Sunday, July 20, 2025
5:00pm Eastern Time
Discord: Valar Guild/meeting_place
Attending: Arien, Ar-Pharazon, Sandalf, Shelob, Varda (presiding)
Topic (from Shelob-Valar): What kind of different Maiar do we knew about? This especially concerns comparing the Balrog to other Maiar, brought up by recent research for Shelob's podcast on the Balrog story in the LotRO game.
Topic 2: (from Shelob-Valar): Do all Elves enter Mandos?
Non-flashgaming with String Theory 2.
[July 15, 2025
[6:06 PM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Finally made it through mythic Eonar, only to be squashed by an elevator at the next boss. sigh Antorus...
[6:15 PM]Ar-Pharazon-V: At least everything after that is easy, apparently!
[7:53 PM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Alright, 17 mount bosses slain this reset... still no mount.
[8:53 PM]Eönwë Valar: hehe
[8:53 PM]Eönwë Valar: Yeah, Eonar is rough. First time I tried it with one of my Ret Pallies I couldn't figure out how to get up to the ship. Wasn't obvious. Nerdy Pally figured it out, and has enough speed boosting to get the job done, heh.
[July 16, 2025
[6:07 AM]Eönwë Valar: YouTube - SKÅL! by Miracle Of Sound
[2:59 PM]Varda: Welcoming song. : )
[July 17, 2025
[8:35 PM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Ahh, finally a buff-mount Zulian Panther from Zul'gurub.
[8:59 PM]Eönwë Valar: Congrats :}
[9:01 PM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Thanks It's a good feeling to know that even if I get nothing else, all this effort hasn't been for nothing
[9:09 PM]Eönwë Valar: Aye :} I got 2 mounts and they're both from my favorite expansion, so can't complain.
[9:09 PM]Ar-Pharazon-V: hehe
[9:10 PM]Eönwë Valar: Well, especially since they're two of the harder ones to get as I recall: Invincible and Mimiron's head.
[9:10 PM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Oh, yes. And you need to kill a lot of stuff for em as well. Panther lady you can just directly go to.
[9:11 PM]Eönwë Valar: If I can score the Blazing Drake from Dragon Soul, I think that completes the Awake the Drakes achievement for me, and so that'd be a nice one to get, but I can't think of any mount I'm really aiming for at this point.
[9:12 PM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Ah, yes, I'm glad I have that achievement, at least. Though I'm still trying for 2 other mounts from Dragon Soul. Well, this month I am
[July 18, 2025
[11:00 PM]Eönwë Valar: For any guild members on Bnet wanting to join in on the Bnet Group within the next 24 hours: click for the invitation
[11:48 PM]Eönwë Valar: Batman's Good Cop is scarier than Superman's Bad Cop: YouTube - When Batman Plays GOOD COP
[July 19, 2025
[6:39 AM]Eönwë Valar: Heads up: World of Warcraft Forums - Player-Character Bank Updates
[6:39 AM]Eönwë Valar: Good reason to buy all the bank slots on your alts now.
[6:40 AM]Eönwë Valar: Even reagent and void storage, since it'll be cheaper to pay some few hundreds now than 5k+ after (assuming they mean having full availability = full unlock).
[6:41 AM]Eönwë Valar: I don't like they're taking away void storage or reagents. That means 3 of my "new" bank tabs are already taken.
[6:53 AM]Eönwë Valar: Based on the current math, Current Space = (36 x 7) + 28 = 280, while New = 98 x 6. Subtract 1 tab each for the two void storage and 1 reagent, so 98 x 3 = 294. So my main will gain a whopping 14 inv slots. Not even half a bag.
[6:57 AM]Eönwë Valar: If they make some of that Mechagon reagent junk stack higher, that might help too.
[6:59 AM]Eönwë Valar: 250 for spare parts anbd energy cells instead of 1k like ore/herbes/skins/etc is annoying, 40 for the chain ignitercoils. I'd gain another 5 bag slots in their new system just for them increasing the stack size.
[7:01 AM]Eönwë Valar: Turning some things that should be toys that are for some reason not toys, like the starlight beacon, would give me at least 3 more.
[7:02 AM]Eönwë Valar: And turning Darkmoon Game Tokens into a currency...
