Why, oh why did I join this pick up raid?

February 8th, 2010

10:45 pm.
I logged in tonight in the hopes of what we all hope for - some experience or an AA or just a fix for my Evercrack addiction. I found my real life pally and bard friend mulling around in Monster Missions. A full one, of course, because if there were room for me...well that would be the work of the divine itself. I have ultimately decided that when it comes to Everquest, your real life friends don't make the best EQ friends and vice versa. Not to say this is the rule for everyone, and perhaps my relationships are just the exception. I did however find a large brew barrel sitting dead center inside the guild lobby. It was like a dream come true. When I shook it, party ale poured from the spout! I rejoice in the fact that in EQ I can do the same thing I do in real life when bored - DRINK!I stumbled about the guild lobby happily for a little while although these days that stumbly, happy feeling is harder to get since my dark elf drinks like a dwarf.

I find that EQ holds a certain nostalgia for us all. I also find myself concerned that I will end up like Alantha. A druid in the family guild I first joined as a young shadowknight. She would never leave from her trader in the bazaar. Instead, she lamented of days past; and only when we would return to old content would she appear in all of her beautiful porting glory. I hope I do not find myself stuck alone in days past of Everquest that few remember or return to see.

11:06 pm
I am relieved to see my boredom may be cured by Dynamos of Norrath. They are doing a pick up raid in Riftseekers Sanctum, and have asked me to tank. I haven't been there in many years mind you; but I figure what is the harm. I have nothing better to slay currently. I was completely and utterly wrong. While I do believe Dynamos has good intentions, they are quite an unorganized bunch. We aren't even in a raid because they need to use mercenaries for healers. I find this quite terrifying. Between 11:15 pm and 12:06 am I managed to die four times - through no fault of my own as I am very well equipped to be tanking in RSS; and I find myself praying I was in one of those gawd awful pickup server raids we use to do to flag for Planes of Power instead of here. They managed to take down only Feratha and Queen Pyrilonis before wiping and summoning to lobby on King Gelaqua. Despite the fact that he was repeatedly decimated due to no healing, Stabbity took home some new shiny arms from the Queen.

12:16am - February 9th, 2010
Maksoka and Stabbity go shopping in the bazaar. Previously on "Pimp your dps" Maksoka took Thaden out on a shopping spree, and I was sad I missed that episode! However, last night's programming on "Pimp your dps" was quite entertaining. Stabbity was supremely grateful and humbled. I can't thank Maksoka enough myself, considering how badly Green Team needs some dps in our little group. Maksoka reminds me of Kheibik - a monk I will save for another detailed story at another name.

12:40am
Maksoka (UF and Seeds geared monk), Tidefire (unknown gear shaman box), Doriusx (Time geared paladin), Thaden (Anguish and bazaar geared bard), Stabbity (Time, Anguish, and bazaar geared rogue), and Azmodian (Demiplane geared shadowknight) head into Oceangreen Hills to pick up a Seeds of Descruction progression task. We zone in to Oceangreen Village instance on the task "A Dread Challenger". The purpose of the task is to protect the village with as few deaths as possible. We previously attempted this task while I was three boxing and no Maksoka (he is a beast by the way). We camped up in the NW and had only the bard attempt to scout the village and pull the invading mobs to our camp. This DID NOT work. Instead, Maksoka instructed us all to run around like silly boys and girls making a big circle of the whole village. We just killed the mobs as they appeared to invade, running to each others distress calls. This seemed to work perfectly. Sign, sealed, done, and done. Two deaths occured - Doriusx who with full mana did not seem to want to heal himself, and of course the rogue which only means we had a real adventure since everyone knows you always kill the rogue at least once for good luck.

1:58am
We all make our way to Toskirak. Doriusx has to make a pit stop for invis potions which is pretty typical. Upon zoning in, Stabbity runs to loot a rotting 1 hander augmentation with additional backstab damage. This seems to be his lucky night considering poor Azmodian gets something new every three months or so! Maksoka tanks and Tidefire heals. I figured out why after I got aggro, the Rallos ogres hit me like a mack truck, I feigned death at 2% health, and Maksoka hit the OH SHIT button to save me. Unfortunately, that was about the most exciting thing to happen all night. I got 1% per kill at level 78. I used lesson of the devoted and then a potion of adventure to get the remaining 29% experience I needed to reach level 79. Towards the end, I did roll and win a 2 hander augmentation that was 5 base dmg. It was bittersweet, since it will be replacing my Dark Shroud Gem I worked ever so hard for in Demiplane.

Lastly, Bazaar Sales from my trader on Bertox on February 8th, 2010 between 1:00am and 10:45pm:
Elaborate Defiant Plate Helm sold @ 100p
Shadowscream Steel Collar sold @ 10p
Elegant Defiant Silk Gloves sold @ 50p
Crude Combatants Shoulders sold @ 50p
Flawed Defiant Longsword sold @ 20p
Flawed Defiant Silk Gloves sold @ 20p
Harmonagate sold @ 100p