Month: April 2014

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Too Many Alts


April 29th

What a busy week it has been for me in-game.  Whoa, too many characters and so little time.  Actually, too many 90s and not enough time to get to them all.   It’s a good thing that I like to quest and like to level as much as I do because I think I would have reached the overload long before now.  However, I can now take a bit of a respite and work on a few of my lowbies to get them up to their big people in Pandaria.  One more shaman to get up there and I’ll be all set for WoD regardless of what they do with the professions.

I know that I had my original eight 90s in Pandaria that were keeping me very busy and I’ve since added to that with upgrading my accounts to the new expansion as well.   I will have to admit that the last upgrade is going to take some time to get just the right one to the point where I can take the “free” boost, which is alright too because I don’t  think that will happen until WoD drops.  I reopened that account to run up a warlock and that’s still my intent – having a blast learning how to play a clothie after all of the hunters and death knights that I have running amuck already – not to mention Druids.

I honestly did try to keep my factions on equal footing with leveling and whatnot, however, I have been playing Horde for a very long time even if my characters seem to be a bit neutral on their views to the current “war” in Warcraft.   When I first started playing the game, I was totally Alliance, went gung-ho for the Night Elves and still have quite a few of them that are all works in progress.   With my Horde guild being a Level 25, I do tend to stay within that group of characters with all of the guild benefits, however, my little Alliance guild isn’t doing that badly either with addition of a couple 90s to help out with the stats.

I know that I have had several people ask me which faction I prefer and I really can’t give a true definitive answer to that.   I actually didn’t play Horde until I moved to Wyrmrest Accord  a very long time ago and that seemed to be the faction that I enjoyed the most, I will admit that I had more friends on the Hordeside than Alliance due to the fact that I was truly a stranger on the realm and just starting out with RP.  However, the times have changed and the majority of the people that I played with back in those days are gone, they either quit the game, changed realms or generally have gone their own way.

Let’s see, I have learned how to play my Druids with some confidence in the last month and my Death Knights aren’t the terrible noobs that they once were.  Oh, that grind up to 90 is a bear and I will admit that I was getting pretty apprehensive about leveling them due to the time factor involved.   The thing that strikes me funny is that the boosted characters come in better geared than the ones I worked my tail off getting leveled which is kind of disheartening a bit.   I will have to say that I am enjoying the ones that I have boosted though because I can jump right into things after I’ve learned the mechanics of the class that I haven’t played for a while and it’s been a lot of fun.   Out of all of my characters, so far, I have one that is on the verge of being able to do some Flex Raiding so I might just see the end-game before WoD hits the runway.

I’ve already admitted several times that I am an altoholic big time.  However, I’m enjoying the game the way that I want to enjoy it, questing, working on professions, girding my loins to do LFR and LFG stuff plus running on the Lost Isle.  OMG, the Lost Isle – nobody told me that my Death Knights would go nuts out there and do things that I didn’t know they could do.  It doesn’t matter what race or faction – Death Knights are bonkers.  My hunters tend to take the easy approach of “We’ll get the gear eventually” and they take their time going through things, however, the Death Knights – whoa, they just seem to get out there and decide that they may not have the gear that they should and they’re aren’t leaving until they get a few pieces at least.

I know it used to really bother me when one of my characters bit the big one.  I would feel like I was bad parent or bad player or something.  The psychological impact on me sitting at the keyboard was awful and would cause me to stop playing for a while or until I had some time to do some research on rotations, glyphs;etc.  Now – well, let’s just say that I go out and if they die, it’s a few pieces of gold and we’re on to the races again.  I finally got it through my thick head that these are just pixels, they can rez and come back for me, kind of like my old VW that wouldn’t ever die – which I sold to a couple a few months back since I’m not driving again just yet.  Soon I will be back on the roads again and I’ll probably buy another little VW – those cars run even if they are broken, at least the older models did.

One of the things that I have started doing is creating alts that I can use to “relearn” some of the game mechanics, especially if I haven’t played the original in quite a while.  What with all of the nerfs to some of the classes, I log into the old one and go OMG, how did I even get this poor thing to level 60 or so?   I don’t know that I will ever get all of the classes to cap, however, it’s fun to play around with them.  I know that some of my RealID friend probably think that I’m crazy as a dingbat, however, I do play solo quite a bit and like to try out different races and different classes, just for grins.   I decided to roll a Worgen druid to see what they looked like and how they differed from my Tauren and Night Elves – it’s pretty awesome, might play that one for a while.

Naturally, I woke up this morning and, is my habit, read what has been posted on WordPress in regard to World of Warcraft as well as check out the latest things that might be making people get their knickers in a bunch on the WoW forums before I start playing the game itself.  I knew that today was going to be one of the long maintenance days for Blizzard, however, woke up early  and here I sit, waiting for another six or so hours for that to be done.   Yes, the addiction is strong and I do enjoy the game, not only for the social interaction, which is minimal these days, and to see what kind of adventures I can get my characters involved in so that I can write something.

 

 

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New changes – cooking with pots and pans…


April 28th

Dear Journal,

Well, this farming thing isn’t too terribly bad and I am truly happy that Ty and I were able to buy the farm.   The house isn’t great, however, it’s better than living in a tent, sometimes.  Sure, we finally got the roof replaced and things aren’t quite so wet inside the house.

