2010: A Brief Moment in Time.....

Heh recaps you know I usually hate these things yes I've done things this year but basically I just been living like everyone else. However I can honestly say this year was awesome I've met so many people who have changed me. Let's begin.




 It all started at an event held by The Mercenaries for Hire Soldiers of the Spiral in their own right the date was April 24th, 2010. This is honestly one of the first events I can remember attending. During this event I saw them both yes I know I'm a dog more than one :p. One I was plotting to throw into the fiery chasm of The Drake Hatchery and the other had just started Wizard101 yep I'm talking about my dearest Alura Hexcaster and Cassandra Dragonheart.

 I never realized the magnitude of effect these two amazing women have on me wouldn't trade them for any of the worlds in the spiral. I'm just the luckiest dog in the world I guess I got one who can give me a milkbone and another who scratches my tummy Lol.

  The same week of the Merc event I started this blog although the official open date is April 17th I didn't add an actually story until the week of the event. I love my blog although I don't have as many followers as some other more prominent members of the Wizard101 blogging scene I know my stories at least get read and if anything people know me by word of mouth.

  Another monumental set of people I met this year are my pet mentor and close friend Kevin BattleBlood and his partner farmer in crime Missy A.K.A Scarlet DeathBlood. I met Kevin at a Ravenwood Radio party and as time sandwiched events together next thing I knew I found myself farming The Raven Coven with him and Missy doing the signature 3-4 turn Tempest Kill. Then as Advanced Pets came out I found myself becoming a student of his learning the various aspects of pets as he and his team including Miguel Wildthorn discovered more and more. The result of such teaching is I've passed my knowledge to a number of wizards myself now and regularly have pet questions thrown my way.

 Missy was an enigma at the beginning of our friendship if you could call it that at that time. I still joke and mention to her now about the only things we use to get out of her our whole 4 hour farm session was "Hi" and "Lol" whenever we said anything amusing. Over the months though I am comfortable saying I've broken through her shell or at least a layer of it and the conclusion I've come to is......Missy is freakin' awesome. She's incredibly funny and has a exquisite taste of music if I don't say so myself. She's a NightOwl just like me and Alura which is perfect as she also happens to be a kick-butt farming buddy gotta love storm right?

 The next person isn't one person but a group of people you all know and love The Friendly Necromancer family. May of this year I started a comic called Fame at a Price based off of Tom and co-starring Bailey his wife. The success of the comic and Tom featuring it on his site definitely contributed directly to the followers I have and basically me being known at all. The cherry on top is I have become good friends with Bailey his wife who is just a delightful person to be around. Amber his daughter whom I consider FAAP's No. 1 fan also has had an effect on me I never realized someone could like my comic as much as she does it's still quite flattering.

 I also have met two awesome people through Kevin Lauren IronBane and Jasmine StormBlood both of whom are just great farming people and great friends I've spent many late nights with either one and it's always been a blast no matter what or who we were farming.

 All of my blogging friends have become a great highlight of this year and asset in game. Heather Raven who is with her olde style ways simply enchanting and I love reading her blog. Arlen Dawneyes who despite me actually having a sour disposition towards changed my mind he's a good kid. Luke Goldhorn my buddy who I became good friends with and I love reading his blog when it doesn't involve wizardry drama :P.

 I also gotta give it up to the crew of Ravenwood Radio if it wasn't for their podcast I don't think I would have met as many of the people I've come to call friends. Stephen is just a cool person and I can IRL relate with him since we both live in the same city. Leesha is nice as well I love all her trips which provide often exclusive  info on the game we all love Wizard101 plus I'll admit now I like her voice. >.<

   All in all this year has been great a truly remarkable time in my life I definitely not where I use to be. I've definitely grown as an individual and I have gained confidence I otherwise wouldn't have. This new found confidence in myself and my skills has spilled over into my real life adventures and metaphorically I am no longer afraid of the dark. I have fallen but I have learned to rise up again however the difference now is I have all of you to help me up and I thank you all. Time to begin anew and I definitely look forward to what 2011 hold.

Until next time your friend,
Alric Ravensinger

Creature Feature: The Brothers of Nidavellir!

Today my awesome readers we take a look at the brothers of the macabre underground city of Nidavellir which is in the Norse inspired world of Grizzleheim.

 Let's start with the most well known of the "Giant Trio" and most important in my opinion Jotun! Jotun as you know is the leader of the trio and most consider the Lord of Nidavellir. Jotun as we see him is characterized by his grotesque appearance like his brothers hulking, pointy noses, with spike like protrusions on their back and, carrying large bones. Many similarities can be found from the giants of Norse Mythology which Jotun and his brothers I believe are derived from.

