text:
Costs of Senior Care
Options By State
Resource Locator Tool
Compare Benefits & Care
Help Planning for Care
Professional Assistance
Veteran Benefits Planning
Find Affordable Senior Care
Lower Your Cost of Care
Lower Assisted Living Costs
Lower Home Care Costs
Cost Saving Technologies
FAQs and Helpful Guides
Paid Caregiver Programs
Our goal is to help families find the means to pay for senior care by providing objective information and interactive tools on our ad-free, easy-to-use and comprehensive website. Read More
Cost of Assisted Living in Detroit, Michigan
Page Reviewed / Updated - Jan. 2019
The Cost of Senior Living and Care in Detroit
Detroit Assisted Living Costs
Detroit Home Care Costs
Detroit Adult Day Care Costs
Detroit Nursing Home Costs
Financial Assistance Programs in Detroit
Michigan Medicaid Program
Other Financial Assistance Programs
More Senior Living Resources in Detroit
This guide covers the expense of senior care in Detroit, briefly describes financial assistance programs that are available to seniors in the area, and includes resource listings to income-based apartments for seniors. Our Michigan guide offers more extensive data about expenses and money related help available to older adults in the rest of the state.
In Detroit, senior care is relatively affordable compared to other major cities in Michigan. According to the Genworth 2018 Cost of Care Survey, the average monthly cost of adult day care is especially affordable, having the second lowest average in the state.
Assisted living in Detroit costs an average of $4,224 a month, which is slightly higher than the median cost for Michigan as a whole. Jackson averages $371 less a month, while Saginaw can be even cheaper, coming in at only $2,825 a month. The two other major cities in the state average between $4,200 and $5,050 a month.
For a list of the best Assisted Living communities in Troy, visit our Best Assisted Living Facilities in Troy page
The cost of home care in Detroit averages $4,433 a month, assuming 44 hours of care per week at an average cost per hour of $23.25. That's about $240 higher than the state average of $4,195.
Compared to other major cities in the state, Detroit is more affordable than Ann Arbor, which averages about $290 more a month, while Grand Rapids is less expensive than Detroit with a monthly average of $143 less. Some of the least expensive average costs for home care in the state is in Flint at $3,813 a month.
Adult day health care costs an average of $1,517 a month, which is $216 cheaper than the state average of $1,733. This is the least expensive monthly average among the larger cities in the state. Grand Rapids and Ann Arbor average between $2,058 and $2,773 a month.
The cost of nursing home care in Detroit is relatively expensive when compared with the rest of the state. At $9,095 a month for a semi-private room, it's about $500 more a month than the state average of $8,562. When compared to the other major cities in the state, Detroit is over $1,000 less than Ann Arbor, and Grand Rapids averages the same as Detroit.
Both the state and federal government fund Michigan's Medicaid program, and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) determines eligibility. Seniors who receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) are automatically eligible for Medicaid and can bypass the application.
While Medicaid directly pays for nursing home care, in order to receive financial assistance for long-term care provided at home or in an assisted living facility, seniors must apply for Medicaid waivers. Unlike Medicaid, waivers are not an entitlement, so once the cap is met for that waiver, there will be a waiting list.
Those who don't receive SSI and would like to apply for regular Medicaid for the aged, blind, and disabled must meet these income and asset requirements: Single applicants can not have a monthly income that exceeds $1,012, and the income limit for married applicants is $1,372. Assets for both single and married must be $2,000 or less.
Detroit seniors interested in applying for Medicaid need to call the Wayne county MDHHS office at (313) 456-1000.
This Medicaid waiver program, administered by the MDHHS, allows older adults to hire their own caregivers who will be paid by the MDHHS through CHAMPS. Caregivers can be a family member (except for a parent or spouse) or friend. Applicants must require assistance with at least one essential Activity of Daily Living. Click here for further information about Home Help services.
MI Choice
Eligible older adults who reside in the city of Detroit and are at risk of being placed in a nursing home but would rather remain in their home or community (e.g. assisted living, home for the aged, or adult foster home) can apply for the MI Choice Waiver. The waiver covers services such as community transition, preventative nursing, respite, adult day care, chores, private duty nursing, and other services and support.
Refer to our MI Choice guide for additional information, eligibility requirements, and enrollment instructions.
Michigan Health Link
Detroit seniors eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid may be able to receive financial assistance through the Michigan Health Link program. It pays for services covered by Medicare and Medicaid. Enrollees will use one card and plan for health care, behavioral health care, HCBS, nursing home care, and medications. A care coordinator is assigned to all members to help them create a personal care plan and more. Click here to learn more about Michigan Health Link.
Project Choice
Project Choice is not a Medicaid waiver. This program is funded by the Aging & Adult Services Agency (AASA) and was created to help homebound adults age 60 or older who are financially ineligible for the Medicaid waivers and meet the medical eligibility for nursing facility level of care. Those who meet the aforementioned qualifications may be able to receive assistance with the following services:
Caregiver respite
Brush Park Manor Paradise Valley
2900 Brush St. Detroit, MI 48201
This senior community is managed by the Presbyterian Villages of Michigan, a faith-based, non-profit organization. They have over 100 affordable apartments for seniors 62 years of age and older.
Gateshead Crossing
4950 Gateshead St.
Gateshead Crossing has 45 one-bedroom affordable apartments for seniors 62 years of age and older who meet HUD's income guidelines.
Gratiot Woods Co-op
5500 McClellan Ave. Detroit, MI, 48213
This senior community has a three-story building with 65 units. There are one bedroom and mobility impaired apartments for older adults. Rent is income based, with water, sewer, electric, and heat utilities included in the rent.
Independent Management Services (IMS)
14381 North Road
IMS manages several affordable housing communities for those who have limited income. Currently, they own four properties in Detroit just for the elderly and disabled, and rent is based on income.
Meyers Plaza Co-op
18000 Meyers Detroit, MI, 48235
Meyers Plaza Co-op has 75 units for seniors age 62 and older. Rent is based on income and includes utilities.
Rio Vista Detroit Co-op
1250 18th St. Detroit, MI 48216
Rio Vista Detroit Co-op offers income-based apartments for adults 62 years of age and older. Pets (20 lbs. and under) are allowed.
Woodbridge Senior Village
3521 John C. Lodge
Woodbridge Senior Village has one and two bedroom apartments with 24-hour maintenance service. Rent is based on 30% of your adjusted annual income and includes utilities (except for telephone and cable service).
Copyright © 2019. All rights reserved. Use or replication of this content by other web sites or commercial entities without written permission is strictly prohibited. This site is for information and support; it is not a substitute for professional advice. Every effort is made to provide accurate and up to date information. Please notify us of inaccuracies.


text:
Non-scientific name:
amloki
Published in medicinal sources as
Other non-scientific names
1 Accepted name(s) for "amloki":
5 Medicinal source(s) include this non-scientific name:
Medicinal sources:
Scientific names as used in medicinal source:
MPNS matched scientific names:
Accepted name:
Trade forms:
Plant parts:
Ethnomed. of Garo Hills, Durgapur, Bangladesh (Khan et al., 2015) Emblica officinalis Gaertn. Emblica officinalis Gaertn. Phyllanthus emblica L.
Med. Pl. for Diabetes in Dhaka, Bangladesh (Ocvirk et al., 2013) Phyllanthus emblica L. Phyllanthus emblica L. Phyllanthus emblica L.
Ethnobot. of the Pangkhua Community in Bangladesh (Faruque, 2019) Phyllanthus emblica L. Phyllanthus emblica L. Phyllanthus emblica L.
Medicinal Plant Marketing in Bangladesh (Dixie et al., 2003) Emblica officinalis Emblica officinalis Gaertn. Phyllanthus emblica L.
Med. Pl. used by Deb Barma Clan in Bangladesh (Kabir et al., 2014) Phyllanthus emblica L. Phyllanthus emblica L. Phyllanthus emblica L.
5 Non-scientific name(s) associated with "amloki":
Non-scientific names:
Class of name:
amalaki Other Medicinal Plant Marketing in Bangladesh (Dixie et al., 2003)
amla Other Medicinal Plant Marketing in Bangladesh (Dixie et al., 2003)
choalu Other Ethnobot. of the Pangkhua Community in Bangladesh (Faruque, 2019)
emblic myrobalans Other Medicinal Plant Marketing in Bangladesh (Dixie et al., 2003)
indian gooseberry Other Med. Pl. used by Deb Barma Clan in Bangladesh (Kabir et al., 2014)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


On this day in 1920, Charlie "Bird" Parker was born in Kansas City.
Today in 1965, Elvis Presley meets The Beatles for the first time. And no one thought to bring a camera?
Billy Rush, guitar (Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes) is 63 today.


text:
Hobart News Brian 'Spoonman' Carlton joins Triple M Hobart for Breakfast!
Brian 'Spoonman' Carlton joins Triple M Hobart for Breakfast!
Spoonman is here!
Brian 'Spoonman' Carlton will host a brand-new breakfast show, Brian Carlton – The Spoonman, on Triple M Hobart from next month.
The veteran radio presenter launched onto the national stage as the youngest News Talk host on Sydney's 2UE in 1990 and rated #1 within a year. By the late '90's Brian was covering the US Presidential press conferences in Washington DC and hosted the first News Talk show on Australian commercial FM radio as 'The Spoonman' on Triple M in 1998.
In 2008 'The Spoonman' was iTunes' #1 News and Politics podcast, and by 2011 he was nominated for the Brian White Memorial Award for journalistic excellence. Brian was also the first metro FM broadcaster to be nominated for an Australian Commercial Radio Award (ACRA) for Best Current Affairs Commentator.
In 2015 Brian decided to permanently relocate to, and settle in, Tasmania. Since then he has led the Tasmania Talks team to six ACRA wins from 12 nominations.
Brian has been at the forefront of major decisions that have helped average Tasmanians. He lobbied to save the Tamar Valley Power Station from sale or closure, and for changes to the Federal Childcare Rebate in the 18/19 Budget, with Tasmanian Senator Jonathon Dunium crediting Brian as being instrumental in these changes.
Brian was first to publicly inform Senator Jacqui Lambie that she appeared to be in breach of Section 44 of the Constitution and may need to resign from Senate. His interview with the Federal candidate for Lyons, Jessica Whelan, was also seen as one of the catalysts for her Liberal endorsement being revoked by the party.
On his move from Launceston to Hobart, Brian 'Spoonman' Carlton said: "Name a better job than waking up the greatest city in Australia on Triple M.
"Triple M is my spiritual broadcast home and I'm stoked and privileged to be joining Triple M Hobart for breakfast. If you like your breakfast radio well stirred, I hope you'll join me in Hobart. I can't wait!"
- Spoonman
Join Brian 'Spoonman' Carlton on Triple M Hobart from Monday, 18 November from 6-9am.
spoonman


i heart generosity day! – my blog – Ordinary Courage.
This entry was posted in Blessings, Economy, Visions and tagged Brene Brown, Happiness by Margo. Bookmark the permalink.
Thanks for Brene's expansion of the heart energy to flow out and embrace all beings on our path.
Since these acts of generosity must begin with loving all that I shun within the self i am aware of what i need to do.
Be in stillness until you and your heart beam can feel each other and melt into the One that you are.
Thanks Sylvia for the "heart beam" of love for ourselves. I like the Jewish concept (for want of a better word) of participating in the "repair of the world". One of my contributions to the repair of the world is repatriating the parts of myself that I have exiled to the hinterland of my psyche. Some days it is easier than others.


