10K PP Giveaway Contest #4 - Exploration and Journeys

[revkaine]

Originally Posted by west42074 [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

"Why would you make up a human?" he asked me questioningly. "I know how much you like elves and Lord of the Rings and all of that mess, but here is this awesome new game and you want to make up a regular human in the most regular setting possible..."

By this time I had tuned him out. It was 1999 and my friend Jake was responsible for inspiring me to buy Everquest. Of course I had to buy a new computer first because the graphics were absolutely top of the line and my old desktop just couldn't handle all the graphics. The first time that I saw Jake play the game and watched his wood elf character running through the dark and hoary wood of Greater Fay I knew I had to get it; even if it meant the misappropriation of scholarship funds (well, I did use the computer for some school stuff so I sufficiently justified it). I set up the computer and agonized through the installation and finally made up my character: Vidden, human agnostic wizard from Qeynos.

Of course I had manufactured a whole background for Vidden. Nothing spectacular, the son of a Karana fisherman who was born with some magical talent and was sent to apprentice under Nohstala Westfend. When I explained my narrative to Jake he didn't seem to understand that either; it was simple and plain compared to the lustrous backdrop of Norrath.

"See, that's just so plain" he continued. "I'm going to go logon and I'll see you there"

I just nodded and logged in...

Much like the Shire for Frodo, Qeynos created a simple and quaint backdrop for my character Vidden. With time and more adventure he slowly radiated out from his rustic home and humble start. One of the voyages I made was to Erudin. A tall, swarthy wizard who curiously carried around an ornate stein was kind enough to give me a few pointers. He told me about a great library in the city of Erudin, filled with most of the lore I would need to become ever more powerful. I waited forever on the boat and when it finally came I climbed aboard and found a quiet place to sit down. There were several Erudites on the boat as well; they quietly kept to themselves. I'd heard that they were a bit aloof around humans, and certainly didn't see us as equals in the practice of magic.

To my surprise we made a stop at a very small island stranded amidst Erud's Crossing. I walked to the edge of the boat, curious about where we stopped and what strange island this could be; standing on the dock and staring back at me was a strange creature - a kerran - who mewed pawed at the air and glowered dubiously at me. I decided it was best to not venture onto the island. Suddenly a scream resounded in ALL CAPS and I bounded away from the edge of the boat. Running like mad across the dock was another human in robes and following close behind him were three buzzing spheres of light. I had seen them in Qeynos Hills and the Karanas but they were always so peaceful. I couldn't imagine why they were attacking him. The will-o'wisps flit against him continuously; his steps faltered and finally he collapsed at the edge of the dock, just short of the boat. He was dead. The wisps hovered ominously over his corpse then slowly drifted back toward the dusk illuminated isle as the boat lurched forward again. My stared at the corpse until the island faded from view. The Erudites whispered among themselves and cast a few chastising glances over their shoulders.

Erudin was ominous. From the magical skiff that carried me from the boat through shark infested waters to the teleportation gems that moved me through the marble halls and libraries. I decided to stay there for some time and earn the respect of the Erudites there. Toxxulia was a brutal land for a young adventurer to make a name for himself but I found close camaraderie with the folk of Erudin and joined them on many adventures against the Kerrans and Kobolds. I eventually gained the respect of the Craftkeepers, and even undertook several quests for the masters of Wizardry there. The famed city was one of my first sources of wonder in this world.

To continue my adventures I would have to cross the Karanas. I wanted to travel to Freeport. I'd heard that it was the Jewel of the East, a cosmopolitan city where elves and humans, and even dark elves and ogres could be seen walking down the same streets together. I had never met an ogre and the prospect was exhilarating. I had found a bard, I think his name was Laay who was going to group a bunch of us together and run us across the continent. There were people who could teleport us but they were very rare - the bard was the best chance we had. We all gathered and paid our donations and the bard set off across the Karanas. The trip itself was exciting but things began get worrisome when we came to a huge gorge. We climbed a mountain pass that moved higher and higher; I clung to the walls like lichen afraid get too close to the sides. We were moving so fast as the bard continually beat his drum, setting a mad rhythm for feet that moved faster than they ever had before. Suddenly there was a scream, another ALL CAPS cry. One of the group had fallen into the chasm; I think she must have clung to the side as she fell. She was a barbarian woman named Freja I think, and I wasn't surprised she lived; she was really hurt however. Laay set us off in the opposite direction, determined to go back to the beginning of the gorge and meet the poor woman. He was determined not to abandon her.

