The Hornsounder - Volume 2, Edition 3

[sheliara]

The Hornsounder

 

A Note From the Editor

By Michelle Luzier

 

Yet another month has gone by, and the band has grown tremendously in the past month! We have new members, and the Raw Recruit Project has become a success! There has been a change in leadership, and Divisions are now referred to as Regiments! It has been a very busy time, new laws being made, and new friends uniting.

 

This month, we have some very deep and thoughtful articles mixed in with some fun and light-hearted ones. We also will have a temporary Editor for next month’s edition, as some may already know. Woolhead has decided to take over for me while I am in Tennessee getting married!

 

Enjoy this Month’s edition of The Hornsounder, grab a brew, relax, and have fun!

[sheliara]

Jack o’ the Shadows Contest

by A Band Member

 

This month’s topic was The Infantry! Mock, exalt or joke around about the Infantry, and showcase your talent in JoTs composing!

 

The winning verse of this month is:

 

Swaddled in armor when I was born

My boots are tattered, battered and worn

My flesh has been ripped, cut and torn

When I fight with Jak o’ the Shadows

 

Raised on bloody battles for true

My baby bottle was filled with brew

I am Infantry Through and through

As I soldier with Jak o’ the Shadows

 

By Footman

[sheliara]

The History of the Infantry

By Spacey, CG of the Infantry

 

Given the ongoing belittlement of the Infantry, I felt it would be a good thing to point out that the roots of all military began in the infantry. There weren't always mounted soldiers, and bows are similarly recent technological devices in the history of warfare.

 

With that said, I feel it is prudent to look at the history of the infantry unit and see how it evolved into other areas. Keeping in mind that without this basic unit, the others would not exist and that all warfare will always require the basic infantry unit to do the final walk-thru and supply the defences the other units require to survive.

 

 

History

 

With few exceptions, most armies in history have been built around a core of infantry. While the specific weapons have varied, the common factor is that these soldiers have relied on their own two feet for transportation to the battlefield (especially in the pre-industrial era) and tactical movement.

 

In earliest days, infantry were little more than armed mobs, fighting in opposing lines under the voice direction of individual commanders. However, the benefits of uniform equipment, weaponry and above all training led to the development of formations able to carry out pre-arranged maneuvers in the heat of battle.

 

As with any other area of conflict, the history of infantry is a story of balance between heavily-armed formations such as the Greek phalanx fighting in rigid formations, and more lightly-armed but more mobile units like the Roman legion able to move relatively quickly around the battlefield and exploit opportunities as they arose. Mobility, weaponry, and protection are the competing yet complementary factors which must be balanced to create effective infantry.

 

 

Classical Period

 

Examples of infantry units of the Classical period are the phalanxes of ancient Greece and the legions of Imperial Rome. In contrast to the strictly organized phalanxes and legions, most armies of the ancient world also employed units of skirmishers (often mercenaries or slaves) who wore minimal armor and carried an eclectic mix of weapons ranging from swords and javelins to slings and bows. Infantry was the primary combat arm of the period in open battles, as a result of multiple factors, including the cultural bias toward hand-to-hand combat and the relatively limited effectiveness of ranged weapons. Ranged weapons were primarily used as artillery and siege weapons.

 

Large, well-disciplined units of infantry were common to the wars of the ancient world. However, as the Roman Empire declined and fell to the depredations of Germanic tribes such as the Vandals, Goths, and Visigoths in the 5th century AD, the political and military resources necessary for the maintenance of such units largely disappeared until the later Middle Ages with the appearance of the large bureaucratic systems associated with the monarchical nation-states.

 

 

Middle ages

 

For most of the Middle Ages, warfare and society were dominated by the glamour of cavalry, expressed at the time in the form of knights. Knights were generally drawn from the aristocracy, while the infantry levies were raised from the common-folk or peasants. This led to a stagnation of the technologies and tactics that would improve the effectiveness of the infantry. However, some tactics were seen to be very effective. Infantry often took up long spears or halberds to counter the long reach of knights' lances. It also became more and more common for infantry to carry ranged weapons, as these would also effectively nullify the cavalry's advantage of momentum, speed, height, and reach. By the late Middle Ages, these tactics were crystallizing.

