Hornsounder - February 2008 edition

[Mystica]

 

Welcome to this month's edition of the Hornsounder!

 

Some of you may have noticed there wasn't an edition in January. The Hornsounder team has taken a much needed break for one month but we're back with a vengeance!

 

So this month there will be a 2 months worth of articles for you to enjoy and there are some exciting new features in the Hornsounder too.

 

These new features include a brand new Poetry section, some hilarious cartoons and a new spanking competition.

 

But First of all, the whole Hornsounder Team wishes you all a fantastic 2008 and we are looking forward to bringing you another year of interesting and entertaining articles, games and other special items for you to enjoy.

 

So put up your feet, get that mouse under control and enjoy this month's edition of your newspaper.

 

Mystica,

Editor in Chief

 

 

New Hornsounder Banners!!

 

Now look..... *points up* and tell me that those aren't the most wonderful, stylish, fantastic looking banners you've ever seen!! I'm beside myself from excitement and I could just eat up my Banded, Son of Battles, our very own Graphic Editor for creating such exquisit pieces for our newspaper.

 

They are a true piece of art and I can't get enough of them! I'm sure you'll all agree with me that SoB has really outdone himself.

 

Thanks a million for the wonderful new Banners, SoB!! Fantastic job!

 

 

 

JoTS Winner of the Month. 

 

Sadly there is no winner this month as there was no competition set up due to a very busy and distracted EiC overlooking this entire thing...  :-[

 

My apologies for this but I promise that next month's JoTS competition will be back on schedule where it should be!

 

February's Headlines!

 

As our regular readers have come to know, the Hornsounder is divided into Sections, each handling a part of the newspaper and housing specific topics. I give you now a summary of what you can find in each Section.

You may find your interested parts quickly by scrolling to the Sections, which are clearly marked by their own Header as the one you see here on top. Subsections within can be recognized by their Blue color and therefore equally easy to recognize. To help you find your field of interest even faster, in the Headlines below you will find the page on which each Section is located.

 

The Band of the Red Hand Section brings you the Word from our Marshal-General, puts the spotlight on those extra special Banders that earned one of the rare and prestigious Band Awards, introduces the Band's current Active Members, provides the results of the Band's Lottery, and you get the opportunity to smooch away on our Banders' birthdays .  A piece of Real Life News from our Banders reminds us of the people behind the words. Finally, Stefania is bringing us a summary of Banders' Music, Travel and Restaurant reviews.

 

The Regimental Section will effectively still your hunger for knowing what's been up with the Archers, Cavalry and Infantry this month. Check up on the antics of the Recruits while they visited every Regiment, whether a new Knight or Lady has been raised, if the Infantry gained a new Morat or maybe a new Blademaster even, or see if any Archers obtained the rank of Sora or who earned their Archer medals. 

 

In the Raw Recruits Section, our Executive Officer, Paladin Bridmorgan will fill you in on the latest updates on our Recruits and present you with the Recruit of the Month.

 

In the  Redarms Section our Redarm Leader fills you in on all the law breaking and spotfining activities that were found in the Band these last two months. And a LOT has been happening from the looks of it!

 

The Specials Section brings you a nice little collection of Columns and stories that will make you sit up and scream for more. The Columns Section this month brings you the next piece of Kristine's Infantry Nights and a new story from Lady StefaniaSedai's Thoughts! Further there are some really interesting Raw Recruits and  Freelance articles submitted by several of the Band's newest members and/or some hardcore reporters.

 

Entertainment is the spice of Life! Or was it variety? Who cares... Get those braincells to working and claim those prizes! Join in on the Competitions and see if you are a wizard at Sudoku and can beat the Sudoku Master, Direwolf Jon!  Talya brings you a challenge with her musical Scavenger Hunt and what appears to be her last Word Scramble piece. So don't miss out on snatching up those prizes! A brand new competition is offered to you by Snin, who is introducing the 'Word Search' Competition! Who will go into history as the first winner(s) of this spanking new challenge?

 

The free standing Games on the other hand, offer a nice warm up for those that need it or a fun way of passing the time in those dead hours between earning points for your promotions.

If you played the ones from last month and want to find out how well (or bad) you did, you'll find the correct answers here too.

Check out the Jokes for a good laugh!

 

Dragonmount, our home. Find out the latest news that was reported to the Hornsounder about your ORG and those ORGs you don't know yet. We have news from almost every ORG.

 

In the Wheel of Time Section read all about the topic of conversation, turmoil, and uproar from DM this month!

 

Last but most definitely not least, the Editorial Section you can find out everything about the Hornsounder itself. What it is, how it works, who the slaving mad people are that make sure you get your newspaper full of interesting stuff each month and how YOU can be a part of it all too.

 

So there you have it folks. I hope you will enjoy this month's Edition of your Hornsounder thoroughly and if you have any ideas or suggestions that might make your Hornsounder Experience even more fun, don't hesitate to let us know.

 

Or maybe you too want to try your hand at being a reporter?

There's room in the Hornsounder for everyone, so don't let those doubting demons get the best of you. Jump right in and contact me through pm with any ideas for articles and/or projects you may have!

 

Until next month,

 

Mystica,

Editor in Chief

[Mystica]

 

Word from the M-G

 

It's been quite a busy time for the Band of the Red Hand in recent months, so I will do my best to cover everything here! And to make the experience all the more enjoyable, grab yourself a drink as you read the latest news that the Band has to report.

 

January was a busy month, with several new appointments and lots of awards given out in The Matrims, the Band's very annual Oscar style awards ceremony (see seperate article).

 

After several years of dedication and service as a member of the Band's Senior Staff, F Horn of Valere stepped down as Under-Commander. It was a loss for the Senior Staff, but a gain for the Cavalry, Horn's Regiment. I know I've said it many times already, but thanks for everything, Horn! It was much appreciated! Taymist stepped up to Under-Commander from Executive Officer, while BridMorgan became the new Executive Officer. We've got off to a good start in 2008, and I hope it continues.

 

One other appointment saw Uasal Arach become the first ever Chief Gambler of the Band. He is in charge of the Lottery, and has already had several ingenius ideas to increase activity here. He has also recently started a Fantasy Baseball League for the group, and I am sure there will be great interest in this, especially with the amount of Lotto Chips up for grabs for winning the league!

 

January and February has seen some hot contest in the Bi-Monthly Regimental Competition. Regiments have to work out the location of various pictures and then determine what links them together. The Archers have dropped off the boil, but the Infantry and Cavalry are neck and neck as we enter into the last few rounds of the competition. Results next month!

 

There has been some serious discussions about the progress of the ORG. We are currently considering the addition of the Masons as a 4th Regiment. After gathering enough interest, this is moving into the next stage to see if it is possible. We have also added an extra way of earning points through reviewing restaurants from around the globe. Everybody enjoys good food, and we felt this added an extra dimension to the ORG. Developments for a website have been started, and we have some serious ideas on archiving.

 

The Empy Awards are just around the corner, and I am sure the Band and it's members will be challenging for many of the Awards. Look out for news next month on how we fare.

 

February is fast approaching its end, and that means a changing of the guard for each of the Regiments. News on the successful Captain-Generals will be in next month's edition.

 

2008 looks like it won't be a quiet year, but that is fine with me! Monthly reports with progress will be here in The Hornsounder so you'll always know what the Band is doing, and you never know, it may tempt you to join up with the greatest fighting machine in Randland and at DM!

 

*The Matrims*

 

Every year, the Band of the Red Hand ORG holds an awards ceremony to honour those who the ORG members believe deserve recognition for their dedication and time to the ORG. The number of awards for 2007 reached 11 - the most Matrims given out in a ceremony - and this reflects the growth that the ORG has made over the years. Below is a summary of the categories and the winners of the Awards.

 

- Best Band Member of 2007: Taymist

- Regiment of the Year: The Cavalry

- Funniest Band Member of 2007: DeathDealer

- Best Archers Member of 2007: Morrigan Blackthorn

- Best Cavalry Member of 2007: BridMorgan

- Best Infantry Member of 2007: Mystica

- The Gamer’s Gamer of 2007: Taymist and Auld Manriva

- Best Gamer of 2007: DeathDealer

- Best Redarm of 2007: Steel Axe

- Best Regimental Liaison Officer of 2007: Morrigan Blackthorn

- Best Trickster of 2007: 12th Regiment and Dicetosser1

 

Congratulations to everyone who won an award, and a big thank you to everyone who took the time out and voted. 2007 was a fantastic year for the ORG, with massives strides being taken. This all bodes well for 2008, which has already had a fantastic start. Let's hope it continues all the way through to the end of 2008, and we will hopefully see some new names winning some awards!

 

To see the ceremony in full, please click here.

 

 

Why Join the BotRH?

 

So, having read some of the activities the Band gets up to, you want to know more about the ORG? One of the ORG's focus is music, and the Band's other focus is travel. Banders are regularly writing reviews about any music album they own, whether it be old or new, as well as any gigs and concerts they have been to and various locations around the world they've visited. Responses to these reviews are encouraged, which gives Banders points, and these points allow for promotion through the many ranks in the Band. This is the basis of the ORG.

 

When you first join up with the Band of the Red Hand, you become a Raw Recruit. During this time, you experience life with each of the three Regiment (Archers, Cavalry, Infantry) and the Band itself as well so you get to know how the ORG works, and you don't get lost in your early days in the Band. After your three weeks of completing various tasks as a Recruit, you then pick the Regiment you wish to join and thus become a fully fledged member of the Band of the Red Hand. Also, once you picked your Regiment, you will be guided to become an Infantry Blademaster or a Knight of the Cavalry or an Assassin within the Archers.

 

However, the Band is not all about work. We have many fun activities going on within the ORG, ranging from simple word games to our ORG Game, created by Canis Rufus with the help of Mallett. Everything is based on the luck of rolling dice, so build up your stats to give yourself the chance of getting better rolls! Once you've taken the seven easy lessons, you can then challenge any Bander to a duel in the Arena and bring great glories to your name! Look out for Festivals of Games as another way to bring glory to your name! We are the only ORG to gamble as well, so create a Bank Account and join in the Lottery to earn some big winnings just like Mat!

 

As you can see, the Band is a place with a variety of activities, hopefully catering for everyone's needs. There are various activities for those who want points to go up the ranks, or fun and games for those who want to socialise. The Band is open to everyone, so come and join the fun at the best ORG at DM!

[Mystica]

The Bands Lotto Winners - December, January and February

(By Bridmorgan, XO)

 

Welcome back my faithful Lotto followers!  We have a total of 3 months worth of results for you plus information on special lottery games!  Before we get to the winners, I have a special announcement to make!  Uasal Arach has taken on the Chief Gambler job for the Band.  He now runs all the lottos and comes up with all the bonus offers.  He's done a fantastic job and I for one look forward to seeing what else he comes up with!  Congratulations Uasal!!

 

In addition to the normal weekly lottery, Uasal ran a "Super Bowl" lottery.  For those of you who don't know what the Super Bowl is *gasp* it's the championship game for American Football.  The categories you could bet on where:

 

1.  Teams to play in the Super Bowl

2.  Pick who wins the Super Bowl

3.  Pick the final score...for both teams.

 

There was only one winner, Snin, who picked the two teams (NE Patriots and NY Giants) that played in the Super Bowl.  He won 10 Lotto Chips.  Congrats Snin!

 

Now on to the results of the Lotto!

 

December, January and February Lotto Winners

Riva - 20

Uasal - 19

Taymist - 14

Dragonlover - 12

DJ - 9

Jeannaisais -8

Arrandion - 7

Demonspawn - 7

Kara - 6

Froix - 5

Climhazzard - 4

Daetirion - 2

Kast - 2

 

Some of the bonus' offered were:

 

Week 2 - Bonus of 10 lotto chips if 20 people played

Week 3 - 10 lotto chips - Winner:  Dragonlover

Week 5 - Get out of a Spotfine for Assaulting a Superior Officer - Winner:  Arrandion

Week 7 - Double Bonus

 

There ya have it folks!  Your winners for the past 3 months!  Congratulations to all and I hope to see you all out there gambling!!

 

Restaurant Reviews

(by Lady Stefania)

 

It was the first month for Restaurant Reviews here in the Band and my mouth is already watering! I can’t wait to see what all you Banders will be serving up next (though I personally am waiting for the conversion to US dollars if anyone can help me out with that!) So let’s see what’s on the menu!

 

Our very own rock star Apollo dropped in to tell us about his favorite London eatery, Veeraswamy. We follow that up with Demonspawn’s take on Scalini’s in Newcastle, UK. Another London restaurant floated to the surface when MG Corki took us to visit The Seashell.  And last but not least out very own snin83 indulged himself in a slice or two at The Cheesecake Factory in Colombus, Ohio.

 

Hungry for more? Then drop by the Album/Holiday/Gig/Restaurant Review threads and tell us about your favorite place to eat for a possible 2 points or comment on an existing review for one point!

 

 

Album Reviews

(by Lady Stefania)

 

February was filled with music here in the Band! In the Rock category, Kastchei reviewed not one, but two separate Blues Traveler albums. Woolhead also dropped by to share with us about Stop Drop and Roll from Greenday, while snin83 filled us in on Metallica’s Master of Puppets. Arrandion took over the Pop category with a review of David Bowie’s Hours and snin crept back with in the Soundtrack category with the Gladiator Soundtrack! All in all a melodic month for Banders!

 

Are you totally digging an album and can’t wait to share it? Then scoot on over to the Album/Holiday/Gig/Restaurant Review threads and tell us all about it for a possible 2 points or comment on an existing thread for one point! So what have you been listening to?

 

Gig Reveiws

(by Lady Stefania)

 

Our only February Gig Review came from the one, the only snin83! This recent Bander dropped in on a Flogging Mary concert in Columbus, OH. Judging from the review, what snin83 remembers of the performance was great and comments point to this group being a must see! Great review, snin!

 

Been to any concerts lately? We’d love to hear about it! Visit the Album/Holiday/Gig/Restaurant Review threads and share for a possible 2 points or comment on an existing thread for one point!

 

 

[Mystica]

Bander's Birthdays

(by Bridmorgan, XO)

 

We have 2 months of Birthdays to cover this month!  So many Banders having birthdays!!  *sniff, sniff*  They grow up so fast!  ;D

 

In the words of our EiC...Happy Smoochday!!!

 

*January*

 

Assassin - 1/1

dragonlady - 1/1

pine - 1/1

doran - 1/2

kedomat - 1/3

General Grawl - 1/5

Emperor - 1/6

Froix - 1/6

Magnus Canis Rufus - 1/9

Climhazzard - 1/13

aranalandar - 1/14

nilchil81 - 1/17

snin83 - 1/17

Raegar - 1/18

12th Regiment - 1/18

Ethereal_Dragon - 1/19

angrealmeaker - 1/27

El Nynaeve - 1/27

Colmana - 1/28

Ailatan - 1/31

kyros - 1/31

 

*February*

 

blackatrocity - 2/1

Elyssa - 2/1

mysticaldancer - 2/1

Cam - 2/3

holyzealot - 2/4

purplemonster - 2/4

kall - 2/5

carvincustom - 2/6

Straith - 2/6

semilucid - 2/7

keige - 2/8

Remiel - 2/10

demoauel - 2/12

matrim - 2/12

The Witch King - 2/12

falcon1579 - 2/16

heinrich - 2/16

poledra - 2/16

thread7 - 2/16

chani - 2/17

cosmicpanda - 2/17

Wyrm - 2/17

heathen666 - 2/18

Taluka - 2/19

Talyn - 2/22

loranflame - 2/25

Apollo - 2/27

jeppit - 2/28

Count Platypus - 2/29

 

Ranking list of the Active Banders

(by Bridmorgan, XO)

 

The ranks you see are based on the earning of ORG points and are arranged top to bottom. The top 3 positions are what we call our 'Senior Staff' and they are permanent and not linked to any points. The points based positions are divided between 'Commissioned' (= Officers) and 'Enlisted' (= Non-Officers) and can be achieved by any Bander willing to put in the necessary work.