  The only thing I believe is truly out of place is the nose why add it? then again it might be just there to attribute to their overall ugly appearance.It might just be my own interpretation but I often see pointy noses like that being attributed to tricksters or malevolent joke type creatures/gods but this is merely speculation. Now we turn to his name Jotun which in fact comes from Jotunn or Jotnar the ancient race of giants in Norse Mythology which throughout time plagued both the gods of Asgard and humans of Midgard being directly involved in the events of Ragnarok or Norse Apocalypse. The name jotun has many meanings however all seem to allude to the size of the giants or the fact they were known as Man-eaters. 

  Now let's take a ride off the creatures and into the location -Nidavellir. This confused me greatly the Jotunn (Giants) which they are inspired from home world was Jotunheim (Literally meaning Gian Land or Home of the Giants) which was said to be heavily mountainous and forested this natural environment also separated their land from the human world of Midgard. Here is the odd part Nidavellir is the home of the Norse Dwarves and it means "Dark Fields". There is some connections though Norse dwarves were often associated with Deadliness and their lands name was also connected death. Now the Jotun we see in the game are rulers of a Dead City that's underground. Now also interestingly enough the Jotunn in Norse Mythology were often intermingled with other races even the gods whom they were often seen as enemies with. So although it's a stretch it's nice to think hey what if the designers of W101 saw this and intermingled various mythos from each race into the creatures we fight beneath the earth in the game cool right?

  Also consider Grizzleheim which is characterized by it's large icy mountains and forests see the connection? Maybe sometime in the past Grizzleheim was ruled by Jotun and his brothers or their ancestors. Nidavellir also seems to have an cold climate about it that can also allude to that in the mythology when the world was in chaos a Giant was born named Ymir (Ice wizards should be familiar with that name Lvl 48 spell quest hint hint) who from his armpits and feet (Eww gross!) birth 3 Jotunn children. Who in turn created creatures who dwelt in Niflheimr which surprise! was a land of mist and ice and would later become Hel or the Underworld for people who did not die a heroic death or in battle.

 Now for the other two brothers they seem to be based on the giants as well in particular the story I just mentioned where Ymir created 3 Children however one of these children was a monster with six heads I don't think KI wanted to add a crazy monster born from feet with six heads ;) we initially were already startled by their immense health hehehe. This is what I could find from various books I've read and of course the internet it's so fun to find out what stuff we see in games (and in books for those who still read) are derived or inspired from. I implore you readers to go forward and research there is no telling what interesting things you'll discover. 

Until next time your friend,
Alric Ravensinger

Creation: Celestia what's in a world?!

   Today reader's we are gonna look into Celestia's creation as a world not EXACTLY from a lore aspect but physically and what actual places it ties into of course I will also mention mythological ties as we all love us some Lore don't we? Let's look at the Map below of Celestia.

   Let's begin at Base Camp which is obviously below water now although the Celestians put up the barriers it seems when the Marleybonians came they took over and either reinforced or recreated the barriers. MB technology is prevalent here as Thurston and his team excavated. Submarines provide transport to various areas through the tubes we see.

   Now most of you are enchanted by one area and I admit it's quite breathtaking it's the Floating Land however is it truly floating or is it the only surviving part of Celestia after the Storm Titan's wake? I am certain it's the latter as you can see both in the map and in this picture. Now this is speculation but I believe Celestia was completely surrounded by tropical forests like the Floating Land prior to it being sunk and the Celestian's had their civilization in the middle.

   However when it was sunk after the ensuing decades of fighting with Morganthe and her armies most of the tropical land area was destroyed and what's left was the Floating Land. This sort of makes me think of the other Water-Mole tribes if Celestia had any others they were caught in a fight they didn't want and subsequently destroyed. This also brings me to the Crustacean Empire were the Crabs really later invaders? Or were they below Celestia all along and after it sunk down adapted to the new abundance of habit in which they found themselves in.

  If you look to the map again areas like The Grotto and The Crustacean Empire itself  are carved into the seafloor. This leads me to believe they were there all along in their own underwater kingdom. Again this is only speculation but what if  there was relationships between Celestians and the Water-Mole tribes and both had with their underwater inhabitants. Imagine how they would have fared in the battle against Morganthe if they knew of their undersea brethren and called for aid. The united cultures rallying together? we would have seen a different Celestia then the one we play in today Celestia probably still be a thriving civilization.