 

While bows remained in use long after the development of firearms, technological fine-tuning (along with the development of the wheel-lock) allowed firearms to supersede even the feared English longbow as the ranged weapon of choice for infantry. The bow also declined in favor due to the ease with which musketeers could be trained (days or weeks to attain moderate proficiency, as opposed to many years for the longbow).

 

Many nations combined firearms with extremely long pikes into units that were virtually invincible against cavalry formations. Eventually, with the development of the bayonet, the pikemen were dropped from the formation, resulting in the first examples of an infantry unit as recognizable today.

 

 

Modern

 

Before the development of railroads in the 19th century, infantry armies got to the battlefield by walking, or sometimes by ship. The Marines were first conceived in the 17th century by the English Royal Navy. Due to Britain's island status, a large army was unnecessary, however infantry soldiers were still required for eventual landings. A typical Royal Navy warship carried 600 men. Of these men, 120-180 would be Royal Marines. These men usually had a deck to themselves and had little to do with sailing the vessel. The men were proficient in the use of metal-working, gunpowder and modern weapons of the day and would form landing parties when exploring. The Marines also defended the vessel if boarded and would repair damaged weapons and cannon after a battle.

 

In the 1890s and later, some countries used bicycle infantry, but the real revolution in mobility started in the 1920s with the use of motor vehicles, resulting in motorized infantry. Action in World War II demonstrated the importance of protecting the soldiers while they are moving around, resulting in the development of mechanized infantry, who use armored vehicles for transport. World War II also saw the first widespread use of paratroops, which played key roles in several campaigns in the European theater. During the Vietnam conflict, the United States Army pioneered the use of helicopters to deliver large numbers of infantry quickly to and from key locations on the battlefield.

 

Modern-day mechanized infantry is supported by armored fighting vehicles, artillery, and aircraft, but along with light infantry, which does not use armored fighting vehicles, is still the only kind of military force that can take and hold ground, and thus remains essential to fighting wars.

[sheliara]

Divisional Competition - First Quarter Review

By Corki, the Marshal-General

 

January saw the introduction of the much anticipated Divisional Competition, where the Band would finally see which Division was the best! Also, the winner would ultimately win The Mattrim, the Band's very own Oscar-like award ceremony, for the best division when they are announced at the end of the year.

 

In January, as part of the Raw Recruit Scheme, each Division was asked to produce some propaganda about themselves. In a very tightly fough competition, the Cavalry took 4 points by edging out the Infantry, who gained 2 points, while the Archers were unlucky to come last in a tough competition, and got 1 point.

 

February saw each Division have to write a Jak O' the Shadow epic on a battle from within the WoT books. Again, very good entries were submitted. The Archers prevailed and won, with the Cavalry second. Inactivity resulted with the Infantry coming third.

 

March was meant to see a series of competitions run by Sheliara, but due to an unfortunate LoA, this never got going, so each Division was awarded two points.

 

As a result, this left the Cavalry as winners of the first Divisional Competition. They have been granted the chance to stage a Triumph to celebrate their victory. Below is the final standings of the first quarter.

 

1. Cavalry - 8

2. Archers - 7

3. Infantry - 5

 

As we speak, the Infantry lead the logic puzzles, which is April's competition, and the start of the second quarter. Also, a new and better name for the competition is currently being thought of.

 

So, all the best to each division for the future, and a big congratulations to the Cavalry for winning the first quarter.

[sheliara]

Interview with the Nurse

By Amalsan, private in the Cavalry

 

Being the raw recruit that I am, in the Band of the Red Hand, I found myself spending a week with each division. Each assignment with the infantry and archers (which came up first) were fairly simple tasks. None of these tasks quite prepared me for this one though! Like the rest of the assignments I undertook, I expected another fairly menial job and then be off to decide awkwardly which division I am to join. But this was not to be; the assignment I undertook was quite the interesting one indeed, and a well devised plan for drawing in my favour, which has worked well I think. I was to interview one of the four highly ranked members of the cavalry who were Mikel, Lord Horn, Canis and Sheli (aka The Nurse). Now then…if you were a new guy and had to choose from one, it would have to be the nurse…wouldn’t it? I suppose it’s the thought of the sexy nurses outfit that did it for me!

