Etterwyn's Notes From the Beaten Path

[kvndoom]

8/12/05 (late entry): I went to Nolani Academy again today to help less experienced people make the journey to Yak's Bend. I just seem to have some unseen bond with that place. It also helps to get rid of some of the weapons I find that are decent but I can't use. After the other day in Talus Chute, I had some SWEET Raven Staves to give away. Yeah, whatever. While in Yak's Bend, some girl asked me to run her to Beacon's Perch! Ooh, that made me mad! I told her quite matter-of-factly that I don't run, I FIGHT my way everywhere I go. Me, ME, run from some stupid Stone Summit? Oh, no, I'm afraid not! I told her to stop bugging me and find a runner; there were plenty around. People too lazy to fight their way through just annoy me. Sheesh.

Oh, HOW could I have forgotten! One of my Guild mates found some of those "dollars!" That's right, Olpara Bramblefoot said at the meeting that she found sixteen of them the other day! And when she sold them, she got, whoa, 400 PLATINUM! WOW!!! That means one dollar is worth 25 platinum pieces! Now that dye and runes have leveled off, I think dollars will be the new big thing in Tyria's economy. I mean, they're worth twice as much as ectoplasm, and seem to be much rarer. I imagine there will be Dollar Traders popping up in Lion's Arch soon. I just hope I find one! Olpara had traded all hers in, so she didn't have any to show the Guild. I asked her if she had been to the mythical realm of Ebay, if it was a reality, if one really could sell dollars for platinum at such a high exchange rate. Oddly enough, she got kinda red-faced and didn't answer. She was excited to share the news, but not the details of where she looted the dollars from or where she sold them. Weird.

I got rid of my Rune of Major Swordsmanship. I stripped it from my armor and inscribed a Minor one. I knew it was coming, but the announcement today made it official: the Monk General issued a warning that Major and Superior Runes, with the exception of Absorption and Vigor, pose a serious risk to your health, and removing them now greatly reduces those serious risks. That was a big deal because the Monk General puts a lot of money into studies to prove what is and isn't good for people. It was enough for me, that's for certain! I quit, cold tengu. Just dropped that Rune like a bad habit. But I worry because the fad with Monks using all these Superior Runes to take themselves to the brink of death seems to be spreading. For me, thwacking provides a rush. Maybe Monks get their thrills from life on the edge. Maybe being the focal point of healing and rejuvenation makes them crave this near-death existence. I'm not sure. I'm thinking too that Superior Runes might be habit-forming, some sort of addiction. I had an idea, that perhaps the Monk General's warning should somehow be affixed to every Major and Superior Rune before it is sold. At least that way people know there's a health risk and can't say they weren't told. And maybe they should be restricted too. Only sold to adventurers who are level 18 or higher. I think at level 18 someone should be considered responsible enough to make good decisions about their health. I'm gonna have to attend the next Guild meeting now, yes AND stay awake, and raise this point as an item of concern. I know for a fact that Hera Eve has been using those Runes. I don't know about everybody else. But we have to save our own. I hope it's not too late, that taking Hera off the Runes won't cause any bad psychological side effects. But we HAVE to try to save her before it's too late! Wow, I'm a woman with a cause now. Enough with this journal for today; I need to get some letters written.

[kvndoom]

8/14/05: Ooh, I have a lot of catching up to do! I was just too busy this weekend to write in this journal! Hopefully I'll remember everything I did once I do have time to sit down and write. Ugh, the weekend's almost over. That means I'm going to probably be sleeping a lot the next 5 days. I may need to see a doctor about that...

[kvndoom]

8/13/05 and 8/14/05: Oh dear, I don't even know where to begin! And I had so much going on, I can't remember what happened when this past weekend! This is what happens when I fall behind. Sheesh.

Even though I said I wouldn't hunt in Talus Chute again for a while, I found myself there agan anyway. But, I was with Atlantis Guardian and Poor Anders Sparlock, so I would at least have some help carrying all the Raven Staves. Hmph.

Crazy as it sounds, we actually had a good time thwacking trolls and running from chickens. I never knew work could be fun like this. I swear, life seems like a game sometimes...

I did have to show off once, though. Nobody had seen me use my new skillset, so I decided that would be the day. I told Atlantis and Poor Anders to stay back, and I ran right into the midst of 9 or 10 trolls. I smote them good, too! I was proud of myself. I'm really not a show-off; I'm a fairly modest unstoppable killing machine. But sometimes I just have this urge to show other people how far I've come.

I was talking to Atlantis and he said he has aspirations of becoming a Forge runner. I know there's good money to be made from those runs, and I really don't have a problem with someone making an honest living, regardless of how they do it. Like I've always said, running from Lomar's to the Forge takes a LOT of skill, way more than I could ever hope to have. That, and it takes resolve too. For one thing, the whole purpose of being a runner is to RUN, and not to KILL EVERYTHING THAT MOVES, as I often have the urge and propensity to do. Oh well, a girl has to have priorities, right? I'm sure Atlantis will do well. But, I must say that he needs to invest in a good map. He actually got lost looking for the Iron Mines. I took him there, since it's only a short jaunt from Droknar's anyway. Kind of ironic, that I ran the runner. Ha! I guess he owes me one.

