Valar Guild

November 17, 2019 Sunday Meeting

5:00 P.M. Eastern time (-4 GMT aka 9 P.M. aka 21:00)
Discord: Valar Guild/meeting_place

Back to News
Transcript work by
Varda.
[times are Central Time from Varda's Discord. Add one hour for Eastern.]

Attending (and spoke): (7)
    Discord: Arien, Ar-Pharazon, Celebrian, Elrond, Lenwe, Pallando, Varda (presiding)

Before-meeting
Meeting begins
Membership news
Web:
    Story by Shirebound up today: "Capturing a Star".
Gaming:
    General reports: first talked about a movie, then World of WarCraft, World of WarCraft Classic (Westfall server is where most of our people get together through Discord), Diablo 3, StarCraft 2, Overwatch, Lord of the Rings Online, Pathfinder tabletop, Heroes of the Storm, Hearthstone.
Tolkien:
    Topic: After the War of the Ring, what do we think may have happened to Radagast the Brown? (Tangents to other Ainur in Middle-earth.)
After-meeting:
    Flashgaming Reviews by Ar-Pharazon.
top

Before-meeting

VardaToday at 4:01 PM
Aiya!
 
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:02 PM
Aiya!
 
VardaToday at 4:02 PM
Phar! : )
 
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:02 PM
Var!
 
VardaToday at 4:02 PM
hehe
We might be twins?
 
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:02 PM
You'd think twins should be more identifiable by name :wink:
 
VardaToday at 4:03 PM
We're online. No one can tell!
 
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:03 PM
True!
 
VardaToday at 4:05 PM
People poked. I may double as an alarm clock.
top

Elen sila lumenn' omentielvo!
Membership:
 
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:05 PM
gave Arien a poke too
 
VardaToday at 4:05 PM
Yep, you're my twin!
Membership:
 
ArienValarToday at 4:06 PM
aiya all :slight_smile:
 
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:06 PM
Aiya!
 
VardaToday at 4:06 PM
Thanksgiving is coming up in the USA, with people traveling, and some off, some able to play more and some less. May everyone have a wonderful time!
Aiya Sunshine : )
 
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:07 PM
And in Europe we've got...
...nothing?
 
VardaToday at 4:07 PM
We may have Meriadoc at our house, where he usually indulges in some LotRO with us, so maybe you'll get to see him there.
Ahh, borrow this handy turkey leg! No, just keep it. : )
passes around the pumpkin pie
We'll adopt you all for our feast!
 
ArienValarToday at 4:08 PM
*takes a piece * looks yummy
 
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:08 PM
Yay!
Oh right, I suppose that means Pilgrim's Bounty will come up soon in WoW :slight_smile:
 
VardaToday at 4:08 PM
ahh right!
Our games may all be affected with pleasant fun extras!
Any other Membership news we want to add?
 
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:10 PM
I had a hospital visit this week. Nothing urgent though. Just one more step in diagnosing a long-running issue.
 
VardaToday at 4:11 PM
Hope they can figure it out and help you! And speed up about it.
Thanks for letting us know how it's going.
 
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:11 PM
Would be nice!
nods well, nothing else much is happening in my life :wink:
 
VardaToday at 4:11 PM
Eowyn will be having a procedure in the hospital Tuesday, so may your thoughts be kindly towards her.
 
ArienValarToday at 4:11 PM
i am back from Germany
 
VardaToday at 4:11 PM
Phar, that may be a good thing for you. : )
Welcome home, Arien!
Don't guess you got a chance to see Pallando or other Valarites?

ArienValarToday at 4:12 PM
thank you :slight_smile: and i have a hospital appointment coming up as well in December to conclude the patient list dry
 
VardaToday at 4:13 PM
Wow. We are propping up the hospital industry, just us!
Elladan is helping with that too.
 
