Buried treasure

A couple days ago, I finally took Elder Cloudfall’s advice and flew over to the Temple of the Red Crane to check on the aftermath of the Alliance offensive there.  I’m back at Domination Point now.

So…this is probably going to be kind of a long story.  Bear with me.

I got up extra early to make the trip over.  I didn’t bring anyone else along – just Mortimer and me.  I didn’t want any extra people making noise and drawing extra attention, and besides, depending on what I found there, I figured I might prefer to be by myself anyway.

I could see the remains of uniformed orc bodies scattered around the outskirts of the temple grounds, but I wasn’t able to get close enough for a better look right away.  The place was crawling with Alliance patrols.  Strange, seeing as the temple itself looked like it was back in the hands of the pandas, so it’s not like the humans were keeping watch over their own outpost.

I took a pass around to size up the deployment of patrols.  They were circling around the temple, but also ranging to the north and east, where the temple grounds gave way to swampland.  A little ways into the wilds there were some mogu ruins spread out over some hills.  A pair of humans looked like they were standing guard outside what used to be the entrance to a cave in the hillside – used to be, until it had been sealed with rocks.  Probably a cave-in.  Not sure what the point would have been of posting guards, but who knows what these humans are thinking.

I flew further up into the surrounding hills.  More patrols.  Mostly circling around a handful of cracks in the ground and rock face.  It took me a few minutes, but it finally hit me that the cracks would have led down into the same caverns as the cave entrance.  Probably, anyway.  I was never too great with spatial relations that didn’t involve swinging an axe.  Anyway, whatever was in there, the Alliance were keeping all possible points of entry locked down.  Maybe even sealed the cave themselves, who knows.

Whatever it was, if it was important enough for all this attention, I figured it was worth checking out.  So I landed by one of the cracks.  Now, granted, there were a bunch of Alliance soldiers patrolling around there, but, you know…to make a short story shorter, hi, how are ya, chop chop, dead dead, moving on.

I set a grappling hook in the rocks and lowered myself down into one of the cracks.  The opening was narrower than I was expecting, and went down further – I think each of the cracks opened into a different point in a series of tunnels, as opposed to one big cave like I was thinking originally.

Now for the fun part.  While I was still lowering myself down, guess what?  My rope snapped.  Maybe I really HAVE been putting on some weight lately.  To be fair, the Shrine of Two Moons really does have some kickass food.  So anyway, down I dropped.  Don’t you worry, though, because my fall was cushioned by a big ol’ pile of ROCKS.  Awesome, huh?

After I took a minute to thank life for chiming in with another installment of Hey Everybody, Let’s Piss Off Garrosh: The Home Game, I started exploring.  At first, the caverns seemed to have been built by someone, with walls and floors made up of stonemasonry.  Pretty soon, though, gaping holes in the walls gave way to a system of natural tunnels that wound around deeply and grew wider, mostly, the further they descended from the surface.  Looked like side passages splintered off pretty regularly, but I tried to stay with the widest path.  I figured that would make it easier to retrace my steps if I needed to.

Eventually, after I’d made my way deep underground, the jagged walls all started to blur together, and I started to worry that I was starting to travel in circles.  I was about to try retracing my steps when I happened to look down a side passage, and saw flickering light in the distance.  I made my way closer, turned a corner, and then…well…

Every once in a while – not often, but sometimes – life decides to be generous.

For the Record

Hi, everyone.  Brief quasi-announcement-disclaimer from Averry.

When information about patch 5.4 and the Siege of Orgrimmar raid started coming out last week, I debated making a post to get a few points on record.  Then, a few days ago, some of the PTR sound files went public…including voice clips of Garrosh in which, on a couple occasions, he refers to having a “destiny.”  That pretty much settled it, so here I am.

I don’t think it will come as much of a surprise that, while I’ve had several plotlines in mind for the blog for quite a while, I’ve had to play many of those ideas fairly close to the vest until learning more about what Blizzard has in store for us.  After all, there isn’t much sense in committing myself to a story in which Major Player X has a long-term role, only to find out that Major Player X is being killed off.  (Well, other than you-know-who.  But you see my point.)

For quite a while, I’ve had a fairly clear idea of where I’d like the blog’s story to go, provided that Blizzard’s eventual storyline proves compatible.  Now, we’re starting to get a better idea of what’s going to happen, and based on what we’re seeing…yikes.  Seriously, Blizzard couldn’t be helping me more here – and my saying that isn’t even a spoiler, because patch 5.4 is turning out to mesh with my own plans in ways that won’t even be terribly obvious until much further down the line.  Garrosh mentioning having a “destiny” is just the tip of the serendipitous iceberg as far as details conspiring to fall into place.  At this point, for all intents and purposes, all the major plotlines for the blog are set (other than a few cosmetic details here and there); there’s still room for me to incorporate new ideas for stand-alone posts and mini-arcs, but as far as major stories go, everything you’ll be seeing over the next several months will be what I’ve been wanting to do for…well…quite a while.

(Just to give you an idea of how pathological I am, in fact: I’ve already written about half of what will be the very, very last post.)

(Well, sort of.  You’ll see.)

At any rate…I suppose, more than anything, that I just wanted to get on record that seriously, this is what I’ve had in mind all along, and not me concocting ways to work around Blizzard’s story.  This way, those of you who care about such things can eventually share in my reaction of “Holy crap, could they be cooperating any more?” once you see how the pieces (I hope) fit together.

And, on that note, I have work to do.  Thanks as always for reading, for commenting, and for turning a blind eye to the many and sundry typos (mostly).

Be seeing you,

Averry

Spazzle Speaks

Lady Liadrin arrived in Orgrimmar yesterday with a zeppelin full of refugees from Dalaran.  Earlier this morning, she got a few of us together to have that conversation she’d written to me about.

And…well…

Oh man.

I don’t even know where to…I mean…

Oh…man.

You know what?  I can’t even get into it.  I just can’t.

I…

Yeah.

 

Oh man.

Monday mailbag

So before I head out to check on the Temple of the Red Crane, I figured I’d make a quick mailbag check and dip into the latest batch of letters.

 

Dear Warchief,

Hello sir.  I’m one of Overlord Runthak’s trainees and I’ve been reading your blog for a long time.  I’ve noticed that between Garona and Warlord Zaela, and even mailbag writers like Wega, you really seem to have a following among the ladies.  My question is, how do you do it?  I haven’t had much luck with the girls in my training group, and I bet it would help a lot if I knew your secret.

Thank you,

–Dol’akar

Hoo boy.  This one again.  See, Dol’akar, I wish it was that simple, but seriously, this is kind of like going up to Mylune and saying, “Teach me to be batshit crazy like you.”

Thing is, something like 85% of my game comes down to the fact that I look like a canister of distilled sexy, kick ass on two planets, and – let’s face it – lay the pipe like an army of plumbers in the Wetlands.  And all that’s just natural.  Now, since you’re a trainee, I’d like to tell you that part of your problem is that you’re still just a teenager, and adolescent awkwardness and blah blah blah, and things will get better as you get older, but honestly?  I was doing just fine for myself when I was a teenager in Nagrand (I tell you, those draenei girls were crazy back in the day), so, you know…again, natural.

Still, if you think it’ll help you at all, I can let you in on the other 30% of my game.  To start with, you want to buckle down in your combat training.  This should help you in a number of ways.  First off, it’ll keep you in good shape, which at least gives you an outside chance of offsetting a little sliver of the disadvantage of having no shot at being as dead sexy as me.  Second, it’ll put you in a better position to beat the living crap out of any competition you might run into from among the other trainees.  This will show the girls that you’re sensitive to their needs.  Those needs being, of course, that they need to stop wasting their time on those other assholes and focus on you, and hey, what the fuck do you even think YOU’RE doing here, chump?  But yeah, girls seem to like that sensitivity crap – don’t ask me why – so that should win you some points.  And third, the better you do in battle, the faster you’ll be able to advance through the ranks.

