tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26284234254314734912024-03-05T13:16:04.857-05:00Merriment's Domain“Gold that buys health can never be ill spent; nor hours laid out in harmless merriment.” <br>
John Webster, English Writer and Playwright 1580-1632Belaedryshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289771622621390502noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2628423425431473491.post-48587155280306801132016-10-30T17:17:00.000-04:002016-10-30T17:17:15.529-04:00Holidaze! Harvest Festival LotROHarvest Festival | LotRO<br />
<a href="https://lotro-wiki.com/index.php/Harvest_Festival" target="_blank"><br /></a>
<a href="https://lotro-wiki.com/index.php/Harvest_Festival" target="_blank">from the LotRO wiki:</a><br />
<br />
"Each race knows it by a different name:<br />
<br />
Harvest Festival for Hobbits<br />
Havestmath for Men / Women<br />
Autumnfest for the Dwarves<br />
Iavasmereth for Elves"<br />
<br />
In between my many Real Life server responsibilities, I am seeking to take advantage of the many offerings during the Harvest Festival, which runs from Oct 18th to Nov 3rd, 2016. There are so many great things to get, if I have the time to get in game and obtain the tokens to barter for them — many clothing items, masks, housing items, handheld items like steins and pretzels AND a basket full of apples, the dances and the BOO! emote ... and more!<br />
WoW and WoW Challenge and Pet Collectors all left behind. Maybe more on that later.<br />
<br />
Pretzels, ho!Belaedryshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289771622621390502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2628423425431473491.post-34688986606785580822016-03-31T07:59:00.000-04:002016-10-30T16:06:44.695-04:00Led by the TidesAnd the tides have turned toward Lord of the Rings Online ...<br />
<br />
O noes!<br />
<br />
Three weeks ago, just after I began posting here again, I thought it would be nice to add my old blog from Lord of the Rings Online. I had created the website to have information about the various festivals, cosmetics items and other merry pursuits in LoTRO.<br />
Our kin, Phoenix Reborn, on the Imladris server, were a variety of people who had met while beta testing free to play. Our mother kin was and still is in existence, Rising Phoenix. A number of our members were very familiar with the general aspects of gaming, but not all were familiar with LoTRO's music system, festival events, deeds and titles. When asked if they would like to accompany us to a festival event, they would ask, "Why? What is in it for us?. Being all about those merry pursuits, myself and a few others of like mind, would begin to explain all the fun that was to be had.<br />
This happened often enough that I decided to make a guide for kin members that they could peruse at their leisure, to entice them to join us. The result was <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/southofbree/" target="_blank">South of Bree</a>, which is basically now retired. My activities in the kin and the website came to a screeching halt when the second of two horrid graphics cards in a horrid computer whose maker's name begins with D exploded. All my attempts to resurrect the computer were unsuccessful. No more pc, I went to mac. <br />
I found, to my delight, a few years ago that LoTRO made a mac version. I was ready to return to LoTRO, even got back into the game. I was very happy to return to Middle Earth. Then ... changing winds, changing tides. A gaming friend I hadn't heard from in years asked me to return to World of Warcraft with him. We had played WoW in vanilla, and on and off over the years had played a few other games together. I had sworn off WoW, but the offer to spend time with a friend was more than I could refuse, and I got swept away by WoW. I'm not proud of it, but as many other gamers know, when the Winds of Change rise, we must follow.<br />
<br />
So, it was my wanting of a few screenshots from Lord of the Rings online to put on my recently resurrected blog that led me back to LoTRO. I couldn't find my screenshots folder and still haven't, for that matter. More urgent action has been required to save my Middle Earth! Somehow, I missed the notifications that LoTRO was going to shut down a large number of realms, mine being one of them. The migration had started months ago.<br />
I had always intended to get back to LoTRO. I just wanted to finish what I had started in WoW, which was to complete as much of my pet collection as possible and to level one of each class on the Horde side to at least 85. That whole journey with RAF (Recruit A Friend) is another whole adventure which I completed just last month. Details of that time period were going to be posted here. I may still post some of that.<br />
All right, then - what was I speaking of? Oh, yes, the need to save Middle Earth!<br />
For the past three weeks, WoW has been on hold and I've been working every day on trying to save, transfer and put into order my little band of merry travelers from LoTRO. As an archivist of precious things, in game and out, I had massive amounts of preciousness to find places for ... and I'm <i>still</i> striving toward that. I have done enough that I could take time to post this and I hope to return to tell of both my new adventures in Lord of the Rings Online, as well as to document my recent achievements in pet collecting on World of Warcraft. <br />
Belaedryshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289771622621390502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2628423425431473491.post-88494285708515361332016-03-03T20:00:00.000-05:002016-03-04T08:09:55.634-05:00You.Will.Die! My WoW Challenge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSW2kn7rHyoi1guYnAAQ8HVlDvxA6wd1DdjqYkAHu2rayW4IsF3K8rC4vd-zeXyDdH_ogkp-yIisIyqyn8CQYN8PtRsFRU6KYoVgvQGeFV5iIOxNWrqlSNK78c5fCA2vrgxlK4NYzggwMs/s1600/Old-Murk-Eye01bW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSW2kn7rHyoi1guYnAAQ8HVlDvxA6wd1DdjqYkAHu2rayW4IsF3K8rC4vd-zeXyDdH_ogkp-yIisIyqyn8CQYN8PtRsFRU6KYoVgvQGeFV5iIOxNWrqlSNK78c5fCA2vrgxlK4NYzggwMs/s400/Old-Murk-Eye01bW.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
I did it. I signed up for WoW Challenges Ironman the night before last. I registered Tyhara, a night elf hunter on the Ironman Challenge board after getting her to level 10.<br />
<br />
Yesterday I played Tyhara to level 15 in the night elf starter zone. All had been going well. Like a good little elf, I vendored all the trash and put what I could on the Auction House. I don't use the Auction House much, but I always promise myself that one of these days I'll get around to putting the bags full of "auctionable items" on my many many alts up for sale. That has not happened until this challenge. (Perhaps I'll finally get around to on my other characters, as the bankfulls of "treasures" is reaching hoarder status.)<br />
<br />
There are lots of owls in Teldrassil, which means lots of small eggs. I made groups of five eggs and posted them for a very modest sum and took a break. When I got back to the game, all the eggs had sold, leaving me a tidy little pot of gold. According to the Ironman terms, I could use the Auction House to provide me with the funds to buy the modest items that I use - grey or white gear and weapons, white food with no buffs and bags, and bags, if and when I could afford them. I had looked on the Auction House earlier and the bag prices were way beyond my means. I decided to look again and was fortunate to find netherweave bags at the lowest I'd seen them in years! Rejoice! <br />
<br />
With a new bow, a few white gear upgrades and at level 15, I decided that it was time to venture forth to make my way in the world. I took the ship to Stormwind and then headed to Westfall. Everything there went well, killing murlocs all along the coast, most of the mobs being 2 to 4 levels below me. I even spotted Old Murkeye way ahead of time, who was the one level 15, trying to appear normal admidst the level 12 to 14 mobs congregated on the beach.<br />
