Questing over the weekend, March 28 to 30

The weekend runs started with some exploration with Hamllin (Level 7 Fighter) through the Waterworks Slayers.  Hamllin is nearly done with this slayer area and will be moving off to Tangleroot Gorge soon.  So after running the Waterworks Adventure area on Friday morning for about 20 minutes or so, I logged out to head to work.  I had a late day at work and didn’t log back into DDO for my typical daily “after work run” but did get back on Friday night.  I logged on with Erdrique (Level 8 Druid) and took him into Three Barrel Cove while I was waiting for a few other Crypt Crawlers to log on.  Shortly later I was joined by Okhamel and Bofadee and we talked the quests Ghost of a Chance and The Halls of Shan to Kor.  These were some of the last level 5 quests I needed to completed on elite.  We didn’t have any problems pillaging the dungeons for either quest.  After we blasted through the Halls of Shan to Kor, Bofadee logged out for the night and Okhamel and myself started on Delera’s Tomb and completed the quests The Mystery of Delera’s Tomb and The Missing Party.  After those runs we called it a night.

Hamllin hunting some kobolds.

Erdrique taking on some scorpions in Three Barrel Cove.

Crawlers working on the quest, Ghost of a Chance.

Erdrique and the Crawlers taking on the golem of Shan-to-Kor.

Erd and Okhamel exploring the mysteries of Delera’s Tomb.

Erdrique and Okhamel looking for Jael’s journal.

On Saturday, I did an early slayer run, unusual for me on a Saturday.  I took Hamllin back into the Waterworks slayers to get him closer to moving onto the next set.  I then logged out for awhile and watched a movie with my wife, Spider Man 3.  After that, I logged back in on Saturday night with Erdrique and headed into Three Barrel Cove to continue his slayer runs while I was waiting for Hellbanisher to finish up his quest.  Once Hellbanisher was done, he logged on with Hellshammer and we took on The Graverobber, Dead Predators, and Caged Trolls on elite.  After we knocked those few quests out we called it a night.

Hamllin finishing up the Waterworks slayers.

Erd is prepping to take on the pirates of Three Barrel Cove.

Erd and Hell dealing with the Emerald Claw.

Erd and Hellshammer taking on a scepter in the Graverobber.

Exploring the halls of the Dead Predators.

On Sunday, I logged with Crawlller (Level 4 Ranger), one of my four characters on my FTP Premium account.  He still needed to finish up the Baudry Cartamon Chain on elite.  To do that he only needed to finish up Retrieve the Stolen Goods.  So I took him in there and then brought him into Stealthy Repossession where I knocked it out on Normal, Hard, and Elite.  After those runs I had to call it a night to get some sleep for work on Monday.

Crawlller looking for the stolen goods.

Crawlller fighting the kobolds in the Cultist Shrine.

Crawlller taking some time to explore Waterworks.

So, I had a relatively light week last week and a light weekend.  But it was still good to get my game time.  This week is also starting to look like a relatively light week for my game time because my anniversary is on April 1st  🙂 and I have a few late afternoon meetings or appointments that will keep me from doing my afternoon runs.  But I will still be on for the weekend :). 

Thanks for reading everybody and happy hunting!!!

Blue Flame in the Fire Caves?

Earlier in the week, I took Hamllin (Level 7 Fighter) into Three Barrel Cove and into the Fire Caves to complete the quest, Brood of Flame.  Now, the Fire Caves are located in a volcanic peak in the north eastern region of Three Barrel Cove.  As you can imagine, cave is flowing with lava during the second half of the Fire Caves story arc, crawling with fire mephits, fire elemntals, and hell hounds.  However, there is one flame that caught my eye.  A blue flame burning bright in the midst of all the natural red flames and heat.

Hamllin noticing a peculiar blue flame in the middle of the Fire Caves.

So I started to wonder what the source of the blue flame was and who actually lit it.  The only other time I can remember seeing blue flames around in our travels is when they were lit magically, had something to do with the Silver Flame, or were the result of the of the cool version of fire shield.  So, who could have put these flames here?  We know that ogres were in the caves and that these ogres drove out the minotaur Idas and his kin.  Perhaps Idas and his kin created the blue flame or maybe the ogres?  Perhaps these flames were already present even before Idas and his minotaur kin came to the Fire Caves.  In any case, its peculiar and mysterious .

