Project Lore

Some people like to equate details with polish.  Either way you take it, as a synonym or as an aspect of polish, the inclusion of them makes video games better.  Blizzard has a long-standing reputation for going above and beyond in the company's titles, which is why they are still played years, hell, possibly decades after their initial release.  During my initial run through Wrath of the Lich King's quests I mainly focused on the designs and stories implemented as I grinded to level 80.  Now that I am there, or on my second run through with the priest, I can focus more on the small details instead of worrying about my XP per hour.  Yes, I take the game that far. I've written almost a week's worth of articles on the Argent Tournament.  They have spanned the gauntlet of guides to love and boredom.  I've spent thirty minutes to an hour a day in Icecrown killing scourge, Chillmaw and riding horsies all in the name of the Argent Crusade and the five other factions.  Three days, I've only missed three days of dailies.  Yet, I somehow never realized that the damned Cultists actually ride on Chillmaw's back and head.  I always thought that he summoned them during the fight.  Definitely a detail that I just flat out missed. That was my own stupidity though.  One particular that recently caught my attention on Solidsagart was the Murloc costume.  Any interaction with murlocs is a welcome one, and the chance to pose as one was something that I couldn't pass up.  After donning the spare suit I took off towards the cavern to complete my mission of deceit and death.  Secretly, I have always hoped that the murloc race was bidding its time before the scaled, two-legged race took over Azeroth.  I realized during the quest that either they aren't intelligent at all, or their senses haven't adapted for above water scenarios.  Just look at how awful the suit is.  The stiching is obvious, it waggles around my body in an awkward fashion and my seeing sphere is falling out of its socket!  How the hell did they let me get to Claximus without being harassed? There are hundreds of these small gems spread throughout the game, so let's share as much of them with each other as possible.  As noted, even "obvious" things may not be so apparent to other players who A) aren't very observant, B) too busy with their stabbing, C) pressed for time, or D) too busy leveling.  What say you PL fans?  What is your favorite small detail from Wrath, or all time?

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Mythology, folk lore, legends, all words to describe ancient stories.  These tall tales were created to explain the unexplainable, scare children, hail fallen heroes and even to just entertain.  Every civilization has them, from perhaps the best known - of the Western world - stories of Ancient Greece to the Samurai, onto the homegrown tales of Native Americans.  And to me, every single myth is captivating, no matter how similar they may be.

While much of the Warcraft lore is based on more recent, or original, stories, Wrath of the Lich King added an entire race dedicated to a civilization that has been plundered by the video game industry, Norse mythology.  Final Fantasy, Tales of Symphonia, Odin Sphere, Too Human, Viking: Battle for Asgard, and even earlier parts of WoW (World Tree as well) have lifted from stories of the long dead viking culture.  Players can see the Norse influence on WoW all over Northrend, from Howling Fjord, The Storm Peaks and the final zone of Icecrown.  No matter what soil you step on, there is a good chance that the Vrykul, or their Undead version, the Val'kyr, have made it their home. If you want more than mobs based on oversized vikings, then the Sons of Hodir/Thorim quest line is for you.  Without spoiling the experience, allow me to whet your appetite a bit.  The quest line is one of the longest currently in WoW and contains some of the best lore, that has its own twists on the ancient story.  For better or for worse, the lengthy chain is not required for anything too substantial, unlike the exhausting Onyxia chain, meaning many players may have dropped the line, or skipped over it entirely.  Not all of the 40+ quests are worth the time, but the culmination of the events your toon has taken part in are something that should not be missed.  Plus, it gives you a reason to tackle Halls of Lightning, other than helping out a guild mate. I am no Norse expert, but there are many obvious references to their deep tales.  Here is the basic, spoiler free, tip of the iceberg information for the adventure:

• Dun Niffelem - Niflheim is one of two places that existed before the known world.  It is intensely cold and likely the basis for Dun Niffelem's name.
• Thorim - Thorim, the protagonist of our long quest line, is based upon the God of Lightning, Thor.  Lending credence to these claims is that the name of Thorim's wife, Sif, is the same name as Thor's beloved.
• Loken - Loken is based on the tricky bastard known as Loki, and in this telling, happens to be Thorim's brother.  Constantly up to shenanigans in Norse mythology, Loken follows his basis well, upsetting Thorim so much as to send him into a deep depression.  His acts are the start of our quest.

Believe it or not, this is actually the third time I have touched upon this quest line.  I revisited it for my favorite area in all of Northrend, an area that was created by Thorim's butterfingers.  There is plenty more to the quest than what we touched on here, but I don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't tackled the full line.  Anybody who hasn't finished the line should avoid visiting the comments section until they do so - but feel free to leave a comment if you have the willpower to skip reading everyone else's thoughts.  If you enjoy lore in general, then this is one quest chain you should not miss.  It has everything, love, betrayal, deceit and epic battles.  It makes me want to dig up some more books, anyone know a good Norse mythology collection?  Preferably one that isn't incredibly difficult to grasp.  I recently read the Divine Comedy, so I need a break for the difficult stuff!

Probably worth noting that Thorim is actually a Titan, while Loken is a Dark Titan serving the Old God Yogg-Saron.  Not exactly a spoiler, more of a setup for Ulduar.

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Not even two hours after I turned in yesterday's post on toilet humor, I found another quest in Northrend that took it to the max. Due to the fact that the topic is fresh on my mind, and that the quest contains more depth, so much that it made me laugh out loud, I cannot pass up on the opportunity to discuss poop again. SolidSamm finally ventured into Grizzly Hills yesterday afternoon (after scoring the I've Toured the Fjord achievement) and joined the struggle at Amberpine Lodge. In case you failed to pick up on it, or haven't been, the Horde, Alliance and local wildlife in the immediate area are all searching for food. As with any hungry populaces struggling for the same foodstuff, conflict is sure to ensue. Many of the opening quests offered in Amberpine deal with collecting food or protecting resources from carnivorous beasts and even the wildlife. With all the running around you do for these people your avatar is bound to get hungry and indulge in the mouth-watering Amberseeds stored in the inn. Once you do, your life may change forever. After chowing on the tasty seeds you find out that they possess magical properties that could save the town from starvation! Oh noes, whatever shall you do?! The chain continues with Master Woodsman Anderhol demanding you get the seeds back, by any means necessary. He sends you off to collect ingredients for Azeroth's version of Ex-Lax before you head out to the local outhouse, where the fun begins. The line culminates in a usable outhouse, complete with an area effect, sound effects, visual effects and a debuff. Being the shy defecating person that I am, I was a bit embarrassed when I stepped outside to see a line of players behind me. To make matters worse, the next in line /cheer-ed me as I stepped out. I did what any other gaseous Gnome would do, I /fart-ed against her, then /bow-ed to the line before I stealthed away in shame. The image does not do the hilariousness justice. If you haven't participated in the chain, go do it ASAP. I looked quickly and did not manage to find a Horde equivalent. My horde buddy said he did not find a quest like that during his rush to 80, so you evildoers might be out of luck. At least you can enjoy the funny quest names and text? Playing with an animal's bowel movements is one thing, but my own? That is just nasty Blizzard!

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