The story Master Woodworker Yonger Celli continues...
When I left Taskmaster Greeblentus’ tent near the bank, I had two new opportunities before me: Bathezid’s Watch or Riliss. Because of Greeblentus’ little restocking expedition, at least I had some first-hand information to go on. You can learn a lot about a society by the way they equip their forces. Riliss’ heavily armed and armored rhino cavalry indicated that the iksar city held more riches than Bathezid’s Watch.
But as I discovered, Riliss needed those forces for more than protection from the sarnaks. The iksars are slavers who make their money off the sweat of the frogloks who sheltered me. Did I want to work in the city that enslaves the only folk who showed me any kindness in the Fens? No. While I couldn’t fight the iksar, I could aid those that did.
But while being altruistic helps me sleep at night, aiding the sarnaks would also give me some tangible benefits as well. The chief benefit was the chance to learn the secret of making the Di’Zok long bow. As a woodworker, I was really interested in a bow that could defeat the kind of heavy plate the Riliss forces wore. Besides, although Rosemarie loved her Raincaller bow, my daughter really needed a new one.
So with the decision in place, I made the trip up to Bathezid’s Watch. Greeblentus’ pass got me past the sentries and into the crafting hall where I found Anuhadux supervising the activity. He was ready for me to help and gave me a recipe book to aid in making the things the sarnak needed, but no one would sell me the fuel I needed to make the items. So I decided a trip back to Qeynos was called for. You don’t think I was going to give my business to those crooks in Dreg’s Landing, did you?
So I went back to Qeynos, arranged for my family to take care of the business while I was away, loaded up my packs with all the materials and fuel I could carry, and headed back to Bathezid’s Watch. The trip was a lot quicker than before since not only could I fly from Dreg’s Landing to the entrance to the Fens, but from the Riliss guard tower just inside the Fens to the sokokar post at Bathezid’s Watch.
Let me tell you, Anuhadux kept me busy! But I did my work quickly and without complaint and eventually became accepted among the Di’Zok. One day I needed to use the forge and encountered one of the higher ranking sarnak crafters.
"Hail, Danelak Hosfoak," I said, greeting the sarnak at the forge.
"Greetings, are you interested in helping the Bathezid's Watch?” asked Danelak. Just because I was gaining a reputation with the lower level crafters didn’t mean I was well known yet. Another reminder I wasn’t in Qeynos anymore. “I'm just crafting some equipment to supply the encampment here, and I could use a hand with a few things. We're still struggling to supply enough goods to meet our needs. You look like an experienced crafter, I'm sure you know how it is," he said.
"I certainly know what you mean! Anything I can do to help?" I asked. I hope I didn’t sound too anxious to do something new.
"Oh, I don't like to complain, we'll manage, we Sarnak are a self-sufficient race,” he said proudly. “If you wouldn't mind, though, I could use a few items created. Doesn't really matter what, we're running short of everything! What's your specialty?"
"I'm a Woodworker," I told him.
"Excellent,” Danelak said, “then perhaps you could make me a few staves and wands, to supply our troops?" Notice how he didn’t ask for bows. Those Di’Zok long bows are good.
"I'll be right back with them!" I called as I headed to the woodworking table.
I’ll say this much. I like those Di’Zok merchants a lot better than those crooks down at Dreg’s Landing. Sure, they don’t talk to strangers but if they deal with you they’re honest. And after making Di’Zok items for so long, making Qeynos-style staves and wands was like a touch of home. After making ten of each I returned to Danelak.
"Hail, Danelak Hosfoak," I called out.
"Do you have the goods?" Danelak asked.
"I do,” I replied. “Here you are."
"Excellent!” he exclaimed. “These will be of much use."
"No trouble at all,” I told him. “Anything else I can do?"
"Not at the moment, I'm pretty busy finishing up this order and distributing the supplies you brought,” the sarnak replied. “Tell me a little bit about the rest of the Shattered Lands, though. We've been cut off from the other continents for so long, can you tell me what remains of the great old cities and crafting centers?" he asked.
"Ak'Anon has been overrun by clockworks who have renamed it Klak'Anon. Gnomish forces have withdrawn to a Gnomeland Security outpost in Steamfont," I said.
"Really? So many changes!” Danelak exclaimed. “What else have you heard?"
