Role Craft

Sometimes They Come Back

2011-01-29T16:48:00.000-07:00

I got eaten by school, and though I'm back in school, I thought I'd at least twitch here while I was thinking about it. (Having made an RP outfit for a friend, and wanting to put it on my RP Outfits blog is actually what brought me here.)

"The Cerulean Spire" exists now, on Wyrmrest Accord. If you see them behaving badly, feel free to tell on them.

Casual but heavy RP group. We do some dungeon runs and other things together. We love going out 'hunting' for old world stuff together, too. Drops, etc. Blah blah.

In the future, I will have to try to remember to talk about my "Pacifist Challenge".

What's the Mats?

2010-08-11T19:25:00.001-06:00

http://ww2.whatsthemats.com/

What's the Mats is a great little website for crafters. There are a dozen and a half ways to track the materials you need for a particular craft, but most of them involve far too much math for a person like me. Imagine my delight to find that What's the Mats will tell me just the raw materials I need! Warning about this: If you need an item crafted by another profession, you'll have to be aware of the Materials tree. What's the Mats will only provide you with the basic raw material list.

An example:

Say I wanted to craft a Pet Bombling. Frankly, Engineering can be the most convoluted crafting skill in the world. Here's a screenshot of the Pet Bombling materials (including a place for me to enter my server's costs/material - or in some cases, the amount I'm willing to pay per material (usually under market cost)):

In the upper right corner is a "View Materials Tree" button. For the Pet Bombling, this is what that pop up window looks like:

Here's where you can note that the copper for the Pet Bombling is not actually processed directly by the Engineer. It is needed to craft Delicate Copper Wire, which is a Jewelcrafter design, which is then used to make the Fused Wire by the Engineer.

Another fantastic feature is that you can put in a multiple number on the item page, and it will total up the materials, and the cost for you. It's a pretty quick out-of-game way to figure out your cost of production on those special crafts.

As is the case with MANY small sites that crop up here and there, What's the Mats runs the risk of disappearing in the crowd. Please pass the word around about this neat lil site. It's fast-loading, and very cleanly designed. That's more than I can say for a lot of other sites I've seen.

Give it a try and pass the word!

Old Spice @ Everyone

2010-07-20T15:34:00.000-06:00

If you have never watched them, you really should. Really, really.

http://www.youtube.com/user/OldSpice

The Lich King

2010-07-13T16:32:00.000-06:00

Back to your regularly scheduled program!

Tonight, I go in with a 10-man group, to face the Lich King some more. This will be our third night - we extended the lockout - trying to punch this sonuvabitch in the groin. Third time's a charm? We got him to phase 3, and honestly, it HAS to be easier to survive than the stupid Val'kyr's and the Lich King deciding to drop Defile *at the same time*. I don't care what the write-ups say about the encounter. MOST of the time, if the second defile didn't hit AT THE SAME TIME as the second Val'kyr... it came *before* the Val'kyr.

I have to admit, there's something disturbingly "pretty" about defile spreading and engulfing the entire platform.

Crazies Online vs Crazies Real World

2010-07-12T11:46:00.000-06:00

There's been a lot of interesting reading in the course of the Real ID "fiasco", and one comment - in various forms - that I've read has occupied my brainspace lately.

"I'm not saying you can't run into crazies, but I've never had reason to assume that it's any more likely to happen online than in real life."

I encounter FAR more people in my day to day dealings online than I do in the real world. This may be "unique" to my situation, I admit, but the fact remains. I hardly leave my house, except for basic errands and I don't do those every day. I also do not walk around with my name over my head or on my shirt. To the majority of the people in the real world, I am just another moving obstacle to avoid. The difference in standing at a bus station and saying "I really hate X." and doing it on a forum or online where your real identity is posted along with your opinion is this:

The crazies online have information to work with. A 'permanent' imprint of your name and your opinion. Overtime, they can accumulate quite a bit of these opinions together and come to sometimes surprising and sometimes accurate conclusions about who you are as a person. At the bus stop? A small handful of people may hear you - they are likely to be strangers - and if they want to find out WHO you are, they are going to have to take public and possibly drastic action to do it. I maintain more anonymity on the street in a crowd of strangers in real life, than I do posting to a community of strangers on the internet - with or without my real name attached.

And the lasting nature of posts on the internet means that the chance of a crazy latching onto what you've said/posted... so much higher than the chances of some crazy in real life happening to hear what you said.

And let's face it. Crazies on the internet are a much more broad category. People who would be "normal" and reasonable in their real life dealings can turn into complete Jekylls when online.

Reprieve!

2010-07-10T11:31:00.000-06:00

I'm always behind the ball in blog-land, and that's cool. Blizzard made what I'd consider the 'right choice' and backed off the whole "Use your real name on a forum" thing. Many people are hopeful this is a step in the right direction. Maybe even toward them considering alias-use in the Real ID system overall. I would enjoy that. I would be inclined to add more people to my contact list if it met 3 requirements:

1. Use of a single alias, instead of the name on my Battle.net account.
2. Ability to set certain alts to a 'restricted' status, so that they do not show up via Real ID at all.
3. Remove the ability to see "friends of friends", or allow individuals to set permissions. (IE, I could choose a setting "do not allow 'friends of friends' to see me".

The third is much less important with the institution of the first, obviously. But in a social situation, I may opt to add X person to my list and not Y person, but Y person can see I have added X and that causes different issues. "Why did you add X but you won't add me?" Childish, but it happens.

In the world of real life: I mentioned placement tests in my comments on the last post. Good news, Everyone! They went well. No remedial courses for me. With some of my scores, I could probably CLEP out of some early classes (no math, but the English ones), but I won't. Not yet. I need to get back into the groove of things.

Loremaster: About 175 quests from Azeroth completion on my Paladin. I still need to do it on my mage and warlock. I guess I better start working my rear off on that.

I'll hide the original text of the post rescinding the Real ID - Forum change behind the "more" button.

Hello everyone,

I'd like to take some time to speak with all of you regarding our desire to make the Blizzard forums a better place for players to discuss our games. We've been constantly monitoring the feedback you've given us, as well as internally discussing your concerns about the use of real names on our forums. As a result of those discussions, we've decided at this time that real names will not be required for posting on official Blizzard forums.

It's important to note that we still remain committed to improving our forums. Our efforts are driven 100% by the desire to find ways to make our community areas more welcoming for players and encourage more constructive conversations about our games. We will still move forward with new forum features such as the ability to rate posts up or down, post highlighting based on rating, improved search functionality, and more. However, when we launch the new StarCraft II forums that include these new features, you will be posting by your StarCraft II Battle.net character name + character code, not your real name. The upgraded World of Warcraft forums with these new features will launch close to the release of Cataclysm, and also will not require your real name.

I want to make sure it's clear that our plans for the forums are completely separate from our plans for the optional in-game Real ID system now live with World of Warcraft and launching soon with StarCraft II. We believe that the powerful communications functionality enabled by Real ID, such as cross-game and cross-realm chat, make Battle.net a great place for players to stay connected to real-life friends and family while playing Blizzard games. And of course, you'll still be able to keep your relationships at the anonymous, character level if you so choose when you communicate with other players in game. Over time, we will continue to evolve Real ID on Battle.net to add new and exciting functionality within our games for players who decide to use the feature.

In closing, I want to point out that our connection with our community has always been and will always be extremely important to us. We strongly believe that Every Voice Matters, ( http://us.blizzard.com/en-us/company/about/mission.html ) and we feel fortunate to have a community that cares so passionately about our games. We will always appreciate the feedback and support of our players, which has been a key to Blizzard's success from the beginning.

Mike Morhaime
CEO & Cofounder
Blizzard Entertainment

http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=25968987278&sid=1

Big Brother Blizzard

2010-07-07T02:51:00.000-06:00

If you haven't read it by now, Blizzard is actively shooting itself in the sack.

Short version: once the change goes live, if you post on the Official WoW Forums, your real name - your Real ID - will be displayed with your post. Not your character's name.

There was an outcry,and Blizzard's official response was: "Posting is optional."

Except for bugs and suggestions and technical support, amirite? They are getting closer and closer to WoW becoming a game I simply 'cannot' play due to their insisting on making it into a Facebook entity.

One post summed up exactly how I felt:

"I've loved Blizzard since I started playing WC2 as a child, to think an idea like this not only left someone's head but made it so far as to be an idea they're planning to implement is just...

...there are no words. I lost my hero today."

I made two posts to the thread, though I could certainly comment more:

The more of this Real ID stuff I see introduced, the less I am loving Blizzard as a whole. I do not game to be part of a "big social network" in the way that people do so by joining Facebook and Myspace. I do not necessarily WANT to know the people I play with in any "real life" sense of the word.

I most CERTAINLY do not want them to know who I am, nor to be able to use my name on a forum post to -stalk me-. (If you think this won't be used for that, you're highly mistaken.)

And Blizzard's answer to these very legitimate concerns is, "Well, you don't have to post"?

Thank you. Thank you for showing what a caring and thoughtful company you are turning into, Blizzard.

(I can ignore trolls. I cannot ignore what is essentially a choice of "breach my privacy" or "don't participate in the community at all".)

There ARE alternatives, and ways to stop trolls. Instead of using our Real ID with a Primary Character OPTION, why not make us select ONE character we post with - period. "Select a character you will use to display on posts on the forums. This will be the permanent character used when you create content on the Official forums."

Anyway - short version.

Since my options are basically "Pass out your Real Life Information by participating on our forums" or "Don't participate", I'm going to have to go with option B.

So much for the suggestion and bug forum.

Post 2:
It's not about trolls or children...

It's about how many people out there have lost their jobs, their livelihood because of something an employer found online and blew out of proportion. It's about the privacy of a PAYING playerbase, and one that obviously so far has no desire to voluntarily plaster their names all over the internet.

Better still, it's about people who can't even GET hired in this economy because of something someone found online while doing a "background" check. If you think companies and businesses are so 'enlightened' that they view MMOs and gaming as hobbies for "adults", you are living in a fantasy world. Gamers are still subject to stigma based around their hobby which is, to the majority of non-gamers, "for kids", "for lazy people", etc.

