FISHWRAP MAGAZINE

Issue #52: "Two Fighter Perspectives"
[November 30, 2002]

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IN THIS ISSUE

* Interviews with Gurgi and Noivad

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SPONSORS

This issue of Fishwrap Magazine is brought to you by the following
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* Clan Pogue Mahone
http://www.poguemahone.org/
* The Order of the Golden Maha
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* Grocha
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* Clan Rising Claw
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THOOMCARE MEDIA NETWORK HEADLINE NEWS
"TMN: Thoom News You Can Use"

Rincewind a Squire
No Stone from FMOCR
Chaining Zorton
Update to Nohurt's Scrolls
EHC Visits Noth
Clam the Thoom Joins ThoomCare
Kismia's Island: North Side
A Visit to the Forge
Eyes of Puddleby Updates
Portals Again Cluster at West Wall
Spiders and Bears
Fallen Dwarf Washes Ashore on Beach
Sylvans in the Snow
Ethereal Tools Workshop
Hor Gets Ethereal
Who Rescues the Rescuers?

for more information on the above stories, see TMN at:

http://www.thoomcare.com/

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THOOM WITH A VIEW
BY PARAMEDIC THE THOOM, EDITOR

This month we have interviews with the sheriff of Puddleby, Noivad,
and with renowned fighter Gurgi. Is there someone you'd like to see
interviewed in Fishwrap? Send me a message @ thoomcare.com.

In clan news, ThoomCare is proud to announce the newest member of the
clan: Clam the Thoom.

  - Para

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INTERVIEW WITH NOIVAD
BY PARAMEDIC

Para: 1) Are you still sheriff? Why or why not?

Noivad: Yes. I'm still serving out my term serving up justice. No one
has challenged me for the title either.

Para: 2) What do you think about the recent mystic controversy?

Noivad: I suppose you're speaking of the promotions ruckus and maybe
the clear abuse of the court system. The court situation is easy: I
propose that any individual found to be using the courts to purposely
disrupt a hunt or a quest be given the maximum sentence allowable, so
the community sends the message that such abuse is unacceptable, and
that anyone who still wants to do it has to pay a heavy price.

It's a shame that in a profession that values the pursuit of knowledge
and wisdom, mystics can't seem to realize that working together to
advance their knowledge is much more effective than working alone, and
much more effective than thwarting each other's studies and attempts
to gain items to study. But instead you have this political bullpucky
and in-fighting that is corrupting the very basis for a guild. It
seems to me that wisdom and knowledge of their members is severely
lacking. I can name a few apprentices and journeymen that are much
better than their station. Imagine if we fighters had such a guild
where promotion was determined by the top fighters, and those at the
top were too busy fighting for power by thwarting other top fighters'
hunts (clan wars and individual vendettas not withstanding).

If a clear leader doesn't rise to unite the guild, it seems logical
that the guild will split into two, with many lower-level and some
upper-level mystics forming a more democratic guild. (Sorry if that
answer was too long.)

Para: 3) You've been spotted out in the passes frequently in recent
times. What are you doing out there?

Noivad: Well, there's only so much challenge for a person of 5th
circle to find hunting alone without it being a clear-cut suicide
mission. I used to run through the valley solo, but that's simply
become too dangerous lately. That, and I've noticed more creatures
throwing rocks and such. So, I'm practicing dodging rocks as well. If
you get trapped in GMV you fall very quickly. Given such an incentive,
it pushes me to train until I'm virtually untrappable by a decent
quantity of beasts. Now it's coming down to luck, which you can never
out-train. I've found, however, that the greater the experience one
has at doing something (like not getting trapped) the less one is
likely to get in a situation where luck can take a good swipe at you.

Para: 4) Who's the biggest threat to Puddleby? Undine? Darshak? Orga? Why?

Noivad: If it wasn't for the very nature of this island chain, I'd say
the emperor. All you mentioned pose very real threats. If I had to
pick one of the above, I'd say the Darshak, because they're shown the
ability to grow and adapt to our training style faster than any of the
others, and they're been able to almost kill everyone in town a few
times in the last few months. I'm also worried about ethereal entities
coming through the unstable portals we make and destroying the town. I
think our greatest threat is always around the corner, and if it's
not, then boredom is our worst enemy.

Para: 5) What do you see in the future for Puddleby? Working with the
'Brions? A new altar and maybe a library at the South Forest Outpost?

Noivad: I think eventually people will see the necessity of a stable
Ethereal Plane portal. Mystic research could once again shed light on
the nature of the planes, and shed some light on why the South Forest
mirror is misaligned, and how to realign it. Also, if we could figure
out how to build our own portals the benefit would be great. Right
now, the only way to start this process is to deal with the `Brion
brothers. They seemed to have softened their tone towards us, but just
because we're on better terms with them, it doesn't mean we shouldn't
be on guard in case of a trap.

Para: It is a long-standing tradition at the conclusion of a Fishwrap
interview that you are allowed to ask the Thoom 1 (ONE) question. You
may ask your ONE (1) question now.

Noivad: Do thooms have gills?

Para: According to the Encyclopaedia Thoomeria, "The Thoom are
semi-amphibious humanoids, averaging around five feet tall as adults.
Thoom eggs hatch in nursery ponds, and baby Thoomlets can breathe in
either air or water for the first five years of life. Around age five,
their gills transform into throatsacs, and the ability to breathe
underwater is lost. From age five through adulthood, they can still
stay underwater for extended periods of time, however, by inflating
their throatsacs with air before submerging."

Encyclopaedia Thoomeria:
http://www.thoomcare.com/para/encyclo-thoom.html

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INTERVIEW WITH GURGI
BY PARAMEDIC

Para: 1) What are the most important issues for fighters today?

