Valar Guild

July 13, 2008 Meeting

5pm EST (GMT - 5); (GMT = 22:00)
AIM: Valar Guild Meetingplace

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Transcript work by: 
Ar-Pharazon and Varda

Attending: (6)
    AriehnV, ArPharazonV, arwenv1, Eonwe Valar, fladrifv, VardaValar1 (presiding)

Before-meeting
    rp discussion
    Menelvagor's visit and pictures
Meeting begins
Membership
    More on Menel's visiting Valar in real life and pictures.
Web
    Bibliography how-to
Gaming
Tolkien:
    rp: considering how to rp with the characters in the chat room, alternating with discussion of the forum rp "Scouting Ahead".

Before-meeting:
You have just entered room "valarguildmeetingplace."
Eonwe Valar (3:58:54 PM CDST) has entered the room.
fladrifv (3:58:54 PM) has entered the room.
VardaValar1 (3:58:54 PM) has entered the room.
VardaValar1 (3:59:00 PM): Aiya
VardaValar1 (3:59:19 PM): Eonwe, shouldn't you be out with your family?
Eonwe Valar (4:00:27 PM): Heya
ArPharazonV (4:00:27 PM) has entered the room.
arwenv1 (4:00:30 PM) has entered the room.
ArPharazonV: Aiya
VardaValar1: Hi to Phar! Welcome back
Eonwe Valar: I have a short few minutes before I have to go, so I thought I'd pop in and suggest a Tolkien topic should there not be another.
VardaValar1: and hi to Arwen :-)
VardaValar1: Thanks. Always welcome.
ArPharazonV: oh, right, was supposed to post in forum this week... hmm... I keep forgetting it
Eonwe Valar: Well, Menel and I met Thursday, and among the things we discussed, turns out we have 6 week,s not five, to account for :}
VardaValar1: Today is good
VardaValar1: Calaron's ambush had better be good, then!
ArPharazonV: hmm? so is that a good or a bad thing then?
Eonwe Valar: Mostly bad.
ArPharazonV: we have *another* week to account for?
ArPharazonV: fun, fun...
VardaValar1: We could be some of the scouts who showed up early.
Eonwe Valar: Well, mostly bad to me, heh, but if it makes the story better, then I guess it can be good.
VardaValar1: We don't have to be the last in.
VardaValar1: Makes me wonder about the other scouts though
Eonwe Valar: I estimated approximately the 10th of December based on FotR saying "December was already passing when the scouts first arrived"
ArPharazonV: maybe we underestimated the distances?
ArPharazonV: and the travel time?
VardaValar1: oops, "first arrived".
Eonwe Valar: or rather, "when the scouts began to arive"
VardaValar1: We may have a problem with snow and avalanches in the High Pass?
VardaValar1: and goblins attacking, and sticky honey cakes from the Beornings?
VardaValar1: We might be forced off the path by the ambush and run into fun stuff besides just the ambush. "just".
Eonwe Valar: My estimations we based on approximately 7 hours of riding a day, giving ample time for rest stops.
Eonwe Valar: Anyway, thinking about this got me thinking about our horses.
VardaValar1: and the walking Avar
Eonwe Valar: Horses are bred for different purposes. A warhorse, for example, would be of a stockier build than a racing horse.
VardaValar1: Auros has a warhorse?
Eonwe Valar: Maybe :} Let's set that aside for now.
VardaValar1: *shoves Percheron over to the side*
Eonwe Valar: I thought a useful topic would be to examine horses in LotR, see what we can determine about the different horses in the books and see what we can back it up with from the books.
VardaValar1: Bill the pony as a packhorse went mostly about walking speed.
Eonwe Valar: He didn't have much reason to really run :}
Eonwe Valar: Except at the end :}
VardaValar1: Maybe our pony and our walking Avar are what we need to be looking at.
VardaValar1: With Gandalf's protection over him, he probably showed his heels to any goblin!
ArPharazonV: the chain is as strong as its weakest link, 's what they say.. indeed, if we are to determine the speed of our party, look at its slowest members
Eonwe Valar: Aye, I used the pony speed for estimations from Erebor to Mirkwood.
Eonwe Valar: Estarion was supposed to have a Mirkwood horse anyway.
VardaValar1: Aye, you mentioned that.
VardaValar1: I need to look it up.
VardaValar1: Did you get to talk about that with Menelvagor when you saw him? :-)
Eonwe Valar: Anyway, I must go now. I thought I'd pose that topic before I left though.
VardaValar1: Thanks, Eonwe. Enjoy!
Eonwe Valar: Take care and have fun all :}
VardaValar1: ok!
Eonwe Valar has left the room.