Is Blizzard going to make it so that Google cannot index/search their forums? Of course not, which means that at least the core of Facebook offers more privacy than this change, so far.

For all of you saying "it's just your first and last name" - what are the first two things on every label, application, whatever that you've filled out? How do people identify -you- in person? Do they recite your Social Security Number when they call for you in a Dr. office, or the DMV? I dunno about you, but everywhere I go uses my... gasp... first and last name.

http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=25712374700&sid=1 Is the original posting, but here are the Blue Posts from the thread for those that want to skip the... it's almost 900 pages long now. That's roughly 20,000 posts. (And the majority of them are NOT just trolling/spam.)

This was the Original Blizzard Post:

Recently, we introduced our new Real ID feature -www.battle.net/realid/ , a new way to stay connected with your friends on the new Battle.net. Today, we wanted to give you a heads up about our plans for Real ID on our official forums, discuss the design philosophy behind the changes we’re making, and give you a first look at some of the new features we’re adding to the forums to help improve the quality of conversations and make the forums an even more enjoyable place for players to visit.

For more details read more in this thread- http://forums.battle.net/thread.html?topicId=25626109041

[ Post edited by Nethaera ]

Blizzard Post 2:

One important point which I don't believe has been relayed yet is that the switch to showing RealID on the forums will only happen with the new forum systems we're launching for StarCraft II shortly before its release, and a new forum system for World of Warcraft launching shortly before the release of Cataclysm.

All posts here on the current World of Warcraft forums, or any of our classic Battle.net forums, will remain as-is. They won't (and can't) automatically switch to showing a real first and last name.

All posts in the future on the new forum systems will be an opt-in choice and ample warning will be given that you're posting with your real first and last name.

[ Post edited by Bashiok ]

Blizzard Post 3:

Just to respond to those that don't think we read through all of these responses and threads, we do and have been. We will continue monitoring feedback as well.

We put a lot of thought into this change and have a long-term vision for the Real ID service and wanted to make sure that we communicated ahead of time and very clearly as to what will be changing and how. Keep in mind that posting is optional, and we recognize that some players will choose not to utilize the Real ID feature in game or post on the forums and support everyone's individual choice on using or not using it.

This is obviously new ground for us and for you as well, but we want to make sure we're creating a great social-gaming service that people will want to use. We just want to make sure that if people are sharing feedback, that they keep it constructive, and yes, as I said, we are reading. (by Nethaera)

Final Blue Response at the time of this post:

You will be able to set up Parental Controls to disallow a minor from posting. (by Nethaera)

High Overlord Saurfang Kills Chuck Norris

2010-06-30T14:05:00.000-06:00

Oh, it's true. And what follows is entirely Blizzard's fault.

First, allow me to show you a sample question from a tasty new thread on the Official forum:

Q: What were Varok Saurfang's notable accomplishments prior to WoW?
A: Varok Saurfang has served with the Horde ever since he drank the blood of Mannoroth alongside Grom Hellscream. Varok led forces in the sacking of Shattrath, Stormwind, and everything between, never losing in battle until the Horde was routed at the end of the Second War. When Orgrim Doomhammer seized control of the Horde in the First War, he chose Varok Saurfang as his second-in-command after witnessing Varok's efficient and brutal tactics on the field. After the demonic bloodlust had been lifted from the orcs due to Grom Hellscream's sacrifice, Varok helped dozens of veterans come to grips with their previous atrocities, ultimately saving the lives of many great Horde soldiers. Rumor also has it that Saurfang once cleaved three men in half with one swing… of his hand.

Because of the last sentence there, I just spent the last... oh 15-20 minutes... compiling this list from the internet. There ARE funnier ones out there, but frankly... I didn't want to spend MORE time on something that I did just for a quick giggle.

A duck’s quack does not echo. High Overlord Saurfang is solely responsible for this phenomenon. When asked why he will simply stare at you, grimly.

High Overlord Saurfang' tears cure cancer. Too bad he has never cried.

High Overlord Saurfang counted to infinity - twice.

High Overlord Saurfang does not hunt because the word hunting infers the probability of failure. High Overlord Saurfang goes killing.

If you can see High Overlord Saurfang, he can see you. If you can't see High Overlord Saurfang you may be only seconds away from death.

High Overlord Saurfang sold his soul to the devil for his rugged good looks and unparalleled martial arts ability. Shortly after the transaction was finalized, Varok roundhouse kicked the devil in the face and took his soul back. The devil, who appreciates irony, couldn't stay mad and admitted he should have seen it coming. They now play poker every second Wednesday of the month.

When the Boogeyman goes to sleep every night he checks his closet for High Overlord Saurfang.

High Overlord Saurfang has already been to Mars; that's why there are no signs of life there.

They once made a High Overlord Saurfang toilet paper, but it wouldn't take shit from anybody.

High Overlord Saurfang is 1/8th Night Elf. This has nothing to do with ancestry, the man ate a fucking Night Elf.

In fine print on the last page of the Azeroth Book of World Records it notes that all world records are held by High Overlord Saurfang, and those listed in the book are simply the closest anyone else has ever gotten.

The chief export of High Overlord Saurfang is pain.

Crop circles are High Overlord Saurfang' way of telling the world that sometimes corn needs to lie the fuck down.

High Overlord Saurfang once commented, "There are few problems in this world that cannot be solved by a swift roundhouse kick to the face. In fact, there are none."

High Overlord Saurfang once ate an entire ream of rice paper and shat out origami swans.

High Overlord Saurfang knows where Carmen Sandiego is.

High Overlord Saurfang is what Willis was talking about

High Overlord Saurfang sleeps with a night light. Not because High Overlord Saurfang is afraid of the dark, but the dark is afraid of High Overlord Saurfang.

High Overlord Saurfang can touch MC Hammer.

High Overlord Saurfang frequently donates blood to the Red Cross. Just never his own.

There is no such thing as tornados. High Overlord Saurfang just hates trailer parks.

If paper beats rock, rock beats scissors, and scissors beats paper, what beats all 3 at the same time? Answer: High Overlord Saurfang.

Although it is not common knowledge, there are actually three sides to the Force: the light side, the dark side, and High Overlord Saurfang.

High Overlord Saurfang drinks napalm to quell his heartburn.

If you want a list of High Overlord Saurfang’ enemies, just check the extinct species list.

High Overlord Saurfang has never blinked in his entire life. Never.

High Overlord Saurfang doesn’t need to swallow when eating food.

High Overlord Saurfang is Luke Skywalker’s real father.

Scientists in Ogrimmar have recently conceded that, if there were a nuclear war, all that would remain are roaches and High Overlord Saurfang.

When you open a can of whoop-ass, High Overlord Saurfang jumps out.

High Overlord Saurfang can piss into gale force winds.

High Overlord Saurfang doesn't see dead people. He makes people dead.

High Overlord Saurfang is the reason why Waldo is hiding.

High Overlord Saurfang doesn't cheat death. He wins fair and square.

High Overlord Saurfang once visited the Virgin Islands. They are now The Islands.

Leading hand sanitizers claim they can kill 99.9 percent of germs. High Overlord Saurfang can kill 100 percent of whatever he wants.

High Overlord Saurfang can speak braille.

High Overlord Saurfang' calendar goes straight from March 31st to April 2nd; no one fools High Overlord Saurfang.

High Overlord Saurfang does not sleep. He waits.

High Overlord Saurfang once won a game of Connect Four in 3 moves.

High Overlord Saurfang puts the "laughter" in "manslaughter".

High Overlord Saurfang can do a wheelie on a unicycle.

Once a cobra bit High Overlord Saurfang' leg. After five days of excruciating pain, the cobra died.

High Overlord Saurfang died ten years ago, but the Grim Reaper can't get up the courage to tell him.

High Overlord Saurfang can have both feet on the ground and kick ass at the same time.

High Overlord Saurfang can squeeze orange juice out of a lemon.

If it looks like chicken, tastes like chicken, and feels like chicken but High Overlord Saurfang says its beef, then it's fucking beef.

High Overlord Saurfang can slam revolving doors.

Giraffes were created when High Overlord Saurfang uppercutted a horse.

Superman owns a pair of High Overlord Saurfang pajamas.

High Overlord Saurfang doesn't read books. He stares them down until he gets the information he wants.

High Overlord Saurfang can kill two stones with one bird.

High Overlord Saurfang doesn't have hair on his testicles, because hair does not grow on steel.

Ghosts are actually caused by High Overlord Saurfang killing people faster than Death can process them.

High Overlord Saurfang was once charged with three attempted murdered in Stormwind, but the Judge quickly dropped the charges because High Overlord Saurfang does not "attempt" murder.

High Overlord Saurfang never retreats, he just attacks in the opposite direction.

High Overlord Saurfang can build a snowman out of rain.

The reason newborn babies cry is because they know they have just entered a world with High Overlord Saurfang.

High Overlord Saurfang can drown a fish.

High Overlord Saurfang once punched a man in the soul.

The only time High Overlord Saurfang was wrong was when he thought he had made a mistake.

High Overlord Saurfang once had a heart attack; his heart lost.

Champions are the breakfast of High Overlord Saurfang.

The last digit of pi is High Overlord Saurfang. He is the end of all things.

High Overlord Saurfang doesn't use pickup lines, he simply says, "Now."

High Overlord Saurfang is the only person that can punch a cyclops between the eye.

The quickest way to a man's heart is with High Overlord Saurfang's fist.

High Overlord Saurfang used to beat the shit out of his shadow because it was following to close. It now stands a safe 30 feet behind him.

High Overlord Saurfang does not know where you live, but he knows where you will die.

The saddest moment for a child is not when he learns Santa Claus isn't real, it's when he learns High Overlord Saurfang is.

LFD Suggestions

2010-06-16T20:19:00.000-06:00

For all that it matters, I made a post on the official WoW Suggestion forums...

