Come Together, Right Now, Over Me

In the past week, I’ve pushed through the 10.2 MSQ and as many of the side-quests as interested me, so that I could get them done before changing my clothes for Winter Veil* 😉 I was a bit surprised, but glad, that the starter quest for the final chapter became available as soon as I’d accepted the quest to KO Fyrakk in the raid, instead of not becoming available until I’d completed the raid quest.

Although there are those among my blogroll who dislike the current WoW story (to put it mildly) — although there are certainly things the player is asked to do that are quite silly, and goofy plot holes, and occasionally nonsensical character development — overall, I have enjoyed it well enough.
* I appreciated how the Primalists and Qalashi remained relevant antagonists throughout the entirety of the Dragonflight main story — that they weren’t just discarded and forgotten after the leveling content and first raid, but were part of each patch and later raid, as well. I appreciated the follow-up of the Suffusion Camps in the use of suffused weaponry against the dragons in the Emerald Dream storyline. I liked how hearing Qalashi mooks in the first Qualashi stronghold we assault in the Waking Shores leveling questline calling “Igira, see me!” as they die was paid off by Igira awakening, being the yelling head for the Suffusion Camps, then becoming a boss in the Amirdrassil raid.
* I was glad to see that the Netherwing and Thorignir were not forgotten, and I enjoyed the questline in which Wrathion convinces Vyranoth to help him bring those smaller dragonflights to the Dragon Isles. Getting to punch Odyn in the face — seeing that nod by the story team to the community’s openly-expressed dislike of Odyn — and watching Vyranoth literally freeze him in his tracks was great! This is usually the point in the expansion where Kaelinda, who is Fire by default, goes Arcane just to do something different for awhile, but after interacting with Vyranoth, she’s thinking that this time, she will go Frost instead.
* I thought it was awesome to see all of Azeroth come together to defend Amirdrassil. All the faction leaders. All the friends — dracthyr, dragonspawn, centaur, tuskarr, niffen — that we’d made throughout the Dragon Isles.

*After all the silly quests of needing to solo things where I really ought to have gotten at least a squad of NPCs to help me, it was awesome to be more or less part of a raid group of Azeroth’s elites to take down the Prophet of the Flame.

* I loved seeing representatives of everyone who has been a part of this expansion’s story at the party after Amirdrassil blooms — including Big Kinook and Eragosa and Rumiastrasza doing the cooking, the Windtotem Tauren who settled in the Ohn’ahran Plains, the Ancients, the Wild Gods, all the different groups of Tuskarr, the Niffen — and old friends from all over Azeroth both geographically and historically — even a group from Ardenweald.
* I was relieved that Tyrande has found enough peace to let go of treating Kaelinda, a Blood Elf, with scorn and distrust because she is Horde, and instead treated her with respect and appreciation throughout the 10.2 storyline.

So for me, at least, the storytelling in this expansion has been better than Shadowlands, and more comfortable than Battle for Azeroth, and I am looking forward to the “epilogue” stories to come in Patch 10.2.5 and Patch 10.2.7.

~*~*~
* Kaelinda still needs to do the Azure Span leveling questline and the Blue Dragonflight Campaign questline at the Veiled Ossuary, but that will have to wait until January, I think

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May is here!

It’s nice this month that Children’s Week is early enough in the month that doing Holiday activities will actually be a significant contributor to collecting my Trading Post currency for the month, rather than being things I do after I’ve finished it off just for the fun of it.

I’ve already picked up the Wanderer’s Snowy Trappings and the pretty High Priestess’s Ceremonial Drape. The Lost Crown of the Arcane was an immediate must-have, too, seeing as how it is a recolor of one of my all-time favorite Mail Tier helms, the Crown of Flame from Firelands. I have the Magenta Cloud Serpent frozen from last month. I could get it this month if I choose not to get the Trial of Valor cloth set recolor or the Stormheim Vrykul leather set recolor. Knowing that stuff I’ve passed on will eventually come around again makes me feel less fretful about that decision.

