The end....

I have tried to think of what more there is to say after my resurrection, and returning as a child of Illustree. I wasn't of the "light", and my character took on more a neutral role. I spent the last months of EW focusing on the guild and training.

Everwind went though a lot in its final months. Grace and Slip broke up and suddenly Everwind was turned upside down. Slip was taking up his sim "Woods" and suddenly Minions, Elves, and Fae were losing thier homes...that is pretty much the whole Realm suddenly packed into the main village, nipping at each other's heels in their small confined space.

Grace's third sim had been set up for months now, and everyone had avoided it pretty much due to the fact that a line was drawn at the sim boundary, no combat and people were renting the land for private living...or at least as private as you can get next to two full RP sims. Grace was quick to rebuild, but even as things were changing we were slightly saved not a week later when Grace and Slip made up. But things had already changed, and it was a little late to just flip things back to the way their were.

Trainers in the guild drew closer together as we adjusted the training to the new realm. We were overwhelmed by the growing number of recruits and constant demand of training and testing. Towards the end of Everwind, it seemed to some that we did less and less RP and spend more time teaching one or more recruits with the hours we had online. Recruits were happy to take on the challenge of becoming a ranger, but giving up chance to roleplay and teach others took a special few people...but towards the end, it was almost sad as we got less time enjoy Everwind's last breath.

During the last months in Everwind I had also been drawn to Triskele, helping to start up my own Ranger Guild there. As one event after another seemed to lead to the end of Everwind I was debating my place in Everwind, if I should remain or not. But my choice seemed to be made for me as Grace announced plans to make Everwind an "age verified" only sim. Now I didn't think anything of it at the time...I had take on a challenge to build a float for the Ranger Guild with the help of Jacko, Maya, and Samo. At the time my building skill was limited at best, and it took the month we were given to complete the master piece. But it was a bitter sweet win, as I realized that not only wasn't I verified in SL, that I would never do such a thing either.

Now I understood the whole "covering one's *ss" with applying age verification to a sim, but the whole process as easy as it was for me to do being in Canada, was against my personal boundaries. I was not about to dish out more personal information to make things more "safe" for Grace and Slip, it was also useless, as any kid with any sense to get this far on getting on SL could just as easily steal their parent's ID and Identity to verify age on SL. Now people could argue one way or another till they are blue in the face, but simply put, I made a choice.

As things got heated more and more over those that picked one side or another on this issue things seems to go downhill fast, and as much as I have respect for Grace as a sim owner and all she gives to those that play in her sims, it was a dark side of plain and simple disrespect for those that put their hearts and souls into HER playground that did it in for me. Fine, it was her money, she can do and say what she wants, but I am not stupid and being slapped in the face is about the last thing anyone in their right mind would stand to turn back and let that person do it again.

As my last days in Everwind counted down, I made myself at home in Triskele as I knew come New Years it would be my only home. I had looked forward to celebrating a year in Everwind and more of its adventures, but I came to accept that all good things come to an end. And more so, as Everwind has come into history as THE best Medieval Roleplay sim to have come to life in SL, I can look back and smile and say "I was there...I was apart of it".

Since Everwind close, and its sad attempt at rebirth in the new year, there is rarely a day that doesn't go by that I think back on the first realm I called home. Through all the ups and downs, the pain and heartaches, to the joys and love I have come to feel for so many I met in that precious part of SL...I have no regrets other then wishing I had more then my few memories to relive.

~I posted this towards the beginning of my blog~
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQM93l4J2Iw

Note: The Elf in the cage and on the sacrifice table in the Underworld, that is Park, my sis *smiles*....no, it wasn't even IC, it was just for the video! And if anyone knows the WHOLE soundtrack to it, can you tell me? Especially the part that picks up as the Knights run out of the Castle.

DO-OVER!

Ever as a child did you play a game with your parents, snakes and ladders and keep rolling the dice and landing on the snake, or getting nothing but 1s or bad cards? Your parents would smile and hand the dice to you again, letting you take another shot. Oh it was great, it was like wiping the slate clean and starting over, but still taking everything with you.

Now in RP, it's not so easy to just forget things that happened. Many times RP has been voided, battles or fights go bad and then a GM comes along and you have to pretend that 3 hours of your time have just gone "poof". So what happens when your character comes to a wall, and you want to take five steps back and go down another path? Well, you can't really do that, but nice thing about RP is if you are good, if you were Mage you could just blow the wall away, but if you are a Ranger, throw over a grapple hook and up you go!

Okay, its not that simple, but you get the idea, if you are creative enough, in RP, just about anything is possible if you are willing to do it.

