All new episodes!
Jul. 22nd, 2004 01:57 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
meteordustContinuing Season Two (Payon Chapter) of
SHIN RAVENLOFT: TALES OF THE WAR OF EMPERIUM
Episode 38 - A Game of Forts (original airdate: 27 May 2004)
Summary: Shin Ravenloft, homeless for the better part of a month, decides to go for a Payon fort. But how can it stop the Payon Alliance from massing their united forces in response?
Review: Our target this siege was once again the Fatty Chubby Kitties fort in Payon, Balder Guild 3. But this time we had a new strategy planned. Ten minutes into the attack, Lunakitty gave the order to switch to the Cataclysmos fort instead. After one assault, we switched back to the Fatty Chubby Kitties fort.
By changing targets like this, we hoped to throw our opponents off and force those assisting Fatty Chubby Kitties to pull back and protect their own forts. Cataclysmos went defensive for a while after we entered their castle, and later we made the same feint at GodLike.
Unfortunately, we still didn't manage to break through the defences, so towards the end of the siege we regrouped and went for a Prontera castle - good old Valkyrie Realms 3, now held by Imperial. Their emperium room was in chaos, but the siege ended before we could take the fort.
After the siege, while I was hanging out in Prontera, I overheard a GodLike wizard complaining to a Fatty Chubby Kitties rogue about seeing Slaughtered Saints, No Love and Shin Ravenloft *every* siege.
We may not have had a fort, but at least we had infamy.
***
Episode 39 - Showdown in Payon (original airdate: 30 May 2004)
Summary: No Love and Dragon Slayers clash head on in the battle over Balder Guild 2. Who will be the victor?
Review: Our target this time was the Dragon Slayers fort in Payon, Balder Guild 2. There was a fair degree of enmity between Dragon Slayers and us - Shin Ravenloft, No Love and Slaughtered Saints - and we had battled over forts in the past. Like the other Payon guilds, they were tough. If we couldn't take them down, our backup plan was to go for a Prontera fort instead. But that turned out to be unnecessary. Not quite halfway through the siege, after fierce fighting, No Love succeeded in breaking the emperium.
Victory tasted sweet. Winning a Payon fort was a huge achievement for us. But we weren't done yet - the hard part would be keeping it.
Dragon Slayers came back, and they had their allies Imperial with them. I was at the front lines with other members of Shin Ravenloft, and we fought Dragon Slayers for control of the entrance, which passed back and forth between us.
Of all the sieges I've taken part in, this would have to have been one of the most exhilarating. Both sides were well-matched - we would hold the entrance until they overwhelmed us, and then we would return in force and storm their defences. The most memorable sequence was when we were fighting toe to toe for around ten minutes straight - which is a long time for a single engagement to last. But it was wonderful intense combat - no portal spamming, just steel and muscle and raw sorcery. I was killing enemy wizards, laying traps when I could, and trying to avoid the knights who were chasing after me. The great thing was having people with me - priests and wizards and melee - and working together to keep each other alive.
In the end, not only had we helped No Love get a Payon fort, but it was a very nice fort indeed. Dragon Slayers had held it for 45 days, and its economy and defence were at 60/50 (where 1/1 is the lowest and 100/100 is the highest).
***
Episode 40 - Enter the Dragon (original airdate: 3 June 2004)
Summary: As Shin Ravenloft helps No Love defend its fort, an unexpected ally appears on the scene. With their forces joined, can they hold off the massive invasion that looms?
Review: I was at the front lines again, keeping the entrance trapped, while my companions took up their own positions. It was mostly quiet for the first hour of the siege, especially since Dragon Slayers had decided to go for Playmates in Geffen instead.
Halfway through the siege, we got a visit from Thomas Thane, leader of The Dragon's Pride. The Dragon's Pride was a guild friendly with Slaughtered Saints, and they were here now to help us. I'd partied with some of their members before, and I was glad to have them on our side.
But when the storm broke, even those reinforcements weren't enough to withstand its fury. We were attacked by e.V.o, Dragons of Destiny, Sasuneac, Cataclysmos, GodLike, Fatty Chubby Kitties and Zero System. Even though we kept up some semblance of a front line, people were just breaking through. I tried to retrap when I could, but it was near impossible in the chaos, and my SP was running low as well. Eventually we were overrun and I died.
Then, with ten minutes to go, the gamewide GM announcement came up: "The [Valkyrie Realms 2] castle has been conquered by the [Shin Ravenloft] guild." Like everyone else, I was thinking, "What the hell?" Lunakitty told us it was Cyrus. But there was no time for delving into the matter, because No Love's emperium room was under attack, and everyone was ordered to pull back.
But it was too little, too late. With less than five minutes of the siege left, the castle fell to Sasuneac.
There was not even a scrap of consolation for us as /omg took over Valkyrie Realms 2 almost immediately after.
