Meeting Transcript by Varda
Attending: (7)
    Ariehn V, EonweValar, Gilraen-(V)/Iryenth, Glorfindel VG, Gwaihir-Valar, Indis-(V)/karakedi25, VardaValar1 (presiding)
Tolkien:
    What hooked you on the Lord of the Rings so that you finished this long trilogy?
After-meeting WoW folks: Bofur, Elwing, Eonwe, Eowyn, Glorfindel, Nob, and Varda.

Merry Christmas to all!

Meeting Transcript by Ar-Pharazon and Varda
Attending: (6)
    Ariehn V, ArPharazonV, Gilraen-(V)/Iryenth, Glorfindel VG, Indis-(V)/karakedi25, VardaValar1 (presiding)
Gaming:
    misc.
    WoW
    LotRO
Tolkien:
    The Hobbit movie: some comments.
    What would you put in the Hobbit movie trilogy if you were making it?

My computer is having some serious problems right now, and until I can get them resolved one way or the other, my appearances in any and all capacities will be brief if not sporadic. I'm not sure if I'll be making it to the meeting this week or the next at this point, and that probably doesn't bode well for doing anything besides gardening on WoW either. If I can make it to the meeting I will, but I can't promise it at this point. My e-mail will be checked regularly enough to respond to anything in there, but that's about it for certainties.

Meeting Transcript by Ar-Pharazon and Varda
Attending: (5)
    Ariehn V, ArPharazonV, Eonwe Valar (presiding), Gilraen-(V)/Iryenth, GwaihirValar
Membership:
    The Hobbit movie: comments by Gilraen-(V)
Web:
    Games Site section
    Quiz section
Gaming:
    WoW: Feast of Winterveil
    LotRO update 9
    flashgames with links and reviews: CP6, My Little Investigations: MLP fangame
    D3 patch
Tolkien:
    Rohirric burial mounds.
    Cuivienen.
    Awakening of Men.
    Hobbit movie: major review by Gwaihir-(Valar)
After-meeting:
    Continued talking about Gwaihir's review(s) while members were going through the one for the Hobbit.
    New production video by PJ link.
    More on gaming.

Meeting Transcript by Eonwe (transcript) and Varda (coder). Ar-Pharazon crashed while saving the transcript, so thank you to Eonwe for the copy.
Web:
    Games Site
            is totally revamped! Check it out! Way to go, Eonwe! Ever wonder which game character types and professions we're lowest on for your next character? Only characters active in the last three months are included. in the listings, keeping results relevant.
    Tolkien Site
            Quizzes for Fun now have their own frames for easier navigation. Want to make your own?
Gaming:
    WoW
    LotRO
    MLPO
Tolkien:
    Trivia question: What are the names of Frodo's parents and where are they when we first meet Frodo?
After-meeting:
    More Tolkien chat, new subjects starting from an explanation of where the gavel material comes from and then zipping into east and west.
    Much code-work
    Games Site re-built. Launched during the After-meeting!

Meeting Transcript by Ar-Pharazon and Varda
Attending: (6)
    AriehnV, ArPharazonV, Eonwe Valar, fladrifv, Ioreth-(V)/LizMarr, VardaValar1 (presiding)
Before-meeting:
    Chat: WoW; rp in the room
Gaming:
    Star Trek Online (STO)
    Chess
    WoW
    LotRO
Tolkien:
    Topic 1: How do Ents handle the shepherding of trees during extreme weather and other problems such as axes?
    Topic 2: Hobbit movie 1. Premiere is out. Links.
After-meeting:
    More movie chat and links.

Meeting Transcript by Ar-Pharazon and Varda
Attending: (7)
    AriehnV, ArPharazonV, Eonwe Valar (presiding), fladrifv, Gilraen-(V)/Iryenth, Glorfindel VG, VardaValar1
Gaming:
    WoW
    LotRO
    SC2
    other
Tolkien:
    Topic: What did Manwe do?
    New post-production Hobbit movie video link

Happy Thanksgiving!

