WHILE THE GOVERNOR'S AWAY - THE PIRATES WILL PLAY

I am sure that all 'decent' citizens of Antiquity understand the need for Governor Ceawlin to be away from Antiquity, at this time, as he works towards gaining his Masters Degree. However, there are some who have taken advantage of his absence and the vulnerability of Port Royal by causing damage and mayhem.

I was called to Port Royal by Lady Arnya Hastings to observe the sim engulfed in flames. We immediately suspected 'our neighbours in the North', (as Duchess Beaumont politely refers to them), but on closer examination, it appeared that the fires were indeed started by a band of rogues under the Group title The Jollyrogers who operate under the leadership of none other than the notorious Pirate Graves. (Although it is strongly suspected that he may have recieved help or even a bribe, to carry out this dastardly crime, from his alies in Tortuga).

Lady Hastings sent out a group notice requesting immediate assistance, and we were soon joined by some brave volunteers. However, we realised that in our haste to watch the fires, sorry I mean to assist in saving Port Royal, none of us had thought to bring buckets, or any means of carrying water. I have always said what a creative and ingenious people Antiquitarians are, and I was not proven wrong as Varlenn Morgrath came up with the very clever idea of tearing out a toilet from the Governor's home, complete with plumbing attached and dragging it to the flames.

Between us residents and friends of Antiquity all the fires were eventually put out, but the effort was not without its casualties as both Lord Dogma Trevellion and Sir Tamil Cerveau were overcome by flames in their efforts. (please do not be alarmed by these gruesome pictures, I have it on good authority that neither man was hurt badly although they no longer have any eyebrows or beards).


Sir Cervau's partner, Clairvaux Debevec, was frantic to see her beloved husband on fire and screamed, "WILL SOMEONE PLEASE PUT TAM OUT? . . . . or at least get some marshmallows out to roast on him"
Pirate Laura Demina was so excited at the thought of an impromptu BBQ, I clearly observed her take out a small fan which she wafted over the flames occasionally in an effort to "keep the party going"

Residents and friends of Antiquity fought the fierce blaze without any consideration of personal injury or gain. At least that was what I thought until I was shocked and saddened to see Laura Demina again take advantage of the situation by ripping up floor boards to use, as she said, as gangplanks on her ship. (Well she is a pirate so I suppose it's in her blood poor thing.)

Post script. After consulting with other volunteers after the danger had passed, it came to light that there were indeed a number of pirate groups responsible for this attack. Are the pirates of Antiquity grouping together with pirates from other sims now to mount an assault on the good residents of Antiquity? What a terrifying thought. If this is the case none of us are safe anymore.

Redesign and changes to the Antiquity Gazette

Hello! Please allow brief introduction... I am Dr. Rafael Fabre, one-time resident of Antiquity Harbor and one-time editor of the Antiquity Gazette. Though I currently reside in the New Babbage Palisaide, I occasionally visit Antiquity and continually remain impressed at how large it has grown over time (since I first had the opportunity to have my little clock tower beside the Township Stage - when Antiquity consisted of the Township and the Harbor).

As Antiquity has grown, and I thought it might be wise to update the Gazette to include a wider format (allowing a bit of leeway for photographic efforts), a few more gadgets on the side bar, and most importantly, an opportunity to add Merchant graphics & SLurls to better promote the hard working entrepreaneurs of Antiquity.

I will be making changes in the next couple of weeks, so please do not be alarmed by any changes that might take place!

v/r,
Dr. Rafael Fabre

The History of Antiquity

The other evening I was talking to Her Grace Angel Magelin, about her trip to America, when the discussion turned to the upcoming anniversary of the official opening of Antiquity. This made me feel quite nostalgic. I can't believe it's been nearly a year since the first celebrations. So much has happened in that time. Strong friendships and partnerships have been formed. Marriages have taken place, a pirate community has been established and I've seen Antiquity expand from, I believe, just 3 sims when I first arrived here, to 34 now and it seems as if a new sim is added almost every week.


"Your Grace" I enquired, "I asked you some time ago, how you and the Grand Duke met and what made you decide to establish Antiquity". "You've always promised you'd tell me one day, but you still haven't gotten around to it". She leaned back in her chair with a satisfied smile and told me the history of Antiquity.


