Hornsounder - September Edition 2008

[Mystica]

 

Welcome to this month's edition of the Hornsounder!

 

Welcome back to The Hornsounder!! It seems like yesterday that we were preparing ourselves for a fantastic summer and already the clowds of Autumn are passing over our heads. School has restarted and hard working DMers have said goodbye to their vacation time for another year. A new year in the academic world and a new start for many of us in whatever direction. So too for the Hornsounder.

 

Both our Senior Editors underwent a major promotion in the Band and now are both part of the Band's Senior Staff. Bridmorgan, the previous Executive Officer in charge of the Raw Recruit program, was promoted to Under Commander of the Band or 2nd in command. DJ stood up and was promoted to take Brid's former position as XO and will now be handling the Raw Recruit program. On top of all this excitement the Hornsounder itself also welcomes some new Section Reporters with great pleasure! This new instream of enthusiasts will undoubtedly bring more and fresh talent to our newspaper and I for one can not wait to see what they come up with. Exciting times, for an exciting community!

 

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

 

Mystica

Editor in Chief

 

JoTS Winner of the Month 

 

This month's topic was: RJ, The Creator.

 

And the winner: Arrandion of the Infantry

 

Congratulations, Arrandion :)

 

The winning JoTS:

 

He Smiles at Us from Above

 

A wise man from the south

Brought us story and joy

Now he smiles at us from above

As we read with Jak o' the Shadows

 

A year has passed so quickly

And we still believe deeply

That Creator's hands hold him firmly

As we remember him with Jak o' the Shadows

 

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 brings you the Word from our Marshal-General, gives reasons to join the Band, and puts the spotlight on the new occurances of the Band.  Also in this section 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 for the last time, before handing over that task to her successor, DJ.

 

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. 

 

The Specials Section brings you a nice little collection of Columns and stories that will make you sit up and beg for more. We have Raw Recruit 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... Read the amazing poetry written by some of our members. Get those braincells to working and claim those prizes! Join in on any of this month's published competitions and claim your place in the spotlight from the Master of Entertainment, Direwolfjon himself. Do you think you have what it takes to be a competition master? Then pm DJ on the double with your idea and get yourself settled in for next month's edition!

 

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.

 

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. Want to read up on all the happenings over on the Role Playing side of the site? Well, this is the spot to check up on.

 

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

(by M-G Corki)

 

I know I have not got many articles written in the last few months, but life has been quite busy during the summer. And the fact I had limited internet access did not help. Between now and my last article, I have managed to graduate university with my 2.1 degree in Classics. I have also managed to start a new job as a trainee accountant and have been on a course already. I have also moved to a new flat to be closer to work, so my summer had been pretty hectic.

 

Now, here is a summary of what has happened in the Band during the summer.

 

Senior Staff Promotions

During August, Taymist announced that she would be stepping down as Under-Commander of the Band of the Red Hand ORG. It has been a privilege to work with her over the years, and the Infantry are glad she is staying on in the Barracks. As a result, BridMorgan was promoted from Executive Officer to Under-Commander, and is now in charge of ORG Points. And Direwolf Jon was appointed as the new Executive Officer, who has plenty of experience working with Raw Recruits. A big warm welcome to DJ as part of the Senior Staff!

 

Battle of the Bands

The competition finally finished in early September. The Grand Final was a hard fought battle between the Beatles (Champions of Pop) and Johnny Cash (Champion of Country), with the Beatles ultimately being victorious. In the 3rd/4th Play-off, Reggae Champion Bob Marley defeated Aretha Franklin, the Champion of Soul.

 

Band Idol

The Regimental Competition for September and October is Band Idol, and the Band and the show are touring the ORGs of DM. At each ORG, the 3 Regiments post their entries of Jak O' the Shadow verses, and it is down to the members of the visited ORG to decide the best verses. Also, the Band's Senior Staff act as judges deciding which Regiment has posted the best verses. 4 ORGs have been visited, being the Wolfkin, the Ogier, the White Tower and the Black Tower. The Kin are the latest ORG which the roadshow has visited.

 

Tune or No Tune

The weekly thread of "Tune or No Tune" continues to be a hit, with further information below. As part of the Band Idol tour, "Tune or No Tune" has been following us. So as well as Banders, other ORG members are deciding whether the chosen song was a Tune (i.e. you love it) or No Tune (i.e. you hate it).

 

Desert Island Disks

Myndrunner and Taymist are in the middle of their interview for Desert Island Disks – BotRH Style, and should be finishing shortly - once Tay's computer comes back to life.

 

The Wiki Site

This is going to be our big project for the next few months, as we create our wiki site. The site will be an archive of all the history of the Band, as well as being the source of all information about the ORG. It will be a valuable tool, and will grow in the weeks and months ahead. And hopefully in early October, the site will be opened for Banders to have access to as everyone gets involved to add stuff.

 

That is a lot of things going on in the Band of the Red Hand at the moment - and a lot of things that are open to everyone at DM. And hopefully you will get your chance to get involved with them, whether you are a Bander or not.

 

 

 

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]

Bander's Birthdays

(by Bridmorgan, XO)

 

Happy Birthday to all the Banders born in September!!  Not only is it the start of my favorite season, but the one, the only, the most Muppety of Org leaders celebrated his birthday this month!  So when you see Corki around, make sure you wish him a happy birthday the best way you know how!  Hopefully with some kind of torture or irritation involved.  That's always the most fun to watch!!  So from all of us at the Hornsounder, HAPPY SMOOCHDAY!!

