September 1, 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 in Central from Varda's Discord, so add one hour for
Eastern. Example: 4pm Central in the transcript is 5pm Eastern]
Attending (and
spoke): (4)
Discord:
Arien, Ar-Pharazon, Gorlim, Varda (presiding)
Before-meeting
Meeting begins
Membership news
Web:
Tolkien Site: this week's new story,
"Estel's Bithday", a complete 8 chapter sequel to "Reflections of
the Past" by Shirebound, put up Friday.
Gaming:
General reports from Eonwe: World of WarCraft
classic, World of WarCraft, Heroes of the Storm.
General kin report from Varda: Lord of the Rings
Online.
Tolkien:
Topic: Delving.
After-meeting:
Flashgaming Reviews by
Ar-Pharazon.
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Before-meeting
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 3:42 PM
Aiya, before the meeting starts.... ever have a moment where you
think of a combination of a song or meme and a show or movie?
And not only does it exist, but in multiple versions?
VardaToday at 3:42 PM
Neat. : )
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 3:42 PM
Have something I looked for about an hour ago!
VardaToday at 3:42 PM
Must have been a good idea then.
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 3:43 PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1hg5uMW-kc
YouTube
Desistiny
♪ Diggy Diggy Hole - The Hobbit
Enjoy :smile:
VardaToday at 3:44 PM
hah : )
VardaToday at 4:01 PM
Aiya to all!
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:01 PM
Aiya :slight_smile:
Arien ValarToday at 4:02 PM
Aiya all
VardaToday at 4:02 PM
Aiya Phar and Arien : )
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:02 PM
Aiya Arien!
Arien ValarToday at 4:03 PM
oh yeah i know Diggy Diggy but in a cover version ~
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:03 PM
wind rose?
Arien ValarToday at 4:03 PM
sings I am a dwarf and i am digging a hole diggy diggy hole
aye :
:slight_smile:
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:04 PM
was listening to that earlier, and saw the bit with the dwarves
walking, and thought of The Hobbit :wink:
VardaToday at 4:06 PM
My computer is having issues with the DX version. Makes the monitor
screen cover over with blue between LotRO sessions if just in one.
If I disappear it may be for that reason.
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:07 PM
ouch
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VardaToday at 4:07 PM
Not going to do pokes this time. : )
Elen sila lumenn' omentielvo!
Membership:
Happy to report that we are coming so close to another Anniversary
that
Eonwe is getting the GSMU letter ready to send out to
everyone for whom he has an email. [Note: GSMU = Games Site Mass
Update]
The emails he will probably use are on the Membership site.
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:08 PM
Yay!
One more year for us.
VardaToday at 4:08 PM
So if yours is wrong there, you might want to email him directly.
The message will also have a link from the general News and I would
expect from the Games Site.
That means no one has to be left out!
You can read it there and email him. If you don't want to give out
your email, try a Discord message to Eonwe. Or email Varda and tell
her it's a confidential email.
This is intended to help us all get together, like the current WoW
classic group going right now with Celebrian, Elrond, and Gorlim. :
)
and making it past another mass of blue back to you!
Any other membership news?
Arien ValarToday at 4:14 PM
Elladan gives his excuses and sends his love .. he misses the
meetings a lot , but he is not feeling well at all.
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:14 PM
Aw. Hope he gets better soon!
VardaToday at 4:14 PM
Good of him to even think of us when he's having such a hard time.
Here's hoping the doctors can help him. Never get ill during a long
holiday!
Arien ValarToday at 4:15 PM
But on the positive side i have seen him online a few hours ago
although he wasnt talking :slight_smile:
VardaToday at 4:15 PM
We are currently on a long Labor Day holiday in the USA, so many
things not open or have few working.
Arien ValarToday at 4:15 PM
so he is still around
VardaToday at 4:15 PM
Yay!
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:15 PM
Employer might say it's the best time to get ill, Varda.
VardaToday at 4:16 PM
Not for the one who is sick, heh. But aye, not missing work days if
we do that.
Self-employed never has a good day to be sick.
Arien ValarToday at 4:16 PM
indeed
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VardaToday at 4:16 PM
Web:
Tolkien Site / Stories:
"Estel's Birthday" by Shirebound.
This is a sequel but can be read stand-alone too.
