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altivoContinued from this entry. More about the background of Altivo the character and Wild Spirits MUSH.
In the last episode, Altivo glued the pieces of Shadow Lands back together. It was a peculiar construction. At the time, each territory had but one entrance, via a trail leading from the common Silver Moon Meadow. I am going to quote here from some of the descriptions that a player received while moving from one area to another in order to give readers a feeling for the place. Feel free to skip ahead if you hate descriptive passages, but I feel these are integral to the story. They set a stage, quite literally.
You move towards the Shadow Lands.
Shadow Lands - Trail
Approaching the entrance to the Shadow Lands, you feel a faint, mysterious force thrumming through the air. It's something like being half-awake and half-alseep, or dreaming; there's a certain unrealistic sensation to looking at things, as if something is distorting your vision. The unbroken wall of pine trees that looms up seems to go for miles towards the sky; their tips touching the clouds, although you know that isn't possible. The spreading branches of these conifers block out all but the scantest sunlight, while the smaller vegitation just beneath them sucks the rest of it away. The result is that the forest floor is a place of darkness; a shadowy relm where getting lost is easy, and getting scared is even easier. Amidst the formidable wall of tree trunks a curtain of mist rises, so thick that everything inside is obscured and the senses dulled. It's clear why this territory is called the 'Shadow Lands', and whispered that it's the entrance to the next world where spirits come and go. Passing into the mist, it's possible to see a well-trodden dirt trail with three branches shooting off from it; each one seeming to go into a more intimidating place than the last. To one side a flat, woeful section of dead plant life and even thicker fog is visible, while to another is a deadly wall of thorn bushes, thick and well rooted. The final path -- and the most terrifying of all -- seems to head deeper in, taking you towards a section of pitch blackness. Do you dare to venture into this otherworldly woods, or is that your mother you think you hear calling you?
You step up to the edge of a massive, misty forest.
Originally there were but two obvious directions to go from here. One led to the Marshes, a maze of inhospitable and unpleasant muck and moisture. If you persisted with that, you might find the Island, a well-hidden bright spot with some dry land and grass. The other path went back the way you had come, arriving in Silver Moon Meadow.
It was undoubtedly the intent of the original designer to fool the casual visitor into thinking that this was all there was, but there were several "hidden" exits. All the descriptions were as gloomy and forboding as the one just quoted, though. One hidden trail passed through dense undergrowth to arrive at the area used by the Wild Sisters, the so-called "mare herd" that had been hosted in Shadow Lands. Beyond that were a river, a couple of secret caves, and a forest glade.
Another hidden trail to the southwest, hinted at by the description and the most significant, led into the Indian Burial Ground:
You disappear into the mist.
Shadow Lands - Indian Burial Ground
So you took the forbidden path, eh? You're either a brave soul or a foolish one, because this is the apothesis of all things terrible and dark. Where you now stand is an open clearing, one where the forest of trees gives way to a forest of rickety wooden constructions. This is where the Indians came to bury their fallen, and atop these stands are the bodies of braves who died bloody, screaming deaths. A smell of fear hangs thickly in the air, while the mist swirls around the forest floor, making each step a hazard. Bones litter the ground in a profusion, along with shards of pottery and collaspes platforms. Skin blankets and strips of string with weather worn feathers, stones, and bones tied to them swing from every available limb or caern, fluttering in the breeze that whistles among the trees. As if all of this wasn't forboding enough, the wind here sounds like a ghostly wailing; as though the spirits of all the dead that rest in this glade are rising up to drag you kicking and screaming into the night with them. Still not afraid? Then venture on -- the spirits dare you.
Contents:
Pile of stones
Pottery Shards
Bones
From here, the obvious paths went along a cliff to an overlook and a dead end, or back to the entry trail. But the key to Shadow Lands' secrets lay here. By speaking the secret word "paradise" one would pass through the hidden exit and into the real living space of the resident herd. The implied paranoia of all this was puzzling to Altivo, but he left it alone for a long time once he figured it out and relinked things properly. Here is where the passage went:
The horse spirit guarding the entrance smiles at you and steps aside to grant you access to the Heart Lands.
