The Adventures of Karriya the Wizard - The Gods, Part 2

The Adventures of Karriya the Wizard is a series based on the main character I play in Everquest. Though most of what I write actually happened, many events might be embellished and exaggerated to create a better story. Happy hunting (and reading)!

Origin Story ~ The Gods, Part 1

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How long has it been since Karriya's last adventures were told? Too long! And she has a bone to pick with me because haughty High Elves love to be in the limelight, and I've neglected her (thankfully she hasn't been completely neglected in the game, though finding time to play as of late has been a challenge).

Unfortunately, her slaying and cavorting with the gods of Norrath have faded into foggy memories, so there might be more spinning of tales than truth in this entry. Or maybe I only think the memories are fuzzy, and the tales I spin will actually be the truth in disguise...

Well then, Karriya says I'm blathering on too much and need to start talking about her. Very well.

First, she wanted me to tell everyone about the time she stormed Drunder, The Fortress of Zek (also known as the Plane of Tactics). With Yushuv by her side, they felled the brothers Tallon Zek and Vallon Zek, followed by their father Rallos Zek. But no, that wasn't grand enough in her opinion. Then she considered the time she fought and then parlayed with Luclin in The Plane of Shadows -- ah, how regal the god looked upon her throne. No, no, not enough. Solusek Ro and Innoruk? Still too boring...

Karriya is indecisive at the best of times.

Why not the time she faced the Fabled versions of many of the gods all in one adventure, both Rondor and Yushuv at her side (and Downpour, of course -- can't forget the little druid)? Yes, that's it!

At the end of the many quests in the Planes of Power there lies the Plane of Time. And in this plane, the gods await. It just so happens that Karriya stormed it when the stronger, Fabled, versions were ready to smite her and her group of adventurers. No single-handed killing for the wizzie this time, and seeing many of the gods in one place sent flashbacks cascading across her mind of all the times she'd killed them in other zones.

Mighty Saryrn and the dark Terris Thule wailed as they fell to Karriya's mighty nukes.

And then as if searching for revenge from her adventure in Drunder, Fortress of Zek, Tallon Zek and Vallon Zek attempted to splat the wizzie while Yushuv pummeled on them with his axe.

Rondor assisted with dots and heals when they assaulted Bertoxxulous and Cazic Thule.

Finally, Innoruuk and Rallos Zek trembled at Karriya and gang and the power they held, the power they used to tear the gods down.

But a picture's worth a thousand words, isn't it? At least that's the point Karriya is at because she needs a nap after all of that god slaying. Oh, and because Rondor informed her some time ago that there are now new god killing achievements. Wait, what? She has to go back to the Planes of Power and kill all of those gods again? Sometimes she forgets it is called EVERquest...

1001 Reasons Not To Clean - #21 through #25

Welcome to 1001 Reasons Not to Clean! The main goal of this series is to see if I can actually reach 1001 reasons, 5 reasons at a time (the final post, if I get there, will be 6 reasons). I'm sure I can. It's not just my crazy brain being unrealistic, right? Links to previous posts are below. And feel free to share your excuses, and they might get added to my list (with credit, of course)!

#1 through #5 ~ #6 through #10 ~ #11 through #15 ~ #16 through #20

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21. Because it's summer, and not only is Preschooler home as usual, so is Eldest. Even if you convince them to play together most of the day, you find that the day has come and gone with nothing done aside from dealing with their antics. Who has time for cleaning?

22. Because it's summer, and that means you're trying to do tons of "fun stuff" with the kids. As in, outside-of-the-house fun (some that makes you wonder how it got so expensive). Even if you have a day in, you're so exhausted from all of the "fun stuff" that it's hard to think let alone clean.

23. Because it's summer, and you have no air conditioning, which makes it too damned hot to clean.

24. Because it's summer, and you'd rather enjoy the nice weather by going for a walk with your family (and maybe playing a little Pokemon Go).

25. Because summer is coming to an end, and Everquest is having a Double EXP (experience) Weekend for Labor Day. This is not only a great reason not to clean, but it also turns out to be a reason to delay your trip to the zoo until the following weekend.

The Adventures of Karriya the Wizard - The Gods, Part 1

The Adventures of Karriya the Wizard is a series based on the main character I play in Everquest. Though most of what I write actually happened, many events might be embellished and exaggerated to create a better story. Happy hunting (and reading)!