It's in the Quarantined series after Reflections of the
Past. Fun read.
AU since it has Aragorn meet young Frodo instead of at the Prancing
Pony with the Ring.
http://valarguild.org/varda/Tolkien/encyc/fiction/authors/Shirebound/EstelsBirthday1.htm
Estel's Birthday ch. 1: Love at First Sight
LotR-inspired stories: Mix together one puppy,
one
Tookish toddler, tween Frodo, a young gardener,
and Bilbo. Add an
unsuspecting Ranger who’s about to have a
birthday.
Shirebound also writes canon stories and we'll pick up more of them
after the Quarantined series is completed.
We also have a fun link
from Phar, given during the Before-meeting. : )
Diggy Diggy Hole meets The Hobbit.
Any need to re-show the link here?
Oh, and that story above is eight chapters long.
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Gaming:
From Eonwe:
Arien ValarToday at 4:23 PM
i ll give you this version :slight_smile:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34CZjsEI1yU
YouTube
Napalm Records
WIND ROSE - Diggy Diggy Hole (Official Video) |
Napalm Records
VardaToday at 4:24 PM
World of WarCraft The Trial of Style begins Aug 31 and runs
through Wednesday, September 4th.
Thanks
Check out this week's hotfixes.
https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/news/23036677/hotfixes-august-27-2019
World of Warcraft
Hotfixes: August 27, 2019 - WoW
Here you'll find a list of hotfixes that address
various issues related to World of Warcraft: Battle For Azeroth.
World of WarCraft Classic:
WoW Classic went live this week.
https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/news/23099309/world-of-warcraft-classic-is-now-live
World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft Classic Is Now Live! - WoW
The floodgates are now open, and WoW Classic is
live!
We know Celebrian, Elrond, and Gorlim are on it in server Westfall.
: )
Arien ValarToday at 4:26 PM
i am on EU Hydraxian Waterlords
VardaToday at 4:26 PM
Is there any chance that you would also be able to get on the
American one? Pretty hard, isn't it?
and thank you, from fellow EU players. : )
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:27 PM
Also Hydraxian Waterlords, horde side.
Arien ValarToday at 4:27 PM
need the subscription for themain game :frowning:
VardaToday at 4:27 PM
Do you both have the Horde side?
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:27 PM
not sure about Arien
Arien ValarToday at 4:27 PM
i have on another server a hordie :slight_smile:
VardaToday at 4:28 PM
So you don't game together, just versus. : )
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:28 PM
hehe
Arien ValarToday at 4:28 PM
just a wee one until the biggest crowds have vanished
in the starting areas
tis a small tauren shammie :slight_smile:
VardaToday at 4:29 PM
ah nice. Maybe you can both see each other then, at least in the
Valar channel. : )
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:29 PM
on different servers?
VardaToday at 4:29 PM
I enjoyed my Tauren shaman. : )
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:30 PM
I made a tauren hunter bankalt.
VardaToday at 4:30 PM
Well, could make one theree too
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:30 PM
And a forsaken mage main :slight_smile:
VardaToday at 4:30 PM
Onwards:
Heroes of the Storm:
A balance patch came out this week.
https://heroesofthestorm.com/en-us/blog/23090872/heroes-of-the-storm-balance-patch-notes-august-28-2019-2019-8-28/
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!
Lord of the Rings Online:
Farmers' Faire is going. : )
Kinmates this past week on our three servers:
Landroval:
Bregalad
Dis
Eonwe
Fangorn
Lenwe
Mirabella
Nar
Nimrodel
Varda
Ithil:
Dis
Fangorn
Varda
Anor:
Fangorn
Varda
Any other general gaming news?
I see Gorlim typing. : )
GorlimToday at 4:34 PM
Heya Varda. I’m playin WoW Classic on Westfall with Elrond
And Celebarian
VardaToday at 4:34 PM
yay!
Aiya to you and to them. : )
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:35 PM
Aiya!
GorlimToday at 4:35 PM
Sorry just ate steamed clams etc for early dinner
VardaToday at 4:35 PM
Sounds great! Hope they agreed with you.
GorlimToday at 4:36 PM
Homemade and very good
VardaToday at 4:36 PM
Woot!