 

Our newest members, the Raw Recruits, are not in this list as they get a special mention in the Raw Recruits Section further in this paper.

 

This ranking is based on the last promotion round: 15 February 2008

 

Senior Staff

 

Marshal-General: Corki

 

Under-Commander: Taymist

 

Executive Officer: BridMorgan

 

Commissioned Officers

 

Banner-Captains:  Auld Manriva, Mystica, Direwolf Jon, F Horn of Valere, Twinflower

 

Captains:  Uasal Arach, Apollo277

 

Lieutenant-Captains:  Froix, Steel Axe, Kristine

 

Senior-Lieutenants:  Jeannaisais, North Star, Katiora, Stefania Sedai, Amavia

 

Lieutenants:  Arrandion, Mushuganna, Kara_J, woolhead, Dragonlover, Goldeneyes05, Kingkastchei, demonspawn, Odette

 

Under-Lieutenants:  12th Regiment, Dicetosser1, Lanette, Nighteyes, Silver89, Emperor, JimRaynor/JR, Taluka_Sedai, Arogan, Talya, Alishandra

 

 

Enlisted

 

Master Sergeants:  Kellan Kiri, Climhazzard, Daetirion, Evrem Floyd/Professor_5150, Zeth Alley, Shadowhelm, DSage, Feral, Anigrel Tavadon

 

Sergeants:  lewstherin, Tigara, Samuraiflip05

 

Corporals:  snin83

 

Privates First Class:  Cu'chulainn/Farcrie, Tharengore, Iron Monk, Auron

 

Privates:  Wyrm

 

 

Bander's Real Life Stories

(compiled by Demonspawn)

 

I'm sure I'm not the only one to have noticed this but, something keeps interrupting my quality time surfing the Net and perusing the boards on DM and at the Band. This annoying interruption is what is known as... REAL-LIFE... I'm informed that I'm not alone in experiencing this anomaly, and to prove the fact, here are some accounts from some of my fellow Banders who wish to share some of their "Real-Life" experiences with all the readers of The Hornsounder. This month we have contributions from, Taluka of The Cavalry, Mystica of the Infantry and Climhazzard, also of the Infantry. So, enough of my ramblings and on with the article, enjoy!

 

THE CLIPPITY-CLOP OF TINY HOOVES

(by Taluka)

 

 

Well everyone it's official! A new cavver will be joining us on (or around) 17th August 2008!! We had our 12wk ultrasound yesterday and all is in place. Bubs measured 5.6cm and heartbeat was 167bpm. The poor technician had a hard time trying to pin bubs down to get good measurements, because the little bean was jumping around like a Jack Rabbit!!

 

We are very excited now and can't wait to meet our little one in 6mos time!!

 

 

NEWFOUND RESPECT - HIDDEN HEROES!

(by Mystica)

 

As some of you know I've underwent several medical tests in the last month due to a non-stop stream of medical issues I've had over the last couple of years. Each problem being not big enough on itself to be making a big fuss about, though several times a doctor's visit had been needed.

 

Finally my doc found it necessary to have me undergo a full checkup on just about anything you can imagine. Tests on lungs, heart, diabetes, stomach and intestent probes, bone tests, and every possible thing that can be checked by a blood test.

 

Most of these are done now and the most horrid of them all (the stomach and intestent probes) I had this week (5th Feb). Only the bone test and possibly a sleep test are left, but those should be easy compared to the others.

 

I've seen more of the inside of a hospital than I care to remember and I gained a whole new level of respect for people that fight off serious illnesses for the amount of courage and stamina to do so must be staggering. Not so much the actual tests but the psychological aspect of the whole thing is extremely hard to bare and I can only imagine how strong these people must be to undergo that each time.

 

We need to stop and think about these hidden heros more often, because in many cases they fight a lonely battle, behind closed doors and behind the surface of a smiling face. And heros they are for to fight these types of battles takes courage of superhuman proportions. They suffer in silence most of the time, trying even to be considerate of those around them so they wouldn't be too much burdened by their own troubles.

 

These are people that fight a battle that only fools would call selfish. The hardest fighters among them fight not for themselves but for the service they want to keep give to those around them, just by being there for them. They fight so they can be in the best possible condition to live and be there for those that need them.

 

Self preservation is the first step towards being a servant to others.

 

Just a thought, but not a bad way to look at it.... I think.

 

 

EMPLOYED FOR LIFE! AN OATH TO TAKE....

(by Mystica)

 

Some of you may remember that I explained about my new job and the nature of the contract I'll be getting once my internship is over, but for those of you that don't I'll summarise.

 

I applied and got hired in October for a new position at our university with a lifetime contract. As always this is preceeded by a 6 months' during internship (the probation period), which would end on 31st March (my birthday, which is coincidence but a nice one). Once I got a positive evaluation I would then receive a lifetime contract (= state employed) which is done by taking an Oath.

 

Last week I got a letter summoning me to take the Oath on 19th February, which is 1,5 month before my internship ends. They group these because there isn't an Oath Ceremony being organised each month, so it's more a practical thing than anything else. BUT.... according to the law, once the Oath is taken that counts as the legal confirmation of my lifetime employment. So basically, once the Oath is taken they are stuck to it (unless they get a really huge reason to cancel it).

 

I still need to get my final evaluation but for all practical purposes, once I take the Oath that's it. And given that I've already been summoned to do so means I'm as good as in.

 

 

ALL TOGETHER NOW... EVERYBODY WAS KUNG-FU FIIII-GHTIIIIING!... (Sorry... Couldn't resist! :-/)

(by Climhazzard)

 

My life has gone a little on the crazy side. I started classes at the local community college a few weeks ago. This is the first time I've had any type of classes in years. I just hope this time I can stick it through. Also my youngest daughter just celebrated her second birthday and the terrible twos are in full force. And on a really good note I just passed my test for my green belt in shorin ryu karate. Next up is my first test in tae kwon do.

 

Thanks to everyone for posting and sharing with all our readers. Congratulations to all three of you.

 

That's all for this month, thanks for reading and I will be back next month with another installment of the bizzarre occurrance which is.... REAL-LIFE!!!

 

 

NEW LABOUR AND IMMIGRATION ISSUES

(by RR el Nynaeve)

 

The Labour government of Britain has recently proposed new changes to the immigration system which affects anyone wishing to apply for British citizenship. The proposals, which are laid out in a recent Green Paper, include measures such as 'probationary' citizenship, which requires migrants to take part in 'active citizenship'. The government wishes active citizenship to include a range of volunteer work, in order to aid migrants in achieving integration in their communities. In addition to 'probationary citizenship', the paper also outlines the following:

 

1)A simpler immigration system – all current legislation will be replaced with a clear system that highlights three clear groups who will be eligible for citizenship: economic migrants (highly skilled workers), family (spouses and children) and asylum seekers/refugees.

2)All migrants should have a sufficient command of the English language. This will be tested through a Life in the UK test or English classes.

3)Economic contribution – all migrants will be expected to support themselves without the aid of benefits. They will be expected to work and pay taxes. The government is also proposing that migrants pay an additional fee on top of the existing visa fees to cover use of public services.

4)Obey the law – Disobeying the law will result in the slowing or stopping of an application for citizenship. Those who have been to prison may not be eligible to apply for citizenship or probationary citizenship.

5)New citizens are on probation – those wishing to become full citzens will not have access to benefits and will be expected to meet all requirements within a set time period or they will be asked to leave Britain. Migrants must show English proficiency and active citzenship at this stage.

6)Active citizenship – Migrants must undertake civic activities which benefit the local community.

 

The government intend to put this proposal forward in the House of Commons in November with the plan to implement these new rules as soon as possible. This Green Paper is aimed at prospective migrants who wish to come to Britain and at those who have just arrived as economic migrants, family migrants and asylum seekers. However, the paper fails to mention how the government intend to deal with those migrants who already hold the equivalent of 'probationary citizenship' or permanent residence. It also fails to mention how much it will cost the British tax payer to implement the new system, and only provides one figure on the benefits provided by voluntary workers, around £40 billion.

 

I have spoken with many other migrants following the release of these proposals, many feel that these proposals will not curb illegal immigration, only encourage it further and that these proposals target those who are here legally and treat them as potential criminals. There has also been opposition from the Tories and the Liberal Democrats to these proposals, the Tories publicly calling it a 'gimmick' designed to put Labour in good standing on immigration issues at the next election.

 

As this a Green Paper, they have provided a consultation paper to be filled out by anyone wishing to. The deadline for submitting the paper is 14th May and if you have something to say on this matter, whether you are British or wishing to come to Britain, please let the government know your thoughts. The link to both the Green Paper and the Consultation Paper is here (Note: the consultation paper is listed as proforma):

 

http://www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/aboutus/consultations/pathtocitizenship/

[Mystica]

 

Archers

(by Sora Jeannaisais)

 

News From The Range!

(by Sora Jea)

 

The last few months have seen quite an improvement for the archer's regiment.  We have gained some new members who have helped to make the range fun once again! 

 

First off I would like to congratulate both Snin and Tharengore for joining our ranks.  They've been a blast (literally) to have around so far and I'm sure they will continue to be (then again, with Tharen around...I think there will always be something exploding nearby!).  Adding to the blast that these two members have brought is an archer banding between Tharengore and Sora Jeannaisais, who seem to have overtaken the band with phrases of 'yep yep yep' and 'yeppers.'

 

Continuing with helping the archer's regiment is the formulation of having an archer of the month.  For the month of January it was Sora Jeannaisais followed very closely by Alishandra.

 

Among other news, we are eagerly awaiting to discover who earns the Archer of the Month award for February.  Also, I am very eager to see more assassins roaming the Band soon!  So, all you Infants and Cavs had better watch out before the deadly assassins get you!

 

 

Alishandra is On the Air

(by Alishandra)

 

In the mood to listen to something other than corporate radio? Where the DJ actually decides what music to play not some 3rd party? Well come listen in if you wish to Tribalwars Radio ~ The Music to Noble To. I am a DJ for this particular radio station, as well as one of the sole funders. My boyfriend and I are basically running the station, and have put a lot of time, money, and effort into this endeavor.

 

The station is affiliated with TribalWars who will be one of our sponsors once we get things going officially. Those of you who do not know what TribalWars is, it is a browser-based game where you start out with a small little village, and build it up into a powerhouse that can take over other villages, and in essence, rule the world! Join a tribe, and take over the map, and play against people all over the world, make allies and enemies and non-aggression pacts. Really it is a lot of fun, and very addicting when you start getting to the point of taking over a second village. BUT this is not an advertisement for TribalWars itself, so I will let things rest there. What this is, is a cordial invitation for all of you to tune in and listen to a fellow Bander/DMer DJ on air.

 

On air I go by the handle JadedLady, and I play a wide variety of music, depending on my mood. I range from playing Heavy Metal, to Rock, to Country, and even Classical music. (though classical music would be a rarity for me to play on the air since there isn't so much of a demand for it) I will be playing at Random times up until the 26th of January when we will be going "Live".

 

I will have a thread in the Archer boards saying when I am and am not on air, as well as a schedule for when I will be on air as well as the other DJs. So if you feel like listening, please come on air, and enjoy some tunes with me.

 

Here are the links and information on connecting to the streams:

 

For dial up users, click this link here

 

For High Speed users, click this link here

 

Once you have the link open, there is a link at the top labeled "Listen" click that link and it will ask what you wish to open it with. For this, choose either winamp or Windows Media player, and then it should start streaming to you through that program!

 

For those of you who are interested in joining the TribalWars radio chat room, we are on irc using the quakenet server, in the channel #twradio it is a great place to talk with the current DJ, request songs, and have fun.

 

For those interested in learning more about Tribal Wars you can go to this link here

 

Siggy Making 101

(by Alishandra)

 

I know there are a lot of aspiring siggy makers out there, and a lot of people who already make great ones. I am wanting to write to you a little bit about the basics of making a simple, but nice siggy. Hopefully by the end of this you will understand some of the basics a bit better.

 

The first thing you will want to do is find a good picture, that suits the wearer of the siggy. Google is a good tool, and what I generally use. While looking for a good picture here are somethings to consider:

 

1. Is the picture wide enough to add text to without running over the character in the Sig?

2. Is the picture of good quality, and does it have much going on in the background? (too much in the background can detract from the text)

3. Does it fit the rating of the board it will be posted on?

4. Will it fit within the size specification well enough to be recognizable when/if scaled down?

 

Once you have found a picture that fits the above criteria, you will need to load it into a program made specifically for photo editing. Some good ones are The Gimp, Photoshop, Paint Shop Pro and for very minor adjustments, and plain text, MsPaint. The next step is rather simple...and yet fairly complex as well. You need to find a text that compliments the picture you are using in a way that is readable at the size the text must be to include all that is desired. Some things to remember.

 

1. Some fonts are very fancy and look really cool...but think when you look at them if someone else would be able to tell what that says who doesn't already know?

2. Do you have a font that suits the picture you chose? If not, consider looking on free font websites where you can download fonts that suit the picture than what you already have.

3. Is the text big enough? And where it is located, does it detract from the picture? Does it cover up any vital details of the siggy?

 

Once you have met the criteria above with the text you are ready to either add some effects, or save the siggy for use on the forum it is intended for. Just remember, when adding effects and color to the text you use, be sure it stands out from the background, and that other than the actual name...be sure the text does not detract from the main image. If you follow those guidelines, you should have a nice looking siggy.

 

Hopefully sometime in the future I will be able to write a little more about siggy-making, for those who use Photoshop. I hope this article was a help to all you budding sig makers out there!

[Mystica]

Archery History

(by Dragonlover)

 

The Archer shoots arrows powered by the elasticity of the bow and its string. It is used both for hunting and war. Many bow designs have been used in different cultures and time periods. Common designs are; solid or laminated wood. A bone-wood-hide composite was used by the Sami, the Japanese and the Turko-Mongol peoples of Asia.

 

In modern times, the plastic and compound bows dominate the bows for sport and hunting. Modern-day use of bows for hunting is a matter of controversy in some areas but is common and accepted in others. Bow hunting is also still practiced in traditional cultures worldwide.

 

A yumi is the Japanese term for bows. It is a Japanese longbow used in the practice of Kyudo, the "way of the bow" that is the Japanese art of archery.

 

The artillery forms of a bow are ballista and arbalest which Medieval artillery used during sieges. They are heavy war engines for hurling large stones and other missiles, during sieges. An arbalest is really a huge crossbow with steel prod (the "bow" part). It was much more powerful than a crossbow with a wood prod.

