September Event Favorites!!

Aggravain

Squire
Owner
NEPA Staff
Hey there people! Please share your favorite events and moments from both sides of the fence from our September event!!
 
Oh, man. This definitely goes into my top 3 events ever. Thank you PCs, NPCs, and staff for all your hard work, camaraderie, and willingness to deal with excessive amounts of fake blood.

1. Getting to finally, finally, finally run Sha'necht plot. I wrote the first draft of that plotline for a different chapter two years ago and, after some fine-tuning, Donna and Collin were gracious enough to let me run it. It was a pleasure getting to scare and sadden an interesting collection of PCs and I look forward to doing so again. Contingent upon this:
  • Ezri, Huleen, and Tvard's faces when Ashley rifted in the first time.
  • Vox having a tantrum.
  • Chasing PCs down to the river while sobbing/screaming as a motivator.
  • Vincent, Vincent, Vincent and his Very Strong Opinions.
  • Finding out after game off that the PCs permanently killed a perfectly innocent NPC.
  • Dom and Ashley, who were willing to do just about anything to make sure the plot was fun, scary, and engaging. Thanks, guys; can't wait to work with you again.
2. Grey Wolf plot! Thank you Dave and Brian for fun and engaging mods that were simple, challenging, and very fun. Thank you Hilary for your amazing RP and for hiding in a cabin and letting V rant furiously about the callousness of adventurers for like 45 minutes. "THIS IS ALL JUST A LITTLE REDUCTIVE."

3. Turning around midway through the final battle to see, of all things, Collin as a nightmare of V's husband. Never saw it coming. Very, very cool.

4. Stupid Hemacha'rali and her stupid face and stupid mouthwords. The ensuing roleplay with Ama'rali.

5. Kailani being knighted! I am the proudest Cool Elfmom.

6. Proteus. Convincing him that Tvard's worst nightmare was to see V hurt. V getting hurt. Rali taunting Proteous for Really Not Knowing Better and V subsequently scream-laughing like a crazy woman.

7. "If I were any more inbred, I'd be a sandwich".

Thanks again, everyone. See you next month!
 
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So very sore and exhausted even after a night of sleep. Clearly, Event Successful. My personal faves!

First things first and most of all: DONNA OH MY GOD YOU HORRIBLE WONDERFUL DEMENTED WOMAN. Can I just tell you that I didn't actually know what Ferra's fears were at the start of this event? Totally did not know how much Rejection of Family would SHATTER Ferra's confidence and sense of self-worth. You dug that out of my history without my even knowing it was there to be dug up in the first place and for that I can only take my hat off to you and take twisted delight in sobbing in corners. <3

Also!
- Grey Wolf mods! Hilary, I love RPing with you so much. Loved the ambiance and the level of the mods. Also, I actually walked aalllll the way down and across the river twice in one event? Guys. Wacky wacky times here. But the mods were so worth the walk!
- Ashley's terrifying initial rift into the tavern. I collapsed into a shivering ball right next to Hilary's wolf-kin as we were about 5 feet away. Gaaaahhhhhhh.
- The pacing and statting and feel of the whole event. Perfection!
- Cross chapter shenanigans. I wish I could go to more chapters just to soak up more delicious flavas!

I know there's more but my brain is just so done today. Much love to all the folks who worked so hard on this event!
 
I spent most of the weekend in my room editing my latest novel (Arr! Pirates!) but got to play Gwindor, the Amani elder, who I first played before some of you were even born.

Gwindor is the extreme guy on the Council, who wants to keep the Ash Forest clean of all but Amani.

What I enjoyed most was being convinced by Ezri that maybe he should allow dryads into the Wold. I had to take a break in the middle of the conversation to go see Donna: "What if they change my mind?" I asked. "It's kind of hard to argue against this. How much of a racist should I be?" I was given permission to not be such a ****, and went back and had a great transformation. Great roleplaying from all; I had a blast.
 
I agree with Kris. This is definitely a "top three events ever" event. Beautifully run.

- Donna and Tom on monster desk. The pacing and the statting were just about perfect. While I felt useless IC at a few points, OOC I knew better and that makes it all worth it. Also, the NPCs that let them make their magic happen.

- Everyone who wrote plot for this weekend. I don't even know all of your names, but it was flawlessly executed. The terror level, which goes hand in hand with the monster desk stuff, was just right. Much more and I'd not have known what to do with myself, much less and it'd have felt "cheap" for so many different things to be sent in and yet have no real fear response from me.