Given the upcoming changes to the Vote-Kick system, and a recent experience of a friend, there are a few changes I'd like to see put into place:

--- AFK'ers: Because of the 30 minute debuff for leaving, I have seen plenty of people simply sitting down and going AFK, forcing the group to kick them. With the new system that "credits" a person for vote kicking, suddenly the system is penalizing the people who NEED to remove a problem member.

My suggestion would be to put in an AFK removal system, akin to the Battlegrounds. If a character goes AFK in a LFD group, a pop-up appears for all other members of a group. At which point the group can vote to remove or keep the AFK player. (Sometimes, emergencies happen and if someone needs to AFK and a group is considerate, they can opt to wait for that person.)

This removes the ability for people to abuse the system and "force" a group of players to remove them, and be 'credited' for their kicking.

--- "Teleport Out of Dungeon": Similar to the AFK example above, I have seen people simply leave the dungeon as a way to force the group to kick them.

My suggestion would be to put a timer on time out of the Dungeon. I believe 5 minutes is reasonable, if you need to leave to pick up a weapon (to change specs), or whatever else you may need to leave the dungeon to do. If you leave the dungeon and do not return within 5 minutes, you are removed from the group - no vote, nothing.

Also, as has been suggested a NUMBER of times: Remove the ability to leave a dungeon during combat. This has been abused ABUNDANTLY by some people to pull mobs with the intent of wiping a group, and then departing.

TLDR Version:
Non-Credited Vote to Kick AFKers.
Automatic removal of members outside of the dungeon for more than 5 minutes.
No more leaving group/dungeon while in combat.

I'm a Vulture!

2010-06-15T19:22:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, I looked at utilizing my enchanting to post some scrolls of enchant on the market. Some enchants are OBVIOUSLY for twinks these days (Crusader being a big one of those, as it can be applied to Heirloom weapons)... while looking at the prices, I see the average sale price is roughly 200g for the scroll of enchant. I think that's perfectly reasonable, frankly.

Below someone posted at the market standard is another gentleman (I use the term loosely), posted at something like 98 or 99g. Looking at the materials on the AH, it was obvious that if I bought those, then the parchments to make the scrolls, my cost of production would be very close (over if I wanted to make more than just a couple) to his selling price. So I did what anyone in my position SHOULD do. I bought out the under-market scrolls of enchant and reposted a couple of them nearer to the market value.

Today, I received this lovely letter, with a Resilient Parchment attached. (I kept the parchment. What a bargain, he tells me off and gives me a free 40s+ while spending 30c to do it.) The picture includes what is actually my second letter to him. In my first, not nearly as satisfying, I responded with a thanks for the parchment and wishing him a great day. Then I went to the AH and bought out his again-undercutting by quite a bit (he posted roughly at 65% of the market value) scrolls. THEN, not feeling good about what a total jerk the guy was (if he had been polite, I probably would have been nice in return, but not now), I sent the note you see in the screenshot below.

Some updates

2010-06-09T13:48:00.000-06:00

I've added some tabletop RPG blogs to my blogroll. The whole initial idea of a "makeover" for this space came up because I've found myself reading as many - if not more - tabletop gaming blogs than WoW blogs. Frankly, there's too much "this is the right way and the only way" out there in the WoW "blogosphere", and it's tiring.

Specifically, in the WoW Gold Blog realm where you can find out that the gold you spent on a vanity pet was "wasted". Or that the word "social" is a bad word. Feh. You don't even want to know how much gold I've thrown at vanity pets. (Can you say 9.2k gold on a Hyacinth Macaw? That's right! Why? Because it was my gold and I could. And I will enjoy the enjoyment that this pet will give to an avid pet collector friend of mine. That's even MORE right! I'm going to give it away. And I'm not wasting make-believe money.)

I'll be looking to update my RP outfits blog some more, now that I've discovered my mage has 36 robes in her bank, and another 10+ coming to her from an alt when I transfer it. And at LEAST another 3 robes I'm waiting to get my hands on for her. (Please, Blizzard, can we have a "closet" bank tab?)

Makeover?

2010-06-04T00:21:00.000-06:00

Alright - well. I was typing away, hit a button wrong, and everything I'd typed was eaten. Hurray.

Summary: "Rolecraft" = Roleplaying + Warcraft - Playing - War. WoW =/= My First RPG (MMO or otherwise). Expect content that reaches beyond WoW, but I promise to try and keep this a little more WoW oriented.

Not that the... what? three? people who read this will mind a little expansion of "content", right?

Unrelated: CompUSA Sweepstakes

2010-06-02T13:15:00.006-06:00

On the real-life side of things, I have taken to entering sweepstakes. So far, I have supposedly won a Nook (e-reader), but I'm not going to celebrate that fully until it arrives. I don't trust any entities about this sort of thing.

CompUSA recently held a rather... lucrative Sweepstakes. And at the end of it, did something I consider to be quite underhanded and shady.

Let me give you the highlights, taken from their Rules page ( http://www.compusa.com/sectors/sweepstakes/3d/rules_3d.asp )-

The Prize: One (1) Samsung UN55C7000 55" 3D LED HDTV, One (1) Samsung BD-C6900 3D Blu-ray Player and One (1) Samsung SSG-P2100T 3D Starter Kit Bundle. Approximate Retail Value is $3,330.

Winner Selection: Sponsor will conduct a random drawing to select one (1) entrant as the prize winner on June 2, 2010.

From the top portion of the rules: THE COMPUSA 3D HDTV GIVEAWAY SWEEPSTAKES (“SWEEPSTAKES”) BEGINS AT 12:01AM EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME (“EDT”) APRIL 18, 2010 AND ENDS AT 11:59PM EDT ON MAY 26, 2010. WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED ON JUNE 2, 2010. THE SWEEPSTAKES IS SUBJECT TO THESE OFFICIAL RULES (“OFFICIAL RULES”) AND BY ENTERING, ENTRANT AGREES TO BE BOUND BY THEM TO BE ELIGIBLE TO WIN ANY SWEEPSTAKES PRIZES.

So, we see the drawing date was stated (twice!) to be June 2, 2010. That's today.

Winner's names will be posted on the CompUSA.com/go/local/winners Web site for 72 hours after the drawing (Noon EDT to Noon EDT). Entrants must visit CompUSA.com/go/local/winners, to confirm if they have been selected as one of the prize winners. Prize winner must claim their prize, via a web form, within 72 business hours of posting.

Now, I set up my Google Calendar to remind me to check this out. I mean, who wouldn't want to be diligent about finding out if they won some serious HD equipment? Today, I go to their site to see who won.

From http://www.compusa.com/winners/index.asp -
# Date Posted Name Location Claim Deadline
1 5/28/10 Tom L. FL 33510 6/1/10

If your name is listed above, please enter your information below to claim your prize. This must be done no later than the claim date next to your name. The email address entered below must match what you used to enter the sweepstakes. All prize details will be sent to the confirmed winners on 06/01/2010.

Forgive the formatting. As you can see, the winner was selected and posted on 5/28/2010. This is a FAR cry from 6/2/2010 posted in the rules. Plus! the deadline for claiming the prize? A full 24 hours prior to the stated drawing date. If I had won? You better believe I would be livid. As it is, my opinion of CompUSA has gone down by quite a LOT for this shenaniganry.

Now, it does state in the rules that if the rules change, there'll be an announcement on the CompUSA pages. I have not been able to find any such announcement ANYWHERE on the CompUSA site.

So. CompUSA: Good job at being underhanded. I hope Tom L. of Florida got his prize despite your crappy attempt to not have to cough up the goods.

Silvermoon Academy - Crushing Hopes

2010-05-31T01:34:00.002-06:00

Silvermoon Academy has once again proven to me that every RP event they hold is going to devolve into a bunch of e-peen waving and a lot of students, and even professors pulling out the "lolauthority" play. What's that?

It's when your character shows 0 respect for authority in an organization they've agreed to roleplay in.

For me, this is an outright display of disrespect not only in character but out of character.

"Oh, the school guard has put one of our violent professors into a holding cell for the night, due to his near murderous attack on another student. But we like him because he's charismatic and winks at us and everything he does is cute and charming, despite him being a rotting corpse! And we don't like that he's being held so... hmm, I know it's been an hour or so since he was arrested, but I'm going to say I'm a Farstrider and since the attack happened outside the gates of the city... I'm pulling rank and taking him into Farstrider custody! Oh, you're invoking your guild rank and telling me no? I don't care. I'm going to walk on past you, after basically ignoring the Captain of the Guard, and the Headmaster of the school (in which I am only a STUDENT), and I'm going to RP with the NPCs in the area, who will free my psychotic friend, so everything you guys have done all night is negated! especially after he's the guy who interrupted a good RP event by spazzing out!"

And this is apparently fine. "At least she isn't breaking him out." Yes, she is.

But whatever. Silvermoon Academy - this is what you're showing people who want to join your guild and who actually have standards for RP. The bullshit you put up with, even cultivate, is too much for someone with any amount of good RP experience and self respect to endure.

Windrider!

2010-05-17T12:06:00.002-06:00

I got my baby windrider the other day! I forgot to mention it. From Oathbringer, from Dressed to Cuddle! I got a couple extra goodies for the wait (due to Blizzard not making these things a giftable purchase, how silly is that?) and they were all great.

Maybe sometime when I'm not dealing with passive-aggressive wenchiness from a housemate, I'll take some pics of the fuzzy thing, and some screenshots.

Achievements

2010-05-17T12:00:00.004-06:00

I've started working, pretty heavily, on the Loremaster achievement.

On Four Characters.

I'm not quite insane, but the small bit I am? Certainly helps. I've cleared Eastern Kingdoms/Kalimdor Loremaster on the first of the four, my druid. The ability to travel right to Moonglade was very handy, considering that I finished EK first and rather quickly (I had whole quest hubs I'd never touched - such as Searing Gorge).

