May 22, 2016 Sunday Meeting
5pm
EST (UTC/GMT - 5)
AIM: Valar Guild Meetingplace
Back to News
Transcript work by Ar-Pharazon and Varda.
Attending: (4)
Arien-(Valar)/Arien V (presiding),
Ar-Pharazon-(V)/arpharazonv, Eonwe
Valar, Lenwe-(V)/perseid28
Before-meeting
Meeting begins
Membership:
Web:
Gaming
Tolkien:
Topic: "Animals in Tolkien , especially the Hobbit
and the Lord of the Ring"
After-meeting:
Ar-Pharazon: more gaming news including flashgaming reviews.
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Before-meeting
arpharazonv: Aiya!
Eonwe Valar: Ok, must be invited from buddy window I guess would be
another restriction.
arpharazonv: Good to know!
Eonwe Valar: The "add" spot in the chat window won't work.
arpharazonv: Ah.
Eonwe Valar: OK, time for me to be off. Take care and have fun :}
arpharazonv: Aiya!
perseid28: Aiya Ar-Pharazon!
Arien V: Aiya Lenwe and Phari :-)
arpharazonv: Aiya!@
Arien V: how are you?
arpharazonv: Good. Just messing around with my little troll hordy,
who's on the Xylem trials in Azshara. Very annoying.
Arien V: ah thats the last quest with the elemental stuff?
arpharazonv: Yep.
Arien V: hehe it is when you do it the first time .. but once you
figured it out it's easy enough
arpharazonv: Frost was the most difficult for me, but I just finished
shadow too, so all 3 done, yay!
Arien V: hurray :-D and that hat is awesome
Arien V: did you get it?
arpharazonv: That hat is one of the reasons I'm levelling this hordy,
it's one of the few horde-only toys.
Arien V: :-)
arpharazonv: Don't have it yet, I think that's a few more quests away.
Arien V: ah right#
Arien V: Right gentlemen, are you ready?
arpharazonv: Aye!
Arien V: Very good :-)
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Arien V: Elen
silá lumenn omentielvo - A star shines upon the hour of
our meeting!
Arien V: which takes us in fact right to membership news, since as
you surely have noticed , the lady of the stars is absent tonight. She
is on a visit to her daughter, son -in-law and their offspring :-)
Arien V: A somewhat more pleasant reason to travel than last sunday i
figure .. my best wishes to Fangorns brother and wish a speedy recovery
Arien V: speaking of which , I , myself have returned safely and well
from a glorious LARP weekend which i thoroughly enjoyed :-)
Arien V: it was rather not so glorious for my characters since my
Priesti didn't get until the second encounter where we faced some
bandits and lost her arms to a non human member of her party she
foolishly attacked, since she mistook him for a monster ^^
arpharazonv: Sounds like she got it coming!
Arien V: For safety reasons she was sent back to the village from where
the party set out and handed over to the good temple of the order
radiance who promptly regenerated her arms.
arpharazonv: Can't go around unarmed.
Arien V: Oh well, it wasn't intentional .. the player or character
found himself surrounded by an overwhelming number of enemies , lept
back into the group of the party members still with his weapons raised
. Daria panicked and thought she was attacked and started to beat the
guy up but drew the short end :0
arpharazonv: So it's more like an "Eek, get it off!" moment.
Arien V: So i didnt see the end of the mission but i heard all the rest
of the party got controlled at some point or other , so she escaped
that :-)
Arien V: and aye , Phari :-)
Arien V: She could attend High Table next evening and I had some fun
roleplaying my Harrier (sword and bowwoman ) sitting in a Tavern where
we got attacked twice by some copies of "good" Evermorians copied by
the enemie
Arien V: the Enemy i should spell it
arpharazonv: Never a dull moment.
Arien V: Indeed :-)
Arien V: We (as a group) did a display battle for some young scouts who
were on the site since we were using a scoutcamp and let them have a go
with our weapons both of which they thoroughly enjoyed
Arien V: Long monstering mission afterwards with lots of fights and
encounters that i really loved and High Table afterwards, Very
enjoyable if exhausting weekend.
