Holy Grails

I was recently reading a book in which the main character was assisting Sir Galahad in his quest for the Holy Grail only to discover that rather than it being a physical object it was in fact an IDEA. The Grail was different things to different people and it is actually the journey to FIND the Grail that brings about the real impact. This got me to thinking, "What are your "Holy Grails" in World of Warcraft or do you even have one?"

Collectors seem to be the ones with "Holy Grails" more often than not, or at the very least lasting ones. Raiders will have "sort term ones", that elusive "best in slot" item every one is after that just won't drop seems to be quickly replaced when the next upgrade presents itself. Collectors however seem to hold on to their "Holy Grails, expansion after expansion. Farming, farming and farming some more in hopes of finally obtain that illusive object.

For my mount farming partner his "Holy Grail" has been the Hyacinth Macaw. He has been attempting to get that brightly colored bird since Vanilla with no success. With Cata's release date now looking like early November he is getting rather desperate. Auction house prices on our server run anywhere from 25 to 50k for the silly thing and he has only recently discovered the wonders of the triple digit bank account so purchasing one is out of the question (He still is paying me back for the loan to get his 100 mount achievement.) When another one of our guildies (who also happens to be a pet collector) managed to pick one up for a few thousand I thought he was going to eat his head set in envy. I was rather proud of him when he managed to congratulate him on the great find in a civil tone and still heal him during the raid.

The Plate Wearer in the family went through a similar experience with his "Holy Grail". My husband always wanted the Corrupted Ashbringer. Lets be honest, I don't think there was a Paladin or Warrior around during Vanilla and Burning Crusade who didn't want the Corrupted Ashbringer. The funny thing was WHY he wanted it....Not because of the stats, not because of how it looked, NO, why did my beloved spouse want this green glowing weapon? Because when you would go into Scarlet Monastery (one of his favorite haunts for running lowbies) all of the Npc's would bow down to you).....yes, he is an ego maniac....I love him anyway....sigh. The BEST part was when we went to Howling Fjord and did a quest where you retrieved a "Sacred Artifact", delivering it to back to a certain Paladin who likes to run around poorly disguised. When my poor spouse realized that he had actually had the PURIFIED Ashbringer in his possession (if only by association) I thought he was going to go through his computer screen. I think the only thing that made it bearable was the fact that: 1. it was going to one of his Paladin idols and 2. he couldn't use it ANYWAY.

I have another friend whose "Holy Grail" is to be a part of a World First, or the very least a Server First. In his quest to achieve this he has bounced from sever to server, guild to guild always looking for that elusive golden cup that will provide his desire. As he is young and relatively unfettered it gives him more freedom to pursue this objective.  However he is repeatedly surprised at the negative fallout that often occurs as the result of his single minded focus on his personal goals. Why are "friends" upset that he is unwilling to consider THEIR desires before his own? It is a completely foreign concept to him's mind as he chases after his Grail, unable to understand how it is the way he is choosing to pursue his Grail that is causing it to stay forever out of his reach, closing the very doors he so desperately wishes to open.

For myself it is not an object but a title with Ravenholdt Manor that stands as my "Holy Grail."  However the closest I can get is the "Insane in the Membrane" achievement, so I have been slowly picking away at that. Only Darkmoon Faire stands in my way now, meaning I am farming herbs, to create cards, to craft Darkmoon faire decks, for endless turn ins, as that is the only way left for me to gain reputation with the faction. In the back of my mind is the slight panic that I will not be able to complete this before my goal time of Cata. Real life can do that to you.

At times the task, as with Sir Galahad's, can seem insurmountable. I just have to decide how much to do I really want this? The thing with "Holy Grails" is that part of it is luck, part of it is determination and part of it is separating fact from myth. Knowing what needs to be done to achieve your goals rather than just chasing windmills or bemoaning the fact that your desires are out of reach is key.

The other thing to consider is that few of those goals are ever achieved alone. Like Galahad your quest is best accomplished in the company of friends and companions. They will lift your spirits, give you the tools you need to reach your destination and at times offer a shoulder to cry on when it all falls apart. What is even better is that when success is yours, how much greater when shared with friends? How many hunters have you known who have desired a specific Spirit Beast? Farmed it for HOURS, and then had a guildie, or friend say "Hey! It's here! I got it, come get it, I have it tagged for you!" Or for our healing lead it was numerous runs through Magister's Terrace for the Phoenix Hatchling.

Once you have achieved your "Holy Grail" how did you feel? Does that item, achievement, whatever still mean as much or was is it the memories, the journey, the feelings it evokes that truly have come to be what matter most? On the reverse, has that item that you thought would be so fulfilling come to be nothing more than an empty cup? An empty vessel whose promise was so much more than actual reality? Now it does nothing more than gather dust, or perhaps has even been cast aside, that which was once the focus of all your attention, is now nothing more than trash cluttering up your bank and bags.

The Library and Other Mementos

In real life as well as in game I can be a bit of a pack rat. This is offset however by the fact that I do have my limits. Once things reach the point of "Clutter" I get overwhelmed with what my Husband calls "Purge fits" where I start going through and asking myself "why do I still have this?" This week's Blog Azeroth shared Topic from Feraltree was "What mementos have you kept and why?"

Through all the purges, all the levels, the expansions, one thing has remained, carefully protected, tended and at times added to. My Library. It all started when I got my  A Steamy Romance Novel while Pick Pocketing in Outland. I had just suffered a hack and lost my previous treasures of tier gear and other items. As a result those novels have always held a special place in my heart as a pick me up. In addition to that I recall tormenting certain former guild members with them by reading them aloud over vent. Along with the original I also have the A Steamy Romance Novel: Forbidden Love (which is my favorite of the series) and A Steamy Romance Novel: Northern Exposure. If we were ever to get character housing they would need their own special place of honor in it.

Closely related to my library is a off hand item I have that I got this expansion with my new trade Inscription called Rituals of the New Moon. I actually have five of them as each will transform you into a different variation of wolf. It looks like a book, but as a rogue I can't really use them since I really have to have a weapon in my off hand and while hitting someone over the head with a book SOUNDS like a fund idea, they really are not one of our weapons of choice. I still keep them as mementos however. From time to time pulling them out to play at being a shammy.