What is in Sahaugin Stew?

When I was taking my new half-orc barbarian, Berann (Level 7), through Korthos Island I came across the three sahaugin sitting around the large pot in front of the quest Redemption.  And I started to wonder, what exactly were the sahaugin prepping up to eat?  In her fan fiction book, The Salvation of Korthos-Book 1 of the Moon Breaker series, Myra Scott mentions that the sahaugin hiding in the secret tunnels underneath the Wavecrest Tavern are eating some unfortunate prisoners or brainwashed cultists.   With the large amount of blood surrounding this pot, I think I would have to agree that these three sahaugin were dining on some unfortunate kidnapped or brainwashed souls.

Whatever these sahaugin were eating, they ain’t eating it anymore .

In either case, no mater what they were dining on, they are no longer going to be a bother to those in Korthos…at least not until the instance resets….

Thanks for reading everybody and happy hunting!!

A Look Back at My Adventures This Past Week March 24 to March 27

This week I had some interesting runs, primarily dominated with my new half-orc barbarian, Berann (Level 7).  On Sunday, I finally found some time to create Berann.  I used my veteran status to start him out at level 7 and took him to Korthos.  On Monday morning, when I typically do my slayer runs, I realized that Berann couldn’t get into the Korthos wilderness zone, so I started off doing the Korthos Village quests. Berann took on Heyton’s Rest, The Storehouse Secret, and The Cannith Crystal before I needed to head off to work.  I didn’t get on Monday afternoon after work but did log back on Monday night while playing my weekly digital D&D PNP game.  On Monday night, I logged on with Wapoyei (Level 22 Cleric/Exalted Angel) and took him into the Tharashk Arena on epic normal.  The run through Tharashk Arena went extremely smoothly, while using my Onyx panther, owl bear, and my shadowdancer hireling, as well as my summons.  Using Symbol of Persuasion I was able to charm some of the more annoying mobs during the arena fights which helped tremendously.

Berann exploring and fighting in Heyton’s Crypt.

Berann working on protecting the Cannith Crystal of Korthos Village.

Wapoyei and his gang taking on Angog in Tharashk Arena.

On Tuesday, the Turbine was doing some server maintenance so I loaded up Neverwinter Nights II and brought on my Spirit Shaman, Ragnar, and his party and continued on his quest in the Original Campaign.  My hope is to move Ragnar through the OC and the Mask of the Betrayer Campaign and then use him for some of the other custom mods out there.  We’ll see how that goes.  After the maintenance, I had some problems logging into DDO and was forced to skip my afternoon runs, two days in a row .  However, later that night I rebooted my router/modem and was able to log back in with Berann and to take him through The Collaborater, Korthos Island Wildnerness Zone, Redemption, Stopping the Sahaugin, Necromancer’s Doom, and Sacrifices.  Being level 7, he breezed right through them.  Now he only has Misery’s Peak left to complete on Korthos Island.

Ragnar and his party in NWN II looking at an eerie statue in the graveyard crypts.

Time to take care of the traitor.

Berann taking on the scene of Korthos Island.

Berann fighting the sahaugin in Redemption.

Berann fighting ice mephits in Stopping the Sahaugin.

Berann working on rescuing Drusen.

Berann rescuing those kidnapped in Korthos, running through Sacrifices.

Wednesday morning, I logged on with Garrrin (Level 21 Barbarian/Fury of the Wild) I took him into the wilds of Gianthold (Heroic).  I’m bound and determined to max that area out .  We’ll see if I get it done for him.  In either case, I took him around for about 15 to 20 minutes and then logged out to head to work.  This time, I was able to log into DDO after work with Hamllin (Level 7) so I took him into Three Barrel Cove and into the the second quest of the Fire Caves, Brood of Flame.  I blitzed through it and after that run, I logged out for the rest of the day to spend night with my wife .

Garrrin getting a little close to a fire giant in Gianthold.

Hamllin going through Captain Dustdyn’s camp on his way to the Fire Caves.

Hamllin fighting the fire mephits of the Fire Caves in Brood of Flame.

