Born this Way - Retrospect

As Mists of Pandaria sits on the horizon, drawing ever closer, the longest and craziest storyline I've ever done within the World of Warcraft is drawing to a close.

On July 5th of last year I began the Born this Way storyline, written for two close friends of mine, Kiwi and Auramis. Sitting at Part 86 as of this post, BTW focuses on the last of Lycannon's demons while forcing other characters involved to look at their own. What started out as an arson mystery has evolved into a full fledged, mind bending ghost chase for the players, and the final battle is underway.

Ashandarei Dawnborn, Falkoen Moonshadow, Kaludra Meraan, Lycannon McSars and her son Daelin, and Torsyth Cair'Dazar have been gone for a whole year, and they have no idea that the world has shifted in their absence. The Firelands have been tamed. Deathwing has been defeated. Tensions between the Horde and the Alliance are hotter than ever. For them it feels as if only a month or so has passed by. What will happen if and when they all make it out?

And it's not just them. The rescue party that started out strong has divided, reformed and dwindled down to just four unlikely allies - Auramis Lightbourne, Kiserai Dawnborn, Elicoor Meraan, and Khoura Everroot. They set out against seemingly impossible odds, each having their own motives, and they have no choice but to run straight into traps set for them by the one man controlling the entire situation.

Gideon is a powerful wizard and necromancer from Argus, and has altered the free-floating nether energies from within the Netherstorm to form his own paradise sitting high above the broken chain of islands. His arena, named Safeena Altair and called 'The Boat' by regulars, draws its main income from the spectators betting on the gladiators he employs. The complex is kept well guarded and hidden by unknown means, with visitors having to teleport in by way of meeting a magi at a random location... And for good reason. While Gideon sits on the piles of gold he makes from the bets in his own complex, he also siphons the souls of those slain to make himself more powerful magically.

The twist is that this man is supposedly Elicoor's father, and to everyone involved, it appears that his motive is plain , crazy and simple. He is getting back at Lycannon for shaming him on Argus... But things are never as they seem.

There is a wildcard involved, an emotionless spectre named Zorana enslaved by Gideon and bent to his will. She is by all accounts the spirit of Lycannon's first child, and works as Gideon's eyes, ears and blades on Azeroth. She has worked to trap other characters and bring them to the necromancer, using an array of magically imbued daggers to stab the target and pull their soul into the Astral Plane where she then whisks them away to Gideon. Khoura appears to have been split in half on purpose by this, and her other self is now a Druid of the Flame, working as the man's lapdog... cat.

When Ash comes into possession of a particular pendant belonging to Gideon, Zorana is suddenly only loyal to her, revealing a major flaw in the wizard's defense. The only thing it seems he has left now is Lycannon, and he uses his control over her to set her upon the rescue party and any that stand in her way. With two people already down, what will Ash do with her new-found power? Will they have to kill Lycannon to get to Gideon? Is anything what it seems? Find out on the next episode of Dragonbal-... I mean... Really, what will happen?

For you guys involved, get ready for the kicker. Please don't hurt me.

Tabula Rasa

"Purge their minds of memories grim,
Of pains from recent slights and sins.
When the fire burns out, when the crystal turns black, the spell will be cast.
Tabula Rasa, Tabula Rasa, Tabula Rasa."

Buffy, anyone? For those that aren't familiar with the TV series, it had to do with the characters losing their memories and exploring what could happen if they did. In the end, everything gets set right... mostly.

Drama happens, both in character and out.  The trick is to balance the two and attempt to keep the two worlds separate, but it can be difficult sometimes. If two people are dating, it's not uncommon for their characters to also end up together, either one or many. You find a really good role player who thinks you are also a good role player, and you'll end up wanting to RP all the time because it is just so fun to do so. You get to know the player behind the character, and that extends to any type of playstyle within any game. I met one of my best friends through World of Warcraft, and it had nothing to do with RP. Relationships form, bonds are forged, and life is great.

But what happens when things start to turn sour in real life? If you find yourself not being able to RP, raid, PvP or whatever with that person you used to like doing said things with because of real life problems? The answer is always much more simple than the execution, especially when it comes to RP and keeping it afloat. Can all parties involved simply stick to RP? Is it healthy to even do so? Does a retcon need to take place? These are all really good questions, some I find myself asking. 

