tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785016251079531592024-03-14T09:38:35.951-07:00The Raven's VaultAlric Ravensingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09322478537004169900noreply@blogger.comBlogger168125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778501625107953159.post-71137041542870600762012-04-27T16:30:00.000-07:002012-04-27T16:35:48.361-07:00"The Things That Grow" #1 - Creosote Bush.Howdy once more friends,<br />
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Today I want to introduce you to a new series of articles I will write based on "Things That Grow". Do not worry I am not making this a nature blog but I think it's important to educate ourselves and our little wizards about our natural world. Sometimes I may choose a subject that has a relation to <i>Wizard101</i> or<i> Pirate101 </i>sometimes though it will just be information for you. So without further ado I present a plant that is dear to my heart and all who dwell in the Deserts of the American Southwest!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>The Creosote Bush!</b></i></span></div>
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<b>Latin name:</b><i> Larrea Tridentata </i><br />
<b>Common names:</b> Creosote Bush (Arizona), Little stinker (Arizona), The Rain Plant (Arizona), Goberndora (Mexico), Hediondill (Sonora; same as English name "Little Stinker"), Greasewood.<br />
<b>Kingdom:</b> <i>Plantae</i><br />
<b>Plant Family:</b> <i>Zygophyllaceae </i>(Bean-Caper, Caltrop)<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>The Science Scoop:</u></b></span><br />
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The Creosote Bush (Pronounced: : <b>cree</b>'-uh-sote.) or as I like to call it; "The Rain Plant" is a flowering plant that thrives in 3 of the 4 North American deserts. It's a Shrub and likes water but doesn't need it all the time in fact it can survive 2 years without a single drop...how insane is that? However it doesn't like high elevations meaning as you go up and up you won't find these hardy long-lived plants. They are a common sight in Arizona but can be found in California, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, Mexico, and West Texas.<br />
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These plants are extremely hardy and can live on average for a 100 years or more. In fact there is a Creosote Bush ring in California called "King Clone" that is estimated to be 11,700 years old! There is another claim to another Creosote ring in California that is estimated to be 12,000 yrs old making them some of the oldest known organisms alive today! They also grow big up to 15 ft and can be like the "King Clone" specimen several yards in diameter (King Clone's ring is 45 ft wide!). So when your in the desert be careful what you cut down or step on a small one only 1 ft high can already be 10 years old or part of a great older ring!<br />
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Although the Creosote grows fruit (Don't eat it! it's gross! it's fuzzy!) and seeds like any other normal plant most of the seeds have a hard time germinating (growing). This is due to the fact the Creosote Bush as a <i>extreme survivor</i> has adapted so well to absorbing whatever water it can get it can kill off it's own seeds and any other plants nearby because there is no water for them to even <b>START</b> growing making them top dogs or erm plants in the desert. They also have a waxy coating on their leaves that helps them preserve water! This is where us as humans need to be careful! A region that of Creosote plants torn down for housing or any other human development definitely cripples the habitat. As mentioned before it's hard for them to come back due to competition from other plants once the plant is removed (Creosote's natural competitor is the Bursage) and Creosote when young need plenty of water to grow which is why germination takes place during wet seasons.<br />
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Another cool thing about these plants is the fact when it gets older (Between 30-90 yrs old and higher) it clones itself from it's crown root as older branches die out news ones form a new plant continuously from the same seed/roots! It is a common sight to see a Creosote with strong branches and green leaves up top and dead branches near the bottom. (Image above) They are also important that many species of animals only feed or live on them such as Millipedes, Beetles, Carpenter Bees, Pocket Mice, and Kangaroo Rats! However it's leaves which taste horrible are hardly ever eaten by any animal the only known animal to eat the leaves are Jack Rabbits and it's reputed that they only do so when there is nothing else to eat! Ok! Ok! if you didn't take the hint in that sentence earlier I have nibbled on the leaves of a Rain Plant before 4 words describe it. <b>IT. IS. EXTREMELY. BITTER.</b><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>The Native Use. </b></u></span><i><b><br /></b></i><br />
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That last note now brings us to the folklore, native, and medicinal uses for the Creosote or as it is known when used a medicinal herb as <b>Chaparral </b>(although this name doesn't apply to the plant). For hundreds of years it has been used a medicinal herb at first it was a "cure-all" but as time went by it came to used specifically for menstrual cramps, cuts, flu, stomach cramps, cancer, coughs, colds, and congestion. It is a known scientific fact that the Creosote Bush contains <b>Nordihydroguaiaretic acid</b> which may explain why the plant lives so long and why it's good as an <b>antiseptic</b>. They even tested NGDA on Mosquitoes and on average the Mosquitoes fed NDGA lived 50% more longer than ones who weren't fed NDGA. (Thank god they did that...that is a long name to pronounce).<br />
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In the desert regions the plant is known as "<i><b>The Rain Plant</b></i>" as when water touches it's leaves the waxing coating volatilizes with the water to create a unique smell. For many years Native Americans and anyone who settled in The West knew that if one smelt the Creosote it meant one absolutely great thing!<b> RAIN</b>! and let me tell you that rings true today as it did back in the old days. I love to go outside after and sometimes during a <b>Monsoon</b> storm to smell the air. For many of us in the desert we like to call it "<i>The Heavenly Smell of Rain</i>" or "<i>Essence of the Desert</i>". Although not everyone agrees with us which is why the Spanish word <i>Hediondilla </i>came into being it means "<i>Little Stinker</i>".<br />
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It can also be made into a <u><b>tea</b></u> which is said like practical applications to help the body and is currently being tested as an Anti-Cancer drug. Although herbalists today discourage using the plant in <b>large</b> amounts as it is said to damage the Liver and Kidneys. Never eat any of the plant! Only drink small cups! Natives also at one point use to smoke the gall of the plant like Tobacco. Eww must taste like junk smoking is a bad habit anyway!<br />
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I hope everyone enjoyed this edition of "Things That Grow", I hope it was informative, and you most importantly learned something cool about our natural world. Hey who knows you might have a new appreciation for that Rain Plant growing in your backyard. This is my first go at this type of article and I hope I didn't bore everyone. I think it's important that we as humans who have the biggest impact on our world are reminded of how awesome our world is. I have also left links below as references if you'd like to read more on the plants themselves and see where I got some of my facts. <br />
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Until next time your friend,<br />
<i>Alric Ravensinger</i><br />
<i>Captain Justininao </i><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Links: </b></span><br />
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[<a href="http://tucsoncitizen.com/wryheat/2010/03/06/the-creosote-bush-a-desert-survivor/">1</a>] - Tucson Citizen, The Creosote Bush, A Desert Survivor<br />
[<a href="http://phoenix.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ&zTi=1&sdn=phoenix&cdn=citiestowns&tm=1866&f=10&su=p284.13.342.ip_p554.21.342.ip_&tt=2&bt=0&bts=0&zu=http%3A//www.nps.gov/jotr/naturescience/creosote.htm">2</a>] - National Park Service, Creosote Bush<br />
[<a href="http://buzzybeegirl.wordpress.com/2008/07/19/bee-realtor/">3</a>] - Anna's Bee World, Bee Realtor, Bee's habitats (Credit for 2nd Image)<br />
[<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nordihydroguaiaretic_acid">4</a>] - Wikipedia, Nordihydroguaiaretic Acid<br />
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Further reading concerning <b><i>The Native Legends of the Creosote</i></b>;<br />
[<a href="http://www.texasbeyondhistory.net/trans-p/nature/images/creosotebush.html">1</a>] - Texas Beyond History, The Creosote, Pima and Tohono O’odham Legends<br />
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<br />Alric Ravensingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09322478537004169900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778501625107953159.post-44262266612612531192012-04-27T10:34:00.000-07:002012-04-27T10:34:06.864-07:00Self Imposed ExileHowdy everyone,<br />
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It goes without saying it's been a long time since I wrote a post on this site or even visited it. Without going into the real meat of it all I took a break for me. I realized that like any other person there are times (as there should be) when real life takes precedent over the gaming "life". I didn't quit playing the game but I took a step back from blogging and all the other activities that stemmed from playing Wizard101.<br />
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In the end I was burning time and energy faster than the sun, I also admit a lack of creativity in my posts. Which is selfish on my end and is not what anyone deserves I was selling whomever still reads this blog and myself short. I still keep a presence via Twitter, In game, and despite me moving to other games Wizard101 still remains my <i>de facto</i> MMORPG to play. I also had the pleasure of spending more time with SorceressMiklai over the past few months and our next meeting should be around early November.<br />
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I am back again though. Not just cause I wanted to, but I felt it was time, that the landscape is changing and there are stories to be told. I probably will not ever go back to blogging 2-3 a day like I have done in the past but expect a post or two every week or two. I plan on doing a lot of thing with this blog and I am so excited for everyone to be a part of it. As you can also tell I have updated the site considerably with a new header, (of which I am proud of) new color scheme, and new updated links. I plan to make this blog about both Wizard101 and Pirate101 once and if I get into Closed Beta. <br />
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In case anyone is interested these are the games I have been playing some for over a year and some only for a small amount of time no more than a month or two.<br />
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- <u><i><b>Wakfu</b></i></u>, a new MMORPG from Square Enix who if you have been living under a rock make the well known Final Fantasy series. As The Friendly Necromancer pointed out games like Wakfu are a great way to "mini" prepare for the upcoming Pirate101. It is currently in Open Beta. <br />