 

I spent a lot of my time in each of the divisions’ taverns during assignments, so the location for the interview was nothing new. I walked into a fully packed common room, most of the folk were still clad in armour from their day’s training, this said the members of the cavalry were as dedicated to their drinking as much as their day to day duties. The great stink of stale sweat also told me my suspicions were correct. Being the tall fellow that I am; I managed to find the bar easily enough.

“Mine’s a mug of ya finest loveâ€.

As the maid was pouring my ale, I took the time to observe the room, to see if I could pick the Nurse out of the crowd of swaying customers. As I leaned and looked from right to left, I saw the gleeman in the corner telling his version of the great hunt for the horn, where a dozen or so patrons were sat listening intently and drinking heavily, no nurse. Around the hearth were the beginnings of a brawl, which seemed to be over a good looking and well-dressed lady from one of the local villages,

“Couldn’t be the Nurse, she would be the one doing the clubbing!â€

The rest of the room was just one big standing crowd of loud men and women. From the description I was given, none of the women I saw even came close.

Am I in the wrong tavern? How many taverns do they have in this division?

I turned my attention back to the barmaid, who was lazily shining up a few mugs,

“Excuse me miss, has Lady Sheliara a’Dahlin approached the bar at all this evening?â€

Not even looking up from her mugs she replied,

“She’s waiting for some new guy that’s supposed to be interviewing her, she’s in the lounge in the back.â€

Blood n ashes! I’m not late am I?

With that I threw some coin on the surface of the bar, took up my mug of ale and pushed my way to the lounging area…nice tavern to have a lounging area.

 

The lounge area was only a short walk down the hall. I entered and looked around to find a room as of a similar size to that of the common room. Only a few groups of people sat around a few tables where I heard only quiet murmurs, this room looked a sensible place for an interview to take place. It was dimly lit and clean, even the air was pleasant to breathe. Sat dead centre of the room, was a hardened looking lady dressed from head to toe in black. She was staring directly at me. It was hard to make out any expressions from the shadow the wide brimmed back hat cast. Even as she sat down, this woman demanded huge respect. I approached carefully.

“My apologies if you have been waiting long†I thought was the best thing to say as an icebreaker.

“I haven’t been waiting too long, I’ve just managed to get myself comfortable actually. Please take a seatâ€, she smiled

Hmm, polite and nice! Not quite what I expected, I think I might enjoy this little meeting.

I took the seat and got right to it:

 

 

(From this point on, we go to a slightly edited MSN messenger conversation. Pink fonts being Sheli, red being myself).

 

So, how do you like the band so far?

 

I like it; everyone in the band seems really cool

That's an interesting pic u have there!

 

Heheheheh thanks. I need to replace it with the fixed version of it...

It is one my myrddraal

I am in SG as well, and I do computer-generated graphics

 

Lol, nice!

 

Thanks!

 

Your mydddraal looks as if he really enjoys his heavy metal

 

(It is a she) hehehehehhehehe

You should see the one steel axe has as his avatar in msn chat

 

Oh! Sorry

 

That one is my best one

Lol that’s okay

Can’t tell very well without the eyes

 

True, but I like it!

 

Thanks!

 

Ok, I got to ask...how did you get the nickname "Nurse"?

 

Lmao, well it is a tiny bit of a long story

You up for it

Hehehehehehehe

 

Go ahead.

 

Okay, well first off, there was a member here who had everyone laughing all the time. He was sooo awesome!

Mallet was his name, but he changed it to General Grawl before he left and never came back....

At one point in time when I was still new to the band, I was in a bar thread where mallet was hanging from the rafters of the infantry tavern.... or maybe hanging from the weathervane.... not too sure

Anyways, someone channeled him down by shooting lightning at him

 

Lol

 

So he fell to the ground and was all acting as if he was in pain, and hurt really bad, etc. trying to get the ladies to go to his aid and give him sympathy

So I came up to him and asked him where it hurt

 

I like his style

 

He called me nurse Sheli, and told me it hurt all over...

