Know Your Rogue Lore: Plunderbeard

Few people become famous for being little more than a cold corpse but the rogue we are going to discuss today managed to do just that. When the Alliance first set foot in Northrend the result was many of them ended up dead. Somehow they found enough time to dig a crypt and create a mausoleum. (Dwarves are industrious builders after all and FIRM believers that the dead belong encased in rock underground thank you very much.) Of course this was all before our favorite human prince picked up his new toy and decided to make a major career change. When the Alliance arrived for the SECOND time in Northrend, this time in pursuit of that same prince who had landed there before, they were unaware of the previous burial ground. So they happily build a large fortress only to have scourge start popping up in the basement. This of course caused issues for the new residents.

Plunderbeard was a member of the 7th Legion. Originally formed as the Alliance portion of the combined Might of Kalimdor forces during the Ahn'Qiraj War effort. They were made up of veterans who fought beside Lady Proudmoore and Warchief Thrall at Mount Hyjal.  The 7th Legion is believed to be one of the oldest and most elite fighting forces in the Alliance military. It's members are ALL veterans of numerous campaigns. As these men and women have worked together for YEARS, they know and trust each other. They have experience in numerous hostile environments in both Azeroth AND Outland fulfilling their duties. Now they have been called to the icy ridges of Northrend to take down the Lich King. So they don't scare easily, but having scourge over head as well as popping up out of the ground gets old quickly, even for them.

What else do we know about Plunderbeard? This particular dwarf rogue was sent to figure out exactly what is going on beneath Wintergarde Keep, the 7th's new home in Northrend. Specifically, how are the scourge maneuvering between the crypts and the mausoleum? In addition to this he finds out who is running things, what its weakness are and how to take him out. Unfortunately he while he managed to gather all this information he failed to survive long enough to report. His superior, a man by the name of Ambro Cash sends individuals looking for him pretty much anticipating the worst. Knowing what we do about the 7th Legion I can understand his attitude, but still I love Ambro's faith in Plunderbeard. He knows that even if the dwarf died while preforming his job he WILL have the information he needs SOMEWHERE on him or near by.

Plunderbeard's body is located in a deceptive tunnel connecting the mausoleum to the crypts located beneath Wintergarde Keep in Dragonsblight. If you push your way past all the hanging roots and you can easily traverse from one end to the other. His body faces in the direction of the mobs you need to find his missing journal pages on. Unlike other dwaven writers of note Pluderbeard's work manages to stay fairly close together with some individuals managing to locate all four of the missing pages of the journal on a single mob.

This is all part of the "Wrathgate" chain for the Alliance. It is shortly after you find Plunderbeard and use the information he gathered that you first meet up with Bolvar Fordragon, in Northrend. In fact Bolvar will come rushing in to save your butt at the end of this particular chain. If you happened to have done the Jail Break chain back in Vanilla, he will even express delight at seeing you still alive and kicking. Sadly the same can not be said for poor Plunderbeard, but his legacy lives on in those Alliance who carry on his mission, delivering his reconnaissance and fighting in his stead.  While for the Alliance he is but a small part of an epic chain but don't over look the large contribution he and his colleagues have made and will continue to make as the years pass.

Feat of Strength: Avast Ye, Admiral!

Avast Ye, Admiral is one of the better known Feats of Strength though it is sometimes called "Bloodsail Buccaneers". One of the nice things about it is that it DOESN'T require you to get all the way to exalted with the faction. The other is that you actually get quite a bit of fun "Role Play" or "Costume" gear out of it. The largest PROBLEM is that it is VERY easy to lose reputation with the faction and this prohibits you from using numerous flight paths which can become troublesome. Now come Cataclysm this hardship will not be as much of an issue.