Arien V: Anyone else with membership news?
Arien V: I take that as a no ^^#
arpharazonv: Sorry :)
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Arien V: Web
News: We ' ll have to wait with this feature until further notice
since lack of new items. Saying that, new contributions to our
Tolkienpedia are always welcome :-) And art of course as well.
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Arien V: Gaming
news:
Arien V: As for non Blizzard games i have played Eve online rather a lot. I spotted
Pallando a couple of times but he was too busy with his fleet action i
take it so he didn't notice me.
Arien V: That was it with gaming for me. Helm has got his internet back , so
I spotted him several times online, but didn't get to talk.
arpharazonv: Any gaming news up from Eonwe?
Arien V: Eonwe has put up gaming news for us ,
yes indeed. :-)
arpharazonv: Ah, right, you were getting to that, sorry ;)
Arien V: Lotro has had a new
patch last week and here are the patch notes:
Arien V: http://www.lotro.com/forums/showthread.php?622139-Update-18-1-Release-Notes)
Arien V: Seems they have added some more high end quests and corrected
some bugs.
Arien V: They also did some things with clothing and loot in instances
, the details of which can be found in the notes :-)
arpharazonv: Yay clothes stuff!
arpharazonv: That's what MMOs are ultimately all about, looking good ;)
Arien V: World of Warcraft:
Arien V: and agreed Phari, in one way or the other :-)
Arien V: Seems Blizzard has added some new toys - one in Exile's Rise
which should be fun as Horde and a new addition to the Blood Moon loot.
Arien V: A star chart is the loot from Exiles Rise and the bloodmoon
toy transfroms you into a red blob :-)
Arien V: both sound awesome to me :-)
arpharazonv: Actually, those are not added toys, but highlighted ones
in the blog. They were already here, and I got em both a while ago :)
The Blood Moon thing took me quite a few tries though!
Arien V: ah right thank you :-)
Arien V: Blizzard also admonished players to finish the Legendary Ring
quests if you havent done so yet .. errr clears throat
Arien V: probably have to torture me through raids .. sigh#
Arien V: through LFR raids that is
arpharazonv: I did better than that, I maxed out my second legendary
ring 2 days ago! Now I have both guardian and feral rings at 795
ilevel.
arpharazonv: But good luck if you're going to finish yours :)
Arien V: Here is how to do it online :-)
Arien V: http://us.battle.net/wow/en/blog/20124376/legendary-quest-time-to-grab-the-ring-5-20-2016
Arien V: There were also some hotfixes which you can find here:
Arien V: http://us.battle.net/wow/en/blog/20095768/patch-624-hotfixes-april-11-may-18-5-18-2016
arpharazonv: Yay, hat got :D
Arien V: Continuing on to Diablo III,
they have some special features celebrating the games 4 th anniversary
:-)
Arien V: :-D grats :-)
Arien V: There is a blog on http://us.battle.net/d3/en/blog/20120577/happy-birthday-diablo-iii-5-15-2016.
Arien V: There is also a comparison on all the changes the game
underwent
Arien V:http://us.battle.net/d3/en/blog/20120910/diablo-then-now-item-comparison-evolution-5-17-2016
Arien V: Heroes of the Storm
has had a new patch, too
Arien V: and you can find it here: http://us.battle.net/heroes/en/blog/20120032/heroes-of-the-storm-patch-notes-may-17-2016-5-17-2016
Arien V: of course there were hotfixes too, .. we all know that patch
that fixes the patch that patched the patch before that :-)
Arien V: and those you can find here:
arpharazonv: Because they can never put out a patch that goes off
flawlessly.
Arien V: http://us.battle.net/heroes/en/blog/20118416/heroes-of-the-storm-hotfix-patch-notes-may-19-2016-5-19-2016
Arien V: and of course they have new stuff in development with exciting
things to come :-)
Arien V: http://us.battle.net/heroes/en/blog/20111018/in-development-chromie-medivh-and-more-5-20-2016
arpharazonv: Chromie's already here since last patch now :)
Arien V: Great :-)
Arien V: And Overwatch had
some new things two. I ve tried it by the way, but it's not really my
cup of tea.
