Dascombe

Addendum: top job to Lang for doing the survey, it's good to see someone taking a proactive stance towards community engagement and gauging the attitude towards how the server's ran, I feel like someone's carried the mantle of that document I linked above!

Hi guys. Before I start this essay (yes, it sadly has to come to that) I would like to state a couple things for the record before I jump into this: Firstly I write this as one of the people who possibly (others are welcome to contradict me here) knows Dragor / McDankus the longest even prior to him having even created Dragor Bloodfury so what I write in terms of him as a player I write from experience of having seen him developed as a person and an RPer going as far back as earlier servers such as Prologue and the various phases that followed. This may constitute as having bias towards him or possibly even against him, i'll leave you guys to be the judge of that. Secondly I write this also having seen the fracas that occured in the LFRP Channel which incidentally should be re-named and a [Discussion] channel added in the game as literally no-one uses it for its intended and, ironically, metagamey purposes. I have however not seen what happened on discord due to being banned from the majority of discord channels. Thirdly i'll be avoiding writing about the Haven NPC issue as this is something i've been investigating myself and, honestly, does not relate to the ban but is part of a deeper problem with US which requires its own thread which I may be writing when I get back from holiday on Tuesday With all that having been said, lets start with Terra's official post, i'll colour code what I am referring to in the quote and my responses below First right off the bat we have Elle being incredibly antagonistic and this is by far from the first time he has done such either by being directly abrasive towards staff or simply passive aggressive / carefree about genuine qualms and issues with the server. Not only is this in itself in violation of the 'be respectful of each other' ethos / rule but frankly its a poor way to run a D&D campaign let alone a server with many more people. If anything this reinforces the attitude that the server is for a small closed circle of friends and that anyone else who is present is simply an inconvenience. The issue with this particular point is rather clear cut with Frankus messaging Elle in private messages: "Be respectful. At all times. This is not optional. Show respect to your fellow players, regardless of their faction or affiliation. We are all playing this game to enjoy it, and being rude or disrespectful to another player does not enhance anyone's enjoyment. If it enhances your own enjoyment, you undoubtedly do not belong on this server. Being respectful is easy enough if you think about it. Even players that you dislike or seem unable to get along with can be treated with respect. When all else fails, the ignore filter is in place for a reason." - UNKNOWN SHORES RULES This rule is quite clear cut and simple. If Frankus was being abrasive in a private message: ignore him? It's really not that difficult to block someone on discord or even ignore someone in-game which is not against the rules contrary to what many seem to be under the delusion of. So for this to be the primary reason for the ban is frankly absurd and shows that rather than deal with the problem this is a case of a revenge ban for something harkening back quite a long time, it is quite clear that both Varen and Elle have members of the community they have no time for and consider pests regardless of what they do / don't bring to the community. It is worth pointing out on this particular issue that this decision came after it came to my attention that the same permanant ban was also being considered for myself especially considering i've had no official warnings logged or being informed of except for the point where I was banned from discord for disrespectful language. The actual quote I got off the member of staff (i'll let you point the dots together here) is: I know, this isn't about me, this is about Dankus' ban. But Dankus' ban, problematic though it is, is simply a symptom of a much larger disease currently lurking on Unknown Shores and manifests itself in the following attitudes: "Our way or the highway" "If you don't like it there's an uninstall button" It is highly hypocritical for members of staff to demand respect from a playerbase whilst it is unable to grant that very same respect back. And these aren't just isolated cases. For a community that has been around as long as this one, a lot of the -same- issues come up that frankly aren't looked into or solved but rather the names are replaced. Do we start calling Elle 'Zarquon'? The sneakyness as well is highly questionable. I've been considered for a permanant ban on the basis that allegedly five people have contacted Varen complaining that myself and Dankus returned to the server following our hiatus. If you don't want memes made about you then stop doing absurd petty stuff like this which would send IMGUR going crazy with the amount of shoppable memes from this sort of material. It may come as a surprise to some but I don't actually think Dankus should be unbanned. What he did was daft, in violation of the rules and should be punished. But that's what we all saw and witnessed and not this magical backlog of issues that either weren't logged, cannot be proven or are completely arbitrarily conjured from fictional mindsets. I'd honestly say a 5-12 day ban for it and increasing that for repeated offenses and it culminating in a 3-strikes-and-you're-out. The begging afterwards for an apology and a "Yes I know I did wrong" smacks of primary school (or elementary school for some people) attitudes to enforcing power roles. There's absolutely no need for this other than to fuel egos from the demanding party. Agreed. As mentioned previously respect is a two way road not a one-way highstreet. Agree wholeheartedly. This harks back to the issue of things not being logged and there being no paper trail. Honestly I would even suggest a publically viewable 'WALL OF SHAME' on the forums where warnings and bans are issued along with the reasons / evidence for just to players are aware and all the cloak-and-dagger nonsense can be avoided. Transparency works wonders. For a server with such a low and dwindling population its not only doing very little advertising but its also not very keen on keeping or retaining players because, and this is shouted from the rooftops on an almost daily basis, those who manage and run are happy and confident with what is happening in their own circle(s) and couldn't care less what is happening outside. I'd like to just wrap this short essay with the following. Yes a server has its problems, that in itself isn't a problem. There's an old saying: "Getting stuck is ok. Staying stuck isn't" And whilst Unknown Shores is not Epilogue, Prologue, Tales, Wake or any of the other servers that came before it carries not only the same mantle but also more or less the same community. And time and time again the same issues crop up with different people under different usernames but we consistently fail to learn and adapt to past mistakes. Here is a small challange not just to staff but players as well: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dvzA9w__5PKEBcrfPdEOPZkqOswtSDz-0pyq1e_UKWk/edit This link is to a guide I compiled over 6 months ago, half a year. A lot has changed in terms of the land we RP in, factions rise and fall but problems remain the same. Have a look down that list and take a note of what problems remain and what problems have been solved, it'll be somewhat of an eye opener. I love this place, I really do, but it needs to see some change before it goes down the same route as past servers.