Which brings us right to our next point: power is sexy.  Let me tell you, after Nazgrim made the jump from Sergeant all the way up to Legionnaire and then General, he had women all over him.  You know, until he crashed two ships and killed them all.  But that’s a whole other thing.  (This reminds me of another suggestion: Work on your piloting skills.  Because why tempt fate?)  Anyway, point being, moving up in the world can only help your chances.  Just keep in mind that you’re looking at a hard cap of High Overlord, seeing as the only thing above that is Warchief, and we all know I’m not going anywhere for a long time.

Hope this helps.

 

Hey hey, Garry!  Wazzup, my man?

I just built myself a chopper and it’s hella rad. Damn, but I look kickass ridin’ that hog! Got the ladies all over me.  But then I thought I need some wicked cool tats to seal the deal, ya know what I mean?  So I was flippin’ through some mags for ideas and whoa!  Double page spread of Mr. Warchief-crush-your-head himself!  And I’m like, “Dayum, that’s some fine art right there.”  High five, buddy.

So… where’d you get your ink done?  I need a parlor that can capture my style, yo.

–Fizzpop “The Fizz” Clutchgear

Sup, Fizz.  First of all, before we go any further – I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again:

Okay, now that that’s out of the way.

Glad to see that somebody appreciates the tattoos.  Oh, wait, lots of somebodies already do, of the female persuasion (see previous letter).  But still, thanks anyway.

I had most of my tattoos done in that little window of relatively-not-fucked-up time just after becoming Warchief and just before the Cataclysm.  They’re ceremonial markings from the Warsong clan, done by a Mag’har tattoo artist from Nagrand.  I actually had him recommended to me by blademaster Burzum.  He was always really helpful.  You know, before he went all snarly-sha-crazy.  But I digress.

I could put you in touch with the guy if you want to look him up.  If you ever find yourself in Garadar, look for Vanteg.  I hear he’s been in pretty high demand since word got out that he’d done the Warchief’s ink, so you might have to get on a waiting list.  Feel free to drop my name, though.  He might skip you ahead in line.  Either that, or he’ll figure you’re another one of the people who show up and lie about knowing me, in which case, you know, sucks for you.  Them’s the breaks.

 

Hail, Warchief!

Well, of course the Star-Tribune is biased. (Besides, I’m pretty sure that if you trace it through far enough, the Regent-Lord owns it.) That’s not the point. The official line has always been that the Regent-Lord is doing a fine, bang-up job. And, at least out loud and in public, everyone with an ounce of sense agrees. He’s not above having his guys straight-up mind-control people talking out of turn in public. For real-talk, you have to go to the shadowy dives off of Murder Row … and what’s new is that it’s getting harder to find dissent even there. It may be begrudged respect, but growing respect, nonetheless. People want to believe that the old Lor’themar is coming back, the man who used to be the Ranger-General’s second-in-command, the one who used to be … well, not completely useless. And perception can take on a reality all its own.

Then again, this may just mean that the magisters have started slumming, and everyone’s getting a helping of re-programming. It’d still have the same effect, and I’m not qualified to tell the difference.

–A Concerned Citizen

Hey, ACC.  Good to hear from you as always.

So hang on, let me make sure I have this straight.  You’re saying that Ponytail controls the media and information outlets in Silvermoon, is forcibly silencing dissent, and is subtly manipulating the population of his capital city into a hero-worshipping, glory-seeking, cult-of-personality bunch of jingoistic wahoos?

Hoo boy.  That’s not good news for anybody any way you cut it.

 

Warchief Garrosh Hellscream,

Sir,

I was out picking herbs today to mill for me inscription training.  It’s Father’s Day and I was picking Gromsblood, which got me to wondering … How do ye feel about having an herb that only grows in places tainted by fel magics be named after yer dad? And if it bothers ye, have ye ever thought of having it changed?

Sincerely,

–Kriann, Jr. Member, Explorers’ League

Hey, good to hear from you, Kriann.  On the other hand, kind of sounds like you might be a dwarf, in which case, fuck you, Kriann.  Anyway, thanks for writing.

So about the gromsblood.  I see where you’re going with the fel-tainted thing, but that’s never really bothered me.  For one thing, I usually just look at it as a name given to honor the awesomeness of my dad.  It’s actually pretty fitting, in a way.  Wherever there’s land infested with fel magic, wherever there are demons lurking about, there’s a little reminder of Grom, ready to give them the ol’ Mannoroth special.  I usually don’t read much more into it than that.

Also, the fact of the matter is, it’s not at all uncommon to have an herb named after a prominent figure.  There are tons of them.  You probably know about Khadgar’s whisker, for instance, and then there was Arthas’ tears until that stupid ballot initiative passed and renamed them to sorrowmoss, because spirits forbid we should offend the spirit of Arthas and make him cry even more.  But there are actually lots of other, more obscure ones that a lot of people haven’t heard about.  For instance:

Creeping Sylvanas – Sometimes called the Syl-vine-us, although that’s actually inaccurate since it’s not technically a vine.  This is a strange type of plant that’s created by herbicides.  You spray your garden and kill the weeds…and then a few days later, those hey-weren’t-those-dead weeds grow back in the form of creeping Sylvanas.  And start killing loads of other plants and turning THEM into creeping Sylvanas.  And then after a while they seem to settle down and mostly get along with most of the regular vegetables in your garden, only you can’t quite shake the sinking feeling that maybe they’re up to something that you can’t put your finger on.

Broxigar Thornbush – The only plant ever known to harm Sargeras.  Which is a weird distinction to keep track of, but I guess academics need something to do.  Anyway, when Sargeras first arrived on Azeroth, he started ranting on and on about “dark titan” this and “destruction is nigh” that – you know, like you do when you’re a cartoonish bad guy – and then in the middle of this, he pricked himself on one of these thornbushes, and started howling pathetically about “Ouch my finger owies ow OWW!”  Which kind of took the edge off the whole “fiery apocalypse” thing.  Kind of gives you an idea of why the dude lost, though.

Lor’themar Pansy – Contrary to what you’re probably thinking, this isn’t a reference to the actual guy, but to a plant.  As a general rule, if you see some frilly-looking flowers around somewhere, and you kind of recognize them, but you’re not sure what they’re called, so you’re all, “You know, those flowers.  From the place.  The red ones”?  Those are probably Lor’themar pansies.

Cairne Blossom – This plant used to grow all over the place in Mulgore until Magatha tricked me into pruning it all.  Oops.

Fordragon Lily – These tall, striking bulb plants were named for Bolvar Fordragon, since they used to grow all around his old outpost in the Dragonblight.  For some reason, right at the end of the Northrend campaign, they all withered and mutated into a strain of lichbloom.  I’ve never been able to figure that one out.  I tried asking Tirion about it once, and he just got all quiet.  Which is noteworthy because it was the only time in history that the words “Tirion” and “quiet” have ever appeared together in a sentence that didn’t also include the words “needs to be.”

