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| Where doers "Smaug" come from? |
Comment below if you have ideas for the series! :D
Tuesday 14 July 2015
Wonderful news, everybody!
I am creating a new series on YouTube. This is the first of its kind (so I can find, at least) which looks at the Etymology of Tolkien's words.
The first one, coming out this Monday, is based on The Shire. A little storyline about its history, and where names of towns originated from. They will be coming out weekly on Monday evenings.
Comment below if you have ideas for the series! :D
Comment below if you have ideas for the series! :D
Sunday 12 July 2015
900 Members! Congratulations Facebook's Evernight Group!
This week has been a fantastic success for Evernight. Our little facebook group has blossomed to an impressive total of 900 members! We are now almost meeting Snowbourne's total - despite the fact we're a significantly smaller server! To celebrate, I have made two new videos (Beorning Puns and How to Fish) and have taken a rare screenshot of the following:
Furthermore, a huge thank you to Gaston (who I recently interviewed) who created the 900 banner on the group! Let's have a look at the banners Gaston has made - they're all very impressive.
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8)
9)
Thank you to everyone who has joined our little fellowship to make a fantastic group! See you again at 1,000!
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| This is what Evendim looks like underwater... the more you know... |
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8)
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Thank you to everyone who has joined our little fellowship to make a fantastic group! See you again at 1,000!
How to fish in LOTRO
How to fish in LOTRO! If you have ever wanted to catch the odd salmon and impress your Hobbit neighbours - here's how:
Saturday 11 July 2015
Unbearable Beorning Puns!
Hannihr meets a few badly bearhaved beornings who like to attack helpless animals around Middle Earth.
Fur some unknown reason she has written them down fur you!
Fur some unknown reason she has written them down fur you!
Thursday 9 July 2015
Tuesday 7 July 2015
The Evernight Alliance
My fellow Evernighters!
A few months ago I wrote a post about the Evernight Alliance (TEA) in which many kinships had signed up. This was to acknowledge kinships of Evernight who had made an impact on our server for good.
Because of inactivity and not maintaining the Alliance, TEA has been... quiet. So, this is my request for us to get back on our feet by allowing NEW kinships to enter the Alliance, with the hope that we will become a great Alliance for our server.
The Alliance started because we wanted to build the Evernight community, and help players in a place they felt home. We realised that players have different needs (some want to raid, others PVP) but we could bond over one thing in common: the love of the game.
As a result, I am reforging the Alliance.
We have a chat channel and TeamSpeak 3 server. All updates regarding the Alliance will be put on this online newspaper!
A few months ago I wrote a post about the Evernight Alliance (TEA) in which many kinships had signed up. This was to acknowledge kinships of Evernight who had made an impact on our server for good.
Because of inactivity and not maintaining the Alliance, TEA has been... quiet. So, this is my request for us to get back on our feet by allowing NEW kinships to enter the Alliance, with the hope that we will become a great Alliance for our server.
The Alliance started because we wanted to build the Evernight community, and help players in a place they felt home. We realised that players have different needs (some want to raid, others PVP) but we could bond over one thing in common: the love of the game.
As a result, I am reforging the Alliance.
We have a chat channel and TeamSpeak 3 server. All updates regarding the Alliance will be put on this online newspaper!
Monday 6 July 2015
An Interview with Gastón Nogueira
In November 2014 I went on my own epic quest in search for a very specific type of player, I needed someone who perfectly encapsulated the soul of "Evernight". This player had to know their class, have seen the game grow from its humble beginnings, and was socially involved with the server both online and offline. I scoured the server for days. I climbed the Party Tree to see over the rolling hills. I left no stone unturned in the Barrows of Bree-Land. I hauled myself up to the top of Colossus for a better view. But alas, nothing.
Until, finally, I stumbled across Old Tom Bombadil by accident. Old Tom recommended a player by the name of Gastón Nogueira. I searched for this player high and low. I eventually found him leading a raid against Draigoch.
In between helping his kinnies and keeping the Evernight Facebook Group free from trolls, Gastón allowed me to interview him. So sit back, relax, and enjoy our little interview with one of Evernight's favourite players.
In the past 3 years you have played on Evernight, which as been one of your favourite memories?