<br />
After that, I went inland looking for good hunting. There used to be gnolls in the southern fields and I wanted to investigate that situation. <br />
<br />
For the last two years, I've played only Horde, after a two year break. That is four years and two missed expansions - Cataclysm in 2010 and Mists of Pandaria in 2012.<br />
<br />
As I passed by the Deadmines on my way to the gnolls, I was apalled by the state of Moonbrook. Time had not served her well. The village seemed deserted and was watched over by a military encampment. Homeless wanderers were everywhere.<br />
<br />
I made a wide berth around the town, after having been met by several ne'er do wells, most likely looking to rob me of the little I possessed. Moonbrook Thugs! Modern thugs, none of the old outlaws with their cloth kerchiefs. I had to take a second look before allaying them, for being thugs they all looked quite dapper, most of them sporting a variety of knock-offs of very expensive shades and stylish all black clothing. What has Azeroth come to?<br />
<br />
I proceeded onward, and there indeed were the gnolls, chumming up with each other around their little campfires. I knew from my previous experiences
to be very cautious around them. They really had the buddy system going
on and always have had. One wrong pull and what seemed like a whole
village would descend upon you. The numbers of gnolls had greatly
decreased since the last time I'd passed through Westfall - which has
been years. Attacking them seemed like more trouble than it was worth.<br />
<br />
I decided that I'd take a look at the Hushed Bank, the Darkshire river shores, because battling animals - wolves and spiders mostly - seemed like a much safer choice than the quarrelsome gnolls bent around their meager campfires. I called my cat Luna to my side, jumped into the river and headed toward the shores of the Hushed Bank - and this is where Tyhara's story ends ...<br />
<br />
I was greeted by a bear, who just happened to be very fierce and very eager to have me for a meal. I sent my pet after him and began to swim - swim! swim! swim away! I fled the bear's attack, but was swimming too close to shore and caught the interest of another bear immediately. I tried to make it to the banks of Elwyn Forest, but with my already lowered health, it only took a few hits and Tyhara was dead.<br />
<br />
Fear not my friends, for the challenge is not yet over. Tyhara is listed among the honoured dead Ironman challengers, but she'll continue on as a humble scout. Iarann (a Gaelic word for iron) has taken up the challenge, and with Tyhara's experiences and guidance, she hopes to live quite long into the future.Belaedryshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289771622621390502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2628423425431473491.post-8700713668507186062016-03-01T18:09:00.001-05:002016-03-01T18:09:35.022-05:00Get Your Grind On: An Invitation from WoW Rare Spawns"Are you a veteran WoW player who is tired of garrison chores?"<br />
"Raiding got ya down?"<br />
"Leveling alts just not holding your interest right now?"<br />
<br />
My answer to all three questions was an emphatic Yes! <br />
<br />
These three questions were asked by Euphyly of <a href="http://wowrarespawns.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">WoW Rare Spawns</a> in a recent post <a href="http://wowrarespawns.blogspot.com/2016/01/bored-check-out-wow-iron-man-challenges.html" target="_blank">"Bored? Check out the WoW Ironman Challenge(s)!" </a><br />
<br />
In preparation to return to the game after a maintenance, I read a few
posts from WoW blogs that I've enjoyed in the past, and even added a few
more to my favourites on this blog page.<br />
<br />
One of the blogs that I've
recently become acquainted with is WoW Rare Spawns. In looking up <a href="http://wowrarespawns.blogspot.com/2011/07/poseidus.html" target="_blank">Poseidus</a> last week, the rare sea horse mount, I found a post by Euphyly,
the author of WoW Rare Spawns. How have I never seen her blog before?
It is wonderful! Many well written, informative and very interesting
posts, with a colourful and appealing interface. I guess I haven't seen
her before because I haven't been too interested in finding rares, not
like I used to.<br />
<br />
To briefly sum up her post - there are WoW challenges, <i>serious</i> WoW challenges - the WoW Ironman Challenge, the WoW Pacifist Challenge and
the WoW Bloodthirsty Challenge. All the terms and conditions of these challenges are defined and monitored when one signs up for the challenge on their <a href="http://wowchallenges.com/" target="_blank">WoW Challenges website</a>. <br />
<br />
You may have already heard of the Pacifist Challenge, as it has been discussed and featured in various places on the web for at least a few years now. The main requirement is, of course, that you cannot do any damage ever. Secondly, you must remain alive throughout. If you die, you start over. There are other requirements which are are discussed on WoW Rare Spawns blog and WoW Challenges website.<br />
<br />
I've always found solace ingame from those tasks that others many find boring, though I know that there are many others like me who love the grind and love to farm materials. There are also times when I love to mindlessly kill things over and over and OVER! Here is a grind with quite a different twist. I just may take up one of these challenges. <br />
<br />Belaedryshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289771622621390502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2628423425431473491.post-3353714037437097202016-03-01T16:45:00.000-05:002016-03-01T18:10:14.580-05:00The Love Rocket is Dead, Long Live the Love RocketFor the past 2 years that I've been back in WoW, it has seemed like
catch up all the way. I haven't gotten back into raiding, as I am not
happy with lfr. I loved raiding with my guild back in the day and lfr is
just too random and often unsatifying or downright awful. Now, I have
lost track of all my old guild mates, and have not been drawn to joining
another guild.<br />
<br />
I re-prioritized my game goals, and
dedicated myself to pet collecting, while slowly transferring my few
high level characters to my current server, and then leveling them all.
No raiding, no push for achievements, no mount collecting or anything
else ... just battle pets and character improvement. Now I have 731 pets
and 5 level 100 characters on my main server and I have become weary
from the grind. I have to say though, I love grinding and I love
farming, or I would not have lasted this long.<br />
<br />
Oh, and one must not forget the holidays! Pets and holiday rewards - Merriment's Domain!<br />
<br />
This
brings me back around to yesterday's post - <a href="http://merrimentsdomain.blogspot.com/2016/02/holiday-love-is-in-air-wow.html" target="_blank">"Where's My Lucky (Lovely) Charms"</a> - Lovely Charms and Love is
in the Air - and yet again NO <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=50250/big-love-rocket" target="_blank">Love Rocket</a>. Questioning myself - why am I
still playing this game? One of the reasons was to keep on
participating in the holiday quests, for surely after 11 1/2 years of
WoW, this year had to be the year that I got that Love Rocket.<br />
<br />
Would
my continuance in playing be dependant upon that one mount? Would my
bitterness about the evilness and cruelty of rng cause me to rage quit?<br />
<br />
After
expressing my disappoint in trade chat about not getting the Love Rocket, and having been witness to a lengthy sermon on how Rare was
Rare, did I know what Rare meant, and did I realize that if everyone had
gotten that mount that it would no longer BE Rare ... the dogma of WoW,
oh my word! I decided to yet again shift my priorities. I have come to this conclusion - the Love Rocket is dead to me, long live the Love Rocket!<br />
<br />
WoW RNG will rarely be kind, and that is that.