ArPharazonV: ok, gonna add a day to my last post then
VardaValar1: Thanks
ArPharazonV: I think it won't require much except changing "Much of the day had passed" to "A day and a half had passed" or "The best part of 2 days had passed" though ;-)
VardaValar1: That should work. : )
VardaValar1: Anyone present besides Phar and me?
VardaValar1: We may make a quick meeting out of this, Phar.
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VardaValar1: Elen sila lumenn' omentielvo!
VardaValar1: Membership:
VardaValar1: We have a number of guild-friends added in LotRO, some of whom may join us. We'll see.
VardaValar1: Some folk who haven't been around for a while are back playing.
ArPharazonV: couldn't stay away?
VardaValar1: Menelvagor dropped by my house, met us, Elwing came by and met him too. : )
VardaValar1: Much fun was had by all, including Laser Tag and LAN Brood War, and eating and talking.
VardaValar1: Then he went on and met Eonwe and his brother Dracxil.
VardaValar1: From there he is probably headed to Canada where we might hear from him again, then back to Ohio.
VardaValar1: Pictures are posted of his visit at Varda's, see the News page. :-)
ArPharazonV: I watched a few, was interesting to see some of you in picture :-)
VardaValar1: http://valarguild.org/varda/guild/news.html
VardaValar1: hehe
VardaValar1: Thought you might enjoy that.
ArPharazonV: eeh, the red eyes..
VardaValar1: Eonwe agreed to let his picture be posted too, once Menel can send it.
VardaValar1: hehe - now you know we didn't Photoshop them to beautify ourselves!
VardaValar1: Menel was a lot of fun in person, great sense of humor, good-humored, quite tall to me anyway.
VardaValar1: He dyed his hair black, usually brown.
ArPharazonV: you're not a very tall family, are you? or is Menel just exceptional?
VardaValar1: I'm not tall, just under 5'2"
VardaValar1: Menel is a foot taller than I am.
VardaValar1: Fangorn is maybe an inch taller than Menel
ArPharazonV: little bit of both then :-)
VardaValar1: Sauron is 5'11"
ArPharazonV: how many inches go in a foot?
VardaValar1: Bilbo is only a little shorter
VardaValar1: 12" in a foot
ArPharazonV: ah
VardaValar1: Do you have any membership news?
ArPharazonV: me? no, not really
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VardaValar1: Web:
VardaValar1: I have not added anything new under Tolkien or membership, but added a helper page in the Links
VardaValar1: on how to do a bibliography.
VardaValar1: It's a quick thing, but useful to me anyway. I hope others find it helpful too.
ArPharazonV: where in the links is it?
VardaValar1: Writing section, I'll get the link
ArPharazonV: oh, got it
ArPharazonV: http://valarguild.org/varda/Tolkien/encyc/BibliographyForms.htm
VardaValar1: the how-to
VardaValar1: http://valarguild.org/varda/Tolkien/encyc/BibliographyForms.htm
VardaValar1: I got tired of trying to find it in my papers and put it online. : )
ArPharazonV: :-) always useful
VardaValar1: :-)
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VardaValar1: Gaming:
VardaValar1: LotRO has been really busy.
VardaValar1: Last weekend we ran Goblin Town and Urugarth.
VardaValar1: This week we've been running quests and books.
VardaValar1: This morning, we ran Book 13 from chapter 9 to the end at chapter 11 with a group of 6.
VardaValar1: One was a guild-friend and another we invited to be a guild-friend. Rest were Valar.
AriehnV has entered the room.
VardaValar1: So that was 4 Valar: Ulmo, Hurin, Beleg, and myself.
VardaValar1: Aiya Arien : )
AriehnV: /
AriehnV: Aiya all :-)
ArPharazonV: Aiya!
VardaValar1: then we did a lot of questing, mostly Forochel area with various ones of us. Dirhavel and I were a duo shortly before I left.
VardaValar1: Melkor, Gorlim, and Ulmo were on when I left, People popping in and out.
VardaValar1: WoW:
VardaValar1: Lothar:
VardaValar1: My Varda priest and Fangorn's hunter quested and leveled my priest. So I'm still there too.
VardaValar1: Bilbo and Sauron have been doing high level stuff. Fangorn has been playing with them and Elwing.
VardaValar1: Arwen plays on Lothar too. Hiya Arwen. : )
VardaValar1: Arien, have you been having fun gaming?
AriehnV: I have :-) and i was joking yesteday with a young colleague who is also a guildmate that fate is a weird thing ..
AriehnV: when i changed server i neither wanted to be a tank nor a guild master
AriehnV: and where has it landed me??
VardaValar1: You don't have to be guild master.
AriehnV: :i am with skin and hair and bound
ArPharazonV: some have it in them, whether they like it or not!
