In case you missed them, click here for Part I, and here for Part II
* * * * *
With resounding roars from rider and mount alike the Horde raiders swept into Astranaar. A huge Tauren warrior riding a giant Kodo had point, and his massive beast crashed into the two Night Elf Sentinels stationed at the eastern bridge, sending them flying into the air. In a clear display of the Elves' legendary dexterity one of the Sentinels drew her bow and loosed an arrow while still in midair. It was an impressive shot, considering the Sentinel was upside down at the time, even if the arrow did nothing more than glance off the Tauren's plated helm.
The Tauren's two companions rode in behind him, and as one all three wheeled their mounts around then leaped off and prepared for battle. A few arcane words from the Orc Shaman saw lightning spark and flash from the head of his mace, while small balls of lightning appeared from thin air and began to swirl and dance around him.
The dark robed figure behind the Orc hissed, then muttered something Kwazimoto didn't catch, but the hair on his neck stood up as an unholy stench swept his way. A shimmer appeared in the air beside the Warlock, not unlike a heat wave, then a giant, armored figure slowly appeared in what was obviously a rift to another dimension. As the demon materialized it bellowed, "Who dares summon me?!"
"A Felguard!" gasped Raene Wolfrunner, who stood watching with Kwazimoto. "These are strong opponents indeed, young Dwarf. Best you stay back and leave this fight to us. Come, Dagri! To battle!"
As Night Elves rushed from the buildings to defend their tiny home in the middle of the Ashenvale forest, Dagri, Raene's wolf, darted in and started harassing the Warlock. Raene herself fired several arrows in quick succession, and although all found their mark they seemed to do little more than attract the attention of the Felguard, which turned and charged her position.
Raene pulled another arrow from her quiver and said something in Elvish that Kwazi didn't catch, but he was duly impressed when a spiderweb pattern of light began flickering up and down the arrow's shaft. The Hunter fired the arrow at the fast approaching Felguard, and Kwazi gasped as the shaft buried itself in the ground between the demon's feet. She missed? How? And then the arrow exploded into thin filaments of light that wrapped around the Felguard's legs and brought it crashing to the ground, immobile.
Raene drew another arrow, muttered some more words in Elvish, then launched this arrow towards the Horde raiders. Almost as soon as it left her bow the shaft split into three separate arrows, with each seeking one of the three raiders.
The Felguard climbed back to its feet, shook itself free of the last of the magical net, then resumed its lumbering run towards Raene. The Hunter fired her next arrow straight into the Felguard's face while shouting yet another Elvish word, but this was a word Kwazi did know, because Raene had taught it to him that very morning.
Scattershot!
The arrow exploded in the Felguard's face, stunning it, and for several seconds it wandered aimlessly on wobbly, unsteady legs. That was all the time Dagri needed to return to Raene's side and begin worrying at the Felguard, which forgot the Warlock's earlier orders and focused all its attention on the wolf. Kwazimoto heard the Warlock curse but the distance between the Warlock and its minion was too great. The Felguard ignored its master's orders and concentrated on trying to strike the elusive wolf that kept snapping at its legs.
While Dagri kept the Felguard occupied, Raene launched arrow after arrow at the raiders, which is when Kwazi noticed something not quite right. His keen eyes had caught movement where none should have been. What was that? Tusks? And was that...a dagger? As if a spell had been broken a young Troll appeared in front of him, creeping towards Raene. Clearly it was unaware it had been spotted, for it continued its deliberately slow movements towards the Elven Hunter. In fact Kwazi found his attention start to wander and it took all of his willpower to focus on where he knew the Troll was, and not "Look away! You don't see me!"
Kwazi shook his head. Was this how they did it? He'd heard of the Rogues' uncanny ability to disappear in broad daylight; how they could apparently stand out in the open and not be seen. Was it some kind of learned magic by which they forced any observers to look away, to literally not see the Rogue standing right in front of them?
"I see you," Kwazi told himself. "I SEE YOU!!!"
There! Creeping around to get behind Raene! There it was! Kwazi shouldered his rifle, took careful aim, and squeezed the trigger.
Ka-Boom!
Raene spun at the sound to see the young Troll collapse in a heap beside her, still holding a wicked dagger tightly in each hand. She looked over at Kwazi to thank him, then her eyes widened and her focus switched from his face to over his shoulder.
"Bastard!" hissed a voice in Kwazi's ear as something slammed into his lower back. Then came a second searing pain higher up. And then he felt nothing at all.
The last thing Kwazi saw was Raene launching another arrow straight at him. No, not at him. Over his head. He heard her yell something in Elvish. He knew that word. What was it again? Oh yeah. Scattershot. Then his world went black.
* * *
Kwazi's head hadn't felt like this for a long time. Not since the morning after he and Jarven tried to drink every last keg of Thunder Ale in the Kharanos Inn. Actually, now that he thought about it, that still hadn't been as bad as he felt now. Just how much had he had to drink this time? He hoped Jarven felt even worse, because he just knew his old friend was behind this horrific hangover.
Slowly and carefully he cracked open one eye lid, expecting to be blinded by the fire in his room at the Kharanos Inn, but there was no fire. And this wasn't Kharanos. So where was he? And why was everything so green? Kwazi opened both eyes, and one of the most musical voices he'd ever heard cautioned him to take it easy.
An elf? Oh yeah. It all came flooding back to him.
The Druid who kept yawning and muttering something about the Emerald Dream, who had asked Kwazi to escort him from Auberdine to a giant tree-like demi-god in some outdoor temple.
Another Hunter - this one an Elf - and his bear companion. Kwazi got the feeling traveling with them that while two was company, three was definitely a crowd. He remembered parting ways, with the Elf saying he was going to investigate a Furbolg camp.
Then there was Astranaar, and Raene Wolfrunner, and...the Horde! And the young Troll Rogue that he'd shot, only to be ambushed by...another Rogue?
Kwazi tried to sit up and pain shot through his body, from two points in his back, to be precise. Again the musical voice cautioned him to take it easy before calling out, "Raene! He's awake!"
A tall, lithe body blocked the light of the doorway for a second as Raene stepped inside the hut. "Don't try to get up just yet, Kwazi," she told him. "You got that first Troll, but his brother got you."
"I thought I was a goner" said the Dwarf.
"You were," said the owner of the musical voice, "but you seem to have made some interesting friends in your short life, Hunter. Although Dwarves were never meant to walk the Emerald Dream, it sounds like you are one who has. When Raene brought you to me you were so pale that I thought you were already lost to us. But as we lay you down you gasped, then uttered the name of a powerful Druid. 'Kerlonian Evershade! What are you doing here?' you said, and that was when I knew you still had a chance. Oh, I'm sorry. Where are my manners? I am Tra'onna Evershade, daughter of Kerlonian. It is a pleasure to meet you, Kwazimoto."
Kwazi finally managed to sit up but decided against trying to stand just yet. Instead he bowed his head and said, "Well met, Tra'onna Evershade, daughter of Kerlonian Evershade. I am Kwazi'Moto, son of Kozi'Moto, son of Quasi'Moto, and I am honored to meet you."
Tra'onna laughed. "And I am glad we were able to meet, Kwazi'moto, son of Kozi'moto. I've heard the Dwarves are legendary for two things in particular. Their sturdy constitution and," she smiled to show she meant no malice, "their stubbornness, and it appears both traits have served you well these past few days. Yes," she said, noting the shock on Kwazi's face, "it's been half a ten-day since we were last attacked, but given the severity of the wounds you suffered, I'm amazed to see you awake so soon. Still, I don't think you're ready to resume your hunt just yet, Kwazi'moto."
Kwazi would have liked to have argued otherwise but he was forced to admit Tra'onna was right, especially as the room had been slowly spinning ever since he sat up. "I think...I'd like something to eat," he said, "then...maybe I'll take another nap, if you don't mind."
"How could I object to such a polite request, Kwazi'moto, son of Kozi'moto," laughed Tra'onna, as she prepared a bowl of broth for him. "Here. I think you will find this surprisingly satisfying, for a simple bowl of broth."
Kwazi took the offered bowl of what appeared to be little more than hot water, but Tra'onna was right. A delicious aroma filled his nostrils, the broth filled his stomach, and within seconds of draining the bowl Kwazi felt his mind grow heavy and he carefully lay back down on the woven grass mat.
"Sleep, Kwazi'moto, son of Kozi'moto," sang Tra'onna. "Sleep. Your body needs to rest to heal. Sleep."
* * *
Kwazi spent many more ten-days in Astranaar before Tra'onna felt he was strong enough to continue his journey. During that time he studied under Raene, and the Dwarf learned what being a Hunter means to the Night Elves. Although both the Dwarves and the Night Elves produced Hunters, there were distinct differences between the two races, and Kwazi realized they each could learn a lot from the other.
He also learned a lot more about the Horde, as it seemed not a single ten-day could go by without raiders attacking Astranaar at least once. Kwazi learned that in the center of the Barrens was a Horde town known simply as the Crossroads. Raene told the Dwarf that just as the Horde frequently attacked Astranaar, so, too, did soldiers of the Alliance almost constantly raid the Crossroads.
"If one was in retaliation for the other," she said, "then it was so long ago that nobody remembers who was the initial aggressor. Now they attack us, we attack them, and the circle continues. Aren't you familiar with a similar situation in your own Eastern Kingdoms?"
Kwazi was forced to admit that his knowledge of almost anywhere outside Dun Murogh was severely lacking.
"In the land known as Hillsbrad," Raene continued, "to the north of Ironforge, there are two towns, one Alliance, one Horde. Located so closely together they are almost constantly at war." The Night Elf shook her head sadly. "Many battles have been fought there, many heroes slain, and much blood soaks the fields between these two towns. We attack them, they attack us, and the circle continues."
They were definitely words to ponder, Kwazi thought to himself, and something to keep in mind if he was to return from this journey. Clearly not all lands were as safe as Dun Murogh, while some appeared to never know peace at all. He would need to be especially careful when he ventured south into the Barrens. If the Alliance harassed the Crossroads as often as Astranaar had been raided these past few ten-days, Kwazi knew the Horde of the Barrens would not hesitate to attack a solitary Dwarf trespassing on their land.
But it was not just the Barrens that Kwazi must pass through, but Durotar itself. Named after Thrall's father and home to the Orc capital of Orgrimmar, Kwazi knew that the greatest test of his abilities was still yet to come.
But somewhere south of here a Tiger called his name, and Kwazi'moto, son of Kozi'moto, had no choice but to find it.
(Continued in part IV)
* * * * *
I've added something a little personal to this story, that being Kwazimoto's lineage.
When my father retired in the early '90s, one of the things that occupied his free time was playing the Forgotten Realms computer games on my old Commodore 64. Differing from WoW and other MMOs of today, these single-player games required the player to create and manage a full party of adventurers. My father could play through them again and again, creating new parties each time, but there was always one constant to each party; they would all include a Dwarf named after Victor Hugo's famous hunchback, Quasimodo, and the spelling of Kwazi's father's name was one of my father's favorite choices.
Later when my father played AD&D the character he naturally chose was a Dwarf, which he named Kozimoto, of course. One of the goals he had for Kozimoto was to have a wolf as a Pet, and he was delighted the day I DM'd a small adventure where I allowed his Dwarf to buy a baby wolf from a traveling vendor.
When I began playing WoW in April 2005, neither Kwazimoto nor the Hunter were my first characters. I actually rolled a human Paladin, but after playing for the evening I wasn't too enamored with the experience. I brought the manual to work with me the next day to read on the bus (yes, I actually RTFM ;) and something about the Hunter, particularly the Dwarf Hunter, appealed to me. When I got home I rolled my new character and while debating a name decided that like my father, I'd go with a play on Quasimodo. As Dad would frequently go with Kozimoto, I chose Kwazimoto, being not just a play on Quasimodo, but also Quasi as in similar to my father.
My Dad would have loved WoW and without a doubt he would have played a Hunter. And with me living in the U.S it would have been a great way for us to stay in touch, except for one small problem. Dad died in March 2005, just one month before I started playing.
I actually rolled a Kozimoto, for Dad, but there was something about doing that which felt wrong and I deleted that character. But Kwazi'moto, son of Kozi'moto, son of Quasi'moto, lives on (even if I don't play any more ;)
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Becoming the Hunter, part II
Continuing Kwazimoto's story. Part I can be found here.
* * * * *
A trip through the Wetlands would normally have been far more hazardous for a young Dwarf with so few seasons under his belt, except for one thing. As Kwazimoto entered the tunnels of Dun Algaz, he noticed the guards who were charged with holding back any Horde ambitious enough to come down from the north, guards who usually took their jobs very seriously, had huge grins on their faces and in some cases were doubled up with laughter.
"Quick now," one of the guards chuckled to Kwazi as he waved him on through the tunnels. "You'll be fine, if you...you catch up to...them! Ah hah hah hah ha!" The guard couldn't contain his laughter any longer and he held his stomach as tears rolled down his face.
"Hurry now, lad," said another guard with more self control. "If you're quick, you can catch them before you pass through the lower tunnels. Run like the Snow Leopard, son. Go!"
Confused but obedient Kwazi raced through the first tunnel and met more guards, who, like the first, were a lot more jovial than expected. As he emerged from the tunnel they turned with expectant looks on their faces. "Another one? No, it's a young dwarf. Quick, me lad. Run! Catch up to...them! HA ha ha!" And like the earlier guards they also burst out laughing.
Kwazi entered the second tunnel and his speed picked up as he raced down the slope. Ahead of him he could hear a strange sound. High pitched yelps. A lot of them. Like a thousand children crying out with sheer abandonment and exultation.
"Hup! Hup Hup! Hup hup hup! Hup hup! Hup hup hup!"
Kwazi burst out into the second clearing and the sight that met his eyes was one he'd never forget. Were they crazy? Suicidal? Was it a cult of some kind? What in Orion's name was going on?
Why would so many Gnomes strip down to their underwear, then run through the Wetlands? Because clearly Dun Algaz was not their final destination although sadly, for some, it was.
But even as the arrows of the Dragonmaw Orcs brought down their companions the rest of the Gnomes kept running, and now Kwazi realized what the guards had meant. If he stuck with these suicidal gnomes (or whatever they were), as much as the thought churned his belly, their deaths would provide him with safe passage through the Wetlands. Although Kwazi stood a good head and shoulders above his companions, the fact that they were naked, or perhaps just that they were gnomes, drew the ire of the Dragonmaw, and the dwarf passed through the clearing and entered the third tunnel unscathed.
The high pitched yelping of the gnomes echoed unpleasantly off the stone walls and Kwazi tried to pass through the confined space as quickly as he could. But although he shoved and jostled many a gnome as he pushed his way through, not one of them protested at the rough treatment.
"Hup! Hup! Hup hup hup!" was the only sound they made.
Kwazi emerged from the tunnel into the third clearing where the path ahead looped back on itself to enter the final tunnel below. He had no idea how many gnomes were behind him, but clearly there were still a lot more in front. As they ran ahead of him down the slope they jumped and leaped and spun in the air, not unlike sheep in the spring when they're relieved of their wool, which, Kwazi thought to himself, was an all too accurate analogy.
Using his greater size and strength, Kwazi shoved gnomes out of the way as he raced down the path and entered the fourth tunnel, and there ahead of him he thought he finally heard something other than the gnomes' inane, high pitched yelping.
Was that the clip-clopping trot of a Dwarven Battle-Ram?
As he emerged from the final tunnel and entered the damp, fetid heat of the Wetlands, Kwazi saw the front runners of the pack were being led by a Dwarf astride a Ram. The Dwarf was obviously a fellow Hunter, because at his side ran a big cat, a magnificent, heavily muscled beast. White with a slight violet hue to its stripes, it was clearly from Winterspring.
Although surrounded by yelping gnomes the big cat seemed to sense his presence, and it turned and looked straight into Kwazi's eyes. A cold, calculated look that turned Kwazi's blood to ice. Then, just like the tiger of his dreams from the night before, the big cat dismissed him and continued loping along, clearly not bothered by his presence. As if they shared a non-physical connection and an unspoken message had passed between them the Hunter turned and looked back inquisitively, and his face lit up when he saw Kwazimoto.
"Come on up!" he yelled, beckoning to the young Hunter. "It's a little clearer at the front. Less gnomes...for obvious reasons." He grinned, and Kwazi resumed pushing his way through the throng. The gnomes let him pass without saying a word, except for "Hup! Hup! Hup hup hup!" of course.
