No More Updates - But the Content is Here to Stay

I've recently stepped down from guild leading and am taking an extended hiatus from World of Warcraft. I'll leave the content here for anyone who wants to read it, it was a pleasure to write it.

Guild Plot Starter Story: Korresh's Memoirs

This is the story I wrote to kick off our next guild-wide plot, enjoy.

Genavie groaned into her rotten palms, then rubbed her empty eye sockets with her fists. Finding a stray peppermint candy stuck behind where her tear ducts used to be, she plucked it out and flicked it across the wooden table in front of her irritably. The wax candle in front of her flickered, the melted wax oozing down its outside making her think of sand falling slowly through an hourglass.

After watching the candy skitter off the edge of the table Genavie levelled her gaze the small, leather-bound notebook resting on the table in front of her and heaved her chest in her best undead imitation of an exasperated sigh. Until recently the notebook had belonged to Korresh, her former Lieutenant in the Scythe, upon his execution for treason Genavie had taken possession of the book in the hopes it would contain vital intelligence about the schemes Korresh was most certainly involved in.

Reaching forward, Genavie began flipping through the pages. The small size of the notebook belied the volume of its contents; however, since even after several minutes of just glancing over pages Genavie had yet to reach the back cover. Geavie marvelled at the seemingly unlimited insight the book offered into the entirety of Korresh's unlife; all his research, thoughts, desires and secrets were laid bare before her.

Roleplay Possibilities for Val'kyr Made Forsaken vs Third War Forsaken

I've often spoke of how the Val'kyr serving Sylvanas was a major lore addition for us Forsaken roleplayers. I've written quite a bit about the Val'kyr, but the big thing to take away from their role in Cataclysm (I think) is that we now have two different flavours of Forsaken. But what are the strengths and weaknesses of each in roleplay? If you're rolling a new Forsaken character, should you give them a long history and make them one of the old Forsaken, or pick up a Val'kyr risen and go? Let's compare the two in terms of background and history:

Old Forsaken: You have the option of having lengthy background, if you're a lore nut; or, if you're not very well versed in the lore, there can still be some major Scourge involvement in your past. To be clear, when I say 'major Scourge involvement' I mean that you may have been present at many major events in the  Scourge's history, not that you were a major figure in the scourge. In fact, I would council against claiming to be a major figure in the scourge since that is something that is difficult to justify and may not go over well with other roleplayers. Also, while you can have a lot of depth and length to your story by playing an old Forsaken; not wanting a long, in-depth story doesn't mean you shouldn't play an old Forsaken – you can always go the amnesia route.

The start of it all...

This is the start of our latest guild plot in the Scythe, enjoy.

Her daggers, two silver arcs in her skeletal hands met his axe in a shower of sparks. Genavie's weapons crossed together in a parry mere inches above her exposed collarbones, causing her to lean back. If she wanted, she could have spat on the axe bearing down on her, it was that close. She was rapidly losing ground, literally as her feet slid back in the dirt, and figuratively as her daggers started to shake and rattle in her hands. If she didn't do something quickly her parry would fail and the axe would be able to cleave into the base of her neck unhindered.

With a grunt, she pushed her locked daggers and her opponent's axe as far away from herself as she could. She was able to move the weapons away from her by precious inches. Then she let go of her weapons and dropped to the ground, the axe narrowly missing it's mark as it fell. Though Genavie couldn't feel it, she was sure it nicked off a small piece of the shell of her ear.

Jemiah's Thoughts: She Sells Snails

Jemiah reached down, picking a snail up by it's shell as it slid through the mud and shoving it into the small silk bag that was tied around her hip. Much like her body, the bag tried to float towards the surface of Brightwater Lake. She anchored herself by hanging onto the weeds growing at the bottom of the shallow body of water. She had moved to collect the snails by grasping at different weeds and pulling herself across the ground. Were she on the surface, it would look much like she was walking on her hands. "That's the last of them." She thought to herself. One of the chefs in the Undercity was paying for the snails, apparently they were an ingredient in a meal the Orcish guards considered to be more palatable than 'a diet of mushrooms and old corpses', as the chef had phrased it.

Twisting herself awkwardly, Jemiah moved her weed-clenching hands behind her and brought both her legs down, so they stuck out straight in front of her rather than floating over her head. The remains of the tattered dress she wore billowed out in front of her, swaying gently in the water. She looked up and saw the cloud dulled sunbeams of Tirisfall Glades fruitlessly trying to pierce though the lake water. She tried to exhale, missing the sight of dozens of small bubbles rushing out from her mouth to greet the air outside of the water. Nothing happened. She didn't breathe anymore, which is why she was able to spend the afternoon underwater gathering snails.