Thrallvine – This stuff grows on the side of your house and pretty much just sits there being innocuous and not doing anything, other than making random passers-by yammer on about how awesome it is.  Then out of the blue it goes on a crazy growth spurt so everywhere you look, there it is, until you’re just goddamn sick of looking at it all the time.  I bet you could replace that shit with a way better plant that would make your house stronger and be nicer on the eyes to boot, but you’ll probably just wind up with a bunch of assholes bitching about it.  Also your landlord seems to have an inexplicable, unhealthy attachment to the stuff so you know they’d never let you get rid of it.

 

That’s it for this time around.  As always, keep those letters coming, and I’ll try to brighten your empty lives with my inspiring answers again soon.

Name(required)

Email(required)

Website

Comment(required)

Submit

Δ

Burdens of the spirit

After the disaster with the Divine Bell, I spent a couple days channeling old-Nagrand-Garrosh – brooding and moping in my quarters here at Domination Point.  Other than occasional tactical reports from General Nazgrim, most people had the good sense to leave me to myself.  Hell, even Dontrag and Utvoch managed to keep their yaps shut for a couple days.  This may or may not be related to me slapping them around several times when I first got back to the base.

The time to myself gave me the chance to think more about where to go from here.  After what went down at the Emperor’s Reach, it’s painfully obvious that I need to start taking matters into my own hands.  Trouble is, in practical terms, I’m not sure what that actually ENTAILS.  So, one step at a time: Time to act one the one avenue I have open to me, and worry about what comes next when I get there.  Elder Cloudfall told me he could help prepare me for my destiny, or however he fortune-cookied it, so it’s time to take him up on the offer.

Granted, I’m not exactly thrilled about what little I’ve heard about that Kypari Zar place, so a few more answers might be nice.  Any bets on whether I’ll actually get them?

Anyway, I had some trouble tracking down Cloudfall at first.  He wasn’t anywhere on the base, and Ben-Lin didn’t know where he’d wandered off to.  Finally, Jorn Skyseer told me he’d been talking with Cloudfall about some of the areas nearby that our hunting parties have been hitting up, and he pointed me toward the island to the east.  The one where the trainees used to go crane hunting when we first set up shop here in Pandaria.

I flew over to the island, with Taktani in tow.  Cloudfall was sitting on a rock along the shore.  He and Zhi-Zhi were sitting back to back in one of those meditation poses that look like they would hurt your legs like hell, eyes closed, off in their own little world.

 

GARROSH – Hey, Gramps.

(Mr. Elder Panda man and his money friend just keep sitting on the rock and being quiet.)

GARROSH – Elder?

(Elder Panda still doesn’t respond.)

GARROSH – Hello?  Chimps?  Anybody home?

(Mr. Monkey didn’t answer either.  I hope his ears are okay!)

GARROSH – (tapping Zhi-Zhi on the shoulder)  Hey, Banana Boy!

ZHI-ZHI – (jumping, startled)  AAAH!  Oh…oh, the One!  Much apologizing, Zhi-Zhi did not see you, was thinking great thoughts.

GARROSH – Uh, yeah, whatever.  So listen, I… Hang on.  (turning to me)  Tak?

TAKTANI – Hi!

(Mr. Warchief kind of stared at me for a minute.  Maybe he forgot what he was going to say?)

GARROSH – Yeah, hi.  So now that we’ve met, is there a reason why you’re not, y’know, writing anything down?

TAKTANI – Oh!  I’m sorry, Mr. Warchief.  I forgot to bring my paper.

GARROSH – You…forgot.

TAKTANI – I left it back in my room!

GARROSH – You realize that’s the ENTIRE reason I bring you places, right?

TAKTANI – Don’t be mad!  I’m sorry!

(Mr. Warchief rubbed his eyes and forehead for a minute.  I think maybe his eyes were sore because of how sunny it was.  I should give him some sunglasses for his birthday!  Does anyone know when his birthday is?)

GARROSH – (still rubbing his eyes)  Of all your crimes, Mokvar, this may be the most grating…

TAKTANI – I don’t understand, Mr. Warchief.

GARROSH – Never mind.  Okay, look, Tak, you’re not off the hook yet.  You just made some extra homework for yourself.

TAKTANI – But I’m not in school, Mr. Warchief!

GARROSH – Yeah, well, maybe this will teach you lesson #1: Don’t forget the tools of your damn trade!

TAKTANI – I’m sorry!  😦

GARROSH – So…here’s what you’re going to do.  Most of the sand around here looks pretty wet.  So YOU, little miss Swiss Cheese Brain, can just sit yourself down and write your notes in the sand, and then come back with your paper and copy it later.

TAKTANI – Ooh, that sounds fun!

GARROSH – BEFORE THE DAMN TIDE COMES IN.  (sighs)  Okay.  So.  Back to you, monkey boy.  What’s up with Old Man Furball here?  Is he off in some weird panda brain-freeze zone or something?

(While Mr. Warchief was talking, I started writing everything in the sand like he said, like this and this and this and YAY this is fun!  Oh and I did like he said and came back later to copy it all down and I even brought Mr. D and Mr. U to help check my spelling, because they’re smart and nice.  And SEE, Mr. Warchief, I got it all done just like you said!  Oh oh oh but while I was writing it out, there was a seagull flying around, and it pooped on the first page.  I hope you notice it’s there before you touch it.)

 

I didn’t.

 

ZHI-ZHI – Ah, ah, yes, Elder Cloudfall is in deep meditation.  Much more focused than Zhi-Zhi.  As matter of fact, Elder has been teaching Zhi-Zhi meditation techniques, teaching to block out everything around Zhi-Zhi.  Will help to center Zhi-Zhi.

GARROSH – So you can think more great thoughts.

ZHI-ZHI – Ahh!  You are understanding!

GARROSH – So how long does it usually take for Captain Comatose to come back out of these—

CLOUDFALL – (not moving, eyes still closed)  I can hear you, Warchief Garrosh.

ZHI-ZHI – Elder!

GARROSH – So, Gramps, if you could hear me, any particular reason you didn’t answer me before?

CLOUDFALL – (continuing to keep his eyes closed)  I was in the midst of pursuing a line of thought.  I felt it more pressing that I complete it.

GARROSH – Isn’t it kind of rude to just ignore people when they talk to you?

CLOUDFALL – Is it not rude to interrupt people who are clearly meditating?

ZHI-ZHI – But, erm, Elder, you are hearings all the transpiringses…um…were we not practicing our deep meditation exercises?

CLOUDFALL – I have been practicing these techniques since before your great grandmother was born, Zhi-Zhi.

GARROSH – So anyway, now that you’re done with that—

CLOUDFALL – I’m not.

GARROSH – You’re what?

CLOUDFALL – As I said, Warchief Garrosh, I have been availing myself of the peace and solitude of the beach to think.

GARROSH – Um, okay?

CLOUDFALL – I’m not finished.

(Mr. Panda Elder still hadn’t opened his eyes, and now he settled back into place more.)

GARROSH – Hang on, you’re seriously going to blow me off so you can fucking go back to…whatever, going over your grocery list or backtracking to wherever you left your keys, or whatever the fuck you’re doing?

(Mr. Panda didn’t say anything.)

GARROSH – (to Zhi-Zhi)  Is he for real?

ZHI-ZHI – (shrugs and waves one hand)  Is easier not trying to argue, truths to telling.

CLOUDFALL – There.  (opens his eyes, stands, and turns to Garrosh)  Now I am finished.

GARROSH – Well yay.

TAKTANI – Yay!

GARROSH – DON’T START.

TAKTANI – Oh.  😦

GARROSH – So do you mind telling me what was so important that it couldn’t wait?

(Mr. Panda man looked around the beach a few times.)

CLOUDFALL – Your pupil, Gurtash, and his peers.  I understand they used to come here on occasion.