text:
SU in the News: Monday, April 26, 2010
Monday, April 26, 2010, By News Staff
SU NEWS AND EVENTS COVERAGE
National and regional media coverage of the "Never Too Late for Justice" gathering in Atlanta, hosted by Syracuse University College of Law's Cold Case Justice Initiative (CCJI), included reports by CNN (watch clip), WXIA Atlanta (watch clip), the Associated Press and the Anniston Star (Ala.). CCJI co-founders and College of Law professors Paula Johnson and Janis McDonald are quoted.
David Rubin, professor and dean emeritus at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, is featured in a Post-Standard story on the origins of fantasy baseball.
The Newhouse School's announcement of Mirror Award finalists was featured in a Mediaite.com blog posting.
The SU-IBM Green Data Center is noted in a CIO Zone.com blog posting about a new data center being built in Espoo, Finland, and cited briefly by the Post-Standard for being named among the year's 15 most innovative green technology projects by InfoWorld.
The Post-Standard Stars magazine previewed the SU Department of Drama's production of "I Love You Because" and noted Sunday's pre-screenings of Syracuse International Film Festival films at Cazenovia College.
SU's Burton Blatt Institute is mentioned in a Post-Standard article on a local high school student living with high-functioning autism.
A photo of graduate student and Salt Hill Journal co-editor Nadxieli Nieto Hall accompanies a Post-Standard story on the literary magazine's 25th issue. SU's Creative Writing Program and Mary Karr, Jesse Truesdell Peck Professor of Literature in The College of Arts and Sciences, are also mentioned in the article.
The College of Visual and Performing Arts is mentioned in a CNY Link story on winners of the Young Playwrights Festival at Syracuse Stage.
The Special Collections Research Center in the SU Library is mentioned briefly in a Post-Standard story on Maxfield Parrish connections to the Central New York area.
Today's lecture on the SU campus by the son of one of the three Bielski brothers credited with rescuing Russian Jews during World War II is noted in the Post-Standard.
Brand-Yourself.com is mentioned in a Post-Standard Moneywise story on personal branding campaigns.
FACULTY QUOTES
An op-ed by Youlonda Copeland-Morgan, associate vice president of enrollment management, appeared in the Sunday Post-Standard discussing the need to educate students in financial literacy, and the "I Otto Know This" program recently implemented by the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarship Programs.
Louis Kriesberg, professor emeritus in the Maxwell School, authored an op-ed for Common Ground News Service on needed approaches to resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Kevin O'Neill, associate professor of advertising in the Newhouse School, wrote a commentary in Adweek on trends in advertising relative to cultural shifts in gender stereotypes.
An op-ed by Mitchel Wallerstein, dean of the Maxwell School, about a renewed interest in public service appeared in the Albany Times-Union.
To subscribe to SU in the News by daily e-mail, send a message to listserv@listserv.syr.edu with the following in the message body: subscribe SUINTHENEWS


Taking place Feb. 17, Random Acts of Kindness Day is a wonderful initiative that has grown in popularity each year and has been celebrated by everyone from a couple of friends getting together to stuff lunch bags, to groups, organizations, famous celebrities and more.
At its core it's all about, well, just being kind — everywhere from your home to your school to your workplace. Events take place throughout the week. A random act of kindness is truly a unique gift and – let's face it – we can all use a kinder world today.
Check out randomactsofkindness.org for more info.
And a shout-out to NKPR's 4th annual 26 Hours of Kindness Initiative, taking place on Feb. 14 – Valentine's Day.
This is in advance of Random Acts of Kindness Day and the company is turning their office into "Kindness Headquarters" — partnering with #HashtagLunchbag (a global organization that celebs like Kourtney Kardashian, Bella Hadid and Stephanie Shepherd have worked with) — the NKPR team are going to be busy packing lunches, making lunches and writing notes of kindness before delivering to shelters across the city.


text:
David Jonathan Healy, MBE (5 d'agost de 1979) és un exfutbolista nord-irlandès de la dècada de 2000.

Fou 95 cops internacional amb la selecció d'Irlanda del Nord.

Pel que fa a clubs, destacà defensant els colors de Manchester United FC, Preston North End, Leeds United FC, Fulham FC, Sunderland AFC i Rangers FC.

Com a entrenador, el 2015 esdevingué màxim responsable del Linfield.

Palmarès
Jugador
Rangers
 Scottish League Cup: 2011
 Scottish Premier League: 2010-11

Entrenador
Linfield
 County Antrim Shield: 2017
 NIFL Premiership: 2016-17
 Irish Cup: 2017

Referències

Futbolistes internacionals amb Irlanda del Nord de la dècada de 1990
Futbolistes internacionals amb Irlanda del Nord de la dècada de 2000
Futbolistes internacionals amb Irlanda del Nord de la dècada de 2010
Entrenadors de futbol nord-irlandesos
Membres de l'Orde de l'Imperi Britànic
Futbolistes del Leeds United FC

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


I would really like to have a RS-232 two-way driver for the Theta Casblanca III HD.
If there's enough interest in it (to make it economically viable) and I had access to one to test against, then yes.
Finally a company who has made a RTI driver for the Casablanca, www.rti-d.com.
Works perfectly! Now I have feedback for volume, power, input etc. Also has graph data so volume is visible as bar.


text:
Grayscale Ethereum Trust Announces Share Split
Wednesday, 02. December 2020 14:30
New York, Dec. 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Grayscale Investments®, the world's largest digital currency asset manager and sponsor of Grayscale® Ethereum Trust (OTCQX: ETHE) (the "Trust"), today announced that it has declared a 9-for-1 split (the "Share Split") of the Trust's issued and outstanding common units of fractional undivided beneficial interest ("Shares"). With the Share Split, shareholders of record on December 14, 2020 (the "Record Date") will receive 8 additional Shares of the Trust for each Share held.
The Share Split will be effected on December 17, 2020 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on December 14, 2020. Following the Share Split, the Trust's Shares will continue to be quoted on the OTCQX under the symbol "ETHE."
Based on the Trust having 29,502,100 Shares issued and outstanding and each Share representing ownership of 0.09284789 of one Ethereum token as of the date of this press release, immediately after effectiveness of the Share Split on December 17, 2020, the Trust would have 265,518,900 Shares issued and outstanding and each Share would represent ownership of 0.01031643 of one Ethereum token.
The Trust may create new Shares after the date of this press release and up through the Record Date.
Shareholders are not required to take any action to receive the Shares in connection with the Share Split and they will not be required to surrender or exchange their Shares in the Trust. The transfer agent will automatically issue the new Shares in the Share Split.
The transfer agent for Shares of the Trust is Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company. For questions relating to the transfer or mechanics of the Share Split, stockholders may contact Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, 1 State Street, 30th Floor, New York, NY 10004-1561, or by phone at: 800-509-5586 (Domestic callers) or 212-509-4000 (International callers). If Shares are held by a bank, broker or other nominee, stockholders should contact that institution directly.
Shareholders contemplating a transaction in the Trust's Shares between the Record Date and payment date should consult a broker regarding their entitlement to the Share Split.
About Grayscale Investments®
Grayscale Investments is the world's largest digital currency asset manager, with more than $12.2B in assets under management as of November 30, 2020. Through its family of 10 investment products, Grayscale provides access and exposure to the digital currency asset class in the form of a security without the challenges of buying, storing, and safekeeping digital currencies directly. With a proven track record and unrivaled experience, Grayscale's products operate within existing regulatory frameworks, creating secure and compliant exposure for investors. For more information, please visit www.grayscale.co or follow us on Twitter, @Grayscale.
press@grayscale.co
Copyright GlobeNewswire, Inc. 2016. All rights reserved.
You can register yourself on the website to receive press releases directly via e-mail to your own e-mail account.


Port Elgin has become part of the Saugeen Shores town. Since its early settlement till now, Port Elgin has managed to develop a lot, mostly due to its proximity to Lake Huron. Tourism is an important industry of the area nowadays, Port Elgin being filled with recreational spots and places of a scenery beauty.
Why rent a car in Port Elgin at VroomVroomVroom?
Here are a few reasons why our customers prefer to book with us.
No booking fees: When you book with VroomVroomVroom you will not be charged any additional booking fees. You can also cancel for free as long as you do it 48 hours prior to pickup.
Best rates are guaranteed: We have negotiated with leading car rental companies to provide the best rates. Check out our Price Promise to get more information.
Port Elgin, our highly-motivated customer care team will be happy to assist you. Contact us today with any questions you have.
Rosina is an excellent restaurant located in Port Elgin. The eatery is considered to be the best one in the whole area. Delicious food can be tasted in this spot. The prices are affordable for all visitors, while the staff is very attentive and friendly.
Andre's Swiss Country Dining is a restaurant that you should not miss when being in Port Elgin. The food and service here are absolutely outstanding, while the atmosphere is perfect for relaxing dinners. The food is well cooked and nice presented. All visitors will be able to enjoy a wonderful experience in this spot.
The Pumpkinfest is a lovely festival hosted by the city. The event takes place on the first weekend of October and draws numerous people in attendance. It actually is a competition between farmers who are presenting their pumpkins in the attempt to obtain the title for the largest one.
MacGregor Point Provincial Park is one of the most popular sights of interest of the area. An impressive variety of flora and fauna can be seen here. The park hosts carnivorous plants, too. Here, you will have the possibility to enjoy outdoor adventures, while admiring some scenery views, but also migratory birds. Great beaches can be visited here, while swimming is allowed in the area.
Lake Huron is the home of a wide range of fish species, but also aquatic plants. This actually is one of the largest lakes in the area, hosting the Manitoulin Island. The Port Elgin beach is located on the shores of the lake.