As far as Children’s Week goes — I think I’ve done both the Classic and Cataclysm versions for both factions (because I seem to remember noticing the differences the first time I did the new versions); I’ve done the Burning Crusade quests for both factions; I’ve done both of the Wrath of the Lich King neutral options; but I was feeling burned out on Holidays during Battle for Azeroth and haven’t done the newest Children’s Week quests yet. So to do Children’s Week activities for the Trading Post, I guess I’ll start with the Zandalari and Kul Tiran orphans; to get the most out of that, I should go do them with characters who need XP, maybe my Druid and Human Mage. Then I think Kaelinda ought to go take Salandria to see her future self, and I haven’t quite decided which orphan to choose to round out the four for the Trading Post activity. My six characters who are doing the Wrath Dalaran fishing dailies in hopes of getting a Battered Jungle Hat have all chosen orphans to accompany them, to make the Trading Post activity for turning in dailies while accompanied by an orphan very easy to complete.

Here are my plans for Patch 10.1 tomorrow: BTH has an obligation on Tuesday nights, so while he’s out, I’ll log onto his account with his alt who is in my me-myself-and-I guild and invite my Void Elf Mage and my Dracthyr (who is Alliance to keep my Characters page more neatly organized :P) into the guild. I managed to finish up the lore questline in the Forbidden Reach (which I always want to call the Forgotten Reach, a name which is equally appropriate) in the past couple of weeks. I’ll probably do the first quests to go into Zaralek Cavern and fly around picking up all the new Dragonriding glyphs — and then I’ll set it aside for awhile. I’m still working on Dragonscale Expedition and Valdrakken Accord Renown and haven’t unlocked all of their 10.0 story content, and I think I’d like to complete that before I do the Zaralek Cavern lore questline.

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Wings of the Avatar

The wings of the Priest tier set from the Serpentshrine Cavern & Tempest Keep raids in Burning Crusade and the corresponding PVP season set are an absolutely iconic Priest item — and the two color schemes foreshadow the Kyrian/Forsworn dichotomy of Shadowlands.


Avatar Regalia, Merciless Gladiator’s Satin Armor

~*~*~

Valkyrian


Light: Crown of the Fire Festival, Mantle of the Avatar, Aspiring Aspirant’s Drape, Aspiring Aspirant’s Robes, Replica Virtuous Belt, Communal Staff

Dark: Crown of the Fire Festival, Merciless Gladiator’s Mooncloth Mantle, Forsworn Aspirant’s Drape, Forsworn Aspirant’s Robes, Exiled Dabbler’s Cinch, Communal Stave

Temperance, Ascended


Heroes’ Crown of Faith, Mantle of the Avatar, Garments of Temperance, Sash of the Unredeemed, Gloves of Unfailing Faith, Elementalist Boots, Communal Staff

Angelic Clarion


Crown of the Fire Festival, Mantle of the Avatar, Aurora Robe, Cord of Uncertain Devotion, Steps of the High Priest, Sigilback’s Smashshell, Ritual Bell

Gaudy Clarion



Crown of the Fire Festival, Mantle of the Avatar, Gaudy Winter Veil Sweater, Cord of the High Priest, Pure Aspirant’s Leggings, Steps of the High Priest, Sigilback’s Smashshell, Ritual Bell

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The Official WoW Timeline and My Characters’ Ages

Officially, Shadowlands began in Year 35 from the Opening of the Dark Portal, and Dragonflight begins in Year 40; with World of Warcraft having begun in Year 25, there are 15 years between the beginning of Classic and the beginning of Dragonflight. What does this mean for my characters?

Way back in 2018, Gnomecore asked, “How Old Are Your Toons?” At the time, I began a rundown of the ages of my characters that then sat in draft for a few years until I eventually deleted it. Now seems like a good time to revisit that storybuilding prompt.

Although I have previously headcanoned the first several expansions of WoW as being two years in duration, the Official Timeline has one year for most of them. I’ll use the Official Timeline for these age calculations.