I actually have pots and pans now.  Ty came home with a big bag of stuff the other day and in there were pots and pans with other cooking utensils.  Now, that means I don’t have to make do with my armor anymore.   He told me that it was high time that I learned how to cook properly with the right tools to begin with. Poor man has no idea that my cooking is legendary – legendary as in real bad.

Now, we won’t have to wait while I make my helm cuisine – the carrots floating around inside my helm with added bits of potatoes and this and that.  It always tasted good, however, it did take days for me to get the smell out of my helm.   I am real hesitant on giving up on the  shield grill though – that thing really does make some of the best grilled food – fish, meat and yes, occasionally some grilled steaks.  Oh, the shield wasn’t mine, it belonged to an Alliance Paladin that doesn’t need it anymore.  However, the ornate work on the shield was always a bit hard to clean up after cooking on it though.  So, now I have pots and pans – we don’t eat that often but we do enjoy a good meal.

I think my dear brother has no clue about how to deal with our baby sister.  Here he has her living in her own little house in Silvermoon, has given her servants and all of the things that she needs to keep up the front, so to speak, and then, he still won’t give her access to the accounts that she wants in order to “live up to the standards” that she has come to expect.   She wrote me a rather lengthy and scathing letter concerning out brother.

I got a letter from Fnor telling me that he was making inquiries and arrangements to get Fae married off.  I think that is just asking for more trouble and fully intend on writing him back and telling him that.   He knows how she reacted the last time and if she hears of Dawnglory’s upcoming nuptials, I’m sure that she will go off the deep end for sure.  I’m glad that Ty and I are in Pandaria and removed from all of the family stuff.

Ty laughs at me constantly because I know that I do run about how the family is just going to Hell on the fast track with all of the trouble that they cause for each other.  What the hell!!  I’m a member of the family and I’m dead, I know better than to do some of the silly shit they are pulling.   Why would I want to get involved in that shit?

Well, at least Ty and I are doing what we want to do with the farm and just enjoying our time that we get to spend there, which isn’t  as much as I would like to do.   We still have to go down to the Jade Forest and break in the new recruits that seem to still be arriving – why they are being sent here is a mystery to me after all of the trash that has gone down with Garrosh – what a pinheaded fool he has turned out to be.

We were able to slip away and do some things that we wanted to do today.  We actually took some time to sit around the Jade Temple grounds and fish – did some laundry and watched FuzzButt chase some butterflies.  I swear that kitten has grown by leaps and bounds – must be almost completely grown and spoiled rotten.  I swear that if we were able to have children, Ty would still lavish most of his affections on that silly feline.

I know that my brother was being all nosy in his letter and was asking me what my intentions were with Ty – well, let’s just say that I won’t go into any details in that matter because what goes on between us is consensual.  Are we going to get married like the living do?  Probably not, we don’t need too, we aren’t going to have children and we sure as hell don’t need a piece of paper that says we’re together – we’re pretty damned obvious with that.

Felaran Morningstar

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A Matter of Give and Take…


April 27th

Dear Journal,

I will have to admit that I am still very angry with Kal.  He promised me faithfully that he would not get into any more predicaments when he went to Stormwind and he lied.  Not only did he lie, he just ignored the fact that he had made the promise – he never said that, exactly, however, he did look terrible when he got home the other morning.  Yes, it was morning again, not the same day that he had left either.  It was supposed to be a quick trip and back to Halfhill – however, it turned into one of those two day events with a sleepover in Stormwind.

I know that he is used to living his own way, however, that wasn’t the plan when I left the Sentinels.  I was going to work with him and help make money and work on the farm with him as well.  Now, it seems I get left behind at the farm and off he goes adventuring in Stormwind.  I am not sure that I care for some of his friends, although, they seemed to tolerate my presence the last time I saw any of them while I was still in the Sentinels.

It’s not like he forced me to leave the Sentinels, I did it for myself and for him.  He no longer wanted to be a Scout and I didn’t feel comfortable going out in the field for days at a time learning him at home, maybe I should have just stayed with the Sentinels because now I am the one that is being left behind in Halfhill.

I truly gave up the only life that I have known to be with him because I love him beyond reason, which, may be a bit one sided.  He says that he loves me, however, his actions her lately are not showing that to me that much.  He’s all apologetic and he is constantly giving me gifts, however, I need to sit him down and tell him that he can’t buy my forgiveness nor can he buy my love with money and gifts.  That’s not how that works or that’s how I feel.

When he got home the other morning, I was so angry at his appearance and his extended absence that I just walked out of the house.  I know that I didn’t even ask him if he was okay.  His armor looked a mess, he had burn marks on his arms and a few places on his ears, however, I wasn’t going to ask him what happened.  All I know is that he went to Stormwind and was supposed to pick up more contracts from Magdamia and come back after he had gotten paid for the stock and contracts we had completed.

I haven’t been home in almost a week now and I know that he is looking for me, however, I know Pandaria almost as well as he does, so, I know how to stay out of sight as much as possible.  I just need some time to think things over and decide what it is that I want to do.  Do I want to stay in this relationship that seems to have gone eschew and a bit one sided or do I want to go back to the Sentinels and try to put this behind me?

It just breaks my heart to think that I have given almost everything up to be with the man that I love and he is just wild and crazy.  I never saw this side of him when he was my Scout and we were living together even though we both had our duties to attend too.   I know that now that he doesn’t have to follow the discipline of the Sentinels, he’s kind of gone off the deep end a little bit with his independence.

