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Atravidua
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re: October 6, 2016 (September Issue)

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Prepping for Pink Day:

Pink Day in LA was started in 2007 in Guild Wars 1.  It was mostly an awareness campaign for breast cancer until 2010 when the Gaming World Entertainment Network and our very own MALIBU Barbie helped make the event a fundraiser for the Canadian Cancer Society.  This wonderful event has been going strong every year since, and, with the release of Guild Wars 2, has been happening in two games simultaneously!

While the events are fun and there are prizes to be won, the goal has always been to come together as a community and do what we can to bring an end to cancer.  The Canadian Cancer Society is a great charity to work through.  They are a non-profit charity and they are very transparent about where your money goes.  Pink Day in LA raises money for their International Research fund.  This is probably the best fundraiser for a community that spans the globe.  If there’s a breakthrough somewhere in Europe, the Canadian Cancer Society sends money from this fund to help with further research.

[Sol] started getting involved in Pink Day just last year.  Our wonderful guild contributed 4 legendaries to the prize pool for Pink Day in LA 2015!  We crafted 3 and 1 was donated by a guildie.  2015 was a record-breaking year for Pink Day with over $15,000 raised across the Quaggan Waddle and the events in Guild Wars 1 and 2.

2016 is already shaping up to be a new record-breaking year.  For the first time, Pink Day in LA is branching into another game!  Pink Day in ArcheAge is on October 8th.  The main organizer for that event has been present in all of the Pink Day volunteer meetings and they’re raising funds through the same Canadian Cancer Society page.

Our involvement in this year’s event is also breaking some records.  At first we were looking to at least match our donations from last year’s Pink Day by making 4 legendaries.  That got done in just one month so we decided to take it a step further.  The poll we did to find out what legendaries the guild wanted to make had Eternity in the top four.  We left it out at first and agreed to make it if we had time and funds after crafting the first 4.  Well guess what? We have time and funds!  That puts us as having 5 legendaries from [Sol] going toward Pink Day.  But wait!  An amazing anonymous guildie is donating another legendary!  6 legendaries from [Sol] to the Pink Day prize pool!  The raffles held for legendaries bring a lot of money to the fundraiser, so thank you all so much for helping us make these!

Pink Day in LA 2016 is on October 22nd!

Twitter: @pinkdayinla

Facebook: Gamers Giving Back

Website: http://pinkday.gamergivingback.com

Donate: http://ccssk.convio.net/goto/pinkday2016

 

On September 25th, quaggans gathered in Rata Sum and waddled their little feets across Tyria, all the way to Ebonhawke in Fields of Ruin.  They wanted the realm to know about Pink Day in LA, as funding breakthrough research for cancer is very important to them.  This ambitious trek lasted around 5 hours and they raised over $1400 for cancer research already!  Quaggans are excited to see what else Pink Day in LA brings.

~Atra

 

Hunting in the Hills:

This month, I wanted to do a map spotlight for the Sol Patch.  Sometimes while we’re playing the game content or map comping (gross), we can forget to stop and smell the roses, so to speak.

Kessex Hills is one of those maps that gets overlooked a lot.  Living Story Season 1 had some stuff happening there (like the crazy Tower of Nightmares thing), and in Season 2, Fort Salma was attacked and some gruesome stuff happened.  But...what about the rest of the map?

So, Ashara had this idea….why not do a scavenger hunt?!  The two of us sat down and narrowed it down to 3 maps (not going to tell you the others, because spoilers!), but ultimately decided on Kessex, since it was an easy area to get to, and not a high level area.  Once we had the map piece figured out, Ashara started some research.  He looked up all the items that could be dropped, harvested, or otherwise obtained in Kessex Hills (which was a lot, by the way).  With some discussion we narrowed the list down to 10 items.  Then came the fun part.

We had to think of clues for these items!  Some items were easier than others, though only 1 item was found by all the scavenger hunt participants (the clue was: “Be careful not to breathe these in, they should really come with a hazard warning”).  Coming up with the clues was difficult.  Some we thought were too easy, some were too hard.  I think we ended up with a good balance in the clues, though.

