Valar Guild

April 7, 2019 Sunday Meeting

5:00 P.M. Eastern time (-5 GMT)

Discord: Valar Guild/meeting_place

Back to News
Transcript work by Varda.

Attending (and spoke): (6)
    Discord: Arien, Ar-Pharazon, Elladan, Falco, Menelvagor, Varda (presiding)

Before-meeting
Meeting begins
Membership news:
    Check out movie-Elladan's picture.
Web:
    FTP problems today.
Gaming:
    General reports.
Tolkien:
    Topic: "the world is gnawed by nameless things"
After-meeting:
    Flashgaming Reviews by Ar-Pharazon.
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Before-meeting
(times are in Central from Varda's Discord, so add one hour for Eastern. Example: 4pm Central in the transcript is 5pm Eastern)

VardaToday at 4:00 PM
Aiya : )
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:00 PM
Aiya!
VardaToday at 4:02 PM

Elen sila lumenn' omentielvo!
Membership:
Gwaihir said hi.
At this time of day, he's live streaming so he can't be with us.
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:04 PM
Arien poked.
VardaToday at 4:04 PM
Thanks!
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:04 PM
Also aiya to Gwaihir :smiley:
ArienVToday at 4:05 PM
Aiya :smiley:
VardaToday at 4:05 PM
Aiya Sunshine : )
ArienVToday at 4:05 PM
how are you Valarites?
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:05 PM
Aiya!
Good, about to head to the Darkmoon Faire for some quest deliveries.
VardaToday at 4:06 PM
Busy busy, the best way to be.
ElladanToday at 4:06 PM
Aiya!
VardaToday at 4:07 PM
Aiya Elladan : )
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:07 PM
Aiya!
ElladanToday at 4:07 PM
Thanks for the poke, Varda
:stuck_out_tongue:
actually here, not cooking, etc
Blue moon?
VardaToday at 4:07 PM
Who are you and what did you do with Elladan?
ElladanToday at 4:07 PM
I'll never tell
VardaToday at 4:07 PM
heh
ArienVToday at 4:08 PM
yeah still hanging around rping there ^^
ElladanToday at 4:08 PM

VardaToday at 4:08 PM
Nice shot!
ElladanToday at 4:08 PM
Its my best side
VardaToday at 4:08 PM
hehehe
ArienVToday at 4:08 PM
all our rascals . the kids are going on the rollercoaster :smiley: and veryh good
ElladanToday at 4:09 PM
May have to go early... friend is coming soon. And he's never punctual. either extreme early or late.
But, I'm here now! :smiley:
VardaToday at 4:09 PM
Is he a wizard?
ArienVToday at 4:10 PM
he arrives exactly when he means to
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:10 PM
So it might be an hour still.
VardaToday at 4:11 PM
Ok, done poking all those poor souls.
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Web:
Eonwe and I have been trying to post all day, but the ftp is not connecting to the Valar Guild website right now.
Might be the weather in our area, which has been stormy.
The site is up though, and doing fine.
.
Fangorn says Hi from this side of the screen.
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Gaming:
Here's what Eonwe managed to post before the ftp did a fish belly up.

World of WarCraft:
This week's Bonus Event: Pet Battles.
Maybe I should say this past week's.
The PvP Brawl: Deep Six began last Tuesday and runs through Tuesday, April 9th.
March of the Tadpoles was Friday.
That sounds cute. Any of you try it?
The Darkmoon Faire begins today and runs through Saturday, April 13th.

StarCraft 2:
Gaming together done by Eowyn, Fangorn, and Eowyn's son. Much mayhem accomplished, some on the enemy.
ArienVToday at 4:17 PM
very good
VardaToday at 4:17 PM
(Eonwe managed to get the WoW news up before everything went nuts. Rest is us.)
ElladanToday at 4:17 PM
:smile:
VardaToday at 4:17 PM

Lord of the Rings Online:
The Spring Festival continues through April 9.
If you stay up until 3 am, we can say until April 10.
Kinmates in LotRO that showed up in the last three days in our three branches:

Landroval:
Bregalad
Dis
Eonwe
Fangorn
Mirabella
Nar
Varda

Ithil:
Arien
Dis
Falco
Fangorn
Varda

Anor:
Arien
Dis
Fangorn
Varda

If anyone needs an invite to one of those, meetings are a good time to call for it.
Does anyone else have general news or Valarite sightings from their games?
ElladanToday at 4:20 PM
Not I. Haven't been in much, except for SWGemu briefly
VardaToday at 4:20 PM
Hope you had fun there. : )
ElladanToday at 4:20 PM
Trip down nostalgia lane
VardaToday at 4:20 PM
Those can be fun.
ElladanToday at 4:20 PM
like Legends of Aria... its a 'newish' version of Ultima Online
thinking of booting up LotRO again :smile:
VardaToday at 4:21 PM
What a concept!
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:21 PM
Saw Fladrif popping online on bnet :smiley:
ElladanToday at 4:21 PM
Have Beornings gotten any love?
VardaToday at 4:21 PM
New kite at the fair that looks like a moth. And a new goat mount with a lot of spring flowers that it might promptly eat if no one is watching.
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:22 PM
Last online.. 18 hours ago? Either he was up at 5 in the morning, or he's gone to some far away country again..
VardaToday at 4:22 PM
All the characters got some love. They also do simultaneous tweaks now, so we can get surprise fixes.
With water like silver glass?
waves to the ent
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:22 PM
Possibly? :smiley:
VardaToday at 4:23 PM
Feel free to take your Beorning to level 120.
ElladanToday at 4:23 PM
woot woot
VardaToday at 4:23 PM
Go go!
ElladanToday at 4:24 PM
always loved burg, beorn, mini and ranger
beorn reminded me of feral druid days
love that... with the ability to heal
VardaToday at 4:24 PM
That's four you can take up to 120 then!
ElladanToday at 4:24 PM
I have one of each hahah
so behind the curve sigh
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:24 PM
Well, if you want something like a beorning in WoW you can now make Kul Tiran druids :smiley:
VardaToday at 4:24 PM
They move the curve so we have something to play to.
ElladanToday at 4:25 PM
?
it scales?
ArienVToday at 4:25 PM
there is a screenie of the moth kite on the screenshot room bvy the way :smiley:
of my new est captain on Anor
he is not the newest character on there any more tho :smiley:
VardaToday at 4:26 PM
Ahh, Arandros got one!
ArienVToday at 4:26 PM
yeah :smiley:
VardaToday at 4:27 PM
I suspect we weren't talking about the same curve.
Any other gaming news? Eve Online? Other?
(Now I want to go try out the fair.)
ElladanToday at 4:29 PM
none here
VardaToday at 4:29 PM
Other business, suggestions on gaming or Tolkien or the website or whatever?
Then on to..l
Tolkien!
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:30 PM
Speaking of fair.. I just rode the new rollercoaster on the Darkmoon Faire.
VardaToday at 4:30 PM
Ah hah! How was it?
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:30 PM
It's kinda nice actually!
I've been on worse ones in real life :wink:
ElladanToday at 4:31 PM
nice
VardaToday at 4:31 PM
Reminds me, we now have a mining cart in our Ithil kin house. Click on it and the cart runs like a little train.
ElladanToday at 4:31 PM
I unsubbed from wow a while back
I really only love battlegrounds there.
VardaToday at 4:32 PM
No problem. You have LotRO!
./duck
ArienVToday at 4:32 PM
oh sounds cool :smiley: i have to try that out
VardaToday at 4:32 PM
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Tolkien:
For those of you that have played LotRO, you might remember the weird little burrowing critters in the various mines. Cave claws.
The first time seeing them, I thought the Devs were out of their minds.
Well, they still might be from our bugging them, but they did have a basis for the cave claws.
ElladanToday at 4:34 PM
yes hahaha
VardaToday at 4:35 PM
If you run around the various caves, you see the little guys.
Then there are a few larger ones.
ElladanToday at 4:35 PM
never liked them much
VardaToday at 4:35 PM
Then in an instance or two, far underground, through cracks....
you see a part of gigantic ones.
Really really huge.
They don't come get you, they just keep on about their business.
What's with that? Ah hah, there's a reason.
ElladanToday at 4:36 PM
lol
VardaToday at 4:37 PM
They aren't meant to be likable.
When Gandalf fought the Balrog in Moria, he ran across something we might find familiar, in the deep tunnels.
Quote:

‘We fought far under the living earth, where time is not counted. Ever he clutched me, and ever I hewed him, till at last he fled into dark tunnels.
They were not made by Durin’s folk, Gimli son of Glóin.
Far, far below the deepest delving of the Dwarves, the world is gnawed by nameless things.
Even Sauron knows them not.
hey are older than he.
Now I have walked there, but I will bring no report to darken the light of day.
In that despair my enemy was my only hope, and I pursued him, clutching at his heel.
Thus he brought me back at last to the secret ways of Khazad-dûm: too well he knew them all.
Ever up now we went, until we came to the Endless Stair.’