Shadow Lands - Heart Lands
You've fought your way through the misty, shadowy forests. You stumbled through the Indian Burial Ground and somehow retained your sanity. You might have possibly even gotten lost in the marshes and come out alive to tell about it. Now you pass through a bone-chilling river -- one with waters as black and numbing as the Lethe itself -- and a thick screen of brambles, trees, and other foliage. Looking around, you're probably thinking that you died somewhere among the Shadow Lands after all, because this is certainly nothing at all like where you just came from. A virtual Elysium, this massive plot of earth is spacious and gloriously sunlit. The trees rise around it, creating a sort of shield against the outside world, while sweet, lush green grass ripples for miles in every direction. The mist does not come here, nor the snows ( although you can see a mountain in the direction of the cliffs ) and the climate is temperate all year round. In one corner a crystalline river flows, it's pure, icey waters flowing from the melting peak of that nearby mountain. A feeling of peace has settled on these lands, and fruit trees flourish here, apple, pear, and plum, offering their fruits to whoever wishes a quick, delicious snack. At one end is a natural glade that could possibly serve as a nursery for the foals of a horse herd, while a cavern rises from the ground. This is the home of Lord Bloodeyes Heart-Seer, the master of the inner domain of the Shadow Lands. However he got here, the stallion has made this place his own now, fighting tooth and hoof until no predator dares show it's face among the placid meadow and secret, hidden places he owns.
Obvious exits:
Forest Path <FP> Burial Grounds <O> Heart's Cave <HC> Nursery <NU>
In spite of the overly dramatic descriptions, the idea was appealing. Altivo's own classical background encouraged him to keep the imagery and he only made tiny changes, altering the line about Bloodeyes Heart-Seer to insert himself as the present leader while still honoring Heart-Seer as the founder, and replacing Lethe (the river of forgetfulness) with a more appropriate reference to the River Styx, which marked the boundary between the lands of the living and the dead.
Over the next few months, Altivo placed his focus on expanding the herd and trying to establish friendly relations with the other area leaders, stallions, and mares alike. This was not as easy a task as he'd hoped. The paranoia and isolation exhibited by the area descriptions above was expressed in other ways but almost always present. IceHeart, leader of Diablo Canyon, had described his territory in even more forbidding terms than those of the Shadow Lands designers. Domino remained aloof in Fireweed Plains and rarely came out of his territory. The same was true of StormCaller, the alpha wolf of Midnight Sun, and in fact Midnight Sun dwindled in importance until it was nearly forgotten. Blazing Grasses was nominally in the hands (hooves?) of WindRacer, a stallion who rarely seemed to log in, but did so just often enough to keep from losing his status. That territory was effectively controlled by the lead mare, WyndRunner, who remained gruff and hostile to Altivo and was friendly only to other mares, perhaps with the hope of adding them to the Blazing Grasses roster, already the longest on the MUSH. Fortunately for Altivo, his prior friendships with Calydor and Black Star remained good, and he was able to stay on reasonably good terms with Core, the alpha wolf of Hawk Canyon.
Adding mares to Shadow Lands herd was not so easy. Altivo did not wish to lure them with romance or sexuality, the means used by most of the other stallions. Instead he worked on a reputation for a viable culture, a herd with traditions aside from just making foals and squabbling among themselves. The Healer's Glade was a major part of this, with its open offer of hospitality and help for anyone in need. Moonleg became Altivo's lead mare as well as a leading healer, and her efforts were welcomed by nearly everyone except the isolationist IceHeart. Cherokee also consented to join the herd, to 'Tivo's delight and, later despair, as she offered him unflinching loyalty yet frequently made him feel completely inadequate to his task.
The other notable addition that came shortly after Altivo established his leadership was that of Fireheart, a young paint mare with scars on her rump from an attack by a puma. She told her story in a brilliant and dramatic presentation one evening and accepted the official position of StoryTeller (a keeper of oral tradition and teacher of foals) for the herd. Three non-equines were also adopted, given honorary membership and full residence in Shadow Lands: Chelsea the healer, a ring-tail; Fyrathe, a female wolf who felt uncomfortable with the existing packs; and Goldenwing, an eagle. This remained the core of Altivo's unusual herd for the rest of his tenure. Others would join later, including his beloved Laithran and Laith's mate, Patches; Lysandra, an older appaloosa mare and DreamSpeaker who gradually took Cherokee's place when Cher no longer signed on; and Phantom, an orphan colt who became 'Tivo's adopted son and later a herd leader in his own right.
