Wed Feb 12 23:27:53 2003


6 o''clock AM, Day of the Moon, 21st of the Month of Winter on the Theran calendar Ulthur perished, never to return.

Race:	storm
Class:	paladin
Level:	51
Alignment:	Good
Ethos:	Neutral
Cabal:	FORTRESS, the Fortress of Light
Age:	584
Hours:	651
PK Ratio:	38% (closer to 100% is better)

Really enjoyed my interactions with you from Talfos to my current character. This time I got to see a little more of what being a Maran really means and I was still impressed with your roleplay and leadership. I think you did a fine job and I know your next will be just as good.

That somehow I hadn't yet commented on Ulthur. I kept watching you step up to the next level with ease and no loss of quality. First you were an honor paladin praying...so we chatted, I empowered. I watched a little more and decided okay, let's see what happens if I walk him through the Knight's castle. Again I left impressed....shortly after that you wrote a note preaching about honor, and it read very much like a priest who had been given a message. More impressedation. Then I tattoo'd, talon'd, and eventually Captained you. If anything at every challenge and request for more, you're quality improved and became even more stellar. Dunno what to tell you other than great job man. Definately one of the top 5 Maran I've had the fun of watching.

Good luck with whatever's next.

I can't believe I rated my own word, like "impressedation". That's better than getting a gold star!

Thanks again man.

Ulthur

Since Shok mentioned it in his post, I dug this up again. Don't have any other use for it now, so I figured I may as well share it again.

Honor

A warrior was once given an unbreakable blade. He wielded the
blade through many a battle, and vanquished many a foe. Often
times the blade grew heavy in his hands, and he often thought
to himself that it might be easier to put it down for a while.
Somehow, he always found the strength to continue on.

One day the warrior found himself alone in a dark forest. No
friends stood by his side this time - only he and his blade
remained. There were many enemies in the woods, and after much
fighting his arms were weary from the effort of swinging the
blade, but somehow he found the strength to continue on.

After much walking, he came upon a wall that stretched as far as
his eye could see. The sounds of his enemies approach came from
the woodlands behind him - he would have to go up the wall. He
began to climb, sword in hand, but half way up he lost his grip
and fell to the dirt below.

He still had time before his enemies would arrive, so he quickly
dusted himself off, and prepared to climb once again, when he
was struck by an idea. The climb would be much easier if he set
the blade down. He could always pick it up again once the danger
was past. So he left the blade in the dirt below.

He climbed the wall swiftly without the blade hindering his way.
Once on the other side, he realised his error. The blade was not
here, it lay on the opposite side of the wall. He climbed up
once again and peeked over the top. Seeing no sign of danger, he
climbed over the wall and down to the other side.

Sifting through the dirt, he found his blade - broken in two.
You see, the blade is only unbreakable as long as one holds it.
Once it is set down, it can not be picked up again.

Looking around, the warrior now saw that there was no wall, and
no enemies. Both had existed only in his head. You see, only
one person can make you set down your unbreakable blade.

That person, is you.

Ulthur

Did you make this story up? I've definitely heard it before, but I'm not sure where. Maybe you told Lan/Lannie at some point.

As a funny aside, I can't believe you're Jaldean. I was Holtz! Haha! How often do you think two ex-Imms randomly group at level 8 or so? *tickle Jaldean*

Yeah, I made it up, but it was posted in a note to all back before Ulthur entered the Maran phase of his life, so I'm sure that's where you heard it.

I know, I thought that was funny when I found out afterword that you were Holtz. :P I should have mentioned you in my farewells as the first goodie friend Ulthur had. I remember grouping with you sub-level 10, then getting empowered and grouping with you again at level 11, and telling you that I had been empowered by Shokai. You were the first person I roleplayed with in any way shape or form, I think!

Ulthur

Man, I remember you from a previous paladin I played. I always had a ton of respect for you. You played that role to the T. I also played a paladin while you had Jaldean...I don't remember which...I think it was Nahtarevah. Either way, you played a fantastic character. I think I might try a two-handed dedication next time. Great role also.

Thanks for teaching me the Maran view,

Vahlron

Easily up there as being one of the top three paladins from my perspective. You played a good maran, which can be tough at times. I'm curious though- how did the mask thing ever turn out?

I would be happy to tell the mask story, but I don't know if it's still relevant to anything that's going on. I'll leave that up to Nep, if he says it's ok, I'll talk about it.

I know almost all the events leading up to when you wore it. Heck, I was part of the group that killed Mordeth. I'm just a bit curious how you finally got it off and whatever happened to it. Thanks.

dallevian@yahoo.com

Tell you what: leave out anything the mask said to you. I can't remember how much information you in specific got out of it and it's not really information others can get without taking their chances in certain respects.

Any of the rest of it you'd like to tell, you can with my blessing.

Wow. Well, it's finally over. The most fun I've ever had with a character on CF, hands down. That was quite a long haul... I don't play the same hours per day that I did when I was younger, so Ulthur lasted somewhere around 8 months. There were a few times in there that my playing became sparse, so I'm certain that contributed. Anyway, my first ever age-death. My first paladin hero, as well. My last paladin was at the end of the second age, and he only got to level 44. I loved playing Ulthur right to the end... once I started the "old giant" roleplay, I was amazed. So many people showed respect to an old Maran, that it fit in perfectly. I loved seeing people call me "sir" and "lord" and treat him with a slight sense of awe... since thats the way I would see people addressing an old priest crusader if things were real. I tried to play the way I thought a holy paladin would... I gave away a LOT of gear in my life, including twice my entire set. I could talk about this character for hours, but I'll save most of it unless people have specific questions about stuff I did or said.

My essences were faith and fortitude, and I was a two-handed dedicant. Two handers have the potential to do AMAZING amounts of damage. It was also nice being a rare two-hander, surrounded by shield dedicants. I very much miss being able to tank like a beast though. It's a good trade off, really. In all the times I fought along side shield dedicants, I outdamaged them by probably double. There were times in pks where I still threw on a shield and used wrath, since the two-round lag on the strikes makes chasing people somewhat impractical. The lagging attack rarely works. I do feel that the strikes missed more than they should have though.