"Kaladim was sealed for many years and now it is overrun with kobolds and other sinister influences from the Underfoot," I told him.
"Really? So many changes! What else have you heard?" the sarnak asked.
"The gods begin to return to the world at last, surely you have felt their influence?" I asked.
"Really? So many changes! What else have you heard?" Danelak asked. I was beginning to think that while Danelak was a good craftsman, he wasn’t much of a conversationalist.
"Felwithe was perhaps isolated for too many years,” I continued. “The Queen has renamed it New Tunaria, and will not admit any deemed to be impure."
"Really? So many changes! What else have you heard?" Danelak asked.
"Rivervale and the Misty Thicket fell after the Zek wars and have been corrupted by evil forces,” I told him. “The halflings are struggling to rebuild their city but much of the land is still cursed."
"Really? How tragic!” Danelak exclaimed. “I have always wanted to visit Rivervale some day."
"Why on Norrath would a Sarnak want to visit Rivervale?" I asked.
"All the stories I've heard about the halflings mention their ability to craft fine items. It's said that they've always had quite an inclination towards tradeskills, you know,” the sarnak exclaimed. “Some say it's their natural fondness for food that leads them into fine cooking, and then other forms of crafting!"
"It certainly leads them into a lot of kitchens and taverns, anyway," I chuckled.
"There's one story I heard, about the Cabbageleaf family and some of the remarkable jewelry they learned to create,” he continued. “Perhaps if you're ever in Rivervale you should look them up. If you do learn more, please let me know."
"Maybe I'll do that if I happen to be passing by," I told the sarnak. I then bid him goodbye to finish the last of Anuhadux’s latest work order.
Previous posts
EQ2 Tradeskill Epic: Yonger's Vacation
EQ2 Tradeskill Epic: Working for Teren's Grasp
EQ2 Tradeskill Epic: Yonger Gets a Sokokar
EQ2 Tradeskill Epic: New Lands, New Profits
Showing posts with label Celli_Family_Chonicles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Celli_Family_Chonicles. Show all posts
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Thursday, August 27, 2009
EQ2 Tradeskill Epic: The Quests Before Level 80
With the completion of the New Lands, New Profits quest, the story of how Master Woodworker Yonger Celli wound up with a sokokar, a master woodworker’s cloak, and the Earring of the Solstice comes to a natural break as everything done up until this time can be done by tradeskill characters who are levels 70-79. So while we leave Yonger in Teren’s Grasp having just received the pass needed to gain the faction he will need to receive the actual tradeskiller’s epic quest line, let’s look at the quests covered in the first four episode’s of the tale.
In “Yonger’s Vacation”, a lot of time was spent not only covering Yonger’s background but in quest dialog explaining what awaited adventurers in the Kylong Plains. Part of the reason for so much text is that Jones and his boss, who gives a different sokokar quest line to high-level adventurers, are usually the first NPCs that players encounter when entering the Rise of Kunark expansion lands. In the midst of all the story development one quest was covered: Fang’s Away. The only game play pointer I hope you come away with is to bring your own fuel and materials. The entire sokokar quest line requires 32 ferrite clusters, 28 redwood lumber and 70 smoldering coUnless you are a high level harvester as well as a high level crafter and low-level adventurer, you will not be able to harvest the materials needed. If you do have the necessary gathering skills (possibly aided by things like the pack unicorn), there are safe places to harvest the materials needed to make the arrows.
The post “Working for Teren’s Grasp” covers two quests, An Eye in the Sky and Sticking My Ore In. When I ran this quest with Yonger, he was level 8 and managed to release the hawk and return as I described. The one piece of dramatic license I took concerned the part about sitting on the makeshift bridge. As of this writing I’ve done the quest on 8 different characters and I’ve never seen a mob get on the bridge. But if you have never done the quest before, you wouldn’t know that. And at the end of the post I complained about paying for fuel from the vendor at the forge. In reality I always brought my own coal.
The episode titled “Yonger Gets a Sokokar” covers the final two quests in the five quest tradeskillers’ sokokar quest line, Preparations for the Rescue and Is It Good News?. Doing the quests is pretty much exactly as described in the story. I even included a couple of good tips to do along the way. The one point I should make is about the trip from Dreg’s Landing to Teren’s Grasp. I’m not sure exactly how to describe the place where you get off the road and start heading cross-country, but I think that you will recognize it when you see it.