- Going along with that, everyone's roleplaying choices in the face of such a terrifying thing. Everyone was fantastic to watch freak out and try everything in their power to handle the situation.

- I rarely talk about how much I enjoyed combat during a weekend, but I enjoyed every part of it. Especially the first night. I don't think I've ever blown through that many potions as Vicky. Ever.

- On a more specific note, the singing circle and meditation... thing that the Skelebros did. That was pretty amazing and wonderful and should happen more often.

- Actually, just having Imagos in Vicky's head again. I was both terrified and surprised by her response, and Tom always seems to know exactly how to make her day horrible. Thank you!

- Vincent. You know what you did.

- Erden and Emmy (sp?) for all of the wonderful gossip roleplay. Seriously, girly talks make everything less horrible.

- Mouse for convincing Vicky that flipping a coin wasn't actually the correct way to decide whether or not to stay on a court.

- Zat and Del for the frequent check-ins and general all-purpose reminder that Vicky likes biata even if the Thessi are the worst.

- Last because it was impressive, Kai's knighting. I saw that mirror go up and felt terror for Kai having to do that. That was genius on Ezri's part. I'm so proud of that little plant, even if we saw it coming.
 
I have done allot of psychological weekends, and allot of "you are trapped here weekends". I believe this one was well executed and the players by and large bought into it very well. That is a credit to the writing staff, and to the membership writ large. The other high and general compliment I can give is that, although I know there was writing from many places going on, the entire weekend felt like it fit. That lack of glaring seems is, I think, the most commendable thing about this event to me.

But now for some personal favorites:

Blowing the whistle and hearing Ezri say "that's Simon". Gotta love when my team knows not just the code, but can tell the caller.

Realizing that the lack of an apparent sense of urgency of the town fighting their way to the Tavern actually lended credence to it being the town, as any group of monsters would have made a break for it.

Having fought Elosdi enough to know what not to throw at them, and being able to sort out confusion.

Marshal coming up to me after I got infested to tell me "you need to go see plot" and drinking a vial, handing it to the marshal and telling them "No I don't"

Realizing what Dom was, how masterful a job was done repping it, and completely not buying the horror of it.

Stack of Dragons breath scrolls. That is the reason, that is my story, I am sticking to it.

"...because if there are going to be pins they need to look good on what I got"

Going down the stairs, realizing the scale of what is really going on, and just sitting down on a bucket and doing commentary for team #2 as team #1 went through, and then waving team #2 fond farewell after putting the PA on their new healer.

Remembering that just because you have a PA does not mean you should charge your opponent.

Luck....and Colin.

Getting the Baroness from the Elosdi belly by the skin of my teeth.

Foresight to get everyone ready to run as soon as the faceless one rifted out. He only got "I" out before I called the evacuate, and everyone made it out just fine (that time)

The foresight after many people had been taken to Sat night dream mod to send runners to all the cabins and places where people had been rifted out just in case they might rift back in....and it working.

Getting to fight the big bad with my team...even if it was not a traditional "team fight" Thank heavens for being able to use the whole mod sight, potions items and the skin of our teeth. I told them before we went in our newer members were no longer "Baby Forest" and they proved it.

I choose in. Yeah, I got clobbered for it but at my age just having the reflex is a victory.

Successfully avoiding one of my singular biggest fears for my character. I am forever safe now.

Going to explain to Perry why Simon was wholly unconcerned about his Sunday Monring NPC and his answer of "Oh yeah, I just figured Simon was fucked up".

Angel's Captain. We did not get to interact a whole lot but it is always fun to play with you. Chris, you too man, wish things had allowed for more time. Glad to know I have some cred with a Ranger out there somewhere.

Subjugating a Prince of Imladar. Shame I had not idea who he was...I could have played that allot differently.

Joe S.
 
What I enjoyed most was being convinced by Ezri that maybe he should allow dryads into the Wold. I had to take a break in the middle of the conversation to go see Donna: "What if they change my mind?" I asked. "It's kind of hard to argue against this. How much of a racist should I be?" I was given permission to not be such a ****, and went back and had a great transformation. Great roleplaying from all; I had a blast.

Mike, I'm not sure I can articulate how much that comment means to me. That in-game moment was probably the defining element to Ezri's career, and was a huge deal to me out of game as well. I'm so glad you enjoyed it as much as I did.

Overall, this weekend's agenda seemed to be "How many emotions can we get out of Michelle this event?" Disgust, Rage, Fear, Pride, Love, Confusion, Depression, Devastation, Grief, Elation, Frustration, Exasperation... I'm sure there's more in there.