Meeting Transcript by Ar-Pharazon, Eonwe, and Varda
Attending: (5)
    ArPharazonV, Eonwe Valar, fladrifv, Glorfindel VG, VardaValar1 (presiding)
Web:
    Forum changes:
        There'll be new global accounts, and you'll be using your e-mail to log in. Current accounts should still exist at the forum level. You'll just end up linking it to a "gobal" account. This is not our choice but what forum services including ours are doing.
Tolkien:
    Link to video of MLP's doing LotR scenes
    Link 1 and Link 2 to new Hobbit movie character posters
    Tolkien question: Which Vala or Valie was the lead in the Second Theme that arose against Melkor's after the First was drowned out?

Meeting Transcript by Ar-Pharazon, Eonwe, and Varda
Attending: (5)
    ArPharazonV, Eonwe Valar (presiding), Glorfindel VG, Menelvagor Valar, turinofVG
Web:
    Art
    Links
Tolkien:
    "An Unexpected Briefing" Air New Zealand partnered with WETA workshop for an air safety video, with help from...others.
    Link to "Behind the Scenes of an Unexpected Briefing" found by Ar-Pharazon-(V), including a few words from JRRT's great-grandsons: Royd Tolkien and Mike Baker.
    Tolkien trivia question from the Silmarillion that spun into a discussion: Who did Tuor and Voronwë see at the Pools of Ivrin?

Meeting Transcript by Ar-Pharazon and Varda
Attending: (7)
    AriehnV, ArPharazonV, Eonwe Valar, Giraen-(V)/Iryenth, Glorfindel VG, Gwaihir Valar, VardaValar1 (presiding)
Web:
    Art: "Brute" by DeepGroover-(T)
Gaming:
    WoW
    LotRO
    D3 patch short review by Gwaihir
    X-Com
    My Little Pony Online (MLPO, MLP): now out; review by Ar-Pharazon
Tolkien:
    Movies
    Numenor
After-meeting:
    Mithril
    WoW group met and slaughtered things together. (Bilbo, Eomer, Eowyn, Glorfindel, Sauron, and Varda).

Happy Halloween!

Meeting Transcript by Ar-Pharazon and Varda
Attending: (9)
    AriehnV, ArPharazonV, Dagnir-(V)/ThiefGalear, Eonwe Valar (presiding), fladrifv, Gilraen-(V)/Iryenth, Glorfindel VG, Indis-(V)/karakedi25, VardaValar1
Varda crashed when the water company dug through the broadband lines that go to that general area. Temporary line went up Monday afternoon and permanent should be up that evening after another outage of an hour or two.

By the guild records on Blizzard's Community Site, at approximately 2pm Eastern, 1pm Central, the Lothar Branch of the Valar Guild reached level 25.
Huzzah and good work to the members of our Lothar branch who've been questing and dungeoning, getting us ever closer while remembering to have fun at the same time :}

This week I attended a Medievalism conference. One of the papers was Tolkien and the 20th Century. It was so laudatory, I would have thought it was it was one of the amateur/fan efforts which show up sometimes at these conferences. Instead, this was from the editor of one of the sponsoring journals. It was wonderful to hear the respect accorded JRRT.

Meeting Transcript by Ar-Pharazon and Varda
Attending: (7)
    AriehnV, ArPharazonV, Eonwe Valar (presiding), Gilraen-(V)/Iryenth, Glorfindel VG), GwaihirValar, and VardaValar1
Gaming:
    WoW (several times)
    LotRO
    flashgames: Cloud Wars
Tolkien Site / new Art:
    "Werewolf" by Deepgroover-(T)
    "Bust of the Living Dead" by DeepGroover-(T)
Tolkien discussion:
    Eowyn: heroine or villainess?
    Pics from the upcoming Hobbit movie, then back to the Eowyn discussion.
After-meeting:
    Eowyn discussion continues.
    More talk about the Hobbit movie.

Meeting Transcript by Ar-Pharazon and Varda
Attending: (6)
    AriehnV, ArPharazonV, Eonwe Valar (presiding Tolkien), fladrifv, Glorfindel VG), VardaValar1 (presiding business).
Before-meeting:
    Week of chat marathon for the 15th anniversary
Membership:
    New member: Ioreth-(V)
    Fladrif
    Arien
Web:
    Anniversary page:
        New dragon screenshots from WoW and Dungeon Siege taken by Ar-Pharazon-(V).
    Tolkien Site: anniversary collection, Nursery Crimes
    GSMU
    State of Valar Gaming
Gaming:
    WoW
    LotRO
    STO
    Mass Effect 3
    Guild Wars 2
Tolkien:
    Trivia game (with mini-discussions, because it's us)
After-meeting:
    A bit more chat, linking, and on to WoW!