I remember one particular moment. By that time, I was levelling one of my characters alongside with a kinnie called Eph. We levelled together almost from the beginning and by that time we were level 74. We arrived to the first region of Rohan, The Wold. And we started to do the epic quests, in order to get our Warsteed. When I got my Warsteed as a reward from a quest. I remember standing in front of the NPC that gave me the reward and looking at the Warsteed skill. Just looking at it. Enjoying the moment. And then... I clicked it. The horn sounded so loud. I think I imagined the echo of that sound in my room. And suddenly I was riding a huge Warsteed. I could almost feel the power of this horse. I went to the fields and the wind was blowing in my face and I knew that Lotro wasn't going to be the same game any more, for me. I remember the song I was listening in that moment... learning to ride.
Which class do you feel has progressed the most in regards to Developers exploring new horizons?
I think Lore Masters has become an excellent class. They managed to re create this class. The AOEs are so powerful, and the crowd control... oh my God! You can see on World chat, people asking for a Lore Master for particular raids. It is awesome to see how people ask for this particular class to join a raid or instance. You could need a tank, a healer or DPS... but needing a specific class for it´s amazing crow control abilities? That is awesome, and I think that proves that Lore Masters have become a very powerful class with a good work from the devs.
Which class do you feel needs improvement?
The obvious answer for this question should be Beornings. I think Turbine released Beornings without completing the work on it. An this could be good or bad for some people. Some people might see at this as a good thing because they feel like they are working on it as well, giving feedback on the forums and commenting what things things should be improved or changed. But some people might see this like a bad thing. They want a finished class for their money and both opinions are acceptable... the true thing is that Beornings need more work. To be honest, I was expecting that the bear form were something different from regular bears. I expected a different look than other bears that you could find on landscape. something for unique, like size, or shape. But we will see. Some people don´t like the Beorning and I read comments like: "It´s not new... it´s something like a mix of all classes and I don´t like that". I'd agree with that, but I think It´s a good thing, having the versatility to perform well either is Tanking, DPS or Crowd Control. I see Beornings like an awesome class in the future.
What would you say causes a kinship to thrive?
Wow, this is a tough question. I will say that things outside the game are as important as the things inside the game. Let´s talk about in-game things. Raiding is important for a kinship, but not from the "hardcore/pro" point of view. It´s important because a kinship needs common goals. Being proud or achieving things together. hopefully this aspect is going to be improved with the next update, because Turbine is going to add kinship deeds and this is going to be awesome for the sake of unity and common goals. Second, try to avoid drama. There is no future for a kinship flooded of drama. A kind and funny kin chat is always important as well. Helping each other is an obvious thing in a kinship, crafting, helping with quests, etc. In Defiance we have this rule that forces kinnies to try several times to complete a quest before asking for help. So that way, they can sit and think about the situation, try other trait trees and at the end become better players. If you couldn't complete your quest, of course, we are going to help you, but first you have to try hard.
About outside the game, a good social platform is a must. Either is a Facebook group, using RaidCall, any form of communication when kinnies are not logged in the game. This improves the social aspect of the kinship, makes bounds between different members of the kinship. On an officers level, having a different Facebook group than the kinship one is very good. Officers can discuss things about the kinship, promotes, demotes, expelling people, you can vote easily and it's like a eternal officers meeting.
How do you deal with troublemakers in a kinship?
Argh! Troublemakers. well... /sigh
We have a lot of troublemakers on Evernight, you know that. We don´t want to be involved in any kind of trouble in Defiance, we want our name as clean as possible. We kicked out people who were doing wrong things in a server level, people started to ignore that annoying person and we didn't want the people say: "Yeah... (name) is in Defiance". No. We don´t want that. If we have someone making trouble inside the kinship we talk to the member first, try to make sense with them and actually we give them another chance to chance their behaviour. One chance. We understand that we are dealing with grown person, and one chance is enough. If they don't change... well... there are a lot of other kinship that this person can join. There is no place in Defiance for troublemakers. We talk about it in the officers group and vote kick/stay.
I see that some people don't have an exciting life, or important things don't happen in their lives. So their life is Lord of the Rings Online. So the drama kicks in when important things happens in LOTRO. Like being kicked from a kinship, or a demote or anything. That is as important as it could be in real life. That´s why you see people actually crying about being kicked from a kinship, or being demoted or people who feel extremely frustrated about not being able to complete an instance... I mean.. it´s a game for god sake! Trolls are a big issue nowadays. People creating characters with similar names than other players just to throw dirt on their reputation. The medicine for trolls is ignoring them. Simple as that.
Thank you for giving us your time, Gastón! And thank you for helping keep Evernight an awesome place to play in. Until next time. See you in game!
Sunday 5 July 2015
Which LOTRO class are you?
This little quiz will tell you which class you're most likely to excel at playing in Lord of the Rings Online. Choose one answer (a/b/c) in each question. Write your answers down on paper. Eg: 1) a 2) b 3) c...