GorlimToday at 4:37 PM
Elrond is 31, Cele is 21 and I’m 11. All horde
VardaToday at 4:37 PM
Good to know! Hey, you'll have fun catching up to them. : )
GorlimToday at 4:38 PM
Thanks. Sorry, I just realized I was interrupting
VardaToday at 4:38 PM
Not at all! We were in gaming news. That was gaming news.
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:38 PM
Following the pattern, I'm still level 1... haven't had time to
actually play, though I did get him in a guild we'd already set up
:wink:
GorlimToday at 4:39 PM
I have toons on Pagle and Thunderfury as well
VardaToday at 4:39 PM
Thank you.
How do fellow Valarites find you? Do you have a Valar channel?
Arien ValarToday at 4:40 PM
Nethergarde Keep is my Horde EU classic server
VardaToday at 4:41 PM
Hard to keep up with names, but we try on the Games Site.
Games Site mass update is about to happen!
GorlimToday at 4:42 PM
You can find folks by using the Social/Friends and sending to --- or
whatever the number is
VardaToday at 4:43 PM
Nice. Just we're not supposed to post those friend number/names on
our site. One reason for a Valar channel.
GorlimToday at 4:43 PM
She will friend you and I can chain through her. I sent Varda an
invite that way
VardaToday at 4:43 PM
: )
On Discord, just pop into our Valar Guild channel.
You can see each other's names on the right side when in Harbor.
Any other gaming news? Eve, SWtoR, other?
Pong?
If belated, feel free to talk about gaming again in the
After-meeting!
For now, on to
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Tolkien!
Phar and Arien mentioned the delvings of the
Dwarves. How did they get started on such a thing as digging
into dirt and stone?
Seems like a very hard labor. They could have stayed up top and
hunted or farmed instead.
Something drew them, set them on that path.
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:49 PM
Well, the dwarves started underground, I believe.
They must've felt at home in that environment.
VardaToday at 4:50 PM
Where did they start underground?
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:50 PM
Now that I don't remember. Either the fathers all woke up together
and then spread out, or each woke up in his own mountain.
VardaToday at 4:51 PM
Before that awakening, there was another place where they were not
supposed to have ever awakened.
Maybe we're having a miscommunication.
What was the first awakening and where?
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:53 PM
The first awakening would've been their creation by Aule.
Presumably on Aman.
VardaToday at 4:54 PM
Aye, that's what I was reaching for.
This is likely where their interests became set. In Aule/Mahal's
working area. They helped with his crafting as robots before Eru
gave them life.
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:55 PM
But the all-father wasn't happy, and Aule had to put em to sleep
until the Elves' time was there.
Oh?
Were they actually active at that point?
VardaToday at 4:55 PM
Right. And he put them to sleep inside mountains, not out by Lake
Cuivienan.
Yes. As robots they only moved when Aule thought a command to them.
They were not alive.
He wanted Eru's new children to come so much that he tried to make
some, but didn't know what they were supposed to look like except
perhaps vaguely. As in humanoid. And of course he made them able as
crafters since that's what he knew.
One reason it's nice to be created by the multi-talented is to be
given more choices. : )
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 4:57 PM
He must've liked beards.
VardaToday at 4:57 PM
What do you want to bet he had one!
So when the dwarves woke up at the appointed time as adopted
children of Eru (after elves and men), they already had the leanings
given by Aule.
Also, they believed that after death they would go to Aule/Mahal to
aid him in his work. And the big work they would help him with was
the creation of Arda Unmarred (eventually).
So they had to learn to be excellent.
Something kept them going, though.
They enjoyed what they did. They sought for the best materials.
Thus they valued the finding of iron over the finding of gold, for
the purpose of making great things.
And of course, the ultimate material for the making of the
strongest, most beautiful of things. Something for which they were
willing to delve into dangerous regions.
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 5:02 PM
Coal! Mithril!
VardaToday at 5:03 PM
hehehehe
All of this is so well-known to folks here that it's more of a
re-hash than discussion, but hopefully still fun to consider.
Any other comments, thoughts, suggestions for what you'd like to
delve into in the future?
(Was fun to talk about dwarves. Been a while.)
Any other comments or suggestions about anything guild, gaming, or
Tolkien-related? : )
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 5:06 PM
digs a hole
VardaToday at 5:06 PM
hahaha
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 5:06 PM
Dwarves weren't the only ones to go diggy diggy hole.