The European Union and the World Customs Organization, for example, have rejected the Safe Port Act of 2006 with the impossible requirement of 100% scanning of all containers. The problem is, that most of supply chain and security managers are so busy just keeping dots connected that they tend to forget to consider that every dot and connection represents a source for a new risk itself. Chain of custody is a term often thrown around as a buzzword.
In 2003, Walmart announced that all of its suppliers would need to have Radio frequency identification (RFID) tags on all pallets and cases by 2006. More recently, with the rise of interconnected systems, the analytics to derive value from those systems seems, and decreased costs, RFID is resurrecting as a solution for increasing supply chain management (SCM), visibility into processes, and reducing inventory tracking costs.
The combination of technology along with the advancements in transportation made it possible. Inventory Turns. Better performance in inventory turns than the peer group average for the period of 2006-2015. Corporate report data is not readily available before 2006.
In 2006, they made a decision to implement a supply chain planning solution. Comprehensive view of source, make and deliver. Most often the focus is on transportation or logistics, but does not take into consideration the trade-offs between make, source and deliver. Focus is on make, source and deliver together. Use of third-party data for transportation lane and drayage times by day/time of week. Inventory. Focus on the level of inventory.
To ensure proper logistics management in the hospitality industry, businesses need to take steps to ensure efficient transportation and order pick-up. If streamlined correctly, these changes can lead to higher revenue, transportation cost reduction, and cost structure improvement.
This isolationist approach takes no account of effective inventory control, asset capacity management, mark down risk, responsiveness or availability. From a cautious toe in the water in 2006 when they achieved £1 million in online sales, they had, by 2012 achieved £1 billion.
As the Supply Chains Rock blog points out in an October 2006 post, conducting business in emerging global markets requires a knowledge of supply chains and the ways in which they function in other regions. " Basically everything from the mining of raw ingredients to the production process for the packaging—not to mention all the transportation needed to move things from place to place—falls within the wide umbrella of the supply chain.
Over 9 billion automated rate quotes in Freightera's inventory connect 23,000 communities. Freightera started in Canada and cross-border US-Canada transport and is rapidly expanding in the United States. This redesign will help Freightera to open container shipping and other modes of transport in the near future. Freightera is creating a unified global marketplace for freight transportation. SOURCE Freightera.


text:
Does Your Cat "Go Vertical" by Climbing to High Places?
, August 6, 2014
The nightmare goes like this: I'm on a catwalk, on an aircraft carrier. (I'm a Navy brat. I grew up visiting aircraft carriers. It's not weird for me to dream about them.) I'm climbing up narrow, fire-escape-like stairs, hanging off the side of the tall, gray structure that towers over the flight deck. It's a bright day. It's windy. I'm not alone, and I'm not particularly scared, just cautious. Then, for no reason, everything comes out from under me. I fall. A half-second later, the instant I hit the deck, all goes black and I wake up with a fierce intake of breath and a pulse so loud the neighbors can hear it.
I fear high places.
Just the same, I enjoy pushing that fear of heights. In the right circumstances (plenty of space, no rush of people, no screaming children) I can make my way to precarious places on mountains, bridges, dams, or skyscrapers and get one hell of a thrill. Last year, for example, I walked across a converted train trestle in Santa Cruz and enjoyed the view while reporting my joyful and calm state of mind to Daphne, my lovely and talented fiancee. With some meditative effort (and calm surroundings) I overcame that dizzy, breathless feeling that coincides with something urgently tightening in my hind quarters. I love to conquer the fear.
Most of the time, though, I'm a "bush dweller." (I'll define that in a minute.)
My cat — Thomas "Big Paws" Parker — is also afraid of heights. Well, that's my theory anyway. His behavior suggests as much. And it also suggests that, like me, he likes to challenge his fear occasionally.
A "bush dweller" is what Jackson Galaxy, host of Animal Planet's My Cat From Hell, calls a cat who likes low places. He calls a cat who likes high places a "tree dweller." Thomas is definitely in the first category, and we have a trail of cat furniture to prove it. Daphne got Thomas a cat tree a few years ago that was the feline equivalent of a five-story building, yet he rarely went near it. Conversely, one of his favorite places is a perch and scratching post that sits level with the bedroom window. This would be something like a backyard deck in the cat world. Thomas also loves our dining room table, which is about the same height, but the kitchen counter — slightly higher — seems to be just over his limit unless he's feeling cocky.
Thomas has limited outdoor privileges, and when he's in the wild of our backyard he aims low.
He often reclines/hides for long stretches in the corner of a flowerbed that contains tall grass. Recently, when he was suffering from episodes of feline hyperesthesia, he often retreated to this low-lying hidden spot, and it calmed him down immediately.
When he leaves the flowerbed and lawn, he rarely goes very high. He has this favorite chair, for example.
He loves the chair so much that at times he attempts to consume it.
Sometimes Thomas gets daring and navigates the bush-level hammock for maximum adorability.
Thomas lives in the World of the Low, but one exception stands in the backyard. Its name is Crabapple Tree. As trees go, a human wouldn't consider it exceptionally tall. It extends to about the peak of the roof of our house. But in cat measurements, it's probably like a high-rise apartment complex. Every now and then, Thomas channels a special brand of cat crazy, and he darts up the trunk of the tree — which is slightly angled for ease of ascent and descent — and he confidently claws his way to 10 or 15 feet up.
He gets a little wacky at first.
He shows remarkable agility and confidence, considering all the time he spends flying close to the ground.
Then he settles in, like a feline version of Italo Calvino's The Baron in the Trees, if not for a lifetime then, well, for about 10 or 15 minutes.
After a while, I'll call his name, and he comes down just as quickly as he went up. Within 30 seconds or so we're all inside, back to bush dwelling and the cat-coves associated with it.
Is your cat a bush dweller or tree dweller? Do you have tall cat trees? Or floor-level hiding spots? Tell me in the comments.
All photos by Daphne "Big Paws" Phillips.
Cat Dandy, despite his fear of heights, loves to fly:
Serious Question: Do You Have Sex While Your Cat Is in the Room?
Lil Bub's "Dude" Talks About How His Cute Little Cat Got Famous and Changed His Life
I Gave My Cat a Tarot Reading
About Keith Bowers: This broad-shouldered, bald-headed, leather-clad motorcyclist also has passions for sharp clothing, silver accessories, great writing, the arts, and cats. This career journalist loves painting, sculpting, photographing, and getting on stage. He once was called "a high-powered mutant," which also describes his cat, Thomas. He is senior editor at Catster and Dogster.
Tags: Behavior, Cat Dandy, Pix We Love


text:
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 260 Super Overclock
by Rob Williams on October 6, 2009 in Graphics & Displays
NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 260 is not a new card. In fact, it's been available for over a year in its 216 Core form. So is it even worth a look at today? Where Gigabyte's "Super Overclock" version is concerned, yes. Although it costs less than a stock GTX 275, this new card beat it out in almost every single game and setting we put it through.
Page 8 – Race Driver: GRID
If you primarily play games on a console, your choices for quality racing games are plenty. On the PC, that's not so much the case. While there are a good number, there aren't enough for a given type of racing game, from sim, to arcade. So when Race Driver: GRID first saw its release, many gamers were excited, and for good reason. It's not a sim in the truest sense of the word, but it's certainly not arcade, either. It's somewhere in between.
The game happens to be great fun, though, and similar to console games like Project Gotham Racing, you need a lot of skill to succeed at the game's default difficulty level. And like most great racing games, GRID happens to look absolutely stellar, and each of the game's locations look very similar to their real-world counterparts. All in all, no racing fan should ignore this one.
Manual Run-through: For our testing here, we choose the city where both Snoop Dogg and Sublime hit their fame, the LBC, also known as Long Beach City. We choose this level because it's not overly difficult, and also because it's simply nice to look at. Our run consists of an entire 2-lap race, with the cars behind us for almost the entire race.
GRID is the first game in our line-up where the GTX 275 managed to pull ahead in performance – except at 2560×1600, where the Super Overclock regained its crown. ATI's HD 4890, costing roughly the same as the Super Overclock, put both cards to shame, however.
Best Playable
Min FPS
Avg. FPS
NVIDIA GTX 295 1792MB (Reference)
2560×1600 – Max Detail, 4xAA
ATI HD 4890 1GB (Sapphire)
NVIDIA GTX 285 1GB (EVGA)
NVIDIA GTX 260 896MB (Reference)
ATI HD 4870 1GB (Reference)
NVIDIA GTX 260 896MB (XFX)
ATI HD 4770 512MB (Gigabyte)
If the GTX 275 could talk, it would no doubt whine that the GTX 260 Super Overclock managed to beat it out by a meager 0.28 FPS at 2560×1600, but it is what it is. As long as you have a decent GPU, max detail settings are fine in this game, and the Super Overclock is no exception… it runs flawlessly at 2560×1600.
2. Test System & Methodology
3. Call of Duty: World at War
4. Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood
5. Crysis Warhead
6. F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin
7. Grand Theft Auto: IV
8. Race Driver: GRID
9. World in Conflict: Soviet Assault
10. Futuremark 3DMark Vantage
11. Overclocking the GTX 260 Super Overclock
12. Power & Temperatures
13. Final Thoughts