Origin Story

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The gods are many in Norrath... which is why this is merely Part 1 of the story. =D

Karriya has crossed paths with many gods in her travels, and it's well-known that once a god dies s/he doesn't stay dead. Which is why in one instance she can happily do a task for a god and in the other have to slaughter that same god. Fickle deities, they are.

But it's not as fun to talk about the nice things Karriya has done for the gods. Oh, no. It's much better to revel in her battles. And the battles have been many.

Some haunts of the gods are in the Planes of Power. These Planes harbor forms of the gods that are no longer quite as powerful as they used to be. Well, not for a level 105 wizard, at least. Though in her youth, she ran from them screaming... Wait no, Karriya the Wizard doesn't scream. She ensured that a full raid of her peers were with her and hid behind them. Please don't consider her a coward. Wizzies tend to splat gloriously -- she's wise, not craven.

Still think she's not as brave as she claims? Well, here's our first deity to use as an example: Terris-Thule, The Dream Scorcher. Many years ago, she took too few friends along with her to Terris's lair, just outside of the Plane of Nightmare. True, it was her Fabled version that was waiting to be taken down (a much more powerful version than which is usually up), but she had confidence that they'd defeat her. Sadly, not only did she splat as awesomely as any wizzie can splat, but the rest of her group wiped as well. Terris was not taken down that day.

But recently, Karriya had her revenge. This time Terris awaited her (the non-Fabled version), and she was going to take the goddess out single-handed (nearly with a single spell), but friend Rondor decided he wanted to join in on the fun (I mean, you got to kill as many as you can for those god-slaying achievements). Downpour sat just outside the cave, waiting to hail the Planar Projection. She's a bit of a mooch like that sometimes.

Karriya barely had time to commemorate the battle with some pictures before Terris Thule fell, defeated. No squishy wizzie anymore! At least not in the Planes of Power.

While there was great satisfaction in downing Terris, there was another fight in the Bastion of Thunder, another Plane of Power, that grew Karriya's pride tenfold. I know, you didn't think she could get any haughtier. Guess again. You have to remember, she is a high elf.

While not a full god (he still seems to count for that aforementioned god-slaying achievement, though), Agnarr, The Storm Lord, broods in his tower. To get to Karana, The Rain Keeper (a true god -- and to Karriya the only one that matters), adventurers must go through Agnarr.

Rondor was again along on this rather quick fight, and they climbed the last set of spiral stairs to be greeted by Karana himself.

Karriya then devolved into one of those squealing teenage fangirls and insisted on taking some selfies with her god. Yes, her god. Who doesn't love a good thunderstorm? Karriya sure does. Downpour does too (her surname is Stormsoul), but the little druid kept her composure in the presence of her god.

Watch for "The Gods, Part 2" in the coming months! And that won't be the last we hear of the gods of Norrath, I assure you. Karriya does enjoy tangling with them -- got to up that haughtiness rating (and the achievement)!

1001 Reasons Not To Clean - #6 through #10

Welcome to 1001 Reasons Not to Clean! The main goal of this series is to see if I can actually reach 1001 reasons, 5 reasons at a time (the final post, if I get there, will be 6 reasons). I'm sure I can. It's not just my crazy brain being unrealistic, right? Links to previous posts are below. And feel free to share your excuses, and they might get added to my list (with credit, of course)!

#1 through #5

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6. There's a cat in your lap. Curse unto those who disturb the cat.

7. You have too much work (writing) to do.

8. Your toddler tells you not to because she wants you to nap with her.

9. You're sick.

10. You'd rather play Everquest. (Hey, maybe I can just fill up all the reasons with different games -- that's a possibility!)

The Adventures of Karriya the Wizard - Origin Story

The Adventures of Karriya the Wizard is a series based on the main character I play in Everquest. Though most of what I write actually happened, many events might be embellished and exaggerated to create a better story. Happy hunting (and reading)!

❦ On the hot summer day of August 17, 2004, Kariya (yes, one R here - not a misspelling!) the Wizard was born in Everquest. OK, I'm not actually sure what the weather was like, and she wasn't so much born as created because let's face it, not many MMOs take characters through childhood. But that's beside the point. Suspend that imagination of yours already!

Karriya, 2006, With Epic Weapon 2.0

Now, Kariya was a haughty little High Elf, roaming the Greater Faydark, close to her home of Felwithe. Though the mobs she faced were pathetic, to her they were monumental. Until she grew up and could mass kill the whole zone with a single spell... That may just be the haughtiness showing through, though.