Now, Stormy and Chance had only been gone for about 2 days, Raenn sat on the thrown and I was torn. She along with the minions wanted me to stay, but it just wasn't the same without Stormy and Chance there. I finally decided that this was it, that my time had come and I was going to throw that grapple hook over the wall and find my next path. So how does one just leave the Dark Realm, not to mention step down as a Dark Sage? Well...it's easy really, just depends on if you would enjoy it or not.

I get it in my head that this is it, and portal into Everwind, just as I land I get a notice from the Ranger's Guild. Park has stepped down and left, no longer Ranger Second or even a member of Everwind. And just who do I bump into as I head towards the path to the Dark Valley but our fearless leader Jacko *grins*. Needless to say, I am up for promotion, Park gone, my long time rank of Lt is about to take me higher...wooohooo! Well, a sad moment, hurt that Park is gone, but thrilled to be Second, and oh wait...there was a reason I went to Everwind in the first place...right....back to the story.


WARNING THE FOLLOWING IS ROLEPLAY, NOT REAL, EVERYTHING DONE WAS CONSENTED TO, COULD BE GRAPHIC!!!

Log of Nov 11 '07 - Scene set in the Dark Cathedral, the new Dark Queen on her thrown, and top loyal minions surround her. Enter Katlin, Dark Sage Ranger.

Stix: Vedui' Katlin

Raenn: Vedui Kaitlin

Katlin walks into the Cathedral and looks at the Dark Queen long and hard

Raenn lifts a brow "Something to say Kaitlin"

Katlin shakes her head and slips off her Sage band from her arm and throws it to the ground at the Dark Queen's feet

Stix eyes katlin

Raenn looks astounded she leaves the band on the ground

Katlin: My oaths were to MY KING, MY QUEEN and APOS

Raenn saunters up to the human girl eyes as cold as ice, her blood boils in her veins "You DARE disrespect me?"

Stix rests his hand on his weapon

Katlin: My Queen and King are dead, and Apos the only one that had a hold on me is weak

Raenn grabs her by the hair and throws her to her knees

Katlin falls to her knees hard

Raenn: Apos has made me your Queen, you will respect her desires or die!

Raenn: repent Child and your punishment shall be swift *glares down at her

Raenn spits "Beg girl!"

Katlin glares at the Dark Queen...."Apos has no power over me anymore, but I'm not a coward....I wont run and hide"

Stix draws his staff.

Rayiden: Your orders my Queen?

Raenn's suck in a breath through her teeth "Then you leave me no choice" *pulls the girls hair harder bringing her head back, a dagger appears in her hand gleaming in the candlelight with a swift movement she thrusts it into Katlin's throat and twists grunting with a satisfied smile, she throws the girl down simultaneously jerking the blade from her throat and shivers with pleasure

Katlin body shudders with the force of the blade, her life leaves her quickly

Raenn turns a gleam in her eye "dispose of this garbage, feed it to the Orcs"

Stix grabs the corpse by the hair and drags her from the cathedral.


And that was the end of Katlin, Dark Sage Ranger of Everwind. I was now a ghost, for length of 7 days of roleplay. Not a very good first day of being Second of the Ranger Guild, but it was my do-over *sighs*.

Bitter Sweet Ending

Three posts in one day....well the war between Light and Dark went on for a while, and I am on a roll.

This whole time there were to plots running around Everwind, one about the Seelie and Unseelie ghosts roaming around Everwind and another about a deep betrayal that seemed to revolve around the fate of Stormy and Chance.

IC, I knew nothing about what was going on, I was a loyal Sage, and as the war raged on I kept on fighting beside them. OOC I was torn inside, because Stormy had confided in me the truth of what was to come. Each battle I fought was leading to an ending I did not want to face.

During one of the final battles of the war the fight raged on for almost a full day, it had started somewhere in the forest and ended up on the very edge of the Dark Valley, people were captured on both sides, I was one of them.

After falling twice already in battle and finally someone had the time and wits to start binding the fallen minions, and drag us off. We already had captives back in the Cathedral being tortured, my own Head Ranger Jacko being one of them...so even as my wrists and ankles were bound I knew it was only a matter of time till either we escaped or we were traded or rescued. But I was a little worried....with Stix gone, and Winkie barely present, I was the only active Sage for Stormy and Chance, and now I was bond and being dragged back to the village.

While the other minions kicked up a storm about being thrown in jail I was actually playing hurt and curled up on the stone floor. I actually found it very interesting to be on the other side of the bars for once, after all this time of being a minion I had finally be captured.

Above, Mordok, my captor, and me on the ground, there were three other Drow divided between the cells. I think a couple managed to escape, in the end we were traded/released. I remember Samo came to help me back to the Valley, still wounded from battle since no one bothered to really play on the fact I was laying on the ground moaning and emoting how hurt I was. My Queen healed me, but remaining in the Valley was getting to me, so I wandered out and back to the village. I am not sure what drove me back there, it might have been my parting words with Grace IC was a bitter banter of her calling me a traitor. Samo went with me again, only to find much changed in the village. Between the time of our release from the village and when I returned Grace had declared the village closed to all minions, any entering would be arrested.