Firstly, my team. The hugs, the "you should know better" stares, the pats on the back for jobs well done... Joe was right. Baby Forest has grown up, and you are kicking *** - collectively and each in your own ways. I am so proud of you.

All things Ashley. For a long time I was afraid to let plot play with that particular aspect of my character history, but holy crap they could not have picked a better person for it. As torturous as it was in some ways, in others it was some closure for her, and it was definitely a moment that will stay with me for a very long time. Thank you.

Also, All things Sean Metzler. I know DAMN well if you wanted to you could have lit me up one side and down the other in that fight, but you gave me a solid, challenging fight that made me feel effective without making it feel like you were letting me win. That's a tough balance but you do it with style, sir. Oh, and you're a freaking creepmaster! I still can't believe you didn't see us in that cabin but somehow managed to hit us all in dead center mass with those packets. Crazy talk!

DONNA FREAKING HELLMUTH. Ahem. Where do I even start? All the amazing write-ups that lead to this event, the very spiffy prop that went with it, calling me out on the field for the golem fight (oh, NOW you want to talk? We could have avoided all this!), warm fuzzies as the sapling... you are amazing, lady.

Ezri having her emotional anchor (Mouse) absolutely lose her s*** on the nightmare mod. Wasn't prepared for that. In the same mod, have a horrific nightmare that involved Ulthoc, finding him in the nightmare realm... I beg him "Tell me this isn't real!" and he just blows me off. We both needed a lot of soothing after that fight. The fact that we actually managed a solid half hour of uninterrupted sobs and snuggles kind of amazed me.

Perry, you're still a jerk. Love you. Jerk.

Knighting Kailani. So many heart-to-heart talks. So many tasks. You've been on that edge longer than you even know. Thank you for finally showing me what I needed to see to give you that belt. You earned it. I have to give Tom props for the idea on the style of that ceremony though.

Raven - we sometimes disagree on things, but you've always had my back and this weekend was no different. Thank you.

The insanity that was the Shadow Dragon/Life Elemental fight. Wait... this guy was trying to kill us... but he's fighting the... um, ok, keep him healed! And wait... the atter-elosdi are fighting... FOR us? I AM SO CONFUSED BUT THEY'RE HELPING SO RIGHT NOW I DON'T CARE.

I'm sure I will think of more as soon as I hit "post" but for now, a huge thank you to all the staff, NPCs and PCs of HQ. You are an amazing bunch of people.
 
Thank all of Monster camp for making this a great event. To all who wrote for this event, you have helped locked this down as my choice of things to do on my time off. The lowbie mods were great and informative while still being fun. The fighting was great and a mess all at the same time. My legs and throwing arm are sore. Thank you to all the other pcs , along with everyone I already thanked, for making this my new fav event. Oh yeah and spell call, horrible timing and a misplaced shot that made " Arcane Distract" happen.
 
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Mike, I'm not sure I can articulate how much that comment means to me. That in-game moment was probably the defining element to Ezri's career, and was a huge deal to me out of game as well. I'm so glad you enjoyed it as much as I did.

Yep, you did a good job. The encounter was not written with any specific ending. I was not told "Let Ezri convince you to change your mind." :)
 
I just want to say first that this event commands a ton of respect and admiration. The way that things were pulled together, and the amount of time that people spent FULLY ENGAGED is awesome. I left character only a few brief moments the entire weekend, because I was CONSTANTLY engrossed. It was probably the most active I've ever been as a PC. The totally number of mods I went on this weekend is probably close to the total number of mods I have been on before in total. The mixing of the plots and characters was amazing and felt real and believable. I learned so much about other lands and it felt awesome.

That said, some favorites:

-Michael Duetzmann was awesome in all of his iterations, but especially poignant as PROTEUS. You did great pulling together a legitimately memorable character without having a lot of info to go off of, and all in all he was a character I want to see more of. It made me feel special, and it made me really examine my character in ways I hadn't considered before.

-Saging. Dudeguys, I Saged so hard this weekend. I had advice, and people listened to my words. I read things and interpreted them, and then people listened to those interpretations. I was like, "This is a thing, and this is what you should do about it in my opinion." And people were like, "Ok, I hear what you are saying. Thanks for your input." It felt real good.

-That Which Cannot Be Named, all of that. I liked how little combat was involved. I like how creepy it was. I like the concept and the execution. I like everything about That Which Cannot Be Named. I think it deserves a continuation. Everything has to be destroyed. The conversation between me and Ulthoc and what had to be done.