A bible-study I'm participating in supports the power of keeping a journal – (recording your thoughts and prayers and noting responses to prayer). It's an interesting study and it brought to mind, that over the years I have seen many answers to my prayers (I can recall them now because I highlighted them in my notebooks or journals). There have been some pretty amazing answers, and some pretty amazing words have been 'given' to me while I have spent time in God's 'presence'. I have been given short responses, long responses and poems, as well as timely and astonishing ideas that were definitely not 'of me'.
I plan on sharing them, as time goes by: no point making note of them and then keeping them to myself, I think God always intends us to pay special attention to what He tells us, and is then hopeful that we will share His comfort and messages with others, as we can. So here goes!
As the earth is whole, My love is!
As the waters flow, I AM TRUE.
Speak your heart to Me, I will meet you.
Let Me live in you!
John 4:26 – "I who speak to you am HE".
'I AM your Creator and I take joy in all you do'.
I can often be found, seated by a picture window in our sunroom, 'taking in' the beauty of the trees and flower gardens outside – OK, to the onlooker I'm merely staring into space, or taking 'time-out', however, I am not being idle – I am 'listening' for that gentle voice within me that will help me start my day in the right way. I'm listening for the 'voice' that says 'I AM always with you'; 'I AM your Lord and Saviour'; 'I AM so pleased to have your attention, because I have much to tell you': He sometimes must also think, 'Well Patricia, just in the nick of time, I AM glad that, at last, you are listening', (in fact, a journal entry some time ago, expressed that sentiment – and yes, it got my attention).
Oh, these are not the specific words I 'hear' every day – these are a sampling of quiet murmurs that have attracted my attention in the past, (I know because I have records of whenever I have been 'spoken' to. I love it when it happens because His thoughts and words, are certainly not my thoughts and words. I choose the quiet of the early morning, because I cannot concentrate or focus on God's (inner) promptings, if there is noise and chatter around me, and so I 'plant' myself in my comfortable chair each morning, hoping He has something to say or show to me.
Matthew 6:6 – But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
I wonder if God ever longs for quiet? I wonder if, with all the prayers and supplications that are sent to Him every second of every single day, He ever murmurs, 'Oh, please, I need quiet, how can I concentrate with all this noise going on around Me!' I somehow, think not; after all He is the omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent One, (the all-seeing, all-knowing, all-powerful and universal) God. The Great I AM: therefore, I do not envisage Him whining for solitude so that He can think (to focus). He is our Creator, Teacher, Father; He longs for us to be in relationship with Him, He yearns for us to accept Him through Jesus; He hears our every prayer and desire.
Matthew 28:20b – I am with you always, even to the end of the age.
His gentle promptings and ideas, and often a solution to a challenge I have been unable to solve, are always uplifting and so awesome. Why would I not seek to hear Him, when I experience such joy each time I hear His 'voice'. I am so glad He doesn't need to take time out!
I tend to distrust my abilities – and writing is a new-ish venture for me.
A friend recently suggested that I send an sample of my devotionals to a particular Christian website, and to the attention of a particular person, inquiring if they are accepting new writers – after all, looking at and reading the website, I see VERY recognizable big-name authors posting their devotionals (I'm not that good); EEK, and here I am asking about acceptance of my work! Oh well, nothing ventured, nothing gained – so yesterday, I gritted my teeth and did it, not expecting too much response in return! However, within a few hours I heard back from the Pastor and 'yes' my devotionals were liked! In addition to that good news, they had been considering adding a new writer! (Oh really? – OK, cynical cut it out). Golly Gosh!
They do however, prefer submissions twice a week and to date, Miss Tardy here, has been very relaxed in effort and has been writing perhaps four a month (at a push) – that would definitely have to change.
Have you noticed, how easy it is to give advice to others, while overlooking what you yourself might need guidance on?
Recommending a change of direction or lifestyle is easy to voice, it often is not so easy to do- for many reasons depending of who you are and what you are dealing with.
The world sadly, has many folk who make unrealistic and cruel demands on others; they are ensuring their own rewards and needs while completely ignoring the difficulties and restrictions they impose upon others.
A saving-grace in complex situations, (if you believe in God) is to remember that you have a 'safe place to go'. God lives in the hearts of all believers and no-one can take Him away from us. Life can be full of regulations and controls that burden us, even cause us to consider 'giving-up', but at those times, God's people can seek the quiet of a God-filled heart; can forgive cruelties placed upon them, can pray for and receive a strength that is beyond the understanding of non-believers (in fact they will often ridicule our dependence upon a God that cannot be seen); we however, trust in His provision of peace, strength and comfort and seek His wise and kind counsel, whenever we are perplexed or troubled by life and humankind.
Help when you are Struggling!
Is your life 'out of control'? Are you worried, or sick, or perhaps grieving the loss of someone or something precious to you?
He will light your way and guide your path.
He will be your solace; Ask and you will receive.
Many times, in my life I have floundered and made really bad decisions; trusted the wrong people, and still many more times He reassured me and drew me closer to Him, gave me hope and a future worth living.
This passage gave me such peace years ago, when my life has been turned upside down, by marriage breakup, job-loss and rejection by loved ones. However, in 'hanging on' to the those words, I was drawn into the bible (because I desperately needed reassurance that I would be OK); I decided to trust that life could and would be better. I'm not saying that life will be without troubles, because life just isn't like that, I do however, guarantee that you'll have a quiet place to 'hang-out' when everything around you is 'going ballistic'.
Why not give it a try; there are many translations of the bible: a favourite, easy to understand bible, is the Contemporary English Version, where everything is written in everyday words. Do you have internet? Then go to www.biblegateway.com and look up these bible passages (Proverbs 3); (Jeremiah 29); (Matthews 7:7-8) – choose the Contemporary English Version bible and start reading. What do they say to you? If nothing else, you'll be drawn to a better way of thinking, but I pray that you'll find much more there.
Send me your requests for prayer! God Bless You.
19After all, when the Lord Jesus appears who else but you will give us hope and joy and be like a glorious crown for us?
Morning light is just visible – and the birds are way ahead of it; their song is already erupting into the skies and into my ears. Oh, what absolute joy their 'voices' bring to my heart. I have to open my windows, in order to hear them more clearly – I do not want to miss any of their exuberant song.
Such a small thing really – however, I tolerate the winters here in Canada, in expectation of the annual arrival of beautiful sight and sound of the birds that return to my garden. The cacophony of song they bring is a 'tonic' to my entire being.
Try to imagine, if you will, the joy to be experienced after the 'sleep of death', when our eyes and ears are once again awakened and we will look upon the sight of Jesus and hear His voice! We will no longer have to tolerate the pains of physical life on earth; because we have hoped and trusted and changed, because we need to believe "there is more to life than this".
How do we insure we are among those who will be given opportunity to experience this? When this world no longer exists – what do we look forward to and how do we get there?
11Everything will be destroyed. So you should serve and honor God by the way you live.
We need to trust in God's Word – it tells us all that we need to know! We need to believe in Jesus and all that He did for us! We need turn from all that we are doing that is wrong and anything that causes us un-necessary worry, pain or fear. We need to completely trust the advice for right-living found only in the bible. Change can be hard, but if we don't give up, all the joys of heaven can be ours. The beautiful sight of Jesus and the sound of His voice will be a bringer of joy that even song birds cannot match. Eternal life will be blissfully pain-free, trouble-free and filled with the constant song of heavenly choirs. Sounds to me, like joy beyond compare.
Prayer: Father, we are so thankful for Your creations, their beauty elevates our spirit each time we choose to focus on You. We live for the hope of spending eternity basking in the beauty of Your heavenly home and Your presence. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
To Tithe or Not To Tithe!
When you have very little income at your disposal tithing is often considered an unwanted strain on resources. It has amazed me over the years, the number of (professing) Christians I have met that refuse to tithe because they say they can't afford to. I, on the other hand, have learned over the years that I can't afford to not tithe, no matter how small my income has been.
The New Testament teaches generous, sacrificial giving, from the heart, according to our means. For some, $1 might be a sacrifice, while for others, even giving 50% of their income might not induce a sacrifice. In the Old Testament, ONLY the farmers tithed, and it was equal percentage (a tenth). The New Testament teaches the principle of equal sacrifice instead of equal percentage. Equal sacrifice is much harder to achieve, if not impossible, than giving ten percent. 1 Timothy 5:8 (KJV) "But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel." (last paragraph by kind permission of Gary J. Arnold – for more indepth teaching on Biblical tithing see his website – http://www.tithing101.com/).
My husband and I have (in the distant past) 'skipped' tithing because at the time, we felt we could not afford to give any away, our income was often was not even enough to meet our own commitments – so how could we possibly give a percentage away! However, each time we chose to not tithe, we invariably suffered consequences of far greater cost than the small amount we should have (cheerfully) given; by way of unexpected repairs or demands on our financial resources!
I would like to urge you to think again if you are considering keeping all that you earn for yourself, and dare to not give a portion to God – He is the giver of all that we possess – and He can take it all away in 'the blink of an eye' (been there – experienced that). I believe He does this, not out of malice – but to draw our attention to His ways, to grow in our faith and to trust in His provision. (This is just my viewpoint of what has worked for my family – decide for yourselves what is right for you and yours).
So! To Tithe or not to Tithe? Let me put it this way – God loves a cheerful giver and I want to be obedient and please Him, and so I happily give my portion – right away, then it's done – and 'No' I do not sit back and wait to be blessed, I just rest in the knowledge that I have given what I can and then get on with my day!
Beginning my day, as I always do – reading my bible and praying for family and friends, enjoying the view from my sunroom – and watching the birds at the feeders, all of a sudden, my eye 'catches' a bright flash of color! Sunshine yellow – a beautiful American Goldfinch – the first one I had seen at the feeders. What joy! Instantly, my day was brighter by seeing this little 'bringer of light' into the still drab (winter-weary) garden – (from 'darkness to light)!
Life can also be a matter of light or darkness. We need to choose wisely in how we live. Light – (meaning a life of believing in and trusting in God) and leading a life of integrity and purity, in thought, word and deed; or deciding to continue in 'darkness' and living life as we always have, right or wrong. Trusting in something or someone we cannot see, or choosing to stay in (a life of) darkness!
The latter choice can put us in the tenuous position of losing our freedom (to come under the control of someone else), of losing the respect of all those we love, by leading us into demeaning lifestyles, where we no longer respect ourselves and become people pleasers, to those who have dark minds and spirits. No love, no respect (no light)– only control in all that they demand of us (darkness).
I pray for each of us that we choose the lighter pathway in life. That we become willing to trust in the wisdom of the bible, and live according to its' guidelines, (it can change our life)! It will not guarantee a life without troubles, but it will ensure we each have an inner strength to draw upon, when life becomes too hard to bear.
Many years ago, new-found Christian friends helped me re-learn trust in this way – they helped me see that by trusting in an unseen God, each day each new day became brighter, brought joy and renewed hope, instead of dread. I chose to follow their biblical advice and I began trusting in God: I found a calm that was not of my own making; when I gave up trying to control my life. Just as a goldfinch can bring 'light' into a garden, so God, through inviting Jesus into our lives, can bring life-giving light to our hearts.
John 14:6 – I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Life can feel like a thrilling roller-coaster ride. A day can be filled with 'scream-provoking' or 'fear-filled' moments, that overwhelm you by their intensity, or they can be mere side-show distractions that draw your attention and keep your mind focused on trivialities, rather on a true, meaningful purpose for your day. Step by step or thought by thought, we can reach the end of our day feeling exhausted and unsatisfied, because our attention and energy has been depleted by all the 'stuff' we allowed to distract us.
Jesus seeks to have us focus on Him, to believe on Him and rest in Him and then we will find perfect peace, and yet it can be so much easier to stay where we are even though it might be uncomfortable. We tend to hang onto what is familiar because it is our 'comfort zone', even when it is detrimental to our well-being.
Prayer: Father, help us to focus on You and Your Word, instead of allowing the empty, merry-go-round of the world hold us captive. Let us be enticed by all that You have for us and keep us from resorting to worldly values, as we progress through each day. May we rest in Your tender care and follow Your guidance in all we do.


