Dascombe

Quick suggestion RE: the new gather check function

 

For those that don't know, .rpg csheet when targeting a player will flash up a big green message telling you if a player is gathering, far more useful than the waiting around for the 2second long animation clip to cycle around.

 

Only issue (and it's a minor one) is that it doesn't tell you -what- a person is gathering.

 

EG: you are in a gathering zone where the local much needed ore supply is about to become decimated

However the animal supply is completely untouched

A person walks in and you see that they are starting to gather, they are -actually- gathering ore to try and get some rares at the cost of annihilating the supply but when confronted they innocently state they are just hunting for animals.

 

In a normal situation, you would be able to spot what the individual is doing an act upon it, instead you are provided with the situation of having to believe them that they are hunting animals whilst swinging a pickaxe into the ground, a situation which sounds rather absurd.

 

 

Would it be possible for this check system to also highlight what actual gathering profession they are performing?

A number of rather crudely made yet practical booklets appear throughout the various isles of the Doldrums archipelgo namely in settlements which are not considered hostile to the refugees who find themselves stranded.

The booklets are left beside the noticeboards in such settlements and appear to have no cost, a simple sign in both common and (albeit very crude) orcish simply states:

"Take freely and enlighten the world"

If you are of the frame of mind that thinks of using the booklets for crafting materials, it would appear that they have been made from reused parchment of an extremely crude quality with the majority of any previous ink washed out from them.

Telltale signs of their previous usage seem to have not fully bled out as small signs for 'goblin laser size enhancers' and 'The Doldrums circus' appear on the patchy corners

 

The booklet seems to have the words inscribed upon it

 

The Explorer's Digest

Issue 1: The Temple of Tordala

 

Opening the booklet you find the following inside

 

Salutations budding explorer, and congratulations on picking up the first copy of the Explorer's Digest!

Gnomish pictograph of the author in the Temple of Tordala

 

My name is Grettick Gritbeard, MotEL, PoA, SA. Like many of you I am a refugee on the forsaken Doldrums archipelgo however this has not and will not stop me from exploring foreign lands to understand our past.

In this first issue we'll be looking at the Temple of Tordala which is located on the unusual Isle of Menhirs, an island of mystery and magic.

The temple is made of a few key parts labelled as follows:

 

The Moonwell sanctuary

The author collecting rubbings off the runes along the edge of the moonwell

The moonwell sanctuary is a small part of the temple complex consisting of a pillar supported building, a pillar supported gateway, a shrine,  a statue of unknown shape and form and, as the name suggests, a moonwell. This smaller 'sub-complex' is at the bottom of the cliff from the main temple and so for the purposes of this study it is given special attention.

Initial interpretation of this moonwell is interesting, it is of a far less complex structure and design compared with those found in the Night Elf lands of Ashenvale, Darkshore and the like. The inscriptions and runic symbols on it suggest that it is part of the upper complex due to the contemporary nature of the designs. It is entirely possible that this is an earlier 'Proto-Moonwell' that precedes those that we see today.

This indicates that the nearby buildings likely served as quarters for the Elven carers of the moonwell who looked after it and kept it in a suitable state of repair. Excavations around here may reveal items such as stonemasonry tools of an expert design for the carving of runes to contain the power of the wells.

Images of the gateway, pillar supported building and the unidentified statue behind the gateway

The curious part to the sanctuary is the nearby shrine which, although damaged and in a ruinous state, may not be part of the Moonwell sanctuary and could be later or even earlier. What is curious is when this author visited it there was a local flower left on the centremost shrine indicating it is still in use.

In conclusion, we can summarise that the area known as the 'Moonwell' sanctuary is of extreme interest mainly due to the presence of a proto-moonwell, following the acquisition of willing volunteers and a knowledgeable excavation team, the archaeological investigation of this site could provide valueable information into the construction methods of moonwells over time in addition to information regarding their full function and operation.

Image of the shrine with the recently laid flower in shot

 

The Temple of Tordala Plaza

The next area following a now-blocked pathwa.y* leads to the main area of the site denoted 'The Temple of Tordala', this is to be considered seperate to the temple as it contains multiple 'residential' areas in addition to a complex in the centre possibly acting as a gathering point for worshippers

The Temple of Tordala Plaza consists of a large central 'plaza', a partial segment of a wall and two buildings considered 'residential' from external appearances.

A rare segment of Elven masonry utilized for fortification processes

The plaza area, showing the sheer size this would have been a prominent gathering area with possible ritual activity associated with it.

