, long live Polaris. Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair. Posts: 8752 | Registered: Wednesday, May 14 2003 07:00 |
This probly belongs on WoTC, but... in General | |
Law Bringer
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written Monday, March 12 2007 17:43
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quote:See what I mean by nonsense? I got the concept the wrong way around apparently. :P -------------------- Encyclopaedia Ermariana • Forum Archives • Forum Statistics • RSS [Topic / Forum] My Blog • Polaris • I eat novels for breakfast. Polaris is dead, long live Polaris. Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair. Posts: 8752 | Registered: Wednesday, May 14 2003 07:00 |
POLL: Your expectations for Blades of Avernum in Blades of Avernum | |
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written Monday, March 12 2007 15:26
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A pity the poll is gone. -------------------- Encyclopaedia • Archives • Members • RSS [Topic / Forum] • Blog • Polaris • NaNoWriMo Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair. I have a love of woodwind instruments. Posts: 8752 | Registered: Wednesday, May 14 2003 07:00 |
Taking Screenshots in Geneforge Series | |
Law Bringer
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written Monday, March 12 2007 15:25
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No kidding?! Wow, there are some pages for the other Spiderweb games too! You'd almost think they were "notable"! :eek: (I'm kidding though. I helped edit some of those entries. :P ) -------------------- Encyclopaedia Ermariana • Forum Archives • Forum Statistics • RSS [Topic / Forum] My Blog • Polaris • I eat novels for breakfast. Polaris is dead, long live Polaris. Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair. Posts: 8752 | Registered: Wednesday, May 14 2003 07:00 |
FORTRAN in General | |
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written Monday, March 12 2007 08:38
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Well, I used the first one because I couldn't figure out how to elegantly leave those 4 nested loops all at once. And the second one... well, it's a simple decision of whether the algorithm succeeds or fails. I suppose I could have done it with a boolean too... In my defense, neither of those jump destinations were more than a screen away, and they're pretty unambiguous too. Although you should have seen our teacher use them. Very fond of them, especially for foot-oriented loops. Admittedly, sometimes a loop needs to have its condition at the end, but can it justify something like this? Edit: Heureka! I now know how to get the actual path - so far, I've only determined the length of the shortest path, not it's actual steps. But those can be found by following the trail backwards. Just start at the end point, take the lowest positive neighbour, then always find the neighbour that is one less than the current position. Even if there are several equivalent shortest paths, they will all be found this way. Edit2: Sorry, the above doesn't make any sense unless you understood the algorithm the program currently uses. [ Monday, March 12, 2007 08:43: Message edited by: Dr. Johann Georg Faust ] -------------------- Encyclopaedia Ermariana • Forum Archives • Forum Statistics • RSS [Topic / Forum] My Blog • Polaris • I eat novels for breakfast. Polaris is dead, long live Polaris. Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair. Posts: 8752 | Registered: Wednesday, May 14 2003 07:00 |
Happy Birthday Tyran! in General | |
Law Bringer
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written Monday, March 12 2007 05:36
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quote:Being allowed to ingest large amounts of alcohol grows old quickly. :P -------------------- Encyclopaedia Ermariana • Forum Archives • Forum Statistics • RSS [Topic / Forum] My Blog • Polaris • I eat novels for breakfast. Polaris is dead, long live Polaris. Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair. Posts: 8752 | Registered: Wednesday, May 14 2003 07:00 |
This probly belongs on WoTC, but... in General | |
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written Monday, March 12 2007 05:34
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Unfortunately, the closest I've come to D&D is reading Order of the Stick et al, so I'll probably spout nonsense. But since the Shaper in Geneforge is exceptionally weak in melee, but average in magic, wouldn't it make sense if the prestige class cost fighter levels as well as spellcasting levels? -------------------- Encyclopaedia Ermariana • Forum Archives • Forum Statistics • RSS [Topic / Forum] My Blog • Polaris • I eat novels for breakfast. Polaris is dead, long live Polaris. Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair. Posts: 8752 | Registered: Wednesday, May 14 2003 07:00 |
C++ in General | |
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written Monday, March 12 2007 05:30
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Well, don't run Counterstrike in the background. :P (Kidding - I know it takes less than that to slow it down to the speed of treacle. My poor little laptop can't even take Eclipse and Firefox well at the same time...) -------------------- Encyclopaedia Ermariana • Forum Archives • Forum Statistics • RSS [Topic / Forum] My Blog • Polaris • I eat novels for breakfast. Polaris is dead, long live Polaris. Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair. Posts: 8752 | Registered: Wednesday, May 14 2003 07:00 |
FORTRAN in General | |
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written Monday, March 12 2007 05:23
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Since there are already threads for C++ and Java, I might as well add another language. However, this topic is primarily to show off my first working algorithm written entirely in Fortran. It finds the shortest path through a labyrinth. The labyrinth can look like this (using rogue-like dungeon notation). So the computer is trying to walk downward through a primitive Angband level, from stairway to stairway: This is the program: And the last lines of the output: [ Monday, March 12, 2007 05:27: Message edited by: Dr. Johann Georg Faust ] -------------------- Encyclopaedia Ermariana • Forum Archives • Forum Statistics • RSS [Topic / Forum] My Blog • Polaris • I eat novels for breakfast. Polaris is dead, long live Polaris. Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair. Posts: 8752 | Registered: Wednesday, May 14 2003 07:00 |