[7:05 AM]Eönwë Valar: Anything that gets collected and spent like a currency should be in the currency tab, not in our bags.
[7:12 AM]Eönwë Valar: OK, just swung by void storage. Looks like Void Storage is 10 x 8 = 80 per tab, so I suppose that's 98 - 80 = 18 extra slots per tab, so 36 gained total. That's a bag.
[7:13 AM]Eönwë Valar: Should I bet on how long Blizzard takes before they eat up any bag space gained? lol.
[7:21 AM]Eönwë Valar: And how many people are going to lose items in the transition.
[9:56 AM]Eönwë Valar: I'm seeing Exorcism mentioned in the patch notes.
[9:56 AM]Eönwë Valar: If this is true...
[9:56 AM]Eönwë Valar: Kirby dance
[July 20, 2025
[3:58 PM]Varda: Two minutes!
[4:02 PM]Varda: @Bounder @Guild-friend Aiya! Valar Guild meeting time. Come on in and say hi!
[4:02 PM]Varda: Elen sila lumenn' omentielvo!
[4:02 PM]Varda: Web News:
[4:03 PM]Varda: We will be taking stories for the Anniversary page, getting ready for the beginning of October. October itself is late, but we'll still take stuff happily.
[4:03 PM]Varda: Eonwe has been writing and we can look forward to something from him sometime. : )
[4:03 PM]Varda: Gaming:
[4:04 PM]Varda: Ooops, Membership goes before Web, pardon.
[4:04 PM]Varda: Membership:
[4:04 PM]Varda: Sandalf expects to be late. He's celebrating a friend's 50th anniversary, really great!
[4:04 PM]Varda: Gaming:
[4:05 PM]Varda: StarCraft 2:
[4:06 PM]Varda: Gamers gaming together that I know of: Anarion, Eowyn, Fangorn, and Varda. Faramir separately but gaming! Floppa is now a Roblox gamer mainly, so we don't know when he'll be back to SC2.
[4:06 PM]Varda: Lord of the Rings Online:
[4:06 PM]Varda: Buried Treasure Event July 17-July 21.
[4:06 PM]Varda: Rejuvenation Potion x5
[Coupon Code: REFRESHING
[through July 24
[4:07 PM]Varda: Kinfolk appearing in our server branches this past week:
Peregrin branch (main):
Glamdring branch (secondary):
Meriadoc branch (EU-RP)
Angmar branch (temporary event server):
Mordor branch (EU temporary event server):
[4:07 PM]Arien Valar: Aiya all
[4:07 PM]Varda: Aiya Arien
[4:08 PM]Varda: Your Mordor LotRO characters are no longer in the kin, so I was wondering if they successfully transferred to Meriadoc EU-RP server?
[4:08 PM]Varda: And do you need any invitations?
[4:09 PM]Arien Valar: No I actually deleted them as there were no other server for transfer than the two test servers#
[4:09 PM]Varda: Thanks. Good to know what happened. : )
[4:09 PM]Varda: I figure they were going to let us transfer free from Mordor when the time ran out for the temporary servers, and am waiting for that.
[4:09 PM]Arien Valar: and they were both fairly low levels so it doesnt really matter :)]
[4:10 PM]Varda: Good point. : )
[4:10 PM]Varda: I might consider that as well.
[4:11 PM]Arien Valar: I also deleted my other spreaded characters hehe so i ve got only those left on Peregrin and Meriadoc and the one on sting i left as well
[4:11 PM]Varda: ahh, thanks! Sure helps figure out what is needed to do. : )
[4:12 PM]Varda: Fangorn still plays Angmar so I'll probably stay there a while yet.
[4:13 PM]Varda: I am on Sting as well, but not making a kin at this time unless there's a request. I tend to wind up paying the kin house rent rather often, heh, so it requires time.
[4:13 PM]Varda: Any other gaming news? That was quite a chunk of useful info!
[4:14 PM]Varda: Oh, I don't know how EU works on StarCraft 2. Do you have to pay extra to be in both US and EU?
[4:15 PM]Arien Valar: I dont know . I havent played Starcraft for ages
[4:15 PM]Arien Valar: i always thought it was free#
[4:15 PM]Varda: Anarion is from Canada and plays with us in the USA, but that is not the EU.
