"There are no wise few. Every aristocracy that has ever existed has behaved, in all essential points, exactly like a small mob." - G. K. Chesterton, "Heretics", 1905, English author & mystery novelist (1874 - 1936).

Another month gone by.  I must confess that a lot of this month's issue was compiled at the last minute.  The three feature articles were submitted early, however.  My thanks to the two reporters who worked on their respective projects and turned them in on time.

The Character Spotlight feature seems to be our biggest success.  Every month we're guaranteed to have a character to read about.  The program we have running for it right now works brilliantly.  I'll mention this later on, but it deserves saying here as well.  My thanks to those of you at Dragon's Mark, who may be reading this, for voting on the last poll and doubling our number of voters.

This month, just like last month, I've been keeping an eye on the RDI community for any interesting news.  The RDI Playables are a wonderful resource, and they get mentioned again and again.  I have not been as actively playing myself, but I've had my ears pressed to walls and picking up on what rumors I can as they're passed onto me.

The best way to guarantee that news makes it into Ubique's Monthly is to answer my call to arms.  Please, readers, send us your news.  Tell us anything and everything you have witnessed or been a part of, no matter how insignificant it may seem.  Our eyes and ears are here, there and everywhere.  If it's worth role-playing, it's certainly worth recapping and mentioning in our newsletter! 

Top Story!

"The essence of a role-playing game is that it is a group, cooperative experience. There is no winning or losing, but rather the value is in the experience of imagining yourself as a character in whatever genre you’re involved in, whether it’s a fantasy game, the Wild West, secret agents or whatever else. You get to sort of vicariously experience those things." - Gary Gygax, telephone interview for the New York Times, 2006.

Big news shocked the role-playing world in the first week of March this year.  Middle-aged men who still live in their mother's basements shed a tear.  As well as did dozens of hundreds of other geeks worldwide who had great respect for a legend of creative imaginative genius.  If it weren't for the co-creation designed by this man, many adults may have forgotten what it's like to play make believe, and an imagination is something no human being should ever be without.

This month, Ubique's Weekly remembers Gary Gygax.  Not just the coverage of his passing as most publications briefly described.  The editor in chief would also like to share with you her memories of discovering this world renowned role-playing game.  If Dungeons and Dragons had not been created, had many young minds not been able to discover it as I have, I doubt I would have grown into the person I am today.

So I welcome you to share this small written memorial with me.  If you haven't heard this sad news, then now's a good time to learn what others already know.  We here at Mutual Endeavors have covered the story in a slightly different way, however.  Read more to see. 

Storyline Spotlight

"The secret of a good life is to have the right loyalties and hold them in the right scale of values." - Norman Thomas, US socialist politician (1884 - 1968).

Since our first real revived issue of our newsletter in February, there has been quite a story floating about in pieces in parts.  Through the rumor mill and playland and direct to the pages of Ubique's Monthly, gossipers gallore have been buzzing about the fate of Rhydin's own unofficial godfather, known more commonly as Zonker.

This character has seen a lot of spotlight in our pages over the course of the past two months, and this month is no different.  Characters far and wide, since shortly after the holidays, have been troubled and uncertain as to the fate of this legendary man.  We know that he was in a coma, and now Ubique's Monthly has some news to share that will hopefully shed a light on a brighter and happier future for one and all.

He was your first Character Spotlight feature in February.  And now in April he finds his way here.  The star of a wonderfully captivating storyline that has kept many players, and characters, on the edges of their seats since Christmastime.  So what was the fate of Zonker?  Read more to find out!

This Just In

"For most folks, no news is good news; for the press, good news is not news." - Gloria Berger.

Another Serial Killer Makes a Mark  :  Over the course of the month of March a series of unexplained murders snuck their way into Rhydin.  Investigating officials are beginning to see a pattern, but according to our sources there are still no suspects.  (Check out the Playable posts made by DM user Angra Mainyu.)  These killings continued all throughout the month.  The last report having been made on the 23rd where a total of 30 victims were found!

ASPCA Day is April 10th! :  The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is going orange this month in a variety of ways all over the nation to celebrate its victories on behalf of animals and the joys they bring to their pet parents everywhere.  Whether you're a cat person or a dog person, or simply a good-hearted person in general, help the ASPCA celebrate by digging out that color you likely wear less and sporting it around the town.  Check out their official website for more information!

