May 24, 2026
5:00pm Eastern Daylight Savings Time
Discord: Valar Guild/meeting_place
[4:00 PM]Eönwë Valar: Salutations
[4:01 PM]Eönwë Valar: We'll give it a couple more minutes to see if Varda makes it, then we'll begin.
[4:03 PM]Sandalf13: Aiya!!!
[4:04 PM]Eönwë Valar: Heya.
[4:06 PM]Arien Valar: Aiya all 🙂
[4:07 PM]Sandalf13: Aiya Arien!
[4:08 PM]Eönwë Valar: OK, let's go ahead and begin.
[4:08 PM]Eönwë Valar: @Bounder Weekly Guild Meeting begins in the meeting channel!
[4:08 PM]Eönwë Valar: Elen Sila Lumenn Omentielvo!
[4:09 PM]Eönwë Valar: Welcome to the Weekly Meeting, one and all, lurkers and speakers, Frodos and Smeagols (so long as they're Nice Smeagols, lol).
[4:10 PM]Eönwë Valar: Membership:
[4:10 PM]Eönwë Valar: Everyone here please say "Nice Smeagol" to be counted for attendance.
[4:10 PM]Sandalf13: Nice Smeagol
[4:11 PM]Pallando-Valar: Nice Smeagol
[4:12 PM]Eönwë Valar: OK, so that's Pallando, Sandalf, and Eonwë.
[4:13 PM]Eönwë Valar: Anyone have Membership News this week?
[4:16 PM]Eönwë Valar: The thread for Anniversary themes will be open for another week. make sure you get any suggestions in by next Sunday. If you don't know how to access a thread, we went over it last week if you need some detailed guidance.
[4:16 PM]Eönwë Valar: Web:
[4:17 PM]Eönwë Valar: Nothing new this week, always stuff going in the background.
[4:17 PM]Eönwë Valar: Gaming:
[4:17 PM]Eönwë Valar: World of Warcraft:
[This week's bonus event: Delves and Pet Battles.
[This week's PvP Brawl: Deepwind Dunk.
[4:18 PM]Eönwë Valar: New blog is out on the Sporefall Raid coming with update 12.0.7. --- link"
[4:18 PM]Eönwë Valar: See WoW Weekly for anything not mentioned above. --- link".
[4:18 PM]Eönwë Valar: Check out this week's hotfixes. --- link"
[4:18 PM]Eönwë Valar: Diablo 4: A Q&A is coming May 28th. --- link"
[4:19 PM]Eönwë Valar: Hearthstone:
[Patch 35.4.2 is out. --- link"
[4:19 PM]Eönwë Valar: Lord of the Rings Online:
[Update 48.3 is out. --- link"
[4:22 PM]Eönwë Valar: Any other gaming news?
[4:24 PM]Eönwë Valar: OK, then on to Tolkien.
[4:24 PM]Eönwë Valar: Tolkien:
[4:26 PM]Eönwë Valar: Any topics of interest anyone wants to discuss? Elven banking practices? Ornithology among the Eldar?
[4:27 PM]Sandalf13: I have not yet come across a local Elvish bank or financial institution, unlike the Ents.
[4:28 PM]Sandalf13: Perhaps the Ents are more forthcoming regarding their finances?
[4:29 PM]Eönwë Valar: Hehe. Don't know if Ents had much use for gold.
[4:31 PM]Eönwë Valar: And their most valuable water they likely kept down at the riverbank. rimshot.
[4:32 PM]Sandalf13: You are most probably right.
[4:33 PM]Sandalf13: They still needed some money, obviously...I assume they bought their large urns/jars for brewing their various herbal concoctions. After all, the Ents were more like the Elves, but also more like Men. Sort of in the middle?
[4:33 PM]Eönwë Valar: Hmm, I wonder. I don't imagine them having kilns, so you might have a point.
[4:34 PM]Sandalf13: Agreed.
[4:35 PM]Sandalf13: Tolkien never really gives us an image of the various races of Middle-earth interacting, or doing business and the like...especially in the LoTR. Perhaps their was a bit more discussion of this in The Hobbit.
[4:35 PM]Eönwë Valar: Even if their "jars" were wood, I wonder if they would have any short of shaping tools.
[4:36 PM]Eönwë Valar: Ents don't seem to interact with other races all that much, except when Saruman visited. I'm curious how they would get workable clay goods if they don't fire their own.
[4:37 PM]Eönwë Valar: I suppose they could use stones to shape wood.
[4:39 PM]Eönwë Valar: I don't imagine metal knives or tools.
[4:39 PM]Sandalf13: I just checked them out in the TT. All that Tolkien says is that Fangorn filled "two great vessels,"no other specifics, I always thought they were made out of clay or the like. Wood would ave a tendancy to leak, I think.