 

The automatic form of a bow is a crossbow where the bow is fixed transversely on a wooden stock grooved to direct the arrow (quarrel) .

 

History

 

The bow seems to have been invented in the late Palaeolithic (Palaeolithic: Second part of the Stone Age beginning about 750,00 to 500,000 years BC and lasting until the end of the last ice age about 8,500 years BC) or early Mesolithic era about 15,000 years ago). The oldest indication for its use in Europe come from Stellmoor in the Ahrensburg valley north of Hamburg , Germany and date from the late Palaeolithic Hamburgian culture (9000-8000 BC). The arrows were made of pine wood and consisted of a main-shaft and a 15-20 cm long fore-shaft with a flint point.

 

The oldest bows known so far come from the Holmegård swamp in Denmark.. In the 1940s, two bows were found there. They are made of elm wood and have flat arms and a D-shaped midsection. The middle part is biconvex. The complete bow is 1.50 m (5 ft. long). Although bows of Holmegaard-type were in use untill the Bronze Age ; the convexity of the midsection decreases through time.

 

Mesolithic arrows have been found in England, Germany, Denmark and Sweden. They were often rather long (up to 120 cm [4 ft.]) and made of hazel (hazel: The fine-grained wood of a hazelnut tree (genus Corylus) and the hazel tree (Australian genus Pomaderris)) (Corylus avellana), wayfaring tree Viburnum lantana and chokecherry (Cornus alba). Some still have flint arrow-heads preserved; others have blunt wooden ends for hunting birds and small game. The ends show traces of fletching which was fastened on with birch-tar.

 

 

The bow became the main weapon of war used in the Middle East by the Assyrians and Egyptians who fired it from chariots to great effect. The Greeks and Romans did not find this technique useful. Advances in armor made the bow less effective and the both often campaigned in hilly or forested areas that were unsuited to chariots. The development of horse archer or mounted archer is a cavalryman armed with a bow.

 

The people of the Eurasian steppe brought the bow back to the fore. Using composite bows, steppe peoples such as the Huns and Mongols became a dominant force in world affairs

 

In the Middle Ages the English developed the longbow. It was an extremely effective weapon in battle and could penetrate armor from a considerable distance. The longbow however is a difficult weapon to master and requires years of training. In medieval England and Wales, the longbow became a popular weapon and archery a popular pastime.

 

Archery did not become popular in other feudal countries however because a trained archer could use a powerful bow to bring down a noble Knight. It put too much power in the hands of the peasantry and therefore, the crossbow became the preferred weapon. It was slow to reload, but easier to use than a longbow but did not have the longbow's ability to penetrate armor.

 

Bows are found all over the world, except for Australia where the main projectile weapons were spears and boomerangs.

 

Types of Bows:

 

Hun Bow

The Hun bow is an asymmetric, composite and recurve bow A recurve bow is one that, in contrast to the simple longbow, has ends that curve outward. It was invented in Central Asia and carried to Europe first by the Huns, a nomadic people that invaded Europe in the 4th century. The advantage of a recurve bow is that the shape curves back on itself. It is this design that gives the bows tremendous power compared to their size.

 

Its asymmetric shape allowed the bow to be increased in size without restricting its use from the saddle of a horse. The lower part had to be shorter to facilitate movement across the back and neck of the horse, but the upper part was not so constrained and could be longer. The result was a stronger, longer-range bow than those of the Germanic tribes of Europe. Quite simply, the users of the Hun bow could shoot down their enemies before they could use their bows. The asymmetry, however, led to less accuracy, although this was offset to some extent by the fact that the weapon was a composite bow.

 

The Hungarian Bow

This is an improvement of the Hun bow. It is a symmetric, composite and recurve bow invented in Central Asia. It improved the Hun bow by lengthening its lower part until both halves were of equal size. This symmetry increased both its range and accuracy. If the archer was using the Hungarian bow while mounted, he or she needed to stand up in the saddle, an action that was impossible until the invention of the stirrup.

 

The Longbow

The Longbow was a powerful wooden bow drawn by hand; usually 5-6 feet long that was developed in Wales and became the chief weapon of the English from the 13th century until the invention of gunpowder. As its name implies, the longbow fires at a far range than conventional bows of the time. Its bow string is longer than usual. The bow was make from yew which has a natural composite of sap wood and heart wood. The heart wood is on the inside of the bow and resists compression and the outer sapwood stretches. This makes a powerful natural spring.

 

Crossbow

The Crossbow is a bow fixed transversely on a wooden stock grooved to direct the arrow. It is an automatic bow: The bow string is tied on a wooden support that holds it. When a trigger is pressed, the wooden support releases the bow string, releasing the arrow. The crossbow require less strength to fire it but more to load.

 

Composite Bow

A composite bow is made from different materials laminated together, usually applied under tension. The Hun and Hungarian bows use horn on rear and with sinew on front. They are recurve bows as the shape curves back on itself and it is this design that gives the bows tremendous power compared with their size.

 

Modern Composite Bows

Modern Composite bows such as a compound bow use laminated wood, plastic, and fibreglass. These are little affected by changes of temperature and humidity.

 

Compound Bow

A compound bow is usually a composite recurve bow that, in contrast to the simple bow longbow, has ends that curve outward coupled with pulleys. It is little affected by changes of temperature and humidity and gives superior accuracy, velocity, and distance in comparison to the classic longbow

 

 

[Mystica]

From the Horse’s Mouth ~ News of the Calvary!

(By Paladin Jon the Direwolf)

 

Greetings from the Yard!!

 

The Rider’s of the Storm have been very busy this January and February! There have been some widespread posting, many involved in discussions, some Raw Recruits about, several members taking on the monthly competition of finding geographic places by pictures, numerous spotfines, and others have been taking part in various other things around the Band’s Camp. 

 

The Cav welcomed home two new members in February, Bladetosser and Odds!!  Bladetosser recently finished his recruit time and was a great recruit, who did very well at finishing his recruit tasks!!  The Cav are happy to welcome him as one of our two newest members.  Odds also finished her recruit time fairly recently.  She did an outstanding job finishing her tasks and has brought a lot of fun and happiness to the Cav.  The Cav are happy to also welcome her as one of our two newest members.  We’ve been starting to watch them go through their page time and we can’t wait to see them pass into Squirehood!!  The Cav are really looking forward to seeing Bladetosser and Odds become Knights as well!! Good luck to both of you, on your Page Program tasks!!!  Somewhere soon you’ll both be a Knight in one of the three orders. 

 

This next piece of news is both good and bad.  The Cav are saddened after one of our most active members left our regiment.  The Cav's loss is the Band's gain however.  Our very own Lady Brid left the Cav to become the new XO of the Band. The absence of her presence has changed a lot in the Cav.  She is where she is most needed though and the Cav wish her the best in her new job!  We're all rooting for you hun!!  You'll make the Band a better place as the XO!  Three cheers for Lady Brid!!!

 

After a few month sabbatical, the KCAV radio thread has come back to life!  A few of the recruits from this month have been bringing back the tunes for the Band to hear.  Banders post in the thread making a request for a song.  Then the recruit gets to do a little bit of talking and introduce the new song and put up a link to the song.  Everyone seems to be really enjoying this.  Make sure that you drop by and request a song that you’d like to hear!  We’ll even dig for it if we have to!!

 

Congratulations goes out to Sir Horus the Silver and Lady Taluka for becoming the newest Knights of the Arthurian Order!! Both of these knights have worked very hard to achieve the prestige of Knighthood!  The Cav are so happy and proud of these two members!  They both bring a lot to the Cav and they both step up when they are needed!  They’ve taken every challenge that was given to them and they took it head on and crushed the challenges.  Both have chosen names for their horses, Sir Silver chose Argent and Lady Taluka chose Raven.  Congrats again to both of you on your new achievement of Knighthood!!

 

 

In other news:

 

The Cav’s Redarms have been pretty busy these past two month.  Spotfines have been given out more frequently than in the past few months before this.  Sir Steel and Sir Manny have been involved in a few trials and some spotfines.  Maybe people are starting to break the band rules to pieces and are being caught more often, now that the holidays are over with. 

 

The beginning of January brought five out of the nine promotions to the Cav.  Sir Horn was given recognition for being promoted to Banner Captain as he rejoined the Cav again.  Sir Froix was promoted from Senior-Lieutenant to Lieutenant-Captain . Lady Taluka and Page DSage were promoted from Sergeant to Master Sergeant. Page Tigara was promoted from Corporal to Sergeant.  Congrats to all of you, on your promotions for the beginning of January!! The mid-January promotion period brought three of the seven promotions to the Cav.  Lady Bridmorgan, my most lovely banded, achieved the highest rank and was promoted to Banner Captain.  Lady Stef was promoted from Lieutenant to Senior-Lieutenant . Sir Silver was promoted from Master Sergeant to Under-Lieutenant . Congratulations to the three of you on your promotions for the middle of January!! The beginning of February brought about four of the twelve promotions to the Cav.  Lady Taluka and Page Arogan were promoted from Master Sergeant to Under-Lieutenant . Squire Feral was promoted from Sergeant to Master Sergeant. Page Auron was promoted from Private to Private First Class .  Congrats to all of you, on your promotions for the beginning of February!! The mid-February promotion period brought one of the two promotions to the Cav.  Page Odds was promoted from Raw Recruit to Lieutenant .  Congratulations to you, Odds on your promotion for the middle of February!!  Keep up the good work Cav!! Here’s to more promotions coming in the next month!!   

 

Sir DJ continued on with the second Interregimental Jousting Competition. He is happy to have this second competition under way and nearing completion.  The field of eight has been narrowed down.  Kast beat Sir Silver and then XO Bridmorgan to reach the finals.  KaraJ and Sam are competing to see who will face him in the finals!!  Will this be another Infantry vs. Infantry final?  You’ll just have to check back next month to see!!  I’d just like to say good luck to the remaining three contestants, and thank you for entering!!  Let’s grab them lances and hit the arena!  May the best jouster win!!!!

 

 

There was one birthday celebrated in the Cav this past Jaunary.  Sir Froix celebrated his birthday on the 6th.  The Cav would like to wish you a very happy birthday, Sir Froix and we hope that you had a wonderful day filled with lots presents and cake and brew.  There was one birthday celebrated in the Cav this past February.  Lady Taluka celebrated her birthday on the 19th.  The Cav would like to wish the you, Lady Taluka a very happy birthday and we hope that you had a fantastic day and that you got lots of presents and cake.  We in the Cav would like to say again, Happy Birthday and many happy returns!!

 

The Cav would like to congratulate Paladin Manny, Paladin Bridmorgan and Paladin DJ on achieving the rank of Paladin.  These three members of the Cav have shown what it is to be a true Cav member.  All three give their time continuously to help out the Cav and the Band as a whole.  All three worked very hard to get to where they are today and have done an outstanding job!!!  Congratulations again to the three of you on achieving this very prestigious rank in the Cav!!  We all hope that we can join the three of you and become Paladins in our own time!! 

 

So there you have it….from the Horse’s Mouth for January and February!

[Mystica]

Jousting Arena

(by Paladin Jon the Direwolf)

 

 

*Puts away the ducktape after making sure Brid is secure*  Is this thing still on?  What all have I missed here? Well quite a lot it looks like….and boy there sure is a lot to tell you about the joust for the past two months!!  This is your host Sir Jon the Direwolf, back from my few months leave due to being assaulted by my own banded, who I must say did a fabulous job at covering the joust the last few months!!! There were some special jousts this month as the Second Interregimental Jousting Competition got underway.  There was also a first time ever special joust which I’ll give you the specifics on later.  Hold on to your seats and don’t get trampled…it’s time for the Jousting Report!! 

 

To start off this months report, we'll start with the special first ever Jack of the Shadows Joust.  The Cav had two brave souls that dared to defy the jousting gods and took the JotS song and battled fiercely!  There will be much more about this very special joust later in this article.  Next up after the JotS Joust is our Second Inter-Regimental Jousting Cup Competition! The first round is over and the second round has begun.  Stay tuned to find out who has moved on and what the current status of the second round jousts are.  Then we also had several other jousts to cover.  Each will be presented to you in their own way so let’s say we get started!

 

The Line up:

 

A special first ever JotS Joust!!

 

Sir Manny vs. Sir DJ

This joust was extremely exciting for everyone and many Cav members had a lot of praise for our fearless two knights!!  Instead of a normal question and answer joust, the replies and questions all had to come in JotS form.  It was difficult and time consuming, but I know, from 2 very reliable sources, that the knights involved had an absolute blast doing this joust.  Sir Manny started the joust off by asking about the where the Dragon Scepter’s stick came from.  The Paladin to be, Sir DJ, wasn’t fooled and blocked the hit.  Sir DJ tried to score a hit this time and he asked about which group Lothair Mantelar founded.  The ole pirate was ready for this attack and completely blocked the attack.  The Auld Pirate followed up by asking about the birthplace of Thom Merrillin.  The Wolfie Knight was ready and rode past the attack while asking about where Lan’s parents died.  Sir Manny was close, but took a glancing shot from the Wolfie knight.  Sir Manny then retaliated with a question about the first woman to die because of Perrin.  The clever pirate fooled Sir DJ and got a clean hit.  Stunned by the hit Sir DJ attempted to strike one final time by asking about the innkeeper of the Nine Rings.  Unfortunately for the young knight, the pirate was ready once again and deflected the blow. Neither knight was unseated and the final score of this very special joust was a 1-1 hit tie.  Here is an example of one of the posts. 

 

The Auld Man almost had the Knight

But missed him by a hair so slight

Yer man he was first Child of Light

And despised ol Jak o' th' Shadow

 

He turned Destiny to their end

Found Gnarly with a barmaid friend

Hey! Don't hand me the pointy end!

Ya blind arse Jak o' th' Shadow.

 

He tweaked Destiny once again

And charged forward with a wide grin

Where Was Born Ol' Thom Merrilin

Can ya tell me Jak o' th' Shadows

 

 

The Interregimental Jousting Competition Round 1:

 

Kast Vs. Silver

This joust was pretty fast paced and it was full of some great questions.  Kast of the Infantry rode against Silver of the Cav.  Both were very strong competitors, but only one could walk away victoriously.  Let’s see some replay of what happened in this first joust.  Kast sped of from the start and asked about the title of the Sheinarin head of household.  Silver wasn’t phased one bit as he slips past the strike while asking about the head that Hartha collects.  Kast countered just as easily and next asked about the noble supposedly killed by a grey-man attempting to bring a message to Rodel Ituralde.  The mighty Silver snuck past the hit once again and tried to sneak one in there himself as he asked about a Kandori, White and Black Ajah member.  Kast slapped the attack to the side and countered very strongly with a question about a certain sister being told to stop caterwauling outside the Red quarters.  Silver was taken by surprise and was nearly unhorsed as he asked his final question.  He asked about the person who found out that Lady Ines Demain is in seclusion.  Kast once again stopped the attack and he rode on to a 1-0 victory that landed him a second round match-up against another strong competitor.  To find out who his next opponent is, check the next joust that is discussed just below this.