The last episode takes its name from the quest, New Lands, New Profits. For low-level adventurers first doing this quest, I have a couple pieces of advice. First, don’t try to use stealth, the mobs will be able to see through it. If possible, get a mount, preferably 40% or faster, although my level 50 necromancer managed to get through the entire questline without dying riding on the direbear that I got by purchasing the box edition of The Shadow Odyssey. Speed really pays off when trying to get from Kunzar’s Edge to the entrance to the Fens. I tried to sneak Yonger between the two points on foot and he died once past the makeshift bridge. The second easiest way to get between the two points is to race between the points on a mount, training the mobs as you go by. But the easiest way is to travel on the road north of Kunzar’s Edge and get killed by one of the iksar. The spawn point is the graveyard at the entrance to the Fens I write about in the story.
The second point is that I managed to get my provisioner, a level 10 warden, to each of the cache points in the Fens without dying. Of course, it was my 5th character to do the quest, but I was able to do it. The secret was that you had to go past the second and fourth caches and then double back. The devs placed a lot of mobs in the direct paths to those two locations.
The final point is once you get to the final cache (and you have to do them in order) call to either your home city or your guild hall. After all the tension of finally getting a level 10-12 toon through the zone, I was wiped and didn’t mind the extra time travelling from Qeynos back to Kylong Plains.
I have to add one administrative point concerning the blog and the story. In order to continue writing the story with the game dialog, I discovered I will have to level up my carpenter, who currently is level 65. In order to get all the appropriate quest dialog for a woodworker, I have to do the quest as an artisan since I don’t have the dialog captured from when Yonger actually did the quest line. I’ve got a lot of xp potions left from my veterans’ rewards and I want to get my master for my carpenter as soon as possible. However, there will probably be a delay of 2-3 weeks until I can continue the story.
In “Yonger’s Vacation”, a lot of time was spent not only covering Yonger’s background but in quest dialog explaining what awaited adventurers in the Kylong Plains. Part of the reason for so much text is that Jones and his boss, who gives a different sokokar quest line to high-level adventurers, are usually the first NPCs that players encounter when entering the Rise of Kunark expansion lands. In the midst of all the story development one quest was covered: Fang’s Away. The only game play pointer I hope you come away with is to bring your own fuel and materials. The entire sokokar quest line requires 32 ferrite clusters, 28 redwood lumber and 70 smoldering coUnless you are a high level harvester as well as a high level crafter and low-level adventurer, you will not be able to harvest the materials needed. If you do have the necessary gathering skills (possibly aided by things like the pack unicorn), there are safe places to harvest the materials needed to make the arrows.
The post “Working for Teren’s Grasp” covers two quests, An Eye in the Sky and Sticking My Ore In. When I ran this quest with Yonger, he was level 8 and managed to release the hawk and return as I described. The one piece of dramatic license I took concerned the part about sitting on the makeshift bridge. As of this writing I’ve done the quest on 8 different characters and I’ve never seen a mob get on the bridge. But if you have never done the quest before, you wouldn’t know that. And at the end of the post I complained about paying for fuel from the vendor at the forge. In reality I always brought my own coal.
The episode titled “Yonger Gets a Sokokar” covers the final two quests in the five quest tradeskillers’ sokokar quest line, Preparations for the Rescue and Is It Good News?. Doing the quests is pretty much exactly as described in the story. I even included a couple of good tips to do along the way. The one point I should make is about the trip from Dreg’s Landing to Teren’s Grasp. I’m not sure exactly how to describe the place where you get off the road and start heading cross-country, but I think that you will recognize it when you see it.
The last episode takes its name from the quest, New Lands, New Profits. For low-level adventurers first doing this quest, I have a couple pieces of advice. First, don’t try to use stealth, the mobs will be able to see through it. If possible, get a mount, preferably 40% or faster, although my level 50 necromancer managed to get through the entire questline without dying riding on the direbear that I got by purchasing the box edition of The Shadow Odyssey. Speed really pays off when trying to get from Kunzar’s Edge to the entrance to the Fens. I tried to sneak Yonger between the two points on foot and he died once past the makeshift bridge. The second easiest way to get between the two points is to race between the points on a mount, training the mobs as you go by. But the easiest way is to travel on the road north of Kunzar’s Edge and get killed by one of the iksar. The spawn point is the graveyard at the entrance to the Fens I write about in the story.
