[Special Feature] III: Zareph Mathos

    

Prince Zareph Mathos, son of late King Jostir the Ancient and Queen Lenia, is a rather important figure in Telaran history. H was born as a twin to his brother Aedraxis Mathos, who was seconds older and thus heir to the kingdom. After Aedraxis was crowned king, Zareph supported his brother and stayed loyal to him, until he heard disturbing reports of unrest, tyranny, and discord within the Mathosian high court. Returning to investigate, he found that Aedraxis was now consorting with dark forces and had gathered all books on death rituals to his side, in order to study the aspect of death. Zareph was horrified and tried pleading with his brother to stop his madness. Soon after, he received a letter from Ardenburgh saying that Aedraxis had set up some kind of macabre ritual scene outside the town gates and appeared to be trying to summon Regulos. Prince Zareph was horrified and quickly went to Thedeor Field, outside Ardenburgh, to stand off against his brother, causing the Mathosian Empire to fall into civil war. Alas, Aedraxis was successful in summoning a death rift onto the field of battle, decimating every living creature on it. Some were outright killed. Others had the misfortune of being slowly turned into shambling ghouls and twisted undead nightmares of their previous selves. None were left alive save Zareph, the sole survivor among the leadership. He retreated to an abandoned abbey located on the premises that night. The next morning, golden light shone through, alerting him to the resurrection of his friends and allies as gods-gifted Ascended, warriors of Telara.
     With renewed hope, Zareph continued the battle against Aedraxis, pushing his armies back slowly with the aid of the newly Ascended. Eventually they met Aedraxis in combat at the site of a massive rift into the Plane of Death, where Aedraxis called on Regulos and Carwin Mathos, Zareph's younger half brother, was slain. After Aedraxis and the Shade of Regulos was defeated and most of the Ascended seem to disappear, Prince Zareph took the remaining survivors and founded a port city he called Port Scion, halfway between Silverwood (the main concentration of those who worshipped the Vigil) and Freemarch (where the planar college was and where Orphiel and his people had set up camp after the fiasco with the Mathosian court). It was Zareph's hope to keep the peace between the science loving people of the south and the Vigil worshipping people and elves of the north. He was neutral on Magitech, knowing it had plenty of good use against the planes and against the Plane of Death in particular, as the Ward was weakening by the day and he needed all the power he could get to stem the tide of planar corruption.
     And it seemed he was successful. There was a truce among the peoples of Telara, however uneasy, as they fought against the cults and planes. After one such battle, Zareph confiscated a powerful piece of Magitech technology, which he brought back to Port Scion to be studied by the Ethian scientists. His good friend and advisor, the powerful mage Alsbeth, was also interested in the device. She promised Zareph that if given time and material, she would be able to build him such a powerful device that would augment the already strong shields of Port Scion and keep it safe from any threat. Zareph readily agreed. He gave her access to the vaults below Scion that contained powerful artifacts and she took advantage of this to unlock the door to the prison that contained the fragment of the Shade of Regulos that Zareph was keeping safe. Calling upon the power of Regulos, Alsbeth summoned a rift over Scion, which Zareph nobly gave his life to keep sealed inside the doomed city. It's actually not really known if he is in fact, dead, or if he's kept in some kind of stasis or half life, but Zareph is seen later on when Ascended gain access to the River of Souls to put a stop to more of Alsbeth's evil plotting. From her words to Zareph in the River of Souls, it seems that he had romantic inclinations toward Asha Catari, who he grew up with in the Mathosian court along with Alsbeth. It always seemed like Alsbeth was jealous of everything Asha got, even Zareph, and wanted the prince for herself so she could flaunt him in front of Asha and Cyril when they met on the battlefield. But the Ascended (the player) put a stop to that, freeing Zareph. He in turn made another sacrifice, choosing to stay and hold Alsbeth off while the Ascended fled back through the portal to the mortal realm to warn their leaders of what had happened. Zareph mourns that he can't come with and rejoin everyone back on Telara, but he knows he would have no life there, being nothing but a specter, as he had not been Ascended.

     Of all the main leaders of the factions, I find Zareph one of the most fascinating, and the most tragic. He just can't seem to catch a break. Hopefully he's happy now in the Soulstream.

References: Holy man on the Shadowlands! (Telara's moon, get it?) It's very hard to find lore information about Rift anymore! Why is that Trion?? Hmmm??? And there's like no info AT ALL on Zareph! The information posted here is taken mostly from the comic, partly from the game, and a large chunk taken from the forums, where a few awesome lorehounds were kind enough to provide me with some details and even a video with info about Zareph!. So a special thank you to Samuraiko, hardy83 and slipmat! You guys are awesome!

[Raeslyn's Story] 2.11: The Wood of Silverwood

   The next morning dawned bright and sunny. A light fog hung over the city, which was common due to its location. I woke up early enough that the sun had only just risen as I left the Inn I'd stayed at. As I wandered back through the city I purchased some supplies for the road, including a skinning knife and some salt so I could make use of animal hides for extra coin and perhaps some armor if I could find an outfitter.
     Next up, I stopped by the stables to get my mare, Naesa. I was quite pleased that I wouldn't have to be walking all over. The damage to Telara left in the wake of the Shade Wars was so extensive I feared I'd have to do much travelling to right all the evil and imbalance. It would be less of a trial if I wasn't exhausted from running from place to place. After selling a few artifacts and odds and ends I'd gathered along my journey so far, I had enough coin left to purchase a new set of leather gloves, an enchanted bracer that promised some resistance against elemental magic, and a few extra daggers. It was a little before midday as I set Naesa to a quick pace across the bridge to Sanctum and out into Silverwood. From my higher perch atop the horse, I could see better into the forest and was able to easily avoid dangers on the road. I remember Ramis Twistroot wanting me to investigate the connection between the Fae and the Aelfwar, so I set out for Wayward Thicket, a notorious hang out spot for the local troublemaking Fae that slipped through the rifts. As well as being troublesome to the trade routes in and out of Sanctum, I'd heard rumor that the satyrs had allied with Greenscale, that horrid beast from the Plane of Life that had been imprisoned with the other Blood Storm long ago. If allies of Greenscale were now acting up and stirring up violence and mayhem, there had to be a reason and it probably wasn't a good one.

     After leaving Naesa by the side of the main road, I quietly crept into the thicket, keeping my eyes and ears strained for any sign of the Fae. Fae were a tricksome and bothersome lot. You shouldn't ever trust one, or turn your back on one, even if they seem sincere. They had innocent, cherubic features, soft crooning voices, and beautiful bodies to trick the unwary traveler into all kinds of mischief, even injury and death. I muttered curses against the little beasts as I crept through the undergrowth. I really didn't like Fae.