 

Froix Vs. Brid

This joust was an all out Cav battle.  Sir Froix and Lady Brid fought a grueling match and one of them came out the victor.  Let us see who that victor was and how they went about getting that victory.  Sir Froix started this joust of the Arthurians by asking about two of the divisions of the Band of the Red Hand that have animal names.  Lady Brid didn’t even flinch at that question as the lance flew several feet off the mark.  She quickly countered with a question about the Seanchan noble that lead the attack party that Rand got the Dragon Scepter from.  The Fox knight wasn’t quite finished drinking his brew and was hit hard in the chest.  He tries to shake the bugs out as he asked Lady Brid about how the non-Aiel could tell the friendly Aiel from the non-friendly Aiel in the battle of Dumai’s Wells.  Once again, Lady Brid didn’t worry about the attack as she easily dodged the hit.  Her next question was about the person who killed Dashiva and the place it happened.  Getting his fox powers back, Sir Froix slipped past this second attack.  He turned about and asked his final question about what Redarms where to distinguish them as Redarms.  For the third straight time, his lance was wide of the mark as Lady Brid slipped past the attack.  Her final question to Sir Froix was about Suroth’s pet. The Fox Knight finished strong by avoiding the hit, but it wasn’t enough as the Lady Brid was victorious 1-0.  She moved on to face Kast in the second round. Find out more about that match-up a little later in this article.

 

Kara Vs. Jea

This next match looked to be a good one with the runner up from the last competition, Kara of the Infantry, taking on the CG of the Archers, Jea.  This joust however, was almost over before it even began.  Kara started the joust off by asking where the Myrddraal's swords are made. Jea was a little bit stunned by the attack and took a hit.  At this point Jea couldn’t think of a good question to ask Kara, and decided that she needed a re-read.  She withdrew from the competition and Kara moved on to face the winner of our final match.  Who will it be?  You’ll have to keep reading to find out!

 

Dice Vs. Sam

Here was another joust with a lot of promise, and the two competitors lived up to the promise of a great joust!  This one featured the first ever Jousting Cup winner, a different championship than this very competition, Dice of the Cav, against Sam of the Archers.  Could the Archer unseat the Cav?  The joust started out with Sam asking a question about a Yellow Ajah contact’s assistant.  Dice yawned off the attack and dodged the blow while asking about the thing that Demandred notices about Graendal.  Sam chuckled at the question and ducked under the attack.  He then made his next move by asking about which Aiel chief is wed to Jair and Orehuin.  Once again Dice was prepared and got his shield up to block the attack.  He countered and asked Sam about the person Siuan would have do a penance until their eyes popped out.  Sam wasn’t fazed and used his horse to side step the attack.  Sam tried to pull out all the stops by asking about the person who thought that they were witnessing the end of the Time of Illusions.  Dice wasn’t to be hit though and he dodged yet again.  He made one final attempt to hit Sam by asking about the couple that Nyneave caught in a compromising situation in a barn.  The attack failed, leaving this joust in a 0-0 tie.  At the time the tiebreaker was about to take place, Dice withdrew due to time constraints.  He was so close to his dream joust against Kara, but instead, Sam moves on to the second round to face off with Kara.  Keep reading to find out what happened in that second round!!

 

The Interregimental Jousting Competition Round 2:

 

Kast Vs. Brid

This match was going to decide who was going to be heading to the finals out of the two contestants.  Both of them really wanted to win and they both tried their hardest to see if they could get to the final joust and go for the trophy.  Did Brid become the first Cav member to make the finals?  Let’s check in and see what transpired.  The joust started off very quickly with Brid asking about a two-step.  Kast was ready and fired his replied with ease.  He then retaliated with a question about Cadsuane’s ter’angreal that can sense a man channeling.  Brid wasn’t fooled and blocked the hit.  She fired a second time, now asking about why Egwene turned the Tar Valon chain into cuendillar.  Kast once again, was ready and deflected the hit, as he sent in his lance by asking about who Alar had bring the horses to Rand and his party in Stedding Tsofu.  Brid nearly faltered, but was able to hold on and block a second time.  Brid unleashed her final question and asked about what Gaul said to Perrin before entering the Ways.  Kast had his shield ready and blocked again and lashed out for his final attack, this time asking about where the first place Elayne hid Birgitte’s arrows.  Brid blocked yet again and the result of the joust was a tie.  In stepped Paladin DJ, the Joustmaster, and he administered a tie breaker.  He asked both contestants who the two men Min was supposed to be fighting over.  Kast was the one who answered and therefore he won the joust via the tiebreaker.

 

Kara Vs. Sam

Now that Kast has earned a seat, which of these two will face him.  Will it be another Infantry vs. Infantry final, or will Sam represent the Archers in the finals?  Let’s find out now! This joust began with Kara asking about the author of the Way of the Light. Sam was prepared and knocked the lance aside.  He then took his aim at Kara and asked about the person who wrote a book about the Forsaken.  Kara wasn’t even close to being fooled and avoided the lance.  She countered asking about the three teas that help settle an upset stomach.  Sam easily got his shield up in time and tried to strike back asking about the author of A study of the war of the Shadow. Kara knocked the lance aside and came in for her third and final attack.  She asked about what the blue-eyed flower’s name is.  Sam wasn’t prepared this time and took a solid hit to the chest.  He still managed to take a shot at Kara by asking about the second most beautiful Ogier Grove.  Did she block, or was she hit?  Find out next month as this joust hasn’t come to a completion yet. 

 

Knight Vs. Knight Jousts:

 

Sir Horn Vs. Sir Froix

The knights of the Cav decided it was time to joust each other as well.  A pair of Arthurians went head to head in this great joust.  Let’s see who won the bragging rights in this joust.  Sir Froix started things off in a good way, asking about the city that used to be called Hill of the Golden Dawn.  Sir Horn was ready and blocked like a well trained knight should.  He fired back at Sir Froix by asking about Cairhien's original name.  Sir Froix wasn’t fooled and knocked aside the lance.  He came in hard and fast on the second tilt as he asked about the Kandori that went to Shadar Logoth with Rand.  Sir Horn, showing his veteran style, easily blocked yet again and he fired back asking about who the Falcon's Talon was devoted to.  Sir Froix, who is no youngster either, showed his great reflexes and blocked a second time.  On the last tilt, Sir Froix came in and asked about the Kin.  Sir Horn was ready once more and turned aside the lance.  He countered with something that Sir Froix wasn’t ready for when he asked about who Mat will share the BotRH with after becoming the Prince of Ravens.  Sir Horn came out with the bragging rights on this one, winning by a score of  1 hit to no hits. 

 

Sir Horn Vs. Paladin Jon the Direwolf

Once again the knights put on a showing for the Cav.  This time it was Sir Horn squaring off against the Joustmaster himself.  Would the Joustmaster take it easy on Horn, or would Horn knock the daylight out of the Joustmaster?  Let us begin!  Sir Horn started this off with blinding speed as he shouted his first question about who Olver was normally mistaken for. DJ was ready and knocked the lance aside, and tried to strike back as he asked about the city Almen Bunt thought to be the greatest. Sir Horn was ready and blocked this attack.  He came in a second time and asked about the eldest daughter of farmer Grinwell.  DJ was fast to counter and blocked well, then asked about what vegetable Rand compares Lan to.  Horn blocked this with the side of his shield and barely missed getting hit.  Knowing that he had to step up his game, Sir Horn fired a question about what a bare chest in Ebou Dar means.  DJ was still a little down from missing his last attack and took a vicious hit to the chest from Sir Horn’s lance.  DJ tried one last desperate attack and asked about what scared Bors when he saw the serving girl.  Sir Horn easily knocked the lance aside and he came out victorious once again by a score of 1 hit to no hits.

 

RR Jousts:

 

RR Tharen vs. Sir Horn

This seemed like a busy two months for Sir Horn as he was involved in yet another Joust.  Could he defeat a recruit like he did his fellow knights?  Let’s take a look, shall we?  Sir Horn started this joust off by asking about a tower that Rand saw after using the Portal Stone.  Tharen wasn’t surprised and blocked well for his first tilt.  He countered by asking about the news that allowed Morgase to break Rahvin’s hold.  Sir Horn was ready and handled the attack with ease.  He came in a second time and asked about the alias Dorlain.  Tharen was ready once more and he showed more confidence as he deflected the second hit.  Now came his second attack and he asked about why Culan Cuhan cried.  Horn was prepared and easily slapped the lance aside.  Horn made his final attack and asked about the number of novices with the Salidar rebels.  Tharen wasn’t sure at all and was shocked as Horn’s lance found it’s mark and shattered on his chest.  Tharen made his final attack and asked about all of Rand’s titles, in which he shattered his lance on Horn’s chest, ending this joust in a 1-1 tie.

 

RR Odds vs. UC Taymist

It was great to see Odds back and this would be her first joust ever.  She was up against a very tough opponent, the UC and the winner of the first Interregimental Jousting Competition.  Let’s check out the highlights!!  Tay started the joust off by asking about Rand’s horse when they left the Two Rivers.  Odds wasn’t fooled and she blocked the lance.  She countered with her first attack and asked about Egwene’s father’s job.  Tay was ready for this one and easily avoided the contact.  Tay set up her second attack by asking about the Brown Ajah head.  Odds dodged the lance for a second time and she struck back by asking about Lan’s onetime teacher.  Tay was on her toes and blocked the second attack.  She made her third and final attempt to strike and asked about independent city states.  Odds successfully blocked the final attack from Tay and tried to trick her with her final attack, when she asked about what Rand is supposed to do before Tarmon Gai’don, according to the Seanchan.  Tay was ready and dodged once more and the joust ended in a 0-0 tie. 

 

[Mystica]

RR Snin vs. Paladin Brid

In another battle of knight versus recruit, we see if Lady Brid can show another recruit the true meaning of the Joust.  She started off the joust by asking about the creature in the alternate world that Rand killed.  Snin was wide eyed, but he managed to block the attack and he even countered well by asking about the person who wrote Reason and Unreason.  Brid knew this all too well and knocked the lance aside.  She asked what the Aiel call the Eyeless and she grinned happily as her lance struck home!  A little stunned from the hit, Snin asks about the innkeeper at the Wondering Woman.  Brid knew this one as well and blocked the lance a second time.  She set up her final attempt by asking about Bayle Doman’s boat.  Snin got a reprieve and dodged the final lance but he countered by asking about the reason Cadsuane came out of retirement.  Brid, ever on top of her game, easily knocked the lance aside again and she took home another victory, by a final score of 1 hit to no hits.

 

RR Blood vs. Lady Kat

This is the first joust in a while for Lady Kat, but she wasn’t the least bit rusty.  Could Blood score even one hit against her?  Let’s take a look!  Kat started the joust off by asking who captured Cowin Fairheart.  Blood was waiting and set his shield up to block the lance successfully.  He then asked about what the people of the Kaensada Hills find lucky on a horse.  Kat wasn’t quite up to speed yet and she took a splintering hit from the recruit.  Blood asked about the Aes Sedai who killed the Aiel in Tzora.  Kat was more ready this time around and got her shield up in more than enough time.  She then countered by asking about the name of Hawkwings sword.  Blood gave an answer but ran out of time.  If he gets time he will be able to complete his joust after he is done with the rest of his recruit time. 

 

RR El Nyn vs. Paladin Manny

The pirate knight made his return to the joust and he had himself a tough challenge.  El Nyn was really prepared for her first joust. Let’s see if she was able to unseat the pirate!  Sir Manny starts off quickly and asks about where Min came from.  El Nyn knew the answer and blocked like a pro.  She retaliated by asking about Asmodean’s original name.  Sir Manny had a hilarious answer, though it was a wrong answer and El Nyn’s lance crashed into his chest.  After stabilizing, Sir Manny took his second shot at El Nyn and asked about Graendal’s hiding place.  El Nyn was ready for this one too and knocks the lance harmlessly to the side.  She counters with her second question, asking about Elyas’ Aes Sedai’s name.  Sir Manny was able to block the hit this time around and prepared his final attack.  He rode in fast and accurate, asking about Rand’s house.  El Nyn, was very quick and managed to get her shield up to block the pirate’s last attack.  She asked her final question, the name of Tuon’s former Truth Speaker.  Sir Manny kept his seat again this time and knocked the lance away.  El Nyn, still came out victorious however, with a final score of 1 hit to no hits.

 

That’s all the jousting that we have for you in this addition…Remember to check again next month as there will be more hits, new questions, and maybe a few unseatings!  So, until next time….may your lance strike home for a victory!

 

 

 

Raw Recruit Round-up

(by Paladin Jon the Direwolf)

 

The antics of the recruits that passed through the Cav the past two months were wacky and all over the place. They made us laugh, scratch our head in bafflement and above all, they were FUN!! Here’s the latest on the Cavalry Recruits!

 

First up is Tharen! Tharen started with us at the beginning of January and since we didn’t have an issue out last month, we didn’t get to tell you about him.  Tharen's tasks included writing a two verse JoTS on the dealings of a recruit which you can read in the Band’s Jak o’ The Shadows thread on DM. Tharen also had a Happy Returns Shop in which he had to return lost items to different Cav members. He has since joined the Archers!

 

Our next Recruit brought about a musical change in the Cav! We welcomed Snin to our ranks for a week.  His first task was to write a response to a Gig, Holiday or Album review. His second task was to revive the KCAV music thread and he did so quite well!!  He had the Cav rocking for the whole week! Snin has since joined the Archers!

 

Our thirdl Recruit for the term was Odds! Her first task was to write a response to a Gig, Holiday or Album review and she chose to complete a review on Juno, the Soundtrack. Her second task saw her creating a concert for the Cav and she too had us rocking for a week!! Odds has gone on to join the Cav!!!!

 

Next up we have Blood Requiem!  His first task was to continue where Snin left off and rock out on KCAV.  He too got lots of requests and knew how to rock the house down!  His second task had him writing an article for the Hornsounder about proper care for warhorses, which you can see in this month’s edition.  Blood will soon be in the process of picking his regiment.

 

Our next recruit this month is El Nyn.  She brought a lot of conversations forward in the Cav and she made her week a lot of fun for everyone, even getting to prank the CG of the Cav himself…..or myself rather. LOL.  Her first task had El Nyn creating a dance club for the Cav.  This has been a theme, we do like to party and we certainly love music in the Cav! She did an outstanding job on the club! Her second task was writing an article for this edition of the Hornsounder.  It was about the horses of day and night.  El Nyn will be moving onto more recruit time and then she’ll be in the process of choosing her regiment.

 

Our newest Recruits, Laucien and Cairos have just started their time with us and you’ll read all about their exploits in next month’s edition! Good luck and have a lot of fun Laucien and Cairos!

 

Once again, the Cavalry would like to thank the Raw Recruits for making the Yard so much fun! Good luck in your Recruit time and your new Regiments!!

 

 

A Second Greetings from the Cavalry:

(by Sir Uasal )

 

Hello everyone, Uasal Arach the Cav LG here with your monthly update. A lot has happened since the last Hornsounder was published so lets get right to it.

 

We have had two new additions to the Cav, Odds and Bladetosser, Dicetosser's little brother. Yup we like to keep it in the family here in the Band lol. Each new Page is currently going through each Order and will soon start the Squire segment of their training.

