My MMO Life, Part One

Everquest: The Wonderbuns Era

I. The Newbie

Karur Wonderbuns....



Quite a looker, aint he? This ravishing Dwarf was my first main character in Everquest, born back in 1999 I believe. Also known as The Ladies Dorf to some, I flirted a lot in those days, which is a dangerous thing to do in an MMO. I also humped everyone's leg.

I made one character before Karur, a Barbarian Warrior named Arhiman, but he fell into the lake outside of Halas and drowned. Thus I went back to the character selection screen, and decided I wanted to be a holy knight, the Paladin, and a dwarf at that. I picked the face I liked the best, then did something I never, ever do. I hit the random name button. I picked the first one to pop up; Karur. Later on I'd realize that I had the same name as countless Necromancer Skeleton pets.

My time with this character is filled with a sense of wonder, and true noobism, which is the feeling of diving into the deep end of the pool and not knowing how to swim, but really awesome.

Life for Karur started like countless other new players. Go out, kill a few bats, get the shit scared out of you when you gain a level and die a lot. I loved the feeling of the world being alive. As I went about my business, I could see others going about theirs. I'd see a level 50 character run by, and I'd run after him, marvelling at his shiny, high level Planar Armor. I had found my world to escape into.

Then I saw my first Gnome. He was a Wizard, still in his starting yellow robe, and he was blasting a skunk. I think I took at least ten screenshots of him casting spells. I'd post one, but many of my EQ screenshots were lost, which is like losing memories, very painful.

It wasn't long before I made it to level ten, and went to the crossroads of Butcherblock. This is where I got invited to join a group for the first time. I eagerly accepted, and they told me to come to the Chessboard. Of course, I had no clue where that was, so a Dwarf named Edward had to come get me, and lead the way. I asked him how he could memorize where everything was, without any roads or signs to guide him, he just laughed and said it'll come to me.

We arrived at the Chessboard, and it was the creepiest place I've seen. It was night time, and nights in EQ are very dark. We rounded a corner, and there was this giant chessboard, glowing in the dark. Giant stone chesspieces littered the place like ruins, while giant skeletons lurked about. I couldn't believe we were going to be able to kill these things.

I join the group and meet Thorbadin, then we start getting to work. One of us would pull a skeleton to the group, and we'd take it down. Rinse and Repeat. I was hooked, this was the greatest thing ever, and I was doing it with other people.

Thorbadin later introduced me to who became my first friends in Everquest, Rorick and Waif. We did everything together. The moment all three of us were on, we'd group up and go killing.



Sometimes we'd kill so fast, we'd have to wait for the monsters to respawn. While waiting, I discovered that running, while rapidly clicking the sit button looked quite funny. I did this in between pulls, and they dubbed it the Spawn Dance.

While killing in the Steamfont Mountains, Waif said she wanted to introduce me to a friend of hers. So we ran over by the windmills, and I was briefly introduced to a Gnome named Zefir. There was someone else with him, but I can't remember who, may have been Thog. I showed them the Spawn Dance, and we all laughed and chatted a bit.

Life went on in this manner for a while. Then Rorick decided we should try grouping up in Crushbone, home of the Crushbone Orcs. After the long run, we reached our destination, and found it packed with people. Apparently Crushbone was the place to be. Groups were everywhere, people running around, either pulling to their group, or running away from a train of orcs. There was one player who always had the biggest trains, and was constantly running away. He was a Wood Elf, and his name was Solomankane. Also known to the people of Crushbone as Solomantrain.

After a while there I became tired of the place, and needed something different. I had heard that Unrest was good for my level, so I decided to give it a try. Now this place I liked. It was challenging, and really taught you how to play to your best, because one wrong move started a train that would wipe out your group, and many others. I also made a couple of buddies while there.



During my stay there, there was a higher level player (around level 20) who'd show up frequently and help out groups near the entrance. I quickly made friends with him, and looked up to him for the rest of my time in EQ. His name was Nosifer, and I miss the hell out of him.

During all of this, I kept contact with Waif and Rorick. Waif told me that she was wanting to start a guild with some friends. She wanted to name it The Lollipop Guild. I told her no, she needed a different name, and that I'll give her some of my ideas as I got them. I suggested to her to name it Obsidian Circle, after an army in a tabletop game I was interested in. She said she'd tell the others. Soon after this I lost contact with Waif and Rorick, and didn't hear anything about their guild.

A few weeks go by, and I'm level 19, on a different continent, and grouping in High Pass hold. I was trying to get level 20 so I can get a last name, and trying to get a magical weapon so I could damage the ghouls that were in Unrest. One group I joined had a familiar face in it. It was Solomankane, I told him I remember all the trains in Crushbone and he laughed, and we hit it off pretty well. He was in a guild called Radiant Circle, and he was an officer. He asked me if I would like to join, and enticed me with the raid they were doing on Runnyeye the next day. I said sure, and became a member of the Radiant Circle, and my MMO Life would never be the same again.

To be continued....