A couple more assumptions, which may or may not be Canon: Tauren become adults in their culture at age 16 and generally live to 90-110. Eversong Elves become adults in their culture at age 100 and generally live 300-500 years, though rare individuals may live for 1000 – 3000 years.

~*~*~

The ages of my major Tauren characters can be determined from my Tauren Paladin and Priest, the twins Karaelia (Paladin) and Kaohana (Priest), who came of age at the beginning of Cataclysm. Thus, they are 16 years old in Year 28 and were born in Year 12. The twins were a surprise late pregnancy for their mother. Keija (Warrior) was 10, Ketura (Hunter) was 13, Kerisa (Druid) was 15, and Kamalia (Shaman) was 18 at the time.
In Year 25 when World of Warcraft begins, they were: Kamalia 31, Kerisa 28, Ketura 26, Keija 23, Karaelia & Kaohana 13.
Kerisa married in Year 28 at the end of Wrath of the Lich King and her daughter Kessina was born about a year later during Cataclysm; either late Year 29 or early Year 30. Her son was born during Legion, probably Year 33.
Keija didn’t begin actively adventuring herself until after the twins came of age. She married at age 25 (Year 27), but she and her husband chose to remain childless until around the end of Legion (Year 33); they had a son in late Year 34.
Kamalia finally got married in Year 33 at the age of 39*. She may or may not have succeeded in having a child by the time Dragonflight begins in Year 40, at which time she will be 46.
When Dragonflight begins, Kerisa will be 43, Ketura 41, Keija 38, and Karaelia & Kaohana 28.
My Tauren Death Knight, Kregga, came of age approximately during the events of Warcraft III, which puts her at about 18 or 19 in Year 25 and 33 or 34 at the beginning of Dragonflight.
Kaumaleia, the Underpowered Death Knight, was about 25 in Year 27 at the beginning of Wrath of the Lich King, so she is 38 at the beginning of Dragonflight.
My Tauren Monk, Katewatha, was a young adult, perhaps 21 or 22, when the Pandaren came in Year 30; she will be 31 or 32 at the beginning of Dragonflight.
Kasheena, my Highmountain Tauren Druid, was a young adult of 19 or 20 when the Highmountain Tauren joined the Horde at the end of Legion (Year 33), so she will be 26 or 27 at the beginning of Dragonflight.
Kaurinka, the identity of my Tauren Druid during Shadowlands, is in her mid-30s.
My Tauren Rogue will borrow the name Kazithra from Kregga’s mother, and she will be young, reckless, and insolent; perhaps only 17 or 18 at the end of Shadowlands and 20 or 21 at the beginning of Dragonflight.
My Tauren Mage, whose name I haven’t quite decided upon yet, wants to be middle-aged, I think, even older than Kamalia, maybe in her 50s or 60s at the beginning of Dragonflight.
Update: When I actually created my new Tauren Mage and Rogue, this is what happened…
My Tauren Rogue, Kaiuna, has appeared previously as a Feral Druid who always enjoyed dressing up Rogueishly. Now that Tauren can become Rogues for real, she cheerfully switched classes. She is about the same age as Karaelia and Kaohana, with whom she was a childhood friend.
My Tauren Mage, Kazithra, is Kregga’s niece; she was named for her grandmother. Kregga is one of the younger children in her family and Kazithra is her eldest sibling’s eldest child. Kazithra has just come of age; she is 16 at the beginning of Dragonflight.
Another Update:
My Tauren Warlock, Keshara, is young, reckless, and deeply dissatisfied with the options that had previously been available to her; she is probably in her mid-to-upper twenties.

~*~*~

I’ve always thought of Kaelinda as a young adult, approximately equivalent in societal function to a 21 – 25 year-old Human. In a story I wrote about a decade ago, she is raised from journeyman to Magistrix shortly before she goes to Outland — but the story is about her crafting a Sparkle Pony, which the story describes as being a construct pattern found in Ulduar — which places the story in mid-to-late Wrath of the Lich King or about Year 28. In a story I currently have in Draft, she is an apprentice at an Eversong Woods academy of magic at the time of Arthas’s rampage in Warcraft III, or about Year 24. So she would have been about 105 in Year 25 at the beginning of World of Warcraft and is about 120 at the beginning of Dragonflight.