text:
Deep in the Act
Interstellar Power Couple
Records of the Dragon Follower
World Hopping: Avenge Our Love
Fake Slackers
No Money To Divorce
Reborn into a Hamster for 233 Days
The Complete Guide to the Use and Care of a Personal Assistant
The Long Chase For The President's Spouse
Urban Tales of Demons & Spirits
Form of Address
Our Memories Together
Rest In A Demon's Embrace
Rest in a Demon's Embrace Art Page
Rest in a Demon's Embrace Webcomic
Chapter 7: Offerings
Translator: Scrya
Editor: Faith
At first, Mo Chen told himself that he should be content after stroking Xiaodong's head only once. However, after looking at Xiaodong's expression and recalling that sensation from his hand, he reached out to stroke his head again.
In reality, many things were like this. If you don't try, you won't get to experience how it's like. However, once you do, you will know how it feels. Once this brand new door is opened, you won't be able to close it again.
Even if Xiaodong was still half-asleep, being stroked over and over again would definitely wake him up. With slow reflexes, he finally raised his hands to shield his head and stared accusingly at the serious yet hypocritical Eldest Senior Brother.
His round and shiny eyes seemed as if they could speak. Though he didn't utter a single word, from his eyes Mo Chen read a stream of complaints at least a thousand words long.
He coughed a little uneasily, clearing his throat. Acting as if nothing had happened, he asked, "Is Junior Brother awake now? Does your head hurt? Do you want to drink some water?"
Xiaodong bit his lower lip. He kept quiet and simply shook his head.
Mo Chen was pretending as if nothing had happened, and even showing concern for him.
Did he think that he could muddle his way through like this?
Xiaodong was not so easily fooled.
Mo Chen looked at his angry expression… Those round eyes and puffed cheeks were reminiscent of an annoyed frog. Mo Chen's face grew more and more serious, but he could feel an itch coming from his palm.
He wanted to stroke Xiaodong even more, what to do?
On the other side, Chen Jingzhi had woken up as well.
However, he did not open his eyes. He simply laid there without moving. Even his breathing didn't change.
He had long mastered the act of pretending asleep. Before he came to Returnflow Mountain, the days he lived through were simply too dangerous. He had to guard himself against assassination attempts from his stepmother and the plots of his so-called "little brother" at every moment. Many years had passed, and he had never been able to sleep in peace.
Yet he was able to sleep so well last night. He felt especially at ease.
The bedding below him was brand new, and the bed-stove was warm as well. He could hear the movements of his senior brothers and junior brother next to him. At this very place, the heartstrings that had, this entire time, been wound tight, subconsciously slowly loosened.
He had a dream, as well. A good dream.
He had dreamed of something far back in the past, during the time when his mother had still been still alive. Back then, her body's condition was already bad. But in the dream, his mother was smiling. Sitting in the compound that was sprinkled with sunlight, she was smiling at him. As he ran around the edges of the flower pond, he was smiling as well. The sunlight that shone upon him felt warm and fuzzy.
Even after he woke up, Chen Jingzhi could not say if that scene had actually happened or if he had dreamed of his mother simply because he missed her so much.
The weather was great in the morning, but right after noon it changed. The sky darkened, a thick mist rose in the mountain, and strong winds blew. When Xiaodong tried to set foot outside the door, the strong winds almost blew him away. It was impossible to walk at all.
Xiaodong had originally prepared a few things to clean his uncle's tomb.
His uncle was buried right on Returnflow Mountain. This was natural. After all, his uncle did not have an actual place to call home. Rather, he had called the four seas home when he was still alive. As he had passed away on Returnflow Mountain, Master had organized his funeral and had him buried at a place on the mountainback.
Rather than seeking out his uncle's faraway old home, which his uncle himself had never gone back to, it was better to have him buried on Returnflow Mountain. During the burial, Xiaodong had been in terrible pain. At that time, he had hazily heard Master say something.
He had said, many of their mutual old friends were also buried on this mountain, and that he himself wished to be buried on the mountain too. With each other as companions, they wouldn't have to worry about being lonely.
There was no one else in the Yun Family, so naturally Xiaodong had to sweep and clean the tomb himself. However, he had never done such a thing before. He merely had some memories of seeing others clean the tombs a few times, and during those times he had always just looked from afar without watching closely. He had to bring offerings for tomb sweeping, right? Did he have to bring some sides as well?
Afraid that he would make a mistake, Xiaodong even asked Third Senior Brother Jiang Fan.
Senior Brother Jiang looked like he had the best temper after all, and he knew a lot of things as well. Other people might not know about something like this, but asking him was definitely the right choice.
As expected, Senior Brother Jiang did know, and he passionately gave Xiaodong several ideas.
"Fruits are a must for offerings. It's best to offer a chicken, fish and two types of fruits. Oh right, did your Uncle Yun like to drink liquor in the past? Prepare a flask of liquor too. Also prepare a set of gold and silver joss paper as well."
Yun Xiaodong opened his eyes wide and sternly committed everything said into memory. He regretted not preparing a pen and paper a little. After all, writing it down would ensure that nothing was forgotten. What if he were to forget to bring any of these items?
"Does the chicken and fish have to be raw or cooked? What about the fruits? Are you talking about fruits plucked fresh from trees, or should they be steamed fruit desserts?" He had to make sure of every single one of these details.
Fortunately, Senior Brother Jiang was a passionate person. In his eyes, Little Junior Brother was still a child. How could he possibly do something so huge on his own? Furthermore, he was a member of Returnflow Mountain now. As his senior brother, he could not afford to only watch from the side.
"Some of these things can be found on the mountain, while you have to head down the mountain to prepare the rest." Senior Brother Jiang looked at the weather outside. "It most likely can't be done in these two days, since the winds are too strong. I'm afraid that it's going to snow. Once the sky clears up a little, I'll accompany you down the mountain to buy things in town. Don't worry, though the town may be small, these things can all be purchased there. I guarantee that nothing will go wrong."
Looking at Little Junior Brother's skinny figure, Jiang Fan poured him a huge cup of warm tea and even brought out a bag of willow tree leaf sweets that he had incidentally bought some time ago. "Eat up, eat up. Eat a bit more. I still have some leftovers here. Eat more sweets during winter for warmth. You're not like us yet, and you've only recovered a little from your illness, so don't get sick again."
Xiaodong nodded as he held onto the sides of the tea cup to warm up his two hands. Willow tree leaf sweets were actually a type of sweets sold at the town down by the mountain. The sweets didn't taste good when warm. They were not too sweet, and because they were powdery, they couldn't be sliced into nice bite-sized pieces. They were as thin and flaky as willow tree leaves. Yet when paired with warm tea, they tasted rather sweet and delicious.
On the other side, Jiang Fan was flipping through his room in search of something.
"Oh right, Senior Brother. Why haven't I seen any birds or birds nearby these past few days?"
In the past, the place that Xiaodong lived in was in a rather mountainous region as well. In the early mornings, he would always be woken up by the cries of noisy birds. However, it was different at Returnflow Mountain. Xiaodong didn't have the mood to notice such things at first, but now, he was slowly beginning to find it strange.
Why hadn't he heard any bird cries? He hadn't seen the activities of birds nor crows in the surrounding areas either. Not to mention in a forested mountain like this, there should definitely be animals such as wild rabbits, gold pheasants, and roe deers.
"You're only asking now?" Jiang Fan could not be considered tall, and he was currently on tip toe to reach a box on top of a shelf. "There's an array set up on our mountain. It can drive out wild beasts and prevent them from approaching. After all, there are many outer sect disciples who do not know enough martial arts to defend themselves and have only learned about three moves or so. If they were to truly encounter a tiger, they might get eaten up."
Xiaodong felt a little embarrassed hearing these words. He truly did not dare to say he could defeat a tiger with the martial arts that he knew.
"Array? Did Master design it?"
So Master was actually so amazing.
"It seems like that array was designed by an ancestor? It's been many years. In any case, from the time I can remember, I've never seen any birds or wild beasts in the vicinity of our mountain. Even during hot summers there isn't a single fly or mosquito."
After Senior Brother words, Xiaodong recalled, "I remember now. We really didn't use incense or rice wine yeast during summer, and even then there weren't mosquitos biting me."
However, back then, it had only been a short while since his uncle's passing. He was gloomy and absent-minded the entire time, and basically didn't notice such little things at all.
"It's so mystical. In the past, I've heard of arrays, but I've never seen one myself. I never expected that we would have an array on our mountain. Senior Brother, do you know how to set up an array?"
Jiang Fan laughed out loud. "I don't. It seems like Master only learned a little as well. Eldest Senior Brother seems to know a little bit more. If you want to learn, you can try asking him. Master has a few old books, though I'm not sure how many generations it's been since they were passed down, as they are now all tattered and incomplete, but they are all about arrays. If you're interested in them, you can ask Master when he gets back."
"Alright, I will." After drinking the warm tea, his body felt much warmer. Xiaodong curiously asked, "Senior Brother, what are you looking for?"
He had been searching through his things for a long while, but it seemed like he hadn't located what he wanted, although his head was now covered in sweat.
"I'm looking for an oil used for rubbing hands that Eldest Senior Brother brought back for me when he returned. I've only used it once, and now I can't remember where I placed it."
Xiaodong stood up. "Is it stored in a small box that looks like a peach blossom seed? You seemed to have placed it next to the well when you were washing your hands after practice."
Next to the well? Jiang Fan pondered for a moment. He vaguely recalled that he had casually placed his sword and towel there. As for that box of oil, he didn't have any impression of it at all.
"Then I shall go and take a look. Junior Brother, stay seated here. There's still warm water in the kettle, remember to pour some for yourself."
Xiaodong stood up as well. "Senior Brother, it's about time I head back too."
The moment the door was opened, the strong wind blew. Fortunately, they lived rather close to each other. The place he lived in was just across the hanging bridge. Pulling himself along step by step as he held onto the railing of the stone bridge, Xiaodong really was afraid of being blown down by the wind.
The covered bridge was suspended in the air, and beneath was the deep abyss. Even during clear skies, the depths beneath the bridge still couldn't be seen. The rampaging winds swirled upwards from beneath his feet, and the winds sounded like the wails of ghosts and the howls of wolves.
He basically did not dare to let his hands go from the bridge railings. If he were to truly fall, even deities wouldn't be able to save him.
Only after taking two steps away from the bridge did Xiaodong finally heave a long sigh of relief.
When he returned to his room, his face was already about to turn stiff from the cold. His arms and legs, too, were so numb they didn't listen to his commands.
He had long heard from his senior brothers that the winter of Returnflow Mountain was especially cold, but he never expected that it would be this cold. He hurried inside and embraced the warm wood that Eldest Senior Brother intentionally prepared for him. He heard that this thing originated from far southwest, at an island called Linzhou. It did not have any peculiarities other than being warm and fuzzy. The one that Eldest Senior Brother brought back was about two feet long. Xiaodong embraced it tightly, and even leaning his face against it.
"Phew…" After hugging the warm wood for a good while, he finally felt alive again.
He heard that the weather had yet to reach its coldest, but he had already wrapped himself with everything that he could possibly wear. If the weather were to turn colder than it was now, Xiaodong suspected that he might freeze into a piece of dried human meat.
Post Navigation ← Chapter 6: Dream Encounter Chapter 8: Snowfall →
Covfefe for Our Souls?
Come join us for fluffy chats. Please be mindful that there are all sorts of folks present. So make sure to keep any NSFW/PG-18 chats to their relevant channels. No harming of cinnabuns allowed.
Copyright © 2020 Chaleuria. All rights Reserved.
This website uses cookies to ensure the best experiences on Chaleuria. By using our site, you agree to our privacy policies. I AgreePrivacy policy


