Valar Guild

March 27, 2011 Sunday Meeting

5pm EST (GMT - 5)
AIM: Valar Guild Meetingplace

Back to News
Transcript work by Ar-Pharazon and Varda.

 Attending: (7)
    AriehnV,  ArPharazonV,  Eonwe Valar, Glorfindel VG, Indis-(V)/ karakedi25, Menelvagor Valar, VardaValar1 (presiding)

Before-meeting:
Meeting begins
Membership:
    Birthdays
Web:
    Link
Gaming:
    Mass Effect 2
    StarCraft 2
    Supernova
    Physicsgames.net
    WoW
    LotRO
Tolkien:
    At the time of the War of the Rings, Middle-earth had a number of powers that had come out of the history on both sides. These could be groups or countries or singles. What powers were operating and how did they come about?
After-meeting:
    Tolkien chat continued a little into the After-meeting.
top
 
Before-meeting:
You have just entered room "valarguildmeetingplace."
VardaValar1 has entered the room.
VardaValar1: Aiya Phar. We still have 10 minutes, no worries. :-)
ArPharazonV: Aiya :-)
ArPharazonV: doing a bit more archeology then, working on a dwarf rare
AriehnV has entered the room.
VardaValar1: Aiya Arien :-)
ArPharazonV: Aiya Arien!
AriehnV: aiya aiya
VardaValar1: Looks like it's that time to send forth the call. : )
Menelvagor Valar has entered the room.
VardaValar1: Aiya Menelvagor :-)
Menelvagor Valar: Aiya!
VardaValar1: So did we catch everyone in the middle of being busy? : )
Eonwe Valar has entered the room.
ArPharazonV: Aiya!
VardaValar1: Aiya Eonwe : )
Eonwe Valar: Heya.
top

VardaValar1: Elen sila lumenn' omentielvo!
VardaValar1: Membership:
VardaValar1: Two birthdays this week: Meneldil-(V) today and Menelvagor-(Valar) on the 22nd. :-)
VardaValar1: Here's hoping you had a great day, Menel!
AriehnV: grats valars :-)
ArPharazonV: Congratulations both Menels :-)
VardaValar1: hehe, they are both Menels, nice catch. : )
VardaValar1: Must be a good week for them.
VardaValar1: Any further membership news?
top

VardaValar1: Web:
VardaValar1: Gorlim-(V) sent an interesting link via the forum on the Eye of Sauron:
VardaValar1: http://www.geek.com/articles/games/kinect-hack-uses-pufferfish-display-to-make-creepy-eye-of-sauron-20110321/
VardaValar1: Enjoy :-)
VardaValar1: The forum has seen increased use, a good thing to see. : )
VardaValar1: I have no further web news. Eonwe, do you have any?
Eonwe Valar: Nothing I can share at the moment.
VardaValar1: Ok, thanks.
top

VardaValar1: Gaming:
VardaValar1: Did anyone play any non-WoW, non-LotRO this last week?
VardaValar1: Sauron has been very into Mass Effect 2.
ArPharazonV: Yep, more Starcraft II, did Supernova as we discussed, and dabbled in the next one but not very seriously yet.
VardaValar1: Ah thanks, Phar :-)
ArPharazonV: And more physicsgames.net :-)
AriehnV: sorry just need to be a wee bit afk for one instance hobe to get to ealted with therazane
VardaValar1: Stay alive. : )
VardaValar1: and good luck on the WoW rep!