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- <u><i><b>Monkey Quest</b></i></u>, believe it or not I had bought the now ended magazine Beckett's Massive Online Gamer or MOG for some Wizard101 articles and free code when I stumbled on an extensive feature article on this game along with a code for a free in game item. It's fun, it's quirky, and unlike Monquistador Monkeys these ones are actually pretty cool.<br />
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- <u><i><b>Drakensang Online</b></i></u>, My darling SorceressMiklai showed me this game. I instantly became interested on the detail of the bestiary (which can be found on the site) as well as the intriguing story. I haven't played it in a few weeks though.<br />
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<br />As a final note I do plan to keep true to my promise for a <i><b>Fame at a Price 2</b></i> but it will be in my own timing so there will be no set date and probably no announcement. The mistake I made before was pressuring myself with deadlines and as such I plan to work at this in my own way. I have always been known for drawing good work exceptionally fast but for this? I always make good work but my exceptional work is a thing that requires time. I know this now and knew it then....and I should of known better than to force it. <br />
I also plan to one day in the future make a Pirate101 comic but the same terms apply here. My time. My pace. but I promise you folks....I have stories fleshed out already I think everyone is gonna enjoy what the future has in store.<br />
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Until next time your friend,<br />
<i>Alric Ravensinger</i><br />
<i>Captain Justininao </i>Alric Ravensingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09322478537004169900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778501625107953159.post-32242036923360885062011-12-31T17:37:00.000-07:002011-12-31T17:52:04.351-07:00The art of disappearingHey all,<br />
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[<b>Warning:</b> I was a bit upset when I wrote this it's just a thing I feel strongly about so you may encounter grammatical and spelling errors] <br />
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This is gonna be a short and passionate post about something I feel needs to be saved. In our present world a lot of things take precedence one of the major thing is simplifying. Making things for easier for us or at least having us do less. Less is more. Sometimes less is worse. Sometimes technology is a double-edged sword.<br />
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Books and Magazines - With technology that's out now reading actual books is becoming more and more rare (I believe in general reading is more rare especially among minority and young groups). It's obvious how obvious? Look at our world places like Borders closed out as well as many independently owned bookstores. Point is why go to the book store when I can just download it all to my E-reader. Even Barnes and Noble the top dog (for now) is still having issues. It's future is still uncertain now and even more at risk in the future. Here is the problem I have with E-readers first off it's mechanical and machines eventually break down or need repairs. What if your internet goes out? Oops no downloading for you but me? I'll take my book and be on my merry way to a porch or windowsill enjoy a read for a few hours. Books can be destroyed too and they do get brittle over time. But it's like an antique you see it's age in the pages...the story can tell it's own story. I can leave a legacy with my book; Here you go son I read this when I was little.....Now I might have to say: Here you go son this is my old Nook......lol what? Point is my son is gonna loose out on the experience of physically having the book something that was personal to me and perhaps him. waste wise my book can be recycled but your plastic and metal? It takes more money to recycle plastics and metals. Tom also made a great case for magazines and books (in my opinion) with information reaching people in an instant magazines are becoming obsolete the same can be said for books leaked illegally on the internet. <br />
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Games - A recent article on IGN left me speechless...in it the author implies gamers don't wanna go to the store and pick up a game. His alternative: instantly downloading games into our consoles. I also read the comments of the article and I can firmly say not all of us see it that way. Again it's the commodity going to the store and picking up the game (and Often talking to fellow gamers) is just as part of the fun as when you first pop in the disk. Do I want less and more substantial patches into my games? Yes. Do I want to download my games? No. It goes onto the same way I feel about books nothing beats having the book and in my opinion nothing beats having that disk and case...especially collector's editions. Also this instant download option also kills another thing.....bonus items I can tell you now I rather have a physical game world map than a virtual item within the game. Don't believe me? Well that's your prerogative....(Looks at my 4 game maps of Skyrim, Cyrodiil, Morrowind, Mournhold, and Shivering Isles as well as my Pokemon figurines and stylus) <br />
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You can agree with me or disagree point is...what will you think when in 50 years from now none of these things exist anymore.<br />
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Until next time your friend,<br />
Alric RavensingerAlric Ravensingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09322478537004169900noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778501625107953159.post-63325592002564251912011-12-12T13:46:00.000-07:002011-12-12T13:46:15.000-07:00Wizard101: Lore potential? Wizard101: Origins!Hey all!<br />
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Wow! It's been awhile since my last post and I am sorry for that. It's been a busy month or so first off SorceressMiklai - my dear love visited me for Thanksgiving and stayed with me for 3 weeks. It was simply amazing and it was such a great experience to have her in my neck of the...erm....cactus. I don't think Sorceress will mind that I say this but she isn't accustomed to large families nor gatherings and it was a dream for me to see her finally get her wish if only for awhile fulfilled by being in a family - all our craziness and bickering included.<br />
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Anyway this post is about something I have always been interested in: Lore. Ask any of my friends in KT and they will tell you of how I annoy them (Jk!) with my constant deciphering of Wizard101's lore as well as other games. (I'm looking at you: Pokemon and Elder Scrolls) I've had countless discussions with Ronan Dawn, Luke Goldhorn, and many others. All these discussions lead me to believe in one absolute truth: there is no established lore in Wizard101. I know what your rebuttal is going to be of course there is established lore.<br />
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The creation of the Spiral and all it's inhabitants are skeletons of stories at best. The books in game only provide basic overlays of past events that have shaped the great worlds of The Spiral. What we need is a chance to see what REALLY went down back then. I don't know about you folks but I'd love to see stories on how the Dogs and Cats of Marleybone became civilized. I'd like to see the wars past that shaped Dragonspyre into a militant power before the Dragon Titan came. I WANT to see the stories of past emperors who fought the ancient Oni demons.<br />
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There is signs of hope however. Zafaria is one of the first worlds I seen where the story is based on what happened. Morganthe at one point ruled Zafaria or at least it was a seat of her power. It took the Council of Light as well as the People of Zafaria to stop her. The new animated history quest paints a picture (literally) of this past conflict foreshadowing her return to Zafaria. This is great it is old and ties into the new. The past directly telling a story to the present about what was and what can be once again.<br />
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I'm not asking for KingsIsle to establish lore like Elder Scrolls a series that prides itself on it's expansive lore so large I've only seen one other series with such a large volume of lore and that's the epic fantasy the Lord of The Rings. All I am wanting is a definitive story or collection of stories. Recently the Elder Scrolls employed Author Greg Keyes to write 2 novels to Re-establish the world of Tamriel after the Oblivion Crisis. Yes they are game novels. Darn good ones too as they tell of a chaotic time after the Oblivon Crisis where the Empire is crumbling, Vvardenfell has been destroyed, and murder is everywhere. (Books are intended for adults)<br />
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What Keyes did for the series is refreshed the palette of the TES universe while using established lore from previous games to tell a compelling story. What if KingsIsle contracted someone? To write a series of novels?<br />
Wizard101: Origins! A comprehensive series on the chaotic times that shaped The Spiral. I'm not asking for books like Keyes' novels but a dang good set of stories that make us cry, hate, and love characters past that helped craft this amazing world. I want to see younger Morganthe and Merle. Perhaps we can see the old kings and queens of Zafaria as they fought for their lands. <br />
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All of these are just wants of course but maybe one day.....my dream will come true until then I will remain vigilant and hopeful. For The Spiral!<br />
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Until next time your friend,<br />
Alric RavensingerAlric Ravensingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09322478537004169900noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778501625107953159.post-80488136424884548302011-10-25T10:14:00.000-07:002011-10-25T10:14:42.708-07:00MMORPG unveils....Good Morning/afternoon wizards!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://images.mmorpg.com/images/newsImages/442011//Elephant_Graveyard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://images.mmorpg.com/images/newsImages/442011//Elephant_Graveyard.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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Seems like only yesterday I gave everyone another new teaser that KI have so graciously given the community to get us excited for the coming of a new world. Oh wait I did do that only yesterday so in a shocking move KI has released a new picture today. This time MMORPG.com has been selected to be the bearer of sceenshot news! It just confirmed my original intentions on the previous post. That we would see Middle or a race/species that have involvement in the story line. Who? You might ask....well it's Morganthe's critters of terror --- the Shadow Weavers! Hopefully this time KI does them justice and we get an actual story on the Shadow Weavers. In fact just more cowbell in general on Morganthe and her dark army. Please KI? People like me love to delve into the mythos of a world -- give us a treat not a trick?<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/game/362/view/news/read/22361/Wizard101-New-Screenshot-Teases-Upcoming-Content.html">MMORPG.com teaser post.</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Once again Team Kev-Kat have deciphered the message in record time. Great job guys! You rock! This time the message says: "Find her there" Now it's all full cirlce as the mystery of the message has been solved.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>"Down in the depths, At the top of the world, find her there" </b></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">Find who? Perhaps Morganthe? That seems to be the popular theory. Only time will tell but I'm sure the wizard community is right on the money....we usually have good instincts. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">The picture title says graveyard at first I admit I thought it was a temple of some sort perhaps of worship. I do believe this new world and in this image particularly is above water. The sky DOES look like sort of underwater but honestly it looks more stormy as in a storm is about to break out. Further on the far left we see some vine growth. Vines don't grow like that when in water so it leads me to believe they are above it. Again though only time will tell if I am right or wrong. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">What are your theories? </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Until next time your friend,</div><div style="text-align: left;">Alric Ravensinger</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Alric Ravensingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09322478537004169900noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778501625107953159.post-11275850563752909912011-10-24T15:49:00.000-07:002011-10-24T15:49:48.348-07:00ZAM unveils....Howdy again!<br />