Meeting Transcript by Ar-Pharazon, Eonwe, and Varda
Attending: (8)
    Members: AriehnV, ArPharazonV, Eonwe Valar, Gilraen-(V)/Iryenth, Glorfindel VG, Indis-(V)/karakedi25, Menelvagor Valar, VardaValar1 (presiding)
Membership:
    GSMU
Gaming:
     flashgame: Decision
    WoW
    LotRO
    XCOM: Enemy Unknown 
Tolkien:
    Topic: Frodo and Bilbo's birthday party looked like just a very large party given by an eccentric, rich hobbit. But what was going on under the surface, in which the Valar were involved?
    Hobbit movie: New trailer

    "You mean to go on with your plan then?"
    "I do.  I made up my mind months ago, and I haven't changed it."
    "Very well.  It is no good saying any more. Stick to your plan - your whole plan, mind - and I hope it will turn out for the best, for you, and for all of us."
    "I hope so. Anyway, I mean to enjoy myself on Thursday, and have my little joke."
    "Who will laugh, I wonder?" said Gandalf, shaking his head.
    "We shall see," said Bilbo.

    ...and the old man was Gandalf the Wizard, whose fame in the Shire was due mainly to his skill with fires, smokes, and lights. His real business was far more difficult and dangerous, but the Shire-folk knew nothing about it. To them he was just one of the 'attractions' at the party. Hence the excitement of the hobbit-children. 'G for Grand!' they shouted, and the old man smiled. They knew him by sight, though he only appeared in Hobbiton occasionally and never stopped long; but neither they nor any but the oldest of their elders had seen one of his fireworks displays - they now belonged to the legendary past.

Meeting Transcript by Ar-Pharazon the Golden and Varda
Attending: (9)
    Members: AriehnV, ArPharazonV, Eonwe Valar, fladrifv, Gilraen-(V)/Iryenth, Glorfindel VG, Indis-(V)/karakedi25, VardaValar1 (presiding)
    Guest: LizMarr
Gaming:
    Guild Wars 2
    flashgame: Decision 2 (a zombie game) with review
    WoW
       WoW: Mists of Pandaria (during After-meeting)
    Anniversary dragon-runs in WoW and LotRO will be unofficial due to lack of forum sign-ups, but feel free to email the report to Varda or put it on the forum.
    LotRO
Tolkien:
    Topic from LizMarr: How is Sam Gamgee first introduced?
    Topic from Ar-Pharazon: new pictures from the Hobbit movie.
    Topic from Varda: Sept 22; Tolkien Week (during After-meeting)

Meeting Transcript by Ar-Pharazon and Varda
Attending: (8)
    AriehnV (presiding), ArPharazonV, Eonwe Valar, fladrifv, Gilraen-(V)/Iryenth, Glorfindel VG, Indis-(V)/karakedi25, turinofVG
    VardaValar1 showed up after the meeting, right after the save of the transcript.
Membership:
    Ar-Pharazon's computer
    Games Site Mass Update mails have gone out.
    Anniversary upcoming
Gaming:
    flashgames
    STO
    GW2
    WoW
    LotRO
Tolkien:
    Tolkien moment from Arien-(Valar): Bilbo riddling with Smaug.
    YouTube version of the scene above.
    More sharing of nifty Tolkienesque YouTubes mixed with chat about the movie versions of the books from Rankin-Bass, Ralph Bakshi, and Peter Jackson.
    "Art Tolkien" coming up Sept. 20-22

Meeting Transcript by Ar-Pharazon the Golden One and Varda
Attending: (6)
    AriehnV, ArPharazonV, Eonwe Valar, fladrifv, Indis-(V)/karakedi25, VardaValar1 (presiding)
Membership:
    Games Site Mass Update emails will be going out.
Gaming:
    Angry Birds
    STO
    BroodWar
    Guild Wars II
    WoW: major changes to the game this patch, many mentioned here, some temporary until the Mists expansion.
    LotRO: beta going strong, live activity also going.
Tolkien:
    Forum RP discussion and round robin posting. Straightened out chronology, got the party back together. Discussion of the villains led to researching the Houseless in the books, most found in Morgoth's Ring.
    We researched Houseless (disembodied) elves in the books during the meeting and gave quotes and references for what we found. We also had a side discussion about human ghost (fea) Oath-breakers, and about barrow-wights.
After-meeting:
    A little more on the Houseless.
    More on the WoW patch and Darkmoon Faire.