I have faced the facts.<br />
<br />
Whatever is my heart's desire, if I can't
obtain it through a reasonable effort, then I'll buy it or a
satisfactory replacement with gold or forget about it and move on.<br />
<br />
It's not right to fool
with the Almighty RNG - Rare is Rare, bro! (and let's explain the
seeming sexist use of "bro" - there are no sisters who play WoW, only
GIRLS - Guys In Real Life).<br />
<br />
All in good fun, my friends, all in good fun. Belaedryshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289771622621390502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2628423425431473491.post-5962179172512486212016-02-29T18:18:00.000-05:002016-02-29T20:00:05.835-05:00Where's Me Lucky (Lovely) Charms?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/iQ7hdZZw7aE/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iQ7hdZZw7aE?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
Love is in the Air, a February World of Warcraft festival, was over at noon today server time... and on the dot, as I was just ready to turn in quests and buy from the vendor ... poof! All the Lovely Hearts, all the Lovely Charms, all the Lovely (though every time I start to say that, I think, "Where's Me Lucky Charms?") Charm Bracelets ... all gone. All that work!<br />
<br />
Partway through the festival, all the most rewarding farming sites for the Lucky, erm, Lovely Charms were nerfed by WoW. I actually witnessed it, and it was later confirmed by posts or comments on various WoW related websites.<br />
<br />
One morning last week, I was able to play early. I went to an area with a reasonable amount of mobs and made sure that I wasn't moving in on someone who was questing or also farming the area. No one was there. If someone appeared, I moved to a side area, and only focused on a few mobs in that area, so that I'd not be depriving anyone.<br />
<br />
I don't usually go crazy on dps. I was playing my hunter, who is usually spec'd Beast Master, but who had changed for that time to Marksman, as I had just tried out a few Timewalking instances. I don't often choose the uber blaster multishot, Barrage, as I find it often attracks more than I want. That day, I was in the middle of almost a month of Recruit A Friend leveling, and just wanted to see how feasible it might be to grab some charms and get an idea of how long it would take. I'll admit, I was in a bit of a rush to get back to leveling the RAF characters, so ... ready, aim ..... FIRE! BARRRRRRRAAAAAGE!<br />
<br />
Holy Moses in the reeds!<br />
<br />
I watched my text log, and in that one barrage I got 5 Charms. Oooo! I'll try it again! 4 charms! I used Barrage every time the cooldown was off and in less than 30 minutes, I kid you not, I had easily about 120 charms. That was nice.<br />
<br />
I left there and went to leveling a bit. Later, I came back to the garrison of another hunter, yes, I love hunters. She went to the same spot, about 4 hours later, and I tried the barrage technique. First time ... nothing. Second time ... nothing again. Third ... fourth ... not a single charm. I changed back to my original hunter, thinking that it might have something to do with the stats, the dps, etc. Same thing ... no charms when using barrage. I tried going only to single shots, and then every 4 to 10 shots I got a charm. Boo! I tried it with Multishot ... no charms. I also found that if I had my pet active and it attacked - no charms.<br />
<br />
Granted, I was at the bottom of the xp gain, killing 90's one a level 100 character. Why then, was I gathering mad charms 4 or 5 hours before this with my pet out, using aoe as well as single shots? It seems, from the posts and comments, that people were reporting this wondrous bounty to GM's, and WoW went right to work nerfing all the prolific drops zones. -Sigh- Some people were gathering hundreds of charms in an hour in certain places, and I can see that that was a bit much. I had gathered nowhere near that, and in the end was left carefully plinking away, with my pet on passive, hoping that I would get a charm here and there ... agonizing!<br />
<br />
Is this the new Zen of Farming?<br />
<br />
Oh, yes, right ... another Love Fest has gone by, and still no rocket. It should be a two-seater anyway. I'll get the Touring Rocket. Problem solved. No more rocket envy. I'm moving on.<br />
<br />
<br />
[An interesting aside: As I had said above, I was leveling RAF characters before and during Love Is In The Air. One of the characters had taken the quest "Test Your Strength" from the Darkmoon Faire and had not completed it. As that character was questing in Pandaria, as well as looking for Lovely Charms, I was curious to see how WoW would handle the tallying of each of those at the same time. Last month I found, just by chance, that having the quest "Test Your Strength" on a character who was doing Halfhill farming dailies made gathering Grizzly trophies go rather quickly. Each mob killed was counted toward the quest. When on a hunter, using aoe spells, and with an active pet during Love Is In The Air with the "Strength" quest active ... after the Holiday nerf ... again, no ticking off of trophies for quest and no Lovely Charms.] <br />
<br />
<br />Belaedryshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289771622621390502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2628423425431473491.post-45260039001895220582016-02-23T13:58:00.000-05:002016-02-29T17:49:56.520-05:00Am I Crazy ...I've been debating for months whether or not to post something. I've thought of it many times, composed many a post in my head while gaming, and yet I don't write. The most prominent reason to not post is - why do it, when I hardly ever post anyway?<br />
<br />
I'm doing it.<br />
<br />
This post started out to be about how I am now using the 4 Recruit A
Friend accounts I bought in December 2015 so that I could receive the 4
battle pet rewards. I've leveled 3 characters to 90, and am just
finishing leveling another 3 characters to 90. That will be finished
later this afternoon. I've got a third group to level from 50 to 90. All
of these characters are Horde. I hope to level another group of 3
characters on Alliance before my 90 days are up. Am I crazy? Of course.
Now for the best part of my WoW experience today, and the game is not
even back up yet.<br />
<br />
Recently I've wondering why I'm still playing, since all the people I used to play with are no longer playing, and if they are, I've lost touch with them. Is gaming still in line with who I am? On the Real Life server, I am a person who believes that there is a sacredness to life, to all aspects of life. I've often wondered if there are others like me who play games. I'm currently playing World of Warcraft, and have been again for the past 2 years.<br />
<br />
WoW shut down for maintenance earlier today, and was supposed to be up by now. As in days of yore, restart has been delayed, so I decided to read some WoW blogs that I've enjoyed in the past. I am happy that I did, because I found out that there are other people who play WoW who think similarly to me.<br />
<br />
I was touched and inspired by a post by Zwingli on his blog <a href="https://zwinglisblog.wordpress.com/2016/02/01/when-life-intrudes-rip-tsgt-cross/#comment-1584" target="_blank">Zwingli's Weblog O' WoW: When Life Intrudes</a>, about the death of someone that he knew, honouring that person's life. I was quite touched and inspired. Thank you, Zwingli, and blessings to the family of Jeremy in their time of loss. Blessings to the spirit of Jeremy, whose life touched, brightened and inspired those others around him.<br />
