New Members coming in droves!  We welcomed a new Initiate on Great Lakes today. Say hello to the mule (yes, that's his name). The Mule's been added to the UO roster, and other than constant hassling about his name, lets all make him feel very welcome! Congratulations, mule :)

Daedin - Herald of the Cross (WebChick)

Roster Updates:  His Grace just sent word that we have welcomed two new Initiates to our ranks! On Everquest, Atalanta joins us, and on Ultima, Cornelius will be taking the Initiate's oath. Welcome to our two newest members! The rosters have been updated <but I still need ICQ numbers for both of you :)>.

Daedin, Herald and WebChick

From the WebChick:  I wish you all a marvelous Yule and all good things in the new Millennium! I'll be away for...well, as little as about a week to maybe ten days or more, so I hope the season brings you all good cheer! I look forward to posting an update as soon as I return. Until then, fight the good fight, and enjoy the holidays!

Yours, Affectionately - Daedin

Roster Update:  I'm delighted to announce that our old and dear friend on Great Lakes, Kazola, was entered into the Orders as an Initiate last night. Welcome Kazola!! Also, last night saw the return of Initiate Ivanhoe! Welcome back Ivanhoe! The roster has been updated.

Early Morning News from the Guild Wide Meeting:  First, thanks to everyone who attended! We had an excellent turnout for our last meeting of the Millennium, and we got to welcome Defenders both old and new. Welcome first to Initiates Maeric, Nashkell and Tippett (who received his Oath of Initiation last night). Also, we were delighted to be joined once again by Holy Lord Murgen! Hooray!

EverQuest News:  His Grace reports that we are growing by leaps and bounds in Veeshan, and gave his regards to the excellent efforts of our people there, especially to Taima and Bodhi for their recent efforts to organize events. Gamanin told us that he is expecting a return of Trade Skills Nights very soon, so watch the board and here for more news on that.  His Grace will also be posting a list of the many things he is holding in the Guild "bank" (items for loan or the use of players that we've collected). Also, comments on event protocol and loot distribution will be solicited on the message board.

Ultima Online News:  Sir Daedin reports that we will be participating in the next Trinsic Craft Fair to be held on January 8th, Great Lakes. Dates are being discussed for the Trial of the traitor Dingo, and Squire Adun's elevation to knighthood both on UO and EQ are being tentatively set for Sunday, January 9th. Watch the board and here for news of times and such. We are ready for the decay patch, with all the Guild buildings prepared at this time. Questions on this issue should be directed to Sir Daedin.

Asheron's Call News: Sir Elbryan reports that his studies have kept him away from the game for the most part, and things there are off to a slow start. Lord Murgen wishes to open his House on the server he is playing (the name of which has escaped your Herald...I'll get back with this), and a plan will be made for members playing AC to meet to discuss how the allegiance system is impacting our Guild system and what we can do about that. Time/date to be announced, or we may use the next knight's council for this discussion. Watch for news on that.

General Guild News:  Sir Daedin solicited questions on the entry of our Adepts into the Great Houses. Please seek more information about that in the Great Houses section of the menu, or contact one of the House Heads if you have any questions.  All members are again reminded to download ICQ and send their contact information to Sir Daedin.  There was interest in having a real world reunion in Las Vegas when Keshtakai and his bride-to-be are there the end of January/early February. If you're interested in making plans to be there, contact Sir Daedin.

Our next Guild Wide meeting is set for January 20th, the next knight's council is January 9th due to the holidays.

Here's best wishes for a joyous Yule and a happy and prosperous New Millennium!!

Respectfully submitted--Sir Daedin, Herald of the Cross

Guild Wide Meeting Tomorrow!!  This will be our last Guild Wide meeting of the Millennium!! Woo! So make plans now to spend an evening with the Guild tomorrow. We start the meeting part at 9pm Central, then lets see if we can have some fun together afterwards. If you're unable to attend and have something you want to pass along, send me a note before the meeting. We'll get together in the IRC room for this, and I strongly encourage those of you who've been using the java based connection to give mIRC a try instead (the java based link is on the menu bar now, and a link to mIRC's homepage is in the Links section). See you tomorrow!