Arien V: Anyway copy pasted from the gaming news:
Arien V: Some new stuff has been put up. First, a piece of Overwatch
lore in the blog: https://playoverwatch.com/en-us/blog/20119620
LumériCo Vision for Mexico Unveiled, but Threats to Safety and
Security Remain.
Second, a blog covering release: https://playoverwatch.com/en-us/blog/20119623
Overwatch Launch Protocols: Everything You Need to Know.
Third, a new animated short is coming: https://playoverwatch.com/en-us/blog/20119621"Hero",
and a new digital comic has been released: https://playoverwatch.com/en-us/blog/20119624)"Mission
Statement".
Finally, if you like numbers, you might be interested in the https://playoverwatch.com/en-us/blog/20119622
open beta infographic Blizzard released.
Arien V: Anything else to add before we head into Tolkien? Any
encounters of the Valar kind in any games or else online this week?
arpharazonv: Pretty sure I saw Fladrif
around again, hoping to aim at legendary rank in Hearthstone some day.
Arien V: What rank are you now Phara?
arpharazonv: Me? Around 18 I think. I don't get very far. I was talking
about Fladrif's ambition. Highest I've gotten this month is 17, I think.
Arien V: what rank is he now ?
arpharazonv: Not sure actually :) Probably around rank 10? Maybe higher.
Arien V: that's nice :-) wish i could figure that game out ^^
arpharazonv: It can be tricky.
Arien V: my friend Ted , Awyeru, is rank 8 at the moment
arpharazonv: Oh, not bad!
Arien V: but he has been rank three earlier on this month ^^
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Arien V: Shall we move on to Tolkien then?
arpharazonv: Sure.
Arien V: My mission last week on the LARP had a lot to do with
animals - controlled and copied animals, but still animals all the same
:-) So my topic for tonight is unsurprisingly
"Animals in Tolkien , especially the Hobbit and the Lord of the Ring" .
As we know it is not only the humanoids that play crucial roles in
those books , can you think of any examples where what animals were
used for which purpose and what they did?
arpharazonv: A thrush comes to
mind!
arpharazonv: A thrush that opens up a secret door, and informs Bard of
Smaug's weak spot.
Arien V: Ah, yes , and what did that thrush do :)?
arpharazonv: Speaking the language of birds can be so useful :)
Arien V: how was the thrush relaying that little detail?
arpharazonv: I don't remember that!
Arien V: in the first instance the Thrush threw snails on the spot
where the keyhole in the lonely mountain door was hidden.
Arien V: As for the weak spot of Smaug , the Thrush overheard a raven speaking with Thorin and
friends and flew off to Bard with that detail so he could aim the
Black Arrow
arpharazonv: Right!
Arien V: I think that should be about corect
arpharazonv: Sounds like it.
Arien V: Then what else do we have?
arpharazonv: Hmm.
arpharazonv: Horses came in
useful at some point.
arpharazonv: Rohan particularly.
Arien V: Horses serving meals at Beorns
Arien V: but yes , Phara, certainly right
arpharazonv: Ah yes. Beorn had enough animal friends to fill a disney
movie.
Arien V: Particularly Shadowfax stands out in Rohan, being quite
intelligent and gathering up Arod and Hasufel after they ran away from
The Three Hunters.
perseid28: Also for birds, we have crebain
which are suspected of being spies for the Enemy. They appear when the
Fellowship is headed to Caradhras
Arien V: Slowly , Lenwe, we get to animals with the Enemy after the
"good" ones :-)
perseid28: Oh, my bad!
Arien V: But you are absolutely right !
perseid28: It's the evil ones that stick better in my head :)
arpharazonv: Evil ones? Do dragons count?
arpharazonv: Wolves and wargs?