Then, Ashara did a dry run to find all the things.  And we timed it.  It took him about 25 minutes or so to get all the items on the list, but he already knew what they were.  So we thought about imposing a time limit, which we did.  The time limit was 45 minutes.  The first person to find all 10 items would win OR the person that found the most items in those 45 minutes won.

Right before the hunt started, we thought, maybe we should have some secondary clues, just in case people really get stumped, but we didn’t need most of them!

We gathered everyone and went to Kessex, gave out the clues, and watched as the blue dots scattered across the map in search for the items.  The participants linked us items and we said yes or no and then would announce when someone had gotten an item.  TS was hilarious from start to finish.  Everyone was trying to distract everyone else.  It was great!  Before the event even finished, we were being asked to set up another scavenger hunt, which made both of us feel awesome!

Alright, so I guess I should tell you who won and what they won...

  • First (9 items found) - Bryansk, a Bloodstone Axe skin (donated by Marcooz!) and 250 heavy loot bags
  • Second (8 items found) - Fatty Lumpkin, 150 heavy loot bags
  • Third (8 items found) - Ragnar Eternal, 100 heavy loot bags

Hopefully, this scavenger hunt showed off everything available in the Kessex Hills map, as well as the beautiful Krytan scenery.

We were thrilled that everyone that participated enjoyed the hunt, and we’re ready to throw everyone into the next map we have planned!  Watch the Facebook group and guild chat to see when the next hunt is!

~Angel

 

Should Have Brought My Leg Warmers:

I receive a summons from Queen Jennah while I am in Mount Maelstrom.  She requests that I come home and update her and Logan on the situation here.  I make my way to Fort Trinity to use the asura gate located there.  I step through and head to the Durmand Priory, which is located along the border to Lion’s Arch.  After an hour of walking, I enter the city and take the asura gate to the Reach, which happens to be right outside of the Throne Room.

Logan and Anise are there when I arrive, along with a few of the ministers including Lady Wii, whom I have come to like.  She’s unlike the other ministers, and she once helped a friend and I out of a pickle.  The Queen dismisses everyone except Logan and Anise, and Lady Wii is the only one to acknowledge my presence when she leaves.

I fill in Logan, Anise, and the Queen about what has been going on in Mount Maelstrom, Snowden Drifts, and Blazeridge Steppes.  The Queen drills me for every detail on the dragon minions behavior, and on how much the Orders knew about the Coalescences and the ley lines reaching out from the Maguuma Jungle.  She and Anise share a knowing look.  Logan actually looks worried, which I have never seen before.  I ask what’s going on.

Anise is the one that answers me.  “This is troubling news, and unfortunately confirms the rumors that we’ve been hearing here in the capital.  The Ley lines are pushing magic across Tyria.  We’ve never been able to see them before, but we can now, which means there’s a lot of magic flowing through them.  What event has occurred  that would cause so much magic to push across the world, and into places it has never gone before?”

I think about that for a moment.  I have my suspicions, but I don’t answer her.

The Queen speaks next.  “There is more troubling news right now though.  There have been tremors in Frostgorge Sound and the Norn and Koda are asking for help.  Word has reached me that a Priory Researcher by the name of Seis Burntheart is looking into the quakes.  I need you to go to Frostgorge and find out what is causing these tremors.”

“Report back as soon as you can, my friend,” Logan says.  “You are acting as the Queen’s personal representative out there.  Your being there can help the Norn, and especially the Koda, see that we are not just here to help humanity.  We want a stronger Tyria and stronger bonds with all the races.  Helping them figure this out will help the Queen improve the relationships with all the Tyrian races.”  I bow and take my leave.

My warm-weather clothing will do me no good in Frostgorge Sound, so I stop by my house for supplies.