Two other highly treasured pieces in my bags are my Orb of the Sin'dorei and Orb of  Deception. I actually carry these two with me at all times. The main reason is that I have always hated the human dance moves so whenever a dance party breaks out it is nice to have other options. The same with our jokes and flirts, they are just BAD. As much as people complain about racials I just wish they would fix our lameness in those areas. I know, I know the rest effect game play rather than aesthetics but still, most likely it will get fixed about the same time as the human male hair lip.

I have so many "Costume" pieces from all the seasonal events I don't even know where to start. I try to tell myself I am not a clothes horse but then I just have to gloss over the Bloodsail Buccaneer's Uniform and Admiral's Hat. Then I have my Undead Slayer's set, Argent Warhorn trinket, Haunted Memento and Monster Slayer's Kit from the Zombie invasion, do EACH of my characters REALLY need a full set of these? Apparently so.

Then I have my other little "trinkets" and I don't mean just the Barov Peasant Caller, Defender of the Timbermaw, and Seal of the Dawn. I still have my Banner of Provocation and Extra-Dimensional Ghost Revealer from when I was working on my Darkmantle gear back in Vanilla. There is also my Seal of Ascension, Scepter of Celebras, and Mallet of Zul'Farrak. Why do I keep these? Once they were used to summon things or open specific doors. Now they are pretty much useless trash....but I can't seem to toss them. The big reason being I remember just how much time and effort was invested in obtaining them in the FIRST place.

So while I might be able to justify keeping my Decahedral Dwarven and Worn Troll Dice for nights we do RP raids. I may even get away with my Happy Fun Rock, Voodoo Skull and Huge Snowballs saying I need them for ammo against annoying guild mates. Why do I keep all this stuff? Because sometimes just looking at makes me smile. Seeing them brings back the memories of when I first got it, or playing with it lighten the mood. That is why these items are called "Mementos" and why some Pack Rats stuff their bags full of them.

Blame Paladins

The topic for this weeks Blog Azeroth was "How do you think NPC's view/treat your Class?" The following comes out of some role play that came out of that along with some other situations.  Many Thanks to Anea of Obeying the Muse for the original idea.
 
"I was only trying to help." Syyiand whined, even in humanoid form he sounded like a pile of leaves rustling in the wind as he shuffled along in Therigwin's long strided wake. "How was I suppose to know?"

"Sy, your a healer! Surely at some point one of your trainers mentioned that alcohol is a depressant." Therigwin retorted in exasperation.

"Well, yeah, but the last time I saw you and Amalt get inebriated you attacked the Violet Hold in nothing but your Winterveil suits....I thought maybe it was different for humans than elves." The druid explained anxiously.

Therigwin rubbed the back of his neck and flushed, never breaking stride. The truth was he had been so plastered after last years Winterveil party he hasn't been able to see straight and most of his memories of that that night were VERY fuzzy. It didn't help that people kept referring to things he and his friends had supposedly done while in their drunken state either.

Rounding the corner the two came to a abrupt stop at the sight before them. Daraia sat at a large round table in the corner, weapons of various types laid out before her, a mug cradled in her lap. Her feet were up on the table, hair coming lose from its usual confining bun. A disapproving frown marred her face as she examined the axe in her hands through glazed eyes.

"Light, Sy just how much did you GIVE her?"  Moving cautiously, Therigwin approached the table. "Hello Sweetheart, I understand you haven't been having a very good day."  The sound of thundering footsteps had him turning back towards Syyiand to discover the arrival of the rest of the officers. Kikiloo and Schaikera quickly pushed past Syyiand to come flank him.

"When we saw you and Sy going by so quickly we followed." Kiki remarked as way of explanation.

"So do you know what day it is today?" Daraia slurred suddenly. "My birthing day. *hic* While cleaning my axe this morning I noticed something." Lurching forward she tossed the axe in her hand at the far wall embedding the blade. She had obviously been using it as a target for quite a while as weapons and holes doted the surface. Hands now free she proceeded to push the loose locks of hair out of her face revealing silver streaks at her temples. "SEE!"

"OH!" A chorus seemed to have risen from the women beside Therigwin.

Bewildered Therigwin turned from one woman to another, before remarking, "But Honey, I went completely gray after the incident at the Wrathgate and I am younger than you, why..." Suddenly his knees buckled beneath him as pain shot from his head down. A pair of fists had connected with his skull. Kikiloo being a priest and wearing cloth hadn't done much damage but Schaikera was a Holy Paladin and plate-mail HURT.

"NOT helping." The ladies chorused again.

By the time his eyes had stopped watering Syyiand and Amalt had assisting him into a chair.

"When we saw them attack we figured we had better come even the odds" Amalt explained eying the three women with some intrepidation. "What exactly is going on?" He questioned quietly out of the side of his mouth.

"I'm going soft and getting sloppy." Daraia declared, tipping her chair back once more to place her booted feet on the table top. She then proceeding to swing the now empty mug in the air. "They all say never trust a rogue but it is really Paladins that are the deceitful ones."  Pausing briefly she turned to pat Schaikera on the shoulder in sympathy. "Sorry Kera, but it is true. When I first started out I could never go into a shop or even walk down a street without someone watching me, expecting the worst." Brows furrowed she considered that truth for a moment. "Its funny, I've never minded being referred to as spy or even an assassin, but to this day I can't stand to be called a thief...." Shrugging she continued. "Anyway, every thing was about planning, picking the fights, setting up the kills, PATIENCE. But now look at me, I have more titles, mounts, pets and money than I know what to do with. I'm a bloody AMBASSADOR with more races than I once knew existed. Even people I have never MET seem to know who I am. Battles are fought now by just wading in and start swinging, the finesse is gone. It....it seems WRONG. I LIKED obscurity. I LOVED the shadows...and now everything is bathed in light....and it is all the Paladins fault."

"How is this because of Paladins?" Amalt asked offended. Then wagging his finger he continued. "And lets be honest here Daraia you ARE a thief. How many people do you know that complain because the Lich King didn't have pockets you could pick? You'd riffle though everyone's pockets if you could, you have sticky fingers. Goblin's check their purses whenever you saunter by." Slamming down onto a bench Amalt crossed his arms and glowered.