As Kwazi got closer to the front of the pack he saw what the Dwarf had meant by "obvious reasons". The Wetlands were home to Giant Spiders, Crocalisks, and Raptors, all dangerous beasts to a Dwarf as inexperienced as Kwazi, and equally as dangerous to young gnomes like those around him. Here, a Croc rushed from the water. There, a Raptor emerged from the mist. And with a snap of jaws and a Yelp! they disappeared just as quickly, but not empty handed, or empty-mouthed as it were.
Seeing the shock on Kwazi's face the Dwarf spoke up. "It's just the circle of life, son. I'd expect a fellow Hunter to understand, be a little more in tune with nature. All things must eat, and we're not always at the top of the food chain, you know. Now, don't get too close to the front. See?"
Another Snap! and Yelp! caught his attention and a horrified Kwazi realized it was only the gnomes at the very front who were getting picked off. Now he knew why all those other gnomes had let him through so easily. As long as he or someone else was ahead of them, the Crocs and Raptors would take that person first.
The old Hunter laughed as the young Dwarf, noticing the ranks around him had become dangerously thin, tried to slow down and let a few more Gnomes back in front. But the Gnomes behind Kwazi were a lot less enthusiastic about him falling back than they had been about letting him passed, and Kwazi felt tiny hands shove him forward, keeping him out in front.
Kwazi looked around in panic then realized that while the Raptors and Crocs were taking the young gnomes, they were giving the old Hunter a wide berth. Being animals didn't mean they weren't smart. The Crocs and Raptors knew it was easier, and a lot less riskier, to take the younger, softer, less armored gnomes, than to try for a well armed, clearly dangerous Hunter...or his big cat.
Quickly Kwazi moved over and began running alongside the old Hunter's feline companion, who uttered a single, low, cough of a grunt, but otherwise made no sign he even knew Kwazi was there.
"Smart thinking, young dwarf. We might make a Hunter out of you yet!" the old Hunter said with a laugh, as a snap and a Yelp! saw yet another gnome carried off into the mist.
Kwazi ignored him. He was too busy trying to keep up with the big cat and, more importantly, stay as close to it as possible without making it angry or giving it an excuse to eat him.
Finally, after running for what seemed like hours, the ground underfoot changed from the dirt path of the Wetlands to the wooden planks of a bridge, and ahead of him, somewhere in the mist, Kwazi heard the sounds of civilization.
Horses neighed, hammers rang on metal, ropes creaked and...sailors were singing and gulls were crying. Menethil Harbor! With the end in sight, figuratively more than literally, the Gnomes stepped up the pace and began pushing and shoving each other as they jostled and fought for first place.
A shout came from somewhere ahead of them. "Here they come!"
Cheers went up, the yelps of the gnomes got louder and even more higher pitched, which Kwazimoto hadn't thought possible, and it dawned on him that the countless, senseless deaths he'd witnessed this day, had all been for nothing more than a race.
The gnomes poured across a wide stone bridge and the two Dwarves were literally carried along with them into Menethil Harbor, which quickly became the biggest party town this side of Goldshire.
Later, Kwazimoto joined the old Hunter in the Deepwater Tavern for a drink and a bite to eat.
"You weren't here for the race," the old Hunter said to Kwazimoto. "So, what brings you to Menethil Harbor?"
"I'm just passing through," Kwazi replied. "I...had a dream last night," he said, deciding to confide in the old Dwarf. Surely a fellow Hunter should understand. "I had my final lessons yesterday, and I tamed a Leopard, and a Bear, and a Wolf, then I sent them all away. None of them felt right. Then in my dream last night I fought beside a Tiger...and...I knew it was the one."
"Aye, that's how some of us know," the old Hunter nodded, then took a long pull from his mug that left his mustache covered in white foam. "Some Hunters are happy to grab the first Beast they come across. But others...others like you, they want the right companion. And they're never happy until they find it...or it finds them." He winked at Kwazi, "Like yer Tiger found you. Aye. You'll make a good Hunter, I can see that. Now if you'll excuse me," the old Hunter drained his Mug then slammed it down onto the table, "It's been a long day, herding gnomes from Coldridge Valley all the way out here. I'm going to get some shut-eye. But I think that bell means your ride to Auberdine is getting ready to set sail. Better hurry, young Hunter. Be seeing ya!"
And with that the old Dwarf turned and headed upstairs, accompanied by his big cat that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. And if anyone had any objections to the animal being in the Inn, nobody was prepared to voice them.
Kwazi smiled to himself, tossed a few coins down on the table, then shouldered his pack and slipped outside. As he made his way out onto the pier he saw the old Hunter had been correct. The ship to Auberdine was already loaded and the crew were making their last preparations as Kwazi trotted on board and was directed to his cabin. The ship would sail through the night and in the morning, when he woke, Kwazi would find himself in Auberdine, on the north-west coast of Kalimdor. But even there, as far as Auberdine was from Ironforge and the hills of Dun Murogh, Kwazi's journey to find his tiger companion would still be far from over.
(Click here for part III)
* * * * *
A trip through the Wetlands would normally have been far more hazardous for a young Dwarf with so few seasons under his belt, except for one thing. As Kwazimoto entered the tunnels of Dun Algaz, he noticed the guards who were charged with holding back any Horde ambitious enough to come down from the north, guards who usually took their jobs very seriously, had huge grins on their faces and in some cases were doubled up with laughter.
"Quick now," one of the guards chuckled to Kwazi as he waved him on through the tunnels. "You'll be fine, if you...you catch up to...them! Ah hah hah hah ha!" The guard couldn't contain his laughter any longer and he held his stomach as tears rolled down his face.
"Hurry now, lad," said another guard with more self control. "If you're quick, you can catch them before you pass through the lower tunnels. Run like the Snow Leopard, son. Go!"
Confused but obedient Kwazi raced through the first tunnel and met more guards, who, like the first, were a lot more jovial than expected. As he emerged from the tunnel they turned with expectant looks on their faces. "Another one? No, it's a young dwarf. Quick, me lad. Run! Catch up to...them! HA ha ha!" And like the earlier guards they also burst out laughing.
Kwazi entered the second tunnel and his speed picked up as he raced down the slope. Ahead of him he could hear a strange sound. High pitched yelps. A lot of them. Like a thousand children crying out with sheer abandonment and exultation.
"Hup! Hup Hup! Hup hup hup! Hup hup! Hup hup hup!"
Kwazi burst out into the second clearing and the sight that met his eyes was one he'd never forget. Were they crazy? Suicidal? Was it a cult of some kind? What in Orion's name was going on?
Why would so many Gnomes strip down to their underwear, then run through the Wetlands? Because clearly Dun Algaz was not their final destination although sadly, for some, it was.
But even as the arrows of the Dragonmaw Orcs brought down their companions the rest of the Gnomes kept running, and now Kwazi realized what the guards had meant. If he stuck with these suicidal gnomes (or whatever they were), as much as the thought churned his belly, their deaths would provide him with safe passage through the Wetlands. Although Kwazi stood a good head and shoulders above his companions, the fact that they were naked, or perhaps just that they were gnomes, drew the ire of the Dragonmaw, and the dwarf passed through the clearing and entered the third tunnel unscathed.
The high pitched yelping of the gnomes echoed unpleasantly off the stone walls and Kwazi tried to pass through the confined space as quickly as he could. But although he shoved and jostled many a gnome as he pushed his way through, not one of them protested at the rough treatment.
"Hup! Hup! Hup hup hup!" was the only sound they made.
Kwazi emerged from the tunnel into the third clearing where the path ahead looped back on itself to enter the final tunnel below. He had no idea how many gnomes were behind him, but clearly there were still a lot more in front. As they ran ahead of him down the slope they jumped and leaped and spun in the air, not unlike sheep in the spring when they're relieved of their wool, which, Kwazi thought to himself, was an all too accurate analogy.
Using his greater size and strength, Kwazi shoved gnomes out of the way as he raced down the path and entered the fourth tunnel, and there ahead of him he thought he finally heard something other than the gnomes' inane, high pitched yelping.
Was that the clip-clopping trot of a Dwarven Battle-Ram?
As he emerged from the final tunnel and entered the damp, fetid heat of the Wetlands, Kwazi saw the front runners of the pack were being led by a Dwarf astride a Ram. The Dwarf was obviously a fellow Hunter, because at his side ran a big cat, a magnificent, heavily muscled beast. White with a slight violet hue to its stripes, it was clearly from Winterspring.
Although surrounded by yelping gnomes the big cat seemed to sense his presence, and it turned and looked straight into Kwazi's eyes. A cold, calculated look that turned Kwazi's blood to ice. Then, just like the tiger of his dreams from the night before, the big cat dismissed him and continued loping along, clearly not bothered by his presence. As if they shared a non-physical connection and an unspoken message had passed between them the Hunter turned and looked back inquisitively, and his face lit up when he saw Kwazimoto.
"Come on up!" he yelled, beckoning to the young Hunter. "It's a little clearer at the front. Less gnomes...for obvious reasons." He grinned, and Kwazi resumed pushing his way through the throng. The gnomes let him pass without saying a word, except for "Hup! Hup! Hup hup hup!" of course.
As Kwazi got closer to the front of the pack he saw what the Dwarf had meant by "obvious reasons". The Wetlands were home to Giant Spiders, Crocalisks, and Raptors, all dangerous beasts to a Dwarf as inexperienced as Kwazi, and equally as dangerous to young gnomes like those around him. Here, a Croc rushed from the water. There, a Raptor emerged from the mist. And with a snap of jaws and a Yelp! they disappeared just as quickly, but not empty handed, or empty-mouthed as it were.
Seeing the shock on Kwazi's face the Dwarf spoke up. "It's just the circle of life, son. I'd expect a fellow Hunter to understand, be a little more in tune with nature. All things must eat, and we're not always at the top of the food chain, you know. Now, don't get too close to the front. See?"
Another Snap! and Yelp! caught his attention and a horrified Kwazi realized it was only the gnomes at the very front who were getting picked off. Now he knew why all those other gnomes had let him through so easily. As long as he or someone else was ahead of them, the Crocs and Raptors would take that person first.
The old Hunter laughed as the young Dwarf, noticing the ranks around him had become dangerously thin, tried to slow down and let a few more Gnomes back in front. But the Gnomes behind Kwazi were a lot less enthusiastic about him falling back than they had been about letting him passed, and Kwazi felt tiny hands shove him forward, keeping him out in front.
Kwazi looked around in panic then realized that while the Raptors and Crocs were taking the young gnomes, they were giving the old Hunter a wide berth. Being animals didn't mean they weren't smart. The Crocs and Raptors knew it was easier, and a lot less riskier, to take the younger, softer, less armored gnomes, than to try for a well armed, clearly dangerous Hunter...or his big cat.
Quickly Kwazi moved over and began running alongside the old Hunter's feline companion, who uttered a single, low, cough of a grunt, but otherwise made no sign he even knew Kwazi was there.
"Smart thinking, young dwarf. We might make a Hunter out of you yet!" the old Hunter said with a laugh, as a snap and a Yelp! saw yet another gnome carried off into the mist.
Kwazi ignored him. He was too busy trying to keep up with the big cat and, more importantly, stay as close to it as possible without making it angry or giving it an excuse to eat him.
Finally, after running for what seemed like hours, the ground underfoot changed from the dirt path of the Wetlands to the wooden planks of a bridge, and ahead of him, somewhere in the mist, Kwazi heard the sounds of civilization.
Horses neighed, hammers rang on metal, ropes creaked and...sailors were singing and gulls were crying. Menethil Harbor! With the end in sight, figuratively more than literally, the Gnomes stepped up the pace and began pushing and shoving each other as they jostled and fought for first place.
A shout came from somewhere ahead of them. "Here they come!"
Cheers went up, the yelps of the gnomes got louder and even more higher pitched, which Kwazimoto hadn't thought possible, and it dawned on him that the countless, senseless deaths he'd witnessed this day, had all been for nothing more than a race.
The gnomes poured across a wide stone bridge and the two Dwarves were literally carried along with them into Menethil Harbor, which quickly became the biggest party town this side of Goldshire.
Later, Kwazimoto joined the old Hunter in the Deepwater Tavern for a drink and a bite to eat.
"You weren't here for the race," the old Hunter said to Kwazimoto. "So, what brings you to Menethil Harbor?"
"I'm just passing through," Kwazi replied. "I...had a dream last night," he said, deciding to confide in the old Dwarf. Surely a fellow Hunter should understand. "I had my final lessons yesterday, and I tamed a Leopard, and a Bear, and a Wolf, then I sent them all away. None of them felt right. Then in my dream last night I fought beside a Tiger...and...I knew it was the one."
"Aye, that's how some of us know," the old Hunter nodded, then took a long pull from his mug that left his mustache covered in white foam. "Some Hunters are happy to grab the first Beast they come across. But others...others like you, they want the right companion. And they're never happy until they find it...or it finds them." He winked at Kwazi, "Like yer Tiger found you. Aye. You'll make a good Hunter, I can see that. Now if you'll excuse me," the old Hunter drained his Mug then slammed it down onto the table, "It's been a long day, herding gnomes from Coldridge Valley all the way out here. I'm going to get some shut-eye. But I think that bell means your ride to Auberdine is getting ready to set sail. Better hurry, young Hunter. Be seeing ya!"
And with that the old Dwarf turned and headed upstairs, accompanied by his big cat that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. And if anyone had any objections to the animal being in the Inn, nobody was prepared to voice them.
Kwazi smiled to himself, tossed a few coins down on the table, then shouldered his pack and slipped outside. As he made his way out onto the pier he saw the old Hunter had been correct. The ship to Auberdine was already loaded and the crew were making their last preparations as Kwazi trotted on board and was directed to his cabin. The ship would sail through the night and in the morning, when he woke, Kwazi would find himself in Auberdine, on the north-west coast of Kalimdor. But even there, as far as Auberdine was from Ironforge and the hills of Dun Murogh, Kwazi's journey to find his tiger companion would still be far from over.
(Click here for part III)
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Runes of Magic
So long without a post, and I notice I'm not the only one. So what have I been up to?
Aside from life in general, Tae Kwon Do and Golf lessons for my son, Cub Scouts, and other family activities, not much has been happening.
I did let Saylah convince me, through her Blog, to give Runes of Magic a try, and it's been a fun game so far. Almost all of the folks I've encountered have been friendly, and it's not uncommon for high level players to offer their help in general chat, "Anyone need help with anything?", there's a distinct lack of Orcs, Dwarves, Elves, Gnomes, etc, and the Murloc movie title references and Chuck Norris jokes are conspicuously absent from general chat, but aside from all that it's remarkably similar to WoW ;)
I rolled a Rogue at first and having heard the problem with Talent Point respecs I leveled up to 5 or 6 before I assigned any Talent Points to any of my skills, with the subsequent result that it was like playing my Hunter in WoW for the first time, where I forgot about my Talent Points, and never trained my Pet in anything, and wondered why the more I leveled the harder the game got.
So at level 6 I decided to level up a couple of skills and looking at my Talent Points it was a classic No Brainer where I should invest first. I maxed out the standard Rogue attack Shadowstab (being the RoM equivalent of Sinister Strike), and because wielding a Dagger while casting/spamming Shadowstab puts a 6-second Bleeding Wound debuff on my opponent, and the Rogue skill Low Blow inflicts extra damage on targets with a Bleeding Wound, I subsequently dumped Talent Points into Low Blow as well.
Just as an aside, unlike WoW, you don't get Talent Points each time you level, you actually get them from every Mob you kill. And Leveling up a Skill doesn't require just 1 TP as in WoW, but multiple TPs, but unless you try to max out every single Skill your class has access to you shouldn't have a problem with the amount of Talent Points you have available. RoM also follows a Talent Tree structure that more closely resembles Diablo II than WoW, by which I mean a Level 6 Rogue can increase Shadowstab, Low Blow, and the Level 6 Skill Wound Attack to level 6, then when your character reaches level 7 you can dump more TPs into those Skills to level them up to 7 as well.
I just mentioned the Level 6 Rogue Skill Wound Attack, and this was the 3rd Skill that was a No Brainer recipient of my valuable Talent Points. If your target is inflicted with a Bleeding Wound debuff and you hit them with Low Blow, they suffer a 10-second Grievous Wound debuff. And if you hit them with Wound Attack while they're under the effects of both a Bleeding Wound and a Grievous Wound then that's just about all she wrote.