Of particular note is the wall segment which suggests that some or all of the settlement was fortified to some degree making it a place of some note even without it's positioning on a prominent part of the landscape. There are few other examples of an Elven temple complex with fortifications surrounding it either partially or fully. Chances are that the remainder of the wall is either non-existant or has been annihilated during the sundering. Excavations around the settlement with trenches positioned in key spots will likely reveal the foundations of any other possible walls in the area.

The two residential buildings appear to be the only ones in the settlement unless excavations reveal the foundations of others, one is larger than the other and appears not as ornate as the other smaller structure.

Building designated 'small' residential building indicating possible high status usage.  Has now been refurbished  on the interior due to modern interference. The temple proper can be seen in the background beyond the plaza.

Sadly it would appear that a faction of followers of the Horde referred to as the 'Talon' have taken up occupation of the ruins making internal investigation of these residential structures difficult pending negotiations. Given the author is a Dwarf this is likely to be a unfruitful.

Building designated residential building 'large', likely once housed a small Elven household. Has been refurbished by nearby Horde forces.

The larger central plaza likely held ceremonial meetings before proceeding to the inside of the temple or vice-versa, rubbings reveal it is more than likely to be of some ritualistic function however this cannot be fully ascertained until the site is fully investigated as this may reveal additional information such as alignments with Azeroth's moons.

One interesting part of the plaza is the presence of a now destroyed statue... what remains of it suggests an Elven woman who once possessed a bow, possibly a military leader in these parts?

The destroyed statue in question, the arm holding the bow can be found at the base of the structure

 

The Temple of Tordala

Very little sadly remains of the main Temple of Tordala, not even a statue as to suggest in who's name worship was enacted here. The building however is quite substantial or would have been in it's prime. Comparisons can be seen in Azshara with a multi-tiered structure with a single spiraling access-way to the top. Further exploration of the ruins is hampered by the large presence of Elven ghosts in the area some of which are passive but some are incredibly hostile going so far as to phase through walls and attack their target in a screaming sorrowful rage. It is because of this the author was unable to take any images of the ruins.

 

Conclusion

The Temple of Tordala represents an important site in the Doldrums in most part to the fact it is a multi-facted complex with aspects of military, residential and religious life all rolled into one single site. What remains is likely a fraction of the original temple-city considering it has endured not only the events of the Sundering but also the spirits of Legion demons nearby suggest that the place was sacked during one of the demonic invasions of Azeroth. Both of these disasters suggest that we will find far more buried beneath the ground which will reveal the foundations for further buildings and dare I say: the remains of a full city.

The residing issue with the site is that members of the Horde faction known as the 'Talon' have set up base at this very important site and could (admittedly without realizing it) be damaging the site irreparably by living in it. I have attempted to make contact with the organization however their base is now unreachable due to a fortified gate halfway up the cliff pass with no-one manning it that often.

 

Additional work

Further archaeological work is required to gain an accurate record of these Elven ruins before they either fall from cliff erosion, conflict or magical anomalies. Of particular note is the temple itself which had a number of ghosts in and around the ruins making surveying extremely difficult.

The author has established a basic contact with a research group on the coast consisting of Elven researchers from the fabeled city of Eldre'Thalas however any archaeological work -MUST- include these individuals as they likely possess a wealth of knowledge on the site that puts even my archaeological qualifications to shame! Those interesting in assisting them should seek out Comus Kir'Madune, leader of the expedition.

To the eastern end of the isle appear some Elven statues however the presence of extremely hostile Elven spirits as well as what appear to be fel energies make this place extremely hazardous without an armed escort.

 

 

Next time

Catch the next copy of 'The Explorer's Digest' where i'll be taking a ferry to the isle known as Opej'Nor in search of ruins and archaeology and possibly undertaking a survey of the sand banks known as the 'Last Battlegrounds'!

 

Contributors

Enjoyed the read? Want to get involved?

The Explorer's Digest is widely available on most islands of the Doldrums Archipelgo and is written in both Common and Orcish. If you are interested in putting an advert into the booklet then please contact the author by letter to the following address:

 

Grettik Gritbeard

The Silverscale Inn

Bunk 5

Silver-Eye Island

 

Payments for advertising contribute not only to additional research and archaeological excavations but also help fund the booklet by funding artists to make it far more aesthetically pleasing to others.

Those interested in voluntary work for research projects please also contact the author at the above address citing any experience in fieldwork or with archaeological organisations such as the Explorer's League or the Reliquary.