   One thing got me however it was Stormriven Hall It's deeper than any of the areas in Celestia and seems to be a truly natural trench or abyss. Did it belong to the Crustacean Empire? Did it predate them? We can truly never know as after all this is only a game. However it's fun to imagine there was a more ancient civilization that existed or that it was the ancient home to the Crab Empire and was taken over by the tentacled monster we see in the hall which totally reminds me of Scylla from the Odyssey or Leviathan from Biblical histories.

   That's my take on the various areas of Celestia but what actual place can Celestia be associated with? It's a simple answer to a simple question Santorini, Greece! No no not Atlantis although many have speculated that's how the legend came to be. It's what remains of an ancient island that was torn apart by Volcanic eruptions. What we see today is the Cyclades(Which Santorini is a part of) which are the remnants of the eruptions during presumably the Minoan Civilization period that form the Island groups or Archipelago.

  That's the reality of it but according to legend most of Santorini was sunk by Zeus to punish it's people for their rebellious ways. After time stories change and become diluted so it's no out of the question to say as time passed Santorini disappeared and up came Atlantis a ancient paradise and civilization lost to the world in one day by angry gods. Another interesting note is a theory that the Minoan Eruption in Santorini indirectly caused the decline of the Civilization on the island of Crete which was devastated by a Tsunami however many disbelieve this as the dates of the eruption and decline of Crete don't coincide although it's said that it had a domino effect and slowly snuffed out the people there causing them to abandon it or die.

   It's interesting to think what exactly goes into making a world and the countless accounts of lore and cultures game developers draw from. It's literally endless as people continue to live they continue to make history and who knows? You might inspire someone to create an alternate universe and that's just plain freakin' awesome!


Until next time your friend,
Alric Ravensinger

Re-imagined: The new story! (It isn't and is a W101 post)

    Hello readers, I come again to you to discuss another franchise I am an avid player of in fact it's the first RPG I ever played. Pokemon! Some of you older wizards might be like oh that "fad" series from the late 90's I thought they stopped it. Well I can assure you the series is not over it's never been stronger the fan base has crossed into all age groups now. Give me your time I'll show you just as you have come to see the challenge and sheer fun of Wizard 101 that Pokemon has given since September 1998.

   It all begins with Red and Blue the games that launched a multi-million dollar franchise. The basic story for Red and Blue (Green if you had the Japanese version which I did ;) ) you as a young trainer set out from Pallet town to journey across the Kanto region catching Pokemon your ultimate aspiration become the best trainer ever by becoming the League Champion. Simple yet effective what made kids the world over love it was you trained your Pokemon however you wanted and trained the one's you thought were best.

   It's what creator Satoshi Tajiri wanted the freedom to collect the Pokemon you wanted. It's what he did growing up in Japan as a child he collected bugs and as an adult wanted to implement this into a game but instead of bugs he along with close friend Ken Sugimori created the original 151 Pokemon and thus game genius was born.

    As the many years have gone by many aesthetic and gameplay changes were added to the games. Such as the Night and Day feature,Berry Growing, Effort Values, Individual Values,Shinies, Contests, and Animated Sprites.Stories have been added as the games have matured from stopping two warring factions raise ancient powerful Pokemon to do their bidding to stopping a crime group from stealing Pokemon for their nefarious activities.The game at it's core however has remained the same catch and train as many pokemon to complete your Pokemon Encyclopedia or Pokedex for short and beat the Pokemon League to become the Champion. This as noted by gamers became boring after awhile the stories were non engaging and ended quickly with any subplot's after the main storyline being a joke.

Let's take a look at the stories from each game and shown how each one has changed the series.

Pokemon Red,Blue,Yellow,and Green (1996,1998):

You started as a young trainer in Pallet town and went to Professor Oak to receive your starter PokemonStory was simple here catch Pokemon and become league champion while stopping the original baddies Team Rocket who were stealing Pokemon for their leader Giovanni to use for his evil purposes.

Pokemon Gold,Silver,and Crystal (1999, 2000):

You once again start out as a young trainer in New Bark Town in the Johto region you go to Professor Elm. to receive your starter Pokemon. Team Rocket returns as the main antagonists this time they are reforming in the Johto region after they disbanded 3 years earlier when the you the player in Red and Blue destroyed their operations in the Kanto region. This time you drive them out of Johto then as usual continue your journey to catch all that can be caught and become League Champion. The only real Subplot comes in Crystal version as it centers around the legendary Pokemon Suicune finding a worthy trainer to fight it and a trainer named Eusine who is obsessed with catching Suicune. Also the fact the 3 legendary beasts Raikou,Entei,and Suicune were created by Ho-oh when they were killed in a fire and revived by Ho-oh.