Gurgi: I don't think the issues for fighters in general have changed
really. They still have a variety of priorities according to their
clan and their philosophy.

There are still those whose sole purpose is to explore the unknown and
unlock the secrets. Many of these are still searching vigorously for
signs of Trillbane and Gaeyl, and the Orga Stronhold.

For the high-level rank whores, Kismia's Island has become the most
popular hunting grounds. Despite the heavy time demands, many go there
several times a week. For those with less time on their hands, the
Valley and Melabrion's Island, as well as the Cove on KI are popular
spots for short hunts. Though I have not personally been to Noth in
quite some time, I know that many groups still enjoy this area as well.

In the area of training, many fighters train in the bloodblade or fell
blade these days. I have also noticed that trainers like Swengus (or
the equivalent Balthus and Regia) are more popular now days as well. I
believe the discovery of monsters with unbelievable regeneration
abilities has lead to this popularity of faster and more numerous
swings. The accompanying increase in popularity of darkus has not been
as marked as the swengus craze, but it has caused fighters to become
more concerned with tags as monsters seem to fall faster and faster
despite their high level of regeneration.

Even more so now than in the past, fighters rarely benefit from
fighting alone. Especially in the high-level areas, it is standard
practice to bring the maximum five healers, and indeed it is rare for
a party to not have at least 3 healers if they are not forced to (when
not enough healers are available). This is due mostly to the issue of
horus. In every high-level area, there are monsters that can cause a
person to fall quite badly, and there are scavengers now that can tear
a fallen body to pieces with startling speed.

I am sure many other fighters have completely different issues on
their minds, so it would be difficult for me to generalize.

Para: 2) What do you think about the recent mystic controversy? How do
you see the role of mystics in Puddleby?

Gurgi: I must say that I am quite disgusted with the way mystics fight
like over the teleport stones. It seems to me that actively preventing
the success of an FMOCR is essentially equivalent to aiding the Orga
and it certainly never helps the mystic that ruins the raid. Every
stone that is not taken by a mystic is one more stone for the Orga.
Furthermore, it is quite silly for the mystics to prevent the most
qualified individual -- indeed the EXPERT -- in the area of orga
stones from acquiring one for study. This is indeed quite a foolish move.

I was quite shocked that exiles that supposedly have brains were
somehow convinced that a mystic who was clearly an official full
mystic and had been one for years was a fraud. Nowhere have I seen any
evidence of any such fraud. Indeed, if such a fraud had occurred it is
puzzling that the accuser would wait several YEARS before making his
accusations, and furthermore, that in all that time, the accuser was
apparently not able to acquire one single shred of proof! Furthermore,
it is ridiculous to imagine that the mystic council would fail to
notice a fraudulent promotion considering they promote so very rarely.
Surely a person could not waltz in and fool the council into thinking
they had only FORGOTTEN that they had promoted him. It should have
been obvious to even the most dimwitted individual on the jury that
such charges, backed by no proof whatsoever, had no merit.

As for the role mystics play in Puddleby: I believe they have some
specialized skills that can be useful on occasion. Their ability to
boost accuracy is quite useful when facing a monster with extremely
high defense. Their ability to use teleport stones is becoming much
more useful now that they have learned how to use the stones. I'm sure
the exploration-whores feel this is the best discovery since the town
gate. It is a pity that they foolishly refuse to allow their most
qualified expert in this area to have a stone. I suppose not all
guilds can be run as wisely as the fighters' guild.

Mystics make excellent sandbags for plugging holes in battle as well
and they of course can open doors as always. Some day they may learn
something more about the Ethereal Plane too, but their skills in this
area are not yet very high.

Para: 3) Are the 'Brion brothers trustworthy? What do you think of the
recent discovery of a fallen Tenebrion?

Gurgi: I do not believe the `Brions are trustworthy. Any time it looks
like we won't give them something they want, they threaten to attack
us by force. It would be foolish to deem them trustworthy when it is
so clearly obvious that they will only be nice to us as long as we
give them whatever they want. While I have no proof that they are
actively seeking to destroy us, they certainly would not hesitate to
do so were they to decide that eliminating us would benefit them even
slightly.

Para: 4) Who's the biggest threat to Puddleby? Undine? Darshak? Orga? Why?

Gurgi: The Darshak are definitely the biggest threat to Puddleby. They
nearly wiped us out in the Ripture War, and I have no doubt they will
try again. Their powers are great and terrible, and more so than the
Orga, they represent true evil. While the Orga certainly want to drive
us from their lands, they are only our enemy due to their territorial
natures. The Darshak, however, have much more sinister motives.

Para: 5) What do you see in the future for Puddleby?  A new altar and
maybe a library at the South Forest Outpost?

Gurgi: The most exciting thing I see in the future is the discovery of
Gaeyl and the subsequent discovery of new paths and places to explore.
A library and altar may indeed be built in the Outpost, but permits
take quite a while to be processed so it's impossible to know when.

Para: It is a long-standing tradition at the conclusion of a Fishwrap
interview that you are allowed to ask the Thoom 1 (ONE) question. You
may ask your ONE (1) question now.

Gurgi: What answers would you give to the questions you asked me?

Para: 1) Bloodblades. 2) Troubling. Increasingly important. 3) No.
He's getting careless, endangering many. 4) Probably the Darshak. But
we must never forget that the Orga are armed with a catapult. 5) More
ethereal troubles.

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Fishwrap Magazine is produced by the ThoomCare Media Network.

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Publisher and Editor: Paramedic

Fishwrap is always looking for new stories. If you have news you think
belongs in Fishwrap Magazine, send Paramedic mail at the Puddleby Post
Office (mailbox #1047) or email him @ thoomcare.com.

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