My current Lycannon storyline has been almost a year in the making. It is my last story, as I plan on taking a break from creating them for a while. As such, I wanted it to last as long as it has, though it has been sluggish lately from me getting a new job and general lack of interest in the game itself as of late. Those who know my Lycannon also know she's been through hell and back, and gone through a ton of stuff, but she's not the only one. Every character that has been involved with her stories and her past has also earned their colors, as usually they are the ones jumping into the fray with her, either to get her out of danger or help her overcome something for someone else. Usually it's the former because Lycannon attracts trouble like a moth to flame. That's just how she is, and it is her most outstanding flaw - Bad luck. She has always had it. Tie that in with raging berserker and free spirit, and well, you have my lovely warrior. As I've come to get to know people and make friends, her direction changed from the general perspective I started with (in the World of Warcraft, at least,) to what she is now, two years later.

The people and their characters I've come in contact with all had a hand in shaping my main character. For instance, Lycannon originally had three children, all of which were dead when I began to RP her. Over time I created stories and thought 'what if', and went with it. Somehow she ended up with six, and the added three all came after I met the friends I did. One of these children came to be because a friend of mine needed a backstory for a character, and asked if the character could be Lycannon's kid. I said sure, why not? Because really, why not? I always try to do my best to accommodate people if they want to RP with me or be a part of my stories, because I think it is important to keep the mindset of: 'How would my character be involved' instead of: 'My character wouldn't do that because..." You don't find RP by thinking of reasons not to, after all.

To bring this all to a point, Lycannon is/was/something married to a man named McSars. The player of this character and I became really close, and the person was a really great role player. McSars became my favorite character because most people don't want to RP an actual soldier type, one that has believable trauma and a believable broken mindset to go along with the age that would match it. While the player may not have seen or intended to have much depth with the character, I had thought that these traits were actually what gave him the deepness that a lot of good characters lack. If one was sharp enough, one would realize that the reasons this character may be berating another aren't just because he is the 'soldier type', but because he is the soldier type that has seen enough shit to last a lifetime. If you saw a horde of undead slavering to gnaw at your guts, perhaps people you once knew (or at least knew to be human), you would not be alright after you managed to survive something that traumatic. I know I definitely wouldn't be alright even though I might seem like it if I had to experience something like that. Those with PTSD are the same way. It's the same concept, and I hardly see it translate or executed well in a setting where almost everyone should have it, like World of Warcraft. So, McSars became my favorite because his depth was not so glaringly obvious, he was believable, and he was not a shiny hero.

I really loved to role play with this character, and both Lycannon and McSars developed over the past two years we spent RPing them together. They were married. They had a kid. Most importantly, they had to learn to be human (or well, you get my drift). Lycannon was emotion. McSars was logic. Both were in the extreme ends of the spectrum. Because of that, the characters worked very well together, and gave me what will probably be the best RP I've ever done. It was awesome, and unfortunately it stopped.

Real life problems affected the role play, and despite efforts to reconcile, we just could not make it work. I kept my characters either suspended or I kept playing in character as if nothing ever happened in real life, and that has gone for the Born this Way story that is currently in progress. Honestly, I was not sure what to do with the characters that had ties to this player's. Could I completely erase the past two years and pretend it never happened for them? I don't believe I was ready to at the time, which is why I kept going how I have so far. Lycannon is confident that her broken knight will come find her where she is. He is the love of her life, her husband, and he has come through for her so many times before. Of course, I knew this was not going to happen and had for some time into the story, but Lyc won't find out until the end... And what will she find out?

It really is unfortunate that I doubt I will be able to RP with McSars' player again. Part of me was still a bit hopeful that one day we could pick it up again without any inclination to real life. Two people, simply RPing. Of course, it is never as simple as that, and the hammer has recently fallen on the character I loved to RP with. In his place, I have been given a shell of his former glory in the form of an NPC, cast off to make room for a new version of McSars that I will consider alternate universe. It is a bit of a slap in the face, as I was never approached about the change, but it is what it is. It is a shame, and I am deeply saddened.

So what will I do with Lycannon? Kaludra? I do not know. For now, I will continue with my story the way I had thought it out, and figure out the ending as I go.

Making a (RP) Character, Part Two

Continued from Making a (RP) Character, Part One.

How did I create my main role play character? Those that know me know that my main on WoW is my warrior, Lycannon. When I first created her it wasn't for role play, in fact I didn't even know you could RP on WoW when I began playing the game.