The only way to GAIN reputation is to kill Booty Bay Faction members but you get the greatest return by killing the Booty Bay Bruisers, all other members will only net you 5 rep each where the Bruisers grant you 25. While you can solo grind, the quickest way to do this is achievement is to get a group together by spamming trade. What I like to do is get a group, inform them to focus on the Bruisers and try to leave the quest givers, Auction house, flight masters and Inn Keepers alone if they want to remain a part of the raid group and get easy rep. I will then announce in General that a raid is going to be farming Bloodsail Rep for the next few hours. While people may not like it I have found it greatly reduces the harsh feelings and general discontent that can happen as a result of this type of thing. Especially if you get some idiots that insist on killing inn keepers, flight masters and quest givers just to be jerks. Remove them from the group and suddenly the rules seem more reasonable when they are no longer able to find any mobs.

By doing this you can obtain the achievement in a matter of hours rather than WEEKS of solo grinding with out all the harsh feelings. Once you reach just over Neutral with the Bloodsail Pretty Boy Duncan will send you to Fleet Master Firallon to pick up a bag full of goodies. This includes a Shirt, Belt, Pants, and Boots. Just a little more grinding will get you to Friendly and the real quest that gives the achievement its name. Avast Ye, Admiral. Now for this you WILL want to announce you are going to be doing the quest because it REQUIRES you to kill quest givers, which annoys lowbies. Kill the Baron and his right hand Tauren and you get yourself a Title and a fancy hat.

Now if you are NOT planning on working on the Insane in the Membrane Achievement and would like to make use of all those convenient Goblin flight paths there IS a way you can quickly get back all that goblin reputation you lost with out losing your new title, though you WILL lose your hard won Bloodsail reputation.

Just outside Bootbay on a nearby hill is the Bloodsail Traitor. He has a quest for you called "Traitor to the Bloodsail" which has you turn in two stacks of Silk cloth and 4 Red dye to deceive the Baron into thinking you have been killing Bloodsail pirates. Another option is to head over to Rachet and speak with Mupsi Shacklefridd, she has a similar quest called "Mending Old Wounds" which only requires two stacks of linen cloth and 4 empty vials. Many prefer this since it is often cheaper and easier to farm. The other options are Rumsen Fizzlebrack in Tanaris with "War at Sea" who wants Mageweave cloth and Strong Flux. As well as Bronn Fitzwrench in Winterspring who is after Runecloth and Coal with "Making Amends". Each of these deal with the specific factions of the zone they are located in. And will take about 168 linen and 336 empty vials, 84 silk and 168 Red Dye, 42 Mageweave and Strong Flux, and 22 Runecloth and 44 Coal to get you back to Neutral with the Steamwheedle Cartel. Or 34 turn ins for each faction if you do them equally.  Just check the cost and  ease of farming for you then calculate accordingly.

The other option is to head over to Dire Maul North and do Free Knot which grants 350 reputation for ALL of the Steamwheedle Factions EQUALLY without hurting your Bloodsail reputation. I could usually do five clears an hour before I had to sit around and wait due to the "to many instances" debuff. If you focus only on the guards you have a high chance of getting a key almost every run. Take the time to do some full clears and you may also pick up some other goodies like Librams or Pristine Black Diamonds which can be sold to those crazy people going after the Insane in the Membrane achievement.

Good luck to all you future Admirals!

Rogues in Starcraft

When Starcraft 2 came out I really didn't care, but both the plate wearer in the family and our oldest were VERY excited. Since we only purchased one copy, this meant that our son could play while the Dad was at work, relinquishing control when Dad got home. However the REST of us have been thoroughly enjoying all the cut scenes and cinematics. If what they have displayed in Starcraft 2 is any indication of what we can expect in World of Warcraft Cataclysm we are in for a treat.

One of the funnest things I have read in regards to Starcraft 2 has been the response of some of the "older" players. This game has been around for over 11 years, these poor individuals gleefully purchased the game, attempted to install it on the systems they have played Starcraft on for years only to have their pc's sputter and spit it back out.

Another comment I hear a lot is: "Just forget about writing games and make full length feature FILMS!" After the success of Avatar we know it can be done and Blizzard's story telling abilities are SOOOOO much better. Several of the cut scenes are not only emotionally griping but action packed. The talent they have managed to gather in their studios is amazing, no matter how spoiled and jaded we have become over the years.