Variety of Playables :  Dragon's Mark saw its usual large number of player created storyline featurettes this month.  Ubique's Montly would like to remind its readers of the valuable resource that is the RDI Playables for those of you whose characters live and exist in Rhydin.  Even if you arent' a member of DM and don't want to be, you don't even have to be, some of these highlighted adventures may prove interesting.  Check them out!

Character Spotlight

"A celebrity is a person who works hard all his life to become well known, then wears dark glasses to avoid being recognized." - Fred Allen, US radio comedian (1894 - 1956).

This month's top five character spotlight nominees were as follows:  Amthy (Amthyst Oak), Panther, Shylah (NorseLady), Suliss'urn Xukuth, and Victoria Chylde (VikiChylde).  The poll ran for two weeks as scheduled, starting at the first of the month of March and ending on the fifteenth.  Our nominees received a total of 28 votes.  With the new program this means that 28 individual people actually voted on the poll.  My thanks goes out to our members, as well as the members of Dragon's Mark who saw my announcement, Here, There and Everywhere, and took the time to vote.  This is twice as many votes as last month, and I'm tremendously pleased.  You all have my unending gratitude.

The end results of our April Character Spotlight poll were as follows: Our winner, whose interview article you will read shortly, was the character Victoria Chylde, who closed in at a four vote lead, a total of 11 out of 28, for a 39.29% victory.  Close on her heels were the characters Shylah and Amthy, who were vying for power at a 7 and 6 votes margin.  Shylah came in at second place with those 7 votes, 25% of the poll.  Amthy takes the bronze medal for third place with a total of 6 votes, a 21.43% total.  Panther and Suliss both tied for fourth or last place, both earning a total of 2 votes each, a 7.14% total.

Once again the task of interviewing and reporting was placed in the capable hands of Ubiquitous Reporter SLWatson, and I believe she did a spectacular job.  I'm pleased to report that the player of VikiChylde was very courteous.  We informed her ahead of time of her running in the race and the possibility of her win.  I do believe she was quite surprised, but we here at Mutual Endeavors are honored to feature her in our April issue's Character Spotlight.

To read the complete article, please follow the link provided here to discover all that you never thought you'd know about the creation and development of DM's very own Victoria Chylde....

In Other News...

"Character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing." - Abraham Lincoln, Lincoln's Own Stories, 16th president of US (1809 - 1865).

Caliban Fortannis  (Fortannis, Life ensnared):  Caliban was last (publically) in the vicinity of the Rambling Rose, arguing ethics and morality with his bondmate, Mm'gow. After taking in a local 'stray', things at the Seeker HQ are apparently getting quite heated..

Dris  (BardGaIIant):  Spring is here and that means it's time to start planning another grand adventure, which the bard has been doing.  He and Icarus are planning another outing.  His latest adventure left him so invigorated that he can't bear to be stuck at home, so off they go!

Elias Montero (Deslustrado):  This past month the inspector made a huge discovery.  He learned that the murder in Madrid is not the first time his suspect has committed such a crime.  All his investigating has pointed him in the direction of one Dr. Maranya Valkonan, whom he has been trailing recently.  His leads keep growing and growing.

Faye: She Who Tends the Dead  (Faye Random):  Faye awoke from her annual hibernation this past month.  Her awakening came on the first of spring, March 20, as it always does every year.  The world may be feeling more envigorated, stretching their limbs to welcome the season, and in her own way so is She Who Tends the Dead.

Havoc  (Chaos Reclaimed):  The chaos spawn was disturbed to discover that Salvador may have been worrying that Irina's suspicions could perhaps be true.  After a huge argument and confusing discussion, they worked things out.  Havoc would never harm a baby.  Don't be stupid.

Icarus Marcotte  (SubtIe Iies):  Icarus has spent a good chunk of his time retracing Dris and Cheruth's steps to go back and kick some orc butt. However, his search for the now missing orb of the dracolich Mephis remained fruitless. Despite that set back, Icarus seems to be preparing to leave for the Spring once again.

