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Mailing List Logs for ShadowRN

Message no. 1
From: Benjamin Legangneux <b.legangneux@**********.COM>
Subject: Rat
Date: Thu, 22 May 1997 19:21:30 +0200
*****PRIVATE: Squatter
>>>>>[
I know now why your rat wasn't there during our first meeting. It was
because of me. Sorry for that...

BTW, did you have our payment for the succesful anti-Mulligan run?
]<<<<<
-- Nightwolf <14:54:28/05-22-58>
Message no. 2
From: Jaimie Nicholson <jaimie.nicholson@********.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject: Re: Rat
Date: Fri, 23 May 1997 09:56:20 +1200
*****PRIVATE: Nightwolf, Mani
>>>>>[I've got your payment... credsticks, though I think you're crazy for
using them... I'll meet you at the corner of >>street name<< and
>>street
name<<, 1200 tomorrow.

Try not to scare off my Rat this time, NW.]<<<<<
-- Squatter <15:54:10/05-22-58>
Message no. 3
From: Jaimie Nicholson <jaimie.nicholson@********.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject: Rat
Date: Mon, 8 Jun 1998 11:44:16 +1200
*****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[Just a note of explanation for Faerie's outburst this evening... it
wasn't really her, it was me, the Rat - I have become bound to Faerie, and
I control her body when she is travelling in the astral plane. Since I am
male in such gender as I have, what happened was quite an unpleasant
surprise.

I have avoided binding for a long time now, but I am caught once more. She
is usually a fair mistress, as I think you'll know already, but she can be
so very cruel when she doesn't get her own way. As one slave to another, I
hope we can support each other, and through doing so, survive Faerie's
madness. Either of us may find himself free at some time, if it is you,
then I'd advise you to run as far and as fast as you can. I hope I will
retain enough of myself that I will do the same.
-- The Rat.]<<<<<
-- Faerie <23:43:21/06-07-59>

*****PRIVATE: Shifters
>>>>>[Rat here, I've got control of Faerie's body while she's astrally
projecting. That which I have tried so long to avoid has come to pass - I
am bound again. This binding violates the agreement I had with the group,
but now that I am here, I find I lack the motivation to try to do anything
about it - also, the process by which I became bound is a complete mystery
to me, as it is to Faerie. Whether it can be undone without killing her I
do not know, nor do I wish to find out.

When she attempted suicide, her astral form left her body, and went to the
metaplanes. I stayed with her body, getting it down from the rope, and
sustaining it's life as best I could. I also kept it sleeping. When Mr Gone
arrived, I was able to leave, and pursue Faerie into the metaplanes.

I followed the traces she had left, and eventually found her in a place to
which I had never been, and to which I cannot return. It was a garden, wild
towards the edges, carefully tended in the central areas. A small circular
stream ran around the edge of it, looped, flowing perpetually into itself.
At the centre was a circular area, five concentric rings, each slightly
lower than the one outside it, paved in obsidian. Seated on a wooden chair
in the central ring was a being of feminine aspect, with such power that I
cannot describe it. Faerie calls this being the Goddess.

She saw me coming, and allowed me in, though She could have kept me out if
She had wanted to. In Her domain, seated at the Goddess's feet, I found
Faerie. She seemed to be at rest, at peace, finally happy. She thought that
she was dead, and that she had come home to her Goddess. When she saw me,
she didn't know why I was there, nor did she care. Then I told her that she
was still alive, and this was not the afterlife she thought she had found.
She flew into a rage, demanding to know how I knew that, what had I done. I
told her that I had saved the life of her body. She was furious with me for
that, at first she wanted to destroy me, but the agreement between the
Shifters and me caused her to stay her hand.

She then turned to her Goddess, and what passed between them is not known
to me. At the end of the discussion, which may have lasted for as long as
an hour, or as short as a minute, she left with me. There was some decision
made, I know that much, and it was made by Faerie, not by the Goddess. Now
Faerie believes that the Goddess is angry with her, but I believe
otherwise. I think this Goddess wants Faerie here, alive, for reasons of
Her own. And I think she wants me here too - it feels possible that this
Goddess has altered me in some fundamental way, because I now seem to feel
that Her goals are also my own, that the mission She has assigned to Faerie
is also assigned to me.

Somehow I became bound to Faerie during this time, but I didn't notice it
happening. It could have been some side affect of sustaining her body, or
perhaps the Goddess bound me to Faerie for reasons of her own. Each option
seems equally likely. I have not yet decided what I will do next, I may
even decide to accept this bondage and make the most of the situation. I
still have some measure of freedom, after all. But I cannot be rid of the
suspicion that any contentment I feel is manufactured by Faerie's Goddess,
and not truly mine. I must think on the problem, long and hard, before I
act in any way. When I make a decision, rest assured that I will let you
all know before I act, and I will listen to reason if you care to submit
your opinions.

Bill, I'm afraid I will no longer be able to assist you on your metaplanar
journeys, since I am now stuck in Faerie (not a very elegant way to put it,
I know, but it's accurate and concise). I wish you luck in your journeys,
though without me I realise your task will be that much harder.

