On Sunday, September 17th from 11am - 4pm PST
On the Sonoma shard, there will be the Tokuno Summer Festival
The starting location is the bank in Zento

There has also been an essay contest. All entries are in and the winner will be announced at the festival. Below you will find copies of the entries!

---------- ENTRY # 1 ----------

[Title] - A Tale Of Justice

[Author] - Kryechton



[Page 1]
My tale begins during the
latter half of the Fifth
Age, after the failed
Decay spell of the Meer
had wrecked havoc to the
sleepy little town of
Yew and brought forth
the Solen into the world.

[Page 2]
My youth was spent at
the mansion of the
Conjurer Uzeraan in
Haven. There were many
young ones that would
pass through the mansion,
and I felt like a face
lost in the crowd

[Page 3]
sometimes. During this
time, I learned the basics
of the spear and the art
of talking with animals.
Life at the mansion was
nice, with very few rules.
One of which was,
never, ever go

[Page 4]
through the doors in the
back of the mansion.
Rumor had it that there
was a cave entrance pas
these doors, but as to
what the cave contained,
the rumors differed from
the entirety of Uzeraan's

[Page 5]
treasure and possessions,
to naught but a sneaky
mongbat that would pilfer
your gold. Of course,
being of the curious sort
I snuck past the door
guards one night. There
it was, right in front of

[Page 6]
me, a set of stairs
leading to a dank, dark
cave entrance in the
ground. I started toward
it, when something caught
my attention. There was
a low growl that I heard
from a nearby wall to my

[Page 7]
left. This distracted me
from the cave, and I
approached the wall
cautiously. As I neared,
the smell of brimstone
assailed my nostrils.
Peering through a crack
in the wall, I saw the


[Page 8]
most horrific sight that I
had ever seen up to that
point. An extremely
large, grey skinned
creature with massive
horns protruding from its
head, large dagger like
claws, and most noticably,

[Page 9]
large bat like wings,
stood seemingly
surrounded by powerful
energies. As I stood
there frozen, it looked
towards my direction, as
if it sensed me looking
at it through the crack.

[Page 10]
Suddenly, memories came
flooding in from
somewhere in the
recesses of my mind. I
could see this creature
bashing through stout
Yew-wood walls as if
they were kindling, rending

[Page 11]
through chairs and a
small rustic table, and
finally slaying a man and
woman right in front of
me. As these memories
cascaded upon me, I let
out a scream. The door
guards quickly rushed in,

[Page 12]
grabbed me, and one
returned me to my room.
A few minutes later,
Uzeraan himself came. I
took an hour or so
before I could tell him
what all I had seen.
Uzeraan, with a grim look

[Page 13]
on his face, began to tell
my of my origins, of how
I had been found in the
smouldering remains of my
parents house outside of
Yew after a random
rampage of daemons had
wandered through. He

[Page 14]
told me of a band of
travellers had brought me
to him when no others of
my family could be found.
At first, this revelation
came as a shock, which
was quickly followed by
anger, How could he keep

[Page 15]
this beast that had
murdered my family under
the same roof as I?
Uzeraan explained that
this couldn't possibly be
the same creature, that
this was a servant of
Semidar that he had


[Page 16]
captured and enslaved long
before I was born. The
anger still burned inside
of me, and I told him
that I would be leaving a
soon as possible.
Uzeraan bid me not too,
but I would not waver.

[Page 17]
Finally accepting the
inevitable, he asked that
wait. He summoned three
adventurers to mentor
me in the ways of the
world that I was too
impatient to learn from
Uzeraan himself. The

[Page 18]
first was Morigen, an
mage who would teach
me in the ways of the
mystics. The second was
Sagan, who would teach
me in the art of warfar
and combat. The third
was Leg'omerdt, who

[Page 19]
would teach me the ways
of nature. After the
three discussed my
situation at length, they
decided that I would live
with Leg'omerdt in the
town of Yew. I was
most ameniable to this,

[Page 20]
as with the recent
revelation of my past, I
was most eager to
return to Yew to seek
answers about my
parents. The trip was
long, and the three
watched over me during