AriehnV: Ardanna is tanking and Ariehn is guildmaster lol
VardaValar1: We'll let you tank in LotRO too if you like. ;-)
AriehnV: hehe :-)
ArPharazonV: oh, Valandil is alive, by the way, I briefly spotted him online but didn't get a chance to talk to him
ArPharazonV: online in WoW that is
VardaValar1: We also are looking for people interested in handling instances that they are good at, or concerts.
AriehnV: jArd is 67 .. just dinged and Ariehn has reached 63
VardaValar1: Good to hear about Valandil
VardaValar1: grats to both your characters : )
AriehnV: ;D hehe else we are learning instances and raidingf horde places lol
AriehnV: it fits on that server
AriehnV: a lot of fun even though i am missing the rp and the sound advice of Phara here
ArPharazonV: one question as I write my post, between all the gaming.. would Elves remove the arrow before moving the shot victim, or wait until she was lying safe?
VardaValar1: Could cause a hemmorhage to remove the arrow. Would possibly break it off to shorten it before moving the person.
ArPharazonV: fair enough, so be it
ArPharazonV: continue with WoW ;-)
ArPharazonV: and if you ever want to talk to me, Arien, I'm nearly always online on AIM when the pc is on, or you can pop in to visit on AD :-)
VardaValar1: Phar, do you get to talk to Valandil on AIM?
VardaValar1: Arien, like to tell more? Have you found your niche at last on a pvp server?
ArPharazonV: can't remember seeing him online, but I don't usually check AIM unless spoken to
VardaValar1: Thanks, Phar.
AriehnV: Bloodhoof is a neutral server Varda
AriehnV: but it has a very active pvp life where the fight between alliance and Horde rareley sleeps
VardaValar1: so, what we would call a Normal server, like Lothar?
AriehnV: aye thats it
VardaValar1: We have the choice to pvp or not as we please, very nice.
AriehnV: generaly it seems a more cooperative server where people tend to group cross guild wise and the tone is usually quite freindly even in general
AriehnV: Exceptions are everywhere of course , that is understood
AriehnV: we usually have two instance days and one pvp day the rest of the week is for us to decide what we do with it
VardaValar1: Sounds like a good system. Working out?
AriehnV: yep though i usually have my regular suspects in all undertakings, the same people on all three days, Helm being one of them
VardaValar1: Nice. Helm is still with us, then? : )
AriehnV: sometimes we cam drum up reinfrocements from outhwith the guild for our raids on Horde :-)
AriehnV: He is aye :-) Momentarily he is ten days on Hols in Ayrshire
VardaValar1: We have friend kinships on LotRO that we work with too. : )
VardaValar1: Good thing to do.
ArPharazonV: raids on the Horde, eh, always fun... what do you do? attack capitals or other outposts?
ArPharazonV: or make premades for battlegrounds?
AriehnV: no capitals as yet since we lack the numbers or strength
AriehnV: we have six in their mid to upper sixties
AriehnV: one seventy
AriehnV: Helm :-) err forgot the three others who came in :-)
AriehnV: a few upper fifties and some lowby alts
AriehnV: but we do places like Camp Tauraho , Splintertree and Crossroads , we even had a go on Tarren Mill
ArPharazonV: oh, fun
ArPharazonV: I went to Crossroads with a small group recently, about 9-10 players
VardaValar1: (My horde Tauren paws her hooves.)
AriehnV: once we get the levels sorted i ll try to get a battleground organized as guild run and arena teams
ArPharazonV: afterwards we took a look at Thunderbluff too... not to do any considerable damage, but it was the fire festival and we thought we'd join the festivities in a horde capital for once, did the ribbon dance etc
AriehnV: *giggles*
ArPharazonV: world pvp can be fun *grin*
AriehnV: hihi *nod*
AriehnV: it might of interest to the valar guild that the rules of the Knights of Honor are based on the Valar Code of conduct
VardaValar1: Nice to know we had an influence. : )
VardaValar1: Does Helm use AIM too?
VardaValar1: I show him as Helmvalar
AriehnV: yep he said he would download it and chose that screennae
AriehnV: screenname , still cant type
VardaValar1: That was a long time ago.
VardaValar1: ok, thank you.
VardaValar1: Fladrif, would you like to tell about the game you were testing?
fladrifv: I was testing a relatively new game
fladrifv: calles grid
fladrifv: eh called....
fladrifv: have been on vacation so my appoligises for my english
VardaValar1: No worries. Just give it your best shot.
fladrifv: this is a race game which tries to blend realism and acarde game play
fladrifv: the only thing I can say up to now...its almost impossible to steer, since like all games you lack the feeling of the car this makes it almost impossible to play this game as soon as you drive normal cars :-)
fladrifv: but I will practise more , so far my report
VardaValar1: The name is Grid?
fladrifv: yes
VardaValar1: Thanks
fladrifv: capital letters
VardaValar1: On Age of Conan, we heard from a friend guild-leader.