Well, I have had a considerable equipment overhaul, and for the better! I still find myself using my old ugly shield sometimes. I think it actually protects me better than the new one, but the new one is so, so, PRETTY that I want to use it allt he time, even if it will just get me killed faster. So, I'm still torn as far as shields go. BUT, I got a really nice Smiting Rod and Healing Ankh now! Both of them I got from Collectors, so instead of paying money, I paid with trophies from fresh kills. Hey, everybody wins when those are the terms. This Ankh is SO much better than the one I had! It augments my absorption AND vigor! And the Rod, wow! I am in LOVe with this weapon! It has a decent range, so if I need to avoid traps and hurt somebody from a distance, I can. But the best part is that it does Holy damage! I found that out when I was beating down Undead in Nebo Terrace. The Rod was actually more powerful than my sword against those silly skeletons and ghouls. I was burning them up good! And I found out that Undead are really stupid. Those skeleton Sorcerors who always get in my face and try to blind me with bright lights, they don't even do that if I'm not weilding my sword! It was actually cool not having to blink my eyes and bumble into trees for a change, but I can't believe that they figure I don't need to be blinded if I'm not using a melee weapon. Blind is blind, right? Well, being able to SEE certainly made it easier to aim my Smiting Rod. Ha, stupid old bones. I wonder if they were any smarter when they were actually alive. Probably not, or they wouldn't be dead now.

I just KNOW there was something else big that happened this past weekend, but I just can not remember! Maybe I've been taking too many thwacks upside my head lately. I mean, I like my Ascalon Helm and all, but maybe a Charr head over top of mine really isn't too much protection, when it comes down to the grand scheme of things. I might have to look into a metal helm of some sort. Oh, I don't know. A warrior gets used to her armor after a while, and has a certain attachment to it. Of course, I must say that I am rather more attached to living than to my armor. I had better sleep on this.

[kvndoom]

8/15/05: Sheesh! These people are going to make a runner out me, against my will! I bumped into a new Guild member, Shei Luin Aurora, at Beetletun today, and she asked me if I could accompany her to the Fisherman's Haven, by way of bergen and the Temple of Ages. Warily, I asked her did she want me to "run" her there. Luckily, she said it would be good if we fought. Well, that's all I needed to hear! I'll go from one end of the world to the next, as long as I can KILLKILLKILLKILL to my heart's content! So off we went, on what turned out to be a harder journey than it should have been.

My first mistake was that I brought along almost all healing and defensive skills, and not much to really put a hurting on anybody. This didn't become a major problem until we started running into Ettins. I let them crowd around me as I always do, but crap, I didn't have Balthazaar's Aura OR Zealot's Fire to smoke 'em with! It was almost a war of attrition, breaking them down and killing them one at a time. It took a lot longer to get to Beetletun than I had expected. Of course, me getting us lost several times didn't help either...

My second mistake came after we FINALLY reached the Hot Springs. I was so anxious to set up with smiting skills that I pulled a Shark Monk and didn't bring any resurrection spells. Ugh, Shark Monk. To think I would reach so low a point where I'd compare myself to that abomination. Poor Shei Luin wasn't as prepared for the masses of Undead as I was. I, after all, have my mighty Undead-burning Smiting Rod. I tried my best to keep her going, but those skeleton Rangers poisoned her and I couldn't save her. And of course, for aforementioned reasons, I couldn't resurrect her either. But, surprisingly, she was a very cheerful ghost, following me and encouraging me onward as I burned and thwacked horde after horde of bonies and ghoulies. I did finally get her body to a resurrection shrine. Not too many people don't mind being dead. I swear, hearing ghosts constantly whine "rez plz" or "I need rez" or "I'm dead!" gets old. This was a pleasant change.

We hired some henchmen at the Temple to make the rest of the journey a little easier. Ha, most of them didn't make it. There are some happy and full Lightning Drakes in south Kryta tonight! Suits me fine, since I don't have to pay dead people. Not to mention a drake eating somebody else is a drake that's not chasing me. Survival of the fittest. Once we finally reached the Haven, I parted ways with Shei Luin Aurora and started west towards Ventari's Refuge, which is where I am now. Again. I'm going to jaunt through the jungle again tomorrow, and maybe I'll get lucky and come across another pretty shield that suits me just right. A girl can hope, can't she?

[kvndoom]

8/16/05: YIKES, I overslept today! Didn't wake up till after lunchtime! After scrounging up some lunch and getting prepped, I made a short jaunt out to and through Reed Bog. I only found one rare item today, a... scroll. No luck on the shield yet. Found a few crappy ones, which I scrapped. One day, one day!