[4:16 PM]Varda: I think so. Just didn't know if you could cross over to the US ok.
[4:16 PM]Varda: Alrighty then, maybe someday!
[4:16 PM]Varda: Eonwe left us some gaming news, then there's a Tolkien topic coming up with "The Hobbit" and a question on Bilbo's ring.
[4:17 PM]Varda: Here we go:
[4:17 PM]Varda: World of Warcraft:
[4:17 PM]Varda: This week's bonus events: Battlegrounds and Legion Timewalking (Turbulent Timeways III).
[4:18 PM]Varda: This week's PvP Brawl: Gravity Lapse.
[4:18 PM]Varda: The Winds of Mysterious Fortune is going through August 12th. Combined with the Turbulent Timeways EXP buff, it's a good time to level alts.
[4:18 PM]Varda: World of Warcraft - The Winds of Mysterious Fortune Event is Now Live
[4:18 PM]Varda: It's last call for Season 2 achievements and rewards.
[4:19 PM]Varda: A blog is out discussing K'aresh.
[4:19 PM]Varda: Mists of Pandaria Classic goes live tomorrow (July 21st).
[4:20 PM]Varda: Check out WoW Weekly for anything not mentioned above.
[4:20 PM]Varda: Hearthstone:
[4:21 PM]Varda: Out this week: Patch 33.0.3.
[4:21 PM]Varda: Overwatch 2:
[4:21 PM]Varda: New Weekly Recall: Meet Your Matchmaker.
[4:22 PM]Varda: A new mode is available through July 28th: Hacks and Hijinx.
[4:23 PM]Varda: Any other gaming or membership news to pass along? Sightings of Valarites we don't usually see?
[4:23 PM]Varda: Nob has been gaming in LotRO on Peregrin server in another kin, but likes to say hi.
[4:23 PM]Arien Valar: i ve got a little update with our progress of finding a new home
[4:23 PM]Varda: Fire away!
[4:23 PM]Arien Valar: hi Nob
[4:26 PM]Arien Valar: We are interested in buying a house in Portree, but we know there has been an offer in for that already, but we know the seller , and she would prefer us havingf it than the other interesees, but it depends on her husband as well. and bruce is going to find out what kind of mortgages there are available for us, so it is all still quite in the suspense. but there is at least some hope and expectations hehe
[4:27 PM]Arien Valar: there would be some work to be done to the house but that was to be expected for any affordable house l
[4:27 PM]Varda: If you have cash, that can put you way out in front. Sounds promising!
[4:27 PM]Varda: Or really for any house, even brand new.
[4:28 PM]Arien Valar: so in a few days we ll know even more but hopefully some good news
[4:28 PM]Varda: Good luck to you!!
[4:28 PM]Arien Valar: thanks
[4:29 PM]Varda: We do like to hear how it's going. Thank you!
[4:29 PM]Varda: Ready for a Tolkien topic? : )
[4:29 PM]Arien Valar: sure
[4:30 PM]Arien Valar: oh yeah i am back to work tomorrow
[4:30 PM]Arien Valar: but fire away varda
[4:30 PM]Spidey (Ungwetari/Shelob) BRIO : Mae Govannen!
[4:30 PM]Varda: Hope that doesn't cause a problem for house hunting!
[4:30 PM]Spidey (Ungwetari/Shelob) BRIO : I have 2 different topics!
[4:30 PM]Varda: Aiya Shelob!
[4:30 PM]Arien Valar: aiya spidey
[4:30 PM]Varda: Ok, but I will mention spiders are involved in mine.
[4:30 PM]Varda: What do you have for the first topic?
[4:31 PM]Spidey (Ungwetari/Shelob) BRIO : Will that be better than the Balrogs in one of mine?
[4:31 PM]Spidey (Ungwetari/Shelob) BRIO : I was wondering if we could figure out what kind of different Maiar we knew about.
[4:31 PM]Varda: I already know my topic and how it goes, so go ahead.
[4:31 PM]Varda: Maiar in general is really too wide a subject.
[4:31 PM]Varda: Cut it down a smidge?
[4:31 PM]Spidey (Ungwetari/Shelob) BRIO : I mean, we know about the Ishtari and the Balrogs, but do we know about any others, what are their origins? What sets them apart?