GARROSH – Oh.  Yeah.  They used to go hunting here.

CLOUDFALL – (nods)  This is a sacred place, you know.  The Cradle of Chi-Ji, the Great Crane.

GARROSH – Look, if you’re going to start complaining that they came here to—

CLOUDFALL – You misunderstand me, Warchief Garrosh.  I did not come here to pass judgment.  I came merely to visit a place of some import to the youths, away from the bustle of your fortifications, and allow them to enter my thoughts.

GARROSH – Ah.  Yeah.  They’ve been in mine a lot lately, too.

CLOUDFALL – Indeed.

(Mr. Warchief got kind of quiet and Mr. Panda man stayed quiet for a minute too and watched him.)

CLOUDFALL – In any case, I’m sure you did not seek me out to revisit such things.  How may I be of help to you?

GARROSH – By doing what you came here for in the first place.  You said you could help me get ready for this great destiny of mine.

CLOUDFALL – Indeed.  Or rather, I believe I can help you to meet it.  Whether it will prove to be great or not will be very much up to you.

GARROSH – Well, either way, you said that this Kypari Zar place is where he need to go to get started.  So, whenever you’re ready to go, let’s go.

CLOUDFALL – I also told you that you carry many shadows with you.

GARROSH – Kind of the point of us going to that Zar place, right?

CLOUDFALL – Indeed.  But you carry more now.  Perhaps needlessly.

GARROSH – (sighs)  Can you bottom-line this, maybe, or are you going to do a whole speech again?

ZHI-ZHI – (waving his hand)  Really much easier not to tryings with the arguings.

CLOUDFALL – (pointing northward)  The temple to the north.  That is where the…calamity occurred?

GARROSH – Yeah, don’t remind me.

CLOUDFALL – Have you gone there since then?

GARROSH – No.

CLOUDFALL – You should.

GARROSH – Look, Gramps, I get that you’re probably going for some kind of hippie closure crap here, but if you think it’s actually going to IMPROVE my mood to go up there and find a bunch of—

CLOUDFALL – Warchief Garrosh, no facts that you find there will be so damaging to the soul as the nightmares your mind has conjured in their absence.

GARROSH – (looking north)  Yeah, maybe.

CLOUDFALL – And in the process, you may allow yourself the opportunity to bring one lesser shadow with you on our journey.

GARROSH – (sighs)  You’re just going to stonewall me until I go, aren’t you?

ZHI-ZHI – Really not worth tryings to—

GARROSH – (slapping Zhi-Zhi)  Shut it, Spanks.

CLOUDFALL – Kypari Zar will still be there when you are done.

GARROSH – (turns and starts to walk toward Mortimer)  Yeah, fine.  I’ll drop little miss Happy Kitty here off at the base, and get a couple things squared away, then…  (stops, then looks back at Cloudfall)  You know, I’ve heard of that Kypari Zar place before.

CLOUDFALL – (perks an eyebrow)  Oh?

GARROSH – Last year.  I didn’t even know what “Kypari Zar” was.  But someone in…high places…told me if I went there, I would die.

CLOUDFALL – (nods slowly)  You may.  In fact, you will.

GARROSH – Not the best sales pitch, Gramps.

CLOUDFALL – You will die if you go there.  But then, you will die if you do not.  Just as I will die if I take you, and I will die if I do not.  That we will die is assured, Warchief Garrosh.  The only question is how, and when, and why.

GARROSH – That’s a cop-out and you know it.

CLOUDFALL – I know no such thing.

GARROSH – (shrugs and climbs onto Mortimer)  Well, whatever.  I’ve got enough on my mind these days, what’s one more thing, right?

CLOUDFALL – If I might make a suggestion, Warchief Garrosh.  A great many years ago, a former mentor offered me certain words of solace.  A phrase of great power and wisdom, and consolation to the soul in times of need.

GARROSH – What’s that?

CLOUDFALL – Have a drink.  Next one’s on me.

 

Not the worst idea in the world, actually.  I might head downstairs and see what we have on tap.  Meanwhile, I’m going to put a couple things in order here at the base, then take Mortimer back out for a flight over to the Temple of the Red Crane.  For better or worse.

More soon.

For whom the bell tolls

Well THAT was a big whole production to go through for not much of anything.

Last night, I gathered a select group of Horde personnel at the Emperor’s Reach – an ancient, abandoned mogu structure that we found in Kun-Lai – to finally tap into the power of the Divine Bell.  Malkorok brough a battalion of Kor’kron troops to oversee the proceedings, including some who were hand-picked to have the honor of being the first to be gifted with new power.  The best of the best.  Juggernauts.

Blademaster Ishi was on hand as well, along with a few other select Horde heroes from the Pandaren campaign, and once everyone was gathered and ready, I took up the hammer…mallet…um…weird-looking club doohicky?  Look, for honest, I’m not sure WHAT that thing was supposed to be.  But it was better suited for ringing a bell than Gorehowl would have been, so whatever.  Point is, I cracked out that bad boy, and for the first time in who-knows-how-long, the Divine Bell rang.

And so marks the last point in the evening that things went to plan.

As the Bell rang, we could see the dark, shadowy outlines of bizarre, twisted creatures appearing on the platform.  Transparent and shifting, but just enough to know they were there.  So THAT’S what these sha look like.  Up to this point, I’d only seen them in bits and pieces – claws mostly – when they’d partly seized onto other people.

Yes, I said “partly.”  I wouldn’t have thought that what happened to Burzum was only partial corruption by the sha.  Little did I know.  Because now, I was treated to a front-row seat as, one by one, the sha descended onto our Kor’kron juggernauts…and transformed them into sha themselves.  They were horrible to behold – I can see why the pandas and even Tak-Tak yammer on about steering clear of them.  I tried to urge the Kor’kron on and encourage them to seize control of the sha energy coursing through them, but no such luck.  They couldn’t.  They lost themselves to it.  And in the end there was nothing to be done but for the Horde champions on hand to slay the Kor’kron-turned-sha before they ran out of control.

Clearly, Malkorok had overestimated the mental toughness of that first batch of Kor’kron.  I was just about to let Ishi show the rest of the bunch how a true veteran of the Mag’har does it, when I was interrupted by a surprise visitor.

Want to know who?

YOU WILL NOT FUCKING BELIEVE THIS SHIT.

Anduin.

Yes, THAT Anduin.

Anduin Wrynn, Prince of Stormwind.

Anduin fucking Wrynn, Prince of Stormwind, former prisoner of General Nazgrim until who the fuck even knows what happened I mean WTF, and newest volunteer to be a speechifying hemorrhoid on my curvy brown ass, because, hey, why not give fucking EVERYONE a turn at this point, right?

So, yeah, fucking ANDUIN comes strolling on up like it’s something to do – props, by the way, to my alleged BODYGUARD Malkorok for the crack security job there – and starts yapping away about the dangers of the Bell, and Garrosh-you-mustn’t.  You know, the ol’ Baine-Vol’jin standard.  Same tune, different verse.

Worked just about as well for him.  I shrugged him off and rang the Bell again, and this time, the sha magic descended onto Ishi.  Unlike the initial Kor’kron, he actually put up a fight and resisted…for a moment, anyway.  Then, after a minute, he was altered into a sha as well.  Except in his case, even with his body gone, his voice remained.

His voice, but not his words.

While our champions fought to subdue him, Ishi started spewing out words consumed by fear and rage and despair.  No sign remaining of the strong, brave orc I knew, despite my urging for him to retake control.

In the end, there was nothing left – again – but for our champions to put him to rest.  But of all his rantings before he fell, there was one that kept echoing in my thoughts.