I have this weird dream sometimes, that I'm trapped inside this small metal box. It's a weird contraption that I've never seen the likes of before. It has funny lights and makes weird noises and all. And I can't get out. I get so terrified and frustrated that I just want to scream, but I can't, because I like have no mouth. Yeah, that's weird. I'm trapped in this box and I have no mouth and I need to scream. This dream seems to recur a lot during the week, but not so much on weekends. I really hate sleeping. I wish I didn't have to. Heck, I'd rather be out killing something all day and all night, for the rest of my life.

I'm still at Ventari's Refuge. as far as centaurs go, Ventari is really cool. He's friendly towards everybody and a great, um, guy (?) to talk to. Very wise.

I hope I have that kind of wisdom when I get old. Actually, I never want to get old. I certainly don't want to outlive my fighting days. If I must die, it should be in the midst of battle, with youthful vigor still in my veins. It's all I know.

If I can actually WAKE UP at a decent time tomorrow, I'll trudge through the jungle for a few more hours and hope to find that shield that I just know is waiting for me. I'm really starting to sound obsessive about it, but I really don't ask for much in life. For as much stuff as I find and give away, I expect my generosity to be rewarded with the one thing I want more than any other. Time will tell.

I thumbed through my Droknar's catalog today, looking at helmets. I really don't like the options presented to me. A lot of them are just UGLY! I used to have a Wyvern Helm, but people kept making fun of it. Shame, because it instilled true fear into the hearts of my enemies. Well-deserved fear, as they discovered upon tasting my blade. The Ascalon helm that I've been using, well I like it but I think I can do better. When it comes down to it, ALL the helmets are kinda ugly, so looks shouldn't be a deciding factor for me. Being a warrior isn't a glamorous job anyway. I'm thinking about a Deulist's Helm, which is somehow supposed to improve my sword skill. I'm not sure exactly how a piece of armor can make me more efficient with my sword, but I suppose weirder things can happen! Again, I'll sleep on it.

And speaking of sleep, I hear a storm brewing, so I'm off to rest, for better or worse. I usually sleep well during a thunderstorm. Hopefully I shall dream of spilling blood...

[kvndoom]

8/17/05: Well, I broke down and bought that Duelist's Helm from Droknar's today. It pains me so, though. It just RUINS my hair! Wearing that thing, people can't even tell that I have any hair! The concessions one must make... Has it really improved my swordsmanship any? I can't tell. Everything I fight still dies. Ha! How can you improve on that? Oh goodness, I have to go and get it infused now, so the Mursaat don't eat me alive with their stupid Spectral Agony. Sounds like tomorrow's work...

Now with some REALLY good news! I bid on a new shield in an auction, and I won! It's not totally perfect, but the best one I'll have had yet. It's gonna cost me 15 platinum, which is a full day's work, but I'll make it back. It's not as pretty as the one I found last week, but it's definitely better protection. I can finally, FINALLY, get rid of the ugly one now! It has served me well, but good riddance all the same! Can't wait till I meet up with the seller and purchase it. Today is a good day!

I'm tinkering with my skills again. I always seem to be doing that. Sheesh. But, I need to become more flexible. I always find myself having to avoid Necromancers and Mesmers because I rely too much on enchantments to stay alive. Enchantments make life so much easier, but when they get stripped away I get into trouble fast. I fought a pack of 4 Jungle Skales today out near Reed Bog and barely escaped with my life! Every time I used Healing breeze to counteract their poisoing, they'd strip it away. I was THIS close to being a corpse by the time I thwacked the last one! That was a wake up call for me. I want to be able to kill anything, anywhere, anytime. It's gonna take a lot of trial and error to get it right (hopefully not too much error, since error in combat is rather painful), but I will prevail!

I spent a little time in the desert today. What a difference! I had been getting beat down by the enchanted bows and hammer and swords before, but today I kicked their BUTTS! And it's all because of my Super Smiting Rod and Gladiator's Defense! The Enchanted Bows are just as dumb as the skeletons! If I'm using my wand, they don't even try to throw sand into my eyes! So I just pick them off from a distance. and when their sword and hammer buddies come closer, I go into my Gladiator's stance and let them beat themselves to death. DIE, FOOLS! I felt proud that I had overcome a nagging problem. I think Gladiator's Defense was the best thing to ever happen to me.

I slept pretty late again today. At least the weekend's close, so I can actually be AWAKE for more than a few hours a day. Really hard to make an honest living and help out the Guild when I can't even get out of bed. Sometimes I wonder why they even put up with me. Oh, it's probably because of the free weapons. Heh. Everybody has a price. On that note, though, it's off to bed yet again. Maybe tomorrow will be a longer day.