I asked him where I should start his treatment, and when he did, I pulled out a rusty saw and was about to start cutting

He was all of the sudden 100% better

And I was called Nurse Sheli for a little while...

 

Lol

 

I forgot about it for a while, though

Then around Christmas mallet made a wish list to Santa and asked me for a sexy nurse's uniform and brand new rust-free tools

Then I remembered, and I made myself a siggy as the Nurse, and it stuck from there

 

Nice

 

It was a great time, a lot of fun

I still have fun as the Nurse

 

Well, you can see why I chose you from the 4? I think that's obvious enough!

 

*Blushes* awwwwww thanks!

 

Well, you probably know that I have a series of questions to ask you

So shall I fire away?

 

Yes, I read the questions after you PMed me, cuz I was wondering if it was anything like what I had assigned for raw recruits in the past, cuz if it was that then it would have to be posted for all to see

Go for it!

 

What's your favorite colour?

 

Well.... that is a good question, cuz I actually have four

 

Ok

 

A Dark red, hunter green, royal blue, and deep purple

Jewel tones basically

 

That’s a good mixture, and quite indecisive!

 

Heheheheh I know, I can’t help it!

If I were answering as The Nurse, it would have been pure white with deep crimson splashed on it

Lmao

But the nurse is the evil side of me

 

Nice. My favorite is probably sky blue

 

OOo coolness, that is a pretty color

 

Isn't it just!

 

*Nods*

 

Ok so now for your hobbies?

You can narrow it down if you have a serious amount!

 

Oh okay

Hmmm..... well I have a lot of hobbies actually

One of my hobbies is making butterflies out of beads and wire; another is siggy making, and anything to do with digital artwork in general

Another hobby of mine, is filmmaking

 

Nice

 

And that is all I will give you hehehehe

There are more

But those three are my funnest ones

 

We can always talk more in detail some other time then

 

Sure! *Grins*

 

What's your favorite song? *Sighs* what a question!

Choices choices!

 

Heheheheheheh I know, and me being the indecisive person that I am concerning favorites, it could be a very long list, but I will narrow it down to three.... maybe....lol

One of my favorites is Serenity from Godsmack

Anything from Type O Negative, and Kiss the Flame by Jewel

 

Ok, I've heard of 2 of the bands but not jewel!

Godsmack are cool

 

Never heard of jewel? She has the most gorgeous voice!

 

System?

 

She is the person I hold my own voice up against...if I can get my voice to around anything like Hersa, and then I will be happy!

I like system of a down as well; I like a little bit of everything to tell the truth

 

Me too, but into system the most at the mo. What do you think to their latest albums?

 

Hehehehe well, as to that I don't really know...I only really listen to some of the older music, because that is what I already have downloaded, I have been too busy to even try and keep up with music:

*Didn’t know they had a new album out*

 

It’s a struggle sometimes huh?

Their new ones are not so.... harsh I think.

 

It is

I am always at work or here at school, never home anymore

(I sleep on the couches here at the school most of the time)

Oh so they toned down a bit huh

 

Lol

Yeah

I think they needed to a bit, but that's just my preference

 

I see...*ponders* hmm I will have to look into getting that new album what’s it called

 

They have a couple that interlink

First is mesmerize

 

*Nods*

 

The other is hypnotize

Mesmerize being easily better!

 

Lol cool

 

Ok, so how about your favorite movie

 

My favorite movie is one you have never seen, or anyone in the band actually, so I will give my second favorite

My second favorite movie though...at the current moment it is The Labyrinth...an old one but still awesome

 

Labyrinth, great film, David Bowie, great brit!

 

Oh yeah! hehehehehe

*Grins*

 

legeng!

DOH!

 

Legend?

 

Lol *eating*

Yeah, Legend

Here’s a strange question

 

Okay

 

Favorite Reason why Lord Horn should be ruler of the universe?

 

I think in that question you were supposed to ask the person why they think that they should be the one to rule the world!

 

Aha, that’s probably right. I think I misunderstood!

 

Heheheheheh cuz my answer to the other would be something to the effect of why he shouldn’t be the one to rule the world hehehehe

 

Lol, so why should you?