1) You are walking down the old East Road from Bree to the Lone Lands. The sky is blue, and there is a mid-summer humidity in the air, making walking tiresome. You pause to drink from your sheep skin, when you hear a loud crash from over the hillside followed by ear-popping screams. You decide to investigate. How do you get there?
a) You run over the hill to the crash site, ready to help. Someone might have been attacked.
b) You cautiously creep up over the hill. Weapons ready, just in case.
c) With reckless abandon you storm over the hill. Weapons above your head, ready to attack.
2) Upon arriving to the other side of the hill you see an upturned wagon, with a Dwarf merchant stuck underneath one of the wheels. He is in tremendous pain. His wagon pony is on its side. What do you do?
a) You don't know who this Dwarf is. Is he a dangerous Dourhand? You approach silently with caution.
b) You keep your distance and aim your weapon. You look around to see what caused the wagon to tip. You sense... a trap.
c) You keep your weapons ready, but approach the Dwarf to offer assistance. He is clearly in pain, so you try to pull the wagon off him.
3) Between screams the Dwarf sees you with his keen eyes, and shouts at you for help "By Durin's beard! Can ye get this wagon off me?!".
a) You use your weapon to cut off the wheel and pull the Dwarf up. You quickly tend to his bleeding leg.
b) You help the pony up and use him to drag the wagon off the Dwarf. You wrap up his leg.
c) You try to calm the Dwarf. You try your hardest to push the wheel off him. You then help his wound.
4) The Dwarf thanks you for your help. Upon closer inspection you notice the Dourhand Crest on his lapel. The Dourhand sees your expression and reaches for something in his satchel.
a) You prepare for the unknown, and reach for your weapons.
b) You disregard his allegiance and ask him what caused the wagon to tip.
c) You jump back quickly and defend yourself, readying for the attack.
5) The Dwarf chuckles "Do not worry, friend. I am in no state to attack. My wagon was tipped because my pony took fright. She must have seen something to scare her. Thank you for helping me. How can I repay you?"
a) You harbour great hatred Dourhands and decide to leave the Dwarf over the hillside. You have no time for him and leave before you decide to do something unsavoury.
b) You take advantage of the Dwarf's offer and take all of his gold, gems and fine wines before leaving. To say he was shocked was an understatement.
c) You ask him for his pony. He offers gold, but cannot depart with his beloved Penelope. You take a few gold coins and take your leave. After twenty paces you turn around and fire an arrow to the Dwarf as a warning.
6) You return to the East Road, curious as to why the pony became startled. You continue walking for half an hour. It is rumoured by the villagers of Staddle that there is an infamous ale brewed in the Foresaken Inn. You are feeling adventurous today and decide to walk towards this Inn when you reach a fork in the road with a sign facing north.
Upon following the side path north a few paces, you notice a small mouse following you. On his back is tied a small, rolled up parchment attached by thin string. You find this highly peculiar. You pick up the mouse and untie the parchment from his back. The parchment simply has the words written "Feed me".
a) You look at the little mouse in your hand and notice he seems a bit skinny. You feed him a morsel of cheese and give him a little to drink.
b) You crumble up the paper and leave the mouse alone.
c) You had already fed the mouse before untying the parchment. You chuckled when you read the parchment and give the mouse a little stroke. You sit him on your shoulder, happy to have some company.
7) You continue down the road until you come to the door of the Foresaken Inn. Unsurprisingly, the door is on its hinges and a few windows are smashed. There is a drunkard poking his head out of the gaping hole in the roof, and waves at you before someone pulls him back in.
You enter the Inn to be met with a stench of unwashed feet, sombre music and suspicious looking men. (If you picked up the mouse from the last question, he jumps off your shoulder and leaves the Inn).
What do you decide to do?
a) You go over to the lute player and pay him a few pence. You ask to play a song and immediately lighten the mood. It's a song as old as the hills. Merry and nostalgic.
b) You hang up your coat and stand up tall. Your arms are bare, showing your well muscled physique. The men know not to mess with you. You buy yourself a pint.
c) You go over to the men and offer to buy a round of beers.
8) You have brought quite a lot of attention to yourself. Whether this was for good or bad, you did not know. A hooded figure who had been sitting in the corner of the tavern approaches you. He is two feet taller than you and is having to crouch to not touch the ceiling (at least, parts of it still there). He clears his throat before saying "Hello. You seem to be lost. Let me help you on your way". The giant of a man puts his hand out to reach you.
a) You evade him and hold your weapons up, ready to attack everyone in the Inn. You shout your warning and steady yourself.
b) You attack him. With your sword you swing at him, causing his chest to bleed a little.
c) Before the man can get any closer you disappear from sight, using the shadows and your skills to get out of eyesight.