Where: Haven. Outdoors. When: Tuesday 21st May 8pm server-time Who: Anyone on friendly / neutral terms with Haven Event Type: Social GM Assistance?: Only needed for setting out of tables / NPC townsfolk. Publicly accessible event so can be deleted afterwards. In the lateness of the evening the sound of sporadic gunfire, Orcish roars and screeching wildlife were some of the key indicators that the hunt was going somewhat well. Baron West and Grotga of the Bleeding Hollow managed to bag a few rather tasty local delicacies along with assistance from one of Bloodfury's followers the Orc Mik'Turok who assisted with bringing the carcasses back to the northern township where they were plucked, descaled, skinned and the flesh removed to be salted, smoked and prepared for the feast tomorrow. Many of the townsfolk would have seen the Baron preparing the foodstuffs out in the open and informing the townsfolk of the time of the feast, making sure to ask the odd citizen now and then to go request some tables off the captain of the guard. Before long a notice of sorts would go up in various parts of Haven, even making it as far as Drustgarde with possibly one or two of Grom'Goshar's Orcs taking the notices up as well (though written in common rather than Orcish) "Feasting Extravaganza To all ye humble folk of Haven, I Baron West and the Hunters of Opej bring forth to you this tuesday evening a feast for the eyes and a marvel of the bounty that Opej'nor provides! Worry and fret not, for this is a feast free to all who wish to attend, those coming shall be fed heartily and wine shall flow like the streams of Opej'Nor itself! I invite you all cordially to a banquet here in the town at 8 tolls of the bell at night, bring your own side dishes if you so desire and bring alcohol in abundance too if you wish for tonight is a night where we may forget our troubles that plague us, take no heed of the enemies at our doorstep, and celebrate the magnificence of the most glorious of all pursuits: that of the hunt! First course: Opej Stomper sausages & blood pudding with boiled vegetables Opej viper stew with herb garnish Gryphon skewers Garlic butter baked Doldrums salmon Second course: Grilled Gryphon beast with locally gathered salad and a Westfall coleslaw Opej Stomper steak flambeed in an Alterac brandy Third course: Gently fried honey Teroclaw wings with garlic roasted wild Opej potatoes and onions Dessert: Soft ginger bread with custard Drinks: Limited amount of wine Bring more along and be merry!" Event Objectives Main Objective: Feeding the Five Thousand Ensure everyone in Haven is fed and goes to bed with a full belly! Bonus Objectives: Lightweight! End up with several individuals drinking so much they start having a fight Lead by example Encourage a small band of Haven townsfolk to take up hunting and trapping Ego overwhelming Show off hunting trophies to at least 5 feast attendees

((Event in 30 minutes folks! Free food for those attending!))