The second point is that I managed to get my provisioner, a level 10 warden, to each of the cache points in the Fens without dying. Of course, it was my 5th character to do the quest, but I was able to do it. The secret was that you had to go past the second and fourth caches and then double back. The devs placed a lot of mobs in the direct paths to those two locations.
The final point is once you get to the final cache (and you have to do them in order) call to either your home city or your guild hall. After all the tension of finally getting a level 10-12 toon through the zone, I was wiped and didn’t mind the extra time travelling from Qeynos back to Kylong Plains.
I have to add one administrative point concerning the blog and the story. In order to continue writing the story with the game dialog, I discovered I will have to level up my carpenter, who currently is level 65. In order to get all the appropriate quest dialog for a woodworker, I have to do the quest as an artisan since I don’t have the dialog captured from when Yonger actually did the quest line. I’ve got a lot of xp potions left from my veterans’ rewards and I want to get my master for my carpenter as soon as possible. However, there will probably be a delay of 2-3 weeks until I can continue the story.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
EQ2 Tradeskill Epic: New Lands, New Profits
Since the old wood elf was in such a talkative mood, I decided to press my luck and I asked him where he bought his earring and cloak. Here is the tale he spun about those two items.
Bought? Well, I guess you could say I bought them, although not with platinum. Remember how I got my sokokar Naggy here? After we flew back to Dreg’s Landing in the Kylong Plains I remembered that I still hadn’t made it to the bank in Teren’s Grasp to arrange for my king prawn to be transported back to Qeynos. But with Naggy, flying up to the outpost was a snap. I left my young sokokar at the post and started asking for directions. The people in Teren’s Grasp are not a terribly friendly group to strangers, although the guards will give you directions. I guess that’s part of the job, so I finally got directions to the bank. On my way I encountered an ogre named Taskmaster Greeblentus hawking his wares.
"Welcome to Teren's Grasp Yonger!” Greeblentus called out from his tent. “You look to be highly skilled in your craft and by the looks of it, looking for something to do. Perhaps I can point you in the right direction when you are ready for some serious work."
"Serious work?” I asked. “You have my attention..." I know, I know. I was on vacation. Maybe my kids are right and I think too much about work. But it wasn’t my idea to come to a place with so much work to do; it was my daughter’s.
"Before I can give you the details, I will require you to complete a minor task for me,” the Taskmaster continued. “The task will serve two purposes, it will help you get to know the area and let me know you are skilled enough to stay alive and be of use to those that I represent."
"That sounds fair, tell me more," I said.
"The task is simple, take the following provisions to Fens of Nathsar and deposit them in the correct provisions cache found there,” Greeblentus explained. “I have marked the locations for you but it will still be dangerous and you may die. Return only when you are done!"
"Danger?” I asked. I know that not more than an hour before I swore off any more adventures, but sneaking around isn’t THAT hard. “That sounds different,” I continued. “I will do what you ask!"
"Our scouts rely on these provisions and it is one of my jobs to make sure these are stocked. If you return alive, I will tell you more about the job I mentioned earlier," Greeblentus concluded.
"I will return to you as soon as possible," I told the ogre.
The directions the ogre taskmaster gave me led to the Fens of Nathsar. If danger was involved I didn’t want to risk my catch so I continued on and arranged for the First Kunark Savings and Loan to ship my king prawn to my bank in Qeynos.
I knew I could fly fairly close to the entrance of the Fens so I rode down to the sokokar post, hopped on Naggy and flew to Kunzar’s Edge, stopping by Dreg’s Landing because poor Naggy didn’t know a direct path through the mountains.
Once I got to Kunzar’s Edge, the map Rosemarie had given me showed I needed to take a path to a river. It didn’t look very safe and looked like it ran through a community of iksar. Well, to be fair, I did make her give me the map, and she did warn me not to come here if I could at all help it.
I walked down the path like I belonged, although I did make sure I didn’t get too close to the iksar so they wouldn’t realize I was a stranger. I went through the village with no problem and then dodged patrols until I got to the river. I found a post stretched across the river that was being used as a makeshift bridge and snuck across it. After crossing the river I dodged patrols until I eventually reached the entrance to the Fens. Across from an old graveyard just outside the Fens was a sokokar post and I gladly bound Naggy to it. I really didn’t want to make that journey again.