"Think back to when we first started out Amalt. Our jobs were almost always on behalf of Paladins." Daraia shot back, feet slamming to the floor. "You goody two shoes are ALWAYS up to your visors in everything going on and usually some how the ones footing the bill to get someone else to fix whatever problems happen to come along." Arms waving she continued."It is all an insidious plot to get us to become respectable and how SI:7 hasn't caught on to it yet I don't know." Jumping up from her chair Daraia began circling the table, each revolution picking up a weapon to send it spinning off towards her previous target wall. " It use to be there were tons of rogues, we were everywhere! Now we're an endangered species. Instead what do you trip over every time you turn around? Paladins! And when one of you goes to the bad? How well do you all handle that? Hmmm? Got to sweep THAT under the rug as quickly as possible. Zelek, Rivendale, Arthas...." Daraia continued to pace and lecture, her voice slowly growing in strength despite an occasional hiccup or slur. "Then look what you lot all did to poor Darian and the Death knights..."

"This is why Daraia doesn't drink Sy" Therigwin muttered, tenderly testing the lump on his head from Schaikera. "She is blunt enough when she is sober, but give her even a little bit of alcohol and it is as if all the filters shut off." Syyiand just nodded his head, by this time a tad dizzy from watching Daraia's laps around the table.

"Rogues today are so CLUELESS." Daraia continued, launching into another subject. "I had one today who couldn't tell the difference between Killing spree and Pick Pocket. Granted it was a gnome but still. She tried to tell me that she just got so frustrated because she couldn't reach the Val'kyr that she became enraged and lost her temper...What does she think she is a Warrior in LEATHER?!?!? Most of the young ones have no idea how to pick a lock, they just don't see the need. It makes me feel ancient."  Sighing Daraia came to an abrupt halt, leaning against the wall forlornly. "We use to proudly declare how we all did it from behind..."

After this pronouncement Amalt started sputtering with laughter, Kikiloo, covered her mouth to muffle her giggles and Schaikera's ears turned red. Syyiand just looked confused.

Gingerly Therigwin eased out of his chair to carefully approach Daraia. "Love, you have had a little to much to drink. Maybe it would be a good idea to go get some rest."

"I don't drink, I don't use mana so what is the point? I just wanted some Thistle Tea." Daraia moaned, rubbing her temples she looked up with bleary eyes. "It has been so long since I have had any you know? I knew it wouldn't be the pick me it up it use to be I just thought one cup of it would be nice. But something was off...maybe my Swiftthistle was to old?"

"It's my fault Dar, you seemed down so I thought if I added a little Caraway Burnwine it would help you to feel better." Syyiand interrupted, wringing his hands. "Honest, I was only trying to help!"

"The world trembles when you say that phrase Sy, for surely disaster follows your best intentions." Daraia intoned, weaving unsteadily as she push away from the wall. "Last time I felt like this I woke up married to Therigwin...." Pitching forward, she passed out, Therigwin catching her before she hit the floor.

"Oh come on!" Amalt protested, "It was just getting interesting!"

Therigwin glared at his fellow paladin, while tenderly gathered his wife up.  "Come on Love, lets get you to bed and hopefully when you wake up you won't remember any of this." A soft snore was her only response.

Shared Topic: Time Lost

The shared Topic for this week for Blog Azeroth was to role play a scene with your favorite mount.  Anything from how you acquired it to when it dies.  Well this is basically the story of how I acquired my favorite mount. It was the catalyst to my mount collecting, well for those OTHER than Black mounts anyway. Many thanks to Strumwulf for the original idea. 

There was little warning before the attack. Just a swirl of snow and a sudden shadow. Diving to the right, Daraia dropped the herb in her hand, arming herself by the simply flick of her wrist, releasing her daggers from their concealed sheaths. Turning her dive into a roll, she came up in a crouch, faced her attacker.  It was a drake, but of a type she had never seen before. Physically it resembled the northern species the Dragonflights had told her were called "Protodrakes" and were actually the predecessors to the dragonflights she was more familiar with. However this particular specimen was a golden color. Similar to that displayed by members of the Bronze dragonflight.

With a curse Daraia tried to figure out how she was going to get out of this one. The last time she had gone against a dragon alone had been in Outland and it had been difficult. Even young ones could be deadly if not handled correctly and this was one was an unknown. She could only hope that it had the same weak points as others she had encountered in the past.

With a roar the drake dove at her, jaws snapping. Tucking its wings in towards its body as it flew down like a hawk after a fish. From her crouch Daraia jumped up at the last moment and caught one foot on the beast's front leg then a on a wing, climbing up onto the drake's back. Plunging  her daggers into the drake's sides as she went. To her shock, they managing to bite deeply, granting her further leverage. Unlike other dragons she had encountered this particular drake's scales were soft and vulnerable. From her new position on its back she was able to easily plunge both of her daggers into the drake's neck, severing arteries. With a lurch the golden drake tumbled to the ground, tossing Daraia against the cliff and into the snow. Thrashing its legs in desperation, the beast's movements slowed, then ceased. The heat of its body melting the snow, causing a cloud of steam to rise.

Panting Daraia wiped blood from her face. The tumble had briefly knocked the wind out of her. The sound of wing beats brought her back to alert. Slipping into rock face's shadows she spotting a rapidly approaching form, another dragon. With the light behind it was hard for her to determine color but it appeared to be another protodrake and it was headed straight for her.

"Brilliant Dar, not even a month in Northrend and your going to get yourself killed herb farming because your to bloody CHEAP to buy flasks off the auction house..." Frantically she searched for a more secure location, as the new dragon landed causing snow to cascade down on her head from the cliffs above. By the time she had dug her self out the dragon was gone....but a figure was now pacing around the corpse of the golden drake.

"Penumbrius?"
"Ah good, you remember me. That saves a great deal of time." Clad in dark armor  he appeared to be a high elf, and Daraia had recently encountered him at Argent Vanguard in Icecrown, but appearances were obviously deceiving. Penumbrius' focus was totally on the golden drake. He paid little attention to Daraia as she scrambled out of the snowbank, shaking snow and ice from her armor. "Hmm, this is very interesting. It seems we have another that has gotten through. I may yet be able to save him."