Pokemon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald (2002,2003,2005):

Here we start to see more development of the story however complaining about the series dated game play started to surface albeit being a success selling 13 million copies.

You start out as a young trainer in who has recently moved to Littleroot Town in the Hoenn region and you get your starter from Professor Birch. The story here revolves around Team Magma and Team Aqua 2 groups of extremists who believe Land is more important then the Ocean and the Ocean is more important than land respectively. You as the hero are tasked with stopping both teams as they attempt to awaken the ancient Pokemon Groudon and Kyogre who in the ancient past fought over the land and sea and were said to have been involved in the creation of the Hoenn region. Unfortunately you fail to stop either team and the Hoenn region is at risk of being destroyed as these Pokemon war with each other. Alas there is a third Pokemon Rayquaza who in the past was able to quell both Kyogre and Groudon you find Rayquaza who puts an end to the fighting and take out Team Magma and Aqua who in remorse return the power they had taken. Ultimately however your goal is to catch all the Pokemon and become League Champion.

The only side stories here are Deoxys a Pokemon created when a virus on a meteor mutated after being exposed to Earth's atmosphere and the Regi trio who were sealed up by humans cause their power couldn't be tamed and their chambers could only be unlocked by the worthy who could control them. 


Pokemon Diamond,Pearl,and Platinum (2006,2007,2009):

Here we see Nintendo give the game a major update graphically and game play wise. The story is much better however short and plausible side stories start to form.

You start as a young trainer in Twinleaf Town which is in the Sinnoh region a region that's far away from previous regions of Kanto,Johto,and Hoenn. After hearing a report of a mysterious "Red" (Shiny for those versed in Pokemon) Gyarados you go with your friend to investigate at Lake Verity near your hometown you encounter Professor Rowan and his assistant Dawn who seem to be searching for something. You notice the professor has left his suitcase when you are attacked by wild Pokemon. Your only option at this point is to use the Pokemon in the professor's suitcase which he later gives to you. You start out your journey to become the League Champion when you must stop Team Galactic and their deranged leader Cyrus who's aim is to control the legendary Pokemon Diagla (Time) or Palkia (Space) or Giratina (Matter) (depending on the version) so that he can destroy the known world and recreate it in his image,without emotions so there is no conflict among humans and Pokemon. So the player must find the Lake Guardians Azelf,Uxie,and Mesprit (Pixie Trio to fans) who were created by the Alpha Pokemon Arceus they are said to have given man Knowledge (Uxie), Emotion (Mesprit), and Willpower (Azelf) only they can stop Cyrus from controlling the Pokemon and thus destroying the world. It seems Mesprit had at the beginning of the game chosen you for this destiny and you stop Cyrus and Team Galactic.

Subplots are many here but mostly take shape in Pokemon Platinum with the addition of Characters such as Looker who is a detective trying to put a stop to Team Galactic and Charon who is a scientist one of the Team Galactic Commanders (Others were Saturn,Mars,and Jupiter) takes over as Leader when Cyrus is defeated he is stopped by the player and arrested by Looker while attempting to capture the legendary Pokemon Heatran  in Stark Mountain. Charon is also credited with discovering and naming of the Plasma Pokemon Rotom when as a child he discovered Rotom when it infiltrated his toy robot. Another side story present in all versions is the story of Regigigas who is creator of the Legendary Golems Regice(Ice Age), Regirock(Stone Age), and Registeel (Iron Age) who are present in Pokemon Ruby,Sapphire,and Emerald. The story goes Regigigas was so powerful he could move continents one day he created the trio out of Ice,Rocks,and Iron in his image however his worshipers believed he was too powerful and he was sealed away while his creations went to the Hoenn region where they were eventually sealed up in stone structures as well only the worthy can unlock the doors (Which are messages in Braille) and capture them.


   All this lore has added depth and an interesting story however this could be completed within one day after the main story line and it became apparent that all we fans could do was train nothing more. I come to you now however that this has been dispelled with the newest editions to the franchise Pokemon Black and White due out March 6th, 2011. While at it's core your main goal is to catch all you can and become League Champion. I am happy to say the story has been re-imagined,side stories are abundant, and it's so utterly new that the game will only feature Pokemon from the new Unova Region which is based off not areas of Japan as previous titles but off of New York.

