Beginning to look a lot like Christmas (in my head)

I’m excited about Christmas already. I love the holidays. I love winter. I’m excited both in game and out. I’m already thinking of holiday songs and gifts and where I’m going to put my Christmas tree (both in game and out) and making people sick with my overly cheerful demeanor. It’s fantastic.

Hence the little stocking I added to my study in Stargrace’ home. Notice her collection of odds and ends that adorn the shelves. This is just another little portion of EQ2 that I love. Being able to show off accomplishments and world  events through housing items.

Statues of Antonia Bayle and Lucan D’Lere, statues from Beckett MOG issues, little trinkets from live events, all of it gets placed in my home as a reminder of goals and memories that I have in game.

Alright enough rambling (my posts are all rambling lately, I know). Yesterday – I prepared my mystic for some raids to get her mythical some time this weekend. Maybe. It will depend on luck. She’ll at least get leviathan and VP done (as well as either the troubador or illusionist I’m not sure which) and I’m excited about that. I did Obelisk of Ahkzul which did not drop my shield (I don’t think there is any such thing now) and that was pretty much the extent of my playing.

It’s Friday! Just one of those fantastic cheery days what can I say. I’ll try to post a few more thought provoking posts and some in-depth features next week. Maybe.

Stargrace’ Home gets some Love

When it comes to player housing, some times I am in the mood and some times I’m simply not. It’s usually directly related to my moods, and how restless I feel. When I can’t seem to settle down on a character (or server for that matter) and I have no idea what it is that I’d like to do, I turn to decorating. It’s one of those constants not to mention I find it very relaxing. There are any number of homes that I could work on, I like allowing every character of mine (and we all know that tends to be a lot) their own personal space, a place to drop off their trinkets and call their own. A few homes I deem “complete” but then new housing items come out and I need to re-do them (like the grotto event items).

Anyhow, last night was one of those nights so I decided to dive back in to decorating Stargrace’ humble two room East Freeport inn room. I’ve been working on her place off and on for a short while, I didn’t want to own another gigantic house, the few I’ve been decorating lately have all been on a smaller scale. With the expander items allowing you to place an extra 100 items there’s really no reason for me to place 600 items in a house any more unless I’m going to do a completely awesome one (like the Museum idea).

It was a nice quiet way to spend an evening, and thankfully I’m a carpenter so I didn’t have to spend too much money (of course I spent some). I managed to complete her kitchen and dining area (minus a few utensils) and now I just need an idea on what to do for the back room and bedroom. I was thinking of a garden using grotto items but I haven’t really decided yet.

Before I settled into the crafting niche I was working on language quests and Lore and Legend quests. I finally managed to complete the dreaded Naga Lore and Legend – one of those L&L that sit in my book for a number of days, months, and even years before I get around to doing it. I ran around Shimmering Citadel killing all of the undead Naga I could find, and ended up purchasing the final piece I needed (tongue) off of the broker for a few gold. I made a good amount of plat farming other bits and pieces while I tried to hunt down the few last pieces I needed. All in all it was a fairly productive evening.

I almost feel as though I am in limbo until GU53 comes out and the auto mentoring is in place (along with all of the other goodies). I don’t want to do too much because I love the idea of having things actually con to me again, and I am eager to see what new treats we get in game when this goes live. In the mean time, things are a little quiet. Not a bad thing by any means, but it does reduce the excitement of my posts slightly!

See you in Norrath!

Here Fishy Fishy Fishy

I love housing in EQ2. All it takes is a search in the EQ2 category on this site to see multiple housing posts, with tons of screen shots. I can’t help it, after a long day of smacking gnolls (or spiders, or rats or wolves) around I want to create something that reflects my characters individual personalities. Yes, that’s right my characters have personalities.

The museum I’ve been working on for quite some time is still a WIP (work in progress) but I am hoping to finally get it done this week (aside from filling it up with books). We’ll have to see how that goes. I typically get this big grand idea into my head and then forget to actually complete it, so no promises.

If you’re interested in viewing the museum for yourself be sure to check out Ellithia’s house on the Antonia Bayle server, North Freeport in the magical housing area (mage tower, bottom floor).

Shards of Destiny – Excited?

I love reading up about the game updates that are coming to EQ2, I enjoy the way the world feels as though it is always evolving and changing – and with so many other games on the market these days I think that it’s an essential part of game play. People will grow restless and bored if their online world remains the same year after year.

So game update 53 is just around the corner, supposedly set to go live in September. I am not too excited about the new content being added per say (after all, I haven’t finished Lavastorm yet since its revamp, nor have I explored the order of Rime) but I am excited about a few of the features coming to the game.

The number one feature that I’m excited about is auto mentoring. I’m of two opinions about this particular bit of news. On one hand, I am exceptionally excited because it will mean I can go and mentor down by talking to an npc, and be able to complete quests and raids at a level that won’t turn them all grey. This is fantastic news to complete old quests, kill named that I haven’t killed before, work on quest chains that I’ve never completed. I’m excited. It means Spirits of the Lost may be a potential target once more, not to mention all those other raids that I’ve never managed to do with various characters. I’ve posted numerous posts in the past about how I dislike the fact that in EQ2 you can out level content rendering it all but useless. I miss being able to obtain loot from all levels like EQ or even WoW. You don’t WANT your player base to look back and say they have no reason at all to enter a zone. Ever.

