Hornsounder - August 2008 Edition

[Direwolf Jon]

 

 

Welcome to this month's edition of the Hornsounder!

 

The Hornsounder is yet again, and we're bringing you the latest news from the Band.  There's been a lot going on this past month, so hold on to your hats!  It's the end of August and that means that summer is coming to a close, and the year is two-thirds the way through.

 

We have some new articles in the Hornsounder and some that are continuing from the previous issues. We have an article from our new Quest Mistress, Kara. She gives us an update on our current Quest and all the excitement that goes with it! Check out the games section and get creative with our Caption the Picture contest or put that brain to work in the Sudoku Challenge!  Also be sure to stop and check out what topics the Raw Recruits were assigned to enlighten us all on.

 

Grab yourself a drink, sit back with a snack and enjoy this month's edition of The Hornsounder.

 

Paladin Jon the Direwolf,

Senior Editor

 

JoTS Winner of the Month 

 

This month's topic was: Masons.

 

And the winner: There was no winner this time.  :(

 

Enter Current Month'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. 

 

The Band of the Red Hand Section gives reasons to join the Band, and brings you the new article about The Quest.  Also in this section is an introduction to the Band's current Active Members,  and you get the opportunity to smooch away on our Banders' birthdays .

 

The Regimental Section will effectively satisfy your hunger for knowing what's been up with the Archers and Infantry this month. Check up on the antics of the Recruits while they visited every Regiment, see 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, Paladin Manriva fills you in on all the law breaking and spotfining activities that were found in the Band this past month. He was not around for part of it yet his team performed well.  There has been a lot of chaos happening from the looks of it!

 

The Specials Section brings you some really interesting Raw Recruit 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... Stop by and read the amazing poetry written by one of our newest members. 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, Jon the Direwolf! DJ also continued his other competition.  Be sure to check out the new  Caption the Picture Competition! See if you can come up with the best caption, and claim the prize that goes along with the glory! So don't miss out on snatching up those prizes!

 

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.

Also, be sure to 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.

 

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

[Direwolf Jon]

 

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!

 

The Quest

(by Kara J)

 

Hello, boys and girls! Just a quick update on The Quest.

 

The band is still in the process of packing up with all the headaches and troubles that that can bring. There have been Trollocs sighted and fought on the perimeter and the sentries have been doubled to guard against further incursions.

 

**************

 

You can still join the Quest if you'd like. Simply submit your Bio (if you haven't already done so) either Goldeneys or I will let you know if it has been approved and then off you go. Couldn't be simpler!

 

All the rules, guidelines and the Quest briefer can be found here. If you've any questions, problems or just need help with a Bio then don't hesitate to ask us.

 

Kara J

Quest Mistress

[Direwolf Jon]

Bander's Birthdays

(by Bridmorgan, XO)

 

 

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, you look like a moneky and you smell.....What?  Myst, why are you glaring at me like that?  What is that sharp stick type thing for?  Why are you pointing it at me?  *starts to move away slowly*  It's just a song Myst!  Uh..I better run so Happy Smoochday to you all!!...and you smell like one too!!  *runs very fast*

 

 

8/1 - mebren

8/2 - purifier

8/3 - Daetirion

8/5 - jadynalraimon

8/7 - adrian444

8/8 - serenlaelyse

8/9 - gidar

8/10 - Anigrel Tavadon

8/13 - Shauna

8/15 - 42bonzo88, faelene

8/16 - Angyl, rowulstromblade, thdek

8/20 - Zorina

8/21 - bjorn, Lanette

8/30 - Eve, neira

 

 

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 August 2008

 

 

Marshal-General: Corki

 

Under-Commander: Taymist

 

Executive Officer: BridMorgan

 

 

Commissioned Officers

 

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

 

Captains:  Arrandion, Froix

 

Lieutenant-Captains:  Steel Axe, Katiora, Kristine

 

Senior-Lieutenants:  Kara_J, el Nynaeve, Kingkastchei, Climhazzard, Amavia, Dragonlover, snin83

 

Lieutenants:  Chaelca, woolhead, Samuraiflip05, Mayleigh, demonspawn, 12th Regiment, Dicetosser1, Lanette, Daetirion, Talya, Goldeneys

 

Under-Lieutenants:  Cairos, Kieran Warwick, Zeth Alley, Nighteyes, Angyl, Feral

 

 

Enlisted

 

Master Sergeants:  Diamondmask, Tigara, A'iotanga, Safia al-Maaz, lewstherin, Tiren Sormia

 

Sergeants:  Nocturne, Mr. Soy Boyo, Goldeneyes101/Moose, thewindsoftime, Myndrunner, Nynaeve

 

Corporals:  Moghedian, Naeann, Dahmir

[Direwolf Jon]

 

News From The Range!

