Fritz Leiber (author of the adventures of the Gray Mouser and Fafhrd, and various other tales in and around the dark city of Lanhkmar. The grandfather of dark fantasy)

J. R. R. Tolkien (author of the Lord of the Rings series, the Silmarillion, and the grandfather of high and epic fantasy)

Howard Phillip Lovecraft (author of At The Mountains of Madness, The Color from Outer Space, The Call of Cthulhu, and other tales of sanity destroying madness. His work was instrumental in creating a fear that transcends the traditional idea of good and evil, and instead confronts the reader with the ideas of existential meaningness and nothingness in life and death. The grandfather of modern day horror)

George R. R. Martin (author of the Fire & Ice series, starting with A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, and A Storm of Swords. His work vividly illustrates a world that is both original, and simultaneously reminds us of our own history. It is also quite up front in depicting the flaws and virtues present in every character)

Robert Jordan (author of the Wheel of Time series, still going. His world is large, and although the details are fuzzy, the characters themselves and the struggles they go through are complex and detailed. His greatest gift is somehow getting you to hate or love every foible of the characters.

Medievia (despite rather truthful allegations of illegal code theft and other unscrupulous practices, this MUD was the first and still is the largest online community of MUD players we have found. It was the original example of what I consider a tight knit and active player community)

3 Kingdoms (with an original quest system that almost all subsequent LPMUDs copied, this MUD is the original inspiration for attempting to re-implement the LPMUD system in Java. It was a technical and architectural breakthrough in code and is the father of Aengvold's code design)

EverQuest (the game that started it all. Although the allegations of DIKU code theft were basically settled in a private agreement, the game as a whole was pretty revolutionary. It was supposedly the first truely popular MMORPG that was entirely in 3D polygonal graphics, as opposed to the tiled sets of Meridian 59 and Rubies of Evertide. This was the game that brought MUD'ing to the masses and kept it in the spotlight ever since)

Dark Age of Camelot (the next big MMORPG to come out after EverQuest, this one remains small but dedicated. With an emphasis on team player killing, and three distinct realms, it provided a lot of the ground concepts for creating a game that would appeal to everyone, both achiever and killer. It also provided a brilliant mechanism for how to keep the entire world from being a battlfield, allowing for players to either achieve or kill without interference from each other)

Medieval: Total War (this game was filled to the brim with historical details and other useful information regarding medieval warfare. It served as the inspiration for adding in mounted combat and formation combat into the MUD. In addition, its enclyclopedia on weapons and other tid bits of knowledge greatly enhanced Aengvold's feel of realism)

Metallica (Heavy Metal has long had a historical connection with ballad lyrics, making it the modern version of courtly music. While this may seem strange, the volume of songs written about wandering lifestyles and other nomadic activities should make sense.)

Alien Soap Opera (this two man band is the fusion of a famous Egyptian kanoon player and a famous UK electronica DJ. Mixing in traditional Arab music with subtle electronic beats, their music is surprisingly hypnotic without any intrusive modern appearances. With melodies pleasing to the ear, this duo makes incredible mood music.)

SpaceTribe (one of the most respected psy-trance groups out there, SpaceTribe continues to pioneer music so dark and deep, it can't help but evoke images of an inky blackness where dark things swim. Filled with eerie melodies, disturbing sound effects, and even more chilling voice overs, their music is blasphemous and tantalizing in the ideas it brings to the listener.)

Astral Projection (another famous psy-trance group, there music is less dark than SpaceTribe, and more wonderous. Strange melodies that constantly and subtly shift suggest to the listener a sense of travel. Famous for their live concerts in a variety of places, these musicians continue to break open minds wherever they tour.)

Franciscan Chants (nothing brings back that good old medieval feeling than listening to Franciscan chants. Sure the time period is wrong, and the latin is different, but it feels all the same.)

Homeworld Soundtrack (for a game in space, this has a lot of fascinating musical tracks. The opening Agnus Dei is a very impressive choral piece, and the remaining tracks all have very strong Sufi influences. And no where is the music overtly electronic, it all sounds very instrumental, giving the game a pretty epic feel despite the space battles.)

Calvin Curtis (Calvin originally played the neutral to neutral-evil thief in the party. After much entertaining role-playing, his thief went insane after she witnessed something entering her world through a strange angle in time and space, something so blasphemous its mere sight drove her raving mad. His subsequent barbarian character made quite a name for himself battling side by side with Jim's ranger trying to ensure the cleric, monk, and other vital educated characters stayed alive.)

Brian Roney (Brian's character was a Sorceress, originally well versed in the arts of spell casting. However, as the campaign drew on, the magical powers of his character waned, much to his disappointment. Instead, the sorceress became an invaluable sorce of lore, as she was often the only character with enough intellect to decipher the strange script found in the ruins among the forbidden and abandoned continent the group ended up exploring. After they travelled through several other worlds, she and the Cleric were the only two with the knowledge of how to get the group back home.)

Jim Norwood (Jim's Ranger is among the few fighting characters who managed to survive to the very end of the campaign. While quiet, Jim was always dependable to be at the forefront of the fighting, striving to protect the more knowledgable characters. Eventually, his Ranger became the fighting rival of Calvin's barbarian, able to wield both a bastard sword and a short sword proficiently. An accomplished artist, Jim is also responsible for some of the pencil drawings that appear on this web site. Jim attributes his artistic skills to many boring requires classes for his undergraduate degree.)

May May Wang (May May's bard was truely a jack of all trades. While not excelling at any one particular thing, May May is fondly remembered for bringing vital gold coins to the party when needed, for playing vital battle songs to keep the party fighting, and for basically being in the right spot at the right time to save them. Many battles would be fought with May May skulking off only to come back at a vital time and backstab a vital opponent.)

Mike Szal (Mike's Monk was the only character to survive a near death experience. While the other fighting characters used arms and armor, Mike's Monk was able to easily defend himself without equipment, making him vital as the party suffered misfortune after misfortune. After being wrecked at sea, or standed in deserts or jungles, it was often Mike's responsibility to protect the other party members while weapons and food were procurred. After the disasterous battle to save a city from being overrun, Mike's Monk abandoned his efforts to spread the way of the Silent Fist.)

Henry Allen Tilford (Henry's Cleric was arguably the most important character in the entire party. As the sole healer, Henry was instrumental in keeping the party alive in early situations. Later, as magic waned, Henry's cleric was the only character out of two which could divine the way back home. When the party was stranded in a hostile desert, Henry was also the only one able to create water with his waning powers. Tough, eager to fight, and stubborn, Henry was always willing to charge to the forefront of battle, despite the party's insistence he stay safely in the back lines. Eventually, enough close calls and near death experiences convinced Henry it was better to let the barbarian, ranger, and monk soak up the brunt of the fighting.)