Anyway, she took up with a berserker named Yushuv -- a scarred Barbarian of few words. Together they eventually found a home in the guild Hands of Prophets. That guild changed to Legacy of Prophets before it faded completely, but I think I'm getting a bit ahead of myself.

While in Hands of Prophets, Kariya met many friends, most of which have disappeared into the ether. A couple, though, she still cavorts with today. One such being a well-mannered druid by the name of Rondor, and another an uber paladin called Eaiana. And she of course can't seem to shake that sometimes grouchy Yushuv. Never!

And then came a day of doom, where all those in Prophets feared for the outcome of all of their friends. A server merge. See, Kariya started out on Morden Rasp, a rather young server, and Morden Rasp was to be merged with Povar, one of the oldest servers. If someone had the same name as you on another server, the person who had the most time played would get to keep the name. The other person, would receive the dreaded X.

Kariya didn't get by the server merge unscathed (nor did several other of her family living on the same account -- that's how Leera the Beastlord became Maeve... and then following another sever merge, Maevve). The X of doom made her weep. She didn't want to be known as Kariyax! Those who received the evil letter were allowed to change their name, and so Karriya (who thankfully didn't get the X again in a future server merge) had her name legally changed. She still hates the extra R, though.

Time passed quickly in the land of Norrath. Prophets dissolved, she joined a guild called Valheru, which eventually changed to Sanity's Edge, and then she left that guild as well. And then, she made a guild of her own -- Dark Possession. I mean, haughty High Elves need to be in charge, right? Yushuv, the stubborn berserker, eventually joined her, as did some of Rondor's and Eaiana's aliases (*coughs* alts -- the name we give to characters that aren't mains).

It was an active guild for a while, but as we've seen, things always change. Dark Possession is still Karriya's guild, and she's littered the guild hall with cats, dogs, gnolls, and birds. There just aren't as many other active people in the guild aside from her aforementioned cohorts who often switch between many alts.

So, there you have it. Wait. I'm forgetting something? Oh, someone. Of course.

Karriya is the clear hero of the story, and every hero needs a sidekick! On March 5, 2006, Downpour, the Halfling druid who loves to hug everyone in her path was born. She's neglected once in a while, being left behind on occasion when Karriya wishes to venture out on her own, but for the most part Karriya makes sure to drag her along on her adventures, especially since the little druid can track mobs wherever they go.

Downpour, 2007 - No, I don't have any better screenshots of her

And so is the origin of Karriya the Wizard (and Downpour the Druid)! Now, over 11 years of adventuring under her robe, Karriya's happy to share her most recent adventures in Norrath. Who knows what she'll find with the stoic Yushuv or dragged into by the fastidious Rondor (who often plays his alt Wondora, a Dark Elf shadow knight, when wandering with Karriya).

Watch for the latest adventure! Maybe she'll even slay a dragon! Or just a bunch of blobs. Not all adventures are glamorous.

Crazy Necro Antics, Fifth Edition - Wedding Bells Part 2: Broadsword Wedding

The necromancer is a playable character class in Everquest, also called necro for short. Necros have an ability called feign death--some nicknames for this ability are FD and flopping. This series will highlight some funny instances of feign death. You do not need to be an Everquest player or even a gamer to laugh at these antics. Happy giggles!

What's going on? Morrigann remembers the tempting glass of wine offered to her. It was delicious, but it had an odd aftertaste. Who was it again that poured it? The world is all fuzzy and she's drifting away. She swears she only had a few sips, no where near enough to get drunk.

A moment of brief lucidity. Beautiful doors. Such gorgeous stained-glass windows. Where is she? Why can't she seem to move? How did she get here in the first place? Too many questions--she's never been this drunk before. Never blacked out before. Her vision fades again as she stares at the colors of the glass.

She returns to consciousness once more. Sunlight filters into the windows, and she smells the flowers. The heady scent wafts into her nose, making her feel as if she's floating. Odd. She definitely prefers flopping to casting Dead Man Floating on herself. She needs to stop waking up in places she has no recollection of wandering to. Before she can try to process her location, blackness takes her.

An altar? Is she crashing another wedding? She swore she wouldn't again, not after the last time. Those wizards still give her nightmares, and she was lucky to escape with her life. No way she wanted to be in another chapel! But it does look like an altar....