ArienValarToday at 4:13 PM
nope , haven t seen anyone , well Helm and Phari obviously :slight_smile:
 
VardaToday at 4:13 PM
Not obvious. Good to hear Helm is still around. : )
 
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:13 PM
Oh, and Fladrif's been spotted.
 
ElrondToday at 4:13 PM
Aiya
 
VardaToday at 4:13 PM
Yay ent!
Elrond, aiya!
 
ArienValarToday at 4:14 PM
aiya Elrond :slight_smile:
 
VardaToday at 4:14 PM
Here's hoping you aren't helping prop up the hospital industry too. : )
I'm fine, at least! That's one.
 
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:14 PM
Yay!
 
VardaToday at 4:14 PM
Hello from Fangorn and Sauron. : )
We have such a strange family.
top

Web:
Just barely got a story up for you before the meeting, from Shirebound.
 
CelebrianToday at 4:15 PM
Aiya
 
VardaToday at 4:15 PM
Here you go, before it's even linked to the News. You get first peek!
Celebrian! Aiya : )
 
ElrondToday at 4:16 PM
But what about second peek ?
 
ArienValarToday at 4:16 PM
Aiya, Celebrian :slight_smile:
 
VardaToday at 4:16 PM
You get second peek from the general News and the Story News pages. : )  hehe
"Capturing a Star" by Shirebound:
http://valarguild.org/varda/Tolkien/encyc/fiction/authors/Shirebound/CapturingaStar01.htm
    Capturing a Star ch. 1 "A Queen's Regret"
    fanfiction pre-LotR AU. Defying
    Dwarvish traditions, Gimli brings something very special to the
    Shire as a coming-of-age gift for Sam’s oldest son.
This is a very new story, partly our fault for reminding her of the cheerful Quarantined AU series. : )
Every time one goes online here, she receives a notification. Her emails back are quite lovely and fun to read.
Any other web news, Tolkien links you spotted that were cool? Feel free to bring them up later if you can't think of them now.

Egad, did I let you know the "Rings of Evendim" preview you saw last time went up in its entirety the following day? Here it is:
http://valarguild.org/varda/Tolkien/encyc/fiction/authors/Shirebound/RingsofEvendim01.htm
    The Rings of Evendim ch. 1 "The Road Less Taken"
    fanfiction pre-LotR AU. King
    Elessar’s visit to his northern capital brings a joyous reunion
    with the hobbits, and attracts an unexpected delegation from a
    nearly-forgotten people. An AU "Quarantined" sequel, in
    which Frodo did not sail West.
There! whew Sure didn't want to forget that.
 
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:20 PM
We won't tell anyone.
About forgetting it.
 
VardaToday at 4:20 PM
aww : )
I put it up for the world to see so you don't have to. ; )
top

Gaming News:
Eonwe is wonderful about putting up gaming news for us. Feel free to email him with goodies about your favorite games and he'll add them.
 
Pallando-ValarToday at 4:21 PM
Aiya, just got back from a movie. :slight_smile:
 
VardaToday at 4:21 PM
Welcome back! Hope you enjoyed it!
 
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:21 PM
Aiya!
 
ArienValarToday at 4:22 PM
Aiya Pallando :slight_smile: What did you watch?
 
VardaToday at 4:22 PM
Do we get to hear which movie it was?
 
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:22 PM
Also Aiya to Elrond and Celebrian (I need to pay more attention)
 
VardaToday at 4:22 PM
You don't have to tell. We're just curious. : )
I don't think I've been to a movie since Avengers wrapped up.
 
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:23 PM
I haven't been to a movie since Warcraft :slight_smile:
 
Pallando-ValarToday at 4:23 PM
Terminator: Dark Fate
Wasn't exactly mid-blowing cinema, but it was fun, if you're into that sort of thing. :slight_smile:
 
VardaToday at 4:24 PM
Oh cool. It had the original Terminator and lady, I believe? Be fun just for that.
We watched the other Terminators.
 
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:24 PM
I kinda lost track of the whole Terminator thing when they started doing differing timelines.
 