On Thursday, I continued my Three Barrel Cove theme.  For my morning slayer run, I logged on with Stoorage (Level 9 Fighter) and took him around the ramshackle town and to gather some slayers.  Later than afternoon, I brought Erdrique (Level 8 Druid)on and took him into Three Barrel Cove.  He collected some slayers and some rares, including the scorpion Lacerator (who is usually pretty tough for me to find) and then he headed into the Wheeping Cove to do the quest, The Legend of Two-Toed Tobias.  While running through the quest, I discovered something a little interesting.  I learned that undead, well at least skeletons, can be stunned with the spell Salt Spray.  I had some fun with that little trick .  After I pushed through the Wheeping Cove, I logged for a little.  I logged back on later that night with Sludgge (Level 20 Rogue/Shadowdancer) and took him into A Small Problem on epic normal.  The quest went pretty well but I did struggle near the end and got killed so I will have to go back in there to get my revenge.  After that run, I had to call it a night.

Stoorage taking on Scortchtusk in Three Barrel Cove.

Erdrique traveling in Three Barrel Cove in winter wolf form.

Erdrique stunning skeletons with salt spray in the Wheeping Cove.

Kanndar in Three Barrel Cove during a stormy afternoon.
 
Sludgge taking on the panthers in Under the Big Top on Epic Normal.

So the runs this week were dominated by Berann, Three Barrel Cove, and few epic runs.  Overall it was a fun set of runs.  Well thanks for reading everybody and happy hunting!!

What Kind of Fish are Found in the Stormreach Harbor?

As I was running back and forth from the Harbor to Korthos Island with my newly build half-orc barbarian, Berann, I ran past the guy sitting on the dock not far from the Harbor Lighthouse fishing.  I sat back and thought about this for a minutes.  I’m actually a fisheries biologist and started to wonder what type of fish might be present in the waters of Stormreach Harbor.  The few times I have swam to the bottom of the waters in the harbor indicated that the bottom is primarily muddy and/or sandy.  There doesn’t appear to be a lot of aquatic vegetation in the harbor, which helps to provide structure and habitat for a lot of fish species.  I’m also assuming that the waters of Stormreach Harbor are brackish, having a higher salinity than something like Tangleroot River but not nearly as high a salinity as that found in the open sea.  It also most be noted, that the Stormreach Harbor is an estuarine habitat, which is generally pretty productive for fish and other aquatic animal and plant species.

What is this guy fishing for?

Based on these features, and the fact that there is probably a large amount of dock rip-rap from construction duties to build the various structures of the harbor, I’m assuming there might be a number of interesting species location here.  I can see some flounder, or other types of “flat” fish, thriving here as they tend to snuggle into the mud and sand to ambush their prey, generally bait type fish or invertebrate species such as shrimp.  Another common species that frequent mud/sand flats would be those in the “drum” family.  Drums are generally pretty fish and kind of behave that catfish in that they skim the surface of the mud and sand looking for prey.  I’m sure many “bait” fish species (thinks like sardines or anchovies) are plentiful as well using the rip rap for cover and protection as well as a typical “schooling” behavior.  I also wouldn’t be surprised to find some type of shark and/or skate/ray species located here as well.  Probably medium sized sharks or rays, that would be scooting along the muddy bottoms and gobbling anything they could.

As for the guy on the dock, he is mostly like fishing for some flounder or drum species.  Most of these types of fish are pretty good tasting and he may even be taking them to some type of market .  In any case, it got me thinking so I figured I would jot my thoughts down.  Thanks for reading everybody and when you are done hunting…go fishing!!

My first Half-Orc Barbarian-Berann Ostefair

Well, I just rolled my first half-orc, Berann Ostefair.  I made him a barbarian.  I primarily plan on using falchion’s for Berann because I wanted to do something unique for me, as I already have a greatsword wielder in Harrgon and a greataxe wielder in Garrrin.  For his enhancements, I wanted to focus mainly on the Occult Slayer so he could be a bane to casters.  Here is what I decided on:

Character Plan by DDO Character Planner Version 04.19.03

http://www.rjcyberware.com/DDO
DDO Character Planner Home Page

Beran Ostefair
Level 20 Chaotic Good Half-Orc Male
(20 Barbarian)
Hit Points: 422
Spell Points: 0
BAB: 20\20\25\30\30
Fortitude: 18
Reflex: 8
Will: 7

 

