informis
/
textfiles
1
0
Fork 0
Code Issues Pull Requests Packages Projects Releases Wiki Activity
textfiles/messages/BACKWATER/bw870516.txt

419 lines
25 KiB
Plaintext
Raw Normal View History

Initial commit
2021-04-15 11:31:59 -07:00
Note: This disk is of note as it is the last one for the old venerable
Diskwriter. On midnight May 17, 1987 after five plus years of continuous
operation, the old Diskwriter was turned off and BWMS was put to rest.
But fear not, this was not the end of Backwater. Rather it was a step
change in the evolution of the system. Because as BWMS was turned off,
BWMS-II was turned on to take up the battle for good against evil.
The story continues...
1 If you are in need of help, you need but ask....
2 ************************ INSTALLED: 16 MAY 87 ***********************
3 Welcome to BWMS (BackWater Message System) Mike Day System operator
4 ************************************************************
5 GENERAL DISCLAIMER: BWMS IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY INFORMATION
6 PLACED ON THIS SYSTEM.
7 BWMS was created as an electronic bill board. BWMS is a privately owned
8 and operated system which is currently open for use by the general public.
9 no restrictions are placed on the use of the system. As the system is
10 privately owned, I retain thepright to remove any and all messages which
11 I may find offensive. Because of the limited size of the system, it will be
12 periodically purged of messages. (only 629 lines of data can be saved)
13 to leave a message, type 'ENTER' and use ctrl/C or break to get out of the
14 ENTER mode. The message is automatically stored. If after entering the
15 message you find you made a mistake, use the replace command to replace
16 The line. To exit from the system, type 'OFF' then hang up.
17 Type 'HELP' to see other commands that are available on the system.
18 *************************************************************************
19
20 Where there are visible vapors having their prevalence in ignited
21 carbonated materials there is conflagration.
22 *****************************************************************
23
24 And so another era in bbs history passes on as BWMS moves to that
25 big bbs community in the sky. May her rest be peaceful and content.
26
27 For those of you who are unaware, as of midnight tonight BWMS will
28 no longer ply the phone lines and modems. The end is indeed at hand.
29
30 A wake for BW is in the making for those who wish to pay their respects.
31 Information on time and place will be posted on various boards when
32 it has been decided on where and when.
33 ******************** CISTOP MIKEY 16 May 1987 13:10 ****************
34 PsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSi
35
36 Cragmore saw Milchar stir. Finally the mage edged up on one elbow, blinked
37 his eyes, and looked at the door. Milchar had woken up to many strange sights,
38 but none quite as bizarre as this. The Inn was in chaos. Cragmore was still
39 stuck to the door. A glow from the edges of the door seemed to reach out
40 and illuminate the entire Inn. And the noise. The once low hum now
41 resonated at a clamorous pitch. Milchar looked around. Some inn-goers
42 just sat at their tables, staring at the door in disbelief. Others held
43 hands over their ears, the noise being just too much for them. A few
44 still sat and talked. Some people just can't hear enough of their own
45 voice, Milchar thought to himself. Then another voice was heard. A melodic
46 voice. Bard. He had returned to a nearby table, and withdrawing his
47 favorite musical instrument from his ever-present pack, began to play
48 a song of sadness and of new beginning. Milchar listened to the words, and
49 in his heart, felt the pain of loss.
50 "You'll feel a lot more than the pain of loss if we don't do something
51 about this door." Cragmore spoke in a firm voice. "Yes, you forgot for a
52 moment about my greatest skill... and my most horrible curse."
53 "Cragmore, you are right. But don't you feel the death knell of the Inn.
54 Something terrible is going to happen, yet I can't for the life of me figure
55 out what it is, or what to do about it."
56 "The first thing you can do is help me get unstuck from this door! Then
57 maybe between the two of us, we can figure something out. Bard is lost in
58 his song, as telling as it is. No one else here seems to know what is going
59 on." Cragmore said in a slightly more agitated voice.
60 Milchar produced a hand full of 3 by 5 cards from a fold in his robes.
61 "You realize I lost a great deal of my focusing power when my
62 staff disappeared."
63 "Milchar, you are still the most powerful mage I see here today. Now
64 please, find a spell to get this sticky goup to let go of my hand!"
65 "Patience my friend. It sometimes takes a while to sort through these
66 cards. Besides with all this noise and commotion, and the fact that my head
67 still hurts, I am finding it a bit difficult to concentrate.... Ah here,
68 maybe this will work."