   When I actually did come across one, I don't know who was more shocked, her or me. We both kind of stared at each other blankly for a moment, before the faerie hissed in outrage, wings beating furiously behind her. I can't think of anything I'd done personally to tick off a faerie so I guess they must recognize me as Ascended and a threat. I smirked. As well they should. The faerie attacked me head on, claws outstretched, and I easily dodged to the side, flipping my dagger in my hand and ending her life in one quick jab. The fae fell soundlessly to the ground, wings limp and crumpled, and I confess to feeling just a little bit horrible as I stared at her childlike body. It was creepy, ok? I scowled, staring at the body for a few minutes, before sighing and bending to rifle through the faerie's belongings for any clue as to what they were doing here so close to the main road into Sanctum. Shockingly enough, I did find something. A scroll, to be exact, written in the Elven language, and signed in...was that...yep it was definitely Aelfwar blood. Gross. I wrinkled my nose in disgust and rolled up the scroll, tucking it gingerly away in my pack. That elf at Sanctum Watch will definitely want to see this. This confirms that the Aelfwar and Hylas had allied with the Fae, for some reason, and seemed to be working toward some kind of goal. I felt chilled wondering what that could be. Looking around, I spotted a small ring of red capped mushrooms at the base of a tree. Faerie rings were notorious for being gateways into pocket dimensions, where everything was the same, yet different, and you never made it out alive. Although how it was known what they were if no one survived is beyond me.

     Seeing as I had irrefutable evidence of a pact between the Fae and the Aelfwar in hand, I didn't see anymore reason to go hunting down more fae. For one, I didn't want to cause more trouble than was necessary and alert them to my discovery, but I also didn't relish cutting down more of the dainty creatures. Ya, I know they are evil little buggers and were actively working to destroy Telara, but they just looked so innocent and mystical. Must be all those stories and legends I'd been told as a kid of the Age of Legends.

     I stood, dusted myself off, and crept quietly back to the road, where Naesa waited patiently, chewing on some  grass she stood on.
     Back at Sanctum Watch, I handed over the scroll I'd found to Ramis, idly flicking tree particles off my shoulder as I watched his reaction to the news.

     "This is grave news indeed, Raeslyn. If the Aelfwar have allied with the Fae, I fear something terrible may be coming. It seems that even though he's kept holed up in Overwatch Keep, Hylas has been at work. He has harnassed treants from the plane of life using blasphemous magic. We have to find a way to break his hold on the creatures!" Ramis clenched his fist around the scroll, crinkling it as he gazed out at Silverwood. I nodded, even though he wasn't paying attention to me.

    "I agree. I think I'll head out and investigate some more. I want to see if I can find a way to remove those slivers of magic that keep the treants in check. Anything to lesson House Aelfwar's hold on Silverwood." I said this bitterly, flicking my eyes down to the ground. I felt Ramis turn his attention back to me.

     "Thank you, my lady Raeslyn. May the gods bless you." I smirked. "They already have," I replied as I turned and grabbed Naesa's reins. "Can you watch her while I'm gone? I don't want the treants or anyone to know I'm coming so I move quieter on my own. Actually.....never mind." I waved my hand, as Ramis raised an eyebrow. I think it would be better to just leave Naesa back in Sanctum after all, at least while I was in Silverwood. The forest was just too....wild for me to ride around realistically. I felt kind of bad, leaving her behind in the city again, but she was well cared for. So after heading back into the city again to leave Naesa at the stables, with a generous supply of coin to keep her happy, I again set out, this time heading north, deeper into the wilds of Silverwood, where I knew the treants were active. Sure enough, I did find treants running amok in the northern forests. They were destroying perfectly healthy trees, terrorizing the wildlife, and attacking anything that ventured too near. In general, acting not all like a treant should act. I shook my head. How low can the Aelfwar stoop? Don't they realize yet that what they are doing is wrong? Or maybe they are so far lost in their own delusion that they see themselves as bringing good? I shrugged. Who knows how they think. I've been so far removed from Aelfwar society since even before my resurrection that it just mystifies me.

     To my intense relief, I realized that the treants were actually sloughing off slivers of the tainted magical organism that was being used to control them, kind of like leaving segments of parasites behind. Disgusting, no? But it was preferable to killing the creatures, as I was uneasy destroying something that was treasured by Tavril. I quickly moved around the treants, gathering up slivers that were strewn about the forest floor and avoiding coming into direct conflict with the cursed....uh...beings? Individuals? What exactly is a treant anyway? I shook the stray thought away. So not important right now, Rae! As I was cramming what I decided was the last fae sliver I needed for analyzing, I caught a strange glow out of the corner of my eye and when I glanced over, I could see a soft yellow light shining through some brush to the left. I melded into the shadows to remain unseen, lest it was some trick, and crept closer. It was actually easier to shift into the shadows the more I practiced the trick and I was getting stronger at it too, able to stay concealed for longer, and even able to use a certain number of my abilities at the same time as maintaining a grip on the invisibility.
     Lo and behold, there was another Altar of Reflection sitting behind the bush, merely humming and glowing away as you please like some cosmic telegraph. And it seems the letter is for me. I glanced around the little clearing carefully before placing my daggers at my hips and bending down to activate the altar. The air crackled with divine energy and a Spirit Guide leaped out of the ether, shaking itself as it landed softly on the forest floor, dainty hooves splayed just so to keep balance. I dipped my head in respect, then waited quietly for what it had to say. The Spirit Guide turned immediately to me and stared into me with eyes of liquid gold. Words formed in my head, not unlike the method that the messengers used to communicate.
    
     "This wood weeps at the evil Prince Hylas has unlashed, Raeslyn Ascended. You have done good work here in Silverwood, restoring Tavril's will over the land, but there is worse to come, we are afraid." I snorted at that. Big surprise. "Even as we speak, the Aelfwar plot to use magic grafts to bring the entirety of the treant species and their natural magic under their control. You must disrupt these rituals! The Aelfwar must not gain complete control of the treants! Alas, three of the treant elders have been corrupted and must be killed. Deeproot, Elderwood and Wildthorn have all turned their back on Tavril. Destroy the profane ritual and put an end to these treants' misery, please Raeslyn!" The Spirit Guide pawed the ground, than turned and looked to the west. I turned as well but could see nothing but more forest. I turned back to the Spirit Guide, but she was no longer there. Figures. These divine messengers of the gods were all about business.