VardaValar1: WoW:
VardaValar1: Eonwe, did you wish to give a report?
Eonwe Valar: Sure.
Eonwe Valar: Sunday:
Eonwe Valar: Participants: Bilbo, Eonwë, Varda, Elwing, Bofur
Eonwe Valar: This Sunday we started dealing with the Outland Heroic dungeons for guild credit.
Eonwe Valar: Eonwe, Bilbo, Varda, and Elwing went through Ramparts and Shattered Halls. Then Bofur joined us for Blood Furnace. Afterwards, we went through the Slave Pens, Steamvault, and Underbog.
Eonwe Valar: At this point, I had to call it a night, but there were still four of us on and running, with a destination of Auchidoun.Eonwe Valar: Bilbo, Elwing, and Bofure continued on in Auchindoun as I (Varda) was unable to go due to insufficient reputation.
Eonwe Valar: They completed Heroic Mana Tombs and Heroic Auchenai Crypts for two more guild achievements, then broke up to catch some sleep before work.Eonwe Valar: Friday:
Eonwe Valar: Participants: Bilbo, Eowyn, Eonwë, Elwing, Fangorn, Varda
Eonwe Valar: First, Bilbo, Eowyn, and Eonwë gave a go at a random lvl 85 normal dungeon, and ended up in the Halls of Origination.
Eonwe Valar: After this, Eowyn was disconnected, so Bilbo and Eonwë queued up for a heroic and ended up in the Vortex Pinnacle.
Eonwe Valar: After this, Elwing, Eowyn, and Fangorn were on, so we decided to try the Crucible of Carnage. Varda came in, and so she was traded Bilbo's spot in the group, while Bilbo joined us from outside. Eonwë's Auros, a Ret Paladin, was the acting tank. We managed to get 3 bosses down, but ran into a great deal of trouble on the fourth, so after a couple of tries we called it quits.
Eonwe Valar: At this point, Eonwë called it a night, but everyone else was still raring to go. As I understand it, they went on to split into 2 groups and do some questing.
Eonwe Valar: In additional Lothar news, Arien joined us over there this week :}
Eonwe Valar: She's got a hunter and a druid already :}
Eonwe Valar: And thus ends my report :}
VardaValar1: Thank you, Eonwe. : )
Menelvagor Valar: Hmmm... maybe I should upgrade my US account to Cata ^^
karakedi25 has entered the room.
karakedi25: Aiya
VardaValar1: Aiya Indis : )
Eonwe Valar: Heya Indis.
Eonwe Valar: :}
ArPharazonV: I understand that Arien's still on Classic as well :-)
Menelvagor Valar: hehe... well, hard to do any leveling at 80 ^^
AriehnV: sort of prom9ised to do a healer for a reliable instance group
AriehnV: so will get extensions at relevant levels