Up until I dinged level 6 combat had been little more than me spamming my level 1 Shadowstab, which was fine against level 1 & 2 Mobs, but against the level 3 & 4 Mobs I faced at levels 3, 4, & 5, level 1 SS wasn't cutting the mustard, combat was a real drag. Then I dinged 6, spent my Talent Points as I just described, and now I had a 1-2-3 combo, with 1 being Shadowstab, 2 being Low Blow, & 3 naturally being Wound Attack. Now combat was not only over in seconds, but culminated in an explosion of red pixels. Awesome! RoM Rogue with properly spent Talent Points = FUN!
I quickly leveled to 10 then faced a major decision all RoM players face at that point. What to make my secondary class? Imagine a Rogue with access to Hunter skills, or Priest Skills, or Warrior or Mage skills. Yep, RoM is kind of like that. At level 10 you approach the Class Trainer of your choice and commit to a second class, and here I made a mistake. I chose Knight (the RoM equivalent of a Paladin), and it's not bad, but it detracted from the fun of my Rogue. What I should have done was rolled a brand new character, i.e., a Knight, and seen if I liked playing that class first, but I didn't. Later I rolled a Warrior and a Scout (Hunter) and decided I really like the way the Scout played. There is no Deadzone with a Scout. You get up in a Scout's face, and he can still shoot you, while simultaneously attacking with his Melee weapon. I played the Scout up to level 10 and said, I want this guy (actually a female character ;) to be a Scout/Rogue.
As a Scout/Rogue I do not have access to the Rogue's Low Blow and Wound Attack, unless I switch my Classes (which you can do) so Rogue is my primary and Scout is my secondary class, but then I lose access to some of the Scout-specific skills/shots. I found that the Rogue & Scout classes compliment each other, utilizing similar weapons and armor, but like any combination of pure DPS classes they naturally create the ultimate Glass Cannon. Wicked DPS with low Armor means you need to kill your opponent fast or you're going down. Now in PvE you do kill fast so it's not a big deal, although apparently at higher levels you need a Healer to keep you alive, but I'm not there yet so that's not a huge concern. Apparently Rogue/Scout classes also suffer in PvP, for the same Glass Cannon reasons. But I haven't done PvP in RoM yet, either :P
Questing is where RoM again compares to WoW, but it likewise could be compared to almost every other MMO out there as well. You have the regular quests you do for various townsfolk in your current Quest Hub, but you also have Daily Quests you can do that reward you with Tokens you can apparently later spend on cool stuff, like Permanent Mounts, because most Mounts in RoM are temporary-hire objects, that disappear from your backpack after a certain period of time. You get to keep them for longer periods if you pay more up-front, but unless you shell out real cash for Diamonds (the RMT Currency), or sell "stuff" on the Auction House for Diamonds, you're going to find yourself running around on foot or renting your Mount. If you play RoM and like it, and think you'll keep playing it for a while, a Mount costs about the same as a single month of WoW. Considering you don't have to buy a copy of the game but can just download it for free, and that you don't have to pay a monthly sub, I don't think it's unreasonable of Frogster to tell folks, "You want a Mount? Then pony up!"
I'll probably keep playing Runes of Magic for a while. It's a fun game, and it's well put together. Yes, there's a couple of quests that are broken, and have been since the game went Live! but those broken quests are in themselves not game breaking (even if one of them is a limited-time "seasonal" quest). And while the variety of classes is nothing new the ability to combine two classes does make things a lot more interesting. But the best thing of all is it's free. Considering the quality of the product you're getting, that's a price you just cannot beat.
Aside from life in general, Tae Kwon Do and Golf lessons for my son, Cub Scouts, and other family activities, not much has been happening.
I did let Saylah convince me, through her Blog, to give Runes of Magic a try, and it's been a fun game so far. Almost all of the folks I've encountered have been friendly, and it's not uncommon for high level players to offer their help in general chat, "Anyone need help with anything?", there's a distinct lack of Orcs, Dwarves, Elves, Gnomes, etc, and the Murloc movie title references and Chuck Norris jokes are conspicuously absent from general chat, but aside from all that it's remarkably similar to WoW ;)
I rolled a Rogue at first and having heard the problem with Talent Point respecs I leveled up to 5 or 6 before I assigned any Talent Points to any of my skills, with the subsequent result that it was like playing my Hunter in WoW for the first time, where I forgot about my Talent Points, and never trained my Pet in anything, and wondered why the more I leveled the harder the game got.
So at level 6 I decided to level up a couple of skills and looking at my Talent Points it was a classic No Brainer where I should invest first. I maxed out the standard Rogue attack Shadowstab (being the RoM equivalent of Sinister Strike), and because wielding a Dagger while casting/spamming Shadowstab puts a 6-second Bleeding Wound debuff on my opponent, and the Rogue skill Low Blow inflicts extra damage on targets with a Bleeding Wound, I subsequently dumped Talent Points into Low Blow as well.
Just as an aside, unlike WoW, you don't get Talent Points each time you level, you actually get them from every Mob you kill. And Leveling up a Skill doesn't require just 1 TP as in WoW, but multiple TPs, but unless you try to max out every single Skill your class has access to you shouldn't have a problem with the amount of Talent Points you have available. RoM also follows a Talent Tree structure that more closely resembles Diablo II than WoW, by which I mean a Level 6 Rogue can increase Shadowstab, Low Blow, and the Level 6 Skill Wound Attack to level 6, then when your character reaches level 7 you can dump more TPs into those Skills to level them up to 7 as well.
I just mentioned the Level 6 Rogue Skill Wound Attack, and this was the 3rd Skill that was a No Brainer recipient of my valuable Talent Points. If your target is inflicted with a Bleeding Wound debuff and you hit them with Low Blow, they suffer a 10-second Grievous Wound debuff. And if you hit them with Wound Attack while they're under the effects of both a Bleeding Wound and a Grievous Wound then that's just about all she wrote.
Up until I dinged level 6 combat had been little more than me spamming my level 1 Shadowstab, which was fine against level 1 & 2 Mobs, but against the level 3 & 4 Mobs I faced at levels 3, 4, & 5, level 1 SS wasn't cutting the mustard, combat was a real drag. Then I dinged 6, spent my Talent Points as I just described, and now I had a 1-2-3 combo, with 1 being Shadowstab, 2 being Low Blow, & 3 naturally being Wound Attack. Now combat was not only over in seconds, but culminated in an explosion of red pixels. Awesome! RoM Rogue with properly spent Talent Points = FUN!
I quickly leveled to 10 then faced a major decision all RoM players face at that point. What to make my secondary class? Imagine a Rogue with access to Hunter skills, or Priest Skills, or Warrior or Mage skills. Yep, RoM is kind of like that. At level 10 you approach the Class Trainer of your choice and commit to a second class, and here I made a mistake. I chose Knight (the RoM equivalent of a Paladin), and it's not bad, but it detracted from the fun of my Rogue. What I should have done was rolled a brand new character, i.e., a Knight, and seen if I liked playing that class first, but I didn't. Later I rolled a Warrior and a Scout (Hunter) and decided I really like the way the Scout played. There is no Deadzone with a Scout. You get up in a Scout's face, and he can still shoot you, while simultaneously attacking with his Melee weapon. I played the Scout up to level 10 and said, I want this guy (actually a female character ;) to be a Scout/Rogue.
As a Scout/Rogue I do not have access to the Rogue's Low Blow and Wound Attack, unless I switch my Classes (which you can do) so Rogue is my primary and Scout is my secondary class, but then I lose access to some of the Scout-specific skills/shots. I found that the Rogue & Scout classes compliment each other, utilizing similar weapons and armor, but like any combination of pure DPS classes they naturally create the ultimate Glass Cannon. Wicked DPS with low Armor means you need to kill your opponent fast or you're going down. Now in PvE you do kill fast so it's not a big deal, although apparently at higher levels you need a Healer to keep you alive, but I'm not there yet so that's not a huge concern. Apparently Rogue/Scout classes also suffer in PvP, for the same Glass Cannon reasons. But I haven't done PvP in RoM yet, either :P
Questing is where RoM again compares to WoW, but it likewise could be compared to almost every other MMO out there as well. You have the regular quests you do for various townsfolk in your current Quest Hub, but you also have Daily Quests you can do that reward you with Tokens you can apparently later spend on cool stuff, like Permanent Mounts, because most Mounts in RoM are temporary-hire objects, that disappear from your backpack after a certain period of time. You get to keep them for longer periods if you pay more up-front, but unless you shell out real cash for Diamonds (the RMT Currency), or sell "stuff" on the Auction House for Diamonds, you're going to find yourself running around on foot or renting your Mount. If you play RoM and like it, and think you'll keep playing it for a while, a Mount costs about the same as a single month of WoW. Considering you don't have to buy a copy of the game but can just download it for free, and that you don't have to pay a monthly sub, I don't think it's unreasonable of Frogster to tell folks, "You want a Mount? Then pony up!"
I'll probably keep playing Runes of Magic for a while. It's a fun game, and it's well put together. Yes, there's a couple of quests that are broken, and have been since the game went Live! but those broken quests are in themselves not game breaking (even if one of them is a limited-time "seasonal" quest). And while the variety of classes is nothing new the ability to combine two classes does make things a lot more interesting. But the best thing of all is it's free. Considering the quality of the product you're getting, that's a price you just cannot beat.
Thursday, April 09, 2009
LG Vu
Liz and I picked up new phones on the weekend after a run-in with a cup of coffee took her Razr out of commission. Initially she was just going to get herself a new phone but we noticed AT&T had cunningly decided to have a 2-for-1 sale on their LG Vu and as that was the phone Liz had her eyes on, I ended up getting one too.
It's a pretty good phone, reception is quite clear and calls are very audible, although when using Speaker-phone, if a caller raises their voice too much it becomes distorted.
Like the iPhone it's a predominantly touch screen phone (with 3 regular buttons, and a couple of side buttons) and it works very well, although the on-screen slider is sometimes a little dodgy, but maybe that's me and my big thumbs.
What I'm not too pleased with is the flimsy plastic cover over the combined headset/power socket, which has to be pried open every time you need to charge your phone. I had a similar power socket cover on my Razr, which snapped off shortly after I got it, and I can see this happening with the Vu as well. Especially given the goodies that come with it can make charging the Vu an almost nightly affair if you want to be able to use your phone when you need to.
Our upgraded contact came with AT&T Mobile TV and watching TV on your phone is surprisingly easy, especially on the Vu's 3" screen (that's just 1/2" smaller than the iPhone). After eating at Souplantation last night I took the kids home while the wife went on to run some errands, and the bunny's tears at not going with Mommy quickly dried up when Spongebob Squarepants appeared on my phone. Listening in as we drove home, even though I took the Freeway, not once did I hear the skip or stutter I occasionally get while watching on my bus ride into work (I blame the bus's suspension). Incredibly, around 5th & Grand in downtown L.A., as in right in the heart of the CBD, my phone loses the Mobile TV signal. It can make and receive calls just fine, and even surf the 'net, but it will not do Mobile TV past that point. I'm sure somewhere south of my office the signal picks back up again (probably closer to the residential area or around USC), but right now I'm unable to get a signal, even though I'm right across the road from AT&T's HQ!!!
Okay, back. Sorry about that. Just conducted a little experiment. I walked across the road to the AT&T building, and I can't get Mobile TV there, either. The Vu did start to acquire the signal but couldn't establish a connection and was forced to admit defeat. Sad. Not a fault with the Vu though, more with AT&T's Mobile TV.
The games that come preloaded with the Vu are a sad bunch, and although the Vu is a touch screen-capable phone most games throw up a virtual keypad, so instead of playing the game by touching the playing field and giving your avatar directions, selecting puzzle pieces, etc, the Vu asks you to press virtual arrow keys at the bottom of the screen. The arrows are not even in an intuitive + or T formation, but are in a straight line across the bottom of the screen so you have to look away from the action to make sure you're pressing the correct button.
At least Bejeweled asks you to touch the Jewels in the gameboard, and considering how small each jewel is I rarely selected the wrong one, but it's a Timed Demo/Trial that lasted barely a minute before telling me I needed to buy the game to keep playing. I checked out the other Demos and they were all the same. Very sad was the Timed Trial/Demo of Midnight Pool, for which I made one shot (the Break) then sat back and watched my computer(phone?)-controlled opponent make several shots in a row and that was it. Trial/Demo over. Do you want to buy the full game? I had Midnight Pool on my Razr but I think I'll pass this time around.
Then there's the cool Internet feature. Moving into the 21st Century I can check my Yahoo! email and even log into Facebook via my phone, which to those who've had it for a while is probably no big deal, but I think it's pretty cool.
The Vu also comes with a 2.0-Megapixel camera, which is pretty impressive for a phone, and it can (apparently) take photos up to 1600x1200 resolution. The video camera is not so hot, and can only manage 320x240, which is more than enough to watch short, home movies on your cellphone, but not really "burn a DVD to send home for Christmas" quality. It comes with a 2x zoom, but as it's purely digital zoom, not true optical, you really don't want to be zooming in with it. Besides, there's really something wrong if you're using your phone to capture those happy family moments. That's what cameras are for :P
When all is said and done the Vu is not an iPhone (but is that really a Con?), but it's still an excellent touch-screen phone in its own right, and is (currently) capable of doing things the iPhone cannot...such as sending photographs via Txt (aka MMS). Remember the ad where the young couple is in some Asian country? One of them is out seeing the City when the urge to use the restroom struck. The language barrier escalated the situation but their phone came to the rescue when the person in their hotel room sent a photograph of their toilet to the stricken one's phone and saved the day. Yeah. For everything it can do, the iPhone (currently) cannot do that.
It's a pretty good phone, reception is quite clear and calls are very audible, although when using Speaker-phone, if a caller raises their voice too much it becomes distorted.
Like the iPhone it's a predominantly touch screen phone (with 3 regular buttons, and a couple of side buttons) and it works very well, although the on-screen slider is sometimes a little dodgy, but maybe that's me and my big thumbs.
What I'm not too pleased with is the flimsy plastic cover over the combined headset/power socket, which has to be pried open every time you need to charge your phone. I had a similar power socket cover on my Razr, which snapped off shortly after I got it, and I can see this happening with the Vu as well. Especially given the goodies that come with it can make charging the Vu an almost nightly affair if you want to be able to use your phone when you need to.
Our upgraded contact came with AT&T Mobile TV and watching TV on your phone is surprisingly easy, especially on the Vu's 3" screen (that's just 1/2" smaller than the iPhone). After eating at Souplantation last night I took the kids home while the wife went on to run some errands, and the bunny's tears at not going with Mommy quickly dried up when Spongebob Squarepants appeared on my phone. Listening in as we drove home, even though I took the Freeway, not once did I hear the skip or stutter I occasionally get while watching on my bus ride into work (I blame the bus's suspension). Incredibly, around 5th & Grand in downtown L.A., as in right in the heart of the CBD, my phone loses the Mobile TV signal. It can make and receive calls just fine, and even surf the 'net, but it will not do Mobile TV past that point. I'm sure somewhere south of my office the signal picks back up again (probably closer to the residential area or around USC), but right now I'm unable to get a signal, even though I'm right across the road from AT&T's HQ!!!
Okay, back. Sorry about that. Just conducted a little experiment. I walked across the road to the AT&T building, and I can't get Mobile TV there, either. The Vu did start to acquire the signal but couldn't establish a connection and was forced to admit defeat. Sad. Not a fault with the Vu though, more with AT&T's Mobile TV.
The games that come preloaded with the Vu are a sad bunch, and although the Vu is a touch screen-capable phone most games throw up a virtual keypad, so instead of playing the game by touching the playing field and giving your avatar directions, selecting puzzle pieces, etc, the Vu asks you to press virtual arrow keys at the bottom of the screen. The arrows are not even in an intuitive + or T formation, but are in a straight line across the bottom of the screen so you have to look away from the action to make sure you're pressing the correct button.
At least Bejeweled asks you to touch the Jewels in the gameboard, and considering how small each jewel is I rarely selected the wrong one, but it's a Timed Demo/Trial that lasted barely a minute before telling me I needed to buy the game to keep playing. I checked out the other Demos and they were all the same. Very sad was the Timed Trial/Demo of Midnight Pool, for which I made one shot (the Break) then sat back and watched my computer(phone?)-controlled opponent make several shots in a row and that was it. Trial/Demo over. Do you want to buy the full game? I had Midnight Pool on my Razr but I think I'll pass this time around.