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Fresh off the ZAM site. A new teaser again Team Kev-Kat have deciphered it in record time....again. 3 points for them personally and 2 points for KT/ Wizard-kind.<br />
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New's link: <a href="http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=28089">ZAM's Teaser Post. </a><br />
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According to Team KK this hidden message says "At the top of the world"<br />
So now we have..... "Down in the depths, At the top of the world, _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _"<br />
Bring it on KI! I know my friends will have your messages deciphered! <br />
(If you notice btw the message correlates to something in the image i.e. depths; Oni's seem to be at docks of some sort. Monkey men seem to be at the top of the world literally in some treetop village of some sort)<br />
My guess is we will see middle since we have low and high. Or a major character/race/species within the storyline whether they help the player or are possibly villainous. <br />
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Your thoughts and insight are welcomed and appreciated!<br />
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Until next time your friend,<br />
Alric RavensingerAlric Ravensingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09322478537004169900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778501625107953159.post-68906569701686374242011-10-21T10:54:00.000-07:002011-10-21T10:54:04.354-07:00Massively unveils...Earlier today Massively gave us a sneak peek at new content coming to <i>Wizard101</i>. <br />
Check it out! <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/21/kingsisle-teasing-new-wizard101-content/">Massively teaser post.</a> I will also provide the image below!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2011/10/wiz-rb-1021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2011/10/wiz-rb-1021.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> KTers (Kinky Twizards don't know take a look at who they are here: <a href="http://alricravensinger.blogspot.com/p/four-swords-game-family.html">KTwizards Who they are!</a>) Kevin Battleblood and Katherine Light deciphered the message! It says "Down in the depths" Not bad by my count they got it before anyone! It's good to have smart friends eh? Anyway look forward to more upcoming images in the coming week!<br />
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This is so exciting hopefully we have new content on the way for Legendary wizards! We need some story and level progression already! What are your thoughts? <br />
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Until next time your friend,<br />
Alric RavensingerAlric Ravensingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09322478537004169900noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778501625107953159.post-43430500595663837402011-10-18T15:28:00.000-07:002011-10-18T15:48:27.285-07:00Treats, Tricks, and Hey! Spare parts!Hey all!<br />
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As you may know the Wizard101 community is going wild right now for one thing: The Nightmare Pack.<br />
This post will <b><i>NOT</i></b> be how this suckers people into a downward spiral of gambling cause 1. I don't want to fight people. 2. I am allowed my own opinion and hey this is my blog. and finally 3. As I stated before....<i><b> </b></i><b>"It's only gambling when you don't have the will to stop. If you can't stop buying a pack then you can't stop playing the game." </b>Meaning games like Wizard101 can cost you more than crowns so maybe you shouldn't be playing. It's all about you as an individual and if you blame KI for your lack of will and responsibility it's on<b> YOU</b> not them.<br />
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<b>Update:</b> I think everyone should have a look at this post made by<b> Heather Raven</b> more importantly look in the comments. It's true if you have the addiction to keep buying you need more supervision if your an adult then maybe it's you. Point is again your own Willpower to overcome your problem and not let it overflow. I'm going to steal Icy's comment and change it up a bit. We can't blame the Ninja pigs (KI) that your obese cause you can't stop eating the bacon!<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="http://thewanderingconjurer.blogspot.com/2011/10/deja-vu.html">Heather Raven's Blog Post.</a><br />
</b></div><b><br />
</b><br />
This pack is simply amazing because it gives us who like to decorate a plethora of new items which means more intricate Halloween themed houses which is fun! I had a rough day on Petnome cause of the influx of new pets added by this pack which is bad (All that work! It ain't easy ya know?) and great! Who doesn't like new pets right? KI also did a great deed in my book by giving us 1st generation pets that were previously only available as hybrids. What this does is for newer players to the game who missed the promotions or that month on KIFG now have a chance to have the pet. What is better is now they and older players will have pets with "pure" talents. <b></b><br />
<b><br />
</b>So far I know of hybrid turned 1st generation pets are: <br />
<b>Grim Scarab</b> (Which I got myself)<br />
<b>Ghost Hound </b><br />
<b>Red Ghost</b><br />
<br />
<b> </b>Also in the pot are older pets such as:<br />
<b>Death Scarab</b><br />
<b>Black Cat</b><br />
<b>Ianthine Spectre</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
For completely new pets known so far are:<br />
<b>Death Treant</b><br />
<b>Gob-O-Lantern</b><br />
<b>Gold Armored Skeleton</b><br />
<b> </b><br />
Also available is new gear as with previous packs it gives boosts to a variety of stats as well as cards! Also present are new wands which look pretty neat like a mix of a dark dragon staff with the special effects of the Celestial Trident. I will also say the new cowls available in the pack make me look like a <b>Jawa</b> from <b>STAR WARS!</b> Any SW fans out there will see the resemblance immediately if not I have provided a picture below hehe. <b></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSI29NcdKdyjBkQydmo880vvUdEjzugbs_0ScMYao8yRv8jydex8cLDiLtxS2Fl1ULMkskBrkcxeQGJFyLCaoIai4Ci7WWlNs5UdICHWQNxjKjQlIBuxj6gjdHPPCoxhM2DQE52JtBuEkQ/s1600/Jawa+comparison.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSI29NcdKdyjBkQydmo880vvUdEjzugbs_0ScMYao8yRv8jydex8cLDiLtxS2Fl1ULMkskBrkcxeQGJFyLCaoIai4Ci7WWlNs5UdICHWQNxjKjQlIBuxj6gjdHPPCoxhM2DQE52JtBuEkQ/s320/Jawa+comparison.png" width="320" /></a></div><b><br />
</b><br />
<br />
Finally the most highlighted item of the pack well it is amazing! I was lucky enough to get it on my first and ONLY bought pack. That's right yours truly was graced by the Loot Gods and given the insanely awesome "<b>The Nightmare</b>" mount! Woot! Look how cool Alric looks in his Observatory on his ethereal mount. Pretty sweet right?<b></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEighe6I0EsKTxfi0DxbP1vILZ9mc3thaCOJD0FFJIiGh23wk-0_6yMqY2md5hQ74ctcpm6m2pe_px14kTTr5smLM12V57WWLFGhlRA0uSDBP794LHaXIh8cIAMIbtCBb-MECvj72pJTBvq2/s1600/The+Nightmare.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEighe6I0EsKTxfi0DxbP1vILZ9mc3thaCOJD0FFJIiGh23wk-0_6yMqY2md5hQ74ctcpm6m2pe_px14kTTr5smLM12V57WWLFGhlRA0uSDBP794LHaXIh8cIAMIbtCBb-MECvj72pJTBvq2/s320/The+Nightmare.png" width="320" /></a></div><b><br />
</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>My advice when it comes to buying these packs. Limit yourself it's all about fun anyway right? The thrill of getting a good item. Besides think of it this way you can mix with your friends for any pets you didn't get! My tia Cassandra Dragonheart limited herself to only 5 packs and she got 3 pets! Point is to limit yourself and look within yourself before you blame others for your mistakes. </i></span><b></b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
Until next time your spookified friend,<br />
Alric Ravensinger<b><br />
</b>Alric Ravensingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09322478537004169900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778501625107953159.post-53801638944684031212011-10-14T11:50:00.000-07:002011-10-14T13:24:36.510-07:00GDC Online Awards! Wizard101 takes the Audience Award!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.dualshockers.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/logogdcoa.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.dualshockers.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/logogdcoa.png" width="209" /></a></div>If you didn't catch the show <i>Wizard101</i> took home the Audience Award. I admit I was sadden that we lost in the two other categories but it's all good. This year Minecraft took home Best Community Relations and Best Live Game outdoing our beloved Wizard101.<br />
<br />
I went to a fellow Twizard who plays Minecraft as well as some Minecraft enthusiasts from other gaming forums I frequent. Here is what they had to say:<br />
<br />
<blockquote>"Their entire team utilizes Twitter on a regular basis with as many people as they can. Not to mention Notch's blog, Minecraft Chick's blog, Notch and Jeb_'s respective Google+ pages, leaked pictures of upcoming events, lots of info on Reddit." - John Lifeglen</blockquote>I admit it would be nice to see some customer support on Twitter or other social mediums. Here is some more that had to be said.<br />
<br />
<blockquote>"the community projects that take place within the confines of the game realm as opposed to relying on fansites for a sense of community.</blockquote><blockquote>If you take the time to recreate the Empire State Building, the Starship Enterprise, or a Stargate with a large number of people, there's a HUGE sense of interaction." - John Lifeglen</blockquote>What I gather and what John and others have told me is Minecraft deals in currency of items gotten within the game and the player or a group of players can build their own worlds, structures, and even cave systems. While I and John were at odds on Best Live Game I gotta admit Company to Player interaction and Community in Minecraft seems great! <br />
<br />