 

 

9/1 - jelly

9/2 - dragonlover

9/3 - daimon, Kellan, Horus the Silver

9/5 - myles

9/8 - amalasan, morholt

9/10 - conningofficer, harmony

9/11 - Danya

9/12 - inkcubate

9/13 - asmojahn

9/14 - Kieran, Thorum

9/15 - Amavia

9/22 - JR, themasterdude

9/24 - Corki, clonebuster, Soyo Boyo, suresh

9/26 - entity, jester

9/28 - drakain, midian

9/29 - darrow

 

 

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 September 2008

 

 

Marshal-General: Corki

 

Under-Commander: BridMorgan

 

Executive Officer: Direwolf Jon

 

 

Commissioned Officers

 

Banner-Captains:  Auld Manriva, Taymist, Footman, Mystica, F Horn of Valere

 

Captains:  Arrandion, Froix

 

Lieutenant-Captains:  Katiora, Kristine, el Nynaeve, Kara_J

 

Senior-Lieutenants:  Kingkastchei, Climhazzard, Amavia, Dragonlover, snin83, Samuraiflip05, woolhead

 

Lieutenants:  Mayleigh, demonspawn, 12th Regiment, Dicetosser1, Lanette, Daetirion, Talya, Cairos

 

Under-Lieutenants:  Zeth Alley, Nighteyes, Feral

 

 

Enlisted

 

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

 

Sergeants:  Mr. Soy Boyo, Goldeneyes101/Moose, thewindsoftime, Nynaeve, Felicur, Moghedian

 

Corporals:  Naeann, Imperium, Dahmir, Cu'chulainn/Farcrie

 

Privates First Class:  Myrelle, Ravynne

 

Privates:  mottlee

 

Raw Recruits:  Razzmatazz, Barmacral, Shan an Daishar, Cannibal-Corpse, Redust, Terrapin, jacensolo3, Aielhrt, Elbar

 

Bander's Real Life Stories

(compiled by Direwolf Jon)

 

These past few months have appeared to be pretty quiet on the RL front for the banders, however that is never a true statement.  Although events might not always be reported, Bander's have a lot going on in their lives.  This month we have one happy story brought to us by the newly returned Lady Taluka!

 

The Bundle of Chaos

(by Lady Taluka)

 

Tal and family welcome to the ranks, Lara Ruby (Ladybug). Ladybug was brought into this world on 10th August 2008 at 11:55pm. The little Page weighed in at 7lb 10oz and 55cm (21.7 inches) long. Lara Ladybug is the little sister of Josie the Goldenhaired.  The family is overjoyed by this new addition!

[Mystica]

 

News From The Range!

(by El Nyn)

 

Hello again as we say goodbye to September and hello to October. We have a lot of new things to report from the enormous tavern that is the Range and a few spotfines among the usual spam and craziness that is the Archers. ;D

 

New Leadership

 

Last month, we announced that el Nynaeve would be stepping down as Captain-General and waited on tenter-hooks to see who would be assuming the position. We are please to say that Samuraiflip has stepped up and donned the mantle of CG along with his trusty staff, Lieutenant-General el Nynaeve, Banner-General Snin, the RLOs of the term Snin and Moghedian and his legion of RAs Dragonlover, Moghedian and Amavia. We wish them all the best of luck and several lines of flaming shots in their new roles!

 

Promotions

 

September 1:

 

From Snr Lieutenant to Lieutenant Captain:

Lt Captain el Nynaeve

 

From Lieutenant to Senior Lieutenant:

Snr Lt Samuraiflip

 

From Corporal to Sergeant:

Sgt Moghedian

 

September 15:

 

There were no promotions within the Archers this period.

 

RLO Business

 

September has seen a steady flow of Raw Recruits joining us for their week in the Range, keeping our new RLOs fairly busy. It keeps them out of trouble in any case. ;) Our first recruit of the month was Redust, who started us off by writing a review response and then serving up drinks as usual in the Broken Arrow Tavern. His third task was to write up an article for future recruits on how to avoid breaking Band laws in hopes of avoiding a spotfine himself! Next through was aielhrt who wrote up an article on archery to get him started before moving on to serving us yet more drinks in one of our many taverns. He is still working on his third task, which is to open up shop and sell us Archers as many sweet or weird steins as he can. Hey we need something to put all that brew in! :D Our next recruit was Terrapin, who also responded to a review before he was commissioned to build us a new inn/tavern called the Twin Daggers Inn II and did a great job on it too. His final task was to take part in our game of Ready, Aim, Shoot the Lie to see if we could get to know him better. Our final recruit of the month was elbar, who wrote us another article relating to the Archers, before taking up the all important bar duties. Yes we make all our recruits tend bar, we drink a lot. ;D His final task will be to find one of us sober (hopefully) Archers and conduct a small interview. Our RLOs have done a good job this month and here's to hoping that next month is as good as the last two have been.

 

Regimental Competition

 

We're still waiting on the results of the competition from July and August, but the one for September and October is well under way and going well. We've all gone through the Wolfkin, Ogier, White Tower and are currently at the Black Tower with our very own version of Band Idol. Hopefully the abscene of any Simon Cowell-esque figures will make this a lot more humourous than the real version. :P We'll update you on our progress in next month's issue!

 

Redarm Business

 

A new term means new Redarms to break in  and give them a chance to stretch their legs and creativity. However, every single one of our Archers decided to behave themselves this month and not a one got a spottie. Either they've turned over a new leaf or they got away with more than they should have. ;D That does not mean that our RAs didn't hand out any spottie, oh no, we had a few people come visiting who broke the law. Samuraiflip was forced to hand out a mass spotfine just before he left to become CG at the beginning of the month to Cairos, Ravynne McCoy, Redust, Felicur, Imperium, Fia, 12th and Direwolf Jon for making absolute mayhem at the Range, involving assaults and destruction among so many other things, it's hard to list it all! Their punishment was to reenact Monty Python's Quest for the Holy Grail as the Broadway Banders. That is probably the last time we invite the Cavalry into the Range. Dragonlover was also forced to spotfine Imperium yet again for assault on two superior officers and was made to write a verse on why it's bad to assault your superiors and being polite to a woman. Some people just don't learn their lessons. ::)

 

Journey to Assassin

 

The Journey to Assassin is what all our new Archers undertake upon joining our regiment. It helps them develop their skills as an Archer and cements their dedication to our hard working regiment. They start off as an Apprentice before moving onto Journeyman/Journeywoman and with hard work, they will achieve the rank of Assassin and taking the title of Sora or Frato and joining the Brotherhood of their choice.

 

Assassins:

 

Brotherhood of the Rose - Sora Jeannaisais and Sora el Nynaeve

 

Brotherhood of the Lily - Frato Snin

 

Journeyman/woman: Dragonlover, Samuraiflip and Alishandra

 

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

 

[Mystica]

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

(By Imperium)

 

Greetings from the Yard!!

 

There is some news from the cavalry.... there is actually going to be a cavalry regimental article...book...thing...