Kaelinda’s best female friend, Kaelyla, is a few years older, perhaps 110 at the beginning of World of Warcraft and 125 at the beginning of Dragonflight.
Kaelinda’s best male friend, Ianestin, is also in the 120 – 130 age range as of the beginning of Dragonflight.

Of the various Mage Alter-Ego characters, Kaelydia is around 175, and I don’t know any of the others — Khrysanthemina, Kaelyra, Kateleina — well enough yet to estimate their ages.

Kalaneia and Keliora are both significantly older than Kaelinda, having had their own young adult children at the the time of the destruction of Eversong Woods. Thus, they are somewhere in their mid-to-late 200s.

~*~*~

* Coincidentally, this makes Kamalia about the same age as me — I am 42 this year.

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Black Mageweave Vest

Many sultry outfits have been made with this Classic vest and the accompanying leggings. Just not by me.

Black Mageweave Vest + Black Mageweave Leggings, Cindercloth Vest + Cindercloth Pants, Goldweave Tunic + Elegant Leggings, Frostweave Tunic + Wanderer’s Stitched Trousers

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Black Mageweave Vest

Solemnity

Chief Architect’s Monocle, Black Mageweave Vest, Primal Gladiator’s Cord of Victory, Vileweave Leggings, Hexweave Gloves (stage 3), Volatile Walkers (LFR), Ebon Filigreed Doublet, Staff of Andorhal

Primus’s Master Conjurer





Onyx Glare-Reducers, Mantle of the Skyterror (LFR), Osteowings of the Necrolords, Black Mageweave Vest/Divine Fury Raiment (LFR), Master Builder’s Shirt, Prime Conjurer’s Gloves, Prime Conjurer’s Cinch, Legwraps of the Master Conjurer, Prime Conjurer’s Slippers, Staff of Deserved Tranquility/Staff of Earned Tranquility

~*~*~

Cindercloth Vest

Scarlet Sunreaver Battlemage

Primal Combatant’s Amice Cord & Gloves of Prowess, Cindercloth Vest, Felheart Pants, Sorcerer Slippers, Scarlet Filigreed Doublet, Staff of the Forest Lord, Sunreaver Tabard

Sin’dorei Summoner

Heritage of the Sin’dorei with Cindercloth Vest, Gloves of Tyri’s Power, Ebon Filigreed Doublet, Shroud of Resolve (rank 6), Athame of the Sanguine Ritual (LFR), and Book of Highborne Hymns

A Red Dragon Princess


Crafted Dreadful Gladiator’s Mooncloth Helm, Mantle of the Elven Kings, Butcher’s Wrap, Cindercloth Vest, Veteran’s Silk Belt, Crimson Silk Pantaloons, Harvester’s Court Slippers, Archmage’s Staff*

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Goldweave Tunic

Dazar’Alor Special Investigator



Zanchuli Crest, Wild Gladiator’s Mantle of Cruelty, Goldweave Tunic, Serenity Belt, Astralaan Pants, Wild Gladiator’s Gloves of Prowess + Loa Speaker’s Cuffs, Gnomish Casting Boots, Ragged Azsharan Sail Fragment, Wild Combatant’s Battle Staff, Formal White Shirt, Talanji’s Expedition Tabard

Elation and Anguish



Helm of Arcane Purity, Magician’s Mantle, Cloak of the Red Flight, Goldweave Tunic, Formal White Shirt, Galaxyfire Girdle, Astralaan Pants, Gnomish Casting Boots, Jin’ya (LFR)

~*~*~

Frostweave Tunic

Violet Ice

Shoulderpads of Twisted Fate (H), Drape of the Violet Tower, Frostweave Tunic, Soulguard Girdle, Soothsayer’s Kilt, Eelskin Flippers, Ebonchill (upgraded, 3rd tint)

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Visions of the Incarnate

Priest Tier set items from Burning Crusade‘s fabled Karazhan raid.