[Page 21]
the journey. They taught
me many things of our
world during that time.
Finally we arrived at
Yew, and I immediatly
asked to be taken to the
site of my parents abode
The three bid me wait,

[Page 22]
as they were concerned
for my state of mind. I
demanded, and they
begrudgingly took me.
Hoping that I would find
answers, possibly in a
letter, or personal
belongings, I was met with

[Page 23]
disappointment. The
swamp that had taken
Yew had also claimed the
house. All that remained
were a few timbers
poking out of the marsh.
At that moment, I
vowed that I would hunt


[Page 24]
down every last daemon
in the world. I was no
longer interested in the
lore of animals, and
focused my training solely
on the art of combat.
The three assisted me in
my training, and soon

[Page 25]
began to take me along
with them on their
adventures. At first,
they would have to watch
over me, but as time
went on, I began to hold
my own, even pulling the
out of the fire a few

[Page 26]
times. Finally, it was
time to strike it out on
my own. During this
time, the land of Malas
had been discovered, and
I, like many others,
sought my fortune in this
new world. Visiting site

[Page 27]
of my parents final
resting place one last
time, I placed a wreath
of flowers upon one of
the last timbers standing
defiantly in the marsh.
I proceeded to the
moongate and the new

[Page 28]
lands that awaited me. I
found an open plot of
land on a mountaintop in
the Northern Crags, and
though the conditions
there were harsh, I felt
that they would serve to
strengthen me in my

[Page 29]
quest. After some time
though, I realized that
there were no daemons
to be found in Malas. I
returned to Britannia
proper to renew my
quest. Many years and
many adventures passed

[Page 30]
by, and my original three
companions answered the
call to other lands,
though I still felt their
presence watching over
me from time to time.
After much research at
the Lycaeum in Moonglow,

[Page 31]
I had finally found the
abode of my hated foe.
The Isle of Fire was my
next stop. After many
days of sea travel, I
touched shore to this
forboding island. The
dungeon of Hythloth was


[Page 32]
my destination, I
took my trusty bronze
spear in hand, and headed
off. I reached the
dungeon, entered its dark
recesses, but I was
unpreparied for the
denziens of that place.

[Page 33]
Handily defeated, I
crawled out of the
dungeon. I knew that I
would have to re-evaluate
my tactics. I returned
to Luna, the city of
paladins, and began my
training in the chivalric

[Page 34]
arts. After I felt
adequetly trained, I
returned to the Lycaeum.
To my amazement, there
was an elf. I had never
even heard of them
before. Nariel was his
name, and he reveailed to

[Page 35]
me that he could sense
elven blood in my veins.
At last, some details
about my parents had
become known to me.
Though small, I was elate
at this information as I
had absolutly none before.

[Page 36]
Nariel sent me on a
series of soul searching
quests, and welcomed me
into elven society once
they were completed.
I felt as if I had drawn
closer to the family I
had never known. Nariel

[Page 37]
also told me about the
healing of Yew, and I
vowed to return one day,
but felt that I must
return to Hythloth as
soon as possible, and
return I did. I fought
my way into the deeper

[Page 38]
levels of that horrid
place. Finally, I happened
upon the foul spawn that
I had hunted for the
majority of my life. My
spear thrusted straight
and true, their ichor
flying all around me.

[Page 39]
I feel that I was not
only avenging the deaths
of my parents, but I was
taking a stand for all
who had be ravaged by
these unholy creature's
penchant for wanton
destruction. Every cry of


[Page 40]
every victim fuels my
divine fury, and my battle
for the helpless against
the demonic forces rages
to this day. Prepare
yourselves daemons, for
you most certainly face
your doom!