   I won't go into plot line cause I don't wanna ruin it for others as I've known it since it's Japanese release (Click here if you want to know though --> Black and White Story). However I can say it's definitely a fresh start for the series and has aggregated a Perfect score on many gaming sites notably Famitsu. I wanted to talk of this cause of the apparent lack of appreciation lots of us see from fellow players. J. Todd Coleman stated takes 1 month for each new area to be developed and I hate to see players undermine such work it takes and that is put into each zone. I myself did it in this post but to show you how undeserving we can be but that the beauty of it is if we wait the goods will be delivered.

   The similarities of both Pokemon and Wizard101 are apparent both allow you to control an alternate self and do or in Pokemon's case train whatever you want. Both have underlying complexity that most don't see at first W101 deck strategies,player stats, pet stats, Pvp and Pve interaction, and finally story for Pokemon it's Move sets,Natures, IVs,EVs, Team construction, and finally story as well. Think about it for a second as you progressed in W101 from WC to CL the story became different and more immersible from stopping the Gobbler King to Saving an entire world from being overran and it's magic being stolen by dark powers. the same thing is present here a young trainer who's only goal is to become the best ends up saving the world from being split apart by distortions in Time,Space and Matter. So in closing I say appreciate it cause as while we live in our world we play in theirs and it's the little things like a small piece of lore or that added detail in the Trial of Spheres that make games like this truly memorable. where we came to get away from the mundane and instead forged relationships and bonds with fellow wizards as we battled our way to victory over the forces of darkness.

(I deliberately excluded Pokemon FireRed, LeafGreen, HeartGold, and SoulSilver as they are remakes and although they added to the lack of the stories in Pokemon Blue,Red,Silver,Gold,and Crystal they aren't truly new additions to the series although I'll say if you want to experience an awesome as heck game go out and buy Pokemon Heartgold or Soulsilver.)

Until next time your friend,
Alric Ravensinger

Goodbye Mr. Incinerator!

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, Mr Incinerator you really ain't nothing but ashes and dust, your science failed my magic won, when you combine the two your done!

      Haha yes with a little help from my friends *cough* Bailey IceCaster *cough* I was able to make it to Chelsea Court and a tactical battle ensued. I admit fire and storm are much more different than Balance and it's allowed me to change up my battling strategies. Being a Balance wizard I was use to coordinating with my team mates boosting them or shield plus tanking or cleaning up leftover foes whenever I needed to. Now however being on the offensive I am the one hitting hard and hitting fast it along with the battle strategies I've gotten from friends like Kevin Battleblood, Cassandra Dragonheart, and Alura Hexcaster.

    I've learned to tweak my Balance skills and now I kill as fast as MOST of the storm wizards I know and play with. It's not bad either being back with a 67% extra damage to my Balance attacks making something seemingly feeble like Sandstorm to hit (With Gargantuan) 700-900 Damage. It's also allowed me to keep intact my traditional skills such as do I sandstorm of power up/shield my friend allowing me to be a triple threat. But enough of that I've come to say I got my Lvl 28 spell quest done and my Pyromancer Alexander Ghostflame has his fire minion spell! W00t! I've decided that my next wizard I'd most likely hit grand with is Alex cause as much as I  love defense (Ice,Balance) I really am enjoying getting those big hits!

See ya folks time for the phoenix to fly,
Alric Ravensinger

My Garden has Pixies and swallows Lightning!

     So a quick update on the business of Gardening cause business is blooming! I currently have several plants planted ;) and so far I gotta say the harvests I enjoy the most are from the Prickly Bear Cactuses nothing like getting a MEGA snack for waiting for a 14 hour harvest! On that note my Prickly bears had a visit from a wonderful benevolent creature known as a Pixie :) Gotta say it's the best thing for my Bears who I want to give a nice finally harvest at Elder. I also have a Venus Fly trap, Cornbread fruit bush, Pink Dandelions, Elephant Ears, Laugh O' Dil, Pink Laugh O' Dil, King Parsley, and finally a Silver Trumpet Vine.

Finally I'd just like to say the Venus Fly trap "swallowing" the lightning from my pest zapper spell is awesome-sauce!

A small note: I am holding a contest details are in the post below enter before December 31st, 2010 12:00 PM for a chance to win a Lava Spider pet.

See ya folks gonna go play with the Pixie,
Alric Ravensinger

Team NightOwl Contest!