Passing through Lion’s Arch, I step into Hoelbrak via the asura gate and am immediately forced to put on my coat.  The Norn must be extremely warm-blooded if they can wear what I would consider warm-weather clothing while it’s snowing here in the mountains.  My winter coat is still warm from the heat in Lion’s Arch, and it feels nice against my rapidly cooling skin.

I walk quickly through the Norn city and I am dwarfed by the massive Norn that hang out near the Great Lodge.  I make my way along the Bilrost and out of the city to the Wayfarer Foothills.  It’s cold, but there is less snow on the ground, at least until I start heading north.  I shadowstep around the trees to keep myself from being too easily spotted by the Priory agents stationed in the Foothills.  I stop in Cragstead for a drink where people are discussing a young guardian named Braham, who is off chasing his legend.  The Norn are hospitable and offer me a space to sleep before I continue into Frostgorge Sound.

Early morning I wake to a very unpleasant chill in the air.  I slept with my coat on and under a couple of furs, but still I shiver.  It’s time to break out the snowsuit.  I layer some leather breeches and tunics under the snowsuit, throw on my heavy coat, and leave the small town to head to Frostgorge.

I enter the pass and the temperature continues to drop.  I make my way to Earthshake Basin, named I’m sure for the very tremors I’m feeling under foot.  The cold has seeped into my bones and I just can’t seem to get warm.

Just before dark I reach the fort at Earthshake Basin.  The Priory researchers have lit a bonfire that is melting the surrounding snow in the fort.  I ask for Seis upon my arrival, but am informed she left that morning to investigate another earthquake that has just recently struck in Snowden Drifts.  I ask the researchers about the surrounding area, as I’m unfamiliar with the “new landscape” of Frostgorge, courtesy of Jormag and his awakening.

They tell me that the Koda named this area Earthshake Basin because of the tremors, tremors Jormag caused when he broke the ice.  Even years after Jormag awakened, aftershocks still hit the area hard.  Then they stopped completely.  Jormag had settled and left his champions to take out the local life.  When the new rounds of tremors came, the Norn and Koda feared that Jormag was active again.  But once news reached of more tremors in Snowden, farther south, that fear was put to rest.  Jormag would never head south, as he is the Ice Dragon.

I stay the night in the fort, sleeping as close to the bonfire as I dare.  When I wake the fire is still going, but much lower than it was the night before.  It was enough to keep the chill from the surrounding air, and that is as much as I could ask for.  I thank the Priory researchers for their hospitality and make my way to a lion guard post in Snowden Drifts.

I arrive at nightfall again, barely able to move from the cold.  A small group of lion guard welcome me.  They bring me to a fire where i sit to get warm.  They cover me with blankets and feed me hot stew.  A female Charr sits down next to me and introduces herself.  It’s Seis!

“Warming up there, human?” she asks.  I nod as devour the amazingly warm stew.  “Are you Olyvir Skye?”  Again, I nod.  “The Priory researchers in Earthshake Basin sent me a raven saying that you were on your way here.  You made good time... two legs.”  Ugh.  Two legs.  That’s what the centaurs call humans.  As if four legs are better than two!

I decide to let jab slide.  I am, after all, Queen Jennah’s representative out here in the frozen tundra.  I put the empty bowl by the fire and start asking about the quakes.  “Them seem to be heading south.  I just got here last night, and I’ve already received word of quakes in Lornar’s Pass.  I’ll be heading there once I set up a team here and do some digging.”  I ask what she thinks is causing them.  “Well, could be anything, but they don’t seem to be natural.  Natural earthquakes spread out in all directions, and it’s usually one epicenter and then the aftershocks radiate out afterward.  These quakes aren’t like that.  They hit hard, little to no aftershocks and then move.  The epicenter itself is moving.”  She thinks for a second.  “Could be caused by the extra magic, could be another dragon, or could be something that we have no idea about.  Best case, it’s the magic.  Worst case... I don’t know.”

She reminds me of another Charr that I know very well.  She’s smart, well spoken, and has no problems making fun of me.  It’s kind of refreshing after being in the shadows and watching the minions attacking Coalescence after Coalescence.