Roster Addition!  Squire Kyna sent a message to me letting me know that Gradeki has joined us on Everquest as an Initiate Defender! Hail and welcome, Gradeki!

Daedin--Herald of the Cross (WebChick)

Early Morning News:  Oops...sorry. I slacked off on posting words from our most recent Knight's Council! Anyway...here are some of the things we discussed.  This is important!!  It is the word of His Grace that all Defenders of the rank of Adept shall enter into a Great House of the Guild. To stress the importance of this move, from here on, those of Initiate rank must choose a House to join before they will be elevated to Adept. This will work as follows: You begin your life in the Guild at the time of your Initiation. The Oath must be administered by a senior ranking member, such as our Holy Grand Master, the Preceptor, or a Knight of the Guild. This is the time you will use to learn if this is really the Guild for you. When you are convinced, then you will turn your thoughts to which House you would like to join, and whether that arrangement will be temporary, semi-permanent or permanent. Your next step is to approach the Head of that House (or its representative) and ask to be sponsored. When your House Head is convinced that you are right for the Guild, he/she will recommend that you be elevated, or may just elevate you to Adept themselves. We are making this move to increase communication and to emphasize our commitments to each other and our group. At any point before your elevation to Adept, you are not expected (but are highly encouraged) to attend Guild Wide Meetings. Once you take the Oath, our expectation will be much higher. If you find we are not the group for you, or vice versa, you will be released from your Initiate's Oath with our thanks for giving it a try.

For those members of Adept status who are not currently a member of a Great House, you will be expected to make arrangements to join one as soon as possible (and we really mean as soon as possible). For more information on the Houses, take a look either in the New Members Section or in the section under The Great Houses. Please direct any questions to your Preceptor.

Next Guild Wide Meeting is December 16th (Thursday) at 9pm Central, IRC Chat We realize that the holidays are a very busy time, and that some of the matters discussed at the meeting may not apply to the game you are playing, but we cannot over-stress the importance of attendance for all members. It is the only chance we get to regularly meet as an entire Guild, so please do your very best to attend.

Next Knight's Council is December 12th (Sunday) Midnight Central, IRC Chat  Again I'd like to stress the importance of sharing your thoughts and input as a member of the Holy Grand Master's advisory body. It's your input that helps him make decisions on the future of our members and the Guild as a whole. Please make your best effort to attend or send your thoughts and ideas to your Preceptor, the Guild Herald or His Grace. *Besides, your brothers and sisters miss you!!*

Daedin, Herald of the Cross (WebChick)

News from the Holiday Weekend:  Word has reached me from His Grace that Aeramon and Buma have both been elevated over the holiday weekend. Congratulations to our new Adepts! The roster has been updated.

I hope all you Americans are recovering from T-day (as I am), and that this holiday weekend was full of happiness and good cheer. We have much to be thankful for!

Daedin, Herald of the Cross (WebChick)

Knight's Council Notice:  Knight's Council will convene on Sunday, Nov 28, Midnight Central in the IRC Chat room.

Great Lakes Fight Night Postponed this week:  Sir Daedin and several other Defenders will be away for the holiday weekend, so tomorrow's fight night on Great Lakes is postponed (and who can really smite evil with a tummy full of turkey anyway!). Here's wishing you all a fine Thanksgiving!

Daedin, Herald of the Cross (WebChick) *who is truly grateful for all her Defender friends!*

News from the Guildwide Meeting:  Thank you to everyone who made the effort to attend! We talked about some upcoming events on both Everquest and Ultima, so keep tuned here and on the message board for more on those. The regular event schedule for UO is posted in the events section now, or contact Sir Daedin for details. Defenders are reminded to submit recommendations to Lord Athelstan regarding Orders of Merit. Please review that section of the webpage if you are unsure what the Orders represent. Sir Daedin can help you if you have questions about what a recommendation involves.