---------- ENTRY # 2 ----------

[Title] - Shayla's Song

[Author] - Shayla LaVeaux



[Page 1]
An only child born in
the town of Skara Brae,
I was raised by my single
mother. She worked long
hours as a cook a the
local tavern.
A rebellious youngster,
I quit school at 16, left

[Page 2]
home, and got involved
with a bad crowd and
lots of wild parties. I
had no real goals nor ha
I planned to do anything
substantial with my life.
That is until I met my
one true love, Taryn

[Page 3]
Saegwyn, during a party
trip to Britain. He tamed
my wild ways and changed
my life forever. We
married three months
later in a small quiet
ceremony at the Nujel'm
Gardens and bought a

[Page 4]
house not too far from
his hometown, Britain. He
taught me the art of
magic and his love of
music. We joined an
amazing guild together in
which we traveled around
Britannia, hunting for

[Page 5]
treasure, exploring
dungeons, and ridding the
world of evil monsters.
This gave me the
opportunity to practice
my musicianship and
provocation skills. As a
Capricorn, I'm very

[Page 6]
hard-working and ambitious
by nature. With Taryn's
encouragement, I didn't
stop until I as a Barding
Grandmaster. Two years
seemed to fly by,
and Taryn and I were
happier than ever. We

[Page 7]
were planning to start a
family. Unfortunately, I
lost my dear husband to
a fierce storm during on
of his many deep sea
adventures with his guild
brothers.



[Page 8]
I took a long break and
journey away from the
land of Sosaria.
I returned with a new
lease on life and decided
to live my life to the
fullest. For the first
time in years, I'm having

[Page 9]
fun again. I've made new
friends, discovering new
lands, and tweaking my
skills. There isn't a day
that goes by that I don'
think about Taryn but I
know he's in my heart
and is watching over me

[Page 10]
from the skies above.
Had I not met him, I'd b
an entirely different
person and I am not sure
what path my life would
have taken me on. I still
have the special lute he
gave me and I'll never

[Page 11]
forget the special song
he taught me to play on
it. He called it Shayla's
Song.

:: Shayla LaVeaux ::


---------- ENTRY # 3 ----------
[Title] - The Birth Of Sara

[Author] - Sara Caroline



[Page 1]
My adventure begins in
the small town of Skara
Brae. I grew up under
the loving care of my
parents. My father ,Zor
and my mother Muriel
were warriors. As a small
child I would go with my

[Page 2]
parents to Haven where
they taught me all I
needed to know about
becoming an archer.
They were always going
to fight battles and
leaving me with a kind
woman by the name of

[Page 3]
Whisper. She also taught
me many things that I
needed to know.
She was a tamer and
taught me to be kind to
animals. They are gods
creatures and have much
to teach us if we watch

[Page 4]
She taught me the
ways of the wild and
took me to many strange
lands That kindness was
the one gift we had to
give always and to use it
in abundunce.
As time passed we

[Page 5]
traveled farther and
farther into new and
strange lands We met
many people on our
journies
Then one day lost and
unsure of where we were
at we met a man

[Page 6]
By this time I was older
and as all young women
are prone to do -
missing something in my
life This man his name
was RuneSpot was so
kind to us. He offered to
help me to become a

[Page 7]
better archer..Gave me
the finest of weapons
and armor. All under the
guidence of Whisper. She
would let no one do me
any harm. Under the
guidence of RuneSpot, he
took me places I had


[Page 8]
never seen. We were
fighting Ogre Lords,
Trolls, lizardmen, and
finally when he thought
my skills were good
enough he took me to
fight a female monster
named Lady Milisande. Oh.

[Page 9]
what fun we had, I died
many times, but my skills
raised. We fought with
the help of Hank
Moonglow, Lisa Moonglow,
and Numa Color. They all
gave me advice of how to
become a better archer.

[Page 10]
When RuneSpot and
Whisper thought I was
ready, RuneSpot
introduced me to a great
man. The King of Sonama
King David. He was the
guildmaster of the guild
PAS. He offered me a

[Page 11]
place in his guild. But I
had to prove myself. I
went to nightly meetings
and nightly guild hunts.
We went to champspawns
Doom, Lady Milisande,
Proroxious. As I showed
my loyalty to the guild,

[Page 12]
I was invited to join. I
started out a a
guildswoman, and slowly
each month moved up in
the ranks. I was a kind
soul, I would hang out in
Haven, a place my
parents took me, and help

[Page 13]
young people, as RuneSpot
and Whisper had helped
me. And I was loyal to
PAS. Each month, I got
promoted to a higher
rank within the guild..My
good deeds and loyalty
has paid off...At this

[Page 14]
moment I am currently a
Elder with Pas.. Here to
serve and protect the
fine people of Sonoma


Sara
Caroline


---------- ENTRY # 4 ----------

[Title] - The Devils Dog

[Author] - Teufals Hund



[Page 1]
Night has fallen on
britannia with a cool
breeze whistling threw
the trees. Frantically I
scrub the blood from my
hands in the nearby river.
This time of the year
the water is clear and

[Page 2]
cold, a true sign winter
is approaching.
I watched the trails of
blood stream down the
river, and wondered where
everything went wrong,
causing me to slay the
man I called father.