 

Well I should rule the world, because the world would tremble in fear of me, and because of this, no wars will ever be fought again, because they will know how cruel and evil I am MUA HA HA HA HA

 

Cool, can I be your king?!

 

Hehehehehehehhehe I dunno, think you could handle the position *cheeky grin*

 

Aha, I think you'd be surprised!

 

Hehehehehehehehehehehe

Well it would have to be run by my warder, my toy, and my Ahsa'man first, but I don’t think either one has the guts to be my king MUA HA HA HA

 

Lol, I shouldn't call them gutless, that would be going to far huh?!

 

Heheheheheh nah

Don’t call them gutless!

Hehehehehe

 

Lmao!

 

Just have a healthy fear of me is all

 

Ok, healthy is my middle name

 

Hehehehehehehe

 

Besides the pizza n chips in front of me

 

Oh okay

You know

I like you

*Grins*

 

Thanks you seem nice yourself

 

Why thank you!

*Is really evil and mean and cruel though*

 

All a good combo, but only in select moments of time

 

Hehehehehehehe

So was that all the questions for me

 

Officially yes

 

Are you going to give a list of my answers or make it into a story as if you had interviewed me for a magazine article?

 

What would you like me to do?

 

Heheheheheh the story would be great, I had all the raw recruits I was in charge of do a story, it made things more interesting!

 

I sat back against the chair and took up my mug of ale for the first time through the conversation and took a big gulp. Placing the mug back down I leaned forward again intently,

“Well I thought that went really well, it was an immense pleasure on my accountâ€

Lady Sheli leaned forward and eyed the mug of ale that was in front of me, arched an eyebrow and looked at the empty space in front of her. Puffing up her cheeks and exhaling heavily, she said nothing more. It wasn’t long until I broke the silence,

“Blood and ashes, please excuse my ignora….

“Mines a large if you pleaseâ€

Lady Sheli snuck in with a cute smile

“But of course, it’s the least I can do. I’ll be right backâ€

With that, I stood and directed my sights toward the lounges bar, where a plump man stood behind, going a bit thin on top and dressed in an oversized clean white apron. As I began approaching, Lady Sheli caught my attention once again. In her hands she had a large rusty saw.

“And when you get back with my drink, I might show you how I would use this!â€

[sheliara]

King Midas

By The Hand of the King

 

This story is secret and may not be true

it is a good story about a quest for brew.

The hero of our story is a valiant king

he had a golden touch and liked to sing.

 

The king liked to prank and get in trouble

one such prank left a country in rubble.

But that fine tale is for another story

the subject of this tale is eternal glory.

 

Our hero heard of a plot by the Dark One

to steal all brew, leaving the band none.

The D.O. had discovered the secret of the band

they fought for brew not for the farmer, Rand.

 

He wanted to take away the legendary power

without the band, the light side would cower.

But the D.O. didn't count on the golden king

a threat to brew, his wrath it did bring.

 

With only the help of the loyal Golden Hand

he launched an attack that shook the land.

So fierce was his fury that the D.O. was scared

into the confusion rode the king with sword bared.

 

The forces of the Dark One started to flee

the ones that were captured bended knee.

King Midas went strait to the captured brew

bring the drink back to the band good as new.

 

Leaving a warning with the evil drink keeper

"Don't mess with brew or I'll hurt you deeper."

So remember the story of the saving of the brew

and the golden King Midas and the chosen few.

[sheliara]

Right or Wrong

By Spacey, CG of the Infantry

 

Stepping out of normal existence momentarily, it is easy to see the importance of the reality that we normally rely on but simultaneously we can see the issues that it causes with our conceptual view of the world. While some things viewed from realistic perspectives are clear and concise, conceptual ideas can sometimes be lost in the grays between reality and the formless world of ideas. Life often needs to be addressed from many perspectives to get a better understanding of what is really going on. One of the pervading questions often posed in this foggy middle ground is, “What is right and wrong?â€

 

Are the ideas that we think of as right really right, or just a manifestation of ideas that are agreed upon by society as right in our current time and perceived existence? Are these perceptions consistent, or do they constantly change with the changing perception of society? If they do change with the perception of society, does this mean that right and wrong are not consistent ideals and that they are actually a matter of what serves a particular society in a particular time. These are important questions to pose in the investigation of this highly controversial question.