Meeting Transcript by Ar-Pharazon and Varda
Before-meeting
    Started talking about the LARP Arien was part of. 
Membership:
    Arien: tells more about what a LARP is and what this particular group did.
    Anniversary event planning
Web:
    Stories
    GSMU upcoming
Gaming:
    Kingdom Rush - review
    Exploding Snake
    WoW: patch changes
    WoW continued after a break
    LotRO:
       Summerfest
        Riders of Rohan expansion's NDA lifted, some comments and suggestions for getting ready.
Tolkien:
    Topic: In the books, some readers have considered Merry and Pippin almost interchangeable. Same comment for the movie. JRRT had reason for bringing in these two hobbits, and they had different roles. What did you notice on this score?

Meeting Transcript by Ar-Pharazon and Varda
Attending: (5)
    ArPharazonV, Eonwe Valar, Glorfindel VG, Turin-V/turinofVG, VardaValar1 (presiding)
Web:
    Stories
    Coding
    GSMU upcoming
Gaming:
    League of Legends review
    Anniversary event planning, as a Dragonversary. Dragon-theme.
    WoW
    LotRO
Tolkien:
    Topic 1: Some books have worlds no one would want to live in; not so for Middle-earth.
    Topic 2: Describe the LotR books to someone who knows nothing about them but likes fantasy.
    Tangent topic 1: Why can't the eagles carry the One Ring to Mt. Doom? (Discussion mixes in with the topic below.)
    Tangent topic 2: How badly did Frodo actually succumb to the temptation of the One Ring in Mt. Doom?
    Tangent topic 3: Sauron was also setting up a lot more gambits and forces than just fighting Gondor and Erebor, that everyone was active all around the Fellowship.
    Tangent topic 4: Huorns, Ents, Entwives

Meeting Transcript by Ar-Pharazon and Varda
Attending: (6)
    AriehnV, ArPharazonV. Eonwe Valar (presiding), fladrifv, Indis-(V)/karakedi25, VardaValar1

Happy July 4th!

Fireworks - Valar scale! Herbig-Haro plume. Click here for the article.

Meeting Transcript by Ar-Pharazon and Varda
Attending: (5)
    AriehnV, ArPharazonV, Eonwe Valar (presiding), fladrifv, Indis-(V)karakedi25. Varda showed up after the meeting.
Tolkien:
    RP short discussion.
    Continued last week's topic: What's actually on the way to Angmar?

Meeting Transcript by Ar-Pharazon, Eonwe, and Varda
Attending: (7)
     Arien, Ar-Pharazon, Eonwë (presiding), Fladrif, Glorfindel, Indis, Pallando.
Tolkien:
    Topic from Eonwe-(Valar): What do we know about the lands between Imladris and Angmar: topography, vegetation, population, history, etc.?

Happy Father's Day!

    Memorial Day

Meeting Transcript by Ar-Pharazon and Varda
Attending: (6)
    AriehnV, ArPharazonV, Eonwe Valar (presiding), GwaihirValar, Indis-(V)/karakedi25, VardaValar1

Started out with a LG dailies run and then ran off the brigands and ruffians in Thievery & Mischief 6-man.
    Attendees were Irmo, Miriel, Annael, Indis and our friends from the Palantiri, Mosby & Veda.

Yesterday Miriel and I expected to do a Draigoch run again. For sure, since only Nim and Pip had posted they wouldn't likely make it. So we could expect enough Valarguilders to be there, and we expected the possibility of our friends from the Palantiri, specifically Mosby to lead the downstairs part.

Lo and behold, Mosby and Veda from the Palantiri were there indeed. But from our own guild Indis and...nobody else. Annael was there, but he won't participate in raids yet. Morwena checked in later to see if he was needed.