     I kinda knew what an Aelfwar ritual altar would look like, having been part of their society. Well, I probably knew what it looked like. So I wandered to the west where the Spirit Guide was indicating, keeping my eyes open for any kind of hinky ritual showdown type thing. And I was right. It was easy to spot the altar where the Aelfwar were performing their mind control voodoo on the local demi-humans. Unfortunately, the altar was being guarded by two Aelfwar archers. Well....unfortunately for them. By this point, I wasn't cringing too badly as I concealed myself in the shadows, silently approached the one archer, and slit her throat before she even knew what happened. The second archer was pretty quick on the draw, I'll give him that much. Literally. He had an arrow knocked and flying my way before you could you say 'holy mother of Regulos!' What? It's a catchy phrase. Thankfully, the archer had reacted more out of instinct than actual aim and the arrow missed me..by that much...I felt the displaced air as it wizzed by my ear, inches from my eye. I really didn't want to know firsthand if Ascended grew back things like eyes. With a flash of steel, I charged at the sentry, daggers leading. Grim faced, he quickly reached into his quiver for another arrow, but my dagger got there first. He had time for one curse word and a glare of hate before he slumped to the forest floor. Panting, I glanced between the two. A shameful loss of elven life, this was. But the Aelfwar had to be stopped. What they were doing was wrong, on many levels, and it was past reasoning with them. I'd heard all about Shyla and the council's pleas for reason and truce. Hylas just wasn't in the mood to listen.

    With a prayer for the sentries' souls, I turned and studied the altar. An ornate bowl of deep burgundy liquid took center stage, with remnants of some kind of organic material littered around it, and a twisted root to one side. A few magical implements I recognized, most I did not. Want to know the best way to disrupt a ritual? Smash it to bits. I made a fist and scattered the items on the altar, overturning the bowl and smashing the delicate wood specimens. I overturned the altar, stomped on the arcane symbols, and generally desecrated their little magic trick. Have I mentioned that I don't like magic? Too much potential for harm and evil.
     A sudden roar that seemed to shake the trees raised the hair on my neck and I jumped clear in the air. I whirled around...and glanced up...and up. The biggest treant I'd ever seen was now towering over me, with the angriest expression I'd ever seen on anything, human or otherwise. It was staring at the ruined altar. I gulped and gave a weak chuckle, backing up so the altar was between me and it.

     "Uh, heh heh, let me guess, you must be one of the elder treants? I'm um...sorry about the altar." I clutched my daggers tighter as the treant zeroed in on me. Uh oh. Great, how does one kill a giant walking tree? Somehow that was never covered in my magical wildlife class. Tree equals wood. Wood burns, right? Hmmm. I considered for a moment, going over the attacks and forms I'd learned, both from my mentor and from the helpful rogue in Divine Landing, back in "Old Mathosia" as I'd taken to calling it. Actually, there was one ability. Well, a spell really, that I'd never found much use for, not being comfortable around magic and all. A spell my mentor used to call hellfire blades, which lit up my daggers with magical flames and was supposedly able to increase my effectiveness with my weapons. But I hadn't been a fan of carrying around knives coated in a kind of magic fire. I kind of have this thing about being caught on fire by my own weapon...not to mention that's got to be hell on the blade, dulling it and all; no pun intended. But that might be just the edge I needed against tall, dark and leafy here. I was able to easily recall how to perform the spell, another perk of Ascendency I suppose.

     I quickly murmured the words and ran my fingers over my two main daggers, backing up to give myself more time. The treant took one step and was in my face. Fire flared along my daggers, and not a moment too soon as the demi-human reached down with a loud creaking noise and tried to squish me like a bug. Since it was so big, I just rolled between its legs, throwing my left arm out in an expert move that sliced along its leg as I went. I didn't stick around to see if my technique was successful, which was good cause I'd have been stomped to death as the creature roared in pain and raised its foot up, shaking and stomping. I rolled clear, coming easily to my feet, and was pretty darn proud of my handiwork. The wound wasn't bleeding, which would have been weird actually, but the "flesh" was seared and blackened and smoke wafted off it. Yummy. Now the treant knew I was a serious threat though. Time to hurry up and torch this guy. I waded in, sending fiery spikes of flame this way and that, trying to sear as much bark as I could reach while dodging grasping hands and stomping feet. Not as easy as it sounds, trust me. Not for the first time I wondered if perhaps I should have studied the bow rather than the blades. But wait, I'm Ascended now. I have all the time in the world to learn a new weapon skill. I cackled to myself, and was glad I was alone. Wouldn't want anyone to think their saviour was nuts, now would we?

     With a satisfying groan, the elder treant crashed to its knees, than facedown on the forest floor. Most of its form was covered in blackened chunks of peeling wood, and it smelled like charred forest. I stood, breathing heavily, for a few seconds as I let my heartbeat return to normal. Ascended or not, I was not a fan of throwing myself into danger like that. Finally, I eyed my daggers thoughtfully. Now that I wasn't in immediate combat, the hellfire seemed to have dimmed, almost to nothing. Like banked coals. Huh, neat trick. Maybe I will keep the spell active after all. It definitely helps do more damage, especially to wayward treants. Speaking of, I still needed to kill two more of the things. What were their names again? Meh, I guess it didn't really matter, as long as they were neutralized. Since disrupting the altar brought the attention of only this one, I was led to believe that there was an altar tied to each of the elder treants. I suppose it was a stronger tie to their essence, making it easier to corrupt them. Sheathing my daggers, I dug at the treant with a boot just to make absolutely, sure, before lightly melting into the shadows of the forest in search of the other two altars.

     After I'd dispatched the other elders, whatever their names were, I headed back to Sanctum Watch with the slivers I'd gathered and the news that the treant threat had also been dealt with...at least for now. Until we got to the root of the problem...haha I'm full of puns today....Hylas was just going to find another way to control them and cause mayhem. He needed to be stopped and his Aelfwar needed to be dissolved. We are all part of the Guardians now. We are too few and too scattered to have separate agendas and affiliates. Even if Hylas wasn't consorting with the planar creatures.