Many may remember Odds from back in the day when she was with the Archers. She had to leave for RL reasons and has come back to the Band. Odds has only the wonderful Arthurian Order to spend time with. She has already shown great aptitude for both a Sarmatian and a Templar. You should see some of the loopholes she came up with druing her time with the Sarms... Look out RA's!

Bladetosser...poor tike has his big bro to put up with, but now that he's a Caver we are looking after him. He's off to a great start with the Templar's for his Page Training. Lookin forward to having him in the Arts.

 

Diamondmask who was a Page last you heard about her is just about to start her Squire vigil. I'm sure she can't wait.... neither can the Orders, we still don't know which she has chosen.

 

We have also had two knightings. Sir Horus the Silver and Lady Taluka were knighted this month. The ceremonies were wonderful and memorable. Both Silver and Taluka chose to join the Arthurian Order... Yeah for us! Silver's new mount is named Argent and Taluka's is named Raven. Both amazing horses and wonderful additions the the Stables.

 

On a side note, Lady Taluka has reciently found out she is going to have a baby. Congrats Tal. Another future Cav member for sure. 

 

Well thats the scoop from the Stables. Till next month. Same Cav time, Same Cav channel.

 

 

[Mystica]

Welcome to Infantry Row!

(by Demonspawn)

 

Here we are again after a month-long break. Here at the Infantry we've had the usual round of promotions, graduations, comings and goings. This month I've had a wee bit help from Climhazzard, who has chipped in with an article as part of his testing towards full maturity into the ranks of the Infantry, and I'm sure everyone will enjoy his input for this edition of INFANTRY ROW!

 

So, without further ado, let's get on with it!

 

PROMOTIONS

 

Jan '01/08

 

From Corporal to Sergeant

Sgt. Climhazzard of the Infantry

 

From Raw Recruit to Corporal

Cpl. Straith of the Infantry

 

Jan '15/08

 

From Senior-Lieutenant to Lieutenant-Captain

Lt. Capt. Kristine of the Infantry

 

From Under-Lieutenant to Lieutenant

Lt. demonspawn of the Infantry

Lt. KingKastchei of the Infantry

 

From Sergeant to Master Sergeant

MSgt. Climhazzard of the Infantry

 

Feb 01/08

 

From Master Sergeant to Under-Lieutenant

Udr. Lt. Talya of the Infantry

 

From Raw Recruit to Private

Pvt. Wyrm of the Infantry

 

Thus endeth the Promotions announcements for this bi-monthly edition. A hearty backslap and a round on Guinfantry to all promotees!!!

 

MAHDI ADVANCEMENT AND GRADUATIONS

 

Since the last installment of INFANTRY ROW we have seen two Mahdi's advance to the next level of their training and a further two Mahdi's graduate to the status of full Infantry Warriors! HURRAH!!

 

Mahdi's Kastchei and Climhazzard have advanced to the next level of training and Mahdi's Demonspawn and Arrandion have graduated to become full Infantry Warriors. All involved are a credit to their respective Morats who have guided them through the program, and should be very proud of each and every one of them.

 

[Mystica]

A CONTRUBUTION

 

Now onto the article which was contributed by Climhazzard. As was previously mentioned this was part of his tasks set in his Mahdiship challenge. And a fine contribution it is too, I'm sure you'll all agree.

 

The Infantry Competition Quest

(by Climhazzard)

 

Back in December the members of the Infantry decided to start the Infantry Competition Quest to raise our activiity in the regiment and to raise our level of comaraderie. The ICQ is a challenge of our wits, as we battle each other to win a prize at the end of the year. Each time we are divided into two teams to earn overall team points as well as individual points. The teams are different every month of the competition. We have to work together in our teams to try and solve the puzzles and earn the points. In January, Daetirion was named to be the ICQ Manager. He is in charge of awarding the points as well as overseeing the progress of the quests set forth by the new Quest Masters. The Quest Masters are the ones, who come up with new ideas for the different challenges.

 

Our first comepetition was a rousing edition of Trivial Pursuit brought to us by Mystica. Tough questions and riddles made us scratch our brains, but it was still nothing compared to the challenge set forth by the January Quest Master Kastchei. I think many of us suffered nosebleeds and brain explosions from trying to decode the series of encryptions that he gave us. So far our very own UC Taymist is leading the points standings after the first two months of competition. Climhazzard was named the Quest Master for Febuary, and we are all hoping to continue the great series of challenges this month.

 

The Points Standings thus far.....

 

Taymist: 5

Demon: 3

Kastchei: 3

Arrandion: 3

Kara: 3

Climhazzard: 2

Zeth Alley: 2

Footman: 2

Talya: 1

 

END OF AN ERA

 

Mystica's time as Captain General of the Infantry has, alas, run it's course and time has come for her to step down. I'm sure each and every Infant will join me in thanking her for an excellent job done in her two terms as C-G. I would like to offer special thanks to Mystica for all the time she has put in to running our beloved Regiment even though she has had R-L issues to deal with.

 

Finally, I would like to wish the very best of luck to the next C-G of the Infantry... Those are mighty big boots to fill!

 

Thanks for reading and I will report again next month, on all things Infantry!

 

[Mystica]

 

Raw Recruits of the Band

(by Lady Bridmorgan, XO)

 

For any future Banders out there, the Raw Recruit Program is how we initiate all new members to our Org. Each Recruit spends a week with our three regiments in turn, doing fun tasks and getting to know members. At the end of the three weeks they may choose a Regiment to join.

 

During the months of January and February we had six Recruits graduate and two receive their RR Stripes!!! They were Tharengore, Wyrm and bladetosser for January and snin, Odette and Irishflyer for February.  Tharengore and snin both chose the Archers, bladetosser and Odette chose the Cavalry and Wyrm and Irishflyer made the Infantry their home.

 

The Outstanding Recruit of the Month is the Recruit that has stood out to me as being the most motivated and dedicated. The Outstanding Recruit must excel amongst his/her peers and a reward for this prestigious title is the prize of one org point.

 

The Outstanding Recruit for the month of January is: Tharengore

The Outstanding Recruit for the month of February is:  Snin

 

Don’t forget to offer your congratulations the next time you see them!

 

Of the Recruits choosing Regiments the statistics for the new year are:

 

2 - Infantry

2 - Cavalry

2 - Archers

 

Missing In Action figures are very reasonable with 3 out of 13 Recruits going MIA this year and we have seven new Recruits working their way through their training at the moment. A warm welcome to blood requiem who is finishing up his last task and will be choosing his regiment very shortly!  I would also like to welcome Mayleigh, El Nynaeve, Kedomat, Cairos, paherabodran and minimoose (Laucien) who have just started their weeks with us.

 

Our Recruits ran the gambit of tasks from makeovers to dance halls, jousting to interviews and hammock making to bartending!  Check out the Regimental Articles for more information on their tasks!

 

I would like to thank the RLOs of this term.  They have made my transition into the XO position so easy!  It wouldn't have been so smooth if it wasn't for them!!  Thank you Sam, Stef, Taluka, Talya and Arrandion!  You guys ROCK!!

 

RLOs for the January/February Term:

 

Archers:

Samuraiflip

 

Cavalry:

Lady Stefania

Lady Taluka

 

Infantry:

Talya

Arrandion

 

The new RLOs for the March/April term will be posted on DM after the 29th of February.

 

There is one more person I need to thank.  Taymist, current UC of the Band and my predecessor.  Thank you Tay for all of your help and guidance.  You have been a lifesaver.  All the best in  your new position!

 

See you next month with more RR antics!

 

[Mystica]

 

The Redarm Report

(by Auld Manriva )

 

You Lucky Sods! This edition you get a Twofer... January and February all for one low price... just the time it takes to read it

 

January 2008

 

It would appear that another year has come and gone... Funny how that happens. Why can't my noisy arse Harley ridin' neighbor do that.. It's only 1210am and the redneck knucklehead is blastin up and down the street like it's broad dang daylight. At least there ain't gunshots goin off like there used to be around Hollywood and LaBrea Blvds...

 

Now THAT place was bad for a person's health. Not near so bad as some neighborhoods but when I started hearin' Russian instead of Spanish in line at Ralph's in Hollywood down the hill on Sunset ... Well that does tend to inform one that the demographic of the neighborhood had changed once again. So I moved from L.A. back  to LA (Lower Alabama) once again. Here in the heart of Redneck Meth Lab Country and just up the street from 1988 Cadillac's and 07 Acura's with 22's and 6 12" woofers. But I get back at em'.  I get a deer in the headlights eyeballin'  most days when the 88 Merc with a light bar and a 6 foot long whip on top with writing on the door pulls up next to some smoke filled ride with a couple of red eyed young fellers' holdin their breath at a stop light... Pretty funny when they see the old goateed, hawaiian shirt wearin dude drivin it though!

 

It's been a pretty good couple of years for the Redarms. Almost 270 Spotfines given out, over 40 guilty verdicts for trials .. Heck this year alone Steely had 38 spotty's and 3 guilty verdicts .. Since the start of 06 The Archers have had over a hundred spotfines, and the Infantry and Cavalry both right at 75... Pretty good lawbreakin if I do say so m'self ... Actually.. no if about it.. I just DID say it!

 

It seems the biggest lawbreaker in 07 was our lad 12th.. With 20 odd spots in less than a year (he was sporadic with his attendance) of posting AND he was RAL for a time as well!.... Nicely Done 12TH!! But Sei' Cair (Goldeneyes, Junior, The Other Steel) was hot on his heels.. And HE wasn't here all the flamin time either!! Nice use of time lads! Very efficient!

 

I want to thank every single Red Arm who has worked this year.. It's not always a thankless job, but most times. You all have made it fun this year and that's what bein a Redarm in The Band of the Red Hand is all about... I tip my trinket encrusted headscarf to each and every one of you..

 

For 2008 I have a mostly new crew to start this new season of corruption, including my new RA2IC (Razic) Katiora, Ms. Northie makes a re-appearance in the Police Station after a long absence and Chaelca and Iron Monk join her from the Archers. Daeterion, Climhazzard and Kastschei from the Infantry round out my cast of miscreants this term. Please welcome them into your hearts (and POCKETS) as their job is not an easy one.. Though we try hard to make it appear like it is

 

FROM ALL OF US TO ALL OF YOU............. Let's Be Careful Out There! 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

February

 

Whoa! January and February are over already? Where in flamin' bushes did they go? Did I just type that? ......... Yep.. Seems I did, oh well.. No countin' for taste or lack thereof.

 

Speakin' of taste. I see a lot of you lubbers have a taste for stolen MG Brew. Not the legal stuff, but the illicitly gained product... Bloody lot of lawbreakers so ya are. That brings me to a recent missive I received from an anonymous source (one who shall remain nameless) who pointed out to me a woeful lack of thought in MG Brew stealing in recent months. Here let me share said note with you......

 

"Dear Riva (nice start don't ya think?)

When did all this abbreviated MG Brew theft begin. Why I remember when there was actual planning going on to steal the Boss's brew. When originality and clever thought was brought to the fore (or the aft, whichever) and used to acquire the Band's most sought after beverage. WHAT's happened? When did ...  "steals MG Brew, drinks" ... become the method of choice for today's MG Brew Burglars? How do they get away with it? Please "Oh Protector of all that's Sacred" tell me this is an anomaly; an abnormal mutation of what is thought funny or at the very least humorous and that you will put a stop to it....

                                                                                            Sincerely O ;) "

 

Is that not the most tear producing cry for sanity you've ever heard? Well it is to me. And "O"  ... I'm gonna see to it that MG Brew stealing is brought back to the art form it should be. Not the smash and grab, run away laughing with your hoody wearin' buddies, travesty it has become. How the heck do you run away with both hands holdin yer flamin pants up anyway... You buggers couldn't outrun my granny that way and she's five years in the ground! Here's the skinny short cutters.. "Steals MG Brew, drinks" ... don't flamin make it.. It don't count.. To drink an illicit MG Brew takes more than that. You have to work for it. Show us you deserve our "lol dude" or various and sundry "ROFL" takes. Otherwise, yer just a wannabe... consider this a potential derisive post warning from The RAL.

 

Congratulations are in order for Daeterion and Kingkastchei.. The Co- RA's of the term.. These two defenders of the faith have busted their humps time and again to keep jocularity and law enforcement on the tips of our tongues.. And their hands in your pockets.. Atta Boys are definitely in order!

 

The courtroom has been so busy we've had to have guest Judges sit in to keep up. With Brid and DJ running amok things got so bad that in January we begged Kangaroo Jack to bring his patented Ozzie Kangaroo Court to the friendly confines of Band Land and then just this month we asked Judge Roy Bean "The Hangin Judge and Law West of the Erinin" to bring in his brand of justice and his own jury to help bring about the demise...er .. justifiable stringin' up of another foul deed doer, that dastardly Continental Conniver Arrandion.

 

 

Would seem ta' me things are just about normal, for all love. Till later Kiddies and....

 

Let's Be Careful Out There!

 

[Mystica]

 

Welcome,

 

How to get your story in the Hornsounder?

 

Do you have interesting, funny, weird, general stories that you'd like to share but that don't quite fit in any of the other sections?

Then don't hesitate to contact me by pm to present your idea/topic and next month your story could very well be published in Hornsounder.

 

In here you could find:

- the full articles of summarized pieces found in the other Sections

- the loose articles from Banders and Non-Banders that are not assigned to any one Section

- independent and Sectionless projects and coverages

- various undetermined pieces of work from both Banders and Non-Banders

 

The articles and coverages that are posted here can cover any topic, be it about WOT, Band, DM related topics or anything else that might be of interest to share with our readers.

 

Now without further hesitation, I wish you a lot of reading pleasure with this month’s collection of articles.

 

Mystica,

EiC

 

Colums

 

*Infantry Nights*

(by Kristine)

 

 

Kris took a sip of Guinfantry as she looked at her banded’s faces and revealed the branded W on her wrist.  If they had wondered why she had always worn a bracer on her right arm, they wouldn’t have to wonder longer.  “We were rescued from attempting to rescue the Asha’man and Aes Sedai by Wintrow Gaidin and Kaaylie Sedai – a woman that had taken interest in me and healed me once before.  Healing apparently forms a marker, a bond of sorts between the channeler and the person she heals.  Krynn had gone to her and told her what had happened.  Wintrow swore he would never train or teach me anything again since my recklessness had put his bonded at risk.  I took it hard as I was still young enough, barely twenty summers, to have a crush on someone.  To say he was disappointed would be an understatement.  He was a bit meaner than that about it, but it was a wake up call – well, sort of.  The wake up actually happened in the infirmary, and resulted in me learning to play the harp…

 

***

 

Kris stood, shoulders back, painfully so, as Wintrow turned to address her and Sakan. Suddenly, just by his face and his stance, she knew that this was the Sergeant of Arms speaking, not the person that had befriended her when she was a lonely GiT, or a lost girl trying to find her way.

 

"You Cadre Kris have pushed my limit. I will no longer teach you any personal lessons. Learn to read on your own. You are also suspended from any class I teach. You will have to find someone else. You, Sakan Gaidin, I consider you a traitor to the Gaidin themselves. It would be fine to endanger your life to save an Aes Sedai that is what it means to be Gaidin, but to take a Cadre into such a dangerous situation is not thinking about your brothers in battle. I want no excuses because frankly I don't want to know what went through either one of your heads, and truthfully I don't care. Everything that has happened to you is well deserved. Now feel grateful that I am not reporting you immediately, and don't thank me thank Kaaylie for coming to rescue you. I would rather you have died than risk her, but she would have nothing of it. Dismissed."

