Valar Guild

April 3, 2016 Sunday Meeting

5pm EST (UTC/GMT - 5)

AIM: Valar Guild Meetingplace

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Transcript work by Arien, Ar-Pharazon and Varda.

Attending: (5)
    Arien-(Valar)/AriehnV, arpharazonv, ElladanV (real life name removed), Lenwe-(V)/perseid28, Varda Valar/VardaValar1 (presiding)

Before-meeting
Meeting begins
Membership:
Web:
    This transcript is the first one after AIM forced a major change in how we do it. This is brought to you courtesy of the efforts of Arien (transcript), Ar-Pharazon (transcript), Eonwe (gaming news), and Varda (stitching it together on the web).
    Sneak preview of a work in progress by the Bohemian Weasel-(T)
Gaming
Tolkien:
    Topic : "Death and afterlife - Return from the dead". How is it handled in Tolkien's work in Middle-earth from the Silmarillion, over the Hobbit up to Lord of the Rings? Races in general plus Gimli and Legolas' unusual situation.
After -meeting:
    Ar-Pharazon: more gaming news including flashgaming reviews.
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Before-meeting
Session Start (ArPharazonV:!aol://2719:10-4-valarguildmeetingplace): Sun Apr 03 22:55:21 2016 0200
Varda Valar: Perfect A+ on the test!
arpharazonv: I just installed Trillian.
arpharazonv: I have no idea if this is working. Are we in the chatroom now?
Varda Valar: Yes
Varda Valar: Welcome to the chat room.
arpharazonv: Interesting.
Varda Valar: What does it show for you and what are you in?
arpharazonv: It gives me Varda Valar, ArPharazonV as the name of the tab
arpharazonv: Because I'm in Trillian.
arpharazonv: But I'm also in AIM...
arpharazonv: But talking to an IM that is not the chatroom.
Varda Valar: This is the chatroom here.
arpharazonv: and this is the right one?
Varda Valar: This is the chat room
Varda Valar: Aiya Sunshine :-)
Arien V: Aiya all including Phari :-)
Arien V: Phari is her or is he?
arpharazonv: Shutting down Trillian again to try it through AIM.
Varda Valar: Pharazon is here experimenting.
Arien V: ha he is :-)
Session Close (!aol://2719:10-4-valarguildmeetingplace): Sun Apr 03 23:02:07 2016 0200

Varda Valar (22:01:48): Pharazon is here experimenting.
AriehnV (22:01:51): ha he is :-)
Varda Valar (22:06:07): He was trying Trillian and AIM 7
Varda Valar (22:06:28): He doesn't see a way to save the chat on Trillian yet.
AriehnV (22:06:32): Trillian seemed to work
Varda Valar (22:06:37): Aye
Varda Valar (22:06:54): He's going back to Trillian now.
AriehnV (22:07:06): okay#
Varda Valar (22:07:30): Still want to go with your after-life topic for today?
AriehnV (22:08:23): we could if you want to .. i mean its quite interesting but i know we had it
not too long ago if i remember right
AriehnV (22:08:44): it just seemed fitting for Easter .. i was looking for something related
Varda Valar (22:08:46): It was your suggestion, and we could run it through.
Varda Valar (22:09:02): and we could think of one for April Fool's :-)
AriehnV (22:09:35): hehe loved the Blizzard patch notes .. hilarious
Varda Valar (22:09:58): Agreed :-)
Varda Valar (22:10:07): Please invite ArPharazon?
Varda Valar (22:10:17): See if it works for you.

