Wednesday, April 29, 2009

In which Egbert goes to Naxx

See, here he is.

Last night was supposed to be Night 1 of 25-Naxx, but we had a ton of people not show up. So, since we still had people that needed some gear from 10-man, we did that instead.

We cleared 10-man Naxx in little over 3 hours.

It was pretty flippin' awesome.

And, Boogga upgraded his other ring. New one is a lot nicer than old one.

He ran with his MM off-spec, and his DPS was through the roof compared to what his BM spec usually does. I may start raiding with that spec, only thing I didn't like was lack of big numbers from Samurai, and a little less survivability for her as well (had to pass on a few talents she normally had due to less points). But overall, it was a ton of fun.

I've been trying to polish my roleplaying by reading blogs and forums from other RPers, and found this thread of awesome from the Wildfire Riders on Feathermoon. It's about the Wrathgate, so there's some spoilers.

Also, I thought this was funny. May have to try and get one of my guilds to attempt this.


Step one: Create a macro. Fill all 255 characters with the shortest emote you can - /lol works well.
Step two: Put macro on your button bar. In the slot for 1 is ideal.
Step three: Get all your guildies together, and have them complete steps one and two.
Step four: Get all your guild to show up in the most heavily populated area of your server/faction - it was Orgrimmar or Ironforge AH/Bank square in vanilla, Shattrath in BC, now Dalaran in Wrath.
Step five: Spam your macro as fast as you can. Have all your guildies do the same.
Step six: Crash the server.

Your entire guild will receive a three day ban. This lesson has been brought to you by Khaz'Goroth (Oceanic PvE)


I know I said a couple posts ago that I wasn't going to seriously try to write anything. I find it pretty ironic that as soon as I say that, I come up with 2 stories just like that. /snaps fingers
I have a couple more ideas flying around in my head, but no promises on when I might get another done.

And finally, I took some pics from the Wrathgate cinematic (you can go back to Alexstrasza and see it any time after you have done the quest). Enjoy!












Happy Hunting!

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Khlar: Blood and Honor

Blood and honor; it's a common phrase among the orcs. They say it in greeting, use it as a battle cry, and swear by it as part of their oaths. But it has much more meaning than that. When my sister Gwyn came to me and asked for my help in starting a guild of adventurers, there was no doubt as to what we would call it. "Shano nor Balah" means Blood and Honor in our own Thalassian. The blending of the orcish phrase and elven tongue symbolizes the relationship between Gwyn and Treng, and the words themselves are our creed.

Blood is for our family bond. Gwynifar and Treng have gone through the orcs' blood-brotherhood ritual, so she is recognized as an orc by his entire clan. We are siblings by birth, despite my... current state, and I have sworn to myself to protect her. We have met a few others that have agreed to join us, ones that have fought at our side at one time or another, and so are bonded by the blood we spilled. The troll death knight Vestaki is one, and a tauren death knight I met just recently, who calls himself Beefalo.

Honor is for our code. Watch out for each other. Harm no innocents. And always work for the betterment of the Horde and the world around us. The Alliance may look down their noses and call us a lawless pack of beasts, but we will show them better. Not by violence, but by our honorable actions.

Shano nor balah anu terro- blood and honor til death.

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Got tired of getting invited into guilds on Moon Guard, and then having the guild go dead or something, so I made my own with my sister and my friend Crison. Feel free to /wave at us if you play on Moon Guard!! :)

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Alanon: In Search of Peace

This is going back in time a bit. I think Barraccus was still in Nagrand here.
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Alanon watched from his place in the back with the other healers as Highlord Bolvar Fordragon and his men approached the gates of Angrathar. He was as excited as the others as the first Scourge soldiers met the army of the Alliance and were smashed into pieces. And he cheered when Saurfang the Younger led his horde soldiers to stand with the Alliance forces, and threw the Scourge back until there were no undead left.

Then Arthas came out...

The Forsaken attacked...

From his vantage point, Alanon watched as Bolvar and his soldiers fell, overcome by the Forsaken's toxin. The despair he felt was absolute.

The dragons came. Alexstrasza told him to rally the Alliance leaders. She called him a hero.

He had never felt less like one.

* * * * * * * * *

The ship's horn blaring the change of the shift woke him. He sat up in the cramped bunk, careful not to bump his head again. The despair from his dream was still with him, and he knew that the previous day's events had triggered it. He recalled the sight of the battleground; the broken Horde and Alliance soldiers scattered everywhere, the Scourge forces wandering through, and the necromancers doing their work, raising the dead to serve their dread master. Alanon had had to search for hours just to find a soldier with enough life left to speak with him. He had expected to hear of how they had all been defeated by the Scourge. But the story he was told caught him by complete surprise.

"We...had the Sc-...Scourge...beaten," the dying soldier panted. "But then...those...Horde came and...and attacked us...from behind...We never...saw it...coming...Turned to fight them...and were trapped between... Scourge and Horde...Not a chance....." The soldier's eyes glazed over, and Alanon, still reeling from the man's tale, gently closed them and said a quick prayer to Elune.

When he returned to the Skybreaker and reported to the ship's captain, the human was livid. He immediately ordered the druid back out, to find and kill as many Horde soldiers as he could find. Alanon just stared at him in shock. "No," he finally replied. The human's eyes widened. "No, you say? I am your commanding officer! You do as I say or I'll have you tried for treason!" "No, you won't," Alanon shot back. "I am not one of your enlisted, I am a volunteer, and as such I am not subject to your regulations. I am ending my volunteer duty, now." With that he turned his back on the captain and walked out to the deck. He could feel the man's rage beating on him every step of the way.

He had kept out of sight until darkness came and most of the crew bedded down. With no clear idea of what to do next, Alanon had done the same.

Now he stepped out onto the deck again. He stared out over the icy landscape, his mind numb. He knew he was in danger of burning out, perhaps even of going mad, like some soldiers he had known that had seen too much. Cenarius, he thought, give me your wisdom. Malorne guide my path. Your servant is lost. Almost as if in reply to his plea, he suddenly thought of green forest and marshy ground, full of life. He remembered the strange creature he had saved there, who had invited him to come visit his village.

He was decided. He would return to Sholazar Basin.

"Oi, you," he suddenly heard behind him. "Wut d'ya think yer doin' there?" Without replying the druid stepped onto the ship's railing and balanced there for an instant. The crewman muttered under his breath and started over to stop the "crazy druid" before he hurt himself. His mutter became a startled oath as Alanon abruptly flung himself from the ship's railing and disappeared over the side. The crewman rushed over, shouting "Man overboard!" But when he reached the railing, all he saw was a large purplish bird winging away toward the southwest.

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Will be continued... :)

Friday, April 24, 2009

Plugging along

I'm taking a short break from writing right now to focus more on the game. I am working on a couple things, just not trying to rush them. I'll post 'em when they're ready. I'll still do regular posts though, so the blog won't be dead.

Got a couple levels for some alts recently, my shaman Rajast is steadily making his way up there. Quae just recently got a present from Alanon, so she will hopefully get going too, leveling her has been slow lately. And Khaotíc is still working on catching up to Kaled. She'll be bumming instance runs for now, I think.

Boogga got a couple pieces of new gear from 25-man Naxx, so he's finally hit-capped without having to go back to his old gear. Guild is running Tues. & Thurs. nights now, so I'm trying to go those nights, then Alanon gets his raiding nights on the weekends.