Why should we be slaves to honor, when we could slaughter the children of our enemies while they sleep?  My blade thirsts for Alliance blood!

Control your anger, I told him.  There is killing, and then there is murder, I told him.  We’re not the ones who murder innocents.  We’re no the ones who kill children, confused and far from home.  Left to rot in a festering swamp.  Baited into a coward’s trap, tricked into an early death by a vainglorious king…

And then I looked up to find the presumptuous whelp of Varian Wrynn yipping at me.

He was fourteen years old.

Among the orcs, that made him a man.

The human brat used some mallet to crack and silence the Divine Bell, and I was far past my threshold for patience.  I swung my hammer at him.  He ducked out of the way, and the blow slammed into the Bell, which was already cracking apart.  The Bell shattered, and the pieces crumbled onto the whelp, burying him under a massive heap of metal and stone.  I could hear him cry out as his bones snapped.  Then silence.

Good.  Let Varian have a taste of true suffering.

It’s back to the drawing board for us.  For now.  I’d underestimated the effort it would take to master this sha power.  Ishi and the others were too weak-willed, and they failed me as a result.

This is what I get for not taking matters into my own hands.

When the time comes, soon, I won’t repeat their failure.  And I won’t repeat the mistake of delegating our fate to lesser orcs.  Too much depends on it.  Too high a price already.  The Horde will pervail, strong, proud, united in purpose – a rebirth of glory.  And it all depends on me to lead the way.  It’s ALWAYS depended on me.  I see that now.

I won’t fail.  I CAN’T fail.

I have a destiny.

I’m the One.

Spazzle Speaks: Someone Must Have Kicked You Around Some

I just received a message from Lady Liadrin in Silvermoon.  As if there wasn’t already enough going on these days, it looks like the Kirin Tor have gone crazy.

After Horde agents captured the Divine Bell from Darnassus, Liadrin says, Jaina Proudmoore determined that the operation had received aid from within the Kirin Tor.  She was…none too pleased about that.  As a result, she arrested Aethas Sunreaver as a traitor and began a purge of Dalaran that’s been going on for the last few days.  The Sunreavers and any Horde citizens in the city are being arrested or driven out.  Or worse.

Grand Magister Rommanth recruited the aid of Horde adventurers to try to get as many of their people out of Dalaran as possible.  Since then, there’s been a flood of refugees coming into Silvermoon.  Liadrin has been helping to coordinate the influx of refugees as they’ve arrived.  While most of the arrivals from Dalaran have been Sunreavers – blood elves – there were also other Horde citizens who were driven out.  Orcs, trolls, tauren, even a few Forsaken.  Liadrin has been working to sort out who will be staying in Silvermoon and who needs to be brought home to Kalimdor.

That’s where we get to her reason for contacting me.  To be honest, I was surprised to get a message from her at all, seeing as she’s never actually met me, but I guess she picked up my name somewhere.  She says she’s working with Eitrigg to arrange to bring a zeppelin of refugees to Orgrimmar.  When she arrives, she wants to meet with as many of Garrosh’s friends as possible.  (She can probably use a fairly liberal definition of “friends” and not tax her schedule too much.)  She didn’t say what she wants to talk about, only that it’s important.  I guess we’ll see once she gets here.

Divine do-over

So I think the internet has decided it doesn’t want me playing Earth Online for the time being.  Spazzle was right – this is what I get for trusting Grizzle Gearslip to set up a stable network.  Remind me to stick with construction and excavation projects for him from now on.

Probably just as well.  I have more important things to be focusing on right now.

First and foremost in the “more important things” file: We’re back in business on the Divine Bell front – and then some.  Courtesy, believe it or not, of some clutch work from one of the blood elves.  I know, right?  I won’t hold it against you if you need to go back and read that again to make sure you got it right.  Anyway – Fanlyr Silverthorn was able to work some Kirin Tor mojo to sneak a Horde operative into Darnassus, where the Divine Bell was being held, then teleported it out to Silvermoon.  That’s right, the night elves worked so hard to get to the Bell before us, tucked it away deep in the heart of their capital city…for like fifteen minutes, before they had it swiped right out from under them.  Oh man, would I love to have seen the looks on their faces when they figured out what happened.

Of course, you would think that this would come across as GOOD news to anyone on the Horde side of the fence, but spirits forbid I should ever have a conversation with Lor’themotherfucker that didn’t involve him crying and moaning and wetting his panties over something.  And let me tell you, he was in fine form this time around.  I could barely even figure out what the fuck he was bitching about, something about his people being put in harm’s way or some such (as if people never, EVER get put in harm’s way in the middle of, you know, A FUCKING WAR), and Jaina being pissed off about something (as if THAT’S ever a bad thing).  Seriously, I don’t know what hair he’s got up his ass, but enough is enough.  Calm down already.  Don’t flip a bench, Lori.

Anyway, I’m having the Divine Bell transported to Pandaria pronto so we can get to work.  We found another ancient mogu structure in Kun-Lai that should make for a good site to conduct the first of what should be many glorious uses of the Bell.  I’m having Malkorok hand-pick some of the very best of his Kor’kron to stand guard and participate in the proceedings.  I’m also having Ishi head up that way to supervise the setup of the Bell and help me with the first trial.  Hopefully, after Burzum went all sha-batty on us, and Krimpatul went MIA with the rest of the…casualties…at the Temple of the Red Crane, and Ishi himself got beaten to the Divine Bell by the damn night elves, well, hopefully I’ll have a blademaster finally do my Mag’har proud and help put a win on the board for us.

Once we tap into the power of the Bell – and by extension, the power of this “sha” magic – we’ll wield a power unlike anything either side has seen in this war.  And unlike the mogu, we won’t be leaving our enemies any room to rise up against us.  Never again.

Spazzle Speaks: Dead End

I’ll be honest.  I don’t really know what I thought I was going to do when I rushed offline last time.  The fact of the matter is, there’s not much for me to do.  Mokvar’s recall totem, the one he left with me for safekeeping when he left for who knows where, went inactive.  The pulsing green glow that marks the bond between the elemental spirits and Mokvar’s flickered out.  The only reason that would happen to a shaman’s recall totem is if that spirit link were broken – in other words, if the shaman were dead.  And other than my knowing that, there isn’t much for me to do.  If I weren’t a shaman myself – even the mediocre one that I am – I wouldn’t even know that much.

Who knows, maybe that’s why Mokvar really decided to leave his totem with me rather than Ji or somebody else: because as a shaman, I would know what it meant if the totem ever went dead.  Maybe he knew he was going somewhere dangerous chasing that warlock council, and he wanted there to be someone who would know if he weren’t coming back.

Ji’s not ready to give up hope yet.  I can’t really blame him, but then again, he doesn’t really understand shamanism.  I considered taking a trip to the Echo Isles to see if Thrall could do anything, but then I realized that it would be pretty hard to explain any of this to Thrall without telling him most of it.  And if this really is the end for Mokvar, I don’t want to honor his memory by tarnishing it in Thrall’s eyes, considering how indebted Mokvar felt to him for giving him safe haven in Orgrimmar all those years ago.  Besides, I need to be careful about too many people besides Ji and me learning too much about what’s been going on.

That is, other than anybody who might happen to be reading this blog.

Funny that hasn’t bitten any of us in the keister so far.  Huh.

Spazzle Speaks: The Goblin is Always Greener on the Other Side of Guild Chat

After Garrosh put up that guild chat log yesterday, I thought it might be helpful to see things from another perspective…

You have logged on.