[4:32 PM]Arien Valar: Istari
[4:32 PM]Varda: Here are a few:
[4:32 PM]Varda: Maiar"
[4:32 PM]Spidey (Ungwetari/Shelob) BRIO : Istari'ish ^^
[4:32 PM]Varda: Ok, so types, you mean?
[4:33 PM]Spidey (Ungwetari/Shelob) BRIO : Aye. Types.
[4:33 PM]Varda: Maiar choose a Vala that does something that interests them, sometimes more than one Vala.
[4:33 PM]Varda: So they tend to be grouped by their chosen Vala.
[4:34 PM]Varda: The Vala does not have to be one of the Aratar, just that those are the ones with which we are most familiar.
[4:34 PM]Varda: We barely touch the surface of the Maiar that would be out there.
[4:34 PM]Varda: Not all came to Arda, mainly just if their chosen Vala did.
[4:35 PM]Varda: You want to cut it to just the balrogs?
[4:35 PM]Arien Valar: there is Tom Bombadils Lady, Goldberry I guess those would belong to either Yavannah or Ulmo if we follow that speculation
[4:36 PM]Spidey (Ungwetari/Shelob) BRIO : Goldberry was Maia? Did not know that.
[4:36 PM]Varda: Or both, as Gandalf worked with more than one.
[4:37 PM]Spidey (Ungwetari/Shelob) BRIO : How about we cut it to the Maiar who sided with Melkor?
[4:37 PM]Arien Valar: given that Goldberry is called the River womans daughter , at least possible i think
[4:37 PM]Varda: We worked out that the best fit for Tom and Goldberry was Maiar, although they are considered spirits of the planet.
[4:37 PM]Varda: So if Goldberry is the daughter of one of Ulmo's Maiar living in a river, then she would be interested in remaining in Arda.
[4:38 PM]Spidey (Ungwetari/Shelob) BRIO : Fair, fair.
[4:39 PM]Varda: Maiar that sided with Melkor. Ok, so that would be ones that found the offerings of Melkor the most interesting. He was into power, into being special, in being awesome and maybe even scary. So, maybe they would be what we call "goth"?
[4:39 PM]Spidey (Ungwetari/Shelob) BRIO : Do we happen to know of any Maiar who served Melkor who were not either Sauron or Balrogs?
[4:39 PM]Spidey (Ungwetari/Shelob) BRIO : Not mommy dear, I'd sooner classify her as Vala than as Maia.
[4:39 PM]Varda: Actual Maiar. Dragons were bred up, as were Orcs. I would say the ones vaguely referred to as "ancient evil".
[4:39 PM]Spidey (Ungwetari/Shelob) BRIO : But that's mainly because Ungoliant bested Melkor.
[4:40 PM]Spidey (Ungwetari/Shelob) BRIO : Like the Watcher in the Water, for example?
[4:40 PM]Varda: There were Valar who were not of the Aratar, and more numerous.
[4:40 PM]Varda: The Watcher sounds like a good example.
[4:41 PM]Spidey (Ungwetari/Shelob) BRIO : So, possibly one of Ulmo's, but got corrupted by Melkor's song of power, but nonetheless did not seem to directly follow him.
[4:41 PM]Spidey (Ungwetari/Shelob) BRIO : Or perhaps it was one of those that fled the destruction of Thangorodrim and was otherwise never mentioned?
[4:43 PM]Varda: Sauron helped Melkor with strategy and tactics rather than just overpowering everything. He set up such things as making sure some Shelob spider was fine with hanging out in a spot that protected an entry to Mordor, throwing her yummy orcs or prisoners for food.
[4:43 PM]Varda: If the Balrog of Moria fled, maybe through underground ways, the Watcher could have slithered along the same route and set up outside instead of inside. Water and fire don't mix very well.
[4:44 PM]Spidey (Ungwetari/Shelob) BRIO : Just like he used the reawakened Balrog in Moria as a nice little deterrent for the Dwarves to return to Khazad Dhum and thereby creating a new era of prosperity in that region. Like he wanted to use Smaug as a diversion.
[4:44 PM]Varda: Aye.
[4:44 PM]Varda: Exactly.
[4:45 PM]Varda: They could see themselves as independent while they were serving Sauron's interests. Keeps in line with the "pride" thing that attracted them to Melkor's service. I can be Great!