I've begun work on my second character, my paladin. I won't say it's going "slower", but it isn't as fast as it was on my druid, that much is certain. The matching speeds are due to circumstance. My druid had cleared ALL the low level areas (all racial starting zones, etc) long before I started this madness. My paladin had not. So I knocked out about 100 quests between Teldrassil and Darkshore. I cleaned up a few I missed on Azuremyst Isle (my druid, by the way, knocked out over 100! quests doing the Draenei islands). She (my paladin) is almost at 500/700 quests for Kalimdor. Eastern Kingdoms is languishing in the low 400's.

After my paladin will be my warlock - the most travel-impaired. Or, maybe not. She is an engineer, but that only gives her one option for old-Azerothian travel. The Everlook Dimensional Ripper. And after my warlock, the fourth is still only a "Possible", as she's level 71. My mage. At least she will still get some nice XP chunks (if very small ones) for doing some of the upper areas I skipped when I went to Outland.

Once those four are done with EK/Kalimdor, then the cycle begins again with Outland. Bonus for me, my warlock completed ALL of Outland, so I'll really only have 3 lined up for that. Downside, none of them have more than 1-2 zones "completed".

While doing Loremaster, I've also pursued completing Explorer.

When I finished Kalimdor (my last location was Grimtotem Post in Stonetalon Mountains), my druid achieved "the Explorer" title, for World Explorer. I had finished Outland and Northrend, in my pursuit of "free xp" when I leveled her.

"LOL MARYSUE"

2010-04-11T22:50:00.002-06:00

If you play World of Warcraft, and have any association with Roleplayers... you have an idea of what a MarySue is... All of us have found MRPs that are laughable, at their best. Depressing at their worst. Heck, I've posted one here.

But I have had it up to the proverbial "here" with people bashing other peoples' RP. Their ideas, their guild names, their guild concepts, their characters. Every group has this person. EVERYTHING is stupid, unless they came up with it. Right?

Or better, there's a livejournal community dedicated to picking out and picking on "MarySue" MRPs. I got news flashes for most of those prisses. If I were as bitchy as they were, I bet I could tear their MRPs apart too. But no, it's okay, because they are part of the crowd.

FFS, at least the people I rip on are utterly ridiculous. To the tune of GOD'S MESSENGER TO THE HORDE! Or, you know. That guy on WRA who RPs that he was a DK, but he got better, then he went back and became the leader of the Shen'dralar. Or the guy who RPs as Awbee (look it up). Wanna be a half robotic DK? I don't care. Heck, I saw one DK listed on their little "community" that I had seen IC myself and I thought it was kind of smart. She has the lore of a good ol' Night Elf Demonhunter in her profile. AND SHE IS A NIGHT ELF, THANK YOU!... not like the stupid Blood elves who INSIST they are High Elves, or better... Night Elves. Or half night elf because their father, who was a KING OF THE NIGHT ELVES (lorefail) had a tryst with a Blood Elf. ...first and foremost, the last time Night Elves had royalty, it wasn't a king, and Blood Elves didn't exist, not to mention most of the world didn't know Night Elves existed. AUGH.

Do not eff with my lore, plzkthx. Ahem...

Anyhow. Before you go making fun of someone else, look in the mirror. If you're in High School, be aware that it is time to get over the clique behavior. If you're out of High School, be ashamed of yourself that you feel the need to belittle others to fit in. In a frickin video game, or ANYWHERE in life.

If you have to put others down to make yourself feel better, you have more issues than you realize.

Non-WoW: ave.exe virus. Conquered!

2010-03-30T16:24:00.003-06:00

I have anti-virus protection. I have it turned on high, I even have scripts disabled in both of my browsers. (I use Firefox mainly, but also IE from time to time.) This, however, doesn't always stop you from picking up filth from traveling the intertubes.

Today, while looking for a simple subtitle file, I picked up "ave.exe" - a nasty piece of work that is essentially "Ransomware". It shuts down your computer's functionality by stopping you from running ANY .exe files. If you try to open your browser, it greets you with a very Official Looking window saying that your computer has a Trojan and OMGRITENAO you have to register (read: buy) this program to SAVE YOURSELF!

If you know even a little about the internet, you SHOULD know to never never never never never NEVER (got it? NEVER!) trust a popup that says "You are infected, click here for a free scan/download/help". N-E-V-E-R.

Still, ave.exe (and whatever other incarnations it has) just kind of... puts itself in before there's much of anything you can do about it.

As we all learned from the Guide: DON'T PANIC!

First, you have to KILL THE APPLICATION. Ctrl-alt-delete and "End Process" on ave.exe. Then search your hard drive for it. Where you find it, you'll find a .dll created/modified at almost the exact same time. Delete them both.

(If you are looking at this, chances are good that you either kept your browser open, or have figured out how to reopen it. If this is pre-emptive info for you - after you've deleted the ave.exe folder, the .exe disabling continues. When you select your browser, Windows will ask "what program do you want to open this with?" Select the browser program. I couldn't do this with IE without it getting weird, but Firefox was delightfully successful, even though I had to "browse" to find the firefox.exe in my Mozilla folder.)

Here's where you get into doing exactly what is written and nothing more.

Find your regedit.exe file. Typically, this is in your Windows folder on your main drive. But, when in doubt... Search! DO NOT DOUBLE CLICK ON IT!

Instead, right click on regedit.exe. Select "start" (yes, lowercase s) from the menu. THIS will open your registry for editing.

In the registry you will do 2 things.

Ctrl-F opens "Find". In the box, enter ave.exe. Delete everything you find.

WARNING: You will find entries in your search that are not "ave.exe", but CONTAIN "ave.exe" (An example would be SCREENSAVE.EXE.) Don't delete those.

(Basically, any .exe that you tried to run from the hatching of the program will have changed the open command line so that it attempts to open those .exe files THROUGH ave.exe - once you deleted ave.exe, you screwed up their plans. Now you just need to clean up after it.)

Return to the top of the Registry menu (the folders on your left).
Expand HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT and go down to the .exe folder. In the right hand area you will see "(Default)". Right click, select "Modify".

In the Value Data line of the box that will pop up, you may find "secfile" or something else. It doesn't matter what it says. Make it say "exefile" (no quotation marks!).

Close your registry.

THIS should have successfully cleared your machine of this nasty little thing.

I suggest a reboot, and then you may want to take some time to show your computer some love with some thorough scanning and cleaning with the cleaners/scanners of your choice. (I recommend going through CNET.com for these needs, to reduce risk of going to a fake scanner site.)

Baby Windrider

2010-03-30T10:42:00.002-06:00

Over on Dressed to Cuddle (http://dressedtocuddle.blogspot.com/) (too lazy to mess with html right now. "But it has a quick link option!" Pft), I participated in Oathbreaker's own "Battlecry" contest, and with the luck of the draw, won!

What did I win? My choice of a plushie/digital pet from the Blizzard pet shop. Kinda sweet. Just waiting to start playing email tag with Oathbreaker, and then maybe I'll put up a shot of the cute lil cuddly so adorable baby Windrider. Maybe.

Roleplaying Guilds & Representation

2010-03-18T16:12:00.004-06:00

I know, an actual post. Alarming, right? I have more to write about on my Bad PUG'ers blog, but I don't feel like reliving the past few experiences I've had just yet.

This is about my quest to find a roleplaying guild. I think that I would be an asset to an RP group, but I may be "too picky" about quality and behavior to ever find one in WoW.

I have a level 70 mage. She's been a heavily roleplayed character since her creation (in fact, she was recreated to be heavily roleplayed through her leveling progression), and I have had my eye on a guild on my server for some time. The Silvermoon Academy. It's a busy RP guild, and from all appearances, a very good guild to consider if you are a roleplayer.

There's where the trouble starts, for me.

If you are a dedicated roleplayer, you can pretty much get in. How could this be a problem?

Not all roleplayers, or more specifically their characters, are suited to the VERY SPECIFIC environment of a guild such as SMA. The Silvermoon Academy is a niche guild. They are a SCHOOL. As such, your character needs to fit into the mesh of a teacher/consultant/student. There are MANY student characters that simply don't behave that way. IC they are insubordinate, and just generally? Mean and spiteful even (mostly!) to authority. It's as though the players are making up for all the bad things in their life by acting out through their characters. All the 'bad ass' things they never did in high school? Here's their chance!

As a non-member, my character was introduced as a prospective student. I was attached, RP-wise, to a prominent character functioning within the guild, but unless I was with that person, I was all but ignored. I provided uniforms that I only got thanked for once I was at an event where they weren't wearing them. It was heartwarming to know that they liked them, even preferred what I sent to what they ended up wearing... but they couldn't have sent a note back that simply said "Thanks!" in response to my IC letter/package?

Further events, during a plotline, discouraged me even more (and refers back to the "not every roleplayer belongs in a niche guild" point): Professors sassing off to the Academy Guard (the Captain!), students blatantly defying rules and orders that were set down during the plotline (and complaining about the consequences).

Through all of that, I told myself "I could still join and make my own experience better." Until one day, my character was introduced to two professors, and a conversation ensued about how they only mock/belittle students in the privacy of the lounge.

Is this something you honestly say in front of someone who has said "I am interested in your guild"?

Their most vocal members are horrible. (The players may be fantastic, but the characters are obnoxious, bratty, arrogant, and generally intolerable. And before you can think 'all blood elves are like that', they aren't. Look into the lore. Elves are not Human Teenagers.)

I don't understand RP guilds in WoW at all. They never seem to recruit in-character, and it is worse when people are so caught up in their individual character story (you should NEVER call yourself a good roleplayer if you feel like your character has to tell everyone under the sun that their problems are so much worse because "i had to murder my own family") that they forget they are representing a Roleplayed Organization.

I ran the Dark Tower on the Baja Server of Ultima Online for a long time. I was a member for a longer time than that, and if I ever saw my members representing us badly, there were consequences! That isn't to say that I moderated their own character story... but there's a reasonable line where I expected my members to abide by our rules of conduct in-character. (Our IC rules were sometimes more strict than the OOC ones.) We were a niche guild (villains), but we were more "Lawful Evil" - if you need an alignment - so you HAD TO FIT.