69 Milchar pulled one card from the stack and placed it on top.
70 "What does it do?" Cragmore said, the strain ever-growing in his voice.
71 "Just a little spell. 'Change Crazy-Glue to Elmer's Glue' I used this
72 one in a rather emba..."
73 "Skip the story and get on with it!"
74 "Ok, Ok." And Milchar went on with a chant in a language that Cragmore
75 didn't understand, but he recognized it as an ancient language Milchar had
76 used on occasion.
77 Slowly, as the cadence of the mage's words increased, Cragmore could
78 feel the goup give just a little. He pulled as hard as he could.
79 "I think it is working!"
80 Milchar looked up for a second. The goup hardened again.
81 "I'll shut up! Go on... Go on!"
82 The chant began again. Cragmore pulled on his hand. It moved, a little,
83 then a little more. Suddenly the stuff gave way and Cragmore stumbled back
84 with a force equal to that he had applied to the freeing of his hand. With
85 a thud, he landed in Bard's lap, knocking the song-spinner's instrument to
86 the floor, and the bench he once sat upon to splinters.
87 Several people applauded the circus act, as Milchar put away his 3 by 5
88 cards, and walked over to the pile of his friends.
89 "Can I help you up?" He grinned. "Such a mess, and you broke a perfectly
90 good seat too. Tsk Tsk."
91 "Ohhh..." groaned Bard. "Next time you don't like one of my songs, just
92 tell me. There is no reason to become violent."
93 "Thanks for breaking my fall." laughed Cragmore. "And thank you, Milchar,
94 for getting me loose." He accepted the mage's outstretched hand and got up
95 on his feet.
96 "No trouble at all. The spell not only got you free, but I think it cleared
97 me headache too."
98 "Ah, you might want to take a look at the door now." one of the other
99 inn-goers said, pointing to the mysterious portal.
100 The glow was gone, as was the sticky stuff. A moment more passed, and
101 the sound subsided too. The light from the lamps illuminated the dusty
102 air, and for the first time in many moons, the Inn was silent. Completely
103 silent except for the heavy breathing of Cragmore and Bard, who were still
104 a little out-of-breath from their tumble.
105 "What now?" someone asked.
106 "Is it going to kill us all?" another echoed.
107 "Quiet!" Cragmore snapped. "Milchar. Bard. Don't you hear what I hear?"
108 "It's... it's tapping. From the door. Someone is tapping!" Milchar
109 whispered hoarsely.
110 Bard stepped towards the door, pack in hand. "It's gotta be the Inn-
111 keeper. Come on, let's get this thing open."
112 Cragmore hesitated. "What makes you think we can get it open now when
113 we couldn't all those times before?"
114 Bard turned to Cragmore and raised an eyebrow. "What makes *you* think
115 we can't?"
116 "Fair enough." said Cragmore with a shrug, and moved towards to door.
117
118 PsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSi CRAGMORE PsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsI
119
120 #######################################################################
121 I had been working continuously at trying to free the door. It was
122 near time to try again to open it. I rested for a while building my
123 strength. Finally I felt that I was ready to try again. I reached out
124 through the glowing ball of light that surrounded the door now and began
125 working around the edges of the frame. The door was much looser than
126 ever before. Perhaps this time it would open and allow me to pass.
127
128 In the Inn the glowing door began to increase in brightness.
129 Milchar noticed it first calling out to the others "Look! Something is
130 happening!"
131 The others quickly gathered about the door. The efforts began
132 again. This time Milchar was ready for what had to be done, and Cragmore
133 was more prepared for the energy flow that would be created. Bard was
134 still muttering to himself and fumbling with a strange looking box.
135 "Just a second, I also have this thing adjusted." Voyeur stood watch
136 this time to prevent any interference that might prevent the effort from
137 failing again.
138
139 The group formed at the door. Cragmore once again placed his hands
140 on the sticky sucking substance oozing from the frame, needing the
141 physical contact in order to fully and properly channel the energies
142 that would be required. Bard attached devices around the doors edge
143 attaching the connecting wires to his box. Finally Milchar began his
144 incantations. The pentagram that he had previously drawn around the door
145 frame began glowing in synchronization with the pulsing glow of the door.
146
147 Being more prepared this time and knowing what to do, the 'window'
148 formed quickly. The Innkeeper's image began to show through the opening
149 that was created.