The Grand Duchess's story:

"How we met....
On the 29th December 2006, I was working as concierge for a PG rated club. I had just finished dancing with a friend. My friend had just left and who should come through the door, but a vampire! Yes the Grand Duke is truly a vampire but he tells me he is reformed.
Just that day I had been touring Avilion with friends and had purchased one of the wonderful outfits to be found there. It was so lovely that I refused to take it off even though the club was of a modern nature. This dress was what first attracted the Grand Duke to notice me. He got on the dance pose ball I was just about to vacate and starting talking to me.
Well one thing led to another as they say, and we started to spend more and more time together. The Grand Duke was in the process of setting up his own club at that stage so I spent considerable time with him there helping him with the intricate details.
In January the Grand Duke approached a mutual friend to form a building business, which they agreed upon, and low and behold, there I am in business! He told me later it was always his intent to get me involved as he figured it was a good way for us to spend more time together as we got to know each other more (and to keep an eye on me!). On the 16th February, 2007, we officially partnered.

We originally built custom builds for people before moving onto our first business land in Stormwind which provided a work space and store. The Grand Duke realised by now that SL would provide him with the ability to build his lifelong dream of a Victorian community. And so, Antiquity was born in May 2007 on a little ½ sim.
From these humble beginnings I have seen Antiquity grow into a thriving community.

When we met in rl in November/December 2007 it was obvious that our affection for each other was very deep and true. The Grand Duke got on bended knee (yes he really did!) and asked me, in voice, to marry him. And to quote he said: “This isn’t just SL this is for RL”.


And so the story continues....."

The visitors centre in Antiquity Township. One of the first sims created and the venue for the Official opening of Antiquity.

Editor's post-script
I always suspected that there was something strange about the Grand Duke. For example, have you noticed that he only works in the dead of night when all of us good citizens are asleep in our beds? ummmm. . . . . . . I just thought, that could be because I'm on UK time and my night is his day . . . still, suspicious all the same. But what a lovely story. So nice to know that we, the citizens of Antiquity, are fullfilling a lifelong dream and working together to make this community grow and strengthen. I'm sure you'll all join me in thanking the Grand Duchess for sharing her memories with us. As we approach the one year official opening of Antiquity, it would be so nice to hear from any residents or friends who also have their own memories or pics, of Antiquity, that they would also like to share. If you do, please E-mail them to me at hope.coakes@gmail.com as I have not yet found a way to upload images from SL to my desktop.

TIP OF THE WEEK

A big thankyou to Kris Electricteeth who read this article and IM'd me to say that saving pics or textures from SL to your desktop is very simple. You have to first make sure permissions are set to copy, then open pic on screen, go into file on the top menu bar and select "save texture as". I can't believe I've been in SL for over a year and I never knew how to do that. Thankyou again Kris that tip is going to save me a lot of work. So if any of you have pics of Antiquity that you want to send me inworld, you can, just make sure permissions are set. . . . . simple

:) I'm so happy

And thankyou too, to Captain Malibu Dupont for sending me the following story from her SL journal. I loved reading it so, readers, keep them coming:

My very first visit to Antiquity was to participate in the Regatta. This was being hosted by Govenor Ceawlin, whom I had battled against in a popular Pirate Group. Although Antiquity was only 3 or 4 sims in size, it's charm was obvious. I arrived for the Regatta, in one of my skimpy leather Pirate outfits, complete with high heeled boots, tattoos and thigh dagger, and was met on the docks by a group of gracious ladies wearing beautiful yet modest Victorian gowns. They all greeted me warmly with curtsies and " Good Day Miss DuPont ". I think I replied "G'day" .Neither my fashion nor my social faux-pas on the day were acknowledged, rather, I was made to feel extremely welcome. I had never experienced a place like Antiquity before. Even at that stage, there was this wonderful sense of community. I was amazed at the generosity of people here. They all seemed to put so much effort into everything, such as organising events, with much attention to detail. A truely caring community, full of vibrant, creative and diverse peoples. I didn't want to leave Antiquity, ......so I didn't! I became increasingly involved in community events, such as sea battles, mellees, equestrian events and costume parties at The Shipyard. I got to know many of the residents and friends of Antiquity, and consolidated relationships from my earlier Pirating days. By this time, I had invited my SL Sister, Sharrah Brendel to join me in Antiquity. She is a caring and generous person, a great gunner, and a skilled horse woman. I just knew she would love it here! We have spent many hours together in sea battle, exploring Antiquity on horseback, shopping for beautiful gowns, and most recently, splashing about the gentle waters of Antiquity as mermaids. Always fun! Antiquity has a rich maritime history, and her waters are fabled throughout SL. In celebrating this heritage, my most recent venture has been to re-establish the Antiquity Yacht Club. I like the idea of uniting members of the broader Antiquity community by hosting regular events such as cruises, regattas and dances. Cruising and racing for pleasure, rather than in battle mode, may supplement our enjoyment out on Antiquity's waters, and further enrich our time here together. I am so very proud to be a Daughter of Antiquity, and feel blessed to be part of such a caring and unique community. This is my home, and the people of Antiquity will always be my family. Malibu DuPont.