Then there's the cool Internet feature. Moving into the 21st Century I can check my Yahoo! email and even log into Facebook via my phone, which to those who've had it for a while is probably no big deal, but I think it's pretty cool.
The Vu also comes with a 2.0-Megapixel camera, which is pretty impressive for a phone, and it can (apparently) take photos up to 1600x1200 resolution. The video camera is not so hot, and can only manage 320x240, which is more than enough to watch short, home movies on your cellphone, but not really "burn a DVD to send home for Christmas" quality. It comes with a 2x zoom, but as it's purely digital zoom, not true optical, you really don't want to be zooming in with it. Besides, there's really something wrong if you're using your phone to capture those happy family moments. That's what cameras are for :P
When all is said and done the Vu is not an iPhone (but is that really a Con?), but it's still an excellent touch-screen phone in its own right, and is (currently) capable of doing things the iPhone cannot...such as sending photographs via Txt (aka MMS). Remember the ad where the young couple is in some Asian country? One of them is out seeing the City when the urge to use the restroom struck. The language barrier escalated the situation but their phone came to the rescue when the person in their hotel room sent a photograph of their toilet to the stricken one's phone and saved the day. Yeah. For everything it can do, the iPhone (currently) cannot do that.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Gamestorming
Like brain storming, only related to gaming.
What if...at every X0 level (i.e. 10, 20, 30, etc) you were presented with the opportunity to take a snapshot of your Toon? And all their gear, Stats, enchants, etc, would be preserved, even though your Toon continues to level on to Cap.
Why might you do this? Or why should a game offer that feature?
What happens when you convince a friend to play? You & your buddies who've been playing for years are all at Cap, while your friend is a lowly Newbie. Oh sure, you can boost him through all the Instances, and power level his quests for him, but how much fun could that be, really? Your friend isn't playing the game, he's just got an Uber Bully of a friend destroying anything around him that poses a threat. Does he even learn how to play the game? What role his character should play in a group? Doubtful.
Now, what if you and several of your buddies could take snapshots of your Toons at 20, then when you convince another friend to start playing and it comes time for him to hit his first Instance, instead of him getting a boost through by your Uber Toon, he joins a party of his friends, all at level 20, and everyone is at just the right level for that Instance. Now he gets to experience the Instance with knowledgeable, but not overpowered friends, and he gets to actually play the game.
Instead what you get is a company with the mindset that the trip from 0-60/70/80 is just a chore, and they do everything they can to boost you to Cap themselves. XP/kill and XP/Quest gets jacked up. Toons at Cap get access to over-powered Hand-Me-Down gear to pass onto low level Alts. Even newly introduced Classes (only accessible to XPac players, mind you) get a speed boost, and start the game with the equivalent of 50-60 hours of leveling under the belts.
What does this tell you? Only that a company with such a game probably no longer cares for their low level content, and they're probably wondering how they can introduce the option to pay for a Capped character without breaking their game (or starting riots). And yet the workaround is simple. Anyone with a capped out Toon (and a copy of every expansion released to date) can just buy one. Oh, you don't have a capped out Toon? Better hurry up and level your Main to 80 then. Seriously, it doesn't take that long now. I mean we've tweaked the level grind so much that you practically gain a level every time you complete a Quest. What more do you want from us? It's either that, or more and more (& bigger & bigger) companies will begin offering paid-for power leveling services.
Seriously, who would you rather pay to have a Toon power leveled? Some dodgy company based in BFE (or God only knows where) who are more likely to get your Account banned during the weeks they have your Toon?
Or the gaming company themselves who just need to press a couple of buttons and Shazam! You've got a Capped Toon.
Yeah, if I was willing to pay for such a service, I know who I'd choose as well.
Of course me being me, I wouldn't be willing to do this, because regardless of what The Company (& its spokespersons might think), for me The Leveling is The Journey. I enjoy the grind to Cap because I can take my experiences and knowledge from previous trips and expand on them to facilitate my present and future journeys. Sure, it's blurring the line between Player Knowledge and Character Knowledge, but I don't care too much about that anyway. I might RP with my Toons sometimes, but it's not like I play on an RP server ;)
What if...at every X0 level (i.e. 10, 20, 30, etc) you were presented with the opportunity to take a snapshot of your Toon? And all their gear, Stats, enchants, etc, would be preserved, even though your Toon continues to level on to Cap.
Why might you do this? Or why should a game offer that feature?
What happens when you convince a friend to play? You & your buddies who've been playing for years are all at Cap, while your friend is a lowly Newbie. Oh sure, you can boost him through all the Instances, and power level his quests for him, but how much fun could that be, really? Your friend isn't playing the game, he's just got an Uber Bully of a friend destroying anything around him that poses a threat. Does he even learn how to play the game? What role his character should play in a group? Doubtful.
Now, what if you and several of your buddies could take snapshots of your Toons at 20, then when you convince another friend to start playing and it comes time for him to hit his first Instance, instead of him getting a boost through by your Uber Toon, he joins a party of his friends, all at level 20, and everyone is at just the right level for that Instance. Now he gets to experience the Instance with knowledgeable, but not overpowered friends, and he gets to actually play the game.
Instead what you get is a company with the mindset that the trip from 0-60/70/80 is just a chore, and they do everything they can to boost you to Cap themselves. XP/kill and XP/Quest gets jacked up. Toons at Cap get access to over-powered Hand-Me-Down gear to pass onto low level Alts. Even newly introduced Classes (only accessible to XPac players, mind you) get a speed boost, and start the game with the equivalent of 50-60 hours of leveling under the belts.
What does this tell you? Only that a company with such a game probably no longer cares for their low level content, and they're probably wondering how they can introduce the option to pay for a Capped character without breaking their game (or starting riots). And yet the workaround is simple. Anyone with a capped out Toon (and a copy of every expansion released to date) can just buy one. Oh, you don't have a capped out Toon? Better hurry up and level your Main to 80 then. Seriously, it doesn't take that long now. I mean we've tweaked the level grind so much that you practically gain a level every time you complete a Quest. What more do you want from us? It's either that, or more and more (& bigger & bigger) companies will begin offering paid-for power leveling services.
Seriously, who would you rather pay to have a Toon power leveled? Some dodgy company based in BFE (or God only knows where) who are more likely to get your Account banned during the weeks they have your Toon?
Or the gaming company themselves who just need to press a couple of buttons and Shazam! You've got a Capped Toon.
Yeah, if I was willing to pay for such a service, I know who I'd choose as well.
Of course me being me, I wouldn't be willing to do this, because regardless of what The Company (& its spokespersons might think), for me The Leveling is The Journey. I enjoy the grind to Cap because I can take my experiences and knowledge from previous trips and expand on them to facilitate my present and future journeys. Sure, it's blurring the line between Player Knowledge and Character Knowledge, but I don't care too much about that anyway. I might RP with my Toons sometimes, but it's not like I play on an RP server ;)
Penguins having a party
Maybe it's just me, but I don't get why this doesn't have a lot more hits...
As far as I'm concerned, the little clip here on my Blog doesn't do it justice. So if your bandwidth allows it, head over to the actual video on Youtube and hit the HD button to view it in it's full glory. It's something else.
As far as I'm concerned, the little clip here on my Blog doesn't do it justice. So if your bandwidth allows it, head over to the actual video on Youtube and hit the HD button to view it in it's full glory. It's something else.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Monday, March 16, 2009
Innovation in Gaming
First up, Ysharros has one of the best conversations going on over here. If you're interested in online gaming, for any reason, get over there. Lots of awesome dialog going on.
This weekend what I really wanted to do was play WoW, so I went online to set up another 10-day Trial Account. Except the link I have bookmarked didn't work, so I went to WoW's homepage and followed the links to the Trial Account creation page that way. But when I tried to create a Trial I was asked for an Activation Key, basically Blizzard wanted me to hit up a friend for a 10-day Trial key. I didn't have a Trial Key, and I certainly wasn't going to pay $1.99 for one.
It was a little frustrating because the webpage said I didn't need to input a Activation Key unless I wanted to upgrade to the full game, but it still had a field to input a Key, and when I didn't enter one it caused an error. So I visited the European site, created a Trial there without any problems until I tried to log in. WoW could probably tell I wasn't really in Europe, so it wasn't going to let me log in using a European Trial account. I wonder...how do Europeans go when visiting the States or Australia and they want to play a spot of WoW? Can they not log in, either?
More than a little frustrated I returned to the U.S/Pacific WoW page to give it one more shot. This time I managed to create a Trial account without being prompted for a non-existing Activation Key, and I rolled a Human Mage (my third favorite class, after the Hunter & Rogue, although Priests can be fun, too, if you don't care to be a PUG Healer). Around level 10 I was getting the urge to resubscribe, and was even mentally rolling my new race/class. I played for a bit more and around level 14 hit my first snag: the Defias. The first Defias Mobs were easy to bring down, even in pairs, but the second group you're asked to defeat contains Mages, like myself.
With the realization that I was playing a temporary toon, and with no access to the Auction House, I'd been selling pretty much everything that dropped (such as Linen Cloth) while forsaking any Trade Skills, such as First Aid.
When I encountered two Mages I wasn't too bad off. I'd set my Focus on one, cast my first Fireball, then Sheep my Focus before resuming the Fireballs on my original target. This gave me a leg up on my original target while ensuring I only faced one Mage. Except after the first Mage died I was low on health and still in combat, thus unable to eat or drink. Then Sheep wore off and the now less wooly but very irate Mage one-shot me.
I realized I needed First Aid, even as a Trial Toon. But to level First Aid I'd need Bandages, and to get Bandages I'd need Linen Cloth. I'd acquired plenty of Linen from the first group of Defias I'd killed...which I'd sold. So I'd need to go back and kill even more Defias to get the Linen I'd need to level First Aid and make enough Bandages to keep me alive while killing the Defias Mages.
And with that, I had an epiphany: If I resubscribed to WoW I'd have nothing to look forward to but an endless grind, killing thousands (or more) of Mobs.
NPC1: Hey there, Cap'n John. Them Foozles is a damn nuisance. They've eaten all the grass in my pasture, and now they're even eaten me cows! I need you to cut their numbers down a bit, so, get on out there and kill 10 Foozles for me.
NPC2: Nice work killing those Foozles for NPC1, Cap'n Foozle. Hee hee hee. I've got a job for you, too. I need 10 Foozle Horns, but they need to be Grade-A Foozle Horns, and not all Foozles is gonna drop Grade-A Horns, so you'll need to kill a lot more than just 10 Foozles to get the Horns I need. Well? What are you waiting for? Get out there and kill them Foozles!
NPC3: Well lookee here. If it isn't the Foozlenator himself. Haw haw! You're just the man I've been looking for. One of them damn Foozles stole my family heirloom! A near priceless, Golden Widget, and I want you to get it back. No! I don't know which one it was! All them damn Foozles look alike to me! Just get out there and kill Foozles until one of them drops me Golden Widget! There's a couple a slices of cheese in it for you. (Seriously, that link points to a real quest in WoW where you're asked to kill 20 Troggs, and your reward is 5 slices of cheese. You can tell the writers were feeling particularly creative that day, can't you?)
Kill, kill, kill.
What I want to know is...where's Harvest Moon: Online?
Where's the MMO that doesn't ask you to slaughter a gazillion Foozles just to level your Toon to some arbitrary number, just so you can join 4 or 9 or 24 other people for hours each night killing groups of Elite Foozles, and maybe have a shot at bringing down the Foozle King himself!
Where's the MMO that starts with you building a house somewhere, then "leveling" your Toon by working the land, or making clothes, or tools & farm implements, or stone & bricks, etc?
Where's the MMO that has one player grow and chop down trees, which he sells to another player to turn into lumber, which is sold to players to be turned into cabinets, tables & chairs, decorative window frames & doors, which are sold/used by yet more players to customize their in-game house to effect visible in-game changes that other players can see? (Phew! Take a breath!)
Where's the game that doesn't cater to the lowest common denominator and doesn't assume everyone is happy killing a gazillion Foozles?
Where's the innovation that took us from Space Invaders & Asteroids to Time Crisis & Street Fighter?
Everyone wants to build the next WoW, but they all seem to forget that without games like Ultima Online and Everquest (and without the old text-based DikuMUDs of yesteryear) there'd be no WoW.
Nobody wants to be someone else's stepping stone in the river of life, but without the stepping stones nobody can get to the other side.
This weekend what I really wanted to do was play WoW, so I went online to set up another 10-day Trial Account. Except the link I have bookmarked didn't work, so I went to WoW's homepage and followed the links to the Trial Account creation page that way. But when I tried to create a Trial I was asked for an Activation Key, basically Blizzard wanted me to hit up a friend for a 10-day Trial key. I didn't have a Trial Key, and I certainly wasn't going to pay $1.99 for one.
It was a little frustrating because the webpage said I didn't need to input a Activation Key unless I wanted to upgrade to the full game, but it still had a field to input a Key, and when I didn't enter one it caused an error. So I visited the European site, created a Trial there without any problems until I tried to log in. WoW could probably tell I wasn't really in Europe, so it wasn't going to let me log in using a European Trial account. I wonder...how do Europeans go when visiting the States or Australia and they want to play a spot of WoW? Can they not log in, either?
More than a little frustrated I returned to the U.S/Pacific WoW page to give it one more shot. This time I managed to create a Trial account without being prompted for a non-existing Activation Key, and I rolled a Human Mage (my third favorite class, after the Hunter & Rogue, although Priests can be fun, too, if you don't care to be a PUG Healer). Around level 10 I was getting the urge to resubscribe, and was even mentally rolling my new race/class. I played for a bit more and around level 14 hit my first snag: the Defias. The first Defias Mobs were easy to bring down, even in pairs, but the second group you're asked to defeat contains Mages, like myself.
With the realization that I was playing a temporary toon, and with no access to the Auction House, I'd been selling pretty much everything that dropped (such as Linen Cloth) while forsaking any Trade Skills, such as First Aid.
When I encountered two Mages I wasn't too bad off. I'd set my Focus on one, cast my first Fireball, then Sheep my Focus before resuming the Fireballs on my original target. This gave me a leg up on my original target while ensuring I only faced one Mage. Except after the first Mage died I was low on health and still in combat, thus unable to eat or drink. Then Sheep wore off and the now less wooly but very irate Mage one-shot me.
I realized I needed First Aid, even as a Trial Toon. But to level First Aid I'd need Bandages, and to get Bandages I'd need Linen Cloth. I'd acquired plenty of Linen from the first group of Defias I'd killed...which I'd sold. So I'd need to go back and kill even more Defias to get the Linen I'd need to level First Aid and make enough Bandages to keep me alive while killing the Defias Mages.
And with that, I had an epiphany: If I resubscribed to WoW I'd have nothing to look forward to but an endless grind, killing thousands (or more) of Mobs.
NPC1: Hey there, Cap'n John. Them Foozles is a damn nuisance. They've eaten all the grass in my pasture, and now they're even eaten me cows! I need you to cut their numbers down a bit, so, get on out there and kill 10 Foozles for me.
NPC2: Nice work killing those Foozles for NPC1, Cap'n Foozle. Hee hee hee. I've got a job for you, too. I need 10 Foozle Horns, but they need to be Grade-A Foozle Horns, and not all Foozles is gonna drop Grade-A Horns, so you'll need to kill a lot more than just 10 Foozles to get the Horns I need. Well? What are you waiting for? Get out there and kill them Foozles!
NPC3: Well lookee here. If it isn't the Foozlenator himself. Haw haw! You're just the man I've been looking for. One of them damn Foozles stole my family heirloom! A near priceless, Golden Widget, and I want you to get it back. No! I don't know which one it was! All them damn Foozles look alike to me! Just get out there and kill Foozles until one of them drops me Golden Widget! There's a couple a slices of cheese in it for you. (Seriously, that link points to a real quest in WoW where you're asked to kill 20 Troggs, and your reward is 5 slices of cheese. You can tell the writers were feeling particularly creative that day, can't you?)
Kill, kill, kill.
What I want to know is...where's Harvest Moon: Online?
Where's the MMO that doesn't ask you to slaughter a gazillion Foozles just to level your Toon to some arbitrary number, just so you can join 4 or 9 or 24 other people for hours each night killing groups of Elite Foozles, and maybe have a shot at bringing down the Foozle King himself!
Where's the MMO that starts with you building a house somewhere, then "leveling" your Toon by working the land, or making clothes, or tools & farm implements, or stone & bricks, etc?