(by El Nyn)

 

As we wave goodbye to August, we bring you news from around the Range. It's been a fairly quiet month amongst the Archers with many of our active members taking advantage of the last few weeks of summer. Also in the news, our current Captain-General el Nynaeve will be stepping down and another will take her place. We wish them luck whoever they may be!

 

Archer of the Month

 

As it's been so quiet lately, our contest for July was much tighter than usual.

 

In the end, Snin walked away with the prize for July, showing his dedication once again to his regiment. Congrats Snin!

 

Promotions

 

August 1: There were no promotions this period.

 

August 15: There were no promotions this period.

 

 

RLO Business

 

August was a busy month for our RLOs with a positive flood of RRs coming through the Range. It keeps them on their toes, so the more the merrier. ;D First through we had Felicur, who was asked to write a review response before moving onto being our Gleeman for the week and keeping us entertained. He tried stumping us next with a list of trivia questions and keeping us thinking. Next through was Terrapin, who also wrote a review response, and then kept us well-watered for the rest of the week by being bartender and then conducted an interview with one of us. Mottlee was next, and after writing a review response also, she ensured that sobriety didn't set in too soon by doing bartending duties before letting us know a little of the real her in ou Ready, Aim, Shoot the Lie game. We had two recruits come by at the same time next, Fia and Ravynne McCoy, who both responsed to reviews before also bartending in two of our bars and making sure we were all thoroughly drunk. They then played a game of Archer Basketball with each, testing out their skills with a bow. Our final recruit this month was Imperium, who was also asked to write a review response before taking up DJ duties at our local radio station. Before he leaves he'll find one of us and conduct a small interview. All of our recruits have done a great job this month and we hope to see more of them in future. :)

Regimental Competition

 

This term's regimental competion is still going on, with three events going on between the regiments. We'll let you know how it turns out next month but it looks like the Archer's are doing well so far!

 

Redarm Business

 

Last month our esteemed and uncorrupted RA, Samurai was fined for stealing brew from another Bander. He had challenged this on the grounds that the Bander didn't say the shots were hers. Blatant corruption however ensured that Sam was found guilty and he spent two weeks putting out fires. He tried to retaliate and spotfine Footy for using an Archer brew in a manner other than drinking. Corruption prevailed once again and Footy got off scot-free.

 

Journey to Assassin

 

The Journey is a pathway of dedication to the Archer's and achieving the rank of a deadly assassin, beginning as an Apprentice and then as a Journeryman/woman before being awarded the title of Frato or Sora.

 

Apprentices: Amavia, Corki (MG), Iron Monk, Tharengore, Barracuda and Moghedian

 

Journeyman/woman: Dragonlover, Samuraiflip and Alishandra

 

That's our news from the Range. See you next month!

[Direwolf Jon]

Welcome to Infantry Row!

(by Kara)

 

Welcome to another astounding edition of Infantry Row. I'm sure you've all been agog to hear what news we've got for you this month! Well, I'll not keep you waiting much longer!

 

 

We are coming to the end of another Term, it goes so fast! Out with the old staff and in with the new. ;)  A huge thanks to all the staff that presided this term and best of luck to those that are replacing them. ;D

 

We have had another round of promotions...I'd best get working if I'm to keep up! The Infants to congratulate are: From Under-Lieutenant to Lieutenant; Lt. Lanette of the Infantry, Lt. Daetirion of the Infantry and Lt. Talya of the Infantry and, last but by no means least, From Private First Class to Corporal; Cpl. Dahmir of the Infantry! I'm sure you will all join us in congratulating them for reaching those hard earned ranks!

 

Sadly we've had no recruits join us this month, but we've had several hard working and fun Raw Recruits pass through on their training, we wish them the best of luck in finding their home, and hope that they'll remember that our doors (and frequently windows and even walls) are always open! For those that have recently finished their training with us, they can pick up their Recruit Award in the Barracks.

 

We've had another Mahdi return from the wilderness, please join me in welcoming Farcrie back into the Infantry. He's taken up in the mahdi programme where he left off, with a slight change of Morat.

 

In other news, there have been a few disturbances in the Barracks, one pertains to a certain Cav member (mentioning no names, Cairos :P)  who took it upon himself to start singing "LA LA LA!" around the place (his singing we could cope with...anything after Tay's singing sounds practically heavenly! ;))  and painting everyone with strange colours, or tattooing various parts and Light knows what else!

Someone, it seems, (frowns at DJ) also let 12th find the key to the fireworks shed and the result was spectacular although messy. Good luck to the new staff in cleaning that up! ;)

 

I think that's all for now. This is Kara J, signing out for Infantry Row!

[Direwolf Jon]

 

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 month of August we had two Recruits graduate and both earned their Raw Recrute Stripe!!! Our graduates were Felicur and Ravynne McCoy who both chose the Cavalry!!  Congratulations to you both and I know you'll do your new Regiment proud!

 

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 August is A TIE!!:  Felicur and Ravynne McCoy

 

Don't forget to congratulate them next you see them.  Well done you two!