If I were to visit a college as a prospective student, I can bet that I am not going to find a professor on the college grounds meeting with me, shitfaced, and cursing up a storm. Nor is the Dean going to ignore me when I'm introduced.

This is the problem with a niche-RP-guild just letting in anyone who RPs.

Or maybe I am "too picky"?

Like Jaws, it keeps coming back

2010-03-16T13:59:00.003-06:00

I thought that the title last post was appropriate. That "Lucifer" couldn't get any more ridiculous. Well, several levels later, we encountered "Lucifer" again. This time, Vaalin (actual in game name), is "Yuri", but still "Lucifer!" ...a picture is worth 1000 words. I have pictures with words in them:

...Yeah.

The Omega of MRP Profiles

2010-02-10T14:52:00.005-07:00

On Wyrmrest Accord, there was a fellow who insisted on using the name "Lucifer" for his character name. He added letters randomly to the end, but eventually the good folks at Blizzard took the reigns on his rename, and he ended up named "Vaalin". Vaalin is a mid-level Forsaken Warlock. And this, this my friends... is his MRP.

---

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Casterly Gear for Hanelore

2009-09-30T14:08:00.004-06:00

Casters and their gear have gotten so homogenized, there's not a very clear line between what is "best" in slot, and what isn't for X, Y, or Z class/spec. These are my closest estimations to what you can get that should be "best" and obtained from the Northrend Heroics (up to item level 200, so no Heroic ToC on this list), and Regular ToC (as it has great ilevel 200 drops, equal to other Heroics).

Heroics-Only Gear for Hanelore:

Chest:

[Arcane Flame Altar-Garb], dropped in Gundrak (Gal'darah).

Shadow Alternative (Hit): [Water-Drenched Robe], dropped in VH (Ichoron).

Feet:

[Footwraps of Teleportation], dropped in VH (Xevozz).

Shadow Alternative (Crit): [Stone-Worn Footwraps], dropped in Azjol-Nerub (Gatewatcher).

Hands:

[Gloves of the Glistening Runes], dropped in Nexus (Keristrasza).

Shadow Alternative (yellow socket for Hit): [Silken Bridge Handwraps], dropped in AN: Old Kingdom (Amanitar).

Also possible: [Handwraps of Surrendered Hope], Reg ToC (Black Knight).

Head:

[Crown of Unbridled Magic], dropped in Oculus (Eregos).

Alternative, Ease of Acquisition: [Forgotten Shadow Hood], dropped in Culling of Stratholme (Salramm).

Legs:

[Leggings of the Haggard Apprentice], Reg ToC (Confessor/Eadric).

Alternative (Higher Crit/SP, no Sockets): [Woven Bracae Leggings], dropped in HoL (Loken).

Shoulders:

[Mantle of Inconsolable Fear], dropped in Reg ToC (Black Knight).

Alternative (Spirit): [Mantle of Deceit], dropped in Culling of Stratholme (Mal'ganis).

Waist:

[The Confessor's Binding], dropped in Reg ToC (Confessor).

Shadow Alternative (Hit): [Belt of the Churning Blaze], dropped in Reg ToC (Confessor/Eadric).

Wrist:

[Azure Cloth Bindings], dropped in VH (Cyanigosa).

Shadow Alternative (Hit): [Bindings of the Wicked], dropped in Reg ToC (Champions').

Moira

2009-04-23T14:04:00.002-06:00

I wrote this, intending to submit it to Blizz's story contest. However, it was literally half the needed minimum length. Fluffing it up didn't feel right. So, I submitted nothing. Still, here is this.

--------------------------------------------------

Moira lifted her face to the steeple of the Northshire Abbey. It was years ago - when she was a girl, living and breathing - the last time she'd seen this place. The memories were hazy now, like the memory of a book read as a child, but she remembered sneaking off of the grounds and heading to the front, to help the citizens of the beleaguered towns of Lordaeron. That was how she'd become part of the Scourge; her body was tossed into a mass grave with hundreds of others who had been killed in Arthas' purging of Stratholme, only to rise days later enslaved to the will of Ner'zhul. Her flesh had rotted, her eyes were gone. The 'gift' of the Scourge allowed her to see without sight, but her face was bound, covering the decaying caverns of her eye sockets.

Moira was blind. Like many of the Forsaken, she had not risen as one of the Scourge until she had already begun to rot. The guards in Elwynn Forest did not know this, and dressed in her Death Knight regalia, none could tell she was Forsaken. A human name, knowledge of where she was going, it was all enough to give her safe passage to and through the gates of the Abbey.

She lifted a gloved hand to touch those worn leather straps, but her fingers met the faceplate of her helm. Thanks to King Varian's decree all Death Knights that were freed due to Tirion's confrontation with the Lich King were to be treated as allies. Now she stood before the doors to the Abbey she'd dwelled in as a child, waiting for a priestess to grant her audience.

===

"Mary?"

Mary placed a finger on the page of the book before her, offering a smile to the young acolyte standing in the library's doorway. "Yes, Thomas?"

"There is a Death Knight here to see you. I made her wait at the gates. She would not give a name, except one she said is your father's."

Her lips pursed and color drained from Mary's face as she closed the tome. "Tell me what name she gave?"

"Alaric."

"Bring her to me."

===

The halls were much the same as they had been when she was younger. It had barely been more than a decade, hadn't it? Moira found herself wondering, but not caring. These memories were more of a mental exercise, lacking any sentimentality. She was here for one reason and one alone.

The acolyte led her to one of the smaller libraries, holding the door open for her. She stepped inside and nodded to the boy before turning to look over the room. As her eyes came to rest on the priestess sitting at the table in the center of the room, she heard the door close behind her.

"Please, come in and have a seat. You may remove your helm, Knight. Though I understand you do not require air to breathe, it cannot be pleasant to be so confined all the time." The priestess's voice was soft and kind, but tight with wariness.

"Swear on your father's grave you will not call for the guardsmen." Moira's voice was hollow within the helm, hissing through the dryness of her throat and lips.

Mary folded her hands, resting them in her lap, "You've my word."

Moira slowly raised the helm from her head. Strands of dry, dirty, blood-caked hair fell loose around her shoulders. The glow of undeath leaked from behind the leather straps across her face. She waited for the priestess's reaction, one hand resting on the hilt of the blade at her hip.

Her voice was tight, when she spoke, "What are you doing here, Forsaken?"

"You do not recognize your own sister?" There was amusement and malice in Moira's words, but also a measure of sadness.

"Moira..." There was a thud as the priestess fell to the floor. She'd fainted.

===

Moira paced as she spoke. "...I didn't care about anything anymore. Sylvanas said we were free, but what is the difference between a prison of the soul and mind, and a prison of the flesh? I was still trapped in this, this carcass. When the second Plague came, Arthas’ this time, even we Forsaken were not immune. He, his commanders, they all delighted particularly in the Forsaken that fell and were reborn as his Death Knights. Another prison, this one worst than the first. It was not like the first time, where I felt I was trapped in a nightmare from which I could not wake. No, this time, I slaughtered Crusaders and peasants alike and I enjoyed it. It made the pain stop, it made everything stop. There was only killing, only serving Arthas’ will. When we besieged Light’s Hope, Tirion and Arthas faced one another. I exalted and despaired – no matter the outcome, I would be a prisoner. I would still be denied the peace of our mother and father. I would be trapped in this husk. Though it does not decay any longer, I am reminded of what I have lost at every turn. Your robes, priestess, are they soft? The wine in your glass, is it sweet? I cannot feel touch, I cannot taste, I cannot smell the air, I cannot even see the way you do, the way I once did. I cannot feel the world; I cannot feel anything but this loathing, this hatred, this despair. I can remember feeling. Is that not ironic? The memory of sadness, of loss, of love. I have it, and it is poignant, but it means so little. It is like remembering the emotion of a character in a play. You remember the tears, you remember why they were hurt, but you weren’t them, you can’t feel it. All is ash and sawdust, and I hate it."

Mary took a slow and deep breath. This was her sister, this twice Plagued Death Knight sitting on the bench next to her. She didn't smell, as Mary had thought she might, of rotting flesh and disease. She smelled dusty, of long empty tombs and forgotten ruins. If she looked closely, she could see how the Death Knight before her resembled her sister, as she was in life. They looked very alike, the two sisters, and Mary gazed into what she knew could be a mirror. If the Plague had taken her instead, if she had died, this is what she would look like. Nausea swept over her again.

"I came here to ask one thing of you, my sister."

"What is it?" Mary barely managed to whisper the words. She still felt lightheaded and feared she would faint again. Light or not, if she were prone and helpless, this Death Knight who was no longer truly her sister could easily dispatch her.

"I want you to release me."

"Release...?" Mary blinked in surprise and sat up straighter. "Kill you, you mean? I can't do that. You're my sister! My... my last living relative?"

Moira rose to her feet, drawing the sword from her belt. "Living? LIVING?! You call this living?!" She drew the blade across her own throat. No blood spilled from the wound, only a ferrous dust. "This is not living, little sister. This is a hell unlike any you've known. If you have any love for the person I used to be, for the sister you lost, you will kill me. Release me from this husk, from this torture." Moira went to one knee before Mary, a Priestess of the Light, and once upon a time her baby sister. "Please."

Though her sister's eyes were long gone, and the sockets covered, Mary could feel Moira's pleading gaze. "H-how?"

"The Light. If nothing else in this world is good or right and I know nothing is, then the Light must be able to set me free. Burn me with it, cleanse me with it. I do not care how much it may hurt, or how long it may take. I only want freedom, Mary, freedom. I want to die."

===

The guardsmen came into the library at the priestess's call. On the floor at her feet laid a Forsaken Death Knight.

"Priestess, how...?"

"It is not important, Martin. Please, this woman needs a proper burial. I will provide all the information to Brother Neal, but for now, will you please remove her body?" Mary walked past the dumbstruck guardsmen, who were still trying to figure out how a Forsaken had gotten into the Abbey, and paused at the door, "Please, treat her with respect. She was my sister."