Where's the MMO that has one player grow and chop down trees, which he sells to another player to turn into lumber, which is sold to players to be turned into cabinets, tables & chairs, decorative window frames & doors, which are sold/used by yet more players to customize their in-game house to effect visible in-game changes that other players can see? (Phew! Take a breath!)
Where's the game that doesn't cater to the lowest common denominator and doesn't assume everyone is happy killing a gazillion Foozles?
Where's the innovation that took us from Space Invaders & Asteroids to Time Crisis & Street Fighter?
Everyone wants to build the next WoW, but they all seem to forget that without games like Ultima Online and Everquest (and without the old text-based DikuMUDs of yesteryear) there'd be no WoW.
Nobody wants to be someone else's stepping stone in the river of life, but without the stepping stones nobody can get to the other side.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
PC vs TV
I haven't completed Fable:TLC yet, but I did escape from prison (in the game!!!), and rescue my mother at the same time. That was a fun little scenario that had me replaying it when I tried to get creative. Eventually I followed the linear path the game wanted me to follow and I completed that scenario.
My W101 Necromancer is stuck in his mid-40s after doing the first couple of Dragonspyre quests.
I also restarted the GCN's Final Fantasy:Crystal Chronicles. It looks real pretty played via the Wii in progressive scan mode on a 50" plasma TV.
I haven't played Harvest Moon since getting the Wii, but it's been known to make my evening hours disappear, too.
What I have been doing is catching up on NCIS episodes, and the number of episodes on our DVR is down from maybe 15-20 (from two weeks ago) to just three. I still have (I think) 37 episodes to go, in order to be fully caught up.
There aren't many TV shows for which I'd consider buying the boxed sets but NCIS is one of those for which I'd be willing to do just that. I love the interaction between the characters, and it seems the actors are having a lot of fun with their roles. Either the writers are fething brilliant (actually, I think they are) or Bellasario gives his team a lot of creative license, because there have been quite a few times where I'd swear the actors improvised and added their own personal touch to the scene. Michael Weatherly seems to do this a lot, or perhaps he's just really captured the essence of DiNozzo.
I love the way the characters have evolved over time, too. McGee, while still the butt of many of DiNozzo's jokes, now stands up to his senior partner a lot more. In Stakeout (which I watched last night) DiNozzo sends McGee out for breakfast and he returns with DiNozzo's eggs, sunny side up.
"I wanted scrambled," whines DiNozzo. "This is the fourth time this week you've messed my order up."
"You want scrambled?" asks an indignant McGee. (Indignant? Where's apologetic McGee?) He walks over, grabs DiNozzo's tray of eggs, shakes it rapidly then slams it down. "Now they're scrambled!" He returns to the window to continue surveillance.
DiNozzo holds up McGee's foil-wrapped burrito. "I bet your burrito is exactly the way you want it," he says, then he throws the burrito and hits McGee in the back of the head with it.
McGee turns and glares at DiNozzo (a glaring McGee? o_O) who returns his stare. An unspoken "Let's do this!" passes between the two men and it's on, baby! MORTAL KOMBAT!!!
There is no way McGee would have stood up to DiNozzo like that in the first couple of seasons, and that character growth is part of what (IMO) makes NCIS such a great show. Maybe that's why I find myself sitting at my PC, unsure what to play, before finally turning on the TV.
My W101 Necromancer is stuck in his mid-40s after doing the first couple of Dragonspyre quests.
I also restarted the GCN's Final Fantasy:Crystal Chronicles. It looks real pretty played via the Wii in progressive scan mode on a 50" plasma TV.
I haven't played Harvest Moon since getting the Wii, but it's been known to make my evening hours disappear, too.
What I have been doing is catching up on NCIS episodes, and the number of episodes on our DVR is down from maybe 15-20 (from two weeks ago) to just three. I still have (I think) 37 episodes to go, in order to be fully caught up.
There aren't many TV shows for which I'd consider buying the boxed sets but NCIS is one of those for which I'd be willing to do just that. I love the interaction between the characters, and it seems the actors are having a lot of fun with their roles. Either the writers are fething brilliant (actually, I think they are) or Bellasario gives his team a lot of creative license, because there have been quite a few times where I'd swear the actors improvised and added their own personal touch to the scene. Michael Weatherly seems to do this a lot, or perhaps he's just really captured the essence of DiNozzo.
I love the way the characters have evolved over time, too. McGee, while still the butt of many of DiNozzo's jokes, now stands up to his senior partner a lot more. In Stakeout (which I watched last night) DiNozzo sends McGee out for breakfast and he returns with DiNozzo's eggs, sunny side up.
"I wanted scrambled," whines DiNozzo. "This is the fourth time this week you've messed my order up."
"You want scrambled?" asks an indignant McGee. (Indignant? Where's apologetic McGee?) He walks over, grabs DiNozzo's tray of eggs, shakes it rapidly then slams it down. "Now they're scrambled!" He returns to the window to continue surveillance.
DiNozzo holds up McGee's foil-wrapped burrito. "I bet your burrito is exactly the way you want it," he says, then he throws the burrito and hits McGee in the back of the head with it.
McGee turns and glares at DiNozzo (a glaring McGee? o_O) who returns his stare. An unspoken "Let's do this!" passes between the two men and it's on, baby! MORTAL KOMBAT!!!
There is no way McGee would have stood up to DiNozzo like that in the first couple of seasons, and that character growth is part of what (IMO) makes NCIS such a great show. Maybe that's why I find myself sitting at my PC, unsure what to play, before finally turning on the TV.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Shooting them should be legal
As I approached an intersection today the driver of a Ford Explorer waiting on the side street pulled onto the pedestrian crossing and either struck a cyclist, or scared him so badly he fell off his bike. If he did hit him it can't have been too hard because the cyclist got up, shook his fist at the driver, then climbed back on his bike and continued on his way.
I passed the intersection and the Explorer pulled out behind me, and because I wanted to make a right up ahead I moved over into his lane, about 50 metres in front of him. When I slowed down for the red light at the next intersection he made a move very typical of drivers of SUVs and other larger vehicles; He decided he didn't want to be behind my little Focus so he started to change lanes, except he forgot to do a head check. He was halfway into the next lane before he noticed the Scion next to him. I guess the Scion's driver was too busy avoiding being side swiped to use his horn, except in doing so he was letting the Explorer push him out of his lane into oncoming traffic. Fortunately for the Scion the light was red (with pedestrians crossing the road) so there was no oncoming traffic.
Incredibly, within the space of 30 seconds, I'd just witnessed the same driver almost cause two accidents, both because he was not cognizant of his surrounding traffic conditions. Some people really do not deserve their license.
I passed the intersection and the Explorer pulled out behind me, and because I wanted to make a right up ahead I moved over into his lane, about 50 metres in front of him. When I slowed down for the red light at the next intersection he made a move very typical of drivers of SUVs and other larger vehicles; He decided he didn't want to be behind my little Focus so he started to change lanes, except he forgot to do a head check. He was halfway into the next lane before he noticed the Scion next to him. I guess the Scion's driver was too busy avoiding being side swiped to use his horn, except in doing so he was letting the Explorer push him out of his lane into oncoming traffic. Fortunately for the Scion the light was red (with pedestrians crossing the road) so there was no oncoming traffic.
Incredibly, within the space of 30 seconds, I'd just witnessed the same driver almost cause two accidents, both because he was not cognizant of his surrounding traffic conditions. Some people really do not deserve their license.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Monday, March 09, 2009
Gamers' Fiction Podcast - Episode 2
If you're so inclined, the second episode of the Gamers' Fiction Podcast is now out. You can listen to our latest readings by following this link ;)
Friday, March 06, 2009
Screenshot Meme
Someone out there tagged me (I can't remember who) and as I really only took Screenshots for the World of Warcraft, and because there's still a few kicking around on my hard drive, what I'll actually do is throw up some of the (IMO) more amusing or interesting ones.
This is not Kwazimoto, and it's also not Cyboarg, although it is a Dwarf Hunter of mine with his pet Boar. I noticed while sitting down on this boat that my Pig forgot all about the concept of personal space, so I used that to my advantage and deliberately set up this shot. I'm sure those of you who play Horde think it's a considerable improvement ;)
The culmination of almost a year's in-game work saw a level 63 Kwazimoto finally acquire Rhok'delar. I killed all the Demons bar Klinfran while still a pre-BC 60, and almost gave up on him and Rhok, and then I performed the Kite of my life.
Just one level later I replaced the level 60 Epic Hunter Bow with a common Blue obtainable to any player (not just elite Hunters) bored enough to slaughter countless beasties.
One of the last 60 Epics I replaced was the Dragonstalker's Helm. It was proof that I'd been there when the dragon known as Onyxia had been defeated. With me is the real Cyboarg, who prompted quite a few players to send me complimentary whispers about my awesome pet :)
Just as a long-time Guildmate finished running my Gnome Warrior through Razorfen Downs a GM whispered me. He told me my Warrior's name was in violation of Blizzard's naming policy, that he was about to log me out, and that I'd have to rename my Warrior before I could play him again. Sure enough within seconds I was kicked out of the game, and when I tried to log back in on Knuttjob this is the screen I saw.
I found my fun in WoW where ever I could. In this shot, although it wasn't necessary for effective combat, I felt compelled to balance Knuttjob on the top rail of the fence as he fought his considerably taller skeletal foe.
I used to have a lot of fun in WoW with my niece. Often we'd play Hide & Seek where one of us would hide within a previously agreed upon area, then the other would try to find us. I discovered that by lying down in this particular corner, Zerka (as he'd later become known, after the forced name change) actually buried his head in the ground.
When my niece eventually found my upside down Gnome she felt compelled to nail him with a snowball.
Dismayed over the collapse of the Guild to which I'd belonged for over three years, I fled the Alliance and rolled Horde. One of my former Guildmates followed me and together we leveled up a Warrior and a Rogue. We stopped leveling (briefly) at 29 to engage in some semi-twinked PvP and this is the result of one of our matches. Of the two of us, my Guildie (& former Arena partner) was always the better player, so when this Match Summary popped up at the end of one (very) successful WSG match I knew I had to take a screenshot. The three players above me (Keeljah) were seriously Twinked out; Keelmeh, the player immediately below me, is my Guildie. Not only did I finish higher than Keelmeh but I was one of just two Horde players in that match who did not die.
When my old video card died I splurged and picked up a GeForce 8800GT, and one of the first things I did with it was boot up WoW and hit the "Max All Graphics" Macro. This Macro maxes out the graphics even more than allowed using the in-game Video Options silders. This was the "after" screenshot, and the FPS of 43.7 is down from 110.
That's all folks. I think I'm a little late jumping on this screenshot meme bandwagon, so I'm not going to tag anyone else because anyone who wanted to do it most likely has already.
This is not Kwazimoto, and it's also not Cyboarg, although it is a Dwarf Hunter of mine with his pet Boar. I noticed while sitting down on this boat that my Pig forgot all about the concept of personal space, so I used that to my advantage and deliberately set up this shot. I'm sure those of you who play Horde think it's a considerable improvement ;)
The culmination of almost a year's in-game work saw a level 63 Kwazimoto finally acquire Rhok'delar. I killed all the Demons bar Klinfran while still a pre-BC 60, and almost gave up on him and Rhok, and then I performed the Kite of my life.
Just one level later I replaced the level 60 Epic Hunter Bow with a common Blue obtainable to any player (not just elite Hunters) bored enough to slaughter countless beasties.
One of the last 60 Epics I replaced was the Dragonstalker's Helm. It was proof that I'd been there when the dragon known as Onyxia had been defeated. With me is the real Cyboarg, who prompted quite a few players to send me complimentary whispers about my awesome pet :)
Just as a long-time Guildmate finished running my Gnome Warrior through Razorfen Downs a GM whispered me. He told me my Warrior's name was in violation of Blizzard's naming policy, that he was about to log me out, and that I'd have to rename my Warrior before I could play him again. Sure enough within seconds I was kicked out of the game, and when I tried to log back in on Knuttjob this is the screen I saw.
I found my fun in WoW where ever I could. In this shot, although it wasn't necessary for effective combat, I felt compelled to balance Knuttjob on the top rail of the fence as he fought his considerably taller skeletal foe.
I used to have a lot of fun in WoW with my niece. Often we'd play Hide & Seek where one of us would hide within a previously agreed upon area, then the other would try to find us. I discovered that by lying down in this particular corner, Zerka (as he'd later become known, after the forced name change) actually buried his head in the ground.
When my niece eventually found my upside down Gnome she felt compelled to nail him with a snowball.
Dismayed over the collapse of the Guild to which I'd belonged for over three years, I fled the Alliance and rolled Horde. One of my former Guildmates followed me and together we leveled up a Warrior and a Rogue. We stopped leveling (briefly) at 29 to engage in some semi-twinked PvP and this is the result of one of our matches. Of the two of us, my Guildie (& former Arena partner) was always the better player, so when this Match Summary popped up at the end of one (very) successful WSG match I knew I had to take a screenshot. The three players above me (Keeljah) were seriously Twinked out; Keelmeh, the player immediately below me, is my Guildie. Not only did I finish higher than Keelmeh but I was one of just two Horde players in that match who did not die.
When my old video card died I splurged and picked up a GeForce 8800GT, and one of the first things I did with it was boot up WoW and hit the "Max All Graphics" Macro. This Macro maxes out the graphics even more than allowed using the in-game Video Options silders. This was the "after" screenshot, and the FPS of 43.7 is down from 110.
That's all folks. I think I'm a little late jumping on this screenshot meme bandwagon, so I'm not going to tag anyone else because anyone who wanted to do it most likely has already.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Update on Fable:The Lost Chapters
Tonight my "Assassin" looked at the Quest Table in the Heroes Guild and there was just one Quest available. Last night I'd seen that quest and taken it to be the opposite of the one I actually took, which was to free some Trader hostages from the Bandits' camp. That would be the same camp which I'd just infiltrated in order to talk to the mysterious Seeress, who was rumored to have information on my long ago abducted sister.
*LONG SPOILER*
Once I got inside the Bandit camp it turned out that the Seeress didn't just have information on my sister, she was my sister. Apparently our mother was a powerful Hero and both Sis and I inherited our powers from her. In Sis's case, because she dared to defy the Bandits and silently stared at them, refusing to answer their questions, they cut her eyes out and left her for dead. She was found by another group of bandits and taken in by them, and when her injuries had healed it was discovered that with the distraction of visual sight gone, Sis's ability to see the future had emerged. Because I was a Hero the Bandit Chief challenged me to a duel, and I soundly defeated him, but as he stood there gasping, he pitifully begged for his life. I listened to his appeal, "Please, spare me. The bandits will never follow me now. Isn't that punishment enough?"
I looked around at the circle of bandits whose flashing blades I'd seen behind me, more than once, as I'd dodged their Chief's own blades during our earlier duel. "Please, spare me." I heard the Chief say again. I backed up into the entrance of his tent, drew my crossbow, took aim, and dispatched the nearest bandit. Perhaps fearing he'd be next (and he was right) his neighbor charged me, and fell to my blades. It took several seconds for all of the bandits to realize what was happening, and like a bad Kung Fu movie they charged towards me in ones and twos, and I quickly dispatched them, and then it was just me and Twinblade, the Bandit Chief, who still pathetically begged for his life. Although he'd saved my sister's life so long ago when she'd been left for dead, I did not show him the same kindness.
After apparently destroying the Bandit's camp I returned to the Guild where I saw the two quests. One to rescue three Traders from the Bandits, the other (what I figured the evil, flip side of the rescue quest) was to kill the Guards and Traders in another village. Hmm, I'm supposed to be getting in with the Bandits in order to find my sister...but...it looks like she's doing just fine on her own now, so...let's rescue those Traders. Believing I'd just wiped out their camp I figured this mission would be a cakewalk, but when I returned to the camp I found it still occupied. So more bandits died and the Traders were freed.
That was when I noticed the quest to kill the guards and traders in the other village was still on the table. Hmm, so it wasn't the "evil" choice of the two after all. Feeling particularly evil I accepted the quest, and went and slew some Guards and helpless Traders. This would not be my only "evil" act of the night, because returning to the Quest Table I found it empty, but then remembered I still had a Quest in my Log.
The Arena.
The place where Heroes become Legends.
I entered the Arena and with a combination of Sword and Spell (& quaffing numerous potions) I defeated round after round of beasties, and then Whisper appeared, my childhood rival from the Heroes Guild. Only now she was fighting beside me as we slew numerous beasts, skeletons, trolls, and finally, a giant scorpion creature, and then it was just Whisper and me.