When there were only two minutes left, the leader of No Love, PookieBun, called off the retake effort for their fort. The siege was over for us.
The debrief afterwards was somewhat tense. It turned out that Cyrus, who was meant to be studying that day, had decided to log on for the last ten minutes of the siege. A few people were unhappy that he had gone skirmishing instead of coming to help us, but whether it would have made a difference was debatable. The important thing was to make sure No Love understood that the skirmish team was only Cyrus, not people we might have pulled from the defences.
***
Episode 41 - Shadow of the Raven (original airdate: 6 June 2004)
Summary: The Shin Ravenloft expansion guild emerges from the shadow of the main guild. In the meantime, more tension between allies past and present...
Review: For the first hour and a half of the siege, we were meant to be helping Playmates get their Geffen fort back from Dragon Slayers. It ended up taking less than half an hour. We regrouped in Prontera afterwards and went for our planned target, Valkyrie Realms 2. It was held by M&M, who were under heavy attack by a number of guilds. Help from No Love and The Dragon's Pride meant we were able to take the fort within ten minutes.
Only it was the Shin Ravenloft expansion guild (also known as SR2) which had taken it, and for the first time in history, their emblem proudly adorned the castle flags. It was pretty cool to see them with a castle of their own, especially after their tireless and sometimes underappreciated efforts on the main guild's behalf.
As we bunkered down in the emperium room, we could hear the gamewide GM announcements regarding the capture of various forts. We got news of No Love taking Valkyrie Realms 3 and then The Dragon's Pride taking Valkyrie Realms 5. We were all laughing and excited about the idea that a Prontera Alliance could become reality.
But our joy was shortlived. Slaughtered Saints, who had lost their Prontera fort to XGMR earlier, took Valkyrie Realms 3 from No Love. To say this was a disappointment would be an understatement. (In a stroke of irony, The Dragon's Pride, who lost their fort to Reflex, ended up taking over Valkyrie Realms 3 at the end of the siege.)
But we had more pressing issues to deal with. It was getting close to the end of the siege, and not only were we expecting a last minute rush, we were also low on traps. I hadn't brought a huge amount in the first place, not expecting to be defending for an hour and a half, and what I had I'd split with the other hunter.
Five minutes before the end of the siege, we were overrun by Imperial and Dragon Slayers, who took the fort. It was not only the lack of traps that did us in - we were also short on priests during the rush, and some of our melee had chased after people who broke through the lines instead of holding their position.
One tangible result of this siege was that Shin Ravenloft formally removed Slaughtered Saints from its allies list.
***
To be continued...
SHIN RAVENLOFT: TALES OF THE WAR OF EMPERIUM
Episode 38 - A Game of Forts (original airdate: 27 May 2004)
Summary: Shin Ravenloft, homeless for the better part of a month, decides to go for a Payon fort. But how can it stop the Payon Alliance from massing their united forces in response?
Review: Our target this siege was once again the Fatty Chubby Kitties fort in Payon, Balder Guild 3. But this time we had a new strategy planned. Ten minutes into the attack, Lunakitty gave the order to switch to the Cataclysmos fort instead. After one assault, we switched back to the Fatty Chubby Kitties fort.
By changing targets like this, we hoped to throw our opponents off and force those assisting Fatty Chubby Kitties to pull back and protect their own forts. Cataclysmos went defensive for a while after we entered their castle, and later we made the same feint at GodLike.
Unfortunately, we still didn't manage to break through the defences, so towards the end of the siege we regrouped and went for a Prontera castle - good old Valkyrie Realms 3, now held by Imperial. Their emperium room was in chaos, but the siege ended before we could take the fort.
After the siege, while I was hanging out in Prontera, I overheard a GodLike wizard complaining to a Fatty Chubby Kitties rogue about seeing Slaughtered Saints, No Love and Shin Ravenloft *every* siege.
We may not have had a fort, but at least we had infamy.
Episode 39 - Showdown in Payon (original airdate: 30 May 2004)
Summary: No Love and Dragon Slayers clash head on in the battle over Balder Guild 2. Who will be the victor?
Review: Our target this time was the Dragon Slayers fort in Payon, Balder Guild 2. There was a fair degree of enmity between Dragon Slayers and us - Shin Ravenloft, No Love and Slaughtered Saints - and we had battled over forts in the past. Like the other Payon guilds, they were tough. If we couldn't take them down, our backup plan was to go for a Prontera fort instead. But that turned out to be unnecessary. Not quite halfway through the siege, after fierce fighting, No Love succeeded in breaking the emperium.
Victory tasted sweet. Winning a Payon fort was a huge achievement for us. But we weren't done yet - the hard part would be keeping it.
Dragon Slayers came back, and they had their allies Imperial with them. I was at the front lines with other members of Shin Ravenloft, and we fought Dragon Slayers for control of the entrance, which passed back and forth between us.