-Polearm Wall with Norden, because YOU AIN'T GETTIN' IN HERE, SUCKA. I now want a bunch of polearms to roll around and just be a wall of NOPE NOPE NOPE. I felt like a jerk, but it was pretty awesome taking down a line of mobs all across the wall haha.

-Grey Wolf was a kickass mini plot. I liked that it wasn't a huge part of the main plot, but it was in the theme of the weekend and gave us a benefit in the form of a cool Bene. It wasn't what I would call SCARY, but it had a very otherwordly feel, and it provided enough stress and challenge to really make it engaging. The visuals were good and the progression was good. All in all, it was a fun time and I'm glad I could be a part of it.

-Lowbie mod was awesome. It gave the low level kids a chance to go out and be the heroes, even if they had Khet and Tvard as support. They did great and they had a good time. It was good hanging with the new people!

-Family Time is always loved and valued. Seeing Kai get Knighted was awesome, and it warms my black little heart to know she is advancing as she should be. Hugs from Mum are always the best when Tvard wakes up from his Nightmares.

-Helping Azdrubiel (or however it's spelled) what little I could during his fight with a DRAGON. Guys. I Parried a Slay from a DRAGON. That's a story that'll never get old.



I dunno, I'm just AMPED about it. It was a fantastic event, and it was one of the best I've ever been to. It makes me filled with such a swelling sense of joy and purpose. Thanks guys, I'll see you soon.
 
Plot, NPCs, PCs... Just wow. I can't get over this event. I have regaled everyone who both does and doesn't care about everything that has gone on. The writing was excellent and on more than one occasion I had to completely method act Vox in order to not start shivering from being freaked out.

This weekend gave some people an idea of what drives Vox and what he truly cares about. He had to make a decision that made him sad. I almost started crying and it was seeing a number of younger adventurers nearby that stopped him from allowing himself to FEEL what he had just done. It's not often understood that Stone Elves can feel but choose not to. When they go into people's minds, they inundate themselves with the emotion and ground it out. When something so devastating happens, the only choices are to steel yourself against it or to allow yourself to understand exactly what you did. In order to prevent this from ever happening again, he submerged himself in the emotion to make sure that the next time a child is in peril, there is nothing, not even an elemental plane of separation on another continent, that will prevent him from killing the bad guys. /rant

On a brighter note: I'm going to Deadlands. Someone stole my idea.

On another note: I need to find myself a golemancer and discuss why she's stealing my ideas and allowing impressionable adventurers find notes on them.

This weekend was incredible. Thank you all.
 
Ok, so this event was pretty damn good! Here are my/Agurzil's favorite moments:

1. The honest reaction I got from the family, as they seemed really surprised that I respected their opinion. It's a small bit of role-play but it made me feel I was doing it right. Frisco, Kris, and Emily, Ag likes your guys a lot.

2. Donna Helmuth I love and hate you. You found a button, and didn't stop pushing until Ag was on the verge of homicidal actions.

3. Following the nightmare mod, an Elder Wyrm showing up saying:
Wrym: "Hand over the sapling so I can destroy it."
Agurzil: "That's only going to happen over my dead body"
Wyrm: "Well come down here and I'll arrange that"
Agurzil: "F@#& that, come up here and kill me."
Everyone else going: "What did you do, you killed us all, etc."

4. Hour long conversation about the politics of Imlidar with Aldo, not realizing he was the new ambassador. You sneaky bastard.

5. Dame Kailani, enough said.

6. The conversations at Squire training. Hearing about events in our past and the different opinions was tons of fun.

I agree with other's before me, this event is definitely in my tops all time. Thank you to all the PC's, NPC's, and Staff!
 
Holy crap. I'm quite certain this event will be with me for the rest of my time playing Alliance. Thank you so much to the Plot teams that made this happen! <3