ElrondToday at 4:24 PM
That one's on my probably wait till video movie
 
VardaToday at 4:25 PM
Gaming:

World of WarCraft:
This past week's Bonus Event: Wrath of the Lich King Timewalking.
The PvP Brawl: Packed House begins Nov 12 and runs through Tuesday, November 19th.
The Moonkin Festival was Nov 12.
Available this week in WoW Classic: World Bosses and PvP Honor System.
https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/news/23221132/wow-classic-world-bosses-and-pvp-honor-system-available
    World of Warcraft
    WoW Classic: World Bosses and PvP Honor System Available - WoW
    Get ready to put your skills to the test in WoW Classic. The PvP Honor system and world raid bosses Lord Kazzak and Azuregos are now available.

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:27 PM
The grind of all grinds.
 
VardaToday at 4:27 PM
Oboy
Check out this week's hotfixes.
https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/news/23164374/hotfixes-november-13-2019
    World of Warcraft
    Hotfixes: November 13, 2019 - WoW
    Here you'll find a list of hotfixes that address various issues related to World of Warcraft: Battle For Azeroth.

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:27 PM
And not one I intend to work on... only made to master sergeant back in the day, I probably won't even get that high in the new Classic.
 
VardaToday at 4:28 PM
Anyone else working on it that's here?

Diablo 3:
Season 19: The Season of Eternal COnflict will begin November 22nd.
https://us.diablo3.com/en/blog/23220970/season-19-the-season-of-eternal-conflict-begins-nov-22-11-14-2019
    Diablo III
    Season 19: The Season of Eternal Conflict Begins Nov 22
    Season 19 begins November 22, alongside our next Diablo III patch.
    Read on to learn more about the brand-new Season of Eternal Conflict buff, two divinely inspired new class sets, and a handful of old and new item reworks coming in Patch 2.6.7!

StarCraft 2:
A balance update came out this week.
https://starcraft2.com/en-us/news/23223600
    StarCraft II
    StarCraft II Official Game Site
    Wage war across the galaxy with three unique and powerful races. StarCraft II is a real-time strategy game from Blizzard Entertainment for the PC and Mac.

Overwatch:
Check out Mercy's Recall Challenge.
https://playoverwatch.com/en-us/news/23223599/take-flight-in-mercy-s-recall-challenge
    Overwatch
    Overwatch is Blizzard’s team shooter for PC and consoles.
    Choose a hero from a diverse roster of soldiers, scientists, adventurers, and oddities, each with their own unique set of abilities.
    Bend time, defy physics, and unleash an array of extraordinary powers in concert wi...

Lord of the Rings Online:
We're having a great time with the new Minas Morgul content. Seeing more grouping going on, lots of new crafting, leveling.
[Note: LotRO players this past week]
Anyone have an addition to the news for those games or like to give a mention for their own favorite or much-played games?

I'll mention we had fun at the Pathfinder tabletop game, and Sauron is checking out the Pathfinder 2 books, making characters in the new system.
 
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:33 PM
I'd just like to ask... there hasn't been a Heroes of the Storm news update in Europe for a month now, is that also true for the US site?
 
VardaToday at 4:33 PM
No mention by Eonwe, so probably not. He'd most likely catch that.
 
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:34 PM
I suppose there's just never much to report :slight_smile:
 
VardaToday at 4:34 PM
Last mention is Oct 27.
That was when Deathwing came to the Nexus.
Maybe he wiped out everybody!
 
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:35 PM
Heh. They never even put his arrival on the blog, just his announcement.
 
VardaToday at 4:35 PM
Sometimes we're so busy playing and having a good time that we don't report.
Maybe something happened to the blogger.
 
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:35 PM
the official one?
 
VardaToday at 4:35 PM
I have no idea what's going on there.
 
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:36 PM
Oh well.
 