Another ALL CAPS cry "CLEAR THE WAY, RUN!!" (I've learned to tremble at the "sound"). Barreling down the gorge floor was a small party of adventurers - I even noticed the swarthy wizard with the odd mug from ages ago among them - barreling down behind them, shaking the ground with the weight of his thunderous green legs. A cyclops. A cyclops! He charged down the chasm and before him, the fleeing party met lethal ends. We watched from the safety of our perch as one by one the party was slain. Freja ran for her life but to no avail. A single swat of his mammoth fist and Freja crumpled beneath the weight of his blow. We all stood there on the cliff edge, stunned. I was sorry that it happened but Laay said that we couldn't go all the way back now. We continued on the way, but the rest of the trip was fairly silent.

Freeport was everything that I had heard. It was huge in comparison to Qeynos. Freeport teemed with people of every type. Dark elves, ogres, trolls, elves! And the bazaar was incredible! The tunnel to the Commonlands held every type of person with every kind of magic, weapon, and spell for hire! I wide-eyed stared at ogre shamans who walked on air and dark elven enchantresses who hocked elaborate magical jewelry. I had no idea that there were that many people in the world of Everquest, and the thought that they would all convene in one place like this was mind-blowing. Freeport was the metropolis of Norrath and every wonder imaginable seemed to be available there. I spent quite some time in and around Freeport; exploring the Deserts of Ro, running the Commonlands, and even diving into the dark depths of Neriak. As a wizard with no particular religious conviction I thrilled at walking into the alien land of the Tier'Dal and laying eyes on sites that no human rarely ever saw.

After all of this though, there was still the land of the elves. The Faydark - the mystic isle where high magic reigned and immortal royalty still held court among the Fay. Once again I found myself on another boat and traveled far again and was not disappointed. Kaladim was the first. The great dwarven statue was a testament to the building power of the dwarves and their immortal home. But it was Felwithe, so perfectly blended into the forest and Kelethin raised high and hidden among the trees that won my heart. With Felwithe as my new base of operations I helped bring down the orc chieftain and his cohorts, I travelled the darkened halls of Unrest and battled the horrors in the depths, I scorched the flesh from the bones of Castle Mistmoor's dread residents . I explored the lands with wide-eyed wonder and every new sight was more wondrous than the last.

To my friend Jake. Why do I make up a human? I made up a human because I wanted to vicariously live through actions and explorations of my character. I wanted to thrill at viewing an elf, an ogre, or even a dragon for the first time with the all the astonishment and excitement of so many other heroes before me that started in the quaint and humble beginnings of their homelands and ranged far and wide in the course of their adventures. Like Frodo in the court of Galadriel or Tanis in Qualinost, I truly experienced a heroic journey. Everquest in 1999 was an incredible gaming experience for me, one that no other MMO has been able to match regardless of where I looked or what games I tried.

Anyway, last month Jake called me up and said "Hey, you've got to go to this website. Project1999.org ."

Thank you, Jake. I'm going to make up a human in Qeynos...

Nicely done..

[kazroth]

Originally Posted by revkaine [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Nicely done..

Excellent read, wow... gratz on ur 10k! [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

[aegeryen]

It all began on that fateful back in 1999 .....

I stopped by my freind rob's house . Rob had just gotten a new computer. ANd was playing a new game : Everquest .

After watching him play for a few minutes , I knew one thing : I had to buy a computer and I had to play this game .

With a childlike glee , and more money than sence , I rushed off to the local computer store , to buy the most expensive machine available and copy of the fabled game that had so stimulated my cerebral cortex even through the purple haze I kept it encased in during my mid-twentys .