text:
Pools of Darkness: Some Old Friends
Buddy! It's been too long!
So far, Pools of Darkness has done a great job incorporating characters and themes from the previous games, and the way that it handled Tyranthraxus is just about perfect. It would have been too much if Tyranthraxus had been the "big bad" (again), or even one of Bane's lieutenants. I mean, my characters were able to defeat him at Level 6, so the game would have had to jump through some logical hoops to make him still a threat at Level 30.
Plus, Tyranthraxus is the ultimate example of a petty tyrant. He has this ability to jump between host bodies, which allowed him to take some powerful forms and exert some control over small areas. But he's not very bright, doesn't plan well, and is too influenced by emotion. The least convincing part of his character is in Curse of the Azure Bonds, when he calmly hangs out at the Standing Stones, directing the party to the next mission. It must have been all he could do not to whip off his hood the moment he first saw us, give some idiotic villain's exposition, and attack us with a party of whatever outcasts he was able to find in the forest.
That might make a good subtitle some day!
Thus, when I first encountered his name again in the ruins of Myth Drannor, I inwardly groaned. "This #*$@ again?" I said, at first intending to actually use that as my post subtitle. But it played out perfect.
On the outskirts of Myth Drannor, I ran across Princess Nacacia, whose impulsive elopement started off the story in Curse of the Azure Bonds. She's apparently taken on some responsibility in the intervening years ("weariness mars her once carefree face"), because here she was in charge of a contingent of Knights of Myth Drannor, trying to figure out whether the rakshasa that occupy the ruins are allied with Bane, or trying to resurrect Tyranthraxus, or what. You'll recall that in the finale of Curse of the Azure Bonds, rakshasa occupying Myth Drannor had an uneasy alliance with Tyranthraxus and the party could even talk them out of it.
Thus begins our brief encounter with perhaps the best-fleshed-out NPC of the game.
Rakshasa are master illusionists and shape-shifters. They're always depicted as tiger-men in the Gold Box games, but I guess they can adopt a number of other anthropomorphic animal forms. Not only are they powerful spellcasters, but they're completely immune to spells themselves. [Edit: Apparently, they're only immune to spells through Level 8. I could have been "Meteor Swarm-ing" them or using "Power Word: Kill." I got through the end of the game before I discovered this, unfortunately.] This means that in combat with a pack of them, you have to try to hit them all with physical damage as quickly as possible, hoping to limit the number of them that can cast spells. They particularly like "Fireball" and "Lightning Bolt," so you want to immediately spread your party out--and get them away from walls. (Interestingly, their AI won't allow them to cast "Fireball" on top of themselves even though they're completely immune to it.)
And they like pipes and smoking jackets, apparently.
It was refreshing having a set of battles in which I didn't immediately go to "Delayed Blast Fireball." Another challenge was that many of the battles started with the rakshasa quite far away--beyond the range that I could charge in one round--so I found myself using missile weapons more often than any previous part of the game. Early in the map, I was given a crossbow and several "Blessed Bolts," which for some reason kill rakshasa immediately. These were naturally useful but there weren't many of them.
The map also had a host of basilisks, medusas, and dracolisks (encountered for the first time), so there were plenty of opportunities for more conventional "wipe-them-out-before-they-can-act" spells. Most of my party members had silver shields from the previous games, making them immune to the stoning gazes of these creatures.
Several screens showed rakshasa up to their old tricks, posing as elves or knights, but this time the game let me use "Detect Magic" to see through their illusions. (In Curse, I had to just guess.) It was one of them, captured, who told me that the rakshasa maharajah discovered how to "transfer life essence from one body to the next" and used the ability to re-animate Tyranthraxus with the souls of dead knights. Or something. This part wasn't very well-outlined.
I'm too experienced with Myth Drannor to fall for this.
As we proceeded through the ruins and found more dead knights, and even a rakshasa in the process of stealing the life force from one, Nacacia started to suffer a bit of a breakdown. Ultimately, over the bodies of several of them, she suffered a complete catatonia and wouldn't get up. I had options to "leave her," "comfort her," and "stand her up." The last option worked, and Nacacia re-joined the party with steely resolve. I'm not saying it's a huge amount of character development, but we're starting to see here some of the complex NPC characterization and role-playing options that would reach their zenith in the Bioware games in a few years.
Nacacia suffers a heroic B.S.O.D.
The map culminated in a temple where the rakshasa were finishing a ritual to resurrect Tyranthraxus. I expected to have to fight Big T again, but I was happy to find that I was able to interrupt the ritual with a "Dispel Evil" spell (glad I had one memorized). "The form of Tyranthraxus falls to the ground and disintegrates." There was a subsequent battle with 15 rakshasa, but my hastened characters wiped them out before they could get much spellcasting done.
According to GameBanshee, all of these options result in the interruption of the ritual and Tyranthraxus's immediate death, though you get more experience points for the first two.
I just love how this transpired. Tyranthraxus came back to consciousness just in time to see my party--who had already defeated him twice before--standing in front of him. Then he was destroyed before he could even speak. I like to think that my characters, after this game, will find a way to resurrect Tyranthraxus themselves, oh, once a year or so. They'll invite all their NPC friends from the Moonsea to a big annual party at Myth Drannor, cast the spell long enough to see his face again, laugh at him, and then return him to oblivion. Good times.
Granted, we don't have much material to work with.
Before we get to the next area, we have to review what we know about the dead god Moander, whose cultists appeared prominently in Curse of the Azure Bonds. In summary, Moander was the god of corruption and rot. Some elves found a way to seal him away from the material plane centuries ago, and since then, his fanatics have been trying to bring him back. One of these (failed) plots is recounted in the Azure Bonds book series.
In Curse, my party foiled a plot to return Moander to the material plane, and it resulted in Moander's death. Now, I guess, his body is just floating in a void somewhere, and his cultists are able to tap into his dead divinity to do things like animate bits of his flesh and trees.
A typical battle in a Moander-inspired dungeon.
Continuing my explorations, this time heading east along the bottom of the Moonsea, I next ran into a red tower. The tower turned out to be ruled by Marcus, the Black Circle mage from Secret of the Silver Blades, who in turn was in service to Tarental, one of Bane's lieutenants. As I entered--after fighting a bunch of "Bits o Moander" and walking trees--I was greeted by Marcus's aide, Petra, who wasn't happy to see me.
The party is menaced by Anne of Green Gables.
The tower turned out to be 11 levels up and one down. In the basement was a locked door, from behind which a voice claimed, "beyond this gate is the city of Phlan, entombed here by some mighty spell, and besieged by monsters that sally through this very gate." The voice urged me to find and free Shal, a "high mage captured from among us."
"Again!"
I soon found Shal and freed her from some mage and priest captors. She looked suspiciously like Petra, and she was just a fighter, not a mage. Her story indicated that she was an expert on the Cult of Moander, so the Black Circle tried to coerce her into helping them use the dead god's powers. When she refused, she said, "they, ah, robbed me of my magic and imprisoned me here." The "ah" was her way to eliding that they, in fact, split her into two separate beings, one fighter, one mage, and the mage side became Marcus's aide Petra.
Up we went through the tower, fighting battles with cultists and mages all the way. They were relatively easy, having no immunity to spells. At one point, we encountered some Drow who were keen to take revenge against Marcus for destroying one of their cities when he re-located Phlan. (As commenter Null Null recently pointed out, the armies of Bane sure do a lot of their own in-fighting. There were a couple of other encounters where I was able to pit Marcus's mages and clerics against each other.) They wanted information about Petra, but I declined to tell them about Shal. Apparently, if I had, I would have had to fight them.
I took this shot somewhere in the tower. I no longer remember what it was referring to, but it sounds like something you'd get at Dairy Queen.
The levels were small and not worth mapping. At the top we found the Temple of Transformation, where pieces of Moander's flesh were cut away from his body and given life.
Marcus, looking a little like Denethor.
A final battle with Marcus introduced a new enemy called Minions of Bane. They come in two colors. Red ones went down so fast in melee combat I wasn't able to figure out what powers they had. Blue ones are surrounded by a lightning field that does damage to melee characters, plus they can breathe lightning. But the battle still wasn't very hard, and I soon killed Marcus despite him having buffed with "Mirror Image" before the battle.
One of three clusters of enemies in the final battle. Marcus stands to the northwest of the minion.
Petra and Shal re-united into a single being, I guess maintaining Shal's personality since her name was preserved in the final NPC.
Hovering above the tower had been some kind of "vessel" containing Moander's ichor and flesh, drawn through one of the Pools of Darkness. Now, for some reason, the giant cup started slamming against the tower and caused it to collapse. We had to jump from the tower to the disgusting cup to survive.
This part wasn't well-explained.
While we waited for the ichor to subside so we could access the Pool, Shal told us that Bane's lieutenant Tanetal, a powerful Glabrezu demon, could be found on Moander's dead body. Through the Pool we went, where Elminster seemed to know Shal. I guess she's a character in some of the Forgotten Realms books. She departed after telling me to "look her up" in Phlan and gave me a sword that turned out to be a vorpal blade, which sounds really cool but I forget what properties they're supposed to have.
Elminster is apparently Scottish.
Before continuing on to Moander's plane, I had Elminster return us to the Realms so I could finish investigating this silliness about Phlan. Elminster had a rope lowered from the portal to the ground, to take the place of the ruined tower. Soon, warriors from Phlan appeared and invited me inside. Almost immediately, we were attacked by a huge group of white dragons and black mages.
This frankly might have been the most difficult battle of the game so far. It took me 5 reloads to get through it with no deaths. The key problem was that there was no way to buff ahead of time. In a dungeon, you can buff one step before the battle, and because each step only takes one minute, the spells are still active when you arrive in the battle square. But in the wilderness, steps take 12 hours, so if you have an encounter that starts immediately when you arrive in a square (as here), all your spells are long expired by the time you reach it.
The white dragons were nothing; the problem was the 15 or so black mages, who started scattered in three clusters. Each one used "Lightning Bolt" as his go-to spell, and I had to get really lucky with some initiative rolls to ensure that my "Fireballs" hit the three groups before I got blasted with multiple bolts from multiple directions. Such bolts had a way of banking off walls and killing some of my lower-HP characters in a single round.
A very hard battle despite the existence of all this "Phlanarian" cannon fodder.
After I finally won that battle, things got pretty stupid. Phlan really had been lifted up wholesale and shoved underground beneath Marcus's tower. Its two maps were exactly the same as the two starting maps, with stores and temples all in the same places, and open for business. There was one extra encounter with some black mages holding a family hostage in a house, but otherwise the maps were indistinguishable from the opening areas of the game, including blue skies and clouds up above despite what was supposed to have happened to the city. How Marcus accomplished all of this is unexplained; I guess maybe there's a Level 10 spell called "Teleport Town" that I haven't received yet.
The docks area was a little different.