The long walk from the day has made me tired, and now that I’m warm, I’m ready to fall asleep next to this fire.  It doesn’t help (or it does, depending on how you think about it) that Seis’ big furry body is radiating heat so much that I can feel it through my snowsuit.  I think she is tired from researching all day and worrying about what’s going on in Tyria.  I hear soft purr-y snores as she curls up in a ball behind me, putting me between the fire and her.  With the extra warmth, I fall asleep quickly and easily.

I write to Queen Jennah and Logan when I wake in the morning.  I tell them what I’ve found out so far and that I’ll be tagging along with Seis unless they tell me otherwise.

Seis wakes and stretches behind me.  “Sleep well, human?” she asks.  I go to answer, but can’t as the ground starts moving beneath me.  I stumble and fall, hitting my head against the ground so hard that I see stars.  The ground beneath me moves like it’s about to fall away.  Seis yells “Quake!” and I feel her body cover mine as I slip into blackness...

-Olyvir Skye, Investigative Journalist

 

What Are Skirmishes?:

WvW Skirmishes went live in game on September 9th.  More than likely, this has had no impact on your playstyle in WvW.  Heck, you may not even have noticed that anything’s changed at all!  This is because Skirmishes only affect the way scoring happens.

Previously, points were awarded based on captures and player kills.  Players could rack up a certain amount of points per map (this could decrease if objectives were taken from your team) and at the end of a 5-minute period, those points would be awarded to your overall score for the week.  Points from player kills would be added the moment they happened in real time.

With Skirmishes, point rewards to overall scoring are based on the results of 2-hour rounds.  The same point system just described is used to award points to the Skirmish rather than the overall score, and at the end of a 2-hour period servers get Victory Points based on how they placed and a new 2-hour round starts.

Skirmishes were meant as a way for scores to remain closer together and allow for losing scores to possibly overtake winning scores.  They could also help in situations where off-hour coverage imbalances the overall scoring.

The consensus around the forums and other areas is that Skirmishing does what it’s supposed to do in some match-ups, hasn’t affected anything in others, and has completely ruined scoring in a few.  There hasn’t been much of a scoring difference in our WvW match-ups (with Sorrow’s Furnace) and so our WvW leadership is mostly indifferent to it.  This new point system is still in beta and ArenaNet could very well look into other ways to balance scoring.

~Atra

 

Fuzzballs and Pretty Girls:

I was laying in bed trying my best to not think about Queen Jennah, and failing miserably, when there was a knock at my door.  A carrier wearing the symbol of the royal house of Kryta handed me a letter and left without a word.  I opened the letter and immediately recognized the delicate handwriting.  The queen was requesting my presence at my earliest convenience.  I put on my coat and made my way hastily through the streets of the Reach until I arrived at the Throne Room doors.  The guards opened the doors without so much as asking my name.  I entered the Throne Room and knelt before my Queen, awaiting her word for me to stand.  The Queen immediately embraced me, dismissing formalities, and greeted me warmly.  She then went on to tell of a new mission she wished of me.  And as always, I was eager to carry out whatever task she set for me.

She ask that I join one of the Orders of Tyria.  Well, not so much join.  More like infiltrate.  Being familiar with my particular skill set, she advised me to join the Order of Whispers, as they had their hands in many pots and were as well informed as the Queen’s own Shining Blade agents.

I worked briefly with all the orders in the past and had quickly realized which order was the best fit.  The Vigil was too warmonger-y for me.  The Durmand Priory cared more about the knowledge they gathered than the people within the order.  But the Order of Whispers, they worked in the shadows.  Espionage and stealth tactics were definitely were I felt most at home.

It wasn’t until after I left the Queen that I realized Logan had not been by her side.  Curious. Logan is rarely away from her, I silently hoped everything was alright.  But I needed to put that out of my mind for now, I had a job to do.