 

Kris watched him walk away.  She knew that she deserved what was said to her, and that she should go back to her room, pack her belongings and leave the Tower. She didn't have what it took to be a Gaidin. She had let the one person that she had let matter to her down. She hung her head, shamed beyond what she could imagine. She stepped forward, planning to make it to her room before she broke down, but she felt a tear track down her cheek.

 

She wiped the tear from her cheek, and placed her foot in front of the other. She felt a hand on her shoulder, but could not turn to find out who or what they wanted. The world went black as she crumbled to the floor. She wasn't sure what had happened, she just hoped that maybe her death would make Wintrow happy.

 

Sakan had said nothing while Wintrow had berated them both.  It was all Sakan could do to remind the younger Gaidin that he had once been a student of his when Sakan had worn the badge of Head Gaidin.  It was not in his nature to second guess those in command, but he had just watched the girl that was now lying crumpled in his arms put her life on the line for duty.  Gently he lifted her and nodded to Kaaylie Sedai.  “Forgive me, Aes Sedai, the watch is not yet done.” 

 

Sakan walked away from the infirmary at a brisk pace. Kris was in the hands of the Aes Sedai, she would be better soon. A few days of rest, and she'd be as good as new. His feet made no noise as they left their imprints in the fine snow, heading towards the office of the Head Gaidin. He crossed the training yards in short order, and rapped at the door of Fleh's office.

 

"Come in!" a strong voice called.

 

Sakan opened the door. "Sir," he began, "I have a report to give you."

 

"Come in, Sakan, please. What do you have to report?"

 

"The injury of a Cadre, sir," Sakan continued. "Kris Almear. She was injured at the hands of Whitecloaks."

 

"Didn't we just get rid of them?" Fleh asked.

 

"Yes, sir. But this wasn't here, it was at the Fortress of Light."

 

"What in the Light was Kris doing at the Fortress of Light?" Fleh demanded.

 

Sakan paused. "Following my orders."

 

Fleh looked at him. "You ordered her to go to the Fortress of Light?" he asked quietly.

 

Sakan shook his head. "That's not exactly what happened. Three nights ago, I was giving a lesson to Kris, Daeron, and Wassaba. I was training them to fight without being able to see, so naturally the way to begin is at night. After the class, I gave them an hour's worth of exercises to do before going to bed, and I left them to it. Kris came following me, five minutes later, to ask me a question."

 

"And so you told her to go to the Fortress of Light?" Fleh asked.

 

"No," Sakan shook his head again. "I answered her question, when we suddenly came face to face with a giant dog."

 

"A giant dog?" Fleh raised his eyebrow.

 

"You know Mar al'Kern? Apparently this dog - Shar Val - is connected to Mar in some spiritual way, and is a sort of protector. Well, the dog was wandering around the grounds, and we bumped into it. The next thing I knew, there was an Asha'man standing there. He told us that Mar and Krynn Sedai had been captured by the Whitecloaks and were being held in the Tower of Light, and he asked for our help. Shar Val was going along, and I felt that it was my duty to help protect and rescue the Aes Sedai. I knew that she would probably be in bad shape, but Na'cuearn - the Asha'man - was there, and he would be able to make a Gateway for us to leave."

 

"So you took Kris with you?" Fleh asked quietly.

 

"Yes," Sakan confirmed. "She said that she would come, and I agreed. We had no time to notify anyone, or get any more provisions, but we had what we needed. We were both armed. However, once we found Krynn Sedai and Mar, there was a lot of fighting due to something Na'cueran did, which got a lot of attention. Kris somehow got separated from me, and Krynn and Mar left without us, as did Na'cueran. I managed to steal the cloak of a dead questioner, and bluffed my way to the room Kris was in. We escaped to another room and hid. It wasn't until a few minutes later that I came across Wintrow and Kaaylie, who had come to rescue us. And now we are here."

 

Fleh was quiet. Sakan sat in silence, waiting for the Head Gaidin to comment. After a few minutes, Fleh said, "Thank you for reporting this to me, Sakan. I need to think about it more. Rescuing and protecting an Aes Sedai is your duty, but you did jeopardize the life of a Cadre."

 

Sakan did not reply. "If you will, Sir, I need to go see Kris. She is in the infirmary."

 

Fleh nodded. "You're dismissed."

 

Sakan sat down in a chair next to Kris' bed. The young woman was lying down with her eyes closed, in what looked like a peaceful slumber. Not wanting to wake her, Sakan just waited.

 

"Politics are annoying," he growled under his breath.

 

"I don't know any parlor-tricks," Kris mumbled sleepily, squinting up at him.

 

He flashed a grin at her. "I said politics, not parlour tricks. How are you feeling?"

 

"Cold. Tired. Like I've run from Shienar to Tear and back in a day."

 

Sakan nodded. "That happens when you're Healed. With a bit of rest, your body will be back to normal." He looked at her quizzically. "Is everything all right?"

 

Her eyes had gone distant. "Sakan Gaidin, I almost died there."

 

Sakan said quietly, "Kris, death is our line of work. From the day you step out of the Tower grounds, your life will be in constant danger. That is what it means to protect an Aes Sedai."

 

"No, it's not the same. I've faced death before, but I've never been on my own, one against a hundred. I barely stayed alive, my sword was almost useless." She looked up at him, willing him to understand.

 

"Kris," he said gently, "you defended yourself against overwhelming odds. You killed several of them, and severely wounded many more. You fought well enough to be proud of, in any circle."

 

"It's not enough, Sakan Gaidin! It's not enough! I don't know why they didn't kill me, but there were so many of them! My sword just wasn't effective!"

 

Sakan looked at her thoughtfully. She seemed convinced that she could not be good enough with the sword. Well, perhaps she is right. Perhaps the sword is not meant to be her forte... "Kris, have you ever taken staff lessons?"

 

"No," she replied. "I took a look at them once, but I never really learned anything about them. Knives, sword and archery are what I have learned."

 

"Well, archery is important, but it's not good for close-range fighting. Perhaps I will recommend that you be given extensive staff training. You are already more than proficient in the sword, and the staff is a very powerful weapon. It's not lethal in the same way that the sword is, but it is definitely lethal, and you can take on more opponents. The downside to the staff is that if your opponent with a sword breaks your defense, you will die a lot faster. But who knows? Maybe you will one day be a Staff Master."

 

"That sounds good," Kris smiled. She seemed to like the idea.

 

"Get some rest," Sakan told her, standing up. "I will ask that someone be sent for some food, for when you wake up."

 

Kris listened to Sakan's suggestion of her trying the staff. It sounded like a good one, and it wasn't as if in a pinch, she couldn't use a sword... she just didn't feel that she could defend herself with it. If she couldn't defend herself, how would she ever be able to defend anyone else? She smiled up at Sakan as he mentioned sending someone with food to her later. She watched through heavy lids as he went to the door. She couldn't tell if he left, or if he just called to someone. Her eyes had closed, tossing her back into the darkness.

 

She stood in the gaidin yards, sword in hand and Cadre pin on her collar. In front of her stood Wintrow Gaidin. She smiled... and froze. His gaze was hard as ice and his face was blank as a stone. He held his sword in a way that Kris knew was not an instructor to teacher manner. She rolled the hilt of her sword in her hand and brought it up just in time to deflect a blow that was aimed to her neck. Hummingbird Kisses the Honey Rose me the Boar Charging Down the Mountain. Kris was shocked by the out and out attack on her. She jumped back, got into basic two and waited.

 

"You made me care about you, you made me think that you were worth my time, and then at a moment you toss my trust in you away." Wintrow's words dripped with distain and malice as he accented his irritation with a stroke of steel. Lightening of Three Prongs struck towards Kris. She stumbled backwards, flinging her sword up haphazardly to just fend off a blow. Her forms went out the window as she struggled to stay on her feet. Wintrow attacked full out, Leopard in the Tree streaked its way to Kris' shoulder as she cried out and flung herself to one side. "You'll never be a Gaidin in my eyes, you spineless whelp. You shouldn't even be wearing that pin on your coat. Let me take it from you."  Kris was still falling as Parting the Silk descended towards her neck. She let her hands fly up to fend of the blow as she prepared to land...

 

 

The impact of the floor jerked Kris awake. She groaned and looked up at the infirmary bed that seemed to tower above her. She felt to her neck, and was glad to feel it whole and not bleeding. The only thing that seemed wrong was her wrist. She undid the bandage that the Aes Sedai had bound aropund her wrist. The W looked more like a tattoo rather than a brand. The angry fire look had gone out of it thanks to the healing that she had received, but the skin would never be the right color again. The pinkish red color was there, and would stay till the end of her days. She touched the faint scar at her neck and knew that it would remind her that she had escaped death more times then she had deserved to.

 

Kris sighed. What's the point? I don't have what it takes to be a Gaidin, and even if I did, the one person whose approval I would want would rather have me dead. Kris curled up on the blanket that had fallen to the floor with her. She couldn't force herself to rise. The hope and encouragement Sakan had given her in maybe learning the staff wasn't even enough to make her want to try.

 

"Kris, what are you doing on the floor?" Sakan's voice queried from the door.

 

"I fell."

 

"Can't you get back in bed?"

 

"Don't know."

 

"Did you try?"

 

"No."

 

"Get back in the bed Kris." Sakan ordered.

 

"Why should I? What does it matter if I sleep here or in a bed?" Kris was irritated, defeated, and tired.

 

"Now, Cadre." Sakan ordered again. Kris grabbed the side of the bed and pulled. By the time she had managed to get back in the bed tears of frustration at her own weakness and inadequacy stung her eyes.

 

"Rest, you'll need your strength for when you start to train in the Staff." Sakan turned to find his seat.

 

"What good will that do? I might as well train as a novice for all the usefulness I'll be to anyone. Fa was right, the only thing I'm good for is causing trouble and bringing down a few people when I go."

 

"That's enough. You have had a hard few days, and you are not making sense. Rest, later when you have rested we will get you back into training."

 

"Rest... I can't even follow that order. In my dreams I fight... and lose. I can't get away from my failure..."

 

"Kris, you did not fail. The Aes Sedai is safe, that means you succeeded. You live another day, that means you won."

 

"I hurt a man that trusted me. All the victory in the world means nothing next to that! He no longer thinks I am worthy to even breathe the same air he does. Where does doing the right thing fit in with that?"

 

Sakan's cool hand rested on Kris' fevered head. It was enough to calm her and make her lay still. "Rest, Kris. We will work that out soon."

 

Kris sighed, wondering if she'd fail Sakan like she did Wintrow, wondering if she should leave before she got that chance, wondering if Wassaba and Daeron would have anything to do with her now wondering....

 

 

[Mystica]

*On Little Sisters*

(by Lady Stef)

 

There are 27 months between myself and my younger sister. In my mother’s opinion this was just enough age difference to make us best friends. In my opinion, this was just enough to make me infinitely wiser and more experienced.

 

Growing up I rued the role of protector that was thrust upon me. “Watch out for your sister!” “Take care of your sister!” After all, I thought, there had been no one to take care of me. But protect her I did. I remember well the day that she came home from seventh grade crying because some girl had started a rumor about her. Sure as clock work that next morning, my friends and I marched down to that girl’s home room and proceeded to put the fear of God into her. There were no more rumors about my sister from that particular young lady.

 

Then there were the boys that started dropping by the house. Sure they looked nice and polite around my parents, but I knew how they really were at school. More than one young man had to be pulled aside at the lockers and explained the rules of dating my baby sister. And more than one had to later have his life threatened in return for the tears still dampening my shoulders.

 

So here’s my question: at what point did my role as protector vanish? When did my involvement in a situation turn from helping into meddling? I can’t seem to put a date on it, but it happened. One day she wanted my advice and guidance, and the next she was offended that I thought she needed it. I had to learn to bite my tongue when I disagreed, to close my eyes when I saw her heading for disaster.

 

It’s not easy for someone who spent her entire life running behind her sister’s bicycle in case she fell to suddenly have to stand there and watch her bleed. And bleed she did. Just about two years ago, my little sister’s husband was killed in a car accident just days after their third anniversary. I can remember standing there at the cemetery watching her and thinking, “It should have been me. I’m the strong one.” My baby sister was not supposed to have to hurt like this. This was a pain that I couldn’t make go away; I felt totally helpless.

 

But Adam’s death allowed me to slip back into my role of caretaker. For a short time she needed me to protect her again. I was there to shelter her from the outside world, to screen her phone calls and camp out on her couch whether she wanted me to or not. Once more I was the big sister fighting to keep the bullies away.

 

Time passed and we got through it. As daily life returned to normal, she found her own feet and once more I found myself on the outside looking in. To be honest with you, I haven’t agreed with many of the decisions that she has made since Adam died. But it is no longer my place to say so. What in high school would have been sisterly advice now is seen as being nosey.

 

This is an uncomfortable position I find myself in. The little girl who used to want me to hold her hand when she walked on the ledges has grown up and thinks that she can do it all on her own, but she doesn’t seem to realize that as much as she’s grown, so have the ledges. Most days I just sit on my hands and hold my breath when the phone rings. Being a big sister is not something you outgrow. The urge to want to protect her and keep her safe doesn’t simply vanish over time. So what do you do when the one that you really want to protect her from is herself?

 

[Mystica]

Raw Recruit Articles

 

Son of a Gun

(by Snin)

 

This story is about a battle in the United States Civil War that occurred on May 12, 1863, just outside the village of Raymond, Mississippi. This is the recollection of the battle from the Confederate Army’s Chief Surgeon, L.G. Capers, M.D.

 

The battle occurred in a field just outside the village with the Union Army advancing on the stationed Confederate Army. About 300 yards behind the Confederate Army position was a small residence that was occupied by a woman and her two daughters. During the ensuing battle, the Union Army began pushing back the Confederate position until they were a mere 100 yards from the residence. The women were bravely standing outside of their residence, ready to offer aid to any wounded that required it. Close to the end of the engagement, the surgeon saw a good friend of his staggering up to him, wounded from the fight. As he approached, the soldier fell to the ground with a scream. Almost simultaneously, the surgeon heard a piercing scream come from the porch of the onlookers. He approached and examined the fallen soldier. A musket ball had struck the man in the left leg, leaving a compound fracture to the tibia. This, however, was not the only wound the man received. The bullet had apparently ricocheted off of the bone and passed through the man’s scrotum, carrying away his left testicle.

 

Having just finished dressing the soldiers wound, the matron of the household behind their position approached him very distressed. She informed him that her eldest daughter had been terribly wounded and was in need of help. The surgeon examined the young woman and found a wound about the size of a musket ball in the abdominal region. The bullet was unrecoverable and the surgeon told the family that there was little chance that she would survive. So, dressing her wound as best he could, he left the family with some medication to ease the pain and his best wishes for a full recovery.

 

A couple of months later the surgeon returned to the residence, having been stationed near it again, to check the status of the young woman. When he arrived, he found her in excellent health and was delighted that she had fully recovered from the life threatening wound. He departed once again, overjoyed that his services had been the savior of the young woman’s life.

