The Reign of Nightshade

hen time had passed and some of the first clerics became bored with the everyday hack and slash of 3K, a number of changes occurred. Perhaps one of the most noteworthy and influential in terms of the Cleric's Guild was the ascencion of Nightshade to the rank of wizard. I believe Nightshade was around level 42, and approaching Demi-god status. Timescape had, I believe, told Nightshade of his desire to direct his attentions to a single guild, the Knights, and this in part convinced Nightshade that becoming a wizard was the right thing for him. It didn't hurt matters that as a newbie level 51 wizard he would have absolute control of one of the handful of up, running and established guilds, as obscure as the Cleric's guild seemed in comparison with the overpopulated Necromancer and Knights guild. When Nightshade did become a wizard it was in that time when many of the first generation of players with name recognition hung up the battlements and joined the founding wizards in their toils.

t the time the guild was still rather low in membership, and those who did belong knew everyone else rather well. New members were welcomed, but still membership remained low, with the wealth of fighting guilds such as the cybercorp, animals, knights and monks. Healing throughout the 3 Kingdoms was not in short order, what with almost every guild possessing the ability to heal oneself and in many cases others. But this was soon to change with the first major guild review which I remember of any note. I believe this occurred just about the time Timescape was elevated to the upper ranks, sometime late in the summer of 1993.

ightshade went about his business hacking guild code into what was to become infamously `Nightshade code'. Keeble became a wizard shortly after Nightshade, and spent a good deal of time telling Nightshade exactly why he was a crappy wizard and why he should just give control of the Clerics over to him. Many a curse and taunt flew between Nightshade and his evil twin Keeble. Nightshade held tightly onto the reigns of guild code, giving Keeble read-only access for a time. Finally they both dove into the code and Keeble's daily recodes followed by Nightshade's daily restoration of `correct' code made for interesting times indeed. `Go get a new symbol' was the battlecry of the guild. For the sake of children and those of weak heart I will refrain from relating the specifics of those `discussions'.

n the meantime Nightshade had decided that with himself and Keeble out of the guild player leadership it was time to carry on the tradition they had established and to appoint some new Guild Masters. Thus began the great GM runoff, a first of many illfated attempts at establishing guild order. The field quickly narrowed to 3 candidates after Urgan told Nightshade `I don't ever want to be a GM of this guild'. Initial preference was for 2 new Guild masters, one to represent the interests of the followers of both the Dark and Light paths. While I was one of the few remaining Dark path clerics, other than Urgan, following in the tradition established by the Texas badass tandem, the question of who would represent the light path, Fellow or Mosiah, was a dead heat. The answer of simply naming 3 Guild masters brought a quick resolution to the matter, and thus began the second age of Cleric Guild Masters. No specific powers, no rooms, no benefits outside the traditional added faith point, but a definite title and a responsibility to lead by example.

ightshade and Keeble continued on in their guild service, fighting the new and commonly occurring 'guild balancing' that began rearing its ugly head. Gone was wall of fire costing a set number of spell points, gone were protection spells that absorbed 100% of any damage being inflicted, gone was the capless soul shatter, gone was call lightning and earthquake, and finally gone was the water of life as first incarnated. A difficult adjustment for the old timers. In this condition the guild entered into the MUD-wide shutdown in the fall of 1993. An altered beast with a new leadership, but on the verge of becoming a much bigger player in the Three Kingdoms.

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Inscribed by: Glaebor -- October 02, 1995