Whisper.
Whose claims that she was the superior Hero, despite the results of our training day duels, seemed more than just sour grapes.
Whisper.
Whose big brother, Thunder, was seen badmouthing me in town, was heard putting down my heroic feats. "Come to play with the other children, have you?" he said to me derisively.
Whisper.
Who foolishly said to me, as we stood there facing each other, "I won't kill you. I refuse to kill you."
Whisper, I don't share your compassion.
Fable actually makes it very easy for a normally altruistic person to cross the line. And cross it I did.
When Whisper finally stood before me, head bowed, pleading for me to just walk away, that I didn't have to do this...I did it anyway, and the crowd roared my name as I stood over her broken body. And it was GLORIOUS!!!
This could explain why I loved playing a Rogue in WoW's PvP ;)
When I exited the Arena the only thing between Thunder and I was Lady Grey, the Mayor of Bowerstone.
For some reason Thunder seemed to feel that my killing his sister, in the Arena, in a fight to the death, somehow amounted to Murder.
Lady Grey disagreed, and saved Thunder's life by not letting the big brute make a mistake he'd regret, but I just know I'll be helping him reunite with his sister before this game is done. I can feel it. Oh yes, I can!
I took my Arena Champion's purse containing over 30,000 gold (enough to buy a house in Bowerstone, if I'm not mistaken) and left the Arena where I was greeted by my adoring fans.
Murderer? Moi? Thunder, you are gravely mistaken, and if you persist in spreading such rumors I'm afraid we'll have to settle this in the Arena.
To paraphrase Ash, "Good. Bad. I'm the guy with the sword."
*LONG SPOILER*
Once I got inside the Bandit camp it turned out that the Seeress didn't just have information on my sister, she was my sister. Apparently our mother was a powerful Hero and both Sis and I inherited our powers from her. In Sis's case, because she dared to defy the Bandits and silently stared at them, refusing to answer their questions, they cut her eyes out and left her for dead. She was found by another group of bandits and taken in by them, and when her injuries had healed it was discovered that with the distraction of visual sight gone, Sis's ability to see the future had emerged. Because I was a Hero the Bandit Chief challenged me to a duel, and I soundly defeated him, but as he stood there gasping, he pitifully begged for his life. I listened to his appeal, "Please, spare me. The bandits will never follow me now. Isn't that punishment enough?"
I looked around at the circle of bandits whose flashing blades I'd seen behind me, more than once, as I'd dodged their Chief's own blades during our earlier duel. "Please, spare me." I heard the Chief say again. I backed up into the entrance of his tent, drew my crossbow, took aim, and dispatched the nearest bandit. Perhaps fearing he'd be next (and he was right) his neighbor charged me, and fell to my blades. It took several seconds for all of the bandits to realize what was happening, and like a bad Kung Fu movie they charged towards me in ones and twos, and I quickly dispatched them, and then it was just me and Twinblade, the Bandit Chief, who still pathetically begged for his life. Although he'd saved my sister's life so long ago when she'd been left for dead, I did not show him the same kindness.
After apparently destroying the Bandit's camp I returned to the Guild where I saw the two quests. One to rescue three Traders from the Bandits, the other (what I figured the evil, flip side of the rescue quest) was to kill the Guards and Traders in another village. Hmm, I'm supposed to be getting in with the Bandits in order to find my sister...but...it looks like she's doing just fine on her own now, so...let's rescue those Traders. Believing I'd just wiped out their camp I figured this mission would be a cakewalk, but when I returned to the camp I found it still occupied. So more bandits died and the Traders were freed.
That was when I noticed the quest to kill the guards and traders in the other village was still on the table. Hmm, so it wasn't the "evil" choice of the two after all. Feeling particularly evil I accepted the quest, and went and slew some Guards and helpless Traders. This would not be my only "evil" act of the night, because returning to the Quest Table I found it empty, but then remembered I still had a Quest in my Log.
The Arena.
The place where Heroes become Legends.
I entered the Arena and with a combination of Sword and Spell (& quaffing numerous potions) I defeated round after round of beasties, and then Whisper appeared, my childhood rival from the Heroes Guild. Only now she was fighting beside me as we slew numerous beasts, skeletons, trolls, and finally, a giant scorpion creature, and then it was just Whisper and me.
Whisper.
Whose claims that she was the superior Hero, despite the results of our training day duels, seemed more than just sour grapes.
Whisper.
Whose big brother, Thunder, was seen badmouthing me in town, was heard putting down my heroic feats. "Come to play with the other children, have you?" he said to me derisively.
Whisper.
Who foolishly said to me, as we stood there facing each other, "I won't kill you. I refuse to kill you."
Whisper, I don't share your compassion.
Fable actually makes it very easy for a normally altruistic person to cross the line. And cross it I did.
When Whisper finally stood before me, head bowed, pleading for me to just walk away, that I didn't have to do this...I did it anyway, and the crowd roared my name as I stood over her broken body. And it was GLORIOUS!!!
This could explain why I loved playing a Rogue in WoW's PvP ;)
When I exited the Arena the only thing between Thunder and I was Lady Grey, the Mayor of Bowerstone.
For some reason Thunder seemed to feel that my killing his sister, in the Arena, in a fight to the death, somehow amounted to Murder.
Lady Grey disagreed, and saved Thunder's life by not letting the big brute make a mistake he'd regret, but I just know I'll be helping him reunite with his sister before this game is done. I can feel it. Oh yes, I can!
I took my Arena Champion's purse containing over 30,000 gold (enough to buy a house in Bowerstone, if I'm not mistaken) and left the Arena where I was greeted by my adoring fans.
Murderer? Moi? Thunder, you are gravely mistaken, and if you persist in spreading such rumors I'm afraid we'll have to settle this in the Arena.
To paraphrase Ash, "Good. Bad. I'm the guy with the sword."
What an opener
Let's see that imitation Aussie top this!
Ladies and Gentleman, I give you...
Hugh Jackman's opening performance of the 2009 Oscars!
Anne Hathaway isn't half bad, either ;)
Ladies and Gentleman, I give you...
Hugh Jackman's opening performance of the 2009 Oscars!
Monday, February 23, 2009
Fable, and moral choices in PC games
I got Fable:The Lost Chapters on the weekend. Like Fallout 3, F:TLC (and Fable II) offers the player a moral choice. "How do you want to play the game?" But unlike F3, F:TLC appears to offer a more realistic choice.
In F3 when you entered Megaton and encountered the Sheriff your conversation responses ranged from polite and respectful to arrogant ass. IMO a non-response doesn't really qualify as an "evil" response, it could also mean you're the strong, silent type.
But with F:TLC you have a real choice.
I wish I could remember the post I read on someone's Blog (or I'd link it here) about how people with strong, moral compasses may have trouble playing F3 with an evil character, choosing "evil" responses. Games like Grand Theft Auto are easier to play because they give you little to no choice. You're Tommy Vercetti, a mafioso who just got out of prison and is being asked to run the Vice City syndicate. If you want to progress through the game, you don't really have a choice as to how you play it. You follow linear quests and the story unfolds.
F:TLC, however, offers you a choice, starting with your very first quests.
A young girl asks you to find her bear, and when you do, you're given a choice of siding with the bully who's already mentioned he planned to pull the bear's head off, or siding with a younger child who has the bear, and beating up the bully.
When a villager asks you to guard his wares another child wanders up and encourages you to smash the unguarded barrels to see what's in them.
When you find a philandering husband you're given a choice of accepting a gold piece to keep quiet, or telling the cheater's wife what you saw.
All very real choices, and almost opposite sides of the coin. Not goody two shoes versus ass, but good guy versus bad guy.
Then when you find yourself in the Guild of Heroes, choosing your first quest for them, you're again presented with a very real choice. You actually have a choice of two quests but you can only accept one because the goal of each is contrary to the other.
A local Farmer has some valuable stones in his possession and is being attacked by Bandits intent on stealing them. You have a choice of defending the farm and fighting off the bandits, or protecting the bandits while they steal the stones. Interestingly (IMO) the person behind the quest to steal the stones is none other than a local Mayor.
I chose to defend the farm, and as I've leveled up I've been putting points into martial combat and physical strength. But having played Fallout3 through as a "good guy" and been unable to restart it playing through as an ass, I've decided to restart F:TLC and play the "evil" side first, focusing on becoming more of an Assassin-style character.
Why?
Because F:TLC has a key plot device which makes it easy for someone with a strong moral compass to play the bad side.
*SPOILER* Very early in the game your village is attacked by Bandits, your father is slain, and your mother and sister are taken prisoner. You are rescued by Maze who takes you to the Guild of Heroes, which is where the meat & potatoes of the game starts. How does this help a "good" person play an evil character in F:TLC? Quite simply, you're going to do whatever it takes to rescue your sister. As Bandits are the ones who took her away, it could be argued that the best way to rescue your sister is to become a Bandit yourself, infiltrate their network, and eventually destroy them from within. And if you happen to become corrupted by the dark side along the way, that's only to be expected.
It's like the post I made about the Torture Quest in WoW. You could have been presented with two Quests, one to torture the prisoner to extract the desired information, and one to help him escape, gain his trust, and get the information that way. That's a real choice, and F:TLC offers you choices like that.
While F:TLC may not have the polish of WoW, it's still a very good looking game, and combat is fun (at least in the early stages) without being a nightmare. But as far as offering the player choices on how to proceed through the game and develop their character, F:TLC wins hands down. All this, for a shade more than the price of one month of WoW. Bargain!
In F3 when you entered Megaton and encountered the Sheriff your conversation responses ranged from polite and respectful to arrogant ass. IMO a non-response doesn't really qualify as an "evil" response, it could also mean you're the strong, silent type.
But with F:TLC you have a real choice.
I wish I could remember the post I read on someone's Blog (or I'd link it here) about how people with strong, moral compasses may have trouble playing F3 with an evil character, choosing "evil" responses. Games like Grand Theft Auto are easier to play because they give you little to no choice. You're Tommy Vercetti, a mafioso who just got out of prison and is being asked to run the Vice City syndicate. If you want to progress through the game, you don't really have a choice as to how you play it. You follow linear quests and the story unfolds.
F:TLC, however, offers you a choice, starting with your very first quests.
A young girl asks you to find her bear, and when you do, you're given a choice of siding with the bully who's already mentioned he planned to pull the bear's head off, or siding with a younger child who has the bear, and beating up the bully.
When a villager asks you to guard his wares another child wanders up and encourages you to smash the unguarded barrels to see what's in them.
When you find a philandering husband you're given a choice of accepting a gold piece to keep quiet, or telling the cheater's wife what you saw.
All very real choices, and almost opposite sides of the coin. Not goody two shoes versus ass, but good guy versus bad guy.
Then when you find yourself in the Guild of Heroes, choosing your first quest for them, you're again presented with a very real choice. You actually have a choice of two quests but you can only accept one because the goal of each is contrary to the other.
A local Farmer has some valuable stones in his possession and is being attacked by Bandits intent on stealing them. You have a choice of defending the farm and fighting off the bandits, or protecting the bandits while they steal the stones. Interestingly (IMO) the person behind the quest to steal the stones is none other than a local Mayor.
I chose to defend the farm, and as I've leveled up I've been putting points into martial combat and physical strength. But having played Fallout3 through as a "good guy" and been unable to restart it playing through as an ass, I've decided to restart F:TLC and play the "evil" side first, focusing on becoming more of an Assassin-style character.
Why?
Because F:TLC has a key plot device which makes it easy for someone with a strong moral compass to play the bad side.
*SPOILER* Very early in the game your village is attacked by Bandits, your father is slain, and your mother and sister are taken prisoner. You are rescued by Maze who takes you to the Guild of Heroes, which is where the meat & potatoes of the game starts. How does this help a "good" person play an evil character in F:TLC? Quite simply, you're going to do whatever it takes to rescue your sister. As Bandits are the ones who took her away, it could be argued that the best way to rescue your sister is to become a Bandit yourself, infiltrate their network, and eventually destroy them from within. And if you happen to become corrupted by the dark side along the way, that's only to be expected.
It's like the post I made about the Torture Quest in WoW. You could have been presented with two Quests, one to torture the prisoner to extract the desired information, and one to help him escape, gain his trust, and get the information that way. That's a real choice, and F:TLC offers you choices like that.
While F:TLC may not have the polish of WoW, it's still a very good looking game, and combat is fun (at least in the early stages) without being a nightmare. But as far as offering the player choices on how to proceed through the game and develop their character, F:TLC wins hands down. All this, for a shade more than the price of one month of WoW. Bargain!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Motivation
I'll admit it, I may be a bloody genius but I'm also a lazy bastard, and sometimes I need a kick in the pants to get me going. So I made myself a motivational poster, and damned if it doesn't get the job done. Being a considerate, lazy genius, I thought I'd share, in case anyone else needs a slap upside the head, too ;)
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
NCIS
Yeah, I'm an NCIS Fanbois, and a dorky one at that, with my satchel strap across my chest. (Idiot! Take your bag off next time! Whadda ya trying to do? Ruin an excellent fan pic?)
Gibb's famous black Dodger Charger
He was driving it earlier that day, Mark Harmon was, that is. He drives just like Gibbs too, which makes perfect sense when you think about it.
Per Crucifer's request here's more on my NCIS encounter.
* * *
On Tuesday our HR Rep forwarded a Memo from Building Mgmt. about filming that would be taking place in our building the next day. A month or two back the Heroes crew had been by so I opened this one to see if they were back or....NCIS??? OMG!!!!
Yep, it was kind of like that ;)
Actually when I'd arrived for work that morning a crew was already setting up, and it didn't occur to me later when I got the Memo that NCIS were already here because big productions rarely shoot for just one day.
I was in a late afternoon meeting when I heard a pitched gun battle from the alley. Easily 10 or 12 shots were fired, which is unusual for NCIS. Up until that point none of NCIS' gun fights (at least none I'd seen) had run that long, most were over after the exchange of just a few shots. (*edit* They were filming ep. 6.20 Dead Reckoning, and this was the opening scene's gun fight involving Trent Kort)
Today Liz came into downtown to join me for lunch (& hopefully see someone ;) so when she called to tell me she was almost there I headed downstairs where I found a crew out on the sidewalk. From where I stood I could see Michael Weatherly (aka DiNozzo) chatting with a couple of folks. A minute or so later a crew member came over and asked me and a couple of other people standing next to the alley to move back, because Mark Harmon was going to be driving into the alley hard & fast, just like his alter-ego 'Gibbs' :)
Sure enough Mark emerged from the alley and as a cop directed traffic around them he walked out and got into the familiar black Dodge Charger. When they were ready the cop stopped a couple of cars to give them room and with that "Gibbs" emerged, the Charger roared, and with tires screeching it hammered into and down the alley and out of view.
I chatted with the crew member and found out they were about to break for lunch themselves, but he told me where they'd be shooting afterward, which was just a couple of blocks from where I'd be catching my bus.
Liz arrived as they were getting ready for another take, and she actually drove past Mark & Michael in their car. If she'd come along a minute or so earlier or later she would have been stopped by the cop and had an excellent view of Gibbs doing what he does best: driving like a maniac :P
Instead she picked me up then did a "Gibbs U-Turn" of her own, right in front of the man himself.
Without enough room for her Highlander to get all the way around in one shot and with oncoming traffic quickly approaching, Liz was forced to drive up onto the sidewalk to complete her U-turn. As she pulled back out onto the road we passed Michael and Mark still sitting on the other side of the road. The driver's window was down and Mark was looking right at us.
In Liz's words, "I didn't know until I made the turn and I was facing him when I was finished. He flashed his famous grin at me. *swoon*"
I don't know if Michael made a comment to him about how "she drives just like you", but Mark really was looking right at Liz and he had a big grin on his face.
After lunch Liz dropped me back at work. The crew were still on their own lunch break so Liz went on home.
At the end of the day I swung by the second location and while walking down the street I saw the Charger first, then Cote de Pablo (Ziva) chatting with a few guys. When I got closer and was finally able to take my eyes off her :P I realized Michael was standing beside her. On meeting Cote in person it was very hard to picture her as diamond-hard Ziva. She is a strikingly attractive woman.
I had to interrupt their conversation with two crew members (who I found out later were Donald Bellisario and his assistant) but they were really good about me intruding on their work. When I asked if I could get a photo Donald said sure, waved his hand and stood back.