   
      Yes you heard right! Another contest :P This one is in Celebration of Team NightOwl's victory over Malistaire and our next mission to take on Celestia! This contest is quite simple first off you'll just need to comment on this post. Second part of it is in your post include the name of your own team if you had one. For example: Me, Kevin Battleblood, Brianna Mooncloud, and Cassandra Dragonheart make up the team B.A.C.K basically it's just our main farming group. There is also other major team members in the group such as Missy we all are just a big happy family of gamers and enjoy each others company.

The only prize is a Lava Spider pet!

You may only enter once any addition entries and you are disqualified! Contest ends December 31, 2010 12:00 PM PST!
 
Remember post in this post and include what you'd name your team if you had one and that's it your in winner will be chosen via Random.Org :)

See ya folks,
Alric Ravensinger 

P.S. Merry Christmas to everyone

Team NightOwls claims victory during the day!

  

   Cue the kegs of Dr. Pepper and the unending amounts of junk food Isaac and Team NightOwls completed DragonSpyre this early afternoon with a 22,950 Storm Lord hit on Malistaire delivered by yours truly :) Now Alura Hexcaster A.K.A SorceressMiklai might tell you that this is only part one HOWEVER that wasn't part of the agreement Team NightOwls beat out the competition fair and square. With that behind us we can now move forward as a team NOT competing through Celestia. This should be quite interesting as I only ever have used Alric. So it'll be a new experience for me to go through with Storm. Isaac also has reached Lvl 49 and is about 33.3% away from Grand although with experience CL is giving out shouldn't be too hard to get to Grand and beyond!

I also have begun to Train Teddy Isaac's newly named Stormzilla to adult it of course at Teen got Pip O' Plenty as predetermined hopefully I can get Stormtrap and Storm Giver on Teddy but we'll see of course.

Finally a shout out to Arlen Dawneyes on his Life Alt Tarlac LifeGiver for the assistance today against Malistaire he kept us nice and healthy while we battered away at Malistaire and his Soul Servants! :D 

See ya folks time to bring the rain,
Alric Ravensinger

Electrified Mayhem!

   
     So, if you've read the last post you know I finished the Lab. However, while questing the The Crystal Grove Team NightOwls main hitman my storm Isaac reached Lvl 48 W00t! Lvl 48 quest yo! hehehe. That's all she wrote actually Alura Hexcaster told me the storm school quest was easiest but I had no idea. All I needed to do was jack some parts from Gearheads in MB then become Halston's errand boy. I didn't realize summoning a Storm Titan was so easy makes me wonder how incompetent The Dean was cause Storm >Dragon Titan IMO Lol Jk. 

    I haven't got to really test out the spell itself but I am super excited to use it on the Crystal Grove spiders! Anyone want fried Spider? It's good for you packed with tons of protein! :D Yum!
Moreover than the spell I finally got me the Stormzilla pet! Oh yeah baby! I am definitely gonna be training this little dino-puppy up and mixing with my Spinyfish for more Epic awesome talents! Wish me luck wizards! It's time for Isaac to go do some electrified mayhem!!!!

See ya folks time for this place to light up,
Alric Ravensinger

Message for the Dean!

   Hello fellow wizards how are you? Me? I've been doing super fine I have been working on my Storm Isaac who had a message for the Dean ---"Yo Vlad you got so owned by my triton! You Titan summoning meanie!" Yes that's right I beat the Labyrinth with Team NightOwls. We are coming along nicely actually giving the creatures of Dragonspyre a little bit of Lightning, some Blizzards,and finally some legendary creatures. We are now in the Crystal Grove that's where we stopped. Don't fret my little wizards TEAM NIGHTOWLS is gonna Pwn big time!

Here are some shots of the fun and a little noteworthy note ;) I finally again AFTER 1 YEAR! Obtained the fabled Sword of the Steward! :D I honestly sort of had a tear hehe. Check it out!

see ya folks time for crystals and spiders,
Alric Ravensinger

A new dawn for the Dragons! (Non W101 post)

  
   Many of you are quite aware that I am a Elder Scrolls and Pokemon Supernerd. Yes I stress that I am a supernerd of these award winning platform changing franchises! Well recently the newest game for the Elder Scrolls franchise was announced at the Spike Video Game Awards! It's Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim! So in honor of this every so often I'll make a post about it. I am not making this blog into a TES blog but I've been waiting nearly 5 years for this game.(Last game was released in 06 Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion) I think I deserve to divulge in my excitement for this game and I wish to not only share this with you but keep you informed so to speak.