===

The funeral for Moira Elias was a quiet affair held on the grounds of the Abbey. The coffin was carried by four soldiers sent from Stormwind, with the Priestess Mary Elias leading the procession to Goldshire. A grave was dug, and Moira was finally laid to rest between her mother and father.

===

It was raining. The coffin creaked under the weight of wet earth. Inside, Moira stirred.

Mariette saves Ma'algos

2008-12-08T13:39:00.001-07:00

Mariette's eyes snapped open. She was already sitting up.

"You're safe," a voice whispered to her. As she became aware of her surroundings, she remembered she was in the Abbey. Brother Neal was at her side, his hand lightly on her shoulder. She was cold, wet. Wet? Sweat, she had been sweating. "It was just a dream, you're safe here." The monk continued his soft murmured whispers, as one would to soothe a frightened child.

"What was I...?" Strands of hair clung to her damp forehead and she reached up to wipe them clear of her eyes. She accomplished half her intent. She plucked at her clinging sleeping gown.

"The Exarch." The monks of the Abbey had become accustomed to Mariette's night terrors, on the nights when she did sleep. Otherwise, she paced the halls, or sat in the library until the sun rose. She had been searching for the Exarch Ma'algos nonstop since he had not returned from a mission in Outland. Nonstop, that is, until the King returned and there was a dire need for Stormwind's soldiers to defend their homes from a new Plague. Arthas the Traitor had sent the Scourge's Necropoli to hover over the cities, plagued shipments made their way into supply chains and people began falling ill. Some rose as the Scourge, attacking former friends and family. Mariette had been amongst those recalled from fighting the Legion. She had not slept more than a few hours each day since her return to the Abbey, and the monks were worried.

Not even the priests from the Cathedral could ease away the girl's nightmares. Nonetheless, she remained hopeful, vigilant, and focused on her duties. It was only a matter of time before her will could no longer support her, and her body would give out. Brother Neal prayed it would not happen on the field of battle.

"He's still alive." Her words had become a litany. After every dream, after every question, all she would say was 'he's still alive'. No one believed it but her. Not the Brothers in the Abbey, not her current commanders. Still, none could question her devotion to her former commander, nor her growing competence in battling the forces of the Legion, and now the Scourge. She was a capable and strong force for the Light, and if believing the ancient Draenei still lived kept her hopeful and bright, none of them would press the issue. They had lost too many to despair and the darker emotions that came with these trying times.

Brother Neal lingered a moment, patted Mariette's shoulder, and turned to leave her room. Mariette sat on her cot, holding her breath until her heartbeat slowed. It had been the same nightmare for months upon months now. Ma'algos in chains, beaten, broken, possibly dead, being dragged along a road in a forest, and then into a forsaken terrain by cackling demons and their Sin'dorei allies. The setting was different in the dreams. For a time, it was Hellfire and its blood colored dust and dirt. She had scoured the entire peninsula searching for evidence of the truth of her dreams. Two months passed and she was forced to admit that it wasn't foresight, it was just a dream. Still, it haunted her.

The Argent Dawn, and their allies, had finally found a way to protect against the Scourge's plague, so the city was not overrun with fallen citizens turned Scourge. Her duties had diminished, but her commanders were not willing to allow her to "yet" return to Outland and her search. She realized they were giving her a lot of leeway in her behavior, and for that she was grateful. In return, she gave the Alliance Command as much intelligence as she possibly could on the locations she infiltrated, observed, or outright attacked. So far, she had provided them with enough useful information that they allowed her to continue more or less as she desired.

Mariette slid off her cot to rest on her knees beside it. She bowed her head, and held her father's pendant, a sigil of the Silver Hand, between her hands and prayed. She was going to Shadowmoon Valley, the place she recognized from this dream, with or without her current commander's blessing. Ma'algos could be upset with her later, for disobeying orders from a higher ranking officer. That would be fine, she reasoned, because that would mean he was alive and well.

* * *

Mariette found their encampment a day's ride beyond the Valley's border with the Forest. The elves were asleep, but their felhounds patrolled the camp, circling the massive Draenei captive chained to the stone earth in the middle of their masters' tents. The chains, held into the ground by fel iron stakes, draped across his shoulders and back. They had him tied down like a rabid clefthoof. She could see the steady rise and fall of his shoulders beneath the chains; he was alive, breathing, but barely. The leather padding of her gloves creaked in protest as she gripped her sword more tightly. She knew she should plan this, perhaps even ride back to Allerian Stronghold for help. She knew it, but she couldn't look away. The proud Draenei was chained down like a mad beast. He was bleeding, he looked broken. Everything about the scene before her was a mockery of the Draenei she knew, a twisted parody of the man the last time she'd seen him.

If she rode back to the Stronghold, she knew there would be all manner of delays. By the time she returned with reinforcements, the elves would have moved on. If they were taking him to the Black Temple, she had to stop them before they reached their destination. Once he was taken beyond the gates to that place, there would be nothing she could do. No, there was no time to get help. She could do this, she had faith. Returning her sword to the harness across her back, she gripped her pendant in both hands, lifted it to her lips and then to her forehead. "Light protect me, Father watch over me," she whispered.

Before she could hesitate or second guess her plan, Mariette rose and strode purposefully into the middle of the camp. She had long ago reinforced the straps of her armor to minimize the noise she would make as she moved; because of this, she made it within a few feet of the fallen Draenei before the first of the felhounds heard her. The hounds all turned on her, but kept their distance. Fel energy emenated from them and she could feel their pull, draining her energy from her. She dropped to one knee, bringing her fist down to slam against the earth. Holy Light welled up from the ground as though her hand were a hammer and had struck a secret well. The light spilled across the ground like water, tendrils of it reaching up, wrapping around the felhounds. They stumbled in confusion, some pawing at their muzzles, others wandering in a small circle as if unaware of their surroundings.

She knew she had precious little time. Mariette fell forward in a lunge on her knees, reaching for the first fel iron spike. She took hold of it with both hands and yanked as hard as she could. The stake pulled free from the ground. If Ma'algos were at his full strength, this would not have been able to hold him down. His current weakness, as well as the arrangement of chains, would keep him from pulling any of the stakes free. The first of the felhounds was shaking off the dying tendrils of Light. Mariette grabbed a second, and then a third stake, jerking them free and throwing the chains off of Ma'algos.

"Light cleanse this ground!" A nova erupted from the paladin, the Light seeming to burst forth from her very skin. Cracks snaked across the ground, glowing like embers and burning paws of the felhounds. Her shout and the yelping of the felhounds woke their masters. Startled calls came from within still-closed tent flaps. Time was running out. The Sin'dorei were certain to have at least one Magister in their group, if not more, and more than one warlock to control the felhounds. She knew she could not stand against those odds.

"Azamet!" she called for her elekk, which she'd left a hundred yards down the roadway, around a bend so as to remain unseen. She heard the beast trumpet in return. As the first Magister flung back the flap of his tent, she could feel the rumble of her steed's approach in the earth beneath her feet. It would be close. Other elves appeared from their tents, still disoriented and shaking off the haze of their disrupted sleep. Azamet, the armored elekk, charged into the camp. Half the elves panicked, running back into their tents, or into the craggy surroundings for cover. As the elekk passed through the encampment, toward its mistress, it swung its trunk to and fro, collapsing tents. Some with, some without, Sin'dorei still inside.

Mariette pulled her sword free, bringing it to bear on the felhounds as the Light's power dimmed beneath her feet. She held one hand out toward the nearest felhound, palm open. "Light command you, begone demon!" She closed her hand into a fist and it began to glow. Light flowed from the center of her body out and around her fist in a small nebula before shooting toward the felhound. The felhound turned and fled - either by influence of the Light, or to escape it. Without waiting to see if the felhound would go far, she gripped her sword in both hands, swinging around just in time to catch another hound as it lept for her. The paladin and the demon dog tumbled to the ground together. Her sword cleaved halfway through its body, but its momentum and size bore the girl to the ground. She pushed it away and tried to tumble through the fall. The dead hound came free of her sword, but she fumbled in her attempt to regain her footing.

Azamet trumpted once more as he came to a stop next to the still form of Ma'algos. Mariette rolled and pushes herself to her feet. An arrow sped past her cheek, just missing her. Two Farstriders stood behind Azamet, notching more arrows. "Azamet, down!" Mariette ran the three strides to Ma'algos, jerking free two more stakes, and giving her elekk the sign command for lift. The elekk knelt, its trunk easing around the Draenei's bulk. Mariette jerked another chain free, barely ducking an arrow that flew just over her head.

Mariette looked toward the archers, and drew her empty hand back, uttering a wordless scream. A glow began to swirl around her form, turning into a near-vortex as it traveled up her cocked arm. A large hammer of light formed in her hand just as she flung it at the elf on the left. The Light slammed into the Sin'dorei's chest like a real hammer, knocking him backward and to the ground. His companion faltered for only a moment before reaching to his quiver for another arrow.

Azamet had Ma'algos in the air, stomping the ground impatiently. He was trained for war, but the Draenei's bulk was an effort for even the giant beast to support in this way. "Back!" Mariette made a gesture to command the elekk to put its load onto its back. The elekk lifted the Exarch over its head, lowering the limp form to drape across the broad saddle on its back. "Go!" Mariette screamed at the elekk, her hand moving in the last command she had take the time to teach the elekk. If the training had been successful, the elekk would return to Shattrath City with its burden. She made the gesture twice, when the elekk hesitated. It made to kneel, for her to mount, but she pushed on it. "No. Go!"

An arrow slammed into her left shoulder. Mariette was spun around and landed on her back on the ground. Her sword fell free, skittering few feet away. As she pushed herself to sit up, she saw Azamet trampling the two Farstriders, and a struggling form inside a fallen tent as he went. The elekk was on its way, with Ma'algos on its back.