Now I should mention that throughout my time of being a minion, many people took it rather hard and in some way this aided me. Most that knew me before my turning were always trying to save me, or convince others besides the fact of my deeds that I was still "good". Rath was such, as Commander and Head of the Knights in Everwind we had known each other a long time, through good and bad, and he did not want to go through with his orders. He was good enough to give us a choice, staring down on both me and Samo he would permit one of us to leave, the other would be arrested. Now I wasn't about to have Samo take my place behind bars, and I wasn't to thrilled about being placed behind bars for the second time in one day...but I wouldn't deal a fate on another I wasn't willing to accept myself. In the end I had to use my rank as Sage to order Samo to leave and take a warning to our King and Queen, and then turned to be chained and taken off again. At least Rath had the better sense of mind and had me taken to the jail cells set up in the human castle *grins*.

I remember when Kelly showed me these cells for the first time, they had been built to hold the highest of risk prisoners to King Slip and Queen Grace, hence, they had been build to hold Stormy and Chance. They had been used once before that I am aware of, during a trial of Kobo for treason. He had been held there till he had been brought to trial and sentence carried down. Now I sat in one of the two cells, tucked away from the Realm. Now, point about an RP realm is that if you force someone away from everyone else, they can't really RP, and they get bored rather quickly.

Needless to say, I was bored, but I welcomed the break from constant fighting. That night I was allowed out to enjoy the OOC Halloween Dance, and the next day came a grand rescue. Stormy and Chance led the minions against the castle to free me, and what a wonderful rescue! They swept in and up, broke the locks and passed me a weapon to fight with, and we rushed out, heading quickly back to the Valley....we had to trace our path to gather a few minions caught up in battle but we all made it back to the Valley and in one piece, it was wonderful!

But, it was short lived. The roleplay behind the Seelie and Unseelie wound down and came to an end, and Stormy and Chance would make their last stand. I arrived to find my King and Queen half out of it and speaking strange, they spoke of being fired on, but did not care. I already knew what was to come, OOC I knew they had been poisoned with a potion that would bind them to serve Queen Grace, IC I was just a Sage, confused and baffled by their sudden change in behaviour. Then came the messenger, my King and Queen had been called to the village, and I followed, helpless to do anything but to watch now. I watched as everyone gathered in the village, I watched as my King and Queen bent to the will of the potion and signed a treaty in blood. I watched in horror as Apos came down and brought her wrath upon them for their betrayal....there was little more I could do but watch.

I cried long and hard that night. Stormy and Chance had been cut from their roles and now a new Drow Queen stood in their place, and I was left trying to decide if it was worth staying and if so, what would I do next?

Will the fighting ever end?

Following that battle it was clear that it was no longer safe for any side to just wander about the realm without fear of being under attack. Few "Safe-Zones" remained in the realm, most of them were Shrines or the main teleports down into Everwind, battles could only be started by the factions in their own land. More battles would follow, but it wasn't till the death of our Dark Sage Stix that things got mean.

It started out as something small, a group of minions gathered and started to taunt and cause trouble, the Knight's drew, they had to, it was their territory, and it started *sounds a chord*. At first I watched, not interested to be drawn into it, then one of the Knights seemed to focus on me....well I was a minion and an easy target just about then, so I was all in then. Stormy and Chance showed up and what started out as small became a round about fight, we didn't face as much lag as we had before, people fell and meters recovered faster, the battle went round and round for some time. Then Stormy got tired of the Light getting up and ordered the kills. Not only was I not big on the idea of RPing out the kills was seeing the one liners. I gave mine two, but finally things seemed to be slowing down and ending. Of course, the Light side was screaming foul and in walked Grace, and without even hearing our side voided it all. *sighs*

Worse was to follow, in another fight that started and drew into the village we had been given orders not to kill, this was just to stir things up. We didn't want to fight and see it all voided, and waste hours of fighting to have to go back saying, "nothing happened". Towards the end we start to draw out, and we think that we have everyone as we head back to regroup in the Valley, only to learn that Stix fell and was killed, his body thrown into the fountain. It had been done by a rogue that even as the battle started had professed he was not taking a side, and yet he had gone out of his way to join the Light side and then kill one or Sages.

I took this picture shortly after, Stix RPed a very nice reanimation and he played it to a T....he was literally a walking Zombie, but as good as the RP was, Grace wouldn't void his death, but she voided and created new laws to reanimation, voiding Stix's character and returning him to his death.