This is not acceptable.

It is quite acceptable that many of us have other obligations. But to me, it is not acceptable expecting somebody to organize an event and to be there on time every week, while not making the tiny effort of taking 3 minutes of your time to post on this forum whether you will likely be able to attend the event or not.

The fact that people do not make that tiny effort is a sign of not wanting responsibility and commitment, and actually of not caring.

Miriel is there every week, on time. She pushes me to make dinner early, so we can be on time. We often break up things we have going on IRL to be on time. She prepares mentally and physically , making sure we have all the raid stuff. She does all this, not even being fond of raids. She does it for the fun of bringing us all together.
The way this is going now, the fun part is becoming tentative. It might even become frustrating. If and when that happens I will strongly dissuade her from continuing the organization of these weekly events.

Please post and choose one of the following alternatives:

1. Yes, I do care about the Saturday events and I will try to post (for some: keep posting) always and in advance whether I will be able to attend or not.

2. I can't be bothered. For all I care you can stop the Saturday events.

3. Since I am even not committed enough to register or ever look on these forums, the absence of my vote is also a clear answer.

Fee free to elaborate on your answer. Feel free to make suggestions and to discuss. Thanks in advance.
And I do hope you all know me well enough to understand that this is neither a rant nor a complaint. I care enough for all of you to hope we can improve on this, for improve we must.

If we are just dealing with a seasonal dip and/or a co-occurance of RL intrusions, we might for instance consider putting our raids on hold until - say for instance - September. But for any decision like that we need your input.

Cheers,
Irmo

It was a beautiful day, in a beautiful spot and a very nice ceremony.  
The bride, and the two kids on the ends belong to us :-)
Nim

        

Happy Mother's Day!

    Drabbles set in the Prancing Pony:
       "Dwarves and their Ale". new drabble. Strider, Barliman Butterbur.
    Incomplete story:
       "The Cloths of Heaven" Ch. 1 "Dreams Crushed Underfoot". The twins visit Legolas' colony in Ithilien. First chapter.
    "Stopping by Woods" Elladan, Elrohir, Estel/Aragorn, Gildor. Telling ghost stories. Complete story.
    Drabbles of homecoming: (Note to editor: need to be given locations)
       "Homecoming"
       "A Famous Victory"
       "And Then There Were Three"
       "Ambush"
       "Justice and Revenge"
       "Home at Last"

Letter from Miriel:
Wanted to share some information concerning the Galloping Gala, one of the scheduled events is being brought to us by our friends in the Palantiri. I have provided some links and information below as well as copied J/Mosby on this e-mail (just in-case something changes or I made errors).
I volunteered to help them out with their event, so will need to have a shorten our guild run a little bit that Saturday.  ;) winking

Official LotRO information:
http://www.lotro.com/gallopinggala/1935-galloping-gala-2012
Official LotRO schedule of events:
http://www.lotro.com/gallopinggala/1955-galloping-gala-schedule-of-events-2012

The Palantiri's Event Information:
Great Race 2012: Race in the Fellowship's Footsteps May 12th @ 4 PM EST
    Reply with quote Quote
There will be 5 check-points (and challenges), one for each member of the Fellowship.  There are 3 types of challenges: playful ones (dealing with emotes, cosmetic gear, and the like), puzzle ones (mostly based on LotR lore), and special ones (like Name That Tune and the Scavenger Hunt).  Each region has at most one of each type.

Miriel's report:

Happy Easter!

To Varda and all my dear friends of the Valar Guild,
Aiya!
    It's been a while since I last was visible on the radar, so I figured I'd let you and the others know how I am doing of late. As you might know, I've been fairly busy between school, fraternity and general social life, cramming up my agenda, especially on sunday evenings.
    The past couple months have been especially hectic, as I've switched long-term plans a few hundred degrees due to several unexpected events. The latest one being that after having applied for a board membership (or executive committee, for lack of a better translation) in my fraternity it's pretty much decided that next year I will be spending as part of a team of 8 running the frat. Ever since I got the news it might be so, I've been in a bouncy (read: off the charts good) mood and it's only gotten better since.
    Anyways, I figured I'd owe the people who set me on the right track all those years ago some sort of explanation of what I've been doing lately.
    A star truly shone on the path of our meeting so many years ago. I'll never forget any of you, no matter how far away or how long ago.
Namarie, and hope to see you in the future some time,
Menelvagor-Valar.