 

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

 

7 - Infantry

9 - Cavalry

5 - Archers

 

Missing In Action figures are very reasonable with 13 out of 43 Recruits going MIA this year and we have 5 new Recruits working their way through their training at the moment. A warm welcome to Fia, terrapin, imperium, mottlee and redust who are currently going through their Recruit time. 

 

Now I have to say, this has probably been the most mischevious, crazy and destructive group of Raw Recruits we've had in a long time.  From blowing up 12th's bum with a firecracker to an all out destruction of band buildings.  We've currently have approximately 3 RRs getting spotfines, which doesn't include Fel and Ravy, although her's was done during her RR time.  I've got my handful with this bunch and I'm going to need a loooooong vacation to recover once they've all graduated.  In all seriousness though, you all have been a great bunch and made my job a lot of fun.  Thanks guys!!

 

Check out the Regimental Articles to see what our Recruits have been up to this past month in each Regiment!

 

Once again, I want to mention our RLO of the Term.  This person was voted as the best RLO for this past term...and the winner is...The SK himself!! 12th!!  Congratulations 12th!!  Well deserved.

 

I also want to thank my RLOs for this past term.  You all worked so hard and did such a great job!!  THANK YOU!!

 

RLOs for the July/August Term:

 

Archers:

Samuraiflip

Snin

 

Cavalry:

Cairos

Nocturne

 

Infantry:

12th Regiment

 

See you next month with more RR antics!

[Direwolf Jon]

 

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

 

[Direwolf Jon]

Raw Recruit Articles

 

Dummies Guide to Making Horseshoes

(by RR Felicur)

 

Horseshoes are more than just fancy footwear for horses. They are, in fact, multifunctional; serving to improve a horse’s gait, improve standing and posture, and control interference problems such as legs colliding with each other. It is a U-shaped metal plate, and is generally made of steel.

 

There are around 15 different types of horseshoes, depending on the horse breed and function. Some breeds use different types of horseshoe on their front hooves than they do on the back one’s. Other shoes come with a contraction device so that horses can have a better grip depending on the terrain. Thoroughbred racing horses use a special racing plate made from aluminium on their front hooves. On their hind hooves an aluminium shoe, called caulk, is used. It’s embedded with steel to help improve abrasion and wear resistance. Some aluminium shoes are actually squared on to resemble the hooves of healthy wild horses. Different shoes are used depending if a horse is pacer or trotter, used for hunting or jumping.

 

Horseshoeing became an important craft in the medieval period, and helped to play a major role ion the development of metallurgy. Horseshoeing became the most frequent occupation of farrier’s (also known as Blacksmiths). A farrier’s equipment consisted of a forge or furnace, an anvil, tongs, and hammers.

 

The sole and rim of the horses hoof was cleaned and shaped with rasps and knives, the horseshoe heated in a forge until it was sort enough to shape with a hammer so that it would fit the hoof. To cool the horseshoe it was quenched in water, and later attached to the hoof with nails.

 

As time passed, and with technological advancements, the use of horses and indeed the need for farriers has drastically declined. The improvements in technology have lead to a more machine-produced version of horseshoe making, but it still uses hammer-forging techniques; albeit in a larger more commercial scale.

 

The modern day horseshoe making process is as follows –

· First, depending on the type of shoe needed, a bar is cut to length using shear blades. The blades are operated either manually by a foot pedal or mechanically.

· One cut, the bar is heated in a furnace or gas-fired forge at a temperature of approximately 1,260°C (2,300°F).

· The softened metal is then wrapped around a block of steel in the shape of a horseshoe. An alternative type of equipment uses a plunger in the shape of a shoe to force the bar into the required shape.

· Drop forging is the most common forging process and it is used next. Once the bar is bent it’s forced into a die with the desired dimensions using a powerful hammer. One half of the die is attached to the hammer and the other to an anvil. A cam mechanism then determines the length the stroke needed, and also how close the dies should come together.

· After the shoe is bent, it is transferred to a punch press where the nail holes are made. There are usually eight holes made for each shoe. Once the holes have been punched a trim press removes all excess material.

· The shoe is still hot, about 1038-1093°C (1,900-2,000°F), so the last step in the process is cooling. The newly made horseshoe is air cooled for 45-60 minutes.

 

 

History of Jousting

(by Imperium)

 

Jousting is a SPORT (dang this should have been in the Olympics) played by armoured combatents mounted on horses. The competition is between two mounted riders using a variety of weapons. The obvious one is the lance but battle axes and swords were also used.

 

The first recorded jousting tournament was in 1066 (around the time some English king got shot in the head by an arrow!) and is credited to a Frenchman called Godfrey de Preuilly but it did not get widespread popularity until the 13th century.