150
151 "Ah! There you are! I was worried that something might have
152 happened to you. After that last attempt." I exclaimed after seeing the
153 window form and the Inn began to show in the image. "Have you figured
154 out what to do?"
155
156 Cragmore responed with a pained voice, "We're going to see if we
157 can strengthen the window enough to pull you through." "OK, Anything
158 is worth a try" I responded.
159 I reached out my hand towards the window. It started to go through,
160 but the further I pushed the harder it got. I only got as far as my
161 wrist before I found that I could push no further. Bard put his box
162 down and grabbed my hand from the other side and began to pull. We got
163 as far as my elbow before that attempt failed. Moving his foot to gain
164 better leverage he slipped and lost his grip. Not expecting the sudden
165 loss of his pull, I lost my leverage I had to pushing through the window
166 and the forces involved immediately regained the upper hand and sucked
167 my arm back with a hollow 'pop'.
168 "Well, I don't think that is going to work." I commented. "Any
169 other ideas?"
170 Cragmore recovered quickly from the energy surge that resulted from
171 my arm being sucked back through the window. "I don't know" he
172 responded, "The only other thing I know of is to try to open the door
173 itself dangerous as that might be."
174 "Well," I said, "as I indicated before, I'm willing to try
175 anything at this point. I've been working on the door, and it seems to
176 be a lot looser than last time, maybe we can open it if we all try."
177 "Well, let's try something!" Milchar fairly screamed, "I can't hold
178 this blasted window open for ever!"
179 "OK, OK, We don't really need the window for this anyway. You guys
180 work on that side and I'll work on this side, and we'll see if we can
181 get this bloody thing open." As I said that, I began again to try
182 working the door free of its ridged locked position. The window faded
183 and then disappeared as Milchar and Cragmore redirected their energies
184 towards opening the door itself. Bard started adjusting knobs on his box
185 in an attempt to change the doors resonance to something more suitable
186 to opening rather than viewing.
187 We all began pushing and pulling. Strugling and groaning with great
188 exertions of physical and mental energies. Suddenly the door gave a
189 little. Not much, hardly even noticable, but enough to give hope, and we
190 all renewed our efforts to even greater levels. Again the door moved
191 slightly. The glowing around the door began to increase, and the air
192 began to get warmer. Small sparks began flying from around the edges of
193 the door. The other patrons of the Inn shrank back from this display of
194 fireworks, some of them headed for the door.
195
196 On a side table unnoticed lay a colorful bag. A deck of cards lay
197 scatered about on the table. Left as if their owner had rushed out in a
198 hurry. One card lay in the center of the table. The card was glowing
199 slightly. on its face was a doorway, and through that doorway was
200 nothing, emptyness and chaos all at once. As the door began to give off
201 sparks, the card also began to throw off sparks. As the door got warm so
202 did the card. As the door moved, so did the card. Ever so slightly it
203 was being drawn to the door.
204
205 The fireplace which always had a warm fire going in it was
206 responding to these changes as well. It had long been known that the
207 hearth contained magics beyond the understanding of even the best of
208 madges, though others who knew better knew that it was really technical
209 science that was beyond that of any currently known. But whatever the
210 source of its powers, it to began to increase in brightness with the
211 door. The image began to waver, then suddenly with a loud 'foom!'
212 followed by a cloud of soot the image colapsed in on itself to reveal a
213 small circle of stones with long dead ashes all laying on a bare earth
214 floor. As if that signaled the beginning of other failings, the wall of
215 the Inn where the fireplace had been began to shimmer and become
216 transparent.
217
218 The group around the door was unaware of the current happenings in
219 the Inn, they were too involved with their ordeal with the door to be
220 aware of such things.
221
222 The door gave a little more... Then more... suddenly without
223 warning, it flew open tumbling everyone to the floor including me.
224
225 Including me! At last I was home! I was back! But my excitment was
226 short lived. "Quickly! We've got to shut the door before the two
227 universes merge!" I shouted. But it was already too late, for as I got
228 up I could see that the door was gone now, in fact the whole doorway was
229 gone. What was left was a gaping hole of nothing. As I watched, I saw a
230 card in flames flying through into the nothingness.
231
232 As I watched, the walls of the Inn began to fade around me. It's
233 power source gone, it was collapsing into the fundimental eliments from
234 which it came. One by one little peices of the Inn disappeared with
235 little 'pop's as they went. Soon all that was left was a group of people
236 sitting on logs around a dead campfire in a small clearing.