Moonleg managed to spark romance in Altivo's soul, and after a while a filly foal, GreyMoon, was born. She too had shamanic talents, and in fact spoke to both her parents telepathically from the womb. Once she had her hooves on the ground, though, she proved difficult and willful. 'Tivo and Moonleg did their best to guide and love her, but she eventually vanished into a series of scrapes and difficulties. It was during Moonleg's pregnancy with GreyMoon that the hoped for security of Shadow Lands was broken. 'Tivo's dreams were nearly shattered after the arrival of new and aggressive puma characters on the MUSH, and he almost lost both his beloved mares.
Next installment: The Fall of the World
In the last episode, Altivo glued the pieces of Shadow Lands back together. It was a peculiar construction. At the time, each territory had but one entrance, via a trail leading from the common Silver Moon Meadow. I am going to quote here from some of the descriptions that a player received while moving from one area to another in order to give readers a feeling for the place. Feel free to skip ahead if you hate descriptive passages, but I feel these are integral to the story. They set a stage, quite literally.
You move towards the Shadow Lands.
Shadow Lands - Trail
Approaching the entrance to the Shadow Lands, you feel a faint, mysterious force thrumming through the air. It's something like being half-awake and half-alseep, or dreaming; there's a certain unrealistic sensation to looking at things, as if something is distorting your vision. The unbroken wall of pine trees that looms up seems to go for miles towards the sky; their tips touching the clouds, although you know that isn't possible. The spreading branches of these conifers block out all but the scantest sunlight, while the smaller vegitation just beneath them sucks the rest of it away. The result is that the forest floor is a place of darkness; a shadowy relm where getting lost is easy, and getting scared is even easier. Amidst the formidable wall of tree trunks a curtain of mist rises, so thick that everything inside is obscured and the senses dulled. It's clear why this territory is called the 'Shadow Lands', and whispered that it's the entrance to the next world where spirits come and go. Passing into the mist, it's possible to see a well-trodden dirt trail with three branches shooting off from it; each one seeming to go into a more intimidating place than the last. To one side a flat, woeful section of dead plant life and even thicker fog is visible, while to another is a deadly wall of thorn bushes, thick and well rooted. The final path -- and the most terrifying of all -- seems to head deeper in, taking you towards a section of pitch blackness. Do you dare to venture into this otherworldly woods, or is that your mother you think you hear calling you?
You step up to the edge of a massive, misty forest.
Originally there were but two obvious directions to go from here. One led to the Marshes, a maze of inhospitable and unpleasant muck and moisture. If you persisted with that, you might find the Island, a well-hidden bright spot with some dry land and grass. The other path went back the way you had come, arriving in Silver Moon Meadow.
It was undoubtedly the intent of the original designer to fool the casual visitor into thinking that this was all there was, but there were several "hidden" exits. All the descriptions were as gloomy and forboding as the one just quoted, though. One hidden trail passed through dense undergrowth to arrive at the area used by the Wild Sisters, the so-called "mare herd" that had been hosted in Shadow Lands. Beyond that were a river, a couple of secret caves, and a forest glade.
Another hidden trail to the southwest, hinted at by the description and the most significant, led into the Indian Burial Ground:
You disappear into the mist.
Shadow Lands - Indian Burial Ground
So you took the forbidden path, eh? You're either a brave soul or a foolish one, because this is the apothesis of all things terrible and dark. Where you now stand is an open clearing, one where the forest of trees gives way to a forest of rickety wooden constructions. This is where the Indians came to bury their fallen, and atop these stands are the bodies of braves who died bloody, screaming deaths. A smell of fear hangs thickly in the air, while the mist swirls around the forest floor, making each step a hazard. Bones litter the ground in a profusion, along with shards of pottery and collaspes platforms. Skin blankets and strips of string with weather worn feathers, stones, and bones tied to them swing from every available limb or caern, fluttering in the breeze that whistles among the trees. As if all of this wasn't forboding enough, the wind here sounds like a ghostly wailing; as though the spirits of all the dead that rest in this glade are rising up to drag you kicking and screaming into the night with them. Still not afraid? Then venture on -- the spirits dare you.