Now while I am not into strategy games, there is one class type within the Starcraft Universe I really like. The Ghosts. They are the "Rogues" of Starcraft. Since this is "Sci-Fi they are Psychically as well as Physically gifted. The major villain of Starcraft 2 is a former Ghost by the name of Sarah Kerrigan who was abandoned to, then altered by the Zerg, the Alien race attempting to annihilate everyone else. She is now called the "Queen of Blades" (How can you NOT love that name as a Rogue?) There was also talk of a single shooter game based on the class that was shelved before production which featured a Ghost by the name of Nova.

*The rest contains spoilers of Starcraft 2 Read at your own Risk*

Starcraft 2 introduces the next level in the Ghost genealogy, the Specters. These are Ghosts who were exposed to a pisonic enhancing gas called terrazine.  Nova has been lead to believe that they are homicidal maniacs. Eventually you must decide who you will support, the Ghosts or the Specters. There is no wrong answer, make your decision based on what is best for your strategy though it will effect how Jim Reynor is portrayed in the game. Justice seeker or Vengeful  hero. The Specters are lead by a man named Gabriel Toss, who describes his pyschic abilities as "Voodoo".

All that as an intro to this cut scene. If you side with Nova and complete this mission this is the cut scene you see at the end. It is just the thing to make my roguish heart happy...even if I am not much into strategy games.



Oh, if you didn't catch it, the poor guy screaming in the back ground is Jim's friend Tychus, the one running around in the blue armor. Toss picked up the wrong VooDoo doll.

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!"

Know Your Rogue Lore: Maiev Shadowsong

From time to time I get requests to cover specific Rogues sooner rather than later. Some are expected, and others take me by surprise. Today's was one of those. When Jadzea asked me to discuss Maiev I could not understand how she thought she was a rogue. Jad's response? "Well, WowWiki lists her as one of its notable Rogues." Sure enough, she was right. Unlike Brann where I could easily understand the confusion, Warden Maiev Shadowsong is commonly called "The Huntress"....WHY would WowWiki ever consider her a Rogue? Lets see if we can figure out this mystery.

If you have not played the original Warcraft III game or read the War of the Ancients Trilogy, Maiev Shadowsong may be a complete stranger to you. So lets take this time to go over who she is, and what role she has played in the history of the Night Elves, Azeroth and even Outland.

Originally Maiev was little more than a young, somewhat ambitious priestess of Elune. As the oldest daughter of a minor night elf family she has a perfectionist personality. Easily seeing the faults in everyone around her, she often alienated those closest to her, including her younger bother Jarod, with her "I know best" black and white thinking.  By displaying superb organizational and leadership abilities she earned a position of assistant to the High Priestess of Elune. When the Burning Legion began it's invasion Maiev joined those of the Sisterhood who decided to participate more directly by taking up arms. The newly formed Sentinels were a good fit for her as she displayed a talent with blades and tracking. 

Unfortunately for Maiev she forgot that she worked for a "Goddess" not just a governmental organization. It didn't matter how great her abilities were if her heart was not on serving her Goddess, but rather herself. When the High Priestess announced that "country bumpkin" Tyrande Whisperwind would be the new High Priestess Maiev was incensed. Things reached a head when Maiev attempted to undermine the the succession. However she discovered you just can't argue with the direct intervention of Elune. Eventually circumstances handed her the title for a short time during Tyrande's imprisonment at the hands of Queen Azshara, grudging Maiev realized that Tyrande's effortless communication with Elune and selfless devotion was really what is needed. This didn't mean that she liked it.

It further galled her when she was bestowed with the position of  Tyrande's second in command. Now not only did she have to see the position she had always coveted for herself go to someone she couldn't stand, she has to serve that individual PERSONALLY on a daily basis. As far as Maiev is concerned how much worse could it get? As she would soon discover, much worse.