237
238 Was this the Inn? I thought. Is this what it really was, nothing
239 more than an idea... a story... a dream? The Inn was gone, the foot
240 bridge was gone, even the Rowan tree was gone, it was just a campsite,
241 nothing more. No! I thought, this can't be! Surely there was more to the
242 Inn than just a dream!
243
244 Then as I sat down on a log, my arms wrapped around my chest trying
245 in vain to hold back the coldness I felt. The others around me seemed to
246 be stuned by all this as well, no one spoke, they only looked about
247 trying to understand what was happening. "The Inn... what happened?"
248 Someone said.
249
250 After a moment Milchar stood up and said "Look at the trees, they
251 are disappearing!" He was right, they were disappearing, and not just
252 the trees, but everything. The log beneath me began to fade, the
253 stones around the dead campfire, the grass under my feet, and the ground
254 too. As it disappeared, I felt myself being pulled away from my
255 companions. They were there and yet they weren't. I reached out to
256 touch someone on my left, but my hand passed through the image I saw.
257 Nothing left... darkness... I was alone again, the Inn was gone, the
258 world was gone, my companions were gone, the universe itself was no
259 more. And once again I was floating in that nothingness alone.
260 This time there was no one to save me, they were gone too, there
261 was nothing left. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a locket. It
262 was still there, something from that life remained... a small twig of
263 Rowan held within.
264 I placed the locket back in my pocket and reached in my other
265 pocket. For I knew what I had to do now. I reached into my other pocket,
266 and pulled out a small package that I had carried with me for a long
267 time. A freind had given it to me. I held it in my left hand and flipped
268 the lid open with my right. A small red button was exposed. It was time
269 to perform the final action.
270 I placed my index finger on the button. "Goodbye." I wispered and
271 pressed it. An instant later the universe exploded in a fireball that
272 expanded and expanded... on and on... into the endless reaches.
273
274 The cycle starts again.
275
276 ################### The Innkeeper ###### 5-16-87 #####################
277
278 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
279 "So. The readings were correct after all." said Bard after the Inn
280 disappeared. The door was an opening to the outside. Outside the Multiverse
281 that is.
282 And they had ripped a hole in reality and pulled the hole in after
283 themselves. Even the clearing faded. Bard clutched his pack and waited for
284 the process to complete.
285 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
286 Very Last Day (words: Reginleif the Unruly, music: Very Last Day
287 by Peter, Paul & Mary)
288
289 Oh, the wolves are gonna on the very last day.
290 When you hear that horn call you to the fray
291 Oh the wolves will bay at the heavens on the very last day
292 Oh, you can sing about the wisdom of Odin
293 And you can talk about the prowess of Thor
294 When the Gjallarhorn calls they all will fall
295 They each will rise no more.
296 Thor fighting, maul in hand.
297 Seeking 'gainst the Worm to stand
298 Get ready warriors for that day.
299
300 Well, the wolves are gonna bay on the very last day.
301 When you hear that horn call you to the fray
302 Oh the wolves will bay at the heavens on the very last day.
303 Oh, one day soon all men will arm
304 As to the battle the giants swarm
305 And Frey bemoans his bartered blade
306 Forever lost to the Aesir's aid.
307 Odin fares, the Wolf to meet
308 To his fate, on Sleipnir fleet
309 Warriors, fight your best upon that day.
310
311 Oh, the wolves are gonna bay on the very last day.
312 When you hear that horn call you all away
313 Oh the wolves will bay at the heavens, so the poets say.
314 Then Loki's bonds will burst in twain
315 And to the battle the dire ship sails
316 Yea, Loki steers the hosts of Niflheim
317 In that ship of dead men's nails
318 Faring from the hellworld dire
319 Ice-clad ship bearing sails of fire
320 The Aesir meet their weird upon that day.
321
322 Oh, the wolves are gonna bay on the very last day.
323 When you hear that horn call you all away
324 Wolves will eat the sun and moon on the very last day.
325 And on that dark and dreadful morn
326 When Heimdall blows that fateful horn
327 All order then will pass away
328 With men and Aesir on that day
329 All that is will then be past
330 Ragnarok has come at last
331 You will fight your final fight that day.
332
333 Oh, the wolves are gonna bay on the very last day
334 When you hear that horn call your soul away
335 That horn will shake the worlds on the very last day.
336 ~~~~~~~~~~~~
337 Song finished, he saw that he and his pack where alone in a vast
338 emptiness. It wasn't black, for black implies light and distance and
339 neither had any meaning here. If not for his travels through the universes
340 the sight would have driven Bard mad.