 

Jousting offered large sums of money and honour to the winners, hence why these brave and valiant knights competed in the sport, despite the horrific injuries and deaths that occured. King Henry II of France was killed whilst jousting when a shard of his opponent's broken lance went through his visor into his eye. This tournament was to celebrate the peace treaty of cateau-cambresis (doesn't really need a sarcastic comment there does it!). The jouster that killed the King was Gabriel Montgomery, who held rank in the Scottish Guard. Despite being absolved of this (by Henry before his death), Gabriel became a protestant and rebelled alot before he was finally beheaded.

 

Ironically King Henry II of England actually banned jousting due to the injuries caused to his troops. This was relaxed by his son Richard I (Richard the Lionheart).

 

However the tilt was not introduced until 14th Century, previously they had just charged at each other as a sort of mock battle scene.

It remained a popular sport until around the 17th century (probably due to the increase uses in muskets and pikes, which made a mess of mounted cavalry [oops I'm writing this for the cavalry, maybe I shouldn't have said that]).

 

Jousting is still kept alive these days by the International Jousting Association, which lay down strict guidelines on how jousting is to be done (otherwise they would probably be sued). Points are gave for breaking your lance on your oponents shield, however none are gave for unhorsing your oponent (I thought that was the whole point but there you go..).

 

Tent pegging is the only offically recognised form of jousting by the International Federation for Equestrian Sports. The sport involves using a lance or sword to strike and carry away a small wooden ground target. The name "tent pegging" is derived from the cavalry tactic of causing confusion in enemy camps by galloping though the camps and collapsing the tents by pulling up the tent peg anchors with well-placed lance tip strikes (This might get COPIED by Ravy in her article!).

 

So there you have it a brief history of jousting. Personally I think we should all make a request for Jousting to become an Olympic sport, as it would be far more entertaining than half of the sports done.

 

 

The Art of Equestrian War, Enter: The Cavalry.

(by RR Ravynne McCoy)

 

Please, do not confuse the Cavalry with Calvary, although a common misnomer, Calvary is actually another name for Golgotha, a Western Christian site outside of ancient Jerusalem, ascribed with the holy crucifixion.

 

The Cavalry is not just an essential part of every science-fiction/ fantasy novel's military scheme, but also plays an essential role in successful historical military as well. The "cavalry" is generally defined as a mounted fleet of soldiers who often take a "first in, last out" approach to battle. Although mounted fleets surface all over the world, from deserts and plains to forests and mountains, using a variety of weapons and animals, the actual term of cavalry generally only applies to those mounted on horseback.

 

Mounted soldiers are a common theme in historical military, ranging from the mounted Roman soldiers of biblical time to the modern day police officers on horse-back found in some cities. (Not to mention the Trojan Horse of Ancient Greece, for although it was Infantry who emerged from within, what else to carry soldiers over enemy lines and lead them to victory but such an elegant and noble creature as the horse?) Although we cannot place a specific date on when man first discovered he could domesticate and ride certain animals, it is believed the first organized units of cavalry began in ancient Greece and Rome, not as a military organization, but as a term used for a team of horses pulling chariots in races. And though horses were ridden in warfare as early as 5000 BC, it was through the sport of racing chariots that the first true units of cavalry were organized and given their title and rank, using smaller chariots with only two, sometimes four horses pulling them. After a few battles the number of advantages grew and the cavalry quickly developed into a large part of the fleet. Cavalry is generally sent into battle first, as the horses could just as easily trample members of its own side as the opposition before the men in chariots could raise either weapon or warning. Their main purpose was to push through the opposition's cavalry, if they had one, or to push through their foot soldiers, taking out as much of the other side as they could to make way for the Infantry to follow behind and clean up.

 

In order to really understand the cavalry, however, one must first understand their most prized and deadliest weapon- their horses. A horse is a four footed, or hoofed, mammal, ranging in color (from white and black to any shade of brown and gray between), size (measured in "hands", one hand is 10 cm or 4 in- anything smaller than 14.2 hands is considered a pony), speed (on average, a horse can run between 25-40 mph, depending on breed) and strength- these variables all depend on breed. Newborns are called foals, while "infants" are female fillies and male colts, and adults are female mares, and male stallions.

 

The first step in a horse's life when bound to be either ridden or work with humans, is called breaking, or gentling. This is a process used to, usually, gently break a horse of its fears and shyness and grow accustomed to humans, and unnatural stimuli, such as the noise and sudden movements of a battle. There are hundreds of variations of breaking, some more forceful than others, but a few of the more common found today are- mounting a saddled horse in water deep enough to prevent struggling, "sacking out" or showing a horse a potentially frightening object or situation, and step by step showing them not to be afraid or, in some cases where an animal may have been broken and then traumatized, the "Rarey technique" in which the animal is forced to lie down on a comfortable surface, the trainers weight is used at strategic points to prevent rising, and then the trainer gently touches all parts of the horse's body to show the animal that it is safe with the trainer, and doesn't need to fear most humans. The breaking process is usually done between the ages of 3-4 years old, though some debate still continues as to which age is better. Once a horse is broken, further training may begin.