Navy & Foot Guard Give Chase to Ghost Ship

Early on Sunday, the Royal Antiquity Navy gave chase to the mysterious ghost ship that has been seen about in Antiquity waters. The initial sighting was made in Tortuga by Captain Sideways and Brig Lieutenant Otoro at which time a call for Navy assistance was made. Lieutenant Colonel Vella of the Royal Antiquity Foot Guard offered his personal assistance as well as his troop’s to the Navy in pursuit of the ghastly vessel. Navy Captain Hawker, Lt. Otoro, and Captain Sideways followed the ship through Oceania, the Harbor, the Bay and finally caught up to the ghost ship at the Cape Lighthouse. Captain Hawker hailed the ghost ship twice without response as the ship sat motionless in a heavy fog at the Cape Lighthouse dock. Without warning a loud boom was heard by those of the Navy and Foot Guard present and the ghost ship suddenly disappeared. A quick status check of the Navy brigs on scene as well as health status reports of Navy and Foot Guard personnel showed no damage to ships and only slight flesh wounds to Navy Captain Hawker from flying water debris.

Captain Sideways issued a safety alert for all Antiquity civilians requesting residents remain calm and watchful stating “the Navy will continue vigilant patrol of Antiquity waters for the citizens’ benefit.”

Evidence found on scene following the ghost ship’s disappearance revealed a receipt of sorts to a Stephenson Grey Barrymore from a William Vineson John for payment of 100 barrels of rum. The receipt written in hand stated “I hope our agreement of $10,000L will also assist your intentions to invest in the creation of the new settlement, as pursuant to our discussions.” The document, signed by both parties, continues to fuel conjecture of conspiracy and speculation theory as to the origins of Antiquity’s perpetual battle with the pirate plague.

Officials with the Royal Antiquity Navy said the investigation of the ghost ship is on going and would make no further comment on their findings.

Hello New Residents, Good-bye Old Ballroom

From the Diary of Cathryn Beaumont Tendaze

Saturday, June 21

Gentle Reader,

It was a busy day here in Antiquity!

Our new Fashion Park

The venue is lovely

Our new Fashion Park opened this afternoon showcasing the work of some very talented clothing designers! The venue is lovely with places where one can stop a bit and look out over the water when one needs a rest from the rigors of shopping. I shouldn't be repeating rumors but it is being whispered about Town that there will be a Fashion Show held here next month!

The New Residents’ Welcome Ball ended just minutes ago, and I am exhausted. So many people to meet and converse with. So many introductions to make!

Our beloved Ballroom

People came from all over Antiquity: Cristalina and Mystique, Waterloo and the Napoleon Empire, Texas, Glamis and the Shouls, from the Harbor, the Cape, the Cove, the Gardens, from all places Township to Tortuga…and from all over the world. The children were there and the…well let us just say the young at heart. Residents and visitors danced and stayed until long after the Ball was to have ended to honor our new residents, and to say farewell to our beloved Ballroom. There was more than one sigh breathed over the thought that this Ballroom has seen its last Ball and will be replaced in the not too distant future by a new edifice on the same spot. And when the time comes, I am sure we will embrace the new ballroom and create there new memories, no less pleasant, no less tender than the ones we now hold of this one.

The Rose Gazebo

And yet, I cannot help but feel a tug of sadness at the closing of our current ballroom. It was from the Rose Gazebo in front of the ballroom that I first made the acquaintance of Antiquity back in September of last year. I was then a single lady fresh out of mourning for my dear Aunt Prudence who raised me from infancy after my parents died, when I attended my first ball here. I was so captured by Antiquity and her people that I never left that night and bought my plot of land here in the Harbor the very next day. I have hardly left here since.

Almost all that I have and all that I am now, I can trace back to that first Ball

And now…oh how my life has changed! A married lady—and married to a man who loved me enough to give up his home on a peak nearest to Heaven itself to follow me here! A baroness and lady-in-waiting to Her Grace! With so many friends and family! The orphan in me embraces them all—even that scoundrel Quintus Beaumont—although I do admit to a particular fondness for both the young and grown Sadies. Almost all that I have and all that I am now, I can trace back to that first Ball.

Aye, I am sure the new ballroom will be splendid and will inspire its own memories, but oh! the ones I have from this one! I am glad we were able to give her such a grand send-off.

MURDERER KILLED IN SHOULS!