Abilities (32 Points)	Starting Base Stats (Level 1)	Ending Base Stats (Level 20)	Feat/Enhancement Modified Stats (Level 20)
Strength	18	23	25
Dexterity	12	12	12
Constitution	18	18	20
Intelligence	6	6	6
Wisdom	10	10	10
Charisma	6	6	6

 

 

Skills	Base Starting Skills (Level 1)		Feat/Enhancement Modified Skills (Level 20)
Balance	2		10
Bluff	-2		-2
Concentration	4		5
Diplomacy	-2		-2
Disable Device	n/a		n/a
Haggle	-2		-2
Heal	0		0
Hide	1		1
Intimidate	-2		-2
Jump	6		13
Listen	0		0
Move Silently	1		1
Open Lock	n/a		n/a
Perform	n/a		n/a
Repair	-2		-2
Search	-2		1
Spellcraft	-2		-2
Spot	2		14
Swim	4		7
Tumble	n/a		n/a
Use Magical Device	n/a		n/a

Level 1 (Barbarian)
Skill: Balance (+1)

Skill: Jump (+2)
Skill: Spot (+2)
Feat: Selected) Two Handed Fighting
Feat: (Automatic) Attack
Feat: (Automatic) Defensive Fighting
Feat: (Automatic) Dismiss Rage
Feat: (Automatic) Fast Movement
Feat: (Automatic) Half-Orc Orc Blood
Feat: (Automatic) Heroic Durability
Feat: (Automatic) Light Armor Proficiency
Feat: (Automatic) Martial Weapon Proficiency (ALL)
Feat: (Automatic) Medium Armor Proficiency
Feat: (Automatic) Rage
Feat: (Automatic) Shield Proficiency (General)
Feat: (Automatic) Simple Weapon Proficiency
Feat: (Automatic) Sneak
Feat: (Automatic) Sunder
Feat: (Automatic) Trip
Enhancement: Occult Slayer (Bar) – Weapon Bond (Rank 1
Enhancement: Occult Slayer (Bar) – Ear Smash (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Occult Slayer (Bar) – Awareness (Rank 1)

Level 2 (Barbarian)
Skill: Jump (+1)

Skill: Spot (+0.5)
Feat: (Automatic) Damage Reduction
Enhancement: Occult Slayer (Bar) – Extend Rage (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Occult Slayer (Bar) – Ear Smash (Rank 2)
Enhancement: Occult Slayer (Bar) – Awareness (Rank 2)

Level 3 (Barbarian)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)

Skill: Spot (+0.5)
Feat: (Selected) Power Attack
Feat: (Automatic) Trap Sense
Enhancement: Occult Slayer (Bar) – Extend Rage (Rank 2)
Enhancement: Occult Slayer (Bar) – Ear Smash (Rank 3)
Enhancement: Occult Slayer (Bar) – Awareness (Rank 3)

Level 4 (Barbarian)
Ability Raise: STR

Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Spot (+0.5)
Feat: Automatic) Uncanny Dodge
Feat: (Automatic) Uncanny Dodge (Dodge Bonus)
EnhancementOccult Slayer (Bar) – Resistance (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Occult Slayer (Bar) – Extend Rage (Rank 3)
Enhancement: Occult Slayer (Bar) – Knockout (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Occult Slayer (Bar) – Knockout (Rank 2)

Level 5 (Barbarian)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)

Skill: Spot (+0.5)
Feat: (Automatic) Improved Heroic Durability
Enhancement: Occult Slayer (Bar) – Knockout (Rank 3)
Enhancement: Occult Slayer (Bar) – Arcane Encumbrance (Rank 1)
EnhancementOccult Slayer (Bar) – Constitution (Rank 1)

Level 6 (Barbarian)
Feat: (Selected) Weapon Focus: Slashing
Skill: Balance (+0.5)

Skill: Spot (+0.5)
Enhancement: Frenzied Berserker (Bar) – Die Hard (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Occult Slayer (Bar) – Elemental Defense (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Occult Slayer (Bar) – Bond of Retribution (Rank 1)

Level 7 (Barbarian)
Skill: Jump (+1)

Skill: Spot (+0.5)
Enhancement: Frenzied Berserker (Bar) – Extra Rage (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Occult Slayer (Bar) – Arcane Encumbrance (Rank 2)
Enhancement: Occult Slayer (Bar) – Constitution (Rank 1)