I am tentatively looking for a good RP server, if anyone has any suggestions. I've had the idea of transferring Kaled and Khaotíc to an RP realm once they get higher, at least to level 70. Right now I'm thinking of either Feathermoon, Wrmrest Accord, or if all else fails, Moon Guard since I already have a couple toons there. I'm not in a hurry to decide, though, they still have a while to go before they'd be ready.

Barraccus' inscription is at 441 currently. He'll probably be my first toon to max his crafting profession, unless Alanon gets his alchemy up first. Boogga's leatherworking has been stalled for a while now, so I don't know when he'll get it maxed.

That's all I can think of now, so til next time Happy Hunting!

Monday, April 20, 2009

Ulduar: First impressions

So, Friday night's Ulduar raid... It was actually pretty fun. The first boss is a blast. We wiped on him first try because we pulled him early by accident, and still had one tower up. But we went right back, beat down the tower, then downed the boss no problems. Most people I've seen say that he's really easy, and I'd have to agree, but still fun.



The rest of the night was just wiping. We wiped on the trash leading to Ignis so many times that I lost count. It was definitely a learning experience. Once we finally had the trash cleared, we made several attempts on Ignis, but the most we got him down was about 800k. :P



We tried XT-002 after we gave up on Ignis, but he rolled us just as much. But oh, man, his voice! Some of my guildies' reactions to his voice almost had me rolling on the floor, laughing. I think the best description I've found is "Pinocchio on helium."

I think we're going to be running 25-man Naxx until everyone in our core group is better geared, then we'll head back for another try.
_______________________

Alanon is starting to get some gear now too. He got his t7 shoulders and a few other new shinies. Oddly enough, I've never really been the healer type, but I love healing on him. Don't know why. /shrug

Now that I have 2 level 80s, I'm feeling torn between which side I go raiding on. Boogga has most of the gear I wanted on him, but now we're getting ready for the new content, so I'd like to see that. My Alliance guild is smaller and hasn't progressed as much, but they're all friends, not just guildies, so really I'd prefer being with them. We only raid on weekends, though, and horde-side does several nights a week, so for now I'm trying to do a little of both and see how that works out. My biggest concern is getting burned out on one toon or the other.

That's all I can think of for now. Til next time, Happy Hunting!

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Barraccus: The Way Back


The next few weeks were spent just keeping the death knight alive. Alanon kept searching for a spell that would bring him back from wherever his spirit seemed to have gone. He even had his fellow druids come to look at him, and some of the priests from the Temple of the Moon. Nothing they tried had any effect. Barraccus spent most of that time in a coma-like state, occasionally opening his eyes and becoming semi-alert. Riatha gave him broth and water during these relatively alert periods. Pitch came on the third day, but seeing his friend like that distressed him so much he soon went into the woods and didn’t return except to bring fresh meat home. Then Quae arrived at the end of the second week.

She stormed into the house and immediately found Alanon. “Why didn’t you tell me?!” she demanded, glaring at him. He looked back calmly. “What could you have done, Quae? I’ve had everyone I could think of come see him, and no one knows what is wrong with him,” he said. She shook her head and glared again. “Yes, you told everyone at the Enclave and Temple, but you never said anything to me! I had to hear about it from Kal!” she retorted. Her brother looked at her helplessly. “What could you do, Quae, that hasn’t been tried already? What difference would it make if you had been here from the start?” At that the anger drained from her, and she looked alarmingly close to tears. “I don’t know, but I’ll think of something,” she said softly. “I have to.”

Alanon was feeling confused now. “Quae, what’s wrong? Why are you getting so upset?”

Quae didn’t answer for a minute, turning away and looking up the stairs. Finally she said, “A few weeks ago, we had a big storm come through. I heard about it in Feralas, so I came back to make sure everything was alright. I was only here for a day when Barraccus came back too.” She turned back to Alanon. “You know those dreams he told you about? Well, he had a bad one while he was here. He woke me up because of it, and seemed really upset about it. I tried to comfort him, and, well,” she turned red, and dropped her gaze. “Things…happened.”

Alanon could see where this was going. “Quae, are you in love with him?” he asked gently. She looked at him from the corner of her eyes. “I don’t know. I think so.” Alanon sighed. At last he said, “Okay, come up and see what you can do.”

When she saw Barraccus lying deathlike on the bed, Quae looked close to tears again, but she was perfectly businesslike as she checked his vital signs, then cast a few spells. She sighed in frustration and shook her head, then looked up at Alanon. “I’m going to try to see where his spirit has gone, brother. Make sure nothing disturbs me please.” She sat next to the bed and settled into a trance.

Much later, when Alanon was about ready to wake her, she suddenly gave a loud groan, then opened her eyes and looked around. Alanon noted her pale face and brought her a cup of tea he had prepared. She took it gratefully, but after just a few sips she set it down. “I can’t reach him,” she said. “I think I’ve found him, but he’s not quite there. But I was able to see what did this to him.” She looked grim as she continued. “Alanon, those dreams he was having were of his family. They were all killed by some monstrous necromancer, and he was taken captive and turned into a death knight. He’s blaming himself. I don’t think he wants to live anymore.”

Alanon stared at her, then at Barraccus. “But is there anything you can do to help?” he asked. She gave a frustrated sigh. “I don’t know. If I could reach him perhaps…But it’s like he’s in some other world…” She tapered off, then suddenly turned to Alanon, grabbing his arm. “The Emerald Dream,” she said urgently. “Can you get me inside the Dream?” “Yes,” he replied. “But you’re not a druid, so it will be hard on you. It might be possible that Ysera will kick you out herself if she finds you.” “I’ll take that chance,” Quae said firmly. “Let’s try it now.”

Alanon stared at her in surprise. “Now? But you’re already tired, Quae. Are you sure you’re up to this?” She looked at him steadily, her gaze full of steely determination. “Do you think you can stop me?”



Barraccus floated in a world similar to the one he had left behind. Everything was covered with a green tint except for him, a little dark blot in the middle of the verdant landscape. He didn’t know where he was, but he didn’t care. The shock of his memory returning was too much. The fact that he had willingly become a death knight, a monster, shook him to the core, and on top of reliving his family’s deaths it was too much to bear. So he floated aimlessly.

He didn’t know how long he had been there when he became aware of another “blot” coming near him, this one almost pure white, a white that reminded him somehow of moonlight. It came right next to him, but he ignored it until he suddenly “heard” Quae’s voice.

Barraccus, you need to come back. Your body is dying.

He felt a shock at hearing her voice, and without thinking he replied No, please leave me here.

Barraccus, please, don’t do this. Why won’t you come back?

I…I left my family. I became a monster. Why should I come back to that? He wished she would go away. He didn’t want her to see him, or know all that he had done, but she wouldn’t let him be.

But we are your family now. What have we done that you want to leave us?

His voice was almost a sob. I betrayed my wife and my sons.

Barraccus, they were already dead. Her voice in his mind was gentle. There was nothing to betray.

I could have died with them!

Yes, you could have. But you’ve done so much good since you came to us. Would you have left all of that undone?

I became a monster!

You would have either way. I saw your memories and know what he said, and it was true. You were already turning. At least you were able to get away from him. As a ghoul it could have been much worse. And look at what you’ve done since Light’s Hope. You’re no more a monster than I am.

But… He was running out of arguments. Everything she said made sense, even through his grief. But I have nothing now. What do I have to live for if I do come back?

She was silent for a while, and he was afraid she would leave him. Then, softly, You have me.

…What?

Barraccus, I…I think I’m in love with you. Please, come back to us. Come back to me.