From the Diary of Cathryn Beaumont Tendaze

Wednesday, June 11

Gentle Reader,

I was speaking with my dear cousin SadieRose earlier today at her park in the Cove when Captain Cannonball rushed up and strongly recommended that we either seek shelter indoors or emigrate to some safer place as Mr. Guisse, the man who had killed the unfortunate Miss Ria Cummings two weeks ago, had been spotted in the area! SadieRose and I left to join my neighbor and dear friend, Lady Merryann Munster, at her home in the Harbor where we were soon joined by several other ladies. We had hardly settled ourselves at Miss Merryann’s when Captain Cannonball came by to announce that Mr. Guisse had also fled to the Harbor! Captain Cannonball stayed for a while to make sure we were safe but once Mr. Guisse had moved off, the Captain left to join the search. SadieRose was so overcome at his departure and the thought that we ladies were left unprotected, that she fainted clean away, only to be revived by several goodly glasses of my elderberry wine (which I just happened to have in my reticule—carried, of course, in case of just such a medical emergency!)

The selfsame spot where the unfortunate Miss Cummings drew her last breath

SadieRose then received word that Mr. Guisse had been cornered and killed in Shouls by Miss Sera Otoro. So we repaired to Shouls to see for ourselves that the man who engendered such fear in our community by killing three people, wounding countless other—including my cousins Lord Elamyrath Bracken (whom Mr. Guisse had had the audacity to have shot TWICE!) and Quintus Beaumont—and terrorizing so many of our ladies (Miss Merryann, my cousin Renate Marchionne, Lady BelAmi Runningbear, and myself among them) was truly dead.

When we arrived near the spot where Mr. Guisse’s body lay, SadieRose and Miss Merryann held back a bit. I walked right up to his body, dropped to my knees, and began to offer prayers that God would be merciful to him and grant peace to all of Mr. Guisse’s victims. I had scarcely begun my supplications when, to my great surprise, Mr. Guisse drew one more gasping breath and said, “Tell my mother…”

I was so startled that had I not been frozen with fear I would surely have fled, but as I could not move and as this was the last request of a dying man, I marshalled my courage and leaned in closer to make out his words. Well, either he was more deranged than was commonly believed, or I completely misheard the rest of his message, as what he said was, “her…fishpie…stinks.” I think I must have misheard the man because surely not even a madman would have used his last breath to complain about his mother’s cooking. How bad could it have possibly been?

Mr. Guisse's body was placed in a plain pine box

His last message rendered, Mr. Guisse then gave up his ghost. I was appalled at the mentality of some of our residents who immediately announced their intentions to put Mr. Guisse’s body on display. I stood before them and reminded them that we were not savages. And in the end, civilized head prevailed and Mr. Guisse’s body was placed in a plain pine box over which someone erected a cross.

Our heroine, Miss Otoro

Our beloved Antiquity is safe at last from Mr. Guisse. The reign of terror he unleashed on us ended with his death upon the selfsame spot where the unfortunate Miss Cummings drew her last breath over two weeks ago! His reasons—if so demented a man was capable of reason at all—for killing Miss Cummings and why he was so intent upon finding Her Grace, Grand Duchess Angel Magellan, in recent days, died with him. His Excellency, Governor AngusGraham Ceawlin, paid a handsome reward to our heroine, Miss Otoro, for removing this threat to our community from our midst.

And now we can all go back to living our quiet lives.

PISTE PLATFORM COMPETITION

The En Garde Tournament was held in Antiquity last Saturday (you may have already read the blog posted earlier by Baron Dusty Merlin, who worked so hard to make the tournament such a great success). I apologise for the late posting of my blog. (I've had a tummy bug for a few day, so haven't been able to concentrate on much but I'm sure you don't want me to go into any details on that). Anway, I had to take the first opportunity I could to thank everyone who worked so hard to make a platform for our fencing pistes. We had some wonderful designs from some great builders. So, I feel just a little embarrased to announce that my platform won. I'm not a great builder and I went for a very simple design. I think my winning was due to the fact that most of the voters were competitors at the tournament who tended to go for low prims rather than great builds. But, Baron Merlin and I couldn't bear to take down the other wonderful platforms without taking some pictures and posting them here as a tribute to the craftmanship.


MY WINNING PLATFORM : A TRIBUTE TO ANTIQUITY'S NAVY

WONDERFUL PLATFORMS CONSTRUCTED BY CUBAN LUNASEA
Baron Merlin loved the canopy overhead and I liked the Latin inscription, which I think Lord Lunasea said translates roughly as, 'Before you can conquer your competitors you must first conquer yourself'.