Level 8 (Barbarian)
Ability Raise: STR

Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Spot (+0.5)
Feat: (Automatic) Improved Uncanny Dodge
Enhancement: Occult Slayer (Bar) – Lessons of Travel (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Occult Slayer (Bar) – Lessons of Travel (Rank 2)

Level 9 (Barbarian)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)

Skill: Spot (+0.5)
Feat: (Selected) Cleave
Enhancement: Occult Slayer (Bar) – Lessons of Travel (Rank 3)
Enhancement: Occult Slayer (Bar) – Kinetic Bond (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Occult Slayer (Bar) – Kinetic Bond (Rank 2)

Level 10 (Barbarian)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)

Skill: Spot (+0.5)
Enhancement: Frenzied Berserker (Bar) – Power Rage (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Occult Slayer (Bar) – Arcane Encumbrance (Rank 3)
Enhancement: Occult Slayer (Bar) – Kinetic Bond (Rank 3)

Level 11 (Barbarian)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)

Skill: Spot (+0.5)
Feat: (Automatic) Greater Rage
Enhancement: Frenzied Berserker (Bar) – Toughness (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Frenzied Berserker (Bar) – Cracking Attack (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Frenzied Berserker (Bar) – Cracking Attack (Rank 2)
Enhancement: Frenzied Berserker (Bar) – Die Harder (Rank 1)

Level 12 (Barbarian)
Ability Raise: STR

Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Spot (+0.5)
Feat: (Selected) Improved Two Handed Fighting
Enhancement: Occult Slayer (Bar) – Blank Thoughts (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Occult Slayer (Bar) – Bond of Destruction (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Occult Slayer (Bar) – Toughness (Rank 1)

Level 13 (Barbarian)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)

Skill: Spot (+0.5)
Enhancement: Occult Slayer (Bar) – Lessons of Nature (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Occult Slayer (Bar) – Vampiric Bond (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Occult Slayer (Bar) – Toughness (Rank 2)
Enhancement: Occult Slayer (Bar) – Toughness (Rank 3)

Level 14 (Barbarian)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)

Skill: Spot (+0.5)
Feat: (Automatic) Indomitable Will
Enhancement: Occult Slayer (Bar) – Lessons of Nature (Rank 2)
Enhancement: Occult Slayer (Bar) – Lessons of Nature (Rank 3)
Enhancement: Occult Slayer (Bar) – Vampiric Bond (Rank 2)
Enhancement: Occult Slayer (Bar) – Vampiric Bond (Rank 3)

Level 15 (Barbarian)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)

Skill: Spot (+0.5)
Feat:(Selected) Toughness
Enhancement: Frenzied Berserker (Bar) – Extra Rage (Rank 2)
Enhancement: Frenzied Berserker (Bar) – Extra Rage (Rank 3)
Enhancement: Frenzied Berserker (Bar) – Power Rage (Rank 2)

Level 16 (Barbarian)
Ability Raise: STR

Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Spot (+0.5)
Enhancement: Half-Orc – Orcish Fury (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Frenzied Berserker (Bar) – Frenzy (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Frenzied Berserker (Bar) – Cracking Attack (Rank 3)
Enhancement: Frenzied Berserker (Bar) – Die Harder (Rank 2)

Level 17 (Barbarian)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)

Skill: Spot (+0.5)
Feat: (Automatic) Tireless Rage
Enhancement: -Orc – Orcish Strength (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Frenzied Berserker (Bar) – Power Rage (Rank 3)

Level 18 (Barbarian)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)

Skill: Spot (+0.5)
Feat: (Selected) Stunning Blow
Enhancement: Half-Orc – Orcish Fury (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Half-Orc – Orcish Weapon Training (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Occult Slayer (Bar) – Force Ward (Rank 1)

Level 19 (Barbarian)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)

Skill: Spot (+0.5)
Enhancement: Half-Orc – Orcish Strength (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Half-Orc – Orcish Weapon Training (Rank 1)

Level 20 (Barbarian)
Ability Raise: STR

Skill: Jump (+2)
Feat: (Automatic) Mighty Rage
Enhancement: Half-Orc – Orcish Fury (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Half-Orc – Improved Power Attack (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Occult Slayer (Bar) – Mind Over Magic (Rank 1)

I didn’t know what tomes I have available so I didn’t add them into the original build.  However, I have already found a +2 Strength Tome I had sitting around and have already applied it.  I know I have a few other tomes around floating around my other characters but I’m not sure which ones they are.  I crafted him a +1 Acid Falchion of Pure Good with a small guild augment slot (put in a gem of sparks in it).