 

About six months later, the surgeon’s duties once again brought him near the village and he was sent for by the family. Upon his arrival, the surgeon was astonished to see that the young woman’s abdomen was greatly enlarged. The surgeon was sure that what he was seeing was a woman that was about 7 to 8 months pregnant. He inquired about the possibility to the young woman and her family, but they all adamantly maintained that she had maintained her innocence and purity, as she was unmarried.

 

Exactly 278 days from the receipt of the wound, the young woman gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. It was also at this time that the surgeon, who delivered the baby, realized that the young woman’s “flower” was still intact. The surgeon was absolutely dumbfounded, for what had just occurred was physically not possible. Pondering the situation for several days, the surgeon finally came up with the only plausible theory. It had been just over nine months since the young woman had sustained her wound. He recalled the soldier that he had tended to right before he had tended to the young woman. The surgeon remembered seeing the soldier get shot in the leg. However, more importantly, he remembered hearing a high pitched scream at the same time from the residence.

 

Summoning the soldier to the young woman’s residence, the surgeon announced his theory. The man had bee shot in the leg, and the bullet had ricocheted through his left testicle. The bullet must then have traveled toward the residence, carrying traces of sperm from the destroyed testicle, and pierced the young woman’s abdomen. The surgeon concluded that the bullet must have come to rest in the young woman’s ovaries and, with the bullet containing the soldier’s sperm, had impregnated her. Soon after the baby’s birth, the soldier and the young woman got married.

 

This story is believed to be responsible for the phrase, “Son of a Gun”.

 

 

 

Proper Care for Warhorses

(by Blood Requiem)

 

Warhorses, on the whole, require a lot of maintenance. They need training, adequate space, proper lodging, feeding, and grooming.

 

All horses require some form of training whether it's to be ridden or is a work horse. They need to be broken to the saddle and trained to become accustomed to surprises, as no one wants to be thrown. Blinders are frequently used to reduce its field of vision to the side, which reduces skittishness.

 

Horses need plenty of room to exercise if not ridden frequently. It may end up being a large area, as horses are herd animals and like the company of other horses. However, if it's a stallion, it may need to be kept apart from others, as it may fight other animals in its area. Typically, the area required is one to three acres per horse.

 

The stable should be well ventilated and dry, if it's damp inside the horse may develop a sickness or fungal growths. The area should be kept clean as well because droppings or spoiled feed may lead to parasites or other sicknesses.

 

Horses are large animals and require a lot of food. This can usually be met by grazing along with hay, but can require grains or other supplements. They also require access to fresh water at all times. They should not be subjected to an abrupt change in food or an excess of feed as this could lead to sickness. Additionally, a salt block or loose salt will also benefit the horse.

 

A horses coat and hooves can accumulate debris which could lead to lesions, lameness, or other health problems. They should be groomed, preferably daily, with the proper tools to remove dirt and insect eggs (such as bot fly eggs). Improper grooming could leave dirt that may be ground into the horses hide, creating sores. Horseshoes are needed for horses subjected to hard work to protect the hooves. Hooves should be checked at least once a week and cleaned or rocks and dirt buildup before being ridden. Additionally, every six to eight weeks a professional farrier should re-shoe and trim a horses hooves.

 

 

The Horses of Day and Night

(by El Nynaeve)

 

Many people know the myth of the Greek god Apollo and his team of horses that helped him pull the sun across the sky each day. Few people, however, realise that the Greeks are not the first, nor the only people to have such a belief. The old Norse people are one such people, and their beliefs influenced those that came after them as well as giving inspiration to some authors of our own time.

 

In old Norse mythology, the people believed that the sun was pulled across the sky by Dagr (Day) and his horse Skinfaxi and that night was brought by Nott (Night) on her steed Hrimfaxi. Nott was the daughter of Norfi and her son was called Dagr. Nott and Dagr were given Skinfaxi and Hrimfaxi by Allfather, more commonly known as Odin, and a pair of chariots with which to bring day and night.

 

Skinfaxi, whose name means 'shining mane', pulls the sun across the sky each day with his deity Dagr.It is said that Skinfaxi's mane lights up the earth and sky. Hrimfaxi, whose name means 'frost mane', brings night and covers the Earth with dew with foam from his bit.

 

The myths of Skinfaxi and Hrimfax originated sometime in the Nordic Bronze Age, between 1800 and 500 BCE. They lead to the myth of Sol, whose horses Arvak and Alsvid pull her sun chariot across the sky, their manes gave off the light while Sol gave off heat. They are also the inspiration for one very well known horse, Shadowfax. Shadowfax was the famous white stallion belonging to Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings and his name itself is the inspiration from Skinfaxi's and Hrimfaxi's myth and it literally means 'shadow-hair' or 'shadow-mane'.

[Mystica]

Brave Sir Robin and the Chicken

(by Laucien)

 

Sir Robin is a great historical figure, having been part of the revolutionary new approach to government we have taken to calling "The round table". While it is not an entirely creative name (coming from the table that King Arthur's Grandmother had sitting in her basement at the time), it is still quite impressive. Sir Robin had many impressive tales to tell about his time as a Knight, but we shall, in this article, focus upon the incredible account of the battle with the Vicious Chicken of Bristol.

 

Now, this chicken is not one you may have heard of. This is mainly because of two reasons: 1. It killed all that witnessed it, excluding Sir Robin. 2. The only victims of it where some unfortunate grains of corn, and a senile old man who thought the chicken was, in fact, a pillow. Obviously, such a vile creature dispatched the old man in seconds. Some report that the man died of heart failure, but such nay sayers are scorned upon here at the Hornsounder. Th chicken itself is over 3 feet tall, weighing an astonishing 10 pounds. It boasts a razor sharp beak capable of rending the flesh of small babies (albeit with some difficulty) and sharp, pointy talons. Now that you know the background of this ferocious beast, let us get on to the battle itself.

 

Sir Robin has this to say about his fight: "Well... there it was, walking about the yard and pecking at the grain scattered on the ground by the recently slain old man. As I drew near, it raised its head and looked me directly in the eyes. So I drew my sword, but then remembered that I had an urgent appointment with my doctor to get my bird flu vaccine." We have found, upon further investigation, that this story is completely true. Sadly, Sir Robin passed last night due to what his doctor called "the Avian Flu". He is flabbergasted as to how he was infected when he had gotten the vaccine so recently.

[Mystica]

Freelance articles

 

The Magic School Bus

(by Snin)

 

This is a story about the real Magic School Bus. Now, I’m sure that everyone read books or stories about the Magic School Bus as a kid; and then, when you grew up, you dismissed them all as fairytales that children read to stimulate their imagination. Well, I am here to tell you that the Magic School Bus is indeed real and traveling the world.

 

Back in my freshman year of college, we had many crazy times that are fun to reminisce about. However, there is one story that no one ever believes; and it is this story that I am about to tell.

 

It was a nice spring day on campus and everyone seemed in good spirits because it was Friday and the Big Free Concert on the South Oval of Ohio State was that night. Every spring, the university sets up a free concert for the students that bring in some local and national acts. As it happens, the South Oval is right across the street from the freshman dormitories, so of course, all of my friends and me, decided to party it up before the concert began and just keep it going all night at a friends party.

 

That evening, all of us went to the concert. The show was great. There were mostly jam bands that were rocking out 8-10 minute jam songs with some pretty spectacular solos. At about 11 pm, the show ended and we decided to leave for a friend’s party.

 

Our friend lived a couple of blocks past the opposite end of campus, about 20 or so blocks away, so we decided to catch the bus. Now, it didn’t cross our minds at the time that maybe this late the city buses wouldn’t be running, so we just waited at the bus stop for about 15 or 20 minutes. We were all getting a little impatient waiting on the bus, so one of my friends jokingly went to the street and held up his hand giving the hitchhiking signal to the traffic passing us on High Street. As it happens, there was a school bus traveling down the street at that exact time.

 

The bus looked older and the school name had been painted over so that it was unreadable. To our shock, the bus stopped right in front of my friend and opened the door. The driver asked us if we needed a lift. We all looked at each other, confused on what this bus was and whether or not we should do it. Being that there were seven of us, we decided it was safe enough to go ahead and do it.

 

This was the strangest bus I had ever seen. There were about 15 people on the bus that looked as though they had been drinking for quite a while. The music was blaring, and the back half of the busses seats were missing. As soon as we all sat down, the driver, who to our relief was sober, asked us where we were going and said he would take us there. We introduced ourselves and, as the bus started moving again, the other people on there pulled out about 6 or 7 coolers of beer and offered us some. Being that this was a night of partying, we gladly accepted and sat back for the ride.

 

As we were heading down the road, we all heard some really high pitched engines that sounded like motorcycles revving their engines just outside the windows. That would have been normal to assume, but this wasn’t a normal night, and there weren’t any motorcycles near us. So, I turned around and looked to the back of the bus; two of the people that weren’t with us were on miniature mopeds at the back of the bus where the seats had been taken out. They were racing them back and forth on the little half-bus track that they had. This was absolutely crazy.

 

Onward we continued down the road until we got to the friend’s house that we were heading too. We grabbed a few more brews before getting off, and went into the party. Not one person believed this story at all, even though all seven of us had the exact same story. A free ride, with free beer, and great racing entertainment truely made this the Magic School Bus.

 

 

[Mystica]

Poetry

 

"Tree spotter"

(by Arrandion)

 

The daylight of tomorrow

or yesterday

with no sound at all

my hands -

the face reflected by the mirror -

they welcome

 

when the wind outside the window

like God – so cruel and confusing

not giving the slightest chance

another time tears leaves off the trees

 

they fall down, young

juicy and bright,

the ones to pity most

 

they fall down, planlessly

the green-ripen ones

not even once touched by a butterfly

 

they fall down dignified

with empathy

the colourless ones

not filling the eye

with an ounce of colour

 

I look through the window

walking through my day

and it may be the day when it's time

for my leaf to fall

 

but,

before the wind

with the last breath

will blow it to the ground

effortlessly

 

how I'd wish to know

if her leaf had fallen?

Or still waiting?

 

And what if God

had mistaken the trees?

 

 

Humble Beauties

(by Alishandra)

 

Have you ever seen the ocean,

The waves crashing against the sand

Have you ever seen the moonlight,

Shine across the land

Have you ever seen the stars above,

As evening dies away

Have you ever seen the mountains,

On a beautiful spring day

Have you ever held the one you love,

And whispered "I love You"'s through the night

Have you ever held a secret

And giggled with delight?

 

These humble beauties,

These wondrous sights,

Have all been seen,

In faded light,

Never truely seen or tasted,

Never taken for their worth,

Rarely do we realize,

The wonders we all share,

Until one day we lose them all,

Things that can't always be found,

The beauty of all mothers,

The beauty of the night,

The beauty of the morning,

The beauty of our lives.

 

 

Tale of Our Time

(by UC Tay)

 

Trapped.... and hopeless,

Ideals swim amongst shattered dreams,

No touch can heal society's wounds.

Belief.... a thing not understood.

A fallen idol perhaps,

A last lifeline from the comfort of land

Tossed in the sea of unending greed?

White powder and visions of paradise,

Relieve the weary mind.

Souls processed and passed down

The Assembly Line of death.

Hearts tortured from loss of love

Bruised, battered, abused above all.

No future left to those,

Who sold themselves for a dream world.

Nothing more if left behind,

To a destructive, polluted earth,

Of high ambitions and low morals.

Innocence.... quickly lost

Bitterness fills the yearning gap,

Continuity and progress the main priorities

Nothing.... left for youthful plans.

 

 

Bird Watching

(by Lady Stef)

 

Of course I saw you.

Who could miss you?

You with your long legs

And that f**king crooked grin.

Like a hawk you swept into the room

And every man turned to watch.

At your gaze we women shrank to the shadows

Like the little brown wrens we are.

A bird of prey, you surveyed the room,

And the males held their breath in the hopes

That they’d be the one captured.

All of us females just lowered our heads,

Seeking solace in our hors d’oeuvres,

Because how could we fight back?

Our wings are clipped by your very presence.

Yet as I watch you over my chardonnay

I smile to myself with the knowledge

That one day, one day soon,

All the wrens will have a party

And you won’t be invited.

[Mystica]

Cartoons

 

Invasion Foiled

(by Sir Froix)

 

 

 

Recruits and the Latrine of Doom

(by Demonspawn)

 

 

 

The Biggest Challenge

(by Demonspawn)

 

 

 

Stewie

(by Demonspawn)

 

 

The Rise of the Silver Smurfer

(by Demonspawn)

 

[Mystica]

 

December Competition Winners

(by Bridmorgan, XO)

 

Well, I'm sorry to say that this month's Winners article is going to be very short.  Even though we had 2 months to play the games, we only had one entrant who completed both the Scavenger Hunt and Sudoku with perfect scores. 

 

Winning the Scavenger Hunt with a score of 20/20 is the one, the only Snin!!  Congratulations Snin!  For your great hunting abilities you have won the February Scavenger Hunt Pin and 5 Lotto Chips! 

 

Winning the Sudoku Competion with a perfect score is...now wait..I know who it is...don't tell me.  Ok tell me!  *squeek, squirrelly noises*  Oh, thanks Oppie!  It's Snin!!  Way to go Snin!!  You also win the February Sudoku Pin and 3 Game Points!!

 

Well done Snin!  This was his first time and he blew us all away!  I hope to see more of you join in the fun that is the Hornsounder Competitions!

 

[Mystica]

February Competitons

 

HS Scavenger Hunt for February

(by Talya)

 

Test your knowledge of the World of Wheel of Time.

 

Instructions:

 

Below you find 20 questions to which you are to find the answers. This time there is a mix of General Knowledge and WoT. Use whatever means necessary but to pass you'll need to get at least 12 of the 20 questions correct.

 

Rules:

 

- PM your answers to Talya before 20th March 2008

- Any answers posted on the boards automatically results in disqualification

- Only the first pm sent in will be considered. So make sure you double check on typos and if you aren’t sure yet of your answers take the time to check them out. No additional answers or corrections will be accepted.

 

Winnings:

 

- Band members that win will receive 5 Lottery Chips + HS Scavenger Hunt Medal Pin of the Month

- Non-Banders will receive the HS Scavenger Hunt Medal Pin of the Month

- Prizes will be handed out in a thread on the public board of the BoTRH on DM.

 

1. What are the surnames of the three Tenors?

2. What are the two musical notes that have no flats?

3. What US three piece bad is made up of Taylor, Issac and Zac?

4. What have ‘Hell on high heels’, by Motley Crew, ‘Killer Queen’, by Queen, ‘Mama’, by Genesis and The Police’s ‘Roxanne’ all got in common?

5. Which legendary blues singer hit Jim Morrison (of The Doors) over the head when he asked her out?

6. In 2002 which former Spice Girl did Virgin Records drop after her debut album, which cost £3 million to make, had only sold 50,000 copies?

7. What was The Eagles very first US chart hit in 1972 and what number did it reach?

8. Backbeat is a 1994 film/movie that chronicles the early days of which pop band, in UK, Hamburg and Germany?

9. Which Band won 3 Grammys at the 2007 awards for ‘Best Rock performance by a duo or group with vocal’, Best Rock song’ and ‘Best Rock Album’?