     "Prince Hylas seems desperate to control the beings of the Plane of Life." Maris Telluria commented, turning over the sliver of corrupted root in her hand. "This madness can only end in tragedy for us all. You did well in following the Spirit Guide's advice. Disrupting the profane rituals could very well have saved the forest and its dwellers from great suffering." She held it out for her comrade, Ramis, to inspect. Ever curious, the man leaned over.
     "Yup, that's me. Raeslyn the Ascended, saving the world, one forest critter at a time." I pawned off the rest of the slivers on Ramis, slightly amused when he stood there with his arms full and a perplexed expression on his face. Finally, one of his assistants took pity on him and relieved him of the slivers, taking them off to study or something. Ramis grimaced and dusted his hands, giving me a reproachful look. I rolled my eyes in response.

     "Nevertheless, Raeslyn. We can be certain House Aelfwar's plans don't stop at raising treants to do their bidding. There must be something more at work here. Some deeper agenda. If only we could see what the forest sees." I raised an eyebrow. See what the forest sees? There wasn't any way to do that...unless? I scowled. Of course I have to do it. But on the other hand....how exciting!

     "You want me to go on a vision quest, don't you?" I said, more statement than question. Maris seemed delighted, as if I'd volunteered. "What an excellent idea, lady Raeslyn! I know a shaman who can help you undertake the vision. Do you know of Dalin Erst?" He waited for my careful nod, than continued "Go speak to him about entering into a vision quest. And hopefully then we can discern the nature of the Aelfwar threat." I barely refrained from saying who cares, just put a stop to it! But that was easier said than done, I know. And we couldn't just march up to Overwatch and bang on the door and demand that Hylas surrender. Overwatch was a well fortified keep and they could withstand a siege for weeks if not months. We didn't have that kind of time, or forces to spare for that kind of battle, what with the Defiant on one side and the uprising of the cults and the planes on the other.

[Gameplay] I: UI Setup and Addons

UI SETUP:
     I've played a few MMO's since I came into the business of computer gaming, and always a thing people seem to have a million different suggestions and opinions on is the UI setup, add-ons, and macros. Of course there's different ways to set up your screen for your own personal comfort and choice. It depends on if you like your screen to be pretty much bare of things except the "essentials" like your portrait, the mob your attacking, and a few key icons, or if you like to be able to see everything that's available to you at all times. The main games I play, WoW and Rift, are quite different in this respect. While WoW has a very rigid UI setup inside the game, allowing little to no customization, the thing the I love most about Rift is that this game is completely opposite. You can literally change everything you see on your UI. Want your portrait size smaller? Or in a different location? Sure, no problem. Want to put your quest list elsewhere, or change the way it reads to you? Just go to the set up and do that! Since I have a specific way I like my UI set up, I'll use that as my example in this post, but of course there are many different options and I'm not saying mine is awesome or the best or anything. After all, I'm a casual gamer and RP'er at heart, even though I do raid on occasion. So I set up my screen so that it is of greatest benefit for me in that respect. Here's how I set up my screen!

     First off, in order to find the window that will allow you to customize your UI, you hit the ESC key. From there, click on the EDIT LAYOUT button. Once you do that, a separate window will pop up and everything on your screen will become highlighted. From there, merely click on the item you wish to change and the little edit window will change to reflect what you want. You can play around with controls to see what you want, and if you do something accidental that you didn't like, you can always click on the "defaults" tab in the edit window.

    To change other things like the size of font, the names of mobs and players/npc's you want visible, or what messages you want to display on your screen, just hit the ESC key again and go to SETTINGS and then click on INTERFACE. Within that window, you'll also find a whole bunch of customizable options for changing things around the way you want. This is also where you can find more action bars for your spells/profession icons, potions, etc. Say for example, I prefer to work with 7 action bars. 2 extra on the bottom, 1 extra on either side of these, 2 vertical bars up against the far right "wall" of the screen, and 1 horizontal bar running along the very bottom of the screen to the right of the default action bars. This last one overlaps with my bag bars, but I have the "don't show action bars" option checked, which means that all the action bar squares that are unoccupied are invisible, so you can't even tell that there is an action bar down there. I have that set up because that's where I put all my Ascended and Patron status potions and Lures and suchlike. Experiment with different things, keep changing size and position to get the items on your screen to lay the you want. Of course, there are a few things that you won't be able to change unless you are in a group or targeting someone who is also targeting you (if you want target of target set up anyway). For me, I prefer all the portraits of myself, pets, party members, target, etc. to be relatively small and out of the way in the left-hand corner. For raid portraits, I just bunch them all together unless I'm on a character that heals. Along the far right, on the side of the screen, is where I keep my profession skill icons for crafting, foraging, fishing, etc. This is also where I keep my mounts and any mini pets I want to summon while in cities. At the bottom of these action bars are the icons for my role switching. In Rift, when you have multiple roles, or "specs", you can click and drag the role button from the talent tree window and place it on your action bars. That way, you can just click on that icon and switch your spec as soon as you are able, instead of having to go to your talent tree window and clicking on the role and then activating it. On the bottom action bar that overlaps the bags, I usually place my Soul Recall (hearth) button, as well as all my Patron and Ascended status buttons. After a while, especially if you are high lvl and have a high planar attunement level, as well are far along on the Patron window, you tend to accumulate a lot of that stuff. I have about 9 different Patron potions for Artifact Tracking, Experience Gain, Dungeon and Warfront Extension, Summoning Trainers, Mailbox, Bank Vault, and a few others I don't remember. As well as your Ascended stuff like your Fury buff, resurrection, Nexus Infusion, Lures. I don't use these things "too" often, but I do like to have them handy for when I do need them.
     On the default action bar that comes with all characters as soon as they are "born", is where I like to keep my main spells and attacks. Since I'm left-handed and feel most comfortable doing things left to right, I put my spells on my action bar in that order, from most relevant to least. All attack, offensive, and killing type attacks are listed first, from left to right. All buffs and weapon enhancements are located on the extra action bars I added on the left of this. All mana and health potions, stunning spells, healing spells, items that cause dmg or healing, are located in the extra action bars that I placed above the default bar. Right above this is my casting bar and water breath bar. Above my head, I have the quest message window that displays when I complete objectives for quests. This I keep relatively tiny because there's tons of ways to keep track of quest progress without having that there too. Same with the quest text. I keep it relatively tiny and out of the way on the right, under the map. The map I also changed the size of, making it half the size of it's normal state. All the buff icons to the left of the map have also been scaled down since I don't see the necessity of them being so large.

     For the chat windows, to change the size of the actual window, put your curser over the little triangular tab on the bottom right hand side of the chat window and hold and drag to whatever size you want the window to be. You can easily change the size anytime you want for the window. To change the size of the font, or customize the chat channels, right click on the specific tab you want (for example GENERAL and COMBAT are default chat tabs) and click on "settings". From there you can scroll through options on the left hand side for what you wish to change. There are slider bars for sizes and things.