I hadn't played in more than a year when I rolled Ulthur. If I had known storm paladins were all the rage, I might have rolled something else. :P But as it is, I enjoyed it immensely. Without a doubt this has been one of my favorite characters, and I like the paladin class a lot. It's very hard to actually finish kills, without any way to (effectively) lag anyone, so that contributed to my pk ratio, I'm certain, combined with the fact that Ulthur only participated in gangs during raids, or against liches. PKing has never been my strongsuit, I'm much more into the roleplaying aspect of a pk character, if that makes sense. Originally Ulthur was NOT meant to be a Maran. When I decided to get back into CF, I wanted to do a role that I enjoyed, so I decided to play a Knight, with or without the cabal, so I rolled a sphere honor storm pally. My intention was to see how far the immortals would let me go following the Knight path... I was hoping for a title involving "Knight of Thera". I didn't do a lot of ranking alone, I wish I'd known that it was possible to make a character learning alone get experience as if he were a group of three... at the time I never even thought about it, and there was no way I was going to hero a storm paladin solo, especially after not playing in a year. Thats where I added the part about undead, so I could justify ranking in Shadar... basically he believed their very existance was an affront to the gods, and they needed to be destroyed. See my role and my farewells for more detail on how I ended up in Maran instead... I love the honor roleplay, I've played more Knight characters than I can count, and had Cador's tattoo with a goodie post-Knights, and I'm sure I'll be playing another one eventually. Now that Vynmylak and Kastellyn took it up, it will be a lot easier, although their beliefs in honor tend to be a lot different than the old Knight/Cador beliefs that I like playing. Ulthur's views on Honor changed a LOT over the course of his life, especially as being a Maran began to influence him more and more, which was very much intentional on my part.

The best part about this character, hands down, was the people I interacted with. My role largely precluded me from speaking with evil characters, as many of the people I interviewd and spoke with certainly know, so my interactions on that end are few and far between. I'll post my role as well, for those of you who are interested. My role, and my character, focused around key interactions with key people in Ulthur's life. Read it, you might be in it :P

On to some farewells, along with the usual "I'll probably forget some. I'm sorry." disclaimer. I'll make ammends as it comes up.

Scion - Well, over 8 months I experienced every sort of Scion horde. When I heroed, Dullameh was in power, and the goodies were mostly being stomped. Then after Dullameh and his crew were gone, there was close to 250 hours where I didn't die once, and rarely had anyone to fight. Then Urden came, and things picked back up. It's been up and down a lot recently. Urden was largely the only character that ever killed me from start-to-finish by himself. Roktalken got me once, when he waited for Karhon and I at our recall point after we fled from getting beat up at a raid. I died to rotting a few times, and Farnsworth got me twice at the end I think, with his guards and shackles. Damn those things. Every other death was to groups of two or more... you get used to it though. Storm paladins are easy as cake to re-equip, combined with being able to make weapons. Having started my Cf career as a Knight during Shadows prime, I got over the "I-got-pked-rage" really quickly. I didn't feel the least bit bad about playing a Maran while good was in power. I'm a Team Good-er for life... never been able to play an evil above level 34, and only once a neutral. I had good fights with a lot of you, but there's a few I'll mention in particular.

Urden - Said it above... you were a bad-ass invoker. Paladins have little defense against smart, prepared invokers, I've found. Great job.

Jhaleryna - Do you have some aversion to fighting? I never saw you with the groups of Scion, even when they were coming to retrieve the Scepter or something.

Zarukian - My god man. Quit your f-ing whining! All you did was whine about my essences! The last time we battled you did REALLY good.. it was down to the wire, before I drove you off. If Abthalok hadn't been nearby to heal me after you fled, I would have died anyway. I was just commenting on the cb about how you put up an excellent fight and almost got me, then you had to start bitching AGAIN. Yeesh.

Amora - You rocked. I got essence of faith right about the time you turned evil, and it gave me a HUGE advantage over the other goodies that fought you. We had SO many fights... most of them ended in one or the other of us running away. Everything that needs to has been said about your character already.

Nexus - The mini-scion! Ulthur absolutely detested Nexans. When Dullameh was in power, no Nexan ever offered to help him with anything. When Scion was in power, all he did was fight Nexans that were aiding the Scion. Besides the fact that the goals of our two cabals do not work together at ALL. I'll save that for an IC conversation though.

Tribunal - Didn't know too many of you. I started out Ulthur with the intent of obeying the laws, but you guys make it almost impossible.

Uelveyye - Said most of it under your thread. Ulthur liked you, then hated you after you attacked Abthalok in Shokai's shrine. Not sure how an elf can justify that one, by any stretch of the lawful imagination.

Kaebe - Man, I thought for sure you were going to drop Tribunal and come over to Maran. Then you went away for a bit, and came back without any interest in it. Oh well... we had a few good travels together.

Noldruk - Where's your area, already?! :P

Battle - I never knew any of you closely. I liked the way the relationship went though - tentative allies against the Scion, and thats it. I don't know that I ever grouped with any of you, but we shared info, and sometimes showed up to raid at the same time. I fought a few of the evil Ragers, but in general I didn't go hunting for them. It was kind of a warrior-to-warrior respect relationship.

Warlock - Had some good travells with some of you, but I didn't get to know too many of you. With one exception...

Lardovian - You suck. You're in my role too :P Again, I already said everything in your farewells. One of Ulthur's best friends, ever since you saved me and my group ranking on trolls way back when.

Caysh - I wasn't going to say anything, but I just saw your deletion thread below mine on the graveyard. I really hope you were roleplaying a prideful hot-head. If so, you're damn good at it. I can't believe you threatened to name me an enemy of the Light. I just had this picture of a mage standing infront of a priest with a Phoenix tattoo and a Maran leader weapon, calling him an enemy of the light. I'm glad you backed down.

Sylvan - Ulthur's favorite cabal, outside of Maran. Though it never really became necesary, Ulthur would have done a LOT for this cabal had there been need. The Sylvan-Warlock stuff was just getting interesting too.

Alysrith - Since our random meeting on the battlefield while gathering ruby collars, you were one of Ulthur's favorite people. You started the relationship with the Grove, that carried on through his entire life. I'm glad you immorted, and I wish you luck!

Blimbali - We picked up right where Alysrith left off... even though you were both neutral, Ulthur would have done just about anything for you two.