After a few hours of confuse , frustration and heated phone conversations with my friend Rob , My new computer was up and running everquest installed .

With the joy of 5 year old on christmas morning , I attentively navagated the character generation screen , looking hrough the endless options , carefully reading each race and class discription .

After about an hour looking and trying various names of my favorite fantasy characters to find all were unavailable . I decide to let my pervy side win out and created a female dark elf SK .

Then I entered Norath for the first time .

After spend the better part of an hour try to figure out how to get out of neriak , I entered the noobie area , my senses were alight with the new found land and I quickly set about to kill the various monsters totally emmersed in Nektulos forest .

Then the phone rang . It was mt friend Rob . After exchanging character names , and Rob explain a few things like how chat worked and how to equip items , my friend told me he has some stuff for me : a minotaur ribcage and fine steel 2 handed sword . I only had to meet him in steamfont to get the treasures .He told me of a website that had maps so I could just plot a course and run there .

With visions of a blue stripper dressed in bone teddy , I ran down the road leading out of Nektulos into brand new world , as dangerous as it was breathtaking .

I ran through the east commonlands with out any hitch . The auctions of treasures , followed by things that ment little or nothing to me like , 5ac , 3 wis ,3str , and procs at 10 , filled my chat window as I rushed forward my mind ever on my quest .

I soon entered West Freeport , only to discover the guards hated me ...

After a couple more stupid deaths trying to sneak around the guards ( not using the skill I had no idea what that was ) . I cryed out in the newly discovered ooc channel for help . A helpful troll ( take that however you want ) said he would show me a way to get on the boat .

Troll made a small shoe appear on my screen and lead me through North Ro , into the water and around the city and on to the docks telling me to stay clear of the guards .We soon arrived to wait on the boat.

After what seemed like an eternity , the boat arrived . Anxioiusly I boarded . I as I drifted off to unknown adventure all the while evisioning how my newly forged SK would look in that ribcage .

I was astonished how much the boat ride seemed like a real boat ride , and how long it took . But I marvelled at the cyclops as we passed one by . and wondered at how this really was a new world to explore . Mostly I imaged how my sexy my toon would look in that chest piece .

After what seemed like an eternity we arrived in feydwer , more pricisely The Butcherblock Mountains , only to discorver that the dwarfs hate me too .....

The subsequent boat rides were not nearly as wonderous , they were more aggrivating and frustrating . But stil I pressed on . Evenually I learned to circumvent the dwarves , and the goblins and the fairies , I learned how to con a mob to see if it hated you .

Though I endured several more boat rides I learned from each death and eventually navagated the thralls of Butcherblock , Greater Faydark , and Lesser Faydark to arrive at steamfont .Hungry , thirsty , and naked I had made it .

Virtually shaking with excitement , visions a bone cladden blue hussy in my head , I sent my friend a tell only to find he had logged . Undaunted I called him on the phone , Luckily he was still awake and logged on to meet me .

WIth joyous mirth I waited for Robs character Krezon to come oneline . After a few minutes a gnome in a black robe approached , It was Krezon . He loled when he saw me and iquired why I was naked .

After a few minutes of explanation of how to loot your corpse and why you should recover your corpse , and the need for food . A trade window opened with a shiny Fine Steel 2 handed sword , and a minotaur ribcage in it . I had no Idea how to except the trade , and eventually Rob slightly annoyed at this point told me how to make the trade .

I quickly epuipped my precious chest piece , scrolling back to see how it looked , I discovered to my horror that it looked rather plain , in fact, I preferred the red bikini to it , it didnt look like a ribcage at all . With a sigh of disappointment I thanked Krezon . And realising everything on this continent hated me , headed back to nektulos .

I died a few more times on the way back , but I had discovered an amazing new world , and realised this would be the first of many stange adventures I would have there .



Glover 16 cleric
Geezer 14 Warrior
Methidone 65 Cleric ( live )

[Blackmartin]

sigh