I know we’re both young and we should take our time, however, I do think that he and I need to sit down and talk about a few things.  I can’t stand this constant evasion of telling me beforehand that he is going to meet his friends in Stormwind and he might be gone longer than what we had planned initially.  I am tired of worrying about him and tired of the fact that I get left behind  most of the time.  Yes, I love the farm and I love the house that we have built together, however, I wasn’t planning on being there alone.

Maybe this comes from his mix-breeding, I don’t know and I doubt that this is something that I can talk to his Mother about.  I need to talk to someone and see how they think I should feel about the whole thing.  I know that I will probably go talk to some of the girls back at the camp although I am loathe to do that because they will gossip about how Kal and I aren’t getting along or something.   Maybe I can talk to one of the Pandaren monks and see what he or she  advises  or just maybe go back to Darnassus and seek counsel with the priests and pray to Elune for a while.

I’m not going to let Kal know where I am right now, let him think about the things that have happened and he needs to make a few choices and adjustments, I can’t be the only one doing that.

Kae

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More Fun Than I Expected…


Ty and FuzzButt Fishing in Halfhill

Ty and FuzzButt Fishing in Halfhill

April 25th

Dear Journal,

I know that I usually don’t say too much very often, however, there are times that I really need to start saying something.   I know that poor Felaran has her hands full with her family and I suppose that she is lucky in that regard because I know that I had one at some point, however, I can’t remember much about them.

I know that Fel and I really got lucky when we finally were able to buy the farm in Halfhill, however, a lot can be said for the house.  A lot needs to be said for the house. I guess the reason that the fellow lowered the price as much as he did was because the house was in dire need of repair and we specifically told him that we wanted a place to live – you know, a house with a roof and all of the trimmings.

When we’re not at our base camp in the Jade Forest, we’re here in Halfhill on our days off.  I knew that farming was a lot of hard work, however, I had no idea how hard it was either.   Now, when we’re not working out in the fields we’re trying our best to fix up the little house.   I said that it needed repairs and it definitely does that.

I kind of had the idea that the roof was going to leak when it rained and I was definitely proved correct in that assumption on more than one occasion.  At least we were cognizant enough to realize that we needed to store our stuff in a space where it didn’t just get soaking wet – nothing like a wet blanket to make things nice and cozy.  I told Fel that we needed to get a Pandaren that knew how to rethatch the roof because what I knew about that kind of project could easily get lost in a thimble.

Well, we found a fellow that would be willing to do the work, however, the cost was a bit prohibitive to us jumping right in there and having it done.  The fellow told us that we could get the cost down if we removed the old thatching which we thought was pretty good.

I can’t begin to tell you how many times that Fel and I have fallen off the roof or have put another hole in it when we stepped on a rotten piece of wood.  It’s a good thing that we’re already dead or we might have gone to meet our maker on more than one occasion.  I know that we were up on the roof the other day and I heard this loud scrapping, scrambling sounds and finally a wild scream as Fel went sliding off the roof and landed on her backside in a mud puddle next to the house.  I know that I shouldn’t have laughed, however, the look on her face was classic and the stream of verbal  abuse for said roof was more colorful than I’ve heard her even use out in the field when we’re on patrols.   It wasn’t too long after that when I found myself landing in the same puddle with her – damned Death Grip – you’re not supposed to do that to someone you love – she landed on her butt, I landed face first in the goo which prompted Felaran to go into gales of laughter.

Neither one of us is much of a carpenter and suffice it to say, it took several days for us to get everything off of the roof.  Not to mention that the weather was not our friend either because just when we were making some good headway on the project, here came the rain and the lightning.  Now, we’re both Death Knights, however, I think that we both are great lightning rods or something.  We had to redo quite a bit of work on the roof due to lightning strikes.  Maybe next time we won’t go up there with our armor on, however, it did seem like a good idea at the time because of the falls – I think we thought that the armor would protect us from some of the injuries we’ve endured.  Thankfully, neither one of us has broken anything other than our pride.

At least the roof project is done and we’re on to other things.  Luckily we don’t live too far away from the Tauren that work for Felaran’s brother’s company.  They have been very kind to both of us and even let us stay with them for a few days when there was no roof on the house.  They have a full house with their relatives staying with them, however, Sadheart or Naton, is a fellow Knight and he wasn’t about to see us suffering through this without some help from him and the rest of his clan.  At least we now have that project done and we’re able to stay at our own place.

No, Felaran is definitely not domestic, she tries real hard, however, some of the stuff that she has cooked really was hard to eat.  I mean, we don’t eat all that often, so, that’s probably a good thing, however, I think that we will go to the market for a while and grab some quick food there until we get the stove working properly and she has had a chance to learn how to make some of the delicious noodles that we both like.    She likes to blame her kitchen mishaps on the stove being old  – I know that it’s not so much the stove as it is the operator, however, I just nod my head and add it to the list of things to do.

Poor FuzzButt is probably the one that has suffered the most with the rain.  He always likes to stay right with me and that’s where the problem is sometimes.  Sure, he’s a cat and he can pretty much go wherever I go and does frequently.  He even stayed with us when we went to the Cloudhoof’s house for a few days, however, I could tell that he was almost as nervous as I was with a house full of Tauren.  Between adjust to the farming and learning how to “fix” things with the house, we have both been at our wit’s end sometimes.