Gwimdorf - Well. Without a doubt, hands down, Ulthur's best friend in the latter half of his life. There were a few times that I almost fell out of my chair laughing at the things we had going back and forth. Beautifully well done. Kick some ass as an immortal!

Sassmi - Good job fruity! Ulthur liked you.

Now on to the Fortress.
Dawn/Acolyte - Didn't know too many of you well untill the Fortress merged, but it was always nice to have a few of you in the woodwork somewhere, to show up unexpectedly to defend.

Elrys - Ulthur's best surviving friend! I'm thrilled you got Cardinal, you're a great roleplayer, and you'll do great with the Fortress. Thanks for the key!

Coraelm - Hows it feel to be on the first Council? Didn't really get to know you much, but it was fun working beside you for a little bit.

Masaryk - You were a beast. Should have been a Maran.

Maran - Well, home sweet home. I love playing in the Fortress. Fewer people than any other cabal, but everyone I met in there had roleplaying standards a notch above. The only people I addressed as "brother" or "sister"... other storm giants were "cousin". While paladins rock, the Maran did suffer from a lack of diversity. Four paladins have little chance against any four different classes of Scion together, simply due to the tactics at their disposal. Someone make more non-paladin Marans. Things are getting a lot better with the recent Fortress changes. I'm sorry to everyone I didn't get to interview... I was conciously slowing way, way down on interviews. I knew there would be a rush of people wanting to get in, and its important that the Fortress keeps its same standards, since that was always the best part. I'll be back, ya hear?

If there's anyone I forget, it'll probably be out of this bunch, since there were so many of note. I'll do my best. Feel free to remind me, too.

Shokai - I'm baaack! I don't know exactly how many times I've had your tattoo, but it should be double-digets by now. When you transfered Ulthur into the Knight's castle to chat, and let me read the library... that was one of the coolest moments I can think of on CF. My favorite religion to roleplay, without a doubt. Heck, even after I got into Maran, I NEVER intended to seek your tattoo. It was awesome when I got it... the only time any of my characters ever got a tattoo that they weren't even after! Never mind the fact that I wasn't under one of your spheres... I may try to diversify my tattoo holdings a little more, but rest assured I'll be back. :P Thank you very much for letting me be the first Captain... I was afraid Ulthur was too old to get a spot, so I wasn't going to hold my breath. I still would have been disappointed to not get one though. I hope I helped start the Fortress in the direction you want for it. Thanks for everything this time around.

Vynmylak - I was skeptical about a character that was in Dawn when my last hero was a Maran, but you rocked. I was glad to see you open a religion with Honor as a sphere, although it didn't come till long after I was a hero. My 'who sphere' went from seeing maybe one other person a WEEK, to seeing two or three every DAY. You do a superb job with supporting the Maran, those little occasional appearances work wonders. All my future characters are going to have to get used to calling you "Lord" instead of "Sir", now that you've gained a few ranks and a religion. :P Oddly enough, your religion would have fit my character near perfectly, I think.

Karhon, Abthalok - My storm giant buddies. Had some awesome times. That time when Karhon and Abthalok both died in a raid defense, and then with nothing but basic weapons and a few potions I had on hand, we ran and snatched the hammer back under the Scion noses... that was great. Did you guys coordinate the no-emotion thing? :P

Tynnyn - My fellow Talon! I wish you were around more...

Alnallander - My god man, are you ALWAYS on? I was glad to see you imm'd, otherwise you would have age died before me!

Zardik - So how's that ##### sailing working out for you? Er...

Sabrian - Wasn't sure how Ulthur would react to a thief Maran... but man, we had some fun toward the end. Too bad you weren't around before I was old and decrepit. :P

Alghorval - I wish you had been around after I ended up in the Fortress... we had some fun in our younger years.

Hazkal - You were part of the fun early crew, when your link wasn't dead. :P Good job, and I hope you found a better connection!

Faotaebul - One of the most promising Squires I inducted, no doubt. Your interview left me floored. Good job.

And now a few others -

Tarnyxil - You suck! Figured that one out right away in the Coral Palace. *wink*

Wasarbre - That ice-drake stuff was fun, and I always liked running around with you. Come back to Team Good.

Astarcio - I'm sorry about the lion mix up. Honest.

Shaitarak - One of Ulthur's best friends, and the longest-lasting :P We sure had some fun together, and you even made an addendum into my role. Ulthur had a lot of little scars from those ###### darts...

Aislynn - Wow, what can I say. You're a superb roleplayer... you really raised the bar on what I consider good roleplaying, I think. I really, really wish we'd had more time to do stuff. If Ulthur hadn't been as old as he was when we met, I would have found a way to work you into my role as well. Please accept an honorable mention :P Stick around, so my next character can rank up and get to know you.

Gorach - The finalle. This character had more influence on Ulthur than any other single thing, as you'll see from my role. Yes, that lock of red hair in my description was from you. :P I looked forward to seeing you on more than anyone else, and Ulthur's outlook would have been pretty bleak after you died if it hadn't been for getting into Maran, I think. I roleplayed a long period of depression after you died... I even set my client to gag 'smile', 'laugh', and a few other similar socials, incase I forgot and tried to enter them. I guess you could say you were the "love of his life" :P It wasn't really THAT way though, since I didn't figure a storm giant would develop those kinds of feelings for an elf. More like a ... sister, maybe. I dunno. That and I've never had ANY desire to roleplay "relationships" with any of my characters. Keep up the fun characters, you fat ass.


Ok, I knew this would be long, but I think I've run out of everything I can think of off the top of my head. If I come up with more, or get reminded or asked of more, I'll post 'em. I'll post some logs too, for those who are interested. I can be reached at ulthur88@yahoo.com, if anyone wants. I like hearing from the people I interacted with.

- Ulthur the Avenger of the Righteous
- Ulthur the Maran, Holy Knight of the Phoenix
- Ulthur the Blessed Knight, Holy Talon of the Phoenix
- Ulthur the Holy Talon of the Phoenix, Captain of the Brigade

... previously known as

- Jaldean the Seeker of Knowledge, Arbiter Lord
- Delyn Darksbane, Avatar of the Phoenix, Marshall-Knight of Thera

... and sometimes known as Jeff.