 

September has bought about the change to the structure of the band and the Cavalry's leader for the new term is Lady Mayleigh. May will be joined by Sir DJ as her Lieutenant General and Sir Cairos as her Banner General. Our crime stopping red arms for the new term are Sir Manriva, Sir Horn and Squire Tiren. Finally our Recruit Handlers (RLOs) are Squire Nocturne and Squire Felicur. I am sorry but we can't announce the leaders of the Knightly Orders for reasons which can't be disclosed!

 

There has been 4 additions to the cavalry this month. The first was myself, usually there is a good luck message and a prayer that there are good things to come, but how can I do that to myself..

The second addition to the cavalry was Mottlee, we wish her luck in the cavalry and hope she enjoys the progress towards knighthood through the various programmes. The third addition was Redust and we also wish him luck in the cavalry and look forward to him progressing through the ranks. Enjoy Redust! Last but by no means least is our newest addition Terrapin, watching what he has been like as a recruit, there is another mischief maker on his way here. We again wish him a great time with the cavalry.

 

In August there were 2 new additions to the cavalry. Both of these individuals are causing utter mayhem all around the band! They have both entered into the page programme working their way towards squire hood. Chivalry might go out the window if/when these two become fully fledged knights.

 

Since the last horses mouth, the squire formerly known as Cairos got his much deserved (apparently, wasn't around to check) knighthood and now goes under the guise of Sir Cairos. Many foes are expected to feel the wrath of this fearsome Sarmation and his steed Storm Rider (Despite many calls for it to be called Snowflake...)

 

Felicur has passed the page stage of his development and has declared that he is to squire as a Templar! All should congratulate Manny for finally getting someone to join him!

 

Our redarms have also been busy trying to catch 'supposed' criminals. Manny lead the way, as he spot fined an unnamed person, after a cowardly tip off! Tiren then proceeded to spot fine Dice in the very confusing situation!

 

Promotions this month

 

15th September

 

From Corporal to Sergeant

Sgt. Felicur

 

From Raw Recruit to Corporal

Cpl. Imperirum

 

From Raw Recruit to Private

Pvt. Mottlee

 

1st September

 

From Lieutenant to Senior-Lieutenant

Sr. Lt. woolhead

 

From Under-Lieutenant to Lieutenant

Lt. Cairos

 

From Sergeant to Master Sergeant

Mst. Sgt. Nocturne

 

From Raw Recruit to Corporal

Cpl. Felicur

 

From Raw Recruit to Private First Class

P.F.C. Ravynne McCoy

 

Promotions from previous Months

 

1st August

 

From Lieutenant-Captain to Captain

Cpt. Froix

 

From Sergeant to Master Sergeant

Mst. Sgt. Tiren Sormia

 

1st July

 

From Master Sergeant to Under Lieutenant

Udr. Lt. Cairos

 

From Corporal to Sergeant

Sgt. Nocturne

Sgt. Goldeneyes101/Moose

Sgt. Nynaeve

 

All the Cavalry would like to congratulate those who have been promoted during these time frames

 

Raw Recruit Roundup

(by Felicur)

 

September was a mixed bag for the Cavalry regiment regards Raw Recruits; like proverbial buses we had a load of them at the beginning of the month and none towards the end.

 

Mottlee was the first to do her RR training week in September. She spent a great week entertaining us with her comedy videos and skits. She had members of the Cavvie in stitches as we popped in to watched the videos she selected for us. Mottlee was the winner in her joust with our brand new CG Lady May. Both put in a fine performance but May had to pull up with injury, though fair play to you Mottlee, getting one over the CG already!

 

Terrapin was the next RR to do his training week. He’d a fantastic time jousting with Sir Cairos…so much so that he sneaked back into the Cavalry boards to finish the exchange when he was supposed to be somewhere else (that a boy, didn’t get caught either!). We all tuned in to watch the exchange but unfortunately he lost, but he’ll take some pride from his brave attempt. Terrapin also enjoyed a game of 20 questions where he quickly deduced and unmasked DJ as the source of the questions. His article about ‘Horses in warfare prior to the Roman Empire’ is well worth a read, and is in fact included in this issue.

 

Elbar came next and proved himself a dab hand at the joust gaining an impressive draw with our very own Joust Master DJ, asking and answering some tough questions. He also wrote a two verse JoTS about the antics that go on in the Cavalry. For his final task, Elbar entertained us with his comedy thread…telling us WoT related jokes that although a bit cheesy at times you they had us splitting out sides as we eagerly popped in and out of the thread after each of his posts. And, you have to hand it to him as Elbar can definitely see the funny side of WoT.

 

Fia was the final RR through the yard this month. She has had a stop start time as RR as her computer started to play up in her; lucky us, as she got to spend a longer than normal period of time with us! When she did get on she showed a high level of astuteness by deciphering rhyming couplets to pin a donkeys tail on various members of the cavalry. Heehee and a fertile imagination with her choice of placement of the pins...as I can testify as I got pinned myself!

 

All in all the Cavalry enjoyed an exciting and entertaining month with a great blend of RR’s. We can only hope that October will be as eventful!

[Mystica]

Welcome to Infantry Row!

(by Kristine)

 

Food fight!!

With the return of WindsofTime asking what was going on in the Barracks, and what had change… somehow a food fight broke out. The fight is ongoing, so a winner of the tossed salad bowl can’t be named since the custard is still slinging. Though, I do have it on very good authority that the CG was ready to call in the Red Arms at one point when someone dared to bring Sprouts to the party.

 

The Hammock

As addressed later in this article, The Three Hammock Inn XXII went under renovations during Impy’s time as a raw recruit. In his Arcade room was a jousting area, a mud pit, and an archery range. The Joust area needed a bit of tweaking, and while he was performing that service… a mud wrestling brawl broke out that encompassed every patron that wandered into the Inn. This ended with the Inn needing to be closed and reopened under a different name and separating the Arcade from the Inn to preserve the… “relaxing” atmosphere of the Hammock Inn.

 

Life started off fairly normal in the new Three Hammock Inn XXIII. The regulars and several new faces came in and hopped in various hammocks and ordered drinks and were generally lazing about enjoying sun, swaying and sipping… then mischief entered the Inn. A certain page has brought spotfines into the Inn and with it Tar and Feathers now adorn the Inn – as well as several of its patrons!