Contents:
Pile of stones
Pottery Shards
Bones
From here, the obvious paths went along a cliff to an overlook and a dead end, or back to the entry trail. But the key to Shadow Lands' secrets lay here. By speaking the secret word "paradise" one would pass through the hidden exit and into the real living space of the resident herd. The implied paranoia of all this was puzzling to Altivo, but he left it alone for a long time once he figured it out and relinked things properly. Here is where the passage went:
The horse spirit guarding the entrance smiles at you and steps aside to grant you access to the Heart Lands.
Shadow Lands - Heart Lands
You've fought your way through the misty, shadowy forests. You stumbled through the Indian Burial Ground and somehow retained your sanity. You might have possibly even gotten lost in the marshes and come out alive to tell about it. Now you pass through a bone-chilling river -- one with waters as black and numbing as the Lethe itself -- and a thick screen of brambles, trees, and other foliage. Looking around, you're probably thinking that you died somewhere among the Shadow Lands after all, because this is certainly nothing at all like where you just came from. A virtual Elysium, this massive plot of earth is spacious and gloriously sunlit. The trees rise around it, creating a sort of shield against the outside world, while sweet, lush green grass ripples for miles in every direction. The mist does not come here, nor the snows ( although you can see a mountain in the direction of the cliffs ) and the climate is temperate all year round. In one corner a crystalline river flows, it's pure, icey waters flowing from the melting peak of that nearby mountain. A feeling of peace has settled on these lands, and fruit trees flourish here, apple, pear, and plum, offering their fruits to whoever wishes a quick, delicious snack. At one end is a natural glade that could possibly serve as a nursery for the foals of a horse herd, while a cavern rises from the ground. This is the home of Lord Bloodeyes Heart-Seer, the master of the inner domain of the Shadow Lands. However he got here, the stallion has made this place his own now, fighting tooth and hoof until no predator dares show it's face among the placid meadow and secret, hidden places he owns.
Obvious exits:
Forest Path <FP> Burial Grounds <O> Heart's Cave <HC> Nursery <NU>
In spite of the overly dramatic descriptions, the idea was appealing. Altivo's own classical background encouraged him to keep the imagery and he only made tiny changes, altering the line about Bloodeyes Heart-Seer to insert himself as the present leader while still honoring Heart-Seer as the founder, and replacing Lethe (the river of forgetfulness) with a more appropriate reference to the River Styx, which marked the boundary between the lands of the living and the dead.
Over the next few months, Altivo placed his focus on expanding the herd and trying to establish friendly relations with the other area leaders, stallions, and mares alike. This was not as easy a task as he'd hoped. The paranoia and isolation exhibited by the area descriptions above was expressed in other ways but almost always present. IceHeart, leader of Diablo Canyon, had described his territory in even more forbidding terms than those of the Shadow Lands designers. Domino remained aloof in Fireweed Plains and rarely came out of his territory. The same was true of StormCaller, the alpha wolf of Midnight Sun, and in fact Midnight Sun dwindled in importance until it was nearly forgotten. Blazing Grasses was nominally in the hands (hooves?) of WindRacer, a stallion who rarely seemed to log in, but did so just often enough to keep from losing his status. That territory was effectively controlled by the lead mare, WyndRunner, who remained gruff and hostile to Altivo and was friendly only to other mares, perhaps with the hope of adding them to the Blazing Grasses roster, already the longest on the MUSH. Fortunately for Altivo, his prior friendships with Calydor and Black Star remained good, and he was able to stay on reasonably good terms with Core, the alpha wolf of Hawk Canyon.
Adding mares to Shadow Lands herd was not so easy. Altivo did not wish to lure them with romance or sexuality, the means used by most of the other stallions. Instead he worked on a reputation for a viable culture, a herd with traditions aside from just making foals and squabbling among themselves. The Healer's Glade was a major part of this, with its open offer of hospitality and help for anyone in need. Moonleg became Altivo's lead mare as well as a leading healer, and her efforts were welcomed by nearly everyone except the isolationist IceHeart. Cherokee also consented to join the herd, to 'Tivo's delight and, later despair, as she offered him unflinching loyalty yet frequently made him feel completely inadequate to his task.