Endquote.
.
There are several odd comments in that.
Older than Sauron?
World gnawed at by nameless things?
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:41 PM
Older than Sauron, who's from before the world...
VardaToday at 4:41 PM
And we have found Gandalf's hat in-game at the bottom of the Endless Stair. : )
Tricky, Phar. Aye.
It might mean that the burrowers/ cave claws were there before Morgoth brought his minions to Arda to stay.
Tunnels deeper than the dwarves made?
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:43 PM
If they're not part of Morgoth's effort, they might be shadowy beings from outside the world like Ungoliant was, coming there independently... or maybe they're friendly?
ArienVToday at 4:43 PM
hmm is that where they got the worms from Gundabad to the lonely mountain from in the Hobbit ?#
in the movie?
VardaToday at 4:43 PM
I found an actual reference to those worms in the books. Color me surprised.
ArienVToday at 4:43 PM
oh right
VardaToday at 4:44 PM
But not going to dig it out right now.
It was very brief! Good job of the movie guys to catch it.
Anyway, there was a use for those deep tunnels.
Arien might remember those tunnels. : )
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:45 PM
"dig it out", eh...
VardaToday at 4:45 PM
Let's hope Phar's deep place doesn't intersect them! Not the most fun of visitors, those burrowers.
FalcoToday at 4:45 PM
Aiya!
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:45 PM
Aiya!
VardaToday at 4:45 PM
Aiya Falco : )
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:46 PM
Well, we do need to eat down here, don't we?
VardaToday at 4:46 PM
Good point. Just hope the larger ones don't care if you turn the smaller ones on spits.
Arien is pretty busy with her rp group, so she might not be able to answer about the tunnels.
So if not the Sun, let's see about the Moon!
Silmarillion "Of the Sun and Moon":
Quote:

For Tilion seldom tarried in Valinor, but more often would pass swiftly over the western land, over Avathar, or Araman, or Valinor, and plunge in the chasm beyond the Outer Sea, pursuing his way alone amid the grots and caverns at the roots of Arda. There he would often wander long, and late would return.