[4:40 PM]Sandalf13: Yet they did glow, that seems to me to suggest that they were not made of wood. Alabaster, perhaps? Marble? Translucent clay?
[4:41 PM]Eönwë Valar: Was it the vessels or the contents that glowed?
[4:42 PM]Sandalf13: Despite being tree-choppers, I could see the Dwarves crafting great vessels for the Ents, and trading for them at times. If it was the liquid inside that glowed, all the more reason to think that the vessels themselves were transulcent, suggesting clay, marble, or some other rock material.
[4:42 PM]Sandalf13: After all, fine bone chine is translucent.
[4:43 PM]Sandalf13: Metal is opaque, as is wood, pretty much.
[4:44 PM]Eönwë Valar: If stone, they must be very old, or they have a way to hollow it out that doesn't take centuries.
[4:45 PM]Sandalf13: Marble and alabaster are soft enough, as are a few other geologic materials, to be carved. Soapstone also comes to mind...and all three are translucent if worked thinly enough.
[4:46 PM]Sandalf13: Onyx as well, but that is a lot harder...but nothing that the Dwarves couldn't figure out how to do.
[4:48 PM]Eönwë Valar: If Dwarves provided the vessels, they must be very old. I don't get the impression anyone besides Saruman had been in to Fangorn in quite some time.
[4:48 PM]Eönwë Valar: If they're that old, Elves are of course another option.
[4:49 PM]Sandalf13: I think you are right concerning Saruman being the most recent visitor to Fangorn.
[4:50 PM]Arien Valar: hmmmm if the ents were wandering arround looking for the entwives they surely encountered travellers of various races would be on the road, so probably dwarves as wel;
[4:51 PM]Sandalf13: I suppose the Ents were familiar with all the other sentient races occupying Middle-earth at the time of the LoTR. After all, they were sent to M.E. to help protect the trees from the Dwarves and other voracious tree-choppers.
[4:51 PM]Sandalf13: Other than Hobbits, that is...but almost no one knew about HObbits anyway.
[4:52 PM]Arien Valar: yeah but you are right, as axe wielders ents wouldn t be too friendly with dwarves as we have seen when fangorn met gimli
[4:53 PM]Sandalf13: But the Ents would also know that the Dwarves (most of them, at least) were great foes of Sauron, and therefore worthy of some degree of respect and camaraderie.
[4:55 PM]Arien Valar: I don t think it would go as far as trading and getting vessels as payment and no ents most assuredly would not use things made of wood
[4:55 PM]Arien Valar: more likely stone so i agree there
[4:56 PM]Arien Valar: wasn t there a stone table at one of fangorn s enthouses?
[4:56 PM]Arien Valar: the first one?
[4:56 PM]Sandalf13: Yes...a very large stone table. The Hobbits sat on it while Fangorn prepared an Ent-draught for them.
[4:57 PM]Arien Valar: so .. not for small neat glasses or wooden cups i d say
[4:58 PM]Sandalf13: Somehow I have trouble envisioning the Ents enjoying an after-dinner aperitif or cordial in small glass cups..heh heh.
[4:58 PM]Arien Valar: grin
[4:59 PM]Arien Valar: what did Merry say *they drink" , and they have various drinks for various purposes it seems
[5:00 PM]Arien Valar: some more earthen .. food like if you want
[5:00 PM]Arien Valar: and invigorating ones that like say .. coffee for us
[5:00 PM]Arien Valar: and they had some other effects on the hobbits .. Merry and Pippin grew
[5:01 PM]Sandalf13: Hey! Coffee is plant-based and therefore acceptable to non-mean-eating organic folks.
[5:01 PM]Sandalf13: meat-eating
[5:03 PM]Arien Valar: so yes stone or stone based vessels make sense
[5:05 PM]Arien Valar: maybe crystal ... like whats it called ... rock crystal?
[5:06 PM]Sandalf13: Could be...that is why I suggest onyx...a common name for translucent quartz. China made from clay would also work.
[5:06 PM]Arien Valar: or clear quarts
[5:07 PM]Arien Valar: that would only shimmer if you glaze it
[5:08 PM]Arien Valar: and i am not sure if ents do have the technological knowledge or instruments needed for that
[5:08 PM]Sandalf13: Agreed.
[5:09 PM]Arien Valar: so conclusion vessels most probably made of clear crystal or onyx how you call it but we cannot know for sure
[5:09 PM]Sandalf13: I agree.