[4:45 PM]Spidey (Ungwetari/Shelob) BRIO : If I recall correctly, in the sack of Gondolin, it was Gothmog the Lord of Balrogs who led the army, right? Not Sauron?
[4:45 PM]Arien Valar: I think so , aye
[4:46 PM]Varda: Sounds right, aye.
[4:46 PM]Varda: Could it be that Sauron used Gothmog too? : ) It was one small area, again.
[4:46 PM]Spidey (Ungwetari/Shelob) BRIO : So, in essence, what bound the Maiar who followed Melkor was pretty much his will and dominance. As soon he was out of the picture, they all went their separate ways.
[4:47 PM]Varda: Sauron kept them serving in a somewhat sneaky fashion.
[4:47 PM]Spidey (Ungwetari/Shelob) BRIO : Sauron the crafty was just the most notable one as he actually set himself up as Morgoths heir in the end.
[4:47 PM]Varda: And they may have liked the association with Melkor through that.
[4:48 PM]Varda: As the highest of Melkor's lieutenants and the one handling most of the strategy, tactics, breeding, it was natural.
[4:48 PM]Spidey (Ungwetari/Shelob) BRIO : Sorry about massively derailing this topic, but I really like the direction where it headed.
[4:48 PM]Varda: They would have been used to following his dictates. Some semblance of belonging, things staying the same.
[4:48 PM]Varda: It's your topic. : ) Tangents are Us.
[4:49 PM]Arien Valar: pats the spidey it is fascinating
[4:49 PM]Varda: It's what we do. : )
[4:50 PM]Spidey (Ungwetari/Shelob) BRIO : it burns. it burns. But I like the pats anyway.
[4:50 PM]Varda: hehe
[4:51 PM]Spidey (Ungwetari/Shelob) BRIO : I was just thinking about this, because I just arrived at Moria in my LotRO deep dive, and I took a little time to explain the origins of the Balrogs and their relation to Gandalf. Made me wonder about what else was out there.
[4:52 PM]Varda: A lot, we would figure. They were hinted at, being scary.
[4:54 PM]Arien Valar: sooooo spiders in Mirkwood were referred to as minor descendants of Mummy .. but how did they arrive there?
[4:55 PM]Varda: They probably ran from Mummy. But also
[4:55 PM]Varda: notice Dol Guldur is right there.
[4:55 PM]Spidey (Ungwetari/Shelob) BRIO : Hey! Only I am allowed to call Ungoliant Mommy. Also, I definitely do not have mommy issues.
[4:55 PM]Varda: They probably were attracted to the evil that was building up there and that eventually took over Dol Guldur.
[4:56 PM]Varda: um...right.
[4:56 PM]Spidey (Ungwetari/Shelob) BRIO : hihihi
[4:56 PM]Varda: You may call her Mummy Dearest. : )
[4:56 PM]Spidey (Ungwetari/Shelob) BRIO : She tried to eat me. She was most definitely not "Dearest".
[4:56 PM]Arien Valar: sorry .. just couldnt rember the name cough]
[4:57 PM]Varda: Anyway, it's an interesting thought about when the Mirkwood spiders arrived.
[4:58 PM]Varda: When did the servants of Sauron, and that definitely includes the Nazgul, come to take over Dol Guldur and spread the mirk?
[4:58 PM]Spidey (Ungwetari/Shelob) BRIO : I was under the impression the spiders came to Mirkwood long before Sauron did?
[4:59 PM]Varda: Correct, they did.
[4:59 PM]Varda: The place was being set up for Sauron by his servants.
[4:59 PM]Arien Valar: Would be after the first defeat of Sauron by Elendil and Gil Galad or did they come before then ?
[5:01 PM]Varda: Interesting. Why would they?
[5:01 PM]Varda: Running from Ungoliant, likely.
[5:01 PM]Varda: So they could have started some of the horror in the woods, maybe the mirk.
[5:01 PM]Spidey (Ungwetari/Shelob) BRIO : Exactly.
[5:02 PM]Varda: Ungoliant was into unlight, so it could be they had something of a touch of that.
[5:02 PM]Spidey (Ungwetari/Shelob) BRIO : Correct me if I am wrong, but did not the Elves of Mirkwood try many times in vain to rid the forest of the spider infestation?