VardaToday at 5:06 PM
Ar-Pharazon is very familiar with that hole in Aman. : P
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 5:06 PM
And not just me!
VardaToday at 5:06 PM
Hobbits too.
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 5:06 PM
exactly :slight_smile:
VardaToday at 5:06 PM
The hole-dwellers.
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 5:06 PM
Holbytla!
VardaToday at 5:07 PM
Seemed like a natural team-up to have Bilbo the Hobbit with the
Dwarves searching underground.
How Rohirric. : )
A number of words of the Rohirrim were shared in common with the
Holbytla. One of the clues that they had met in the past.
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 5:08 PM
By the river of Anduin.
VardaToday at 5:08 PM
Likely
I wonder sometimes about the hobbits that left the east, the place
humans and they were from. The place Morgoth took over.
Were they humans that had been experimented on and the process
incomplete, since they were not corrupted, just very good with
digging and disappearing?
A version of goblin being attempted perhaps?
But these were nearly incorruptible so the work didn't take on them.
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 5:11 PM
Hmm. A variation of men... shorter, hairier... swarthier, perhaps. I
mean, no corruption technically necessary, perhaps just
mutation/evolution of a sort.
VardaToday at 5:11 PM
Possible.
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 5:11 PM
Short timeframe, but hey.
VardaToday at 5:12 PM
Since they were still close to the original, they could have been
quite strong.
If there are no further thoughts, we have reached the hour (and a
bit over).
a sledge hammer shrinks to a more appropriate for use gavel size
it adds velvet to the base to prevent marring the fancy
tabletop
it bounces to the hammerpad
ka-whommmp!!
stars appear over the hammerpad
the heavy gavel returns to the shelf, mission accomplished
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After-meeting!
Free chat. : )
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 5:17 PM
Was it dwarf-made?
VardaToday at 5:18 PM
The fancy scrollwork suggests yes.
and the blocky construction.
Maybe also the tag "Made in Thorin's Hall*.
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 5:18 PM
Maybe if you search long enough, you'll find Thorin working there...
VardaToday at 5:19 PM
At least some dwarf by that name. : )
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 5:19 PM
Or many!
VardaToday at 5:19 PM
That one over there, Thorinsson?
LotRO rumor for Legendary servers, fueled by +Cordovan's livestream
has it that the Dunland area is being released, maybe this week.
or in September. Got to love rumors. : )
More of the rumor is anyone who logs on between RoI launch and the
end of September gets the free cosmetics.
I don't know this, just passing the rumor along. : )
Arien ValarToday at 5:29 PM
whats rol?
VardaToday at 5:31 PM
Refers to Rohan
the letters mean Rise of Isengard.
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 5:34 PM
Risengard!
VardaToday at 5:34 PM
Perfect
When I pull out of LotRO in a few seconds, the screen will be
overlaid badly with blue. So I'll come back later to enjoy the
After-meeting chat and put it online. : )
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 5:37 PM
Right :slight_smile:
VardaToday at 5:37 PM
I'll be unavailable on Sept 14
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 5:37 PM
I'll start personal gaming report in your absence.
Ah.
That's saturday.
VardaToday at 5:38 PM
Rotten timing, but that's real life. I'll be on the road Saturday
and Sunday.
I hope to be available the following Sunday though.
Namarie for now!
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 5:39 PM
Aha.
Namarie!
VardaToday at 5:39 PM
Fangorn says namarie also. : )
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 5:40 PM
Namarie :slight_smile:
Perrrsonal gaming!
Flashgaming, actually 3 new games this
week!
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 5:52 PM
http://www.onemorelevel.com/game/nords_odyssey
is the first game, a randomized resource management game with a
nord/viking ship, where you balance supplies, warriors and morale
through choices made on each day, when you get to an island. Since
it's random, some luck required as well. I've only played short
adventures of 20 days so far, and have yet to actually fail, but I'm
sure it's easy to run out of stuff on longer journeys :slight_smile:
Nord's Odyssey - OneMoreLevel.com
Arien ValarToday at 5:52 PM
Namarie :slight_smile:
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 5:53 PM
Namarie!
