Valar Guild

October 24, 2021 Sunday Meeting

5:00 P.M. Eastern Daylight Savings Time
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 typed): (10)
    Discord: Arien, Ar-Pharazon, Eonwe, Fangorn/Treebeard, Irmo, Miriel/Maha, Pallando, Sandalf13-(T), Shelob, Varda (presiding)
Before-meeting
Meeting begins
Membership news:
    Irmo and Miriel have finished moving into their new home. Congrats!
    Sandalf is working on his essays for the geology of Middle-earth.
    Shelob broke an ankle.
Web:
    Anniversary page (continues taking your contributions to the Tolkien Site as Anniversary-marked through the end of October.)  
Tolkien:
    Geology of Middle-earth
Gaming:
   
World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, Lord of the Rings Online
After-meeting:
    (non)Flashgaming Reviews (plus) by Ar-Pharazon. Includes Blizzard games.

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Before-meeting

Eonwë Valar — 10/19/2021
Renown 78 now. I'll have Renown 80 within the week.

October 24, 2021

Eonwë Valar — 10/24/2021
Auros finally made it to triple digits in LotRO. Yay me, heh. And off I go for now. Hope to be at the meeting.

Varda — 10/24/2021
Grats, Eonwe : )

Varda — 10/24/2021
Aiya!

Eonwë Valar — 10/24/2021
Heya,

Varda — 10/24/2021
@Bounder Huzzah! It's time to hang out together with your fellow Valarites! Pop by and say hi! Fun with chat and games!
[4:05 PM]
Aiya Eonwe : )
[4:05 PM]
Arien and I were just looking at a nice Hobbit hole. : ) [Note: In Lord of the Rings Online, Treebeard server kin branch.]
[4:06 PM]

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Elen sila lumenn' omentielvo!
[4:06 PM]
A star shines on the hour of our meeting!
[4:06 PM]

Membership:

Treebeard — 10/24/2021
Hello 

Varda — 10/24/2021
Thank you to Arien for coming with me to Treebeard server, named after that guy! We picked out what we want for the kin house.
[4:07 PM]
Aiya Fangorn aka Treebeard. : )
[4:08 PM]
Wow. When the sun runs across the monitor, dust discovery occurs. wipe

Arien  Valar — 10/24/2021
aiya

Varda — 10/24/2021
Any membership news we'd like to share around?

Irmo — 10/24/2021
Yes
[4:09 PM]
It is I

Sandalf13 — 10/24/2021
Hallo All! Am I at the right place at the right time?

Irmo — 10/24/2021
back
[4:10 PM]
Greetings Sandalf, gut Ihnen kennen zu lernen

Varda — 10/24/2021
Aiya Irmo and Sandalf!
[4:10 PM]
Great to see you. : )
[4:10 PM]
And yes, Sandalf : )

Irmo — 10/24/2021
The moving has been completed

Varda — 10/24/2021
Fantastic! Congratulations on one of the toughest good things to do. : )

Sandalf13 — 10/24/2021
Vielen Dank! Ich liebe die Gelegenheit auf Deutsch zu sprechen, besonders wenn ich die Chance habe! Aber jetzt ich ändere zu Englisch! Whew...I am glad that I got that out, Irma! I hope all of you are well.

Irmo — 10/24/2021
Ever seen the movie The Money Pit with Shelly Long and Tom Hanks?

Varda — 10/24/2021
Yes. It looks like our house. /facepalm

Irmo — 10/24/2021
Our new house is not that bad, but wow, some nasty little surprises

Varda — 10/24/2021
uh oh
[4:13 PM]
Maybe you need to start repairs with a bulldozer?

Irmo — 10/24/2021
At leats it has no stairs that can crash down

Varda — 10/24/2021
The termites are still holding hands?

Irmo — 10/24/2021
Btw Sandalf, I moved fdro the west coast of the Netherlands to the German border, i can bike to Germasny in 10 minutesd
[4:15 PM]
and my typing skills have been the horror of the Valarguild for 22 years now

Sandalf13 — 10/24/2021
That sounds wonderful. As soon as I fully retire, I intend to revisit several places in Europe...those I visited while I was in the Navy, and one from even earlier: Tiefenbach bei Oberstdorf, in the Bavarian Alps, where I did my Geology Field Course in 1970 between my Junior and Senior years at Lafayette.

Varda — 10/24/2021
I've seen worse. Manwe was famous for overfast typing causing amusing typos. : )
[4:16 PM]
Or maybe grab some vacation time and go?