He didn’t know what to say. Before he could think of anything, another presence, this one green like the surrounding landscape, approached them, and Alanon’s voice came to both of them. Quae, you’re getting too weak. It’s time to go back. They both faded away, leaving him. Suddenly he cursed himself. He couldn’t leave them all like this; they had taken him in even though they hadn’t known anything about him. He thought he could see a faint trail of sorts, leading back toward where he sensed his body lay, and followed it.

Quae slowly came back to herself to find Alanon standing next to her, helping her stay upright. “I found him and talked to him, Alanon,” she said wearily. “Is there any change?” “No, not yet,” Alanon replied, but then Barraccus stirred, and they heard his weak voice, “Quae?” She sat upright, her wide eyes filling with tears, then with a sob she collapsed on top of him, hugging him tightly.

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That's it for Barraccus' story. Hope you enjoyed it. :)

I'm still going to write about these guys. Right now Crison and I are working on collaborating again, we'll see how that turns out. And I have a couple ideas for Caelan and Alanon, too.

Til next time, Happy Hunting!

Friday, April 17, 2009

Barraccus: The Past Returns

Before I start on this next part, I wanted to explain something. It seems like, story-wise, death knights all would have especially good reason to hate Arthas and want revenge on him, but when I originally made Barraccus, he had no reason. I also didn't really plan on his memory coming back. But his story kind of took off by itself, so I wound up needing to find a reason for him to want vengeance, and also a reason for his memory loss.

There are several ways to lose your memory. A blow to the head, hypnotism, maybe even some kinds of drugs could cause it. In a magic-based world like Warcraft, there are spells and curses that could cause amnesia as well. Or, you could have something so traumatic happen that your brain kind of shuts it away, to try and protect yourself. This is the reason I came up with for Barraccus' amnesia. So yes, this part is rather violent; if it bothers you, I apologize.

____________________________________________

The Lich King held Barraccus with his dark gaze. “I remember you,” he said coldly into his mind. “But you don’t remember everything about yourself, do you? Let me show you, death knight. I give you your memory back.” Then a dark presence filled his head, and he knew nothing for a long time. He gradually came back to the light, but to his surprise and dismay, he did not wake up. Instead, he found himself back in his dream, only now he somehow knew every detail.

Her name was Luraniel, and she was his wife. It was an arranged marriage, but it had worked well from the start, and they were soon all but inseparable. They had their first son, Talanel, after five years, and their second, Kureldar, after another ten. When Kure was a little over a year old, they decided to go on a trip to Lordaeron to visit with some cousins of Lu’s, who lived there with the humans. She had not heard from them for over a year, but didn’t think much about it because they were notoriously bad at keeping in touch. So they left on a warm spring morning, crossing the sea and taking horses across the land.

When they arrived, however, they both sensed that something was wrong. The landscape surrounding the city looked empty and sickened. They rode slowly through the diseased terrain, watching constantly for signs of danger or of other people. When they finally reached the cousins’ house, all they found was a burned-out shell, with a blackened skeleton sitting ominously just inside. Barraccus and Luraniel looked at each other, fear and worry mirrored in both their faces.

They had left the house and were making their way to the city of Lordaeron when the ambush came. The horses started snorting and fighting the reins, trying to bolt. Expert riders, Barraccus and Lu held them in firmly. The boys were both terrified by now, with Tal pressed tight against his father and Kure fussing in the carry-sling worn by Lu. Then the ghouls first appeared, coming out of the gloom silently but giving voice to shrieks and howls when they spotted the little family. The two night elves tried to run, kicking the horses and steering for where they thought the city was. They never reached it. More undead came up in front of them, some of them spellcasters that threw bolts of shadow at the horses, killing them instantly.

Barraccus and Luraniel tumbled from the fallen horses. Somehow they made it to their feet, and both boys were unharmed by the fall. Grabbing Tal up in his arms, Barraccus screamed at Lu, “Run!” and they both made a last dash toward what they hoped was safety. They were headed off by more ghouls. As the trap closed around them, the two night elves stood back-to-back, the young ones held between them protectively. The undead crept in from all sides, preparing to attack.

Suddenly the ring of ghouls parted, and a massive robed figure approached them. It looked at them with cruel red eyes from the depths of its black hood. Then a deep, cold voice rang out in their heads, “What are you living ones doing in my land?” The terrified elves made no answer; they just pressed closer together, trying to hide the boys. “As you wish,” the monstrosity in front of them said, and he turned to his army of undead. “Kill them.”

Barraccus felt all hope die at that moment. He gripped his sword tighter, determined that he would take as many of them as possible down with him. Next to him, Lu did the same.

The undead milled about them for several more minutes. When the attack came, it was unexpectedly swift. At least a dozen ghouls leaped at them with harsh screams. Barraccus struck as hard as he could and swept several aside, but to his horror, he saw the remainder snatch Talanel and drag him away faster than either parent could react. He froze as his son’s screams rang out, then ended abruptly in a gurgle, quickly drowned out by the growls and shrieks of the ghouls. Luraniel’s screams joined those of the undead. He had not gotten over his shock before they struck again, this time at his wife. Bony, filthy claws ripped through her clothes and into the flesh beneath, tearing her badly and ripping the carry-sling free. Blood was everywhere. He saw, with a sort of detachment, that the sling was ripped through in several places and becoming soaked with his younger son’s blood, and knew that Kure could not have survived the attack. Even as the thought was registering, another ghoul came closer and pulled the sling away.

Barraccus was suddenly, violently ill. As he heaved and retched, trying to stay on his feet and hold his sword out defensively, the cold, hard voice rang out again. “Hold, minions. Don’t kill these ones yet,” he said as he stepped forward again. His chilling eyes bored into both night elves, as if searching for something. Luraniel was moaning beside her husband, trying to hold her stomach together as blood poured from the gashes in her arms and torso. Finally the huge figure stepped back and waved to the nearest ghouls. “Finish her, but take him alive,” he commanded. Barraccus screamed out his fear and rage, and struck furiously as the ghouls lunged for his wife. Somehow he managed to fend them all off, smashing several of them into oblivion. He heard a bark of laughter from the ghastly figure, then a shouted command. He yelled again as several ghouls and a few animated skeletons surged at him, tearing his sword out of his hands and immobilizing him. Held fast, he was forced to watch as more undead went for his wife again, and they literally ripped her to pieces in front of him.

Barraccus went mad. He forgot everything around him except for destroying anything he could get his hands on. Fed from his fury and grief, his strength was such that he was able to pull free, and he killed a ghoul and two skeletons with his bare hands before a blow from behind sent him spiraling down into darkness.

When he woke, he was in a tiny, cramped cell. The floor was covered with filth and the decaying remains of its former occupants. He had barely gotten his bearings and was wondering why he was still alive when a hulking figure in dark robes came to his door and peered through the slot. Glowing red eyes studied him like he was some kind of insect. Finally a cold reptilian voice spoke to him. “You are the masster’ss now. He hass….planss… for you.” Before Barraccus could ask what it meant, the figure was gone.

He did not have long to wonder. Before long a pack of ghouls led by another red-eyed creature came and took him out of the cell, into another room which smelled even worse. It was a torture chamber, and they put it to good use. Barraccus lost his voice from screaming after the first hour, and passed out soon after.