* * *

The world was a haze, but Ma'algos felt the familiar glow of the Light beneath him. He tried to turn his head, expecting the resistance of the chains, but found none. Near to him was a figure in heavy armor, wearing a tabard that bore the symbol of Stormwind. His eyes traveled upward, squinting against the cascade of holy power that radiated from the human form. It was female. Brown hair, invoking the Light. Memories swam in Ma'algos's mind. For months, the demons of the Legion had tortured him until he did not always know what was real, and what was an illusion. The paladin girl's eyes dropped for a moment to meet his. They were blue, and though it was dark, he could see them. He knew them. It was Mariette. Not as the shy and unassuming girl he'd last seen on the Aldor Tier of Shattrath City, but as a woman, a Paladin of the Light. She glowed almost too brightly to look upon, the power pouring off of her, out of her, swirling around her. Perhaps he was dead, perhaps she had died before him, and now came to guide his soul to rest. Rest and peace.

The image of Mariette was wrested from his mind as he felt something curl around his body, felt himself lifted from the ground. Pain brought the world into focus, all too real. He could finally hear her voice as he felt himself lowered into a familiar saddle - that of an elekk armored for war. "Go!" He opened his eyes again to see her. This time, the Light was gone. She was not some angel of retribution glowing with the might of her power. She was again the girl he remembered. Her cheek was bleeding from a cut, she looked exhausted and desperate. She looked like someone who had accepted their own death. The elekk began to move as she directed it away from her. The world slowed for Ma'algos as he saw the Farstrider's arrow slam into the girl, turning her around and laying her prone. He tried to cry out, to make any move to stop the elekk, but he was too weak. He would not allow her to sacrifice herself for him. He had lived a very long life, and was tired. Still, he could not move, and in a matter of moments, the camp and the girl who had saved him was out of sight.

* * *

The Magister stumbled, tearing his robe. He cursed in Thallasian. Mariette understood the language; she had grown up and studied with his people in Stormwind. When they called themselves Quel'dorei, when they were good and pure, when they were not corrupted by the Legion like the wizard before her. The sword was getting heavy in her hand. Her left arm was numb, but she could feel the weight of blood filling the fingers of her gloves, running down from the broken arrow still lodged in her shoulder.

"Keep walking." She nudged him with the tip of her sword. He turned briefly to give the girl a baleful glare. More words tumbled from his lips in his native tongue. Mariette stopped walking, and gazed upon him with pity.

Her tongue was not as skilled with the elven language, but she could speak it clearly enough. "I was not one who betrayed you. You betrayed your own kind, yourself. The Light did not abandon you. My people have done yours wrong, but you allowed that hatred to blind you, to isolate you. Now, keep moving, and keep your tongue still." Her voice hardened with her last phrase. She didn't need more distractions. The world was already swimming around the edges of her vision. She knew she did not have very long before unconsciousness took her. If she drew on the Light to heal herself, the effort might prove her undoing as much as the blood loss. Better she save that effort for an emergency. For now, she could keep moving, but she could not afford to falter. The Magister would kill her, she knew. Time, time had always been against her.

Two figures crested the rise ahead of them. They were mounted. Mariette weaved on her feet as sensations washed over her. One mount bore the colors of the Blood Knights, emanated with the power of the Light. The other was demonic, and the waves of heat seemed to lash at Mariette's skin even from this distance. Sin'dorei, more elves. Her foot scuffed a rock, she nearly fell. The Magister took his opportunity. He turned, his hands weaving in elaborate patterns in the air while arcane words tumbled from his lips. Mariette wasted no time. She lunged forward, bringing her sword tip up just high enough to catch the Magister in the stomach. She screamed, calling on the Light to guide her. As the sword pierced the Magister's robes and then flesh, Light erupted around Mariette and the now-dying elf. It filled him, poured from his eyes and gaping mouth. Just as quickly as it had flared, it died.

The two riders were closing in on her now. The Magister fell to the earth, a lifeless husk, and Mariette fell to one knee, following him. She would not just lie down and die. She pulled her sword free of the corpse before her and held it at the ready with one hand. The sword was too heavy for her to wield with just one hand, and she knew it. As the two came closer, they slowed their mounts to a walk. The Light washed over her from the Blood Knight, an almost comforting feeling, but the heat from the Dreadsteed took her breath away. Cold was creeping into her chest, from her numb arm, and her sword seemed impossibly heavy. She couldn't focus on the two riders, but heard light elven laughter as the world dimmed and went black. She was unconscious before her cheek hit the stony ground.

* * *

Avaryse had her feet on the ground as the paladin's face made contact with the same. "Zzera, help me." The Blood Knight hesitated before dismounting and moving casually to stand next to the warlock who now knelt over the human girl. "Can you stop her bleeding without rousing her?" A thin red brow arched as she looked up to her companion. Zzera drew her sword. "...without killing her." Zzera sighed with a small smirk, and resheathed her sword. A small tendril of Light crawled from where she stood to curl around the unconscious human paladin. "There, she won't bleed for now." Avaryse glanced at the Magister and smiled grimly. "At least she did that favor." The warlock stood, brushing off her hands before pulling a small shimmering crystal from a pouch on her hip. "Zhar'mon, I summon you to do my bidding. Leave your Void, and come. Your price, I gladly pay." Shadows pulled from around them into a hulking form. Avaryse held out the small shard to the creature. It enveloped the pulsing crystal, devouring it into nothingness. "Carry the girl." Then, to her Blood Knight companion who had already remounted, "We'll take her to Shattrath."

Douche Knights?

2008-11-17T11:24:00.005-07:00

Sigh, alright. Things have been abused, neglected and treated poorly. Mostly just neglected. I am going to finish that listing of Rep rewards in Outland for crafters. I swear it. It's just not been all that motivating. Now that Northrend has surfaced from the northern oceans (or is it that the goblins just suddenly decided it was okay to take us there?)... I may or may not be more motivated.

Death Knights. Just like there are Paladins and there are Loladins. There are now Douche Knights. How can you identify a Douche Knight from a regular Death Knight? Their names can be a hint. Of course, going by that, a good majority of the population of some RP Realms... are douches. I'm not saying that's not true. (I happen to think it is, and merrily keep a notepad of names to report every few days. If you aren't a douche in a public channel, chances are good I don't bother you or your name, Moowarrior, Elvenrogue, Likmaballz. Okay, I lie. Likmaballz gets reported almost immediately.)

Anyway.

Death Knights. EVERYWHERE.

I have the expansion, I'm not touching a Death Knight character until I can do a /who in Stormwind and see Death Knights being outnumbered by ANY other class. Or at least not outnumbering more than 4 classes. Something. It'll be arbitrary.

In the meantime, I have a story.

Also, read Hannelore. Seriously. http://egotisticalpriest.com/

Reputation Crafts: Leatherworking

2008-08-06T15:11:00.002-06:00

"Ish" Ishanah Starblade?

2008-08-02T15:46:00.005-06:00

I was on my way to pick up my Gem-Stuffed Envelope, and decided to cut across the Aldor tier to get there. Up on the hill, in the Temple, I notice the ever-alluring golden ! on my radar. I haven't chosen Aldor or Scryer on Nylvara yet, so I'm curious. I go up the stairs to inquire. It's the quest for Fel Armaments. Interesting. Alright, on my way to see my Consortium friends! But before I leave, I notice something... odd.

After pushing the mysterious MRP button, it pulled up an MRP window! I thought I was going to die, or was hallucinating. I took a few more screenshots. I thought of snipping them down for size, but here are the unedited shots;

Shot One.
Shot Two.
Shot Three.

I'm sure there ARE ways to fake this (though I think MRP always puts the character's 'real' name in that top bar), but I swear on my highest level characters and their ability to reach 70 that these shots are unaltered.

After I selected a player who ran up (I was hoping they would have an RP addon so I could ask if they saw the same thing), I reselected Ishanah and the MRP button was gone.

I also received this error information. I don't know what it means, but I'm certain it means something.

Edit: After some small research, it seems there is a player bearing the name Ishanah on the Kirin Tor server, and I was likely somehow picking up her FRSP information via the NPC of the same name. Interesting.

Reputation Crafts: Alchemy

2008-07-28T10:50:00.007-06:00

The Aldor (N)
None

Argent Dawn (N)
Honored
[Recipe: Transmute Air to Fire]

Ashtongue Deathsworn (N)
None

Bloodsail Buccaneers (N)
None

Brood of Nozdormu (N)
None

Cenarion Circle (N)
None

Cenarion Expedition (N)
Honored
[Recipe: Earthen Elixir]
[Recipe: Transmute Earthstorm Diamond]
Revered
[Recipe: Transmute Primal Water to Air]
Exalted
[Recipe: Major Nature Protection Potion]
[Recipe: Flask of Distilled Wisdom]*

The Consortium (N)
None

Darkmoon Faire (N)
None

Gelkis Clan Centaur (N)
None

Honor Hold (A)
Honored
[Recipe: Elixir of Major Agility]
[Recipe: Transmute Skyfire Diamond]

Hydraxian Waterlords (N)
None

Keepers of Time (N)
Exalted
[Recipe: Flask of Supreme Power]*

Kurenai (A)
Revered
[Recipe: Transmute Primal Fire to Earth]

Lower City (N)
Revered
[Recipe: Elixir of Major Shadow Power]
Exalted
[Recipe: Flask of Chromatic Resistance]*

Mag'har (H)
Revered
[Recipe: Transmute Primal Fire to Earth]

Magram Clan Centaur (N)
None

Netherwing (N)
None

Ogri'la (N)
None

Ravenholdt (N)
None

Scale of the Sands (N)
None

The Scryers (N)
Revered
[Recipe: Elixir of Major Firepower]

The Sha'tari (N)
Revered
[Recipe: Transmute Primal Air to Fire]
[Recipe: Alchemist's Stone]
Exalted
[Recipe: Flask of the Titans]*

Sha'tari Skyguard (N)
None

Shattered Sun Offensive (N)
Exalted
[Recipe: Assassin's Alchemist Stone]
[Recipe: Guardian's Alchemist Stone]
[Recipe: Redeemer's Alchemist Stone]
[Recipe: Sorcerer's Alchemist Stone]