Of all the sieges I've taken part in, this would have to have been one of the most exhilarating. Both sides were well-matched - we would hold the entrance until they overwhelmed us, and then we would return in force and storm their defences. The most memorable sequence was when we were fighting toe to toe for around ten minutes straight - which is a long time for a single engagement to last. But it was wonderful intense combat - no portal spamming, just steel and muscle and raw sorcery. I was killing enemy wizards, laying traps when I could, and trying to avoid the knights who were chasing after me. The great thing was having people with me - priests and wizards and melee - and working together to keep each other alive.
In the end, not only had we helped No Love get a Payon fort, but it was a very nice fort indeed. Dragon Slayers had held it for 45 days, and its economy and defence were at 60/50 (where 1/1 is the lowest and 100/100 is the highest).
Episode 40 - Enter the Dragon (original airdate: 3 June 2004)
Summary: As Shin Ravenloft helps No Love defend its fort, an unexpected ally appears on the scene. With their forces joined, can they hold off the massive invasion that looms?
Review: I was at the front lines again, keeping the entrance trapped, while my companions took up their own positions. It was mostly quiet for the first hour of the siege, especially since Dragon Slayers had decided to go for Playmates in Geffen instead.
Halfway through the siege, we got a visit from Thomas Thane, leader of The Dragon's Pride. The Dragon's Pride was a guild friendly with Slaughtered Saints, and they were here now to help us. I'd partied with some of their members before, and I was glad to have them on our side.
But when the storm broke, even those reinforcements weren't enough to withstand its fury. We were attacked by e.V.o, Dragons of Destiny, Sasuneac, Cataclysmos, GodLike, Fatty Chubby Kitties and Zero System. Even though we kept up some semblance of a front line, people were just breaking through. I tried to retrap when I could, but it was near impossible in the chaos, and my SP was running low as well. Eventually we were overrun and I died.
Then, with ten minutes to go, the gamewide GM announcement came up: "The [Valkyrie Realms 2] castle has been conquered by the [Shin Ravenloft] guild." Like everyone else, I was thinking, "What the hell?" Lunakitty told us it was Cyrus. But there was no time for delving into the matter, because No Love's emperium room was under attack, and everyone was ordered to pull back.
But it was too little, too late. With less than five minutes of the siege left, the castle fell to Sasuneac.
There was not even a scrap of consolation for us as /omg took over Valkyrie Realms 2 almost immediately after.
When there were only two minutes left, the leader of No Love, PookieBun, called off the retake effort for their fort. The siege was over for us.
The debrief afterwards was somewhat tense. It turned out that Cyrus, who was meant to be studying that day, had decided to log on for the last ten minutes of the siege. A few people were unhappy that he had gone skirmishing instead of coming to help us, but whether it would have made a difference was debatable. The important thing was to make sure No Love understood that the skirmish team was only Cyrus, not people we might have pulled from the defences.
Episode 41 - Shadow of the Raven (original airdate: 6 June 2004)
Summary: The Shin Ravenloft expansion guild emerges from the shadow of the main guild. In the meantime, more tension between allies past and present...
Review: For the first hour and a half of the siege, we were meant to be helping Playmates get their Geffen fort back from Dragon Slayers. It ended up taking less than half an hour. We regrouped in Prontera afterwards and went for our planned target, Valkyrie Realms 2. It was held by M&M, who were under heavy attack by a number of guilds. Help from No Love and The Dragon's Pride meant we were able to take the fort within ten minutes.
Only it was the Shin Ravenloft expansion guild (also known as SR2) which had taken it, and for the first time in history, their emblem proudly adorned the castle flags. It was pretty cool to see them with a castle of their own, especially after their tireless and sometimes underappreciated efforts on the main guild's behalf.
As we bunkered down in the emperium room, we could hear the gamewide GM announcements regarding the capture of various forts. We got news of No Love taking Valkyrie Realms 3 and then The Dragon's Pride taking Valkyrie Realms 5. We were all laughing and excited about the idea that a Prontera Alliance could become reality.
But our joy was shortlived. Slaughtered Saints, who had lost their Prontera fort to XGMR earlier, took Valkyrie Realms 3 from No Love. To say this was a disappointment would be an understatement. (In a stroke of irony, The Dragon's Pride, who lost their fort to Reflex, ended up taking over Valkyrie Realms 3 at the end of the siege.)
But we had more pressing issues to deal with. It was getting close to the end of the siege, and not only were we expecting a last minute rush, we were also low on traps. I hadn't brought a huge amount in the first place, not expecting to be defending for an hour and a half, and what I had I'd split with the other hunter.
Five minutes before the end of the siege, we were overrun by Imperial and Dragon Slayers, who took the fort. It was not only the lack of traps that did us in - we were also short on priests during the rush, and some of our melee had chased after people who broke through the lines instead of holding their position.
One tangible result of this siege was that Shin Ravenloft formally removed Slaughtered Saints from its allies list.
To be continued...