VardaToday at 4:37 PM
Fun trailer there, though.
https://heroesofthestorm.com/en-us/blog/23177451/tremble-before-the-might-of-deathwing-2019-10-22/
    Heroes of the Storm
    Legendary heroes and villains from Warcraft, StarCraft and Diablo are summoned to the Nexus.
    Choose your hero and prepare to fight in Heroes of the Storm!

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:37 PM
The running is so silly :wink:

VardaToday at 4:37 PM
Funny : )
 
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:38 PM
Oh, I've got something.

Hearthstone battlegrounds are now available (maybe just for testing or open beta, but they're there) with some quests, and they got Carbot, the guy who makes those animation series of the blizzard games, to make some tutorial videos for the official Hearthstone channel.
https://www.youtube.com/user/PlayHearthstone/videos for the channel
    YouTube
    Hearthstone
    Hearthstone™, a free-to-play strategy card game from Blizzard Entertainment. ESRB Rating: TEEN with Alcohol Reference, Blood, Fantasy Violence, Mild Suggesti...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M38jFodudzc for an example video :slight_smile:
YouTube
    Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
So enjoy!
 
VardaToday at 4:44 PM
Thanks
On to
top

Tolkien!
Does anyone have their own topic or question or comment? You hear from me all the time. : )
 
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:45 PM
(semi-busy, heading into a tw, will respond when I can)
 
VardaToday at 4:46 PM
Ok
After the War of the Ring, what do we think may have happened to Radagast the Brown?
 
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:47 PM
Well, we didn't see him go on a boat.
 
VardaToday at 4:47 PM
We know Gandalf returned to Valinor with the other Ringbearers, but no mention of Radagast at that taking of the ships.
Aye
 
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:47 PM
He probably stayed behind, then, doing what he could for a now free Mirkwood.
 
VardaToday at 4:47 PM
Gandalf speaks of going to visit with Iarwain before leaving, (Bombadil).
 
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:48 PM
Would he have lost power?
He didn't rely on a ring.

VardaToday at 4:48 PM
So that's at least two nature-lovers who stayed behinds. Seems as if those two would have had some things in common and might have visited. Although it would have had to be Radagast visiting, most likely.
Good point. No Ring, no power over him by a Ring, so no loss.
When the Istari went to Middle-earth, a lot of memory and power was removed from them so that they would be advisors only.
 
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:49 PM
They still had some thugh.
*though
 
VardaToday at 4:49 PM
Would he have been given his memory back? Maybe his full power?
Right. The Istari were very powerful, but weren't supposed to be encouraged to be front line shooters.
 
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:50 PM
Probably not. It wasn't needed in Middle-earth, and they seemed to want to get away from that kind of influence in the world.
 
VardaToday at 4:51 PM
Radagast seems to have lost sight of advising vs Sauron and worried more about the plants and especially animals.
 
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:51 PM
Probably a get it back if you return, don't if you stay kind of deal.
 
VardaToday at 4:51 PM
That is very likely!
But if he had lost a lot of memory of home in Valinor, Radagast may have been content to remain in Middle-earth or at least a long time.
We know other Maiar went to Middle-earth. We only know of the ones that interacted with elves and humans, so there may have been others, an unknown number.
 
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:52 PM
He seemed the type to stay.
 
VardaToday at 4:52 PM
So he may not have been as isolated as he might appear.
Aye, he was needed in Middle-earth probably more than in Valinor.
 
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:53 PM
But also for his own pleasure.
 
VardaToday at 4:53 PM
I can see him visiting with Bombadil and Goldberry. : )
True.
 
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:53 PM
Aye :slight_smile:
 
VardaToday at 4:54 PM
The Valar and Maiar went to Middle-earth to build and take care of it. In Valinor, Radagast may not have felt as if he were fulfilling his original intention.
Orome is known to have ridden in Middle-earth.
Nahar left behind some Mearas. : )
We know Melian was in Middle-earth for an unknown reason before she met Elu Thingol.
 
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:55 PM
Who needs a reason, anyway?
 