Ran the Limlight Gorge group pre-quests.
    Gildor (Fairmaiden, minstrel), Indis (Mirminuial, captain), Irmo (Irmogar, guardian), Miriel (Mahamiriel, lore-master), Nimrodel (Cynthiajane, champion), Thranduil (Artemas, burglar)
Later took on Draigoch with the following folks:
    Galdor (Andwegar, burglar), Gildor (Fairmaiden, minstrel), Indis (Mereniel, lore-master), Irmo (Irmogar, guardian), Miriel (Mahairiel, hunter), Nimrodel (Cynthiajane, champion).
    We were aided by captain Anrisa of PLOI, lore-master Finaor of PLOI, captain Taralyn of The Council of the Secret Fire, hunter Ozzmain of The Council of the Secret Fire and warden Celondian.
    It was a smooth battle up until the dragon decided during the final moments of his life to go braindead.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Monday greetings,
The patch notes for Update 6, Shores of the Great River: http://lorebook.lotro.com/wiki/Update_6,_Shores_of_the_Great_River,_Official

March. 11, 2012 2:00 EDT        
On Sunday 3/11/2012 we completed the Helegrod Drake wing.
Helegrod Drake Wing:
Arien (Arienwyn), Celeborn (Kebb), Gildor (Fairmaiden), Gorlim (Istarond), Hurin (Hiuro), Irmo (Irmogar), Miriel (Mahairiel), Varda (Tinwentari)

March. 10, 2012 9:30 EST       
On Saturday 3/10/2012 we completed the Helegrod Drake wing. We just couldn't stop there so continued on to run the Spider and Giant wings as well.
Helegrod Drake Wing:
Celeborn (Kebb), Galdor (Andwe), Gildor (Livinola), Gorlim (Aeronwy), Hurin (Hiurred), Irmo (Irmohir), Miriel (Mahariel), Nimrodel (Ardisian)

Helegrod Spider Wing:
Celeborn (Kebb), Gorlim (Istarond), Hurin (Hiurred), Indis (Mereniel), Irmo (Irmohir), Miriel (Mahariel), Nimrodel (Cynthiajane)

Helegrod Giant Wing:
Celeborn (Kebb), Gorlim (Istarond), Hurin (Hiurred), Indis (Mereniel), Irmo (Irmohir), Miriel (Mahariel), Nimrodel (Cynthiajane), Varda (Tinwentari)

Meeting Transcript by the illustrious Ar-Pharazon and Varda.
Attending: (8)
    AriehnV, ArPharazonV, Eonwe Valar (presiding), Galdor-(V)/galdorandwe, Gilraen-(V)/Iryenth, Glorfindel VG, Indis-(V)/karakedi25, and VardaValar1.
Gaming:
    Mass Effect 3
    WoW
    LotRO
    SW:TOR
    BroodWar
Tolkien:
    Balrogs and other scary things.

On Saturday 3/3/2012 we completed the Helegrod Spider and Giant wings. Those in attendance were...
Angrod (Lorelina 60), Arien (Arienwyn 53), Galdor (Andwe 75), Gildor (Marrella 75), Gorlim (Aeronwy 75), Hurin (Hiurred 75), Melkor (Belgg 62), Miriel (Mahariel 75), Nim (Ardisian 75), Orome (Oromm 61), Pippin (Avengelina 75), Rosie (Rosevel 63)
We need to run the Drake wing to unlock the Helegrod Dragon wing (24-man). Will make a post on our forums inquiring when all will be available.