 

During the first stages of the cavalry, horses were still an expensive commodity and therefore generally the entire fleet belonged to the King or Ruler, or occasionally to the head of the military, with an under-officer or two to watch and care for the fleet more closely. At this time, there was no assigning a single horse to a single soldier. Horses were chosen from a "pool", or on a which-one-is-closest basis. A soldier may ride one horse, and then never ride it again. As the horse became more common and the cavalry developed, each soldier came to know and name his own horse. It became the mark of an excellent Cavalryman to know his horse as he knew himself, and was common for a solider to care better for his mount than for himself.

 

As knowledge of horses grew, the tactics steadily changed with them and the development of "categories" for horse breeds brought with it both a new wave of interest in the cavalry and the first division within the cavalry itself- between more soldierly types and those who worked with their horses to benefit the military off the battlefield. Horses were now classified as "hot-", "warm-", and "cold-" blooded based on breed and temperament. Mostly hot and cold-bloodeds were used for military purposes.

 

The hot-blooded horses, such as Arabians or Thoroughbreds, were best used in the light cavalry- a division in which the soldiers were usually lightly armed and armored, as opposed to heavy cavalry, in which soldiers and often horses were heavily armored. Bred for agility and speed, hot-bloods have a high intelligence level which allows them to learn quickly and are often politely called "spirited", rather than difficult- which is often the case. These horses were most often trained into warhorses- many of which could kick a man's head clean off his shoulders, as well as bite, rear, or kick lower at his rider's simplest command.

 

Cold-blooded horses are more muscular and larger in build, such as the Brabant or the Clydesdale, and because of their sheer brute strength, were most often used to pull large weapons, supply carts, or equipment. In battle, however, they made excellent charge horses, and because of their calm tempers, could be used in a "push" or "force" attack, which is basically what it sounds like. Standing shoulder to shoulder they would push forward and force back the oppositions front lines, or simply tramples those ahead of them, whichever was easiest. Horses have an excellent memory, which aids in retaining their training, but it was also not an uncommon sight after a battle to see several riderless horses returning to camp, even remembering so much as to which post or stall had been theirs.

 

There has always been a debate on whether mares or stallions are better in battle, though there has never been much of a recorded difference. In general, it is preferred to use stallions, not only because they tend to be larger of build and stronger, but because in a herd of wild horses, leadership is the mare's role. So in the breeding herds, the mares were left to manage the stock while the stallions were out fighting. (Sound familiar?)

 

In medieval times, the sport of jousting arose. Originally a training method which not only helped cavalrymen with the "lancing" technique, but also how to gather ones feet and fight once knocked from their horses, its popularity grew into a tradition so strong it is still commonly seen at fairs and festivals around the world today. While the rules and regulations vary from place to time, it is played on a field of either grass or sand called the tilting grounds, or a tiltyard, with a dividing rail down the center. Opponents start at opposite ends of the field, on opposite sides of the rail and charge each other. Each member is generally armored, and equipped with a shield and lance first, until the goal of unseating his opponent is met. Once on the ground, several rounds are fought with hand-to-hand melee weapons, usually the sword, mace and ax. Some rules evoke a duel to the death, while others allow simply to disarm and disable the opposition.

 

Cavalrymen are generally trained with lances or pikes for the initial charge, and swords and maces for hand to hand or horseback to hand. Their greater height allows them the advantage of being close to the head and throat of enemies during fighting. Occasionally armies may also use rows of mounted archers behind on-foot archers as well, though the front cavalry rarely uses bows- due to the obvious difficulty of firing an accurate arrow from a moving horse.

 

Among their numbers also, were specialized blacksmiths known as farriers, who had an in depth knowledge of horses, or at the very least their legs and feet, and specializes in making and placing horseshoes. They may also be a blacksmith who mends armor or sharpens weapons, or they may also become the cavalry's personal veterinarian, caring for sick and injured animals- or he may do all of the above and more. Whatever else he does, he is a highly valued member of their numbers and rarely, if ever, fights.

 

In most cases of the modern day cavalry, the horses have been replaces with tanks, helicopters and heavy artillery vehicles, though in many places a horse-mounted force still exists. The Canadian Mounties still police much of southern Canada and many cities in the US, and around the world, still use mounted police officers to get where a car may not get to fast enough- such as through alleys or over fences. In many areas of Europe, horses and mounted fleets are a very important role in tradition and formality, and across the world riding and showing horses is a valued and popular sport. So even though the cavalry itself in the "dictionary" version of the term may no longer exist as it was, the spirit of those fierce, brave and highly respected cavalrymen will always live on in tradition and heart, and perhaps Grandpa's all around the world will tell heroic tales of their days as cavalrymen to their grandchildren around a campfire, or before bed, such as mine did.