[Page 3]
Let me slow down and
introduce myself and tell
you how I came to be on
this dank sandy bank
washing blood from my
hands.
My name is Teufals
Hund of Yew, as far as

[Page 4]
my memory serves
me i was from Yew. To
tell you the story I
will have to take you
back 6 years to the
night I arrived to
this shard of Sonoma.


[Page 5]
It was early in the
Spring, maybe a week
after the last frost. It
was prime time for
planting the years
harvest, so the crops
would be ready for the
fall and winter. I was


[Page 6]
only but three seasons
old myself, at the time,
but fit as a fiddle for
my age. Twice as strong
as my brothers, I was,
and half there age,
Father always kept me at
his side on these days.

[Page 7]
He often instructed me
on how to tend to the
fields, and what woods
and ores could be sold
in the nearby town. I
myself had never seen
town, father always told
me that the likes of the

[Page 8]
people of Yew were
unsavory, and would kill a
man for no aparent
reason. "Avoid them" he
said "at all cost. If
anyone approaches hide
for your life". So I did
just that. Many years

[Page 9]
came and went and I
labored hard for my
family. I tended to the
wood pile every day, and
made sure the ore bin
was stocked, all the while
i managed to avoid
contact with any

[Page 10]
townfolk.
Working hard is what I
liked, my father Yorick
of Yew and brothers
needed not to worry, for
I took care of the
chores. I, without
question, completed these

[Page 11]
tasks until about a year
ago. That's when I learned
the truth, or so I
thought.
It was about October I
guess, judging from the
leaves of the great yew
tree, when I happened on


[Page 12]
a figure in the woods. I
was out collecting a cord
of bloodwood for my
brother's bows, he loved
makeing his bows, and
bloodwood was his wood
of choice. Dark was this
creature, not human by

[Page 13]
anymeans. Could this be
the beast father told me
about, the one who
inhabits the area of
woods close to the ruins
where the hag lives. I fell
silent, ducking behind a
grand oak, hopeing the

[Page 14]
creature wouldn't venture
to close. Father told me
how these beasts were
not of the living, I
believe he called them
lichs. My brother had to
add "They use dark
magic and could kill with

[Page 15]
words of power that
envoked flames to engulf
a man". Fear gripped me,
As i remebered the
conversation.
I stole another look
from my hideing place
knowing if i

[Page 16]
discovered i would have
to run for my life.
As i leaned forward
to peer at the lich, a
small branch underfoot
gave way
***SNAP****OH NO!!!!
i turned to run knowing

[Page 17]
the beast would be on me
in a second. Thats when i
heard "An Ex Por" rang
threw the air. and I knew
I was too late. Rooted to
the spot, the lich
confronted me.



[Page 18]
Tall and slender was the
lich, cloaked in a blackish
robe, the smell of death
surounded him as he
spoke chills ran down my
spine. Could this be my
end? .. of coarse not.
This is the begining of

[Page 19]
who I came to be.
"Its not like a orc to
spy" said the lich, "but
yet you smell of humans".
I am a human, I
proclaimed! The lich
laughed with a high
pitched shrill that co

[Page 20]
have shattered the
hardest of diamonds.
"Human!" repeated the lich
"more like trained to be
human". Puzzled I was
from the fiends word,
could he not see that I
was human? I protested "I

[Page 21]
AM HUMAN!. My father
is the famous Yorick of
Yew, renowned for his
writings. "Ah I see" said
the lich, " then maybe I
should strike you where
you stand". I screamed in
fear and pleaded for him

[Page 22]
to spare my life, " I
dont want to die."
"SILENCE!" screamed the
lich. "I will spare your
life but not untill I have
freed your mind."
Helplessly i gasped as he
produced a crystal ball