The following weeks were a living hell. He was tortured nonstop, until all he could do, when they stopped and returned him to his cell, was lie limply on the filthy floor. His wounds festered and he became sick and feverish. In a rare moment of lucidity, he started wondering if he had caught the plague. The undead fed him every so often by forcing his mouth open and pouring in a thin, nasty gruel. He couldn't keep it down most of the time, and when he retched it up they would cuff him, like a misbehaving dog, and force it into him again. He had no way to keep track of time; for all he knew he had been there forever.

The physical torture, however, was nothing compared to the emotional torture they put him through. Whenever he was conscious, in the torture chamber or his cell, either the head necromancer or one of his underlings would fill his mind with images of the deaths of his wife and sons. The images were played over and over without end, until he passed out once again. He began to think he would do anything to end the suffering.

Finally, after he had been there about a month, the huge figure that had captured him returned. He was brought from his cell and dropped in front of the creature. His jailors stepped back with bows and whispers of “Here he isss, Masster.” The unholy eyes lowered to stare at Barraccus.

The voice spoke again in his head. “So, you are not much like you were when we first met, are you?” He chuckled, and the sound made Barraccus think of graves and moldering earth, and unfeeling ice. It was true; at this point he was little more than a skeleton, and only the rough ministrations of his jailors were keeping him alive. The Master continued, “You will die soon, there is no stopping it. You are infected with the plague, and when you do die, you will rise again as undead, under my control. What do you think of that, little slug?” Barraccus could not answer, he could barely hold onto consciousness. The figure leaned down, looking at him almost tenderly. “I can keep that from happening, of course. But before I do, you will swear your fealty to me, and serve me for the rest of your days. If you refuse, you will die, and I can make sure it is the most painful thing you have yet endured. What you have suffered so far will be a trifle. Do you understand?”

Barraccus managed to roll his red, bloodshot eyes upward toward the unearthly thing towering above him. He opened his mouth, but couldn't make anything come out but a whispering groan. The Master waited. Finally Barraccus whispered hoarsely, “I…swear. Please…make it…stop.” At that, the monster above him began to laugh, and his glowing eyes bored into Barraccus’ until they consumed everything, then it all went black.

The next time he woke, he was a death knight.

When the fighting was done, Riatha was the first to notice Barraccus collapsed on the ground, shuddering as if he was having a seizure. She called to the others as she ran to his side. They soon had him in bed in the closest inn, and Riatha sent word to Alanon. When the druid arrived, he first examined Barraccus, then cast several spells on him. Nothing seemed to make any difference. Finally, he and Riatha brought the death knight home.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Barraccus: Northrend

Quae walked out of the Theramore inn, letter in hand, and found a quiet place underneath a tree, then sat and opened it. She read it, then re-read it before folding it neatly and slipping it into her pocket. She felt a chill, even though the sun was shining down fiercely.

Barraccus was going to Northrend, the place where people were dying every day. She knew Alanon was staying alive and well there, but he was, well, Alanon. She hadn't met anyone yet as capable as her oldest brother. The thought of Barraccus going there... She firmly put the thought out of her head. Going by the postmark on the letter, he was probably already there, and there was nothing she could do.

The rest of the letter gave her quite different feelings. He missed her, and wanted to see her again. She had been half-afraid that he would forget her after she left, unlikely as that was. But now it seemed that he thought of her as often as she thought of him. She felt warmed by the thought, and wondered how long it might be before he was done there. After debating with herself for a good while, she decided to go visit her cousin Kal in Stormwind while she waited.

But as she saddled Jaxom, then walked him down the dock to the boat, she thought she could still feel the chill.
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Barraccus stepped off the boat onto the dock at Valiance Keep. He dodged his way through the bustling workers as he made his way to the keep proper. He was going to find someone to point him towards the inn when he found it himself, right off the docks. He stepped inside and waited for his eyes to adjust.

The inn had only a handful of people in the common room. He saw a surly old man, a few soldiers at the bar, and a gnome towards the back. Then he spotted a lone female night elf, at a table off to the side. He headed over, stopping next to the table and inquiring, "Riatha?" The elf looked up at him. "Yes? Are you Barraccus?" The rest of what she said was knocked out of his head when she turned her eyes up to his.



Glowing, blue eyes. Eyes like his own.

Riatha was another death knight.

The revelation made him dizzy for a second, then he abruptly snapped himself back to the present, stammering an apology as Riatha stared at him quizzically. She motioned him to the other chair, which he gladly took. He asked her about the mission he was supposed to help with, and she quickly explained it to him. There was a death knight named Thassarian that they had to find and aid however they could. All anyone knew was that he had gone north with a group of soldiers, and had disappeared near the Scourge temple there. They were to head there and start their search.

The two death knights left shortly after Riatha finished explaining their mission. They rode north as fast as their sabers could run, and found the soldiers' camp quickly.


The soldiers informed them that Thassarian hadn't exactly disappeared; he had holed up in a Scourge ziggurat nearby and wouldn't let anyone come near. There were horrible sounds coming from the ziggurat every now and then, though it certainly didn't sound like Thassarian was in trouble himself. The death knights looked at each other for a moment, then headed off.

"I doubt he's in trouble," Barraccus said while they rode. "Likely he's found a prisoner or two to question. Maybe all we'll have to do is bring back a report." Riatha glanced at him. "In a hurry to get back, are you?" she asked him, and he blushed. "There's.... someone I'd like to get back to," he said quietly, and she shrugged and nodded, then let the subject drop.

They reached the ziggurat shortly after, to find a cultist stumbling out. "That death knight is mad!" he shouted, then as they grabbed for him, he twisted away and ran off across the snow. They looked at each other and shrugged simultaneously. As they cautiously approached the door, they heard a low human moan, then a gibbering laugh that came from nothing natural. They quickened their steps and went inside.

Inside the ziggurat was the strangest scene that Barraccus had ever seen. A human death knight was holding a lich immobilized while his ghoul servant stood over another cultist, standing guard.

The death knight, Thassarian, glanced over at them. "Get in here. I've no time to waste," he said. He quickly began explaining the situation to the two night elves as they approached, never once losing his concentration on the spell that was holding the lich. Barraccus was duly impressed; he knew he wasn't strong enough to do what this human was doing. Thassarian told them he needed the lich's phylactery and instructed them on where to find it, then sent them off.

They returned in very short order, and he gave them their next orders. First he had them go to the temple and slaughter some of the Scourge, as a distraction. By the time they returned from that, he had extracted the information he needed from the lich, and gave them their next orders. They headed back to the temple, this time to find and kill three Scourge priests and bring back the scrolls they carried.


When they returned this time, Thassarian had...dealt... with the lich. Barraccus was glad he had done it while they were gone. He didn't think he would have wanted to see the lich's execution. Thassarian told them to rest; it was getting very late, the sun beginning to sink below the horizon. They would strike in the morning.

Sitting around a small campfire just outside the ziggurat, Barraccus and Riatha talked for a long while, keeping their voices low. Thassarian's ghoul patrolled the perimeter, so they didn't have to stand guard, but they were still careful. "What do you think it is exactly that we're going to be attacking?" Barraccus wondered. Riatha shrugged, her eyes on the fire. "If it's evil, it needs to be destroyed," she said quietly, but with surprising heat. Barraccus looked at her curiously, but she paid him no attention, her mind apparently someplace far away.

Thassarian appeared out of the darkness, looking down at them. "It is evil, and we are going to destroy it," he said. "You will need to be well rested." Taking the hint, Riatha sought her bedroll, but Barraccus delayed a bit longer, sensing the elder death knight's eyes on him. When he looked up, Thassarian was studying him. "Well met again, Barraccus. When I was teaching you in Acherus, I never imagined you would find the strength to free yourself. Then again," he said softly. "I didn't think I would either." He turned and walked away into the darkness.