I easily could have kept adding to my role. As I said, Aislynn should have had a spot, and Elrys would have fit in too, along with something about becoming Captain of the Brigade. Since Ulthur was so old though, I just didn't get around to doing it.

Your role is:
Added Thu May 30 22:18:32 2002 at level 6:
"... and that, grandson, is the legend of Jaragh, the first Knight of Thera."
finished the old storm giant, as he leaned back in his chair before the fire.
His face was weather-worn, his hands heavily calloused from years of
adventuring. His armor lay packed away in a chest in the bedroom, his
weapons hung on the mantle above the fireplace, traded in for the gnarled
wooden cane leaning nearby. The young giant sitting on the floor at his feet
stared up at him, eyes wide with awe. No more than 15 or 20 years old, the
youngster was dressed in a pair of torn baggy breaches and a short vest, with
a small wooden play sword cradled in his lap. His pure white hair - unusual
among his blue and green haired kin - was a tangled mess on his head, stray
tendrils sticking out in most every direction. A long smudge of dirt covered
one cheek, not to mention much of his clothing. His mouth split into a huge
toothy grin at the conclusion of the story.

"I want to be a Knight when I grow up!" he said, somewhat breathlessly, his
face shining with eagerness. "Then I can bejust like Jaragh! And Shokai the
Skyborn! And Gareth the Heavenly Warlord!" The youngster gritted his teeth
and hunkered down, letting lose his most ferocious growl in his best
impression of a dwarf.

The old giant chuckled softly as he watched his grandson dash around the room
swinging the wooden sword. Leaning forward, he grabbed the youngster under
the arms and hoisted him into the air, setting him on the arm of his chair.
"And a grand Knight you would be, Ulthur." he said, with a hint of sadness
in his voice. "But many years ago the Knighthood chose to forsake their duty
and their honor. Once the mortal Knights had turned their backs completely
on the precepts of their order, the great Lord Cador took their Code and
parted this world with it. There are no more Knights in the land of Thera,
grandson."

At this the youngster frowned, and glared fiercely at his grandfather. "But
grandpa, I want to be like the great people in your stories! I want to be a
Knight too."

The grandfather smiled down at his grandson proudly. "Then you remember this
one thing, while you grow big and strong. Being a Knight has nothing to do
with fancy titles or words or even great castles. Being a Knight can only
come from right here," he said, tapping Ulthur twice on the chest. "As long
as you hold the Code of Honor right there, you WILL be a Knight. Just make
sure you don't loose site of that, ever."

The young storm giant looked deeply thoughtful for a moment as he absorbed
his grandfathers words, before jumping up to gather his wooden play sword and
asking for just one more story before bedtime. As he grew he retained only
the vaguest memory of the conversation this night, and only general
recollections of the stories his grandfather used to tell him, but those
words would never be forgotten by his soul.

Added Mon Jun 3 15:26:02 2002 at level 20:
"...and that, sir, is why I seek the history of the Knights of
Thera." he finished, looking up at his guildmaster sitting across
the table from him. The bustle of the soup kitchen had waned
somewhat in the late morning hours, allowing for a decent
conversation without the need for shouting. He is of average
youthful appearance for a storm giant, aside from his long, pure
white hair worn pulled into many small braids. The old guildmaster
regarded him thoughtfully, rolling one end of his mustache between
two fingers.

"Ah, to be young again, with ones sights set in the stars..." the
guildmaster said, turning his face up in a mock appeal to the
heavens. "Very well, young giant. I can help you on your journey.
None living know if the god you seek still casts his eye upon us,
though his order as we knew it is most certainly gone. There is
one, however, that may be able to answer some of your questions."

The young storm giant looked puzzled. "You wish me to seek the
dead?"

At this the guildmaster burst into laughter, pounding the table with
his fist. "Oh my, Ulther! I would hardly have you resort to
necromancy!" he said, struggling to control himself. "No, the being
you must seek is known as the Phoenix. The legends say the great
God himself, in times considered ancient even in ancient times, once
walked the land as one of the Honorbound. Perhaps He can answer
your quest. His temple lies high in the mountains, far to the
north. Begin your search there."

Added Fri Jun 28 21:13:42 2002 at level 46:
"...and that, sir, is why I am seeking all that can be told of the Knights of
Thera. Who better to speak with than it's mortal founder?" he said, bowing
his head in respect to the ancient giant before him. Outside the simple
room the sound of children playing could be heard. A small girl opened the
door and peeked her head in, but upon seeing the guest, she gigled and shut
the door again. Jaragh glanced at her with a brief smile, before turning
his attention back to the young giant before him.

"A lofty goal, Ulthur. Others have tried in the past, but none have been
found worthy." the old giant said, pausing to adjust a strap on a suit of
heavily worn golden plate armor. "I think the old days are gone, and cannot
be recovered. But perhaps you will be able to bring about something for a
new day. The ruins of the Knight's Castle lie at the foot of the mountains
boardering the vast plains. Go there, see what became of the Order in times
past. If you still feel you can fulfil your quest, return to the Temple of
the Phoenix. If anyone can answer your questions, He can."

Added Fri Sep 6 13:02:37 2002 at level 51:
"...Oi! Yer bloo' forgiven Ulthur! Qui' yer worryin' abou' it!" said the
slender elf as she walked along next to him. Her freckled face broke into a
smile as she shook her head in exasperation, several strands of firey-red
hair shaking loose from the small silver clasp holding the rest of her hair
back. "We managed t' drive th' Anti-life off, i's all righ' now."

Ulthur gave a weary sigh. "I know, Gorach. I am still saddened that I
arrived too late to help in the fight..."

Gorach laughed again. "Th' Anti-life probably smell' ya coming, an tha' why
he ran off anyway!" she said, poking him in the ribs, before jumping up and
giving him a hug. "Now ge' off yer friggin' lazy ass, an' lets go!"

Ulthur gives her a wry grin, unable to resist her infectious mood. "Ya
stinkin' elf..." he says, as they continue on their way.