 

[Direwolf Jon]

Poetry

 

A Love Poem of Sorts

(by Felicur)

 

We’ve fought this battle

so many times, you and I,

 

it’s safe to say it’s not

a simple case of length

 

or size, nor a question

of vacuum between spaces,

 

or creating a conduit

by opening windows, doors.

 

Each day I shudder

at your touch, recoil

 

against the wall, redirect

the spray of the shower head

 

to far corners. I loathe those

pawing advances, the way

 

you stick to my skin,

try your best to smother me,

 

but, somehow, you still

hang on the shower rail -

 

have I grown cowardly, numb,

accustomed to your touch?

 

 

Tonight I can write the saddest lines*

(by Felicur)

 

Tonight I can write the saddest lines.

 

I can write the moon sags low

and a multitude of stars twinkle

mournfully in the pale night.

 

I miss you. There is no doubt.

 

Tonight your rasped breathing is absent

from this cold bed, where usually you

lie by my side dizzy with fatigue.

 

I love you. That too is certain.

 

I tire of this night. Inside

impatience swells for tomorrow

when I will see your shining face.

 

Tonight I can write the saddest lines.

 

The melancholic wind carries my words

across a plaintive sky. I write

these lines in case those words are lost.

 

*Line taken from Viente Poemas de Amor y una Canción Deseperada by Pablo Neruda. (XX – ‘Puedo Escribir’…line translation- ‘Puedo escribir los versos más tristes esta noche’.)

 

 

Fiesta de las Fallas

(by Felicur)

 

Throughout the day petrados explode,

clouding the air with anticipation

for the celebration that lies ahead.

 

Valencia has felt the vibrations,

thousands throb through it's centre

eager to see the Fallas.

 

They've arrived armed -

afraid to miss one moment,

convinced they'll capture all.

 

Hammers at the ready,

fingers press triggers,

shots flicker everywhere.

 

Apathetic, unmoved,

Fallas simply stare down

knowing there's greater sights in store.

 

When light takes it's leave

large groups gather, assume positions

around chosen targets; wait.

 

Suddenly night blossoms -

fiery petals open out

to hushed awe, loud applause.

 

This sparks the Fallas into life,

they react, flare up, burn

to death - synthetic skin

 

melting first, as they slowly

crumple into themselves to end

unrecognizable smouldering heaps.

 

I watch and wonder, from Space,

could all this smoke be taken

for signal fire, cries for help.

 

[Direwolf Jon]

 

July Competition Winners

(by Bridmorgan, XO)

 

This month we have one winner this month, in one Competition.  I have to admit, I'm running out of things to say here in the opening paragraph when there's only one winner.  ;)  But a huge kudos goes out to our winner for playing our Competition.

 

Our winner has won the Caption the Picture contest!  This gets him 2 Org points!  And I bet you're on the edge of your seat with anticipation, waiting for me to tell you who it is......okay!  Fine!!  It's Arrandion!!!  Way to go Arra and congratulations!!!  You've won 2 Org points!!! And thanks for playing!!

 

Catch all the excitement in this months issues of the Hornsounder Competitions!!

 

[Direwolf Jon]

August Competitions

 

Caption the Picture for August~open to everyone

(by Paladin DJ)

 

Your job is to find a suitable caption to fit with the picture blow. It can be something people in the pic might say, think or a general text that you feel would go great with the picture.

 

Instructions:

- send in your idea to Paladin DJ before 20 September 2008

- only submissions sent in by PM to Paladin DJ will be considered

- only 1 submission per player

 

Winners:

- the 5 best submissions will be chosen by the Hornsounder team in a poll

- the winning submissions will be posted in the next Edition of the Hornsounder

- Banders will earn 1 org point

- medal pin will be bestowed on all winners

 

This month's picture:

 

 

Sudoku for August~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 September 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!

 

 

[Direwolf Jon]

August's games

 

Sudoku

 

 

Easy

 

Medium

[Direwolf Jon]

Answers to Last Month's Games

 

Competitions:

 

Sudoku

 

Caption the Pic

 

The Pic

 

1st Place Caption:  Scientists' hope for getting more information from UFO vessels can finally be fulfilled. A new species of UFO-intercepting-dog has been created in NASA genetic labs. Here, a red-fur male is being taught how to catch baby-UFO.

 

 

Games

 

Easy Sudoku

 

Medium Sudoku

[Direwolf Jon]

Jokes

 

Retail Spirits

(by Arrandion)

 

One night, after closing time a barman is sitting at his bar minding his own buisiness, when a spectral hound floats in through the door. The barman, being an exceptionally cool kind of guy, asks "yeah, what do you want?". The phantom hound explains, in a haunting voice "I've lost my tail...... and cannot rest until a kindly barman stitches it back-on". At this request the barman stands back astonished and says to the phantom dog..... "Sorry, but we don't re-tail spirits at this time of night".