Barraccus felt like he had been hit on the head. One of his teachers? He barely remembered parts of his training in Acherus, and none of it had been pleasant. Now, one of his trainers from that dark time in his life was here, and free of the Lich King, just as he was. It was a long time before he finally fell asleep.

He was gently kicked awake by Thassarian when dawn was just tinting the eastern sky a light grey. They prepared and ate a hurried breakfast, then packed their gear onto the two sabers. Leaving their mounts with Thassarian's deathcharger, Dusk, they set out toward the temple. Thassarian stopped them just outside. "I will meet you at the top. Don't delay." He quickly told them where the transporter they needed was, then walked away. Barraccus and Riatha looked at each other, then headed in.

They made it to the teleporter without trouble. Using it made Barraccus feel a bit ill; it felt a little like his insides were spinning until he landed in the flying ziggurat above. Riatha seemed to take it better than he, and led the way to the second portal. They stepped out to find Thassarian waiting for them.

What followed was little more than confusion to Barraccus. The figure they confronted was dimly familiar to him- another of his trainers? This Prince Valanar had apparently taken over the minds of two people, the leader of the Alliance forces at Valiance and a girl, who turned out to be Thassarian's sister. Then someone that none of them had expected appeared. The Lich King, Arthas, himself.


They traded words with Thassarian for several minutes, but Barraccus couldn't have told anyone later what they said. His old master, here! He glanced at Riatha. Her face was set; though fear showed in her eyes she looked ready to take Arthas' head off at a word. He looked back, and froze. Arthas was staring right at him, and as soon as Barraccus' eyes met those of the Lich King he was snared, unable to move or think. When the battle finally started, he just stood there for several minutes, then collapsed onto the cold stone.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

We interrupt this story...

...For a quick recap, since the patch is out now and I haven't done one in a while. I'm not doing too much dual-speccing right now, only Boogga and Alanon have it so far. I will be dual-speccing Taurron when he has the gold, and Taurros will sometime, maybe when he's 80. I plan on dual-speccing Caelan too, but that will be a long time in the future at the rate she is leveling.

So what are the specs?

Boogga- BM- 51/15/5 and MM-7/57/7
Alanon- Boomkin- 58/0/13 and Resto- 14/0/57
(exact specs not decided)
Taurron- prot and dps, probably arms with the buff its gotten
Taurros- bear tank and kitty dps, yes I know they're both feral but hey, it's Taurros, remember?*
Caelan- MM and BM for in case she runs into a spirit beast while leveling. Probly roughly the same specs as Boogga.

I may dual-spec Quae for shadow and heals, haven't decided yet and depends on what the guild needs.

Boogga has his first Ulduar run scheduled for Friday, we'll see how it goes. We've also started Sarth with 1 drake up, haven't gotten him down yet though.

Alt-leveling-wise, I haven't done much except that Khaotíc and Rajast (shammy) have both gotten a level, that puts them at 34 and 36, respectively. I'm feeling an itch to really power-level Khaotíc though, so I'll probably do that my next day off work.

I haven't checked out the Argent tournament yet. Yes, I'm lazy, sue me. :)

Alanon had his first raid, we did Naxx soon after he dinged 80. He missed the first night so this was just finishing up, plus Sapph and KT. 2 pieces of druid t7 dropped, but he lost the roll for both. He did get new gloves and a new ring, though, so I was still happy.

Ummm, can't think of anything else. I have one more chapter to actually write for Barraccus, then the rest is already pretty much written out & I'll just need to copy/paste. :) So his story should be wrapped up pretty soon, and I can get back to more hunter stories!

Til next time, Happy Hunting!


*For those that don't know, Taurros the druid has been feral, and only feral, since the 1.8 patch. I refuse to respec him, the closest he has ever come to not feral has been a 0/30/21 spec in our MC-raiding days, because my guild always made me heal.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Barraccus: Letters

Alanon,

It feels like it's been months since Caelan's party, instead of a few weeks. I've been very busy here. The Kurenai are easy to get along with and don't mind at all that I'm a death knight. They have been very grateful of the help I've given with their ogre problem. They still remember you, Kel and Jahira, just like the druids in Zangarmarsh, which I think is rather amusing. You all really have gotten around, haven't you?

I found a rather crazy dwarf here in Nagrand as well. He said he was a hunter, but he didn't seem much interested in hunting to me. Instead, he wanted me to do it all! I did what he asked, and he gave me some...."prizes", I guess. The animals he sent me against weren't very difficult to defeat, to be honest. I think he likes to exaggerate, as well as being lazy.

Tell Pitch that I've found a topper to his devilsaur tale. An animal known as a clefthoof, as big as our house! The locals call him Banthar, and he was quite impressive.

That's all I can think of for now, and the leader here wanted me to go investigate some cultist activity nearby. They are afraid the Burning Blade are spreading to Nagrand, so I have my orders to carry out. I will write again soon, if I don't see you first.

Barraccus

________________________

Barraccus,

I am glad to hear you are well, and fitting in nicely with the Kurenai. But I'm afraid your time there might have to be cut short. Most of us here in Northrend have our hands full in Icecrown, trying to slow or stop the Lich King's forces. We need more help in other areas. As soon as you are able, take the boat from Stormwind Harbor to Borean Tundra. Look for my cousin Riatha at the Valiance Keep inn. She will take you to a death knight named Thassarian. He has defected and joined the Alliance, and needs help with a special mission.

Please hurry. I have a feeling that this could be important, for all of us.

Alanon

__________________________

Quae,

Well, I said I would write. I think you will like Nagrand, if we all survive Arthas' schemes and you get to come here. The Kurenai here are quite interesting. They told me that they're descended from Rhokk's people, if you can believe that. Although I do see a resemblence at times, they generally look very different from Rhokk.

I wish I could spend more time here, but Alanon just sent me a letter asking me to come to Northrend. I hope I am ready.

(The next part looks like the paper is almost worn through, as if it had been written and then rubbed out several times.)

Would you want to meet at the house again when I'm done with this mission Alanon has for me? I would like to see you again. I'll send word when I'm through here and you can let me know then.

I miss you.

Barraccus

Barraccus: Unanswered Questions

I've been making up for lost time, haven't I? >.>
__________________________________


Barraccus woke early the next morning, and took a moment to get his bearings. He could feel Quae’s warmth next to him and hear her steady breathing as she slept. The previous night came back to him, including the troubling dream. He slid out of bed carefully so as not to wake her, then dressed silently and went downstairs.

When Quae came down the stairs, also dressed now, he was sitting at the kitchen table with a mug of tea. She smiled at him shyly, no longer teasing, and he returned it. Neither of them said anything for a good while, as Quae set about making some breakfast, then she sat down with her own teacup. “Have you figured out anything more about your dream?” she asked him. He sighed. “Not yet. I can’t force anything to come. Believe me, I’ve tried. All I can do is wait for something new to show itself, and try to make sense of it.” He stared broodingly into his teacup, feeling overwhelmed by frustration.

Quae reached across the table to place her hand on his. “It’s all right, Barraccus. It will come, eventually. Please, don’t drive yourself mad because of this.” He looked up at her. She was watching him gravely, a worried expression on her face. He shrugged, then smiled wryly. “I’m trying not too.” He fell silent after that.

