Becoming a Mage

As promised, mother and father have taken me to see Valaatu, the novice mage instructor. I was very nervous around her. I felt clumsy and awkward but she was kind and very patient. She listened intently as my parents described to her what I was able to do on the mountain and agreed to take me on as a pupil. I am to meet with her for a couple hours each day and would have heavy reading requirements. The latter did not bother me a bit as I am already quite an avid reader.

Valaatu started with some fairly easy tasks that I honestly thought had very little to do with what mages do. First, I was taught some breathing exercises. Valaatu explained that concentrating on breathing helped to clear the mind. This allows me to focus more clearly. It really works! I don’t know how it is connected with magic or it’s creation but just following these exercises I can feel myself calming and thinking very clearly. I am to practice this meditation several times during the day to make it a habit.

I am quite relieved that I was not asked to repeat my magical feat. Although it seemed easy and effortless at the time, I am quite unsure how I came into that type of control. I see that the road to learning to command and control magic will be a long one but it is a task I am certainly ready to give my all.

Exorcism

One of the neatest things I've felt apart of is the healing of Colonel Jules in Honor Hold. The poor man has been corrupted and Anchorite Barada has asked for Keste and my assistance in an exorcism.

Now, I personally have a problem with undead and demon type things. Anything creepy and inherently evil and I will typically do all I can to avoid it. When I saw how the Colonel was suffering, I put my personal fears aside. I had to help him.

The procedure itself was very creepy! Jules' tormentor was not about to give up without a fight. Jules floated around the room with evil fiends coming from him intent on stopping Barada with his spell. Keste and I fought them off to allow Barada to concentrate. It was all quite terrifying!

In the end though, the exorcism was a success and we were able to leave Colonel Jules to his bed for some much needed rest.

P.S. Do not look at my pants (or seemingly lack there of). I am terribly embarrassed to be sporting such trousers but the magic power in them really is of great assistance to me. Hopefully I can find a replacement and modestly cover up my bottom half soon!

Digging Through Poo

It has recently come to my attention that I am willing to take any job that comes my way. Perhaps I just like to help folks too much. All I really know is I must really learn to be more selective.

Keste and I were helping a goblin in Hellfire Peninsula and before you know it, we were walking around feeding the goblin's felhounds and then digging through their poo! We really need to learn how to draw that line between helping and just doing disgusting chores that our employer doesn't wish to do.

Through the Dark Portal

We have done it. Keste and I have worked and studied and it has all paid off. We have become strong enough to finally take those first steps through the dark portal and into the Outlands. I was scared and excited. I have heard rumors and stories of what lies behind this portal. The time has come to step through and see with my own eyes.

The Quest for Manservants

Today Keste and I returned to the far north of the Eastern Kingdoms to the area known as the Plaguelands. The entire place is just crawling with undead and diseased creatures. I can't say that I was entirely comfortable.

We were hired to destroy the man known as Alexi Barov with the reward being our own set of peasants to answer to our beck and call. This was quite appealing to us! Someone to cook, clean and perhaps even fight for us. We took the commission and sought out the man called Barov.

We did not know that he had a personal bodyguard in the form of a very large cow like creature Keste called Tauren. Two times we attempted our slaughter of Barov and this beast-man came to his rescue. The cow did underestimate our stubbornness and desire for servants and we eventually were able to collect Barov's head to receive our reward.

Greetings from Scholomance

Keste and I were invited to journey into Scholomance. We felt we were a little under-experienced for such an adventure but we agreed just to see the inside of such a spooky looking place.

We had guessed correctly and many of the undead creatures and people in there were very difficult for our skills but we did make it all the way through the instance. I got new shoulders and two robes. Keste got a new helmet. It was a very successful visit, indeed!

I have gone through the task of making a key to Scholomance so we can have the opportunity to go through the dungeon again when we are stronger.