Instead of drifting off into nothingness again, her vision clears and she finally focuses on her surrounding. Here she is, flopped in front of an altar. What is she doing here? Who did this to her? She tries to get up, unsuccessfuly, but she hears movement and grunting, as if someone is dragging another body, like they must have dragged her. She must have been drugged with the wine!

Eek! Morrigann's been saying that way too often lately. The other body they pulled next to her is that of a shadowknight. And there's another shadowknight looming next to her. She's been caught in a broadsword wedding! She doesn't want to get married, especially to a shadowknight. No way, uh uh. The tip of the looming shadowknight's sword looks way too sharp.

But she has to risk escape. Thankfully, she comes to her senses soon enough before the minister has a chance to make the marriage binding, and bolts through the chapel doors, narrowly missing the sweep of that wicked sword.

Not only is she going to avoid weddings, but it might be time to lay off the wine as well. Time to stay upright for a bit instead of flopping through life.

If you have any suggestions and silly antics you'd like to see, please post in the comments! It's possible your chosen antic(s) may be used in an upcoming post. All requests will be attributed in the post with a link back to the requester's blog (so include your blog link as well if I don't know it).

NEXT UP: New Cover for "Dancing in the Wind"

Crazy Necro Antics, Fourth Edition - Wedding Bells Part 1: Wedding Crasher

The necromancer is a playable character class in Everquest, also called necro for short. Necros have an ability called feign death--some nicknames for this ability are FD and flopping. This series will highlight some funny instances of feign death. You do not need to be an Everquest player or even a gamer to laugh at these antics. Happy giggles!

It's that time of year. The time of year when many inhabitants of Norrath get a certain itch. An itch that Morrigann doesn't understand. All she knows is that the bells are loud and there's wine. Aside from the wine, why would anyone want to tie themselves to someone else for eternity? Especially elves and such--they have long lives. There better be a lot more wine for all of those years ahead. Today, Morrigann sneaks into a church and finds some of that tasty nectar. Excellent vintage!

Oh, look at that. Something that pairs perfect with the wine. How can she forget about the cake? Perhaps all of these luxuries are why people get married. Good drink, good eats. But it only lasts for a day. There are far better excuses to throw a party. Heck, being alive after a battle with a scary named mob is a great excuse to celebrate, and that happens practically every day in Norrath. Morrigann makes it a point to have something to party for as often as possible. This cake is delicious, though. Mmmm.

Morrigann has to admit, the bride has great taste in flowers. Such lovely deep purple blooms. And the sunlight streaming through the stained glass windows draws the color out, making the flowers shine as brightly as they smell. Ah, such a nice patch of sun. Warm. Comfortable. The perfect place to take a brief nap. No one will mind, right? It's not like she snores or anything. Zzzzzz.

Oh, no. Has she been sleep walking again? How did she get here? She's not presiding over this wedding! Ugh, and these books are horribly musty. They need new copies. Hm, perhaps the couple hasn't seen her yet. It might be a good idea to sneak out of here before the minister gets here. That's going to prove difficult--the guests are already filing in, their eyes riveted to the front, watching the happy couple prepare to say their vows. Running might be the best option.

Morrigann makes a dash for it when the minister comes to take his place, but trips on the runner right behind the couple. They don't seem to notice immediately that she doesn't belong there, that she wasn't invited. Odd that, she sticks out like a sore thumb. Only Drakkin in the lot. Not to mention the guests are mostly wizards. And why exactly is a High Elf wizard marrying a Barbarian berserker? The elf had to have cast some spell on him. The berserker brandishes his glowing axe at Morrigann. Eek!

She pushes herself up and dashes down the aisle. The doors are so close! Ack! She tumbles again--these runners are killer. Wait, no. She pleads with them, claiming she's just an innocent necro who got lost on her way to someone else's wedding. These churches all look so similar. They're not buying it. The couple and guests gather around her, voices rising in anger. All those wizard epics have too many spikes. And keep the orbs of fire away from the robe! A creepy feeling washes over Morrigann when she realizes many of the wizards look eerily similar. Wizards of the Corn? She shudders.

Morrigann has definitely had enough of weddings for a long time.

Or has she?

Come back on July 8 for Wedding Bells Part 2: Broadsword Wedding.

If you have any suggestions and silly antics you'd like to see, please post in the comments! It's possible your chosen antic(s) may be used in an upcoming post. All requests will be attributed in the post with a link back to the requester's blog (so include your blog link as well if I don't know it).