BARON MERLIN'S PLATFORM

PLATFORM CREATED AND DESIGNED BY MONIQUE TALAMASCA

ELAMYRATH BRACKEN'S PLATFORM

Lord Bracken and Lady Talamasca worked together on the designs for their platforms and produced two very distinctive bridge designs. They reminded me of some of the beautiful old bridges that cross the river Thames in London.

There is a very funny story associated with Lord Bracken's bridge that I must tell you. In the absence of Baron Merlin I suggested that Lord Bracken and Lady Talamasca place their platforms opposite each other in Antiquity forest (they looked wonderful there). Later that evening when Baron Merlin arrived he pointed out that the forest was going to be the main meeting place and TP point for all competitors. It was expected that a lot of people would gather there and, it might have been a good idea to have used smaller, lower primed platforms, in that location. I gazed lovingly at my husband thinking what a practical, sensible person he is. . . . However, that illustion was soon shattered when he suggested (in the absence of Lord Bracken) that I move the platform (in edit mode as we did not have permission to take them) across a sim boundary to the shipyard in the cove. My task was also hampered by the fact that SL was hit by one of the worse lags since . . . . probably the engagament party of the Grand Duke and Duchess. My idea was to move the platform a little distance , fly over to platform and move again, and to repeat this process until it was safely at its destination. However, every time I tried to get to the platform SL decided to send me in a completely opposite direction out to sea. Once I was able to stop I couldn't remember where I'd left the platform. I lost it 3 times and on the last occasion it had vanished without a trace. An appeal on Revolutionary properties chat group brought my hero, Kris Electricteeth to my assistance, but it was Baron Merlin who eventually found the errant platform loged in Lady Runningbear's lovely home. Thankfully he was able to move it to a more convenient location without too much damage. If there was any damaged caused Lady Runningbear I do apologise and please send any bills for cleaning or replacements to Baron Dusty Merlin, who came up with the stupid suggestion in the first place.
It's been a stressful week, sigh. (I wonder if, my dear friend, Duchess Cathryn Beaumont has any of that lovely elderberry wine she keeps for medicinal purposes).

Ghost Haunts Antiquity Cape Lighthouse

There is a lighthouse that provides safety unto the ships sailing round about the Cape of Antiquity where the waters are frightfully cold. An even chillier presence is known to the area in the form of a Pirate Captain ghost.
The Harbor Master's records show an entry dating back some 100 years ago whereby a Pirate ship crashed at the Cape in heavy fog strewing barrels of rum all along the shoreline. The crew was reported to have survived, but the Pirate Captain went down with his ship. The surviving crew logged in the Harbor Master's journal of the time included:

Stephenson Grey Barrymore
Adam Angelson Magellan
Graham Tanner Ceawlin
Luke Bard Moyer
Charles Daniel Sideways
Shades Roseson Beaumont
William Vineson John
Theodore Ashton Vella
Robert O'toole Hastings
Sarah Bethany Hastings

It is believed some of the surviving crew went on to become the founding fathers of Antiquity. Oddly, the Harbor Master's record does not include the Pirate Captain's name as it appears to have been erased from the old journal.

The Shouls Harbor Master reports having seen the ghost and of having witnessed his mischievous deeds, but refuses to speak of the dead considering it bad luck for sailors.
It is reported that even the fish leave the area of the cape when the Pirate Captain is about in his ship. Other witnesses say they have only seen the Pirate Captain ghost at midnight appearing in a misty fog.

The Harbor Master sternly advises to visit at your own peril although reports no harm has come to the Harbor Master's home or person.

En Garde Draws Dozens to Contests

The majesty of Antiquity
was on full display Saturday last as dozens of dazzling fencers parried and thrust to a dramatic finale. The sweeping United En Garde League tournament spread across field and forest on eight magnificently crafted platforms vying for the winning spot in the Antiquity Piste Platform construction contest.

Holding true to the proper purpose of Antiquity, all who participated or visited were declared winners of friendly repartee and camaraderie.

Gary Kumaki held off the spirited challenge of Sissy Dreamscape to garner the Tournament Trophy.

An ardent admirer of the elusive Tournament Trophy.

The winners were awarded their prizes by United En Garde's Musique Gable under a display of beautiful fireworks in Antiquity Harbor:

Gary Kumaki takes the Trophy and 4500L$, Second Place: Sissy Stardust received 1500L$

Baroness Hope Coakes and her elegant winning piste platform

Special thanks go to Antiquity Grand Duchess Angel Magellan for creating the extraordinary piste tiles; Cuban Lunasea, Elamyrath Bracken, and Monique Talamasca for their magnificent piste platforms; Musique Gable for the loan of 4 pistes,the teleport system that was invaluable and her priceless management skills; Kat Burger for the incredibly wonderful registration system; Baroness Hope Coakes who designed the teleporter signs and managed the Construction Contest.