 

Tavern of the Red Hand #31

There are times you feel old, and when you can remember when the Tavern was on number 1 or 2… yeah, you’re old. The former CG –turned – RA opened this tavern with a round on the house. Great way to get any party started! Soon we had several recruits in trouble for dodging their regimental assignments so that they could get a taste of the Guinfantry that we keep on tap. Shame shame, but fun all the same! The Tavern went under a change of décor at the hands of Mottlee and Terrapin redecorating the place. Mottlee worked on the aesthetics with some brilliant artwork, tapestries, tables and chairs while Terrapin provided barbeque utensils, Guinfantry dartboard, a St. Patty’s Day mug filled with brews and a barkeeper’s piano. Can’t wait to play and drink at that one! RR Fia came in around that time to act as the barkeeper for this bunch, serving up drinks and smiles to all who entered. A discussion of antacids and brand names broke out, but the language barrier was soon overcome by Kara and Tay. Horses are now welcomed in the Tavern for ear scratches and a pint, as long as they leave all evidence outside. In fact, animals of all sorts have been appearing in the Tavern lately. So, two legs or four, walk, run or trot on in for a good time.

 

Arcade

As part of a recruit assignment, Impy was assigned to add a room onto the existing Three Hammock Inn. When it was apparent that the Inn was going to be closing down, the Arcade was born. Imp’s Three Regiment Arcade opened with three gaming stations, one representing each of the regiments. A broom and saucer jousting area, a mud pit for fighting or tugging for the Infantry, and a moving target gallery representing the archers. So far none of the infants have been able to stay on their “horses” long enough to complete a joust, but lots of laughs have been had by all! Looking forward to seeing how this area develops. Definitely have plans for the recruits and this arcade.

 

Changing of the guard

The beginning of September saw a changing of the Guard as far as the leadership of the Infantry. Kristine took over as the Captain General, a position that she’s had some experience with in the past, while Tay stepped down from Under Commander to step in as the Second in Command – the Lieutenant General Daetirion has stepped up as the Banner General. Kara, Kastchei, and Arrandion have taken over being the Red Arms keeping the Infantry safe from “bending” too many rules. Kastchei and Naeann are greeting and tasking the Recruits as they come into the Infantry and pushing them into the latrines with the best of them.

 

Blademaster Avermind

In a ceremony deep in the hidden caves, Arrandion was bestowed with the Blademaster title after completing a very arduous spar with Blademaster Bellona (Kara) that has gone down in history as the closest blademaster spar to ever taken place thus far. Arrandion proved himself more than worthy of the Pin, blade mark, and cloak and received all three from the hands of the blademasters. His chosen name is Blademaster Avermind, and he now takes his place in the Infantry as one of the elite fighters and examples that we have. Make sure to congratulate the new blademaster, but challenge him to a spar at your own risk!

 

Promoted Infants

We had several Infants promoted at the first of the month:

 

From Under-Lieutenant to Lieutenant

 

Lt. Lanette of the Infantry

Lt. Daetirion of the Infantry

Lt. Talya of the Infantry

 

From Private First Class to Corporal

Cpl. Dahmir of the Infantry

 

Recruits

The Infantry hosted quite a few recruits from the very end of August to the 25th of September. Below are the highlighs from their time spent within our area.

 

Terrapin took on the task of going into the Tavern of the Red hand and seeing to the remodeling of the place. He provided barbeque utensils, Guinfantry dartboard, a St. Patty’s Day mug filled with brews and a barkeeper’s piano. He also took some time to answer various questions posed to him in the Recruit Q&A thread.

Mottlee provided the infantry first with several verses of JotS to sing and march along to:

 

I'll try to do my task on here,

you might not want to be to near

or you will need to get a beer

till I scare Jak o' the shadows

 

I need to write this verse my last

so I’ll have done all my verses task

but guess what it won't be my last

so I’ll now dance with Jak o' the shadows

 

After these verses he too went to the Tavern of the Red Hand to see if he could spruce the place up a bit. Mottlee worked on the aesthetics with some brilliant artwork, tapestries, tables and chairs a sure sign he was trying to see to classing up the place! He also appeared in the Recruit Q&A thread for some light grilling.

 

Fia goes down in history as the only recruit not to conform to our latrine initiation… I think we got our sthingy back, but I’m not sure, I’ll have to check with our sthingy collector. She did serve in the Tavern of the Red Hand as bartender for her with us and took her question – most on her artwork – in the Recruit Q&A thread.

 

Imperium swept into the Barracks with a joke and a mischevious glint in his eye that only grew stronger the longer he was with us. He started us off with several verses of JotS that got us marching and humming along:

 

We march to battle together

Our stories are told forever

People think we are not clever

To dance with Jak O' the Shadows

 

We do our talking with our swords

And fight against enemy warlords

But there are no higher rewards

Than to fight with Jak O' the Shadows

 

After singing and much merriment, Impy took on the task of remodeling a room in the Three Hammocks Inn. In this room he added an arcade area that has since become the Three Regiment Arcade – a place where each of the regiments has an area that represents something about that regiment: A joust area, a mud pit, and a gallery shooting range. Last stop on his trek through the barracks, Impy took some time to interview the Current CG of the Infantry... below is the transcript of that interview.

 

Interview with Kristine:

 

*Imp settles into a nice comfy chair and settles down waiting for his victim.....er no thats not right....his interviewee*

 

*Kris walks in and looks around.* Been a while since I've done one of these. *Sits down in a rather comfy chair, pours some water into a glass, makes a face at it, and takes a sip*

 

Kristine: Alright, I'm here!

 

Impy: what do you enjoy about being captain general of the infantry?

 

Kristine: The power of course.

 

Kidding, sort of *grins*

 

When you're the CG of the infantry - probably any regiment - you get people coming to you, bringing ideas, concerns, comments, or questions. You get to know the people that come in and out of the regiment on a regular basis and you get to put your stamp on something that could become a longstanding thing.

 

You become the conductor, so to speak. And if you do your job well, people appreciate the wonderful orchestra and applaud them, and you get to sit back and smile.

 

Impy: whats the best prank you have ever seen on these forums?

 

Kristine: Ohh... that one is going to take some thought...

 

Blade and Goldeneyes used to pull some real doozies.