And you'll be relieved to know, Rau Minh, that there'll be no more egg
stealing, for the same reason.
--The Rat.]<<<<<
-- Faerie <23:51:12/06-07-59>
Message no. 4
From: Jeffrey Mach <mach@****.CALTECH.EDU>
Subject: Re: Rat
Date: Sun, 7 Jun 1998 18:06:57 -0700
*****Private: Shifters
*****Not to: Faerie
>>>>>[Gee...kinda goes without saying, but I think we need to call a
meeting ASAP. BYOBody or come astral. Anybody know how to ring Ice in
New Zealand?]<<<<<
-- Michael <18:06:53/06-07-59 PDT>
Message no. 5
From: "Paul J. Adam" <shadowtk@********.DEMON.CO.UK>
Subject: Re: Rat
Date: Mon, 8 Jun 1998 23:46:24 +0100
*****PRIVATE: Shifters
>>>>>[I wondered who might have been stealing the eggs.

Since I keep the chickens in the group's building, I consider them a
joint possession to be shared. If you have a fondness for such, you had
only to ask.

Perhaps, riding in your borrowed body, you would prefer them cooked?

As to your revelations about Faerie... thank you for the information,
but I hope you will excuse my puzzlement.]<<<<<
-- Mr Gone <23:46:42/06-08-59>
Message no. 6
From: jaimie.nicholson@********.otago.ac.nz (Jaimie Nicholson)
Subject: rat
Date: Sat, 15 Jun 1996 15:01:52 +1200
*****Private: The Mighty Quinn
>>>>>[ Hey, are you still out there? The Rat says he needs to start sucking
souls soon, he has to get ready for something. I asked him what, but he
just wouldn't answer. Do you know what the frag he's talking about? He also
says he is willing to come with you if and when you go into the source of
the madness, whatever the frag that means.]<<<<<
-- Squatter <20:54:03/06:14:57>
Message no. 7
From: "Paul J. Adam" <shadowtk@********.demon.co.uk>
Subject: Re: rat
Date: Sat, 15 Jun 1996 09:16:01 +0100
*****PRIVATE: Squatter
>>>>>[The Rat and I need to talk. And yeah, I think he and I need each
other right now.

I'd appreciate it if he did come with me, if - or as it looks more
likely when - I have to go do something.]<<<<<
-- The Mighty Quinn <09:16:53/06-15-57>
Message no. 8
From: jaimie.nicholson@********.otago.ac.nz (Jaimie Nicholson)
Subject: rat
Date: Mon, 17 Jun 1996 13:07:15 +1200 (NZST)
*****Private: The Mighty Quinn
>>>>>[ The Rat is on its way to see you. Where are you two going? Will it
be
dangerous? I would hate to lose my rat.]<<<<<
-- Squatter <19:06:07/06:16:57>
Message no. 9
From: jaimie.nicholson@********.otago.ac.nz (Jaimie Nicholson)
Subject: Rat
Date: Fri, 21 Jun 1996 11:56:30 +1100
*****Private: The MIghty Quinn
>>>>>[ Have you seen my rat? What happened as a result of that Chicago
thing?
Where did everybody go?]<<<<<
-- Squatter <17:51:03/06:20:57>
Message no. 10
From: jaimie.nicholson@********.otago.ac.nz (Jaimie Nicholson)
Subject: Rat?
Date: Tue, 30 Jul 1996 11:19:02 +1200 (NZST)
*****PRIVATE: The Mighty Quinn
>>>>>[BTW, what the hell is my Rat anyway? Something magic, right? Is it
>>>>>like a werewolf? Are they common?]<<<<<
-- Squatter <17:18:44/07-29-57>
Message no. 11
From: "Paul J. Adam" <shadowtk@********.demon.co.uk>
Subject: Re: Rat?
Date: Tue, 30 Jul 1996 01:08:17 +0100
*****PRIVATE: Squatter
>>>>>[Your Rat's some kind of free spirit. Basically he's an astral
being that hangs around with you because he likes you. Kind of like my
ally Roadrunner <beep beep!>. RR's not that tough so he keeps his head
down most of the time, though. Your rat's a good buddy, stay that way
with him.

The Rat's a cool guy. That astral quest we did made a lot of sense once
I got out of Chi-town. He and I are going on another one sometime.

He saw the original Blackadders. *And* the Hitch-Hiker's Guides. That
rat is cool.]<<<<<
-- The Mighty Quinn <01:10:21/07-30-57>
Message no. 12
From: jaimie.nicholson@********.otago.ac.nz (Jaimie Nicholson)
Subject: Re: Rat?
Date: Tue, 30 Jul 1996 13:37:44 +1100
*****PRIVATE: The Mighty Quinn
>>>>>[Blackadders? What are they, like the first wiz-gang or something?
Never
mind, I probably don't want to know the answer anyway.

I guess I'll have to go looking in the databases for what a free spirit is
and does. I'm no magophobe, but I don't really know anything about any sort
of spirit, free or otherwise.]<<<<<
-- Squatter <19:30:32/07-29-57>
Message no. 13
From: jaimie.nicholson@********.otago.ac.nz (Jaimie Nicholson)
Subject: Rat
Date: Wed, 31 Jul 1996 12:05:35 +1200 (NZST)
*****PRIVATE: The Mighty Quinn
>>>>>[ The Rat just dropped a fraggin' bar opf gold at my feet. "What
the hell
is that all about?" I asked, but he just said it was a new trick, and then
disappeared. Will it be real, do you think? Can lots of these "free
spirits" do this sort of thing?]<<<<<
-- Squatter <18:04:46/07-30-57>

Further Reading

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These messages were posted a long time ago on a mailing list far, far away. The copyright to their contents probably lies with the original authors of the individual messages, but since they were published in an electronic forum that anyone could subscribe to, and the logs were available to subscribers and most likely non-subscribers as well, it's felt that re-publishing them here is a kind of public service.

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