Berann standing on the airship with his new falchion ready to bust some heads .

I have only taken him through the Korthos Quests but so far so good .  Thanks for reading everybody and happy hunting!!

Getting Some Use Out of My Festivault Cakes and Cookies

Like so many other DDO players, I tend to be a pack rat and I tend to have a ton of consumables and clickies that I keep that I “think” will be useful, and probably would be, if only I used them.  For me these include the various cakes, jellies, and cookies from the Festivault Jester.  Last year, I had tried to make a concerted effort to use all of my cookies, cakes, and jellies and had actually started to make a decent dent in them and then the Festivault Jester returned and I just gathered more .

Well, I have decided to make this concerted effort again.  On the weekend, I took Erdrique into the quest Under the Big Top on elite and decided to use his Xoriat Jellies (Otto’s sphere of Dancing).  I used them during the last two fights in the Big Top itself and was surprised to see Yewil d’Phiarlan caught in the dancing sphere as well as a number of the other elves.

Erdrique dropping down some Otto’s Sphere of Dancing from his Xoriat, the Realm of Madness Jelly cakes from Festivault.

I was also able to catch some of the tieflings as well, which just made the quest that much easier.  Although I wasn’t having any issues, it was still fun to watch the mobs dancing away .

I then used these cakes later in Guard Duty while I was waiting for ogre to appear.  Needless to say, the hobgoblins and kobolds appeared to be having a grand ol’ time in my dancing spheres.  I still have a few of these particular cakes left, just need to finish them off and then move onto the next set of cookies!!

So don’t forget to use you cakes, cookies, and jellies from the Jester, especially in lower level quests .  Thanks for reading everybody and happy hunting!!

A Look at the Quest Runs Over the Weekend, March 21 to 23

The weekend runs started out on Friday morning with my customary slayer runs prior to work.  This Friday, I was scheduled to take Crawlller (Level 4 Ranger) into the depths of the Waterworks.  So I took him into the sewers and collected some kill counts by taking down some kobolds.  Shortly later I logged out to head to work but then logged back on after I got back home that afternoon.  I logged on with my main character with Erdrique (Level 7-at time, Druid) and took him into the Forgotten Caverns on elite.  I didn’t have an issues dealing with the trolls of these caverns in House Kundarak.  After the run through Forgotten Caverns, I logged out to make dinner and to do a few chores and then logged back on later that night.  When I logged back on, I tackled the quest Under the Big Top and completed the House Phiarlan Carnival Series.  While I was running through Under the Big Top, Heavenofhell logged on and I joined up with him and Bofadees.  The three of us then took off and headed into the Ruined Halls and Red Willow’s Ruins.  We had no problem moving through the Ruined Halls but we did have some problems in Red Willow’s Ruin where he got killed by the numerous spinning blade traps in the cave guarded by the gargoyles and hope to a number of hobgoblins.  We were playing around with the traps..and that ended badly, lol.  But we got back in there and completed the quest.  After we pushed through Red Willow, Bofadees had to log for a little while and Heavenofhell switched characters to Hellsheals.  We then completed Archer Point Defense, Purge the Heretics, and Mirra’s Sleepless Night before Hells needed to log.  After he logged I took Erdrique into the wilds of Tangleroot Gorge and did some slayers before I logged out for the night.

Crawlller peering down the halls of Waterworks.

Erdrique taking on the trolls of the Forgotten Caverns.

Erdrique taking on the Maleficient Cabal in Under the Big Top.

Erdrique leading the gang in the Ruined Halls.

Erdrique and the Crawlers exploring Red Willow.

Erdrique and Hellsheals working their magic in Archer Point Defense.

Erdrique and Hellsheals working their way through Purge the Heretics.

Erdrique forcing his dominance over Clamor.