[Guild][Proudleslie | Jaina]  hi baddie

[Guild][ProfHubert | Faranell]  check the appendix, then.

[Guild][EdwardBear | Ji]  hi mrbadcrumble

[Guild][ProfHubert | Faranell]  it should be on a right-hand page, under a map if i recall.

[Bob | Vol’jin] whispered:  Hey, mon.

[Guild][MrBadcrumble | Spazzle]  hey everyone

[Officer][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas]  Good evening, Spazzle.

[Officer][MrBadcrumble | Spazzle]  hey sylvanas

[Guild][Proudleslie | Jaina]  ok ok fine, i know better than to argue with you about these things

You whispered to [Bob | Vol’jin]:  hey, how are you feeling?

[Guild][HonaleePuff | Kalecgos]  I DONT WANT TO IMAGINE HOW MUCH TIME YOU MUST HAVE SPENT IN LIBRARIES STUDYING THIS STUFF PROF

[Bob | Vol’jin] whispered:  Better, mon.

[Officer][MrBadcrumble | Spazzle]  should I even ask what they’re arguing about this time?

[Guild][ProfHubert | Faranell]  if only you knew.

[Bob | Vol’jin] whispered:  Chen say pretty soon I be healed up enough ta be back on ma feet an outta dis monastery.

[Officer][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas]  Honestly, I’m not even sure how they got started.

You whispered to [Bob | Vol’jin]:  that’s good

[Officer][MrBadcrumble | Spazzle]  ah

[Guild][Proudleslie | Jaina]  seriously you must be some kind of master wizard with everything you seem to know

[Bob | Vol’jin] whispered:  Can’t happen soon enough, mon – don’ like dis sittin’ around.

[Guild][ProfHubert | Faranell]  not really.

[Officer][MrBadcrumble | Spazzle]  so what are you working on?  are we about to get achievement spammed as usual?

[Guild][ProfHubert | Faranell]  i’m not particularly powerful as a caster; i just have a good handle on theory.

You whispered to [Bob | Vol’jin]:  yeah but you have to take care of yourself

[Guild][HonaleePuff | Kalecgos]  YOU’D PROBABLY BE A GOOD TEACHER THEN

[Officer][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas]  Nothing imminent.  I’m laying the groundwork for some longer-term projects at the moment.

[Bob | Vol’jin] whispered:  Any news from Trall?

[Guild][Proudleslie | Jaina]  maybe thats why his name is professor! =)

[Guild][ProfHubert | Faranell]  meh.

[Guild][ProfHubert | Faranell]  i think of it more as “professor” in the “mad scientist” sense.

You whispered to [Bob | Vol’jin]:  not last i heard

[Guild][ProfHubert | Faranell]  which is fitting, considering i spend most of my time in a laboratory developing biochemical agents of mass destruction.

[Omgipwnedurface | Garrosh] has logged on.

[Guild][Proudleslie | Jaina]  haha yea right, your being sarcastic again

You whispered to [LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas]:  have you talked to lorthemar?

[Bob | Vol’jin] whispered:  When ya see ’im let ’im know I be dere as soon as I can, an den we deal wit’ Garrosh.

[Guild][ProfHubert | Faranell]  drat, i’ve been caught.

[LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas] whispered:  Speak the devil’s name…

[Guild][Proudleslie | Jaina]  hi pwn

[Guild][Bob | Vol’jin]  Hey OmgipwneduMon!

[LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas] whispered:  Oops, mistell.

[Bob | Vol’jin] whispered:  Speak a da devil, mon.

[Guild][Omgipwnedurface | Garrosh]  Hey

[Officer][MrBadcrumble | Spazzle]  hey boss

[Officer][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas]  Greetings, dear Warchief.

[Guild][Proudleslie | Jaina]  is your connection any better pwn?

[Guild][Omgipwnedurface | Garrosh]  I guess we’ll find out in a minute

You whispered to [LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas]:  k good

[Guild][Proudleslie | Jaina]  lol

[Omgipwnedurface | Garrosh] has logged off.

You whispered to [Bob | Vol’jin]:  i really don’t like all this sneaking around

[Guild][Bob | Vol’jin]  Haha!

[Guild][Proudleslie | Jaina]  omg

[Guild][ProfHubert | Faranell]  now see, for instance, i can’t work -that- kind of magic.

[Guild][ProfHubert | Faranell]  i just deploy verbal irony; i can’t conjure it up in actual events.

[Bob | Vol’jin] whispered:  Ya won’ need to much longer.

[Guild][Proudleslie | Jaina]  i swear i didnt do that!

[Omgipwnedurface | Garrosh] has logged on.

[Bob | Vol’jin] whispered:  Soon we’ll be makin’ our move.

[Guild][Omgipwnedurface | Garrosh]  UGH

[Guild][Bob | Vol’jin]  Leslie!  Do it again, mon!

[Guild][HonaleePuff | Kalecgos]  WB PWN

[Guild][Proudleslie | Jaina]  i didnt do anything!

[Officer][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas]  I take it your connection is none too improved since last time, Warchief?

[Guild][Bob | Vol’jin]  You put da connection voodoo on him, mon!

You whispered to [Omgipwnedurface | Garrosh]:  still using the network grizzle set up for you?

[Officer][Omgipwnedurface | Garrosh]  Yeah, apparently

[Officer][Omgipwnedurface | Garrosh]  Also that Bob guy is rubbing me the wrong way already

[Omgipwnedurface | Garrosh] whispered:  Yeah

[Guild][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas]  On the topic of what you’ve been doing, Leslie, has work continued to be hectic?

[Officer][Omgipwnedurface | Garrosh]  He’d better watch it before I end up stabbing him in the neck

You whispered to [Omgipwnedurface | Garrosh]:  honestly, you might as well hire a couple extra tauren to send up smoke signals for your wifi

[Guild][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas]  You were starting to say, but ended up being sidetracked by ProfHubert.

[Officer][Omgipwnedurface | Garrosh]  Speaking of me stabbing people, by the way, did you manage to get Lori straightened out?

[Guild][HonaleePuff | Kalecgos]  BTW COULD I GET A GUILD INVITE FOR MY FRIEND

[Guild][MrBadcrumble | Spazzle]  sure puff, just whisper me the name

[Guild][Proudleslie | Jaina]  ugh not really

[Officer][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas]  If you’re referring to leadership of the guild, I think I’ve convinced him to be reasonable and pass it back

[HonaleePuff | Kalecgos] whispered:  HER NAME IS LIVINGREDGIRL

[Officer][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas]  He was quite agitated before.

[Guild][Omgipwnedurface | Garrosh]  You know, not for anything, but didn’t we used to ask people to APPLY to this guild once upon a time?

You whispered to [HonaleePuff | Kalecgos]:  seriously?

[HonaleePuff | Kalecgos] whispered:  ?

[Guild][ProfHubert | Faranell]  does it really matter?

[Guild][Proudleslie | Jaina]  just some office politics i’m trying to stay out of mostly

You whispered to [HonaleePuff | Kalecgos]:  don’t you think that’s going to be a little confusing?

[HonaleePuff | Kalecgos] whispered:  Y

[Officer][Omgipwnedurface | Garrosh]  I don’t particularly care about his moods

[Guild][ProfHubert | Faranell]  does anyone in this guild actually do anything other than sit around in guild chat?

[Omgipwnedurface | Garrosh] has logged off.

[Guild][EdwardBear | Ji]  i do!

You whispered to [HonaleePuff | Kalecgos]:  because of how similar that is to LivinDeadGrl?