[kvndoom]

8/18/05: I was quite the busy lady today, even for a weekday! I didn't spend a whole lot of time in Maguuma as I had planned, because a fellow Guild mate, Amar Ironback, wanted me to take him under my wing and learn to thwack like I do. Believe me, mimicry is the greatest form of flattery. How could I possibly refuse? As a good training ground, we went to Talus Chute, the Realm of 10,000 Raven Staves, to hunt chickens and Trolls. We did pretty well as a team, but I noticed he wasn't using his Gladiator's Defense. When I questioned him, Amar told me that he hadn't learned it yet. Well, that just wouldn't do. We journeyed southeast to the Dragon's Lair and obtained that for him. He did pretty well using my skill setup, but I told him it will just take practice to get into the rhythm of using the skills in the right order and at the right pace to be most effective. I look forward to seeing how he grows as a living, breathing death machine. Like me. Ha!

I think the Temple of Ages insanity is starting to draw me in. I found myself there again today, and not even for the sake of a minotaur run. I want to call it coincidence, but I'm not too sure; THE BOSS was there, wanting to venture into the Underworld again. He was in Monk form today, so I had a suspicion that like Hera Eve, he was going to be doing the near-death thing. Turns out I was right, of course. Well, Amar ironback was there, and so was Darkblade Kazguul. It was good to see her again, first time since our swamp adventures! Or misadventures, now that I think of it. Ugh... She and I have a lot of catching up to do, but it didn't happen today. Into the Underworld we went (that Voice of Grenth character still bugs me for some reason). This time I knew the drill, just keep my distance from the Aatxes and keep THE BOSS alive with healing spells. Amar almost made the mistake I made the first time, by rushing into the fray, but I called him back before the Aatxes noticed. He has no IDEA the beatdown he was about to sustain. Heh, the cruel side of me wanted him to learn the hard way, but I'm really a nice girl and I couldn't let that happen. Well, at least not to someone in my Guild. But anybody else...

We- no not "we", THE BOSS- tore through a few more packs of Aatxes and then we fought some of those Eidolon-looking things. I even killed one of them myself. They were soft and squishy and didn't offer much resistance to my sword. I like a cooperative monster. Eventually we went even deeper into the Underworld, and I saw some creatures that were new to me. They looked like Scarabs, but were white and radiated this weird light. We had to help THE BOSS a little more directly with them, so I got to thwack a few. But it wasn't easy! Every time I hit one, some unseen force knocked the wind out of me and I wound up on my butt! That was frustrating; I don't get paid to sit down! I had to be a little craftier and use Balthazaar's Aura and, of course, Gladiator's Defense, to put those nasty critters in their place, since direct attacks would knock me down every time. I know one thing- whatever that skill is, I want to learn it!

There were Drakes in the Underworld too! I killed a couple, but they were pretty tough with the spells they used, because I couldn't stand in one place very long to focus on thwacking one. Not long after that we returned to the Temple. Now THE BOSS wanted to go into the Fissure of Woe! This was interesting. Apparently if you pay a DIFFERENT ghost, you get ferried off to yet another gloomy place! I didn't like the Fissure of Woe; seems like all we did the whole time was run for our lives. There were Nightmares and Enchanted Armors and Bows, but they were really tough, way harder to kill than the ones I usually encounter. And there were healers too! At one time we had two of the healer armor thingies together, and we could not kill ANYTHING with the 2 of them that close. It took 15 minutes for us to get the healers far enough apart that THE BOSS could take them down one at a time. The whole experience was really frustrating for me. All these monsters that I can't even kill (yes, it pains me to see a MONK being able to outperform me- it's just warrior's pride, that's all), and the loot was pretty poor. One of the Aatxes dropped a glob of Ectoplasm, which Darkblade greedily scooped up as soon as she saw it. I didn't know ectoplasm was worth so much, or I'd have tried to get it for myself. I guess she made more profit from that one little piece of gooey stuff than I would have from an entire day of pillaging! Well, it just works that way. Personally, I'd rather get a little something from every kill than hold out for one big payoff that may or may not come. To each her own.

I haven't heard back from the Monk General yet. I'm really concerned about this Superior Rune thing, now that THE BOSS is doing it too. I'm kinda scared to bring it up at this week's Guild meeting now. He might get upset and think it's a personal attack. Sheesh, I hate moral dilemas. I'll just hold out against hope that the Monk General will reply favorably to my concerns.

[kvndoom]

8/19/05: I'm getting behind again! But I do so much work on the weekends that I can't make as much time for this journal as I would like to! Sheesh! Maybe I should hire somebody to ghostwrite or something. I did at least jot down notes this time so I wouldn't forget everything. Except for what I forgot to jot down, of course...