((A reminder that this event is on tomorrow!))

Rather simple one: Can players get an NPC 'exclamation mark' object which can be dismissed / summoned like an architect / provisioner GoB so that it is clearer that players are offering quests and missions to other players? Reason I ask is that its a rather handy and quirky tool for players and would not only help engage players with 'questgiver' members of the community but will help them stand out slightly better in crowded environments (EG: Haven)

4 Where: Meet at Haven Port When: Thursday 16th May 8pm server-time Who: Any race, any non-hostile (twilight hammer etc) faction, hunters only. Maximum of 5 players in attendance. Priority given to those who have attended previous hunter events. Event type: Combat (open world) Following the Opej Hunter's foray into the virmen den to quell their advances onto Haven, the group of eccentric marksmen and animal killers have been approached by an engimatic Elf residing in the town of Haven with an unusual request: to bring meat in vast quantities to feed the people of Haven in a grand feast the likes of which this island has never seen Seeing this as an opportunity to not only win fame but also bag a few trophies as well, Baron West has sounded the horn beckoning hunters from all walks of life to answer the call to fuel their obsession for hunting beasts across the land. The question however is will the group play it safe and bring naught but a hearty yet unimpressive bounty of deer meat or will they risk a fight with larger more prestigious beasts such as Nightsabers and Direhorns? The rumour begins to circulate, as before the targets appear to be those who follow the hunting profession. Whispers gather and carry across the wind from the tanning shops of Haven to the rangers of Drustgarde, a handful of Orcs relocating from Haven to Grom'Goshar spread the tale of the hunt with them up the mountains to the very heavens of Opej'nor itself. In the darkened night around Haven, a few archery butts are set up on the furthest reaches of the town where a few ambitious citizens practice with silent bows only for all traces of the act to disappear come sunrise. Event objectives Main objective: The Meat Feast Completed Bring enough meat to feed the people of Haven in a grand feast Bonus objectives: Variety is the spice of life Incompleted Bring meat from at least 5 different types of animals. Big Game Hunters Completed Kill at least one creature of a CR35 or more Fearless Hunters Incompleted Hunting party takes down a CR25 or more with only melee attacks ((Hi Folks Its that time again, the Opej Hunters are being contracted by an unnamed Elf within Haven to gather meat to put a feast on for the townsfolk. Unlike the previous event this is 'open world' and as such we will not be in a confined 'dungeon' persay but roaming around Opej itself in search for beasts to murdinate for the feast. I've decided to spice this up a bit by adding some little 'side' objectives which are a neat little achievement-hunty kinda way of gauging how well we do as hunters. The more objectives that are completed the better we are as a whole (generally speaking of course) The event does -NOT- require a GM to be present though if one wishes to drop in and DM the beasts they are more than welcome to do so. The kills and event as a whole will be recorded via screenshots and will be presented in a ticket afterwards to ascertain if enough meat has been gathered in addition to potentially claiming trophies from the creature's bodyparts. Event is on a 'first come first serve' basis for attendance, these events work out best small and honestly are considered less stressful for any GM wishing to oversee them and generally we don't like having to RP until 2am the next morning on a work day. 'First come first serve' however only applies to newbies to these events with prior attendees getting first priority on attendance for their committment and frankly its a case of Tim taking only who he trusts.))

Event went well aside from some flaring up in OOC channels which impacted on the event. Another small and close-knit event, disappointing however that few people seem willing to roll even small characters to come along. Worth pointing out that Tim is offering free hunter mentoring to said individuals seeing as how folks aren't that interested in events unless they provide something mechanical for advancement. Event was not GM'd this time as it was open-world hunting and no GM's were about at the time (non-requested), event has been sent off via ticket and is awaiting confirmation of results of said hunt. There have been a couple people asking for these events to be done at other times beyond the usual weekday 8pm server-time hours (we want to try to go beyond no further than 10:30pm server-time), are there any other times / days people prefer? Please post in this thread with your responses and i'll try to accommodate for as many people as possible by finding overlapping times or running extra events for said individuals. Next event will likely involve a return to what Tim's referring to ICly as the 'RAT RUN' where we fought King Snaggletooth's forces, it seems the king isn't keeping to his bargin of keeping clear of Haven.