[Page 23]
from his robe
and chanted words of a
unknown tonge. Mist
clouded the the ball and
I saw my life as if it
were rewinding in its
reflection. "Ah i see" said
the lich, "the deception


[Page 24]
here runs deep. You are
no meer Orc, You are a
slave and do not know
it". "I AM NOT A
SLAVE". I screamed. "But
do you not tend to every
need of the humans you
call family without

[Page 25]
questioning why they do
not for themseves."
Hissed the lich. How does
that make me a slave I
asked? "slavery is when
you do not of your own
accord. You are meerly a
servent of humans

[Page 26]
obtained to do a task
they wish not to do
themseves" He spoke. I
glanced again at the ball
and years have peeled
away from my life, I see
Yorick but as a younger
man slipping during the

[Page 27]
night threw a crude gate
with something bundled up.
What is that I cried.
"that is you" said the
lich. NO..... He Stole me?
"aparently so" the lich
hissed, " I guess his
books on Grammer of

[Page 28]
orcish wasnt enough. I
guess he wanted a pet
too". Could I have
been so nieve, looking
back it seemed that I
may have been treated
diffrently and I did not
look like my family. All

[Page 29]
of the sudden sorrow
washed over me then,
hate started to grow.
The lich had sensed this
and was joyed with my
new found hate. "I will
show you orcish ways, and
once you are well versed

[Page 30]
I will train you in the
black art of
necromancing" the lich
said as if to bring me
under his arm. " You
shall be a powerful clan
leader with the knowledge
of 3 worlds and a

[Page 31]
hatered to destroy them
all." The lich kept his
word to spare my life
and free my mind only to
enslave my toughts with
anger. Poisoned by the
lich I trained hard in the
arts of necromancing,
[Page 32]
Slowely my anger turned
to contempted and from
contempt to hate. More
and more the lich fed
my anger and fueled my
hate knowing that a
strong necromancer draws
his power from these

[Page 33]
traits. A year had past
since i seen Yorick last
and my skills in
necromancy had far
surpased even the
strongest of lich lords.
My instructor was now
ready to release me unto

[Page 34]
the world as a new Orc.
Asking only one task of
me in repayment, knowing
only this would complete
the transformation from
human trained orc to
Mojoka Leader of the
Orc clan. The task was

[Page 35]
to avenge my slavery and
so i did.
Sadly Enough Yorick and
my brothers did not see
me coming and i smote
them down with my new
found skills. Yorick in his
dieing

[Page 36]
breath told me a far
diffrent past than what
the lich had shown me. I
was never stolen. I
was entrusted to Yorick
by the orcs after my
clan was slain by the
lichs. Now i return us

[Page 37]
to the sandy bank where
i stopped to morn my
adopted family and began
to tell you my life.

I was tricked by the
lich for his own foolish
pleasures. Now with a

[Page 38]
new found hatred my
necromancing bore more
powerful than ever. I
WAS stolen but not by
Yorick, stolen, not
once but twice, by lichs
from my family..... FEAR
me lichs and lich lords

[Page 39]
alike, for I AM TEUFUL
HUND Mojoka
necromanceing lord of the
orcish clan of Sonoma,....
I will build my clan of
orcs and avenge both
my families. ---->
I CAN NOT SAY THIS


[Page 40]
IS THEE END FOR I AM
STILL ALIVE. BUT I
CAN SAY A GREAT
MANY MORE CHAPTERS
ARE YET TO BE
WRITTEN. FOR I AM,
TEUFULS HUND, THE
DEVILS DOG.