Sandalf13 — 10/24/2021
Just this past week, while hurriedly typing on my keyboard, I typed out "I don't want to fist these extra rooms on someone...." when I meant to say "to FOIST." It sounded terrible.

Irmo — 10/24/2021
Ich weiss nicht was soll es bedeuten, das ich so frölich bin
[4:20 PM]
Hang on, have to afk   minute

Varda — 10/24/2021
okie dokie
[4:21 PM]

Web News:
[Note: Anniversary page still taking anniversary screenshots and Tolkien Site goodies for October.]

Tolkien:

Sandalf13 — 10/24/2021
I do have a request to make: I am hard at work at finallizing my chapter on The Geology of Middle Earth. I believe that I have almost all the geologic references in the LoTR down, but if you see any suggestions in the Canon of geologic interest, please send them on to me. BTW - what does "afk" mean?

Arien  Valar — 10/24/2021
my typing is as horrrible almost as my walking atm  no worrries

Varda — 10/24/2021
The Anniversary page will continue to be open for new entries the rest of October, including those mentioned in October as intended for it.
[4:22 PM]
afk = Away From Keyboard

Sandalf13 — 10/24/2021
Ah! Now I know! Ich weiß  jetzt!

Varda — 10/24/2021
Geologic goodies in the Hobbit and in the Lord of the Rings? Do you include the Silmarillion or other as canon for yourself?

Sandalf13 — 10/24/2021
Thanks!

Varda — 10/24/2021
I barely know a few words auf Deutsch, if those. Das tut mir leid. : )
[4:23 PM]
Sounds like a fun topic for tonight!

Arien  Valar — 10/24/2021
i can translate German just let me know

Sandalf13 — 10/24/2021
No. In my introduction to the Chapter, I am specifically stating that I am NOT going to include reference to the Silmarillion, for several reasons. First, by the time of the action of the LoTR, the history of the First and Second ages was already the matter of legend, correct or incorrect. Secondly, one does not simply drown a half-of-a-continent at a whim!
[4:24 PM]
Ha ha. I tried to make a joke.

Varda — 10/24/2021
Eru might. : )
[4:25 PM]
He also folded the flat Arda into a round one. : )

Sandalf13 — 10/24/2021
Ja, but on OUR Arda? I find myself working within the constraints of what modern geologic thought will accept.

Varda — 10/24/2021
The Sil also has a number of items that conflict, the way regular histories do.
[4:25 PM]
Aye, just needed to know the parameters.
[4:26 PM]
Do you include the Hobbit?
[4:27 PM]
A problem you have is that this is a fantasy world, but we'll try to work around that.

Sandalf13 — 10/24/2021
Yes, because the Hobbit DOES occur within the geologic time framework of Arda as far as the LoTR is concerned...please do send me any geologic notes you know of in the Hobbit...that is my weakest area of geologic note collection.
[4:27 PM]
I am trying to write a geology of Middle Earth as if it is a real place, and subject to the operative laws of modern geology.

Varda — 10/24/2021
So, the Hobbit especially.
[4:28 PM]
That would take a lot of poring over the texts

Sandalf13 — 10/24/2021
Yeah...but only if anyone has time. I think I have enough data already to form a good basis for my geologic analysis.
[4:29 PM]
I also apologize if I am taking too much time. I am still new to this and am not sure what to expect. Thank you ALL for your patience with me.

Varda — 10/24/2021
You've seen some of the map books and such? Might help a bit

Irmo — 10/24/2021
I am back, sorry about the inetrruption

Varda — 10/24/2021
If it's Tolkien, we're interested!
[4:30 PM]
Goblins interrupted me, but out of that place into this one now. : )
[4:30 PM]
Interruptions are us.
[4:30 PM]
And hello to Miriel : )

Sandalf13 — 10/24/2021
I base my work on the extant maps in the LoTR. I do have a small scale map of Middle Earth that covers most of Middle Earth as envisioned by JRR.

Varda — 10/24/2021
That sounds like the best way. We've found some errors in other books.
[4:32 PM]
Don't know if this will help, but here you go:
[4:32 PM]
http://valarguild.org/varda/Tolkien/encyc/maps.htm

Irmo — 10/24/2021
Das ist wirklich sehr interessant Sandalf, ich möchte mehr drüber lernen

Arien  Valar — 10/24/2021
weel , Tolkien loved to develop theories , overthrow old ones or go into deeper detail at some other place

Varda — 10/24/2021
True, Arien. He kept changing his world.