Do not fret my fellow Wizards I haven't given up on Wizard101 but I think it's good to shed light on why sometimes the games we love are outdone. The MMO gaming scene is rapidly changing and people are starting to see hey! this is great to interact with others as oppose to handhelds and consoles. Although console gaming especially with the newer systems like Xbox360, Playstation 3, and even the 3DS are breaking those barriers although at a steadfast pace. <br />
<br />
Good job to all the winners and hey we still get our mystery pet and the honor of knowing we have a great community here in Wizard101 to the point of being nominated.<br />
<br />
Until next time your friend,<br />
Alric RavensingerAlric Ravensingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09322478537004169900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778501625107953159.post-38545209795285259582011-10-01T08:45:00.000-07:002011-10-01T08:46:47.049-07:00October NewsletterNeedless to say I am happy it is out. If you look closely looks like KI might of did a tiny mishap of posting it a bit early. Of course I am probably wrong though.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.wizard101.com/game/community/newsletter/october2011">Wizard101 Newsletter - October 2011</a><br />
<br />
Enjoy!<br />
(If you notice it says new pets! Oh joy! Hopefully they are farmable) <br />
<br />
Until next time your friend,<br />
Alric RavensingerAlric Ravensingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09322478537004169900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778501625107953159.post-77207980277042253222011-10-01T07:17:00.000-07:002011-10-01T07:17:00.049-07:00A sudden chill runs down my back I realize.....it's October!That's right folks! One of my favorite months in one of my favorite seasons is here! October and Autumn! Woot! It's time to leave the normal and bust out with the paranormal! Leaving the Mundane for the Mun....um...strange? I have no clue! Let's celebrate though!<br />
<br />
Some of you might be aware but most probably not I am have keen fascination with the Paranormal and the occult. Don't worry I am not a real life Sorcerer and I definitely don't mess with Ouija boards. I am a sort of historical researcher on occult and every once in awhile I'll do some amateur ghost hunting with the family. How is that for some quality family time? eh?<br />
<br />
Sink your teeth into this for example. Did you know that Necromancers weren't how we see them today? Back in the olde days Necromancers were sort of like Seers or Oracles they didn't raise the dead like we think they did. I know sorry to disappoint no corpses they would raise the souls of the decease to ask for advice, about future events, or even ask for aid. However don't get me wrong these practices often did include having the bodies of the people they wish to contact sometimes even having only certain body parts. Sometimes the ritual called for a human or animal sacrifice but it was rare and one could invoke the spirits by simply offering an item. (Hence the spell. Good job tying it in KI) It's not without it's bad though in the Middle Ages Necromancy took on a more familiar role of conjuring up the dead (literally) and summoning demons for malicious intent or to gain knowledge. <br />
<br />
Interesting stuff right? I'll be moving on from that though I don't wanna freak anyone out. As with every year the community in Wizard101 has several things to look forward to. The Halloween Tower(s), Farmings for Halloween crown items, and even pertaining to the month of ghosts and gobblers. Oops I mean Goblins. That's not the only excitement though for those who love the scary things in life there are a few channels on Tv I know will be airing spooktacular shows all of October. SyFy and it's <a href="http://www.syfy.com/31days">31 days of Halloween</a>, Travel Channel's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_Adventures">Ghost Adventures</a>, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiller_%28TV_channel%29">Chiller Channel</a>. Trust me if you are looking for a scare you'll find it on one of those channels I am sure I am missing one or two but these I watch the most.<br />
<br />
As a final note I'd like to thank all of you who continue to read my blog despite the lack of comics and such. It's bad I know I sort of took away the thing that made me and this blog unique. I don't just want to be confined to a single talent I'd like to show you folks that I am multidimensional as well which is why I do blog about mythos or various lore within the game dissecting it and it's influences. I do have a surprise though I won't shed any light on it but I think it's cool and people will love it.<br />
<br />
Until next time your vile undead host,<br />
Alric RavensingerAlric Ravensingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09322478537004169900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778501625107953159.post-20962888885420324202011-09-17T20:41:00.000-07:002011-09-17T20:41:43.871-07:00Ghost Mania!Hey everyone,<br />
<br />
Seems like with Halloween and Autumn in general drawing nearer everyone is in a frenzy over the newest discovered hybrid to hit the Wizard101 universe that's right I am talking Red Ghost mania. Heck even Father Blogger <a href="http://thefriendlynecromancer.blogspot.com/2011/09/casting-red-ghost.html">The Friendly Necromancer</a> posted a video on his blog about the Red Ghost. Secretly I've had my Red Ghost for about 2 weeks or so and secretly I have slowly been breeding in talents to it. My goal is to create an awesome Red Ghost for my Necromancer Morgrim Shadowshade. Check out the Progress below (1st picture is Grandparent, 2nd is Parent, 3rd is Baby)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKig5YmCsfy2xhlCfOymKSUuNUpaGwryaSKLH5WqFtnamZo8cEhW15GOcVh74fz2Tb5l7F7QV7iDCgG7iwLsm7C8xBLbgntyvrV4VEhztrsvV9ArKpEPd0uiwuU6HgufGRd0zLhUV1Blmz/s1600/Mister+Haley.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKig5YmCsfy2xhlCfOymKSUuNUpaGwryaSKLH5WqFtnamZo8cEhW15GOcVh74fz2Tb5l7F7QV7iDCgG7iwLsm7C8xBLbgntyvrV4VEhztrsvV9ArKpEPd0uiwuU6HgufGRd0zLhUV1Blmz/s320/Mister+Haley.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4-0RCRdsa5lu5VBgKQw_1t3SdnA2gR2dWtNHsOfdqCD9ClXZy18mRHfuhyphenhyphen5k28asTENqhclrrDJBjVgn2mx0X91DuiajK4c1q7cAlsZNpJ9bf11UYTV_olLC8z6680WJXOsjtHVop3eUY/s1600/Holly.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4-0RCRdsa5lu5VBgKQw_1t3SdnA2gR2dWtNHsOfdqCD9ClXZy18mRHfuhyphenhyphen5k28asTENqhclrrDJBjVgn2mx0X91DuiajK4c1q7cAlsZNpJ9bf11UYTV_olLC8z6680WJXOsjtHVop3eUY/s320/Holly.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<br />
<br />
Now it's been awhile since I talked or even posted about my Necromancer Morgrim "Morty" Shadowshade. He sort of became my secret project. I am happy to announce about a week ago he became a Legendary Necromancer. The only people who really knew were my good friends in KT (KTwizards) that I was working on a Death wiz them and Blaze Stormthief. Now it's time for my family (Cassandra Dragonheart, Lady Blade, and SorceressMiklai) and maybe our extended family KT to farm up Waterworks for my gear.<br />
<br />
In a small unrelated note I hope you all have noticed the new changes to the blog for the upcoming Halloween season. Any feedback is appreciated. I made the new header using GIMP 2.6 using a Halloween GIMP Brushes set from DeviantART and a Shawn of the Dead font I got from <a href="http://www.dafont.com/">http://www.dafont.com/</a> .<br />
<br />
<br />
Until next time,<br />
Your resident Ghost Hunter Alric RavensingerAlric Ravensingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09322478537004169900noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778501625107953159.post-78496917067868341922011-08-20T15:13:00.000-07:002011-08-20T15:30:14.666-07:00"Why you no post Alric? *Clubs Blog Owner*As many of you or maybe few of you are aware my Summer of Love has ended. I am back in the Old Pueblo -- that is Arizona. My time in Texas was great and I had so many wonderful moments with beautiful muse Alura Hexcaster whom wrote a lovely post detailing my stay. Link is below (No videos that's my bro KBB's thing :-P)<br />
<b>(Note: The misses has clubbed me in the head for my wording of the introduction Alura wishes to let it be know we weren't just a summer thing. So my bad for bad wording ;-) and sorry honey won't happen again can I get out of my room now?)</b><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://sorceressmiklai-hexspellsvextales.blogspot.com/2011/08/summer-love-in-spiral-south.html">Summer of Love Post</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">It's been almost 2 weeks and I regret even leaving her but our paths are forever intertwine and I am certain our wanderings through the forest will bring us back together on that field of gentle winds, sweet smells, and undying love. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">As for why I haven't been posting? Life has just taken over and my time in game I haven't really wanted to write about. Sometimes you just need to enjoy what has been set in front of you. Speaking of I have been thoroughly enjoying Wysteria although yesterday's bugs drove me insane. I have completed Wysteria and ALL it's quests on my Necromancer Morgrim ShadowShade and next is Alric. I know your surprised I was too I didn't quest FIRST on Alric but sometimes it's good to switch things up. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">As for Fame at a Price 2 I haven't done it. Real life stuff has eaten my time and I haven't had the focus or time to dive into it. I <u>suspect</u> though it won't be until September I <i>might</i> get it out but who knows? Only me! I have also been working on other projects as well. I'll let you guys in on a secret project of mine. I have been working on a series of stories (Think LOTR) for near 8 years and it's coming along great however it's nowhere near complete. At my rate I reckon it would be 10 years or more (Maybe 15) before I unveil but it's all up to the author. ;-) </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I also can announce I got my POTTERMORE E-mail and have awesome beta access! It pays to have gotten my Quill on Day 1 w00t! Has me registered on July 31, 2011. My school is Gryffindor and my wand is 11 inches 3 quarters Rowan with a Unicorn Hair core.<br />
<br />
A small note I have changed my Header in honor of my trip to the Japanese Gardens and the release of the Samoorai pet. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">And that is all for now. I'll leave you folks with some pictures of my trip to the Japanese Gardens in Ft. Worth, Texas. (Read the blog post in the link it'll make sense)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKlew3vQlV6_RGtAXhkD32fNaB6bxuEofJ2O5F439wLkZVQBe4RnOxWNXGrn1PyoiND-dAOU8HHMOqv1fgW_5tMaFlj0s4nt_96Zm54fVZfhvEif6jM9uCFiUaLPnXIRxmZFpKd6_r9iIy/s1600/101_0779.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKlew3vQlV6_RGtAXhkD32fNaB6bxuEofJ2O5F439wLkZVQBe4RnOxWNXGrn1PyoiND-dAOU8HHMOqv1fgW_5tMaFlj0s4nt_96Zm54fVZfhvEif6jM9uCFiUaLPnXIRxmZFpKd6_r9iIy/s320/101_0779.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
(The one with the two lizards was my favorite. They were doing some sort of mating ritual right there on the deck)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwsr49feDa-yhCjqYWrvQN7U6xSFgbvsBnEo74bCbamjoP6-sCRJAL7NuvZGNVmQUoR7bpMIBpUJqL7J9seP50eVp2WlsIERqr28TwfMpCNAEmKBEasldoJyo-LGCs1VNuEGFkNgdwe0wS/s1600/101_0765.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwsr49feDa-yhCjqYWrvQN7U6xSFgbvsBnEo74bCbamjoP6-sCRJAL7NuvZGNVmQUoR7bpMIBpUJqL7J9seP50eVp2WlsIERqr28TwfMpCNAEmKBEasldoJyo-LGCs1VNuEGFkNgdwe0wS/s320/101_0765.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> (Bonus image! Same day but at the Water Gardens in downtown Ft. Worth Alura was a scared y cat and didn't wanna go down to the bottom)<br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">Until next time your friend,</div><div style="text-align: left;">Alric Ravensinger A.K.A Lovable Dork. </div>Alric Ravensingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09322478537004169900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778501625107953159.post-66392537187521820472011-07-25T08:50:00.000-07:002011-07-25T08:50:43.739-07:00Vanishing ActHello wizards,<br />