9) The huge man chuckled at you. Before you realise what is happening, the man has turned into an even larger brown bear. He has the same dark colourings as the man who stood there moments ago. The bear growls loudly, causing the cups on the tables to shake and spill. The bear goes to swipe at you. You take action.
a) You throw a large rope net over the bear and jump over him as he falls heavily to the stone floor. You see your chance and take your exit.
b) You prepare yourself for the attack and remember use your inner strength. You hold your sword up to the enormous bear and strike true. The bear growls in pain. You walk steadily backwards, towards the door.
c) Before the bear can get any closer you conjure a lightening bolt from the skies, that hits down hard on the bear through the open roof. The bear recoils having been stunned. You see the opportunity to go.
10) Upon leaving the Foresaken Inn, now dripping with sweat, you feel the ale from the tavern is taking its affect. The harsh taste lingers in your mouth. You swiftly continue south away from the Inn, hoping none of the tavern-goers follow you out. Your vision is blurred and it is harder to see.
You approach the East Road to see the Dwarf from earlier today has fixed his wheel and is now riding the wagon. On closer inspection you see the little mouse from before is sitting on the dwarf's shoulder. What happens?
a) The alcohol has befuddled your mind and feel the need to speak to the mouse. You squeak to the mouse to try and tell it to run away from the evil Dourhand!
b) Still with the lute in your hand from the Inn, you throw it at the Dwarf while shouting calling him a Littlebeard.
c) You unleash your inner-bear and start growling at the Dwarf. You suddenly turn into a bear, yourself, a hidden power of which you were unaware.
The Foresaken ale that you had drunk from the Inn had caused you to do very strange things indeed. The ale had played with your mind, and instead you were sitting on a fence by the East Road. The Dwarf was not there at all. Instead, the small mouse from earlier arrived with a crumbled up piece of paper. The mouse unfolded it, and placed it by your feet. Anyone who passed by now would see a crinkled piece of paper by a drunkard that read "Feed me".
To find out which class you are, comment below with your answers and I will give you your results!
Example
1) a
2) c
3) b
etc...
1) You are walking down the old East Road from Bree to the Lone Lands. The sky is blue, and there is a mid-summer humidity in the air, making walking tiresome. You pause to drink from your sheep skin, when you hear a loud crash from over the hillside followed by ear-popping screams. You decide to investigate. How do you get there?
a) You run over the hill to the crash site, ready to help. Someone might have been attacked.
b) You cautiously creep up over the hill. Weapons ready, just in case.
c) With reckless abandon you storm over the hill. Weapons above your head, ready to attack.
2) Upon arriving to the other side of the hill you see an upturned wagon, with a Dwarf merchant stuck underneath one of the wheels. He is in tremendous pain. His wagon pony is on its side. What do you do?
a) You don't know who this Dwarf is. Is he a dangerous Dourhand? You approach silently with caution.
b) You keep your distance and aim your weapon. You look around to see what caused the wagon to tip. You sense... a trap.
c) You keep your weapons ready, but approach the Dwarf to offer assistance. He is clearly in pain, so you try to pull the wagon off him.
3) Between screams the Dwarf sees you with his keen eyes, and shouts at you for help "By Durin's beard! Can ye get this wagon off me?!".
a) You use your weapon to cut off the wheel and pull the Dwarf up. You quickly tend to his bleeding leg.
b) You help the pony up and use him to drag the wagon off the Dwarf. You wrap up his leg.
c) You try to calm the Dwarf. You try your hardest to push the wheel off him. You then help his wound.
4) The Dwarf thanks you for your help. Upon closer inspection you notice the Dourhand Crest on his lapel. The Dourhand sees your expression and reaches for something in his satchel.
a) You prepare for the unknown, and reach for your weapons.
b) You disregard his allegiance and ask him what caused the wagon to tip.
c) You jump back quickly and defend yourself, readying for the attack.
5) The Dwarf chuckles "Do not worry, friend. I am in no state to attack. My wagon was tipped because my pony took fright. She must have seen something to scare her. Thank you for helping me. How can I repay you?"
a) You harbour great hatred Dourhands and decide to leave the Dwarf over the hillside. You have no time for him and leave before you decide to do something unsavoury.
b) You take advantage of the Dwarf's offer and take all of his gold, gems and fine wines before leaving. To say he was shocked was an understatement.
c) You ask him for his pony. He offers gold, but cannot depart with his beloved Penelope. You take a few gold coins and take your leave. After twenty paces you turn around and fire an arrow to the Dwarf as a warning.
