Sunday, August 3, 2025
5:00pm Eastern Time
Discord: Valar Guild/meeting_place
Attending: Arien, Ar-Pharazon, Varda (presiding)
Pallando side message.
Topic 1: Shelob's video: Episode 16
Topic 2: Gollum swore on the Precious to Frodo twice. The first time, although it worked, didn't stick. What was the oath and what happened?
Non-flashgaming: Trifling Truffle Trouble.
[August 2, 2025
[6:06 PM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Time for possibly my last season 2 delve, to finish up the console. Might try out ?? a few times, but for normal delves this'll be all I need.
[6:07 PM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Max Brann, all curios, all the undercoins I need...
[11:38 PM]Eönwë Valar: I might not even bother with delves this week.
[11:39 PM]Eönwë Valar: I don't have any hope Nerdy Pally is going to get enough of an upgrade from it to manage 8-mask, and Auros is as far as he's gonna go (and fully upgraded), so no point in pushing on it. (edited)
[August 3, 2025
[8:08 AM]Eönwë Valar: Hmm, they've got a grey mask on the trading post.
[8:10 AM]Eönwë Valar: *And a white one. Based on the main items for the month, they're going for a chess theme.
[3:59 PM]Arien Valar: aiya .. careful beam shines into the void
[3:59 PM]Varda: Aiya!
[3:59 PM]Varda: brb
[4:00 PM]Varda: chases beam
[4:03 PM]Varda: Back. Light in the Void, our thing. : )
[4:04 PM]Varda: @Bounder @Guild-friend Aiya! Valar Guild meeting time, where we would be glad to see your hello! Feel free to join in the chat about gaming and Tolkien!
[4:04 PM]Varda: Elen sila lumenn' omentielvo!
[4:04 PM]Varda: Membership:
[4:04 PM]Varda: Aiya to Arien!
[4:04 PM]Varda: Eowyn and Fangorn are also in the Void, StarCrafting!
[4:04 PM]Varda: Any other membership news? House news, maybe?
[4:06 PM]Arien Valar: well all the presets are done and over with , we are committed to the buy and wait for completion and chanvgeover
[4:07 PM]Arien Valar: and have first hefty rates to pay for the solicitor hehe but yeah its what we thought
[4:07 PM]Arien Valar: but its the best way
[4:09 PM]Varda: Sounds as if you will have a home!
[4:09 PM]Varda: Good luck on the rest of the process.
[4:10 PM]Varda: Web:
[4:10 PM]Varda: Stuff is going on behind the scenes, but it's content that is important. We are looking forward to what comes in for the Anniversary!
[4:10 PM]Varda: Gaming:
[4:11 PM]Varda: Checking with Pallando.
[4:12 PM]Varda:
[(side chat 4:10 PM Varda: Any EVE news? : )
[4:11 PM]Debes: remains quiet)
[4:12 PM]Varda: News from Eonwe:
[4:12 PM]Varda: (Feel free to add in if you have add-ins for these.)
[4:13 PM]Varda: World of Warcraft:
[4:13 PM]Varda: This week's bonus events: Pet Battles, War Within Dungeons, and Battle for Azeroth Timewalking (Turbulent Timeways III).
[4:13 PM]Varda: This week's PvP Brawl: Deepwind Dunk.
[4:13 PM]Varda: The Darkmoon Faire is going this week.
[4:13 PM]Varda: The next update, Ghost of K'aresh, is coming Tuesday.
[4:14 PM]Varda: Check out the update notes.
[4:15 PM]Varda: Here's a couple of blogs for the next patch:
[4:15 PM]Varda: Get Your Reshii Wraps, Go Phase Diving... And More!
[4:15 PM]Varda: Ecological Succession in Ghosts of K'aresh: An Overview
[4:16 PM]Varda: The Cooldown Manager and Future Updates
[4:16 PM]Varda: And a couple of things are now live Mists of Pandaria Classic:
[4:17 PM]Varda: Mogu’shan Vaults
[4:17 PM]Varda: PvP Season 12
[4:17 PM]Varda: Check out August's Trading Post.
[4:18 PM]Varda: Check out WoW Weekly for anything not mentioned above.
[4:18 PM]Arien Valar: O n that note . i ve got my first paladin at lvl 90 now
[4:18 PM]Varda: Woohoo! Grats, Arien.
[4:19 PM]Varda: Check out this week's hotfixes.
[4:19 PM]Varda: Liking the Paladin?
[4:19 PM]Varda: I'll assume yes. : )
[4:20 PM]Varda: Hearthstone:
[4:20 PM]Varda: Patch 33.2 is out.