<br />
<br />Belaedryshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289771622621390502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2628423425431473491.post-894503393324731322015-12-20T14:09:00.001-05:002018-03-13T22:32:00.636-04:00Warcraft: Knight's ArmorHere is a simple look for my level 100 night elf hunter - a fairly low level set - Knight's Mail.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggMtreqIXzdN54T8b3VyDl-TZXw460OPKHo92XGkHflMncCMs-PGIJi1aCl4Hhb0q2Kqls0eDiQgSN4vpYXvJyOYdI0cRIx5oPE5nPBd6vend4UeWMvY1CS6CP9WX5gVP7x3fMIoij8O-P/s1600/WoW-Knight%2527s-MailW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggMtreqIXzdN54T8b3VyDl-TZXw460OPKHo92XGkHflMncCMs-PGIJi1aCl4Hhb0q2Kqls0eDiQgSN4vpYXvJyOYdI0cRIx5oPE5nPBd6vend4UeWMvY1CS6CP9WX5gVP7x3fMIoij8O-P/s320/WoW-Knight%2527s-MailW.jpg" width="221" /></a></div>
<br />Belaedryshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289771622621390502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2628423425431473491.post-5867279903827446262014-05-30T11:40:00.000-04:002014-05-30T11:40:15.542-04:00On the Beach | Attack of the B-Team<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuODokjm3WuxKbH-LF87YdDbYyNWjAhGGv70gBmxVnsAit01_PtzzwLPWu4j2rznAdMqe2BmhfNaFDGCw9Qe6XBSTHsuAuXAXGNLk8hiDdw68zJbqE7HopmrkIxs_pUzUD0dpzZ3IgtB2O/s1600/2014-05-26_beachhouse01w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuODokjm3WuxKbH-LF87YdDbYyNWjAhGGv70gBmxVnsAit01_PtzzwLPWu4j2rznAdMqe2BmhfNaFDGCw9Qe6XBSTHsuAuXAXGNLk8hiDdw68zJbqE7HopmrkIxs_pUzUD0dpzZ3IgtB2O/s1600/2014-05-26_beachhouse01w.jpg" /> </a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Beach house bordering a jungle biome, created in the Techics modpack Attack of the B-Team. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Belaedryshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289771622621390502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2628423425431473491.post-86302577837952208842013-08-14T15:54:00.000-04:002013-08-14T16:01:17.472-04:00Games for mac<a href="http://minecraft.net/">Minecraft</a> and <a href="https://www.guildwars2.com/en/">Guild Wars II</a> work fine on a mac.<br /><br />
I played Guild Wars II, aka GW2, for several months, starting last September. Maybe a few months before that, I tried Minecraft, which was suggested to me by my nephew. I was so disappointed at not being able to return to Everquest 2, and also Lord of the Rings Online that I just lost interest in posting here.<br /><br />
I do have some screenshots floating around somewhere, and may post some of them.<br /><br />
I am now just playing Minecraft, and have some recent screenshots. For a "basic" game, with simple graphics, Minecraft is really very engaging. The game dynamics, if that is the proper term, are what makes Minecraft so entertaining, as well as the features of the game.<br /><br />
I like that I can play in either Single Player or Multiplayer mode. Also, being able to choose either Survival or Creative mode is another great feature, as well as world interaction modes from Peaceful (Passive) to Hard mode. <br /><br />
Many very creative people play Minecraft, and have produced a number of great mods. There are also many great videos of Minecraft tutorials and gameplay. "Vanilla" (unmodded) Minecraft has much to offer by itself, but adding mods gives many, many more options for gameplay.<br /><br />
Being able to interact with and alter the environment in Minecraft in many ways can provide endless hours of game play.<br /><br />
I can raze a complete forest or jungle, demolish a mountain if I so choose. Make a lake, grow a garden, tame wild dogs and cats, and breed cows, chickens and sheep. I can create new materials from gathered materials. Then there is redstone technology, a way of making "machinery" and circuitry to animate aspects of the game. Amazing!<br /><br />
I didn't have as many screenshots as I thought, however I am including one. Below is a picture of my original ostrich farm. This is from a modded version of Minecraft 1.5.2, using <a href="http://www.minecraftforum.net/topic/1000645-multimc-43-windows-linux-mac/">MultiMC</a> to create instances of Minecraft, customized as I choose - either vanilla Minecraft, or any combination of Minecrafts mods. I am using <a href="http://www.minecraftforum.net/topic/81771-152-mo-creatures-v523-with-raccoons-ants-mini-golems-silver-skeletons-and-more-fish/">Dr. Zhark's Mo' Creatures mod</a>, which adds ostriches to the game. Ostriches can be gotten as tamed pets by gathering and hatching eggs from wild ostriches. After you hatch an ostrich, you can ride them by equipping them with a saddle. Additionally, ostriches can be equipped with armor, to protect them and help them to survive better.<br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhkSUt2lezL6JTp7JAOPlGNNK9Ys8AsNz_dGjcVqNQ2ncFnS1eRybD6KHWVtFInPDCt8ZRc1Qx0G2Xx78lZ4x0XDtS4f571wpxqner7eN9bVAe2yPZfLYEG13KnwvaAwTiXP4Rwcnmg28/s1600/ostrich-farm.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhkSUt2lezL6JTp7JAOPlGNNK9Ys8AsNz_dGjcVqNQ2ncFnS1eRybD6KHWVtFInPDCt8ZRc1Qx0G2Xx78lZ4x0XDtS4f571wpxqner7eN9bVAe2yPZfLYEG13KnwvaAwTiXP4Rwcnmg28/s320/ostrich-farm.png" /></a></div>
I'll post more info on Minecraft with links to some helpful youtube videos, as well as screenshots of some of my Minecraft world adventures.
Belaedryshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289771622621390502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2628423425431473491.post-64348646437937283982013-05-24T16:44:00.002-04:002013-05-24T16:45:25.382-04:00Marija Gimbutas Honoring the Goddess<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/GKrVby1XNwg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Belaedryshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289771622621390502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2628423425431473491.post-25997199380031615462012-09-01T11:48:00.000-04:002013-05-24T15:51:02.630-04:00wandering lost ...without a capable working pc, I am not gaming very much these days<br />
<br />
I have a lovely new mac, but as great as a mac is for design work, there are not many games that I can play on a mac. I can play WoW, -big sigh-, if I want an mmo. I researched using other ways to play pc games on a mac, but it seems that in the long run, it is better to leave the better part of gaming to a pc.<br />
<br />
using boot camp, I could load a version of windows, but from my reading up on it, it seems that the going is a bit rough, with installing patches and updates to make gameplay smooth. there is also another thing called CrossOver, but it seems that in using it, a mac runs VERY hot, and people have easily burned up their graphics cards by using it.<br />
<br />
I got a notice from my friend that Elder Scrolls Online will being creating a free to play Neverwinter Nights, and it will eventually (supposedly sometime in 2013) be creating a mac version. <br />
<br />
I was spending some time with my nephew last night and he showed me minecraft. it looks like great fun, if I can reasonably play it online, as I think it is also pc only.<br />
<br />