Recent Wrath of the Lich King Leaks

I have to break character here quickly to post my disappointment at one of my favorite WoW sources, WoW Insider. You may want to read the post that sparked this entry to catch up with the details.

When Wrath of the Lich King information started leaking from the alpha, WI posted the information they had. Which I think is quite natural given the nature of their existence. When Blizzard requested they remove the information, they did. Good on them for being responsible journalists.

Then a wiki appeared with the alpha information which WI then started linking to instead of hosting the information directly. Now most of their posts are a tad out of control. Just jabbing Blizzard with their no posting but linking is OK policy. I honestly don't see how it's any different. The information Blizzard asked not to spread is still found, even if it isn't located on your servers. Also a good "shame on you" is in order to those in the alpha that are publicly releasing this information.

I for one will not be looking at any of the leaked information. It's a closed alpha for a reason. The content is in progress. Showing things off now just opens a flood gate of people calling things nerfed or overpowered. I certainly wouldn't want the public looking at my unfinished work and I am extending courtesy to Blizzard. They will give us the information we desire when they feel it is ready.

Base Jumping in Feralas

Keste was not feeling well today. I decided to devote the day to fishing. I had advanced in my skill far enough to pay a visit to Nat Pagle in Duskwallow Marsh. He presented me with a fine fishing challenge that I thought would be perfect for my free day. I had to find specific special fish in different areas in the world. I started immediately.

In my travels for this ultimate fishing quest, I was requested to travel back into Feralas. While clomping down the road on my elekk I came across a night elf who introduced herself as Marli Wishrunner. She offered to race me to the top to see a wonderful view of the surrounding area. I had to take her up on her offer and zooom we ran up to the top of the cliff.

The view was simply breathtaking. As I've mentioned before, Feralas is a beautiful area. Problem now was, how the heck was I going to get down. It was quite a long fall! Marli offered to sell me a parachute to help me down which I of course agreed to pay. It was only 20 silver. Didn't seem to large a price to pay for all the beauty I had just taken in.

What was even more fun was the trip down. Exhilarating is the only way to describe it. You feel terrified at the speed you are racing towards the ground and then you activate the chute and gently float down the rest of the way. A most worth while trip indeed.

Later that evening, after turning in my prize winning fish to Nat, I was able to travel to Auberdine and spend some time fishing with some of my guildmates. A wonderful relaxing day fishing.

Lost in Azshara

What and adventure this trip was. I was asked to travel to the far reaching land of Azshara. I had trouble discovering the place alone and Keste had to assist me. We had to run and fight through naga infested ruines to make some rubbings of some inscriptions there. Then we were asked to travel to a heliopad to deliver the drawings to a pilot who would take them to Ironforge.

I tell you everything seemed like cotton candy and cake compaired to finding the mystical heliopad in Azshara. It seriously couldn't be further away from everything if it tried.

Ok, so I sound a little cranky. But it was difficult. We were chased by giants, dragonkin and hyppogryph like creatures. Keste fell from a terrible height and was wounded. Seeing the plane though was pretty neat. Those dwarves are so crafty!

Anyway, I think we are done here in Azshara for a while. I'm sure there are others that could use our assistance but we're ready to move on.

Naked Race Event

Today Keste and I attended the "Naked Race" event Geearthur set up for our guild to participate in. The purpose was to test our strength by taking off our armor and venturing into the Deadmines to see all the equipment we could acquire. The rules are described in the guild bulletins. We had 2 teams pitted against each other to see who could acquire the most items. It was a lot of fun and look forward to doing it again.

Exploring Feralas

Feralas is such a great area! Lots of plant life and giant hills. Keste truely loves it here. That's a picture of his large bear bottom. But Keste really is in his element here in the outdoors and nature.

Today we were hired by a odd little goblin to go out and collect elements for his strange zapper gun. We didn't really ask much in the way of questions and collected the items. He then gave us the zapper guns and instructed us to go after the giants found menacing the shoreline. Giants?! I was about to politel decline when he told us his zapper gun would shrink them and make them much more managable a foe.