As a journal dedicated towards the thrill of adventure and exploration we are always on the lookout for contributions! If you've been on an exciting adventure as of late and wish to share it with the rest of the archipelgo's denizens then please drop us a letter and we may include your piece in our next issue!

Are you a charitable soul with either silver or building resources available? The author of this booklet intends to open up a museum on Silver-Eye showcasing the weird and wonderful from around the archipelgo. If you have anything to donate (museum pieces are also appreciated!) then do please get in contact.

And last but not least, the author's dissertation piece with the league specializes in finds identification of objects of titan creation and magical arcane items! If you have something interesting but you don't know what it is, give us a visit and we can identify items for a modest fee.

 

 

((For IC contact / letters left, please send a PM in a letter format via the forums or discord ('dascombe') and Grettik will get back to you))

 

 

Gruk Charrbone

Race: Orc

Age: 76 (Venerable)

Class: Pyremaster (Shaman)

Alleigance: The Horde / Independent

Languages: Orcish (Fluent), Ignan Kalimag (Fluent), Other dialects of Kalimag (adequate), Common (close to Fluent)

 

A Land Called Home

Charrbone was one of those Orcs that chose neither the path of the warrior and not nessecarrily that of the mystic. The clan he was part of, a minor one faded into obscurity and all but deceased, was one which made up the larger shadowmoon clan in Shadowmoon Valley on Draenor, one known for its shaman and mystics. Although he studied the mystic arts he was not destined to work with all four of the elements that made up the natural world, he was destined to become attuned to the elemental forces of fire as a Pyremaster.

The pyremaster undertook a rather unique yet important role in Orcish society... whilst many would choose their own way of entering their afterlife, many would opt for the act of cremation so that the spirit free of flesh can conquer the elements in the next life, the pyremaster facilitated that transformation from corpse into spirit through a complex series of rituals which became less a formality over the years and became far more communal, a ceremony where the relatives of the deceased and their entire clan would drink, dance and sing songs of their deeds of valor and their accomplishments.

Although an adult and a wise pyremaster by the time of the blood curse, his vision and clarity was not enough to prevent him from falling to the same affliction that befell the rest of the Orcish clans who, in their bloodfeud, put the Draenei race to the sword. During this time his skill with the flame were used to incinerate entire Draenei villages and settlements, sometimes even using his abilities for gruesome executions where Draenei vindicators were held in cages in arenas only to be set ablaze with blazegrease.

Years of this would continue, a sensation not unlike being trapped inside one's own body, his actions not his own and that of the fel coarsing through his veins.

 

Orcs vs Humans

Following the decimation of the Draenei population of Draenor, the Orcs turned their gaze to new worlds to conquer in the name of their demonic masters who had enslaved them. Gruk followed some of the later clans through the portal to learn the ways of this new world they sought to invade and despite the years of push-and-pull conflict they would find themselves bound in iron servitude and enslavement to their new human masters, trading the fel-blood for the pinkskin. Age had begun to unleash it's own curse on the now aging Charrbone who began to wrinkle and slow as the passage of time battered him physically.

During the internment period, a great many of the Orcish population withered away with many perishing and even more losing their identity and becoming shattered husks of the proud race once called 'Orcs'. It was in one of these internment camps that Gruk found himself becoming what was the equivalent of a human chaplin, he would tend not just the physical wounds of the Orcs but their spiritual ones, speaking great stories of their kind and of great hunts in Draenor and of their great shamanic heritage.

After the uprisings in the camps, which resulted in the Orcs gaining their freedom, Gruk made his way across the sea to the land of Kalimdor seeing himself less a part of this newly formed 'Horde' and simply one who tends to the spiritual needs of the Orcish people. Upon their arrival in Durotar he became something of a hermit, he did not follow the Horde in the vision of its new warchief Thrall but instead chose the life of a recluse in the mountains in order to better come to understand his connection with the elements that he lost whilst under the demonic blood haze. As he lived in the mountains of Durotar he dispensed wisdom to the next generation of shamans as they sought to acquire the blessings of the elementals of flame.

 

The Burning Crusade

When the call to Outland was announced, Gruk packed up his meager belongings and set out on the long and ardeous road to the Dark Portal along with young and fresh faced heroes of the Horde. Deep down he knew what he was going to find on the other side of that portal but the horror wasn't lessened by the stories he had heard.