Maha — 10/24/2021
Aiya

Varda — 10/24/2021
But we have things that stayed the same.
[4:34 PM]
Miriel! Aiya!
[4:34 PM]
Congrats on surviving the move. : )

Irmo — 10/24/2021
She kept me alive

Varda — 10/24/2021
The hobbits helped out by making very simple names such as The Hill. : )
[4:34 PM]
Bless her. : )

Maha — 10/24/2021
Thank you, we are well into getting settled.

Varda — 10/24/2021
Then you can enjoy jawbreakers such as dwarf-named mountains mentioned by Gimli. : )

Maha — 10/24/2021
A new adventure everyday

Varda — 10/24/2021
Takes about a year to unpack, right?

Sandalf13 — 10/24/2021
Vielen Dank, Irmo. I am trying to figure out how best to get my written stuff out, with the help so far of Varda and Eonwe. BTW, In one of his letters, cited in my chapter, Tolkien writes that many readers have requested "further indications" about the geology of Middle Earth, that JRR was not able to provide. Also, JRR wrote BEFORE the modern theory of Plate Tectonics came out.

Varda — 10/24/2021
So one must think, what would it have been had that info been available to him?
[4:36 PM]
JRRT even watched out for the phases of the Moon in his writing. Very detailed guy.
[4:37 PM]
(Declares this the Tolkien chat time even if out of normal order, to help with the time zone problem.)

Irmo — 10/24/2021
There must be geological logic behing thne greay moutanis being grey, thew blue blue, etc., methinks, even without tectonical knowledge; now teh sinking of Beleriand and the forming of Lindon, that wqould be more challenging I guess

Sandalf13 — 10/24/2021
If you look at the LoTR map, several things jump out at you that just don't fit in with modern geologic thought. I think we discussed the Gap of Rohan last time...what about caves in the Misty Mountains, such as the Dwarves PROBABLY initially used in the creation of Moria? Caves DO NOT occur in granitic or granodioritic terranes, such I envision the Misty Mountains to be...unless they are more like the Dolomites in northern Italy today. Still working on that one.

Pallando-Valar — 10/24/2021
Aiya

Varda — 10/24/2021
The placement of the Seven Fathers underground needed to be very safe.
[4:39 PM]
Aiya Pallando, Blue Wizard Extraordinaire. : )

Irmo — 10/24/2021
Ah but manu of thew cavews (like Nargothrond) were never naturally formed, but actually delved

Varda — 10/24/2021
So the caverns may have been built especially for the Seven Fathers by Aule/Mahal.
[4:40 PM]
Leaving out the Silmarillion makes some of the answers you want very difficult. : )

Irmo — 10/24/2021
Impossible, I would submit

Sandalf13 — 10/24/2021
You are right, Irmo...and that is an excellent point. I did mention that the Misty Mountains might be misty because they represent a generally north-south range, that would collect the moisture-rich air from the Great Sea, and therefore host abundant fogs and rain. However, there is a problem with that, since a rainshadow occurs to the leeward side of a large mountain range. This might explain the Brown Lands and the desolation of Mordor (also volcanism) but it does not allow for the presence of Mirkwood...a well established forest, on the leeward side.

Varda — 10/24/2021
How about the cold coming off of the Helcaraxe?

Irmo — 10/24/2021
I see, good point!

Shelob — 10/24/2021
Good evening!

Varda — 10/24/2021
Aiya Shelob : )

Irmo — 10/24/2021
AAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRGHJ it is the spider

Varda — 10/24/2021
We forgot to close the windows at Taniquetil, looks like.

Shelob — 10/24/2021
I have this sneaky suspicion you didn't much fear Ungoliant, let alone little old me.

Varda — 10/24/2021
She snuck up on us inside the shadow. : )
[4:42 PM]
and we were involved in a wedding

Irmo — 10/24/2021
Well my old friend, I never dream of you, that is for sure <grin>

1

Varda — 10/24/2021
(That Laketown map is not canon, by the way.)

Shelob — 10/24/2021
Oh, I have some late late membership news if I may still?

Irmo — 10/24/2021
No'

Varda — 10/24/2021
(The star map is canon, but not exactly geology)
[4:45 PM]
heh

Shelob — 10/24/2021
Varda, Irmo is being mean to me.
[4:45 PM]


Varda — 10/24/2021
Lucky you're not squicked. : )

Sandalf13 — 10/24/2021
I would imagine that the Helcaraxe was a westward extension of the cold waters to the north of JRRT M.E. He does mention the Ice Bay of Forochel in the LoTR, only a relatively few miles north of the Shire. I suppose the strong westerlies of the higher middle latitudes could encompass some consistently cold air from the north. Such changes are not geologically impossible.