        Prancing Pony 12-man skirmish completed with 10 of us. Galdor won the Worn Symbol of Celebrimbor! It dropped at last.
             Galdor (Andwegar, burglar), Gildor (Livinola, captain), Gorlim (Aeronwy, minstrel), Hurin (Hiurred), Indis (Mirminuial), Irmo (Irmogar), Melkor (Melcor, champion), Miriel (Mahariel), Nimrodel (Cynthiajane, champion), and Varda (Tinwetari, minstrel).
         Draigoch Tier 2 12-man with 10 and 11 gamers: played into the third phase.
             Galdor (Andwegar, burglar), Gildor (Livinola, captain), Gorlim (Aeronwy, minstrel), Hurin (Hiuro, rune-keeper), Indis (Celebrethil, burglar), Irmo (Irmogar, guardian), Miriel (Mahariel, minstrel), Nimrodel (Ardisian, hunter), Pippin (Avengelina, champion), and Varda (Tinwetari, minstrel). Yerttle (hunter) joined us, a friend of Indis'.

Happy Leap Year Day!

Meeting Transcript by Ar-Pharazon and Varda
Membership:
    Fladrif's trip to New Zealand.
Tolkien:
    Each person present got to ask a trivia question to the group.

Meeting Transcript by Ar-Pharazon and Varda
Attending: (7)
    AriehnV, ArPharazonV, Eonwe Valar (presiding), Galdor-(V)/galdorandwe, Glorfindel VG, Indis-(V)/karakedi25, Thingol/thingol_v@ymail.com
Membership news:
    Thingol-(V)
    Helm-(V)
    Ar-Pharazon-(V)
    Fladrif-(V)
Gaming:
    WoW
    LotRO
    Civ4
    SW:TOR
Tolkien:
    Tolkien "name game" played. Arien changed it to a variation where the names had to be in alphabetical order. Eonwe added in that people called the name according to channel order so all could speak.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Report from Galdor:
  We ran Foundry t2 and won. Had 2 pals of mine Pugging since we didn’t have enough to run a full 6.
    Nimrodel (Ardisian, Hunter), Gildor (Marella, Guardian), Inidis (Alasse, Loremaster), Galdor (Thongaladh, Champ)
    Two friends from Council of the Secret Fire: Taralyn-1 (Capt.), and Wilkie (Mini).
    No wipes. We beat the t2 challenge.

Meeting Transcript by Ar-Pharazon and Varda
Attending: (5)
    AriehnV, ArPharazonV, Eonwe Valar (presiding), Galdor-(V)/galdorandwe, Glorfindel VG
Membership:
    Varda, Fangorn, Eowyn, and Melkor
    Recruiting
    Maia and Vala Honors in the guild, and what they are in the books.
Gaming:
    WoW
    SW:TOR
    LotRO
Tolkien:
    RP discussion, including how to address Legolas.
    Off-topic: What is "quinoa"?
    The difference between "who" and "whom".

Report from Miriel:
We ran through a few 6-man instances this Saturday. Successfully completing The Foundry. Thanks to Indis for guiding us through!
    Foundry 6-man T1:
        Hurin (Hiurred, captain), Indis (Mereniel, lore-master), Irmo (Irmogar, guardian), Miriel (Mahariel, minstrel), Nimrodel (Ardisian, hunter), Pippin (Avengelina, champion).
    Sammath Gul 6-man challenge:
        Gorlim (Aeronwy, guardian) Hurin (Hiurin, champion), Indis (Mereniel, lore-master), Irmo (Irmohir, captain), Miriel (Mahairiel, hunter), Nimrodel (Ardisian, hunter).
    Sammath Gul 6-man challenge:
        Gorlim (Sprain, minstrel) Hurin (Hiuro, runekeeper), Indis (Isaniel, minstrel), Irmo (Irmbrand, minstrel), Miriel (Mahamiriel, lore-master), Nimrodel (Cynthiajane, champion).

Meeting Transcript by Ar-Pharazon and Varda
Attending: (7)
    AriehnV, ArPharazonV, Eonwe Valar, Glorfindel VG, Indis-(V)/karakedi25, Menelvagor Valar, VardaValar1 (presiding)
Membership:
    Lothiriel-(V)
Gaming:
    SW:TOR (Star Wars: The Old Republic)
    SCBW (StarCraft/BroodWar)
    WoW (World of WarCraft)
    LotRO (Lord of the Rings Online)
Tolkien:
    RP posts for our story sequel have begun, more planned for during the week.
    Topic 1 from Varda: What kind of magic users were around at the time of LotR?
    Topic 2 from Eonwe: Who wasn't at the Council of Elrond that could/should've been there, and why?
After-meeting:
    Power - when the word means good or bad in Middle-earth.