The other notable addition that came shortly after Altivo established his leadership was that of Fireheart, a young paint mare with scars on her rump from an attack by a puma. She told her story in a brilliant and dramatic presentation one evening and accepted the official position of StoryTeller (a keeper of oral tradition and teacher of foals) for the herd. Three non-equines were also adopted, given honorary membership and full residence in Shadow Lands: Chelsea the healer, a ring-tail; Fyrathe, a female wolf who felt uncomfortable with the existing packs; and Goldenwing, an eagle. This remained the core of Altivo's unusual herd for the rest of his tenure. Others would join later, including his beloved Laithran and Laith's mate, Patches; Lysandra, an older appaloosa mare and DreamSpeaker who gradually took Cherokee's place when Cher no longer signed on; and Phantom, an orphan colt who became 'Tivo's adopted son and later a herd leader in his own right.
Moonleg managed to spark romance in Altivo's soul, and after a while a filly foal, GreyMoon, was born. She too had shamanic talents, and in fact spoke to both her parents telepathically from the womb. Once she had her hooves on the ground, though, she proved difficult and willful. 'Tivo and Moonleg did their best to guide and love her, but she eventually vanished into a series of scrapes and difficulties. It was during Moonleg's pregnancy with GreyMoon that the hoped for security of Shadow Lands was broken. 'Tivo's dreams were nearly shattered after the arrival of new and aggressive puma characters on the MUSH, and he almost lost both his beloved mares.
Next installment: The Fall of the World
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no subject
Date: 2006-03-23 08:41 am (UTC)If you ever find a place he'd fit in, let me know.
no subject
Date: 2006-03-23 12:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-03-23 12:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-03-23 01:45 pm (UTC)I have a private ranch there that is quad tolerant and have used it that way. You have to put up with the alpacas, though. All stare and no bite.
no subject
Date: 2006-03-23 01:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-03-23 08:43 am (UTC)Sounds like quite the adventure! I'm glad you got so much out of creating and enlivening this world. Thanks for sharing the process.
Light and laughter,
SongCoyote
no subject
Date: 2006-03-23 12:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-03-23 09:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-03-24 03:17 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-03-23 10:16 am (UTC)Were these descriptions identical no matter how they were encountered? If so, there's a subtle mistake they were all making: assuming direction.
Consider the following situation. We've just followed the path you described, going from the Shadowlands to the Indian Burial Ground to the Heart Lands.
Now we exit.
Shadow Lands - Indian Burial Ground
So you took the forbidden path, eh? You're either a brave soul or a foolish one, because this is the apothesis of all things terrible and dark. [...] Still not afraid? Then venture on -- the spirits dare you.
That's already not quite right. We didn't "take the forbidden path", because we're on the way out. It gets worse, though.
Shadow Lands - Trail
Approaching the entrance to the Shadow Lands, you feel a faint, mysterious force thrumming through the air. [...] Do you dare to venture into this otherworldly woods, or is that your mother you think you hear calling you?
And that's clearly wrong, because we aren't "approaching the entrance to the Shadow Lands" anymore, and it's inappropriate to ask whether we "dare to venture into this otherworld woods", because we already have. The same thing would probably happen if you hit this room on the way back from the swamp, or, in fact, from anywhere but the common meadow.
Tricky stuff to get right.
no subject
Date: 2006-03-23 10:35 am (UTC)The territory did get remodeled in the end, and many of these little problems you are pointing out were fixed. The key lies in the line you see that appears BEFORE the main description. That's the @success message seen by someone as they pass through an exit into the area, and it can be different for each exit/entrance. I adjusted a lot of them ultimately to have the kinds of differences you suggest.
Though actually, one can say one is approaching the "entrance" even as one is really on the way out, since "entrance" and "exit" are the same doorway. ;)
Lengthy descriptions are mostly intended for the newcomer, so it is not entirely unreasonable that they are slanted toward a first time explorer. Regular repeat visitors often have an option they can set that turns the descriptions off or switches them to something very brief.