On Saturday, I actually had a chance to log in early during the day.  I brought Erdrique back on and took him into Tangleroot Gorge to complete some slayers.  I was on a quest to max the explorer area before I leveled to 8 to get the full experience.  Bofadees was on and helped me clear the area before I had to log.  I logged back in later Saturday night and started to finish up the slayer runs in Tangleroot Gorge.  Okhamel logged on and helped get the area completed.  After we completed that area, we were joined by Bofadees and we headed into Three Barrel Cove.  We then decided to knock out the quests Guard Duty, The Stones Run Red, Brood of Flame, and Prove Your Worth.  After we made our presence felt in Three Barrel Cove with the pirates we had to call it a night.

Erdrique looking over the hustle and bustle of Three Barrel Cove.

The Crawlers taking in the scene of Guard Duty.

Erdrique tripping an ogre in The Stones Run Red.

Erdrique fighting the fire mephits in Brood of Flame.

Erdrique trailing Bofa in Prove Your Worth.

I didn’t log back on until Sunday Night.  I logged on with Stoorage (Level 9).  Stoorage is one of my characters on my Premium (FTP) account and his currently working on completed Assault on Splinterskull on elite.  He took on and completed the quests: Yarkuch’s Warplans, Whisperdoom’s Spawn, The Deadly Package: The Stronghold Key, and The Deadly Package: The Agent of Darguul.  Shortly after that I created a my first half-orc barbarian, Berann.

Stoorage doing what he can to stop Yarkuch’s war plans.

Stoorage making his way through the hobgoblins guarding Whisperdoom.

The avenger didn’t stand a chance.

Looking for Lhlor-Tragu.

So the weekend was quite active.  It was highlighted with the return of Hellbanisher coming back to DDO on Friday night!! It was a nice productive set of runs for Erdrique.  He wound up hitting level 8 over the weekend and now has winter wolf form :).  Well, thanks for reading everybody!!  Hope your weekend was good and well!!  Now get back out there and do some hunting!! 

Always Nice to See Old Friends Return!!

This past weekend, Hellbanisher returned to the enchanted world of DDO and the cities of Stormreach and Eveningstar.  Hellbanisher’s computer had burnt out on him earlier in the year around January.  As a result, he was forced to leave the game until he could get a new computer .  Well, fortunately he was able to pick up a computer from friend and he was able to download and re-install DDO.  He logged back on for the first time in about three months this past Friday.

Erdrique using Heaven’s firewall to lure enemies to their death.

I had my main character on, Erdrique, and he brought on one of his lower lever characters, Heavenofhell, and we grouped up with another guildie Bofadees and we took on the Ruined Halls and Red Willow on elite.  We had a fun time running around Ruined Halls and fighting the wide variety of mobs in that quest as well as exploring the wilds of Red Willow’s Ruins.  Hellbanisher then logged on another chancter, Hellsheals, and we took on Archer Point Defense, Mirra’s Sleepless Nights, and Purge the Heretics.  Although it took him a little while to get everything set up and to get himself reoriented he caught up quickly and it was like he was never gone .  Good to have you back in game Hell !!

Trying to Determine a Link Between Various Clans or Groups of Monsters Across Storylines-Part 9 Drow

The last time I looked at a group of monsters to see if there are any links between them was back in January.  So, I figure it is time to take a look at another set of enemies and explore where they occur and to try to see how they are connected, if at all.  Just to recap I have looked at the following:

1).  Sahaugin
2).  Kobolds
3).  Ogres
4).  Trolls
5).  Bugbears
6).  Hobgoblins
7).  Troglodytes
8).  Orcs

For this article, I wanted to look at the various Drow clans.  Here are the drow clans that I can think of in Eberron and Forgotten Realms:

Various types of Drow in DDO (Courtesy of the DDOWiki).