VardaValar1: Most of his kinship jumped to that game and tried it out.
VardaValar1: The graphics and play system seem quite good, but there it stops. It has been a disappointment. Most of the group plans to switch to Warhammer Online to try it, or back to LotRO.
VardaValar1: That's all the reports that I know of. Any other games?
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VardaValar1: Tolkien:
VardaValar1: Consider which characters we have in the chat room right now. : )
VardaValar1: How would we interact?
VardaValar1: Arien, as the sun. Phar, as the Numenorean king.
VardaValar1: Arwen as the daughter of Elrond or Queen of Gondor and Arnor.
ArPharazonV: oh, sorry, other games, just the same as last week I guess... Guildwars (now entered the Crystal Desert), Starcraft: Broodwar, both campaign and multiplayer with Fladrif.
VardaValar1: Fladrif, the ancient ent.
VardaValar1: Thanks, Phar. : )
ArPharazonV: sorry, been rather caught up in my writing ;-)
VardaValar1: That's a good thing to be doing.
VardaValar1: Menel, Eonwe, and I have been talking a bit too. We hope to have some fun stuff coming up.
VardaValar1: You did note the Staff of Unlight? :-)
ArPharazonV: I did, yes
VardaValar1: That is from the idea of Ungoliant's unlight.
ArPharazonV: aha
VardaValar1: That, added to the darkness coming from Dol Guldur, gets nasty and explains a lot of what is going on.
ArPharazonV: it would appear so
VardaValar1: So we have to stop it.
VardaValar1: Already messing with Calaron's mind.
VardaValar1: Ok, shall we turn everyone loose?
ArPharazonV: in honesty, I've already established a sorcerer and a lesser Ring ;-)
VardaValar1: I may go rejoin the LotRO gang, who have been very active.
ArPharazonV: but don't let me prevent the topic!
ArPharazonV: how would we interact?
VardaValar1: Ok, so figure that the sorcerer had to be the one that activated the Staff of Unlight probably using his lesser Ring.
VardaValar1: I was going to let you guys tell how you interact if you liked.
VardaValar1: In the rp, do try to work all the ideas together.
VardaValar1: Trying to make a coherent story.
ArPharazonV: yep
AriehnV: hmm Ariehn sends her light to guide people through the day to heal the damage that the darkness of sauron has done
ArPharazonV: it would make sense, since Calaron's about to retreat to Angmar after whatever happens at the ambush
ArPharazonV: I interact mainly by blaming the Valar for our mortality and thinking nothing much of the Ents :-)
VardaValar1: The base is supposed to be Angmar, so that works. And that is where the staff is, that Thranduil told us of.
VardaValar1: Ents, you suppose they make good ship-building wood?
ArPharazonV: perhaps, though I would not trust a ship made out of what once could talk and think for itself
VardaValar1: Varda listens to everyone and passes on the intel to the rest of the Ainur. : )
VardaValar1: A ship of bone.
fladrifv: *glares angryly*
VardaValar1: hah, woke up the ent. : )
ArPharazonV: for all I know the mast could throw itself overboard and leave my ship stuck in the sea ;-)
AriehnV: hehe even the sun wouldnt dare lay and axe on an emt ;-)
VardaValar1: That could have been one of your problems. Have to hew the right tree.
fladrifv: since the concerns of the ent do not reach further then himself and the forrest
ArPharazonV: well, the concerns of Numenorean shipbuilders lie largely in those same forests, so...
VardaValar1: An ent mast, that was friendly, might be worked out if he thought he could hunt for entwives that way.
fladrifv: allthough salty water would do no good to the root system
VardaValar1: I'm going to turn you folks loose now and look at the rp on the forum.
fladrifv: where the seas in middle earth salty?
VardaValar1: hmm, so we need to keep the bilge fresh.
VardaValar1: Probably less salty than over time.
VardaValar1: Much more has gone into the water than had in the early days.
ArPharazonV: still working on the post, Varda :-)
ArPharazonV: it's a long one I think!
VardaValar1: Cool - I look forward to it.
VardaValar1: and then we might wind up with the Secret of the Mirkwood Elves: the Mirkwood Ent, or entwife.
VardaValar1: Or maybe the entwife would be more around the Beornings. : )
ArPharazonV: hehe
VardaValar1: ok, banging the gavel
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After-meeting:
VardaValar1: If anyone wants to pop into LotRO, we'd be happy to see you. : )
ArPharazonV: :-)
VardaValar1: Namarie for now.
ArPharazonV: Namarie
VardaValar1 has left the room.
AriehnV: Namarie
AriehnV has left the room.
ArPharazonV: there, my post is made
arwenv1 has left the room.
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