Well we did it, and with very little difficulty. We also did a great deed up in the northern area helping a poor lost night elf find her friend. She was a little flighty and actually gave us a bell to call her back with. Odd little thing but very sweet.

Example Fishing Tourney Event Plan

EoC Fishing Tournament

Date: May 28, 2005
Time: 2:00pm EST
Starting Location: Theramore Harbor
Contact: Goldy

Summary of Event
Everyone will meet up on the docks in Theramore where Goldy will announce the type of fish you are trying to hook. This fish is to be kept a secret to prevent people from trying to collect the fish before the start. The one that catches the most in 1 hour wins!

Rules:

1. No teams. This is a solo event.
2. You may use bait and/or lures on your fishing pole to catch the fish.
3. You may use any pole of your choice.
4. Dressing up for the event (wearing clothes appropriate for fishing) will give you a 5 fish count bonus!
5. Time out will be called if Horde attacks. No one is to fish during a called time out!

How this Event Works
People of all fishing skills are welcome to attend, however, it is recommended that you have some fishing skill before the start of the tourney. Those with high fishing skill are not penalized and those with low skill are not given a bonus. Allowing bait and lures is to benefit those with low skill; it really won’t do much for those with higher skill, as the mystery fish will not be a very difficult catch.

After Goldy has explained the rules she will give any necessary instructions and then reveal the mystery fish to be caught. People will be allowed to fish for 1 hour to try to catch that specific fish. You can do whatever you wish with the other miscellaneous fish you catch, but if someone can use it (cook/alchemist) please pass to him or her for use.

If Horde attacks during the tourney, time out will be called to destroy them and then to return to our happy day of fishing. No one is to be fishing if time out is called. If we are constantly harassed by Horde the event may be ended early to switch to PvP mode. It is a very slim chance that this will happen but you never know.

After time is up Goldy will ask everyone to stop fishing and walk away from the water to give tell her his or her final fish count not including any dress up bonus. Goldy will add in dress up bonuses and ask to see the fish in a trade window to verify the number before declaring the winner.

Tips

• Blue overalls are good fishing clothes that can be made by tailors.
• Engineers can make some really nice lures with just a bit of easy to collect materials.
• Enchanters can put +fishing stats on gloves.
• There are a couple nice fishing poles available that give +fishing stats.

Prizes
Winner will receive:

• 5 gold
• 2 stacks of potions of winner’s choice. (Will be mailed to the winner)
• An exclusive forum rank naming them “Fishing Tourney Champ”

How to Sign Up
To express your interest and intent to participate in this event, please post here. Event will be cancelled if less than 3 are present at event start.

There is no entrance fee for participating in this event. Those interested in donating to the prize fund please contact Goldy.

Player Event Template

This is an example of the player events template I use.

---

NAME OF EVENT

Date:
Time:
Starting Location:
Contact:

Summary of Event:
Short summary of the event objectives.

Rules:

1. List of rules
2. entered here in easy to
3. read format

How This Event Works:
Detailed description of this event. List the order of how things happen and how a winner is determined.

Tips:
Optional section to list any helpful information on how to prepare for the event.

Prizes:
Optional section if you have prizes to hand out.

How to Sign Up
To express your interest and intent to participate in this event, please post in our forums. Event will be cancelled if less than 3 are present at event start.

There is no entrance fee for participating in this event. Those interested in donating to the prize fund please contact ContactName.

Learning to Fish

This past weekend I gathered my overalls, specially enchanted fishing gloves, and my pole looking for a place to fish. While preparing, I met up with Geearthur in Ironforge who was nice enough to show me a great fishing spot and share a cozy fire with me. I learned much from Gee that day and am officially hooked on fishing.