 

I think my favorite was when the CGs/LGs of the regiments were kidnapped from their regiments and hauled away from the camps by a certain scoundrel of a pirate and held there to party and play till the rest of the regiments caught up with us.

 

Impy: when you were a kid, what did you want to be?

 

Kristine: A Veterinarian. I've always loved animals.

 

Though I did want to be an astronaut before Challenger blew up on the pad. That sort of changed my mind a touch.

 

Impy: what is your favourite film?

 

Kristine: That's a hard one... it usually depends on what mood I'm in.

 

I really like The Green Mile - it pulls at me each time I watch it, but the Lord of the Rings trilogy also hits me pretty good too.

 

Being a southern gal, I have to love Steel Magnolia's from the chick flick category.

 

But overall the film that I can't change the channel if its on, and will watch it if I see it - Roman Holiday. Love seeing Audrey Hepburn at her start.

 

Impy: *in the bridge keepers voice*

 

what is your favourite colour?

 

I like LOTR but i thought alot of the third was weak

 

Kristine: Oh the third was weak, they could have really played up more of the battles and the trek across Mordor - but that was plenty of Shelob for me!

 

And I prefer to call him the man from scene 24 - a rather good seen, with good lighting and *GET ON WITH IT!* right...

 

My favorite color is purple.

 

Impy: what was your favourite cartoon as a kid?

 

Kristine: He-man

 

Couldn't get enough of the man from Eternia.

 

Impy: power of gray skull!

 

what is your favourite colour?

 

oh wait done that one...

 

hmmmm

 

where is the best place you have ever visited?

 

Kristine: Oh, that's easy.

 

I went to London for my honeymoon several years ago.

 

So far, that's my favorite place I've visited.

 

Impy: fair enough, I don't like London but there we go

 

what is your biggest regret?

 

Kristine: That's a tough one...

 

One motto I have is do nothing that you'll regret, and if you do something stupid, don't regret it, learn from it.

 

That being said, I think the only regret I have is not traveling more before I settled down.

 

Impy: have you ever broken a bone?

 

Kristine: nope!

 

Closest I've gotten was my nose, but that's not bone, and I didn't have to get it set or braced or anything... just got a bump.

 

Impy: can I still ask questions despite no longer being your recruit?

 

Kristine: Sure, if you have more to ask, but I am marking you as complete.

 

Impy: what is your favourite type of take away?

 

Kristine: Hmm...

 

Well, depends. The Chinese places around don't deliver, so that's my favorite take away as far as having to go pick it up a good sweet and sour chicken with an eggroll and fried rice... for delivery, we have this wonderful place down south called Steak Out where they deliver steak dinners of various sorts - pork and chicken too. From them I like a nice medium rare steak tips with a loaded baked potato and side salad with honey mustard dressing.

 

Impy: who is your favourite artist/band?

 

Kristine: Another good question

 

I'd have to go with Runrig for the Celtic side of me, and Atreyu for the metal girl in me...

 

Though I love Floggin Molly and Dropkick Murphys too.

 

Impy: Who is your favourite WoT character?

 

Kristine: Hmmm... might have to think on that one...

 

Maybe Amys. She's a fighter and a leader. Even though she had to give up the spear, she still fights in her own ways.

 

Out of the main characters... Lan. There's so much we don't know about him that makes him very mysterious.

 

Impy: so you like tall dark mysterious men then?

 

Kristine: What gal wouldn't!!

[Mystica]

 

Raw Recruits of the Band

(by Lady Bridmorgan, U-C)

 

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 September we had four Recruits graduate and one earned their Raw Recruit Stripe!!! Our graduates were Imperium, mottlee, Redust and Terrapin and all chose the Cavalry.  Congratulations to you and I know you'll all 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 September is:  Terrapin

 

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

 

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

 

7 - Infantry

14 - Cavalry

5 - Archers

 

Missing In Action figures are very reasonable with 14 out of 48 Recruits going MIA this year and we have 2 new Recruits working their way through their training at the moment. A warm welcome to Elbar and illiara who are currently going through their Recruit time. 

 

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

 

This is a bit of a sad article for me to write, but also a happy one.  Sad because it will be the last RR article I write as I move on to the U-C position.  Happy because I know I'm leaving the XO position in great hands.  I want to welcome Direwolf Jon into the XO spot and I know the RLOs and RRs are in great hands.  Congratulations to DJ and his team! 

 

I want to thank all of the RLOs I've worked with since January, you all really did make my work so much easier.  You guys were great!!

 

RLOs for the September/October Term:

 

Archers:

Snin

Moghedian

 

Cavalry:

Nocturne

Felicur

 

Infantry:

Kast

Naeann

 

See you next month with more RR antics!

[Mystica]

Raw Recruit Articles

 

Horse Training: Lesson 6 – Teaching Your Horse How to Hug

(RR Redust)

 

Who doesn't need a hug sometimes? Of course it would be difficult to teach a horse to give a human type hug. But he can give you a hug with his neck and head.

 

You don't need to clicker train first--but the training may go faster if you do. The clicker simply makes it easier to give praise at the exact instant the horse does something correct. Clicking is even faster than saying, "Yes!" to reward the behavior and therefore more accurate.

 

What You'll Need

 

• A clicker (or your close attention so you can praise at the right instant).

• Small treats like carrot slices, sugar cubes, horse crunch, apple pieces. Your horse will probably like a variety. (I find that whiskey does the job quite nicely.)

• A roomy pocket or an old fanny pack to hold the treats.

• Ten minutes of time a few times a day.

• Your horse in a loose stall, or round pen, or in a quiet stable aisle with a halter and lead rope. The horse can't be tied or you will restrict his head movement.

 

How much overall time you will need will depend on the horse or pony. Some learn more quickly than others.

 

Teach Your Horse to Give a Hug

 

If your horse is target trained, stand with your back to your horse, hold the target over one shoulder and move it down towards the opposite hip. Encourage the horse to step forward and reach downwards over your shoulder to touch the target. You may have to back up a bit and position yourself to make it easier for him at first.

 

Alternately, you could hold a treat in one hand, and as the horse nuzzles your hand for the treat, bring that hand down towards your opposite hip.

 

When the horse is in the position you want him in, “click and treat”, or give the treat. Eventually, you won't need the treat each time you need a hug.

 

Now, if your horse isn’t target trained, you may have to train it.  It will make the task easier in the end.  For lessons on target training, go to Lesson 4*.