[4:20 PM]Varda: Diablo 4
[4:20 PM]Varda: Check out the this week's patch notes.
[4:21 PM]Varda: Diablo Immortal 4:21 PM]Varda: Heroes of the Hearth is live.
[4:22 PM]Varda: Check out the recent bug fixes.
[4:22 PM]Varda: Overwatch 2
[4:22 PM]Varda: A new Director's Take is out: The More You Know.
[4:23 PM]Varda: Heroes of the Storm
[4:23 PM]Varda: A new patch is live.
[4:23 PM]Varda: In other gaming news:
[4:24 PM]Varda: StarCraft 2: played this past week by Eowyn, Faramir, and Fangorn.
[4:24 PM]Varda: Eowyn and Fangorn are in it right now, off and on. : )
[4:24 PM]Varda: Lord of the Rings Online:
[4:24 PM]Varda: Tome of Compresssed Experience, code through Aug 7: GOINFAST
[I've had to enter the code twice for several weeks, so don't immediately give up.
[4:25 PM]Varda: Update 45.1 is out. This is for Update 45: Allies and Adversaries, released on Wednesday, July 23rd, 2025.
[4:25 PM]Varda: If you're interested in PvMP (player versus monster-player) in LotRO, here's a Primer Standing Stone wrote to give you the lowdown.
[4:26 PM]Varda: There is currently an issue with the Monster Play Reward Track. "We have temporarily disabled the Monster Play Reward Track Season 2 title packages for both Free People players and monster players while we investigate a bug preventing the titles from being earned."
[4:26 PM]Varda: Lord of the Rings Online Valarite players in kin this past week:
[4:27 PM]Varda: Arien, I don't seem to show you on my list. Which server were you on? It shows in Discord as 2 days ago.
[4:28 PM]Varda:
Peregrin branch (8) (US RP-encouraged. Main.):
Glamdring branch (3) (US regular):
Meriadoc branch (EU-RP)
Angmar branch (temp US VIP "Veil of the Nine"):
Mordor branch (temp EU VIP "Veil of the Nine"):
[4:28 PM]Varda: Tolkien!
[4:29 PM]Varda: Topic 1 is Shelob's' latest video:
[4:30 PM]Varda: E16 Defending Moria and finding Mirrormere.
[4:30 PM]Varda: Topic 2:
[4:30 PM]Varda: (this one's from me. Please speak up if you would like to get your topic up before this one starts going!)
[4:32 PM]Varda: Frodo made Gollum swear not just once, but twice.
[4:32 PM]Varda: The topic mainly concerns the first oath.
[4:32 PM]Varda: The interchanges between Frodo and Gollum/Smeagol are slippery to read and remember at the appropriate time, good re-reading material.
[4:32 PM]Varda: For instance, notice where Gollum swaps reference between what Gollum/Smeagol will do and just what Smeagol will do.
[4:33 PM]Varda: The first oath on the Precious is gotten around by Gollum once Smeagol becomes terrified by the wraith, losing his resolve.
[4:33 PM]Varda: This helps make the reader be uncertain of the power of the second oath that does take effect and changes Frodo's fate.
[4:33 PM]Varda: Two Towers, "The Taming of Smeagol".
[4:33 PM]Varda: Gollum was tied with elven rope after proving that he would run away, but the rope hurt because it was elven.
[4:34 PM]Varda: Gollum wanted loose and Frodo didn't like that Gollum was in pain, but he had to remain to guide them and could not be trusted to desert them.
[4:34 PM]Varda: (Quotes are too long to give here in entirety, so we have sneaky ellipses.)
[4:34 PM]Varda: Quote:
[Gollum: "Take it off us! It hurts us!"
["No, I will not take it off you," said Frodo, "not unless" - he paused a moment in thought - "not unless there is any promise you can make that I can trust."
["We will swear to do what he wants, yes, yess," said Gollum, still twisting and grabbing at his ankle. "It hurts us."
["Swear?" said Frodo.
["Smeagol," said Gollum suddenly and clearly, opening his eyes wide and staring at Frodo with a strange light.
["Smeagol will swear on the Precious."
[...Frodo: "Would you commit your promise to that, Smeagol?
[It will hold you. But it is more treacherous than you are. It may twist your words. Beware!"
[Gollum cowered. "On the Precious, on the Precious!" he repeated.
["And what would you swear?" asked Frodo.
["To be very very good," said Gollum. Then crawling to Frodo's feet he grovelled before him, whispering hoarsely: a shudder ran over him, as if the words shook his very bones with fear.
["Smeagol will swear never, never, to let him have it. Never! Smeagol will save it..."
[...
["Down! down! said Frodo. "Now speak your promise!"
