Inside the Magic Wardrobe

How did it become Wednesday so fast?!

Perhaps you have experienced this phenomenon of how time passes very, very slowly in Second Life. If something has occurred for a whole week, it feels like a month. A month feels like a half-year. An entire year, maybe 6 or 7 years. You spend three hours on SL, and it feels like you've been there all day. And when the headphones are taken off and you sit back and look at this stack of laundry, realize you must go to the grocery store, and make a dentist appointment, and you spend eight or nine hours doing those things, and it feels as if you've only been away from the game for perhaps an hour or so. Time goes by differently in these realms doesn't it? It's like the Land of Narnia for Peter and Susan. And so here I sit, gazing into that magical wardrobe with a sigh.

Friday, our Legionnaires led by Sarus were triumphant in a long, gruesome battle that began on sea outside of the city of Tentium, on the Isles of Tyros. There were two waves of attacks, the first by Sarus and his group and the second led by Macer and his group. The first group seemed to work from the rear of the city while the second group kept the forefront busy. Arrows sang through the air, and men clashed on the docks and throughout the town with their swords. Many died, and the men of Ar from the second wave had thought they were losing decidedly as the wounded fell to the left and right. When upward, beyond the markets and open shops, they saw flashes of red and their commander standing their, his arm lifted high, sword dripping with the blood of the Tyrosians. They ran to meet eachother in the center of the now conquered city of Tentium and began the bloody business of removing the dead and setting up occupation. Ar was again victorious, though the battle was much closer, and much more hard-fought. Next, they have their eyes on Kasra, and doubtless, the Tyrosian forces are amassing to protect home stone and livelihood as the surge of imperialism threatens to spread.

Saturday, we had an OOC Town Hall Meeting in which all were invited to participate. The minutes are found on the forum for the exact conversations held there, but the main focus of the discussions were the addition of our new Ubar, Primus, and the expansion of our regions to 6 sims. Prithan Parx laid out a mini-model of his plan for building, and everyone oo'd and ahh'd over it as questions were asked. Just an update on this – the Street of Brands sim has officially been connected, and it is being built as this blog is being typed. We have plans to have a roleplay fire in the City of Ar that will force the slavers out of their businesses to finally move to the district, and so we will have this gorgeous sim based off of the themes of the Street of Brands in Ar, the Cerulean, the Iron Pens, the Pleasure Gardens, and so much more – connected right to us.

Saturday evening was the Temple Rededication and the Blessing of Steel. A most honored occasion with FIVE initiates – and these are initiates that regularly play the role, not NPCs or the “occasional alt.” We were very excited to be part of this rarely seen type of roleplay in Gor. Because of you, and thank you as well, Taltos, for arranging it, we are truly getting to play in an immersive environment, with many more elements of the atmosphere of Gor than have ever been seen before. They did a superb job.

Monday was another Home Stone swearing ceremony in which we gained two scribes and a warrior. It was a particularly personal swearing in as Melisande took the oath of her cousin, Cor (Trenzos Dyrssen). A great celebration followed throughout the city as a day of holiday was proclaimed. In the wake of this jubilation, Melisande used the opportunity to make the announcement of the intentions of her and Primus to companion, and for an era of a united Ubarate to commence.

Tuesday was the official day that the Street of Brands sim was connected, and in the late afternoon, Helga, the “lady” from the north, regaled us with an amazing tale of adventure and lore. The interaction and hilarity was at a high point as the ladies sat around sipping their tea and laughing. This continues to be one of our favorite events.

And last but certainly not least, the Wigs of War have taken over the scuttlebutt in Ar. The Ubara has made an edict that the free women of Ar may remove their hoods temporarily and purchase wigs from any merchant that would sell them. The wigs must be a head taller than the head of the free woman wearing it, and it may not be their original hair color. There is currently a “Wigs of War” contest going on OOC that has developed and taken on a life of its own that Giada is arranging, so if you're a free woman, and you're feeling excited about your 'do, take a snapshot and send it to her, full permission. The voting will be beginning soon in the OOC landing!

We have so much coming up. I'm actually quite nervous about my companionship ceremony on Valentine's Day, even though I suppose I shouldn't be. I am very, very excited about some of the stories of roleplay going on throughout the city. The men are making use of the tavern more and more, and we're having some thought-provoking discussions on the forums. We have a new, exciting assassin in town that everyone is talking about, and some new citizens of Ar are showing up that I thought would never come – yet they're here!

It's a glorious time in the imperial city. I hope you are all enjoying it as much as I.

S.P.Q.A.