Project Lore

I'll admit it, Icecrown Citadel is already starting to wear a little thin. No, my guild hasn't conquered it yet. And we haven't even started Hard Modes (which seem to be a mixed bag in terms of difficulty themselves), but we're sort of at that point where everything is on farm except for one or two fights that we continually butt our heads against week after week.

Progress, at this point, is being made at a snail's pace. So, with little else to do when I log on and we aren't raiding, I've been turning my eye towards earning old world achievements once again. At the top of my priority list have been those associated with faction reputation (like Timbermaw Hold or the Argent Dawn) and the notoriously frustrating Loremaster title.

For those of you not in pursuit of such goals, finding and completing every quest can be quite maddening. You can't always depend on quest hubs, as some start as drops from random creatures, or can only be found in the farthest corners of a given zone. The hunt only gets worse the more that you complete, since the remaining ones are all that much harder to discover.

But if there's one thing that makes this journey far more annoying than it needs to be, it's all the absolutely useless junk that finds its way into your bags! Isn't there an easy way to solve this problem?

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The High Inquisitor is a new regular column at Project Lore that seeks answers to the greatest mysteries of Azeroth. Each week, the inquisitor will attack a previously unanswered question and attempt to explain the unknown. But she won’t rest until all plausible explanations are explored. The best, most probable comment(s) will be highlighted with the next edition’s inquisition. First off, a look back to last week's question on why dwarves are portrayed as drunk Scots. Azurienatei had this answer that may explain: "In both Irish and Scottish lore there is a type of fae, something between a leprechaun and what we think of as a dwarf, that wears red clothes, is heavily bearded, and often likes to trick humans in taverns and inns by drinking unattended ale. Given the demographics and of course the penchant for drinking these creatures were eventually molded in with dwarves." Most of you seemed to agree that WoW hasn't strayed much from the stereotypical view of a dwarf, which has evolved over time. Thanks for the input! Now onward to this week's inquisition! Last week was somewhat of a philosophical view on a topic that could be at least somewhat explained with real life folklore. So this week, let's take a look at something that, at least when thought of through a realistic magnifying glass, would be pretty much impossible; Just how do us WoW toons carry all that crap around in our bags while criss-crossing the world and fighting our enemies? Here's a look at what I have in this 22-slot Dragon Hide bag:

1. 49 Drakkari Offerings
2. 15 Vrykul Bones
3. 12 pieces of Salted Yeti Cheese (yummy)
4. 8 Core of Elements
5. 8 Dark Iron Scraps
6. Sayge's Fortune #29
7. A Horde LANCE (I refuse to believe that this would fit into a conventional bag!)
8. Green Brewfest Stein
9. 933 (!!) Frostbite Bullets
10. 2 Dalaran Fireworks
11. 9 Sewer Carp
12. A lone piece of Frostweave Cloth
13. Tabard of the Explorer
14. Frost-Rimed Cloth Gloves (Need to sell!)
15. 20 Heavy Frostweave Bandages
16. 14 Slabs of Salted Venison
17. Tabard of the Ebon Blade
18. 6 Relics of Ulduar
19. 891 Terrorshaft Arrows
20. 4 Knothide Armor Kits
21. Grom's Tribute
22. Brewfest Dress

Super-Scientifically Estimated weight: 452 pounds. And that's just one bag! Now multiply that by 5, and also consider all the armor and weapons we carry on ourselves that's NOT in bags. That's easily a TON, literally, of stuff we're carrying around. All without feeling any effects whatsoever. When put into a game mechanics perspective, it's certainly a matter of making it easier for a character to get around as they level or go about their business without having to stop at a bank or vendor every 10 minutes. But let's think beyond mechanics and decide whether the question could be answered with lore/in-game explanations. Consider the Bottomless Bag and Pack of Endless Pockets. Sure, they each have a limited number of slots, but not necessarily a specified amount of space. Could it be that, like a magician's hat (or Time Lord technology for all you Dr. Who fans) the bags are bigger on the inside? And if that's the case, then perhaps it's true for all equippable bags. But there's still the matter of the sheer weight of all our gear. Even if it fits in a bag, it's still incredibly heavy! Or is it? If the size of an item is compressed, then you could conjecture that the weight could be, too. Perhaps this also helps explain why a giant lance fits in the same slot as a tiny vial of poison. Or perhaps the answer lies not in the bags, but in the super strength of adventurers. Our toons are all so strong and fearsome that we manage to carry everything on us and it doesn't effect our fighting whatsoever. So here's where you all come in! Do you accept either of my possible answers? Have a better proposition? Let me know, and I'll feature the best comment(s) next week.

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