   

Attending: Eonwe, Varda, Bilbo, Eowyn, Elwing
The goal tonight was to finish the Guild Cataclysm heroic dungeon achievements for the guild.
 
First, Varda, Bilbo, and Eonwe went into Halls of Origination. We tried for "Straw That Broke the Camel's Back" but not all of us got it. We did pick up "Faster Than the Speed of Light" though. In the process, Eonwe ended up getting "It's Over Nine Thousand!".
 
Next, Eowyn and Elwing joined us for Grim Batol. We tried for "Umbrage for Umbriss" and "Don't Need to Break Eggs to Make an Omelet" but came up just short on both.
 
Finally we went into Zul'Gurub. Realizing this might be tough and since some of us hadn't been to Zul'Gurub since it became a 5-man heroic, we decided to focus on winning rather than getting boss achievements. We got through the dungeon with difficulty on only a couple of bosses. Along the way, we killed the minibosses, and Elwing, Bilbo, and Varda were able to pick up "Gurubashi Headhunter."
 
So, now we have all the Guild Cataclysm Heroic Dungeon Achievements.

Meeting Transcript by Ar-Pharazon and Varda
Attending: (8)
       AriehnV, ArPharazonV, Eonwe Valar (presiding), fladrifv, Glorfindel VG, GwaihirValar, Indis-(V)/karakedi25, and Menelvagor Valar
Tolkien:
    RP
    Topic by Eonwe: First, name all the attendees possible of the Council of Elrond. Once that is done, why each was so special as to have a seat in that discussion.
    Topic for next week by Eonwe: Who Could (or Should) have been at the Council of Elrond, and why they weren't there.

Attending:
Members: Glorfindel, Eowyn, Bilbo, Eonwe, Elwing
Guild Friends: Kaz

We cleared out Serpentshrine Cavern, getting another of us (Elwing) "The Lurker Above" achievement. Then we fought Kael'Thas in Tempest Keep and came out victorious. Finally, we went into Obsidian Sanctum, and Glorfindel won the Black Drake.

Attending: Eonwë, Eowyn, Fangorn, Elwing, Glorfindel

Eowyn and Fangorn ran some heroics before I got there. Unfortunately I don't know which ones. When all five of us had come in, we ran a random heroic and ended up in Vortex Pinnacle.

Attending:
Members: Eonwe, Varda, Fangorn, Glorfindel, Elwing, Bilbo
Guild Friends: Kaz

We finished off Black Temple, then cleared Sunwell Plateau.

Varda, Fangorn, and Bilbo called it a night there. The other four of us went to Serpentshrine Cavern real quick to get one of us the Achievement "The Lurker Below."

            Me and Sauron were testing channel commands, but half of them seemed not to work, so I checked the web for the commands, and here they are:

 

Aiya!
I am working my way back to the US where I will have Feburary off for
leave.. after that I should be reentereing the world of the Valar
guild and Eve! :)

The LOTRO Game Servers will be brought down on Tuesday, January 17th from 6:00 - 10:00 AM Eastern (-5 GMT) for an update to the game. Patch notes will be available during the downtime.

Meeting Transcript by Ar-Pharazon and Varda
Attending: (8)
    AriehnV, ArPharazonV, Eonwe Valar, fladrifv, Galdor-(V)/galdorandwe, Glorfindel VG, Indis-(V)/karakedi25, VardaValar1

Meeting Transcript by Ar-Pharazon-(V) and Varda-(Valar)
Attending: (7)
    AriehnV, ArPharazonV, arwenv1, Eonwe Valar, fladrifv, Indis-(V)/karakedi25, VardaValar1
Membership:
    Time to make the 2012 Membership page. Full Members have only to contact Varda by email (varda.elentari (AT) g mail (dot) com) and let her know they want to be included. Active members are usually put on the page without need of contact but mistakes can be made, so be sure to give a holler if you're not included when the 2012 page comes out.
    Tolkien-only members have been almost completely inactive, so all of them are now only being shown on the Credits page and their parts of the Tolkien Site rather than the Membership page. This change also gives an advantage in programming a new version of the page, so I've been told, if we decide to use the new coding.