Following the finally battle at Mount Hyjal Maiev was part of the leadership delegation that headed to the summit in search of fresh water. The earlier sighting of a lake had risen hope of a sufficient supply for the survivors.  What they find is that Illidan has turned the once pristine lake into another Well of Eternity and killed all but two of those who tried to stop him. One of these happened to be Maiev's only surviving relative, her younger brother Jarod, by now an acknowledged war hero.

This is a turning point for Maiev. Once she is reassured that Jarod was only injured and not dead her focus turns COMPLETELY to Illidan. Maiev wants him to pay for all that he has done. While she states it is for his crimes against the Night Elf people, the reality is all her personal rage, disillusionment, disappointment and frustration of the past months now have an outlet and Illidan has becomes its acceptable focus. Maiev petitions Malfurion to become Illidan's jailer. Abandoning her hated position as Tyrande's Handmaiden.

Over the next 10,000 years Maiev creates a personally selected organization called the "Watchers". Like the Sentinels its members were made up former Sisters of Elune. She forms a high security prison in Barrow Deeps, the ancient cave system beneath Mount Hyjal, here they could safely lock away not only Illidan but many other dangerous creatures. With the help of  Malfurion, Maiev is able to gain the cooperation of some of Cenarius' offspring as well as some Wildkin to act as additional guardians. By making it their home as well as major base of operations, all of the Watchers could be on hand for continuous training, as well as instantly available when called for. Eventually the Watchers would earn a reputation as the elite Assassins and Bounty Hunters within Night Elf society. Perhaps it is this that leads to Maiev's inclusion on the "Rogue" list.

Even among the Watchers, (as few as there were) some stood out. It was Malfurion who first bestowed the title of "Warden" on Maiev and she then granted it to a select few under her amongst the Watchers.  This title has come to represent the best of the jailers and Marshals. Those who display the combination of extraordinary skill and personal drive. Those who played Warcraft III may even recall a certain ability that Wardens had which we Rogues receive at level 80. Fan of Knives. Perhaps this is another reason why Maiev ended up on the Rogue list. Their Blink ability is also not THAT dissimilar to the modern Shadowstep.

So things are going fairly well for Maiev up until this point. She doesn't have to deal directly with Tyrande. She can just hang out in Barrow Deep with friends. Sure the scenery isn't the greatest but the temperature is consistent and the rest of the Watchers really only answer to her.

Then the Burning Legion return just as Illidan had predicted. While Malfurion and Tyrande hadn't really FORGOTTEN about Illidan, he hasn't been at the forefront of their minds for the last 10,000 years. Malfurion has been off taking an extended nap and Tyrande has been trying to rebuild the Night Elf people. When they DO remember the troublesome twin Tyrande wants to release Illidan to help but Malfurion doesn't agree, forbidding it. (NEVER try to tell a woman what to do when you have left her to do nothing but clean up for 10,000 years while you snoozed....) Furious Tyrande parts from Malfurion and heads to Barrow Deep. She then proceeds to SLAUGHTER the Watchers in Barrow Deep defying  Maiev, and freeing Illidan.

Maiev is devastated and enraged. Not only has her sole purpose in life been violated (guarding over Illidan) but her friends and really what has become her family have all been heartlessly murdered by the individual who is SUPPOSE to be the leader of her people. The SAME person who she lost the only position she ever wanted in life to. For the rest of Maiev's life her only goal is to capture and return Illidan to Barrow Deep, she will now begin what many call her "Huntress" period.

Maiev, along with her second in command Naisha and what few Watchers managed to survive Tyrande track Illidan across Kalimdor, always close but never managing to corner him. Upon reaching the coast they encounter the Naga for the first time, revealing them to be allies of Illidan. It is actually Maiev who discovers that the Naga are in actuality the Highborn who served Queen Azshara, now transformed almost beyond recognition. Appalled Maiev rejects any kinship with the Naga, defeating them before commandeering a ship and heading out after Illidan once again. Their sea journey is short, as they find themselves on a set of uncharted Islands. Maiev soon realizes that someone, or some THING has risen the ruins of the former Elven capital city Suramar from the ocean floor.  Pursuing Illidan into the Tomb of Sargeras, Maiev believes her quest will soon be over, but it is a trap. Illidan repays the Watchers for their centuries of guardianship by collapsing the tomb on top of them, only a handful make it out alive. The hardest blow to Maiev is the loss of Naisha.