Once inside the Fens I encountered a border tower run by Riliss soldiers. I don’t think they were very friendly, but I couldn’t understand what they were saying, so I just kept smiling and bound Naggy to the sokokar post outside the tower and kept moving.
The directions said that the first provisions cache was northwest along the mountain pass that leads to Bathezid’s Watch. The sarnak were actively patrolling the road and didn’t look too friendly. Travel on the road is never good in these situations and this time I hugged the cliffs on the side of the road, using boulders as cover. That tactic worked until I reached a bottle neck on the road. The directions told me I needed to get past the bottleneck. It took a long time but I was finally figured out that I needed to let the sarnak wearing the sword to go past me on his patrol toward the Riliss border fort before sneaking past the guard at the bottleneck.
Once I placed the emergency rations in the first cache, I looked at the directions Greeblentus gave me again. I needed to travel to a cache located east of Sathir’s Span located on the south bank of the ravine in the Swamp of No Hope.
Faced with Riliss patrols on the road and Bathezid Watch scouts in the countryside, I decided to travel down the main road toward Sathir’s Span, darting off to the side of the road whenever I spotted a Riliss patrol. With the increase in Riliss activity the farther into the Fens I went, I decided to enter the swamp via a dirt road instead of trying to get directly to the ravine.
I travelled along the road past where the cache was located until I spotted a clear path through the swamp denizens to the ravine. I dashed to a ridge as fast as my leg would let me to a ridge that would offer some protection from the creepy-crawlies on the ground. I scrambled up to the top of the ridge and saw a large greenish glowing sokokar flying towards me. I jumped down the other side of the ridge smack into the middle of a bunch of frogloks. Fortunately I had found the only creatures in the swamp who didn’t want to kill me and we hid until the giant sokokar, which the frogloks called Thrasunre, passed.
I continued on and after dodging a swampet, I reached the second cache and refilled it with the emergency potion and looked at Greeblentus directions again. The instructions for the third cache said it was further south along the ravine a few steps before reaching the second bridge by a huge boulder.
So I retraced my steps back to the froglok encampment and made it back to the road. I then travelled east along the road until I reached the cache where I deposited the emergency exit scroll that would allow the user to transport back to Teren’s Grasp.
The instructions to the fourth cache said to cross the bridge and head northwest just before you reach The Crystal Grove behind two huge boulders. Rosemarie’s map showed that I probably shouldn’t travel directly to the cache. Instead I travelled along the edge of the ravine whenever possible to avoid the slavers, whose camps lay on the north side of the road. Once past the camps I travelled on the road unless I saw a Riliss patrol, then I would scurry into hiding. During one of these dashes to safety I ran into another group of frogloks with whom I rested in safety.
I resumed my journey along the road until I found a field of young wild sokokar. Seeing nothing that wanted to eat me, I crossed the field until I reached another ridgeline. I travelled along the ridgeline until I found the last cache and filled it. By this time I was tired, my leg hurt and I just couldn’t face playing hide-and-seek anymore, so I pulled out a talisman and used it to return to my guild’s hall. After resting up, the guild druid sent me back to the druid ring outside Teren’s Grasp. From there I walked back into the outpost.
"Hail, Taskmaster Greeblentus," I called out to the ogre in this tent.
"You have done well, I cannot lie that I am surprised,” Greeblentus told me. “Now that you have passed that test let me tell you about the opportunities available for you in this land. Both the Riliss and Bathezid Watch seek crafters to help them in their war preparations."
"Continue...," I prompted.
"Zekilius in Riliss and Anuhadux in Bathezid are the ones in charge of the crafters tasks,” the oger continued. “I have made arrangements to let you enter their camps and you will not be harmed unless you do something to anger them..."
"Tell me more," I said.
"The more orders you fill the more favor you will gain with them, but it will take a good amount of service before they trust you,” Greeblentus informed me. “Work hard and you will be rewarded, return to me when you have learned more and I will share with you another contact you may be interested in. Farewell Yonger!"
"I will do my best! Thank you," I said.
