Conversations with Andrasta: The Early Days

By Deadbob of “The Bookstore”

Game and life can blend in ways we don’t expect. The game is a portal between unlimited imagination and limited reality. Through this portal death itself, real and unchangeable, can come into our life. This is the story of two players, and how the death of one changed the life and the game of the other.

—————————————-

DeadBob: You seem experienced as an online player. Where were you before UO?

Andrasta: I came to this world from another ancient place called Diablo. My very first guild, The Order of Avalon, was shattered in half with our departure. Many friends sadly did not make the journey. I travelled here with Men of Honor named Ursin, Sershon, Axeman, Olojin. I will always remember the men and women of Avalon who taught me how important it was to be honest, keep your word and treat people how you would want to be treated. Valuable lessons that would be tested in this new world as we learned that everything is not so black and white as I naively thought.

DeadBob: You now run Goodman’s Library. How did you come to know him?

Andrasta: I met Goodman in the early days just after the Great Schism that created Trammel and destroyed my city island in Felucca. At that time he was located on Magincia beach. I had purchased the small house that sat out in the water the farthest. This unique feature made it most likely that it would some day be destroyed by the gods but until that time it would become a small anchor for us in that beach community.

DeadBob: How did your guild adapt to the creation of Trammel?

Andrasta: In the early Feluccian years of our existence, my guild had morphed with the addition of many fine people into “The Kingdom of Dalriada” of whom I was Queen & Co-Guildmistress. Our city was located on Oscarina Island on which we held many events and lived many grand stories. They had been clamoring for new exciting things to do so a guild meeting was held and we decided to move banks from our beloved Serpent’s Hold to Magincia. In those days, where you banked identified a fair bit of information about you and your guild. Many allies and friends were made inside bank walls. We began to learn to fish and treasure hunt as a means of entertainment, profit and to make new friends & allies. Goodman’s Rune Library became a daily destination for most of us.

DeadBob: What was it like, to use, and run, a rune library back then?

—————————————-

“To survive and excel in those days is what made ordinary men and women legends, your reputation was everything and your title meaningless.”

—————————————-

Andrasta: We had long ago learned the advantage that runes provided. You no longer had to sail to islands and far off exotic places. In the golden years before the Great Schism, we had often frequented the very first Rune Library on Atlantic, Leiah’s Rune Library. It was a dangerous and exciting place on most days with thieves and murderers hiding amongst the stools and tables.

In retrospect, I have come to admire her greatly for all the hard work. It was no mean feat to keep a rune library going in Felucca with no lockdowns and no rune books. She had to replace the stolen runes daily. To survive and excel in those days is what made ordinary men and women legends, your reputation was everything and your title meaningless. Leiah stands as a Legend to those of us who remember.

DeadBob: Leiah must have been a saint!

Andrasta: Eventually the Gods were beseeched successfully. They threw lightening bolts down from the sky to fasten the runes to their places and Leiah’s Rune Library was immortalized forever in our shards history. It still stands today as a inspiration to many rune library owners. I believe Goodman was very impressed.

DeadBob: It sounds like things were coming together for Goodman.

Andrasta: Runebooks & lockdowns had come in the time between Leiah’s blessing and the world’s destruction so Goodman now had two powerful new tools for runes. So by the time my guild mates and I walked the sands of Magincia beach, he was building the most comprehensive rune library that anyone had ever seen. We now know that he was doing so much more than simply providing a rune library for us. His generosity, kindness and patience is also legendary.

DeadBob: You came to know Goodman over time, then?

Andrasta: It was the beginning of a long friendship that would see us together in four guilds, The Kingdom of Dalriada, Society of Atlantia, Order of the Silver Dragon and United Silver Dragon. No one expected that the world would turn for so long. Good men and women came and went. Guilds were torn apart by the Great Schism and created anew on both sides. The lands grew and time passed.

DeadBob: …and, in the end?

—————————————-

“He said that it would mean alot to him if his beloved library continued to serve the people of Atlantic.”

—————————————-

Andrasta: In the winter of his final year, the discovery of the Samurai Empire had created many new places for us to enjoy. We spent many hours together with our friends at Fan Dancer’s Dojo. One day after a very successful hunt we stopped to talk for a few minutes before parting ways. He looked at me seriously and asked me if should anything ever happen to him, would I look after the rune library?