10. Which singing star was killed by a speed boat in December 2000?

11. Which is the highest earning rock band in history?

12. What song plays over the credits in the Kevin Costner movie ‘Robin Hood: Prince of thieves’ and who sung it?

13. “I took her to a supermarket” comes from which song by a UK group in the ‘90s?

14. In which film would you find the following song ‘Tubular Bells’ by Mike Oldfield?

15. Which group had a hit with ‘Wires’ from their second album, ‘Tourist?

16. Which artist had the best selling single in the UK in the 1990s and what was it?

17. What popular song sung by Shakira hit the number One spot in over 50 countries?

18. The song ‘Rehab’ was first released in Ireland. What British pop singer came up with this R&B song?

19. In the 1993 hit film ‘Mrs Doubtfire’, what Aerosmith song is playing in the background as Robin Williams dances with a vacuum cleaner?

20. Which song do the following lyrics come from and from which film (full title required) “where once there was light, now darkness falls. Where once was love, love is no more. Don’t say goodbye, don’t say I didn’t try”?

 

 

Word Scramble for February~ Open to Everyone

(by Talya)

 

 

Come on Guys this is the last time I will put these up. You know you want to have a go.

 

Rules:

 

- submit your answers by PM only to Talya before the 20th March 2008.

- you don't need to find all the answers to be a winner. The 10 top answers will decide the winners.

 

Winnings:

 

- Banders will earn 1 ORG point towards their promotions

- Banders and non-banders will earn the SH award pin of May.

- All winners will receive their prize in a ceremony on DM and have their name published in the next edition of Hornsounder.

 

1. Ramie Nose

2. Massif In Moot Nut

3. Weenie Forth Jog

4. Lards Wend Nod

5. Dream Roan

6. Rainfall Hot Ski

7. A Nomad Profiles

8. Handler Melee Rent

9. Rewove Nests

10. Hard Has Mar

11. Deacon Arm

12. Afar Yam Robe

13. Lace Moles

14. Seaplane Gin Rill

15. Arachnids Tinged

 

Sudoku for February~open to everyone

(by DirewolfJon)

 

Instructions:

 

Below you find a Sudoku puzzle level 3. Your job is to fill in the missing numbers using numbers from 1 to 9 only.

If you'd like to practice a bit, you can find an easy and a medium level sudoku puzzle in the Games section, a little further in the Hornsounder.

 

--> type the numbers per row in the proper order and send your answer to Direwolfjon in a PM before 20 March 2008.

 

Rules:

 

- each number can only appear once in every row, every column ànd every square

- only answers sent in a PM will be valid, any posting of possible answers on the boards will result in immediate disqualification.

- you are only allowed to send in ONE pm, so make sure you double check your answers before sending them in.

 

Winners:

 

- the first 6 correct submissions will determine the winners

--> these will be split between: 3 Banders and 3 Non-banders if enough participants play. If not, it will simply go to the top 6 players.

- in case of a tie, the date and hour of submission will determine the winner.

- the winners will be announced in a ceremony together with the other competitions on the public board of the Band on DM ànd will be mentioned in the next edition of Hornsounder.

 

Winnings:

 

- For Band members: 3 Game Points + Sudoku pin!

- For Non-Band members: Sudoku pin!

- For all winners: announcement in the next Hornsounder Edition + Public Ceremony & Party at the public Band boards on DM.

 

 

Now get those grey cells cracking!

 

 

 

Word Seach - February~open to everyone

(by Snin)

 

Word Search Rules:

 

Listed below are a word search puzzle and several categories.  Each category is related to the Wheel of Time book series and other works related to it.  The boxes next to each category indicate the amount of answers that are hidden in the word search.  Here is the catch, there may be more answers to the question than boxes listed next to the category.

 

 

Example:

 

Ta'veren boys from the Two Rivers:     

 

The answers could be Rand al'Thor, Matrim Cauthon, or Perrin Aybara.

 

 

From the example above, only two of the names are in the puzzle, and you have to find which ones.  Unless specified otherwise, the full names of people are required. 

 

There are 20 hidden words in this puzzle.  For simplicity, all answers are upward, downward, forward, or backward.  There are no diagonal answers.

 

 

How to Start:

 

The best way to play is to copy the image of the puzzle and paste it into Microsoft Paint.  In the toolbar to the left, select the option ROUNDED RECTANGLE (lower right button).  After selecting this option, change to color to RED at the bottom of the window.  Now, to indicate answers, just click and drag the pointer so that the RED BOX with ROUNDED CORNERS surrounds the answer word. 

 

 

Submitting Solutions: 

 

All solutions must be PM'ed to Snin (snin83) at DM by March 20, 2008.  You may submit it any way you wish.  The easiest way is to save the Microsoft Paint file that has the answers indicated in RED boxes as a picture and PM that picture to Snin (snin83) at DM. 

 

 

Awards:

 

The award for a successful submission is 1 Org. Point to go toward promotion.  In order to have a successful submission, you need to find 16 of the 20 hidden words.

 

 

Bonus:

 

The bonus is for 2 Game Points.  There is one hidden character name in the puzzle (FISRT and LAST name).  The name is a common name that has appeared in most of the books since the beginning of the series.  To get the bonus, find and indicate the name in the puzzle, and in the PM to Snin (snin83) at DM, give one significant event that the person has been involved with (there will be more than one). 

 

 

The Puzzle:

 

 

 

The Categories:

 

Misty Mountain Stedding's:                     

 

House Names Supporting Elayne as Successor:               

 

Calendar Creators:            

 

Seanchan Cities:            

 

Moiraine's Uncles Killed During Aiel War:         

[Mystica]

February's games

 

Sudoku

 

Easy

 

Medium

 

Answers to Last Month's Games

 

Competitions

 

Scavenger Hunt

 

Sudoku

 

Games

 

Easy Sudoku

 

Medium Sudoku

[Mystica]

Jokes

 

A Texas Chili Contest

(by Snin)

 

**Note: Please take time to read this slowly. If you pay attention to the first two judges, the reaction of the third judge is even better. For those of you who have lived in Texas, you know how true this is. They actually have a Chili Cook-off about the time Halloween comes around. It takes up a major portion of the parking lot at the city park. The notes are from an inexperienced Chili taster named Frank, who was visiting from Canada.

 

Frank: "Recently, I was honored to be selected as a judge at a chili cook-off. The original person called in sick at the last moment, and I happened to be standing there at the judge's table asking for directions to the Coors Light truck, when the call came in. I was assured by the other two judges (Native Texans) that the chili wouldn't be all that spicy and, besides, they told me I could have free beer during the tasting, so I accepted."

 

Here are the scorecards from the event:

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chili 1:  Mike's Maniac Mobster Monster Chili

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Judge 1 -- A little too heavy on the tomato.  Amusing kick.

 

Judge 2 -- Nice, smooth tomato flavor.  Very mild.

 

Judge 3 -- (Frank) Holy crap, what the hell is this stuff?  You could remove dried paint from your driveway.  Took me two beers to put the flames out.  I hope that's the worst one.  These Texans are crazy.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chili 2:  Arthur's Afterburner Chili

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Judge 1 -- Smoky, with a hint of pork. Slight jalapeno tang.

 

Judge 2 -- Exciting BBQ flavor, needs more peppers to be taken seriously.

 

Judge 3 -- Keep this out of the reach of children.  I'm not sure what I'm supposed to taste besides pain.  I had to wave off two people who wanted to give me the Heimlich maneuver.  They had to rush in more beer when they saw the look on my face.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chili 3:  Fred's Famous Burn-Down-the-Barn Chili

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Judge 1 -- Excellent firehouse chili.  Great kick. Needs more beans.

 

Judge 2 -- A beanless chili, a bit salty, good use of peppers.

 

Judge 3 -- Call the EPA. I've located a uranium spill.  My nose feels like I have been snorting Drano.  Everyone knows the routine by now.  Get me more beer before I ignite.  Barmaid pounded me on the back, now my backbone is in the front part of my chest.  I'm getting smashed from all of the beer.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chili 4:  Bubba's Black Magic

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Judge 1 -- Black bean chili with almost no spice.  Disappointing.

 

Judge 2 -- Hint of lime in the black beans.  Good side dish for fish or other mild foods, not much of a chili.

 

Judge 3 -- I felt something scraping across my tongue, but was unable to taste it.  Is it possible to burn out tastebuds?  Sally, the barmaid, was standing behind me with fresh refills.  That 300-lb. woman is starting to look HOT...just like this is nuclear waste I'm eating!  Is chili an aphrodisiac?

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chili 5:  Linda's Legal Lip Remover

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Judge 1 -- Meaty, strong chili.  Cayenne peppers freshly ground, adding considerable kick.  Very impressive.

 

Judge 2 -- Chili using shredded beef, could use more tomato.  Must admit the cayenne peppers make a strong statement.

 

Judge 3 -- My ears are ringing, sweat is pouring off my forehead, and I can no longer focus my eyes.  I farted and four people behind me needed paramedics.  The contestant seemed offended when I told her that her chili had given me brain damage.  Sally saved my tongue from bleeding by pouring beer directly on it from the pitcher.  I wonder if I'm burning my lips off.  It really ticks me off that the other judges asked me to stop screaming.  To hell with those rednecks.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chili 6:  Vera's Very Vegetarian Variety

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Judge 1 -- Thin yet bold vegetarian variety chili.  Good balance of spices and peppers.

 

Judge 2 -- The best yet.  Aggressive use of peppers, onions, and garlic.  Superb.

 

Judge 3 -- My intestines are now a straight pipe filled with gaseous, sulphuric flames.  I crapped myself when I farted and I'm worried it will eat through the chair.  No one seems inclined to stand behind anymore.  Can't feel my lips anymore.  I need to wipe my butt with a snow cone.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chili 7:  Susan's Screaming Sensation Chili

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Judge 1 -- A mediocre chili with too much reliance on canned peppers.

 

Judge 2 -- Ho hum, tastes as if the chef literally threw in a can of chili peppers at the last moment.  **I should take note that I am worried about Judge 3. He appears to be in a bit of distress as he is cursing uncontrollably.

 

Judge 3 -- You could put a grenade in my mouth, pull the pin, and I wouldn't feel a thing.  I've lost sight in one eye, and the world sounds like it is made of rushing water.  My shirt is covered with chili which slid unnoticed out of my mouth.  My pants are full of lava like crap to match my shirt.  At least during the autopsy, they'll know what killed me.  I've decided to stop breathing, it's too painful.  Hell with it; I'm not getting any oxygen anyway.  If I need air, I'll just suck it in through the 4-inch hole in my stomach!

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chili 8:  Tommy's Toe-Nail Curling Chili

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Judge 1 -- The perfect ending, this is a nicely blended chili.  Not too bold but spicy enough to declare its existence.

 

Judge 2 -- This final entry is a good, balanced chili.  Neither mild nor hot.  Sorry to see that most of it was lost when Judge 3 farted, passed out, fell over and pulled the chili pot down on top of himself.  Not sure if he's going to make it.  Poor fella, wonder how he'd have reacted to really hot chili!

 

 

The Material Lawyers

(by Demonspawn)

 

A very successful lawyer parked his brand-new Lexus in front of his office, ready to show it off to his colleagues. As he got out, a truck passed too close and completely tore the door off of the driver's side. The counselor immediately grabbed his cell phone, dialed 911, and within minutes a policeman pulled up.

 

Before the officer had a chance to ask any questions, the lawyer started screaming hysterically. His Lexus, which he had just picked up the day before, was now completely ruined and would never be the same, no matter what the body shop did to it.

 

When the lawyer finally wound down from his ranting and raving, the officer shook his head in disgust and disbelief.

 

"I can't believe how materialistic you lawyers are," he said. "You are so focused on your possessions that you don't notice anything else."

 

"How can you say such a thing?" asked the lawyer.

 

The cop replied, "Don't you know that your left arm is missing from the elbow down? It must have been torn off when the truck hit you."

 

"Ahhh!" screamed the lawyer. "Where's my Rolex!"

 

 

The Battle for the Engineer

(by Demonspawn)

 

An engineer dies and reports to the pearly gates. St. Peter checks his dossier and says, "Ah, you're an engineer -- you're in the wrong place."

 

So, the engineer reports to the gates of hell and is let in. Pretty soon, the engineer gets dissatisfied with the level of comfort in hell, and starts designing and building improvements. After awhile, they've got air conditioning and flush toilets and escalators, and the engineer is a pretty popular guy.

 

One day, God calls Satan up on the telephone and says with a sneer, "So, how's it going down there in hell?"

 

Satan replies, "Hey, things are going great. We've got air conditioning and flush toilets and escalators, and there's no telling what this engineer is going to come up with next."

 

God replies, "What??? You've got an engineer? That's a mistake -- he should never have gotten down there; send him up here."

 

Satan says, "No way. I like having an engineer on the staff, and I'm keeping him."

 

God says, "Send him back up here or I'll sue."

 

Satan laughs uproariously and answers, "Yeah, right. And just where are YOU going to get a lawyer?"

[Mystica]

Question for Submission

(by Demonspawn)

 

A teacher, a thief and a lawyer all die in the same freak accident. So when they reach the pearly gates, St. Peter tells them that, unfortunately, heaven is overcrowded, so they each have to answer a question correctly for admission.

 

The teacher is first, and St. Peter asks, “Name the famous ship that was sunk by an iceberg?”

 

“Phew, that one's easy,” says the teacher, “The Titanic.”

 

“Alright,” said St.Peter, “you may pass.”

 

Then the thief got his question: “How many died on the Titanic?”

 

The thief replied, “That's a toughy, but fortunately I just saw the movie. The answer is 1500 people.” And so he passed through.

 

Last, St. Peter gave the lawyer his question: “Name them.”

 

 

A Joke from Work

(by Odds)

 

Ok.. I've said it before, but most of you probably haven't heard it. THis is my all time favourite joke. It cracks me up every time I think about it.

 

Q: What's grey and powdery?

 

A: Instant Pancreas!

 

*stifles her giggles while at work*

 

 

Another Lawyer Joke

(by El Nynaeve)

 

Another lawyer joke:

 

Four surgeons are sitting around at lunch, discussing their favorite kinds of patients.

 

The first surgeon says, 'Well I think librarian are best. You open them up, all their parts are sorted alphabetically. You find what you need and zip them up and off you go.'

 

The second surgeon says, 'No, electricians are best. You open them up and all their parts are colour-coded. You find what you need and close them up and you're set.'

 

The third surgeon says, 'I disagree, accounts are best. You open them up and everything of theirs is sorted numerically. You find what you need, zip them back up and go.'

 

The fourth surgeoun says, 'You're all wrong, the best people to operate on are lawyers.'

 

The others look at him and one says, 'Are you nuts? What's so easy about operating on them?'

 

The fourth surgeon looks back at them and replies, 'Well they're spineless, gutless and brainless and their head and arse are interchangeable.'

 

 

Being British

(by El Nynaeve)

 

One of the British national daily newspapers is asking readers "What it means to be British?"

Some of the emails are hilarious but this is one from a chap in Switzerland...

 

Being British is about driving in a German car to an Irish pub for a Belgian beer, then traveling home, grabbing an Indian curry or a Turkish kebab on the way, to sit on Swedish furniture and watch American shows on Japanese TV. And the most British thing of all? Suspicion of anything foreign.