Varda — 10/24/2021
Villain types do have that problem, Shelob.

Irmo — 10/24/2021
Ok go ahead spiderthingy

Varda — 10/24/2021
We'll let you interject, Shelob. : )
[4:47 PM]
We may have to do spider-squashing later, after the news?

Shelob — 10/24/2021
Well, a couple weeks ago, I could delist something from my "do not want" bucket list, as I broke my ankle.

Sandalf13 — 10/24/2021
OOPS! I made the mistake of looking at my watch. I must venture out on this tempes-tost day on the Great Plains (5 inches of COLD rain today!) to meet some fellow geologists for dinner. I sincerely apologize. If you want to send me your references, if you choose to do so, you can E-Mail me at: fecanak1@gmail.com
[4:47 PM]
Thanks!

Varda — 10/24/2021
Namarie and thank you for coming, Sandalf!

Irmo — 10/24/2021
Be well Sandalf, good to meet you

Varda — 10/24/2021
Hi to your geologists and watch out for rocks in the food.

Sandalf13 — 10/24/2021
THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR HELP!

Irmo — 10/24/2021
Auf Wiedersehen

Varda — 10/24/2021
Namarie : )

Shelob — 10/24/2021
Unfortunately, this brings me very much out of balance, as I am used to walking on 8 legs.
[4:48 PM]
Namarie Sandalf.

Varda — 10/24/2021
Shelob, no ankle-breaking can be good no matter how many legs.

Arien  Valar — 10/24/2021
Namarie Sandalf

Varda — 10/24/2021
Sometimes wish I were a healer/cleric/minstrel in real life and do actual help.

Sandalf13 — 10/24/2021
Ja. Ich sehe immer für die Steine an! (I always look out for the rocks!) Tschüßi to all!

Shelob — 10/24/2021
Tschuss!

Varda — 10/24/2021
Fly, Sandalf, fly!

Irmo — 10/24/2021
Alas I have to go as well, even though the prospect of spider-squishing is very appealing

Varda — 10/24/2021
Sounds pre-squashed anyway.

Irmo — 10/24/2021
Namarie melinde

Varda — 10/24/2021
Namarie, meldo. : )

Shelob — 10/24/2021
I think I will have to scurry somewhere quickly, lest Irmo trample me in his haste.

Varda — 10/24/2021
The rush of Dreams.

Shelob — 10/24/2021
fails horribly as one of the legs is not working properly

Varda — 10/24/2021
Raise that leg when running! Use the others!

Shelob — 10/24/2021
slowly shuffles off to find a place to sleep and heal

Irmo — 10/24/2021
<picks up the remains of Shelob to hang outside the house at Haloween>

Varda — 10/24/2021
Here's hoping the doctor could help you with that, Shelob.

Shelob — 10/24/2021
Maybe I should Ask Willem-Alexander.... The hands of the King are supposed to be the hands of a healer, right?

Irmo — 10/24/2021
Hahahaha:)

Varda — 10/24/2021
We have an Aragorn somewhere in Europe in World of Warcraft.
[4:52 PM]
Eonwe used to be Aragorn too, so maybe he has leftover healies?

Shelob — 10/24/2021
Yeah, I'm alright. Just a small fracture, Just need to be in a brace for the next 6 weeks or so, no cast required, thankfully.

Varda — 10/24/2021
Brace is bad enough. Glad no itchy cast!

Shelob — 10/24/2021
Hallelujah for that!

Varda — 10/24/2021
Guess you'll just have to game in LotRO now and then... ; )
[4:54 PM]
Since we did Tolkien first, it's time to let the aforementioned Fionwe have the gavel for
[4:54 PM]

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Gaming!
[4:54 PM]
(and what were you trying to type, Shelob?)

Shelob — 10/24/2021
Ah, but I found a really nice bunch of guys over in Europe playing a bunch of different games I like. Plus with fall break over, and having done exactly diddly squat the last 2 weeks, it's about time I ought to get some of that done.

Varda — 10/24/2021
and at least one update on your LotRO game. ; )

Shelob — 10/24/2021
Study things I mean.

Varda — 10/24/2021
Study is good, and can be fun. Gets you all smartened up and shiny!

Shelob — 10/24/2021
Oh definitely. Did I already regale the tale of having switched to Accountancy?

Varda — 10/24/2021
Ahh, that could actually get you a job.
[4:57 PM]
What were you in before?

Shelob — 10/24/2021
Finance & Control, or more commonly known as Business Economics.

Varda — 10/24/2021
So that should help you understand the accounting end better.