Fencing at its Finest

The Grand Finale of the En Garde! Champion’s league was packed with dozens of brightly dressed competitors vying to win prizes and impress their mates. As the Eighth and final tournament of the Champions League season drew to a close under a shower of brilliant fireworks, Lady Aries Oh, the gracious Heart of Dragons hostess and league official, presented the season winners with well deserved accolades. Or as the hostess herself exclaimed “Well, I do not know about you, but what an evening of excitement and nail biting fencing that was!!!” Indeed, Acru Joliat, for his 4 consecutive wins during the festivities, was awarded $L5000 for his noble task.

Gary Kumaki secured the final tournament award with a close win over Sultan Qinan. It should be noted that Sultan was competing under the handicap of multiple tomato strikes encountered in a pervious match when in the Grand Team Competition, the pride of Escorts Lounge Elite unchivalrously defeated the lovely sweet kind Baroness Coakes of Kilt by Antiquity. The severely pelted Sultan could be excused for his ensuing mental distress. An unruly spectator had unleashed a flurry of squishy tomatoes scoring several hits before Lady Aries could subdue the rascal!

More Fencing follies are to be had this weekend as Antiquity hosts the United En Garde league tournament June 14 at 1 pm. Voting for the piste construction competition will end at the termination of the games. I will be hosting this event …. if I can just get these ropes untied.

Murder in The Shouls

These are sad and strange times in the land of Antiquity. Although an explosion in both land area and population has made our economy stronger, it seems to also have attracted some vile creatures to walk amongst us. Such is the case with one Ebenezer Guisse, a man suspected of murder in Antiquity Shouls. What i am about to detail to you, my dear reader, is a comperehensive report on the happenings and current knowledge on this terrible crime. A warning to the reader: If you cannot handle such details without feeling ill at ease, it is best you do not read further.

June 4th: At approximately 5am, a Gentleman by the name of Ebenezer Guisse had been spotted asking residents for one "Ria Cummings". Nobody in the area had ever met her before, but the suspect was sure she had been living in Antiquity. Eventually making his way to Antiquity Shouls, he again asked members of the community for said woman. With no knowledge of a Ria Cummings ever being seen around Antiquity, he left in a northern direction.A few minutes later, the woman in question appeared in Shouls. The residents then informed her of the fact that Ebenezer Guisse had been looking for her, saying he had a letter for her. Saying she had no knowledge of why he would seek her out, she was pointed in the direction the suspect had gone. She then left to go find such a man.Minutes later, a scream was heard by said residents, to which Colonel Drake Moyer lead the way to locating the source of the scream. What was found was rai Cummings' body lying lifeless on the ground, and her murderer fleeing the scene. Although a chase followed, in which the suspect dropped the murder weapon, a type of bayonet that can be bought near the place of murder, Ebenezer Guisse escaped.The investigation began from there. Magistrate Titanas Vella had the area searched for clues, and Doctor Indigo Li began doing an autopsy on the body to find cause of death.

June 5th: Suspect had been seen on and off by local residents, but not long enough for local authority to respond to. During this time, it became clear that this was not a military matter, and a civilian police force needed to be formed. Inspector Elamyrath Bracken officially was sanctioned by Their Graces to form The Royal Antiquity Mounted Police. With this new authority created for the defense of the people, Inspector Bracken entered the case and began interviewing witnesses, searching for clues, and working in full cooperation with Magistrate Titanas Vella, Captain Scattered Sideways, Dr. Indigo Li, and Colonel Drake Moyer.

June 6th: Suspect had been sighted around Lady Belami Runningbear's residence, and had been seen asking residents for a ship to the distant Land of Babbage. Inspector Bracken, Captain Sideways, and Magistrate Vella responded to the scene, but the suspect had already left. Areas where he had been seen were searched, but to no avail.

June 7th: A quiet day for the investigation. A note was found that seemed to have been dropped by the Victim prior to her death. The contents of the note, which will be left unread for the sake of the investigation, gave further clues, but even more questions as to the reason of the murder. Suspect had not been seen that day.

June 8th: Suspect sighted around 4:00AM PDT on 06-08-2008 Shot Her Grace Angel Magellan. The reason for such an asasination attempt are still unknown. Her Grace, although injured, is expected to recover back to full health in a few weeks time. Inspector Elamyrath Bracken and Doctor Indigo Li then gave chase to the suspect, who moved east towards township. Without allowing his chasers to get close, the suspect teleported out of Antiquity.