[5:02 PM]Varda: Could be their evil presence helped attract other evil to the area.
[5:02 PM]Varda: Yes, they did.
[5:02 PM]Spidey (Ungwetari/Shelob) BRIO : That does seem to suggest they predate Dol Guldur.
[5:02 PM]Varda: but they were driven out of their own stronghold of Dol Guldur.
[5:03 PM]Varda: It was not called that when it was built and lived in by the elves of the Greenwood.
[5:03 PM]Spidey (Ungwetari/Shelob) BRIO : Very good point.
[5:03 PM]Arien Valar: dol guldur started by the spiders and the reused and refortified by Sauron?
[5:04 PM]Arien Valar: oh Elves lived in Dol guldur at one point?
[5:05 PM]Varda: They made the place. Evil took it from them.
[5:06 PM]Arien Valar: i am afraid .. i am afraid .. well it is no evil that is going to take me but .. well you know what i want to say
[5:07 PM]Arien Valar: it is time for me
[5:08 PM]Spidey (Ungwetari/Shelob) BRIO : And in the meantime, in sidechat, me and Varda are still going on our personal tangent of Balrog vs Sauron.
[5:08 PM]Varda: It is that time!
[5:08 PM]Spidey (Ungwetari/Shelob) BRIO : Oh Evil Sleep!
[5:08 PM]Spidey (Ungwetari/Shelob) BRIO : OOOOOH!
[5:08 PM]Spidey (Ungwetari/Shelob) BRIO : That reminds me!
[5:08 PM]Arien Valar: hihi ~
[5:08 PM]Varda: gavel jumps on the hammerpad
[5:08 PM]Spidey (Ungwetari/Shelob) BRIO : I was wondering about one more thing?
[5:08 PM]Varda: thonk
[5:08 PM]Varda: After-meeting!
[5:08 PM]Varda: Fire away, Shelob. : )
[5:09 PM]Spidey (Ungwetari/Shelob) BRIO : Do all Elves enter Mandos, or is there some sort of side-building those who not deemed worthy must linger or something?
[5:09 PM]Arien Valar: Ask Feanor ...
[5:09 PM]Varda: Elves that are willing to return go to Mandos. Those unwilling become the Houseless on Arda.
[5:09 PM]Spidey (Ungwetari/Shelob) BRIO : I'm asking Mandos' sister.
[5:10 PM]Varda: Mandos is where the life messes are worked out.
[5:10 PM]Varda: Where is she? : )
[5:10 PM]Arien Valar: somewhere .. out there
[5:11 PM]Spidey (Ungwetari/Shelob) BRIO : Hiding behind pseudonyms like Gilthoniel and the like no doubt. Hard to catch these star-makers are.
[5:11 PM]Varda: Nienna
[5:11 PM]Varda: I am not Nienna. : )
[5:11 PM]Spidey (Ungwetari/Shelob) BRIO : I plead swiss cheese for brain.
[5:11 PM]Arien Valar: anyways . dear friends ... Namarie from me i ll have a quick glance on discord before dropping off h:)
[5:12 PM]Varda: I see your Swiss cheese and have a similar problem sometimes too!
[5:12 PM]Spidey (Ungwetari/Shelob) BRIO : Namarie Arien! Always happy to catch a few of your rays!
[5:12 PM]Varda: Namarie, Arien!
[5:12 PM]Arien Valar: :)
[6:00 PM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Aiya! Reading up.
[6:28 PM]Varda: Aiya Phar : )
[6:28 PM]Varda: I'm back and forth from the comp atm.
[7:53 PM]Varda: StarCraft 2 time
[8:25 PM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Aiya!
[8:26 PM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Strange, I thought I'd typed Aiya earlier while reading up, 2 hours ago.
[8:26 PM]Ar-Pharazon-V: (and then took a nap, because it's been a tiring day)
[8:56 PM]Varda:
[9:36 PM]Sandalf13: Aiya! Just got back in from a delightful 50th wedding anniversary for a geology buddy here in Denver. Had a blast. Caught up on the reading. Maybe will hang around for Ar's report if I have the energy. A draining weekend.