Shelob — 10/24/2021
Unless I screw up by the numbers, I am virtually guaranteed a job before I get my Bachelor's.

Varda — 10/24/2021
Great! Help you pay for that Bachelor's. : )

Shelob — 10/24/2021
Aye, although truth be told, our education system is a lot better and a lot easier than the US.

Varda — 10/24/2021
tosses the shiny gavel to Fionwe

Shelob — 10/24/2021
And one ... of a lot cheaper.

Varda — 10/24/2021
Good luck with it then. : )

Eonwë Valar — 10/24/2021
World of Warcraft:
[5:00 PM]
This week's Bonus Event: Mists of Pandaria Timewalking.

The PvP Brawl: Arathi Blizzard runs through Tuesday, October 26th.
[5:01 PM]
Next week: Arena Skirmishes and PvP Brawl: Gravity Lapse.
[5:01 PM]
Several blogs are out:
[5:02 PM]
Shadowlands:
The 9.1.5 Content Update Arrives November 2! --- https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/news/23738001/shadowlands-the-915-content-update-arrives-november-2
9.1.5 Content Update Notes --- https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/news/23731242/915-content-update-notes
Preview: Legion Timewalking --- https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/news/23738000/preview-legion-timewalking
Preview: Mage Tower in Legion Timewalking --- https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/news/23736141/preview-mage-tower-in-legion-timewalking
9.1.5 Character Customizations: New and Improved You --- https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/news/23737989/915-character-customizations-new-and-improved-you
World of Warcraft
    Shadowlands: The 9.1.5 Content Update Arrives November 2! - WoW
    The 9.1.5 content update brings improvements to the Shadowlands Covenant systems, new character customization options for select Allied Races, and the introduction of Legion Timewalking, Timewalking Mage Tower and         Legion Mythic+ dungeons.

World of Warcraft
    9.1.5 Content Update Notes - WoW
    The 9.1.5 content update arrives to World of Warcraft on November 2!

World of Warcraft
    Preview: Legion Timewalking - WoW
    Travel back in time to rediscover Legion dungeons, the challenges of the Mage Tower, and more in this week’s Bonus Event

World of Warcraft
    Preview: Mage Tower in Legion Timewalking - WoW
    The Mage Tower returns in Legion Timewalking, bringing back epic solo challenges and awesome rewards for those who conquer them.

World of Warcraft
    9.1.5 Character Customizations: New and Improved You - WoW
    With the release of the 9.1.5 content update, players will have access to new character customizations for select races allowing you to create a new version of your hero to take on the dangers of Azeroth.

[5:03 PM]
Check out this week's hotfixes. --- https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/news/23691036/hotfixes-october-22-2021
World of Warcraft
    Hotfixes: October 22, 2021 - WoW
    Here you will find a list of hotfixes that address various issues related to World of Warcraft: Shadowlands, Burning Crusade Classic, and WoW Classic.

[5:03 PM]
Hearthstone:
[5:03 PM]
Patch 21.4.4 is out. --- https://playhearthstone.com/en-us/news/23737186/21-4-4-patch-notes
    21.4.4 Patch Notes
    Patch 21.4.4 brings includes bug fixes and Battlegrounds updates.

Lord of the Rings Online:
[5:04 PM]
Out this week: Update 30.3.1. --- https://www.lotro.com/en/content/update-3031-release-notes
    The Lord of the Rings Online
    Update 30.3.1 Release Notes

[5:04 PM]
That's it from me.

Varda — 10/24/2021
Thank you, Eonwe.
[5:06 PM]
A bit more on Lord of the Rings Online:
[5:06 PM]
Landroval server:
Eonwe
Fangorn
Irmo
Ioreth
Nar
Varda

Anor server:
Eonwe
Fangorn
Varda

Shadowfax server:
Varda

Treebeard server:
Arien
Varda
[5:07 PM]
Also, we are very close to having our kin house on Treebeard server.
[5:07 PM]
We have the gold! Now 5 more levels for the kin leader to be able to buy it (Soon TM).
[5:07 PM]
Arien and I got together earlier and picked out our intended Hobbit house. : )
[5:08 PM]
Any other gaming news?
[5:08 PM]
Starcraft players that I know of this past week: Eowyn, Faramir, Fangorn, grandson. : )
[5:09 PM]
Minecraft player this past week: Eowyn, Gimli, grandson. : )
[5:09 PM]
And I know many other games have been going for the gang because I see them even now on the side of the chat. : )
[5:10 PM]
Pallando, if you're around, did you want to say anything about Eve?
[5:10 PM]
Ahh, he seems to be afk, pardon.
[5:10 PM]
Feel free to add in your news, any of you, during After-meeting too!
[5:10 PM]

the gavel dances with the hammerpad
the hammerpad rolls around on its side
Valarites make Music, because that's what they do
gonnnnng!
[5:11 PM]