((A reminder folks: this event starts in approx 1 1/2 hrs))

((Disclaimer: no points for guessing Dascombe's favourite pizza))

By 'fog of war' do you refer to the darkness debuff that kicks in around 9:10 server-time?

Group name changed due to it funnily enough causing some IC confusion when mentioning the name!

Where: Meet at Haven Port When: Thursday 8pm server-time Who: Any race, any non-hostile (twilight hammer etc) faction, hunters only with the exception of up to 3 warriors max and a single healer (ideally priest) Event type: Combat (Small dungeon crawl) Word starts to spread around Opej in the major settlements of Haven, Drustgarde, and even the few straggling Orcs returning to the shell of Grom'Goshar. Strangely enough the people spreading this word, and mostly those receiving it, seem to have a lot in common: patches of mud smudged beneath the eyes, battered and dark green leathers to blend into the environment with the odd patch of maille to protect them... but most of all nearly every single one possesses ranged weapons be they guns, bows, crossbows, javelins, slings or even more unorthodox oddities. These are hunters. Many are welcomed into society with open arms as providers of sought after goods such as food and leather, others are outcasts deemed mad and insane for their endless pursuit of the hunt. The rumour begins to spread of the 'Baron' of Opej seeking a cabal of hunters to take down the nastiest prey on the island, but first a test of sorts for the uninitiated in the ways of the hunt to be considered worthy of taking down beasts such as the feared tyrant queen 'Dornevalesh' or 'Spear-tooth' believed to be one of the offspring of the late 'Golveldbarad' Those wishing to join in this hunt are told to be present at the port in 'Haven' to the north on Opej and to seek out the 'Baron' of Opej at 8 tolls of the bell at night. Bring your bows, guns and javelins Bring your passion for the hunt And keep your wits about you ((Hi folks This is a small scale event as a precursor to some larger ones i'm going to oversee on Opej. The event is open to any and all hunters (provided you are not an openly hostile faction like the twilight's hammer), a few warriors and a single healer (ideally a priest). I will emphasize that your hunter does not need to be of a particular rank or status they can be a freshly rolled character to trial out being a hunter and see if you enjoy it! Once again: can be newly rolled characters. If you attend this event and are deemed a skilled and generally 'good' hunter you will be (no pun intended) headhunted for further events stemming from this one and will be given priority attendance in the event of max capacity. This event is strictly for hunters as, quite frankly, despite there being a wide variety of fauna to hunt on Opej there are very few people actively hunting them who are -actually- 'hunters', this is an attempt to change that and throw a bit of diversity into the pool. Not only a new hunters welcome but new players are also welcome as the encounter is expected to be a relatively low-risk one so it's a good opportunity to get the feel of things.))