Session Start (ArPharazonV:!aol://2719:10-4-valarguildmeetingplace): Sun Apr 03 23:10:50 2016 0200
Arien V: it works ^^
arpharazonv: Aiya!
Arien V: aiya :-)
Varda Valar: Huzzah!
Arien V: i ve downloaded the legacy version you linked in the news now not the latest one
Arien V: i am using that one now
Varda Valar: I could invite the first time but not the second. Arien could do it though.
Varda Valar: See any difference for you, Arien?
arpharazonv: I'm in Trillian now, because the legacy version hasn't worked for weeks. Still not seeing anywhere to save. I've got history I can check, but nothing to put into a file.
arpharazonv: I may have messed up with an option along the way for your second invite, Varda.
Varda Valar: But Arien's worked?
arpharazonv: Yes, after I reversed the settings.
Varda Valar: Yay! All fixed then.
Varda Valar: In LotRO we just had Gorlim, Goldilocks. Right now Elwing, Fangorn, and myself
arpharazonv: Aiya!
Varda Valar: Invitations sent
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Varda Valar: Elen sila lumenn' omentielvo!
Varda Valar: Membership:
Arien V: Aiya to them all
Varda Valar: Aiya back :-)
Varda Valar: We're still going thanks to the efforts of folks like yourselves and our gamers and Eonwe and our Tolkien-onlies. :-)
Varda Valar: Thank you.
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Varda Valar: Web:
Varda Valar: We have a sneak preview of a work in progress from the Bohemian Weasel-(T), one of her happier pictures. :-)
Arien V: aiya Lenwe :-)
Varda Valar: Lenwe, aiya!
arpharazonv: Aiya!
perseid28: Aiya everyone :)
Varda Valar: About to show you a sneak preview of a work in progress from the Bohemian Weasel-(T). Good timing.
perseid28: Perfect!
Varda Valar: Got a few folks in LotRO too
Varda Valar: http://valarguild.org/varda/Tolkien/encyc/art/gallery/BohemianWeasel/characters/Eowyn/EowynEomer_wip.jpg
Varda Valar: Most of us would be happy to call that finished, but she's just getting a good start. :-)
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Varda Valar: Gaming:

Varda Valar: LotRO:
Varda Valar: Hobnangians is going this weekend, for those trying to collect chicken pets etc, and just play the chicken-ball game.
Varda Valar: The Bullroarer test server is trying out the new expansion, which anyone in LotRO can go into if you don't mind the space eaten by the server files.
Varda Valar: That's where a number of our people keep disappearing to, making comments and trying to make the game the best possible before it goes live.
Varda Valar: Imagine what it would be like if folks didn't test!
Arien V: Faramir and Eowyn nice :-)
Varda Valar: Aye. And that's a leather-like border around it
Arien V: yup

Varda Valar: WoW:
Varda Valar: Lots of April Fool's jokes going on. :-) Here's some of them passed to us from Eonwe-(Valar):
Varda Valar: Hearthstone: The MMO Unveiled!
Varda Valar: Legion Alpha - Patch Note Preview
Varda Valar: Introducing Azeroth TV
Varda Valar: Transportation Tensions Mount as Flightmasters Face ‘Flyt’
Varda Valar: Introducing the Frostdoge Clan

Varda Valar: For Diablo 3:
Varda Valar: If you missed D3's April Fools joke, check out what they claimed was available for one day only.
Varda Valar: Know that, jokes aside, Season 5 is ending soon.

Varda Valar: StarCraft 2:
arpharazonv: Hmhm. Probably not making chapter 8 in time. Almost done with 6 though
Varda Valar: More April Fool's jokes.
Varda Valar: Zug zug. Work work.
Varda Valar: Introducing Maximum Novadrive
Varda Valar: Starcraft II Balance Manager 2016
Varda Valar: Carbot Zergling Co-Op Commander
Varda Valar: A blog going over all the Radio Liberty Nova role-play stuff was put up: Mission Accomplished: Recapping The Nova ARG.
Varda Valar: Patch 3.2 is out. See the Patch Notes and the Feature Roundup.
Varda Valar: Lots of news links tonight. Pick and choose or see them all. :-)

Varda Valar: Hearthstone:
Varda Valar: The April Fools joke: Hearthstone: The MMO Unveiled!.
Varda Valar: The serious blog: Whispers of the Old Gods – The Entourage of Y'Shaarj.

Varda Valar: Heroes of the Storm:
Varda Valar: The April Fool's joke (or at least, I assume it is because it was released on April Fool's Day, despite not yet being labelled as a joke): In Beta: Nexus Lane View!.
Varda Valar: There's a new patch out. Check out the patch notes.