Neither of them spoke much while they ate. Barraccus picked at his food, not really hungry, and watched Quae out of the corner of his eye. He could feel a new kind of rapport between them, after what they had shared last night. Even when they finally began to make small talk again, neither of them mentioned what had passed between them; they didn't need to.

After breakfast they checked around the house and found nothing more that needed repairs or cleaning. Quae asked Barraccus how long he was going to stay. “I thought maybe a week,” he replied. “Well,” she said unhappily. “I don’t really want to leave you here alone with your dreams unsolved, but I need to get back. I should probably leave today.” He nodded, hiding his disappointment. He helped her pack the few things she needed, then stood at the doorway and watched as she fastened her saddlebags to Jaxom, her spotted saber. Finished, she came back to his side. “Goodbye, Barraccus, until next time,” she said, then before he could reply, she stretched up and kissed him firmly on the mouth. He stared after her as she mounted her saber, then rode away.

After she left, he puttered around the house, picking up a few things and trying to read. Not surprisingly, his thoughts kept coming back to Quae. He wondered what her feelings were exactly. Did she love him? For that matter, did he love her? He wasn't sure yet at this point, but he missed her already.

When he was finally able to put Quae from his mind, he found himself thinking of his dreams again. He didn’t know why he was dreaming of the night elf and her young ones, but he was starting to draw his own conclusions. The problem was that he did not want to be right. “I don’t remember her, yet I dream of her every night,” he thought to himself out loud. At this point he was picking up the books he had gotten out and placing them back on the shelves. “She has two small children, but I never see their father. I feel like she is important to me, but I don’t know why. What if….” He couldn’t complete the thought, but it was there all the same. What if he was the father?



The quiet and solitude started to get to him after only a few days, so he reluctantly packed his things and started back to the Dark Portal. The Kurenai at Telaar welcomed him back when he arrived there, and he continued with what he had been doing before he left.

Monday, April 13, 2009

Barraccus and Quae

So, yeah, this one is more PG-13 than the others. Actually, kind of alot more. You've been warned.

_________________________________

When Barraccus arrived at the house, he was surprised to find Quae there. She was equally surprised to see him, but accepted his explanation of a need to take a break without comment. She had gone back to Feralas, she explained, but had heard of a big storm coming through the area, and had returned to make sure everything was all right and fix or clean up whatever was needed. She had found a couple loose shingles on the roof, and Barraccus willingly volunteered to go up and fix them in the morning.

That night he dreamed again. It didn’t change much from the last time, but still it rattled him. He had half-hoped that since he hadn't had his dream every night while he was in Azeroth, maybe he would have some relief from it this time as well. Obviously he had been wrong. He was distracted all through the following day as he fixed the shingles, then helped Quae clean up some large branches that had fallen into the yard. As night fell, it hit him that he and Quae were alone there. He inquired after the others at supper that night, and she told him that they had all left shortly after he had, and were all still out wherever they had gone; she didn’t expect any of them to return anytime soon, which was why his arrival had so surprised her. She explained all that without her usual teasing, which made him wonder if something was wrong, but he decided if she didn't want to tell him, it was none of his business.

His dream changed suddenly that night. It started the way it had before, with the night elf and her two little ones, but slowly something dark and terrifying slipped into the dream. It was nothing visible, just a darkness hovering around the edges and a sense of fear throughout. Then the cradle was on its side, a blood-stained blanket peeking out. The little boy on her lap began crying silently, a look of such terror on his face that Barraccus couldn't imagine what he might be looking at. Then he too vanished, followed by the rest of the dream.

Barraccus floated in darkness for a little while before it gradually came back. The scenery had changed, becoming a field in an area he felt that he should know. The female night elf was crouching in the field, looking at him with sad eyes. In the next moment, she was suddenly covered in blood, and her mouth opened in an endless, silent scream. He sensed, more than saw, hundreds of shapes in the darkness around her, all closing in for the kill.

Barraccus awoke with a shout of fear and denial. He was drenched in sweat, the blanket twisted around him. Shaking from the shock of his dream, he straightened it out, then tried to lay back down. But he was far too uptight now. He sat up and wrapped the blanket around himself, then suddenly tears were streaming down his face. He knew that whoever the elf was, something horrible had happened to her and her young ones. But what? And why was he dreaming about her?

He heard a whisper of sound and then Quae was standing next to him. She looked at him for a moment, then sat down next to him, putting an arm around his shoulders. He leaned against her as the tears continued running down his cheeks. Suddenly he had to say something. “They- they’re all dead,” he said softly. “I don’t know what killed them, but it was nothing I recall seeing before.” Quae grew alarmed, looking at him with wide eyes. “Who is dead?” she asked. “Not any of the others?” He shook his head. “No, it’s in my dreams. I’ve been having them every night since I went through the Dark Portal. There’s a female night elf and her two children. But something horrible happens to them, and I can’t see it clearly enough to tell what.” Quae sat in silent thought for a few minutes. “Could it be your memories returning?” she asked hesitantly. Barraccus shuddered. “If it is, I don’t think I want to know any more.”

Quae said nothing after that, she just sat with her arm still draped around him. Suddenly Barraccus was acutely aware of two things- they were alone in the house, and underneath her thin robe Quae was wearing as little as he was under his blanket. He tried to put the thought out of his head, but he could feel himself reacting to her nearness. It surprised him; being an undead, he hadn’t thought that he would feel such things anymore. He knew he should let her go back to bed, but he really didn't want her to leave yet, so he tried to ignore it. It didn’t work. He was aware of her in a way that was almost painful. He could feel the heat of her body, smell the mageroyal she used in her bath; he even thought he could hear her heart beating.

Finally he couldn't stand it any more, and gently pulled back from her. She did not get up and leave, but stayed sitting next to him, her hand coming to rest on his knee. He gently covered her hand with his, and then looked up at her face. “Q- Quae?” he said softly, and she looked up at him. Her eyes widened at the look on his face, her own expression changing several times. He saw surprise, nervousness, and a strange longing cross her face, though not fear. But then, she had never been afraid of him. Her expression calmed after a long minute, then she moved closer as he leaned toward her, and their lips met.

That kiss was like an electrical shock through his body. The world seemed to fade away, except for the two of them...

Much later, he finally fell asleep, listening to her breathing beside him. The dream did not return that night.

Quae and Alanon: Discovery

Quae stood on the porch and watched Barraccus ride off, then went back into the house and fixed herself a cup of tea. She took it with her as she walked out to the spot on the beach where she and Barraccus had been the other day, and sipped it while she sat down and watched the waves.

She liked Barraccus, very much. But she wasn't sure how much he liked her, and he seemed so dense sometimes! She wondered if she should just tell him what she felt, but she didn't want to make a fool of herself if he didn't feel the same way. She also had the feeling sometimes that he was hiding something, though she didn't know what it could be.

After an hour or so, she stood up and went back to the house. Alanon was up by then, poking around in the kitchen for breakfast. He looked up when she entered and said," Oh good. Quae, I want to show you something, but don't tell any of the others about it." She followed him out to the main room, feeling puzzled, and watched as he looked through one of the bookshelves. He turned with a letter in his hand. "I wrote to the head of the Darnassus Sentinels several days ago, and finally got an answer. Barraccus told me that he thought he might have been a Sentinel before he became a death knight. Here, tell me what you think." He handed her the letter.