6) You return to the East Road, curious as to why the pony became startled. You continue walking for half an hour. It is rumoured by the villagers of Staddle that there is an infamous ale brewed in the Foresaken Inn. You are feeling adventurous today and decide to walk towards this Inn when you reach a fork in the road with a sign facing north.
Upon following the side path north a few paces, you notice a small mouse following you. On his back is tied a small, rolled up parchment attached by thin string. You find this highly peculiar. You pick up the mouse and untie the parchment from his back. The parchment simply has the words written "Feed me".
a) You look at the little mouse in your hand and notice he seems a bit skinny. You feed him a morsel of cheese and give him a little to drink.
b) You crumble up the paper and leave the mouse alone.
c) You had already fed the mouse before untying the parchment. You chuckled when you read the parchment and give the mouse a little stroke. You sit him on your shoulder, happy to have some company.
7) You continue down the road until you come to the door of the Foresaken Inn. Unsurprisingly, the door is on its hinges and a few windows are smashed. There is a drunkard poking his head out of the gaping hole in the roof, and waves at you before someone pulls him back in.
You enter the Inn to be met with a stench of unwashed feet, sombre music and suspicious looking men. (If you picked up the mouse from the last question, he jumps off your shoulder and leaves the Inn).
What do you decide to do?
a) You go over to the lute player and pay him a few pence. You ask to play a song and immediately lighten the mood. It's a song as old as the hills. Merry and nostalgic.
b) You hang up your coat and stand up tall. Your arms are bare, showing your well muscled physique. The men know not to mess with you. You buy yourself a pint.
c) You go over to the men and offer to buy a round of beers.
8) You have brought quite a lot of attention to yourself. Whether this was for good or bad, you did not know. A hooded figure who had been sitting in the corner of the tavern approaches you. He is two feet taller than you and is having to crouch to not touch the ceiling (at least, parts of it still there). He clears his throat before saying "Hello. You seem to be lost. Let me help you on your way". The giant of a man puts his hand out to reach you.
a) You evade him and hold your weapons up, ready to attack everyone in the Inn. You shout your warning and steady yourself.
b) You attack him. With your sword you swing at him, causing his chest to bleed a little.
c) Before the man can get any closer you disappear from sight, using the shadows and your skills to get out of eyesight.
9) The huge man chuckled at you. Before you realise what is happening, the man has turned into an even larger brown bear. He has the same dark colourings as the man who stood there moments ago. The bear growls loudly, causing the cups on the tables to shake and spill. The bear goes to swipe at you. You take action.
a) You throw a large rope net over the bear and jump over him as he falls heavily to the stone floor. You see your chance and take your exit.
b) You prepare yourself for the attack and remember use your inner strength. You hold your sword up to the enormous bear and strike true. The bear growls in pain. You walk steadily backwards, towards the door.
c) Before the bear can get any closer you conjure a lightening bolt from the skies, that hits down hard on the bear through the open roof. The bear recoils having been stunned. You see the opportunity to go.
10) Upon leaving the Foresaken Inn, now dripping with sweat, you feel the ale from the tavern is taking its affect. The harsh taste lingers in your mouth. You swiftly continue south away from the Inn, hoping none of the tavern-goers follow you out. Your vision is blurred and it is harder to see.
You approach the East Road to see the Dwarf from earlier today has fixed his wheel and is now riding the wagon. On closer inspection you see the little mouse from before is sitting on the dwarf's shoulder. What happens?
a) The alcohol has befuddled your mind and feel the need to speak to the mouse. You squeak to the mouse to try and tell it to run away from the evil Dourhand!
b) Still with the lute in your hand from the Inn, you throw it at the Dwarf while shouting calling him a Littlebeard.
c) You unleash your inner-bear and start growling at the Dwarf. You suddenly turn into a bear, yourself, a hidden power of which you were unaware.
The Foresaken ale that you had drunk from the Inn had caused you to do very strange things indeed. The ale had played with your mind, and instead you were sitting on a fence by the East Road. The Dwarf was not there at all. Instead, the small mouse from earlier arrived with a crumbled up piece of paper. The mouse unfolded it, and placed it by your feet. Anyone who passed by now would see a crinkled piece of paper by a drunkard that read "Feed me".
To find out which class you are, comment below with your answers and I will give you your results!
Example
1) a
2) c
3) b
etc...
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