Today I told Felaran that I wanted to take some time off and just do nothing.  I really wanted to just go down and fish for a while and let my mind wander.  It also might give my thumbs a chance to heal up from getting hit by a hammer so frequently – they just hurt and look like they have been flattened a bit with all of the abuse.  Really makes it hard for me to work on my jewelry when I am in the mood to do that sort of thing.   At least I have a place to keep my supplies now instead of having to haul it around in a box like I do when we’re in camp.

So, FuzzButt and  I have gone fishing today and we’re going to just enjoy the time while we can.  I do love Felaran as much as it is possible, however, I know that she is one that can chat almost all of the time and I am afraid to admit that I learned a long time ago how to tune that out.

I really need to start writing in this journal a bit more often too.  I know that I have forgotten a few of the things that we have done since we’ve been here in Pandaria and the whole idea of me keeping the journal was so that I could refresh my memory a bit if I needed too.

Ty Ravencrest

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Everything Is New … Time To Begin Again


April 24th

Dear Journal,

I suppose that I have to admit that I am enjoying my life in this new land despite the Curse.  In fact, I think that the Curse has enabled me to become more independent and successful at my chosen profession.  I know that I can stand and hunt with the best of them although I have not chosen to run with a pack yet.

Sure, I have met a few of my same persuasion, however, I am so used to being my own boss that I would find it rather difficult to follow the rules set forth by another.   Unfortunately, my Father taught me too well how to stand on my own two feet and make my own way.

The hunting is plentiful and I have been able to do all of the things that I would have normally done with the exception of living in a fine house and still having my family with me.  Ah yes, that does make me sad at some level, however, without the added burdens of the social acumen pressing on me to take a wife and have children to pass on the noble family name, I am finding it rather pleasant.  Where else could I live that allowed me to socialize with others and still maintain my independence?

This new found freedom is almost more than I can bear at this point.  I know that my life is very different if things had remained as they were in Gilneas.  I know that I would be attending quite a few more social gatherings in my Mother’s hopes of finding a bride and I would have been working with my Father to carry on the family traditions of working in the business.  Although we were of noble blood, there still had to be a way to earn a living in addition to anything that you might have gleaned from your ancestors as far as wealth.

I know that I have met a few people that I knew at home and strangely enough, they all seem to have become nobility since they landed in this new land.  Lord and Lady Whatsis, well, I fully recollect them being trades people at home, the wife was a school teacher and he was a butcher of sorts.  So, I suppose if they choose to live their new lives with the pretense of a lie, that is their business and I will not disclose their falsehoods.  I know that more than just a few people in Gilneas yearned to have that nobility crown, well, I can tell you from experience, it isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be when you get out into the real world.

Speaking of the real world, I know that I am just breaking into the edges of this land of Kalimdor and I have visited the large city in the Eastern Kingdom called Stormwind.   I can’t say that I was that thrilled with Stormwind due to the overcrowding, however, it is all a new beginning and I won’t let anyone spoil that wonder for me.   To begin one’s life anew is not something that one should throw carelessly away by clinging too hard to your past.   Let the past bury itself and live for the now and for the things that come – that’s what I fully plan on doing.

I know that I am going to live my life as it is and take what joy I can from being granted a second chance whether it came from this Elune or from the Light – it’s new, it’s exciting and I have finally convinced myself that I have no real regrets of things that have happened in the past.  Yes, there is a part of me that feels horrible for what befell my family at my own hand, however, the beast was the one that did the killing, not me the man.

Alexander Brandric

 

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Zippie Takes Some Time Off


April 23rd

Dear Journal,

You know there are just times that you need to get away from all of the mooks and head somewhere to have some fun with your own kind.  While I like living in the big house in Silvermoon, I have to admit that it’s full of elves.  Tall elves, short elves, just elves.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I like elves and I like working for the Boss, however, there are times that a girl needs to get away from family and other people just so’s they can let their hair down and have fun.  I have been working real hard since we left Orgrimmar and now with the Shattrath thing going on, I’m ready to throw in the towel or get an assistant.  Well we all know who that assistant won’t be, right?

I finally went to the Boss yesterday and told him that I needed a break, I needed to get away before I went nuts like his sister.   I don’t think that I’ll ever go that nutso, however, I know that there are times that I just want to smack someone for no reason – you know, you get frustrated with columns of figures that just won’t add up and you can’t get this part of the ledger to balance out because you’ve been staring at it for so long.  I know that the Boss has a lot on his plate right now with things concerning his family and the business, however, a lot of that weight also rests on my shoulders – I’m the one that makes sure that he has enough money to cover all of this stuff.

I told Uncle Zednick and Dooddah that I was going away for a while and naturally, Dooddah wanted to tag along.  Uncle Zednick just kind of shrugged his shoulders and said that he was busy right now anyway with his mage thing and getting in touch with some of his engineering buddies that are supposed to be over here in Silvermoon.  I had to tell Dooddah that she can go with me next time, I just needed some time away from family and the business.  Sure, she was disappointed and I can understand that, however,  I don’t think I need my little sister following me around especially if I meet a nice goblin fella somewhere in my travels.

The Boss told me to take a road trip, which I did.  He told me that Desolace was different – hated it.  He also told me that Feralas was a beautiful place.   Well, yeah, it’s beautiful if you’re not vertically challenged and all of the bushes and grass happens to be taller than you are.   I enjoyed the peace and quiet when the bears weren’t trying to eat me or some whelpling wasn’t trying to eat my face – yep, that was sure enjoyable.   At least the Tauren had some nice camps there and I got to learn a few new recipes for cooking that I might try out sometime.