Endquote.
.
Eru found uses for all of his critters.
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:48 PM
Heh.
So the tunnels were big enough for a moonship, eh?
VardaToday at 4:49 PM
Both the Sun and Moon went through tunnels deep in the earth.
Some were. No wonder that caveclaw we saw was so gigantic. Probably just a little guy compared to some deeper down.
ArienVToday at 4:49 PM
Aiya Falco :smiley:
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:49 PM
So maybe for the worms, night and day were reversed; during the night, the sun would brighten up their tunnels.
VardaToday at 4:50 PM
Intriguing.
ArienVToday at 4:50 PM
good thought
VardaToday at 4:50 PM
They had the sun and the moon both.
ArienVToday at 4:50 PM
so they were escaping the light eh?
VardaToday at 4:50 PM
No mention of the stars.
That might be so also. That could make them want to burrow even more to get away.
So be careful how deep we delve.
We might meet cave claws, the sun, or the moon.
The dwarves may have gotten off well, just a Balrog.
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:52 PM
They delved too greedily, and too deep, and fell right into the sun as it was travelling underneath them...
VardaToday at 4:52 PM
One of only seven Balrogs.
lol
Oops.
Ok, no topping that.
Does anyone else have any more Tolkien goodies to pass along tonight?
the gavel moles along the table
the hammerpad eyes it askance and sidles sideways away
the gavel yelps and sparks fly through the tabletop
the hammerpad grabs the gavel and pulls it out, somewhat singed
clomp
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After-meeting!
Free chat. : )
Also, have fun gaming!
ArienVToday at 4:58 PM
uh Varda?
VardaToday at 4:58 PM
Aye?
ArienVToday at 4:58 PM
Tariendor and Tariendor need an in vite on Anor and Ithil respectively ^^
VardaToday at 4:58 PM
Yay!
ArienVToday at 4:58 PM
Tariendur
VardaToday at 4:58 PM
Which one first? : )
Fainan will come in, so you can find a familiar short name.
ArienVToday at 4:59 PM
Tariendur i am still logged on him :smiley:
VardaToday at 4:59 PM
Which server first?
ArienVToday at 4:59 PM
Ithil i think
VardaToday at 5:00 PM
Heading that way!
One in!
ArienVToday at 5:08 PM
just loading the screen
VardaToday at 5:13 PM
That's two!
ArienVToday at 5:14 PM
thank you very much :smiley:
VardaToday at 5:14 PM
My pleasure. : )
ArienVToday at 6:02 PM
Lol even a public outhouse there :smiley:
on ithil
VardaToday at 6:03 PM
Be sure to try to open the door!
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 6:03 PM
That's one aspect they rarely tackle in videogames.
Or movies.
ArienVToday at 6:03 PM
and a property guard!
oi .. i love this mine cart display :smile:
I need one of those ..
VardaToday at 6:06 PM
hehe - it's so like a train set!
but with handsome crystals
ArienVToday at 6:06 PM
Where do you get it .. no i guess Moria
and i love the purple rugs
VardaToday at 6:08 PM
Those I think are from Falco
ArienVToday at 6:09 PM
Very nice .. and your house straight next door, very nice
VardaToday at 6:09 PM
Handy. : ) Until we get our island at least.
ArienVToday at 6:31 PM
Hehe nothing that i d like in Bree homesteads i fear on Ithil
VardaToday at 6:31 PM
Maybe something in Thorin's Hall
ArienVToday at 6:31 PM
most is taken there anway .. yeah just thought that
VardaToday at 6:32 PM
Fits Frali
MenelvagorToday at 6:45 PM
So it seems I am late to the party :smiley:
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 6:45 PM
Aiya!
VardaToday at 6:45 PM
Welcome to the After-party!
MenelvagorToday at 6:46 PM
After party is still a party! Yay me :smiley:
VardaToday at 6:46 PM
passes around the Miruvor
MenelvagorToday at 6:46 PM
I brought some starlight to see by
VardaToday at 6:46 PM
Good plan. Also makes a sparkling beverage.
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 6:47 PM
I'm sure Varda has plenty of that anyway.
VardaToday at 6:47 PM
Between us, this place is well lit. If we can see past Arien.
MenelvagorToday at 6:48 PM
Well ask whatshisname from the Moon to get a bit too close to her for a bit.
VardaToday at 6:48 PM
That Tilion guy, sure.
MenelvagorToday at 6:50 PM
Arien can still see past him... kind of :smiley:
VardaToday at 6:50 PM
Practice
MenelvagorToday at 6:50 PM
Though I think she might be a bit preoccupied with not singing him too badly.
ArienVToday at 6:50 PM
Aiya Menel :smiley:
VardaToday at 6:50 PM
He has a good Reflect to handle it.
ArienVToday at 6:51 PM
you want to sing a lullabye for me i hear :)?
MenelvagorToday at 6:51 PM
Aiya Arien.
I wouldn't mind, if I knew a good one.
And I think passages from the lay of Leithian would be too good for lullabies.
wouldn't be*
ArienVToday at 6:57 PM
aye it would
one house here that might be a possibility .. but .. i dont really like the layout of Thorins hall homesteads :/
i ll have a look tomorrow at Shire and Duillond :smiley:
VardaToday at 7:00 PM
Plenty of places to check!
Frali seems to get along well with elves too. : )
ArienVToday at 7:01 PM
indeed :smiley:
Bedtime for me now :smiley:
so Namarie all :smiley:
VardaToday at 7:01 PM
Sleep well! It was fun being in LotRO with you. : )
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 7:01 PM
namarie!
ArienVToday at 7:01 PM
It was :smile: Namarie !
VardaToday at 7:02 PM
Namarie
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 7:04 PM
Time for my personal gaming report!
MenelvagorToday at 7:08 PM
Namarie, even though I am probably late to that particular party again :stuck_out_tongue:
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 7:08 PM
namarie!
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3 flashgames!
http://www.onemorelevel.com/game/furious_golf is the first! Some infuriating golfing indeed, hitting your ball through mazes of levels, at 3 different difficulties for you to choose from :smiley:
    Furious Golf - OneMoreLevel.com

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 7:30 PM
https://www.kongregate.com/games/nerdook/super-samurai-sweeper is the second game! Samurai + minesweeper. Make your way across a map, find the daimyo in each area, and upgrade your skills and allies. Play smart, and maybe you'll beat the game :wink:
Kongregate
    Super Samurai Sweeper
    Samurai meets Minesweeper! Defeat the Seven Daimyos and their Shogun, and restore peace to the land! As the Samurai, you will have to choose your battles caref...