 

And if your horse doesn’t go for the treats, maybe a little whiskey is in order.  It’s how I trained ol’ Pomegranate Whiskey.  And if the horse doesn’t respond well to the whiskey, you may not have the right whiskey.

 

Speaking of the right kind of whiskey for your horse, come on down the Red Horse-Whiskey Dust Company.  We’ve got all flavors here – even ones you never heard of.  We’re like Crayola, but with alcohol.  Bring your horse and we’ll put it through some easy, fun and time-consuming taste tests that are sure to find the right flavor for your faithful (or faithless, depending) steed.  And remember, brew does count as payment.

 

Back to the lesson at hand, keep your lessons brief.  10 minutes at the most should do it.  Between lessons, go do some chores (wink), drink some brew, have a brawl.  Come back and start again.  Sooner or later, your horse will be giving you hugs as soon as you walk up to them.

 

That just about does it for this Lesson.  Stay tuned for Lesson 7 – Teaching Your Horse How to Stand Upright.  See you then.

 

*Note: Lesson 4 does not actually exist in this particular guide.  In fact, there isn’t a Lesson 6 or 7 for that matter.*

 

 

Growing Up in the Woods

(by RR Aiel@Heart)

 

Having grown up only in the woods and broad sweeping uneven terrain, as my mind and body evolved so did my woodland skills. Amongst the primary ones, were learning how to walk without making a sound,of course, this entailed me to stalk up on animals, which eventually entailed me to learn to stalk on people(you see, if one is able to stalk, study and sneak right up to the hind leg of a wild dog, humans, especially ignorant ones at that, are no match). Another important vital skill I picked up was the exquisite art of Archery. I first started with making my own rather crude bows and arrows as a youth. The Oaks were a study in patience and ancient wisdom, but they made poor staves for bows. It was not too long before I realized the sturdy yet pliable aged heavy branches of the Eucalyptus made for much better bows. Soon enough, I was making solid longbows capable of delivering arrows upto 150 yards, which was not bad considering I used natural resources. The arrows were my specialty though, I enjoyed carving out perfectly aerodynamic arrows and creating wedges in them for the placement of my steel arrowheads and sturdy feathers from the mindboggling pigeon population. I loved the fluid creaks of my bow and sturdy natural fiber wire being drawn almost beyond my head, the sharp creaking crisp in my ears. The tension of the bow from my left hand to the tension of the string in my left hand coursing through me awaiting the perfect moment. The perfect moment, it tends to keep in beat with your heart…soon, all I see is the point where I want to touch. Release…the sharp twang of the string ringing thru my ears as hands and eyes follow thru the motion. Archery is most indeed an art.

 

 

Horses in Warfare prior to the Roman Empire

(by RR Terrapin)

 

Horses have played an influential part in the development of military tactics and applications throughout history. As early as 3000 BC, horses have been applied to warfare in tandem with chariots, the precursor to cavalry. Chariots are basically a light, fast platform with a semicircle for protection in the front that were pulled by a team of horses, up to four, and primarily used with bows or javelins. The oldest manual on training horses for chariot warfare has been dated to the Hittite New Kingdom, circa 1350 BC, and was written by Hittite horse master Kikkuli the Mitanni. The first chariot can be dated back to ancient Mesopotamia, around 3000 BC, and gradually spread through out the ancient world. Chariots continued to be the premier use of horses in warfare for thousands of years including the Hyksos invasion of Egypt; but, by this time the yoke, similar to one used with oxen, had been replaced with a breast collar and breach which allowed for greater freedom for the horse and power in pulling the cart. During the Bronze and Iron Ages, horses where not strong enough to bear the combined weight of rider and armor; however, as breeding became more prominent, horses became strong enough to bear an armored rider and thus the age of the chariot in warfare gave way to the Cavalry.

 

One of the first applications of horses being ridden in cavalry warfare was archers or javelin throwers; however, they usually were accompanied by a handler on the ground so they were not truly used as cavalry yet. It was the Assyrians who developed the cavalry in response to the frequent raids from nomadic tribes to the north, such as the Cimmerians. By mid-600 BC the Assyrians had learned to sit forward in there saddles and this was the birth of the first Light Cavalry. The ancient Greek civilization used light cavalry as well, and around 360 BC the Greek Cavalry Officer Xenophon wrote a manual on training horses called Hippike, on horsemanship. There were many civilizations which used cavalry in battle, but it was not until the development of the saddle and stirrup that cavalry really took a leap forward in its effectiveness on the battlefield.

 

Seeking protection from the horse's spine and withers, riders learned to pad the backs of their mount and apparently Xenophon mentions the use of padding as early as the Fourth Century BC. However, it was the Scythians and Assyrians who attached a girth strap to the padding gaining greater stability for the rider and creating the first semblance to modern saddles. The next great discovery was the stirrup; however, it was not until China's Jin Dynasty that a pair of stirrups was added to the saddle allowing the rider greater leverage with a weapon, increased stability and mobility. The spread of dual stirrups from China is attributed to invading nomads. The use of the dual stirrup gave nomadic warriors such as the Mongols a military advantage over western cavalries.

 

Horses continue to play a pivital role in warfare for the better part of two millenium, Roman empire up to World War II, and continue to be, literrally, the work horse of any army. The advent of the cavalry will remain one of the more significant aspects of ancient to 20th century warefare.

[Mystica]

Two Historic Bows, Two Distinct Applications

(by RR Elbar)

 

As a firearms hobbyist, I occasionally encounter arguments between two or more people arguing about “which is better.” Some people argue that a certain cartridge is better for hunting a certain game species, others lodge themselves inextricably into the pointless ages-old argument over two widely-used modern military weapons. The debate soon becomes heated and the parties involved risk sacrificing friendship or mutual respect just to prove a point. The confusing part is how otherwise-rational people suddenly become so irrational in these debates, placing almost superstitious belief in the superiority of what they’re promoting. As in most hobbies or areas of interest, such discussions are like debating over religion or politics: A supreme waste of time.