To be continued…
Previous posts
EQ2 Tradeskill Epic: Yonger's Vacation
EQ2 Tradeskill Epic: Working for Teren's Grasp
EQ2 Tradeskill Epic: Yonger Gets a Sokokar
Bought? Well, I guess you could say I bought them, although not with platinum. Remember how I got my sokokar Naggy here? After we flew back to Dreg’s Landing in the Kylong Plains I remembered that I still hadn’t made it to the bank in Teren’s Grasp to arrange for my king prawn to be transported back to Qeynos. But with Naggy, flying up to the outpost was a snap. I left my young sokokar at the post and started asking for directions. The people in Teren’s Grasp are not a terribly friendly group to strangers, although the guards will give you directions. I guess that’s part of the job, so I finally got directions to the bank. On my way I encountered an ogre named Taskmaster Greeblentus hawking his wares.
"Welcome to Teren's Grasp Yonger!” Greeblentus called out from his tent. “You look to be highly skilled in your craft and by the looks of it, looking for something to do. Perhaps I can point you in the right direction when you are ready for some serious work."
"Serious work?” I asked. “You have my attention..." I know, I know. I was on vacation. Maybe my kids are right and I think too much about work. But it wasn’t my idea to come to a place with so much work to do; it was my daughter’s.
"Before I can give you the details, I will require you to complete a minor task for me,” the Taskmaster continued. “The task will serve two purposes, it will help you get to know the area and let me know you are skilled enough to stay alive and be of use to those that I represent."
"That sounds fair, tell me more," I said.
"The task is simple, take the following provisions to Fens of Nathsar and deposit them in the correct provisions cache found there,” Greeblentus explained. “I have marked the locations for you but it will still be dangerous and you may die. Return only when you are done!"
"Danger?” I asked. I know that not more than an hour before I swore off any more adventures, but sneaking around isn’t THAT hard. “That sounds different,” I continued. “I will do what you ask!"
"Our scouts rely on these provisions and it is one of my jobs to make sure these are stocked. If you return alive, I will tell you more about the job I mentioned earlier," Greeblentus concluded.
"I will return to you as soon as possible," I told the ogre.
The directions the ogre taskmaster gave me led to the Fens of Nathsar. If danger was involved I didn’t want to risk my catch so I continued on and arranged for the First Kunark Savings and Loan to ship my king prawn to my bank in Qeynos.
I knew I could fly fairly close to the entrance of the Fens so I rode down to the sokokar post, hopped on Naggy and flew to Kunzar’s Edge, stopping by Dreg’s Landing because poor Naggy didn’t know a direct path through the mountains.
Once I got to Kunzar’s Edge, the map Rosemarie had given me showed I needed to take a path to a river. It didn’t look very safe and looked like it ran through a community of iksar. Well, to be fair, I did make her give me the map, and she did warn me not to come here if I could at all help it.
I walked down the path like I belonged, although I did make sure I didn’t get too close to the iksar so they wouldn’t realize I was a stranger. I went through the village with no problem and then dodged patrols until I got to the river. I found a post stretched across the river that was being used as a makeshift bridge and snuck across it. After crossing the river I dodged patrols until I eventually reached the entrance to the Fens. Across from an old graveyard just outside the Fens was a sokokar post and I gladly bound Naggy to it. I really didn’t want to make that journey again.
Once inside the Fens I encountered a border tower run by Riliss soldiers. I don’t think they were very friendly, but I couldn’t understand what they were saying, so I just kept smiling and bound Naggy to the sokokar post outside the tower and kept moving.
The directions said that the first provisions cache was northwest along the mountain pass that leads to Bathezid’s Watch. The sarnak were actively patrolling the road and didn’t look too friendly. Travel on the road is never good in these situations and this time I hugged the cliffs on the side of the road, using boulders as cover. That tactic worked until I reached a bottle neck on the road. The directions told me I needed to get past the bottleneck. It took a long time but I was finally figured out that I needed to let the sarnak wearing the sword to go past me on his patrol toward the Riliss border fort before sneaking past the guard at the bottleneck.
Once I placed the emergency rations in the first cache, I looked at the directions Greeblentus gave me again. I needed to travel to a cache located east of Sathir’s Span located on the south bank of the ravine in the Swamp of No Hope.
Faced with Riliss patrols on the road and Bathezid Watch scouts in the countryside, I decided to travel down the main road toward Sathir’s Span, darting off to the side of the road whenever I spotted a Riliss patrol. With the increase in Riliss activity the farther into the Fens I went, I decided to enter the swamp via a dirt road instead of trying to get directly to the ravine.