---------- ENTRY # 5 ----------

[Title] - UO Beginnings

[Author] - Lady Arwen



[Page 1]
I saw my teenage Son
playing a really neat game
on the computer called
UO. Watching him for
about a month, I asked if
I could play one of his
characters to see if I
would like to play as well

[Page 2]
He actually gave me one
of his character slots to
make my own character.
He said he would erase
it if I didn't like the
game. This was right
after Beta, so there
were many downtimes and

[Page 3]
bugs in the game. Well
began my adventure and
called my character
Arwen (this is before
most people knew who
Arwen was). It took me
two weeks to figure out
how to open and walk in

[Page 4]
a door, that was fun.
This was probably because
I never used a mouse
before. Since my Son
was an Archer, I decided
to make a bowfletcher,
chop wood and cook.
Back in the early days, it

[Page 5]
was hard to even chop
wood without being killed.
Needless to say I died
more than 1O times a
day, even the rabbits
were mean back then! I
remember getting my
first GM, glorious feeling

[Page 6]
that was. I made some
really good bows back
then. Well, since I liked
the game, I got my own
account. Still green
around the gills mind you,
I began with a char. again
named Arwen who was a

[Page 7]
Mage. I used mining to
bring up strength and
spent alot of regs
learning the skill. I also
incorporated Archery with
her. My next Character
was Betty Crocker, I bet
you know what she did.


[Page 8]
However, in the early
days, UO wouldn't let you
GM cooking. I didn't
know this, so one day in
my little cabin, I filled
the room with pies,
cakes, etc. I then called
a GM (that was back

[Page 9]
when they would come
visit), and I said I can't
get past 9O skill. She
told me that I was the
first to want to GM in
Cooking, and said it was
not available. However
she told me soon it would

[Page 10]
be available. So I put
Betty on hold and made
Char. named Lorien who
was a bard. Since I was
killed so much when I
first started, I hated to
die, but with a Bard it's
inevitable, so I just

[Page 11]
accepted it. My Son
left to play other games,
so I joined a guild called
KB. It was a very small
guild, with Faramir of
Leeds as the Guild
Master. This was my
home for at least 3

[Page 12]
years. I kinda was the
Ambassador for the Guild
and would train all the
new recruits. We grew in
numbers and became the
largest guild on Sonoma.
I didn't realize at the
time that I was really ill

[Page 13]
in real life, so eventually
the stress got to me
and I had to quit the
guild. I continued to play
but on my own. Of
course I stayed in touch
with all my friends, went
to several Ren. Faires to

[Page 14]
meet them in person.
We dressed up and rp'ed
there as in the game. I
then had to have surgery
and if not for my
friends on UO and of
course my family I would
have never made it back.

[Page 15]
There prays and support
really helped me get back
Of course when you leave
UO that's when they
make major changes, so I
had to learn all the new
things upon my return.
did miss out on getting


[Page 16]
singing crystal ball during
my absence. I had tons
of junk to get one too.
My friends refreshed my
houses and when I got
back helped me catch up
with the changes. For the
next 4 years I made a

[Page 17]
Tailor/Smith/Carp/Tink/
owfletcher named Vera
Moon Glow. Oops,
surgery again, out for
several months. Again my
friends took care of my
accounts. A really dear
friend Lady Just Natasha

[Page 18]
built me a new home in
place called Trammel. It
was totally decorated I
came back to find lots
of changes. Arwen gave
up her Archery and
Tactics to the Moonstone
in hopes of making her a

[Page 19]
pure Mage. That 12O
Magery power scroll is
illusive though. Over the
years I have done alot
for the new players, and
of course my friends.
Sonoma is my only home
in UO. I have met so

[Page 20]
many wonderful people,
there is no way I would
leave. Unfortunately, I
have seen many leave and
return, and leave again.
Some leave by real life
death. I will be playing
UO till my death too, no

[Page 21]
for the game, but for
the people who play the
game. I hope I can inspire
those who need
encouragement or at leas
lend an ear when they
need a friend, and pray
for those, just as they

[Page 22]
did for me.
My Son and his Wife
have returned and my
Husband plays now too.
We have lots of fun
together. I hope to
meet many more rl
friends in UO!

[Page 23]
LADY ARWEN (Mage)
LADY VERA MOONGLOW
Lengendary Smith/Tailor
GM
Carpenter/Tinker/Bowflet
cher)
LORIEN (Bard)



[Page 24]
BETTY CROCKER
(Fisherman/Cook)
NORA TREE ELF
(Warrior)
TARAH (Tamer)
ELANOR THE FAIR
(Cartographer/Inscription/
Miner

[Page 25]
SARINA
(Alchemist/Poisoner)

WOW!!! Some really good offerings in that batch!