I'm gonna punch that dragon in the face!

Into the Next Expansion...

I was looking through my archives today and I found these. My beloved and I have played together for five years now and I thought I'd share some sentimental screenshots:

Lunette & Lunarius | 2005 | World of Warcraft (Vanilla)


Lunette & Lunarius | 2006 | World of Warcraft (Vanilla)


Taceo & Nikolaos | 2007 | WoW: Burning Crusade


Taceo & Nikolaos | 2008 | WoW: Burning Crusade


Lunarius & Lunette | 2009 | WoW: Wrath of the Lich King


Nikolaos & Taceo | 2009 | WoW: Wrath of the Lich King


Happy World-of-Warcraft-Expansion-Release-Day! I hope this one is the most legendary yet.

...Perturbatio est vitae essentia.

Greyer's Theme

Oh the werewolf, oh the werewolf
Comes stepping along
He don't even break the branches where he's gone
Once I saw him in the moonlight, when the bats were a-flying
I saw the werewolf, and the werewolf was crying . . .
"Werewolf" - Cat Power

Grateful on Turkey Day

Happy Turkey Day from2 Elves & a Human!

What're we thankful for? Let us count...

Veton is thankful for: Family (aka Uncle Craetes, Zilaara, and Elodi). Her best friends - Goruth, Celenah, Spat, Lyconis, and Ealenia. Mana totems. Strike, her snowy gryphon & Gust, her pet moth. Romulus and Remus. Reliable and ever-encouraging guildmates. Affordable Dalaran housing room rates. Beautiful jewelry and the jewelcrafters who design and sell them. Skillful blacksmiths. The strength of the Draenei and Naaru, the ways of her people and their spirit of survival.

Whimsi is thankful for: Tumnus, her loyal feline companion. The vigilant Lady Sylvanas and the undying Forsaken. The balance of the Light and the Shadow. The colors blue and purple. Prayers and kind souls. History and Alchemy books. Levitation spells. Zombie, her noble steed. Bats. Tigule and Foror's Strawberry Ice Cream. Deathknell. Ghost wolves. Undertaker Mordo, Dark Cleric Duesten, Azonifel, and Winterr. Shiniesss. Dank, abandoned tombs.

Tabijin is thankful for: Family, The Stonetusk Tribe, who ensured his survival. Toombah - who saved his daughter. Reser - his only daughter and only reason to wake up every single day. Zabeni - his wife, who had always made him proud. Ayden - who keeps him busy enough to stave off his worries. The Shadow of Paragon - trusty business partners and reliable traders. Hex - Zabeni's pet tiger, who continues his search for his master's belongings in Ashenvale. Terra - his steadfast raptor companion. Lady Taceo - who continues to fund his makeshift "goods shop." Orgrimmar and its colorful inhabitants. The hardships and carefree times which have made him the haggard troll he is today.

Taceo is thankful for: Her parents and their unconditional love and support. Nikolaos - her best friend, fiance and better half. Grymtohr, Berien, Eal', Dalem, Rhathgryn, Rokur, and Laceraito - awesome companions and fellow adventurers (For the HORDE!). SCRRAWL Club! Successful raids. The Horde. Lucius and Zoom. Sturdy shields, sharp weapons, sturdy tanks, and watchful healers. Mana potions. Dalaran food and lodging. Matching armor.

Greyer is thankful for: Being able to wake up every morning. His family - Mother, Father, Faolan, and Farran - even though they are no longer with him. The Lyall Tannery, its legacy, and the safety it offers each night. Spritzer, the young bartender who helped maintain his sanity. Atalanta, his unforgettable childhood friend and sweetheart (even if her heart may ultimately belong to someone else). The pride of Gilneas and the indestructible qualities of its force and kingdom. Veton, who was a constant companion (on the other side of the Gates) for the better part of six months after his mother had died.

Lunette is thankful for: Her husband - Lunarius - and her children - Atellus, Moone, Gardien, and the late Astaire. Her adopted daughter - Adaven the orphan Rogue. Trusty companions Larodath, Yente, Yurriot, Cauthon, and Aschen. Gooa - that once pesky mage who taught her what it took to survive in PvP. Her guild - Unearthed - and its remarkable ability to be prosperous and homely. Her frostsabers - January and Seventeen. The Druids of Moonglade and their support.

Winterr is thankful for: Her herd and tribe, who maintain their undying faith in her every single season since her Coming-of-Age Ceremony. The ways of the Druid and the Earthmother who has blessed her in several ways this past year. The Horde and their warchief, who have honored her services in battle. Those who have coached her on her journey to become a Feral Druid. Whimsi, her unexpected Undead pen pal and fellow botanist.

{...} is thankful for: Greyer and his consideration of not hogging the spotlight... The reforging of alliance with the Horde and the freedom they brought. Pockets full of gold. Technology and good business. The Lost Isles. Security. The sacrifice her younger brother had made to ensure her survival during the naval crossfire that would change the fate of the Goblins of Kezan. Hair accessories, jewelcrafters, and awesome deals on much needed items.

Rese is thankful for: Lunarius and Nikolaos (and the awesome man who makes them the best battle companions ever). Family members who tolerate her love of these pixelated beings and their made-up stories. Ventrilo. Blizzard and the game/s that started it all. Epic guildmates and friends - Sam, Derek, Tony, Matt, Amy, Bob, Mike, Sean, and Dustin. And - of course - Lunette, Taceo, Whimsi, Greyer, Tabijin, Veton, Winterr, Wyler, {...}, and the world they live in.

Happy Hallow's Eve, once more.

May the Headless Horseman be generous tonight
and your backpacks full of epic loot.