VardaToday at 4:55 PM
She went back because he died and she wanted to be away from the reminders. Who knows how many other Maiar were around?
 
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:56 PM
It's a nice place!
 
VardaToday at 4:56 PM
Right!
 
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:56 PM
Maybe some are still around now!
 
VardaToday at 4:56 PM
They may have gone to Middle-earth regularly, or some stayed.
Aye!
Radagast may still be here. And Bombadil. : )
 
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:59 PM
I hear him singing...
 
VardaToday at 4:59 PM
yay!
And hi to Lenwe. : )
 
LenweToday at 5:00 PM
Aiya! I just hopped on to shut the computer down :slight_smile: Have to wake up early tomorrow
 
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 5:00 PM
Aiya!
and namarie
 
LenweToday at 5:01 PM
I've been exploring Mordor in my free time on Lotro....fun stuff
Most folks must be playing the new servers though -- it's crickets when I'm in game, hehe
 
VardaToday at 5:03 PM
We tend to be on at odd times. So called prime time doesn't seem to be Valar prime time.
Which reminds me, forgot to include the list of this week's LotRO players on the servers, which would let you check that:
Landroval:
Arien
Eonwe
Falco
Fangorn
Ioreth
Lenwe
Mirabella
Nar
Thranduil
Varda

Ithil:
Dis
Fangorn
Varda

Anor:
Fangorn
Varda
There you go. Landroval has the lion's share. : )
Even Falco is playing Landroval again and leveling like crazy!
Ithil and Anor are the legendary, and the crickets are loud on Anor.
Will you be on tonight?

LenweToday at 5:08 PM
I think for me the prime time is now around 2pm Eastern, when I assume most people are at work or doing other rl tasks [Note: he said Eastern, not home GMT.]
 
VardaToday at 5:08 PM
Good to know!
We tend to scatter all over the clock.
Fangorn and I are often on after supper
and tend to play far too late. ; )
 
LenweToday at 5:09 PM
It would be fun to hit level cap again, I loved the box runs
 
VardaToday at 5:09 PM
Only 130 levels!
Tons to explore on the way.
 
LenweToday at 5:11 PM
Aye, there are so many ways to level. I'm looking forward to roving Mordor more, it's a fun change
 
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 5:11 PM
Timewalk over, and caught up on chat :slight_smile:
 
VardaToday at 5:11 PM
Nice : )
Well hi, time traveler!
One thing odd about Discord is that it won't show we're on LotRO unless we tell it show each time.
We're there far more than it appears.
 
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 5:13 PM
best to just check LotRO then :stuck_out_tongue:
 
VardaToday at 5:14 PM
If it's 11 for Lenwe now and 5 for me, then we should bump into each other by accident!
6 hour difference.
 
ArienValarToday at 5:15 PM
uh .. i made a stout axe on Landroval btw :slight_smile:
 
VardaToday at 5:15 PM
2 plus 6 is 8, when I am often on.
O neat!
 
ArienValarToday at 5:16 PM
a runekeeper .. i think Ariendag or something like that .. best i ll log him for the mo :slight_smile:
 
VardaToday at 5:16 PM
Thanksgiving is Nov 28
Anyway
top

After-meeting!
I'll log into LotRO Landroval
May get ten messages at once, will watch for the spelling!

Fainan is on Landroval
And we now have Ariendag!
 
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 5:29 PM
"dag" in Dutch is either "day", or a greeting like "bye".
So either it's bye Arien, or Arien-day :stuck_out_tongue:

Personal gaming report!
Flashgaming:
https://www.kongregate.com/games/Ninjakiwi/bloons-td-5 is the first game! Part of a franchise involving bloons, and part of a series of tower defenses wherein you place monkeys to pop balloons coming through the maze. This version is mostly a long-term project, as you can come back daily and save up for major permanent upgrades, and there's also events and special maps. I've never gotten into it that far, but it's fun enough to hop in now and then to play some maps :slight_smile:
    Kongregate
    Bloons TD 5
    Bloons TD 5 has heaps of new features including all of your favourite towers from BTD4 with 8 awesome upgrades each instead of 4, and two brand new never befor...