Incarnate Raiment; Gladiator’s Satin Armor
Because the shoulder style is the same, for a long time I thought the PvP style was just a recolor of the raid style. I didn’t realize how different the robes were until I put them next to each other!

~*~*~

Incarnation of Light

Crown of the Fire Festival, Light-Mantle of the Incarnate, Aspiring Aspirant’s Drape, Robes of the Incarnate, Warmongering Gladiator’s Satin Gloves, Cincture of Will, Light’s Wrath (PvP, default tint)
I have fond memories of Karazhan, and I have always thought that this set is very pretty.

Chromie Cosplay

Bronze-Tinted Sunglasses, Light-Mantle of the Incarnate, Runecloth Robe, Black Mageweave Gloves, Willow Boots, Keepers of Time Tabard, Key to the Planes

A Green Dragon Princess


Dreamweave Circlet, Gladiator’s Mooncloth Mantle, Gladiator’s Mooncloth Robe, Sandswept Sandals, Inscribed Serpent Staff

Touch of Ruby

Rhinestone Sunglasses, Aurora Mantle, Mankrik’s Old Wedding Garments, Silver-Thread Sash, Stoneweaver Leggings, Widow’s Clutches + Bands of Indwelling, Boots of the Incorrupt, Thousand Bandage Drape, Staff of Divine Infusion
The Karazhan Priest Tier bracers and boots are important enough components of the overall look of this kit that I felt like it merited inclusion in this collection.

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Kaelinda and Salandria’s Marvelous Adventure

A story in screenshots. See also Kaprikka and Dornaa’s marvelous adventure
~*~*~

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Shattered Sun, Mended Hearts

I knew how Kaelydia had come to be golden-eyed — see the flavor text descriptions for Blood Elf Mage outfits 62 – 64 & 60 — but I didn’t know much else about her. I was wondering what her relationship status might be when she said, “Oh, I’m married. To a Draenei.”

~*~*~

We were both members of the Army of the Shattered Sun, and occasionally had assignments together. We became moderately well acquainted with each other, but not enough that I would necessarily have called us “friends”. After the restoration of the Sunwell, I stayed at Quel’Danas while he went to Icecrown with the Argent Crusade. Following the defeat of the Lich King, he returned to Quel’Danas. By that time, the number of long-term members of the Army of the Shattered Sun had gotten much smaller, and so we encountered and worked with each other much more frequently than before. Over the years, we gradually became friends, then better friends, until eventually we were quite close.

When Lady Liadrin went with Archmage Khadgar to the other Draenor, we both chose to go with her. We spent most of our time with Lady Liadrin’s forces at Auchindoun in Talador. Occasionally, he took me to see places in Shadowmoon Valley that corresponded to the places he had known on “our” Draenor, to show me what they had been like before our Draenor became Outland.

On one such outing, I dared to ask a question that had been consuming me with curiosity for some time. I’d observed that Draenei wore different colors of gems in their tail rings, which sometimes changed. More to the point, I wondered what the green gems that he’d begun wearing in his tail rings some time ago signified.

“Ah,” he answered, rather shyly and awkwardly, “the colors are a signal between Draenei about our interest in romantic relationships. The green means that I am not currently seeking a relationship because I am already… seeing someone. And the pattern…” he became even more shy and awkward, “means that there is some… complexity.”

I was surprised. We had known each other well enough for long enough that we had shared a great deal of our pasts with each other. I knew about the wives and children he had lost to the Burning Legion, most recently when the Orcs went on their rampage on Outland. He knew about my two failed marriages.

My first marriage hadn’t quite been Arranged, but it had certainly been Set Up. As a young woman, I had been deeply immersed in my studies and had no marital prospects to speak of. I wasn’t bothered by this; my older brother had married well and would handle the family futures quite competently. The young man was a younger son of his family; when began courting me, I knew at once that it was because my parents and his sought a financial alliance. We got along amiably enough, so I agreed to the match. After three successive pregnancies ended in early miscarriages, however, he sued to be released from the marriage. Because it had been a political marriage, the legal jousting required to disentangle the conjoined business affairs without completely ruining either family took so long that my husband had fathered two children with another woman by the time everything was resolved. Once our divorce was final, he married her as promptly as he could.