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After-meeting!
[5:11 PM]
Free chat. : )
and I need to see about supper, then about our hobbit kin house.
[5:12 PM]
But also wanted to mention,
the side servers take an awful lot away from our main server of Landroval.
My intention is to be giving Landroval far more attention once we have this kin house thing smoothed out.
[5:13 PM]
Here's hoping we'll be able to do more grouping up in Landroval as we come in more from the other servers.
The diliution of our numbers has not been healthy for our main server.
That doesn't mean I'll quit the other branches, just not be there so much.
[5:14 PM]
Namarie for now! the kitchens of Taniquetil need lots of provender

Varda — 10/24/2021
back
[5:23 PM]
Sauron was cooking up a feast. : )  Smells really good in there!

Eonwë Valar — 10/24/2021
:}

Arien  Valar — 10/24/2021
Nice sounds great !
[5:25 PM]
Namarie from me though
[5:25 PM]
time to fight  up the stairs

Varda — 10/24/2021
Namarie Sunshine : )

Sandalf13 — 10/24/2021
Is anyone still here? WE just finished moving the Earth once again.

Ar-Pharazon-V — 10/24/2021
Aiya, reading up.

Varda — 10/24/2021
Hi, just back from supper. We are in After-meeting.
[6:01 PM]
I don't promise to pay close attention during After-meeting. : )
[6:02 PM]
Archimedes' lever?

Ar-Pharazon-V — 10/24/2021
Not sure about moving the earth, but we'll be shoving the sun back.. or forward.. an hour next weekend
[6:25 PM]
back, probably
[6:26 PM]
I think that means meeting will start an hour early for us?

Eonwë Valar — 10/24/2021
Just because we're falling back doesn't mean we're surrendering to the nighttime.

Ar-Pharazon-V — 10/24/2021
We will not go quietly?

Eonwë Valar — 10/24/2021
No, we shall yawn as loudly as we can before rolling over and sleeping an extra hour.

Eonwë Valar — 10/24/2021
There, Renown 80 with Bastion.

Ar-Pharazon-V — 10/24/2021
Grats!
[6:44 PM]
74 right now, bit behind because of not doing the korthia quests...

Eonwë Valar — 10/24/2021
I've only been doing them once a week. Not terribly excited by WoW recently so I've just been doing the bare minimum. (edited)

Ar-Pharazon-V — 10/24/2021
Yeah, I haven't even done most of the story bits
[6:45 PM]
part of a plan to reallocate time to more urgent things

Eonwë Valar — 10/24/2021
Understandable.

Ar-Pharazon-V — 10/24/2021
That, and most of the covenant-based story chapters for the korthia campaign, I postponed until I could get alts through the 9.0 campaigns. And for that I just haven't been able to make time.

Eonwë Valar — 10/24/2021
Overall, this story hasn't really grabbed me.
[6:49 PM]
I suppose it's had a few interesting notes, but overall, not an exciting song.

Ar-Pharazon-V — 10/24/2021
The parallel storytelling in this expansion... if I was more in the habit of leveling alts simultaneously with my main, it would've felt a lot less disjointed probably.
[6:50 PM]
But as long as you keep up with Jailer/Sylvanas/Anduin, everything else is just... fluff. It's not like the Korthia story will make any permanent changes in the original 4 zones.
[6:51 PM]
So as long as I watch cutscenes on mmochamp and do the raids, I've got the minimal must-know.

Eonwë Valar — 10/24/2021
I think I went into one dungeon this expansion, and I don't even remember why I did that.

Ar-Pharazon-V — 10/24/2021
hehe

Eonwë Valar — 10/24/2021
Probably because of a story line requirement.

Ar-Pharazon-V — 10/24/2021
necrotic wake possibly
[6:53 PM]
There's a quest for it at the end of Bastion.
[6:53 PM]
Oh, don't the covenant campaigns send you there?

Eonwë Valar — 10/24/2021
And if LFR didn't exist, I would've gaffed that off like I do in LotRO, heh, and probably have been stuck at wherever that left me.
[6:53 PM]
Er, LFD
[6:53 PM]
Same concept though.

Ar-Pharazon-V — 10/24/2021
I know Night Fae had me getting into Bwonsamdi's dungeon.
[6:54 PM]
Or... nope, that was a sidequest for it.