Some time later, the giant is kneeling in what appears to be an altar room,
eyes closed in meditation. The muscles in his jaw ripple as he clenches his
teeth tightly, and his eyelids twitch, very obviously not in a relaxed state.
His eyes open suddenly, and he looks around as if seeking something. The
Temple is constructed of silver-veined white marble, and a crystal altar
near the giant blazes with a silver light. His eyes pass over all of this,
as if driven to seek something in particular. Finally, his gaze settles on
a woven silver tapestry hanging near the altar. As he takes in the images
his eyes widen in understanding, and his features shift from troubled, to a
look of determination. The tapestry depicts the ancient Knight named Shokai,
surrounded by the Shadow, his body showing signs of age and numerous battles.
As the Knight lays waste to the hordes of evil surrounding him, the mark of
the Unbreakable Blade can be seen glowing fiercely and un-marred on his wing.

Ulthur rises slowly, no longer showing the signs of tension and conflict, and
pulls the longsword off the balderic on his back. He turns the blade in his
hands, examining it as if seeing it for the first time. "I know what I need
to do, now."

Added Sun Sep 22 19:41:03 2002 at level 51:
"...Be happy for her instead... she can finally rest from all that you and I
still carry on our shoulders." said Lardovian, looking at the giant sadly.
The ancient elf reaches up to adjust the leather cord holding his blond hair
back, as he looks about the room. A huge gray stone fireplace dominates one
side, with numerous tables set around it for people to sit and listen to
tales, though the room is empty now. Sitting in one of the larger chairs
near the fire is an aging giant, dressed all in gray except for a golden
breastplate and a tattoo of a silver phoenix clutching the moon standing out
brightly on his bare bicep. He is staring vacantly off in the distance,
tears running silently down his cheeks.

"I do not cry for her, old friend. I mourn for those who have to continue
the battle in this world without her." Ulthur whispers with a sigh. "So many
friends... and foes. Gone to rest, or perhaps damnation, or whatever comes
next. I feel the weight of time on my shoulders now, and I grow weary."
Lardovian looks down at him and places a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Some time later, the giant is again kneeling at the Temple of the Phoenix,
his eyes rimmed with red. After some time without movement or sound, he
rises and opens his eyes, staring out over the mountains. He silently says
his goodbyes, then pulls a small lock of firey-red hair from his pack. He
stares at it for a long time, then pulls out a small blue ribbon and ties it
to one of the silver chains holding his cloak about his neck. With a last
sigh, he straightens his armor, puts his hand on his sword hilt, and turns
from the temple.

Added Sun Sep 29 13:45:02 2002 at level 51:
"...if there is every anything you need, ever... You saved my soul." the man
said with a deep sigh. He is a graceful looking human, covered in a large
black cloak. One well-manicured hand reaches up and pushes back the cowl
partially obscuring his face, revealing short graying hair and clear
emerald-green eyes. "My life is yours." he says, looking up at the giant
leaning against the massive wooden doors next to him.

Ulthur shakes his head slightly. "There is never any payment for helping a
friend." he says, as he slowly runs one hand over the multihued chains
sealing the gatehouse shut, leaving a trail in the thick dust. "And I thank
you, Shaitarak, for having the strength to stand in the face of the drows
preachings where many others have fallen. The battle would become even
harder without my old friends with me."

At this he smiles slightly, and you get the impression that it is the first
time he has smiled in quite some time. The two sit and chat for a few more
minutes, before parting with a hearty hug. The giant spends a short time in
meditation, then begins to pull his weapon from it's sheath. He stops
suddenly and instead holds his empty hands up infront of himself, staring at
them for a moment. He begins to smile, faintly at first, then a broad grin.
Finally, with a satisfied nod, he rises and walks from the gatehouse.

Added Sun Dec 15 01:31:49 2002 at level 51:
"...so like I was saying, there were these five chickens at an Inn..." the
dwarf starts to say, then trails off as he notices the blank stare directed
toward him by the giant resting nearby. He reaches up and scratches at an
uneven silver beard with a grin. "Don't wanna to hear about the chickens,
eh? How's about the time I died to that group of fifety? I got fourty-nine
of 'em, but that last one pulled'a dirty trick..."

Ulthur sighs deeply, and covers his face with his hands. "By the Gods,
Gwimdorf. I've heard that story already." He looks up with at the blockish
dwarf with a grin of his own, and they both start chuckling.

"You know Gwim, if it weren't for you, I'd probably be on my death bed
already," he says seriously. He pushes himself up somewhat shakily with his
staff, and starts to turn away. "Come on now, the Flail may be needed
somewhere." They both start laughing again, as they head off into the woods.

of when to fight and not to fight. 600 plus hours is impressive, and even more impressive that you were enjoying it up to the end. Nothing more to say then you are one dedicated son of a *****. Take care and good luck.

Gre is a beast. The one time we fought, after the Sylvan-thing when you guys killed Sabrian, I summoned you, you pincered me and your disarm legacy went off in the first or second round. I had no shield on since I was planning on using a templars defense, then no weapon, against an axe wielding giant rager. It was a quick and messy fight. Infact, I forgot that one when I was trying to think of people that killed me alone from start-to-finish. You and Urden. :P As you might have gathered from our interactions after that fight, Ulthur didn't hold it against you. That and the Village stopped raiding sylvan.

Ulthur

I have a hard time recalling talks with you when I was Urden, since
that was an intense character, but I did get to know you much better
when I rolled up my forgotten Maran........

Malur!

Geez, everyone forgot about that guy. Oh well, it was a re-bound char.
But damn, I *wanted* things to improve with him.

Anyway, I thought you were a cool fella, with both characters. Even
more once I got to know you. You deserved people's respect by playing
a Maran to the very end.


Adios.

Wow, I liked Malur, then you stopped showing up! You and Maemar both... *poof* gone. We never got to have too many talks when you played Urden, but I always had a blast fighting you. I usually winced a little too.

ulthur

What can -I- say? :P

You were the last one from my days out there and stuck it out a long time before joining the party. (Gorach's been spilling wine all over the table again btw ;) )

It was a fun ride we had. I wasn't even sure I'd arrive in time that time in the past since I didn't actually hurry to get there, but it seems as if it worked out in the end regardless, eh?

Thank you for all the countless battles and raids we did together, nothing like having a giant in front of you when you can deliver an ANNIHILATES every round :P
Oh, one more thing. Next time you raid tell me -before- you start striking at the nightwalker, eh? Don't know how many times I actually arrived to see your whole squad on their way out of the chasm waving the sceptre over their heads :P

Oh well... you were a great one to have by one's side when travelling out there, hope you'll enjoy the afterlife as much!