NEXT UP: Magic Is Reality, Reality Is Magic - Midsummer

A Gamer's Lexicon - Entry 4

Screenshot from Everquest

A Gamer's Lexicon series touches upon terms players use in video games. The terms here mostly come from my experiences in the MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game) Everquest. This series will hopefully help the non-gamers understand some of the terms gamers use. And gamers may find it humorous as well! If you have any gaming terms (from any type of video game or table top gaming) you would like me to address in the future, or if you think I should add something to already defined terms, please post in the comments--I may ask you to define a term though, if it isn't one I've come across before. Happy hunting!

The previous terms in A Gamer's Lexicon series can be found here:

Entry 1: RNG, RNG Gods, mob, loot, wipe
Entry 2: Newb/Newbie, Noob, Aggro, Train, KoS
Entry 3: EQ, Evercrack, Lesson of the Devoted, DOOM, Rat Killer, Everquest Expansion Abbreviations through RoF

It's been a while since I've had a new post for A Gamer's Lexicon! To put it in perspective, Everquest has released two more expansions (up to 21 now). I think it's high time I added more terms.

camp - NOUN: A specific area a group sets up to kill surrounding mobs. When people call for a Camp Check (sometimes simply abbreviated CC) in a certain area, they are asking where groups already there are killing mobs, so they know not to encroach on their territory. VERB: To target a specific mob or mobs to kill. "I'm camping this mob until I can get the loot I need from it."

spawn or pop - After a mob is killed, you have to wait for the next spawn or pop, in other words for it to show up again. There is usually a timer, different for each area, that determines how long it takes for mobs to re-spawn or re-pop. The average time in Everquest for more recent expansions is 15-20 minutes. That can be a long time to wait if you're only killing one mob and waiting for it to re-spawn!

Named - A special and rare kind of mob that takes time to spawn. Named mobs usually drop better loot, including armor. Most Named have capital letters at the beginning of each word in its name, hence the term Named. However, there are some Named with all lowercase letters because the developers like to be sneaky.

PH - PH is an abbreviation for placeholder. This refers to the specific kind of mob that has a chance to re-spawn as a Named. It's a normal mob, but not all normal mobs that are killed can re-spawn as a named. Usually PHes are in specific locations or have a particular name, to allow players to figure out what mobs to target if they want to spawn a Named.

grinding - One of the main goals of a game is to level. If you sit in one spot for hours on end, only killing mobs to gain experience in hopes to level, this is called grinding. "I hate grinding - I'd rather be questing!" True statement. ;)

Can you figure out this paragraph that uses all the terms above?: Last weekend I camped a Named mob. But it kept spawning as the PH! There are 20 minutes between pops, and I had to have killed at least a dozen PHs. How monotonous and mind-numbing! But that's the life of a gamer. I guess I could have been grinding instead.

Did you get all that? It's like learning a new language. Well, I hope you at least found the post fun. Now I'm looking forward to some Named hunting this weekend, and I hope we don't get PH after PH!

NEXT UP: What Am I Writing?

Crazy Necro Antics, Third Edition - Springtime!

The necromancer is a playable character class in Everquest, also called necro for short. Necros have an ability called feign death--some nicknames for this ability are FD and flopping. This series will highlight some funny instances of feign death. You do not need to be an Everquest player or even a gamer to laugh at these antics. Happy giggles!

The bees (and bixies) are buzzing about, flowers are in bloom, and the necros make sure to enjoy spring as only necros can! Morrigann decides that this time, fun amongst the flowers would be best had with a friend. So, Eteron joins her! As you can see, the heady scent of the flowers immediately puts them in a haze. They just can't stay on their feet, it's so intoxicating! Careful, Morrigann and Eteron, a bixie is lurking below--you may be dreaming spring dreams on her flower.

Sure enough, the bixies are after Eteron! Oh, no. Play dead before they sting you. Where is Morrigann? She needs to come to her friend's rescue.

Yikes! Guess she's in a pickle of her own. The sporelings and flowers must not have liked the way she smelled them. Seems the necros just can't stay out of trouble. Can they escape without feign death becoming real death?

Necro revenge! Both Eteron and Morrigann manage to smite the creatures camping them. And then they raise the dead for their own little army! Don't go threatening this pair of necros, or they'll put your corpse to work--no peace even in death!

And if you can't beat them, join them. Morrigann and Eteron don bixie illusions so they won't be bothered by the locals anymore. Oh, dear, guess the water lilies have them floating face down. They must not know bixies shouldn't go near the water.