You will note that the descriptions also make assumptions sometimes about the time of day or time of year in which one is viewing the scenery. That was something I took great pains to fix. By the end, there was a portion of each description that changed depending on the month of the year and the time of day.
In reality though, hardly anyone seemed to notice. Players are intent on their interaction with the other players, and pay little attention to the scenery, no matter how much some of us enjoy designing it.
no subject
Date: 2006-03-23 10:34 am (UTC)I rather like that opening.
I'd have to tell mother that I'd be home soon...and then...
*he steps off at the railhead, the forest ahead of him. It was
what the storybooks said, but he wandered closer anyway. Occasionally
he picked up the stray twig or leaf and felt it just to assure himself
of the reality of the situation.*
"Hoss's are here? Hmm."
*he'd never had much interest, but now, at this stage of the
journey, it was probably time to start. He knew a little about
them, the wild ones would be protective of their mares, the
tame ones...but were any of them ever really tame? It seemed
a fantasy that men had once road on their backs. Who'd be that
crazy? A machine you could ride...a horse wasn't a machine.*
"Bulalah!" he said softly and entered the forest.
no subject
Date: 2006-03-23 12:25 pm (UTC)Horses you could ride? Yep, we had a few. Altivo himself had once been "tame" enough for a tough frontier woman to ride, but he didn't trust men.
As you enter the misty forest valley, a raven croaks from a perch somewhere over your head, "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here!" The raven's name is Darkeyes, and he watches the trail for Altivo, alerting him when anyone arrives. The other birds seem to fall silent, and the only sound you hear (since there is no wind) is a distant hiss. Rushing water, perhaps? Seems likely. A steep valley like this one is almost certain to have at least a stream at its root.
The trail lies at your feet, hoofmarks scattered over the moist ground, some of them even now filling with water or springing back up where heavy moss was trodden upon. Among the marks, you spy the print of a large canid as well, perhaps a wolf? Most of them turn westward, off what appears to be the main trail, and striking into the darker pines and hemlocks. You have three obvious choices: Follow the trail eastward, follow the hoofmarks westward, or disregard both and take a seemingly little used track north into the underbrush. Which will it be?
Of course you can turn tail and run back home if you choose. That would be south. ;)
no subject
Date: 2006-03-23 12:40 pm (UTC)his tounge out at the raven who head tilts and flys away. He'd
seen such things before, such sentries, but they where machines,
here...he bit his lip and shrugged. No choice but to go on.*
*He sniffed the air*
Wolf? Here?
*he shakes his head and sniffs a bit, but there is nothing, the
old school wouldn't teach him now. Still...he wasn't the type
to let go of a mystery. Still...he wasn't some bounty hunter
or soldier. It was just...hell, he'd come this far...*
The Tail and Trail of the Canid it is...
*he followed, well aware that no matter how stealthy he
was, if he was Rambo or Vin Disel, he'd still be picked
up. But what else could he do? Follow or go home, and
he wasn't interested in going back home...not yet...
Still, he wasn't stupid, there where marks of a large
equine along with the lupine. He wished he'd brought the
superscience instruments with him but the train had
insisted that he leave them. "Not for here" said
the Engine.*
*He looked into the wood, he'd been in woods before, he
knew the whiplash of a branch and the stick of a weed, but
he'd come so far!. Biting his lip he pushed in
along the trail. Unconsciously he felt for his multi-tool,
not much of a weapon...but he hoped he wouldn't need a
weapon at all...*
no subject
Date: 2006-03-23 12:42 pm (UTC)winterlight00 on Aimchat.
^.^;
no subject
Date: 2006-09-05 10:09 am (UTC)You never continued this trip down Memory Lane. Speaking of which, did you finish the story from last year's NaNoWriMo or whatchamacallit that writing contest thing?
no subject
Date: 2006-09-05 10:14 am (UTC)The Nanowrimo story is on hold. I do plan to do it again this year with a totally different plot line. This time I'm planning ahead, which apparently is allowed as long as you don't start actually writing, and I think I'm going to do a transformation tale. Were-equines, here we come. :)