Eberron
1).  Vulkoorim (Scorrow)-Menechtarun, Faithful Departed, Raveneye, Cult of the Six, Proof is in the Poison,The Monastery
2).  Sulatar-Searing Heights
3).  Pirates-Three Barrel Cove, Smuggler’s Rest, Blood-Tide
4).  Outcasts-Bounty Hunter, Stromvauld’s Mine, Red Willow, VON, Gwylan’s Stand
5).  Enslaved-Tempest Spine
6).  Veil and the Luridae
7).  Nyx?
8).  Xoriat-Invaders, A Dream of Insanity, Xorian Cipher

Forgotten Realms:
1).  House Dun’Robar
2).  House Azithoul
3).  House Szind

The drow are numerous throughout our questing encounters in Eberron and in Forgotten Realms.  However, all of the drow in the Forgotten Realms, to my limited knowledge. are all associated with Lolth and/or the Underdark.  However, with that said you do have the three primary houses of Sschindylryn=Dun’Robar, Azithoul, and Szind.  All three houses are currently working cooperatively to further their goddess’ plans to invade the surface but the world of the drow of the Underdark is full of treachery and these houses are constantly working against each other to gain further favor to their dreadful deity.

Moving to Eberron, the religious believes and general loyalties are more numerous.  The largest single group of drow in Eberron that our adventurers will encounter are those that worship the scorpion god, Vulkoor.  The followers of Vulkoor are primarily hostile with only one clan being friendly, and that being the Raveneye clan of the Red Fens.  However, the majority of these drow occur in the Sands of Menechtarun and are known as the “Scorrow”.  Out in the desert, the Scorrow are numerous and quite dangerous.  The worshippers of Vulkoor also occur in the quest, Faithful Departed, as they are out to destroy the honored Venerated of the elves, who they despise.  Other members of the Scorrow (drow scorpions) are found throughout other quests as well such as Proof is in the Poison and Cult of the Six (Thual Masmatazz).

A special note must be placed on one of the clans who worship Vulkoor.  The Raveneye clan of the Red Fens are a friendly clan of drow who we help to recover their homeland from the invading forces of Sahaugin.  This appears to be the only friendly clan who worship this deity.

A lesser tribe in Eberron would be the Sulatar.  Currently, this clan is only found in the Searing Heights explorer zone.  Within the zone, a drow scorpion of Vulkoor is actually hunting these traitors.  The Sulatar worship the fire giants that they used to serve.  I believe this clan is referred to as the ‘fire binders’ by their arch enemies, the Qaltiar drow tribe.

The third set of drow are the pirates.  We encounter these drow frequently as troops in Three Barrel Cove, the Blood Tide, and Smuggler’s Rest.  They serve as deadly assassin, sharpshooters, and leaders for their captains.  They don’t seem to have any allegiances except for the specific pirate band they are part of.

The next set of drow I have called the “Outcasts”.  These guys tend be found in a number of quests from Red Willow to VON (excluding VON 3).  They tend to be acting as mercenaries or mini-clans bent on causing problems.  They don’t seem to be linked to Vulkoor or to anything else being independent entities.

The next set of drow I have called the “Enslaved”.  The only drow that fit this mold to me are those drow forced to server Sor’jek in Tempest Spine.  These drow tend to have one focus, to server Sor’jek and in that respect to destroy us adventurers.  There religious believes are vague at best and they seem to be a distinct unit to themselves.

The next set of drow is confusing to me.  The Luridae drow and Veil of VON 3 seem to be a distinct clan to themselves however they appear to worship Vulkoor (as they are a number of drow scorpions to deal with in VON 3).  However, they appear to be a powerful clan that Veil seems to have a large influence over.  Not to mention that Veil is a vampire so trying to understand her relationship to Vulkoor is interesting.  We haven’t come across any other undead drow with respect to Vulkoor which makes me think that the Luridae drow maybe some sort of spawned off sect of the Vulkoor.

The next clan to talk about isn’t really a clan but an individual, Nyx.  Nyx is in the Stormreach Harbor who bestows the various total favor rewards to our characters.  I haven’t been able to pick out what clan he belongs to but I want to say I heard it was the Qaltiar.  Not sure, but if that is true, then that is the second friendly clan we encounter.

The last clan, which I had forgotten about, are the fanatic drow who seem to worship the chaos of Xoriat.  The clan that is in league with the legions of the realm of madness is truly fanatical.  They commonly are associated with beholders, tharashk hounds, and other denizens of Xoriat.  These drow seem to worship madness but they also have drow scorpions within in their ranks, suggesting that they maybe in league with realm of madness because Vulkoor has an interest in this alliance.

Those are all of the clans/tribe that I can think of.  The drow are numerous and are especially dangerous combatants and casters.  Take care when you encounter them.  Thanks for reading and now get out and start hunting some drow!!  Happy Hunting!!!