On that same idea, I hate the fact that now people will have even less of a reason to help out their friends and mentor new players. You could typically find all sorts of people willing to help you out if they had not defeated an instance or a boss in a dungeon before because they could mentor you to help out, but with the ability to auto mentor you could just set yourself 10 levels higher then the encounter (rendering it “green” which is easy mode) and defeat it yourself. Whether or not this actually creates any issues will have to be seen, but it’s something that stays on the back of my mind. Maybe the opposite will happen and even more people will mentor down and group together helping one another out. Wouldn’t that be grand!

Being the avid house decorator and owner that I am I was also pleased as punch to hear about the new revamp coming to housing. I believe it’s only a select few houses that are getting updates, but as I look over my collection I’m fairly confident I own at least one of every type of house available, something some where is going to get a face lift.

I hope there’s enough content coming forth to keep people entertained until February. I do have to say I was quite sad to hear that the next expansion is being pushed back from its typical release date – but I know these things take time and the developers schedule is certainly not bound to my personal wants and needs (aww).

We’ll just have to wait and see!

Saturday BoTD – Not ALL Evil – The Woes of a Gentle Assassin

Not ALL Evil – The Woes of a Gentle Assassin – by Clereece

Dedicated to: EKEKIA, the nicest assassin in all of Norrath ! Windday, Warmstill 18, 3821
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Livella had always believed that she had been born on the wrong side of fate.  Even her chosen field of training – that of an assassin – daily mocked who she really was deep inside.

Her mother, a Fae from Kelethin, had fallen mysteriously in love with an Arasai Mage, of all people!!   Her mother had thought it a novel idea to name her only daughter Livella, which spelled “all evil” backwards in the common language. Maybe being only half Arasai was at the root of Livella’s many conflicting moral dilemmas she seemed to always find herself in.

She knew that if her full-blooded Arasai cousins and relations on her father’s side ever caught wind of how she felt about killing certain creatures she found too beautiful to harm, she would never be able to hold her head up high around her extended family of evil persuasions.  But just thinking about killing such creatures as the Seamist Sprites, the little Nibble fawns, the regal Antonican stags or the glade deer, just to name a few on her can’t-touch list, made her feel ill.  However, the Nathsarian frog-biters – no matter how lovely of form – were some of the nastiest bunch of blooms she had ever come across! She would handle them on a case-by-case basis.
The only reason Livella had become an assassin was because it gave her the first opportunity to be out on her own.  She had sorely tested the patience of Qillara T’Despth in Neriak. But through it all, they had both managed a lopsided kind of loyalty and acceptance of each other.

Livella felt there was a whole BIG, beautiful world out there just waiting for her to make her imprint for the better!  Even though she had been trained to kill, she didn’t HAVE to involve any “innocents” in her slayings, did she?  She would just have to pick and choose her assignments very VERY carefully – and hope to Karana that word of her unusual “habits” never got back to her farther or any of his family. He would surely disown her!  And possibly, he might even turn his back on his wife of 40 seasons just for giving birth to such a misfit!! (Livella shuddered at such a thought and knew she would never be able to live with such guilt.)     Livella contemplated how even her style of hunting was unique among most assassins.  She preferred to use her magically imbued Oak Long bow to engage her “misfortunates” as she felt it gave them a more sporting chance, than sneaking up stealthily behind them, catching them unprepared.  Livella only used stealth when there were multiple unfortunates that needed to be dealt with.

Livella knew she should seriously consider re-training as a ranger. She had heard nothing but good things about the famous Ranger scout trainer Elendia Starleaf.  But she also knew without a doubt that she could not do this, not while there was even a slight chance  her Arasai father could learn of the betrayal!

So, for now at least, all the beautiful creatures of Norrath, who would not harm even a pesky dragonfly, were safe — at least as far as she had anything to do with it!

And her biggest secret of all?? She had become fast friends with Ferith’Anar, the stunningly beautiful white unicorn of Oakmyst Forest !
Livella wanted to do the  Fae  happy dance every time  she thought of the many talks she and Ferith had participated in over the past several seasons.  Her unicorn friend told of many stories and legends about pure magic, the power of belief, and the various moons-old laws of nature that worked tirelessly non-stop to keep the pure magic balanced.  She spoke often of just how important this balance was in holding back the ravages of  the more complex and malicious forms of evil.

Ferith’Anar had always treated Livella as someone worthy of her friendship.  For this, Livella was eternally grateful.  She had finally found a creature, the likes of which none in Norrath could compare — whose kindness, friendship and loyalty were totally free of conditions and restraints of any sort.  Unconditional acceptance — what a rare gift!

This gift was a blessing that Livella secretly hoped to spread to others; to somehow brighten and lighten this fog of indifference and chaos she came across wherever she went.

She was going to be a positive influence, even though she was an assassin, even though she was part Arasai — even though most of her family lived in that dark fog of most of her family lived in that dark fog of evil intentions, paranoia and distrust.

She was going to make a difference, even if it killed her !!
Thank goodness she had recently come across a distant cousin thrice removed — Clereece the Mystic — who could bring Livella back from such a consequence.  She knew she was going to need all the help she could get !!

~ The End ~