Now for favorites:
- Donna. DONNA!! You make my Alliance experience amazing. Thank you for the wicked IBGA and everything you do for me. <3
- Dave E as Valdorian. Alto worships you, so much bromance as a result. Lol. You kicked so much arse! Also loved getting to fight side by side with the other Prince of Imladar. The rez of Valdorian was very humbling, and made for excellent RP. Calling attention in the tavern and introducing him was amazing as well.
- Valim rifting in, and the hour plus it took to fill you in.
- Sapling shenanigans. Great fun.
- Dropping a Feasea oath to protect Dame Kai to the rez when we were hiding from the Dragon. Not only because Ezri asked me at the start to keep her safe, but because she suddenly was a noble. #imladaripolitics
- Speaking of Imladar politics. Ag had a very open and honest political discussion with Alto. Then I dropped I was the Imladari Ambassador. I'm told his eyes filled his mask haha. Alto was always there tho when Ag needed to do a thing this weekend.
- Donna as that damn Golemmancer. Alto debating charging her. Vicky almost getting cut down to for trying to stop him.
- Vincent asking Alto for advice.
- Domino Dealer automatically getting disliked by Alto for making him drunk. And the silliness that followed.
- Getting turned into a Zombie by the Nightmare Jade Skeleton. While cool, I hated that spell because I couldn't remember the stats and stuff at the time.
- Receiving an award from Zat. Alto was quite pleased. Ambassador Armand was even more so.
- Fighting left and right with Sir Landcharmer to defeat the Thessi on the island. (Which nobody believed Alto that Thessi were on the island until Painguard and stuff showed up) Recovering 'the weapon' was soooo important as well.
- Freeze poses for all the paralysis from the Elosdi.
- Epic 'deaths' left and right. I think my RP for dropping was spot on all weekend.
- The Darlassia mod. Alto's anger at the death of Imladari people, but having a clear enough mind to order everyone to pull out when we needed to.

I'm quite certain there is WAY more than this short list. There is too much awesome that happened at this event. I've never felt more in character to date.
See you all at the closer!!!!!
 
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Yeah, let me add the Pirate ship mod I was a part off and the shenanigans from Dave E's reaction when he went from having pretty well neutralized me to hearing the "magic dispel" and his "oh crap" to fun with Wall of Force. Any time you can not just utilize that spell, but utilize the ability to drop it you are doing it right.

Joe S.
 
I am so glad all of you had so much fun. I know every time NPC for the weekend it's a personal mission of mine to really bring my A game and make sure you guys have a lot of fun. I look at my once a year NPC event a part of my responsibility as a player and I truly hope that I made a difference in your even this weekend.

Now on to my favorites:
1. NPCing with my friends! Have to love running things with Dave, Damon, Drew, Angel, and Chris. I have a cool team and I am glad you guys are on it.
2. The Grey Wolf mods. Dave wrote those and together I think we really did something fun. If you guys missed out I am sorry we will try and get you next year. I lost my voice on that one once the Grey Wolf actually appeared and boy was I so amped up trying to play a feral wolf I kind of walloped an NPC. Sorry about that!
3. The death of Nigel Campbell! He was the first really big bad guy I got to play and it's bitter sweet to let him go. He was the T1000 with a ton of magic and he was super fun to play. The crazy thing is I had roughly 10 more lives with him, but the players did a great job getting him. I hope his death was as good for all of you as it was for me.
4. New PCs Ryan and Kelly! One flew in from Minnesota and the other drove up from Atlanta! Now that's some dedication.
5. Running a ton of Monster Desk as well as running and marshaling a bunch of encounters. While I was the GM I didn't get to do a whole lot of that, but I really tried to make sure we kept it moving for you guys. My goal was to have little to no lulls during this weekend.
6. NPCs! Wow did we have a great group back there. I never lacked for volunteers and you guys went non stop! I will hop fence any time with you guys.
7. Donna and Collin you guys wrote and awesome game and Mike D. your digger thing was awesome.
8. Mike D. also gets credit for best single battle exchange for the weekend. I came at him as Grey Wolf with a serious fury and he parried nearly everything with his small shield. If you saw it you know how awesome that was!
9. Nightmare mod after the faceless man. I just got back from dinner and it was time to apparently rez all the nobles. I only had 2 lives, but those last 4 prisons were bad news. I had to turn to Donna and say OOG ok everyone is either prisoned or down. To which she said, "you rift 1, you rift out 2, you rift out 3" to the PCs. I am glad I didn't break my fez record this weekend :).
10. Poor Willow and Huleen. I really should have killed you guys, but I just couldn't bring myself to rez you both on Friday night. Willow's companions left her in the mists to die! Huleen just got engulfed and no one was able to get him.
11. Lastly, Kailani's hiding of the sapling. I am telling you you don't know how hard it is to pull a decoy like that on me, but you guys got me good. If only I could have gotten into those wards because I checked every single cabin and room more then once, but I couldn't get in to turn lights on or search. I am not going to forget you hid under the bed! Well done!
12. Oooops, one more. Playing alongside Sean as the dragon. Nastiest card I have ever seen!

Can't wait to see you all next month since the me and the team are coming in force!
 
I can easily say that this was my favorite event that I've gotten to play so far. Where to start...

1. All things Ash Forest. I love my team and you guys are the best. It's always awesome to see how we've come together and grown, bonding all along the way. I can't wait to continue to do so in the future.