From Left to Right: Samo, Katlin (me), Chance, Stormy, Stix

This picture was the last time Stix and I stood together with our King and Queen before he and Jiji left Everwind, fed up with Godmongering. Looking back, now I might take things differently, but I think the worst part is having to accept the fact that as roleplayers we were trying to have fun and seeing those at the top always sway things in their favor. I am a lot more accepting now in roleplay, I am not afraid of my character being killed or facing capture or torture, I accept that if people are willing to have fun with it and put the effort into roleplaying it, then all the more fun. Stix and Jiji were excellent RPers and losing them was a blow to our side IC and OOC. It was then that we were just ready to walk away, it felt that it didn't matter, we would always lose cause Grace or Slip would void anything that actually seemed like a win for the Dark.

We walked away from a number of battles after that. One day the number of captives just piled up in the valley, we ran out of room to put captives. Grace and Slip mounted a raid/rescue into the valley for the captives, and refused to admit they had been seen coming into the valley, refused to accept that the "gates" to the cathedral had been locked. But as it was Dark faction land our side would have had to have drawn. Mind it was about 3 minions against I don't know how many. So no weapons were drawn, many of us refused to even RP with Grace or Slip at this point, which lead to rant in a notice to tell us to grow up...hmmm, so maybe both sides didn't "act" in the best way, but pointing the blame solely on those that fill your Realm with an opposing side might not be the best thing. We lost a lot of minions that day, those that stayed either wanted to continue to pick a fight, or like myself, love Stormy and Chance and stayed for the loyalty they had for them.

But we were tired, of it all, and just wanted it to end.

It's War!

Tension had been growing for months now, and you could feel it in the air, you could taste it....it was that intense!

It's hard to say where it started, but a good place to start on the side of Dark was the anger over The Jar of Justice, that both IC and OOC had ticked a lot of people off, especially those that had been subjected to it. It has started with a raid, which ended up with 4 minions captured and dragged away. What happened, I am not sure of, it was one of the few raids that was actually led by the Light, but those captured were brought back to the main village and placed inside this huge Jar in the middle of the village. At one time I had a picture of it, but I was disgusted with what it stood for and sent it to the trash....POOF! There was a plaque on it, stating that anyone charged with treason would be placed within, they were also "changed" into a fairy for the duration of their punishment.

I was baffled and furious that anyone but our King and Queen could charge a minion with treason...of course we would be against the Light...then should they not throw everyone in there cause everyone would be betraying one side or another but the rare few that could and did remain neutral?

After that our King and Queen gave us orders that no one entered the Valley was safe from our hands, we were ordered to capture all trespassers and freely offered to do with as we wished. Many were captured, most tortured, few killed to leave a message to those of the Light.

Our King and Queen launched a number of mass attacks on the Light, one even included a wonderful plan to attack by all means, by land, by sea, by air....it was wonderful, save for a little OOC slip that tipped off the Light. They "knew" we were coming and massed for the attack, Stormy's Trojan Horse stood in the main village waiting for them to accept it, the air balloon hovered over the Elven Village and a war ship neared the Fae Glade, all ready for the attack. But the OOC slip brought it all crashing down...no one would accept the Trojan Horse and our King and Queen finally turned us into one mass to fight, no longer divided we headed to the Elven Village and stormed over the walls.

It was a wonderful battle, the lag so heavy even running made you stand still and maybe your hit would land 5 minutes later if the meter even read it. Before the battle we had prepared ourselves, knocking off as many attached items as we could, reduced our settings to next to nothing, just enough for us to see what and who we were fighting. We were able to fight through the lag, at one time I was up against Dream with her "Hero" meter and she was furious cause she couldn't get to me but I reduced her meter to the red. At this time I was human, and this caused a lot of confusion, I got a number of IMs from people asking what side I was on cause I was being relentless in attacking them. Even with the lag people started to fall and after hours of battle Stormy and Chance called a retreat. It wasn't till the numbers started to thin and the lag slowly lifted that my meter finally dipped below green.

I should have mentioned that as a human and a ranger I had 2 healing powers (Charm- Human, Self Heal-Ranger) and 3 attack features on the rest of my Ranger HUD, between that and fighting with a very low lag, low scripted sword I was just sitting pretty for this battle and most that followed. At the end, Dream demanded that I leave the battle cause my meter was broken. Even as Chance shouted us to retreat I stayed to take out one more opponent...I had Mulder down to the orange and we had been facing off for most of the battle, I wanted to take him out before I left. One of Mulder's hits struck through then just as Dream IMed me and I was nice enough and lag permitting to copy and paste it for it to show that my meter was working and kept fighting. Mulder was down moments later and with Ajin at my back we hurried out of the Elven Village and to safety.

As each side licked its wounds and us Minions sat and grinned and rewarded ourselves with a battle well fought and no looses, (we had been given orders not to kill before the whole battle started) there was no more doubt left for any side...we were at WAR!