ADD-ONS:
     Addons are tools that are outside the game's usual influence and are like extra packages that the player can install to change specific things about the game. While there isn't nearly as many addon options for Rift as there is for say WoW, there are still quite a few out there. I don't pay too much mind to them, because Rift already has most of the things that I would want in an addon anyway, such as quest locations, co ordinates, bag sorting. But there are a few that I'll list and explain that I like to use that have turned out quite handy in Rift.

     First off, if you want a handy program that will download and update your addons for you with very little time spent on your part, as well as an easy list of all addons the game as to offer, search up and download a program called Curse Client. This is a program separate from any game that you can download on your computer. Be aware, I highly recommend you have some kind of virus protection or internet filter system set up on your computer before downloading this or any program straight from the internet if you don't want trouble on your computer. After you've downloaded Curse Client, you can set up an account with the program and put in your personal preferences as well as allow the program to scan your computer for the games you play. Once it has found them, you can just click on the game in the left hand side of the program's window. In the main window will be a white background. At the top two tabs will say "My Addons" and "Get More Addons". If its your first time on Curse Client, the "My Addons" tab will obviously be empty. Just click on the other tab and scroll through the list of addons for ones you like. To download an addon you want, simply click install. The addon will be automatically installed and added to Rift's files. You can then log into the game and have the addon available immediately. If you download an addon while you are already logged into the game, you'll need to exit the ENTIRE game and then re enter it again. You won't have to uninstall the game though....just mentioning that in case some don't know :)

List of my addons:

• RareDar-a really handy addon that presents as a little grey meter on your UI that you can move anywhere on the screen. Place it somewhere out of the way but where it's also easy to remember. I have mine next to the main system bar on the bottom left, beside the cash shop icon. When there is a potential rare nearby your location, the little meter will turn green and you'll get a chat message stating whichever rare is nearby. You can then click on the meter to see if the rare is indeed nearby or not. If it is, you will automatically target the rare and then you can pinpoint it by looking at your mini map or whichever direction your target arrow is pointing. If there is no rare present, a chat message will tell you. If it is a rare you have already killed, you will be told that. Also, if a party member has the same addon and encounters a rare, you will get a message flashing across your screen at the top telling you found it/killed it.
• SimpleMeter- this addon is a dps meter. It measures how much damage you and your party members are doing. It's not as sophisticated as some of WoW's dps addons, as you can't do much to filter it, but it works if you are wondering how your dps holds out against your allies. It doesn't seem to have a limit to what will display on your screen though, so the list of names and numbers can grow quite large if your in a raid or IA.
• King Boss Mods-an instance and raid addon with detailed information on the various boss encounters in late game events. Kind of like Deadly Boss Mods for WoW.
• Puzzle Map-gives you the location of the puzzles and cairns in the game so your not wandering all over creation for them or having to tab out and look it up. Quite handy if your also writing a blog!

     The list of addons you can get for Rift seems to be growing every time I look, which makes me very happy! I remember when Rift didn't even have that option, when they first came out. So long ago now!

 TIPS:
     A few more interesting things of note. If you want, you can change and add key bindings to things you want, like the jump animation. I prefer mine to be the 0/Insert key on the number pad, because its right next to the arrow keys and so it's handy to just move my pinky over and hit it to jump in the air lol. And a few other things that I change up to match with my WoW characters, but that's just me. Like the guild key, achievements and raid key, etc. Also, if you don't want to spend however long on each and every single character every time you want to create an alt and need to fix up the UI, you can go your main character, type /exportui and then log into your alt and type /importui. And voila, like magic you'll have everything the same! Saves a lot of time and effort. Also, to change one of the action bars from a horizontal position to vertical like in my video, just right click the bar in question and it will automatically switch to vertical. Keep the bar near the middle of your screen or high enough up or it will disappear below your screen's view after changing to vertical!

     Well I hope this post was helpful for those who are new to MMO gaming or to Rift and were curious about UI setup and other things! I am not going to mention macros because I'm not familiar with them. I've never used macros except for one specific occasion while playing WoW and that was because I was looking for a specific rare pet to tame that wandered in various locations...I've never been a fan of macros. Also, I'm a "clicker" player. That means that I use my mouse to click on spells and keys, instead of using keybinds and my fingers. I've used a mouse for way too long to try changing now, and I'm pretty good at it. Or at least, I've done lots of progression raids in both Rift and WoW with no problems as healer, tank and dps. If you have questions, reply to me as a comment or a PM, or in game on Nightfever, Raeslyn, or Karazhan! I am always happy to reply! :)

[Raeslyn's Story] 2.10: City of Sanctum

     After saying my farewells and well wishes to the people of Silver Landing, I headed to the east to Sanctum Watch to speak to one Maris Telluria. I hope she had some good news for me and could shed some light on the recent activity of the Aelfwar. I'd also been hearing rumors in the wood about the uprising of those vexed Fae and wondered, not for the first time, how they were involved in this situation. If the Fae had aligned with House Aelfwar we were in trouble for sure.
     Along the road I encountered more of those troublesome red Life vines and saw the damage they were doing to the local forest. The Plane of Life had definitely left its mark in my Silverwood. Every now and than, out of the corner of my eye, I'd catch a flash of movement, or a splash of color that didn't quite fit with the greens of the wood and I knew that the Aelfwar were out there, infiltrating the ranks of the Guardians and getting into position. For what, I wasn't sure, but I knew it had to be something big for them to mobilize on this scale. Overwatch Road itself, though, proved to be quite safe thankfully. I saw many a traveler as I made my way to Sanctum Watch. Pilgrims, merchants, adventurers and I'm even sure I saw another Ascended. Although the young Dwarf woman was riding a mighty steed and traveling at such high speeds that I could no more than glance at her in pride as she raced by. Someday I wish to be such a magnificent personage. To be an Ascended of such renown that others would know my name in the cities, would gaze in wonder at my strength and agility. And my friends would drink to my health...and that reminded me of my mentor, lost, possibly slain, and my wistful thoughts sank. I loved my master, I did. I miss him every day and until I found proof of his demise, I wouldn't give up hope.