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 6:19 PM
https://www.kongregate.com/games/Codename_Enter/idle-champions-of-the-forgotten-realms
is the second game! An idle game, but pretty big with lots of stuff
to do, and popular enough to get a badge of the day on Kongregate
:slight_smile: Buy characters, upgrade them, let them kill enemies
(and help by clicking on them!), and let the game grow.
Kongregate
Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms
Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms is an
official Dungeons ampamp; Dragons idle strategy management game.
Idle Champions challenges players to assemble a
p...
https://www.kongregate.com/games/NoaDev/mini-blocks
for the last game! Platformer, 30 levels, but not that difficult.
You play a blob that needs to get to the exit, but only have 2
abilities: jump, which does what it says, but also gives you the
only way to switch directions, through walljumping; and switching
blocks to enable and disable obstacles, as well as spikes and
certain enemies later on.
Kongregate
Mini Blocks
Switch Blocks to reach the Goal!
Have fun with all those!
Blizzard Gaming:
Starcraft II:
Phase 1 of the war chest complete! All tiers unlocked. It'll be a
short while until phase 2 opens, so a bit of a break until then.
Heroes of the Storm: No familiar heroes for the brawl this time
around, ended up picking Orphea twice, getting her to level 2, and
my first try with Tyrande (as only healer, didn't have too much of a
choice to stand any chance of winning) but she was rather more
complicated. Actually made MVP with my second Orphea match, and I do
enjoy her gameplay.
So yeah, 1 level gained, 364 now :slight_smile:
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 7:16 PM
Hearthstone:
No new heroes to 59, though a few are really close. Should get
several over the line next week, possibly most of them.
Brawl is Valeera's Bag of Burgled Spells; rogue heroes with random
spells from all classes, with a random minion summoned at the same
cost as each spell you play.
Got really lucky in my first match, as the opponent summoned a
minion which does 5 damage to his own hero every time a minion is
summoned. Took some serious hits before he could finally suicide it
into my cards. I also ended up getting a card which shuffles cards
into the enemy deck and summons a minion on my side every time the
enemy draws one of those cards; he'd drawn 2 out of 3 by the time I
won. So yes, significant advantages for an easy game :slight_smile:
WoW Classic: (new section!)
Got "started" on Hydraxian Waterlords, with the main I'd created
during the reservation phase, as well as a new bankalt, getting
through the introduction narration scenes and having them invited to
the guild we'd formed with the raidgroup I'm with in the normal
game. Though they're still level 1, I hope to have some time for
them soon. Or the main, at least.
The bankalt was pretty much an afterthought, but I figured it'd be
useful since bagspace is more limited.
For that, I chose to make a tauren hunter, naming and modelling him
after a certain Dutch cartoon ox :wink: Named him Caliboes, and at
some point I should run him to Thunder Bluff to sit next to a
mailbox and bank.
WoW:
More heroic raiding progress! The Queen's Court down, and first
progress made on Zaqul, the boss after that, and last before Azshara
herself.
Been getting good loot as well, including both best tank trinkets,
one at heroic level from a weekly reward and the other from normal
Ashvane. Still need to get a heroic version of that one, but it's a
good start :slight_smile:
And with the raid essences for offspecs being cheaper, I also got
rank 2 and 3 of the dps essence there. Only the healing one to go,
but that should easily be done in a week or two as well.
Got my mission champion Shandris Feathermoon to legendary rank at
last, which means all my current champions are maxed out. There's
some sea captain in Nazjatar you can get, but haven't bothered with
that yet.
And finally, weekly is pet battles. I decided to start on the next
family achievement, to get 10 pvp pet battle wins with a team of all
critters. After looking around and seeing what I had, I decided to
go simple and stick with 3 max-speed rabbits. It's been doing pretty
well! I would've liked to finish the quest for 5 wins tonight, but
either nobody was interested or it was seriously bugged, because
queue times ramped up and I ultimately gave up after 20 minutes of
waiting. Will try again tomorrow.
And that's my report for the week, with very little WoW solo
progression. We'll see what the next week brings!
VardaToday at 7:38 PM
Thanks, Phar. : )
Ar-Pharazon-VToday at 8:13 PM
Oh, missed something... checked into Diablo 3 for a moment to check
the new pet they introduced for having pre-ordered Warcraft 3
reforged.
Mal'ganis the dreadlord, not bad :slight_smile:
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