[Guild][Proudleslie | Jaina]  me to!  just got my set bonus last night in fact

[Guild][EdwardBear | Ji]  i’m level 52 now!

[Guild][Bob | Vol’jin]  I mostly just hang out here in da capital cities, mon, an’ stir tings up in trade chat!

[HonaleePuff | Kalecgos] whispered:  OH I DIDNT EVEN THINK OF THAT

[Lorthemar] has logged on.

[Guild][Proudleslie | Jaina]  grats eddie

[Guild][EdwardBear | Ji]  hi lorthemar

[HonaleePuff | Kalecgos] whispered:  SHOULD I GET HER TO REROLL?

[Guild][Bob | Vol’jin]  Somebody gotta be da resident smartass in dis guild, right?

[Guild][Proudleslie | Jaina]  hi lor!

[Guild][ProfHubert | Faranell]  um, i have some bad news for you…

You whispered to [HonaleePuff | Kalecgos]:  no, she already has this toon… I just hope she doesn’t get a lot of mis-tells

[Guild][Lorthemar]  Greetings, all!

[Officer][MrBadcrumble | Spazzle]  hey lor

[Officer][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas]  Hello, Lor’themar.

[Guild][Proudleslie | Jaina]  lol

You whispered to [HonaleePuff | Kalecgos]:  I’ll send her an invite

[Officer][Lorthemar]  Hail, Spazzle.  Dark Lady.

[HonaleePuff | Kalecgos] whispered:  TY

[Guild][Proudleslie | Jaina]  yea bobby, prof has seniority on you

[Guild][ProfHubert | Faranell]  if only you knew.

You have invited [LivingRedGirl | Alexstrasza] to the guild.

[Officer][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas]  Lor’themar, I should probably warn you straight away…

[LivingRedGirl | Alexstrasza] has joined the guild.

[LivingRedGirl | Alexstrasza] has been promoted to the rank Recruit.

[Guild][Proudleslie | Jaina]  he spends most of his time in-game making sarcastic comments to people

[Guild][Lorthemar]  Welcome, LivingRedGirl!

[Guild][Proudleslie | Jaina]  welcome red!

[Omgipwnedurface | Garrosh] has logged on.

[Guild][MrBadcrumble | Spazzle]  there you go!  welcome to the guild!

[Guild][ProfHubert | Faranell]  in point of fact, that’s not actually specific to in-game.

[Guild][LivingRedGirl | Alexstrasza]  Thank you all

[Guild][Proudleslie | Jaina]  lol

[Guild][Proudleslie | Jaina]  wb pwn

[Officer][Omgipwnedurface | Garrosh]  So as I was saying. I don’t care if Ponytail is happy about it as long as he manages to get his panties unbunched long enough to hand over guild control

[Officer][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas]  Garrosh was just on and will likely be back momentarily, so please try to humor him.

[Bob | Vol’jin] whispered:  Garrosh be runnin’ outta friends fast.

[Omgipwnedurface | Garrosh] whispered:  Oh and by the way

[Officer][Lorthemar]  Hello, Garrosh…

[Officer][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas]  Oh drat.  Two seconds too slow hitting return.

[Officer][Omgipwnedurface | Garrosh] Oh and LOOK who’s here now

You whispered to [Bob | Vol’jin]:  yeah, but I’m *one* of his friends

[Guild][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas]  Oh goodness, LivingRedGirl, you look almost just like me!

[Omgipwnedurface | Garrosh] whispered:  Do you want to explain to me why I never heard a word from you about the whole Mokvar fiasco?

[Guild][LivingRedGirl | Alexstrasza]  Haha looks like it yes

You whispered to [Omgipwnedurface | Garrosh]:  um

[Officer][Lorthemar]  Good evening, Warchief.

[Omgipwnedurface | Garrosh] whispered:  YES UM

[Guild][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas]  At any rate, Leslie…

[Officer][Omgipwnedurface | Garrosh]  Yeah, yeah, good evening, good morning, happy new year, whatever

You whispered to [Omgipwnedurface | Garrosh]:  I guess I figured you were already getting updates from people more important than me

[Guild][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas]  I know office politics can be precarious, Leslie.  I’m not unfamiliar with them myself.

[Officer][Omgipwnedurface | Garrosh]  Are you ready to stop fucking around and put me back in place as guild leader?

You whispered to [Omgipwnedurface | Garrosh]:  and I was probably still hoping there would be some explanation for everything

[Officer][Lorthemar]  While I still have my objections to the way you’ve been conducting yourself toward me and my people, Garrosh…

[Bob | Vol’jin] whispered:  Ya ever stop ta ask yaself why, mon?

[Omgipwnedurface | Garrosh] whispered:  At this point I don’t particularly CARE about why

[Guild][Proudleslie | Jaina]  mostly just a coworker trying to drag me into his conflicts

[Officer][Omgipwnedurface | Garrosh]  Or am I going to have to smack a bitch up first?

You whispered to [Omgipwnedurface | Garrosh]:  look, I understand why you’re doing what you’re doing

[Officer][Lorthemar]  …case in point.

[Officer][Omgipwnedurface | Garrosh]  The bitch being you, by the way

[Officer][Lorthemar]  *sigh*

[Officer][Lorthemar]  In any case…I don’t want to hurt the guild over our personal squabbles.

You whispered to [Bob | Vol’jin]:  ugh hang on

[Guild][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas]  Ah, interesting…

[Officer][Omgipwnedurface | Garrosh]  That’s refreshingly non-suicidal for you, Eyepatch

[Officer][Lorthemar]  So, yes, here.

You whispered to [Omgipwnedurface | Garrosh]:  with the mokvar thing

[Omgipwnedurface | Garrosh] has been promoted to the rank Guild Leader.

You whispered to [Omgipwnedurface | Garrosh]:  it’s just hard for me to accept a friend going off the deep end, is all

[Guild][HonaleePuff | Kalecgos]  GRATS PWN

[Omgipwnedurface | Garrosh] has logged off.

You whispered to [Bob | Vol’jin]:  ok that could have been ugly

[Guild][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas]  Is there anything particular to this conflict your coworker is trying to involve you in, Leslie?

[Guild][Bob | Vol’jin]  Dis is way too entertainin’.

You whispered to [Bob | Vol’jin]:  anyway, like I was saying

[Guild][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas]  Or is it more along the lines of your typical…in-office sparring?

[Officer][Lorthemar]  I almost feel bad for him.

[Officer][MrBadcrumble | Spazzle]  i tried to warn him about getting his network set up

[Guild][HonaleePuff | Kalecgos]  1 SEC SHE HAD TO AFK

[Officer][MrBadcrumble | Spazzle]  but oh no, he sees a goblin and just figures “catch-all tech genius”

[Guild][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas]  Ah, I see.  No rush.

[Guild][ProfHubert | Faranell]  since it appears most of my best sources of entertainment are away or disconnecting, i suppose i should go get some work done

You whispered to [Bob | Vol’jin]:  look, I understand why you’re doing what you’re doing

[Guild][Lorthemar]  Be well, ProfHubert!

[Guild][MrBadcrumble | Spazzle]  later prof

[Guild][ProfHubert | Faranell]  in my absence, bob, feel free to take over as interim satirist

[Guild][Bob | Vol’jin]  Hah, tanks mon.

[Guild][ProfHubert | Faranell]  just try not to stage some kind of sardonic coup while i’m away

[Guild][Bob | Vol’jin]  Haha, no promises, mon.

[Guild][EdwardBear | Ji]  bye prof

[Omgipwnedurface | Garrosh] has logged on.