Sir Daedin takes Gamanin as Squire:  We finished off Guildwide night by witnessing the exchange of oaths between Sir Daedin and Gamanin as Knight and Squire. Woo hoo! The roster has been updated with his change in rank.

Respectfully submitted--Daedin MacAoidh, Herald of the Cross (WebChick)

Early Morning News from Knight's Council:  Thank you to all who attended! The big news from council was our invitation to Adun (aka Ponn, Maikell, et al) to seek vigil as a Knight Candidate! He has set the date for his public vigil to be Sunday, November 21st at 10:00pm Central (8pm Pac) *note time change from original posting* in the IRC chat room. All Guild members are encouraged to attend! Daedin announced some changes in UO/GL guild nights. Tuesdays at 9pm Central, we'll meet at the Tower to work on whatever skills the members wish to improve, contact her with questions. Thursday nights fight night will start at 10pm Central.

Roster Updates:  Word from Sir Marco that Altropos has taken the Oath of an Adept! Congratulations to Altropos! The roster has been updated, and so have some member names in the various games.

Respectfully submitted--Daedin, Herald of the Cross (WebChick)

Early Morning Words from Sir Elbryan!

Hail Defenders!  It appears that after much computer trouble Daedin has ceded the preceptorship of our guild on Asheron's Call to me.  I would just like to say I will miss my Sister dearly as I travel in Asheron's Call.  Of course at this point she would say something like, "but you can always come back and visit me in UO, Elby."  She would probably follow that one up with, "often."  Then she would back that up with flattery, arm-twisting, and then outright threats.  :)  <Editor: How very true>

Anyway, as your Preceptor in AC I shall endeavor to structure our guild there to maximize fun and roleplaying.  I have already played there extensively and often with some of our initiates Opus, Faidlar and Gaelin. I have had a tremendous time with them and they have shown courage and compassion in taking me in to what was for me a foreign environment.  I have also had the pleasure of adventuring with Sir Methios and Sir Zedd, my very good friends and excellent roleplayers (shameless attempt to make them feel loved for gaining me all that xp).  I also hope to see Adun (give me a tell) Gamanin (hi Gammy) and Lord Murgen (where are you hiding, Murgy?).

At this point in time I do not wish to get rules intensive with our experience on AC.  I would like to remind everyone that we play on Harvestgain.  It isnt too hard for me to come to wherever you start but it would be nice if you started in Holtburg, Rithwic or Shoushi as those are very easy to travel between.  Give me a tell online (@tell Elby the Dawnbringer,) or ICQ me and we can get together.

For those of you new to our website I would like to say that being in this guild has been a wonderful experience for me and I hope it continues indefinately in and out of gaming.  We are really rather close for a guild, witness Sir Marco's begging for another Vegas trip on our message board as proof.  :)

In Service to the Cross,

Sir Elby the Dawnbringer (Elbryan)
Preceptor on AC
Man of many titles

<Thanks Elby!>

Roster Update:  My thanks to Initiates Gaelin (formerly Rudain) and Faidlar for sending me their email and ICQ contact information. The Asheron's Call roster has been updated with their information.

Early Reminder About the Guild Wide Meeting on Thursday, Nov 18th:  That's next Thursday, 9pm Central, IRC Chat room. I would strongly suggest you load in mIRC if you haven't already, as it seems to give a more stable connection than the java based connection via the "Guild Chat Room" button above. If you need help getting mIRC going, contact Sir Daedin or Sir Zedd.

Daedin, Herald of the Cross (WebChick)

Knight's Council This Sunday:  Midnight Central time, IRC chat! Hope to see all you lovely knights there!

Backgammon Tourney--Part Two:  We're holding the next installment of our backgammon extravaganza this Saturday at the Trinsic Craft Fair, so come along and have some fun! Muster in Trinsic at the Marketplace near the Sons of the Sea Guildhall at 7:15pm Central. Click above fomr details or contact Sir Daedin.