Varda Valar: Overwatch:
Varda Valar: No April Fool's joke, but there is a new animated short coming: Alive.
Varda Valar: That's it for my gaming news. Anyone else with general gaming news?

arpharazonv: some strange wow products up for sale too
arpharazonv: including toilet paper, and a really really expensive statue
Varda Valar: What's it a statue of?
arpharazonv: will try to find a link
Varda Valar: Probably gold leaf toilet paper, too.
arpharazonv: http://gear.blizzard.com/index.php/default/april-premieres.html/
Varda Valar: heheh - o right. That's the statue they sent to folks who had been in the game a long time since the beginning, but claiming it's much larger than a man.
Varda Valar: For only $100,000,000
arpharazonv: I started two weeks too late for that one, alas.
Arien V: ha love the toilet paper ^ i d actually buy that
Varda Valar: Wonder how many orders they got for it. Might have to make some!
Arien V: hehe would serve them righ
Arien V: serve them right
arpharazonv: I think they were all "out of stock" :)
Arien V: *chuckles*
Varda Valar: Smart answer!
Varda Valar: Put the statue in a town square right by the World War 1 cannon.
Varda Valar: Any other suggestions, comments, etc?
Varda Valar: Tolkien:

SC II:
arpharazonv: Nova's first DLC is out.
Varda Valar: ahh, go ahead.
Varda Valar: What is a DLC?
arpharazonv: The first mission pack for Starcraft II for Nova has been released.
Varda Valar: Nifty
ElladanV: Aiya :)
Varda Valar: Aiya Elladan :-)
ElladanV: always when I'm about to eat haha
ElladanV: semi afk eating :)
arpharazonv: DLC is downloadable content, usually referring to content that is released after the game itself, and purchaseable.
Varda Valar: We've been on for nearly an hour. :-)
Varda Valar: But please enjoy your meal!
arpharazonv: The concept is frowned upon by gamers, but eh.
arpharazonv: There are always people who'll buy it.
Varda Valar: Guess they need something to keep the games kept up.
Arien V: aiya Elladan :-)
arpharazonv: Content like this has traditionally been free, if done by Blizzard.
Varda Valar: and in LotRO, if you already have the expansion for that area.
arpharazonv: The orc campaign in the war3 expansion, for example.
arpharazonv: And yes, MMO patches.
arpharazonv: and Diablo stuff too.
Varda Valar: LotRO adds big areas, raids, etc free in an expansion's area, same idea.
arpharazonv: But for this Starcraft II thing they're trying a new system I suppose.
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Varda Valar: Tolkien:
Varda Valar: We have two potential topics for tonight:
Varda Valar: 1. The after-life in Tolkien's works. Originally intended for Easter by Arien.
Varda Valar: 2. April Fool style jokes the Fellowship members might play on each other. And jokes they might play together on outsiders.
Varda Valar: Any preference for starting?
Varda Valar: If anyone is present, please type Shelob
Varda Valar: Shelob
Arien V: Shelob

Varda Valar: Alrighty then, a zoom through the afterlives to start.
arpharazonv: Shelob

Varda Valar: Elves: What do they have going, and why are they generally considered immortal?
arpharazonv: They don't physically age after a certain point.
arpharazonv: They don't get sick.
Arien V: yes . they can be killed but they dont know disease or old age as such
arpharazonv: And when they get killed they don't leave the world, but respawn on the other continent.
Arien V: where after a period in Mandos halls they may walk free in again but not return to Middlearh
arpharazonv: Some have, like Glorfindel.
Varda Valar: A great rarity, not the usual thing, but yes.
Varda Valar: What do they do while in the Halls of Mandos?
Arien V: was Glorfindel killed and returned?
Varda Valar: Aye, Arien.
Arien V: oh I didnt know that
Varda Valar: He died fighting a balrog, protecting those fleeing Gondolin.
Arien V: is he the same one then that we meet in Lotr?
Varda Valar: He returned, aiding Elrond. Yes.
arpharazonv: Yep.
Arien V: There you go .. one keeps learning :-)
Varda Valar: JRRT got caught on that, and tried to explain why they both had the same name. He could have said it was just a similar name but decided to be creative and work it as the same character.
arpharazonv: Much more interesting!
Varda Valar: An elf could not return as a baby, since the fea (spirit) would not fit it right.
Varda Valar: Aye. :-)
Varda Valar: It caused him no end of problems, the fun creative type.
Varda Valar: Reason for these meetings, Arien. I learn new things here too, love it.
Varda Valar: In an early version of the story, the first version of Legolas, being night-sighted and a natural scout, was leading them in the escape.
Varda Valar: He was written out later so the name could go solely to the elf of the Fellowship and let him be younger.
Arien V: ah nice turn though ^^#
Varda Valar: Aye. And a fun trivia.
Varda Valar: He traveled with Earendil as far as it was possible.
Varda Valar: The afterlives of characters. :-)
Varda Valar: Back to intended afterlives:

Varda Valar: Dwarves: what happened to them after death? The Noldor had their rumor, but the dwarves had their own story.
Varda Valar: What were those two stories?
arpharazonv: Something about Aule's workshop, was it?
Varda Valar: For the second staoy, aye.
Varda Valar: *story
Arien V: interesting word ;-)
Varda Valar: Hope it's at least clean in other languages. :-)
Varda Valar: Lenwe fell out, trying to get back in.
arpharazonv: *throws out a rope*
Varda Valar: Actually, you might try that. Can you invite him?
Arien V: ah Lenwe caught that rope :-)
arpharazonv: that wasn't me :)
Arien V: always comes in handy
arpharazonv: hehe
arpharazonv: Elvish rope, eh?
Arien V: hithlain . yes
Varda Valar: Huzzah!
Varda Valar: So we have Phar in Trillian and Lenwe in Pidgin, Arien and myself in AIM.
arpharazonv: fun!
Varda Valar: The question now up:
arpharazonv: I tried Pidgin a few times, but couldn't get chatroom to open.
Varda Valar: Dwarves: what happened to them after death? The Noldor had their rumor, but the dwarves had their own story.
What were those two stories?
Arien V: okay one version apparently they went back to Aule's smithy#
Arien V: where they were made
arpharazonv: To let the anvils ring!
Varda Valar: What were they supposed to help Mahal (aka Aule) build?
perseid28: assisting to remake Arda after the Last Battle
Varda Valar: Lenwe got it. :-)
arpharazonv: In a way, that's a similar fate to humans then, right?
Varda Valar: Since they were at Mahal's smithy probably well before that time, we can figure they're doing pre-work.
Varda Valar: The Noldor figured the dwarves sprang from rocks. One assumes they assumed the dwarves returned to being rocks.

Varda Valar: Ok, on to humans. Go go Phar. :-)
arpharazonv: as I recall, humans died pretty quick compared to the other races
Varda Valar: Where did humans go for a short stop first?
arpharazonv: Upon death, they would go for Mandos for a quick visit.
Arien V: so i wonder how many of those rocks here on Skye are actually dwarves ^^
arpharazonv: And then they would go to meet Illuvatar outside the world, with a few exceptions.
Varda Valar: Aye
arpharazonv: And be present for the second Song to make the new Arda, yes?
Varda Valar: (don't stub your toe on the rocks!)
Arien V: a different part of Mandos though than the elves
Varda Valar: Right
Varda Valar: I wonder how strict that was, the separation. It was probably a separation in most cases, but if a couple of friends like Narvi and Celebrimbor were in Mandos at the same time...
Varda Valar: Maybe they had curtains, or special meeting rooms for such unusual folk.
arpharazonv: Right, Elves, don't pay attention to the Men behind the curtain.
Varda Valar: Humans also stopped off in Mandos, so Aragorn might drop in on an old elf friend before moving on.
Varda Valar: Dwarves might even be able to meet elves in Valinor, since Aule's area was one part of it.
Varda Valar: Legolas and Gimli might have kept on having adventures.
Varda Valar: Fan fic folk, start your engines.
arpharazonv: A nice thought.
[Note: we side-tracked, but humans after a time of meditation in Mandos then go beyond the Circles of the Word to Eru.]

Varda Valar: What about Hobbits?
arpharazonv: Gimli might've died on Valinor, but Legolas would tell him "When you get back, I'll be right over here!"
arpharazonv: Well, Hobbits are a sub-race of Men, I think.
arpharazonv: Their fates would be bound.
arpharazonv: Sure, shorter, more resilient, longer lifespan (to a point) but ultimately the same fate.
arpharazonv: Maybe they had a slightly different place to gather outside.