Suddenly nervous I stammered & stuttered but managed to convey that I wanted my picture taken with Cote and Michael. Thinking back I have the impression that Donald knew what I wanted all along and was just messing with me. I handed over my camera but he passed it on to his assistant. When I stepped up to Cote and Michael they parted so I could stand between them, and when I did, Cote put her arm around my waist. I'm not joking. Seriously! Look how she's leaning into me! So I returned the favor and did the same to both her and Michael ;) I'm not sure what he thought about that, although it shouldn't have come as a surprise to him, I mean he is a good looking guy ;) We may be the same age but he's aged a heck of a lot better than I have :D
After the photo was taken Cote demanded photo-approval rights before letting me go, which got her a ribbing and a friendly shove from Michael. Clearly their onscreen chemistry is mirrored off screen as well, although rumor has it that while Cote would like their characters to hook up, Michael is averse to that idea.
I asked if Mark was still around and was told he'd already left. I mentioned that I'd seen him driving into the alley near my work that morning and told Michael he was taking his life in his hands when he rode with Mark. (Yeah, my nerves were calm now. I was shooting the breeze with Ziva and DiNozzo ;)
"Every day," Michael said with a laugh. "Every single day!"
And that was it. Off I went to catch my bus, and send Liz a text message: "No Gibbs, he'd already left. But I did get a photo of his car. I also got a photo of me with DiNozzo...and ZIVA!!!"
Her reply was short and direct: "U sux!"
Gibb's famous black Dodger Charger
He was driving it earlier that day, Mark Harmon was, that is. He drives just like Gibbs too, which makes perfect sense when you think about it.
Per Crucifer's request here's more on my NCIS encounter.
* * *
On Tuesday our HR Rep forwarded a Memo from Building Mgmt. about filming that would be taking place in our building the next day. A month or two back the Heroes crew had been by so I opened this one to see if they were back or....NCIS??? OMG!!!!
Yep, it was kind of like that ;)
Actually when I'd arrived for work that morning a crew was already setting up, and it didn't occur to me later when I got the Memo that NCIS were already here because big productions rarely shoot for just one day.
I was in a late afternoon meeting when I heard a pitched gun battle from the alley. Easily 10 or 12 shots were fired, which is unusual for NCIS. Up until that point none of NCIS' gun fights (at least none I'd seen) had run that long, most were over after the exchange of just a few shots. (*edit* They were filming ep. 6.20 Dead Reckoning, and this was the opening scene's gun fight involving Trent Kort)
Today Liz came into downtown to join me for lunch (& hopefully see someone ;) so when she called to tell me she was almost there I headed downstairs where I found a crew out on the sidewalk. From where I stood I could see Michael Weatherly (aka DiNozzo) chatting with a couple of folks. A minute or so later a crew member came over and asked me and a couple of other people standing next to the alley to move back, because Mark Harmon was going to be driving into the alley hard & fast, just like his alter-ego 'Gibbs' :)
Sure enough Mark emerged from the alley and as a cop directed traffic around them he walked out and got into the familiar black Dodge Charger. When they were ready the cop stopped a couple of cars to give them room and with that "Gibbs" emerged, the Charger roared, and with tires screeching it hammered into and down the alley and out of view.
I chatted with the crew member and found out they were about to break for lunch themselves, but he told me where they'd be shooting afterward, which was just a couple of blocks from where I'd be catching my bus.
Liz arrived as they were getting ready for another take, and she actually drove past Mark & Michael in their car. If she'd come along a minute or so earlier or later she would have been stopped by the cop and had an excellent view of Gibbs doing what he does best: driving like a maniac :P
Instead she picked me up then did a "Gibbs U-Turn" of her own, right in front of the man himself.
Without enough room for her Highlander to get all the way around in one shot and with oncoming traffic quickly approaching, Liz was forced to drive up onto the sidewalk to complete her U-turn. As she pulled back out onto the road we passed Michael and Mark still sitting on the other side of the road. The driver's window was down and Mark was looking right at us.
In Liz's words, "I didn't know until I made the turn and I was facing him when I was finished. He flashed his famous grin at me. *swoon*"
I don't know if Michael made a comment to him about how "she drives just like you", but Mark really was looking right at Liz and he had a big grin on his face.
After lunch Liz dropped me back at work. The crew were still on their own lunch break so Liz went on home.
At the end of the day I swung by the second location and while walking down the street I saw the Charger first, then Cote de Pablo (Ziva) chatting with a few guys. When I got closer and was finally able to take my eyes off her :P I realized Michael was standing beside her. On meeting Cote in person it was very hard to picture her as diamond-hard Ziva. She is a strikingly attractive woman.
I had to interrupt their conversation with two crew members (who I found out later were Donald Bellisario and his assistant) but they were really good about me intruding on their work. When I asked if I could get a photo Donald said sure, waved his hand and stood back.
Suddenly nervous I stammered & stuttered but managed to convey that I wanted my picture taken with Cote and Michael. Thinking back I have the impression that Donald knew what I wanted all along and was just messing with me. I handed over my camera but he passed it on to his assistant. When I stepped up to Cote and Michael they parted so I could stand between them, and when I did, Cote put her arm around my waist. I'm not joking. Seriously! Look how she's leaning into me! So I returned the favor and did the same to both her and Michael ;) I'm not sure what he thought about that, although it shouldn't have come as a surprise to him, I mean he is a good looking guy ;) We may be the same age but he's aged a heck of a lot better than I have :D
After the photo was taken Cote demanded photo-approval rights before letting me go, which got her a ribbing and a friendly shove from Michael. Clearly their onscreen chemistry is mirrored off screen as well, although rumor has it that while Cote would like their characters to hook up, Michael is averse to that idea.
I asked if Mark was still around and was told he'd already left. I mentioned that I'd seen him driving into the alley near my work that morning and told Michael he was taking his life in his hands when he rode with Mark. (Yeah, my nerves were calm now. I was shooting the breeze with Ziva and DiNozzo ;)
"Every day," Michael said with a laugh. "Every single day!"
And that was it. Off I went to catch my bus, and send Liz a text message: "No Gibbs, he'd already left. But I did get a photo of his car. I also got a photo of me with DiNozzo...and ZIVA!!!"
Her reply was short and direct: "U sux!"
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
It's official
Ever wondered what I sound like? Do I really talk like a Pirate? Ever wanted to fall asleep as I read you a bedtime story? (Please don't say Yes to that last one. That would be kind of creepy.)
In conjunction with Saylah of Mystic Worlds, (& a couple of other Bloggers), we're putting together a series of Podcasts where we'll be doing readings of our own stories.
So if you've a mind to hear my voice so maybe you can imagine me reading my Blog entries to you (again with the creepy), just head on over to the temporary home of our Podcasts and click the links you find there.
And in case you're wondering, yes, I will also (eventually) be doing a reading of my last entry, "Becoming the Hunter". I'm also currently working on another Kwazimoto story. Got to have material for the Podcasts, you know.
In conjunction with Saylah of Mystic Worlds, (& a couple of other Bloggers), we're putting together a series of Podcasts where we'll be doing readings of our own stories.
So if you've a mind to hear my voice so maybe you can imagine me reading my Blog entries to you (again with the creepy), just head on over to the temporary home of our Podcasts and click the links you find there.
And in case you're wondering, yes, I will also (eventually) be doing a reading of my last entry, "Becoming the Hunter". I'm also currently working on another Kwazimoto story. Got to have material for the Podcasts, you know.
Monday, February 02, 2009
Becoming the Hunter
A post/story from Pike about her Hunter finding the Raptor she'd set free so long ago prompted me to write this fictional piece about my own Hunter, a Dwarf named Kwazimoto, as he learns the basic skills of the Hunter class, then sets out to find the animal that would become his lifelong companion.
As in Kwazimoto and the Demon, I've used actual names and places from the World of Warcraft to create this story of how Kwazimoto became a Hunter.
* * *
The young Dwarf seemed proud of himself as he trotted up the hill towards Grif Wildheart. The old Hunter looked down at his latest student who, like many of those that had preceded him, now had an Ice Bear cub hot on his heels.
Although just a cub the Ice Bear was still big enough and strong enough to be capable of dispatching a young Dwarf, like the very one which led it to the old Hunter, but the dazed look in the bear’s eyes told Grif it didn't fully understand what had happened to it, or what compelled it to follow the young Hunter who, although half its size, had somehow bent it to his will.
In any Pack there can be only one Alpha, Grif mused to himself, although most folks will look at a pack and say, 'There's the Alpha Male, and his mate, the Alpha Female.' But truth is only one of them is the Alpha. If the Alpha is the Male then the Female is not a true Alpha, for like the rest of the pack she too must bow to the Male, and if the Female is the Alpha, then the Male must submit to her as does the rest of the pack.
Prior to sending his student out, Grif had passed on these words of wisdom: The secret to Taming a Beast is that in each pack there can be only one Alpha. You must challenge the Beast, and stand firm against its attacks. If you stand firm long enough then the Beast has no choice but to concede victory to you. But you must stand firm! The Beast must be made to see that its attacks are futile, for you are stronger, because you are Alpha.
With the dazed Ice Bear cub in tow Grif could see that this young Dwarf...What was his name again? Kawasaki? Kozimodo? Kwazimoto! That was it. This Kwazimoto (strange name for a Dwarf) he had what it took to be a Hunter. He was an Alpha, and the Ice Bear behind him was testament to that.
"Ye've done well, Kwazimoto," said Grif. "Ye've proved yer have a way with animals, and ye've tamed the three beasties just as I asked yer to. Yer well on yer way to becoming a Hunter, but afore you go rushing off, Taming Beast willy nilly, stop by Ironforge first. Ye'll be lookin' to speak to Belia Thundergranite. If she's not in the Military Ward, she'll probably be talking shop with Bretta Goldfury. Actually, it wouldn't hurt for ye to get to know Bretta, either. I've a feeling you'll be wanting to stop by and visit Ms. Goldfury most every time yer in Ironforge." Grif winked at the young and confused Dwarf, before continuing. "Very popular lady with the Hunters, she is. Now, off you go. NO! NOT YOU, YOUNG CUB!"
Grif's voice changed so suddenly, became so powerful, and so commanding, that Kwazi stopped dead in his tracks, as did the Ice Bear cub, which was the real target of Grif's order.
"Yah!" Grif yelled, and both Dwarf and Bear looked up at him in astonishment.
"Gwan! Giddouttaheah!" Grif clapped his hands and the sharp sound was like a peal of thunder to the two mesmerized creatures, and they both took off as fast as their legs could carry them. While the Bear galloped south into the hills, the young Dwarf bolted north out of Kharanos towards Ironforge, Belia Thundergranite, and his next lesson on the road to becoming a Hunter.
* * *
"So ye see, young man," said Belia, "because yer the Alpha, yer companion relies on you. He looks up to you not just for leadership, but for life. He relies on you for food, shelter, and protection. And if yer not going to look after yer animal companion, I've just wasted the better part of three hours with ye, so ye might as well just head on over there to him *snort* and become a warrior." Belia blew through her nose as she shrugged and looked in the direction of Kelv Sternhammer. "How about it? Ye want to mingle with the likes of him? Or do ye want to be a Hunter? Now go! I've taught ye all ye need to know...for now."
* * *
Kwazi sat just outside Steelgrill's Depot, looking down on the Steam Tanks. Although a light snow was falling on him the warm body curled up next to the dwarf kept him quite warm, and his hand absently stroked the Snow Wolf's fur. The Wolf was the third beast Kwazi had befriended this day, but it, like the Bear and the Snow Leopard before it, just didn't feel right. He enjoyed having the animals beside him; he could feel the call of the wild. He knew he was destined to be a Hunter, not a muscle bound oaf of a Warrior, but he needed to find the right animal for him. Kwazi needed his kindred spirit.
"Go, boy!" he ordered the Wolf, and it looked up at him, confused. The Wolf also enjoyed being with the Dwarf, its new Alpha, and the sense of belonging it got from being with the Dwarf gave it a feeling of security it hadn't known while living in the foothills of Dun Morogh. And now its Alpha wanted to send it away? The Wolf looked to where Kwazimoto was pointing and at that instant, a white rabbit burst out of a snow bank and bounded away.
"Go!" Kwazi repeated, and the Wolf's predator instincts took over and it leaped to its feet and began loping after the rabbit. Kwazi watched the chase for several seconds, until both animals disappeared among the swirling snow drifts, then he climbed to his feet and strode off in the opposite direction. Before too long the dark shape of the Kharanos Inn loomed into view, and Kwazi's belly rumbled.
“Time for a big bowl of rabbit stew,” he said to himself, “and maybe a pint or three of Thunder Ale.”
Perhaps his friend Jarven would be in, he could use the company. Perhaps? Kwazi, chuckled to himself. When was Jarven not in the Kharanos Inn? Why, he practically lived off the Inn's Thunder Ale.
Sure enough, Kwazi entered the Inn and a smile creased his face as he heard Jarven's booming voice ring out, "Hey there, Belm! Give me a mug of Thunder Ale, and one for my good friend...Kwazimoto?"
"Better make that two, Belm," laughed Kwazi. "You know how Jarven loves his Thunder Ale."
The two friends sat down at a table in front of the fire, clinked mugs, and Kwazi took a long pull. "Ah, that sure does hit the spot," he said. He lowered his mug to see Jarven pushing another one his way, while looking at Kwazi's half full mug with disgust.
"Come on! Drink up, man!" said Jarven, as he raised his own second mug of Thunder Ale. Kwazi took another long pull, slammed his empty mug down on the table, and heard Jarven call for two more mugs.
"Slow down, Jarven," said Kwazi, "I've not even touched my second mug yet."
"Aye, yer gettin' slow in yer old age, Kwazi." said his friend.
Kwazi gasped. "Old? Who are you calling old? You've got two seasons on me, you old coot!"
"Ha ha, it's good to see you again, Kwazi," laughed Jarven. "So, what brings you back to Kharanos? I didn’t expect to see you for at least another ten-day."
Kwazi explained his morning's actions to his friend. How he'd tamed several beasts but none of them had seemed quite right for him.
"Now this!" stated Jarven. "This sounds like a problem I can help you with! There's no problem too big, or too small, that cannot be solved by a liberal application of more Thunder Ale!" Jarven positively bellowed the last three words, and Belm rushed over to keep his best customer happy.
"Belm," said Kwazi, "bring me a bowl of stew, and some cornbread while you're at it."
"Bah! Stew and cornbread?" snorted Jarven. "What do ya want to go filling your belly with that stuff for, when there's still plenty more Thunder Ale."
Ignoring Jarven, Kwazi continued, "And Belm? A couple of plates of those Boar Ribs, too."
"Now those I can appreciate!" said Jarven. "There's nothing better than me brother's famous Beer Basted Boar Ribs, except maybe..."
Kwazi joined Jarven in finishing his sentence, "...more Thunder Ale!"
The two friends laughed then settled in for an afternoon of eating and drinking, while outside the storm picked up, adding even more snow to the almost constant layer of white powder covering the ground, for in this part of the country it almost always seemed to be snowing, regardless of the time of year.
* * *
It was late into the evening when Kwazi signaled Belm. "I think I'm going to be needing a bed for the night," he said. He smiled at Jarven, who lay asleep with his head on the table, surrounded by dozens of empty, foam-covered mugs. "You'll be paying for that lot in the morning," he said as he stood. The room spun, and he almost sat straight back down again. "Woah! As I will be too!" he added, catching the edge of the table and hanging on for dear life. When the room had stopped spinning Kwazi wobbled off through the kitchen and downstairs, to where a soft bed and a warm fire waited for him.
And with his Hunter lessons still fresh in his mind, is it any surprise that Kwazi's dreams were filled with countless Beasts, all clamoring for his attention? All except one, that is.
As the beasts of his dream pushed around him and fought with each other, one magnificent animal sat back from the rest. And while all the other animals growled and yipped and howled and roared and tried to catch his eye, the one beast that had Kwazi’s undivided attention ignored him, as it licked a huge orange paw and brushed it over one black and orange ear. Then switching paws it washed the other ear. And all the while it ignored the Hunter.
The other animals fell silent, then, as is the way of dreams when you pay them no mind, they vanished. Not with a pop, or a bang, or in a flash of smoke; they simply ceased to be. And then there was just the Hunter, and the Tiger, which stopped washing itself to stare at Kwazi for several, very long seconds, before dismissing him and resuming its bath.