(To their credit, my parents learned from this debacle and did not attempt to manipulate the marital prospects of my younger brother, Ianestin. Although I do not know her well, I approve of the young woman who has captured his attention — though neither he nor she seems willing yet to admit to the depth of their mutual affection and desire.)

After the destruction of the Sunwell, I followed Prince Kael’thas to Outland. During that journey, I fell madly in love with a certain man in the group.

He was as infatuated with me as I was with him, and infatuation rapidly progressed to a marriage proposal. Our wedding was a great celebration for the whole group; Prince Kael’thas himself showered it with praise as a sign of the new hope the Sin’dorei had before us in Outland. When we were together, fireworks flew.

But the whole thing was a mistake. For all the things we found fascinating about each other, there were as many or more that we disagreed upon, especially as Prince Kael’thas’s choices became more and more extreme. My second husband was staunchly loyal to Prince Kael’thas, whereas I began to be persuaded by Seer Voren’thal. When Seer Voren’thal began to talk, quietly, of defecting to Shattrath City, I divorced my second husband.

After that, I had been embittered and not at all interested in anything other than friendship for a very, very long time.

But my dear Draenei friend had said nothing of any recent romantic attachments.

“Are you willing to tell me about it?” I asked.

He twisted his fingers together. “I am not interested in a relationship with another Draenei,” he said slowly, “because I am too much in love with you.”

“Well, then,” I said, “let me uncomplicate things for you.” And I reached up and kissed him.

When we returned to the Sunsworn camp in Talador, we went straight to Lady Liadrin and asked her to marry us. She gave us a Look that said I was wondering how long it would take you two to figure that out and then asked simply, “Which rite?”

We’d discussed this thoroughly on the journey back to the camp, and we answered, “Both of them.”

That evening, when the appropriate ceremonial preparations had been made and the required number of witnesses had been gathered from among our friends, we were wed: first with Soulbinder Tuulani conducting the Draenei ceremony, then with Lady Liadrin conducting the Sin’dorei ceremony.

This time, the celebrations and feelings of hope were genuine.

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Pretty Dress Collections

Cloth outfits I have made organized by style of a key item. Most of these are chestpiece collections, a few are shoulders, and a sprinkling of other items such as pants or hats. Collections are grouped by expansion in which the style was introduced, not by original date of the post.

Multiple Expansions

Classic/Vanilla

Burning Crusade

Wrath of the Lich King

Cataclysm

Mists of Pandaria

Warlords of Draenor

Legion

Battle for Azeroth

Shadowlands

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Scarlet Sin’dorei Robes

This robe is a must for any Sin’dorei’s wardrobe.

Scarlet Sin’dorei Robes, Imbued Netherweave Robe

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Scarlet Sin’dorei Robes

Sunstrider’s Knowledge


Crown of Endless Knowledge, Shoulderpads of Knowledge’s Pursuit, Scarlet Sin’dorei Robes, Black Belt of Knowledge, Exiled Dabbler’s Gloves, (any black boots), Felo’melorn, Talisman of the Sun King

Crimson Pilgrim


Whitemane’s Chapeau, Red Mageweave Shoulders, Scarlet Sin’dorei Robes, Girdle of Prophecy, Black Mageweave Gloves, Sorcerer Slippers, Light’s Wrath (hidden, default tint)

Sin’dorei Scarlet

Whitemane’s Chapeau, Sin’dorei Pauldrons Belt & Slippers, Scarlet Sin’dorei Robes, Shroud of Resolve (rank 6), Light’s Wrath (hidden, default tint)

~*~*~

Imbued Netherweave Robe

Scryer Illuminator



Helm of Arcane Purity, Elegant Mantle, Imbued Netherweave Robe, Black Belt of Knowledge, Adept’s Gloves, Shadow Council Boots, Scryers Tabard, Staff of Dominance

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