August 2008 Highlights

WOW!  What an event...

* Seeing a lot of new faces!  Welcome, everyone!

* Sleeping in a tent instead of the kitchen cubby - SO much nicer outside, and more room, too!  We got to decorate, which we don't usually have room for inside.

* Winning a free event... WTF?  I donated it to someone who needed it due to financial constraints.

* All the looks on people's faces when I brought out the Ginger Beer & Espresso Soda.

* Learning Lit: Goblinoid from Wally's NPC

* Realizing I did, in fact, have Lit: Sylvan on my card.

* Gypsy lessons, LONG overdue.

* The Chess Match!  It was a joy to watch, seeing all the wonderful matchups.

* Getting a belt holster for my SIGG bottles.  SO useful.

* Making the decision last event not to learn Cavalier as Gideon, then plot this month reversing that in a heartbeat.

* Photos!  Thank you, Adi, for taking so many... and that's just one camera!  I expect we'll see a lot of good combat shots this batch. 

I'm still shocked by how this event turned out.  I had such great RP in the last event, I didn't expect it to be topped so soon, but it was and in spades.  I'd like to thank everyone who made the event as wonderful as it was, I had a great time as Galen was brought to the lowest he's ever been in his life, and it was due to everyone I've played with, PC or NPC, that this was possible.  This turned out to be an appropriate (if tragic, IG) sendoff for me as I take a brief leave of absence from playing, and I loved every minute of it.

I won't go into details right now as I'm very tired and out of it, but hoo boy, this was great stuff.  I'm going to enjoy the consequences of this, even though my character likely won't.

Face-grab to head-butt.
Pissing off more nigh-unkillable evil villains that I ever care to in the span of 1 event.
The chess match was pretty awesome, even when it did erupt into a brawl.
First time in a long time I've been scared out of my wits and it was awesome.

The chess match was pretty awesome, especially when it did erupt into a brawl.

Fixed.  Anyway, my highlights for the event that marked my 10 Year Anniversary of coming to KR:
Birthday cake and song.  Thanks everyone, it really did mean a lot.
Headbutting spiders and proving that just puffing out your chest can, in fact, deflect attacks.
Ridiculously huge (and awesome) sword.
Chess match and main mod were both sweet, even though I got utterly roflstomped by the Queen.
Getting to know the town (for the 4th time in the past 5 years) as a new character, while annoying at points, always leads to discovering different aspects and new relationships with characters you've known from one angle for a while.
Realizing how amazingly comfortable a kilt really is, even though 75 sq. ft of wool tends to get a little warm in direct sunlight.
Before main mod, looking at the bonus stats from the 'Knight' buffs, and realizing that, with Leap, I became a Final Fantasy Dragoon.
All in all, it was a really awesome event, and a great one to come back for.

this event was a lot more than i expected it to be and i was glad to be proven wrong. I honestly expected to be bored considering my buddies Aranu, Tobias and Tobar were not there to entertain me, buti discovered some new faces that entertained me just as much.

Friday-
-NPCing as brigands that robbed and burned a caravan. Having our leader charmed by Gideon and then being told to make a run for it at the first chance we get. Considering Lethias was part of the party that came for us i doubted very highly that i would make a clean break but surprisingly i did!
-Waking up in the middle of the night to Rayven freaking out that he heard the Order of Sorrow (specifically Tyrius) galavanting around town wasting people and then laughing at him if he asked if i were coming. When your husband tells you that he got a letter saying "your life or your wife" you don't go running out in the darkness to seek your own death.

Saturday-
-waking up to wolves looking for food and then laughing when Rayven says "please go away i'm really tired" then actually having them leave!
-waiting around the inn for something to show up so i could hit it.
-Learning and RPing Florentine and Weapon Prof with Rayven. It was quite the experience and i realize i'm very bad with a dagger! LOL
-Actually getting to use my new skill against NPC's who found out how quick i can actually strike in my bulky armor.
-loving the fact that Zach still got sent out as an NPC that could sing at feast.
-loving fest in general.
-meeting the sylvans (i think they were sylvans) and having red war paint smeared on my face as a "war dancer" (which i HATED getting off by the way! it really wanted to turn my whole face pink!)
-main mod which was just amazing!
-going int negative about 5 times during main mod, swinging 7 divine on m main hand and 5 divine on my dagger, and almost dying beside Rayven. We both would have been dead if it weren't for having Preserve life cast upon us and Galen's quick healing skills! Thank you again my friend!
-having my weapons lost during main mod and then thankfully having someone find them again.
-missing out on our porch party but getting some well needed rest.
-BATTLE GYPSY and the DARKHEART EXPRESS! i love you Ella Rea