A loud roar from behind the Hunter finally accomplished what he could not. Something behind Kwazi finally had the Tiger's attention.
"Just a dream, just a dream, just a dream," Kwazi told himself, as he tried to will himself awake. But he remained in his dream land. As he stared at the Tiger in front of him he felt the very warm, almost moist air of something breathing down the back of his neck. Literally down. Whatever was behind the Dwarf was tall enough that its hot breath was coming from at least a full foot above his head.
A second roar from behind Kwazi coated the back and top of his head with warm spittle. "What's...behind me...Tiger?" muttered Kwazi. The Tiger looked at Kwazi, then looked up behind him, and from the look in its eyes Kwazi figured whatever was behind him was big. Really big. He reached for his rifle but his dream self appeared to have misplaced it.
And then the Tiger leaped.
Kwazi ducked as the Tiger flew over his head and crashed into the something behind him, which let out more roars. Higher pitched “I'm in pain!” roars. Kwazi turned to discover the ‘something’ was a Raptor. His Tiger had the lizard by the throat, preventing it from bringing its own fearsome jaws into play, but the claws from both animals still raked at each other, and fur and leathery hide was shredded and running with blood.
Kwazi took a step back then raised his rifle to his shoulder. He didn’t ask where it had come from, this was a dream, and these things just are. Pulling his rifle in tight he looked down the barrel, waiting for his shot. The fight in front of him was chaotic and brutal, as both animals twisted and turned trying to gain the upper hand. Despite the blood covering their bodies the Tiger’s black and orange coloring stood out against the iridescent purple sheen of the Raptor, and it was the purple Kwazi needed to focus on.
Not the orange, focus on the purple. That’s where your shot is, he told himself. And then, after several long, agonizing seconds, there it was. For a heartbeat he had a clear shot, but that was all the time he needed. His rifle roared, flame belched from the muzzle, and black smoke obliterated both beasts, and when it finally cleared the Tiger was sitting there, alone, again ignoring Kwazi as it calmly and methodically washed itself.
* * *
Kwazi opened his eyes and sat up. The fire in his room had died down, but the room was still warm. He yawned and stretched and looked around. Some time during the night Jarven had found his way downstairs and into the other bed. Kwazi’s internal clock told him it was early, that the sun was not yet up although dawn was not far away.
As he quietly dressed he thought about the animal in his dream. A Tiger? It was a magnificent beast, and you never saw any of them this far north. Down south, though. In the jungles on the other side of Duskwood, now there be Tigers. But the tigers of Stranglethorn were huge beasts, and Kwazi was just a young Hunter with a lot to learn; he was not yet ready to venture into the Vale.
The only other place Kwazi knew where such tigers could be found was even further away than Stranglethorn. Across the ocean, the Echo Isles off the coast of Durotar was home to a small pride of Tigers. With their island being so small, and with such limited food supply, the tigers of Echo Isles were not as big as their Stranglethorn cousins; they’d be perfect for a young Hunter with the heart of a Tiger.
Kwazi muttered to himself, “I guess it’s time to see Kalimdor, see how the other half lives. Let’s see now. Boat from Menethil Harbor, come down through the Elfs’ lands and into the Barrens. Head down to Ratchet, then slip up the coast to the Echo Isles. Couldn’t be any easier, even if I were a Rogue.”
“Whazzat? Say sumppin?” Jarven mumbled.
“Go back to sleep, old friend. I’ll be seein’ ya later.”
“Hey. Who you callin’ old?” Jarven muttered, even as he rolled over and resumed snoring.
Kwazi slipped quietly from the room and out of the Inn, and headed east, towards the North Gate Pass, to Loch Modan, the Wetlands, and Menethil Harbor, where he’d catch the ship that would take him far from his homeland, and into the wild, Horde-controlled lands of Kalimdor.
Maybe I’ll stop off at Darnassus first, he mused to himself. See what all the fuss is over these Night Elf women. And all over some silly dance they do.
(Click here for part II)
As in Kwazimoto and the Demon, I've used actual names and places from the World of Warcraft to create this story of how Kwazimoto became a Hunter.
* * *
The young Dwarf seemed proud of himself as he trotted up the hill towards Grif Wildheart. The old Hunter looked down at his latest student who, like many of those that had preceded him, now had an Ice Bear cub hot on his heels.
Although just a cub the Ice Bear was still big enough and strong enough to be capable of dispatching a young Dwarf, like the very one which led it to the old Hunter, but the dazed look in the bear’s eyes told Grif it didn't fully understand what had happened to it, or what compelled it to follow the young Hunter who, although half its size, had somehow bent it to his will.
In any Pack there can be only one Alpha, Grif mused to himself, although most folks will look at a pack and say, 'There's the Alpha Male, and his mate, the Alpha Female.' But truth is only one of them is the Alpha. If the Alpha is the Male then the Female is not a true Alpha, for like the rest of the pack she too must bow to the Male, and if the Female is the Alpha, then the Male must submit to her as does the rest of the pack.
Prior to sending his student out, Grif had passed on these words of wisdom: The secret to Taming a Beast is that in each pack there can be only one Alpha. You must challenge the Beast, and stand firm against its attacks. If you stand firm long enough then the Beast has no choice but to concede victory to you. But you must stand firm! The Beast must be made to see that its attacks are futile, for you are stronger, because you are Alpha.
With the dazed Ice Bear cub in tow Grif could see that this young Dwarf...What was his name again? Kawasaki? Kozimodo? Kwazimoto! That was it. This Kwazimoto (strange name for a Dwarf) he had what it took to be a Hunter. He was an Alpha, and the Ice Bear behind him was testament to that.
"Ye've done well, Kwazimoto," said Grif. "Ye've proved yer have a way with animals, and ye've tamed the three beasties just as I asked yer to. Yer well on yer way to becoming a Hunter, but afore you go rushing off, Taming Beast willy nilly, stop by Ironforge first. Ye'll be lookin' to speak to Belia Thundergranite. If she's not in the Military Ward, she'll probably be talking shop with Bretta Goldfury. Actually, it wouldn't hurt for ye to get to know Bretta, either. I've a feeling you'll be wanting to stop by and visit Ms. Goldfury most every time yer in Ironforge." Grif winked at the young and confused Dwarf, before continuing. "Very popular lady with the Hunters, she is. Now, off you go. NO! NOT YOU, YOUNG CUB!"
Grif's voice changed so suddenly, became so powerful, and so commanding, that Kwazi stopped dead in his tracks, as did the Ice Bear cub, which was the real target of Grif's order.
"Yah!" Grif yelled, and both Dwarf and Bear looked up at him in astonishment.
"Gwan! Giddouttaheah!" Grif clapped his hands and the sharp sound was like a peal of thunder to the two mesmerized creatures, and they both took off as fast as their legs could carry them. While the Bear galloped south into the hills, the young Dwarf bolted north out of Kharanos towards Ironforge, Belia Thundergranite, and his next lesson on the road to becoming a Hunter.
* * *
"So ye see, young man," said Belia, "because yer the Alpha, yer companion relies on you. He looks up to you not just for leadership, but for life. He relies on you for food, shelter, and protection. And if yer not going to look after yer animal companion, I've just wasted the better part of three hours with ye, so ye might as well just head on over there to him *snort* and become a warrior." Belia blew through her nose as she shrugged and looked in the direction of Kelv Sternhammer. "How about it? Ye want to mingle with the likes of him? Or do ye want to be a Hunter? Now go! I've taught ye all ye need to know...for now."
* * *
Kwazi sat just outside Steelgrill's Depot, looking down on the Steam Tanks. Although a light snow was falling on him the warm body curled up next to the dwarf kept him quite warm, and his hand absently stroked the Snow Wolf's fur. The Wolf was the third beast Kwazi had befriended this day, but it, like the Bear and the Snow Leopard before it, just didn't feel right. He enjoyed having the animals beside him; he could feel the call of the wild. He knew he was destined to be a Hunter, not a muscle bound oaf of a Warrior, but he needed to find the right animal for him. Kwazi needed his kindred spirit.
"Go, boy!" he ordered the Wolf, and it looked up at him, confused. The Wolf also enjoyed being with the Dwarf, its new Alpha, and the sense of belonging it got from being with the Dwarf gave it a feeling of security it hadn't known while living in the foothills of Dun Morogh. And now its Alpha wanted to send it away? The Wolf looked to where Kwazimoto was pointing and at that instant, a white rabbit burst out of a snow bank and bounded away.
"Go!" Kwazi repeated, and the Wolf's predator instincts took over and it leaped to its feet and began loping after the rabbit. Kwazi watched the chase for several seconds, until both animals disappeared among the swirling snow drifts, then he climbed to his feet and strode off in the opposite direction. Before too long the dark shape of the Kharanos Inn loomed into view, and Kwazi's belly rumbled.
“Time for a big bowl of rabbit stew,” he said to himself, “and maybe a pint or three of Thunder Ale.”
Perhaps his friend Jarven would be in, he could use the company. Perhaps? Kwazi, chuckled to himself. When was Jarven not in the Kharanos Inn? Why, he practically lived off the Inn's Thunder Ale.
Sure enough, Kwazi entered the Inn and a smile creased his face as he heard Jarven's booming voice ring out, "Hey there, Belm! Give me a mug of Thunder Ale, and one for my good friend...Kwazimoto?"
"Better make that two, Belm," laughed Kwazi. "You know how Jarven loves his Thunder Ale."
The two friends sat down at a table in front of the fire, clinked mugs, and Kwazi took a long pull. "Ah, that sure does hit the spot," he said. He lowered his mug to see Jarven pushing another one his way, while looking at Kwazi's half full mug with disgust.
"Come on! Drink up, man!" said Jarven, as he raised his own second mug of Thunder Ale. Kwazi took another long pull, slammed his empty mug down on the table, and heard Jarven call for two more mugs.
"Slow down, Jarven," said Kwazi, "I've not even touched my second mug yet."
"Aye, yer gettin' slow in yer old age, Kwazi." said his friend.
Kwazi gasped. "Old? Who are you calling old? You've got two seasons on me, you old coot!"
"Ha ha, it's good to see you again, Kwazi," laughed Jarven. "So, what brings you back to Kharanos? I didn’t expect to see you for at least another ten-day."
Kwazi explained his morning's actions to his friend. How he'd tamed several beasts but none of them had seemed quite right for him.
"Now this!" stated Jarven. "This sounds like a problem I can help you with! There's no problem too big, or too small, that cannot be solved by a liberal application of more Thunder Ale!" Jarven positively bellowed the last three words, and Belm rushed over to keep his best customer happy.
"Belm," said Kwazi, "bring me a bowl of stew, and some cornbread while you're at it."
"Bah! Stew and cornbread?" snorted Jarven. "What do ya want to go filling your belly with that stuff for, when there's still plenty more Thunder Ale."
Ignoring Jarven, Kwazi continued, "And Belm? A couple of plates of those Boar Ribs, too."
"Now those I can appreciate!" said Jarven. "There's nothing better than me brother's famous Beer Basted Boar Ribs, except maybe..."
Kwazi joined Jarven in finishing his sentence, "...more Thunder Ale!"
The two friends laughed then settled in for an afternoon of eating and drinking, while outside the storm picked up, adding even more snow to the almost constant layer of white powder covering the ground, for in this part of the country it almost always seemed to be snowing, regardless of the time of year.
* * *
It was late into the evening when Kwazi signaled Belm. "I think I'm going to be needing a bed for the night," he said. He smiled at Jarven, who lay asleep with his head on the table, surrounded by dozens of empty, foam-covered mugs. "You'll be paying for that lot in the morning," he said as he stood. The room spun, and he almost sat straight back down again. "Woah! As I will be too!" he added, catching the edge of the table and hanging on for dear life. When the room had stopped spinning Kwazi wobbled off through the kitchen and downstairs, to where a soft bed and a warm fire waited for him.
And with his Hunter lessons still fresh in his mind, is it any surprise that Kwazi's dreams were filled with countless Beasts, all clamoring for his attention? All except one, that is.
As the beasts of his dream pushed around him and fought with each other, one magnificent animal sat back from the rest. And while all the other animals growled and yipped and howled and roared and tried to catch his eye, the one beast that had Kwazi’s undivided attention ignored him, as it licked a huge orange paw and brushed it over one black and orange ear. Then switching paws it washed the other ear. And all the while it ignored the Hunter.
The other animals fell silent, then, as is the way of dreams when you pay them no mind, they vanished. Not with a pop, or a bang, or in a flash of smoke; they simply ceased to be. And then there was just the Hunter, and the Tiger, which stopped washing itself to stare at Kwazi for several, very long seconds, before dismissing him and resuming its bath.
A loud roar from behind the Hunter finally accomplished what he could not. Something behind Kwazi finally had the Tiger's attention.
"Just a dream, just a dream, just a dream," Kwazi told himself, as he tried to will himself awake. But he remained in his dream land. As he stared at the Tiger in front of him he felt the very warm, almost moist air of something breathing down the back of his neck. Literally down. Whatever was behind the Dwarf was tall enough that its hot breath was coming from at least a full foot above his head.
A second roar from behind Kwazi coated the back and top of his head with warm spittle. "What's...behind me...Tiger?" muttered Kwazi. The Tiger looked at Kwazi, then looked up behind him, and from the look in its eyes Kwazi figured whatever was behind him was big. Really big. He reached for his rifle but his dream self appeared to have misplaced it.
And then the Tiger leaped.
Kwazi ducked as the Tiger flew over his head and crashed into the something behind him, which let out more roars. Higher pitched “I'm in pain!” roars. Kwazi turned to discover the ‘something’ was a Raptor. His Tiger had the lizard by the throat, preventing it from bringing its own fearsome jaws into play, but the claws from both animals still raked at each other, and fur and leathery hide was shredded and running with blood.
Kwazi took a step back then raised his rifle to his shoulder. He didn’t ask where it had come from, this was a dream, and these things just are. Pulling his rifle in tight he looked down the barrel, waiting for his shot. The fight in front of him was chaotic and brutal, as both animals twisted and turned trying to gain the upper hand. Despite the blood covering their bodies the Tiger’s black and orange coloring stood out against the iridescent purple sheen of the Raptor, and it was the purple Kwazi needed to focus on.
Not the orange, focus on the purple. That’s where your shot is, he told himself. And then, after several long, agonizing seconds, there it was. For a heartbeat he had a clear shot, but that was all the time he needed. His rifle roared, flame belched from the muzzle, and black smoke obliterated both beasts, and when it finally cleared the Tiger was sitting there, alone, again ignoring Kwazi as it calmly and methodically washed itself.
* * *
Kwazi opened his eyes and sat up. The fire in his room had died down, but the room was still warm. He yawned and stretched and looked around. Some time during the night Jarven had found his way downstairs and into the other bed. Kwazi’s internal clock told him it was early, that the sun was not yet up although dawn was not far away.
As he quietly dressed he thought about the animal in his dream. A Tiger? It was a magnificent beast, and you never saw any of them this far north. Down south, though. In the jungles on the other side of Duskwood, now there be Tigers. But the tigers of Stranglethorn were huge beasts, and Kwazi was just a young Hunter with a lot to learn; he was not yet ready to venture into the Vale.
The only other place Kwazi knew where such tigers could be found was even further away than Stranglethorn. Across the ocean, the Echo Isles off the coast of Durotar was home to a small pride of Tigers. With their island being so small, and with such limited food supply, the tigers of Echo Isles were not as big as their Stranglethorn cousins; they’d be perfect for a young Hunter with the heart of a Tiger.
Kwazi muttered to himself, “I guess it’s time to see Kalimdor, see how the other half lives. Let’s see now. Boat from Menethil Harbor, come down through the Elfs’ lands and into the Barrens. Head down to Ratchet, then slip up the coast to the Echo Isles. Couldn’t be any easier, even if I were a Rogue.”
“Whazzat? Say sumppin?” Jarven mumbled.
“Go back to sleep, old friend. I’ll be seein’ ya later.”
“Hey. Who you callin’ old?” Jarven muttered, even as he rolled over and resumed snoring.
Kwazi slipped quietly from the room and out of the Inn, and headed east, towards the North Gate Pass, to Loch Modan, the Wetlands, and Menethil Harbor, where he’d catch the ship that would take him far from his homeland, and into the wild, Horde-controlled lands of Kalimdor.
Maybe I’ll stop off at Darnassus first, he mused to himself. See what all the fuss is over these Night Elf women. And all over some silly dance they do.
(Click here for part II)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
