Just posting because I'm being nostalgic -
Ronaneb was never the same person. I'm not the real Ronaneb but the real one would ALWAYS let people use his account so he could keep his place on camps. I personally camped the FBSS for Ronaneb back in the day. Of course, I was like 13 years old playing and ended up losing him a level and a half when he was level 53...
Karma caught up to him - his stuff got stolen many times. And by people I know.
12 Days of Gaming: Seven Memories of Norrath
New memories are forged every day and those made in Norrath burn brightest of all.
#1: Friendships
The online world is fickle. People come and go from your life. For days, weeks, months or years they may be a huge part of your world, then one day they slip away, never to be heard from again. I’ve had my share of gaming friendships, and rarely did they end on bad terms. Instead, most endings were bittersweet… usually when the person decided to leave the game (or gaming altogether). Before the rise of social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter it was much harder to keep in touch, and even with those not everyone chooses to form bonds beyond the game.
I met my husband on a MUD. We didn’t start dating until a while after we had met each other in person, but we did form a great friendship on the MUD. This year was our fourteenth anniversary, and we have three children that are through-and-true gamers. I’ve also met many, many friends, especially since my time in EverQuest. Regardless of whether or not we’re still in contact today, these are some of the people I hold dear in my memory.
Grobut, who taught me that true friendship exists beyond the passage of time. After we both stopped playing EverQuest full time, we went many years without seeing each other and were able to catch up on our lives as if not much had changed. He’s a great friend with a terrific sense of humor! Our main characters stealth in-game married each other during a Kael Drakkel raid once, just to see how long it took our guildmates to notice (they caught on pretty quick, but the GM was awesome at ninja-setting our surnames).
Riohki, my high elven ghetto bootie twin. After the Luclin-era models it was harder to do our corpse-run ghetto bootie dance, but we sure as heck still tried!
Shaylah, who was not only a great friend and guildmate, but also someone who was always there to lend an ear. She helped me through difficult times in my life with sage motherly advice that I’ve since been able to pass on to other mothers as well. Shaylah was the voice of reason when there was discord in the guild and someone that everyone in The Unnamed admired.
Wulfborn and my husband, Zelgar (aka Soloran, as pictured below), who I mentioned in #3 as well! Without these two guys I probably would have never stuck around long-term in EverQuest. Throughout the years we have gone through phases of playing or not, moved on to new guilds and even converted to primarily playing EverQuest II. These two men stayed by my side and made me the MMO gamer that I am today.
Fidobeggins, who has recently moved on from EverQuest, but was always there to lend a hand and turned out to be an amazing and inspiring decorator. Just earlier this year that he saved me from being lost in Wakening Lands and gave me the grand tour of our new guild hall and his homes!
Cairenn, Silvendras and Durendal, who I spent so much time with during the Kunark and Velious eras. I grouped and raided zones to death with these three, from pulling cockatrices to the walls of Karnor’s Castle in the Dreadlands to beating down the Statue of Rallos Zek in Kael Drakkel.
The many guildmates I’ve met from The Unnamed, Clan Silverfox, Tribal Faith, Ancient Guardians, and Primal Vengeance—we had so many fun times grouping, raiding and just hanging out. Clan Silverfox even got to spend April Fools Day together as gnomes!
Last but never least, Zamdkar. I remember us playing Gems together while medding up in Burning Woods. Staying up late at night just chatting away. I also remember your last day on EverQuest, where we quietly hung out together in Neriak, so you could spend your final moments in your home city.
There’s been too many to name here and so many more friendships I’ve forged since moving on to EverQuest II. Friendships are what have made Norrath such a special place to me. Many of these memories would not exist without them!
Do you have a memory of Norrath you would like to share or a friend you want to give a shout out to? Let us know in the comments below!
Ann "Cyliena" Hosler, Managing Editor
Follow me on Twitter! @Cyliena
Catch up on the other 12 Days of Gaming!