Sunday-
-waking up to a nice man bringing us hot chocolate. (this is 2 out of three times i haven't been woken up by something trying to kill me!)
-selling donuts at breakfast and making a nice amount of coin off of it.
-being depressed that i was only back to swinging 4 and 2 again. lol
-giving Ella Rea a borrowed silver from Galen to watch her try and hoolah hoop for my entertainment.
-having fun with Ella Rea and then watching Galen mess around with the hoolah hoop.
-going after the dark druid and having my right arm severed. I was just saying 5 minutes before how i had never lost a limb in Travance! Last time i say something like that! i need to watch my mouth or it could be my own funeral!
-and last but certainly not least, right before the cleanup hold talking with Aliester and he was mentioning how he completely bursted this guys bubble and he said "i just kicked this guys puppy" and while imitating punting a small animal his other foot came out from under him and he landed right on the ground! i hadn't laughed so hard all event and at that point i really needed it.

overall i was very impressed. Character wise Pracika was a little down after main mod considering she had to watch her husband fall knowing she could not heal him; knowing she could do nothing to protect his body; knowing she was close to death herself; and knowing that if she went down that Arwed was in good hands. She went out fighting and struggling the whole time, but she feels very inadequate and feels as if she should be better at how she fights and her lack of healing skills. 

Wow!  Amazing.  Best Event Ever!!  Ah, the hell with clichés.  This one deserves better.  It was an honor to be on the same stage as everyone else.  No one brought their A game – all brought their career performances.  Think of Shakespeare’s Henry V St. Crispian Day speech.  I am still astounded.

Part 1  The Chess Game: 
Quags, bum ankle, aching back, sweat coming from every pore, arms tired, beaten but refusing to quit, crawling on his knees to engage his opponent.

Logan/Matt as a big pawn in an equally hopeless fight against the Jester’s Queen (Jackie, you played a delicious bitch to perfection – if I wore a hat it would be tipped).  The rolling, releasing your shield, avoiding the color sprays, reaching to hit the Queen for 9 here, 6 there.  Her haughty walk/mince after evoking wind walker #8.  Matt was defeated, but uncowed to the end.  Then there was his Feast Speech.

Aaron, as I promised, reaching the King on the 4th move, jumping, hopping, giving it his all, knowing it wasn’t enough, but determined in his Lizard brain to die trying, doing just that.  Jon, being slightly outfought, confident that he had all the guns, methodically wearing Aaron down.

Alex, playing a knight, giving his all to defeat those trying to set him free.

Getting the match-ups we wanted, but not having the horses.

Plan B – get a rook and bishop together against their King.  Sacrifice everything to get the back to back match.

Andy, typecast beautifully.  One could almost see the insane evil oozing from his brow.  I spoke with him – it was good RP and I had fun.  Thank you, Andy.

Danny/Solomon being Solomon in a hot action, completely played out.  I saw the way to the win after that fight and asked if he could go again.  Tortured look told me to wait a half hour.  He is Solomon Darkheart, but still a mortal man.

Knowing, after having seen Ethan in action, the win was assured if I could get him in a battery with Danny.

Cheering sections, cacophony.  Morwenne’s face as Ethan entered the arena.

Sacrificing Liz/Eos, my Queen, to draw a piece of the Jester’s out of position.  She did not complain, nor did she give me a look – I told her earlier what would probably happen.  She went like a soldier for her baron.

Andy cheating to rearrange the position to avoid the back to back battery of Solomon and Ethan against his tired King, Jon.  Neglecting to have Eos still engaged on the rearranged board, yet she was fighting – I loved it.

Brawls breaking out, my promising that little lizard brain that he will get to fight something again.

Wholesale brawl, spontaneous and widespread.  All that was missing was the Duke slugging it out in the mud.

I GOT THE GOLD AND SILVER SET IG!! 

Game of my Travancean career, with The Master of Games as the Stake.

Our Baron defeating their King was almost anti-climactic.  He was buffed to the gills.  As Kyle put it after cleanup “I think I could take Pesmerga with that buff.”  Maybe we will find out?

More later – I’m still riding the high.