The call to the hunt had been sounded, and much to the surprise of the Baron it was answered! A merry party of four marched off into the jungle, a Troll, an Orc, a Tauren and a Human, the most unlikely of hunting parties to probably have ever graced Opej'Nor! Making their way to the burrow where their prey lay unaware and vulnerable they proceeded to enter, the burrow was awoken with battle cries, the clash of spears on stone and sporadic gunfire which echoed throughout the cave system Despite numerous injuries, the Bleeding Hollow Orc known as 'Grotga' fought on despite being brought down to her knees multiple times by swarms of Virmen whilst her accomplice the verbally limited Troll Zaniah poisoned her spear and delivered cut upon cut to the seemingly endless ranks of rat-like creatures. Though amidst all this the hulking silouette of the Tauren 'Jalut' proceeded to unleash volley upon volley of gunfire from a weapon which to a human would resemble a cannon more than a hunting firearm. As the group fought through, they reached the end of the burrow whereupon they discovered what could only be described as a 'throne room' in the centre of which stood a rather crude throne with a particuarly large and cruel looking ruler of the Virmen peoples. The attempt to intimidate both the proud Horde hunters and the nearly medically insane Baron West proved fruitless despite the vastly superior numbers of the ruler 'Snaggletooth' and his surrounding subjects, in fact the tables turned when the Baron interrupted Jalut's pleading only to offer a threat in return which was timed by Grotga's display of her collection of Virmen ears she had been collecting from the entrance. A compromise was reached, albeit a begrudged one, the ruler Snaggletooth stated he would no longer attack Haven or enter it's boundaries for fear of West and the other hunters returning for retribution. Although the group was ready to leave the Baron stupidly (albeit unwittingly) proposed a trade deal with some carrots as a bartering chip. The ravenous hordes of the virmen descended upon the vegetables like adventurers to a chest of loot which allowed the group a chance to escape. Parting ways amicably having managed to gather an abundance of trophies, the Baron took one step towards a marginal tolerance of the peoples of the Horde, viewing them less and less as mindless savages (though still considering them uncultured) but seeing them more as honorable hunters capable of -some- aspects of what he considers the 'best' of human characteristics. But with this having been said, three new 'Unbloodied' hunters have joined the Opej Hunters, in time perhaps they will amass a collection of trophies to rival or even surpass the mad baron of Opej himself? ____________________________________________ Jalut, Zaniah and Grotga are now new 'inductees' to the Opej Hunters as the 'unbloodied', they entered the Virmen burrow with Baron West and managed to get out with trophies and a great many kills notched onto their weapons, soon enough they will be granted a worthy prey to hunt and consider themselves 'Bloodied' and a force to be reckoned with upon the isle.

Event completed Was a nice close-knit and personal event with just four characters. Was an interesting pace considering no healer being present and having to cook boiled food at a gordon ramsey pace. As this was a rather pleasant success this will continue on as long as there continues to be interest in it. The more involved you become with this 'chain' of events the more likely you are to be invited to the events within this 'series' that have high value hunting targets in them. In addition as Tim has a bit of income he'll not only be providing coin to hunters participating but also i'll be ICly (and mechanics-wise) mentoring hunters especially if they are of a low exp rate so that they get some IC as well as OOC progression out from this. Don't forget: Tim won't be around forever and he'll want a successor! All in all:

Hey guys Just a quick post out there to see what's going on with regards to the Ice Island transition. Insofar as can be established, Ice Island will be -THE- main phase for everyone with limited visits / excursions to other islands (Sotoras, Kolai etc) to wrap up storyline loose ends and as such when the island comes everyone will ICly be on Ice Island (unless I guess they choose to remain where they are?) I'd just like to publicly query what's going on with regards to the movement from other islands to Ice Islands with a couple questions that hopefully won't reveal too much as to how ICly the transition will take place: 1.) Will there be a means for certain characters to be 'locked' if they wish to remain on certain islands (Menhirs / Opej?) rather than go to Ice Island? Once again as the reason for the move is not yet known characters may end up having to move due to (un)natural disasters hitting the islands. 2.) Will the transition to Ice Island be instantaneous or over an elongated period? Am hoping for the latter as the former basically forces people to be railroaded into -HOW- they get to Ice Island whereas the latter allows for folks to prepare, build ships or acquire other means to get there. It's not really been established much the reasoning for a mass exodus towards one island, and this thread is not to ascertain the why's, but rather it's quite important for folks to established they need to get from A to B ICly.

Ace, thats a relief to hear that there's either stuff in the pipeline or that it isn't decided yet And no worries about giving away stuff! Can understand not wanting to ruin the surprise(s)