[9:37 PM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Aiya! Having been binging the old Dynasty lately, having a blast with geology in Denver takes a whole new meaning
[9:39 PM]Sandalf13: Geology can be blasting, you know.
[9:40 PM]Sandalf13: Nothing like a FRESH outcrop...
[9:40 PM]Ar-Pharazon-V: hehe
[9:40 PM]Sandalf13: Did you know that the rocks talk to geologists? Some sort of Elvish, I believe.
[9:41 PM]Sandalf13: One must listen very carefully!
[9:41 PM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Does that make Legolas a geologist?
[9:41 PM]Sandalf13: I suspect that he had an innate affinity for rocks and the like...
[9:42 PM]Sandalf13: As did Gimli, certainly....now there was someone I could swap some stories with....
[9:42 PM]Sandalf13: The Balrog might not have welcomed conversations, however.
[9:42 PM]Sandalf13: I have been in many of the dark places of the earth, far below the surface.
[9:43 PM]Ar-Pharazon-V: I like the idea, but there's something claustrophobic about being cut away from the surface.
[9:44 PM]Sandalf13: I agree. I enjoyed the trip in, but I enjoyed the trip back up to the surface even more...although I did collect some of the finest speciments in my rock/ mineral collection from the very deep New Jersey Zinc Mine in Franklin, NJ.
[9:44 PM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Ah, nice
[9:45 PM]Sandalf13: I actually have not one, but several speciments of the mineral Franklinite, that is found in only ONE place in the entire world....Franklin, NJ. I also got some willemite that glows in the dark (with a blacklight), and some other fluorescent minerals, including fluorite.
[9:46 PM]Ar-Pharazon-V: I bet you have a room of this stuff ready with backlight at a moment's notice.
[9:46 PM]Sandalf13: The mine has been closed a long time, no longer profitable...so no access to franklinite, except in the mine dumps around the old mine...not very fruitful collecting.
[9:46 PM]Ar-Pharazon-V: *blacklight
[9:46 PM]Sandalf13: Believe it or not, I do not have a black light. I should get one.
[9:46 PM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Right
[9:46 PM]Sandalf13: Maybe Amazon has a cheap one....
[9:47 PM]Sandalf13: I will try to get a picture of my franklinite specimens for you this week, Ar.
[9:47 PM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Sure!
[9:47 PM]Sandalf13: Octahedral, face-centered.
[9:48 PM]Ar-Pharazon-V: I'll be on vacation from tuesday to saturday, though, so no rush
[9:50 PM]Sandalf13: Here are a few pix I just found online...my specimen is not quite as good, but close. The one on the left was sold for $3,800!!! Rare.
[9:51 PM]Sandalf13: FRANKLINITE I.jfif 1.18 MB Franklinite II.jfif 82.76 KB
[9:51 PM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Heh. Getting asbestos vibes from that.
[9:52 PM]Sandalf13: Actually, Franklin, NJ is world famous...more individual species of minerals have been found in this one location than any other place on earth. They have identified over 1,000 minerals at this one mining area. Unique in world history, to date. Franklinite II.jfif 82.76 KB
[(note: Discord images listed, but here's Franklinite on a mineral society page. Scroll down for images.)
[9:52 PM]Ar-Pharazon-V: But those little ridges look amazing.
[9:56 PM]Sandalf13: Willemite and franklinite under blacklight.
[(note: Image of that at the bottom of the page; be sure to push the button under the image to make it fluoresce.)
[9:57 PM]Ar-Pharazon-V: wow!
[9:57 PM]Sandalf13: BTW...do you see the little goblin face along the upper right edge?
[9:58 PM]Sandalf13: Looks like Gollum sinking in the magma of Mount Doom...
[10:00 PM]Sandalf13: Thank you for patiently allowing me to rant and rave about minerals...I appreciate your interest. Got to go, however, need to wake up ealry for work...up around 0455.
[10:00 PM]Sandalf13: Namarie!
[10:00 PM]Varda: Neato stuff
[10:00 PM]Varda: Namarie
[10:00 PM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Namarie!
[10:02 PM]Ar-Pharazon-V: I was looking too small, but yes, I see a screaming face there.
[10:22 PM]Varda: Namarie for the night!