Daraia quietly watched and waited while Penumbrius worked on the drake. From time to time she could hear him speak, but the words meant nothing to her. His hands would occasionally glow and she could SEE the horrifying wounds on the drake closing but still it lay still. Obviously Penumbrius didn't need her so she summoned her Netherdrake Onyxien and prepared to leave.

 "This isn't over yet."  Startled Daraia turned back from where she had been preparing to mount. Onyxien seemed perfectly content observing Penumbrius and the golden drake through narrowed eyes.

"Excuse me?"

"You can't leave yet.  I can't do everything alone. Depending on what happens here with him I may need further assistance. Your involved now." Daraia scratched her had. It never failed, every time she worked with a dragon she was confused. "You are knowledgeable enough with dragon kind to know that many of us  were created from the original Protodrakes by the Titans. Well this particular fellow and others like him have fallen through small rifts created by a device called the 'Engine of the Makers'. It was here that they created or altered the various races not native to Azeroth. " Penumbrius finally looked up from the drake towards Daraia. "To give you an idea as to how large this Engine is the openings you see all over Storm Peaks are only the exhaust pipes."

"Oh..." Daraia felt like a complete idiot. How do you respond to something like this anyway? At this point all she wanted to do was get back to her herb farming, turn them into the company healer than disappear into the Hero's Welcome in Dalaran for hours.

"I have been trying to locate those like him to aid the Argent Crusade since they can not return to their own time. I call them "Time Lost Protodrakes", for that is what they are, lost souls in time. The Argent Crusade offer them a home and a purpose so that they will not feel alone or even worse fall victim to the Lich King. We are social creatures to a certain extent though we don't care to admit it. In addition to this I am trying to close those rifts as I find them."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to kill him but he attacked...."

Penumbrius laughed. "Oh Daraia. You didn't kill him. That is the problem with those who go through the rift of time. While you certainly DID wound him greatly he is not dead. This one is young, for all that he has inadvertently traveled many years into his future. His name is Tairais and he has stated that he is not interested in assisting the Argent Crusade. What I have to offer him sounds to boring for his liking.  He would like to do more." The drake silent until now gave a moan, then yawned, slowly lifting his head and giving a shake.

Apprehensive Daraia clenched her daggers tightly but noticed that Penumbrius was watching Tairais with a slight smile on his face. The golden drake blinked then turned towards Daraia, lurching to his feet unsteadily. Then spreading his wings and giving out a roar. Onyxien regarding the golden drake calmly before returning the roar sending more snow falling down on Daraia's head.

"Um...Penumbriums?"

"It seems that your Netherdrake doesn't care for the cold of Northrend and Tairais is quite happy here. Further more from what Onyxien has shared you have a great many adventures and travel many different places. This appeals to Tairais, so he has decided that rather than aiding the Argent Crusade he is going to go with you."

"WHAT?!?!" Daraia squeaked.

"You should know by now never to argue with a dragon." With a laugh Penumbriums launched into the air changing form as he went. Onyxien gleefully followed leaving Daraia face to face with Tairais, her one time foe.

"Great, just great. and NONE of you thought that I might need a saddle?!?! Dragons!"

Dealing with Hackers

There is nothing quite like the feeling of logging into your Wow account only to discover that while you were off line someone else has been playing with your account, emptying bank and deleting characters you have invested so much time and energy in. I experienced this personally early during the Burning Crusade just before authenticators were introduced. Thankfully I logged on before the hacker could completely finish the job and was able to remove him. However it took me almost a week to get my three level 70 characters somewhat restored and all my lower level characters (ranging in level from 60-40) never did make it back. As one guild mate put it I financed at least one months rent and a big screen TV when they emptied me out.

Times have changed, the tools we have to protect our selves from these types of things have gotten more sophisticated but at the same time so have the hackers. Originally all you could do was change your password regularly, (this meant a MINIMUM of every month). You could make sure that password contained a variety of different characters such as a mix of letters, numbers and symbols. Never share you account name and password with ANYONE. Always use the same computer to play on, and never use a public connection. Run a virus scan daily. (I was actually running two different ones when I was hacked.) Spurn all modifications to the game, (which for some players is like asking them to remove a limb). In addition to these if you ran on a Mac the majority of hackers had not yet entered this field because of the low amount of potential victims. Doing ALL of these things generally kept you about 90% protected.

There are still some, (always someone who has managed to be lucky) who feel that doing all of these things is enough and if you are ever the victim of a hack it must somehow be due to your OWN failures. I have never quite understood this "blame the victim" mentality. Yes, there are some things you can do which almost INVITE a hack such as sharing your account and password information, buying gold or power leveling services, as well as purchasing accounts from places like Ebay.  While my sympathy is not as strong for those types of victims not EVERYONE who gets hacked has made these types of errors. The case can be made that the MAJORITY of hacks that take place may fall into one of these categories but you need to be careful to assume that ALL do.

When my account was hacked the investigator shared with me that there are basically four common types of hacks, Keylogger, Trojans, Bombardment and Middleman that players should be aware of. (He theorized that I was the victim of a Bombardment attack as there were a great many hit at the same time, how they got our account names was never discovered or at least shared with me.)  In addition to this are what is called "Phishing" scams. This is where you get an Email or website that appears to be legitimate but in actually is nothing more than a front for a hacker attempting to get your personal account information.

Keyloggers are when a virus is placed on your computer to track key stroke information. This type is used not only to obtain MMO passwords but bank information, social security numbers, etc. To this day these are the most common hacks the average player will encounter and placing an authenticator on your account greatly diminishes the possibility of this type being successful.

Trojans are where you THINK you are getting one thing (like a game modification) but in fact are getting a keylogger. Sites such as Curse.com attempt to do all in their power to keep these types off their data bases. It is this type of hacks that are most recently aimed at authenticators, the aim being to get victims to remove them or implement a Middleman hack which I will talk about in just a bit.