I had RPed a lot before on forums using Lycannon across different genres and universes. Every time I rolled her she was always a warrior or something melee. I can thank The Legend of Zelda for that influence. It was the first game I played and playing a character that got up in a bad guy's face (most of the time) just felt right. She had a few different incarnations and I changed the name 'Lycannon' to fit into whatever universe I was playing at the time. Kate, Candy, Lycandra, Candryss - The list goes on. She originally came from a futuristic, post-apocalyptic sci-fi RP I had been doing with some online friends. She was a field medic of Middle Eastern descent with platinum, almost white colored hair. That is a nod to Storm, my favorite of the X-men and the first ethnic woman I can remember being in a leadership role. (I was like 3 or 4 at the time. 90's cartoon, if you were curious.) She had a spicy 'soldier type' attitude that I built her around, and she was proficient in martial arts and blasting aliens with her plasma gun.

Go ahead and ponder why the hell Forge is wearing a speedo. The rest is after the jump.

WTF Lycannon?

Yeah, I know. I don't forget to update so much as I get caught up doing other things. I'm a terrible person.

I could talk about the changes they're thinking about for warriors. I could rage about how rage normalization is scary, but I wasn't around when it was (if that tells you anything about how long I've been playing this game). I could talk about rend dancing, and how it actually gives you a DPS increase if you know how to use it. Don't worry newbies, that's not for you.

Instead of all the technical stuff, I'm actually going to talk about why I even like playing, and role playing, a warrior. What's so special about them? They don't use magic to defeat their foes. No shiny lasers or sparkles to heal people with. Warriors are nasty, gritty juggernauts. Some are more disciplined and refined in their practice, while others are mindless, berserking killing machines who tear through whatever, however. They are the most basic of fighters, and if you can pick up a weapon, you can be one too.

Warriors don't need to skulk around in the shadows to kill their foes. They are up front and in your face. Killing seems to come natural for them, and being covered in blood and gristle at the end of the day comes with the job. They aren't always noble, but they always seem to have a reason to fight and kill. (Even the berserkers). 

I've always liked the warrior class, no matter what game I was playing. Standing far away and shooting stuff at my enemy never appealed to me. I guess I could blame my mom for that. She's always had a thing for mythology, especially Greek mythology. Her favorite goddess is Athena (or Minerva, for you Roman lovers). Now, if you know anything about her, she's the goddess of war, wisdom, and heroic deeds. I knew this ever since I could remember, and I grew up with that. It's not surprising that I too like the idea of a female heroine who isn't afraid to get mean.

Enter: Lycannon. She's not a new character. In fact, I created her a long time ago for a forum based Sci-Fi RP. For this, though, we'll use her draenei incarnation. She used to throw sparkles at people (Paladin), then terrible things happened (Battle of Shattrath) and she turned into a vengeful, dangerous bitch (Fury Warrior). She's mentally unstable with a deadly lust for blood and battle. When she's fighting, she teeters on the edge of completely losing all self control and killing everything in sight, be it friend or foe. She's a good person (really), she just has a huge chip on her shoulder. Really huge. Like, sun huge.

Of course, I've developed this character since that original idea. One day, her friend invited her to go on a mission under the lead of a particular Corporal McSars. This old man was a grizzled war veteran who didn't give a damn about anyone. Lycannon eye rolled and wanted to show him up. In the end, they impressed each other. Throw in some playful jibes, flirting, lust, and general relationship progression, and you have two angry warriors who love each other very much. Awww.

Since then, I've gotten better at playing the warrior class, and better at what I wanted Lyc to be as a character. With the end of the Wrath of the Lich King expansion on the horizon, I figured that the release of Cataclysm would be the perfect opportunity to 'fix' all that I felt was wrong with Lycannon, both RP and game play wise. I never liked Titan's Grip, and I think that I've let her be psycho long enough.

So, she's dead. I'm not sure I'll bring her back. I may continue playing the character, but I may not role play her. I could also be saying this to bullshit you. Maybe. I dunno.

TL;DR version: I love warriors. I love role play. I love role playing warriors. So should you.

Chance to Hit Increased by 1%

So says the tooltip of the passive Draenei racial. Having the 1% hit may not seem like much to those new to playing a warrior, but at level cap, you can never have too much hit rating as a Fury Warrior.

This is what my main character is; a level 80 Draenei Fury Warrior named Lycannon. I also have a level 80 Holy Paladin, a level 77 Restoration Druid, and various other lower level characters.

I play on the RP server, Moon Guard and belong to The Stonemasons raiding guild. (Yes, I role play and raid. It's a hard balance!)

I've been playing for a little over two years now, stung out across 3 different servers with Moon Guard being the latest.

I created this blog with the intention on covering things many blogs don't cover about warriors, namely the DPS side of things, as well as a look at various other aspects of the game, such as role playing and PvP.