His Grace Gives the Go-Ahead:  Lord Athelstan put his seal of approval on the Preceptorship of Sir Daedin to UO. She'll be heading up both shards, and there will be some slight tweaking of the event schedule there. Tuesdays on Great Lakes will be "build your skills" night in the Tower (this means any skill you want help building including sparring and pvp practice) starting at 8pm Central, Wed will be off shard night, Thursday is hunt night on Great Lakes starting (for now) at 10pm. Lets see how this schedule works out. Please feel free to send suggestions to Daedin (via ICQ or email).

Sir Daedin, Herald of the Cross (WebChick)

Early Morning Update:  Sir Elbryan informs me that Faidlar has joined our AC ranks as an Initiate. Welcome Faidlar!! I've updated the Roster into our various games to better assist people in finding us in one of our various venues. You may find you've been left off or your information is incorrect. Please help me to keep our roster current by contacting me with updates and by checking your listing on occasion for accuracy!  If you hate this change in the roster, please let me know. I've still got the old listing right here and can switch things back if that's what people want :)  Remember, you are not considered 'official' if you are not on the roster! If your rank has changed, bug your game Preceptor to send me your new status.

And speaking of Preceptors....

After a heroic effort on Adun's part to help me figure out what the heck is up with my MSN Gaming Zone connection, we...*alas*...could still not get it working. So far no word from MSN support since their first fix suggestions. Long story short, I don't see myself in AC any time soon. Sooo....Sir Elbryan and I have cut a deal (pending His Grace's final ok, of course) that he'll take over AC as Preceptor officially, and I'll take over as Preceptress of all of Ultima. For my part, this will mean some tweaking of the things that we do there and when we do them. For now, the schedule is going to stay the same...Tues fight night on GL at 10ish at the Dorm, Wed fight night on Sonoma at 8pm sharp, Delucia bank, Thurs fight night on GL at 10ish at the Dorm, all times Central. Keep your eyes peeled here for updates, because this may well change as soon as I talk to the Man!

Daedin, Herald of the Cross (WebChick)

Backgammon Tourney Recap and Announcement:  Well, we didn't play much backgammon, but we had a pretty good time anyway! No clear victor, but thanks to Repayment and Dihernia Crowes for playing me later on in the evening. Special thanks of course to Kazola, to EdGuardo for mustering friends to come, itaP for her support and help, and Bane and Elbryan for their support...now...onto our next project!

Theo (the Mayor) and the lovely people of Trinsic have invited us to hold Backgammon Tourney Number Two on Saturday the 13th of November at the Trinsic Craft Fair, 8pm Central, Trinsic Fairgrounds. Look for info here and on the message board. Also, copy will go up on the Vault, CoB, etc. It should be lots of fun, so make plans now to come on by!

Roster Update:  Initiate Breck has joined our Everquest ranks according to Lord Athelstan, welcome Breck! (and my apologies for missing this earlier!)  The roster has been updated!

Daedin, Herald of the Cross (WebChick)

Backgammon Tourney Tomorrow!!  Don't forget!! The Defenders will muster at Kazola's Tavern at 7:15pm Central or earlier if you can make it. Figure two to three hours, mostly guarding players and being support. Don't miss this fine opportunity to show our colors and maybe do some recruiting!! Contact Daedin with questions.

News from Asheron's Call:  We've settled on Harvestgain as our startup server on AC. My thanks to Opus for the suggestion. I'm still having issues with the Gaming Zone, so I'm not in the game yet, but Sir Elbryan is there to wrangle the troops! Until I see you ACers...have fun and may the Cross go with you!