VardaValar1: Ok, on to LotRO.
VardaValar1: Indis needs to leave shortly so I'll let her give the report she was planning.
VardaValar1: Go ahead Indis.
karakedi25: I had no special report planned, but as many of you probably know, we got our big update on Monday, with five new (tough) instances, one of which is a 12-person raid.
karakedi25: They're linked by a story line that begins with Barliman Butterbur, and takes us through each of the instances, beginning with one of the 3-person ones.
karakedi25: Additionally, there are major changes to the Legendary Item system, which are preoccupying many of us, trying to get our weapons and class items as close to ideal as we can, something we could not do before.
karakedi25: Varda and I have both done some of the new instances: I've done both the 3-mans, one of the 6-mans, and up to the second of three bosses in the other 6 man. I also did part of the big raid on the test server before the update went live. They are definitely challenging at level cap (65).
karakedi25: One of the items for improving Legendary Items (the scroll of empowerment) is now selling for outrageous amounts of gold in chat and on the Auction House, so it's clear that the update is having quite an impact.
karakedi25: I'll turn the floor over to Varda now.
VardaValar1: It can be picking up in the LotRO store for Turbine Points as well.
VardaValar1: Thank you, Indis. : )
karakedi25: Yes, though a lot of people resist paying 'cash' for them.
VardaValar1: Turbine Points may be bought with cash or earned the hard way by gaming, as I do. : )
VardaValar1: We also get some free Turbine Points monthly if we're subscribers.
karakedi25: those go fast
VardaValar1: Aye
karakedi25: especially if you want things like scrolls of empowerment or relic removal (the latter available only in the store)
VardaValar1: But that's where the ones on the AH are going, and I'm referring to Empowerment.
VardaValar1: All other scrolls may be gotten in-game.
VardaValar1: Scroll of Delving is in Mirkwood, for instance.
karakedi25: or Enedwaith
karakedi25: anyway, in short, the update has somewhat rocked the relatively placid version of Middle-earth that we had before
VardaValar1: So if a person gets Empowerment, it's coming out of the LotRO store either directly or indirectly.
VardaValar1: My error, I'm thinking of Scroll of Removal.
VardaValar1: /bow
karakedi25: Scrolls of Empowerment can be had for barter from Mirkwood for Dol Guldur medallions (75), Skirmish Marks, or Enedwaith tokens.
karakedi25: For scroll of removal, we're stuck with the store. Save up your points :-)
Eonwe Valar: Or just take the hit and lose the relics :}
karakedi25: Anyway, it's going to take a bit of time for the dust to settle.
karakedi25: Yes, Eonwe, but that will stick in the craw of a lot of people. We work hard for those higher relics.
Eonwe Valar: Aye, I'm sure it will, just pointing out it's an option :}
VardaValar1: Aye, it is.
karakedi25: True, but an unattractive one.
VardaValar1: We now have to work a relic up to Tier 6, spend a ton of shards and other worked up relics for higher relics. That's a lot of time investment to lose.
Eonwe Valar: Granted, I have a bunch of quests to draw LI exp from, but I found it not terribly hard to work up to a couple of T6 relics this week :}
VardaValar1: Now take those and break them down for parts for the higher relics.
Eonwe Valar: I'm sure it's not so quick with a smalelr pool of quests to draw from.
karakedi25: The new system is rather complex, but with considerable potential.
VardaValar1: Aye, we can customize a legendary item just as we want it.
Eonwe Valar: The new system is quite interesting.
VardaValar1: The problem is, do we wait to put the relics in a hoped-for new First Age level 65? : )
VardaValar1: The new update seems to have been good, and most of us are pleased with it. : )
karakedi25: Agreed, Varda.
karakedi25: Time for me to leave and socialize with in-laws. I'll try to stay in touch by phone through Varda.
VardaValar1: Namarie, Indis
karakedi25: Thanks for the chance to say my piece. :-)
karakedi25: Namarie
Eonwe Valar: Have fun :}
VardaValar1: We did our regular instance nights in LotRO despite all the hullabaloo. : )
karakedi25 has left the room.
VardaValar1: Before I forget, Spring Festival started and we have new quests and a new horse reward.
VardaValar1: For the Monday run, we started into the new content, those of us who weren't still sweating out making some kind of interim LI.
VardaValar1: Maedhros, Pippin, and I took a look in Northcotton Farms and put our feet in some of the others, since we get medallions for discovering each and an instant transport in the dungeon finder after discovery.
VardaValar1: Then we went to the new raid area of Ost Dunhoth in Enedwaith for the same reason and knocked off one of the quests that needed a big group.
VardaValar1: I've put a guide to the locations of the new instances on the News and Forum, and my hunter is willing to aid folks who want it with transport to them.
VardaValar1: Wednesday's run included a successful completion of Northcotton Farms by Bofur, Nob, and Varda at Tier 2, the harder difficulty with the higher rewards. But you have to react very quickly.
VardaValar1: If any of you have any more interest in this I'll happily answer in a side window, but most of you here are not that into LotRO, I think.
top