 

 

Blue Suit, Black Suit

(by Arrandion)

 

A woman goes into a funeral home to make arrangements for her husband's funeral. She tells the director that she wants her husband to be buried in a dark blue suit. He asks, "Wouldn't it just be easier to bury him in the black suit that he's wearing?" But she insists that it must be a blue suit and gives him a blank check to buy one. When she comes back for the wake, she sees her husband in the coffin and he is wearing a beautiful blue suit. She tells the director how much she loves the suit and asks how much it cost. He says, "Actually, it didn't cost anything. The funniest thing happened. As soon as you left, another corpse was brought in, this one wearing a blue suit. I noticed that they were about the same size, and asked the other widow if she would mind if her husband were buried in a black suit. She said that was fine with her. So... I switched the heads."

 

 

Newborn Sibling

(by Arrandion)

 

A country doctor went way out to the boondocks to deliver a baby. It was so far out, there was no electricity. When the doctor arrived, no one was home except for the laboring mother and her 5-year-old child. The doctor instructed the child to hold a lantern high so he could see, while he helped the woman deliver the baby. The child did so, the mother pushed and after a little while, the doctor lifted the newborn baby by the feet and spanked him on the bottom to get him to take his first breath. The doctor then asked the 5-year-old what he thought of the baby. "Hit him again," the 5-year-old said. "He shouldn't have crawled up there in the first place!"

 

 

Sharing

(by Arrandion)

 

A young man saw an elderly couple sitting down to lunch at McDonald's. He noticed that they had ordered one meal, and an extra drink cup. As he watched, the gentleman carefully divided the hamburger in half, then counted out the fries, one for him, one for her, until each had half of them. Then he poured half of the soft drink into the extra cup and set that in front of his wife. The old man then began to eat, and his wife sat watching, with her hands folded in her lap. The young man decided to ask if they would allow him to purchase another meal for them so that they didn't have to split theirs. The old gentleman said, "Oh no. We've been married 50 years, and everything has always been and will always be shared, 50/50." The young man then asked the wife if she was going to eat, and she replied, "It's his turn with the teeth."

 

 

Night at the Pub

(by el Nyn)

 

Paddy had been drinking at his local

Dublin pub all day and most of the night celebrating St Patrick's Day.

 

Mick, the bartender says, "You'll not

Be drinking anymore tonight Paddy.

 

 

Paddy replies, 'OK Mick, I'll be on my way then.'

 

Paddy spins around on his stool and

steps off. He falls flat on his face. 'Shoite' he says and pulls

himself up by the stool and dusts himself off.

 

He takes a step towards the door and

falls flat on his face, 'Shoite, Shoite!'

 

He looks to the doorway and thinks to

himself that if he can just get to the door and some fresh air he'll

be fine.

 

He belly crawls to the door and

Shimmies up to the door frame. He sticks his head outside and takes a deep

Breath of fresh air, feels much better and takes a step out onto the

sidewalk and falls flat on his face. 'Bi'Jesus... I'm f***in' f***ed,' he says.

 

He can see his house just a few doors

down, and crawls to the door, hauls himself up the door frame, opens

the door and shimmies inside.

 

He takes a look up the stairs and says

'No f***in' way'.

 

He crawls up the stairs to his bedroom

door and says 'I can make it to the bed.'

 

He takes a step into the room and falls

flat on his face.

 

He says 'F*** it' and falls into bed.

 

The next morning, his wife, Jess, comes

into the room carrying a cup of coffee and says, 'Get up Paddy. Did

you have a bit to drink last night?'.

 

Paddy says, 'I did Jess. I was f***in'

pissed. But how'd you know?'

 

'Mick phoned . . . Yo u left your

wheelchair at the pub.'

 

 

Dead Donkey

(by el Nyn)

 

Young Chuck, moved to Texas bought a donkey from a farmer for $100.00. The farmer agreed to deliver the donkey the next day. The next day he drove up and said, 'Sorry son, but I have some bad news, the donkey died.'

 

Chuck replied, 'Well, then just give me my money back.'

 

The farmer said, 'Can't do that. I went and spent it already.'

 

Chuck said, 'Ok, then, just bring me the dead donkey.'

 

The farmer asked, 'What ya gonna do with him?

 

Chuck said, 'I'm going to raffle him off.'

 

The farmer said, 'You can't raffle off a dead donkey!'

 

Chuck said, 'Sure I can Watch me... I just won't tell anybody he's dead.'

 

A month later, the farmer met up with Chuck and asked, 'What happened with that dead donkey?'

 

Chuck said, 'I raffled him off. I sold 500 tickets at two dollars a piece and made a profit of $898.00.'

 

The farmer said, 'Didn't anyone complain?'

 

Chuck said, 'Just the guy who won. So I gave him his two dollars back.'

[Direwolf Jon]

 

What exactly IS the Hornsounder?

 

Hornsounder is the Band of the Red Hand's monthly Newspaper. It evolved from a newsletter into a newspaper in March 2007 when Mystica took over as Editor in Chief and started a full restructuring and re-organisation of what once was not much more than a points earning tool.

