Mu’sha’s Sickle

I’ve been taking small breaks from Shadowlands to level with Kasheena. I’d gotten her to level 60 and Old Dalaran before Patch 9.0.1 arrived. After Patch 9.0.1, shortly before the Death Rising event began, I Chromie Timed her to Draenor and established her Garrison, so she could camp out there during the zombie invasion. During the past week, I returned her from Draenor. Then I Chromie Timed to Pandaria and played through just enough of the opening sequence to get to the village, so that I’d have that portal open in the Orgrimmar Portal Room. Next, I dropped out of Chromie Time and did the Battle for Azeroth opening sequence — skipping the Stormwind Extraction scenario — so I’d have that portal open. Then I was ready to Chromie Time to Legion. I discovered, somewhat to my dismay, that I didn’t have the option to skip the Broken Shore scenario and go straight to New Dalaran. Oh well, it had been long enough since I’d done it that it wasn’t so bad to do it again. With Balance as my favorite Druid spec, of course she chose the Scythe of Elune first. I might also get her the Fangs of Ashamane at some point.

I think it’s rather silly that Highmountain Tauren PCs don’t get that campaign marked as completed and their reputation set to Exalted, the way Nightborne PCs get the Suramar campaign and reputation flagged as already done for them. At any rate, she’s questing through Highmountain and shaking her head at being treated like an ignorant outsider. When she’s finished with Highmountain, she’ll probably do Val’sharah, too. She’s currently level 33; if she’s not level 50 by the time she’s finished Val’sharah, well, I guess I’ll figure out what I want to do next when I get there.

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out of Bastion once more

Kaurinka’s journey through Bastion went faster than Kaelinda’s — I did fewer of the side quests, and I now knew that the main questline would only uncover two-thirds (or maybe only half?) of the map. Watching how slowly the map was being revealed the first time through made that journey feel slower than it really was, because I was thinking I’d have to do enough questing to reveal the whole thing. I can probably expect something similar in the other three zones.

Kaurinka also paid closer attention during the initial orientation, and she ultimately came through Bastion with a rather more favorable opinion of the Kyrian than Kaelinda did. Sophone and Mikanikos are still my favorites; I’m finding that I rather like Pelagos; and Kleia, though I still think she has an annoying holier-than-thou attitude, is growing on me. It occurred to me this afternoon that the vocal tone of many Kyrian NPCs, especially the higher-ranking ones, reminds me of the vocal tone that I shift into when I am trying very, very, very hard to not lose my temper with my three-year-old…

I briefly toyed with the idea of bringing Kalaneia, Keliora, and Kaelya (Kaylynda will stay behind until I’ve decided which Covenant will be the best fit for her) through the Maw and through Bastion before sending anyone through Maldraxxus — leveling all my alts in parallel rather than in series. Realistically speaking, however, that would just get me thoroughly burned out on Bastion. For now, Kaelinda and Kaurinka will keep playing leapfrog.

A neat thing that I discovered from playing through Bastion with two characters with different previous questing history is that a certain Legion NPC who dies heroically and traumatically and ends up in Bastion says different things to you depending on whether you completed their zone or not…

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magical elven ecosystems

I was thinking about magical ecosystems cultivated by elves the other day, and I thought again, as I have many times since I completed the Suramar campaign, that while I understand Thalyssra’s reasoning for shutting down the Nightwell based on the sociopolitical ecosystem that had developed in Suramar, I am still saddened to think about how the unique and irreplaceable biological ecosystem sustained by the Nightwell is now doomed to wither into extinction. Other forms of vegetation and wildlife will creep in to replace the Nightwell-fed lifeforms, but Suramar City will never be quite the same.

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Ancient Elven Vestments

The cloth leveling gear from the Broken Isles has a certain Art Noveau aesthetic to it that suggests pre-Sundering elvish culture… except that it’s not what the Nar’thalas ghosts and the elves in The Nightborne Pact cinematic are wearing…

Leywalker (Azsuna), Runespeaker’s (Stormheim), Sunfrost (Highmountain), Nightvale (Val’sharah)

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Leywalker

Leyfrost

Leywalker set with Frostscythe of Lord Ahune

Silver Shadows

Demon Warding Halo, Mantle of the Unknowing, Royal Apothecary Robe, Belt of the Night Sky, Cobalt-Threaded Gloves + Wristwraps of the Grieving Prophet, Communal Stave

Frosted Lilacs



Violet Guardian’s Corona, Mantle of the Unknowing, Leywalker Robe, Belt of the Night Sky, Wristwraps of the Grieving Prophet, Suspicious Slippers, Trident of Corrupted Waters (LFR)

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Runespeaker’s

Black Rose

Runespeaker’s set with Cerith Spire Staff

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Sunfrost

Dusty Petals

Snowblind set with Chillwind Staff

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Nightvale

Golden Dream

Nightvale set with Blade of Savagery + Imbued Draenethyst Crystal
There’s a grey quality chestpiece that looks like just the top of this robe; I’d love to have a Moggable chestpiece that looked like that.

Oracle Moth


Nightvale Mantle, Vestments of the Oracle, Apothecary’s Waistband, Gloves of the Messiah, Infernoweave Boots, Scarlet Filigreed Doublet

Spellflower

Nightvale Mantle, Spellfire Robe, Silkwood Cord, Widow’s Clutches + Goldenvine Wraps, Ruby Slippers, Giorgio’s Caduceus of Pure Moods (LFR)

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