DON'T EAT THE MUSHROOMS! Oops. I guess it's too late. What are we going to do with these careless necros? I bet they're hallucinating now. Because you really shouldn't eat the mushrooms. Everyone knows that. Well, everyone except Morrigann and Eteron.

The day winds down, and the necro friends are exhausted from all of their spring frolicking. So exhausted, as a matter of fact, that they can't find their way out of the hedge maze. Oh, well. They'll just take a nap and worry about it later.

Morrigann wants to remember the fun time she had with Eteron, so she brings some flowers back to the guild hall. However, she had to fight several bixies off to be able to pick the flowers, so she's a little worse for wear. It was worth it, though! She can't wait until next spring.

If you have any suggestions and silly antics you'd like to see, please post in the comments! It's possible your chosen antic(s) may be used in an upcoming post. All requests will be attributed in the post with a link back to the requester's blog (so include your blog link as well if I don't know it).

NEXT UP: Monthly Update!

Crazy Necro Antics, Second Edition - Winter!

The necromancer is a playable character class in Everquest, also called necro for short. Necros have an ability called feign death--some nicknames for this ability are FD and flopping. This series will highlight some funny instances of feign death. You do not need to be an Everquest player or even a gamer to laugh at these antics. Happy giggles!

Last time Morrigann showed us how fun summer can be for a necromancer. Well, winter is even more of a blast! It's not wise to go for a swim in winter, especially when the river is covered with ice! Oh no, poor Morrigann looks like she didn't make it out, and she was so close. Is she still alive? Will someone rescue her?

Phew. It looks like she made it out. Perhaps her pet dragged her to safety--they may look like bones or shades, but those necro pets are strong! Wait, is she moving at all? She better get inside where it's warm, or she's going to become a necrosicle. Poor thing.

Looks like she finally did make it inside, but she's in an ice cavern! That's no help. The indigenous spiders saw her as a hostile creature. Eek! Better flop before she gets eaten. But be careful, those ledges are slippery. She may just fall off, and those darn spiders don't want to leave her alone.

Back outside. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! What a perfect time to make a snow angel...face first.... Necros are weird ones! Oh look, there's a mammoth in the distance.

Go, go undead polar bear army! Kill the beast! Because, um, Morrigann's health is dropping. Er, come on polar bears, you're supposed to kill the thing. Ack, Morrigann is going to have to flop if she wants to survive this one.

And so she flopped. Wait, you don't see her? Take a look at the left side of the picture. Yes, near the mammoth's backside. See her there? Squished under the gigantic mammoth foot! A big strong wizard had to come rescue Morrigann, but she survived.

And Morrigann finally made it into the warm guild hall. But after all the snowy antics, she drank a bit too much eggnog and flopped into the Frostfell tree! I think this necro has had enough of winter. =)

If you have any suggestions and silly antics you'd like to see, please post in the comments! It's possible your chosen antic(s) may be used in an upcoming post. All requests will be attributed in the post with a link back to the requester's blog (so include your blog link as well if I don't know it).

NEXT UP: Sookie Vs. Sookie - comparison of the characters in Dead Until Dark and True Blood.

A Gamer's Lexicon - Entry 3 - Special Everquest Edition!

Screenshot from Everquest

A Gamer's Lexicon series touches upon terms players use in video games. The terms here mostly come from my experiences in the MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game) Everquest. This series will hopefully help the non-gamers understand some of the terms gamers use. And gamers may find it humorous as well! If you have any gaming terms (from any type of video game or table top gaming) you would like me to address in the future, or if you think I should add something to already defined terms, please post in the comments--I may ask you to define a term though, if it isn't one I've come across before. Happy hunting!

The previous terms in A Gamer's Lexicon series can be found here:

Entry 1: RNG, RNG Gods, mob, loot, wipe
Entry 2: Newb/Newbie, Noob, Aggro, Train, KoS

Welcome to the special Everquest Edition of A Gamer's Lexicon! Everquest recently released its 19th expansion (crazy, isn't it?), so I thought it was a good time to focus solely on some Everquest-only terms.

EQ - Everquest.

Evercrack - This one might be self-explanatory. ;) Many people refer to Everquest as Evercrack, as it can be quite the addiction!