Arien V: do you think Gimli found Legolas before he died?
Arien V: in Valinor?
arpharazonv: They went there together, didn't they?
Arien V: ah yes true
Arien V: i forgot ^^, old age .. sigh
Varda Valar: Actually, interesting thought. Gimli would have died of old age in Valinor.
Varda Valar: Gets tricky. Then he would be rezzed again there, in Mandos, then go to Aule's place.
arpharazonv: He might've visited Aule's place already, as the first "living" dwarf, and then said "Boys, I'm about to die, see you in 5 minutes!"
Arien V: amusing thought :-)
Arien V: sort of anyway
Varda Valar: Intriguing thought.
Varda Valar: ok, I'm putting my foot in my mouth in LotRO being in two places at once. A reminder to not be there while here.
Varda Valar: *picks up hammer*
Varda Valar: *hands it back to Aule. Pardon me! Let's Aule use it*
arpharazonv: Leaving the other topic for next week?
Varda Valar: *a giant castle pops up*
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Varda Valar: After-meeting!
Varda Valar: I'm too busy putting my foot in my mouth. Cheerio. :-)
Arien V: yes .. the foldable garrison :-D
Arien V: the inflatable one .. wants it =-O
arpharazonv: Hah, yes.
arpharazonv: There were a lot of things in those patch notes and april fools jokes that I'd like.
arpharazonv: Frostdoge's almost worth making a horde character for.
perseid28: aye, although many of the Blizzard ones were over my head ;)
perseid28: Speaking of, I've been thinking about giving WoW a try--does it have a nice free-to-play model like LotRO, or should I plan on spending a certain amount of money for a better experience?
Arien V: it has a free trial version that allows you to play up to level 20 i think
Arien V: but you cant whisper people or join guilds
perseid28: good to know
Arien V: it has a monthly subscription
Arien V: no ftp option
Varda Valar: It's not nearly as friendly to free to play, but you can.
Arien V: its okay to see if you like the game or not
Arien V: its your own decision if you want to keep playing with all the goodies and fun :-)
perseid28: If the subscription is renewed on a monthly basis I could give that a go and decide from there
perseid28: thakns
perseid28: *thanks
arpharazonv: You can go per month, yes, I think.
Arien V: yes you can
arpharazonv: Personally I buy new gametime manually every 3 months.
Arien V: monthly or three monthly
Arien V: like me
arpharazonv: Want me to throw in personal gaming yet?
Varda Valar: Whenever you're ready. We're in After-meeting
arpharazonv: Okay, let's see.

arpharazonv: Flashgaming: Got 3 for you today.
arpharazonv: http://www.kongregate.com/games/larsiusprime/super-energy-apocalypse-recycled is a defense game against what are supposed to be zombies, a bit RTS like with resource income as well.
arpharazonv: http://www.kongregate.com/games/joquatrevingtdix/the-mother-of-the-bird-men is an artsy point and click game in an old ruin.
arpharazonv: You'll see what I mean by "artsy" if you try it :)
arpharazonv: and http://www.onemorelevel.com/game/another_pretentious_game is a puzzle game where you have to draw a line in a single pattern to have it repeat and strike all the targets.