 

In most cases, my modus operandi for fruitless debates is to pack up and leave, or approach cautiously in a bomb-squad suit and disarm the situation. But is there a debate out there worth the hassle? Maybe one of you has seen a rendition of the great apples-and-oranges debate that left you wondering which side had the most merits. Maybe the Mongols crash the local Renaissance Fair and get in a scuffle with the English boys over whose bow is better. Should such a scenario develop before your eyes, my advice to you would be to get a comfortable seat and some popcorn.

 

The oldest English longbow discovered was made before 2000 B.C. Made of yew or ash wood, it was easily as tall as the archer himself, between five or six feet in length. It had a draw of around 80 lbs. per foot and had a range of around 260 yards. It was often reinforced by heartwood, but maintained a 100% wood body. While the longbow had a good range and plenty of stopping power, it was too ungainly to fire from horseback, an observation Masema made to Perrin about the Two Rivers Longbow (TDR, p. 35).

 

Despite its ungainly appearance, the English longbow could punch through chainmail due to the development of the bodkin, a massive triangular arrowhead weighing four or five times as much as a modern arrow once fitted to a shaft. The combination of range and force won fame for the bow during the Hundred Years’ War at battles such as Crecy and Agincourt, though the bow did not ultimately decide the fate of the war. The Welsh were able to use the longbow to great effect against the English during the 1200’s, employing it in point-blank ambush strategies where plate mail protected the English about as well as tissue paper.

 

The other advantage of the longbow was its rate of fire. A raw longbowman was expected to loose 10 aimed shots per minute while an experienced archer would fire 20 or more in the same amount of time. The longbowman only carried between 60 and 72 arrows in his quiver, requiring runners to deliver more arrows not long into the battle. It was the longbow’s rate of fire that gave it advantage over the much more powerful crossbow.

 

The Mongol bow was a composite recurve shortbow made of birch wood reinforced with Ibex, buffalo or ram horn. Its design lent it the same draw as the English longbow in a much more compact size. In many ways it was a much more complex design than the longbow. Its main advantages came from its size and range. It was often shot from horseback at retreating horsemen. Western armies fighting Genghis Khan often found themselves unable to overtake the Mongols who always brought extra mounts, wearing down their own in the process. The Mongols took advantage of such regroupings and loosed volleys from horseback at the retreating pursuers. Mongol bowmen were also able to fire seated backwards on retreating mounts. While the Mongol bow had the same draw as the longbow, its range is reported to be much longer. Enemies were regularly taken down at 300 yards. Though bow experts say the Mongol bow was probably only point accurate at 75 yards or less, the mass formations the Mongols fired into were a different matter entirely. Genghis Khan’s brother was also said to have hit a target once at nearly 600 yards.

 

While the Mongol short bow seems to be the more versatile of the pair, I think experience ultimately makes the tool. If you can’t use either without hurting yourself, what does it matter? An experienced Englishman with a Mongol bow would win out over a green Mongol with an English longbow any day of the week. I like the adage I read from an old hunter: “It doesn’t matter what you shoot, as long as you can shoot it.” But in the end, I think whatever the Band uses is the best bow.

[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

 

Columns

 

Tune or No Tune - The Latest News

(by Corki)

 

In the review of the month, I briefly mentioned the weekly thread called "Tune or No Tune". This article expands on what happened during the month for the weekly thread, giving a summary of the results of the songs picked. And for September's Edition, it will cover all of the period I did not submit articles for!

 

"Tune or No Tune" is a simple poll thread where Corki (or a member of the Senior Staff if Corki is on a LoA) choose a song and everyone decides whether it is a TUNE (i.e. you love it) or NO TUNE (i.e. you hate it).

 

Since the last summary article, we have had 13 songs up, with 12 Tunes and 1 No Tune. Most songs were picked by Corki himself, but Strawberry Hill was Brid's pick, and Nightswimming was selected by Snin83 as part of R.E.M. being the Artist of the Month.

 

23rd June 2008: Total Eclipse of the Heart by Bonnie Tyler --> TUNE

30th June 2008: The Final Countdown by Europe --> TUNE

7th July 2008: You Can Call Me Al by Paul Simon --> TUNE

21st July 2008: Nightswimming by R.E.M. --> TUNE

28th July 2008: Mamma Mia! by ABBA --> TUNE

4th August 2008: Californication by The Red Hot Chili Peppers --> TUNE

11th August 2008: Ravenheart by Xandria --> NO TUNE

18th August 2008: Stand by Ground by Within Temptation --> TUNE

25th August 2008: Strawberry Hill by Lili Hadyn --> TUNE

1st September 2008: Smooth Criminal by Michael Jackson --> TUNE

8th September 2008: Karma Chameleon by The Culture Club --> TUNE

15th September 2008: California Dreamin' by The Mamas & The Papas --> TUNE

22nd September: It's My Life by Bon Jovi --> TUNE

 

 

No song has gone up for the latest Tune or No Tune yet, but that will change. So check out the next edition of The Hornsounder to find out what song was chosen and the results. So just head to the Band of the Red Hand's public boards (or follow us on tour across DM as "Tune or No Tune" is coming with us) and look for a thread with the wording "Tune or No Tune" in it, or the abbreviation "ToNT".

 

[Mystica]

Freelance Articles

 

A Brief History of the term ‘Paladin’

(by Felicur)

 

Origins of the term ‘Paladin’

 

A Paladin was a high-level official in various countries across Europe from the medieval period, but the term actually drives from as far back as the Roman Empire where it referred to a chamberlain of the emperor as well as an imperial palace guard. During the early middle Ages the meaning changed and the title ‘Paladin’ was reserved for the highest-ranking official of the Catholic Church under the Pope’s service. A similar title was also used in 18th century Poland, 19th century Hungary, and in the German and British Empires during the 20th century.

 

The word ‘paladin’ also pops up in medieval literature, were it refers to the ‘Twelve Peers’, who were known in France as the retainers of Charlemagne. Thus, Paladin became a term associated with knights.

 

Paladin’s in the Roman Empire

 

Paladins from the Imperial Guard took their name from the mythical birthplace of Rome (Palantine Hill). However, the term originally applied to chamberlains and troops who guarded the palace of the Roman emperor. Under Constantine, Paladin’s were the most advanced field troops in an army, and guarded the emperor when on campaign.