Dear sir,

Regarding your request for information about a Sentinel named Barraccus. We have no one of that name in our forces right now, so I went through our archives. We did have someone by that name with us several years ago. Unfortunately, he and his family left to visit relatives in Lordaeron, and they disappeared. Shortly after this was when we learned that Lordaeron had been taken by the Scourge. We believe they are dead. Please accept our condolences if this Barraccus was a friend or relative of yours.

Quae looked at her brother, eyes wide. "So now we know roughly when it happened. All that's left is how, and what happened to his family," she said, and he nodded. "I think that he needs to find this out on his own. Don't tell anyone else, and do not mention it to him, please," he said, and she nodded.

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Barraccus: Heading off again

Barracus was still blushing when they reached the house. Every time he stopped, he started thinking of what Quae had said, and would start turning red again. After sitting with the others for awhile, he finally had to go out by himself and try to regain his composure. While he was gone, Alanon asked Quae what she had done to him. She just shrugged while trying not to laugh.

Barraccus stayed one more day before leaving to return to Zangarmarsh. He spent most of that day with Quae again, though this time he sought out her company as much as she did his. He felt more relaxed around her after the conversation they had had on the beach. She seemed much more at ease around him as well, as if he had passed a test with her. She still teased him mercilessly, but the teasing was punctuated by moments of seriousness that reminded him of her brother Alanon.

The next morning he got up early as usual, and quietly retrieved his packed saddlebags and went outside to get Oscor. After strapping the packs onto the saber's saddle, he turned away to look at the house once more. He was startled to see Quae on the porch, watching him disapprovingly. She came over while he stood there looking guilty. "Not going to say goodbye, huh?" she asked him. He stuttered a couple times, then fell silent. "Well," she said. "You didn't get away from me at least. I can pass your goodbyes on to the others." He nodded, still feeling guilty. "Um, goodbye, Quae. I don't know when I'll be back, but I'll see you all then," he said. "I'll write, too."

She just stared at him. They stood in rather awkward silence for a minute, then she suddenly smiled wryly. "You really don't have a clue, do you?" she asked, then before he could answer, she reached out and patted his cheek. "Well, if my brother had to bring a death knight home, at least he found a cute one," she said. "I might be afraid to be out here alone with you otherwise." Barraccus blurted out without thinking, "You don't seem to be afraid of anything." He immediately started blushing furiously, but she didn't say anything; in fact, she looked rather pleased.

"You better get going before the others wake up, then you'll never get out of here," she told him, her serious expression belied by the twinkle in her eyes. With that, she turned and went back to the house.

Barraccus turned back and mounted Oscor, then rode out of the yard, thoroughly confused now. He glanced back once before the trees hid the house from view. Quae was back on the porch, watching him go.

He didn't remember much of the trip back to the Portal, his thoughts were too much in a whirl. He had the feeling Quae had wanted him to do or say something, but he didn't know what. He was glad when he arrived back in the 'Marsh, and was able to distract himself by keeping busy. He wished that his dreams were that easy to forget too, though. As soon as he had returned to Outland, they came back every night without fail.

He had only been there for about a week before the Kurenai he found there suggested he go on to their main village of Telaar, in the neighboring plains of Nagrand. He readily agreed, and set out the next day.

He decided to stop at Shattrath and see the once-great city on his way to Telaar. Upon his arrival, he found a boy willing to show him around in exchange for a few coins. The "tour" ended at the Aldor Rise, where he paid the boy, then took the lift up and got a room at the inn. He went ahead and got something to eat, even though he wasn't really hungry, then went back to his room, lay on the bed, and waited for his dream to come.



The dreams had continued to become more vivid. While they had at first simply been visions of the mysterious night elf female, they had taken on more detail, showing a house with rooms that were both familiar and strange. Within a few days of his coming to Shattrath, they changed again. His first dream that came at the Draenei city showed the female elf sitting in a large window, then he slowly became aware of a cradle next to her. The next few nights were the same, with the cradle gaining more details each time. He thought he was beginning to understand what was happening in the dream, but he couldn't make it change any faster than what it already was.

He went on to Telaar after spending a few days in Shattrath, resting. The Kurenai provided a welcome distraction, with their need for help against the ogres, who were attacking them without mercy. He could not get away totally from the dreams, however. During his second week there, a small night elven boy appeared in her lap, and he became aware that there was a second baby in the cradle. But where was the father? He still had no clue.

He was aware that he was becoming obsessed with his dream, even worse than he had been about regaining his memory. Finally he decided to try to get away for a little while. He packed his things and headed back to Ashenvale, planning to go back to Alanon’s house and stay for a few days.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Alanon:Ding!


My second 80!!! :)

Now for the joys of gearing up for raids....

While leveling Barraccus to boot. He got the nod for my next project.

Hopefully my horde guild won't forget me, hehe.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

So you want to write a story

Found a nice post written by TooManyAnnas about writing a story for your character. I've been following many of the guidelines she lists, but it was nice reading the things I didn't know, and knowing that there were a few things I was doing right. Go check it out, if you're interested.

I haven't been posting much game-type stuff lately, I know, so here's a recap of what I've been up to:

Alanon is 91% of the way thru 79, he will hit 80 tomorrow before Boogga's raid if it kills me. Speaking of Boogga, he has 4 pieces of his t7 set now, don't remember if I've mentioned it before. Barraccus is level 70 and is building up rest for when I get his backstory caught up, while leveling his inscription. I'm hoping to have it maxed soon.

Boogga's chimaera Gwaihera dinged 80 on Friday, I was going to take her to the raid but we had to call it, as no one showed up. We went Monday instead and cleared Naxx and OS. Gwai did a good job, but Boo's dps took a hit, as I expected. I switched her out for Samurai when we got to Sapphiron and Kel'thuzad.

Caelàn is up to 34 and is busy keeping all 3 of her pets up with her. She ought to have her horse soon, she is over halfway thru revered and she hasn't touched Southshore or Stranglethorn yet. Khaotíc is 33 or 34, can't really remember which right now. I'm looking at hitting level 40 with her ASAP, and running her thru instances to collect her mail armor will help with that. She is sticking with Alti as she levels, so pet leveling hasn't been an issue. I'll have some work to do getting Maelthra caught up tho. :(

Can't think of anything else, it's late and I need to crash. Til next time Happy Hunting!

Monday, April 6, 2009

Barraccus: "What is it like?"


Barraccus and Alanon went back to the house to find the others all up and about. Kelesaria had gone the night before, despite the late hour, and now Caelan was preparing to leave. "Ah'm goin' t'get mehself a 'orse from them Stormwind folks eff it's the last thing ah do," she said as she packed her bags. "Ah've got them almost convinced ta sell meh one, jus' need a lil more time wit'em." Rhokk also said he needed to go soon, as he was expected in the Plaguelands, but the rest of them were in no hurry to leave just yet.

Barraccus found himself spending most of the day with Quae. Whether he was off by himself or talking and joking with the others, she was always nearby. She was back to her old teasing self, but now he tried to come back each time with a retort of his own. She seemed delighted whenever he did, and he began to get the feeling that she was deliberately trying to get him to respond.

Late that afternoon, he finally got tired of being around so many people, and went out for a walk in the forest. He didn't get far before he noticed Quae following him again, and he slowed until she caught up. She gave him a shy smile as she said, "I hope I'm not intruding." "No, I don't mind," he replied. They continued on to the beach at the Zoram Strand, where Barraccus found a clear patch of grass for them to sit, and they just watched the waves breaking on the shore for a while. Barraccus soon became aware that Quae was watching him more than the waves, but tried to ignore it as much as possible. Just when he was starting to feel uncomfortable, Quae finally broke the silence.