Irina Braeden  (Irina Braeden):  The Artist has been seen a few times in public, though most of the time she stays home to take care of her two month old daughter, Sarah.  After three recent conversations with as many different Spanish men, Irina is equal parts flustered, relieved and worried.   Hopefully either Sal or Sin or both can convince Havoc to leave both her and her daughter be.  Irina's very grateful for Jos' (Aversion Toward) help with taking care of Sarah and the house.

Joscelyne Hirsch (Aversion Toward):  Spring is in the air!  As well as helping Irina take care of her baby girl, Jos has decided that the house could use some color.  In her off time she has been spotted shopping in the green thumb districts of the city looking for flowers to plant in the garden.  When the world is sunshiney warm again, everything should be bright as daisies, or whatever it is she picked.

Mm'gow  (Iive a IittIe):  Rhydin is not the same as Methuen.  This fact seems to be the primary subject of contention between himself and his bondmate Caliban Fortannis.  Ghatti minds and human minds are not at all alike, and it's difficult to reason with each other. 

Penrith Towley (Aversion Toward):  Penrith has discovered this fascinating technological device known as a television.  In his off time, when he isn't riding circuit with R'cha, he's been investigating the mysteries of soap operas, drama, and reality TV.  He also doesn't seem to mind the company of the not-ghatt whom his bondmate strangely named Red.

R'cha  (Iionpride):  Apparently little R'cha is one of the only ghatti that has no problem with Red! The ghatta has been spending time in the company of the strange looking feline, attempting to teach him more about the ways of the world -- nevermind that she's still learning herself.

Ran (A Fox Mask):  The far-away eyed dreamer finally surfaced from her dish washing frenzy within the Red Dragon Inn’s kitchen to drag her discombobulated self and flower cart to another tavern. There she met a very happy young man head-over-heels for a very lucky lady. He called her coyote and she’s been rather quietly amused with it for the entirety of the time away. Ran’s been called many things, but never coyote. The silent dish-washer had the chance to observe an unusual man named Dillion, another man who then discussed unfamiliar historical events and two other women who eavesdropped. The conversation quickly turned to the girls mocking the size of boy’s toys. Ran in quiet humor made her exit and has returned to her job. She may return next week. If she remembers.

Salvador Delahada  (Karmic Venganza):  Another birthday came and went.  Salvador officially turned four -- yes, that's right, four -- on the 20th of March.  He really didn't do any celebrating at all.  Though he has been seen spending a lot more time at the Medieval Tavern these days.  Making new friends.  Can you believe it?

Sinjin Fai  (Sinjin Fai):  After finally seeing the grave of Ambrose and receiving an interesting lesson in responsibility from Faye, our sinner is feeling a bit lost and decided to take another mini-vacation in Spain with Havoc. However, word does have it that Sinjin did have a little 'talk' with Irina..

Later in the week, rumor has it the drow dropped in on Seamus who was alone at the time and religiously scrubbing down The Rambling Rose. Seamus doesn’t appear to be missing anything important and the drow did not make anything explode. Makes one curious as to what was exchanged between the two.

Victoria Chylde  (VikiChylde):  Though we have no news concerning what this character has been up to recently, Ubique's Monthly is proud to report that VickiChylde is this month's winner of the the April Character Spotlight!  See above.

Zonker  (XZonkerX, Zonker):  We are pleased to report that the godfather of Rhydin has awakened from his coma.  Read this issue's Storyline Spotlight feature for more details.

Classifieds

"Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don't know which half." - John Wanamaker, US department store merchant (1838 - 1922).

Not that I spend any money on advertising, but...

America Online :  Mutual Endeavors strongly supports what we believe to still be the best chat service provider in the nation, if not also the world.  The best part about AOL nowadays is that it's completely free, so long as you bring your own ISP.  Though the Red Dragon Inn isn't as actively supported on AOL as it used to be, there are still a few rooms scattered here and there that welcome and encourage freeform role-playing.

Dragon's Mark :  For players, by players, much like ourselves! Claiming to be the new home for Free Form Role-Playing (FFRP) on the web. This is where the old RDI crew took their toys and games, and it must be said that the community made quite a few significant improvements.  Dragon's Mark provides a variety of message boards for both IC and OOC purposes, as well as a fully functional flashchat for all your live role-playing needs.