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I am sure you are wondering where the Kraken I have been? Remember the "I'm going to Texas" and "Arizona Owns Texas" post down below? Yeah I got to Texas and all outside connections and commitments (Other than my family <3) went out the window. Simply put I apologize for falling off the face of the earth when I said I wouldn't. Let me explain though once I got here my mindset completely changed.<br />
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Now for those of you married or in a relationship you might get me in fact I am counting on it. Once I got here to Texas I wanted nothing more than to just spend time with my lady love (@SorceressMiklai on Twitter A.K.A Alura Hexcaster). I know I am a sucker for love. I'm not the overly tough "doesn't cry" guy. I am multidimensional I am tough but I ain't ignorant to my feelings. For those guys reading this going "Blasphemy" I say this; "One day kid, we you get your own girl you'll understand"<br />
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There is a new life that springs forth when you are with that special one. Needless to say I been spending most of my time with her. I also of course am slowly getting to know her family -- I think me and her sister are hitting it off rather well despite our musical differences. (Hip hop lover -.-)<br />
One thing I can absolutely say about Texas itself? It's hot and humid here which isn't a great combination. As my tia Cassandra Dragonheart says I'm a Desert Rat my comfort zone is among desert, cactus, lizards, mountains, and freak monsoon weather. I do <i><u><b>NOT</b></u></i> like humidity one bit I want the dry clean air of Arizona.<br />
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As for in game goes it hasn't happened -- much. Although I am now a self-proclaimed Doodle Dug master. I have gotten every pet and wand available from KIfreegames minus that elusive Storm Beetle and Umbra Blade. I have time though to accomplish these last two feats or else cheat and order from a Code shop from Wizard101 Central. I also have been updating The Petnome Project as we celebrate our birthday this month with various contests.<br />
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As for everything else? well I am not worried at this moment. I am solely focused on enjoying my time here. However for those readers who are anxious to see me back I return home to Arizona on August 8th after staying in TX for 2 months. Once home it's back on the last lane with Fame at a Price 2 and other projects. So until then I say in a melodramatic tone "wait for me my friends, (insert exaggerated sob here) wait for me"<br />
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Until next time your friend,<br />
Alric RavensingerAlric Ravensingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09322478537004169900noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778501625107953159.post-82807634849262816892011-06-02T09:42:00.000-07:002011-06-02T09:42:17.340-07:00What's in a name?Howdy all you wizards!<br />
This will be a short post and will be a data collection of sorts. Today I wanna ask you all to come up with your own names. Whether it be for <b><i>Wizard101</i></b> or any other game you play or game you plan to play. I wanna see what's in a name and if you randomly choose it or research it. Who knows the best name in terms of meaning and/or creativity <i><b>may</b></i> win a prize! <br />
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Here is an example; <br />
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Jorda (Nord Female)<br />
Arthas (Breton Male)<br />
Bjorn Ironfist (Nord Male) Bjorn means "Bear"<br />
Folkvar (Nord Male) Means "Guardian of the People"<br />
Gunnar The Great (Nord Male) Means "Warrior"<br />
Haakon Wyrm-Warder (Nord Male) Means "Exalted son,Chosen son"<br />
Kaiser Vrage (Any race Male)<br />
J'skar Silver-Mane (Male Khajiit)<br />
Greelius (Male Argonian)<br />
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These names are for potential characters I plan to make for <b><i>Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. </i></b>What can you come up with? comment below please with your answer(s).Alric Ravensingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09322478537004169900noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778501625107953159.post-37299834852134210562011-05-29T11:58:00.000-07:002011-05-29T11:58:36.770-07:00Big Ole' News<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.donatecarforcharity.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/car-donation-texas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://www.donatecarforcharity.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/car-donation-texas.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://www.mun2.tv/files/images/mun2-images/news/versus/versus-arizona-vs-texas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="203" src="http://www.mun2.tv/files/images/mun2-images/news/versus/versus-arizona-vs-texas.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Howdy folks it's your favorite Balance wizard (Don't fight it Ronan and John). I have some exceptionally great news for you all; I am heading to Texas. For a while I'll be in "The Lone Star State" wrestling bulls and showing those Texans how we Arizonans roll! No just kidding (AZ would win!) I ain't going to go pick a fight I am going to further my IRL relationship with <a href="http://sorceressmiklai-hexspellsvextales.blogspot.com/">Alura Hexcaster</a> and I didn't want to leave off the map without informing you all. This isn't a goodbye though it's a I'll be blogging and gaming in the land of steakhouses and world famous barbeques. Heck maybe I'll even be able to visit KingsIsle and do a interview or something (wishful thinking).<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/5f/E3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/5f/E3.png" width="108" /></a></div><br />
That's my IRL big ole' news for y'all another little bit is check out SpikeTV June 6th @ 3:30 PM ET/ 12:30 PM PT for <a href="http://www.spike.com/press/2011/05/24/spike-tv-to-air-exclusive-broadcast-of-eas-2011-e3-showcase-event/">E3 2011.</a> If you don't know what E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) is well you are missing out it's the world's greatest gaming expo where every developer and game company show off their new stuff. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://api.ning.com/files/YGAh5OoClhPrv9AMz8WVSfPHDUX7vZc17YK**izeUYE0j7VJBj1WUAvS0W2YXxYWLu-eDHo3LBvakh5b20QGB92zB7icTUKv/logo.jpg?width=173" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://api.ning.com/files/YGAh5OoClhPrv9AMz8WVSfPHDUX7vZc17YK**izeUYE0j7VJBj1WUAvS0W2YXxYWLu-eDHo3LBvakh5b20QGB92zB7icTUKv/logo.jpg?width=173" /></a></div><br />
In other news of epic proportions Fallon Shadowblade over at <a href="http://my.diaryofawizard.com/">Diary of a Wizard</a> has announced the details for the highly anticipated social event known as <a href="http://my.diaryofawizard.com/xn/detail/3694002:Event:94390?xg_source=activity">the 2nd annual Ravenwood Ball.</a> It's a massive social event for all wizards of MMO Wizard101 to attend and have fun. In celebration of this superb event DOAW is giving away a plethora of prizes. Each prize has graciously been donated by wizards, twizards, sites, and W101 itself. It's sure to be the biggest event of 2011 barring the announcement of a new world. Head over to Diary of a Wizard to enter for prizes and RSVP the event which will happen June 25th, 2011. Be sure to dress to impress! I will be taking my sweetheart Alura Hexcaster and I hope to see you all there~<br />
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Until next time your friend,<br />
Alric RavensingerAlric Ravensingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09322478537004169900noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778501625107953159.post-75158885895091138692011-05-26T10:46:00.000-07:002011-05-26T10:46:34.976-07:00Hard workin' wizardHey everyone sorry for the lack of stories and posts in general lately I have been a busy sorcerer. First off in case you didn't see on Twitter me and my darling <a href="http://sorceressmiklai-hexspellsvextales.blogspot.com/">Alura Hexcaster</a> are officially part of the <a href="http://petnome.pbworks.com/">The Petnome Project</a> team. Although honestly you could of seen me editing pages weeks ago but now I am O-fficial. That has taken up some of my time editing a pet genome database is serious business folks and I take it as such. I'd like to also thank my very good friend and mentor <a href="http://twitter.com/kevbattleblood">Kevin Battleblood</a> for allowing me to help out. I have always been a supporter of Petnome and it's cause(s) which are for the community and by the community.<br />
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I also have been brushing up on my knowledge of Tamriel and the Elder Scrolls as I anticipate Skyrim's release however I wont say anymore on this matter. This. Is. Wizard101. In game the bulk of my time has been spent in the Waterworks getting both my Legendary Storm and Pyromancer their Lv 60 gear. I also have been spending time in the land of the Kroks on my Death wizard Morgrim "Morty" Shadowshade. He a few days ago now finished up Krokotopia and is in now Marleybone. <br />
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I also want to announce that I am now a Moderator on <a href="http://my.diaryofawizard.com/">Diary of a Wizard forums</a> I want to also give a big thanks to Fallon Shadowblade for allowing this diary kid to help out with a staple site in our community. Second I want you all to head over to DOAW May, 29th 2011 as details will be given for this year's <b>Ravenwood Ball!</b> woot! Although I can't give details I think it's safe to inform you all of a big change/surprise headed to Diary of a Wizard. This new change is huge and is a collaboration of many people including yours truly. Needless to say we are improving for the sake of a community we love; the Wizard101 community.<br />