Lardovian

ow, heh dimion really looked up to you, had a feeling i should have spoken to ya last night. :)
anyway, i had all but quit talking to you as i just sit around waiting for people to holler hey wanna help up do X, or hey can you come get me out of X? heh.
when i would try to talk to you before there was always a raid or something going on, if you weren't busy, i was. *sigh*
after that one (really helpful) talk at Shokai's temple, you got me wanting to learn more. well i guess one day i'll figure out how to find out the things i wanna know ic heh.
also i was really just askin at first, but after meeting you, you made me actually want to follow shokai, and been thinkin about trying to hit people up for getting into maran for some time. but either bad timing or i just suck :) (prolly the latter)
heh your one in my role as well.
Ulthur was one of the coolest characters i have met since first playing cf. and man you were hero when i was really young. when people started calling ME old, i was thining, jeez what does that make Ulthur?? well gluck
-Dimion

Just wanted to drop you a line and let you know that I truely will miss you I totally look forwarded to learning a lot from you and you went and died on me! I want to know what this plan of yours with Chaos was suppose to be! Can I email you and ask?

Arigil

Neat character, and well played. I have the vague recollection that over the long months I saw Ulthur make some calls that I didn't personally agree with for an Honor paladin, but, what do I really know when you come down to it. Overall I thought you did a great job and the character really seemed like a paladin to me from what I saw.

I didn't get to interact with Ulthur myself until very recently, and that as a mercurial piece of facewear. I'm curious: The second time it came into your hands, did you, the player, really believe it had been forced upon you, or was that roleplaying? I couldn't decide.

Yeah, I made some calls with old Ulthur that I wouldn't have made with young Ulthur. For anyone that got to talk to Ulthur pre-Maran, he placed honor above the light, in true Cador-esque fashion. That flip-flopped 100% by the end, and while honor was always important to the character, being good became far more so. Shokai's influence, and all that. There were also a few times that I flat out screwed up and did something dishonorable. :P I tried to make ammends for those as well as I could. I'd be curious to hear if you can remember any particulars of the situations that you thought were questionable. Maybe I have a good response, and maybe you just saw one of my screw-ups.


The mask was awesome, I had no idea who was doing the playing behind it... great job. My plan in the end was foiled. :( Damn you Gastaad, damn you to hell!

As to your question, I SWEAR I didn't wear it after I took it from the drow. I'll pick through my log again, since I saved it all, but I looted it, then next time I looked it was on my face. However, later on I looted it from my own corpse , and it stayed in my inventory. I don't know. I'll examine the log more carefully when I get time. I was glad to see that it wasn't made of stone any more :P

ulthur

I wonder if that's the same mysterious mask I was asked to watch a month back. If so, maybe I should've tried it on instead of just examining it and passing it on. The one I saw was energy, but it didn't talk to me.

>
>Blimbali - We picked up right where Alysrith left off...
>even though you were both neutral, Ulthur would have done
>just about anything for you two.
>


Well thanks for that, I felt the same. Back then I seemed to run more with the Maran and Drakes more then Sylvan as for a while we had few high ranked members. We 3-4 could always crack open the scion cabal like a pistachio in no time flat and our hunting parties were funny. Watching the pk range get thinner untill we all broke off from the party one by one in boredom.

Great character, great indeed.

Long time no see. It seems to me that you always are playing a rather distinct character and role, but it shows your level or rp. I wish I would have gotten a chance to accually interact with Ulthur.

>Caysh - I wasn't going to say anything, but I just saw your
>deletion thread below mine on the graveyard. I really hope
>you were roleplaying a prideful hot-head. If so, you're
>damn good at it. I can't believe you threatened to name me
>an enemy of the Light. I just had this picture of a mage
>standing infront of a priest with a Phoenix tattoo and a
>Maran leader weapon, calling him an enemy of the light. I'm
>glad you backed down.

I think hot-head would imply youth, and by the time we had that meeting I was slipping into more of a bitter old man type of role. For some reason, it was arguments like the ones we had that I remember most fondly. Aside from that, I found Ulthur to be a model paladin, in just about every way. And though we didn't fight together much, what I did see of you I was extremely impressed by. Inspired tactics, great RP, and all that jazz.

As long as you were having fun then, it's all good. I love that sort of diplomatic stuff, really. Inter-cabal wars can be the best part of CF, I think, especially the unusual ones. If anyone remembers that far back, Delyn was instrumental in getting the Knights to declare war on the Arbiters back in the day. That made for some of the most fun roleplaying I've ever had. I hope this sort of thing keeps up. I wont go into any detail on the current events, since thats for the new leadership people to deal with in the game.

Good luck,
Ulthur

Damn well done.

I've basicly said it all in my thread, tho with my current char I saw you from another perspective. And no, we didn't coordinate the no emotion thing. Karhon was a hero when I started playing Ab seriously. Karhon would do the whole melting thing, and smile sometimes, where for ab I set aliases for every single social that I use, heh. Well done, and good luck with your next.

Well, can't say I interacted much with you more then watching
you tear the archmage up but other chars I did with. Overall
a great char, but there is one thing I am curious of since
you were considered by many to be the model maran and even
named a leader. How could you be aiding the warders so often
in their fights when in fact, they are more neutral then good
and that even if they are striking evil out when your with them
they have done evil deeds as well? If you are trying to stamp
out all evil, why deal with those that would also aid evil in
their own ways?

How could you be aiding the warders so often in their fights when in fact, they are more neutral then good and that even if they are striking evil out when your with them they have done evil deeds as well?

Keep in mind that this is all from Ulthur the paladins point of view, not from what I as a player know about Sylvans. For starters, Ulthur never ever saw a Sylvan doing evil. The only snag was their belief against conjurers, and that didn't seem entirely unreasonable to him. Understand, that EVERY time in Ulthur's life that he needed aid against evil ones, or liches, or scions, or whatever, the Sylvans would come help him without question. Some of his best friends were Sylvans, and a good number of them WERE good-aligned too. Every Sylvan leader since Ulthur reached hero (Alysrith, Blimbali, Gwimdorf, Sassmi) has been a friend of Ulthur's, and a big part of his respect for the Grove stemmed from that. As I see it, Sylvan is a truely neutral cabal, in that alignment doesn't matter... they are focused on something that is not alignment-specific. Hope that clears up Ulthur's attitude toward Sylvans a little bit.