Eonwë Valar — 10/24/2021
Yeah, 100% likely to be the covenant campaign that sent me.

Ar-Pharazon-V — 10/24/2021
Right! Bastion one ends in the Spire, I believe.

Eonwë Valar — 10/24/2021
Sounds right.

Ar-Pharazon-V — 10/24/2021
To be fair, I pug my dungeons too.
[6:57 PM]
I do have my raidgroup of friends, but most of them only show up around raids, things have been thinning out in general, and even at the best of times it was a pain to find more people willing and able to do the same dungeon at the same time.
[6:57 PM]
So it's better to just pug.
[6:58 PM]
I mean, I'm a raid-geared tank. A pug has to be really really terrible to inconvenience my dungeoning.

Eonwë Valar — 10/24/2021
I just haven't been interested in dungeons or raids this expansion. Since the first patch of last one I think, actually. Legion had some fun in there. Think that was about the last time I was into it.
[6:59 PM]
hehehe

Varda — 10/24/2021
Might have to call one of my characters in for a LotRO instance. : )  Might even get Fangorn if we're lucky
[7:00 PM]
Or Irmo at the right time of day

Eonwë Valar — 10/24/2021
:}

Ar-Pharazon-V — 10/24/2021
Oh, as for member news, had a terrible cold for most of this week, but getting better now. Did give me some afternoons free from work, letting me watch the 3 Divergent movies.
[7:02 PM]
Slowly my recorded queue is shrinking
[7:03 PM]
backlog, that's the term

Eonwë Valar — 10/24/2021
Congrats, hehe.
[7:10 PM]
I've got a few movies/series I should watch if I get the chance, but I think playing/finishing Metroid Dread will fill in any holes in my time I find not occupied by something else for the near future. I've been looking forward to a new Metroid 2D game for too long to let that one collect too much dust.

Ar-Pharazon-V — 10/24/2021
hehe
[7:14 PM]
I've got various idle games running, at least that doesn't take up too much time.
[7:15 PM]
Oh, almost forgot the  hallow's end quest in Val'sharah for today.
[7:15 PM]
Still need that fourth hat.

Eonwë Valar — 10/24/2021
I haven't bothered with Hallow's End in a few years either. Think I got everything from the main stuff, fairly content with that.

Ar-Pharazon-V — 10/24/2021
Eh, I just wanna get the appearances

Eonwë Valar — 10/24/2021
I understand :}

Ar-Pharazon-V — 10/24/2021
Nup, no missing hat today.

Eonwë Valar — 10/24/2021
Darn.

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Ar-Pharazon-V — 10/24/2021
Perrsonal gaming report
[7:57 PM]
for (non)flashgaming 3 old, short, but fun
[7:58 PM]
https://www.kongregate.com/games/EPGstudios/the-man-who-cant-jump is a puzzle platformer! While the man can't jump, he can raise and lower the ground beneath him at your command.
    Kongregate
    The Man Who Can't Jump
    What if, instead of jumping, your character could raise the ground beneath (and above) his feet? Play through 64 challenging levels to find out!

[7:59 PM]
No, I got it wrong. He can just raise the ground beneath and above him
[8:04 PM]
https://www.kongregate.com/games/bontegames/green is one of the bontegames colory games, with each level requiring a different way of making the screen green. Shouldn't be too hard!
    Kongregate
    green
    Green, another puzzle game for you!
    Can you make the screen green in all 25 levels? Each level has its own logic.
    You can also get the FREE mobile version wi...

Ar-Pharazon-V — 10/24/2021
https://www.kongregate.com/games/KekGames/unpuzzle for the last game, one of a series I've played and linked oh so often in the past and will do so again in the future
    Kongregate
    Unpuzzle
    Clear levels piece by piece.

[8:20 PM]
Remove one puzzle piece at a time to solve the puzzle, getting used to new types of pieces and mechanics along the way

