This is Tiresias' farewell from the MUD. A few names have been censored out to protect their privacy/alt information. The farewell was posted on the guild board but I felt that there were people close to Tiresias who should be able to read his goodbye. Note 29 Tiresias (Thu Dec 8 2005) Farewell Members of the Cymbrogi- I had a revelation yesterday. With all the changes, T2T is text based Quake. Well... Warcraft, at least. So when I was done bitching about it, I realized... Why play a text-based version of a game _I have_ with _much_ better graphics? So I made a decision. I'm done. I started playing this game one year ago next week because a very good friend of mine (at the time) was always distracted when I IMed her. When I asked her why, she said she was playing T2T, a text-based game. I was happy with Warcraft and Diablo, but I had a minor crush on her and wanted to do something that allowed me to interact with her. So I made this account. I couldn't handle the fact that I can't use caps (I always wanted to Say [text]). So I stopped for about 3 weeks. When we got back from Christmas break, she asked me why I'd not been playing, so and I decided to deal with the problems I had and learn it. I played for hours, learning my way about Arda, trying to catch up to my friend's level so we could play together. Around level 10, Gilstro sent me a tell inviting me to be a member of the Cymbrogi. I initially refused, telling him that I didn't know enough to be a valuable member of a clan, but he persisted and I relented. In Cymbrogi, I leveled to 16 (17? I don't remember) and was introduced to a friend of [censored1] [censored1 was the friend I joined initially to spend time with]. This friend was [censored2]. All this occurred in late January. [censored2] and I became fast friends. Two weeks after I met her, we had lunch together and totally just... connected. And pissed off the hosts at Red Lobster (We were there for 5 hours after we finished eating). On Valentines day (Or day before, I suppose) we went for a walk, I asked her out, and we thus started dating. I continued to play towers, but with a new reason now: I wanted a strong enough character to play with [censored2]. Two weeks later, [censored2] and I broke up. Despite the short duration of our relationship, I was crushed, as was evidenced by... well, how I was at the time. I played Towers even more now, but as a means of coping instead of in hopes of spending time with her. Around this time, Trenchant invited me to join his clan, Protectors of Freedom. They were to be an ER killing clan, started prior to the ERs release. [censored2], as it turned out, had history with him [They had had a mudmarriage for a while], but specifically told me it was ok with her. I didn't know what a jerk Trenchant was to... everyone... or that he was a newbieslayer, etc. Long story short, the clan dissolved and I came back to Cymbrogi. I vowed then to Myrddin that I would not abandon Cymbrogi again. In my distress over losing [censored2] [due to other factors as both a significant other and a friend] and [censored1] [due to the [censored2] thing] I recieved council from my then best friend on the MUD, Majin. He introduced me to [censored], who, as it turned out, was one of [censored3]'s many alts (I'm allowed to talk about her alt information since most or all of them are suicided now, I presume.) For those who didn't know Trenchant, [censored3] was his irl fiancee. She and I grew closer, and I rebounded from [censored2] into a relationship with her [the alt she used at the time was Raina]. After a while, though, I realized... we didn't really have anything to talk about when we weren't comforting each other [either her comforting me for [censored2]'s departure from my life, or me comforting her for Trenchant ditching her] and really didn't appreciate the fact that whenever I got on, I basically had to stop what I was doing and go sit in an inn room with her and do nothing productive. She also had ongoing issues with Trenchant which I came to believe she intentionally perpetuated. So that ended. Some time soon thereafter, Dev 22 happened and we got our guildhall. It was around then that I realized that [censored1&2] didn't even PLAY the game any more. It wasn't just me. For a while in the summer, Jenna and her alts were on alot, despite her being from the UK and my being from CA. We spent alot of time together and got really intimate. To this day, she still holds a special place in my heart, though I never see her any more. When the black gates were made password instead of guards (I knocked on the gates twice once thinking that I could get back out. Only did that once) Laiceran and Berzelius started taking me into the black lands. I learned them quickly, and soon was able to solo CU and lead parties myself. Through various spats, my once strong friendship with Valacirca began to fail. I believe much of the strain was caused by the release of ERs and the abrupt shift in gameplay that resulted. As the ERs became more and more of a problem, I began to, incidentally at first but later intentionally engage them in battle. As I encountered them more and more, I learned better and better how to survive their attacks and avoid their ambushes. Though my emphasis had always been on roleplay, it was this process (in addition to my MANY PK deaths to Daen Hecil, FRA, and others) that began to change me into what some call a powerplayer. I stopped wanting to protect morals out of RP and started wishing I could kill them so I could use their wicked nice gear, and abstaining only out of obligation to the guild. Most recently, I've been a very PvP oriented player. Virtually all of my activity has been BP and ER focused. I've been in more FR parties than I can remeber, and had more party members shot out from under me than I care to recount. In Gnuluk's post on the forums (The 12 FR deaths one), I was