Ulthur

But you didn't play a moron, who closes his eyes on the evil deeds, or the information, concerning such deeds. I saw with many different chars through the years how sylvans killing storm giants in the kiadana-rah. I can say it, since Sassmi is dead now, that she(he) have been killing them there too. And how can your character do not know this, when everyone else do? Besides, you are a leader. Don't your squires inform you of the evil deeds, that happening in the lads?
I really think that 'my character disn't know!' is a poor excuse.
And this is strange to me - marans, and especially paladins is a very, very orderly structures. Paladin's code of honor built on the civilization and morale, which sylvans stands against. I know it, because a couple of years I had empowered paladin of Uller, and I've been digging into that really good (a shame I couldn't play that time, though I do not think I'd be a sylvan paladin). While I've been a sylvan, I even fought some paladins because of their beliefs/goals/ways. What I see now, is a 100% cooperation between maran-sylvan cabal. Is it bothering me? Not at all. But when you are raiding sylvan and whole maran cabal comes... disgusting. :)

I'm sorry, I don't think you read what I wrote. For starters, Ulthur never ever saw a Sylvan doing evil. I'll expand that to "never heard about it" either. The only thing that might count as hearing about bad things Sylvans were doing was the Sylvan-Warlock war, and Ulthur was very involved in trying to work that out. I wont go into more detail about it, since it's still on-going. ...EVERY time in Ulthur's life that he needed aid against evil ones, or liches, or scions, or whatever, the Sylvans would come help him without question. I think that should make it pretty clear, too. Several times I found three evils ranking on elite storm giants in Kiadana, and different Sylvans were happy to come help me with them. If the Scion had the Hammer, the Sylvans were happy to come help me get it back. If we were being raided, the Sylvan came to help defend, every time. Ofcourse I did the same for them.

I really think that 'my character disn't know!' is a poor excuse. I'll flat out disagree with you there. It's a very good excuse not to act on something, if your character doesn't know about it.

marans, and especially paladins is a very, very orderly structures. Paladin's code of honor built on the civilization and morale, which sylvans stands against. Many, many Maran are chaotic, very few are orderly. Ulthur himself had a neutral ethos. Some things he was very orderly about, other things he wasn't. He was also a very bad criminal, as far as a Tribunal would be concerned. Honor has nothing what-so-ever to do with civilization, and I have no idea how you make the conclusion that Sylvans are against morale.

Ulthur

I really wish that Aislynn would have met Ulthur when he was much younger. As it was, he managed a place in her role at character creation. He was the paladin she saw in Seantryn Modan that made her realize what her life could be. So, though they had not met, Ulthur directed her path from the beginning. I remember trying to talk with you starting when Aislynn was like 11th level, hoping to open some line of communication with "The Holy Talon", who had great potential to teach her things about life and other paladinly virtues, but that never worked out until what.. around hero level? Sabrian must have twisted Ulthur's arm to come talk to her about the Maran. I really enjoyed that conversation. Thanks for showing me where the Chasm was and teaching me about cabal raiding. I can't believe that I didn't know (has the term fru-fru been used yet?) even how to begin in that arena. I wondered if you thought it was roleplaying, or somewhere deep down, did you know the player behind it was honestly clueless??????? :+ Good luck with your next and I will try my damndest to pick you out and hook up with you before you are on your over the hill spiral.

Aislynn

No arm-twisting was required! I don't remember where I first got to talk to you, exactly, but I knew right away that I should sit up and pay attention. I wasn't honestly sure if you were just roleplaying, or really didn't know where the Chasam was. Either way, I played along with teaching you, and had a great time. If only you had been a bit more confident, I think you would have been in Maran even before the cabal split and I gained the ability to induct. Either way though, great job.

Ulthur

but what can you do to paladins? Hardest to fight as a shaman in my opinion...them and the good ragers ;) Good character in overall, had a paladin when you and I talked a lot...was fun.

great job with the character!

Your reaction to the attack in the Shrine just floored me. I sat outside the shrine, fumed, and let my anger boil, before praying to Shokai and charging in. It would have been easy not to, but I would have been compromising Uel's role. So in I went.
Then when you found out and we talked everything just fell apart, I could feel your anger. So I sat there, blinking and slack-jawed.
It gave me a load of RP stuff talking with Bria and praying to Shokai for forgiveness, then helped with some shift in her Role. My Biggest regret was not getting the chance to resolve it with Ulthur and gain the paladin's forgiveness.

What can I say, you said it in my thread...some missed opportunities for some great roleplay, would have been great to have gotten Tynnyn and you together with Uel.

Good Luck with what comes next.

I'll echo that statement one more time. Missed opportunities! When I saw Tynnyn on the other day, I thought to myself again that its too bad we never got to roleplay that out further. I've only once done the Arbiter/Tribunal roleplay (as Jaldean), and while it was fun, I doubt I'll be doing it again. Everyone that wants to play anti-law people should play one first, so they can avoid being annoying :P

Ulthur

You don't know how close I was or how badly I really wanted to, but being sphere dedication and a follower of Trabryn, I thought it would be in bad taste to forgoe order. Ulthur was a great, solid character. I liked Delyn, hated Jaldean, and liked Ulthur, a testament to your RP ability. Come back soon, I sure as hell did.

Yeah, I can see where that would have made it harder to justify. I'm glad you liked Delyn and Ulthur, my two favorite characters! Guess that means I should stick with Shokai followers.

Ulthur

Damn, sad to see you go. I had a ton of fun with you. I liked how you just sort of picked to talk with me out of the blue about honor since we had the same sphere. That was a really big moment in Khalazid's life, and you were always like a mentor figure to him. Wish we could have fought together more, but it seemed like when we got in range of each other, the Scion swing that seemed to be happening sort of died out, and the goodies came back. Oh well. Hope to see you back in the Fort soon!