 

Paladin’s in the Middle Ages

 

The title was used in numerous occasions for different important officials across Europe during the middle Ages. The most important officials were the comes palatinus (Count Palantine), who between the 5-10th century was an official of a sovereign’s household, particularly in his court of law overseeing proceedings like oath taking, judicial sentences, as well as being in charge of records regards these developments. Initially the count palantine examined cases in the King’s court, and then was allowed to administer decisions through his own judicial rights. He also had administrative responsibilities within the king’s household.

 

Between the 10-12 centuries, under the Saxon and Salian dynasties, counts paladine has numerous tasks like representing the king in his provinces, administration of the kingdom, and protecting and guiding the legal system in each of the duchies (e.g. Saxony, Bavaria and Lotharingia). Later some of the paladines powers were taken away and absorbed by ducal dynasties, rich families or bishops and the name/role petered out until the time of Charles IV when it was resurrected but with only voluntary jurisdiction and honorific functions.

 

Throughout the Middle Ages the Catholic Church also used the title ‘Paladin’ for the highest administrative officers of the Pope’s household. As the Pope’s powers grew, so did their Paladins.

 

Modern Usage of the word ‘Paladin’

 

In the early days of Modern England ‘palatinates’, or county palantine, referred to county lords who had the right to administer powers that were normally reserved for the king. There were also palantine provinces in the English colonies.

 

In 19th century Britain and German, paladin was an official rank that was considered an honorary title for someone in the emperor’s/king’s service. It was a knight with additional honours, like being able to exercise powers reserved for the crown.

 

‘Paladin’ in Medieval Literature

 

Paladin was a word in Medieval Literature that referred to the legendary retainer’s of Charlemagne (the Twelve Peers). They were elite knights of French medieval romances. Tales of the Paladin of Charlemagne once rivalled those of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Allusions have also been drawn with the 12 Apostles.

 

Although the tales vary Roland and Oliver exist in them all. Roland was the king's nephew, and the leader of the Twelve Peers as was considered to be Charlemagne's best paladin. Each paladin had a companion to fight alongside him, and Oliver was Roland’s. When they went into battle they fought in these pairs, not as a form of protection or defence but to kill as much of the enemy as possible. The Twelve Peers commanded Charlemagne's first division in the army. They were the elite fighters and also the advance guard, which meant that they were the spearhead of any attack in a battle.

 

'Paladin' in the Cavalry

 

Here in the Cavalry, the titlke 'Paladin' is treated much in the same way as it was by the Charlemagne Knights. It''s an honorific title presented to those members of the Cavalry who have gone above and beyond the requirements for rank. The title 'Paladin' is a recognition of all the fine work they have put in for not just the Cavalry, but also The Band of the Red Hand.

[Mystica]

 

September Competition Winners

(by Paladin Direwolf Jon, XO)

 

This month saw another quiet month for the entertainment section competitions.  It's now fall, but people are slowly getting back into the swing of things and school is now underway for many of you.  Nevertheless, the competitions of the Hornsounder continued this month and we had one winner again this month, so without further adieu, let's get to it.

 

Once again we had a single member of the Infantry enter the Caption the Pic competition for the month.  Congratulations go out to Arrandion for leaving everyone else in his dust as he won 1 Org Point.  You can see his caption in the answers to last month's competitions section found below.

 

Congrats again Arrandion and good luck to everyone on the competitions found in this month's edition!

[Mystica]

September Competitions

 

Caption the Picture for September~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 October 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 September~open to everyone

(by Paladin DJ)

 

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 October 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!

 

 

[Mystica]

September's games

 

Sudoku

 

 

Easy

 

Medium

[Mystica]

Answers to Last Month's Games

 

Competitions:

 

Sudoku

 

Caption the Pic

 

The Pic

 

First Place Caption

Are you a donkey which works his butt off?

A new diet for donkeys proved to be a big succes!

Become a butterfly and don't work anymore!

 

Games

 

Easy Sudoku

 

Medium Sudoku

[Mystica]

Jokes

 

Blind Date

(by Arrandion)

 

"How was your blind date ? " a college student asked her roommate.

"Terrible !" the roommate answered. "He showed up in his 1932 Rolls Royce".

"Wow! That's a very expensive car. What 's so bad about that ?"

"He was the original owner."

 

 

Making Problems Disappear

(by Arrandion)

 

Wife : You always carry my photo in your handbag to the office. Why ?

Hubby : When there is a problem, no matter how impossible, I look at your picture and the problem disappears.

Wife: You see, how miraculous and powerful I am for you?

Hubby: Yes, I see your picture and say to myself, "What other problem can there be greater than this one?"

 

 

An Old Woman's Request

(by Arrandion)

 

A young man was walking through a supermarket to pick up a few things when he noticed an old lady following him around.

Thinking nothing of it, he ignored her and continued on. Finally he went to the checkout line, but she got in front of him.

"Pardon me," she said, "I'm sorry if my staring at you has made you feel uncomfortable. It's just that you look just like my son, who just died recently."

"I'm very sorry," replied the young man, "is there anything I can do for you?"

"Yes," she said, "As I'm leaving, can you say 'Good bye, Mother'? It would make me feel so much better."

"Sure," answered the young man.

As the old woman was leaving, he called out, "Goodbye, Mother!"

As he stepped up to the checkout counter, he saw that his total was $127.50.

"How can that be?" He asked, "I only purchased a few things!"

"Your mother said that you would pay for her," said the clerk.

[Mystica]

 

General Dragonmount

(coordinated by Mystica)

 

 

Welcome to the Dragonmount Section of September. As you can see, there's not much going on in here for this month. In fact, there's nothing going on for this month. Sadly no articles, newsflashes or gossip has reached the editorial offices and thus we can not inform you of the latest and newest in the DM Orgs and Divs.

 

However, all that is about to change in next month's edition as we have exciting news! New blood has found it's way to the Hornsounder and I am very excited about this one.

 

Sir Cairos, one of the Band's cavaliers, has stepped up and has been hired as the new Dragonmount Section Reporter. He will take over from me and bring some new talent and enthusiasts to this section! The Hornsounder staff and myself are fully convinced that Cairos will be doing a spectacular job and we are looking forward with great anticipation to this section in next month's edition.

 

Welcome aboard Cairos, we are thrilled to have you with us!  :D

[Mystica]

 

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: Direwolf Jon

- Archer Regiment: El Nyn

- Cavalry Regiment: Imperium

- Infantry Regiment: Kristine

- 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.