Battered and bruised Cut and clawed Damned and defeated Or so it was thought The man, the myth, the legend known to many throughout the isles as 'The Mad Baron of Opej' has made a return fairly recently. Still highly irked at the seemingly impossible task of hunting down the dreaded 'Daggerfin' murloc, he has returned to the shores of Opej to find it a wildly different place. Haven now stands as a consolidated fortress with close to a hundred guards and soldiers at various points across the island seemingly becoming a defacto 'faction' of sorts, something which irked the nobleman as peace of a sorts on the isle was ever ironically maintained by the balance of power between the Orcs of Grom'Goshar and the Humans of Drustgarde, but with both gone (in the latter's case gone insofar as the baron is concerned with Haytham's apparent demise) he has grown distrusting of this neutral faction operating out from what was once Halfpoint Haven. Throw into the mix the presence of the group calling themselves the 'Trailblazers', the Baron heard only small hushed whispers of them having defeated the dreaded golem of Black Finger so thought to himself as long as they keep away from beasts on the isle and leave that to him he may have to quarrel with them. But with beasts comes a whole new prize: the Tyrant Queen. The Baron caught a glimpse of her, or rather felt her thundering her way through the jungle canopy to annihilate a rather unlucky raptor in her path, perhaps this is part of the same bloodline that was birthed from Golveldbarad? The Baron certainly hoped so as to keep at least a breeding pair of devilsaurs on the isle would ensure that the beasts were not wiped out by careless adventurers who had no consideration for the balance of wildlife... his first task would be to establish where it made its lair and if it had already produced a clutch of eggs yet or not. But thats only the start... what other new beasts have crawled from caves and canyons on Opej during his absence? Only time will tell!

Make some events yourself? Not a condescending tone by the way, maybe start an event or some small scale stuff that doesn't require a GM before stepping forward with this?

New number, who dis?

Sorry to burst your bubble man but you're late to the party

Following a local rumour from Egtown, Baron West made headway for the newly establish 'Halfpoint Haven' where he sought out the local folk hero known only as 'Captain'. Upon arriving, he found out that rather than bringing hides as part of some minor task, it would appear that a local pack of raptors have attacked the settlement and gone so far as to kill two of the refugees who live there. After coming to the conclusion that the Opej Basilisk has caused no fatalities (yet) the Baron declared that he will bring proof of the death of the packleader to the Captain so that the local refugees might sleep easily. However this was no simple raptor, the Captain elaborated and stated that the packleader of these raptors was not only bigger and deadlier but worse it was intelligent, something about the captain's tone suggested worry to the Baron... strange considering the apparent strength of the man. The baron insisted half of his cost would be waivered for a trophy from such a worthy kill... but he also insisted on the other half being relinquished if the Captain revealed to the Baron who he was and his real name... on account of the Baron's suspicions of the man. Regardless of the outcome... the Captain made clear that this raptor and its pack would be too much for the Baron alone who must now seek to put a crew together to hunt the raptor... but despite having scrapped his fee the Captain stated he would pay any crew that the Baron brought along to kill the creature. The Baron set out into the jungle in the dead of night... but even darkness and the heavy snowfall would struggle to deter him from finding the tracks he was after... but before long he realized that the raptors were not heading -straight- back to their lair... but seemed to be criss-crossing and doubling back on themselves... quite clearly under instruction from this 'intelligent' raptor which had a MUCH bigger print left behind. The seasoned hunter simply lit a cigar from his silver case "Clever Girl"