   So let me begin now and give you the 411 on the new entry for the series. Not much is known actually however it will take place in Skyrim which in the TES world is a land of eternal snow and mountainous regions where the cries of ancient battles still today echo on the mountainside.You can learn more about Skyrim here --> Skyrim page. 

   The trailer which can be watched at top of page hints at the return of the dragons which are an ancient sentient race from the land of Akavir which literally means "Dragon Land". Their population had two known types a red and black species. Their race was supposedly decimated by the Tsaesci another race in Akavir who can be vaguely described at Vampiric Half snake-Half human creatures. Other populations of Dragons in Vvardenfell were driven off by the Cliff Racers. (Which IMO are more annoying than DS Weakness casting ratio). So where did they go? Some say they moved closer to Cyrodiil and others are hiding as they can shape shift. Anyway it seems dragons aren't so benevolent this time around or this is part to throw off the viewers? Who truly knows? Dragons are often a symbol of greatness and the creatures have helped the Providences in the past why would they turn bad? Questions that need answering for sure.

     Also what about this Dovahkiin character? Dragon Born? The only one they fear? Question is why? Why do they fear him? Is he a god? Immortal? Avatar? who is the Dovahkiin? As Gauren (Click his name to read post) from the Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages Wiki suggests the Dovahkiin is the reincarnated Tiber Septim who conquered all of Tamriel and is here to set something right more or less. It's important to note Tiber Septim was known as Ysmir, Dragon of the North and was ruler of Cyrodiil all emperors are known as "Dragon Born" which shows their right to rule and connection to St. Alessia and Akatosh the dragon-god of Time and Creation!

All of this is speculation however we won't know until the game's release which is November 11th, 2011.

See ya folks the time is near for the dragons to rise,
Alric Ravensinger

Team NightOwls! Rockin' all night!

  

 The Amazing Race! (Click me!) 

      By day we lie dormant. By night we rise. Fear and folly is not our aim. Our only aim is to complete the task which we have sworn to do by the mighty wizard Merle!

    So, if you hadn't noticed yet dear Alura Hexcaster posted on her blog about a race. A race I am in I might add this is crazy! She very well knows how I am and competitions, I mean she even used the name race uh hello? Pet derby? rofl. Anyway I intend to win cause that's what I am good at Winning, Pets, and Housing.

Team NightOwls mount up!
Team as follows:
Isaac Storm - Lvl 46 Storm
Bailey Icecaster - Lvl 45 Ice
Cori Willowhaven - Lvl 50 Myth

MAIN GOAL: Completion of DragonSpyre and Access to Celestia!

So cheer for me dear readers and if I win who knows I might give away a Crown pet or a MEGA snack pack.

It's on baby! I won at the open and will have won at the close!

See ya folks time to jam!,
Alric Ravensinger

Treebeard ain't the only Shepherd of the forest!

 

     Professor Alric Oak here ;) (Obvious Pokemon reference!) to tell you plants are awesome! I admit I didn't buy into it or even care for plants at first I never experimented or even did the tutorial while Gardening was in the Test Realm. But I decided yesterday morning ah snap dragons! can't hurt to try it right?  So being weary still I only started with 3 plants 1 Dandelion and 2 Pink Dandelions so far it has been great! Last night my Dandelion hit elder :'( and gave me a final harvest of 3 Reagents,Gold,and Gardening XP!

     Next headed to elder are my Pink Dandelions which are low rank/high prize plants to me both have already given me near 100 gold each harvest as well as Blood Moss and Black pearls which if you've read my last post benefits me greatly right now. I've also taken the liberty of planting a Snap Dragon and seeing what it yields! Only 1 1/2 days Gardening and I am now a Initiate Gardener (Rank 4)! Woohoo! So my fellow wizards what has been your harvest lately? What is your rank?

See you folks my kitty flowers need their blue ball of yarn,
Alric Ravensinger

Bosses are dropping nuts! Or is it the drops are nuts?

    
    So the last few days I have been farming vigorously to support my newly rekindled passion in Housing! First it was with my buddy Talon Ogreflame (His Storm alt is Talon Skysinger) in the Trial of Spheres what a nice cool run I never knew I had so many people who liked me it was quite touching. Anyway the run was smooth and I won Crown seed after seed Mostly Silver Trumpet vines and Pink Dandelions but my most exciting catch of the night was the cool and new CL item called the Sun Icon (Dropped by Mithraya) it'll go perfectly in my Storm.