I figured there might be some quests associated with the city, but when I got to Town Hall, all Shal had to say was that Sasha had been kidnapped and "turned over to darkness itself" by someone named Gragnak Ulfim. She had no idea where to find her.
It would be fun if, at the end of all of this, Sasha turned out to be some kind of demi-god.
I returned to Limbo, stashed my equipment, and moved on to Moander's realm. This is perhaps the most unique "overland" map we've seen in an RPG so far. There are multiple openings in the corpse that lead to caves and whatnot, although the developers artfully positioned the body so as to avoid the party having to enter some truly unpleasant areas.
I had a visceral reaction when I saw it. I haven't been mentioning it all along, but I did play this game before, back in the late 1990s. Other than the game starting in Phlan, I didn't really remember anything about it, including whether I'd finished it. But I know I got at least this far, because the sight of Moander's corpse triggered some unpleasant memories. Specially, I remember spending forever on this damned map and hating every second of it. Next time, we'll see how well that memory holds up.
Miscellaneous notes:
When you successfully flee enemies in the wilderness, the ranger gets 500 individual experience points just for "leading the party past" the creatures.
As I explored Myth Drannor, the game kept telling me that rocks were falling in narrow corridors. Oddly, only Nacacia ever got hit with them. Was it because she was in the last place?
Although you spend 99% of the game looting ruins with no penalty, I've learned from experience that the titles treat slain Myth Drannor figures with a certain reverence, and looting their bodies is "bad." Thus, I declined in this instance to take items from the skeleton of an elf. I got experience for declining. Later, I checked out a spoiler site to see what would have happened if I'd taken the items. The answer is that I would have gotten another Girdle of Giant Strength. Damn it.
Most of the time, you just find stuff and automatically go to the loot screen. When the game specifically asks if you want to take something, you know it's a trap.
"Haste" makes such a difference in combats that I've been using it more and more liberally, returning to Zhentil Keep to buy copious Elixirs of Youth every time my characters get over 35. Even though the elixirs cost 4,000 gold pieces each, I still have thousands of gems and pieces of jewelry.
Having a Ring of Blinking equipped turns out to be a double-edged sword. My healers can't target the character for "Dispel Magic" or "Heal," either.
You occasionally encounter random caravans selling goods in the wilderness. Here's what one of them had for sale. Really, what's the point?
The next time I complain about the economy, remind me of the "money sink" that is these boots and belts.
Time so far: 33 hours
Reload count: 35
Labels: Pools of Darkness
Tristan Gall October 5, 2016 at 12:25 PM
I think Rakshasa might be vulnerable to level 8 and 9 spells. I think the high-level ones are only vulnerable to level 9 spells?
Haha, get this first line from the 1st ed Monster Manual:
"Known first in India, these evil spirits encased in flesh are spreading"
Do we suppose India to Myth Drannor is a one way trip?
Coincidentally, I saw a lot art featuring Rakshasa when I was there a couple months ago. No portals to the Dalelands though.
CRPG Addict October 7, 2016 at 1:26 AM
Wow. Yes, you're right. "Meteor Swarm" would have taken care of them. That would have really helped in one of the near-end battles.
Zardas October 5, 2016 at 1:00 PM
"a vorpal blade, which sounds really cool but I forget what properties they're supposed to have."
A chance to behead the target, killing them instantly. And it survives the trip between realms as well, even though it's a +3 magical blade.
"As I explored Myth Drannor, the game kept telling me that rocks were falling in narrow corridors. Oddly, only Nacacia ever got hit with them. Was it because she was in the last place?"
Maybe she was the only one without 18 dexterity?
"You occasionally encounter random caravans selling goods in the wilderness. Here's what one of them had for sale. Really, what's the point?"
Selling mirrors to people who don't have silver shields?
PetrusOctavianus October 5, 2016 at 1:34 PM
Maybe helms protect against damage? Or maybe it's checked vs AC?
Another property of the vorpal blade: it goes 'snicker-snack!'
Kenny McCormick October 19, 2016 at 2:59 AM
Apparently, even if you hit someone in the leg with it, that person's head will roll off by itself!
Wonko October 5, 2016 at 1:58 PM
This game has been absolutely lousy with callbacks, so far you've seen Rolf, Sasha, Vala, Priam, Silk, Nacacia, Marcus, Tyranthraxus and Moander, also Fire Knives, Black Cricle mages, Red wizards and Zhents have shown up as enemies. But the entry of Shal is where thing get meta. Shal is the protagonist of the Pool of Radiance novelization. No idea where the petra sub-plot comes from, but guess it's possible there was another book(s) with her.
Brad October 5, 2016 at 6:30 PM
Oh I knew the name was familiar.. Thanks! Great novels all of them
Fry October 5, 2016 at 2:28 PM
Hmm, are the hands wrong on that picture of the Rakshasa in the smoking jacket? I thought one of the features of Rakshasas was that their hands are reversed. Or was that something that got added in a later edition?
If you meant the Rakshasa in Indian folklore, then no.
Maybe you were thinking of Yakshas or Asuras?
Mag Wielki i Szelki October 5, 2016 at 2:54 PM
Shouldn't it be "phlanarian war is terrifying"? My problem with this name is that it is too close to "planaria", and "planarian war" isn't that terrifying
It should be "Phlanarian Warrior" but it's cut off.
Shal was my favorite NPC from the game. The backstory was interesting and I liked that she would warn the party of the different types of Bits o Moandar in the tower.
In the Moandar plane, if you cast summon monster, you get two Bits o Moandar. I liked that; better than spiders!.
I wonder if summoning area-appropriate monsters is supposed to be a "feature" of the spell or if it's just a limitation of the programming.
I think it might be a case of limitation and effect happily coexisting (probably unintentionally).
Monster summoning is intended to give results reflective of the terrain, so if someone had spent time and effort coding a bunch of different possibilities depending on location, you would end up summoning inter-dimensional weirdness in that zone.
But I think the somewhat accurate result was an accident of memory restrictions in all likelihood.
Probably an accident of memory restrictions originally, but depending on implementation, it may have required conscious effort to keep it that way for this title.
As people commented in prior entries for this title, it's the first gold box game to require disk and thus have enough memory to allow for the full roster of monster types in each area (thus the emissaries/incursions from other lieutenants in each area with different types).
A naive implementation of monster summoning that just relied on summoning from the monsters loaded in memory would likely have resulted in weird behavior here. I can imagine that being something found during playtesting.
JasonL October 5, 2016 at 10:03 PM
I laughed out loud a couple of times at your captions and almost woke my wife.
It seems like you are engaged and having fun again, and I think it reflects in your writing.
Thanks fir the post!
I'm glad to hear that. Thanks for the feedback.
Krtek October 13, 2016 at 8:25 PM
This was especially gold: "They'll invite all their NPC friends from the Moonsea to a big annual party at Myth Drannor, cast the spell long enough to see his face again, laugh at him, and then return him to oblivion. Good times."
Rowan Lipkovits October 5, 2016 at 11:28 PM
According to GameBanshee, all of these options result in the interruption of the ritual and Tyranthraxus's immediate death
Even "Flee"?
"No matter what you do, you'll disrupt the ritual and you'll start a battle." I didn't have a chance to check it out personally, though.
Avenir October 7, 2016 at 1:52 AM
The setup of Phlan is strange. On the one hand it serves as a good base of operations -- it has places to rest, train, buy/sell/appraise items, and convenient access to Elminster's vault. It also has a council clerk to send you on quests.
BUT, then they go and position Phlan extremely far from where you start so you're unlikely to discover it until you've already completed all the quests that the clerk might send you on, plus you have to beat that super-tough white dragon/black mage fight to get to it. So it doesn't make much sense to go there until you've improved your characters quite a bit. But you presumably miss out on having the clerk send you on quests.
Mulmaster has a very similar issue.
Oh, wow. The clerk actually does send you on quests? I just figured they had a couple of dialogue bits about that for old times' sake. What kind of quests? All those miscellaneous farms and whatnot?
I don't recall specifically. But they are more likely the optional quests like the Temple of Tyr, Taydome's Keep, and Myth Drannor than the farmhouse-type quests.
In any event, the official cluebook does say that the clerk sends you on missions, so I don't think I'm making this up.
Null Null October 7, 2016 at 9:58 AM
I looked it up (someone printed out all the game text). You get sent to help Priam, Vala, Nacacia, and Sasha, as you guessed.
So you can get the minor quests from the council or, ironically, the bad guys in Mulmaster (who will also send you after some people you've already beaten).
CRPG Addict October 7, 2016 at 11:47 AM
So that's interesting. When I ran into Arcam, it seemed like he was going to give me some kind of quest, but then he suddenly said something like, "You're too powerful. Your task is to die!" So I assume if I hadn't completed everything up to this point, he would have tasked me with killing the other lieutenants?
Harland October 7, 2016 at 8:18 AM
He took his vorpal sword in hand:
Long time the manxome foe he sought --
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood a while in thought.
And, as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!
One two! One two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back
Nethack's Vorpal Blade (not sure which version introduced it) had a 1 in 20 chance of outright killing any monster by beheading. Boy, does it suck when some Mordor orc picks it up and beheads YOU. You're doing fine in your game, and then out of nowhere you see: "Vorpal Blade decapitates you!" --MORE-- You die... --MORE-- Do you want your possessions identified? (y/n)
Huh, so the aging mechanic does work in Goldbox games, then? You start losing stats and then you die in your sleep? How's it work, exactly? I thought there wasn't even any code in the game to implement the ill effects of aging by haste.
Jonathon October 7, 2016 at 9:49 AM
AD&D'a Vorpal Blade is the same thing, essentially: a nat-20 on the attack beheads whatever you are attacking (which kills it if it is something that beheading would kill.)
There were also Swords of Sharpness that de-limbed on a natural 20; I don't think those were implemented in any Gold Box games.
In FRUA, it crashes your computer.
You could always Camp, rest and cast Haste, and see what happens. Given how many 3rd-level spells you can memorize in POD it's a pretty good opportunity.
Back in CotAB, I did take the time to cast "Haste" a few hundred times. My human characters got above 200 for their ages but never had any problems. I don't know if they finally implemented something here, but I figured I'd keep everyone young just in case.
If a character is over the max age for their race, they have a chance after every combat to die. (I had this happen due to some hex-editing mishaps: changed race from Elf to Human, but forgot to change age from 134 or whatever—young for an Elf—to 20something.)
I remember playing in a campaign where one of my Ranger's dual magic blades was a Sword of Truth.
On one occasion when I rolled a natural 20 to hit a half-orc gladiator, he (the DM) screamed, "I peeped on my aunt while she was bathing when I was 10 and I liked it!"
'I guess maybe there's a Level 10 spell called "Teleport Town" that I haven't received yet.'
It's not called exactly that, but you can find a number of oddly specific, high-level spells sprinkled through various AD&D material.
cure888 November 14, 2016 at 6:52 PM
It was a beneficial choice not looting the elf in Myth Drannor. The hardest battles are in other dimensions and the girdle of giant strength doesn't survive inter-dimensional travel but the bonus XP you got instead did.
Pools of Darkness: Dragonslayers
Pools of Darkness: Dis of the Spider Woman
Gold Box: Spells and their Uses (Part II)
Pools of Darkness: In Demonem
Pools of Darkness: A Series of Amateur Mistakes
Pools of Darkness: The Final Battle
Pools of Darkness: Won!
Pools of Darkness: Summary and Rating
Game 231: Heavy on the Magick (1986)
Fate: Exploring the Catacombs
Game 232: Moonstone: A Hard Days Knight (1991)
Fate: Failure