It must be that time of year for people to take trips too.  I ran into some other goblins that were taking a break from Orgrimmar and all of those Orcs.  I know that we were sitting around and talking about all kinds of stuff.  Of course, they wanted to know about Silvermoon and I told them about what little bit I knew or had seen since I got there and they kind of frowned a bit – guess the place really doesn’t sound all that fun when you’re a goblin.  Come to think of it, I haven’t had time to have any fun since I got there.

They started talking about this place called Thousand Needles and how there used to be a race track there that had gotten covered over by  the flood when Deathwing came blasting through Kalimdor.  Well, there seems to be a goblin salvage operation going on down there from this big barge-they are salvaging parts from the race cars that were still down there when the flood happened and I guess a bunch of other stuff from the buildings that are underwater .  Seems this barge is run by goblins and the tall people aren’t all over the place either.  Sounded good to me.   It also sounds like a place where a goblin could make some good money too, I’m always interested in making money on the side.

Well, we all grouped together and made our way to the barge and that’s where I am right now.  Kind of got into a bar fight when we arrived.  You know those gnomes throw one heck of a punch when you hit them in the head with a bottle of grog.  I’m kind of sitting here with a bit of shiner, first one I’ve had since I left Kezan, and a headache that would make an Orc cry, I think.

This must be party central or something.  I know that I think I’ll take today off and maybe do some fishing while this headache finds its way to leave.  I think that I saw some of my friends from Orgrimmar working here too, might look them up and see how things are going.  You know, you kind of lose touch with people when you leave a city as fast as we did.

Zippie Prattfall

 

 

 

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A Time Of Reflection…


April 22nd

Dear Journal,

Have you ever awakened from a deep slumber filled with such sadness that you wanted to weep, not truly understanding the reasoning behind it?  This morning was such a morning for me and I sat in my bed pondering many thoughts as to why I might feel this terrible sadness.  No, it was not a premonition of things to come, these feelings were buried deep and came from the past.

Rather than sit there wallowing in my own self-pity, I decided to get up and prepare breakfast while the others still slept.   I had brought several bags of pine nuts with me when I came to Pandaria since I knew that they were a favorite of my children and myself.  As I set about pounding the nuts into a nice coarse grain for their favorite pine nut mash, the thought came into my mind as to why I was so sad.

I was once married to a wonderful Bull and he was indeed the love of my life.  He had a kindness that made me feel that he cared for everything in the world even though he was a very skilled hunter.  I know that some of the other hunters used to make fun of him because he would always stop and make an offering to the Earth Mother  for the life taken.  He would always tell the Earth Mother that he took this life so that his people would live and the blessings of the Earth Mother had led him to this particular prey.

Oh, we had a happy and full life, my Bull and I.  We were able to enjoy life and live those days blissfully happy.  Before the children started arriving, we would go out  together into the wilds, he to hunt and me to gather my herbs.  We truly felt blessed by the Earth Mother and embraced each day as it arrived with such vigor that we were probably more blissfully happy than we even realized.

Our first born, Naton, was born in the Spring of the year and we were very proud parents.  He looked very much like his Father and had his strength – we also knew that he had a very healthy set of lungs to go with his bulk too because he would wake us up as well as the surrounding tents in the village when he wanted to be fed.   As he grew older, his Father took him out to teach him how to hunt and he became quite good  at this profession, very much like his Father, and he followed the traditions that his Father put before him.

Our second child arrive and she was a sweet little thing, much quieter than her older brother and not nearly as demanding.  Her name was Mahamura, after her grandmother.  She was one of those children that was always a bit shy in joining in to play with the other children, however, as she grew, she became a bit more self-assured and actually became one of the leaders of the gang of children that played in the village as their parents were out working.  She definitely showed a proficiency with the bow as a young girl, so, she too soon started going out with her brother and her Father to hunt in the wilds.

Our third child was definitely a gift from the Earth Mother.   His name was Nahai, naturally, he looked very much like his Father, however, his personality was more like my own. He was quiet, polite and showed the signs early on in following in his Mother’s footsteps of being a druid.  I can remember taking him with me when I would go out to gather herbs, he learned very quickly and was always excited to be out with me in the forests and plains, gathering herbs, learning how to grind them up so that we could use them for whatever we needed, be it potions, be it for inks – he always was a willing and helpful child.  I hate to admit it, however, I will say that of our three children, he was probably my favorite because he was more like myself and less daring than his Father.

Our fourth child, Tahfal, was one of those pleasant surprises that happen to couples that are intent on having a large family.  He was the darling of our group of children.  A bit smaller than the others at birth and seemed to be slow growing, however, he was more inclined to read a book rather than to go out and play with the others.  Oh, he had his rough and tumble side and his older siblings made sure that he was active because he was never allowed to sit alone for very long.  He was the one child that I had that always wanted to go and talk with the elders, the priests as if he were following some path that his Father and I couldn’t ascertain.  Time would later reveal where his true talents like.

Why am I sad?  It looked like I had everything a Bessie could want, a home, children and a loving husband.  We should have known that the Fates would draw a card for us that would bring it all crashing down one day, however, our faith in the Earth Mother was stronger.