Bombardment hacks have become more prevalent with the introduction of Battle.net. This is where a hacker keeps hitting your account until they break in via a computer program. An easy way to deal with this is to make certain that your Battle.net Email is unique to JUST your Battle.net account.

Now the fourth type is one we are seeing more of in recent months, specifically because they are really the only way to get around the authenticators, the Middle Man hack. This is when the user THINKS they are logging in but in actuality are seeing a false screen which then records that information and allows the hacker to be the one actually controlling your account. The only weakness to this type of hack is that the hacker has to move fast before the victim realizes what is going on and can remove them.

Most hackers, once they have control of an account will do one or all of several different things. First they will empty out the character of all funds, vendor or destroy anything they can't market and then mail or trade all of that cash/items to ANOTHER character on the same realm.  Some will take the newly acquired character and use them to conduct FURTHER scams such as emptying guild banks, selling mount or pet codes, and discovering further victims to scam. Still others will IMMEDIATELY put the new account ON an authenticator to keep the victim from retrieving it. From there they can realm transfer, changing the name, race and even faction of the character allowing them to do even MORE destruction.

In the four years I have been an Officer and GM in a guild I have seen numerous guild mates fall victim to each of these types of hacks. We in fact implemented several policies PRECISELY to deal with the frequency of the attacks we saw.  These include requiring all officers to have an authenticator on their account, limits on withdrawals that can be made by guild members and officers. Even requesting specific codes before a character can be entered into the guild who claims to be member or officer alt. (I think one of the funniest ones of these I ever encountered was when a hacker attempted to impersonate ME while I was on vent conducting an officer meeting.) 

One of the most painful hacks I ever had to deal with was with one of our Military members. While he was serving in Afghanistan someone hacked his account and SOLD it. By the time he returned to the States and was able to attempt to try to recover it MONTHS had gone by. He endured SUCH a battle trying to get his account back only to have it hacked AGAIN while he was awaiting the delivery of his authenticator. In the end he just threw up his hands and gave up. Walking away from the game completely as a result of the overwhelm frustration.

Our guild for its size is VERY close knit. We can usually spot a hacker on an account quickly but you feel so impotent as you see them being victimized. You can report it to a Game Master if you happen to be fortunate enough to actually get a hold of one in a reasonable amount of time. You can also attempt to contact the victim to let them know they are being hacked. Beyond that you are pretty much limited to harassing the hacker and keep him from doing as much business as possible.

It can be difficult for your guild on a variety of levels when you have a member hacked as well. Not only do you have the loss of that player and any gear they may have acquired but if the hacker then uses the character to victimize OTHERS you may have to deal with the victims coming to YOU as a guild leader demanding restitution. We endured this with one of our younger guild members early in the Wrath expansion. In this case the hacker used our guild member's character to do the "mount and pet codes" scam. I spent about a week talking to various people who were cheated, informing them of our guild member's OWN victimization and encouraging them to prepare themselves for hacks on their OWN accounts. This despite having guild members proclaiming in trade chat that the character was under the control of a hacker and buyers should beware.

It is very easy to get over whelmed and become paranoid when discussing hacks. All it takes is for my computer's performance to go down to get me scouring my system for viruses. Blizzard works hard to promote account security and to make sure their players are aware of the various types of scams and attacks out there. However the best protection you have sits in your own chair. Be vigilant. Take precautions and if something sounds to good to be true it most likely is. Authenticators are the best $7 you can spend (the key fob ones are SLIGHTLY more secure than the phone app ones as the numbers are only good for about ten seconds verses a minute on the phone apps). Follow the other precautions mentioned such as the account name for your Battle.net account. Be skeptical of ANY Email you get supposedly from Blizzard. If it doesn't come on the Battle.net account email you can be CERTAIN it is NOT real. Like Blizzard says over and over NO ONE from Blizzard will ask for your account name and password.

Blizzard has greatly increased their ability to restore characters but it isn't easy. Sometimes they will just offer a "care package" in an attempt to speed the matter along. For those with nothing more than lower level characters this can be a viable option for recovery. Those of us with a large number of higher level characters decked out in full raid gear will usually opt out of this in favor of getting as much of our original stuff back. There are limits to what they can do however. I know for myself they were unable to restore the three bags full of enchanting mats and primals my priest had and some of my gear was missing enchants. However when the other option is starting over from scratch I learned to live with it. The preference is to just not have to experience at all.

The thing to remember is that technically Blizzard doesn't have to DO anything. They in reality OWN these characters we invest so much time and effort in. When they take the time to restore for us after an account compromise they are in fact doing us a FAVOR. They do everything in their power to educate their customers about the hazards of playing on line and what things we can do to protect ourselves. When it all comes down to it only WE can choose to take that advice or not. The control is COMPLETELY resting on OUR shoulders.

World of Awecraft

Do you remember what it was like that FIRST time you logged in to World of WarCraft? The feelings you had? Were there any specific areas, events or quests that just made you go "WOW"! For those of us who have been playing for a long time it can be difficult to remember. We tend to fall into the trap of either rose color glassing those past experiences or becoming so focused on what is to come we forget what it was like when it was all new.

My introduction to World of WarCraft was via reluctance. The Platewearer of the family REALLY wanted the game but I couldn't see how spending $15 a month was a good idea. While this wasn't the first time I had ever HEARD of a on line MMORPG (we had beta tested The Realm by Norseman Games) I wasn't expecting what he finally received. My spouse (being the devious person he is) invited me to play on his account after watching him play for a little bit. Sure enough I was hooked quickly and ended up taking over HIS account completely.

I couldn't get over the graphics. While the characters were still "cartoony" they were not SO much so like The Realm had been nor were they so "realistic" as some of the single player games I had enjoyed that they didn't age well. The world itself was just beautiful. Everywhere I went there were people interacting, I loved how I could seamlessly move from zone to zone without having to wait for some long loading screen.

Going into Stromwind for the first time I was quickly lost while attempting to locate the main "Castle" having no idea it was actually called "Stormwind Keep".  When I finally located it someone was completing the "Stormwind Rendezvous". Imagine my shock as suddenly I find myself surrounded by level ?? dragonkin (something I had NEVER seen before) and the woman I THOUGHT was some sort of quest giver turned into a Dragon before my eyes.