     Ahead, Sanctum Watch came into sight. Sanctum itself, that radiant and glowing city of faith and hope, stood like a bastion against all evil across the shining bridge. I'd seen Sanctum many times of course but had never had reason to enter its shining gates. I'd always been more of a forest dweller, more comfortable among the local wildlife than among the bustle and noise of the cities. But now, I felt drawn to it. The city stood for so much more now, being the home and base of operations for the newly created order of the Guardians. The order I was now a key part of. I wondered idly if I'd find Cyril or Shyla there, my old comrades from before the Prophecy message. I hope they were well. Perhaps when this task was over I'd go visit them and take a tour of peaceful Sanctum. Yes, I'd like that very much now that I thought about it.

     A beautiful, wooden fence ushered me along the path toward Sanctum Watch, where I found a small group of mixed races standing around a giant Wardstone discussing something in depth. Large elaborate tents stood picketed behind the group of people and there were even a few merchants setting up shop in the predawn light. In front of one tent, an older woman led a small group of pilgrims in song, the lilting tone drifting along the breeze. Just the sight relaxed me in a way that I hadn't been in some time and I found myself quirking a smile, eagerly approaching the group. Large leafy trees made for a scenic background to the holy site.

     "Are you an Ascended too? Please, bless me!" Startled, I slowed to a stop. A woman in a hooded robe was gazing at me from the side of the road with awe and admiration. I blinked, a bit hesitant. While I would consider myself to have had a hand in the stopping in the Shade and preventing Regulos from entering Telara completely, I wouldn't say I was comfortable going around blessing people like a Messenger of the Vigil or a Priestess would do.

     "Uh....perhaps it would be best if you, uh, instead joined the prayers at the altar of the Vigil, or approached Shyla Starhearth for a blessing? That would be more appropriate." I said this in a gentle voice with as kind a smile as I could muster, not wanting to offend the woman, who might have travelled who knows how long just for a blessing. Some pilgrims traveled farther for less after all. But I also wasn't comfortable giving out blessings. I wholeheartedly believed in and followed the Vigil of course. They were my light, the gods I would lay down my life to serve, but I didn't think it was my right to be offering something in their stead. I firmly believe in choice and free will. Besides, I wasn't the prayer-giving type. The woman's shoulders slumped and she looked crest-fallen, making me feel somewhat guilty, but I stood firm and she nodded, before murmuring a thanks and continuing on her way to the city.

     Turning back toward the small group at Sanctum Watch, I was again hailed, this time by a tall Elf in blue robes etched with runes.

     "I greet you, Raeslyn the Ascended, with an open heart. I sense you are a Guardian of the same mind as my own on the challenges we face." Again I blinked, a bit unsure. That was a rather flowery greeting, something I wasn't used to. Social interaction isn't exactly my forte, having spent so long alone in the wilds. I offered the Elf woman a half smile and a slight bow of the head, hoping that would suffice. She continued to gaze at me with soft, liquid-green eyes and I shifted to glance at the others, feeling a bit annoyed that she was making me self-conscious.

     "I greet you as well lady Elf. Maris Telluria I presume? I have urgent matters I wish to discuss with you." I said simply, growing impatient with the formal speech. The woman, Maris, tilted her head to the side and studied me silently a moment, before nodding and stepping away from the group. I reached into my bag and took out the written seal that Isilwyn had given me.
     I held out the letter. There was a moment of awkward silence, at least on my end, as she opened the seal and read it. Her face became drawn as she finished and she closed it, eyes suddenly older than before. "This is the seal of Isilwyn Alrai! It's been a very long time since we have heard from him. I can see that it's for good reason he decided to reach out to us now. Thank you for bringing this evidence of corruption to light Raeslyn."

     I nodded. Of course I already knew about the evidence and the contents of the note. No, I didn't snoop into it; Isilwyn told me what it said before handing it to me. At least someone trusted a Rogue.

     "I would ask a favor of you, Raeslyn Ascended, while you are here." I gazed at her, than shrugged and nodded. Anything to help return Silverwood to the way it was and cleanse the taint of the Plane of Life from its trees. I'd also like to make up for the guilt I felt at having suddenly abandoned my friends and comrades upon defeating the Shade of Regulos back on Thedeor Field.

     "Of course, Lady Telluria. That's why I'm here, to lend my Ascended strength to the Guardians wherever needed." I replied, curious.

      "When the High Elf ruling council moved to Sanctum and ignored Prince Hylas's pleas to leave the other races to their fates, he may have felt slighted, but his behavior in Treant's Grove is appalling. The forest might be able to guide our response to his actions and help us on a course of action. Go to Treant's Grove yourself, Raeslyn and assess the situation. Speak to the Spirit Guide if you can find her and find out what her suggestions are for dealing with Prince Hylas." While I wasn't exactly sure what had happened in Treant's Grove, I knew that if House Aelfwar was involved that it couldn't be anything good. I did ask for some time to prepare for another journey though, since I needed to replenish my supplies and get some rest. I may be Ascended and fit from years of training under my master, but all the activity I'd undergone recently was exhausting. Maris gave a bell-like laugh at my request. "Of course you may rest up, Ascended! Anything you require, you have only to ask for."

      "Thank you Maris Telluria." I said gruffly in response. "Out of curiosity, what is your role here in Sanctum Watch, if I may? I'm trying to get a feel for the current situation." As I asked her, I poked around in my bags, making a mental catalogue of what I had and what I wanted to get rid of at the merchant here. Maris gave a soft, huffing laugh, drawing my attention back up to her shadowed face.

     "Sanctum is the home of the Guardians. My home. A sacred place where the voices of the Vigil are heard the clearest. And that is why I am here. My duty is to guard the bridge and take measure of House Aelfwar's recent activities in Silverwood." I waved my hand, encouraging her to go on. Despite my joy of combat, I did love information as well and I was fascinated in hearing about the recent troubles with the Aelfwar, my wayward kin. "Hylas Aelfwar and his cult have gone too far now. He sent his scouts throughout the forest, raising up treant minions to further his sinister ends. It is our duty as Guardians to uncover his schemes and punish him for his transgressions." I wondered what Shyla thought of that. Of course everyone had heard of the legendary love affair between Shyla and Hylas. Theirs was a love that everyone envied. It had seemed promised to last the ages; every bard had sang about it. I continued to listen as Maris spoke.

     "Our scouts also report that faeries have occupied Wayward Thicket. These minions of the dragon Greenscale seek to let the wilderness consume all civilization. They act against the gods and we must stop them before the corruption grows beyond our control." Maris raised a fist at the last comment and her eyes seemed to burn with an inner light that made me wonder if perhaps she'd run afoul of some faeries before. I was about to ask when a young Elf male in muted brown robes cleared his throat and walked up to us.