Devastated and outnumbered Maiev sends a plea to Malfurion for assistance. However when Tyrande chooses to accompany him the two almost come to physical blows. As far as Maiev is concerned EVERYTHING horrible that has happened is as a direct result of Tyrande and her choices. Tyrande on the other hand believes she had only done what was needed and would make the same decisions even now. Mulfurion just wants the two of them to focus on the task at hand. (He REALLY does not understand women at ALL does he?) Lucky for him they agree and continue on after Illidan.

However when shortly after their arrival in the Eastern Kingdoms and encounter the Blood Elves Maiev is forced to rely on Tyrande's more developed negotiating skills if she hopes to proceed in her quest. Personally Maiev finds Arcane Magic abhorrent and blames it for all the corruption found in the world. Those races such as the Naga and Blood Elves who find their roots in the Night Elf Aristocracy she denies any kinship with. Going so far as to state their current troubles are nothing more than what they deserve for the abomination they insist on practicing.

Her patience is eventually rewarded. Tyrande is swept down river after an attack and Maiev intervenes so that no rescue efforts take place. She goes one step further, deceiving Malfurion into believing Tyrande is dead and it is all Illidan's fault. (NEVER tamper with a vengeful female if you weren't already aware of this rule.) When the group finally DOES located Illidan a grief stricken Malfurion rains accusations down on his brother's head for the death of the woman they love. Gleeful Maiev volunteers to execute Illidan on the spot. Bemused the Blood Elf allies innocently expose her deception by remarking that no one really knows for CERTAIN that Tyrande is dead, she just washed down stream after all....

At this point Maiev loses everything. As far as Malfurion is concerned SHE is now the "Betrayer". Joining forces with Illidan the two brothers set off to find and rescue Tyrande. By the time Maiev is able to locate them Illidan and his allies are slipping through a portal to Draenor. Incensed Maiev and what few Watchers remain follow through the rapidly closing portal. As Malfurion puts it, "She has become nothing more than vengeance."

For quite some time it appeared as if Maiev ultimately failed before perishing on Draenor. However with the release of the Burning Crusade her true fate was revealed. The jailer has now become the jailed. While Maiev HAD actually managed to capture Illidan at one point, she had no where to go. The Blood Elves she had one counted as Allies now served Illidan. His supporters freed him and took HER captive. Illidan decided turn around was fair play and had Maiev imprisoned in Warden's Cage near his new head quarters at the Black Temple. There she is watched over by Akama and his Ashtongue Deathsworn. Restlessly she paces, calling curses down on her jailer and belittling him for his slow moving rebellion.

Eventually Akama invites Maiev to assist him in overthrowing Illidan as part of The Fall of the Betrayer quest chain. What is interesting is that while Maiev gets the killing blow,  Illidan still manages to get the last laugh. As he dies he mocks Maiev that hers is a hollow victory, for without him what is she? For centuries the two have been inexplicably tied. Both prisoners to their fates. Maiev acknowledges he is right, what does she have now without her vengeance? The Watchers are no more, she created and ran the faction, and it was never revived after her original disappearance. As to her fate following Illidan's death, no one knows, she simply vanished. Maiev has to be one of the loneliest individuals in the universe.