It was both the beauty of the game and the quests that got me hooked. I was level 40 before I ever did a dungeon or joined a guild. All that was there for me was just the world itself. The Indiana Jones room in Uldaman, the original scourge invasion at the introduction of  Naxxramas, these are experiences that even now I recall how awed I felt while doing them for the first time.

The first Raid I ever did was Onyxia's Lair so she has always had a special place in my heart. Back then if you didn't have hours to dedicate to raiding you just couldn't do it. Onyxia was really the only raid I COULD do because she was SO SHORT. While from time to time I would get to go along with friends to places like ZG, MC and AQ, it was few and far between. If I wanted Epics I had to Pvp, so that is what I did. Usually 4 hours a day while my kids were napping or at school.


When BC was introduced I remember going through that portal for the first time and just being blown away by how DIFFERENT this world was from what I had known before. Demons greeted us as we entered and the battle lines were clearly drawn but the game had changed. Suddenly raiding was no longer something I could only do occasionally but with 10 man and 25 man raids it was becoming something I could do with my GUILD. Karazhan with all its twist and turns was FASCINATING when I first did it. Obtaining a FLYING mount for the first time I remember spending about an hour just flying around in circles. It equaled FREEDOM to me.

I had the privilege of being a beta tester for Wrath and like BC before I was blown away with how different the game was becoming yet again. The quests were mini stories that FLOWED from zone to zone. The first time I saw the Tuskarr turtle boat I laughed aloud at the Carrot on a stick guiding it. Ulduar was what blew me away, the first time I flew over that snowy ledge in Storm Peaks and saw it spread out before me in all it's massive glory I could only say "oh wow". As voice acting entered our quests I now complain when it isn't present. Oh how spoiled I have become.

Even now people are entering the game for the first time. I recently met a level 80 rogue who has only been playing for three months! How different her game experience is from mine all those years ago. As Cataclysm slowly works it way towards us I can't help but be excited about the idea of yet another face lift, this time for that "Old World" I once roamed daily. While yes, the game is not perfect it STILL manages to instill that sense of awe from time to time, I can't wait until my next breathless moment.

Raising Gamer Kids

The shared topic for this week from Blog Azeroth was to give an example of a conversation you had that started out because someone else heard you talking about WoW. I wrote that all up, planning on posting it today...Then Parent and Teacher conferences happened this week and I ended up completely rethinking this post.

You see that conversation I had was with one of my boy's speech teacher's husband. I later discovered that the speech teacher was using WoW terms to help motivate my son to do his work as well as to keep him focused on what he was doing. It was a great conversation and we had a lot of fun just laughing as we discussed all things Azeroth.

Then I went to our youngest son's conference in which the teacher was sharing some of his art work and stories telling us how creative he was...only problem was my husband and I immediately recognize that our "creative child" was just telling his teachers stories from video games he had seen at home. When she went on to discuss her concern with his counting we couldn't help but break out laughing to realize our five year old was counting giving DICE numbers....2d6 instead of Twenty Six or 3d5 instead of Thirty five.

The third son's conference was filled with the story of how, rather than going outside for recess, he would instead sneak down to the computer lab. So his teachers were having to be creative to keep our happy footed wander where he belonged. At least this year everything he says doesn't involve Pirates. (Though he is STILL obsessed with them and if given a choice will happily do ANYTHING if they can some how make it seem "piratey".)

My childhood was spent horse back riding through the woods, building forts out of hay bales, hiking through fields only to be called in at the end of the day by my Father's whistle. So I never planned on raising a group of gamer kids. However of my four boys only one of them is not COMPLETELY computer mad like their father. My husband spent most of HIS childhood attached to every electronic device he could get his hands on or playing games like Dungeons and Dragons with his buddies. I have adapted to this new lifestyle...but I still occasionally drag them all out into the great outdoors. (They often complain I am trying to kill them, while the second born and I happily enjoy the fresh air.)

As I plan for the summer months we picked up a Jumpstart.com membership for the boys to work on their school skills. It is done in a MMO style they LOVE and dragging them away at the end of their sessions can often result in cries of "NOT YET!!" (As far as my 7 year old is concern the computer NEVER needs to take a break from HIM!) My mother can not comprehend the fact that I use the COMPUTER to work on reading skills rather than curling up with a book. Yeah we still READ every night, but as far as MY sons are concerned it is MUCH easier to get them to focus on sounding out words when it will help them defeat a monster or find a prize than just following Mommy's finger across a page.

I am certain in 10 or 20 years they will be writing insightful articles about how our generation failed our children by depending so much on technology. For me though, I learned computers AFTER I got out of college, if it wasn't a word processor I was completely lost. My children on the other hand are often telling their TEACHERS how to properly configure the new software they are using in the class room...As one of them commented "He is not suppose to call out in class, but usually, whatever he is telling me is correct or at least easier than the way I was doing it before...all I can do is say thank you, and remind him of the rules, secretly cringing at the fact that this 11 year old understands this stuff better than I do."

This is the next set of "gamer kids". I can only work to make sure that they, unlike the ones that Ghostcrawler and others are often speaking about, are not the types who think that you have to swear three times a minute to be "cool". So at this point they will occasionally curl up on the bed behind us to watch us raid ICC until they fall asleep, beg their grandparents for "headsets" for Christmas and get shoved outside when it is sunny. Oh what a time we live in when even the PHONES have games on them. Gaming is becoming mainstream, wither we like it or not because today's youth are surrounded by it all the time. The only question seems to be, what KIND of gamer are they? PC? Consol? or something MUCH different, the social network kind.

If I were a Raid Boss

I started this post for the shared topic for Blog Azeroth almost three weeks ago, but due to real life hassles was never able to finish it the way I wanted to. Since I enjoyed writing it so much I finally decided if I didn't just post what I had it would go the way of many others and just get deleted. The question was in essence: If you were a raid boss what kind would you be? An easy loot farm or a guild breaker? What abilities would you have and of course what loot would you drop?