GreaterRealms :  A new board for Rhy'Din players, based more outside of the city setting. Open to anyone who plays in Rhy'Din, regardless of where they play, with an emphasis on stories that take place across the whole realm.  GreaterRealms is strictly message board, story-writing oriented, but it does also offer a flashchat for live-roleplaying should anyone want to step away from the usual scenes and settings.

ME Archive Forum :  Before there was the Mutual Endeavors website, there was the Mutual Endeavors proboard.  This here is the first ever Mutual Endeavors message board forum, which has since the creation of this site been locked down and left to collect dust as a read only archive.  There are still some memorable stories posted over there should anyone be curious to check out the past of ME.

Novalia Evelerion :  Many months ago we were contacted by the creator of this site and asked for it to be added to the affiliates section.  This looks like a whole new world to RP in, a work in progress with a whole lot of potential. ME proudly affiliates with DarkstormRPG's Novalia Evelerion!  Watch it grow as we do and perhaps find a home there some day.

Pharos Station :  One of the well-hidden secrets of the RDI days, but it was not once originally known as Pharos. This here is the SF branch of role-playing hosted by Dragon's Mark. Looking for a more futuristic place to play? Check it out!

Rambling Rose Tavern :  The Rambling Rose Tavern is a free-form role-playing chat room on the America Online servers, running strong since May of 2004. All players are welcome to participate, so long as you are respectful the rules and setting, and have the AOL program.

Red Dragon Inn :  No longer sponsored by nor hosted on AOL, but now supported by Dragon's Mark. Here you can find all your RDI needs: the players you used to play with, the characters you used to love, and the settings we all adored.

Silver Moon Inn :  This is more of a rules page for one of the rooms on AOL that isn't quite so frequently used and played in anymore, but on the off chance that it is (Saturdays mostly), or the possibility you have a whim to open the room yourself, this link might be useful for you.

The Quotations Page :  Ever wonder where the editor in chief comes up with those fancy quotations placed before every section?  Well, here it is!  People say the darnedest things, and sometimes the wisest things as well.  If you're looking for a little verbal stimulation, this site is just the place for you.

Announcements

"A preoccupation with the future not only prevents us from seeing the present as it is but often prompts us to rearrange the past." - Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983), The Passionate State of Mind, 1954.

The collection from our census this month is much smaller than it was last month.  We have no interesting silly holidays to share.  Only a small variety of character birthdays for the most part.  So this section will be formatted a little differently once again.  This may perhaps be the most malleable section of the newsletter, changing frequently, month to month.

Character Birthdays  :  Brion Ravenwood (18), James Tanner (17), Mariel Winter (6), Matherson Norris (15), and Seamus Wylie (1).

We are always welcoming new submissions for character birthday reminders.  Be advised that this is strictly for the players, a helpful way of reminding folks of the celebrations they may have forgotten about but should remember for the sake of their characters.

Ubique's Monthly would also like to remind everyone that April 1st is April Fool's Day.  Get your best pranks ready, both in and out of character!  Make it a contest!  Maybe next month we'll highlight some of the best pranks of the year in our headlines section.  Wouldn't that be interesting?

Additionally, April 10th is national ASPCA Day.  This is a holiday sponsored by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).  Their website is more informative, but we've also included a little about it in this month's This Just In headlines.  Check it out and support your love for your pets by donning orange next Thursday!

Final Thoughts

"Nothing is really work unless you would rather be doing something else." - James M. Barrie, Scottish dramatist & novelist (1860 - 1937).

That's the news for April, a recap of the month of March for the most part, as is the case with every issue of Ubique's.  There's a lot more content than I expected for the small amount of submissions the IWA received.  Even with the reminder posted on the front page of the site we only gathered news from a select few.

Please, pass the word on.  Tell your friends and comrades in role-play land about Ubique's Monthly.  Send us your updates, coverage of news that happened in the month previous.  Tell us about events that are scheduled to happen in the month ahead.  Your news is our news and we want to share it.

Submissions for the next issue of Ubique's Monthly in May are due on April 29, 2008.  Please give the editor in chief as much time in advance as possible to compile, format, and publish everything you think to share.  Until next time, I'll be as I ever am... 

Keeping you informed,

-- The Nefarious SM

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Ubique's Monthly
Mutual Endeavors