I am still waiting for my laptop to come back to me. A friend's partner took it to get it running again. I look forward to its return.Belaedryshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289771622621390502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2628423425431473491.post-73500906854292230302012-05-31T10:36:00.001-04:002013-05-24T16:04:25.752-04:00We Brake for Shinies<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP1xPcxQ8W_O-9orXTo6dyTISbHLi8q1HJsXu5BTv-ia1tM4Z-DzBZ48ENMWuggcJteeQ7zoPXXpX127TErtn2i7KXk91Hw-79eoIpLopU8I6QZX_FiuZq4twaFQHvMF3Gk2VHmjllDc1l/s1600/brake_for_shinies_eq2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP1xPcxQ8W_O-9orXTo6dyTISbHLi8q1HJsXu5BTv-ia1tM4Z-DzBZ48ENMWuggcJteeQ7zoPXXpX127TErtn2i7KXk91Hw-79eoIpLopU8I6QZX_FiuZq4twaFQHvMF3Gk2VHmjllDc1l/s400/brake_for_shinies_eq2.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Beatriza, dark elf defiler, pausing to gather a Shiny for her <a href="http://collections./">Collections.</a><br />
<br />
Anyone who playes EQ2 knows about Shinies - enticing, sparkly little beacons of ... Shininess! For those of you who are not familiar with them, Shinies can be gathered - you will receive a Collection item, such as .<br />
<br />
Collections are yet another fun feature of EQ2. As shown above, Shinies are found on the ground. Once you have gathered all the items of a Collection, you turn the Collection in for a reward - often a decent piece of armour, sometimes house items.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKeHPrknP81Gl3g2X9xRXIpnXo2hSDX7uNakROplzPa1tCgYKz2TwrNUky2sDCZvnAvBQ1VsIZVCJZ4eSq-i_TBinvongyPR8atFbxYSeDxa5ths037a2qKHwYJ4wY8Q7Zwilg0Dacj7m3/s1600/Yellow_shiny.gif" imageanchor="1"><img alt="shiny!" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKeHPrknP81Gl3g2X9xRXIpnXo2hSDX7uNakROplzPa1tCgYKz2TwrNUky2sDCZvnAvBQ1VsIZVCJZ4eSq-i_TBinvongyPR8atFbxYSeDxa5ths037a2qKHwYJ4wY8Q7Zwilg0Dacj7m3/s1600/Yellow_shiny.gif" title="" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
(<small>This image is an in-game screenshot from within <a href="http://www.everquest2.com/" target="_blank">EverQuest II.</a><br />Copyright is held by <a href="http://www.soe.com/" target="_blank">Sony Online Entertainment</a> and is used here under Fair Use. Commercial use of this image is forbidden. Thank you, <a href="http://eq2.wikia.com/wiki/File:Yellow_shiny.gif" target="_blank">EQ2 wiki</a></small>)Belaedryshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289771622621390502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2628423425431473491.post-6339293339468411242012-05-30T04:20:00.001-04:002012-05-31T16:50:52.569-04:00June City Festival - New Halas EQ2<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA8CLxbrYsrgN9e0bxedNK9j5_fSTWcBcAGDO1DUkhaeeQY8UhnMVPjdCsz3umxAK7fSHMFOnbZjE9vusNmZrCC4xo8tYN9VKtWugIX-629UDbj3YP_4XDtFKlhWjApJDZXI9Z-89Zkuq2/s1600/mailbox_newhalas_cityfest.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA8CLxbrYsrgN9e0bxedNK9j5_fSTWcBcAGDO1DUkhaeeQY8UhnMVPjdCsz3umxAK7fSHMFOnbZjE9vusNmZrCC4xo8tYN9VKtWugIX-629UDbj3YP_4XDtFKlhWjApJDZXI9Z-89Zkuq2/s320/mailbox_newhalas_cityfest.png" width="303" /></a></div>
<br />
<a href="http://eq2.zam.com/wiki/eq2_item:Norrathian_Express_Box%2C_New_Halas_Branch" target="_blank">Norrathian Express Box, New Halas Branch</a> is the reward for the <a href="http://eq2.zam.com/db/collection.html?eq2collection=201090343d548b2d102ba757a704fe52" target="_blank">Halas Postage Collection.</a> This item is for your home, and it is a working mailbox. I love them. It is nice to be able to read one's mail in the privacy of one's own home. You collect purple Shinies around the festival area until you have a completed collection.<br />
<br />
The items are of this collection are: <br />
<ul>
<li>Halas letterhead</li>
<li>Halas stamp</li>
<li>Halas envelope</li>
<li>Halas notepaper</li>
<li>Halas postmark</li>
<li>Halas sealing wax</li>
</ul>
All the <a href="http://everseek.com/main.php?&ty=pm&qt=&obtained=&holiday=New%20Halas%20City%20Festival&o=item" target="_blank">New Halas City Festival items</a> are pictured very nicely on <a href="http://everseek.com./">everseek.com.</a> This is an excellent website, which features all the housing items. There are other great sites for this, too, which I'll mention in other posts, as well as putting up a link list of EQ2 housing info sites, one of these days soon. <br />
<ul>
</ul>Belaedryshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289771622621390502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2628423425431473491.post-20217307878946695552012-05-28T15:38:00.001-04:002012-05-30T04:37:29.406-04:00Towel Day minus 3 and counting ...<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkDTrAKqGkB9-c1GdZhbL9nQ_TWDyObEHYZXQMuXFYUe6ITabCsv4nL1rxh2CWpONa_4NxPwHZOJJ9llKFjXzSZWnWlI9O79BV8Bbix5dRm05XuUHQ2-F8vJUIjAr68UsUnJMIoOMadY2_/s1600/Douglas_adams_portrait_cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkDTrAKqGkB9-c1GdZhbL9nQ_TWDyObEHYZXQMuXFYUe6ITabCsv4nL1rxh2CWpONa_4NxPwHZOJJ9llKFjXzSZWnWlI9O79BV8Bbix5dRm05XuUHQ2-F8vJUIjAr68UsUnJMIoOMadY2_/s400/Douglas_adams_portrait_cropped.jpg" width="345" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">picture of Douglad Adams from Wikimedia Commons, by <a href="http://www.hughes-photography.eu/" target="_blank">Michael Hughes</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Yikes! I guess I am not enough of a Douglas Adams fan to remember that
since May 25, 2001, every May 25th is Towel Day! Wear your towel
proudly! <br />
<br />
from wikipedia:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Towel_Day" target="_blank"><b>Towel Day</b></a> is celebrated every year on 25 May as a tribute by fans of the author Douglas Adams. On this day, fans carry a towel with them to demonstrate their appreciation for the books and the author, as referred to in Adams' <i>The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy</i>. The commemoration was first held in 2001, two weeks after Adams' death on 11 May 2001.
</blockquote>
The origin of this tribute comes from<cite> </cite>D. Clyde Williamson in his post at "Binary Freedom", a short-lived open source forum:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>Towel Day: A Tribute to Douglas Adams</b><br />
<i>Monday 14 May 2001 06:00am PDT</i><br />
Douglas Adams will be missed by his fans worldwide. So that all his
fans everywhere can pay tribute to this genius, I propose that two weeks
after his passing (25 May 2001) be marked as "Towel Day". All Douglas
Adams fans are encouraged to carry a towel with them for the day.<br />
So long Douglas, and thanks for all the fish!</blockquote>
Following is the passage from The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy that was Williamson's inspiration:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"A towel, it says, is about the most massively useful thing an
interstellar hitchhiker can have. Partly it has great practical value.
You can wrap it around you for warmth as you bound across the cold moons
of Jaglan Beta; you can lie on it on the brilliant marble-sanded
beaches of Santraginus V, inhaling the heady sea vapours; you can sleep
under it beneath the stars which shine so redly on the desert world of
Kakrafoon; use it to sail a miniraft down the slow heavy River Moth; wet
it for use in hand-to-hand-combat; wrap it round your head to ward off
noxious fumes or avoid the gaze of the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of
Traal (such a mind-bogglingly stupid animal, it assumes that if you
can't see it, it can't see you); you can wave your towel in emergencies
as a distress signal, and of course dry yourself off with it if it still
seems to be clean enough.