June 9th: Suspect sighted around 2:00pm PDT on 06-09-2008 By Inspector Elamyrath Bracken in Antiquity Forest. A lengthy pursuit followed in which the Inspector was injured by the suspect. The suspect then ran to the north and disappeared. Moments later the suspect was sighted in Shouls By Lt. Colonel Titanas Vella and Captain Scattered Sideways. Shot were fired and susppect got away. Suspect is currently still at large.
Dear Friends in Antiquity, i fear for your safety, please lock your doors and keep a close eye on any suspicious activity that may occur around your neighborhood. If you sight the suspect or think something is out of place, please contact Inspector Elamyrath Bracken, and if he is not available, please call for your local RAN officer.

WATER ADVISORY!!!

From the Diary of Cathryn Beaumont Tendaze

Monday, June 2

Gentle Reader:

I believe a water advisory should be sent out to warn residents against drinking our water without boiling it, or using some other method of purification, first. Someone--I suspect our neighbors to the south--appears to have tampered with our water supply, causing inexplicable things to happen to some of our residents. For example: my dear cousin Duchess SadieRose Beaumont, Baroness Hope Coakes, and Baron Dusty Merlin were all transformed into…CHILDREN! They stopped by "LoveLivesHere" to welcome home their beloved "Uncle Sion" with a hail of...bubbles!

Sadie, Hope, and Dusty (in a bunny costume) welcome home their "Uncle Sion"

The “children” drew pictures for us which we hung on our wall, much to their delight. Sadie drew a picture of my garden, Hope drew a picture of our home (and notice how much her handwriting is improving!) and little Dusty drew one of a bunny—I think it might be of my bunny, BabyGrey.

My rogues' gallery: the children and their pictures in our hallway.

When my beloved Lord Tendaze retired for the evening (the little ones had just worn him out), I went to the Building Suppy to meet up with the Grand Duke and Her Grace. Much to my befuddlement, I found there…a "maid", who shall remain nameless as her legs were showing--to say nothing of her garters!--watching while His Grace got down on his hands and knees and scrubbed the floor to show Her…I mean, to show the "maid"...how it was properly done.

His Grace scrubbing the floor while the "maid" looks on

They left after a bit and little Sadie came by and took me to see her new clubhouse “Girls Rule, Boys Drool”, where we were soon joined by a young version of Hope. The little girls put on a puppet show featuring some of our neighbors. The moral of their play, as nearly as I can figure it, is that as boys have “cooties”, they should not have any prims, and as girls do not have “cooties”, they should have all the prims and rule the world.

The girls put on a puppet show

The girls were soon joined by their usual partner in crime, young Dusty, and then by Lord Elamyrath Bracken and Lady Renate Marchionne, all in child form. The children were in high spirits and got a little unruly, running, jumping, pulling each other’s hair and the like.

The children were in high spirits.

At one point, I had to remind little Elam that “little boys who call names grow up to be PIRATES and not gentlemen” which caused him to hang his sweet little head and apologize nicely.

Little Elam hangs his head and apologizes

Things began to happen very quickly at that point and I forgot to take photos of us as, in short order, the children and I checked out a funhouse/haunted house (Little Elam was so frightened…well, let's just say, it's a good thing I always carry a spare set of little boys pants in my reticule); we jumped off the Eiffel Tower where Hope--or maybe it was Dusty--didn’t realize you were supposed to grab a parachute first--but no harm was done; and then we went to an amusement park where a spinning ride soon had little Hope acting as though she were a mama bird and the nearest flower beds were her hungry babies.

I returned home some hours later, utterly exhausted and yet oddly keyed up. I shall have to have a small glass of elderberry wine--to help me sleep, of course--as I DARE NOT drink the water!

Antiquity Fencers Sally Forth

Antiquity Baroness Juls Rosca swept the field in the En Garde! Champions League tournament Sunday last. Aries Oh, of the magnificent Heart of Dragons pavilion, was gracious hostess of round 7 of the League series. In a thrilling finale, Baroness Rosca, who boasts the Antiquity Grand Master Sash, was nevertheless playing for Heart of Dragons and bested Sultan Qinan of the ever competitive Escorts Lounge Elite.

In the follow-on Team competition, Baroness Hope Coakes beautifully represented Antiquity. In a titillating match, Kilt By Antiquity was skillfully skirted by the relentless Sultan who recovered from his previous beating and led Escorts Lounge Elite to the team victory. I was gratified to see my protégé learned her lessons well and accepted defeat graciously. As a Master of Losing (having early in the finals demonstrated my prowess in that regard), I beamed with pride.