We had lived through the assaults on Thunder Bluff by the Grimtotem and lived through all of the tragedies that had stuck our people.  We went through the trials and tribulations when the Grimtotem were driven from our tribe to form the nomadic group that they are today.   We lived through the death of our chieftain although that was indeed a terrible time for us.

It was this time of year that my husband and I decided that it was time for us to go out into the wilds together again as we had done prior to  the arrival of our brood.  It had been such a long time since we were able to slip away together like this and we were looking forward to it like two small children awaiting Winter Veil.

We left our children in the care of our neighbors and set out on our journey which we knew would be for several days.   We felt young and carefree again, no children to remind us of our responsibilities to hearth and home.   I think that in our jubilant mood is what made us get careless and less aware of the things that could actually harm us.

My first notice that things were amiss was when I was gathering my herbs, I knew my husband was nearby, I heard a loud clash and yells coming from the  direction that he was in.   I quickly donned my stealth cat mode and made for the sound of the noise.  There on the ground lay my poor husband, trussed up like some kind of animal and there were several Grimtotem warriors standing around congratulating themselves on such a fine catch.

I honestly didn’t know what I could do other than to try to get my husband untied before I was discovered.  I succeeded in getting some of his bonds released enough to where he should have been able to manage the rest when I was discovered.  Oh, discovered I was, and I fought back with all of my strength, fangs barred, claws ripping at anything that came in my direction as I stood close to where my husband was trying to get unbound.

Let me just say that we were captured.  It was a situation where I should have gone for help as quickly as possible instead of trying to rescue my husband alone, I know that now, and the guilt that has followed me all of these years is not any easier to bear.  In hindsight, there are so many other things that I should have done and didn’t see it at the time.

The Grimtotem were looking for slaves and my husband and I were put in with that group of other Tauren.  It was indeed a sad time.  To see my poor husband beaten almost on a daily basis because his pride would flare and he would try to withstand the indignities that were placed on him by our captures.  I know that I was trying to just survive, trying to find a way for us to escape, endured the hardships and the indignities that were placed on us – trying to find a way to get back to our tribe and our children.

We knew and we hoped that our tribe would send out people to look for us when we failed to make our return at the appointed time, however, that seemed as though it was years ago.  I know they must have looked for us, our children needed us.

A full year went by and my poor husband and I were still captives.  I was beginning to give up hope and I was beginning to think that this was what the Earth Mother had intended for us to live.  My faith was and is still strong, however, my heart was yearning to get back to my children.  My husband was growing weaker with each season that passed and I could see the fire in eyes starting to dwindle – all the hard work and the tortures that were forced upon this one proud hunter was almost more than I could bear.  I knew that one day, he would give up all hope and would become as some of the others had become – quiet, only doing what was ordered and living each day as if it were a sentence of some kind.

One day, I don’t know what happened exactly, I heard loud cries from the center of the village and I ran to see what was going on.  My poor husband had finally snapped and was attacking anyone that came near him, Grimtotem, other slaves, anyone that came with arms reach met a crushing blow and possibly death.  I screamed and ran towards him to see if I could bring him under control although I knew that the Grimtotem would probably kill him as punishment for his rebellion.

Our eyes met and I could see the pain in his eyes even as he took another’s life, he screamed at me to run.  Although I wanted to stay, I did as I was told and I ran as hard and as fast as I could out of the camp, hearing the noise grow louder as I sped away.  I knew then, my husband had done this to sacrifice himself so that I might be able to escape and get back to our family.

I know that I ran for days and it seemed like I was starting to get back into familiar territory – places that I had visited with my husband and other members of our tribe.  I did make it back home, knowing full well that my husband probably lay dead in the village of the Grimtotem.  Between my grief for my husband and the joy of seeing the Bluffs, I was definitely home again.

After several days of recovering from my own injuries and exhaustion, I was told that my eldest son had gone out to find us after the tribe had given up all hope.  He never returned  and a search party went out to look for him as well, however, they were unsuccessful.

The Grimtotem were known for the atrocities that they would visit upon our people after their banishment from our tribes in Mulgore.  One of the things that they had taken upon themselves to do was to sell some of their captives to the Lich King’s minions to be turned into Death Knights.

So, I had lost my husband and I had lost my eldest child.  My grief was horrific and my other children, try as they might, could not get me to come out of my deepest depression.   I know that I had stopped believing in the Earth Mother for a while, I lost touch with my inner feelings, everything that I had known and loved had been taken from me even though I had done all of the things that I thought would please the Earth Mother, she had allowed my husband and my son to be taken from me.   I was bitter and I am afraid that I was not good to my living children, although, they will say that they understand now, I can remember the looks on their faces sometimes when I would argue with them over such trivial things.  It was if I was punishing them for being alive.

Time passed and eventually, a young Bull returned to our village and I thought at first that it was an apparition of my husband – he looked so very much like him.  The young Bull was making inquiries about various things, he was searching for his family, his memory of his family was there, however, he was a Death Knight – a thing to be feared and one to look upon with pity.

I know that my youngest son, Tahfal, was one to go to the Story Circle that was a tradition in the Bluffs and he is actually the one that found his older brother, Naton.  You see,  Naton was now known as Sadheart – the young Death Knight that was asking questions about homes and families.   Naturally Tahfal brought the Death Knight home with him…I was both revolted and relieved to see my son again – I was happy to have my child back and did the thing of ignoring what he had become.