Daedin (she of many titles)

News from Knight's Council:  Thank you to all those who braved the spirits of All Hallow's Eve and attended. We had alot of fun trying on various costumes (aka changing our nicknames) before we settled down to business. In light of the upcoming release of Asheron's Call, His Grace, Lord Athelstan has appoined Sir Daedin as Preceptress of Asheron's Call. Sir Elbryan has been appointed Preceptor of the Great Lakes server (UO), clearing up a bit of confusion on that issue :) Sir Daedin has recently resigned as Commander of the Sonoma Alliance Army (which should free up much time), but assured the assembled that relations with the Sonoma Alliance continue to be warm and very friendly. We are going to begin the process of petitioning for a name change for the Guild on Everquest to get something closer to our parent name. We'll keep you posted on that progress. The Backgammon tourney is set for this friday, November 4th, on the Great Lakes server of UO. Sir Daedin reports all is going smoothly to date. The ticket system is finished on UO, and our efforts have given us a lovely crystal ball, which makes the most interesting noises. It resides in the GL Dorm. Also, some of our members have scored dye tubs for furniture and other goodies as well. Thanks to everyone who donated tickets to the cause. Lord Athelstan reported the Initiation of Aarallron on Everquest, and the roster has been updated to reflect the addition. Welcome to our new Initiate!! Sir Daedin has added information to the PlayerVault on our Guild in Asheron's Call. The release is this week, and she and Sir Elbryan have pre-orders in. We'll update you on how the game plays, etc, in case you're interested in joining us there. We hope to have some EQ screen shots posted in the gallery soon. Watch here for news on that.

Respectfully submitted, Sir Daedin, Herald of the Cross (WebChick)

Knight's Council This Sunday:  Lord Athelstan has made it known that he will expect the Knights to join him in Council this Sunday, Oct 31st, Midnight Central, HCD Chat room. We have some important issues to discuss, including a start-up on Asheron's Call, so all knights are strongly encouraged to make plans to attend, or contact Sir Daedin if you will be unavailable. See you Sunday!

Daedin, Herald of the Cross (WebChick)

Defenders Backgammon Tourney Info:  Well, the tourney information has been sent out and is now posted on all the standard UO info hubs. So far, response has been excellent! If anyone contacts you looking for more information, please direct them to me either via email or ICQ. If you want more info, click on the link above or get in touch with me. Its shaping up to be a great event, and I'm looking forward to it (albeit, a bit nervously). Anyone who can attend and help me set things up on the 4th will earn my undying thanks.

Daedin, Herald of the Cross (WebChick)

News from our Holy Grand Master:  Word reached me this evening from Lord Athelstan about the elevation to the Order of Chivalry of Sir Flint (Dagnar). Congratulations, Flint!! Also, His Grace has taken Zeusette as his Squire. Our best wishes to them both! Further word is that Temptare has joined the ranks of the Teutonic Knights as our newest Initiate. Welcome Temptare! The roster reflects the change.

Daedin, Herald of the Cross (WebChick!)

News from the Guild Wide Meeting: First off, thanks to everyone for your patience while we dealt with the server, and as always, a huge thanks to Sir Zedd for all his hard work in that regard. Last night showed once again that using mIRC to access the Guild Chat room is more stable than the java client connection through the "Guild Chat Room" button above, so Defenders are encouraged to load mIRC from our links page and use it. Daedin or Zedd can help you get hooked up through mIRC. Contact them if you'd like to get it set up.  Another excellent turnout, thanks to everyone who made time to attend. Upcoming events include the backgammon tournament to be held on Friday, Nov 4th on Great Lakes, details are all in the link you'll find above. After that, Sir Daedin will be turning her attention to a Guild championship tourney on Great Lakes in November. Stay tuned for more details on that, and thanks to Sir Elbryan for his offer of colored armor prizes for the participants. On Sonoma, the Alliance will be holding regular pk/safe zone patrols each Tuesday. The People's Army of Sonoma and Sir Daedin will be trading off running these patrols. Interested Defenders should contact Sir Daedin. Discussion turned to Everquest and last night's Trade Skills night hosted by Gamanin. Reports are that it went very well, and more skills nights are in the works. More details on the message board, and a BIG thanks to Gamanin for all his efforts.

