[Broot]

I had purchased EQ shortly after the release of Kunark. After some cajoling, I managed to get my friend to also pick up the game. He began his level 1 High Elf Wizard - and being the good friend I was - I decided to pack my bags as a level 9 Human Paladin and meet him on Faydwer to show him the ropes.

I recall that I had just hit level 9 and was feeling good with my Minor Healing. I was a big man who could swing a sword AND cast a spell. How cool is that?!? I was a rare Human daring to play something non-fantasy in a fantasy world. I was confident in my vast wisdom in hours spent of slaying rats and orcs. I could show him how it was done.

By the end of the long, arduous journey, I arrived at Greater Faydark and my friend had hit level 5. He was smoothly icing the various pests of the forest to death and feeling pretty smug. Mr. Wizard relayed to me that, sadly, small vermin were no longer yielding him experience.

I thought to myself, "Hell- with our powers combined, we can get things done. We're ready for the big leagues!" I busted out the physical map that came with the game and did some pondering. After a short glance I realized quickly where we needed to be. Lesser Faydark. Surely the next zone over would provide some real challenge to 2 seasoned warriors such as ourselves. We went there straight away.

Upon entering the Lesser Faydark, a wave of uncertainty and anxiety passes over me. It's dark - oh so dark! My human eyes cam see nothing in these woods, but I did not want to back down or show weakness.

"Follow me," I said, as I blindly run face first into trees and get stuck on logs.

After some minutes, both of us were feeling rather disappointed. We had not encountered a single creature to award us those alluring experience points. In hindsight, however, what luck we had not encountered any denizens of the Lesser Faydark!

As my heart was sinking lower and lower as I was failing to provide my friend true adventuring, I suddenly began to make out a white shape in the distance. What's that? "A pained unicorn"?!

He spotted it, too. "What do you think, should we kill it?", my wizard friend asked.

"Well- he's pained. He must be injured already. I'm sure he'll go down easy." I replied.

"Ok."

"Well, you have the ranged spells, how about you attack it and I will engage after he comes!" I announce, smiling smugly at my brilliant tactics.

"Ok, here goes!", he says.

I see orbs of ice encase my green robed High Elf friend. Short seconds after, WHAM, the ice hits the pained unicorn. Yet...something isn't right! The unicorn is still at 100% health. My heart flutters and I realize - I've made a huge mistake.

The pained unicorn moves deftly and quickly for being in such an agonized state. I too begin to close the distance. The unicorn reaches my High Elf brother and - in one swoop motion - gores my friend upon his brilliant horn. The wizard's body crumples, leaving a sad, frail, lampshade-green corpse where my mighty friend had once been.

The unicorn promptly walks away, unfazed. I turn, watch him go, and sheathe my sword, hands shaking. And then the laughter starts. It starts as a slight chuckle, but eventually the explosion of laughter can not be contained and I am slapping my knee thinking about the unfortunate turn of events. I felt guilty, but it was just too funny!

The humor was short-lived though. I realize immediately how lucky it was that I didn't make it in time to engage, and that I was bound very, very far away. My mood turns somber within milliseconds, and I quickly scrape my way blindly back to the Greater Faydark, defeated both in body and spirit.

My friend failed to recover his body 4 or 5 times and I was too scared to go back in for fear of returning to Antonica naked. He ends up quitting his wizard that night, and starting a cleric. He was much happier in the long run.

Shortly after, I had a bomb of knowledge dropped an me as I learned about the "Consideration" function and how I could prevent having angry unicorns mow down my party. My teeth were shattered as I was punched in the face by the mighty fist of humility. I realized then, that level 9 was very small, and that I knew nothing about this new world.

This story stills makes me and my friend laugh when we remember it. It is the most vivid early experience I have with EQ and takes me back to a nostalgic feeling of true exploration into a scary world I knew nothing about.