Arien V: That seems to be the case in general , unfortunately and they
do Phari
Arien V: well we have Bill , the pony,
Sam's special friend , who manages to kick Bill Ferny leaving Bree and
escapes the Watcher in front of Moria
Arien V: Then of course we have the Eagles
, both in the Hobbit and LotR , although we know that they are
not "only* animals but messengers and representatives of the Valar.
arpharazonv: Very useful indeed.
Arien V: Birds and butterflies are allies of Radagast
too and serve as messengers for both Radagast and Gandalf - i am not
sure whether that is film only , but we can easily imagine that.
Through them the news of the nine ridiing again spreads and news of
Gandalf's captivity spread to Galadriel.
Arien V: Radagast informed the birds to be on the lookout for moves of
the enemy on Gandalfs request which they did .
Arien V: Any others you can think of on the good side?#
arpharazonv: I thought it was a moth in the movie.
Arien V: Moth or Butterflies :-) Same insect family anyway
arpharazonv: Heh.
arpharazonv: If we're dragging in the Silmarillion,
Huan's an obvious choice.
arpharazonv: If not, hmm...
Arien V: Ah yes indeed :)#
Arien V: very good
Arien V: Now the easier bit :-) Which animals did the Enemy use?
arpharazonv: Let's see. We had crebain,
wargs, a few dragons. Fel beasts.
Arien V: Going back to your dragon
remark earlier on , Phari. I don't think they were servants of the
Enemy as in they reacted on Morgoths orders. They just played in his
hands by their (un)deeds and greed.
Arien V: Both Morgoth and Sauron used this of course
arpharazonv: Well they were originally his creations, and he did employ
them in battle.
Arien V: oh , were they ? I wasn't aware .. my bad , I am telling
rubbish then
perseid28: Then I suppose the same would go for the Mirkwood spiders, along with Shelob and company?
arpharazonv: Well, corruptions, I guess. Morgoth could not create life.
Arien V: Corrupted birds or lizards (dinosaurs :-) )?
arpharazonv: The first dragon was wingless, so I'd say lizards.
Arien V: I would think that the Mirkwoodspiders were corrupted .. ,
Shelob was a daughter of Ungolianth and where she came from is not
known .. I have read somewhere that Morgoth found her in the Void and
formed a kind of "friendship" or "partnership;" with her
Arien V: the smaller Mirkwoodspiders were mostly males probably
descended from Shelob and "normal" spiders
Arien V: at least that is my speculations
Arien V: I am not sure whether the spiders were sent into Mirkwood on
orders of Sauron but they came in handy for him
arpharazonv: They might have been around for a while. They seemed to
breed well enough without the directions of Morgoth or Sauron.
arpharazonv: I think Shelob was specifically said to not be a servant
of Sauron, but still pretty useful?
Arien V: Right
perseid28: She was effective border control for Mordor so the orcs left
her alone, if I remember correctly
Arien V: Correct, Lenwe :-)
perseid28: The orcs that she occasionally ate were acceptable losses, I
suppose!
arpharazonv: Plenty more where those came from.
Arien V: Sauron had enough so a few less didn't matter and he didn't
grudge her the odd "tidbit"
Arien V: Right, you mentioned earlier on the Crebain, the blackbirds used as spy
by both Saruman and Sauron i suppose, although they seem to be spying
more for Saruman
Arien V: Then we have bats
mentioned occoasionally , just before a battle, so they were used in
Tolkien as a sign of doom - also I suppose a swarm of fluttery things
coming straight for you is very irritating and scaring
arpharazonv: Especially if they're shrieking at the time.
Arien V: Indeed.
Arien V: oh for completion sake there are the normal kind of animals
which are hunted for food like deer,
rabbits and sheep (by the trolls)
perseid28: Bill the Pony was mentioned; of course the Nazgul also
employed them
perseid28: As well as their winged
mounts
Arien V: Occasionally bears
were hunted as well , which is why Beorn wasn't too fond of the humans
of Dale.
Arien V: And right , Lenwe, those were the Felbeasts that Pharazon
mentioned earlier on , I believe or they are a different breed
arpharazonv: Those are the ones I meant, yes.