2. Personal Plot. This is the first time since I've started playing Cyno back in August 2011 that it's come up, and it was excellent. Drew you were awesome and the intricate details you pulled up from my history were great. I know the spirits they sent out really affected others as well.

3. Getting invested into the Celestial Circle and identifying items for most of the weekend. I'd never done that before, and was slightly taken aback when I was chosen to be invested. It was entirely awesome getting to let people in and out for other things too, like the evil ballista and the heal golem ritual Rayna performed for the Guilded Claw. I'm really going to have to get more involved with the Celestial Guild once things settle down.

3. Faceless Nightmare/Slenderman. Whether it was rifting into my warded cabin where I was already feared and sending me running screaming into the tavern or killing me in the final nightmare mod with the Ash Forest, fear pervaded everywhere in your presence. Team, you did absolutely great on that mod by the way, and I can't tell you how awful I felt getting taken out so early on but am glad at least that we didn't have that "circle party" like we thought we would at one point. This was the first time I had to pull also, and I can't tell you how nerve wracking that was as well.

4. Almost getting to cast my first ritual. I didn't even think I was going to have enough build to buy my first rank of formal for this event, so I was really nervous when I was asked to perform the Blissful rest. Unfortunately, casting a general aspect ritual with celestial magic on a building inhabited by Biata and Barbarians does pose a problem and I completely understand why I was asked not to. I was later informed, however, that the scroll stated that it would have no impact upon those with problems with celestial magic, which sucks (but I still doubt that they would have liked it on principle anyway). Thanks go out to Simon for helping me like he did anyway. Next time I will be much better prepared should I need to cast a ritual.

5. Guarding the tree. Helping Kai guard the sapling was nerve wracking considering all the things that could rift in and out wherever they please. It was particularly bad when it got passed off to a couple of us and we had no circle of power. I can't tell you how bad Cyno felt when he snatched the sapling out of Alda's hands when the Cerebral Assassin thing rifted her away and realized he had saved the tree but not his friend. Sure it was probably the best thing to do in the moment, but it didn't assuage his guilt any.

6. Kailani getting squired. That was completely awesome and rightfully deserved.

7. Receiving the sash and gift from Zat and Nicole (sp?) was touching. Cyno didn't feel he'd done all that much out of the ordinary to deserve it but he will of course continue to do what he's always done and help anyone he can as best as he can.

8. Spirit Tree mod. After collapsing asleep, it was so refreshing to be taken to a happy mod considering everything else that had occurred this event. Donna, you made an awesome representation of the spirit tree and I was glad to have been part of that mod.

That's all I can think of for now, but again this event was completely awesome and I want to thank everyone who helped make it possible!
 
I agree with everyone else about this being a weekend for the record books. An excellent weekend is always contingent on so many variables, so first a big thank you to all the NPC’s, Staff, and PC’s for their contributions to my much needed “responsible escapism” experience. A special mention to those in control of the weather for providing strange clouds, fitting amounts of rain and lots of creepy fog, followed by one of the nicest weather days I’ve seen in a while.