So now we know who Maiev IS lets get back to the original question. Why would WowWiki consider her a Rogue? First of all you have to remember that WowWiki is NOT an Official Blizzard site, this means that just anyone can edit it and put their personal perspective on the information. Second, the Maiev inclusion is a recent addition. Third, as the game has evolved some of the abilities that Maiev displays such as Fan of Knives, and  Shadowstep have been recent additions to the rogue arsenal. Personally, I think Maiev, like Brann is a "special case". If you backed me into a corner she is more like a hunter than a rogue. Her gear sets are mail, she sets traps and she is called "The Huntress".  I would HAPPILY take her cloak at ANY time though because that thing is just cool, as are her circular weapons...I don't know what they would be classified, my leaning would be swords, as but I still like them. She has always had a stealth ability, but as she IS a Night Elf, this does fall under the "racial" category. Do any of you have an opinion?

Unexpected Recognition

Originally today's blog post was going to be something small and along the lines of "No Kerrigan didn't get me, but Real Life did. Pay no attention to the fact that it has taken all day for the stupid thing to down load." However last night something totally unexpected happened. I got linked by Wow.com.  I am completely flattered and honored as it is a first for me.

I am certainly not a professional writer. I am not even a struggling journalism student or aspiring literary critic. For some strange reason I have this weird mental image that you have to be this type of person to be linked by  some place like Wow.com all the time. (No clue why.) That I don't fall into these categories should come as no great shock to anyone who has read my work for any great length of time...I like to use caps for emphasis, my sentence and paragraph structure is atrocious. My spelling is abysmal. These are things I readily acknowledge. Considering I haven't taken anything REMOTELY resembling a "writing" class in well over a decade, I suppose it can only be expected.

The thing is I don't write this blog to be "famous on the Interwebz", to make money or any of the numerous other reasons I have seen. Rather I write because I enjoy it. I don't have a counter. (I am so computer illiterate I could never figure out how to get it to work when I did TRY to set one up.) So while I am sure this attention will generate more hits, just how many will remain a mystery. I welcome you all, even more so those who are kind enough to leave feed back, comments or even return. So many thanks to Wow. com for the nod and I promise I will return soon to the regularly scheduled program once I get through school shopping and physicals....It REALLY has NOTHING to do with that fact that the down load has finally reached 100% HONEST!

Know Your Rogue Lore: Defias Brotherhood part 2 *Spoilers*

All right this post is going to be full of Cata spoilers so hang on. When last we discussed the Defias Brotherhood the question was "Where can they go from here? VanCleef is dead and Lady Prestor their major patron had been exposed as the Broodmother Onyxia and also met her demise." I am not going to take the time to cover their previous history, you can just check the links and see those for a refresher. Lets just focus on the future.

One of the first things you will notice when leaving Stormwind is the ABSENCE of the Defias presence. Before there were always bandits with the distinctive red mask hanging around causing issues. Instead what you will find now are Stormwinds homeless, vagabonds and transients. Basically what has happened is King Varian has now "officially" returned to the throne and "cleaned house".  Before his disappearance Varian had been busy attempting to rebuild the kingdom by running around the country side chasing down orcs and determining what areas needed reinforcement. So under the advisement of King Trerenas Menethil he left the "House of Nobles" in charge of the rebuilding of the City of Stormwind so his attention would not be divided. By now we all know how well that worked out.

Varian was delayed in returning to business by a little war in the far north with his childhood friend Arthas, now with Arthas gone he can turned his attention back to his original goals, this includes the eradication of the Horde. Westfall has FINALLY gotten the reinforcements they were promised. With VanCleef gone and most of his lieutenants either captured or deceased it was not difficult to bring the Defias Brotherhood to its knees and for all intents and purposes force it to disband, rounding up what few failed to return to the general population. The Cataclysm caused some damage to Westfall but over all the farmers have been able to return to their fields and resume production. All should be wonderful right? Not quite.

You see reinforcements require people and war cost money, along with resources. Over the past few years there has been a great deal of miss management on the part of the House of Nobles both while Varian was away scouring the country side and again while he was "bespelled". First you have all the funds that never did get paid out to the Stonemason's guild for rebuilding Stormwind, then you have the "ransom" that was paid to "rescue" King Varian, as well as cost of that little war with the Lich King up North. Who payed all of this? Not the Nobles. No it was the farmers and tradesmen. Some of which have finally gone broke under the burden. Who do they blame? King Varian of course because ultimately he was in charge. In addition to this many of those same farmers and tradesmen saw their sons and daughters go off to war as soldiers, never to return.