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Finally for those who are avid readers and enjoy a great fanfic I have exclusively received the next chapter in "Prophecy of Blades" by the lovely <a href="http://twitter.com/LadyofBlades">Lady Blade</a>. As many of you know she is my hermana and a close companion of mine. I do hope you all enjoy what's has been written therein she is a fantastic writer! I am sure Blaze Stormthief will be like ZOMG once he reads the new installment. I will also update my Fanfiction page with her story. This however is only a taste of the full chapter. Enjoy!<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Prophecy of Blades</i></span></b></div><blockquote><span id="yui_3_2_0_3_130643173595280" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><div align="center" class="yiv84700420MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">Chapter 6</span></b></div><div align="center" class="yiv84700420MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"> </span></div><div class="yiv84700420MsoNormal" id="yui_3_2_0_3_130643173595291" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span id="yui_3_2_0_3_130643173595288" style="font-size: small;"><span id="yui_3_2_0_3_130643173595285" style="font-family: Times New Roman;">"After they cleaned the classroom, Tristan invited everyone to his house for supper since it was too late for lunch.<span> </span>Tristan turned out to be a pretty good cook.<span> </span>He made a delicious stew and fresh bread.<span> </span>The three visiting wizards inhaled deeply as the smell crept into the sitting room.<span> </span>Even the house seemed to be happily groaning as the aroma wafted through the halls.<span> </span>While Tristan prepared supper, Heather and Destiny filled Alexis in on all that had happened.<span> </span>She listened silently and intently.<span> </span></span></span></div><div class="yiv84700420MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="yiv84700420MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">“So let me get this straight!”<span> </span>Alexis said as they began to eat.<span> </span>“Lord <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1306431736_0">Nightshade</span>, Tristan’s ancestor, is the one who started the Titan War. <span> </span>The Great Raven, Bartleby’s sister, told you in person that she is the one who imprisoned him and there is a prophecy hidden behind a giant rock in Sunken City’s Death tower that tells how he can be freed but you need three people with Blade in their last name holding three Dragonspyre Blades and Tristan to reveal it?”<span> </span>She sat back in the chair, folded her arms and stared in disbelief.<span> </span></span></span></div><div class="yiv84700420MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="yiv84700420MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">“Something like that.”<span> </span>Tristan answered as he tossed a piece of stew soaked bread to a begging Ruth.<span> </span>“Only you make it sound like we are crazy.”</span></div><div class="yiv84700420MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="yiv84700420MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Alexis gave a sharp laugh at this response.<span> </span>“I make it sound crazy?<span> </span>Would you believe me if I told that same story to you?”<span> </span></span></span></div><div class="yiv84700420MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="yiv84700420MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">Tristan clamped his hand over Destiny’s mouth before she could reply with a smart answer.<span> </span>“I guess it does sound farfetched but the question at hand is <i>do you</i> believe us?”</span></div><div class="yiv84700420MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="yiv84700420MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">Alexis started to answer but a knock at the door stopped her.<span> </span>Tristan opened it and Grandmother Raven walked in.<span> </span>“Now I do.”<span> </span>Alexis said, completely shocked."</span></div></span></blockquote>Until next time your friend,<br />
Alric RavensingerAlric Ravensingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09322478537004169900noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778501625107953159.post-38005572805206132152011-05-18T01:34:00.000-07:002011-05-18T01:34:06.542-07:00Alexander and Wintertusk!So as many of you are know I sped through Wintertusk on my main wizard Alric Ravensinger (By sped I mean finished quickly -- sort of took roughly 6-7 1/2 hours). Now as a few might know I also have a Pyromancer named Alexander Ghostflame who two mornings ago was Lv 49 and in the Crucible area of Dragonspyre. Yesterday morning however he was officially Lv 58 and completed with Wintertusk. That's right I finished up Grizzleheim long time ago and pretty much power leveled Alexander just on Wintertusk quests. I wasn't alone however I did have help from the awesome <a href="http://www.paigespage.tk/">Paige MoonShade</a> and in spirit <a href="http://twitter.com/SorceressMiklai">Alura Hexcaster</a> as I used her pyromancer Jordan to help me out. <br />
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Many saved citizens and revived Thanes later Alexander had finished up Wintertusk hit Level 58 obtained his Efreet spell and his Phoenix pet all the while having yet to face that villain Malistaire or even step foot in Celestia -- yeah Wintertusk gives THAT MUCH experience. Here are some screenshots from the Efreet summon and obtaining of the Phoenix pet as well as a second run of Nastrond I did with Alura Hexcaster now that's a big dragon! Enjoy!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn6-vHnbdwfgytLxZB_TLlWBgQ6V8r8gFUm-O40HHqkDOmIMzRQ7ivpybSjNnGgTgrHnrC5PEikwt1vwj8lupvnwt4nqbdBgI7d0_gLnknHxyDc3RnstpY_TTGOb3EQyLKctJctug522kA/s1600/Alex%2527s+phoenix+pet.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn6-vHnbdwfgytLxZB_TLlWBgQ6V8r8gFUm-O40HHqkDOmIMzRQ7ivpybSjNnGgTgrHnrC5PEikwt1vwj8lupvnwt4nqbdBgI7d0_gLnknHxyDc3RnstpY_TTGOb3EQyLKctJctug522kA/s320/Alex%2527s+phoenix+pet.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRoev2LaBc8oGsy5bUJVj3KrF6j0M57awGxt1q_f5gPcsc67ccu1__GAQgOnsVdLlE5Gfz09Qe0S-teUfczk66S6yP69Y-I2VsRVdhyphenhyphenl000CSrVtSxfEN2MBnCqHlZ2AiAeMx4XplI-iCo/s1600/Big+dragon+hit%2521.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRoev2LaBc8oGsy5bUJVj3KrF6j0M57awGxt1q_f5gPcsc67ccu1__GAQgOnsVdLlE5Gfz09Qe0S-teUfczk66S6yP69Y-I2VsRVdhyphenhyphenl000CSrVtSxfEN2MBnCqHlZ2AiAeMx4XplI-iCo/s320/Big+dragon+hit%2521.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0LJn8zW6WF-h9nqp64FQjDtDK2zOAtm4UtnUPgRLVUjXecxtTzqDCusD6zxaru2KuKhexVbvBkwfaEybtcwCI8IZAbmRsIs7r-9UFxePpfyWp_kqZPsienFQRsgaaItQPx8DvXunDox3J/s1600/Efreet+Spell.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0LJn8zW6WF-h9nqp64FQjDtDK2zOAtm4UtnUPgRLVUjXecxtTzqDCusD6zxaru2KuKhexVbvBkwfaEybtcwCI8IZAbmRsIs7r-9UFxePpfyWp_kqZPsienFQRsgaaItQPx8DvXunDox3J/s320/Efreet+Spell.png" width="311" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd7xvVU_lUQLLEN-fhXOA7fRQfYitZma8CWVn7v3v9NtTe3Q4Cp10Fi2_tI1iJohIzN_Xbdp1uxF58zf_n1xNTZpLZtUVylitNQbZrE0tKlauQFSGIyif3tbpKD-cDaiV4TY4UqxBNW_7R/s1600/Efreet+summon.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd7xvVU_lUQLLEN-fhXOA7fRQfYitZma8CWVn7v3v9NtTe3Q4Cp10Fi2_tI1iJohIzN_Xbdp1uxF58zf_n1xNTZpLZtUVylitNQbZrE0tKlauQFSGIyif3tbpKD-cDaiV4TY4UqxBNW_7R/s320/Efreet+summon.png" width="320" /></a></div>Finally I would like to share with all you readers two things first Alexander's new look I know he looks pretty snazzy if not like a bunch of other legendary pyromancers (That's a joke! ;)) and second a glimpse at a secret new housing project I am working on code named: "Wintertusk" hopefully sometime soon I can unveil it or have someone showcase it *cough* Paige *cough* who by the way still has yet to *cough* showcase my CL Obvs *cough* ;) that's all for now everyone oh yeah did I mention I am up to nearly 50 Waterworks runs man I love that instance!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIpWySXKEvIS8wmXPD3igrSTOel-Sr7Fa_RZKBijgkczC0y2A3trtWft0zVxpWi3Y0oh4mTPjqY2PA6yofBhcyfTU0f4QearNyLwaT6DDkwa7w0figuvikk7qqnxM9M6Xb_j_i9QfVEJ-P/s1600/Secret+Project.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIpWySXKEvIS8wmXPD3igrSTOel-Sr7Fa_RZKBijgkczC0y2A3trtWft0zVxpWi3Y0oh4mTPjqY2PA6yofBhcyfTU0f4QearNyLwaT6DDkwa7w0figuvikk7qqnxM9M6Xb_j_i9QfVEJ-P/s320/Secret+Project.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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Until next time your friend and housing guru,<br />
Alric RavensingerAlric Ravensingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09322478537004169900noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778501625107953159.post-84335638817357942642011-05-13T14:02:00.000-07:002011-05-13T14:02:23.477-07:00The Mamma-JammaHey folks I know it's been awhile since I have posted honestly I been on the under realm (Wiz substitute for underground) test realm that is training for <a href="http://petnome.pbworks.com/w/page/27388686/Home">Petnome Project.</a> Then it happened Wintertusk went into the live realm and guess who was up at 2:34 AM in the morning? that's correct me! It was strictly a solo run for me except for a few fights and as mentioned by <a href="http://thefriendlynecromancer.blogspot.com/">The Friendly Necromancer</a> I finished Wintertusk that morning at 10:11 AM PDT.<br />
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That wasn't however the bulk of it all I also have been running a "Waterworks Marathon" of sorts over the last day or so. First off I wanna give a big thanks to <a href="http://www.wizard101central.com/forums/member.php?u=92046">Katherine Lightwalker</a> for showing me how to maximize potential hits and cut the time taken to do the dungeon by 75% (Our runs lasted between 1 hour and 9 min to 1 hour and 15 min.). To date I've ran the Waterworks around 18-19 times some of it is even detailed in videos made by my good friend <a href="http://kevinbattleblood.petnome.com/">Kevin Battleblood</a>. <br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/3rzHQaN8qig?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;">(First boss fight against Luska Charmbeak) </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/8SLBOwkhR-8?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;">(Final Boss fight against Sylster and the gang)</div><div style="text-align: left;">Both detail live the best way to go about defeating the bosses commentary mostly by me and Kevin honestly though it was just a friend run. The spoils of my new kinship with the Waterworks has yielded me impressive statistics on my main wizard; Alric Ravensinger check em out! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrEs-ni0n5DxaKIz8To0OhK2gz_j8n2MpvmXOadRagSIlFihH6J_bintYyfiWO04yDlkaV-RFiHFAV1UBco4DI2uI5a2Jl7BX07UnNu6QM4UMmUXR149lYPBk24PbWueYCzhSErtaDS5Wp/s1600/Alric%2527s+new+stats.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrEs-ni0n5DxaKIz8To0OhK2gz_j8n2MpvmXOadRagSIlFihH6J_bintYyfiWO04yDlkaV-RFiHFAV1UBco4DI2uI5a2Jl7BX07UnNu6QM4UMmUXR149lYPBk24PbWueYCzhSErtaDS5Wp/s320/Alric%2527s+new+stats.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">This is Alric with full Lv 60 gear equipped and his crafted ring and athame along with his superb Nightwalker Lady Gracie equipped. Here are some more spoils from the Waterworks nearly 26 (Counting today's run) MEGA snacks which I have been putting to good use. (This page is only Rank 8 snacks and not even rank 9)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMWY0PM0YPUSVQ27lFhRjohwEaeei_1N6RE0cKg7lcRJM26Mb9VaucHgb3woOeNuEH7WHkmkYKkRovG4NMW9Q8eHJs7uYoWSye2ZqYESMB9zi31vfGKCxnGbSR5DYbYjrIGnwKR3JexzOl/s1600/Megas.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMWY0PM0YPUSVQ27lFhRjohwEaeei_1N6RE0cKg7lcRJM26Mb9VaucHgb3woOeNuEH7WHkmkYKkRovG4NMW9Q8eHJs7uYoWSye2ZqYESMB9zi31vfGKCxnGbSR5DYbYjrIGnwKR3JexzOl/s320/Megas.png" width="320" /></a></div>Another notable drop from the Waterworks are Balance Mastery Amulet (Which Alric can't use -.-) and 2 pieces of the Baconator outfit.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtrvqMpRU7l0wK4X1BBKJu3XtZS8j4qAHCY8krCeUaHCgNS2Pbq7hafSzKZgK42F-TXBf-gSd7fyZ4N0DmumJgEVn3lReI2W4rkH-maGTKJAN7Tu_GbW5P1nLJ0aeSror9D0_KQCy3BFse/s1600/Savory+Shroud.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtrvqMpRU7l0wK4X1BBKJu3XtZS8j4qAHCY8krCeUaHCgNS2Pbq7hafSzKZgK42F-TXBf-gSd7fyZ4N0DmumJgEVn3lReI2W4rkH-maGTKJAN7Tu_GbW5P1nLJ0aeSror9D0_KQCy3BFse/s320/Savory+Shroud.png" width="320" /></a></div>Finally I cannot forget Alric has felt the winds of change and so ditch his old threads for something more....sophisticated. Let's not forget about Lady Chelsea as well she is my new Judgement pet I adore her so.<br />
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Until next time your friend,<br />
Alric Ravensinger<br />