Arien V: Thank you :0
Arien V: :-)
perseid28: ah, ok :)
Arien V: Well, i think we have mentioned all we could think of and if
Eonwe or Varda have to add one or more next week I am sure they will :-)
Arien V: Thank you both for your contributions and let's call an
official end .. Gavel picking time ..
Arien V: hmmmm *looks around* .. *gaze stops at spiky mace.. flies over
horse whip .. hangs on a golden one made of liquid seeming metal ..
picks the mace and bangs together .. "bang .. bursts in golden
sparkles* ..
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Aftermeeting
:-)
arpharazonv: ooh, sparkly
arpharazonv: Personal gaming!
arpharazonv: So many choices this week for flashgaming, which shall I
pick...
arpharazonv: hit_box http://www.onemorelevel.com/game/hit_box
is a puzzle and timing game where you have to move from square to
square to reach the last one. Sounds simple, but it gets harder when
the squares start moving and spikes and bombs get in your way :)
arpharazonv: shop-empire-2 http://www.kongregate.com/games/littlegiantworld/shop-empire-2
is a mall management game where you build shops and facilities, make
money, perform assignments, and unlock other countries and locations.
arpharazonv: Fun to see all your little clients roaming around if
you're popular :)
arpharazonv: and finally 6-differences
http://www.kongregate.com/games/Ivory/6-differences
is a spot the difference puzzle, but with moving and symmetric levels
that can make them difficult to see. Also a few easter eggs around!
arpharazonv: Blizzard gaming!
Arien V: yay :-)
arpharazonv: Diablo 3: Bit of
time spent in season journey chapter 4, chasing down some keywardens
for objectives. Next objective will be in Torment IV difficulty, but to
get there I need to grind some equipment first.
arpharazonv: Heroes of the Storm:
More fun with various heroes! Ended up playing a lot of Gazlowe and
Li-Ming this week. Li-Ming especially is going quite well, but to be
fair, that's mostly a matter of good aim and timing :)
Arien V: :-)
arpharazonv: I've got around 60000 gold now. Should be able to buy some
heroes or even a few mounts if I want them.
Arien V: cool
arpharazonv: Hearthstone: All
classes at level 41 now! Onward to the next level. Also managed to find
some time to open a few packs, including my first packs of the new
expansion. No new old god legendaries gotten, but I did get one other
legendary card from there, a 1/1 shapeshifter of some kind.
arpharazonv: This week's tavern brawl was a cooperative one, where both
players try to take down a single boss which switches sides of the
board. Got him down in one attempt, so perhaps just lucky :)
arpharazonv: WoW: Finished the
achievement for 1000 naval missions! That took me quite a few months.
Now all I've got left for the Garrison is a few monuments: one of which
just requiring a mythic Blackhand kill (I've killed the rest) and quite
a few more pet battles. Probably won't get the second before the next
expansion comes out, but we're still working on the first.
arpharazonv: That friend of mine I mentioned last week who's been
testing things on the Legion beta has managed to answer all my
questions but one (but he's still working on that!), allowing me to
form some decent plans for going into the next expansion.
arpharazonv: Specifically, I'll try to get my first artifact weapon on
my tanking spec, which I'll level as much as I can even while I'm in my
damage spec, for which the second artifact should be available pretty
soonish.
arpharazonv: And finally, I pushed my troll moonkin to level 25
tonight, during the meeting even! Getting all 3 achievements for the
xylem trials and the horde-only hat toy in the process.
arpharazonv: And that's all my news for this week.
Arien V: thank you very much Phari :-)
Arien V: And congratulations on all the Hearthstone levels and to the
troll :-D
arpharazonv: Thanks :)
arpharazonv: Oh, apparently I'm rank 17 right now in Hearthstone. Time
to drop a few levels before I can win something for a quest, I imagine.
arpharazonv: *a few ranks
Arien V: thank you for your personal gaming report and the
contributions .. I shall end Diablo s blasting soon and pay Irmo a
visit in the halls of dreaming .. it is getting late :-) Namarie all :-D
arpharazonv: Namarie!
arpharazonv: Saving and sending transcript.
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