I thought about what that would mean for a minute (not understanding in any way what it would really mean) and told him that I would be honored to look after the library but that nothing would happen to him. He said that it would mean alot to him if his beloved library continued to serve the people of Atlantic. I didn’t want to even think about this possibility so I put it out of my mind and we continued to hunt together as spring turned into summer.

In the warmest days of that summer, I was called to undertake a long journey and for a time had been unable to contact my friends and see what was going on in the world. I returned later that fall as soon as I could. A missive had come from my guild mates with terrible news. That summer, the day before the discovery of Mondain’s Legacy, our dear friend Goodman had left both worlds forever.

I returned too late to attend the first Memorial for him in his Malas country library held by Pink Dragoness and Crimson Flame. I was deeply shocked and saddened as were many people as the news spread. For a time, the library sat in limbo as everyone wondered what would happen to it. The leaves fell off the trees. Snow and cold winds finally came and we began to try and preserve the books because we feared that the library would soon collapse from neglect.

DeadBob: What happened next?

—————————————-

“…a missive came from Goodman’s son. His father’s last wishes read that the Library and all Goodman’s goods were left to me.”

—————————————-

Andrasta: Then miraculously, just before we lost forever his legacy, a missive came from Goodman’s son. His father’s last wishes read that the Library and all Goodman’s goods were left to me. I remembered the conversation we had and then I realized that he had known what was to come. True to his character, he never wanted to cause anyone any distress so he didn’t tell anyone. Many times I have wished that he would have told us so that we could have said goodbye, spent more hours with him and comforted him in his final days. His lawyers and family made it so just before the library collapsed and thus began my journey as it’s caretaker.

DeadBob: What has it been like, to care for a UO player’s legacy?

Andrasta: Sometimes it has not been an easy journey. I realize that some people probably doubt my intentions in caring for Goodman’s Rune Library. Some were angry that I moved it to Makuto and lately a few have ignored his contribution to our shard’s history. All I have ever asked for is a small amount of respect. If you copy the books and use them for public use, please have the decency to give the man credit by labeling his books with his name. Copying large sections of the library to open your own library and not giving him credit is very disrespectful. I am grateful for those who recognize his legacy.

The vast majority however have supported and helped me continue with words of support, donations of many kinds and most importantly have continued to use it. The fact that the library remains almost four years later is a testament to the peoples of Atlantic who leave books and notes for me to add to his memorial still to this day and who attend his yearly memorial on Magincia Beach Trammel in large numbers.

DeadBob: Magincia library?

Andrasta: The Magincia beach library by Lord Sith’s generosity has been recreated with a special memorial and the decor it had the day of his Grand Opening. The Makuto Library is filled with books and memorials to Goodman and to some of the many kind souls have made it possible for me to continue. Both libraries contain a statue commissioned to preserve his beloved image as it was the last day he was with us. Not surprisingly, people still come from many worlds to pay respect to this man.

DeadBob: What about the future?

Andrasta: On behalf of Goodman’s Rune Library and together with my good friends in the Rune Library Alliance, (Lady Aalia of Winterbreeze Library, you & Lady Tang of The Bookstore, Rachel of Rachel’s Runes, Tazar of the Order of Drunken Elders and Malas University) we have pledged to continue to uphold the values of the real rune library pioneers Leiah and Goodman.

In the years to come, I will continue to dedicate my life to preserving the precious memory of Lord Goodman. I believe that he deserves to live forever in our hearts. I also collect and preserve the memory of many fine citizens of Atlantic whether important or common, who have made our world just a little bit richer.

—————————————-

“A man may be immortal as long as there is one person left who remembers his name.”

—————————————-

The many heartaches and glories that I lived from those golden days, the people good and evil, the names I still cannot bear to speak, most now long gone live on in my mind and I await the days when we will all be together again. A man may be immortal as long as there is one person left who remembers his name. We will continue to give back to the people of Atlantic the generosity they have shown to us in projects and events to benefit all of Atlantic.

DeadBob: Thank you, Andrasta, for your service, and, for sharing your memories.