Grettik Gritbeard Race: Dwarf Age: 185 Class: Archaeologist / Explorer Alleigance: The Explorer's League, Ironforge Languages: Dwarvern (Fluent), Common (Fluent), Gnomish (Passable) Additional Languages (X denotes useage of scriptures for translation): Titanic Script (conversational), Thalassian (passable, X), Highbourne (passable, X), Zandalari (poor, X), The Trio Grettik Gritbeard was born to a rather modest family within the thriving city of ironforge a good seventy three years following the War of the Three Hammers, a now distant memory in the minds of many Dwarves. As far back as the Gritbeards remember there has always been at least one sibling entering the Ironforge Army as a soldier and another joining the mountaineers... both prestigious positions that usually went to the eldest and most favorable of the siblings. Young Grettik however had two elder brothers: Dalofic and Gadmuk. The latter became a soldier at a young age clad in steel due to his skill with axe and shield whilst the former, ever skilled with firearms, donned his cloak and maille to become a mountaineer taking the fight to the trolls of Dun'Morogh, this left the young Grettik as the runt of the litter with little-to-no aspiration in life. Years would pass, almost destined to be a tedious hammer-striker at the Great Forge, his calling was answered as the formation of an organization known as the 'Explorer's League became known throughout the city of Ironforge following the discovery of a number of ancient ruins believed to hold the key to the secrets of their kin's heritage... no sooner had Grettik heard the rumour he ran straight to the newly renamed 'Hall of the Explorers' where he was one of the first twenty to sign up... to this day Grettik still keeps his membership card #19 on his person at all times as a sign of pride. The Explorer At War Years would pass, Grettik gained notoriety within the league for his unconventional excavation methods in addition to having sheer rampant good luck with finding fascinating ruins to explore... admittedly this didn't go as well as planned as many of his theories, many rather outlandish and extreme, rubbed many academics the wrong way who attempted to relinquish his membership by sending him on many more increasingly suicidal excavation projects to work on. He survived each one of them. Despite his almost divine level of good luck, such luck didn't seem to run in the family. His brother Gadmuk went missing presumed dead with the rest of the exploration league into outland whilst his other brother Dalofic went on a scouting mission into the depths of the cursed fortress 'Grim Batol' only to have their mangled remains found weeks later by a rescue team sent in to find them. Despite his parent's grieving, Grettik was still shunned seemingly as some sort of runt despite having achieved the rank of 'senior archaeologist' within the Explorer's League at such a young age and it was from this point on he cut all ties with his family and went off in search of adventure, choosing to be an archaeologist in the field exploring strange and wonderful places rather than sat in an armchair within Ironforge simply -talking- about it. As the Orcish menace ran rampant across the lands, it became increasingly apparent for a need to appoint individuals from the league to form a 'special' branch in charge of protecting potential sites of archaeological importance from being crushed by either Orcish boots or Human sabatons amidst the numerous wars stretching across the lands. Grettik was the member of the league appointed to oversee this task however a few budding archaeologists now taking up the profession in Stormwind expressed a desire to help. The long-lasting alliance between Dwarves and Humans was argueably never more apparent between Grettik Gritbeard and his human counterpart 'Wilson Wheeler', despite having severed his connection with family he found a friend in the human as the two made their way across Azeroth surveying the land as one supplied the ale around the campfire whilst the other sang and played upon his guitar. A Forgotten Land To Be Explored "Would you search through the lonely earth for me? Climb through the briar and bramble?" After Grettik and Wilson travelled across the land surveying ruins from Uldaman and Ahn'Quiraj to Eldre'Thalas and Azshara word began to spread of an ancient artefact resurfacing to allow the legion to reopen the dreaded 'Dark Portal' With the first, second and third wars behind everyone, it became increasingly apparent that a team representing the league would need to head through the portal to ensure a proper and accurate recording of artefacts relating to the ancient Orcish homeworld... rumours began to circle amongst senior academics in the league of a 'Horde' counterpart to their organisation being formed... seeing no time to waste both Wilson and Grettik volunteered to lead a small team into the shattered realm to record what they can... though deep down what Grettik sought was some sort of closure on what happened to his brother Gadmuk who supposedly died all those years ago. Barely two days into entering Outland, the duo came across the 'Sons of Lothar' from the expeditionary force, those who Grettik queried all informed him that his brother survived the destruction of the portal like many of them but rather than remain in Honor Hold he ventured north to Kirin'Var village with a scouting party to maintain communications with the village of magi. Weeks would pass before Grettik and Wilson would arrive there with their team but alas the village was all but destroyed by the forces of Kael'Thas Sunstrider with no sign of his kin or the scouting party sent from Honor Hold. The Roof Of The World "I'll be your treasure" Appointed 'Professor of Archaeology', the now seasoned Grettik and his equally experienced friend Wilson travelled north with the rest of the Horde and Alliance's forces into the Lich King's domain... only to find out that there were far worse creatures than demi-gods lying within the permafrost. The duo and their excavation team were instructed to rendezvous with Brann Bronzebeard himself. Despite numerous setbacks and encounters with the horrific forces