     "My apologies, but I couldn't help but overhear you mention the faeries." He spoke very quietly and seemed quite shy, which was amusing. I raised an eyebrow at Maris, who waved a hand in the male's direction. "This is Ramis Twistroot. He is our local Faerie expert." I made a noncommittal noise and politely fixed my gaze on Ramis, mildly curious to see what he had to say. A Faerie expert? Perhaps he'd have something relevant to add to my mission.

     Ramis cleared his throat, looking uneasy to have found himself an actual audience, Ascended at that. "Well...House Aelfwar dominates much of Silverwood, as we know, yet we haven't seen them attack any of the Faefolk of Wayward Thicket, as we've seen them attack other invaders as well as our own scouts. They have fiercely defended their territory with great fervor, yet seem almost to ignore the Faeries. I've yet to get close enough to find out why this is. I fear the Aelfwar have made a pact with the Faeries, but I would like solid evidence of this first. If you could...Ascended?" He looked at me with pleading, eager eyes. Ugh, scholars. Wanting as much information as they could get, but unwilling to put in the effort and risk to get it. I sighed.

     "Sure," I found myself saying. "What is it you need?" Ramis's face lit up like it was Fae Yule and he eagerly scrabbled in his belt pouch for parchment. After several silent moments while I watched him scribble down a list, he thrust the parchment at me with heartfelt thank yous.

    "Now, don't get your hopes up. I don't promise anything, just that I'll take a look around and see if I can get anything that would help in your investigation. And Maris, I'll try my best to find out what the Aelfwar and the Faeries are up to."

     After I'd discussed a few more details with Maris and Ramis, I wandered around the rest of Sanctum Watch. I found a cheerful merchant by the name of Tomen Porras who gladly traded in a few trinkets from my travels for fresh water, food, and knives. Finally, I'd run out of tasks to complete and I couldn't think of any other reason to delay my next task. Other than I was feeling a bit wrung out from all the constant running around. I'd been so focused and driven since my resurrection that I'd hardly had any time to slow down and think. To decide on what I wanted to do, wanted to accomplish. To find my lost mentor, or enjoy just being alive. So I paused, glancing between the ever-lightening woods and the shining city over the arched bridge. I warred with myself over what I should do. On the one hand, I really needed to find out what those dratted Fae were up to and I'd love nothing more than put a stop to Prince Hylas and get my revenge for his betrayal of our people. But on the other hand, I didn't want my entire life to be consumed with a vendetta and with carnage and combat. I wanted more to my life than just helping random strangers and making the world a safer place. I wanted to do things for myself as well. I had notions of taking up studies again, whether on my own or back at the college in Argent Glade. I had the urge to go explore all the great wild places of Telara. There was still so much of this magnificent world that I hadn't seen. That no one had seen. Why shouldn't I be allowed to enjoy the works of the Vigil.

     A gentle warmth inside my mind reminded me of my duties to the Guardians and I swallowed, feeling torn. I placed my hands on my hips and fingered my daggers. The Aelfwar have been up to their shenanigans for some time now, I'd gathered from the sentries and outposts set up around Silverwood. They had yet to make their move, and I'm sure if they did, I'd hear about it one way or another. And of course I'd step in to lend aid if needed. And the Fae also seemed to be setting shop in Wayward Thicket for the long haul. So if I nipped off to Sanctum for some much needed rest and relaxation, the world shouldn't come to an abrupt and fiery end, right? Okay, so I was just coming up with excuses to make myself feel better. In a way, I did feel like I was abandoning my duty. But no one had specifically told me that I had to put my duty above all else, and I had my own desires and will as well. And it wasn't like I was forsaking anyone. As soon as I'd gotten my eyeful of the fabled Sanctum city, I'd be back out there, righting the wrongs of the world and putting an end to sinister evil foes. I just needed some time to myself. To think, to consider the future. 

[Off Topic] Fae Yule Event!

Fae Yule

     Before I begin, I wanted to give a heartfelt shout out to all the families that endured the horrific massacre at the Connecticut school Friday morning. That was the most horrible, sacrilegious thing I've ever heard about and I'm pretty sure everyone was in shock to hear about it. And before Christmas too....just disgusting.

     I'm not a big celebrator of Christmas. It's not my thing. In fact, it's not even my religion. I do love all the pretty lights and ribbons though, I admit, and having a pretty decorated tree in your living room is a nice addition to brighten things up. Not to mention you can feel the mood change as it gets closer to Christmas. People start getting more excited, more stressed, more short tempered, more crazy. It's like a big knot of...tension. Good and bad tension. For me, Christmas is a time to look forward to having fun and performing activities with guildies in game. Last year I celebrated Yule Tide with friends in Rift and I also celebrated Winterfest with my good friends and guildies in WoW. We had a lot of fun doing all sorts of unique once a year quests, crafted interesting wardrobe items, and got a bit drunk off the eggnog. Yep, that was my Christmas!

     This year is all about Rift, and I'm happy to say that Fae Yule is back! Now, I'm not sure if this is an actual official holiday for the world of Telara, or if it's just a fun non-canon activity that Trion has given us as a fun side activity. Either way, I love the idea, although I'd really like to know what holidays Telara actually does celebrate. Anyway.

     For Fae Yule, there are 3 phases to the event. The first phase, which is happening for...well I'm not really sure how long it will go on for since when I looked at the date and other info in the world event panel they still had last year's date on it. Doh! So I'm not sure about that. The first phase though, is called "Remembering the Yule Mother". The second phase is "Reclaiming Fae Yule" and the 3rd phase is called "Fae Yule Celebration". I can't wait to do all the stuff for all of them! Oh...I wonder if the tavern will have hot chocolate??