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</div>Alric Ravensingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09322478537004169900noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778501625107953159.post-10600735945943816242011-05-05T12:03:00.000-07:002012-05-10T20:00:42.204-07:00The depths of Nastrond<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.cybercauldron.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/yggdrasil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.cybercauldron.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/yggdrasil.jpg" width="236" /></a></div>
Hello wizards today's lesson with be on a<b> Nidhoggr </b>or <b>Nithogg</b> as it's sometimes called which is a giant dragon (sometimes a serpent or both) which dwells in <b>Nastrond </b>gnawing at the roots of Yggdrasil. <br />
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Now in Wintertusk Nordri (whom with his kin I consider vikings or perhaps <b>Jotunn</b> [giants]) task the player with retrieving a tooth from Nithogg who gnaws at the roots of the great tree Grandmother Raven resides on.<br />
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It's peculiar that they decided to use this tree as the the one Nithogg gnaws on cause as the legend goes it was Yggdrasil Nithogg gnawed at which would mean Nithogg below here should be gnawing at Bartleby's roots beneath Ravenwood.<br />
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There is a connection to be made though from this pairing it involves 3 parties (technically 4) Nithogg, <b>Ratatoskr</b>, and <b>Vethrfolnir</b>.<br />
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<li>Ratatoskr was a squirrel which ran down the length of Yggdrasil carrying gossip to Vethrfolnir and a great eagle from Nithogg and back down to Nithogg my theory on the squirrel is it's tied to Nithogg. In all various cultures and mythologies fights and feuds rise usually at the implication of a person who wishes to see both parties fight for some cause. A perfect example of this is in Wizard101 Kol Shadowsong and The Coven in general used trickery and manipulation to pit the bear clans against the wolf clans. Usually this person will also lie, break promises, and even commit murder to see that their goals are achieved. (This is just a theory in general as such creature doesn't appear in the game)</li>
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<li>Nithogg who gnaws at Yggdrasil also lives in Nastrond a place of corpses, snakes, and poisonous rivers. Nastrond itself means <i>Dead Shore </i>Nithogg is said to reside here were he gnaws at one of the 3 roots but Nithogg also has another purpose he also devours the souls of murderers and Oath breakers. Now if you've read my theory on Ratatoskr you'll start to see the connection here. Ratatoskr is just the type of creature that Nithogg would devour. As in all cultures Murderers and Oath breakers are always promised the worse punishment also consider this Nastrond is located in or close to <b>Helheim</b>. Which is the Norse equivalent of the underworld</li>
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<ul>
<li>Vethrfolnir was a hawk that sat between the eyes of a great nameless eagle who sat you guessed it atop Yggdrasil now while it quarreled with Nithogg (Mostly due to Ratatoskr's gossip) the great eagle was knowledgeable and knew many things. Theories say that this was a reference to<b> Huginn </b>and <b>Muninn </b>who were Odin's ravens who traveled the world gathering all news to Odin. Vethrfolnir is said to play a similar role delivering the world's news to the great eagle. Although Ravens aren't in this legend (other than reference; symbolism) I think it's safe to say the parallels between the knowledge of the great eagle and Grandmother Raven are quite apparent. Even the Raven race in Wizard101 is one of mysticism and cunning which Grandmother Raven is a part of. </li>
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I think KI is getting more and more inventive with what they put in game and although this is all speculation it's so exciting to try and decipher it even though it's from my own interpretations of the mythology. I advocate all you wizards do the same as there are many secrets to discover. So far Wintertusk is my favorite update and although quest experience was low Grizzleheim was always one of my favorite worlds to play in. Certainly KI has upped their game and rekindled my interest in Norse mythology bravo KI bravo! Any thoughts and comments are appreciated I hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.<br />
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Until next time your friend,<br />
Alric RavensingerAlric Ravensingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09322478537004169900noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778501625107953159.post-52059612780715011052011-05-02T16:40:00.000-07:002011-05-02T16:44:12.164-07:00Wintertusk's Story (Spoiler)Ok wizards for a few of you that like to be spoiled I will divulge in the story of Wintertusk for those of you that don't like spoilers you read at your own risk beyond this point.<br />
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So Wintertusk begins where Grizzleheim left off here is a recap of Grizzleheim you basically go to GH to reforge it's relationship to the Spiral while there you learn of problems within the various clans of Grizzleheim. You are sent on a quest to become a hero worthy of speaking to the king performing various feats to prove yourself. Such as helping the folks of Ander's Holt against the Red Claws clearing Sarvastaad Pass of the wretched Gendels and reforming the relationships between the Bear and Wolf clans. As time goes on you slowly uncover a plot set out by the Ravens in particular The Coven to set the clans against each other. They do this to obtain the other clans rune stones for a ritual. That ritual will bring about the destruction of Grizzleheim it is known as the Everwinter forever freezing Grizzleheim. Eventually you head into Raven territory as you venture into Ravenscar you eventually thwart their plans to bring Grizzleheim to it's knees in an endless winter The Coven for now are defeated.<br />
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----------Spoiler Alert--------Do not read if you don't wanna know Wintertusk's plot line-------------------<br />
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Once again you are called to help in an isolated part of Grizzleheim as The Coven is back for more. Once there you find yourself looking at some of Wintertusk's frozen inhabitants as The Coven wreak havoc. You soon find out that your greatest ally -- Bartleby's sister Grandmother Raven is trapped by The Coven you soon with her guidance find a way to release her so that she can take her true form as a giant raven. You soon discover from Granny Raven that The Coven are still pursuing their goal of putting all of Grizzleheim in a endless winter and this time will do so by waking up the Ice Titan Ymir who slumbers in the bowels of Nastrond.<br />
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Granny Raven then sends you on a quest to retrieve 4 Golden Seals from Ymir's sons with these seals the player will be able to undo The Covens magic and prevent Ymir from being awakened. You then venture to each son's realm performing various tasks to earn each seal once you have all 4 you must then return to Granny Raven. Now is the time to stop The Coven once and for all you then head into Nastrond a network of caves beneath Granny Raven's tree in Hrundle Fjord to confront The Coven. You fight your way through 6 bosses (2 separate and 4 as a group) once this is done you gain access to the final chamber. In here leader and only member of The Coven present Kol Shadowsong is about to reawaken Ymir. As you try to stop him he sets against you Ymir's sons and you must defeat them once you do you use the golden seals to keep Ymir asleep with the Titan slumbering and The Coven's magic undone they are truly defeated and you once again save all of Grizzleheim from an eternal winter.<br />
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This is the basic story of course there are many side stories and quests to figure out but for those curious I wanted to give you the plot of both Grizzleheim and Wintertusk. Hope you enjoy!<br />
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Until next time your friend,<br />
Alric RavensingerAlric Ravensingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09322478537004169900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778501625107953159.post-49956283950564674822011-05-02T15:56:00.000-07:002011-05-02T15:56:23.688-07:00Full steam aheadHello wizards as many of you may now know Wintertusk is in the Test Realm along with a plethora of other updates to the game both to gameplay, aesthetics, and pets. <br />
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One thing can summon up this Test Realm: BEST EVER!!! Oh wait that was 2 words but goes to express the sheer amazingness of it all. the KT group on Skype as well as the Wizard101 community on twitter exploded with glee as we all logged into the Test Realm. Even the cool Kevin Battleblood cried with excitement trust me we were all on call I heard it myself. <br />
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I honestly didn't know where to begin so I went with what I naturally DON'T do -- I started Questing. The initial impression I had was while aesthetically pleasing WinterTusk seemed a tad crowded now whether this was from the countless amounts of players in the game or from the fact WinterTusk especially the area of Hrundle Fjord is very Village like in fact it is a village and so there are many houses etc that seem to take up a lot of the room. Don't let me dissuade you however once you get to Austrilund and onward the areas are pretty wide open.<br />
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Now let's move on to where I would naturally start at -- Pets! New Lv 58 pets are available although aesthetically pleasing I have heard many complaints on the pets themselves. Which range from lack of accuracy on the innate cards to lackluster talents. I myself am overall pleased with the Judgement pet although I'd wish KI would of scrapped Mana Gift on all pets as well as the 2 astral talents -- Vengeance and Gargantuan. As far as design go KI hit their mark each pet has it's own personality and animations look great. <br />
Another complaint from fans is a apparent glitch regarding hybrids which a resulting hybrid isn't hatched from the appropriate pet i.e. a Judgement and Kraken somehow make a Fire wyvern. <br />
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Overall this is the greatest update to come to the game the sheer richness of Wintertusk along with the various new activities for a wizard to do will have many of us busy for quite a while.<br />
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Until next time your friend,<br />
Alric RavensingerAlric Ravensingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09322478537004169900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778501625107953159.post-22913434950577576332011-04-19T01:51:00.000-07:002011-04-19T02:03:02.562-07:00All you have to do is.........Keep talking.<br />
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Howdy folks the Spiral seems to be losing authors left, right, and center I can assure you though right here right now I don't plan on leaving or taking a break. For all those taking a break such as our beloved Friendly Necromancer Thomas Lionblood I hope you do return that the candle of creativity and enthusiasm is rekindled. Most importantly like the Pink Floyd song all you gotta do is keep talking and people like us, your readers, will keep listening and lending our support. <br />