text:
Stem Cell Therapy for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Stem Cell Therapy medical articles in Hyderabad, India
Stem Cell Therapy for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Stem Cell Therapy, Hyderabad, India
Top Stem Cell Therapy for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome procedures in Hyderabad
Stem Cell Therapy in Hyderabad, India
Stem Cell Treatment for Neurological Diseases
Anti Aging Stem Cell Treatments
Bone Marrow Stem Cell Therapies
CAR-T (Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell)
Cartilage Regeneration Stem Cell Therapy
Embryonic Stem Cell Therapy
Placenta Stem Cell Therapy
PRP - Platelet Rich Plasma Cell Therapy
Stem Cell for Thumb CMC/Basal Joint Arthritis
Stem Cell Infusion
Stem Cell Knee- ACL Tears Treatment Abroad
Stem Cell Therapy for a Herniated Disc
Stem Cell Therapy for a Meniscus Tear
Stem Cell Therapy for Ataxia
Stem Cell Therapy for Atherosclerosis
Stem Cell Therapy for Brain Injury
Stem Cell Therapy for Bulging and Herniated Discs
Stem Cell Therapy for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Stem Cell Therapy for Celiac Disease
Stem Cell Therapy for Cervical Spondylosis
Stem Cell Therapy for Degenerative Discs
Stem Cell Therapy for Diabetic Retinopathy
Stem Cell Therapy for Elbow
Stem Cell Therapy for Fertility Treatment
Stem Cell Therapy for Heart Disease
Stem Cell Therapy for Huntington's Disease
Stem Cell Therapy for Joints
Stem Cell Therapy for Knee Arthritis
Stem Cell Therapy for Liver Cirrhosis
Top Stem Cell Therapy Cities in India
Stem Cell Therapy in India
Displaying related results for Stem Cell Therapy for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in India
Find The Best Stem Cell Therapy in Delhi NCR, India
Get significant solution to Stem Cell Therapy in Delhi NCR, India. The medical centers in Delhi NCR, India offer best of Stem Cell Therapy at the best price. ...
Invictus Healthcare System, Tulsa, United States
Invictus Healthcare System, located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S., is a renowned stem cell therapy clinic which aims to offer exceptional and timely healthcare options promoting rapid recovery for each patient. The innovative treatments are based on specialized technology, as well as new developments and multi-specialty physicians trained in the best universities and hospitals. Find out more about them here.
StemCells21, Bangkok, Thailand
StemCells21 is part of the SC21 Medical Biotechnology group in Asia. Our facility in Bangkok, Thailand, comprises of a modern luxury medical center, two cutting-edge cell culture laboratories, and, the SC21 cryogenic storage facility. We deliver quality from start to finish, so our customers can rest assured they are receiving the highest quality regenerative medicine. Various degenerative disease, immune disorders, injuries, and age-related conditions are showing therapeutic benefit from stem cell treatments. If you are seeking treatment of a disease or looking to slow down the aging process, we can help you with stem cell therapy.
MexStemCells Clinic, Mexico City, Mexico
MexStemCells Clinic offers world-class Cell Regeneration Therapy using Stem Cells in Mexico City, Mexico. With more than 10 years into operation, the clinic is known for its successful Cell Regeneration and Regenerative medicine treatments for therapeutic purposes.
Dr. Siegfried Block Stem Cell Therapy, Lenggries, Germany
Dr Siegfried Block specializes in Stem Cell Therapy. This clinic offers treatment for diseases such as Spinocerebral ataxia, ALS and even infertility! Learn what six decades of Stem Cell Research and ultra modern technology can do for your health!
Advanced Stem Cell Autism Treatment in Mumbai India for $5000
Are you searching for the most affordable stem cell therapy for Autism? The package available in Mumbai, India can be the one that you are looking for.
The Best Stem Cell Therapy for Cerebral Palsy in Noida, India Now at $8,500 for $8500
Are you searching for the most affordable stem cell therapy for Cerebral palsy? The package available in Noida, India can be the one that you are looking for.
Affordable Stem Cell Therapy for MND in New Delhi, India for $8500
Are you searching for the most affordable stem cell therapy for MND? The package available in New Delhi, India can be the one that you are looking for.
Defy Your Age with Top Anti-aging Treatments in Asia for $1028
Anti-aging treatments in Asian medical facilities provides effective results to men and women who desire to look and feel good despite their age. Anti-aging treatments in Asia can help you improve your posture, mental alertness and memory, improve skin elasticity and sleep. A mixture of anti-aging procedures and rejuvenation treatments are available in cosmetic and wellness centres in Asia.
Top 9 Safe Alzheimer Stem Cell Therapy Options Worldwide for $8500
The cure for Alzheimer's has not yet been found, yet, the miraculous stem cells have been effective in treating the symptoms of the disease and re-establishing neural connections.
Best Stories for Stem Cell Therapy for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Stem Cell Therapy in India
PlacidWay Medical Tourism provides top articles for Stem Cell Therapy for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Stem Cell Therapy in India to patients from around the world. PlacidWay is helping patients reach best treatment possible.