341 He calmly opened the pack and (for want of a better term) everted
342 it. Now there was a floor and four walls in the no-place.
343 He carefully racked all the loose equipment for the last time.
344 Then he opened a panel and removed an odd cylinder. Its surface
345 was a *perfect* mirror. Its contents? The Phoenix gem.
346 He chuckled to himself as he set it in the middle of the floor.
347 It wasn't a pleasant sound. They had placed the gem in the stasis box
348 because they hadn't had a way of destroying it. Well, actually because
349 there wasn't a *safe* way to destroy it. Safety no longer mattered.
350 He cross-connected a several odd devices and entered a series of
351 commands. He paused a moment and spoke, "Code Aleph-Tav. Disable all safety
352 interlocks. Execute program."
353 Space and time knotted as the full power of the Bards equipment was
354 exerted to two ends.
355 Firstly, to concentrate all possible force upon the box.
356 Secondly, to accelerate the time in that space to the maximum.
357 Oh yes, the stasis field was dropped *as* the effects started...
358
359 Bard had always wondered what kind of universe would be formed
360 by an implosion. Pity he wouldn't be around to see it.
361 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~BARD~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
362 ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
363 Well, this is most distressing. (To put it mildly...) I come back after
364 and extensive vacation of countless worlds, vast amounts of time(s), and
365 numerous schools to find this...the end of BWMS. Bummer.
366 ???????????????????????? The Doctor ???????????? May 16, 1987 ?????????
367 ::::::O O::::::::::05/16/87:::::::::::::::::::::::::22:49:51::::::::::O O::::::
368 voyeur *sat* there in his own corner of non-existence. Having watched everyone
369 and everything around him disappear, he realized that this might truly be the
370 end. Pondering his possibilities, he realized he had very few. Then he
371 remembered the deck of cards buried in the bottom of his pack. Visualizing his
372 pack, he rummaged in it until he found what he was looking for - his Trumps.
373 Thumbing through them, he was disconcerted to discover that each and every one
374 of them was blank! But Amber was the center of the universe! If *it* no longer
375 existed, he was definitely in trouble. There was one way to tell. Concentrtin
376 on one of the blank card, he visualized the Primal Pattern. The image wavered
377 drastically, but he finally felt it was concrete enough. Stepping through, he
378 found himself - in nothingness.
379 It was true. Amber was gone, Chaos ruled. "Oh Hell," he said. Suddenly he
380 was surrounded by intolerable heat and the smell of brimstone. "SHIT!" He
381 was embedded to his waist in warm, odorous excrement.
382 "Well, that's *IT*, I guess. Hydrogen bomb!"
383 ::::::O O:::::::::::::::::::::::voyeur:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::O O::::::
384 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
385 All things faded around me, dimmed by an increasing light shed by my palm,
386 shed by the strange symbol which lay within it. I lay alone upon nothing,
387 drifting in nothing, sensing nothing but the light which grew ever brighter
388 as I watched.
389 A sensation I had experienced only once before assaulted me. I was cut off!
390 My senses withdrew into the shell of my body, as they had once before when
391 I had been in a stasis field aboard Bard's craft, so many ages ago.
392 Only now did I feel blind, even though I had been unable to see for many
393 moments already. Or had it been milennia?
394 Decades before, I had come to terms with the fear of death, of the final
395 sleep. I was an archmage in the realm of Travelcraft and Saycraft, yet into
396 this place I could not travel to and return. I was extremely long-lived,
397 having celebrated my 247th birthday last Sunreturn, and could have lasted
398 at least a century more. I am not of typical human stock, as many have
399 guessed. Long ago, I discovered I was of Amberite blood on my father's side.
400 My mother- best not to speak of her. She is fearsome indeed. Much of my
401 talent is due to her blood in my veins.
402 My 3x5 cards spin about me, burning bright silver circles into nothingness
403 around my robe. They are all I sense. Then dark.
404 I hear my mother calling.
405 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Milchar +++ 5/17/1987 at 12:00 midnight +++++
TOTAL NUMBER OF LINES = 405
The end...or is it?