http://www.kongregate.com/games/Tukkun/anti-idle-the-game is the second game, and probably the king of kongregate idle games. Lots of stuff to do, unlock, achieve, and you can progress whether idling or active. The badge is easily obtained, but if you like the game, you can go on for a long time :wink:
    Kongregate
    Anti-Idle: The Game
    A game which you can play when you idle, and when you don#39t.
    Gain some EXP, level up. Unlock many awesome features. Earn over 600 achievements. Climb the lead...

Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 5:46 PM
https://www.kongregate.com/games/badben/nano-war is the third game! Rather shorter than the full scope of the other two, since it can be completed in one session, but nevertheless my favorite game of this week.
    Kongregate
    Nano War
    Nano War is a RTS/action game.
    In Nano War, you have to annilihate the other entity. You are the blue entity, your opponent is red.
    Download Nano War iOS on i...
It's a cell strategy game, one of the oldest in the genre, but quite good already :slight_smile: Produce units in cells, send them to conquer other cells, and outplay the AI opponent. Not too difficult, but it's good to keep some strategies in mind, like trying to waste less units on neutral cells than the enemy!
If you like it, check out some other games in the genre, including this one's sequel!

top

ArienValarToday at 6:24 PM
Namarie for now :slight_smile:
 
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 6:27 PM
namarie!
 
VardaToday at 6:27 PM
Namarie
 
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 6:40 PM
Blizzard gaming:
Heroes of the Storm:
Still level 378. 3 familiar heroes in the brawl, though I still lost all 3 :wink: Some days are like that! I came to the conclusion, though, that the best daily heist quest to get is the one for siege damage, since all heroes I play tend to do a lot of that. Many days I even complete it in my daily two matches, so that's one free loot chest a day. Not bad!
 
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 7:32 PM
Hearthstone:
all classes pretty close to the end now! Maybe 2 weeks out. Several event quests are present, related to the battleground mostly, which I poked to complete them. I'm not very good at it, though I did make it to 4th place out of 8 on my second try.
Brawl is one where you choose 3 cards and get a deck with 10 of each. The weirdest synergies are possible, I used a warlock discard deck myself.
WoW:
More heroic raiding, all bosses pretty much on farm now. Got a headpiece for feral from one of the bosses, so I'm only missing one piece of gear to have both my main specs complete.
Anniversary still going on, and I've been visiting the green dragons for the missing appearances. Have not gotten anything new though.
Also been doing timewalks for the weekly, and using the new simplified portal system to get to Dalaran easily for the relevant quests  Quite useful!
And... that's it, really. Between doing anniversary stuff, emissaries and timewalks... not really gotten anything new. I've also been spending quite a bit of time on catching up with wowhead news about blizzcon, and I've been busy with some other things this week. Not much to report!

VardaYesterday at 7:42 PM
Thanks : )

Ar-Pharazon-VYesterday at 7:42 PM
So that's my report for the week!
No problem
As for the blizzcon stuff, the more I read about it, the more I suspect Ardenweald in the upcoming expansion might become my new favorite zone.
A zone of nature and rebirth, with themes of autumn and winter, as well as starry nights.
Home to the night fae, led by the winter queen.
My druid's going to love it there
https://wow.gamepedia.com/Ardenweald for a bit of info and art... check out the concept of the covenant hall, does it look familiar?
    Wowpedia
    Ardenweald
    Ardenweald is one of the realms of the Shadowlands, ruled by the Night Fae Covenant.
    It is an enchanted, mystical forest, and a dark mirror of the Emerald Dream.
    Whereas the Dream represents the spring and summer of the cycle of life, Ardenweald reflects autumn and winter. It...

Ar-Pharazon-VYesterday at 8:31 PM
namarie!

VardaYesterday at 8:31 PM
Namarie

top