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The Circle Newsletter v1, i2 IN THIS ISSUE: Feature Article: The Inner Circle Paperback FEATURE ARTICLE As the internet stretches its wings out into cyberspace, some think that in the future we'll all be reading the next great new fantasy novel in a digital form; be it cyber readers, the web, or PDF. But reading a full-length novel on a computer screen, or even printing it out, isn't for everyone. There is something really alluring about holding a novel that an author has gone to great lengths to bring to life: the paper, the fonts, the texture of the paper, and that dazzling artwork on the front cover go a long way in how we feel about a story. Nothing can ever truly be able to replace sitting down with that great book you just can't put down. More and more visitors to the Relic Triangle Interactive have been expressing this same feeling of wanting to experience the novels of The Relic Triangle Trilogy in an actual book format. So, I'm pleased to announce your requests have been heard…and fulfilled: The Inner Circle: Book 1 of The Relic Triangle Trilogy will be released in paperback format beginning March 1st! Starting today, pre-orders for The Inner Circle paperback are being accepted at the Loot Shop! There is currently a wait period on all orders as printing gets underway, so order early to be among the first members to get your copy. For a limited time, the virtual coupon below can be entered for an additional $1 off your purchase at the Loot Shop. Link: http://www.relictriangle.com/loot.html WHAT'S NEW AT THE RTI The mysteries of the elusive Kublata's written word are finally unlocked with this finely crafted wheel of symbols and letters. This "Flash" wheel allows you to go forward and backward at your leisure to explore every symbol in the Kublata alphabet and how each mirrors an English letter. Master all the symbols to create your own cryptic notes, and ready yourself for new messages to arrive in newsletters to come! To prove your knowledge of this craft, download The Inner Circle PDF novel, always available for FREE download, and unravel the Kublata message running up the front of the spine. Once you have deciphered this cryptic message, you will have affirmed yourself as a noble advocate of the Kublata's written word! Plans for an actual typeface are in the works. More words on this in the coming months! Be sure to have the Flash plugin for your browser because you will need it to view the wheel itself. Link (wheel): http://www.relictriangle.com/reliquary/kublata.html Then select "Kublata Alphabet" Link (FREE download of The Inner Circle PDF novel): https://www.go2nhg.com/relictriangle/order_free.html The Dragonroot Cantina Will Arrive on February 20, 2001 at 7 PM The first chat was a lot more fun than I expected! We had such a good time that it went on for an hour longer than we had planned…I had to throw people out of the cantina because no one wanted to leave! That's what happens when people drink to many Dragonroot Ales! Thanks to all those who made it a great success. There will be more chat, more virtual drinks, more cantina music, and hopefully more of you there to talk to. See ya then! Link: http://www.relictriangle.com/reliquary.html Then select "Dragonroot Cantina" ARTICLE This virtual coupon is good for $1.00 off your next purchase at the Loot Shop! Coupon Code is: RTI010041200K5580 Instructions: Choose an item(s) inside the Loot Shop and fill out the order form. The last box at the bottom of the order form is the "Comments, Coupons, and Special Instructions" field. Copy and paste the coupon code above into this box for your $1.00 discount. Then, push "Submit Secure Order Form". Hurry, this virtual coupon expires March 17, 2001! Link: http://www.relictriangle.com/loot.html ARTICLE Jessica Ashton! Congratulations! You will be sent instructions by e-mail in the next couple days on how you can claim your novel. The prize, a first edition with a red buckram cover and The Relic Triangle Interactive's official symbol embossed in black on the cover, is one of only four copies in existence! Maybe one dayÉ Thank you to everyone that signed up during the past few months. For those who didn't win, don't worry, another contest has already begun this morning. If you already signed up, your entry is already enteredÉ no need to enter again. And this time, the prize is a second edition hardback handcrafted novel, signed and numbered, and dressed with a black buckram cover. Good luck to everyone this time around! RTI QUESTION Many people think this could be difficult, but on the contrary, it's very easy. In the beginning when I was just developing the ideas for the RTI, I used to have a piece of paper in front of me with the English alphabet written at the top. When I needed a name, I would pick out a single letter to start with, drill down through the alphabet, randomly picking out letters while trying to connect sounds that fit the characters I needed. Later, as I was actually writing, I would do the same thing on the keyboard, but pick out a keyboard key and build off of what was around it. One of my favorite names, Smeezer Pot'N'Meel came about this way. The way his name sounded, just felt like this backwards type of man that couldn't catch a breakÉall the way back to his mother naming him Smeezer! RTI REVIEW (WEBSITE) I know everything we usually discuss revolves around some sort of fantasy theme, but I just had to do this review of this sci-fi website because it's always been one of my favorites. I've always held hope that the curator, Tim Wallace, could have his ideal vision actualized. And why not, it's a beautiful websiteÉthere is just one gaping problem with itÉbut I can't give that away just yet! The website (http://www.3dgraphicworks.com/colony1.htm) is a virtual sci-fi universe made up of beautifully executed 3D renderings of mechanical droids, who in the story, are trying to develop a way to save humankind and the earth from a horrible fate dealt by a flurry of the sun's solar flares. The story is a little matter-of-fact and uninspiring in places, but it succeeds in giving character dimensionality to these three-dimensional renderings! The professional-looking graphics, drawings, and typography look like they leaped right off a movie poster and splashed onto the internet screen. I tell many people to browse this gallery Ð it always amazes me. Thousands of people slap together photo galleries of their favorite celebrities in minutes with scans they get out of magazines. But this is truly a gallery Ð like a hall of statues, each meticulously carved for hours, which together symbolize years of achievement that should be prominently displayed. But there are other areas that call out to be explored in the world of "Colony". Looking to the top, the navigation buttons are very well done with each item springing to life as you roll over each of them. For me, every time the little book attached to "Story" opens, I look inside! I know what's going to happen and still I can't help it! ButÉ(you knew this couldn't be a complete garden of roses, did you?) for those of us who have larger screens, we are left feeling a little jipped with all that open space out there to the right of every page. I wanted more to happen. Another problem is the mapÉmore please. Those cool sliding cast biosÉum, more again. I'm developing a pattern hereÉwhich brings me to that problem. The website was last updated on March 2, 1999! TimÉmy,boyÉdon't give up on me yet. If anything, take off that "Last UpdatedÉ" and fool meÉplease! Make me go in there and look for something new every now and then, so my belief in your vision stays alive! 'Till next time, We are now accepting requests for website review. We will consider websites that have high entertainment, content, and design value to our fantasy subscribers. If you want to be reviewed, e-mail info@relictriangle.com and plead your case! |