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 7:41 PM
https://www.kongregate.com/games/Tenfor/the-dark-one is the third game! An upgrade rpg game, prequel to some other fun games in this series. Kill stuff, get xp and gold, upgrade skills, buy relics to get stronger, and if you die, you can just try again with no losses :smiley: Just keep going, and eventually you'll be strong enough! Though tactically using your skills does help!
    Kongregate
    The Dark One
    Our story is a prequel of Landor Quest 2. This time we are playing as a wizard, called Varthen. In this rpg adventure we can find out more about the world of L...
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Blizzard gaming:
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 7:59 PM
Heroes of the Storm:
Level 338 now, so 2 levels gained. One from Hammer, and one... from the hero I mentioned last week, D.Va, the only tank/bruiser remaining for the Overwatch franchise. Gave her a couple of tries, and it's a weird hero to get used to, with mostly crowd controlling and other hard to control abilities.
I'm not sure yet, but I think I'll focus on a pilot mode build, which revolves around blowing up the mech on purpose and then hunting down enemy heroes with pistol shots. Seems kinda fun, even though it basically changes that one tank to a ranged assassin type instead :wink: But hey, it still works for the quests, so why not?
Brawl was a single-lane on the Braxis Outpost map. Had one match where we lost pretty badly, and I got stuck playing Chen who I'm not good at, but the other two went well. One had me playing Zagara, possibly my favorite hero for these single lanes, since I've got a pretty specialized and destructive build for it, and the other one was with Zul'jin, who I haven't played much, but doesn't seem to need that much skill to just tear groups of heroes down with his axes.
8 days left on the event, but that's fine, because I'm only 2 quests away. 50 takedowns and 10 fort destructions should be doable in about a week :smiley:
Hearthstone:
Still continuing along. Several classes getting closer to the next level now, about two thirds of the way. Brawl was an oldy but a fun one: Choose a class, get random cards, which change mana cost every turn. Allows for some wacky combinations.
WoW:
Raiding still on Conclave. We're also still doing the heroic bosses prior to that fight, rather than extending the raid; it gives us a chance of better gear. Still, the trinket I want from the earlier bosses still won't drop! As for Conclave itself, we seem to be making some progress, and are experimenting now with kill order for the bosses in the fight, depending on which abilities bother us the most.
One new pet from the old Pandaria raids, a Kor'thik Swarmling. Fun little mantid pet, will fit well whenever I choose to go back to my mantis appearance set.
4 more to go from the new pandaria pets!
Weekly this week has been pet battles, and I took the opportunity to complete my achievement to win 10 pvp battles with 3 elemental pets. That's 5 out of 10 families done!
Been getting more pet charms, enough to buy yet another pet from Dodger in Boralus, a Bloodfeaster Larva, strange bloated tick thingy.
No new arathi pets, but I am almost done with the service medals for the big panther mount. Should get it in about 2 days, I'm thinking!
But I did get a new pet from expeditions, a Firesting Buzzer, really tiny stingy insect :smiley: Pets, pets everywhere!
And finally, Darkmoon Faire's up, and it's the first one with the rollercoaster, the temporary fish heads, and the 3 new balloon pets. I tried the rollercoaster, and it's rather fun, putting you in first person view as you go along. Rather reminiscent of the Theme Park World game I used to play many, many years ago, where you could take a ride in the rides you'd built.
I don't have enough tickets for all 3 pets yet, was about 30 short, so for 3 days I'll be doing a pet battle at the Faire for 10 tickets and buying a new pet each day :smiley: Today was the horse balloon, which is actually a lot bigger than I thought it would be. Looking forward to seeing what the murloc and wolf balloons look like.
And that's my report for the week!
VardaToday at 8:19 PM
Thank you, Phar. : )
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 8:53 PM
namarie!
VardaToday at 8:53 PM
Namarie : )
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