["We promises, yes, I promise!" said Gollum. "I will serve the master of the Precious..."
[4:37 PM]Varda: End ellipsed quote.
[4:37 PM]Varda: After taking his oath, Smeagol takes them safely through the Dead Marshes.
[4:37 PM]Varda: Only after a winged Nazgul flies overhead does he begin to change, due to fear and belief that they are discovered and there is no escape.
[4:38 PM]Varda: Also they are coming so close to their destination that after the wraith, Frodo becomes weaker which also takes Sam's attention from Gollum.
[4:38 PM]Varda: Frodo can feel exactly where the will of Sauron is coming from as a man with closed eyes can tell which direction the sun beats on him.
[4:38 PM]Varda: Gollum feels it as well, probably less strongly.
[4:38 PM]Varda: This also means Smeagol is less needed as Frodo's guide, although this is not stated in the text, but it may add to the list.
[4:39 PM]Varda: After they are out of the Dead Marshes, Sam wakes to a voice. It is an argument between Smeagol and Gollum over the promise.
[Two Towers, "The Passage of the Marshes"]
[4:39 PM]Varda: Quote (yes, with ellipses!):
[4:39 PM]Varda: "We promised to save our Precious, not to let Him have it--never. But it's going to Him, yes, nearer every step..."
[4:39 PM]Varda: "...Master's got it. Smeagol promised to help the master."
[4:40 PM]Varda: "...But if we was master, then we could help ourselfs, yes, and still keep promises."
[4:40 PM]Varda: "But Smeagol promised to be very very good...
[4:40 PM]Varda: "Very very good, eh, my precious? Let's be good, good as fish, sweet one, but to ourselfs. Not hurt the nice hobbit, of course, no, no."
[4:40 PM]Varda: "But the Precious holds the promise,"...
[4:40 PM]Varda: "Then take it," said the other, "and let's hold it ourselfs! Then we shall be master, gollum!..."
[4:40 PM]Varda: ...
[4:41 PM]Varda: "But He'll see, He'll know. He'll take it from us!"
[4:41 PM]Varda: "He sees. He knows. He heard us make silly promises--against His orders, yes. Must take it..."
[4:41 PM]Varda: ...
[4:41 PM]Varda: "...See, my precious: if we has it, then we can escape, even from Him, eh? Perhaps we grows very strong, stronger than Wraiths. Lord Smeagol? Gollum the Great? The Gollum!..."
[4:41 PM]Varda: "But there's two of them. They'll wake too quick and kill us," whined Smeagol in a last effort. "Not now. Not yet."
[4:41 PM]Varda: "...Not yet, eh? Perhaps not. She might help. She might, yes."
[4:42 PM]Varda: End quote.
[4:42 PM]Varda: So it is not until this point that Gollum/Smeagol plans to turn the hobbits over to Shelob, working past what was sworn so far.
[4:42 PM]Varda: The second oath would take us beyond the time we have today, but here is an article telling about it in our Encyclopedia:
[4:42 PM]Varda: https://valarguild.org/tolkien/encyc/articles/f/Frodo/FrodoSuccess.htm Frodo's Success or How can a Ringbearer Destroy the One Ring? One reason why Frodo can be said to have succeeded in destroying the One Ring. Article written for the Valar Guild Tolkien Encyclopedia.
[4:42 PM]Varda: That's it for my topic.
[4:44 PM]Varda: two gavels arguing with each other trip over the hammerpad a tad early, perhaps
[4:44 PM]Varda: plop phlop!
[4:44 PM]Varda: After-meeting!
[4:45 PM]Varda: Free chat. Even about a Tolkien topic. : )
[4:45 PM]Arien Valar: fast as lightning
[5:08 PM]Arien Valar: Namarie all
[5:35 PM]Varda: Namarie, Arien : )
[11:10 PM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Aiya! Reading up.
[11:10 PM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Gotta say, I was confused by Arien mentioning level 90, but Pandaria was level 90 at this point while retail is 80
[11:26 PM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Gollum the Great. How did I not remember that?
[August 4, 2025
[5:11 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Longer nap than I expected.
[5:11 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Personal gaming report:
[5:13 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: For (non)flashgaming, in the Kongregate site's personal Kongpanion-based series, I give you Trifling Truffle Trouble on Kongregate
[5:16 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: In the frame of an arcade game, the goal is to hit descending groups of various kongpanions, mostly food items, with ricocheting chocolate truffles launched from a cannon at the button.
[5:16 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Clear them all to get points and get through all the levels! Though it can be pretty long and difficult as you go
[5:18 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Temporary bonuses can be bought with site credits, but they're not needed. And you get some for free daily if you own kongpanions on the site, which I do, but I haven't used them at all to this point.
