Vagabond is the second novel in The Grail Quest series by Bernard Cornwell. Set during the first stage of the Hundred Years War, it follows Thomas of Hookton's quest to find the Holy Grail, a relic which will grant decisive victory to the possessor.
Arrows On The Hill
Thomas, Eleanor and Father Hobbe journey to the north of England to speak with the old Monk Brother Collimore, who knows of the Holy Grail, in city of Durham. Unknown to them, the corrupt French Cardinal, Cardinal Bessières, has dispatched his own companion, The Dominican Friar, Bernard de Taillebourg to find the Holy Grail for France. He is accompanied by the murderer of Father Ralph, Guy Vexille, Comte d'Astarac. During their journey to Durham Thomas is caught up in the Scottish invasion. Thomas participates in the Battle of Neville's Cross against the Scottish. Eleanor is frustrated by Thomas' willingness to fight and goes on to the monastery with Father Hobbe. There Eleanor and Father Hobbe come across the old monk they seek who is talking with a Dominican and Vexille. Both Eleanor and Father Hobbe are killed by Vexille. Meanwhile the Scots lose the battle and David II is captured. Thomas is devastated when he finds out the fate of Eleanor and again vows to kill Guy Vexille. He continues back to Hookton with Robbie Douglas, a captured Scottish noble.
This is the Index of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition monsters, an important element of that role-playing game. This list only includes monsters from official Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st Edition supplements published by TSR, Inc. or Wizards of the Coast, not licensed or unlicensed third party products such as video games or unlicensed Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition manuals.
This was the initial monster book for the first edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons game, published in 1977. Gary Gygax wrote much of the work himself, having included and expanded most of the monsters from the previous D&D supplements. Also included are monsters originally printed in The Strategic Review, as well as some originally found in early issues of The Dragon (such as the anhkheg and remorhaz), and other early game materials. This book also expanded on the original monster format, such as including the stat lines on the same page as the monsters' descriptions and introducing more stats, expanding the length of most monster descriptions, and featuring illustrations for most of the monsters. The book features an alphabetical table of contents of all the monsters on pages 3–4, explanatory notes for the statistics lines on pages 5–6, descriptions of the monsters on pages 6–103, a treasure chart on page 105, and an index of major listings on pages 106-109.
Priscilla Lyons (Vagabond) is a superhero in the Marvel Universe. Created by Mark Gruenwald and Paul Neary, the character first appeared in Captain America #325 in January 1987. Within the context of the stories, Priscilla is an ally of Jack Monroe.
Vague is a mutant in the Marvel Universe. Created by Peter David and Larry Stroman, the character first appeared in X-Factor #80. Within the context of the stories, Vague could become transparent or invisible. She lost her abilities due to events of M-Day.
Vakume is a magical supervillain in the Marvel Universe. Created by Len Wein and George Pérez, the character first appeared in Fantastic Four #186 in September 1977. Within the context of the stories, he is a member of Salem's Seven and is able to control air.
Valinor is the Black Knight's steed in the Marvel Universe. Created by Steven Parkhouse and John Stokes, the character first appeared in Hulk Comic #1 in March 1979. Within the context of the stories, Valinor is a magically enhanced horse from the extra-dimensional realm of Avalon. He serves as a steed of the Black Knight after he had given his previous steed Aragorn to the Valkyrie, and the Blood Wraith in battle against the Black Knight and the Avengers.
A croupier or dealer is someone appointed at a gambling table to assist in the conduct of the game, especially in the distribution of bets and payouts. Croupiers are typically employed by casinos.
Originally a 'croupier' meant one who stood behind a gambler, with extra reserves of cash to back him up during a gambling session. The word derived from 'croup' (the rump of a horse) and was by way of analogy to one who rode behind on horseback. It later came to refer to one who was employed to collect the money from a gaming-table.
Training methods to become a casino croupier vary from country to country. In North America, blackjack is almost always the game that dealers learn first, as it is simple and popular, and when the dealer makes errors, they tend not to cost the casino much money. In Europe, croupiers tend to learn roulette first. Complex, busy games such as craps, with complicated payout systems, etc., are usually reserved for the most competent and/or ambitious dealers.
Franchising is the practice of the right to use a firm's business model and brand for a prescribed period of time. The word "franchise" is of Anglo-French derivation—from franc, meaning free—and is used both as a noun and as a (transitive) verb. For the franchisor, the franchise is an alternative to building "chain stores" to distribute goods that avoids the investments and liability of a chain. The franchisor's success depends on the success of the franchisees. The franchisee is said to have a greater incentive than a direct employee because he or she has a direct stake in the business.
Thirty three countries—including the United States and Australia—have laws that explicitly regulate franchising, with the majority of all other countries having laws which have a direct or indirect impact on franchising. Franchising is also used as a foreign market entry mode.
The following U.S. listing tabulates the early 2010 ranking of major franchises along with the number of sub-franchisees (or partners) from data available for 2004. The United States is a leader in franchising, a position it has held since the 1930s when it used the approach for fast-food restaurants, food inns and, slightly later, motels at the time of the Great Depression. As of 2005, there were 909,253 established franchised businesses, generating $880.9 billion of output and accounting for 8.1 percent of all private, non-farm jobs. This amounts to 11 million jobs, and 4.4 percent of all private sector output.