Atalanta: A Rambling

Very few know me for the young lad I was once. My mother used to boast about how I could have any lady in the kingdom - even though there was only one woman I deftly pursued. But now all they see is the bitter, cold recluse who wanders from the tannery to the local shops once a week - a man left with nothing but memories, whose family and loved ones have vanished by means of the Curse. Once, there was an eligible bachelor who wanted nothing more than to manage his own business and raise a family of his very own. He is no longer there. The opportunity to obtain these two simple aspects of life, I fear, has long since passed; and, it flew with the simple flick of her hand.

A refusal.

A rejection.

Atalanta.

Ridiculously stubborn, ever-challenging since we were introduced as childhood playmates, unbelievably finicky, albeit genuinely charming.

Everything she was, she was opposite me. Whereas I was all for traditions, she'd rejuvenate old ways into something fresh; and, where I was proper and rule-abiding, she tested the boundaries [and, vice versa, mind you].

If only I had initially kept the promise to keep the Lyall Tannery in business.
If only I weren't so hellbent, and she weren't so persnickety.
If only this Curse hadn't changed me, changed us.

What a pair of Lyall's we could have been.

Could have been.

Year by Year

Greyer - Age Meme by ~radhatter on deviantART

At last, the whole of Azeroth will break...

Update; everyone's probably freaking out now... well, Taceo could possibly be chasing that trail of soot across the sky.

Adding Character: Wardrobe

My [or, rather, Conri's!] Gilneas Boys [L-R]: Twins Faolan & Farran and Greyer Lyall
One thing I love about Warcraft characters is their clothing. Mages and Priests wear robes, flowy garments as Warriors and Paladins wear plate armor; a low-level character might have been recruited into the Horde or Alliance with just the clothes on their back; Rogues wear leather, and perhaps only carry what they can to eliminate anything snagging onto them as they sneak around... An auctioneer might not wear "battle gear" and instead wear something flashy as they go about their business to and from the auction house.

With the introduction of the Worgen, I had a thought:

What does a Gilnean wear?

According to WoWWiki:
Gilneans, the inhabitants of Gilneas, are burly, and their costumes, weapons, architecture and accents have great Victorian connotations. With the environment, echoing 19th century London, gear might be fitted to withstand heavy rain and wind. (source)

Thus, I came up with this little list (and it has helped me a whole lot with acquainting myself with Greyer, my soon-to-be Worgen rogue):

• Gentleman's Emporium
  
• Ladie's Emporium
  
• Steampunk Emporium (perfect for LWers & engineers)
  
• Victoriana
  
• Camillus-Fly's DeviantArt Gallery (excellent source of vintage photos)
  
• Quaddles' DeviantArt Gallery (Victorian Men, Women, Groups & Children photos!)
  
• Outland Armour (custom Fantasy/Steampunk Costumes)
  
• Victorian Men (Unknown magazine photoshoot)
  
• Might add more if I find 'em...

Greyer's Box

Yes, Mr. Lyall is late to the Time Capsule party.

Imagine that you have a box, and inside the box are seven items that perfectly describe your character. From their thoughts, ambitions, history, physical characteristics, etc. You can even go into detail on what KIND of box that your seven items are in.

Greyer's Box:
A medium-sized, wooden box. Though the wood is stained a rich chocolate hue, signs of wear are apparent on every edge. Its lid bears the Lyall family crest and is fastened by pewter hinges. A tarnished silver keyhole adorns the front; there are large, shallow scratches - presumably claw marks - on the top, bottom and backside between the hinges.

1. ] A steel [wolf head] ring
   
2. ] A worn family portrait
   
3. ] A sharp skinning knife
   
4. ] A silver cameo pendant
   
5. ] The deed to the Lyall Tannery
   
6. ] A keyring with two unique keys
   
7. ] A gold pocketwatch [still ticking, with matching chain]

Why Greyer is 'grey'...

Since I've been without WOW for a while, I launched my Dogz 4 program again and amidst trying to breed the perfect "hunting dog" [large pointed ears for tracking, stunning iris color in contrast to dark fur, long legs], I came up with the idea of tracing the Lyall family tree.

...if they had all been Worgen, I suspect they'd be as such canine-wise [please pay no mind to the tails, they're just more traditional lupine/"werewolfish" in the program]:

• Eldest siblings to the left and youngest to the right.
  
• Running family traits: Smooth/Ragged ears, Sleek/Rough pelt, Brown (common)/Green (uncommon)/Teal eyes (rare), naming tributes to ancestors/grandparents (why there are so many Lottie's and Lily's and Lillian's in this family, I'll never know... it was a popular name in the Victorian Era though)
  
• The collars were meant to signify where the wealth in the family went or came from; apparently I lost track somewhere and it turned out Greyer's parents and grandparents seemed to work out into some sort of 'middle class' standing anyway
  
• Twins run in this family on Greyer's mother's side - Remus/Eliza Jane Whitaker (Conri's older siblings) and Faolan/Farran Lyall (Greyer's older brothers)
  
• Why Greyer actually came out with a bluer coat than his brothers, I couldn't explain... None of the pictures in this file have been changed; these are the raw bitmap captures from the Petz program (just all compiled together).

click to enlarge

Given that Gilneas was a prosperous society once the walls were put up and they were self-sufficient, I suspected that the Lyall family was rather large (and therefore only traced the line directly to Greyer; of course, Arthur August Lyall's four siblings would have had families of their own).

On the other hand, Lillian Rose Barnes is related to Elodi Barnes (aka "Whimsi") to some degree that I'm not aware of.

A Dawn without Rain

Monsieur Lyall... contemplating a moment in the early morning hours. Yes, he is sporting the "Duelist" shave.