Pandemonium Breaks out in the Champions’ Hall!

General, Roleplaying 6 comments.

TUESDAY, 11 NOVEMBER 2008 — 10.30 p.m. PT

CYNRA, AIREE.NET ANCHOR: Just an hour ago, citizens of Azeroth discovered that many of the items being sold in the Champions’ Hall had experienced an unexpected end of season sale: full Merciless Gladiator sets for priests and warlocks, as well as a number of trinkets, rings, and other pieces of armor were being handed out for free.

Now, droves of people rush to the Champions’ Hall, each with their hands open in order to take part in this bounteous event.

A news conference is now getting underway.  It appears that newly returned King Varian Wrynn, son of the late king Llane Wryn, is addressing reporters.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

KING VARIAN WRYNN, STORMWIND: … experiencing an unexpected surge in populace this evening due to this mishap.  We’re not sure why this has happened, but we’re attempting to cope with the situation.

We’re concerned this evening in helping ensure the safety of our citizens.  We’re asking all people to avoid lingering in the Champions’ Hall when they go to get their items.  It’s very easy to injure someone in the large press of bodies there and it’s best if you acquire what you came for and then promptly leave.  Furthermore, the casting of spells while within the Champions’ Hall is frowned on and will be dealt with harsh repercussions; as stated before, safety is our largest concern.

Now I’m going to ask your indulgence for a second on another unrelated — somewhat related but technically unrelated issue.  We noticed after learning of the events transpiring in the Champions’ Hall that some people are using various forms of communication to trick people in our community into believing that items are also being given out in Shattrath, the Caverns of Time, and even Area 52.

We are receiving some information that some people may be trying to exploit this situation.  Make no mistake about it, anyone who attempts to exploit this will be treated harshly.  We are not going to play around with people who make falsehoods or imply the possibility of other free items.

We give fair warning.  We expect people to behave respectfully toward the citizens of this community, and those people who imply this will be treated with all of the severity that we have in our court system.

Thank you.

CYNRA: The authorities in Stormwind trying to maintain the peace during this unexpected rush of people.  It’s been promised that people who fail to adhere to the rules outlined by King Wrynn will be dealt with harshly.

This is a picture of the scene earlier this evening, just before Wrynn made his announcement.  As you can see, the numbers within the Champions’ Hall is shockingly high.  So far, fortunately, it appears that no one has been injured despite the numbers present there.

We want to go back out to Stormwind now.  Airee.net’s Csilla Kovács is currently at the scene.  Csilla, update us on what you’re seeing out there at the Champions’ Hall this evening.

CSILLA KOVÁCS, AIREE.NET CORRESPONDENT: Miss Cyn, ya’ve got it ’bout right.  There’s a whole mess o’ people here, an’ it ain’t jes’ the one tha’ can wear them gear tha’s here.  Got us some fellahs who’ve been tellin’ us tha’ other’n seein’ more bodies’n they’ve ever seen afore at this here Hall o’ Champions, they’re seein’ a lot more priests’n should be here.  Y’should look here at this here chart they’ve made showin’ the number o’ priests is increasin’.

They’s sayin’ there’s an equal number o’ warlock t’ be found, but with the number o’ people here, it ain’t easy t’ see it myself, y’know?  ‘Cause there’s so many people here!

All ’round here there’s people fightin’ an’ shovin’ an’ sayin’ they wants t’ get t’ them vendors who’ve got themselves so loot t’ be shared.  Sad t’ be said, but ain’t everyone here listenin’ t’ wha’ mister King Wrynn, sir, said earlier, ’cause it’s hard t’ see the vendors at all, much less t’ be talkin’ t’ them.  Even now ya can hear the shouts o’ them fellahs as they push t’ get closer while those at the fellah hisself stay right put.

We’ve learned some o’ wha’ has happened in the press conference ya jes’ heard.  The biggest question, though, tha’ ain’t answered at this point is why this all is happenin’.

I tried t’ talk t’ one o’ them fellahs tha’ started this whole mess earlier when I spoke with tha’ Captain Dirgehammer fellah, but it didn’t do me no good.  Fellah didn’t say a single word t’ me, though he did try t’ shove a whole lot o’ stuffs into my hand.  By the time I’d been push out o’ the way by some really mean-like fellahs, I’d had in my hands some Merciless Gladiator’s Mooncloth Gloves, Merciless Gladiator’s Mooncloth Hood, Merciless Gladiator’s Mooncloth Leggings, Merciless Gladiator’s Mooncloth Mantle, an’ Merciless Gladiator’s Mooncloth Robes.  Tried t’ tell mister Dirgehammer tha’ I had me the whole lot already from fightin’, but he ain’t a fellah t’ take no fer an answer.