On Monday, Kilt by Antiquity, as part of the United En Garde fencing league, was asked to be a part of Games Week on Orange Island. Dueling was in the spotlight on the Plaza, with United En Garde’s Valentine Janus, Kat Burger, Musique Gable & Rifkin Habsburg presenting Reiner Knizia’s acclaimed En Garde, SL’s most popular turn-based fencing game. 8 fencers were invited from around the En Garde! world to fight a short team match and show the game in action.

Baroness Hope Coakes and I were selected as two of the fortunate 8 and enjoyed a lovely afternoon with some of the best fencers in SL.

Antiquity will be hosting a United En Garde fencing tournament June 14, 2008 and Antiquity residents are encouraged to join our Kilt By Antiquity fencing team.

Two Remarkable Visits in One Day

"It was pure 'Beaumont', with not one drop of

p-i-r-a-t-e in evidence."

From the Diary of Cathryn Beaumont Tendaze

Friday, May 23

Gentle Reader:

I spent this afternoon visiting with my cousin Quintus Beaumont (whose leanings, as you know, are with our neighbors to the south--this is the same cousin some of the Beaumonts think must have been adopted into the family because of his leanings, but I am not as convinced of this as I once was) and his good lady, Lady Raine Milena, at their home in...Tortuga. This was the most time I had ever spent in...Tortuga—and my first visit to my cousin's home. I was surprised by the invitation, expecting that he might be concerned that it would tarnish his name among his neighbors if they knew that I was welcome in his home. I had a most pleasant stay in...Tortuga, due in no small part to the elegance and beauty of their home—it was pure “Beaumont” with not one drop of p-i-r-a-t-e in evidence.

I set about my plan of trying to woo my cousin from his “southern leanings” and return him to the bosom of his family by trying explain to him the deep satisfaction and pleasure that one can receive from doing one’s rightful duties to the best of one’s ability. Quintus then alluded to the satisfaction and pleasure he got from performing his nightly “duties” to Lady Milena which, of course, caused me to faint dead away. Some long minutes later, I recovered. They offered me a glass of spirits which I—of course—quickly declined, opining that perhaps if they had a drop of elderberry wine instead?…but alas, none was to be found in the house, and so I had to draw myself together as best I could without this fine medicinal fortifier.

I drew a deep breath and tried again. I invited Quintus and Lady Milena to join me at church services in Antiquity Shoals on Sunday. I tried to appeal to Quintus’s sense of brotherhood and kinship with our neighbors to the south, reminding him that his many fallen…"comrades" would surely receive such comfort from knowing that he was praying for the deliverance of their souls, but he merely SNORTED at me and laughed so hard that I feared his would be the next soul to depart from us. Much saddened by my inability to convince him to abandon on his darker ways, I took my leave of them and return home.

“Either I am dreaming, or that is the largest goldfish
on earth!”

A short while later, as I was sitting in the summer house gazing at the water and wondering what more I could do to convince Quintus to come over to the "light side", I saw a flash of gold in the water. At first I thought, “Either I am dreaming, or that is the largest goldfish on earth!”

I greeted her as politely as I could... and ignored...her
lack of dress.

I got up from my seat to take a closer look, and I could not believe my eyes! This was no dream and this was no fish! It was a mermaid! I greeted her as politely as I could given my great surprise at seeing what I had, to this point, believed to be a mythical creature, and ignored, as a lady should, her lack of dress.

"Our neighbors to the south were well known for their fondness for tail—
and hers was such a lovely one."

She told me that she had been swimming for quite some time, so I invited her to come ashore and rest for a bit. She indicated that she had passed through the waters of...Tortuga, and the cold hand of fear clutched at my heart. I warned her never to do such a thing again as that was where the p-i-r-a-t-e-s lived. She gasped and said that it was well known among mermaids that the p-i-r-a-t-e-s were fond of their tails. I nodded my head, and told her that, even among us, our neighbors to the south were well known for their fondness for tail—and hers was such a lovely one.

Then turning to more pleasant subjects, she pointed to BabyGrey and asked what he was. I answered that he and his brother were my bunnies, and they kept me company when my beloved Lord Tendaze was away from home. She studied them closely and said she had not seen many animals. I told her that we had horses in the stable, and she exclaimed, “Seahorses? Yes, I have seen them!” and I had to explain that ours were land horses, a very different creature from her seahorses.

After about a half hour, a very proper length of time for a call, she announced her need to leave, and with barely a ripple, she turned and slipped gracefully back into the Bay and was gone.