Making his way to Shadowmoon Valley with the armies of the Horde he eventually came across the shattered remnants of his tribe's old settlement, only the faintest remains still marred the area with telltale signs of old tent positionings and family groupings from the position of carved stones, the tents having long since rotted or burned away even this close to where the coast once was and now only fragments of the valley's rocky floor broke off and floated into the nether where the sea should have been.

Close to the centre of the settlement he spotted old Kalimag markings on the floor and despite his age he managed to dig down finding a cache of ceramic flasks nestled in an old wicker basket. Recognizing it immediately as the fabled concoction known as 'Blazegrease' which is tribe brewed for the blademasters of the Burning Blade clan, he proceeded to make headway back to Kalimdor upon realizing that all that remained in Outland were sad memories and thoughts of shame from the blood curse.

Upon returning to Kalimdor, he left his life of being a hermit behind and became a close advisor to one of the Warsong Clan's riders, an Orc by the name of Dragor Bloodfury. During this time he managed to recreate the recipie for Blazegrease and from this a new generation of blademasters was formed under the banner of the Warsong! Little is written of the Gruk and Dragor's ventures, all that is known to others it that the two spent the year taking the fight to the Horde's enemies in Ashenvale and protecting the Warsong Clan's interests in the land of Kalimdor.

Though despite the war banners from Outland being stowed away in this tenuous peace, they were summoned forth once more.

 

Stranded

It has been a year since Gruk set sail for Northrend. Unlike his comrades who set sail upon the larger juggernaughts and Orcish warships, Gruk simply sought passage upon a small merchant vessel with barely any crew upon it for the sake of contemplation and peace so that he may meditate for the fight to come.

Though little did he know it he would never make it to Northrend, for across the great sea a horrific storm came from seemingly nowhere and threw the ship around as though it were a toy. The superstitious crew thought it the wrath of Neptulon himself visited upon them in the form of a monstrous kraken, Gruk however thought better and came to the realization that his strong affinity with the elements of the flame probably did not bode well with those of the Abyssal Maw and the lieutenants of the Duke Hydraxis.

The last thing he remembered was taking one final gasp of air as the split wreckage of the ship sunk beneath the waves, blackness filled his mind until he woke up upon a sandy shore, a rather irate beach crawler prodding him curiously with its claw before scuttering off sideways when realizing Gruk was awake.

Dusting the sand off his tattered robes he made his way inland on this jungle-covered island. Despite (or perhaps because of) his age he did everything in his power to survive against the wind, rain and tormenting heat of this new environment, fashioning a crude shelter and living off what animals didn't manage to outrun his feeble frame. On several occassions he even fashioned himself a raft or a crude vessel and attempted to leave the isles in the hopes of making his way back to Kalimdor or finding some rest in death on the ocean waves... but each time he found himself sailing towards the islands rather than away from them... all manner of incantations seemed hopeless in aiding his escape from this prison without walls.

For a whole year he would find himself secluded in the most isolated and hidden parts of the jungle, keeping himself far away from unwanted guests and returning to his long-forgotten life as a hermit, all the while meditating and worryingly finding himself severed from the elements, unable to hear their calls... that is until one day he woke to find his head filled with shrieks and screams in what was quite audibly Kalimag... they came from all around him in the campfire, the pond by his camp, the air around him and the earth beneath him.

 

Something very bad had upset the elementals in this world, so much so that it was noticible even in this land seemingly magically severed from the rest of the world.

 

But that wasn't the least of his problems.

 

Over the next several days he would notice a great many new survivors washing up on the beaches, appearing in freak portal accidents and all manner of strange happenings.

 

Something very strange is going on... and Gruk reckons the elements may provide the answers.

 

Appearance

Age is the first thing that comes to mind when this Orc is spotted, he has a large amount of wrinkles and sags around his face suggesting an age many may not have ever seen in an Orc before considering their warrior-orientated culture.

When the body looks aged, his clothes look doubly so. It is suggested that when he washed up on the isle his original robes of his position as a Pyremaster were lost to the waves and so he wears tattered rags and weaves from wherever he can find them making him look like a vagabond and an outcast.

When visible his arms appear to have various markings on them, some as permanant tattoos and others as temporary markings, all of them have the same thing in common in that they are all a form of Kalimag writing.

 

10 hours ago, AlexV said:

So plate armor is generally safe from thrust attacks and slashes to the metal itself. With the added force of hundreds of pounds of muscle that races like tauren or ogres have, would they be able to stab a spear or sword clean through an ogre/tauren wearing a breastplate? 