[July 21, 2025
[1:14 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Personal gaming report:
[1:15 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: For (non)flashgaming: Kongregate - String Theory 2 a platformer which in all likelyhood has nothing to do with actual string theory.
[1:15 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: In the original, 2 scientists are lost in the 2-dimensional world of strings, where in this one, you play a scientist sent into rescue them... who also gets lost
[1:16 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Anyway, fun physics platformer wherein you manipulate the strings you walk on to send you to the goal in each level.
[1:22 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Blizzard gaming:
[1:24 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Hearthstone: Level 42 on the reward track now. Getting some more gold and cards from it. Also opened some packs for this expansion I got as rewards, to make the quests easier.
[1:25 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: This week's main quest was summoning a lot of minions, but of certain types count for more, just like last week. This last week it'll be spells, and since I'll be going on a midweek vacation, I'm probably going to have to do them all on saturday.
[1:25 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: The remaining daily quests I can do won't be enough for the final reward either, so I have a feeling I'm going to have to play a lot of games in one night.
[1:27 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Anyway, the brawl is Ragnaros' Fire Festival. Among the fight between you and your opponent, a tiny Ragnaros will show up on the board, attacking random targets on each size. Every time it kills a minion, its damage grows, until the hero is overwhelmed. They're short matches indeed! Key seems to be deathrattles, and ways to clear the enemy board so they can't keep up with Ragnaros.
[1:27 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Can be quite fun
[1:29 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Warcraft Rumble: Not much to report, no new collection levels or even mini levels.
[1:29 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Spent a few more rare-o-matics, which was the name I kept remembering wrong in past reports, to get a bunch more stars on low-star minis. And the login event is getting into the good stuff now, with lots of gold and the biggest experience tomes.
[1:30 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Also poked the Siege of Stormwind a bit more for valor and wildcard slots.
[1:30 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Oh, but I did make one bit of progress in the heroic sigil campaign, defeating Araj the Summoner with alliance. I sometimes give it a go when I have no dungeons or surges to play that day
[1:30 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: WoW:
[1:31 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: We cleared heroic Undermine raid once again, getting one more person the achievement. And now we're taking a break until mid-August when the next raid opens up.
[1:32 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Felt like a good time to change my cat and bear forms to something more related to the next patch at the void world K'aresh, with blue and purple colors.
[1:33 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Delves are continuing! I'm now over halfway through the titan console for overcharged delves, and finally completed the last delve as a healer, getting me the achievement for completing all delves in all roles. That also got me the last ability for the belt, which happens to be my best one, apparently.
[1:33 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Next I'll try out the underpin, and then work on completing the console. I think there's a mount involved there.
[1:35 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Weekly quests are battlegrounds and timewalks. I've been a bit too busy for the timewalks, but will try them tomorrow afternoon so I don't miss them while on vacation. After all, it's the fifth I need for the new timeways achievement. But if I miss it, I can always grab it next week, since there's always 2 weeks extra.
[1:35 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Done with the treasure goblins, getting the cosmetic cloak from them, and looting enough bloodshards to buy all the class sets.
[1:36 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Also continued the mount hunt for the collection buff event, and got a single mount out of it: The Zulian Panther from Zul'gurub. Quite plain, but still nice
[1:36 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: And at least this event got me something out of all the hours blitzing through raids!
[1:39 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Well, it also got me 2 new pets: the Child of Pa'ku pet from the Battle of Dazar'alor, and the Nightmare Whelpling I've been trying to get from the Emerald Nightmare. Which I named the Tantabus: both derived from the Latin word for nightmare, and a reference to a nightmare creature of one of my favorite shows
[1:40 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Including the whelpling, our little old-school-raid group got 2 of the raid pets we'd been missing in the past few weeks. Could be random luck, could be because of the double loot drop, or could even be that pets themselves also share a bit in the mount collection buff. In any case, it's good!
[1:48 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: And finally, I went into the Mists of Pandaria Classic pre-patch,a nd made WoWScrnShot_071625_155503.jpg
[1:49 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Classic counterpart of my brewmaster Calfusius, meet Calfuchsia! She completed the starting zone in 4 days, joining the Horde to see what the joining quests there were, got to level 12 in the process, and got me another mount for Retail: Shaohao's Sage Serpent
[1:49 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: And that's my report for the week!
[1:49 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Namarie