That skill that the Underworld bugs were using? I have it now! Ha ha! I found out through my underground intelligence network that it's called Shield of Judgement, and that there are chickens in a remote part of the southern Shiverpeaks whom I can "learn" it from. I knew it would be a long and brutal journey, so I didn't go alone. Fellow Guild member Amar Ironback and a half dozen hired henchmen made the trip with me. It was a very long trek, and we had to beat down hundreds of stupid monsters to get there, but we finally did reach Mineral Springs. Wow, what a lot of chickens! I think we found the main coop! My sixth sense had told me to bring along two Capture Signets (so we could conveniently learn new skills off fresh kills), and I'm glad I did! And Amar too! Not only did we get Shield of Judgement, but Flourish also. Flourish will be nice in a close-combat situation, because it keeps all my thwacking skills at the ready. I may have to test it out sometime. But I'm very looking forward to playing with this Shield of Judgement first!

I got my shield! I got my shield! I finally met up with Jade Salubri today after winning the auction earlier this week. No, it's not as pretty as the one I had found earlier, but it's better. And I am SO happy to have it! Maybe down the road I'll find a pretty one that serves me just as well, but at least now I can afford to be patient. Can't wait to get a bunch of good nicks in it!

Well, tonight's Guild meeting wound up being a lot more than what I had bargained for! Sheesh, we get assembled, and THE BOSS immediately tells us to make preparations for battle! I had no clue what was going on. I found out soon enough, though. We were battling another Guild! Whoa! I've heard about the Guild Wars of long ago, but I never knew I'd be IN one! I felt bad after it was all over because I wasn't prepared and ran around clueless a lot. We didn't do terribly well in that skirmish. THE BOSS chewed us out rather thoroughly afterwards when we were licking our wounds. Hmmmm... Why do I have the feeling I won't be making to any Guild meetings for a while? Funny part is, I never even found out WHY we were fighting these guys in the first place...

[kvndoom]

8/20/05: Grrrr! All day today I felt REALLY angry, and I don't even know why. Just raging, piping, mad! Everything I killed, I just seemed to kill them that much harder, even kicked a few bodies around. Yikes, I scare myself sometimes. I don't even know why I was so mad, but I hope I never feel that way again.

DYE! DYE! DYE! Okay, not to be confused with "KILLKILLKILLKILL," that wasn't what I was screaming while slaughtering beasts in my unexpected rage today. I FOUND 12 DYES IN ONE DAY! I could not believe it! Whenever I sell my dyes again, I'm gonna make a fortune! And one of them was black, too! YES! Now I have 3 vials of black dye, so I can study it and try to successfully make my own. I haven't checked prices in a while, but I've heard that it's no longer 40 platinum per vial. Damn, I missed my opportunity there, but maybe I'll have my home-brewed formula ready when the next price-spike occurs. I did find out why the Dye Traders were charging so much before. Apparently, dye comes in crude form and has to be refined (which may be why mine doesn't work yet). The Traders buy crude dye by the barrel, then refine it and sell what's left over. Black dye apparently costs the most because of its rarity. Well, it seems that the supply of crude Black Dye has been in a shortfall lately, so the price per barrel had spiked tremendously, and was costing the Traders nearly 70 platinum per barrel! Sheesh! And because of that, they had to severely inflate the prices to maintain their profits. So, even at 40 platinum per vial, they were barely making any profit. Oh my goodness. I could have made an absolute KILLING by being able to offer an alternative to Black Dye into such a consumerist market. Oh, I just have to cry for a bit.

Here I go, running people again! Yet ANOTHER of the Gifted Sprite's cousins, Anti Burn (strange name, yes), asked me to "escort" her from Yak's Bend to the Ice Tooth Cave today. It was my fault, really. She never would have noticed me in Yak's Bend had I not been dancing with the Yaks again. I can't help it! Those big hairy cows just love to dance with me!

But surely enough, Anti Burn spotted me and asked for my help. I can't exactly refuse help to a Guild Member (what would THE BOSS think?), so off we went. It wasn't so bad anyway, because I got to beat a whole bunch of Stone Summit punks upside their heads! And like I said, I was killing with extreme prejudice today anyway. I was even going out of my way to shed blood. Poor Anti Burn; I'm not sure what she could make of me in that mindset. I THINK she really wanted to go to all the way to Beacon's Perch (she hinted at it once or twice), but probably didn't feel comfortable traveling any farther with me. I really must have been in rare form today.

Do I like Shield of Judgement? Hell yes, I like it! I LOVE it! Nothing, and I mean NOTHING, helps me put the beat down on some undead like my super-wicked Smiting Rod mixed with Shield of Judgement! It's almost like Gladiator's Defense, except that it works from any distance. Somebody dares to attack me when I have that up, they are gonna get PUT DOWN to the ground! Ha! And it's a holy smite, so it just burns the undead up! Still trying to work off my frustration, I tore through Nebo Terrace and the Cursed Lands today, "socializing" with the former armies of Orr. I beat down hundreds, maybe thousands, of bonies and ghoulies. Just left a trail of smoldering bones from one end of Kryta to the other. It was only partially satisfying, since I know the Undead can't really feel the pain of my thwacking. But at the same time, there are just so blasted many of them, that I was just able to smite and thwack and beat down to my heart's content for several hours. It did help alleviate my frustration.