I think I can see why I awakened so sad today.  This was the time of year that I lost both my husband and my child – my child has come home to me, even if he truly is not the child that I gave birth too many years ago.  I can be grateful to the Earth Mother for what I have now, however, I will always mourn the loss of what was.

Mooma Cloudhoof

 

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500 Posts


April 19th

Well, now I’ve gone and done it.  Yep, worked my way through the last year or so on writing blogs, reading blogs and I finally hit a magic number.  Today’s post from Hazey Smythe put me at the 500 posts!!

I was so shocked and happy at the same time.   I would like to thank all of my readers and followers for their support over the last couple of years because they have helped me grow as a writer and I hope that they have enjoyed all of my characters journals and drivel.

I will admit that I am selfish and that I do enjoy getting totally immersed in my characters and what Role Playing adds to it is just awesome.  Most of my storylines are truly a solo effort – I think the last RP partner that I had for any length of time took a hiatus and I hope they will be returning soon.

So, be prepared, I will be writing more about the adventures that my characters are having in Azeroth.  I hope that people enjoy them as much as I enjoy writing them.

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I Should Be Ashamed…


April 19th

 

Dear Journal,

Well, I suppose that I ought to be happy that I am not in jail or something even worse for the “crimes” that I have done, however, they were justified.  Let me explain a little bit about what happened because when I think about it, I laugh, however, I’m known for having a very twisted sense of humor.

If you’ll recall, I got drafted, shanghaied, however you want to put it to go to Pandaria against my better judgment and will.  It wasn’t exactly a choice that I was allowed to make because of that pinheaded idiot that we have for a Warchief over the Horde.   I willingly admit that I have always kind of done my own thing, however, I have always honored the oath to serve the Horde, until now.

So, I get put with a group of Rangers in Krasarang and of course they were mostly Blood Elves.  You know the kind that I mean.  The ones that have the fabulous hair and the devastating good looks that they are very aware of.  I don’t dislike elves, I just wish they weren’t so self-absorbed.  I know we’ve all had a tough go at things, look at my people and  the Lady – we haven’t exactly been blessed by the Light, if you know what I mean.

Well, to make a long story short, I was serving my time with the Rangers, having to bunk in with at bunch of simpering females was bad enough, however, the thing that was driving me to distraction was all of the talk about men, hair, makeup and what they might buy to wear at some upcoming event or party.  Just drove me batshit crazy, it did.  Luckily for them, I had purchased my little farm, so, on my days off, I went and stayed at the farm even if it isn’t furnished and all fixed up like some I’ve seen.

On my last trip to Undercity to visit with Brianca, I had picked up a nice bottle of lice, not your average kind of lice, our kind of lice.  Well, I got back to the camp in Krasarang and emptied the whole bottle in the middle of the big tent where we’re supposed to sleep and watched the little critters scamper off to all areas of the tent – I wasn’t worried about me getting lice, what are they going to munch on, my dead flesh won’t hold a candle to the likes of these juicy little Blood Elf women.

Oh it worked like a charm it did.  Of all of the wails and cries I have never heard the like.  Naturally, they thought they had some kind of strange malady that they had caught from something in Pandaria.  Little did they know it was all homegrown.  Some of them were in pretty sad shape, bites and then the critters got into all that fabulous hair.  Well, they or a group of them went to the healers to see what could be done, all of that itching and stuff was making them real cranky, not to mention, they couldn’t cover up all of those bite marks.  I guess the healers weren’t all that sympathetic with them and told them that the only way they could get rid of the “lice” was to bathe with lye soap and shave their heads.

Have you ever seen a Blood Elf with real red skin and bald?  I almost peed myself when the first group got back from doing what they were told to do.  Naturally, they were trying to hide the baldness with the helms, however, in this heat and dampness, that probably wasn’t a good thing.

Anyway, the whole thing was tracked back to me and I was going to get Court Marshaled or something worse for damaging all of these little beauties.   The corker was not only were the people in my tent infected with the malady, you could sure tell the ones that slept around because it spread throughout the camp like wildfire.   I didn’t think that it would get that serious but it sure did.

Lucky for me, I got my letter from Zippie with the letter from the Boss that told the Rangers that I was no longer in their service, I was under the guidance of the Regent Lord from now on and worked for a private company.   They had to let me go, they had to drop the charges and I think that some of them actually had a party after I left – Forsaken are a bit offensive to the beautiful people.

Anyway, my service to the Horde and the Rangers has come to a close and I can start living my life like I was before with my time being my own.  What a relief!  I never was good at following orders and I will have to say that I am not real thrilled with the kind of treatment I got there either.   Sure, I’m still loyal to the Horde, however, I am even more loyal to my employer at this point.

I am kind of ashamed of myself about what I did, however, how was I to know that lice would end up infecting the entire camp.  I’m kind of giggling too – can you imagine all of these bald-headed Blood Elves running around Pandaria and too ashamed to go back to Silvermoon until their hair grows back.  Hey, they asked for it.

Hazey Smythe

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Adventures With Friends…And What It Could Cost


April 18th

Dear Journal,

I will have to admit that I was almost afraid to come back to Pandaria the other night after my adventures in Stormwind.   It does seem like I go to Stormwind to really work on getting some more contracts, turning our products in and collecting the money before I head back.  Sure as there is a sun in the sky, I always seem to get sidetracked.