Now someone is attempting to organize all those disenfranchised and homeless individuals. Focusing all that anger and resentment towards the King. It is the WHO that is interesting. Many of us joked back when we first ventured into the Deadmines and faced Edwin VanCleef ourselves that with a ship that large who knew what all could be hiding below. In Cata we discover our hunches were correct. It seems our sanctioned  murder and decapitation of the Defias leader was witnessed by none other than VanCleef's offspring. Wow's modeling for children is VERY limited as we have seen with poor Prince Anduin who was stuck looking age ten FOREVER, so it is difficult to determine exact age, my guess would be close to 13. The reason is she (Yes the new Defias leader is VanCleef's DAUGHTER) is described as being a "young girl" at his death, but she is now a "young woman" and it being four years later. (My only problem is that the time line seems a little off with VanCleef's death but we can ignore that.)

So what is Miss Vanessa VanCleef's story? After witnessing her father's death (a horrifying thing for any child) she goes into hiding amongst the local farmers. Like her father Vanessa has personal charisma and organizational skills. She is able to connect with people, to get them to share their frustrations and fears with her.  From there she is able to build on their hopes and dreams. All she personally desires is revenge for what was done to her father. As far as she is concerned the individuals responsible are Gryan Stoutmantle and King Varian. As she grew up Vanessa built a network of individuals who desire personal power, using their greed, she is able to build the framework she needs to rebuild her Father's vision once more.

One of the first individuals she recruits is a goblin by the name of Helix Gearbreaker. Helix works as her go between with some of the more unsavory types in the area that she can not contact herself. These include such groups as the Murlocks and Gnolls, as well as some former members of the original Brotherhood. Helix is even able to connect her with a rogue Worgen who has no desire to continue under Graymantle's rule. One of the interesting things about Helix is that he rides around on the back of a Lumbering Oaf, just like the goblins in the ORIGINAL World of Warcraft game. You will first encounter Helix in a familiar location for Alliance Rogues. Down at the bottom of the Dusty plains in the tower we use to have to stealth up to do our poison quest. Helix now makes THIS his home and center of operations.

Another one of Vanessa's recruits is a two headed ogre by the name of Glubtok. Like all ogres he isn't exactly the brightest, but he does have his uses. When Vanessa first finds him he has set up his own little shop in one of the local mines. However Vanessa is not willing to deal with any competition so she offers him a deal, work for her or be eliminated. Glubtok has to think about it for a little bit but Vanessa's promises of glory and power with out him actually having to do much win him over. His minions now become part of her work force.

Her final recruit and the last member of what will become the bosses of the NEW Deadmines is Admiral Ripsnarl. You first see him in the stocks at Sentinel Hill. Graymantle mentions, and Ripsnarl gleefully confirms that this is a Worgen who is only interested in biting whoever happens to come within range. He has absolutely NO interest in controlling the "beast within", nor of honoring any pacts created by his king with the rest of the Alliance. Ripsnarl is a lot of fun and has a snarky attitude he takes out on anyone who happens to walk by. This old Sea Dog is wild, and it says a lot that the only one he actually seems to respect is Vanessa.

Now don't underestimate Vanessa as a pretty face using her father's reputation to get her places. Oh no. This is a young woman who learned everything at her father's knee but put her OWN twist on it. She learned well, but she is NOT Edwin. Edwin was all about having a "righteous cause", getting what was "owed him" and those who worked with him, gathering to him others who were wronged. Vanessa is about "revenge" pure and simple.  She will take you down, in the dark, from behind, without  pity simply because you have the POSSIBILITY of getting in the way of her plans. If she can't do it personally she will get others to do it. This is one VICIOUS individual for all that she can play the part of "sweet and innocent". All we can hope is that they DON'T give her the emote "My name is Vanessa VanCleef, you killed my father, prepare to die."