featured three times, once as a party member that escaped (Azoroth and Jager), once as a party leader whose party did some weird shit that got them killed (Caenedrin and one or two others, I think), and once as someone who happened to get away just as someone else joined the battle. I yelled at the Valacirca for not participating more actively in the war. Carver and I had a long talk last night, and I realized what I had become. RP wasn't what was driving my play any more... it was PvP. As some of you may have heard on the comm, read in my petitions (1352, 1353, and the only serious one of the bunch, 1354), I'm extremely upset with the direction the MUD has gone. Not only that it has gone from RP based to PvP based, but that the Ainur did such dumb stuff (I'm talking specifically about Hamstring here... whichever Ainu wrote that one should have his balls clamped and electrocuted). I died yesterday travelto quickly from Edoras to Adornas. I started at full hp and had a vial. Granted, I made a typo and typed "drink vila", but still... I was going on the shortest travelto route excluding Bywater and the Thrands area traveltos in the game, and to make it successfully I needed a vial? That's messed up. The MUD is fucked up. Even if Valinor wanted to save it, at this point I doubt they could. As you all may have seen from this long post detailing my life as it pertains to the game, T2T has been very important to me. Shit, I've avergated like 5 or 6 hours a day through finals, job, and a week or 3 when I couldn't play. It better have been important to me. The game is near to my heart, and I miss it tremendously. As you might be able to guess, I'm leaving the game for better things. I was going to suicide, but at Myrddin's urging, I'm going to hibernate for 3 months instead. But a few last words, before I go. Never let it be said by anyone that any game has a better group of people playing it than is found here on towers. I've met some of the most amazing people in my life here, and I do not count my time here as wasted. I'm glad I'm typing and not speaking this. Getting a little choked up. I just wanted to say a few words about the people who have meant the most to me here. Myrddin: The reason I stayed in Cymbrogi. Even though we never partied much, Cymbrogi has been my home for nearly a year now, and I respect you as a person greatly. You're a good, genuine person, if a shitty assassin :-P Lots of love for you man, and we need to stay in contact. Detrid: The original Cymbrogi First Knight. Damn man, we partied so much. It was always great being around you. Even when you got(and get) bashed so much, die down to low levels, you're always optimistic, always willing to work your way back up. You've been there with me since the early days of the clan, and I've valued our friendship. Darkfall: Silly kill-dummy! :-P You and I have always been tight, even when you felt shitty for dying or losing gear or whatever. Remember how you wanted me to take you to mordor back before the gates got opened up? Don't let problems with MUDchicks get you down, man. Even when it doesn't feel that way, there is not just one person on the MUD. The community loves you. You shouldn't have suicided :-P Berzelius: I have to mention you first. You're my MUDbrother, and you're a great friend. Heh, we had some great times in Cirith Ungul together. We're so alike... I felt a kinship with you as soon as I met you. Thankyou for being so awesome to me. Trisana: Damn you redhead. You got in trouble and disappeared way back when we were a lil bitty clan, and you being a level 8 just meant that you were 2 levels below me. I always liked you alot :) I always wished you'd come back some day, but your char got deleted due to inactivity. Pakrat: You're my favorite. We're going to keep talking on MSN, and hopefully in about 9 months we'll be going to school together. *cheers* Wilderuno: When did we meet? You're so cool, even though you never play any more. I'm still astounded that with all that's wrong with the MUD, the Ainur still found time to take away your wooden swords. Hoshkebosh: Hoshy :( We haven't partied in so long. I remember defending the Tree with you against KV, back when Armath was still around. That was one of my favorite times. That was when the mud was the best. Rambler: You were kind to me on an alt when nobody else was. Thankyou so much, and good luck with your character. Sorry you suicided, but I hope I helped a little bit with getting it back to where it used to be (or close, anyway). Drogian: My favorite Ainu. Petition 1159 and 1161 have not yet recieved valinor response as you promised. I feel somewhat betrayed. <3 anyway. Carver: You showed me what I had become. Thankyou... Even if you suck salty balls in PvP and against ERs, you're one of the best RPers I've ever met. Valacirca: You guys are a bunch of elitist inactive irritating overly critical bums. A perfect immitation of elves ;) Devinius: A good friend and a great leader. Push the Galadhrim to be all they can be. Majin: You leaving was one of the hardest to deal with things that ever happened in this MUD. I told you Melinea was no good. The entire Demonheart line is gone now, though... Those bastards. I hope you're having a great time doing whatever you're doing. You totally deserve it. Cymbrogi: I never got around to getting to know most of you as well as I wished. Good luck with the new Arda. I know I've forgotten people, and to them: This mud has an incredible playerbase. Such a collection of the best kinds of people as I've never seen before. You are what makes this game worth playing-- not the coding, not the idiot Ainur... the kind, amazing citizens of Arda. I'm off to play Warcraft and Diablo... since that's pretty much what Towers has become, like I said at the beginning. I doubt I'll be back, so take care all. Much <3, -Tiresias Goodbye old friend, you will be missed. Myrddin