      First Phase: Remembering the Yule Mother=So far, this is the only phase available. When the other phases become unlocked I'll add them to the list below. I've spent the day running around doing the various tasks given to me in Meridian by Grandfather Frost and various other helpers he has working for him. He has us participating in free for all snowball fights, sledding competitions, closing Rifts, and a yearly tradition that involves using candles to help a lost traveler find their way home.
     According to Grandfather Frost, you are to reenact a honored event from times past. The quest says "Long ago, a shy elven hunter would, in the dark of winter, place candles in the forest to light the way for lost travelers. This kind hunter became known as Illuminaria, the Yulemother. It is said, even now that on the darkest of dark winter nights, her spirit shows the way to the lost travelers most in need of her light." Isn't that awesome? A little piece of lore added to the season to give it some Telaran significance. Of course, I still would like to know if I can take it as canon lore! And why do all the holidays revolve around the Fae? I'd like to know that too. Along with lighting candles for travelers and random snowball fights, I also went sledding!
     Wheeeee. It was really fun and I did it like 50 times lol. There's a quest giver in Meridian that tells you to go through the portal behind him. When you do, you end up in Iron Pine Peaks somewhere up in the mountains. There, a woman tells you that if you step on the jump pad she'll boost you to the top of the mountain so you can slide down.
     So I stood on the little stone square and whoosh! Up to the top of the mountain I went. It was pretty fun being boosted through the air like a long distance trampoline. I always love free flying/falling in a game. Not sure why hehe. Than you get a sled leaning against the railing and down you go.
     Thankfully, its fairly easy to control your sled as long as you pay attention to the trees and other things. You have to slide through some banners/gates and also hit snowmen along the way that are for some reason ambushing the place. Although how snowmen can ambush a sledding race is beyond me. It was fun all the same though.
     A few things I haven't gotten to experience yet but will definitely be doing, are the festive themed Instant Adventures, the Fae Yule Rifts, and the festive Whitefall Steppes warfront. It just seems like I never have time to do all the fun stuff I want to do. Even with an entire day off to play Rift, I can't seem to get it all in lol! Rift you outdo yourself with keeping a player busy! *shakes fist at Trion*.
     Another thing I was curious about but haven't gotten to do yet is the extra stuff outside the game. Like the cape deal, and the dimension presents for the Facebook thing. Not sure how that works but I should probably check it out at least! Maybe later tonight! Well that's it for Phase One things so far!

Phase 2: Reclaiming Fae Yule= The second phase started today, December 20th, and it's just as fun as the first phase! As I thought, there's all kinds of new and neat things to do! The first thing I did was check out the new quest givers over in the Fae Yule section of town. I noticed that this is where all the World Event stuff goes, is in this dedicated section of the town. Neat idea! Anyway, I went over there and I noticed that all the Fae Yule decorations were ruined and torn down! Who did that?! I didn't have to wait long to find out. It was Atrophinius. He just keeps cropping up all over the place! First the GSB Chronicle (where I first saw him) than in the Autumn Harvest event, and now here! Cept this time he's in a realllllly bad mood cause apparently Crucia mind controlled all the people who make his mead and he's sober. A sober satyr is not a happy satyr. So he got mad and trashed everything. Tantrums much?
     So in order to make Atro feel better, I had to hunt down a faery selling Fae Wassail in Meridian and pawn some off her so I could give it to Atro and make him drunk. He said that he might feel good enough to restore all the stuff he wrecked if he was drunk again. Well, I gave it to him and it didn't get fixed. Apparently it turned into a daily now. You find him 5 of the Wassail and you get the snowflake rewards. That's okay I spose. I can always use more snowflake currency! The other new quest available now is the one from the yeti that was standing in front of those cool looking reindeer Vaiyuu. I wanted one sooo badly! Well now's my chance. The yeti gave me a quest that told me that his precious Vaiyuu loved a flower called snowbuds (or was it icebuds?) and I had to roam around Meridian collecting them for the mounts. Once I'd gotten enough, I turned it in and squeeee mount time! It was the most easiest mount I've ever achieved in the game! It was awesome!! But also kind of a let down cause I expected a long and complicated quest. But oh well!
     I chose the gray reindeer Vaiyuu cause that one looked the coolest in it's festive armor. I rode it around Meridian, lookin' so fine! Still haven't been to do the festive Rifts or the festive PvP though. Ugh, I work too much! Oh, but I did see a tree spawn in Freemarch that had presents around it and circling faeries and satyrs. There were presents under the tree that were clickable and I got some interesting buffs and snowflakes. Nothing more than that though, I'm afraid. Oh well, it was fun to see anyway.
     I did go to the Facebook page (after I created a Facebook account) and like Rift. I would have liked it anyway if I'd had any desire to go on Facebook...and than I went to the presents tab and got my present pile! Woot so happy! My sister also just bought SL earlier this evening, so I'm hoping that that counts as an Ascend a Friend buying SL, which means I'd get that neat cape! But I haven't got it yet and I got the other stuff...hmm I'll to read it again more carefully see what it says. I hate restrictions that aren't obvious!

Phase 3=Celebrating Fae Yule: Celebrate and exchange gifts! This seems to be what this phase is all about. The new quests involved delivering gifts to various random types around Telara. There were also random gifts laying around Meridian that if you clicked on them you got a snowflake and/or a buff. I clicked on a present lying in the center of Meridian and got turned into a reindeer! So cute! I did get into a few of the Whitefall warfronts, and I have to say, it was a lot of fun! Apparently you have to get presents from a tree in the middle of the battlefield and take it back to your own faction's tree. The first faction to gather 3 presents wins. There was also random side things going on too. Like for instance, I'm not sure how you get it started, but someone becomes a werewolf in a Santa hat, called Santa Claws. If you kill that person, than you become Santa Claws. Gets you a fair amount of achievements for doing it too. There was also another one with a satyr. You can pass it on to another person too, you don't have to die for that one to go away. I think that achievement was called "You shouldn't have...no really, you shouldn't!" Or something similar. Oh, I also finally got the neat winter cape when my sister bought SL. There was just a few days delay is all. I didn't mind! Me and my sister both got capes for all our characters, it was super exciting! They looked really nice too. I spent time doing the dailies and gathering up snowflakes. I still need so many *cry* and I'm afraid it's almost over now! When the 3rd phase started I actually ended up really sick with a fever and everything and spent all my time in bed. From Friday until Tuesday morning I just mopped around my apt and slept and took drugs. I tried going to work but I felt so awful I just couldn't! So I missed out on some good opportunities to get some more flakes. I want so many more things yet before the Winter stuff goes away for the year! Waaaaa!
     I really liked the dimension winter themed stuff. There was a village just outside of Meridian that I stumbled across, run by boglings and Greatfather Frost. There was a dimension vendor there, but all the items were so expensive!! I bought what I could though. I had this idea for a frozen wasteland themed dimension, just for funsies. Perhaps for Night's dimension, (My RP main) since she's such a hard hearted Kelari. But now I'm afraid I won't get everything I need before it all goes away. Alas...I suppose I'll have to wait till next year.

     Well that's it for the Fae Yule event. Long enough post eh? I had to keep adding on as the other phases were introduced so I could give an accurate description! Hehe. I really enjoyed it, and I loved that it extended on past xmas. Perhaps that means that the Telaran new year is a bit different than Earth's new year? I shall have to investigate that! I look forward to more Fae Yule next year!