 

What makes a decision or action right or wrong? This is a question that philosophers have posed for millennia and for all of their theories and ideas, none have ever fully answered this question. In this long going argument philosophers seem to spend more time denouncing another philosopher’s notions rather than asking new and fresh questions that could further the general understanding of what the actual difference between right and wrong is.

 

The study of right and wrong falls squarely in the lap of ethical studies and ethical philosophers. The word ethics itself comes from the Greek word ethos meaning “character†and “habit.†This definition reflects the idea that right is a concept that needs to be incorporated within ourselves and acted on out of habit. While many would say that philosophers are no more equipped to decide what is right and wrong, the fact remains that most people are unwilling to delve into the mire of definitions that need to be addressed and more accurately defined to help answer this question. For most people this would involve an unproductive look into their own value system, leaving them with little more than spinning heads from the numerous more questions raised from this thought process.

 

Some of the more common, well studied, ideas of what right and wrong are can be found in philosophy and ethics books. In Voices of Wisdom, a philosophy text book, one view is from Immanuel Kant’s Categorical Imperative, a view that takes into account that the intention of an action is more important than the outcome of that action – the outcome of that action is separate and inconsequential to whether it was right or wrong. This idea links the concept of right and wrong with the idea that what a person thinks is good is right. While this view is spiritually and conceptually a good idea it doesn’t account for the fact that a good intention can lead to a bad end or that what is considered good today may not be good tomorrow.

 

Another well studied view of right and wrong can be gleaned from reading Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics. According to Aristotle’s view of what is right, or good in his terminology, a person is naturally driven to do right; that people naturally aim for good and right actions. Aristotle also sets a premise that the younger and more immature you are, the less equipped to know the difference between right and wrong you are and that your personal level of success also is a defining criteria for being able to differentiate these concepts. These ideals are continuously attacked for being elitist in nature and by default not addressing the needs of the less well off. In quick defense of Aristotle, according to logic, elitism is an accurate view of the reality that those with more opportunity are more capable – but not necessarily more effective – of judging and defining what is right and wrong.

 

These different views were shown to establish how different ethical philosophers approached the idea of right and wrong. One approach that has yet to be found by myself, not that I am an expert in the field, is one that asks the question, “What is the difference between right and wrong, if any, in the scope of time and place?†More simply put, are right and wrong conceptually different at their root?

 

By using the different methods of ascertaining right and wrong from the previous examples one finds one’s self asking the question, “Why was something that was wrong yesterday right today and vice versa?†Most of the time the difference of right and wrong is approached in the ceteris paribus assumption, or all other things being equal assumption, so that the mind numbing set of variables are reduced to one defining variable. The major logical flaw in this assumption is that there is a mind numbing set of variables to consider and that by completely ignoring them the system is destined to fail with any new or changed correlations in that enormous data set.

 

These errors in the perception of correlating data cause an overwhelming systemic shock to the notions of these ideals and further propagate changes in their meanings. Again more simply put, because we cannot see, or understand, every possible variable that could determine the outcome of right and wrong, we are at the whim of our own ignorance in defining right and wrong. Playing this logic out even further, if we cannot see, or understand, the difference between right and wrong, how can we possibly say that we can distinguish the two at a conceptual level?

 

Using the distinction that right and wrong, as we understand them, are conceptually the same thing, how are right and wrong differentiated in the world as we know it? By applying this theory to present time it is clearly shown that right and wrong are defined by the temporal and environmental needs of any given society. Right is what is right to this society now in this present environment and wrong is equally defined.

 

In closing it seems that right and wrong are defined by a society in a given span of time. These ideals are ever changing and mold themselves to the needs and wants of that particular society’s ethnocentric perceptions of reality. Should we be concerned with this outcome of logic? Yes and no. Yes because it is important to come to some terms with what right and wrong are in reality and deal with that realization accordingly to your own value system. And no, because the reality of right and wrong will always be contested and generalized within the confines of any given society’s perception of reality and thus technically reside outside your ultimate control.