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Now for me I seem to be a recipient of unlimited creativity lately FAAP 2 is looking more better everyday and honestly every few days I am coming up with story lines for other comics. If you missed it on Twitter I debuted a new style of drawing I plan to utilize in FAAP 2 it's better and more emotional it's traditional American fused with Japanese styles found mostly in Pokemon (Manga), Yu-Gi-Oh, and Bleach. Enjoy!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ3l7OFVl-_uffeigBN5pMVb8H5UwypVw6poQZ3Mx3TpWp_h5RZApekiNCr_tkFa8alo2ZU27s_qIjv3Br7hdueK5zv3fUDQK3ibYQM5AK_ZEbn2aWW4bf_JafTk0v4xpbspGclYuLTXm5/s1600/FAAPOldandNew.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ3l7OFVl-_uffeigBN5pMVb8H5UwypVw6poQZ3Mx3TpWp_h5RZApekiNCr_tkFa8alo2ZU27s_qIjv3Br7hdueK5zv3fUDQK3ibYQM5AK_ZEbn2aWW4bf_JafTk0v4xpbspGclYuLTXm5/s320/FAAPOldandNew.png" width="320" /></a></div>Until next time your friend,<br />
Alric RavensingerAlric Ravensingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09322478537004169900noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778501625107953159.post-60754000015010187012011-04-13T02:02:00.000-07:002012-05-10T20:00:25.100-07:00Creature Feature: Owls - Wizard's pet? Or Harbinger of Ill Omen?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://images.wikia.com/wizard101/images/4/4d/Gamma.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://images.wikia.com/wizard101/images/4/4d/Gamma.png" width="228" /></a></div>
Hello, wizards today I wanna discuss a cool creature that has been used for fantasy many times over from the Goblin King, Jared to the pet of the greatest wizard in recent magical history Harry Potter. Yes that's right if Gamma up there hasn't let it slip from his beak we are talking Owls!<br />
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It's hard to imagine Gamma up top or Hedwig just above as any more than a Wizard's friend but looks can be deceiving. Let's look at how Owls in their antiquity were viewed -- Let's start with Meso-America home of my forefathers. They in particular the Hopi and Aztecs viewed Owls as omens of death, evil, and sorcery hard to imagine why but they did. Like all cultures many of them just didn't know how to attribute things to nature occurring phenomenon, so it must be supernatural? Keep in mind this is all before the Spanish (Also my forefathers) came and colonized much of the land bringing with them disease but also knowledge.<br />
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Africa also has Owls and view them much like the Hispanic cultures of The Americas -- Omens of Death. It's not everyone who believes this, it's mainly indigenous tribes like the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kikuyu_people">Kikuyu</a> of Kenya. Now although these cultures are old there is an even older culture that viewed Owls in a significantly less evil way -- Greece!<br />
That's right our modern view of the Owl can be attributed to Ancient Greece where they saw Owls as beings of Wisdom. In fact, Owls can be seen in that culture as one of the symbols of a Goddess which one you ask? Athena, Goddess of Wisdom, Warfare, Strength, and Strategy. Who had a city named in her honor you know it as one of Greece's oldest and most influential cities -- Athens in which she was it's Patron.<br />
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In our world, the wizard101 one that is the main Owl we can identify is Headmaster Ambrose's pet owl -- Gamma. Besides watching the Spiral in the Headmaster's tower Gamma doesn't do much outside of this. However, in the magical world there is one owl that is pivotal and resonates with people the world over as the pet owl of "The Boy Who Lived" of course you know I am talking about Hedwig. In the magical world of Harry Potter Owls and other creatures are seen as pets, friends, and magical familiars. <br />
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Hedwig was Harry's Owl in the HP series and was given to him by friend and Hogwarts's Gamekeeper Rebeus Hagrid. Hedwig represented Harry's innocence as is very obvious during the earlier books of the series. Hedwig was very loyal to Harry throughout the series and was very mature even looking down on other immature owls such as Pidwigeon. Now Owls seen as Ill omens it's intriguing J.K. Rowling picked the Owl which is seen as a bad omen. Although it's only merely speculation on my behalf what if Hedwig's presence marked a doom for the whole series? I mean think about all that befell Harry? Is it not curious to think his closest friend -- one of his most well loved ties to the magical world a warning in disguise?<br />
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Honestly, I don't like the idea of that either but it's something to chew on, some food for thought. If you are a fan of the series you already know Hedwig's death in the final book symbolized the death of Harry's innocence. So in a way Hedwig was a harbinger just a symbolic harbinger although I must admit in the movie version of the final book I did like how Hedwig was killed as oppose to the book. Now obviously Hedwig dying the way she did meant the lost of innocence. But in the movie she is seen attacking a Death Eater protecting Harry and subsequently being killed by the Killing Curse. This death is also symbolic for the same reason but in a more profound way -- protecting innocence. Hedwig dies marks the end of innocence but left the impression no matter how the mirror is broken you'll try to protect it before, and after piece the shards together.That girl lived a "Great old life" indeed and if there is a Owl heaven Hedwig is definitely there.<br />
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<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f2/Snowy_Owl_-_Schnee-Eule.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f2/Snowy_Owl_-_Schnee-Eule.jpg" width="226" /></a></div>
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Ok, enough with the symbolism and tears time to focus on the animal itself. Gamma and Hedwig are Snowy Owls which were believed to be a separate genus of Owl until recent DNA results show they are in fact related to the Genus Bubo, or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horned_owl">Horned Owl</a> family. Hedwig although a female was in the movies depicted with Male snow owls as males have the iconic white feathers -- females tend to usually have more black/brown feathers.These owls you had trouble making the connection between them and their Horned owl brethren.<br />
But as we see on Gamma the horn "protrusions" are much more dominant showing a clear relation to the Horned Owl.<br />
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They are also skilled but opportunistic hunters with talons made for grabbing small rodents or fish out of the surface of the water. They even during low food seasons resort to hunting other species of Owl which is pretty bad to me. It's a wide known fact Owls like Cats are natural predators that keep rodent populations down but Owl poaching threatens this I am happy to say though there are many groups like <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CITES">CITES</a> helping to conserve habitats for Owls as mentioned before cause owls play a pivotal role in the food chain keeping down rodent populations while supplying other species of bird with protection from predators as owls have few to compete with.<br />
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That's it for this edition of "Creature feature" I hope you all enjoyed it and come to appreciate these creatures and how they live and captured our imaginations as birds of bad omen and friends.<br />
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Until next time your friend,<br />
Alric RavensingerAlric Ravensingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09322478537004169900noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778501625107953159.post-88032590330165078182011-04-09T18:16:00.000-07:002011-04-09T18:22:14.035-07:00Moonshine and Sunlight!Howdy folks, I am sure many of you are aware that it's been Mount week or <a href="https://www.wizard101.com/game/promotions/mount-a-palooza">Mount-A-Palooza</a> as KI officially calls it. Long story short KI gave several Official fansites 15 mounts to give away ranging from the fierce Proud Lion to the never before seen Sunshine Ponies. Each fan site had it's own contest to give these sweet mounts away. This Sorcerer participated in a few of these contests as did my sweetheart <a href="http://sorceressmiklai-hexspellsvextales.blogspot.com/">Alura Hexcaster</a> we both manage to garner some nice mounts.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Nn9zc_85i1kk6v5OhkQNGL0Qf5SKXp_x_F5jMyFfnydcTV91NBUKrkRWR4Q4ccys4Ip9k2L-3b_sOhrjfQOTxy0RB2youLxcBGCMD21GXtnAlLrlQ_fIpyQZi-yO_U29-fO9NnXAneAu/s1600/Moonlight+and+Proud.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Nn9zc_85i1kk6v5OhkQNGL0Qf5SKXp_x_F5jMyFfnydcTV91NBUKrkRWR4Q4ccys4Ip9k2L-3b_sOhrjfQOTxy0RB2youLxcBGCMD21GXtnAlLrlQ_fIpyQZi-yO_U29-fO9NnXAneAu/s320/Moonlight+and+Proud.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNlAXICuOhHT3Tq7m1n0mpzXw7f_c8siQE5nSoR-eCQR_J3YOSMT_gJS2ukPut18yOE2ECtZvjJbI2CsY9BdNK4cOvKYTSevFphrzaoWaWUv0TpWCkAl2Djl_fVneH8LKspb6kE2BJMm6W/s1600/Sunshine+Pwny.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNlAXICuOhHT3Tq7m1n0mpzXw7f_c8siQE5nSoR-eCQR_J3YOSMT_gJS2ukPut18yOE2ECtZvjJbI2CsY9BdNK4cOvKYTSevFphrzaoWaWUv0TpWCkAl2Djl_fVneH8LKspb6kE2BJMm6W/s320/Sunshine+Pwny.png" width="320" /></a></div>Look at the mounts I won! Moonlight Pony from The Friendly Necromancer, Sunshine Pony from Ravenwood Radio (Hide n Seek), and finally the Proud Lion from the Petnome Project which I gave to my darlin' Alura Hexcaster for her baby life wizard. <br />
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Other big news that's been traveling the spiral is Test Realm has opened up to test out new amulets that allow you to cast other schools using your regular power pips basically when equipped these amulets remove the "Double cost" rule of using another school. Another awesome feature<u> headed</u> to the spiral is the ability for our mounts to roam our houses much like our pets do how awesome is that? You can check out the video at Kings Isle's official Youtube page or you can let me do the hard work and click <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/KingsIsle">here.</a> <br />
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As far as in game activities go I have been hanging out with my buddies the #twizards! -- nonstop farming with my tia <a href="http://twitter.com/CassDragonHeart">Cassandra Dragonheart</a> and my bro <a href="http://twitter.com/kevbattleblood">Kevin Battleblood</a>. But more than that a lot of us #twizards have formed a large group on Skype which has been great! The ability to inform and just talk silliness all on one chat for everyone to see has been helpful no to mention exceedingly fun. Big thanks to my tia and <a href="http://twitter.com/FallonStormWiz">Fallon</a> they have been helping out this sorcerer train his pets not to mention they are some of the greatest people/women I've met.<br />
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On a side note for exciting things to come to The Raven's Vault it's April which means<b> <i>FAME AT A PRICE 2!!</i></b> debuts this month. I within the next day or so will be posting a new creature feature which everyone seems to enjoy and I enjoy writing them although my knowledge is mostly from reading or Specials on TV hehe. <br />
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Until next time your friend,<br />
Alric RavensingerAlric Ravensingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09322478537004169900noreply@blogger.com0