Wow, I don't know what was wrong with me today. I feel a little better now, but that rage is still screaming in my head. Maybe I need a good night's sleep. Maybe I need a date. Ugh.

[kvndoom]

8/21/05: Yikes! I felt like I was DRUGGED all this morning! I would wake up and get moving, and then I started seeing green spots, and then things would just seem to freeze in time, and I would just pass out! Oh man, that was weird! And it happened 5 or 6 times! After the last time I blacked out, I think it was couple hours before I woke up again. I had a HORRIBLE headache, but at least I wasn't seeing green spots or other crazy stuff. Though I'll admit, everything seemed slower. I seemed to be moving slower, shoot, the whole world seemed to be moving slower! And I've heard of blurred vision, but I felt like I had "jagged" vision! Noting was curved; everything I saw had sharp edges to it. Not really severe, but noticable. Maybe this was just me overcoming all that rage from yesterday. I don't know.

I only found 2 dyes today, a Silver and a Green. But, considering how late I got started, that's actually not bad. I found a really nice Air Staff that someone in the Guild needs, but I can't remember whom. I swear, everybody has a request and I'm hard pressed to meet their needs, but I eventually come through.

I had to get my new helmet infused today, after having put it off for a week. I really wish the dang Seer would live a little closer to the Iron Mines. Having to go through the mountains and caves to reach her every time is annoying. I know she looks... funny... but still, considering she provides a service that EVERYBODY needs these days, I think she'd for the most part be accepted.

My only real work today was a minotaur run with Amar Ironback. It was fun, although jaggy. Sheesh, my eyes! We didn't get any really outstanding loot, but we made good salvage and good money. Went to the Verata camp too. Guess who was there?!? Verata, in the flesh! He was like 7 feet tall and casting all kinds of nasty hexes on Amar and myself. We didn't go for him first though, because he had a sizable troupe protecting him. Once we beat them down, Amar and I doubleteamed him and put him DOWN. That was satisfying in many many ways. A lot more of Verata's followers had assembled since the last time, when I waxed that White Mantle guy. We didn't kill them all, but took down quite a few. We also thwacked a few Giants. Then it started getting late, so we had to return to the Temple to get some rest. As always (well, not always), I'm sitting here writing this before bed. I think the "Koreans" have favor of the Gods again, because I hear a lot of frustrated screaming and cussing outside my inn window. People, stop whining and go to bed already. If only I could have such trivial problems. Sheesh.

[kvndoom]

8/22/05: Ugh, the jaggy vision continues. And everything still seemed to be going in slow motion today. I'm thinking I really took a good one to the head somewhere not long ago. Hopefully my vision will improve soon, or I might have to take some time off. My job's too dangerous to not be able to see properly.

After much procrastination, I journeyed to the Ring of Fire to battle Mursaat. But, I was in good company! Amar Ironback and Darkblade Kazguul accompanied me, and 5 other non-Guild people. It was a REALLY tough battle, from start to finish! Our Monk wasn't fully infused, so he kept dying. Not good, but I've seen worse from a Monk in my day. Shark Monk comes to mind... And I had the joyous experience of walking through molten lava, not once but TWICE! There was a lava pool blocking our way, and a pack of Ettins on the other side. Our group leader told me to close in and draw their attention then lead them back out where we could thwack 'em. Now, I should know better than to walk, willingly, through molten lava, but there really wasn't any other way forward. Well, it was hot, yes. But surprisingly, my Knight's Boots held out and I got close enough to hit one of the Ettins upside the head with a bolt of holy light from my Smiting Rod. Then I turned around and ran as they gave chase. As planned, we beat them down once they reached our side of the lava cave. Then, ugh, we all had to cross the lava. So once AGAIN, my feet got a little warm. I swear, the things I have to do to save the world...

I really, really HATE those Mursaat, their Jade guards, and especially those damnable Ether Seals! They are such a PAIN. We had to destroy at least a half dozen of them, and since Amar, Darkblade, and myself were the only Warriors in the group, we were tanking like mad. Ouch, getting fried by lightning on a continuous basis is no fun at all! Oh well, nobody ever said my job would be easy. But in the end we prevailed. Unfortunately the Dwarven King's brother bit the dust. Fool should've waited for us to catch up anyway.

Completing that mission was a good thing, but man, I got mad after that! After we cleared out all those Mursaat scum, after Darkblade, Amar, and poor ol' Etterwyn take all those lumps to get everybody through in one piece, our group ABANDONS us! Yeah, they all just depart and leave the 3 of us to ourselves. That was despicable! I don't know what Guilds they belonged to, but they obviously haven't been taught the value of teamwork like we are. Sheesh.