Of special note/favorites however (please forgive any misspellings)–
  1. Donna. I know that there must have been massive amounts of coordination needed in gathering and timing all the different plotlines from so many different chapters. So many different elements all going on and never once did it feel disjointed to me. I haven’t felt so immersed in an event in a long time. I’m not able to make as many events as I would like, and I remember part of the reason I decided to do this one (besides it being the AF event) was a FB thread where she was like, hey, I’m doing this one, it’ll be [r1]good. I was definitely NOT disappointed.
  2. The pacing of the whole thing. Special kudos to Monster Desk and whoever was in charge of creating the schedule. There seemed to be something going on at all times without it ever really getting overwhelming with *too* much at once. Also the scaling was spot on, it always seemed at least ½ to all of the town was tapped out, and despite that, there were only 2 PC deaths. (And fairly epic ones at that.) Also, the only down time I can really recall was when everyone seemed to be in varying stages of alcoholic self-medication, and seemed almost as if it had been penciled into the schedule.
  3. Modules with the scaling of “Un”
    1. The nightmare mod. Um, yah. First the story of how Ezri, Ulthoc and I got there will be a tale to tell for some time, what with a blind Sean pegging us all right in the chest with packets. Now, I knew what was going to happen. Mouse really only has one trigger from her past, so there was no real mystery as to which psychodrama I was going to be dealing with. Part of the pre event experience for me was imagining what it would be like watching other people deal with seeing Mouse, as Mich so eloquently said, “lose her ****”. But I underestimated what the force of that unleashing would be like to actually live though; and I was unprepared with the direction it would send Mouse sense of self.
    2. The Ash Forest dream mod. Damn that one was good. Probably one of the best team mods I’ve ever been on in my entire LARPing career. Frankly, I had started to doubt we would be able to last it out. I spent ¾ of it cowering in fear and scurrying around trying not to be seen. I saw Cyno dissipate and then Erden made that amazing shot. I had a great angle, and there she was in the middle of the room, reaching back with her arrow and suddenly it was over. Epic.
  4. The Schnech’t plotline. (Or however you spell it.) That was some seriously creepy ****. Again I say to Kris, **** you and the plot pen you rode in on. Wow. I didn’t even end up going on any of the mods, but everyone who touched the plot made sure that I was kept up to speed, and I appreciate it so much. Losing the girl in the resurrection, even though I know was plot planned, was still one of the hardest things Mouse went through. I sincerely believe that the “No” I screamed when it happened was what wrecked my voice, not the yelling I did the night before.
  5. Dame Kailani, First Knight of Ash Forest. So very proud, for so many reasons. And you guys keeping the tree out of the way of dragons and wyverns in the most epic hide and seek/shell game ever.
  6. New and old friends.
    1. Huleen. I’ve missed being able to sit with you and just be.
    2. Victoria. I didn’t even realize I’d missed you until we kept reconnecting this weekend. I feel like she’s now under Mouse’s wing a bit. The understanding and respect I felt when you offered yourself as a bait possibility was matched by the fierceness that I feel I would allow that only over my dead body.
    3. Hanging with the team. We may not always agree, but we rocked it this weekend. I am proud to be part of this group.
    4. Talking with a very drunk Tvard about the nature fear and all sorts of high minded things.
    5. Thuriasz. What can I say about the woman with the foresight to bring an entire tankard of whisky to a distraught Mouse and then not flinch in the face of what was apparently some very loud angst? This, she follows up the next day with an unasked-for ale after I had seen the dead body of the little girl I had failed to resurrect. I think Mouse has found a kindred spirit.
    6. Qui Jin Wu offering to take an amnesia after witnessing Mouse’s rant at Thuriasz. Considering how loud I was, it might seem a little silly after the fact, but I was touched by the kindness and respect of that gesture.
  7. All things Ezri. Yes, I know that everyone has seemed to have known her forever and in many ways, I came late to the ballgame, but I keep going back to the two of us somewhat mismatched characters sneaking off to spy on Lochaber and Morganna (another mod with “un” scaling, and a stealth one at that!) and making it back alive. This was when she was just a little red belt and led to plans about how she was going to build a team, become a knight, then baron and I would be her seneschal. You’ve done it girl. You took command like no one’s business this weekend and I couldn’t be prouder of you. Managing to shake the council up and still have them agree with you is icing on the cake. I can totally understand why you are Duchess 150 years from now. While I love our team, as I reminded you this weekend, Mouse’s oath was to *you*, not the land, and I haven’t regretted it since. The “trouble” that Chulainn and I are in honors me beyond words.
 
My favorites have names, and they are:
  • Sean Metzler
  • Mike Duetzmann
  • Cole Angelo
  • Dave DeMartino
  • Kris Kitts
  • Adam Schaller
  • James Pocklington
  • Todd Navas
  • Bill Gibbs
  • Geoffrey Bayley
  • Dave Ehrhart
  • Tom Wilson
  • Collin Babcock
These are the people who put forth the effort to not only bring bring far away chapters to Ashbury, contribute to the plotlines, and keep NPC camp functioning, but breathed so much life into the game. I am overwhelmingly proud of the team that worked together to bring this weekend to fruition and make it such a success. I love this game, I love these people, and I love it when we can provide an event like this.

My other favorite? Reading what stuck with individual players. Seeing what you guys liked and what affected you gives me a great sense of accomplishment, and it truly makes me feel like all the hard work is worth it. Your joy (and/or in-game tears) is my reward.

Thank you.
 
Holy hell, what an absolutely incredible event. I agree with everyone else who's said it that this is one for the records. Thank you as always to the NPCs and Staff. You all rockstared it the entire weekend, and you were the ones who made it awesome.
Also thank you for throttling and not killing us all when we were stupid.

1: Donna Hellmuth. You had me coming into this event already emotionally unstable, but you just weren't satisfied with stopping at that. The nightmare mod may be one of my favorite mods of all time simply because of the pre-mod description you gave me. If you had asked me to write down what to say to send Huleen into a downwards spiral I could not have done better, and I love you for it.