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Ar-Pharazon-V — 10/24/2021
Blizzard gaming:
[8:50 PM]
Hearthstone:
made it to level 108 on the reward track! From here on it's all 50g per level, at a reduced xp required per level. For now.
[8:51 PM]
Brawl is Rise of the Zombeasts, one of the Halloween brawls, where both players have Deathknight Rexxar with a deck full of combined undead beasts, with the ability to craft more. Pretty fun.
[8:52 PM]
And since I got to level 100 on the reward track through that brawl, l decided to take it as a sign, and chose the hunter portrait, Giantstalker Rexxar
[8:53 PM]
When it doesn't matter, might as well take any excuse for a decision, right?
[8:54 PM]
And also part of the Halloween event, got the free Pirate King Garrosh portrait for warrior
Been doing lots of Mercenaries mode again!
[8:56 PM]
Looks like I'm up to 18 mercs now, having gotten Samuro through the storyline and Dawngrasp from a pack, which I also got through the storyline
[8:57 PM]
Have completed 5 story chapters now, and the mercs' individual quests are going quite well too, with one having completed chapter 4 already.
Highest level is 20 so far, as I keep leveling the most useful ones, alongside those with quests.
[8:59 PM]
WoW:
[9:00 PM]
Not much raiding, having not many people around right now. Did get some practice on heroic Painsmith, with a few alterations on the spike patterns.
[9:01 PM]
Weekly is timewalks, which went quite fast, really. Seems that from 9.1.5 onwards some of the timewalk dungeons have been switched in and out for each expansion, which in some cases is a shame - I liked some of the ones they took out - but I guess variation's also a good thing.
[9:02 PM]
Renown to 74 now, where it'll probably stay, since the rest would be from Korthia... got a few enhanced conduits from it.
[9:03 PM]
Actually, might get it to 75 next week. Not sure where that standard one is from, but I suspect a sanctum quest.
[9:04 PM]
Torghast going ok with the new blessing, though I fell just short of being able to buy the empowered aoe burst, and decided on buying the perk to get one less torment. Should help out!
[9:05 PM]
Didn't get anything new for anima, since I'm no longer doing callings, but I did finally get the last mount from the Conservatory! The Pale Acidmaw, shiny white gorm mount, opposite to the Umbral Scythehorn I picked up last week
[9:06 PM]
And I think that's it! No new time spent on alts or Korthia, preferred to work on the tv backlog. But we'll see when I pick it up again.
And that's my report for the week!

Ar-Pharazon-V — 10/24/2021
namarie

Varda — 10/24/2021
Namarie, Phar.
[10:48 PM]
In Lord of the Rings Online, Treebeard server, we now have a kin house in the Hobbit area called the Shire Homesteads, in the neighborhood Thatchacre, address 5 Harrow Road.

October 25, 2021

Eonwë Valar — 10/25/2021
Yay and congrats

Varda — 10/25/2021
Pic of the house
[4:47 PM]

[4:47 PM]
It goes way underground.

October 26, 2021

Eonwë Valar — 10/26/2021
Nice :}
[3:24 AM]
I'm fighting through the Battle of Helm's Deep. Quest says do not let Gimli be defeated. So of course I must talk to the corpse of Gimli to complete my quest :} Wonder how exactly that went down :}

Eonwë Valar — 10/26/2021
Ok the Orc Session Play at Helm's Deep was kinda amusing.

Eonwë Valar — 10/26/2021
Isengard is rather picturesque from a distance.

October 27, 2021

Eonwë Valar — 10/27/2021
This Huorn following me around for Fangorn is getting annoying. It's always in a bad position.
[5:20 AM]
I like the Huorn itself, just not the positioning, heh.

Varda — 10/27/2021
Try a different camera angle for now?

Eonwë Valar — 10/27/2021
I tried, but his hitbox is apparently pretty big. Makes it hard to click around him without being zoomed in alot.
October 28, 2021

Eonwë Valar — 10/28/2021
Ok, pretty sure I did everything Quickbeam wanted of me in Fangorn at least once, and now I passed through the Paths of the Dead. So, I've moved on from Rohan :}
[4:48 AM]
Very blue sky in the Blackroot Vale. Seems bluer than in Rohan, but maybe that's just because it's a new area to me :} (edited)
[4:49 AM]
Still Eorlingas ore, so I guess I'm not out of the Rohan expansion yet.
[4:51 AM]
Great This quest gives me alot of options: I can speak with Aelnir, or I can speak with Aelnir, or if I don't like those choices, I can also speak with Aelnir. :}

Eonwë Valar — 10/28/2021
(No kidding, the quest did actually give me that same option 3 times.)

Shelob — 10/28/2021
Ah, well, at least they were honest about your options. A lot of games are simply like, you can do A, which is really goody two-shoes, do B, which is a shade of gray, or do C, which is downright evil.
And the difference? Zilch. The story progresses in exactly the same way, no change in dialog or anything.

Eonwë Valar — 10/28/2021
Well, after much deliberation, I thought it best to speak with Aelnir :}

Shelob — 10/28/2021
I am disappointed. I would have thought you would have spoken with Aelnir.
October 30, 2021

Varda — Today at 10:45 PM
Really, you should have spoken with Aelnir.

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