<br />
More importantly, a towel has immense psychological value. For some
reason, if a strag (strag: non-hitch hiker) discovers that a hitchhiker
has his towel with him, he will automatically assume that he is also in
possession of a toothbrush, face flannel, soap, tin of biscuits, flask,
compass, map, ball of string, gnat spray, wet weather gear, space suit
etc., etc. Furthermore, the strag will then happily lend the hitch hiker
any of these or a dozen other items that the hitch hiker might
accidentally have "lost." What the strag will think is that any man who
can hitch the length and breadth of the galaxy, rough it, slum it,
struggle against terrible odds, win through, and still knows where his
towel is, is clearly a man to be reckoned with.<br />
Hence a phrase that has passed into hitchhiking slang, as in "Hey, you
sass that hoopy Ford Prefect? There's a frood who really knows where his
towel is." (<i>Sass</i>: know, be aware of, meet, have sex with; <i>hoopy</i>: really together guy; <i>frood</i>: really amazingly together guy.)"<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Towel_Day#cite_note-2"></a></blockquote>
</blockquote>
<br />
<a href="http://towelday.org/" target="_blank">Towel Day countdown and headquarters</a><br />
Chris Campbell and his friends registered the website towelday.org to
promote the day, reminding people to bring their towels. Towel Day was
an immediate success among fans and many people sent in pictures of
themselves with their towels.Belaedryshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289771622621390502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2628423425431473491.post-59995003631610586592012-05-27T09:31:00.000-04:002012-05-27T09:56:33.691-04:00Wending my way back to EQ2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZiaFmgYuxgAj2z0nIQ8XBC5SuB3dG93W0k-e6mrvhx1HXoMo_PHoBK7hWS4reeAjeOmqW-QoUmsVNA3wvjiBQlFMJniyARnsBRfB94Qx9W-s2NSgOvIhqSHiWWUamn1HamKt4gG53Skd-/s1600/EQ2_faehome.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZiaFmgYuxgAj2z0nIQ8XBC5SuB3dG93W0k-e6mrvhx1HXoMo_PHoBK7hWS4reeAjeOmqW-QoUmsVNA3wvjiBQlFMJniyARnsBRfB94Qx9W-s2NSgOvIhqSHiWWUamn1HamKt4gG53Skd-/s640/EQ2_faehome.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I've not been playing EQ2 much, hadn't touched my old subscription accounts in two years. Now that EQ2 has gone free to play, well, it has been for a while now, I thought I'd take a look. I'd been playing Lord of the Rings Online, I love my friends there, and I love crafting and outfits. It is great to have housing, and in LoTRO I had my first virtual house - a cottage, really. I remember it well. The thing is, LotRO housing is quite limited. I grew frustrated at the housing item placement system, it is a "hook" system, whereby you can only place certain types of items in certain places. When you have never had housing, it is Heaven ... but once you've experienced open placement housing, you'll forever be disappointed by the hook system.<br />
<br />
My gaming system is down, has been for a while, so it has limited my game time greatly. I also deal with certain physical conditions, which at times keep me from gaming at all. I was experiencing terrible lag ingame, due to having to play on a system with lesser capabilites, so getting into LotRO, crawling and jumping and lagging into things, on top of not feeling well, I almost stopped getting into the game. I would get into the game, look at my lovely home, and sigh at my full bags, full house chests and full bank, as well as all my alts being full to the gills. I'd chat with a few friends and then log off. I'd force myself through the festivals, though. -grin- Thus my overflowing bags.<br />
<br />
So ... all this chatter leads to the fact that I tried EQ2 free to play, to see if I could still have housing, and what that housing involved. Since I knew no one in EQ2, it was easier to play, since I could come and go as I wanted, and as my health permitted. As with any game, free to play is not ultimately free to play, but hey, it gets a lot of people into a game who might not otherwise try it. It is essential to upgrade to a Silver account, which is a one time $5 fee. The next step up is Gold, which is $14.99 a month if you pay monthly, with discounts if you pay for 3 months or more at a time - pretty standard fee.<br />
<br />
Even without a Silver upgrade, you can own a starter home. It is two rooms, and quite sufficient for satisfying my decorating and collecting penchants. I started crafting basic furniture - and then I found out about City Festivals and Moonlight Enchantments! Both occur once a month, and both have plentiful housing items that can be gotten through bartered tokens which are obtained through the events' quests. If you happen to hit a holiday or festival period, there is often a crafting component to it, where festival themed recipes are offered. These contain many housing item recipes. What more could I ask for?<br />
<br />
I was able to do Moonlight Enchantments in May, and I look forward to the next City Festival in June ... and I am going to get my little carpenter busy furnishing my homes, as well as getting my tailor working on some lovely rugs and pretty outfits.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://eq2.zam.com/wiki/City_Festivals_%28EQ2_Live_Event%29" target="_blank">Zam.com City Festival Guide </a><br />
<a href="http://eq2.zam.com/wiki/Moonlight_Enchantments_%28EQ2_Live_Event%29" target="_blank">Zam.com Moonlight Enchantments Guide</a><br />
<br />
Merry gaming, wherever your bliss leads you!Belaedryshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289771622621390502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2628423425431473491.post-73363446962178223002012-05-25T18:33:00.001-04:002012-05-30T04:46:33.523-04:00Mounts Spring Festival 2012 LotROI popped up to Hegstacer's Farm to see the new Spring 2012 mounts. I don't know if I will have the time to get them, but they certainly are pretty!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmTR1Z__OuFr4z8bfVuIb3030ehHqjarPcR7rYaDDNjmIt_6tT2jvW7tis9fMKv8Vf0fC2lZ_xdBovLth0SnAoRGOw59O7CWIHWax1hpNkyZY24n1UcRUeIYTsmeaPKJ8XVoQoqyL9jRLV/s1600/mount01_spring2012_lotro.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmTR1Z__OuFr4z8bfVuIb3030ehHqjarPcR7rYaDDNjmIt_6tT2jvW7tis9fMKv8Vf0fC2lZ_xdBovLth0SnAoRGOw59O7CWIHWax1hpNkyZY24n1UcRUeIYTsmeaPKJ8XVoQoqyL9jRLV/s400/mount01_spring2012_lotro.png" width="400" /> </a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1aJ4GKZIBQg3OqdkoVrcWX7PE4D97vrVo4qfq_mtbtR16FIe39_REkIoXSU4Sbla9uE_aoKuYPsXc8Hxci9qYxJm_tzv-cqJ-P769qqgVhMftCAjX34PxxifI6sEuWc6_VYkA7UnbaVuj/s1600/mount02_spring2012_lotro.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1aJ4GKZIBQg3OqdkoVrcWX7PE4D97vrVo4qfq_mtbtR16FIe39_REkIoXSU4Sbla9uE_aoKuYPsXc8Hxci9qYxJm_tzv-cqJ-P769qqgVhMftCAjX34PxxifI6sEuWc6_VYkA7UnbaVuj/s400/mount02_spring2012_lotro.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />Belaedryshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289771622621390502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2628423425431473491.post-22251443034239981272012-05-25T18:03:00.001-04:002012-05-25T18:06:43.773-04:00Spring Festival 2012|Lord of the Rings OnlineLord of the Rings Online Spring Festival is now live in Middle Earth, from <b style="font-weight: normal;">May 24 – June 11, 2012.</b><br />