Even worse, though, is the fackt tha’ there’re rumors them Horde fellahs is gettin’ the same sort of treatment this evenin’ in the Orgrimmar.  Supposedly them fellahs in the Hall o’ Legends is havin’ themselves a hard time, too, as their vendors is givin’ out armor fer free as well. It’s ‘nough t’ make this here gel’s head turn, right it does!

This is Csilla Kovács, still standin’ ’round here in Stormwind, ‘course.  Back t’ ya, miss Cyn.

CYNRA: Thank you, Csilla.  It appears the events on the Champions’ Hall wll continue through the night until the vendors there complete their business.  It’s been suggested that the people standing there be forcibly removed, but that suggestion was discarded for fear of rioting.

It is interesting to note that while the excitement generated in the Champions’ Hall proceeds , the attacks on the newly restored Stormwind Harbor continue unabated.  The Scourge’s efforts are almost entirely disregarded, with only a small handful of brave soldiers faring against the waves frost wyrms that continue their assalt in the defenders’ absence.  This has given some speculation that the events that have occured in Stormwind this evening are not an example of the genorostiy of the vendors in the Champions’ Hall but instead part of some nefarious plot concocted by the Lich King, former prince Arthas Menethil.  We will see in upcoming days what will when entail.

This is Cynra of Airee.net signing off.

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Zombies Ate My Inn Keeper

General, Roleplaying 2 comments.

A number of months ago I lamented about the emotional tug that recent prior world events seemed to lack.  In “Enemy at the Gates: The Scourge Invasion,” I spoke about how the original Scourge Invasion that heralded the new dungeon Naxxramas in Path 1.11 was my favorite world event ever implemented by Blizzard.  I wrote:

In the months before the first expansion was released, the world of Azeroth came under attack by Scourge forces under the command of Kel’Thuzad. Giant necropoleis hovered overhead as waves of undead assaulted the lands⁵ below. Some of these creatures would manage to find their way into capital cities, harassing the local populace and implacably moving forward in an effort to take out the city’s leader in a single blow.

The Scourge Invasion was finally repelled by the combined forces of the Horde, Alliance, and Argent Dawn.

The world event was beautifully enacted in such a way that completely blows my mind away. First off, it was clearly a world event of epic proportions. While the Ahn’Qiraj War Effort attempted to allow everyone to get involved by turning in needed supplies, most of the action was far away in Silithus, not easily accessible by most inexperienced players. The Scourge Invasion, however, was everywhere you turned; whether outside of Stormwind, inside the Undercity, or leveling in the Plaguelands, the Scourge was certain to have a presence. Questing for the invasion began as low as level 6, though most of the content was limited to those near to the then-current level cap.

I stand by those words.  The Scourge invasions — both before and its current incarnation — exemplify characteristics of the game I find so appealing.  I’ve had so much fun within the last week, even as others have railed against Blizzard and their zombie infestation.

I’m enamored.

I may have mentioned before that I used to be a staff member of one of the larger Ultima Online free servers.  While I focused primarily on answering pages and beautifying the world, I did help organize a number of world events during my tenure.  The current incarnation of the Scourge Invasion is exactly like something I would have loved to plan, organize, and implement.  Whether players like it or loathe it, they’re involved and they’re vocal about it.  People are reacting in a way that is very appealing — I was getting tired of hearing cries to further nerf paladins.¹

I love the disarray caused by the world event.  From what I can discern, it’s intentional. The invading Scourge should be disrupting people’s lives; it underlines the concern that the Lich King has turned his focus back to Kalimdor and Azeroth, and that his efforts could have lasting effects on the world.  Everyone is involved in this fight, whether it’s by participating in defending his home or by being swept up by the undead and mindlessly following other converted individuals.  People can’t avoid this because Arthas’s reach is just that far.

I found that the people who had the most fun in this event were the ones who were willing to adapt, temporarily shelve their goals, and get involved rather than lament how Blizzard has ruined their game.  Honestly, it’s an event that won’t persist beyond a week — does it warrant people claiming that they’re going to cancel their accounts or that Blizzard

In general, I had fun this week playing the perky priestess and allowing her to interact with others during the Scourge Invasion.  At the time of the first invasion she was still dutifully training and focusing on other goals; this time, she’s thrown herself headlong into the fray and is helping as she can in true Csilla fashion.  Last night a friend and I were stoically defending Stormwind from attack, clearing the Trade and Cathedral Districts of zombie infestations and curing people of their diseases.  It was ridiculously fun and people either joined us or threw themselves at our defenses.