I knew I would miss some. I can't believe I forgot to mention the Marshall! We really didn't get to see eachother very many times after we became leaders, but I was thrilled when you became Marshall. How odd is it that the first two Maran leaders are sphere honor paladins? One a shield dedicant, one a two-handed dedicant, one a Vyn follower, one a Shokai follower. That talk we had about honor was great, probably one of the last times I really got to delve into the subject with someone.

You also reminded me to mention Yaofhil, the surley dwarf. You do an awesome job with a dwarf. Made me want to go play one again, and it was nice having a non-paladin to run around with!

Ulthur

Awesome job, guy. I really liked this character tremedously, and loved watching you interact with folks. With some folks, you can just really tell when they're enjoying a character, and I think you just shined because of that. I was extremely glad you were still around when the Fortress changes came about, and that you could lend a hand in the early direction of the cabal.

The one tell you sent me regarding time and applicants made me laugh to no end -- truly. I wholeheartedly empathize, guy. I know what you were going through. You handled it great. Looking forward to seeing your next.

-- Vyn

Thanks man, it was fun seeing you when you were young, and hanging out with you and gorach and the others. I subsequently interacted with you with more than one character and always got the same feeling of solid roleplay. Always felt like I was in fact talking to a big old giant paladin, not someone playing a big giant paladin. And that's not as common as one would think. Great job.

Still upset that nobody ever picked up on my crusade to get goodies to stop summoning and killing elite dwarf guards. It really just doesn't make any sense.

See you in the fields!

I am sorry for not answering before, I just know you have been waiting for this one ;).. Anyways, we did have a blast, although it wasn't all that obvious in the beginning.. You were a young paladin, I think 10-ish, when you first started talking to me (I think I was a hero by that time already).. Anyway, I think you, as most people when they first met Gorach, didn't really know how to react to Gorach's swearing and cursing and all, but it all loosened up that time we were in the Pyramid with Alghorval and his 'my musical mirror-cracking friend'.. from that moment on, we grew closer and closer.. and after Wasarbre's death Gorach did start to feel .. something for you .. That is why my I couldn't bring my present character to act as if you were a total stranger, I longed back for those times (which was outta line, kinda, but I couldn't help it).. It was never the same though, because X is a totally different character that doesn't really swear and all .. that and the fact you seemed more .. 'absent', but that is typical for elder people I think.. sorry, FAT elder people.. Anyways, I will remeber those times as one of the best of my whole cf career.. thanks dude..

Gorach.

Btw, first you say I suck and then I am the best ever ??? Ya fa' stupi' gi', make up yer stinin' min'..

first you say I suck and then I am the best ever ??? Ya fa' stupi' gi', make up yer stinin' min'..

You suck! But out of all the sucky people I knew, you were the best. Hope that clears things up for you. :P

Keep the characters with attitudes coming, I'll be watching with my future chracters!

Great job I liked the character and was surprised at how long you stuck with it.

Krivohan the Vindicated, Dead Chancellor of the Inferno

I cut back on telling that story! I swear. I don't think any of the Squire apps I talked to heard it, just on the off chance that one of them might be you again. :P

Ulthur

Enjoyed the depth of the character and the effort you put into it. Very glad to see you were able to be made Captain before you died. Kudos to you for rising to every challenge and not only succeeding but also exceeding expectations.

Seeing that you were also Jaldean and Delyn, I'm not surprised in the least.

Good stuff, chief.

JALDEAN! I thought you quit when Pico de-immortalified you. But anyway, ULTHER was a beast. I sent you running once, good ol Cobra! Heh Temren seemed to be your bane because you couldn't wrath me. Anyhow you did an amazing job

Temren
BattleCharmed

Wrath is really only useful for three things as a storm giant two-handed dedicant. The first is cursing, the second is track the wicked, and the third is when you want to do some damage, but need to be able to respond quickly, either for chasing or fleeing or other things. The strikes are the way to go, usually. Neutral shifters do have the advantage of making templars defenses useless also. Literaly the only three things I could have possibly done to you was flamestrike, strike or shield bash. But either way, I don't recall ever fighting you alone, Mr gnome scion man.

I suppose wrath is also useful if you're fighting a betrayered duergar warrior *cough* Kulmortuk *cough*

Ulthur

Way. To. Go.

I don't even know what to say, really. When you just sort of died right in the middle of that argument... man was that a surprise.

Anyhow, the effect Ulthur had on Elrys was so all-encompassing it's easier to say what he didn't affect. I don't really want to go into it here, but I probably wouldn't have been a Servant without that. Elrys is probably just one of the many and probably not even all that big in Ulthur's life but Ulthur was definitely key in Elrys's

We met when I begged for help ranking, then we chatted some. There's something about Ulthur that just sort of screamed depth and that talking to him would always be worth while. I can't remember exactly what you said, but it was something tha tmade Elrys want to live up to your example, so from then on she wanted to explore and so forth with you.

Through bad luck mostly that didn't happen (seems like we went on vacation at alternate times) which was too bad. Was looking for to playing as leader beside you, but what are you going to do?

And though Elrys pretty much idolized Ulthur, as a player I have to give you huge props. Never saw your RP slip, never saw you get pissed about dying, and generally you seemed to handle things very well. You seemed like a beast when I saw you fight, so I'm guessing that 32% ratio reflects a high risk-taking which is always cool

Ulthur was very likely the coolest mortal I've ever interacted with.

Like I said in my farewell, we did have some great times together.

As for the pk ratio...Ulthur was down to 8 con at one point, then when I made Captain I got two bonus con. So yeah, I burned through quite a bit of con, all in all. I also won a lot of fights that people just ran away from. Thats what balances out a class with as much power as a two-handed dedicant storm paladin Maran, though. I give massive props to the chasing skills of any paladin that can end with a high pk ratio, because finishing kills tends to be REALLY hard.

Ulthur

Travelled with you with Wasarbre...fought you a bit with Anith. You really came along way from when I first met your char. It was fun, and you always stuck to your roleplay and duties.

n/t

I never got to interact with Ulthor at all, but from the sounds of it Xandrya probably would have loved him. She kind of has a soft spot for Storm Giants. I did see that echo on your death though and I thought it was really pretty cool. What a way to go!

And I just read your role. That's some really good writing.

When you roll up a new one I hope I get to meet him.