[Guild][MrBadCrumble | Spazzle]  bye prof

[ProfHubert | Faranell] has logged off.

[Guild][Bob | Vol’jin]  Welcome back, mon!  We missed ya!

[Guild][HonaleePuff | Kalecgos]  WB AGAIN PWN

You whispered to [Bob | Vol’jin]:  and I’m helping thrall because, well, he’s thrall, and I don’t think it’s right the way the trolls are being treated

[Guild][LivingRedGirl | Alexstrasza]  Welcome back Omgipwnedurface

[Officer][Omgipwnedurface | Garrosh]  UGH UGH UGH

[Officer][MrBadcrumble | Spazzle]  wish I could do something to fix it, chief

[Officer][Omgipwnedurface | Garrosh]  Yeah, I know

[Officer][MrBadcrumble | Spazzle]  but I think you may be kind of stuck with it until you get back or orgrimmar

[Officer][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas]  In all honesty, Warchief, the fact that you’re having such connection difficulties at the moment may be a reason not to resume control of the guild just yet…

[Officer][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas]  I’m not sure there’s much to be gained from a guild leader who’s unable to be online to tend to the responsibilities of leadership.

You whispered to [Bob | Vol’jin]:  but that’s as far as I can go

[Officer][Omgipwnedurface | Garrosh]  Yeah, I hate to say it, but you might have a point

[Officer][Omgipwnedurface | Garrosh]  And frankly it’s getting way too annoying trying to stay on

[Officer][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas]  I can well imagine.

You whispered to [Bob | Vol’jin]:  I won’t stab him in the back

[Officer][Omgipwnedurface | Garrosh]  So yeah, let me do this

[MrBadcrumble | Spazzle] has been promoted to the rank Guild Leader.

[Guild][HonaleePuff | Kalecgos]  GRATS MRBADCRUMBLE

[Guild][Bob | Vol’jin]  Hey, grats, mon!

[Guild][LivingRedGirl | Alexstrasza]  Does leadership always change hands so often in the guild

[Officer][MrBadcrumble | Spazzle]  whoa seriously?

[Guild][HonaleePuff | Kalecgos]  NOT REALLY

[Bob | Vol’jin] whispered:  Ya got ta listen to ya conscience, mon.

[Officer][Omgipwnedurface | Garrosh]  He already has control of the web site and he’s got the best handle on all the nuts and bolts

[Guild][HonaleePuff | Kalecgos]  WELL MAYBE LATELY YEAH

[Officer][Omgipwnedurface | Garrosh]  So just as well to let him mind the shop for now

[Officer][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas]  A wise decision, of course, sir.

[Officer][Lorthemar]  Congratulations, Spazzle.

[Bob | Vol’jin] whispered:  I hope it’ll let ya sleep if tings go bad.

[Omgipwnedurface | Garrosh] whispered:  Also because, even with the Mokvar thing, you’re the only one of these clowns I actually trust

[Officer][MrBadcrumble | Spazzle]  thanks lor

[Officer][Omgipwnedurface | Garrosh]  Okay, so…

You whispered to [Omgipwnedurface | Garrosh]:  thanks chief

[Officer][Omgipwnedurface | Garrosh]  I’m going to empty my mail just in case, and then log off here before something else pisses me off

[Officer][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas]  Of course, sir.

[Omgipwnedurface | Garrosh] whispered:  And I get why you kept quiet

[Guild][LivingRedGirl | Alexstrasza]  It’s gotten quiet

[Omgipwnedurface | Garrosh] whispered:  But let me make this clear

[Guild][HonaleePuff | Kalecgos]  THAT USUALLY MEANS THE OFFICERS ARE TALKING

[Omgipwnedurface | Garrosh] whispered:  Mokvar is dead to me

[Guild][LivingRedGirl | Alexstrasza]  Oh

[Omgipwnedurface | Garrosh] whispered:  And if I ever find out where he’s run off to, he’s a dead man

[Guild][Lorthemar]  I know it can be a bit unnerving.

You whispered to [EdwardBear | Ji]:  hey

[Omgipwnedurface | Garrosh] whispered:  Anyway…later

[EdwardBear | Ji] whispered:  hi spazzle

You whispered to [EdwardBear | Ji]:  you haven’t heard anything from mokvar, have you?

[Guild][Lorthemar]  I wasn’t sure what to make of it myself when I first joined the guild.

[Omgipwnedurface | Garrosh] has logged off.

[Guild][LivingRedGirl | Alexstrasza]  Are you new

[EdwardBear | Ji] whispered:  not since he ran off

[EdwardBear | Ji] whispered:  why?

[Guild][Lorthemar]  …

[Guild][EdwardBear | Ji]  oh hi lorthemar

[Guild][Lorthemar]  No.

You whispered to [EdwardBear | Ji]:  this is bad

[Guild][EdwardBear | Ji]  did you join recently?

You whispered to [EdwardBear | Ji]:  this is really bad

[Guild][LivingRedGirl | Alexstrasza]  Me

[EdwardBear | Ji] whispered:  what?

[Guild][Lorthemar]  …

[Guild][EdwardBear | Ji]  no, i could swear i’ve seen you before

[Guild][LivingRedGirl | Alexstrasza]  I only just joined a few minutes ago

You whispered to [EdwardBear | Ji]:  you remember the recall totem I told you about?  the one he left me to hold?

[Guild][EdwardBear | Ji]  lorthemar seems new though

[EdwardBear | Ji] whispered:  yes

[Guild][Lorthemar]  I…

[Officer][Livindeadgrl | Sylvanas]  Perhaps you just have one of those faces?

[Guild][Lorthemar]  I believe I need to log off and step away from the game for a bit.

You whispered to [EdwardBear | Ji]:  the spirit link that a shaman makes with these totems makes them give off a green glow

[Guild][Lorthemar]  It’s not good for my rage.

You whispered to [EdwardBear | Ji]:  it jsut went out

[Guild][EdwardBear | Ji]  i’m sorry if i upset you, lorthemar

[Lorthemar] has logged off.

[Guild][EdwardBear | Ji]  oh bother

[EdwardBear | Ji] whispered:  oh

[Guild][Proudleslie | Jaina]  back

[EdwardBear | Ji] whispered:  that’s bad?

You whispered to [EdwardBear | Ji]:  yeah

[Guild][Proudleslie | Jaina]  sorry

[Guild][Livindeadgrl | Sylvanas]  Welcome back, Leslie.

[Guild][Livindeadgrl | Sylvanas]  Now where were we?

You whispered to [EdwardBear | Ji]:  the only reason the totem would go out like that is if mokvar were dead

[Guild][Proudleslie | Jaina]  sorry livindead, i cant right now

[EdwardBear | Ji] whispered:  but he can just wake up again, right?  like last time?

[Guild][Proudleslie | Jaina]  i just came back to say bye and log

[Guild][Proudleslie | Jaina]  theres stuff happening here rl and i need to go

You whispered to [EdwardBear | Ji]:  no, not like ‘waiting for my ankh to kick in’ dead

[Guild][Proudleslie | Jaina]  and so does puffy

You whispered to [EdwardBear | Ji]:  like for real dead

[Guild][Proudleslie | Jaina]  like right now

[HonaleePuff | Kalecgos] has logged off.

[EdwardBear | Ji] whispered:  oh dear

[Guild][MrBadCrumble | Spazzle]  actually i need to run too

You whispered to [EdwardBear | Ji]:  I need to go

[Officer][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas]  Is everything all right, Spazzle?

You whispered to [EdwardBear | Ji]:  I have to check on this

[Officer][MrBadCrumble | Spazzle]  no

You have logged off.