Csilla eventually faltered when a wave of nearly twenty zombies overwhelmed her and I finally got to experience my first taste as a zombie.²  At that point, I went onto the offensive and gleefully slaughtered the very people that I had hoped to protect.  I focused on players at the current level cap since I didn’t want to disrupt people who were unable to defend themselves, but my friend and I³ cleared the area that we had until that moment been defending.  Once we died, however, we returned to our posts and cleaned up the mess that we had created.

The evening was especially overwhelming for poor miss Csilla, who kept hearing the insidious whispers of a malignant spirit as she fought the Scourge infestation.  Much like the letters that were lootable from the Scourge both now and then, this little effort really is wonderful.  For a young woman not yet confident in her abilities⁴, the whispers of an unfriendly spirit can be rather disheartening.

This Week on Airee.Net

I have a few projects that I’ve been working on since Friday.  There was a post regarding how to tackle the Scourge Invasion as a roleplayer, but with the final wave of zombies supposedly ending today that might be a bit moot now.  I may post it regardless.  I also acquired The Eye of Shadow which, coupled with The Eye of Divinity, will allow me to complete the pre-The Burning Crusade priest quest Balance of Light and Shadow.  I plan on recording this and eventually posting the final movie on this site, but I may put that off until after the world event ends.  It’ll be a wonderful precursor to Wrath of the Lich.  Expect the movie to be chock full of mindless Cynra commentary and effusive babble.

I’ve been told that I’m good at providing that.

Finally, I’ve been working on a series of articles regarding the post-Patch 3.0.2 Discipline tree and what I’ve learned since adopting a new spec for raiding.  In particular, I’ll look at the spells, implementation, builds, and gearing, but I’m still trying to get everything written down — especially before November arrives and I hopefully begin NaNoWriMo.  However, I am curious to hear what other people would like to see in a guide: what do you wish to learn about the Discipline tree?

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Tackling NaNoWriMo

General, Roleplaying 1 comment.

One of the more recent topics to flood the World of Warcraft blogosphere has been the impending arrival of the National Novel Writing Month.   Otherwise known as NaNoWriMo, this yearly event invites peoples to embrace literary abandon and write a 50,000 word novel within the course of thirty days.  Whole communities have embraced this annual event, while other individuals are left scratching their heads in confusion.

While the novels can entail any universe — even one of your own devising! — many fellow bloggers have contemplated writing stories specific to the World of Warcraft environment.  Others have elected to write, but not about World of Warcraft.  Vonya at The Egotistical Priest wrote in “NaNoWriMo” claiming that she’d managed to drag both Hannelore and Bre of Gun Lovin’ Dwarf Chick into the project.  She went one step further to create a World of Warcraft community on the official site called World of Wordcraft.  Matticus of World of Matticus wrote “7 Cliche’d Ideas to Jump Start Your WoW Related NaNoWriMo.”  At Bringin’ the Wood, Jive explains more about NaNoWriMo in “We interrupt this WoW-ing for RL!“  And this morning Megan of Out of Mana announced her interest in writing this year in “Readers, Riters.”¹

I’m sincerely considering attempting to do NaNoWriMo this year.  I have tried so once before, but a family emergency halfway through the month made it difficult to complete.  Like many other bloggers, I’m interested in penning a story regarding World of Warcraft, specifically about one of my many characters.  As an amateur writer and a roleplayer, the idea of finally getting my stories written down² appeals to me a lot.  In particular, there are two ideas in my head that would work admirably for NaNoWriMo:

• The story of the undead mage Cili, but before she was Forsaken.  The novel would follow the final adventure of Mariska Stormborne as she meets an eclectic group of characters, attempts to reconcile her devotion to the Alliance with the “new” Alliance that has evolved following the fight at Hyjal Summit, and crashes headlong into a new amorous pursuit that may be a bit more serious than she had originally hoped.
• Or, I could follow the adventures of independent contractor and blade for hire Tzigane Thistledown³, a young gnome rogue.  Unfortunately, Tzigane’s prowess with lockpicking leaves something to be desired and she’s captured while performing a task for one of her occasional employers.  This technophobe and her dwarven ally — a man with more muscles than grey matter between his ears — are coerced into performing a task for the Stormwind guards that leads them into the heart of Horde territory and might cost them their lives.