<br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;">Don't miss the great <a href="http://casualstrolltomordor.com/2012/05/lotro-spring-festival-guide-2012/" target="_blank">Spring Festival Guide from Casual Stroll to Mordor</a>. </b><br />
<br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;">I got ingame for a short while this afternoon, and I must say that I am very impressed with what I saw. The festival is occurring much later than it used to, it used to start in late March, but this year LotRO really enhanced the Anniversary event, not only in content, but it also ran for almost a month. The Anniversary event then displaced the Spring Festival, timewise, but from what I have seen of the Spring Festival, the wait was worth it!</b><br />
<br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;">When I first played LotRO, it was during the open beta, and the Spring Festival was in full force - flowers, flowers everywhere! That was my first impression of the game - flower gathering and merriment! The last two years, flower gathering was not a part of Spring festivities, which was disheartening ... where was the spirit of Lord of the Rings without the quest for flowers? Now flower gathering is back, and I am very happy. I ran through the West Bree fields gathering as many violets as I could.</b><br />
<br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;">So, I got my nostalgia hit, yay!</b><br />
<br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;">I only did one other quest, as that was all I had time for. This quest is new this year - and I received it by spotting a poster nailed to one of the beams that holds up one of the Breetown entry gates, just inside Breetown. That was the first nice touch. It did seem that it was going to be a quest like any other, kill 10 or gather 10 fill in the blank ... but the story line wove around in quite a delightful and unexpected manner, taking me through some new sights. I am not going to say anymore about it, I don't want to spoil it for others. I hope you pursue this quest ... it does have something to do with tiny turtles ... and with that, I'll say no more.</b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqXGxWXDfdWnljjAXcPPnGSUD7EI9Y0284HOueVjU_syWub5ERfSFvqJImuZXFUre6z3Igm0rCTJNAxz0n39NAlf5DluzP8PfXrTRYp-7wq8CW1aKUQxLJRY9gPWm1X3LKVbuK5cIMqqMO/s1600/tinyturtles_springL0tRO.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqXGxWXDfdWnljjAXcPPnGSUD7EI9Y0284HOueVjU_syWub5ERfSFvqJImuZXFUre6z3Igm0rCTJNAxz0n39NAlf5DluzP8PfXrTRYp-7wq8CW1aKUQxLJRY9gPWm1X3LKVbuK5cIMqqMO/s640/tinyturtles_springL0tRO.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Belaedryshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289771622621390502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2628423425431473491.post-53078420338851937122012-05-24T22:00:00.002-04:002012-05-25T17:30:11.590-04:00EQ2 Marketplace - Amazing Rebate Sale<h1 style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">
</h1>
<br />
Oh, I have to get there this weekend! For this great Marketplace sale, and for a little bit of double XP!<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">From the EQ II Community News:<a href="http://www.everquest2.com/news/article?month=052012&id=51230" target="_blank"></a></span></div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.everquest2.com/news/article?month=052012&id=51230" target="_blank">Memorial Day 50% Rebate Sale and Double XP weekend! </a></span></div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">From Friday, May 25, 2012 at 12:01 pm (noon) Pacific* through Monday,
May 28, 2012 at 11:59 pm Pacific you'll get an instant rebate for half
your Station Cash back when you purchase almost anything** in the
EverQuest II Marketplace! Everyone likes having more to spend, and now's
the time to grab that item you've had your eye on. As soon as you do,
you'll find 50% of the cost of the item (clearly displayed to you in
game) immediately refunded to you… maybe you should look at another item
on your wish list!</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Jump in game and explore the Marketplace.
Whether it's an Experience Potion or the latest Heritage Armor, it's now
twice the deal it used to be! </span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">** Recurring subscriptions are not eligible for the 50% rebate.</span></div>
</blockquote>Belaedryshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289771622621390502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2628423425431473491.post-90349776485089327252012-05-22T19:19:00.001-04:002012-05-22T19:19:41.909-04:00Priestess' Home, Gorowyn, eq2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikuLRd3HRTSExOgreE5qrkPLK2XforOKfHncR3zWPsiqicen8nyq1GuIX1LCue2d3RtXv9C4cWi-CceMoqt3GluD-VL-cqUKIR_yNqUoGHBEAb2ucMw2kWZ6GO8XPwWOzfMHKoasenCrFK/s1600/gorowynstarterfest01_w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="392" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikuLRd3HRTSExOgreE5qrkPLK2XforOKfHncR3zWPsiqicen8nyq1GuIX1LCue2d3RtXv9C4cWi-CceMoqt3GluD-VL-cqUKIR_yNqUoGHBEAb2ucMw2kWZ6GO8XPwWOzfMHKoasenCrFK/s640/gorowynstarterfest01_w.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Entrance to Priestess home -<br />
<br />
Situated in the city of Gorowyn, this two room starter home can be transformed into quite an elegant space. Here I used elements from a few of the City Festivals, as well as some of the Claimed items (rewards from eq2 to its players, found by typing /claim), in addition to a number of Moonlight Enchantment items, which can be better seen in some of the later images.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLELR5bNrT6ISyyqUatIzz7jnKrfsLKMINVt90BIho3sQ0L4KVG0XuwbEBW70HL1MsUbYIe7flMouf9YLgwbUJQ5K6sXlv2KhJPai0B92e-gTahPLCmyP2YjVcBzhyKegbGBGm4sLdbWFj/s1600/gorowynstarterfest02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="392" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLELR5bNrT6ISyyqUatIzz7jnKrfsLKMINVt90BIho3sQ0L4KVG0XuwbEBW70HL1MsUbYIe7flMouf9YLgwbUJQ5K6sXlv2KhJPai0B92e-gTahPLCmyP2YjVcBzhyKegbGBGm4sLdbWFj/s640/gorowynstarterfest02.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Here you see a grand staircase which leads to an upper area, featured by a crafted pool in the foreground. The staircase was created by using <a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1653371503" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://eq2.eqtraders.com/articles/article_page.php?article=q86&menustr=080000000000" target="_blank">Neriak City Festival furniture collection</a> items - in this case the counters, which were reduced in size to make the steps. The columns, the violet flamed lanterns and the blue flaming chandeliers in some of the images are also from Neriak.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnCo5SICGjnMlkc8WOSnk_0yZ5v0kYhjKZT_lnnj8dBY9esvowY41RCw4PU6MeqrgphUX2hHGTSjWv7v5YuJWA51qQxOfATBQHCOkwBKkiBPXgNuCmrROVdMVe8Okm5Ef9aKklXcdyEgdE/s1600/gorowynstarterfest06_w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="392" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnCo5SICGjnMlkc8WOSnk_0yZ5v0kYhjKZT_lnnj8dBY9esvowY41RCw4PU6MeqrgphUX2hHGTSjWv7v5YuJWA51qQxOfATBQHCOkwBKkiBPXgNuCmrROVdMVe8Okm5Ef9aKklXcdyEgdE/s640/gorowynstarterfest06_w.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9AjCaJof3dUwy2pbQLX6qscELx5pAdmLW5fFlDY1-nr6Qn5Sd5wF8P60ocuLdydtTkbwyyhZoWlnKi0M8pDvfd60bEr28ghyphenhyphenyChiy3H_qt0F82-1MAUGWquzGlHvvqePoVSvFoIsNRzsT/s1600/gorowynstarterfest07_w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="392" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9AjCaJof3dUwy2pbQLX6qscELx5pAdmLW5fFlDY1-nr6Qn5Sd5wF8P60ocuLdydtTkbwyyhZoWlnKi0M8pDvfd60bEr28ghyphenhyphenyChiy3H_qt0F82-1MAUGWquzGlHvvqePoVSvFoIsNRzsT/s640/gorowynstarterfest07_w.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhgVj_OISVvy2DS02uPHc7SETAps-bKMRoxu54Kj9HwLG-GUmwHfnd8EOtQP3ktSleZ0DhvDT5fH01yAGWZIngpDFbV5AbqVFfd6SQ2tu-toHjdycsPloF9A7YIg581YbE8q1CAgqGmRkj/s1600/gorowynstarterfest03_w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="392" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhgVj_OISVvy2DS02uPHc7SETAps-bKMRoxu54Kj9HwLG-GUmwHfnd8EOtQP3ktSleZ0DhvDT5fH01yAGWZIngpDFbV5AbqVFfd6SQ2tu-toHjdycsPloF9A7YIg581YbE8q1CAgqGmRkj/s640/gorowynstarterfest03_w.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