I'm not sure what tomorrow will bring. I'm kinda scared to go farther into the volcanoes until my vision improves. I might take a little rest. Or maybe just do easy stuff for a while, like smash skeletons or pulverize White Mantle. I don't want to take any time off. I get bored too easily if I'm not killing something. Or somebody. Heh.

[kvndoom]

8/23/05: My vision still hasn't improved. I went to see a Monk about it this morning. He said it was a temporary condition which would improve in a couple of weeks. I forget what he called it; some weird stuff about a 6800 and an RMA and GT or AGP or something like that. Healers always use these complicated terms that us common folks don't really understand. Sheesh. But, I did ask if it was okay to work, because I just couldn't bear to sit around till this condition improved. He said yes, but that I should keep my resolution low and not use high anti-alias(?) or something, and maybe keep textures to a minimum... I got a headache from listening to him jabber so senselessly, so I paid and left.

Well, the Terrible Trio got together again today! Yup, myself and Amar and Darkblade got together and tore through Kryta this morning! We battled undead from Bergen all the way to the Temple, and then went on a minotaur run and cleaned up some more of those leftover Verata followers. I did pretty good on looting too! I found 4 dyes, and one was black! And I got me a Superior Monk rune! Okay, now I know I sound like a hypocrite here. As much as I've been trying to get something done about the addiction to Superior Runes, my conscience tells me I should burn the wretched thing. But my GREED tells me to sell it, and let it be somebody else's problem! So, I put it up for auction. If it sells, then so be it. If not, then fate was the better judge. Anyways, I made a lot of money off salvage today, and got some nice items that I gave to my Guild mates. Everybody wins when I do the killin'. Ha!

I just had to pick on poor Darkblade. She was drawing WAY too much attention out there today. All the undead were attacking her and no one else! I almost never had to heal myself; most of my energy went to keeping her alive. So, I kinda let it "slip" that she reminded me of Poor Anders Sparlock for being such a monster magnet. Heh, a girl has to mix a little humor in with her smiting, right? She took it well, anyway. Maybe her purple armor has the same effect as Poor Anders' red. I don't know. Oddly, I don't draw too much attention, even though I'm the tallest person in the entire guild and I tend to charge in with a huge sword and a disgruntled look on my face. Hmph, what must a girl do to get some attention?

People have been talking about some stupid talking frog that supposedly appeared in Lion's Arch a couple times over the past week and was telling the future. Yeah, I'll believe THAT when I see it. I should be thankful that all I lost when I got hit upside the head too hard was clear vision; some of these fools have lost their SANITY. Now there IS a frog in the swamp south of the Temple that can walk on water. I showed Amar and Darkblade today. They didn't believe me until they saw it. Big frog, too. I don't know how it can do that.

But, it doesn't talk, and it certainly doesn't tell me my future. So I am NOT crazy.

I got Amar Ironback hooked up with the same awesomely wicked Smiting Rod that I have. I hope he practices and learns its ways. It is an incredible asset.

My day ended with, yes, a run. I AM NOT A RUNNER... I REPEAT, I AM NOT A RUNNER... Though I'm starting to feel like one. Atlantis Guradian needed a group to travel with him to the Granite Citadel from the Iron Mines, by way of the Copperhammer Mines. Now THAT is an insanely difficult journey, with so many powerful Stone Summit patrolling the way. Amar joined us, as well as some Necromancer whose name I forget, and 4 hired henchmen. The way was arduous, as I expected, though the run from Copperhammer to the Citadel wasn't as bad as the last time I had to go. The Summit had more Ice Golems guarding the way than their own soldiers and magicians. We had a fight ahead of us, no doubt, but not as harsh as I was expecting. No complaints here. Along the way, I did ask Atlantis Guardian how the Gifted Sprite was doing, since I hadn't seen much of my little buddy lately. He said she's fine, just taking a little personal time off. I understand. I told him about the time in the desert when she joined us on a mission wielding a sword and shield, and how funny it looked because she's so TINY. He got a really good laugh out of that.

Poor vision or not, I had a good long productive day today. I hope tomorrow will bring the same. But for now, I'm off to bed. Though I must admit that when you're 6'6", a Dwarven bed is not the most comfortable or accomodating thing in the world. Now I remember why I don't often spend nights in the Shiverpeaks. Ugh.

[kvndoom]

8/24/05: Good for me, I was able to see a little better today. My eyesight isn't 100% still, but it's improving a little. I'll be SO glad when I'm over this, whatever it is.

I didn't do much work today. A new Guild member, Larry von Doom, needed some assistance thwacking Charr outside of Fort Ranik. He's some kin to Amar Ironback, and me and Amar are tight, so I was glad to help. Besides, I hadn't obliterated any Charr in over a week now. I was having withdrawal.