[5:18 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: So ignore all that and just have fun!
[5:19 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: No time limit either, as their descend rhythm is based on your shots. So you can even plan out
[5:19 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Blizzard gaming:
[5:21 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Hearthstone: Level 56 on the reward track now. Slowing down a bit again, but still good enough.
[5:23 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: The legendary reward I got for level 50 was Loh, the Living Legend. For those of you who remember the name, Loh was a legendary tortollan in Battle for Azeroth with a category of minigames in world quests based on his stories, where you have to move a tortoise through a maze to follow the story
[5:24 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Bit of a break from quest events now, though I'm sure we'll get more in this expansion. Some peace
[5:25 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Brawl is The Void Singularity. At the end of each turn, all your minions are crushed into an elemental of sorts, using their total stats. This includes the previous turn's entity if it's still alive.
[5:26 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: The crushing activates deathrattles, with minions summoned from deathrattles staying on the board for your next turn to use as well. So I'd advise using a deck of cheap minions with powerful deathrattles
[5:28 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Warcraft Rumble: No new levels, but a bunch of new stars. I went through them all a few minutes ago, looks like my lowest minis include 2 at 4/25 stars and a bunch at 5/25, so there's still a lot to go!
[5:29 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Went through the first 3 wings of normal Molten Core again, getting enough valor to upgrade 3 more leaders to diamond slots. That's going fast now, at least!
[5:30 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: And I started the pvp for this season, progressing enough for one reward of the track every day. Later rewards are always quite useful, with a lot of experience in them. So they're worth doing! Don't even need to win, though that does give more progress than losing.
[5:31 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: WoW: No new raiding. 2 more weeks!
[5:32 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Working on the weekly quests, which are 3 this reset, though I'm not expecting much from the rewards. Getting more timewarped badges is always nice, and there's a chance that the mythic dungeon quest gives a good piece of gear, though at this point that'd probably just be a new appearance, if anything at all.
[5:33 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Got no more new mounts from the mount collection buff. I guess it's just the Zulian Panther! But I'll come back to all of them at some point in the future. If there's more events like this, that'd be great, but otherwise it'll just be a long grind
[5:35 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: But the big news is, I'm finished up with delves for this season! Killed Underpin on ? difficulty, getting the golden rocket cloak appearance, getting Brann's hat back - which meant he gave me his spare hat as an appearance - and getting him to switch hats 10 times for the achievement.
[5:36 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: I might try out for Underpin on ?? difficulty, but ? was already quite confusing, so eh. Maybe if I switched my spec and/or Brann's I might have a better chance, but I'm not fussed about it.
[5:38 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: I also completed all the Overcharged delves I need to complete the console's powers. For the last few it made me strong enough to go dps spec with dps Brann. Though I had to heal myself a few times and be careful with aoe damage, it was surprisingly smooth!
[5:39 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: So that got me a new mount, the OC91 Chariot! Basically the old Warframe but as a titanic recolor, this mount model is always quite impressive
[5:40 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: And then I went ahead and spent most of my undercoins collected, on season 2 cosmetics Got all the new cosmetics for the season 1 mount, the dirigible, with a drillfront, white colors, and other stuff.
[5:41 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Also bought the 2 new toys: the Throwaway Gangster's Disguise, and the Spotlight Materializer 1000. I'm sure party and raidmembers will get very annoyed by that one
[5:41 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: I also got the 4 transmog ensembles, though the leather one only needed the shoulders, I think. Got it anyway, had coins to spare.
[5:42 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: As well as the Hallowfall Weaponry arsenal, a set of Arathi weapons for all types. Some good looking stuff!
[5:44 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: And finally, through delves and weeklies and the weekly events like the theater - and a lack of raid repairs - I made it above 100k gold! Considering I've sat around 60k for most of this expansion and the last, it's a real milestone, and I can't wait to spend all my fortune on my last missing druid setpiece from the black market auction house I'm sure
[5:45 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: But seriously, while some people with their crafting and world quests I don't have time for are sitting on millions, I don't think I've had this much since Shadowlands. So it looks nice, at least.
[5:46 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Oh, I haven't bought all the warbank slots either, obviously. But that's one of those features I don't mind putting to the back of my todo list anyway. The mailbox works still!
[5:47 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Anyway, that's my report for the week!
[5:48 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Is it a fool's hope to think I might actually have time for some story questing in WoW and/or D4 next 2 weeks, before the Karesh season comes in with a cloak to unlock, a new raid, and a new delve season?
[5:50 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Probably. But as the Dutch say, where there's hope, there's life!
[5:50 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Namarie :)