View of the Contemplation Garden from the Entry Hall.<br />
<br />
City Festivals items from Kelethin and Neriak, with the large crystal cluster, a barter item from Moonlight Enchantments.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhvxYtI1dPGlDoBbd6b8rpX6Mp4sm8_0RmhsKVSNg7TylVF63bCvFHHEHNLctqMjVEzm8_-cEsI2eVwU5AQdJBtYTjwUNfVdZ4sX8pOHkkqiWKzBu_-0BrewTmCdU4YGQmEuEJsdy6eNWW/s1600/gorowynstarterfest04_w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="392" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhvxYtI1dPGlDoBbd6b8rpX6Mp4sm8_0RmhsKVSNg7TylVF63bCvFHHEHNLctqMjVEzm8_-cEsI2eVwU5AQdJBtYTjwUNfVdZ4sX8pOHkkqiWKzBu_-0BrewTmCdU4YGQmEuEJsdy6eNWW/s640/gorowynstarterfest04_w.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Contemplation Garden. This room is still being worked on. This project was undertaken initially when there was no repeatable quest for Moonlight Enchantments - thus the need for grassy and paved areas, the addition of more plant life, and most probably the removal of the torches, which will be replaced with plant life.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxE2mHb321xlnx6HbUkveLZGKUIs4kHpXmBCCyjE0U-T3M5iKBFjCvYEVnOzFpgmY2V-WJZ2F0pxd_Q2L0OHUO07CoKMc6z_CWSHP4PWeyksU0B4jcRJgM7EM4TxM-GmUYPcmVybgH0k7a/s1600/gorowynstarterfest05_w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="392" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxE2mHb321xlnx6HbUkveLZGKUIs4kHpXmBCCyjE0U-T3M5iKBFjCvYEVnOzFpgmY2V-WJZ2F0pxd_Q2L0OHUO07CoKMc6z_CWSHP4PWeyksU0B4jcRJgM7EM4TxM-GmUYPcmVybgH0k7a/s640/gorowynstarterfest05_w.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Looking from the Contemplation Garden back out onto the Entry Hall. I hope you enjoyed your visit!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br />Belaedryshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289771622621390502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2628423425431473491.post-26278991195693211922012-05-22T18:36:00.000-04:002012-05-22T18:37:04.572-04:00Half Elf's Cottage, Fae Inspired, Qeynos Home, eq2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8lgN5sl9QSeS0xD8X9t3EfMqABGQZ6JNOp96ME7ILqwGSIdff8aAqBTL-n1CPmN5STgpNMboCelNJmbPT9uTk3UtymnlOC7Vl76Kh_E8RQ2gx3zK-c96csWrx8mO3S3SnlsapJZypZsJ0/s1600/qeynosstarterfest01_w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8lgN5sl9QSeS0xD8X9t3EfMqABGQZ6JNOp96ME7ILqwGSIdff8aAqBTL-n1CPmN5STgpNMboCelNJmbPT9uTk3UtymnlOC7Vl76Kh_E8RQ2gx3zK-c96csWrx8mO3S3SnlsapJZypZsJ0/s640/qeynosstarterfest01_w.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
This quaint little room is in the Baubbleshire, one of the basic two room starter homes.<br />
<br />
The rug and crates are quest rewards from some of the early Kelethin quests. The barrels and wash basin on the left are purchased from a housing merchant, found in any city. The plants and the acorn chairs are either from one of the monthly <a href="http://eq2.wikia.com/wiki/City_Festival" target="_blank">City Festivals</a>, or from a Moonlight Enchantments vendor. On the left you can see a room divider, which can be crafted very early in crafting. These are great to use for decorating, especially in a two room starter home because you can easily divide the rooms up into smaller rooms, where you can create a theme in each area. On the other side of this divider are an office and a meditation space.Belaedryshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289771622621390502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2628423425431473491.post-52512545878127367732012-05-22T18:19:00.000-04:002012-05-22T18:19:38.935-04:00Goddess Shrine, Qeynos Home, eq2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtQNxwG2Pz_guHpVeWEwl8pttVgnQbAmw9-8Ww57j5LGVr2Znxavka8Tvkx0EAyq23hU_PAhZiM9Q_qDASgK-WzexT2G9xklNwdTpQGGL7F4oya8NHry3u0rH-RfT45U64BnYL-oUkJxkY/s1600/qeynosstartervalentines_w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="392" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtQNxwG2Pz_guHpVeWEwl8pttVgnQbAmw9-8Ww57j5LGVr2Znxavka8Tvkx0EAyq23hU_PAhZiM9Q_qDASgK-WzexT2G9xklNwdTpQGGL7F4oya8NHry3u0rH-RfT45U64BnYL-oUkJxkY/s640/qeynosstartervalentines_w.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Using items from the Moonlight Enchantments rewards - the tree and the grassy patches, and many items from the yearly Valentine's themed event, <a href="http://eq2.wikia.com/wiki/Erollisi_Day" target="_blank">Erollisi Day,</a> I created this Goddess shrine in a starter Qeynos home. Some of the Erollisi items are bartered for, some are crafted, while some are won according to how well one did in finding essences in a timed event, Hearts 'a Flutter. This home is in the Baubbleshire, has two rooms and costs a mere 5 silver a week to upkeep.Belaedryshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289771622621390502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2628423425431473491.post-31583347920933505542012-05-22T13:57:00.000-04:002012-05-22T17:53:01.346-04:00Fungus Among UsMerriment to be had! Finding an extremely rare house item that drops from the Spicebracket Fungus that is harvested for a quest in the <a href="http://eq2.wikia.com/wiki/Enchanted_Brownie_Grotto" target="_blank">Enchanted Brownie Grotto</a> in Darklight Woods during the monthly <a href="http://eq2.wikia.com/wiki/Moonlight_Enchantments" target="_blank">Moonlight Enchantments</a> event in Everquest 2.<br />
<br />
I had no idea that one might actually get a real live Spicebracket Fungus of their very own to take home, but there it is, in the picture below. Shown on the right is one of Maybelle's bags with the rare Treasured Fungus in it. It took almost 200 fungus gathers for it to show up, and I wasn't even looking for it. Imagine my delight!<br />
<br />
The quest description, <a href="http://eq2.wikia.com/wiki/Strong_Brew_Root_Beer" target="_blank">Strong Brew Root Beer,</a> states: <br />
<br />
<i><b>Note:</b> Harvesting the fungus has a slight chance of yielding a <a href="http://eq2.wikia.com/wiki/Spicebracket_fungus" title="Spicebracket fungus">house item version</a> of the fungus instead of the component.</i><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVpGXaLlg9eSHFc3qrqBVev0zQbRDf9_JrMZxm9zfPOhFrPGcG5SXL9aaugYi7y0VoUo_4DlUwiiS_qyShmrsxj_UNoFSwTRMF-wJI3jhDd7Lel8-N1RK8Ae7W1V7JFfgepma-kKnyW_nE/s1600/fungusamungus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="443" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVpGXaLlg9eSHFc3qrqBVev0zQbRDf9_JrMZxm9zfPOhFrPGcG5SXL9aaugYi7y0VoUo_4DlUwiiS_qyShmrsxj_UNoFSwTRMF-wJI3jhDd7Lel8-N1RK8Ae7W1V7JFfgepma-kKnyW_nE/s640/fungusamungus.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Belaedryshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289771622621390502noreply@blogger.com2