VardaValar1: Tolkien:
VardaValar1: Does anyone have a topic? If not, you get mine. ;-) To borrow Eonwe's line.
Eonwe Valar: :}
VardaValar1: I'll take that as a nahhh, go ahead. ;-)
VardaValar1: Who is available for the chat? If you are, please type Aye.
VardaValar1: Aye
ArPharazonV: Aye
Eonwe Valar: Aye.
AriehnV: sort of nearly there half aye
AriehnV: last boss
VardaValar1: Three of the chattiest ones, so we'll be fine. : )
VardaValar1: At the time of the War of the Rings, Middle-earth had a number of powers that had come out of the history on both sides. These could be groups or countries or singles. What powers were operating and how did they come about?
VardaValar1: For instance: Lothlorien with Galadriel's Ring empowering what had been a Sindarin-ruled kingdom of Silvans.
ArPharazonV: Rohan, founded by the Eorlinga coming out of the North, granted their land by Gondor.
VardaValar1: Indis is saying from her phone: karakedi25: Obviously the Istari, representing the real Powers ;-)
ArPharazonV: And they were on both sides, indeed :-)
VardaValar1: :-)
AriehnV: full there now back
VardaValar1: karakedi25: The Gondorian kingdoms, united during the Battle of Pelennor
ArPharazonV: Elrond in Imladris, founded by the refugees from Eregion
VardaValar1: karakedi25: Haradrim, all but unknown in the north
Eonwe Valar: The Black Numenoreans, whatever were left of them by that time.
AriehnV: Cirdan , with Nenya ? at the grey havens or so suspected
AriehnV: the second of the rings but not entirely sure of the name
AriehnV: the hobbits with dust from Lothlorien :-)
VardaValar1: karakedi25: The dwarves of various realms
AriehnV: hmm the dunlendings and the pukelmen
VardaValar1: karakedi25: And the Men of Long Lake.
ArPharazonV: Mordor; founded by Sauron in the Second Age, defeated 2 times prior, but always Sauron made his way back to rebuild it.
AriehnV: the wainriders
VardaValar1: Glorfindel says hi in an IM. : )
Eonwe Valar: Heya to Glorfindel :}
VardaValar1: karakedi25: Narya, vilya, nenya
Eonwe Valar: So the question becomes, how these all came about :}
Eonwe Valar: The Black Numenoreans were the remnants of the King's Men were were in Middle-Earth when Numenor was sunk. They continued to serve Sauron and hate the Faithful, represented by Gondor and Arnor..
Eonwe Valar: *who were
AriehnV: and followed layter the pirates of umbar and joined or melted within them
AriehnV: err later
AriehnV: errm merged is the word i want
AriehnV: the dwarves of course were created by Aule
ArPharazonV: The hobbits came from the Shire, founded by 2 brothers with the permission of the king of Arnor, and Hobbits as a race came from the East over the Misty Mountains
VardaValar1: karakedi25: Assisted by the dissidents in Gondor's kinwars
AriehnV: Rohirrim and Numenoriens from the house of Hador
Eonwe Valar: The Longbeard Dwarves specifically were driven out of Moria by the Balrog, and eventually came to the Lonely Mountain, from which they were driven out by Smaug and also retook it.
AriehnV: i wonder why .. was it because there were so many treasures down there or because they friends of the Noldor of Eregion
Eonwe Valar: They dug too deeply for mithril and awoke the Balrog.
AriehnV: so he was there all the time?
Eonwe Valar: Since his escape in the First Age, likely.
Eonwe Valar: There are deep places in the earth, paths he could've taken.
AriehnV: the one who was in gondolin ?
Eonwe Valar: Well, he might've been *in* Gondolin during its sack and fall, but he wasn't either of the Balrogs that fell that day.
ArPharazonV: there were several in Gondolin, though not the dozens as in the first version
AriehnV: obviously he fell not ^^
ArPharazonV: we know of the one who fell with Glorfindel and Gothmog, who fell with Ecthelion in the fountain
ArPharazonV: the rest are optional, I guess?
VardaValar1: karakedi25: Let us not forget Gollum and his origins
VardaValar1: karakedi25: The Stoors of the Anduin
Eonwe Valar: I recall at one point there were only supposed to be 7 balrogs.
Eonwe Valar: Assuming that to be the case, they could've all been there.
VardaValar1: Yes, I believe Durin's Bane fled there after the War of Wrath