You will see me running around with my fishing pole strapped to my back a lot more often. I even found a vendor that sold stronger fishing poles than the one I was using and spent the silver for the upgrade. I'm looking forward to breaking that in at the next watering hole I find.

Finding My Calling

I’ve made my decision. It’s been a terribly difficult one and I fear I am disappointing my family by not carrying on our family legacy. Mother and Father are such talented priests. They can heal any grievous wound and mend any broken bone. I’ve even seen them bring people back from the dead! (Light bless them, that act still terrifies me.) Unfortunately, the skill that flows so easily from my parents is not within reach for me.

Since I’ve been able to walk and talk, I’ve been studying and mentored in the healing arts. Everyone was so sure I would be like my parents. My parents: the healing heroes of Azuremyst Island. The ones who have helped make life on the island more stable for the survivors. Thanks to their tireless efforts, Draenei families are starting to pick up life where they left off and blend with our new allies across the world. These are the parents I had to guide me. Oh, how I look up to them, even today. I simply did not possess the healing skills that seemed to be so natural for them.

As a result, I almost feel guilty. I am a sort of failure to my people that I am not able to accomplish these same amazing feats. I realize this is an internal struggle. There has been no indication from my family and friends that they are disappointed in me. I’ve been nothing but encouraged to follow my own path and trust that the Light will guide me. The disappointment really stems from my own feelings of failure.

These feelings are past me now as today, I have found my path in the world. Today I discovered my purpose and know what I can be doing to bring pride to the Draenei people. I am to train in the ways of a Mage. How am I so sure of my calling, you ask? Let me tell you a story of what happened recently that has made me so certain.

Survivors!

My parents received word of a new cluster of Draenei survivors on the Northwestern most tip of the Ammen Vale. This area is very mountainous and quite difficult to navigate. My parents, being the dedicated priests they are, volunteered to trek to this corner of the island to see if there were any injured that needed their skill.

The plan was for my parents to travel light and swiftly with a small band of others to follow with food, clothing and other necessities for the survivors. When everything seemed stable, they would give the group the opportunity to return with us where we would escort them all to Exodar. Scouts explained they were surviving well, living out of a small natural cave and hunting on their own. They had not known there were other survivors and were very pleased to hear about us.

I overheard a Scout explaining to my father that it was only approximately a day’s walk away and marked the location on father’s map. Naturally, I was to travel as well to continue my training in the healing arts. We spent the entire day organizing our packs (one of my favorite tasks) and resting our Elekk for the trip. We set out early the next morning.

The Small Flame

The beginning of the trek was fairly uneventful. It was a pleasant day and there were no obstacles. I was having a grand time sitting in front of mother on the Elekk pretending I was leading the beast where I willed. Father walked most the time leading the Elekk by from the ground.

We reached the edge of the mountains and it became much more difficult. Perhaps it was easy for the scout, who is more accustomed to traveling, to navigate these hills but for us it was long and slow going. The Elekk simply wasn’t built for mountain climbing and we had to release him and pile all the supplies we could on our backs. I was concerned for our Elekk but father assured me it would find its way home on its own.

We climbed for hours, stopping every so often for water or a small bite of moongraze stag meat. It became apparent fairly quickly that we would not be reaching the survivor’s settlement anytime soon. As night approached, father found a small natural cave for us to sleep the night away safely. What we weren’t prepared for was the substantial drop in temperature that happened in the mountains when the sun faded away. Oh, I had never been so cold! Worse luck yet was although father had packed a flint, he was unable to find it and worries that we perhaps left it with the Elekk on accident. Father was in the middle of the small enclave huddled over a pile of branches that he just couldn’t light. I was huddled in my mother’s arms as she tried to warm me. I remember my father looking up at my mother and I, frustration and helplessness in his eyes.

That is when it just came to me. What exactly “it” is, I cannot explain. I stood up and walked over to the branches my father was fervently working on. I raised my hand and could just feel the magic, right there. It was at my fingertips. I commanded it to hit the branches. A small bright red spark leapt from my fingers to the branches and they started ablaze.