At the moment, despite the appeal of roleplaying Tzigane again after disregarding her for so many years, I’m leaning more towards writing Cili’s story.  The story is more or less complete, in that the main body of events occurred during a tabletop roleplaying sessions almost three years ago.  On the other hand, I know how Tzigane’s story would start and how it ends, but everything in between is fluff for now.  A whole lot of things occur, but at the moment I have no clue.  Furthermore, Tzigane’s story revolves around her quick wit and occasional brash attitude to progress, while I feel that Cili’s is a little more deeper.  At least that’s how I’ve always visualized it in my head — it may be an entirely different matter when if I were to start penning it.

My only concern is that I tend to be a perfectionist when it comes to pursuing any type of creative endeavor.  I reread constantly, correct, change, and rarely progress as much as I’d like due to my obsession with getting everything just right.  In this, the definite deadline of NaNoWriMo could be both a blessing and a curse: while I’d be forced to write regardless of its unpolished nature due to the impending conclusion of the month, I very well might explode before then.

I think that I’ll get together my notes from that roleplaying session and plan things out.  I might also post a short story or two just to get the creative juices flowing a bit before November.  Any preparation that I can get done ahead of time to help ease the process would make success that much more likeky!

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Friday Five — Living Arrangements

Rahel, Roleplaying No comments.

Anna from Too Many Annas posted her Friday Five this morning, thereby giving me a topic to wrte about on a day that is usually dedicated to raid preparations and five hours of raiding.¹  In “RP Friday Five - Living Arrangements,” Anna wants to know more about where your character lives.  She asks:

1. What does your character’s living room look like?  (If they don’t have a stable home, describe an inn room that he or she has rented steadily.)
2. Does your character have any pets?
3. Does your character collect anything? Is that collection of any value to anyone other than them?
4. Does he or she have any “side” jobs or professions, other than their class and/or talent professions?
5. What would you find in his or her sofa cushions?

Contrary to previous weeks, I’ll be answering these questions for only one character and this time for the cantankerous kal’dorei priestess Rahel Isera’duna.

What does your character’s living room look like?

Rahel resides in a modest-sized single room home in the Forlorn Cavern of Ironforge.  She chose to live among the dwarves because, well, she didn’t feel any connection with her kin, on bad days she can’t tolerate the frenetic humans, and despite being a cantankerous bitch she does require some sort of social interaction.  However, the dwarven lifestyle emphasizes a need for structure and law that the kal’dorei desperately craves.  Her sole room reflects this.  There is a small desk against one wall with a wobbly chair beside it, a clothes chest, and a bed large enough for a six foot kal’dorei to sleep in.²  The bed is immaculately made in the strictest military fashion.  This is a place where someone comes to sleep, not live.

The only sign of any sort of person actually living here are a number of empty bottles that litter the floor by the bed, a jarring presence in an otherwise empty room.

Does your character have any pets?

None.  The end.  Pets are just a hassle and Rahel has enough to do with tending to her own business, thank you very much.

Does your character collect anything of value?

No, not really.  The room is ridiculously sparse and the kal’dorei has very little attachment to anything.  Hidden beneath her clothes in the chest, however, are a number of novels that follow stories of a more amorous nature.  It’s of little worth to anyone else, but the kal’dorei would rather that nobody learned of its existence.

Does he or she have any “side” jobs or professions?

Rahel fancies herself a bit of an engineer, which isn’t as surprising as it should appear.  At well over 12,000 years old, she remembers a time  before the sundering of the world when the kal’dorei pursued interests that included the arcane and even technology.  She sometimes wanders over to the the Library in the Hall of Explorers to see some of the artifacts that the dwarves have collected and surmise are elven in nature due to their age — though she’d never tell.

Despite her lack of -– or stubborn unwillingness to build -– a rapport with others, Rahel is something of a logistical genius and has an eye for details.  The kal’dorei can be relied on to find a way to get things done efficiently and effectively, albeit amidst a continual torrent of complaints and thinly-veiled curses.  Until recently, she was serving as an officer in The Regiment, an independent military force located on Azeroth.  Until another such opportunity arises, Rahel’s skills languish.

What would you find in his or her sofa cushions?

Rahel’s house lacks any extraneous furniture beyond a desk, chair, and bed, so this question isn’t quite applicable.

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Friday Five — Speed Edition

Characters, Roleplaying 1 comment.

With the triumphant return of Anna of Too Many Annas after an encounter with an elite storm last month, I was hoping to see her Friday Five series come back as well.  Fortunately, Anna didn’t let us down; in “Friday Five, RP style - Speed Edition“, she encourages readers to answer five quick and simple questions regarding their characters.

Is your character tall/short/average?  What kind of build?