ArPharazonV: And at least 1 survived :-)
Eonwe Valar: There would've been 5 left to fight in the War of Wrath/
VardaValar1: I'm not saying anything, just copy/pasting between here and Indis.
Eonwe Valar: 4 of which seem to have been defeated, and the fifth being the Balrog of Moria, escaped and hid deep until some Dwarves greedy for Mithril dug into one of those deep places beneath the earth and released him.
AriehnV: aye
Eonwe Valar: Considering the devastation of Beleriand, any underground way he took into Eriador could've been caved in.
AriehnV: i am sure he would have had no trouble travelling through molten stone and lava as well since he was a fire spirit
Glorfindel VG has entered the room.
Eonwe Valar: He was most likely hiding down there biding his time, regaining his strength.
AriehnV: aiya Glorfindel :-)
Glorfindel VG: Aiya :-D
Eonwe Valar: Well, he was a spirit with a physical form.
Eonwe Valar: Heya Glorfindel.
Glorfindel VG: Hi Eonwe
VardaValar1: Aiya Glorfindel : )
Eonwe Valar: But yeah, that's how the Balrog got down there :}
ArPharazonV: If he really did have no problem residing in stone and lava, I doubt he would've hid in a large cavern, let alone one under a dwarf fortress; I think Moria was one of the original homes?
Eonwe Valar: Aye.
AriehnV: depending on how deep into the "earth crust" assuming that arda had the same consistency of our planet the fortress reached
AriehnV: at some point it might have gotten fluid outside the forress and hot#
AriehnV: errgo lava ..
Eonwe Valar: I tend to think Dwarves would be careful about not digging through to magma/lava.
ArPharazonV: Earth's crust, especially in the mountains, can get very, very thick. You'd have to be digging for many miles straight down.
Eonwe Valar: We also don't hear about any volcanic activity in the MIsty Mountains, so if there were any, I'd be inclined to believe it was in the distant past, as reckoned by mortals at least.
Menelvagor Valar has left the room.
ArPharazonV: Aye, exactly. You'd have to get to the mantle to find lava.
VardaValar1: Pockets are higher too, well above the magma.
VardaValar1: The dwarves could probably tell where a hot zone was. Hey, it's getting warm!
Eonwe Valar: Did we talk about Gondor/Arnor yet? How they got here? Or was my mention with the Black Numenoreans enough?
VardaValar1: karakedi25: Elendil& sons
Eonwe Valar: Elendil and his heirs would play into the Gondor/Arnor.discussion. The citizenry are all refugees from Numenor who escaped before it was buried beneath the waves..
VardaValar1: Gondor: they were what was left of the kingdom of Numenor in an organized city fashion, run for long by the Stewards of the King.
VardaValar1: The Rangers were another power, hidden, in the North, keeping safe the line of the High King, protecting the defenseless folk still loyal to the High King. And protecting the hidden One Ring whether they knew it or not.
VardaValar1: karakedi25: The pukel men antdated the establishment of gondor and helped in the wotr
VardaValar1: karakedi25: Arnor was an organized kingdom for a long time.
VardaValar1: The Last Homely House was a power center. Elrond had his Ring and it was a great place to meet and pick up info.
Eonwe Valar: Looks like everyone's talked out, hehe :}
VardaValar1: We seem to have gone quiet
VardaValar1: Ok, let's bang the gavel and let our Euros get some sleep!
top

VardaValar1: *thump*
VardaValar1: I'll mention quickly the dwarf and human alliance by the Lonely Mountain. : )
VardaValar1: The Shire hiding the One Ring
VardaValar1: Some Saruman guy at Orthanc.
ArPharazonV: The men of Dale weren't Numenorean, were they?
VardaValar1: and some guy handling this Mordor place with lots of minions.
VardaValar1: No, they weren't.
AriehnV has left the room.
AriehnV has entered the room.
AriehnV: woops i did it again ^^
AriehnV: right what did i miss?
Eonwe Valar: Nothing :}
Eonwe Valar: But Welcome back :}
VardaValar1: Aiya Arien : )
VardaValar1: We're in after-meeting, went quiet in the main chat.
AriehnV: ah right
AriehnV: NN all and namarie :-)
AriehnV has left the room.
ArPharazonV: saving and sending transcript
top