Surprisingly, my Superior Monk rune didn't get bid upon. I ultimately just sold it to a rune trader. I still got 10 platinum for it. How could I POSSIBLY complain about that kind of money? I'm wondering, though, if my letter to the Monk General didn't stir something up. Usually a Rune like that would've started a bidding war. I'm gonna ask around and see if maybe this Rune addiction is finally being fought.

I deopsited 50 platinum into savings today. I now have 300 saved up! Ohhh, how shall I decorate my castle when I buy it? Hee hee!

I obtained and toyed around with a new skill today, Essence Bond. If I use that with Balthazaar's Spirit, I can recover my energy twice as fast when I'm under attack. Right now I really don't have a practical use for it, but the day may come when it's handy to have.

I partook in another Drake Run in Kryta. Sadly to say, nothing's improved. Sigh... Maybe tomorrow I'll pillage the Maguuma jungles and see if there's any worthwhile loot to be had. I noticed from reading previous entries that I haven't complained about my new shield at all. I must LIKE it! Ha! Imagine that!

I wonder if the Guild meeting is gonna be Friday night or Saturday night this week. Either way I'm thinking I should really be scarce. I still don't know the details of the Guild battle that took place last time, but it was extremely unexpected. Maybe with a little advance warning, I might be ready to rumble. Or I'll at least know for sure to not show up. Ugh...

[kvndoom]

8/25/05: Today was very uneventful. I hunted down some White Mantle in Kryta; never even made it to Maguuma. I started late, and was sleepy most of the day, so I never was very productive.

THE BOSS wants all us Guild Officers to recruit at least one new member in the next week. Ooh boy. I really don't have people skills. Usually the extent of my conversations with other people is, "I'm gonna cut you to ribbons as soon as I catch you!" Now he's telling me I have to be NICE and try to get people to join? Sheesh! Well, if my temperament isn't warm and fuzzy, I can at least try to bribe them with promises of weapons and other goodies. I am the Guild's official arms Trader, after all. I'll go to one of the outposts where less experienced warriors and magicians hang out and see what happens. I just don't want anybody clinging to me like I'm some big sister or mother figure. I can't stand that crap. I'll get them fitted for a cape and let somebody ELSE baby them around. Ugh.

I seem to have gotten my skills out of balance today. I was having a much harder time killing today than usual. Maybe tomorrow I'll practice and see what I'm doing wrong. This would be a PERFECT time to trek to Maguuma. That's my favorite proving ground for new skill sets. Not too tough where I'm gonna DIE if I make a mistake, but not too easy that I'll kick everybody's tail even if I'm not worthy. Yeah, and it'll be good to talk to Ventari again. I'm thinking this is the way to go.

The weekend looms! YES! That means less sleeping, more slaying! I wish my eyesight was 100%, then I'd go back to the volcanoes. But it'll just have to wait. Still, as long as I get to KILLKILLKILLKILL to my heart's content and not be so damn sleepy, I'm a happy girl!

I may play around with axes again sometime soon. Their weight distribution makes them far less accurate than swords, but they have certain advantages too. I mean, when I get in a good strike, it REALLY puts some hurt on somebody's worthless butt. And Cyclone Axe can be devastating under the right circumstances. Now, I do love my sword, but it's good to try different things on occasion. Maybe this weekend I'll switch up for a while.

Wow, what a waste of a day. I almost feel like I shouldn't have woke up at all. But my heart tells me it'll get better. Yes, the weekend, I do so love the weekend...

[kvndoom]

8/26/05: Even though I personally haven't heard from my weird cousin Ia Stormsniper in over a week, she somehow got word about the recruiting drive mandated by THE BOSS. Apparently she even got someone to join the Guild today! Hmph! I did too, but this guy bailed out before I even got him fitted for a cape! Since Ia is kin to me and since nobody I know has seen her for over 2 years (except for the guy she recruited), I wonder if I can get credit for inviting him? I'm thinking it's only fair. To me.

Well, what a surprise I had tonight! Thicket Grasswind found me at Ventari's Refuge (I gotta stop telling people where I hang out) and told me I HAD to go to the Guild Hall IMMEDIATELY! Now, I know what that usually means. Meeting. Ugh. I resisted, I complained, I whined, I told him I was sick, I feigned a broken leg... Nothing worked. Alas, I journey with him to the island, and what's this? We have a NEW GUILD HALL!

Wow! I mean, the old one is totally gone! It hasn't been THAT long since I was last there... how did they tear down the place and rebuild it so fast? But I like this one! It's HUGE, has an indoor swimming pool (well, it's more of a moat right now, but we'll get it cleaned up),

and so much room, and LOTS of places I can hide! Ha! I just know the last place they'll expect me to be hiding from a meeting is right within the Hall itself! In fact, I'm writing this from a cool spot I found. I already hear some of the guys asking if I left because they don't see me around. Oooh, this is nice. I think I'll spend the night...