Lesson of the Devoted - Also simply called Lesson or LotD, this is a veteran reward that allows players 30 minutes of double experience gain every 20 hours. Veteran rewards are for long standing players, a different award given for every year (cumulatively) you have played/paid for Everquest. Lesson is the 1-year reward. When people activate the ability, they may say something like: "Popping Lesson" or "Burning Lesson".

DOOM - Yes, all caps. Could mean anything, right? Well, for Everquest players it's related to Lesson. When people pop lessons while killing mobs, they may call it DOOM because some consider it unlucky! For some reason, there tends to be a higher chance of death when you are burning your Lesson (this is likely simple coincidence). The RNG Gods seem to think that wipes are more amusing when Lessons are popped. =P

Rat Killer - This was a nickname for Everquest when it was first released! I didn't start playing until several expansions later, but I heard when EQ first came out, it was mostly people chasing after rats!

And the coup de grâce of this post--the list of expansion abbreviations! Hang tight, 19 expansions makes this list a long one!

RoK or Kunark - The Ruins of Kunark

SoV or Velious - The Scars of Velious

SoL or Luclin - The Shadows of Luclin

PoP or POP - The Planes of Power

LoY or Ykesha - The Legacy of Ykesha

LDoN - Lost Dungeons of Norrath

GoD or GOD or Gates - Gates of Discord

OoW or Omens - Omens of War

DoN - Dragons of Norrath

DoD - Depths of Darkhollow

PoR - Prophecy of Ro

TSS - The Serpent's Spine

TBS - The Buried Sea

SoF - Secrets of Faydwer

SoD - Seeds of Destruction

UF - Underfoot

HoT - House of Thule

VoA - Veil of Alaris

RoF - Rain of Fear

And word is that they will be releasing content differently in the future. Is it the end of the expansion acronyms? We'll see! But I think Everquest still has quite a few years left in it.

Speaking of EQ, time to log in and nuke some mobs!

NEXT UP: The Sims 3 - Lavender Legacy, Chapter 1 - Meet Lila Lavender! - I lied! It will actually be Magic is Reality, Reality is Magic: Yule

A Gamer's Lexicon - Entry 2

Screenshot from Everquest

A Gamer's Lexicon series touches upon terms players use in video games. The terms here mostly come from my experiences in the MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game) Everquest. This series will hopefully help the non-gamers understand some of the terms gamers use. And gamers may find it humorous as well! If you have any gaming terms (from any type of video game or table top gaming) you would like me to address in the future, or if you think I should add something to already defined terms, please post in the comments--I may ask you to define a term though, if it isn't one I've come across before. Happy hunting!

The previous terms in A Gamer's Lexicon series can be found here:

Entry 1: RNG, RNG Gods, mob, loot, wipe

5 more terms to add to your gamer-speak arsenal!

Newb or Newbie - This term refers to players that are new to the game (or gaming in general) and don't know most of the ropes. Newbies tend to ask a lot of questions. Whether players want to admit it or not, everyone was a newbie at one time!

Noob - Yes, this is different than newb. Noob is actually more of an insult. When one player is upset with another, she may call that player a noob. It's like saying said person is an idiot, so much that he acts like a new player. People that have been playing a game for years do not like being called noobs. Don't piss older players off, as they may have no gaming etiquette and decide to train (term defined below) you.

Aggro - When you engage a mob, you aggro it. Most times attacking the mob with weapons or spells will aggro the mob, but you can also aggro it if it is hostile to you, or KoS (term defined below), and you pass near it. Make sure to have invis on if you're running through a pack of mobs! However, some may see through your invis and aggro you anyhow. Eek!

Train - To create a train, a player aggros a bunch of mobs, then she runs about with all the mobs following her. If she is cruel, she can purposefully run through another group in attempt to wipe that group--the mobs may decide to jump the group members and the player training will lose aggro. Some trains are accidental, though. A player who aggros a mob on accident may run for her life, gathering more mobs in the process. Most of these panicked players run to a zone line, which will end aggro. The kind thing to do when this happens is to call, "Train to zone!" so people standing at a zone line will know to move out of the way before they aggro the mobs and die!

KoS - Kill on Sight. Many mobs in games like Everquest are KoS to the players. This means, if the KoS mobs see a player, it will attack her immediately. There is actually a system where if you stay far enough away from the mob so it doesn't notice you, you can check, or con, the mob to see if it is KoS or not. But con is a term to be defined another day. =)

There are just too many terms I would have loved to list here, but I have to limit myself! Next time. ;)

NEXT UP: SFFS Snippet - 9/15/12