My mother and father stood up with a start and praised the Light for this gift I had been given. If there ever was a time I was full of self-pride, this was that time. We cuddled around our fire and discussed the possibility of seeing the mages of our people for training. They laughed at how they have been attempting to train me to heal when it was obvious now I was destined to master other magic. I was so excited I could hardly sleep.

The Rest of the Story

I do not have time to go into the full details but I can of course finish the story so you aren’t left worried about the small band of survivors in the mountains. The next day we packed up and after more climbing were able to find the survivors. They were in fairly good shape but our people have always been quick to adapt. There were some that were in need of medical assistance and my parents attended to them.

Later that afternoon, the rest of our company arrived and we were able to escort all of the survivors to the safety of Exodar, where they can begin to rebuild their lives with the rest of our society.

My parents said tomorrow we can pay a visit to the Draenei mages to see what they say about me. I’m nervous but extremely excited to see what the future holds for me!

About Desdarii

Name: Desdarii
Race: Draenei
Class: Mage
Professions: Mining / Jewelcrafting
Birthplace: Azuremyst Island

Description:

Desdarii is quite common looking, as draenei go. She appears to be in her middle years of life, not young but far from old. She stands tall and proud with an air of confidence and her eyes carry a spark of intelligence. She smiles often and easily and looks quite approachable. On the outer pocked of her pack, there is a small journal that appears worn with much use.

Personality:

Desdarii's personality is fairly authoritative but never in any way that is intended to be unkind. She strives for order and organization in almost everything she sets out to accomplish and strongly encourages others to follow suit. She's friendly and gentle to all others that she meets and enjoys being helpful. When excited, she has been known to exaggerate to the point of no return; however she never willfully intends to mislead others.

Desdarii sees herself as a problem-solver and as a result tries to find solutions for any issue that may arise. Sometimes though, her "solutions" are welcomed and other times they are not. She remains steadfast though, and does not allow such reactions to discourage her from trying to find an organized plan to combat the problem. She simply is too logical and has an inherent desire to help others and does not always see when she has crossed the line between helping and meddling.

History in Brief

Desdarii was born from two survivors from the Azuremyst Isles crash. Her parents were devoted healers and had made the decision to stay on the island to assist with the healing of their people. She was brought up learning the way of the Priest; loving and respecting the Holy Light of Creation, the importance of community, and the desire to help others. However, she was not destined to become a Priest as her healing talents never blossomed even under the tutelage of her dedicated parents.

It wasn't too long after coming to terms with her lack of healing abilities that Desdarii was influenced by her parents to seek training as a mage as they had always seen her as having an aptitude for magic. After testing her abilities and harmony with the magical elements of the world, the mages gladly welcomed her into their fold and after several years of training Desdarii finally felt that she had a place in the world she lived.

Eventually Desdarii had learned all that she could by staying upon the island, and she was encouraged to seek training with the Mages of the Alliance. Reluctant at first to leave her family and friends, Desdarii realized that the mages were correct and that she would need to travel the world she had been studying for so long to truly understand it.

It wasn't long after setting out that Desdarii ran across the young Druid, Keste, in the city of Auberdine. He was quiet and rarely showed his Night Elf form, but after many adventures together Desdarii found herself developing emotions for this man who brought to her an understanding of nature she had previously not known. Eventually Desdarii found herself in love. She found peacefulness in the love he returned to her. They married in Darnassus and have since set off to see the world and what it offers together.

Wedding of Vailyn and Italiana

Keste and I attended the wedding of our guild members, Vailyn and Italiana. It was held in the gardens behind the Scarlet Monastary. It was a wonderful ceremony. I am still new to the family and learning everyone, it felt great to see everyone face to face.

We are both really looking forward to more meetings like these. Maybe even hosting some of my own.