[5:10 PM]Eönwë Valar: Then we'll bang the gavel on that note :}
[5:10 PM]Eönwë Valar: bangs gavel
[5:10 PM]Eönwë Valar: Aftermeeting:
[5:12 PM]Arien Valar: Etsy - quartz bowl
[5:13 PM]Arien Valar: something like that but proportionally bigger
[5:13 PM]Sandalf13: Yes indeed. It takes some technology to carve quartz, however...that is why I think that the Dwarves would have the skill to make such vessels.
[5:13 PM]Sandalf13: Quartz is harder than iron.
[5:14 PM]Arien Valar: aye
[5:14 PM]Arien Valar: agreed
[5:14 PM]Arien Valar: but .l. yeah it is that time
[5:15 PM]Arien Valar: so Namarie for this week !
[5:15 PM]Arien Valar: good luck in all your endeavours
[5:15 PM]Sandalf13: Namarie, Arien! Enjoy a wonderful week!
[5:15 PM]Arien Valar: thanks 🙂
[5:32 PM]Sandalf13: Yes. What about a second Memorial Day Weekend?
[Discord Image with Eowyn and Aragorn - What about second girlfriend?
[7:56 PM]Sandalf13: Aiya Ar! Are you here?
[9:51 PM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Aiya, reading up!
[10:09 PM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Second girlfriend to share second breakfast with.
[10:09 PM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Anyway, wouldn't ents be more tolerant to those eating meat than to those with a sole plant-based diet? 🙂
[May 25, 2026
[4:51 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Personal gaming report:
[4:52 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: For (non)flashgaming, several good options on the board this past week, but I think it's time for something small and relaxing.
[4:55 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Song for a Bird" is a bontegames puzzle game, celebrating 10 years of the maker's gaming blog. Enjoy some relaxing music while you converse with a bird clicking the letters on the leaves, to solve rebus puzzles.
[4:56 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Won't take more than a few minutes, but it's nice if you need to destress!
[5:01 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Blizzard gaming:
[5:05 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Hearthstone:
[Level 94 on the reward track. One more week should do until the new skin to choose!
[5:06 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Completed the quest event! Deathwing destroyed once more. Got the Valor Point coin and the golden version of the Dragon Soul card as rewards.
[5:07 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: I wonder what will come next, if the big bad of the expansion is down. Maybe some holiday events, or a buildup to the next thing that's not been announced yet as far as I know. Dare I hope for a few weeks of peace? 🙂
[5:09 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Brawl appears to be a new one! Lead from the Front gives your hero taunt, meaning the enemy minions will always need to attack the hero over any non-taunt minis on the board.
[5:10 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: There's at least one neutral legendary that gives you more health, so that's good, but there's also other ways to use or fight this mechanic, like spells you can target manually.
[5:11 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: As for me, slight variation on last week's brawl, as the Ragers I mentioned last time can do a ton of damage if there's no enemy minions capable of killing them in direct melee 🙂
[5:14 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Warcraft Rumble:
[No new levels, but did get a few quality upgrades.
[5:15 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: May login reward track is complete, with new Jaina skin, Daughter of Sea! Looks pretty good in battle. I wonder what June will bring! I mean, I could look it up, but I'll wait 🙂
[5:16 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Pvp season reward track also well on its way, giving tomes and gold.
[5:16 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: And in the heroic sigil campaign, defeated Cenarius with horde and blackrock families. 7 battles to go!
[5:17 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Getting close to Ysera. Not particularly looking forward to that one, considering troubles I've had with it for quests, and I don't even know what heroic will add.
[5:19 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: And for quality upgrades, found 2 epic cores in the daily offers, as well as a legendary core for later, and used them to upgrade the Ancient of War and the leader Tirion Fordring - my favorite alliance leader, so that's good - to epic, as well as their last talents. And I've still got enough gold left over for several more.
[5:20 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: WoW:
[5:21 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Made it to level 88 now.
[5:22 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Delivered some relics to the Sunwell, getting a new mount as reward, the Relinquished Scarlet Charger, a fancy horse with light/fire in the hooves.
[5:24 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Then I poked around Hammerfall a bit, showing Arator what else paladins can do when not fighting, and then I went down to the Burning Steppes for the second quest arc in his series, dismantling the Dark Horde - again - by taking out their leaders and stealing the pieces of a shield they kept as trophies. Next week we'll bring those pieces home and finish this story chapter.
[5:25 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Oh, and the chess decor pieces from the Diablo 4 expansion pre-order have made it to WoW! Boards and separate pieces to play around with. That almost got me to the next housing level as well. One more piece of decor unlocked should give me my evening room, which I'd like to stuff with Harandar decor and other natury things.
[5:26 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: And that's my report for the week!
[5:26 AM]Ar-Pharazon-V: Namarie 🙂