Shen'dralar (N)
None

Sporeggar (N)
Revered
[Recipe: Transmute Primal Earth to Water]
Exalted
[Recipe: Shrouding Potion]

Syndicate (N)
None

Thorium Brotherhood (N)
Friendly
[Recipe: Transmute Elemental Fire]

Thrallmar (H)
Honored
[Recipe: Elixir of Major Agility]
[Recipe: Transmute Skyfire Diamond]

Timbermaw Hold (N)
Friendly
[Recipe: Transmute Earth to Water]

The Violet Eye (N)
Honored
[Recipe: Flask of Chromatic Wonder]

Zandalar Tribe (N)
Friendly
[Recipe: Greater Dreamless Sleep]
Honored
[Recipe: Major Troll's Blood Potion]
Revered
[Recipe: Mageblood Potion]
Exalted
[Recipe: Living Action Potion]

*These flasks have non-reputation based twins that can be acquired as Azerothian ("old world") drops.
Flask of Distilled Wisdom
Flask of Supreme Power
Flask of Chromatic Resistance
Flask of the Titans

Posted to the WoW Professions Forum:
http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=8430366422

The Unwritten Prophesy

2008-07-14T10:53:00.003-06:00

Anyah stood outside the ship compartment that served as the meager inn for the Blood Watch settlement, her eyes taking in every little detail of the place she had been serving for the past months. Every crack in the crash remnants that now acted as shelters stood out to her eye. Every fault, every weakness. The alloy was crumbling in many places, the crystals had shattered on impact.

Here and there she caught the eye of the inhabitants, the survivors of this place. They smiled; some lowered their eyes and bowed their heads, some cheered her openly as their hero. Everywhere, every one of them glowed now with hope.

Tears clouded her eyes, the structures and the Draenei about them blurring. She would see this place again, but something was different. It would never be the same. Now, here, she was a hero. She was someone bigger than Caregiver Topher, or Messenger Hermesius. No, she wasn't bigger nor was she any more important - but she was treated that way. She was only another Draenei, an Exiled One, fortunate enough to have survived the crashing of the Exodar upon Azeroth - no lesser, no greater than any other.

Prophet Velen's words echoed in her mind. Even the Stillpine spoke of much more to come for her, much more she would do for her people.

You will do many more great things before you pass. You must embrace your destiny and meet it head on!

And Exarch Admetius! His words had struck her deeply. Take our people home.

Home. Draenor. She could barely remember it; she could barely remember anything from before the crash. When she had awakened, they said she was unconscious for weeks, months. She was lucky to be alive at all, judging by the wreckage in Ammen Vale. She only knew her name because it is what they called her. Was that truly it? And her family, loved ones? Perhaps, judging by all she'd seen until now, it was best she did not know.

"Anyah. Ticharamir... come in from the rain, before you catch cold."

Anyah turned to the voice, blinking the raindrops from her lashes. She hadn't noticed the rain at all. It was Caregiver Topher.

"Come in from the rain." He beckoned to her.

"What did you call me?"

Caregiver Topher smiled, ushering her inside and handing her a threadbare towel. "Ticharamir." He straightened the signet ring on her finger and his shoulders at the same time, speaking proudly, "The Prophesied."

Gold Beggars

2008-07-07T11:37:00.004-06:00

Originally written 5/23/2007, edited with some updates at the end.

I'm pretty new to WoW, but not to MMO's and definitely not to beggars! I have never and will never publicly beg for gold. I have, on occasion asked to be directed to someone who could sell me what I needed. (For instance, I really would rather deal personally with a Goblin Engineer to secure a Rocket Fuel recipe - too broke yet for the AH prices. I'll either find one, or save up enough gold. Easy as that!)

I have seen gold beggars. Frankly, for the most part, they disgust me.

There was a Hunter in Auberdine, level 15 or so, begging for gold. Another player was more or less having fun with the beggar, but I chimed in with suggestions. Honestly, the junk off of animals will net you a nice pile of silver in no time! This guy's reason why he needed to be given gold? It would take "FOREVER" to go out killing things.

Let's nevermind the fact that he'd be leveling at the same time? Possibly getting items he could use, and training his pet all the while... That's pure laziness. Inexcusable. Repugnant.

WoW isn't the only place you'll find beggars in the MMO world

I played Ultima Online for many years. A beggar approached me for money. I offered, instead, to show him how to make money. He said he was worried about leaving town and being pk'd... So I made a shovel for him. I lead him down to the beach below east Britain's bank, and I taught him how to mine. There was a forge inside of a house nearby he could use to smelt what he mined. I told him he could do this for a while and when he had a stack of ingots, I would buy them from him for 5 gold each. (Standard was 6gp, and I told him that - so that if he was so inclined, he could pursue finding a better buyer.) He starts digging, I go back to the bank. I hide. (Thieves, you know.)

Not FIVE minutes later, this guy is back at the bank begging for money again! Ugh!

I have had better results, however. Many young players who really WANT to try... just need a little hand up. I'm struggling with earning gold in WoW, but I'm doing it. And I'm doing it for myself, which makes it that much more fulfilling... In UO, I would buy hides from young players - and direct them to which animals were best for what warrior skill levels. They would be getting nice, relatively safer gains, and making money. Of course, I would also provide them with weapons and some armor to get them started. MANY times, that investment paid off in good friends, or at least some mutually beneficial trade.

I haven't yet seen an opportunity to do this in WoW (either as a young player, or for a young player).

-------------------

I did, after some time, have a similar experience in WoW. Standing near the mailbox in Stormwind, I was watching a few people engaged in some interesting roleplaying off to the side. Meanwhile, a level 19 gnome was begging for 5 gold in the crowd. Someone calls him over and there is a pause, he thanks them. He runs off to the Auctionhouse. Roughly 10 minutes pass. The crowd in Stormwind shuffles around fairly quickly, so the crowd is now composed of new faces for the most part. The same gnome comes out and begins begging again. Of course, I call him on it, in the /say channel so everyone around can hear me, asking if someone had not already given him 5 gold previously. He ignores me. However, he has a guild. I look up his guild, find his guild leader's name. I take some screenshots of his behavior, I send a short letter to his guild leader, offering to provide the screenshots as proof of my claims if he wants them, and tell of this member's behavior. The little gnome was removed from his guild, the guild leader replied and thanked me, giving me 2 gold for my efforts.

The gold was a nice bonus for me (by that time, I honestly didn't need it, I was sitting on 2k on that character, and roughly 3k on my auctionhouse alt), but the thanks and the action was most rewarding.

If you have a guild title over your head, you represent a group of people. If you insist on acting like a total asshat while wearing a title over your head, chances are your guild master will find out.

Nylvara, The First

2008-06-30T14:19:00.001-06:00

(Written just around the time The Burning Crusade was released.)

Since the destruction of the World Tree Nordrasil, Nylvara Silvershade has lived amongst the Night Elves of Teldrassil, the new World Tree.

Recent stirrings and strange happenings, however, have left her unsettled. With no family, she's set out to investigate the foreboding changes happening within and around Teldrasssil, without the immortality of her ancestors - sacrificed in thwarting the Highborne's plans so many years ago.

She desires to see the home of their people preserved, despite its questionable existence.

After the loss of Nordrasil, and the absence of Arch Druid Malfurion, the Arch Druid Staghelm wished to restore the Elves' eternal life and hoped to do so by creating a new World Tree, though many of the other druids protested his plans, and the Keepers of Time and Life would not bless the Tree. If the Arch Druid Staghelm had his way, all would have been restored at the birthing of the Tree; however, things did not always or often go as planned. The Arch Druid has not given up on his goal, but Nylvara feels these things were a worthwhile sacrifice to drive the Burning Legion from the face of her world.

Humility is not her strongest aspect, but the pride of the Arch Druid leaves her uneasy. It is perhaps ironic then that her only companion - Aeliostyr - is a Druid himself. The two were brought together by happenstance - or Nylvara's inability to start a decent fire in the dead of winter - or by the will of Elune herself. One visit for a warm place to sleep turned into two, turned into three, and by Spring's thaw, the two of them had an unspoken and amiable companionship.

Nylvara cooks in exchange for the Druid's protection in the forests. When traveling, the two of them each earn the respect of the other with their individual talents. The duo compliments each other well; a fact important to survival in a world where things are changing... and not necessarily for the better...

For now there are whispers of an old name and a dark temple, and the Draenei have brought the attention of the Legion back to Azeroth...

About Me

2008-03-16T15:17:00.002-06:00

This blog is a little bit of everything.

I am a casual gamer and roleplayer. My first official tabletop game was Cyberpunk, when I was 10 years old. I started playing D&D when I was 12 and have continued to do so for the past decade and a half, or so. My natural gaming progression brought me to computer RPGs (mostly the old SSI D&D games!) which eventually lead to things like Warcraft, Starcraft, Ultima Online, and now World of Warcraft. There were other games before those, during those, and there will be other games after those.

As to World of Warcraft:

I'm a predominantly solo player. I play with a few friends, and we've pushed ourselves to some limits to enjoy the content with a little less than the recommended people. I have done some raiding - as part of a small (10-man) guild, and as a pick-up for friends' guilds. I don't study, but I'm a quick learner.

I avoid most guilds. The majority of WoW players I've experienced do not view guilds as a commitment, where I do. It's the same as joining any club or league. The members rely on each other being there - particularly if it is an active content oriented guild. As for Roleplaying Guilds? I've yet to find one that lives up to its own standards/rules. (If you are out there, I would love to know about you!)

I love to roleplay.

Gold. Gold is always a topic, but not one I want to focus on. There are plenty of other, better gold blogs out there. We'll suffice to say that I've done quite well applying a bit of common sense and a little entrepreneurial spirit.

Contact

2008-03-16T13:36:00.000-06:00

If you would like to contact me without leaving a comment, you can send an email to:

avaryse (at) gmail (dot) com