2: The nightmare mod's aftermath: Seeing half of the town sitting around in shock with tears in their eyes trying to drink away their sorrows and then trying it out for myself. Sitting in the corner with Mouse and Chulainn was what stopped Huleen from going into a complete downward spiral. Love you guys.

3: Coming into game with Chulainn and Rayna: That mod set the tone of the weekend right from the start and it only got better from there.

4: Nordenn: RPing with you in Huleen's own special way is always one of my favorite parts of any event.

5: Kailani getting knighted: Huleen's really happy for her. But you'll never know it.

6: Closing the portal saturday night: Being able to effectively help in a magic situation made Huleen want to learn magic even more.

7: Taking down Campbell for the final time with Amaranthus in the tavern: Being able to help take down a guy Huleen remembers from his second event was a great feeling.

8: Sha'necht plot: I only had glancing interaction with it, but what I saw was excellent. Good job, Kris!

There are so many other things I'm forgetting, but to put them all down would fill the entire screen. I'll remember this event for a loooong time.
 
Holy crap, NPC dream event! And this coming from the guy who brought Boneblade to life? Allow me to continue!

1. NPC/Monster Camp. It's been awhile since I've had the honor/privilege to perform alongside such a tirelessly motivated group of NPC's. Seriously. these guys and gals were ready and able to work their magic until 5am, both nights. Kudos, NPC's!
2. Writing my first four-part mod. Thank you to Hilary for playing Mayla, Brian for playing Grey Wolf and helping execute the mods, the NPC's who played the Elosdi nightmares, and the players who agreed to come along for the ride. This was my first multi-part mod, complete with fire and music, in the woods, AT THREE IN THE MORNING, and I couldn't have asked for any of them to go better. Well, the tiki torches could have worked the first night, but STILL...I am honored to have made a mod to be among several peoples' top experiences for the weekend. This encourages me to write more for you guys!
3. Playing Valdorian, and all of the significant role-playing it allowed for Alto, Amaranthus, Ezri, and many others. I cannot express how much I LOVE to play NPC roles that help or harm the PC's. Either way, I love giving a dramatic impact to the game, and am glad to have done so once again. Thank you Collin for giving me the basics of the character, and then basically saying, "the rest is what Dave wants to do with him." Thank you for that incredible amount of trust.
4. Getting to play Nightmare Huleen. I'm sorry that I got super-tastic sick and couldn't fulfill the role more than once for the event, but being the person who brought Captain Boss Pants Frank Willig into Alliance, I was honored to play his evil nightmare doppleganger, for however briefly.
5. The combined forces of Donna Hellmuth and Collin Babcock, leading our game into its perilous and delicious future. Seriously, I'm so glad you two are the puppet masters of our characters' destinies. You make it hurt so good.
6. Brian Whitham. Yes he's my in-game Baron, and my out-of-game best friend, and I already mentioned him in #2., but seriously, this guy has a devotion to the game you might not understand, even beyond him having been a General Manager of the chapter. He stayed up long after he normally would have on the first night to help execute my first mod. He medicinally supplemented my Saturday and Sunday, and made sure I slept enough to perform for both, and did everything and more than I asked of him when I needed him to co-marshal and perform as Grey Wolf in my mods. He lost his voice for it. He creatively added to the mods. He wore a wool tunic on a hot Sunday afternoon for the role, and BEAT THE **** OUT OF HIS FELLOW NPC's to prove to the PC's who had survived the mods long enough that it was WORTH IT. He also ran Monster Desk when others were not necessarily there to do so. The next time you see Brian Whitham, you give that guy a high five. Seriously.
7. "FINE!" (walks away from the NPC nightmare bitch who shunned Valdorian ((even though he should have had a ton of resists)) to fight another monster)
8. Ryan and Kelly Leveille. Brand new PC's, decked out in amazing garb and arms, ready to dive into the game, despite their long travels to get to HQ. This is the next generation of LARPers. Screw "The Quest." Embrace these players.
9. Damon Brundige. Call him the "Blythedale Kid" if you like, but he is another incredibly devoted contributor to both sides of the fence of our beloved game. That young man deserves credit for how long he stays up, how hard he fights, and how much he otherwise contributes to our game. We would be lacking without him. Huzzah Damon! LARP long, and prosper!
10. I don't know what to put here, other than: YOU HAD BETTER ATTEND THE HQ CLOSER IN OCTOBER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay I'm done. Love you guys!

- Dave E.
 
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