While making my way through the streets of the Reach, I ran into Doern Valezquez, the Order of Whispers representative within Divinity’s Reach, and a close friend of both Logan and Queen Jennah.  I did not believe for one moment that this was pure happenstance.  Before I could say anything, he grabbed my arm and pulled me into the shadows.  It felt as if we melted into the walls surrounding the palace and then somehow reappeared in a place that I had never been before.  Now I pride myself in knowing all the nooks and crannies of the Reach.  Any place one could hide, I know of it, but not this place.  This place I had never seen before.

After a few hours and what felt like an initiation (another story for another time), I was welcomed to the Order of Whispers.  Doern took me to Lion’s Arch through the asura gate in Divinity’s Reach and then South into Bloodtide Coast.  He took me to the Order of Whispers headquarters and OMG.  That place is massive.

I quickly learned a number of things.  First, the Order of Whispers has agents across all realms.  They are still in contact with Elona and Cantha, even though the rest of Kryta isn’t.  They also have agents embedded in the other major orders, and the Shining Blade.  Luckily, they like Queen Jennah’s rule, but they are ready to take out anyone that is not working toward the betterment of Tyria.

The second thing I learned was that Minister Caudecus’ daughter, Demmi was captured by Pirates and was being held against her will.  She was able to use her powerful Mesmer abilities to reach out and ask the Order for help.  Now, I know what you’re thinking because I thought it too.  Why didn’t the Minister send his agents after her when he received the ransom note?  Turns out he did.  More on that to come.

I met my contact, Lightbringer Tybalt Leftpaw, Charr Engineer, of the Ash Legion.  Relations between humans and Charr were still on the rocks, though they were getting better, and growing up the way I did... well, I can’t really complain about the fuzzball.  He’s actually kind of awesome.  Anyway, my first mission with the OoW is to infiltrate the pirate camp in Gendarran Fields and rescue Demmi before her father’s Ministry guards find her and take her back.

We got to the pirate camp and Tybalt went up to the Captain and told him that I could drink him under the table.  I was like... what?!  But Tybalt told me to trust him, and for some crazy reason, I did.  So, I take on the Captain’s minions, using some quick shadowstep skills to get rid of some of the brew without any of the other pirates seeing.  At one point I noticed that Tybalt had vanished and I had no idea to where.

The challenges kept coming, so I kept drinking, and even with all my shadowstepping, I was starting to get a bit drunk.  I’m suddenly against the Captain and after a number of drinks (I honestly lost count), the Captain passed out and Tybalt came out from behind the ship.  He does something, and I was wonderfully sober again and told me that he found Demmi, but the Ministry guards were closing in on her too.

He led the way to where they were keeping her, and I shadowstep in, grab her, and bring her out.  By the time the pirates realized she was gone, the Ministry guards were there, ransacking the place, looking for her.  What I didn’t see was that a small group of the guards had broken off when they spotted Tybalt and came for him.  I drew my daggers and spun around, backstabbing each before they even had a chance to draw their weapons.

Tybalt and I pulled Demmi away after the guards were down.  She thanked us both for rescuing her and then told me this, “My father is not a good man.  He wants the throne for himself, and he will stop at nothing to get it.”

After Demmi dropped that information bomb on us, we escort her back to HQ.  There I met Halvora and Valenze, the Preceptors of the OoW alongside Doern.  I then find out some huge news that Tybalt just... forgot to divulge.  It was his first field mission too!  I could have poked him with a stick!  I couldn’t be too angry though, the mission had been a success.  We had returned Demmi safely and so the Preceptors named Tybalt and I partners.

I had some time before I needed to meet Tybalt for our next mission, so I headed back to the Reach to tell the Queen what I had learned.  She was very interested in why Demmi would want to get away from her father.  And so I told her, Logan, and Countess Anise exactly what Demmi had told me about Minister Caudecus.  Logan, wanting to protect his Queen, wanted to go after the Minister right away.  But I was able to help convince him that patience, at this stage, was the best strateg... for now.

~Olyvir Skye,  Investigative Journalist

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