I thought about the things I enjoyed having as part of an instance....like the suppression room in Blackwing Lair or the traps scattered about Icecrown Citadel.  In addition to that every mind control boss I have ever dealt with and the screams of my guild mates when Daraia begins stun locking them before mowing them down....yes...these were the things that HAD to be included when determining the type of raid boss she would be.

I just couldn't have Daraia be "evil". Suddenly deciding she wanted to destroy or control all of Azeroth was just to out of character. So I am afraid she had to fall into the role of "Brainwashed Victim", something along the line of the Keepers from Ulduar. Daraia was more likely to be someone sent in advance to gather information then disappeared. When you discover her she is no longer in control of herself. Once you defeat and "free" her then she helps you by showing you how to get further into the instance via hidden passages as well as providing information about the other bosses. (Similar to the role Brann played in Ulduar.)

What about the instance itself? Something about old mansions left in ruin, draped in shadow and mystery just appeals to me. So the instance would need to be something along those lines, full of side rooms, stair cases and passages players would be unsure of, traps scattered EVERYWHERE. What types of traps? A variety, some that would slow your movement speed, some that would summons mobs, some that would close doors or send gates crashing down on you, separating party members until you located the release. The idea would be to make the journey TO the boss as much a part of the adventure as the boss encounter itself.

What about the fight itself? It would be divided into two phases. At the beginning she would be fighting with her daggers before vanishing at 50% health to enter phase two. When she reemerges she would have switched to swords and reset her aggro. Poisons would also have to be evident through out ("Pooh clouds" as I call them, as I am known for yelling at guild mates to "get out of the POOH!") Tanks would need to be constantly repositioning as Daraia would continuously be attempting to get BEHIND them while attacking.

Abilities-

Dismantle - Disarms and/or removes all carried equipment from her main target for 10 seconds. May occur every minute.

Stun lock - A physical move which incapacitates a random party member in melee range for approximately 10 seconds.

Fan of Knives - During phase one sprays all players within a 10 yard radius with 1000 physical damage, inflicts them with a dispellable damage over time poison of 1000 damage per second. In phase two the physical damage increases to 1500 damage.

Poison Ink - 30 yard Missile which slows movement speed and places a 1000 dispellable damage over time poison on players caught in the 5 yard spray.

Vanish - Steps into the shadows, resetting aggro, occurs when she reaches 50% health.

Killing Spree - During phase two every minute she will step into the shadows to deal five 1000 to 3000 damage blows every .5 seconds in a 10 yard radius before returning to her primary target.

Quotes -
Aggro -
"Focus up! Let the fun begin!"

Vanish -
"Now where did I put those...."

Killing Player -
"One more down."
"For shame, you nicked my weapon."
"You really should have been more careful."

Wipe -
"Such a disappointment."

Defeat -
"You've done it! I'm myself again, Thank you!"

Loot -
 
I thought about a mount but it would have to be black and to make sense it couldn't be more than a recolored copy of something I already had so that got rejected in favor of a 32 slot Black Bag of Tricks. Before I took up inscription my nick name in raids was "The Pack Mule" since I was usually the only one with any bag space.

Weapons, a fast dagger is a MUST along with a nice SLOW sword with high damage. Something reminiscent of the weapons from ToC in look. I can't stand swords that look like they could fall apart if you blew on them to hard or daggers that more closely resemble misshapen bones than a means of inflicting harm.

Since all the drops can't be for rogues I figure a nice Book of Blackmail as an off hand for the healers, and a wand called The Golden Quill as a nod to Dar's inscription for the dps casters. The book just seems fitting as I don't know a healer who hasn't at one time or another blackmailed SOMEONE with the threat "behave or you won't get any heals from me." I would LOVE IT if the wand could look like a huge yellow feather, to have arcane magic coming out of something like just makes me smile.

For the tanks a blue and black cloak called Royal Cloak of Ravenholdt as a testament to Daraia's heritage. Since tanks are always complaining there are never enough tanking cloaks out there and the Ravenholdt colors of blue and black look cool no mater what class of tank you play.

Daraia's Loot Chest would not be complete with out one specific item. The Magic Mirror, a trinket that would allow you to look like anyone you chose for 10 minutes with a 1 hour cool down. I LOVE these types of items and this would be my dream one.

So that is the type of Raid Boss I think Dar would be. So what do you think? Does it sound like a fun fight to you or the type of boss who would earn "female dog" nicknames?

An Unexpected Conversation

Azryu posed the question that has been like a bug in my brain. "What if your character sudden became independent of you and gained a voice? What would happen? How would the conversation go?" It was introduced as a shared Topic. So from time to time during my hectic schedule these past few days I have been going over it in my mind, trying to wrap my head around the concept of separating myself from Daraia, to think of her as "independent". It was an interesting journey for both of us.

It started out like any other day, I just logged on to do the usual chores, I certainly wasn't anticipating having this conversation, and the setting could have been better. Deathspeaker's Rise in Icecrown she decides to let me know she is more than my alter ego, she has a mind of her own, feelings and it is time that I take them into consideration.

"I can't do that move yet and continuing to tell me to won't make it happen."
"WoW, they changed the emote!"
"What is an Emote? But more importantly WOULD YOU STOP STARRING AT THE BACK OF MY HEAD!?!?"
"Who...Daraia?"
"Do you have any idea how annoying it is to always feel eyes following you around EVERYWHERE and it's even worse those rare times when your INSIDE my head."
"Um, Sorry?"
"Are you going to help me get out of here so we can talk or just let me die?"
"Oh, yeah, right."

My numb fingers suddenly remember how to function as a voice I have heard for over four years is suddenly saying things I never imagined. With the usual efficiency cultists soon lay scattered like rag dolls at Daraia's feet, their corpses sparkling in the morning light. I swiftly guide her to each one, gathering her most recent reward before directing her to mount one of her Protodrakes and fly straight up. Slowly the angle of my camera changes and I am looking no longer over her shoulder but into eyes that suddenly seem to gleam with awareness.

"Well that is something I didn't expect, we actually kinda look alike." Daraia leans forward on her drake and stares at me, her chin jutting forward in an almost defiant pose.

"How did this happen? I mean...."

"Hush, I may not be able to direct all of my actions but for as long as this lasts I am going to be the one asking the questions. You owe me." Arms crossing, her balance is perfect on her lurching steed as she intently studies me.