arpharazonv: Okay, let's see about Blizzards news. Lots of it.
arpharazonv: Heroes of the Storm: Few more levels on heroes. The latest patch changed around a lot of heroes' talents, but the only one that I'm currently laying who was really revamped, was Gazlowe. But even that only needed a few changes in the build.
arpharazonv: So other than that, I didn't notice much.
arpharazonv: Hearthstone: Not all heroes are 40 yet, because I needed to spend some extra time on the rogue who had a ton of quests. But I'm at 6 out of 9, with the other 3 soon to follow. Tonight, perhaps?
Varda Valar: Maybe :-)
arpharazonv: The brawl was a pretty annoying one where you had to make a custom deck that only used minions at 7 mana or higher. So decks with higher cost legendaries were at a bit of an advantage and I don't have many of those, but I got a few wins with the rogue, who I found a cheap deck for.
arpharazonv: I'm still buying up GvG card packs before they vanish.
arpharazonv: Starcraft II: Not much done myself. I already said I'd pre-ordered the Nova mission pack (even though I don't like the business model) at last meeting, and it arrived properly, though I haven't gone through it yet.
arpharazonv: Diablo 3: Finished the most difficult objective in Season Journey chapter 6, and am only a few gem upgrades from finishing that chapter. I really don't think I'll manage chapters 7 and 8 before the season ends, so that's a bit of a waste, but if I "rebirth" the same character and spend a bit more time on it in the initial weeks with the same build and tacitcs, it should become a lot easier, depending on how much is different in the new season.
arpharazonv: *tactics
arpharazonv: WoW: Much more news!
arpharazonv: I managed enough Inn-quests to get it to level 3, unlocking the Treasure missions for extra gold.
Arien V: very nice
arpharazonv: There's an achievement for completing 50 of those missions, and I'm already doing well at 8 so far. Shouldn't be too long to get to 50, few weeks.
arpharazonv: I still want to complete all the Inn-quests though, and am currently at 15 out of 20. Bit of luck needed to get the last few, I guess.
arpharazonv: I also started archeology again! First time in this expansion.
arpharazonv: Managed to get a couple of Pristine artefacts already for display in my town hall, including a funny looking figurine of an ogre holding a clefthoof over his head. Looking forward to getting more Pristines!
arpharazonv: Goal is to get a pristine version of all artefacts, though that should take quite a while.
arpharazonv: But that's fine, because I don't have all that much more to do in this expansion.
arpharazonv: Raiding also went well, as we finished all the normal achievements in Hellfire Citadel.
arpharazonv: As a result, I've got a brand new infernal direwolf mount! Looks very good.
arpharazonv: We've grown a bit bored with heroic Hellfire Citadel, and don't consistently have the people we need for Mythic, so we've been doing other stuff on the side sometimes. Last week's mythic Highmaul and this week's achievement runs are part of that.
arpharazonv: Who knows what other fun stuff and rewards I'll be able to report on in the future? ;)
arpharazonv: Oh, also, the Darkmoon Faire has started again. I've already gotten one victory in the arena there last night, leaving only 4 more to get. Hopefully I'll get two or three more this week; if I'm really lucky I might even finish it.
arpharazonv: And I think that's my news for this week!
Arien V: I am sure quite a lot :-P
Arien V: and .. Warcraft the movie has changed release date 30th May in the UKI :-D
arpharazonv: Yay!
arpharazonv: I might just wait until the dvd, but I am curious ;) I don't like the cinema.
Arien V: i so cant wait for it .. i have to get hold of a WoW t-shirt or something along the lines :-)
arpharazonv: I've got a WoW sweater :)
Varda Valar: I hope it's ok. Their game videos tend to be good to watch
Varda Valar: Neat :-)
Arien V: :-)
Arien V: and i am heading to bed my friends :-)
Arien V: its been a long day#
Arien V: thanks for the report Phari and thanks for chairing today, Varda :)P
arpharazonv: Namarie!
Arien V: Oh game wise i played WoW, Rift, Eve and Star Trek online this week.
arpharazonv: I'm having trouble with a transcript so would be best if Varda made one.
arpharazonv: Though I might send a text file.
Arien V: Spotted Pallando in Eve but he seemed busy though.
Arien V: I am sure it will do . or i put the copy from mine in a word file and send it to Varda?
arpharazonv: More the merrier?
Arien V: There sent
Arien V: Namarie from me then :-)
arpharazonv: Namarie!
Varda Valar: Namarie to Arien
ElladanV: Oh dear, I forgot I was here!
ElladanV: so I suppose I wasn't really
arpharazonv: Aiya :)
ElladanV: Aiya!
Varda Valar: Lurker!
Varda Valar: Hi again :-)
ElladanV: I will read over the chat tomorrow. I must now a.) have some apple pie. b.) Shower. c.) Watch the finale of the Walking Dead :P
ElladanV: hi
ElladanV: I gotta knock the dust off my LoTRO characters too. Probably forgot how to play!
arpharazonv: Been there, every time I log an alt I haven't played in a long time in WoW.
ElladanV: haha
ElladanV: well, namarie you guys!
arpharazonv: Namarie!
ElladanV: talk soon!
arpharazonv: And that is all 9 classes to level 40!
Varda Valar: Yay Phar
Varda Valar: and that would be great when you're up to it, Elladan. :-)
arpharazonv: Onward to... 41, which is truly the last level to *not* give a new gold card. After that, it's one for every.
arpharazonv: Right, attempting to save and send transcript :)
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