We had the chance to welcome our newest Initiate Aeramon last night. His name and contact have been added to the roster. Welcome Initiate Aeramon! Special kudos to Aeramon for taking time last night to load in ICQ (and mIRC) as per our Guild requirements.

Lord Athelstan will be adding the Everquest squires as officers in the game. They will be empowered to create new members with the permission of Lord Athelstan or a Knight, and Sir Daedin reminded the current and future officers there to notify her immediately when new members are added or Guildsmen are elevated. The roster will be updated as soon as she receives information.

Respectfully submitted--Sir Daedin MacAoidh, Herald of the Cross (WebChick)

News from Great Lakes:  The date for our backgammon tourney is set for Friday, November 5th, 8pm Central, Great Lakes Shard, Kazola's Treetop Keg and Winery near Yew.  We have the details (pretty much) figured out, and as you can see, I've added a link to the rules and details above. I'll be sending out the copy to publicize it shortly. Any GL Defenders that can make themselves available then to help set up, run, and monitor the tourney would earn my undying thanks! The biggest logistic thing I see being problematic is setting up enough boards and placing them so the entrants will be able to see their dice rolls without overlapping spams (which is gonna suck, unfortunately).  The response from the Trinsic Town Council meeting to this event was excellent, and Lady Kazola has been her typical gracious self in allowing us to decend on her establishment. Mayor Theo of Trinsic also said he would be pleased to help us host the next one of these we do (which we will...what the heck else am I going to do with 30 backgammon boards!).  If you have any questions or would like to volunteer to help, please contact me!

Daedin--Herald of the Cross, Web Chick, Etiquette Police (gotta read the event copy to get the reference)

Don't forget...Guild Wide Meeting Next Thursday, Oct 21, 9pm Central, IRC chat!!

*Sorry for the delay in posting news...but I did have an excellent time in Canada last weekend :) *

Member Updates:  News from Sir Marco that he and Dalroth have exchanged the oaths of Knight and Squire and that Dalroth has joined with House Valentino! Congratulations! Suviaen has had his listing corrected to reflect his elevation to Adept. I encourage you to check your listing if your status has changed just to make sure I'm correctly tracking you. Also, don't forget that it is required that all members download ICQ and send me your contact number. *Don't make the Web Chick shake an angry fist at you!!*

Knight's Council this Sunday, Midnight CDT (10pm PDT), IRC chat room:  If you have anything you'd like to bring up and cannot attend, please contact me.

Daedin - Herald of the Cross (WebChick)

Guild Wide Meeting:  Our next Guild Gathering is set for Thursday, October 21, 9pm Central in the chat room on IRC. I hope we can continue our excellent attendance, and I strongly encourage all members to come along. If you have business for the meeting and cannot attend, please contact me!

From Knight's Council:  News from last night's meeting... The Tower Reorganization is starting Monday. Daedin will be tidying up there in anticipation of the Clean Up Britannia Patch. Anyone with personal items in the Tower need to place them in a container and mark them. Anything left will be re-distributed, sold off, or thrown away. Please contact Daedin with any questions. The project will be completed (hopefully) by the end of the week. Some players have expressed a concern over people being 'anonymous' in EQ. We strongly encourage you to let your prescence be known so we can all continue to work to our mutual advancement. By the same token, players should be as considerate as possible of each other. Please keep requests for things like transportation reasonable, so we all may enjoy our play time.  Lord Athelstan has a fine collection of goodies in the bank...please continue to contribute, and don't be shy about asking for things you need. Everquest Guild nights are being held per the schedule in the Events section. Your participation will make these nights more fun for everyone involved. Contact Lord Athelstan for details.

Roster Updates:  My thanks to those of you who have taken time to load up ICQ and send me your contact info! For shame on those of you who haven't done this yet! My apologies to Elcorr, Resdar and Buma for the delay in posting your names on the roster. I've taken care of that now. If you have been initiated and your name is not on the list, contact me and I'll make sure you are there.

Respectfully submitted--Daedin, Herald of the Cross (Webchick)