that lay deep within Ulduar itself, they arrived to the forward base camp just outside the titan city's gates in the Storm Peaks. The human and the dwarf had come so far together over land and sea to explore the depths of the world and learn secrets of the gods themselves, the duo were determined for this discovery to be their biggest yet and to make their names resound throughout time as world-famous explorers. But as Wilson plucked the strings on his guitar in the base camp and began to sing... it would turn out not to be... Wilson's last song before he would perish in Ulduar The Imprisoned Horrors "I felt the touch of the kings and the breath of the wind" Where once Grettik was a level headed, studious yet fun academic, after the events of Ulduar he was no longer that same Dwarf. Forever looking over his shoulder and possessing an ever-present twitch, part of the Dwarf died that day in Ulduar. As Brann's forced loaded up their equipment, the base camp disassmbled and engineers made the finishing touches on the siege engines that would break down the main gates into the hostile facility. Grettik remained atop one of the siege tanks as a spotter whilst Wilson manned the gun, the men and women of the league laid a path of destruction through the Iron armies of Ulduar but despite this they were met with horrors both mechanical and ... something else All through their venture they felt something scratching at the back of their minds, tearing at the fabric of their memory as a thorn on a plant rips open flesh, some were more susceptible to this than others yet their soldiered on with Brann leading the expedition despite their numbers falling. "I'm waiting for you" It wasn't until they encountered a strange organic being a couple of stories tall where even glancing at it granted one a headache of immeasureable proportions, some of the weaked willed of the league proceeded to attack other members of the group and they had to be subdued or, in one case, killed in self-defence... the league were sorely mistaken when they thought they could banish such a monster who held their will in the 'palm' of its tentacled limbs, several were slain instantly and Brann ordered an immediate retreat but to no avail, many were lost in the rout and by the time they had ran through several corridors there remained only Brann, Wilson and Grettik... two un-named explorers as far as the younger of the Bronzebeard's was concerned... although they thought they were ahead of such a large beast it charged at a relentless and unnatural speed up the corridors, smashing stained glass windows depicting the stories of the titans as it did, but such a charge was short lived and the moment the trio thought they were in the clear a sound ripped through the air as though tearing through reality itself. "I'm with the ghosts of the men who can never sing again, there's a place follow me" Wilson dropped dead in an instant, the sharpened 'bolt' of void energies had gone straight through his neck and severed the top of his spine, killing him before he had a chance to blink. Grettik could only stand and stare for but a brief moment when he heard Brann screaming elsewhere. His eyes darted around and he realized he was lost in a maze... corridors leading down into access routes and open spaces filled with decorative urns or strange ancient consoles overgrown with dust and cobwebs... and deep inside the facility something reached out to him... not the creature from before but something much bigger... something which had entered his mind in his brief lapse of panic, something which assured him that it was his friend... he denied the voice, screaming for it to shut up as his only real friend lay dead in some forgotten corridor of a hellish prison. The Return of the Expedition The League's official report was that Grettik spent no more than a week within Ulduar whilst Brann fled to inform the leaders of the Horde and the Alliance of what he had found, though in his distraught mental state it likely felt like months as he scavenged through the facility's grounds for food and avoiding patrols of automated drones or Iron Dwarves... but in reality the true test was upon the Dwarf's mind which was shattered, torn and tossed around. Something was in here... something which manipulated him without the Dwarf realizing it. He would insist in later reports that he found food to survive as 'Wilson' had shown him where he stashed it, or that he had escaped a squad of Iron Dwarves through an access grate for mechagnomes which 'Wilson' had unscrewed for him. Grettik was eventually found shivering in an access chute close to Hodir's domain suffering the early onset of hypothermia, it would be almost four months later that he would finally be set on a wagon bound for Dalaran... but upon his return it would seem he had been gathering small nuggets of ore found in the deepest recesses of Ulduar, when he turned up to Dalaran he took this material to the forge and began to work it into a rather crude blade shape which ended up becoming his new shovel for archaeological excavation. Sadly many would see him speaking to it and calling it 'Wilson' constantly... many assumed this was some sort of post-traumatic stress... They were wrong. The last reported sighting of Grettik Gritbeard was him entering the portal to Ironforge from Dalaran... the Explorer's League have since confirmed to the Kirin Tor that the seasoned explorer never arrived. It is a shame they were looking in the wrong place...

An OOC post for folks (hence red) A few people seem to think this is just a guide for Timothy West. It sort of is at the moment because he's the only hunter in the group. If you are interested in joining, roll a hunter (doesn't necessarily have to be the -class-) and get hunting and make a name for yourself, or at least express your desire to hunt big game in Opej within earshot of Timothy. Depending on how good you are (or Tim perceives you to be) will reflect what 'rank' you are in the group to start off with. Remember: This is not a guild, you can still be a part of Grom'Goshar, Drustgarde, Tordala or any other guild whilst also operating within the hunters as long as you stick to the code Cheers