"Barraccus, can I ask you a question?" she said hesitantly. He looked at her curiously as he replied, "Sure." She fidgeted for a bit, then looked up at him and asked, "What is it like to be a death knight?" He stared at her incredulously for a moment, and she dropped her gaze. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to. I was just wondering, that's all." "No, it's all right," he said quickly. "I'm just not sure I know what you mean." She looked at him searchingly, then shrugged uncertainly. "What is it like? You know, do you feel the same things as we do, like hunger and such? Things like that."

Barraccus sighed, then looked up at the sky for a long minute, thinking. Finally he said, "Well, we're not exactly walking corpses. I do feel pain, I bleed, and I can be killed like a normal person. But on the other hand, I've found that cold doesn't bother me. I do need to eat sometimes, but I don't really feel hunger, not like you would. And I don't need to sleep much. I tried it once, while I was in Zangarmarsh. I went 3 full days without sleep, and it didn't really affect me. So just a few hours at night is plenty for me." He glanced over at her, to see if this was what she meant. She was watching him intently, listening. "Um, I'm a lot stronger than anyone else my size would be. I also heal faster, especially if I use certain abilities that death knights are taught. I think my reflexes are faster than most, though a trained and experienced fighter would probably match me. And then," he finished quietly, "there's the other skills we are taught." "Like your ghoul?" she asked, and he nodded. There was a long pause before he added, "I don't remember much of my training at Acherus. I'd just as soon not talk about it." He glanced at her, a little defensively.

Quae just stared at him intently for a bit. "As a priestess," she said finally, "I've been trained to fight undead. It's what we do best, usually. The only undead I've ever seen are the Scourge infesting Duskwood, and they're as similar to a death knight as a squirrel is to a night elf." Barraccus chuckled a bit at that. "Maybe a raving, mad squirrel," he said, and she smiled briefly at his attempt at humor. "So all my training has been to fight, to destroy undead," she continued. "They're monsters, most of them, and we need to protect ourselves from them. Then my brother brings one home."

He felt a faint chill at her words. "So you didn't really know what to expect, did you?" he asked softly, and she shook her head, looking at him soberly. "Not at all. But you know what? You're not much different than any of us. I've heard of death knights that have escaped Arthas, but they still behave like monsters. But you... you're normal." He laughed at that, he couldn't help it, and she blushed. "You know what I mean," she muttered, and he stopped laughing, though he still wore a grin. "Yes, I know what you mean, and it means a lot to me. Thank you, I think." She made a face at him and threw a clump of grass, which he ducked.

Barraccus stood up and stretched, then held a hand out and helped Quae to her feet. "I think it's about time we got back, before someone starts looking for us," he said. She grinned impishly at him. "Oh, I don't know if they'd look for us. They probably think we're off cuddling somewhere." She laughed as he stopped in his tracks, blushing furiously. "Wait, they wouldn't really think that, would they?" he asked, but she just laughed at him and started off to the house ahead of him. He followed, still blushing.

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Barraccus: Dreams

Sorry about the wait for this. I was going to combine this with the next chapter, since it's short, but that one is taking too long to write, so I figured I'd go ahead and post this. Enjoy!
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Barraccus woke with a start. It took him a moment to remember where he was- on the couch again at Alanon's house- then he lay back down with a near-silent groan. The house was still dark, the dim, pre-dawn light just starting to show through the windows. He looked over to Pitch's corner; it was hard to tell, but it looked like the two druids there were still asleep. He knew he probably wouldn't sleep any more now, so he quietly got up, wrapped his blanket around his shoulders and went outside.

He found the log where he'd been sitting last night, and sat down. The sky was light enough that he couldn't see the stars, but right now he didn't care. He just sat and thought back on the previous night.



Quae had sat with him for a long time, longer than he would have thought she would. When it began to grow chilly she had finally coaxed him back inside with the others. He had half-expected her to continue with her teasing when they went in, but she had kept mostly quiet, though she had given him a look as she had gone upstairs to bed.

He had to admit to himself now that he rather enjoyed her company, especially when she wasn't teasing him. He remembered Alanon telling him that she liked him, and wondered about his own feelings. She was a friend, that was sure, but he didn't know yet if what he was feeling was anything more than that.

He had gone to bed himself shortly after that, and that led to what was troubling him the most. His dream had come back. It rattled him; when he didn't have it the first night, he had thought that maybe it had left him. And it had changed. The mysterious night elf was still there, but he felt a sort of darkness and sadness all through the dream. Thinking of it now, he shivered. He didn't know what that meant, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to find out.

He had lost track of time, and when his ruminations were suddenly interrupted by a nudge at his elbow, he realized it was well past dawn. He looked down at his side, then grinned at the large black cat and moved over on the log to make room. Alanon shifted out of his cat form and sat next to him. "Didn't sleep well?" the druid asked. "Well enough," Barraccus answered. "The dream I've been having came back last night." "Ah, yes. You were going to tell me about that," Alanon prompted him, so Barraccus told him all he could remember of it, including the strange feeling it had had last night.

When he finished, Alanon sat lost in thought for several minutes. Finally he said, "I have no idea what this could mean. I think there is a possibility that you're right, and it's your memories trying to come back. But I can't tell anything from them without knowing anything about your past, Barraccus. I'm afraid we'll have to wait and see." The death knight sighed, but agreed, and they went back to the house.

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Achievements and Frustrations

Tonight's Naxx went well, as seems to be usual. We cleared 3 wings, Construct, Military, and Spider, and Boogga got his t7 leggings and a new cloak (which unfortunately dropped his hit rating even lower /sigh. I'm hanging on to his old one just in case.). In the spider wing we all got our Arachnophobia achievement with 9 seconds to spare. Lol.

Then I ran into a hunter in Dalaran. Guess what s/he had.



I know I've said I'm done looking for Loque. I'm tired of running laps and never seeing a whisker, then going to someone's blog and reading about how they found and tamed him. I'm just tired of the disappointment. But after seeing this guy, I wound up heading to Sholazar.

4 laps of the map while spamming my target macro later, and still nothing. I think I might actually drive myself crazy sometime. I would love to hear from someone... is there anyone else that has been looking for Loque or King Krush, and never seen a scale or whisker? I'm finding it hard to believe that my luck is this bad. I mean, it's been 5(?) months since Wrath launched, Boogga was level 76 in a few weeks and I've been looking ever since. I have seen Krush ONCE, dead, and Loque might as well not even exist.

So now, on to my other frustration. Barraccus is now level 69 and in Northrend. He has done the quest chain to get his shiny blue axe. But, his story has been stuck for awhile now because I've been having writer's block. The quest he just completed is very important to his story, and now I feel like I shouldn't be playing him until his story gets caught up with where he is in-game, but I have a LOT to cover. For now I am trying to get Alanon to 80, but Barraccus has been fun, and I want to play him. So I don't know what I'm going to do at this point.

Don't want to leave this on a rant, so I'm wrapping this up with a brag moment. First, on the Grand Widow Faerlina fight, Boogga came in at #1 on the damage meter. Second one requires an explanation. My alliance guild master was discussing hunter pets a couple days ago, particularly BM pets. I mentioned that Samurai has done 1k dps by herself on multiple raids. She didn't believe me, so here is my proof (even though she probably won't ever see this heh). The recount for Patchwerk from tonight:



(And yes, my raid UI is messy >.<)

That's it for now, hopefully I will have another chapter for Barraccus finished soon. Til next time Happy Hunting!