Now you may think an ogre will have an ogre sized breastplate but the metal has the same properties and resistance to impact regardless of how much area it covers. It could be thicker but we re talking half a ton of muscle here.

Plate armour's weakness lies in the fact it generally fails to cover the eyes, crotch, armpits, backside and back of the legs. These are usually covered with maille which is vulnerable to piercing when the opportunity presents itself. Getting a sword, dagger or a spear into these points is ideal but difficult in fast paced combat (usually reserved for when you knock your opponent off their feet)

I highly doubt that even an ogre / tauren will stab a spear straight through the plate on two grounds:

#1 armour is sloped and curved, it is very difficult to get a spear or the point of a longsword to stay onto the centre of a breastplate without it glancing off to the edges where its threat is minimized.

#2 it is more likely that the spear (unless constructed in a specific way) would snap at the socket and reduce you to using effectively a sharpened stick. Don't forget that you could put a thousand pounds of strength behind a toothpick... end of the day the toothpick will just snap.

 

Honestly with a musclebound Orc / Tauren your best bet is to utilize bulky and heavy duty weapons like pollaxes, halbards, axes, warhammers and the like. Even a good mace will do the job!

 

>mfw archaeology guild i've not yet joined

53 minutes ago, AlexV said:

Is it feasible that a tauren ( ~half a ton ) or an orc ( 150kg+ ) could break the arm of a smaller race, if they are blocking with a shield? Via say a hammer, or axe.

 A Tauren has about -twice- the weight of a grizzly bear, but their build is better for swinging since they are bipedal. Bears... are known to kill moose in one hit.

Good question, I retort with the following:

 

0:44 - 1:06

Check this and with particular note i'd like to draw your attention to the physique of both the Orc and the Human.

Whilst we know that the Orcs and Taurens are incredibly muscular even from young ages into late adulthood, humans are far more muscular than the typical human. They seem to have a far more square jawline and generally have a more powerful physique than any hollywood actor you've seen (move over Schwarzenegger).

This (I believe) is due to the Vrykul ancestry that humanity have inherited partially.

 

So whilst the typical human may not be as powerful as an Orc or a Tauren, they wouldn't get their arm broken when behind a shield. I'd be more worried about the axe actually punching its way through the shield and ripping into the metal with enough force (unless using a thicker gauge of metal).

Tauren are tanks though like humans I wouldn't mind betting there is a large degree of physical dimorphism in them in the sense that you get both teeny tiny Tauren and then ones who, if they were human, would be a Gregor Clegane size.

If it's the latter, you need only look at the Tauren in the Battle for Azeroth trailer 

2:23 - 2:27

Throw a Tauren in armour and you basically have a charging battering ram. But the Tauren, to my knowledge, are not as numerous population-wise as the Orcs. I'd view one used in this capacity as a heavy-duty support / heavy infantry unit.

It's worth pointing out that where the Horde have strenth, the Alliance can counter that with more advanced tactical thinking. That is what puts Horde vs Alliance into an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object.

 

 

TL:DR

It depends on the human and it depends on the Orc / Tauren as all three races can have different body forms and shapes.

Oh look. Dascombe's on a new server.

You know what that means?

 

DASCOMBE'S ARMOUR & WEAPONS THREAD

Image - Pinterest https://i.pinimg.com/originals/3a/37/25/3a372591e19b00d42af2f4c7a8c179ce.jpg

Yes once again, Dascombe's weapons thread is open for discussion and tasty tasty images of manuscripts, pointy things and people hurting each other in new and inventive ways.

 

How does this work?

 

Principally this is a sort of discussion thread frequently used by people to get a better understanding of weapons / armour utilised by characters and to understand how things would work in certain 'what if' situations.

Please do note the following:

Whilst I am an archaeologist and a 15th century re-enactor in real life, WoW & Unknown Shores are in a -FANTASY- setting. I will endevour to take this into account in my responses. (I hope you will too)

My main area of expertise is on 15th century European weapons however I do have passing knowledge in arms & armour from other periods / locations.

Debate thread =/= 'MY OPINION IS BETTER THAN YOURS'. Do consider the forum rules of friendly discussion etc.

Please keep a healthy dose of skepticism in this thread and do ask for sources. In some regards I may be able to provide personal experiences i've had with these weapons / armours.

Back again

Tired

Sunburned

Muddy

 

Will read forums tomorrow

Need that sweet sweet RP fix