Taken aback I can only nod but as the moments tick by she seems confused as to what to ask now that she is actually face to face with me. Her mouth opening and shutting several times, the process of actually verbalizing her thoughts seems to much. I decide I had better get the conversation going.

"I have to admit I have never actual thought of you having a mind of your own Dar. Is it alright if I call you that?" I am surprised to discover that I too am struggling to vocalize but find myself reassured by her quick nod. "I can only apologize. I guess I just considered you my alter ego and nothing more. It must be very uncomfortable having someone guiding your actions all the time, having no control over your own movements."

"Why?" Her voice is almost plaintive, pained, tension etched on her face. "Why are you doing this? Why can't I make my own decisions, direct my own actions? Who ARE you?"

My own thoughts are a jumble as I answer, "I guess you could say that I am your creator, though I don't like using that term. I crafted you in my image as you noticed, but it is not a perfect image, it is a fantasy, a dream if you will. Your entire world is an escape for me, from the world in which I reside. The adventures you have, the things you accomplish, by guiding you through them I find enjoyment."

Her head cocks as she considers this. Then eyes narrowed, her voice takes on a vicious bite as she snaps "Do you mean to tell me that YOU are the one responsible for the fact that the only jokes I know are about farting in the bath tub and losing control of my voice?"

My head falls to the desk as I groan. "No, I can't take responsibility for that stupidity. Believe me Dar, if I could change that I would...Actually I have tired in that I have gotten you those orbs so you can at least  pretend to be an Orc or a Blood Elf from time to time. Even THEIR jokes are better I readily admit, their dances too. Unfortunately there are limits to what I can do, the things I can craft in you. Before today the words I could hear you speak were limited to just a few key phrases. It was only in my mind that you ever said more, that your story, your personality, had more depth."

"My sleeveless armor? The fact I spend a good portion of the time running around Northrend, IN THE SNOW with my elbows hanging out and FREEZING? I am NOT a Forsaken, it's COLD HERE! Or weapons that are SO huge they are almost LARGER than I am!"  She pulls out an Axe and waves it around causing her mount to duck its head and veer. "LOOK at this thing! It looks like I should be using two hands and I have to carry it on my BACK but I can wield it like it weighs nothing more than a feather. Are our craftsman just that GOOD? My daggers look more like short swords,  my swords don't even LOOK like swords..."

"Yes I know, but I select your gear based upon what will give you the most benefits, allow you to dispatch things quickly because you do the greatest amount of damage in the shortest period of time, seldom on what LOOKS the best. While personally I like the appearance of the gear you are presently wearing, I suppose I should warn you that the next pieces you will be getting....are not quite so attractive."

Wariness laces her voice as she responds, "What do you mean? How bad can it be? I looked like a stinking RAG BAG when I was running around Draenor wearing the stuff I had gotten out of Zul'Aman."

"Umm.....well....your going into Icecrown Citadel right?"

"Yeah? What about it?" Sitting straighter she continues as if delivering a Tirion worthy speech, slamming fists down on her saddle for emphasis. "We need to finish what we started, take care of Arthas, the Scourge and rescue Bolvar. I owe him, as a comrade in arms that I LEFT at the Wrath Gate, abandoning in his greatest time of need. He deserves better for all that he has done for our people than to be subjected to torture at the hands of the Lich King!"

I can't help but squirm in my chair as I hear her talk, knowing as I do what awaits her. Hopefully I can keep her focused on CLOTHES and not have her start asking me about Bolvar or Arthas, I don't want her to realize that I already have an idea what is going to happen there.

"Well, just that the gear you find tends to reflect the tastes of the individuals whose home you are invading is all. You are getting it off of their corpses generally or from patterns found there. So what you see Yili wearing is what you will be sporting soon."

Daraia's nose wrinkles in distaste. A moment later her brow farrows and she asks, "How does that work anyway? That a creature can be carrying something four times its body weight, it can't possibly wear and that even when I kill it a few moments later it comes right back?"

"That is another thing I have no control over. I agree with you though, it never has made much sense to me either. It is just the way your world works. Shows you're a bright woman to question it, since it is the only world you know."

Daraia smiles at the compliment but then gets pensive again. "Am I the only one like this? Being controlled all the time?"

"No Dar, in fact EVERY other thing you interact with is controlled by someone else like me. Just some more directly than others. Tirion and Jaina, for example are controlled by the same individuals who limit my abilities to change things, those responsible for your poor jokes and dance moves. Therigwin is controlled by my Husband."

"Yeah, about Therigwin..." To my shock I realize that a blush is slowly burning its way up Daraia's face as she fiddles with the harness on her Protodrake. "What exactly is he to me anyway? I mean, it seems not that long ago we were ALWAYS together and now a days I hardly ever see him..." Her voice trails off but I can't help but notice the underlying sadness.

"In our minds he is your spouse. His loyalty is to you. While he has under gone a great many changes since you two were first created, you have as well. His are just more obvious." I watch her fidget for a few moments before asking the obvious question. "What are you worried about Daraia?"

"So much has changed.... I use to spend most of my time in Alterac Valley and Arathi Basin, now I seldom see those places. I once used Daggers ALL the time, now I am switching weapons and how I use them at a moments notice. I even use AXES of all things, like some sort of lumberjack. Even poisons have changed. I'm not complaining mind you, some of the changes have been great!" Sighing she continues, "I guess I just need to know that some things will stay the same since I am finding I have no control over ANYTHING in my life." She raises her head searching out my eyes, seeking reassurance.

I can't hold back my smile. "Daraia you are my first and most beloved creation in this world. Yes, more change IS coming. Some of it quite dramatic. Don't fear. I have no plans to leave you nor does Therigwin. The transitions may not be smooth but we will get through them together and I will continue to do the best I can to care for you to the best of my limited ability." A matching smile spreads across Daraia's face.

Suddenly my screen goes blank and my heart sinks. The computer has crashed and I know the magical moments I have just shared with my Avatar are over, most likely never to be experienced again. I will treasure this unexpected time for the insight it has given me.

Azryu, thank you for casting your spell in our direction.