• Aniko Leanan’Sidhe, daughter of a minor sin’dorei house, stands shorter than many of her kin — a fact that has irked her to no end for centuries.
• Cili — originally known as Mariska Stormborne in life — would stand taller than the average human woman, but she now walks hunched over in undeath.  Fortunately undeath hasn’t been as unforgiving for her appearance, though most people would still have to look twice to note that she’s a woman.
• Human Csilla Kovács is perky, busty, and rather short; the young woman stands no more than five-foot-one.
• Eszti Nightwing is of average height and build for a kal’dorei.  She’s a bit flat-chested, but she makes up for it with legs that would put Tina Turner to shame.
• Having grown up in the open spaces of the Hinterland rather than under a mountain like many of her kin, dwarven rogue Hajnal Guthhrafn is leaner and less endowed than most of her kin.
• Irenke, Spirit Woman of a forest troll tribe in the Hinterlands, is a little below average in height, but is a full figured woman.  A less forgiving individual might call her overweight, but it’s all in the right places to end up with a very curvaceous and sensual woman.
• Orc daughter Silent Julcsa Breakspear possesses both the height and build that is expected of her race and gender.
• Fledgling tauren druid Lujza Spiritdancer is of average height and build for her age.  Her clumsiness, however, makes her appear much more bulky than she is.
• Cantankerous kal’dore priestess Rahel Isera’duna stands taller than many of her kin, but her body is bony and full of sharp edges.
• Former Vindicator Teca e’Veritas is of average height (perhaps slightly taller), but retains the bulk from muscles that her past profession built up over the years.  She is growing slightly leaner as the months pass and the draenei engages in more scholarly pursuits.

Name one thing quirky, unusual, or unexpected

• Aniko possesses a soft spot in her heart for a paladin who has taken it upon himself to redeem this warlock.
• Cili awoke in undeath blind; she hesitantly relies on her magic to assist her in day-to-day activities.
• Csilla is a blacksmith and adores being so with every fiber of her being — including people’s reactions when they learn this dimunitive priestess should pick such a profession.
• Eszti was a former sailor.
• Hajnal feels astrong bond with nature and will go out of her way to avoid large settlements.
• Irenke possesses a voracious appetite for men.  Race is not an issue.
• Julcsa shaves her head.
• Lujza is literally the bull running loose in the China shop; she’s horrifically clumsy despite her surname.
• Rahel really enjoys the theater, though this stubborn woman would never admit it for fear of losing face.
• Teca has an almost obsessive attachment to murlocs and has spent her time since crashing onto Azeroth studying these enigmatic creatures.

Name one thing stereotypical of class, race, or origin

• Aniko possesses the sin’dorei obsession and drive for the accumulation of magic.
• Cili loathes everyone and everything.
• Csilla is inherently a very honest and well-intentioned individual who goes out of her way to assist others.
• Eszti feels most at home in the wilderness.
• Hajnal doesn’t mind a stiff drink every once in a while.
• Irenke speaks in the expected troll patois.
• Julcsa communes with the spirits, as expected of a shaman.
• Lujza enjoys picking flowers.
• Rahel is a Sister of Elune, though she tends to think of her title as being something in the past.
• Teca is a former Vindicator.

Favorite (or least favorite) article of clothing?

• Aniko likes shoes — particularly ones with heels that grant her the appearance of standing taller.
• Cili neither sees nor cares for clothing.
• Csilla loathes dresses with every fiber of her being.
• Eszti will not wear any article of clothing that covers her face.  She relies far too much on her senses to muffle half of them.
• Hajnal is fond of a jaunty hat that she picked up on her travels.
• Irenke adores tight-fitting clothing that shows her curves to the best advantage.  There is one “frock” in particular that she’ll wear when given the opportunity.
• Julcsa doesn’t give much thought to her appearance, though she would much rather go barefoot when the opportunity presents itself.
• Lujza wears bangles around her wrists and ankles that she stubbornly wears despite how jarring they are when she falls.
• Rahel wears an oil-soaked rag that has been used numerous times in the past while tinkering.
• Teca picked up a rather revealing top shortly after her arrival.  Wearing it gives her a feeling of excitement that results from a fashion style that is probably rather jarring to the dedicated and serious draenei people.

What is your characters’ favorite color?

• Aniko: Gold.
• Cili: None.
• Csilla: Blue.
• Eszti: Silver.
• Hajnal: Green.
• Irenke: Red.
• Julcsa: Blue.
• Lujza: Blue.
• Rahel: Brown.
• Teca: Purple.

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