    Second farming endeavor was more bountiful not to mention was with excellent company! It was me, buddy Missy, and Kevin Battleblood we tackled the Stormriven bosses for some awesome-sauce drops. Both kevin and missy snagged wands and of course Crown seed drops much to kevin's pleasure. What was not a pleasure at all was our Matriarch of the evening - Missy had to leave :'( but it was OK in the end we had Help from The Wandering Conjurer Heather Raven who rocked that platform with her awesome critical Medusa hits! All in all it was a spectacular night and ended with yours truly being a proud owner of a Spinyfish pet courtesy of Cuthalla (Dagroloth).

See ya folks it's time to farm!,
Alric Ravensinger

Grandmaster Artisan Alric!

 I am liking the Crab Lean-To but it's so small lol Crab sized I suppose.

     
      This will be a meager post but it's importance overall is important! I made GM Artisan last Saturday after a rigorous hunt of the Portico which lasted days and of course I got my last 3 Sunstone at the Bazaar but everything else was harvested or crafted by yours truly. Actually I had already had my requirements (Minus the Sunstone) but I like being prepared as I glimpsed the Celestia furniture recipes while they were on the Test realm. I am happy to report I've already begun crafting items for my Storm house which while be my Celestian/Tiki themed house. Take a look at my progress so far :)


See ya folks there are items that need making,
Alric Ravensinger

Stars twinkling,snow in the air, Love in our hearts, and Cocoa in our tummies.

    

    The bitter cold has has extended it's grasp all across the US worse than a dementor's kiss or the great plague of Gondor but in The Spiral friendships are formed, bonds of love strengthened, and Little blue elves are running a muck! Yes yes my dear friends December is here along with it brings the Ice elf pet and hopefully for you lovers some smooching under the mistletoe! No just kidding! Nonetheless yes the Ice elf pet is back and can be redeemed if you are one of the lucky people given a gift certificate. I like my buddy Kevin Battleblood am a fortuitous recipient of one of these pets yes that's right you guessed it my lovely Alura Hexcaster gave me a certificate as a gift unfortunately for her she didn't realize I love to give gifts back in excess hehehe. So 5 minutes later Baby Missy is born I have yet to begun training the little fellow but you can bet your candy canes and Frostman pets I will soon!

    All this giving and loving however has made me want to do so in return unfortunately I am requiring you do a bit of work for your gifts and so it begins I am opening 2 contests on my blog the prizes aren't big they are modest but the point of it is as being an player I have seen my fair share of giving and getting. Also however as an Artist I wanna see your inspirations and ability to create.

Contest 1 - Give me joy! Give me snacks!

 Grand prize winner will get a Snack Pack and Energy Elixir!
 1 second prize winner will get a Snack pack!
All you have to do for this contest is simply follow me ( If you aren't already) and post a comment on this post!
 I will choose the winners for this contest via Random.org

Contest 2 - Meet your merry doom pest!
One grand prize winner will get 2 Moolinda's Green thumb pack!
This contest requires some creativity on your part I want for you to create a plant you'd want in the game as part of the new gardening system it can be done any way GIMP, hand drawn, Paint, Oekaki, etc and submit it to my E-mail with the subject line "Plant creation" I will with possibly some help judge the pictures according to originality creativity line work etc.(Prize will be given out when Gardening becomes live)

Dead line for both contests is December 26th, 2010 12:00 PM PST

See ya folks time for the challenge to begin,
Alric Ravensinger

Oni out! and Dragonspyre in!

  In the peak hours of the Pacific Standard Time morning hours I completed Mooshu on my Storm wizard Isaac  with Alura Hexcaster and her Ice alt Bailey Icecaster who helped me power through the final areas needless to say it took forever to FINALLY get out but hey I did it! So now with me being ready for Dragonspyre I am tag teaming with Alura's alt Bailey so we can thrash Dragonspyre and head onto Celestia! Bailey is at Lvl 43 and Myself at Lvl 44 with 3-ish bars till Lvl 45 and new gear! Mooshu was fun but time to move on I of course screenshot our progress through Tree of Life and the Jade Oni fight! Enjoy!

 All three of the Akuji we fought couldn't take the awesome storm power thrice they fall!

 Some Harry Potter talk as I claimed victory over Youkai and got a Minotaur pet as an added Bonus!

Death no more Oni savagely soaked by my Tempest attack woot!

Jade Oni as you see was the strongest but he was no match for my Triton!

Cyrus had some tricks up his sleeve but in the end he succumbed to me as well BUT he gave me some trouble so kudos to you Cyrus!

See ya folks there is a wizard to manage in DS,
Alric Ravensinger