 

Today, Hornsounder is a full sized newspaper that is run by a whole team of people and covers not only news from the Band but also offers a space to all other groups on Dragonmount to share their news and events with the rest of the community. Although the main focus remains on the Band, of course, it is a nice extra forum for other groups to get in touch with those that have not yet been in touch with them as well as offers their members a certain amount of pride to see their beloved group represented in this newspaper. (we hope... )

 

Hornsounder is open to everyone on DM, regardless of which group they belong to or don't belong to. And this in both ways. Whether you just want to read, play the games or participate in the Competitions, everyone is welcome to join in. The same goes for being actively involved in the Hornsounder as a reporter. Everyone is welcome to participate, write articles, offer a project they would like to run or simply get involved by offering ideas and suggestions to increase the quality of your newspaper.

 

There are some restrictions where positions are concerned, given that Hornsounder IS the Band's newspaper and therefore Banders do get priority on certain aspects. But this does not exclude the possibility of involvement for Non-Banders who wish to be an active part of it.

 

Interested in getting involved? contact Mystica through pm and she'll get back to you asap after assessing your suggestion/idea.

 

How does the Hornsounder work?

 

Hornsounder, like every real newspaper, is divided into Sections and some of those have Subsections.

 

Sections are shown by their individual Graphic Headers.

Subsections are shown in BLUE

 

The Reporter Teams.

Each Section is run by a Section Senior Reporter who is the coordinator of the entire Section, including the subsections. It is their job to make sure all the elements are submitted at the deadline given and meets the required quality standards. Some Subsections are in themselves so big that they too have been assigned a Section Senior Reporter.

 

The different Sections and Subsections are made up of a series of articles that can be made/written by either the SSR's or by other writers: Junior Reporters. They write parts of the Section contents and work closely together with the SSR's. They get to be mentioned as the author of the articles they write/make, and in case of a Bander get the points that go along with it.

 

Next to the Section Reporters we also have Project Reporters.

Senior Project Reporters are those in charge of a large project that almost certainly requires the help of Junior Reporters.

Junior Project Reporters are those in charge of small or medium sized projects and may (or may not) need assistance from Junior Reporters.

Which projects are Senior or Junior level is decided by the Editor in Chief on a case-to-case basis.

 

The Editorial Team is made up by an Editor in Chief, a Senior Editor, a Graphic Editor and Junior Editors. 

 

The Editor in Chief runs the whole newspaper. Creates and motivates the team, monitors progress and overlooks all Sections and everyone involved, gathers all the submissions and glues it all together into one coherent and appealing newspaper. The EiC also guards the quality of the newspaper, assesses new ideas/suggestions, implements new features and follows up on just about everything. The EiC has the final say on everything though should always strive to find the right balance between her team's ideas, the newspaper's needs and the readers' wishes.

 

The Senior Editor is the right hand of the EiC and picks up the reins in case the EiC is unable to perform the function. The SE is there to insure that the newspaper is published on time and with the set quality even if the EiC is indisposed.

 

The Graphic Editor is the left hand of the EiC and is in charge of all the graphical elements of the newspaper. From the Headers to the graphics in the articles, this is all the GE's domain. He/she is the one writers can turn to if they want to liven up their sections or articles with a graphical item.

 

The Junior Editor, are the assistants of the EiC and SE and tackle a variety of preperatory tasks on the editorial aspect of the Hornsounder. To become a JE one needs to be extremely active, willing and eager to work behind the scenes and be available for whatever the EiC and SE may need them for.

 

Hornsounder's Teams

 

Editorial Team

- Editor in Chief (EiC): Mystica

- Senior Editors (SE): Direwolf Jon, Bridmorgan

- Graphic Editor (GE): Son of Battles

- Junior Editor (JE):

 

Senior Section Reporters

- Band of the Red Hand: Mystica

- Band Org Game: TBD

- Music: TBD

- Columns: Mystica

- Lottery: Uasal

- Travel: TBD

- Banders Real Life: Clim

- Band Awards: Taymist

- JoTS monthly winner: Mystica

- Archer Regiment: El Nyn

- Cavalry Regiment: TBD

- Infantry Regiment: Kara

- Raw Recruits: Bridmorgan

- Redarms: Red Arm Leader of the Term

- Specials: Mystica

- Entertainment: Direwolf Jon

- Dragonmount: Mystica

- Wheel of Time: Taymist

 

How to be a part of the Hornsounder team.

 

If you would like to try your hand at being a reporter or you have an idea for a project, a game, a competition or you would like to participate in one of the Sections, then here's your chance!

 

Send a PM to Mystica with an outline of your idea or request.

She will assess it and give you an answer as soon as possible.

Note: Hornsounder claims the right to make any adjustments to your ideas that might be necessary to insure the quality and coherency of the newspaper.

[Samuraiflip05]

Great Work as usual.  Nice jokes in this one.  :D