I guess I should stop gong to the Lamb or even to the Blue Recluse to grab a bite to eat and a drink before making the trek back home.  I always seem to find my old friends and sure as hell, there is always some issue or problem that I need to help on.  Never being one to turn down friends, I always go along thinking that it surely couldn’t be as dangerous as the last time, right?

Well, I should have known when we got involved with the dwarves in the Hinterlands, that wasn’t going to be the end of it.  I never did get all of the information about the interrogation of the goblin that we took captive, however, it seems that it lead to a lot of things that they are involved in now.

Let’s see, demons, irate warlocks and some pretty strange happens with monsters appearing out of some kind of portal that had been opened in the bowels deep below the Slaughtered Lamb.   We’ve killed things that I would have only thought would have been in nightmares, however, someone didn’t seal the portal or if they did – it was a lousy job.

This last trip was even scarier because I have been befriended by a warlock that likes to hide behind me when we go on these adventures and it seems like she pops around just long enough to cast a spell and pass out.  Did I mention that she’s pregnant?   No, I had nothing to do with it, however, it does seem a bit weird for a warlock to be pregnant, what with all of that fel magic and stuff.  I think she’s using me as a  meat shield and sometimes she has taken some of my soul to use with her magics, without asking, I might add.

Anyway, this last time was no different than the last, I ended up tagging along and it was one heck of a fight that we had with monsters, demons and all sorts of unusual things down there in the depths of the basement.  It really looks like there is some kind of strange and not so good magic being practiced down there.  Of course, the warlock that was with us seemed to know something about it, however, I wasn’t privy to that information, I just was there to protect and to help my friends.

It was an awful night of monsters that needed to be killed, seals that had been placed on the portal were broken and that released the hounds so to speak.   Why can’t I ever run into things that don’t spew acid and try to rip my face off?  Let’s just say that my armor is going to be getting cleaned up and then I’ll have to see what really needs to be repaired, I can’t afford to buy a new set at this point.

Anyway, to make a long story short, we defeated the monsters, the acid that they had spewed on the ground left a gaping hole in the floor that naturally led to another “room” – why is there always another room?  Some of the group went into the room and I opted to stand on the edge and peer down into the abyss.  I guess that there was a warlock or a mage gone wrong that was trying to invent some kind of weapon – that’s why all of this mess was started.   Well, it appears as though he may have gotten a bit carried away with it while he was at it.  Most of these monsters have been constructed of different things, mostly plant life of sorts.   What the others found in the room down there almost made me retch.

Apparently  this warlock or whatever the heck he is was using a living Night Elf Druid to help with the processes that he was using.  I don’t’ understand how he could have using her as some kind of morphing thing or if she was involved or if she was a prisoner of sorts.   She was in chains when they found her, dead and there were signs that her life’s blood was being fed into these plants – for whatever sick purpose, I don’t care.  We recovered whatever information that had been left down there, papers, receipts and other notes that were left on a workbench.  One of our more pronounced heroes in the group gathered that all up before our leader could really take a look at it.  I suppose I’ll hear something the next time I decide to visit Stormwind.

We had asked a Death Knight Dwarf that was an undertaker of sorts to take care of the remains of the body and give it a proper burial.  Well, on the way out, I heard him griping about what was asked of him to do and he literally took the body and dropped it on the ground and left it there after he was asked to take care of it.  Well, I couldn’t leave the poor thing laying there on the floor like that.

The Druid had been someone at sometime and I am sure that her family would appreciate it if someone showed her some respect when she was dead.  Well, I gathered the body up and carried it back to the warehouse where we have some shrouds and body bags that we use in our bounty hunting so that it would be easier to carry back to Darnassus.  I have no idea who the girl was or what her connection was to this mess, however, it cost her what was left of her life – Elune knows what kind of life she had had before coming to this sorry end.

Well, nothing would do except for me to transport the body to Darnassus and turn it over to the priestesses at the temple for a proper burial.  I have known a few druids in my life and they always seem to have special rituals that they follow.  Since I am ignorant of the details on the matter, that was the one place that I knew that the poor girl would be properly interred.   I didn’t stay for the services or the burial because I needed to get back to Pandaria.

All of my involvement with my friends in Stormwind is really starting to upset Kae quite a bit.  I just have to learn how to say “no” emphatically and stick with it, however, I do have a certain amount of loyalty to these people from our past history.  They are some of the very first people that I met in Stormwind other than Josie and her group of people, which, one of these days, I do want to get back in touch with her to see how she is doing.

Kae took one look at me when I got home from Stormwind and grabbed her bow and left the house.  She didn’t ask me if I was okay or anything and I know that I was a sorry looking sight, not only my armor being the worse for wear, I had several burns that I tended too as well as throwing away yet another shirt that acid holes all in the sleeves.  She didn’t even talk to me, she just glared and left.

She didn’t come home last night and I haven’t seen any signs of her in Halfhill although I have been to the market in hopes that she might be there.  I even went to the Vale to see if she might have stayed up there last night and no one had seen her.   No, I didn’t venture to the Sentinel camp to see if she might have gone there because I don’t think that she would want any of her friends to know that she and I are having problems.

Yes, I think we’re having problems and I have to ask myself what it is that I want to do.   I love her, there is no doubt in my mind about that, however, I am not ready to make any kind of vows just yet.  There is such a finality to that and it scares the hell out of me.   I guess I will hang out at the farm today and see if she shows up, if she doesn’t show up, I’ll head back to Stormwind to see if she has been to see my Mom.

 

Kaldor Shadowmoon