I travelled along the road past where the cache was located until I spotted a clear path through the swamp denizens to the ravine. I dashed to a ridge as fast as my leg would let me to a ridge that would offer some protection from the creepy-crawlies on the ground. I scrambled up to the top of the ridge and saw a large greenish glowing sokokar flying towards me. I jumped down the other side of the ridge smack into the middle of a bunch of frogloks. Fortunately I had found the only creatures in the swamp who didn’t want to kill me and we hid until the giant sokokar, which the frogloks called Thrasunre, passed.
I continued on and after dodging a swampet, I reached the second cache and refilled it with the emergency potion and looked at Greeblentus directions again. The instructions for the third cache said it was further south along the ravine a few steps before reaching the second bridge by a huge boulder.
So I retraced my steps back to the froglok encampment and made it back to the road. I then travelled east along the road until I reached the cache where I deposited the emergency exit scroll that would allow the user to transport back to Teren’s Grasp.
The instructions to the fourth cache said to cross the bridge and head northwest just before you reach The Crystal Grove behind two huge boulders. Rosemarie’s map showed that I probably shouldn’t travel directly to the cache. Instead I travelled along the edge of the ravine whenever possible to avoid the slavers, whose camps lay on the north side of the road. Once past the camps I travelled on the road unless I saw a Riliss patrol, then I would scurry into hiding. During one of these dashes to safety I ran into another group of frogloks with whom I rested in safety.
I resumed my journey along the road until I found a field of young wild sokokar. Seeing nothing that wanted to eat me, I crossed the field until I reached another ridgeline. I travelled along the ridgeline until I found the last cache and filled it. By this time I was tired, my leg hurt and I just couldn’t face playing hide-and-seek anymore, so I pulled out a talisman and used it to return to my guild’s hall. After resting up, the guild druid sent me back to the druid ring outside Teren’s Grasp. From there I walked back into the outpost.
"Hail, Taskmaster Greeblentus," I called out to the ogre in this tent.
"You have done well, I cannot lie that I am surprised,” Greeblentus told me. “Now that you have passed that test let me tell you about the opportunities available for you in this land. Both the Riliss and Bathezid Watch seek crafters to help them in their war preparations."
"Continue...," I prompted.
"Zekilius in Riliss and Anuhadux in Bathezid are the ones in charge of the crafters tasks,” the oger continued. “I have made arrangements to let you enter their camps and you will not be harmed unless you do something to anger them..."
"Tell me more," I said.
"The more orders you fill the more favor you will gain with them, but it will take a good amount of service before they trust you,” Greeblentus informed me. “Work hard and you will be rewarded, return to me when you have learned more and I will share with you another contact you may be interested in. Farewell Yonger!"
"I will do my best! Thank you," I said.
To be continued…
Previous posts
EQ2 Tradeskill Epic: Yonger's Vacation
EQ2 Tradeskill Epic: Working for Teren's Grasp
EQ2 Tradeskill Epic: Yonger Gets a Sokokar
Thursday, August 13, 2009
EQ2 Tradeskill Epic: Yonger Gets a Sokokar
I brought the chest full of imbued ore the Teren’s Grasp officials needed for sealing a pact with the mountain giants to Jones. Okay, I dropped it someplace close to him. Maybe that wasn’t polite to do, but I was tired and my leg hurt.
"Hail, Jones," I said.
"Thanks so much for your hard work, this should be perfect for the job," the halfling official said. "I'll let Borbin know we're all ready to arrange the deal. I hope I can get his attention, he's been very distracted since he heard the bad news this afternoon."
"What news was that?" I asked, letting my curiosity get the better of me.
Jones replied, "Lynchpin, one of our sokokar, was captured today by a drolvarg ambush. She's one of our best breeding stock and I imagine the drolvarg are planning to get a high price for her from the Sathirians. Everyone in Teren's Grasp and Dreg's Landing alike absolutely adore her, so the whole outpost is talking about it and making plans to get her back."
"What can be done about it?" I asked.
"We sent out a few more hawks to gather information, and we think they have her chained up inside one of the hollow trees near Karnor's Castle," Jones told me. "They're probably awaiting further orders on where to take her. We probably don't have a lot of time before they move her again, so we're sending out a few adventurers to try and get her free. Actually, I was rather hoping you might be able to make some sturdy chain cutters they could take with them, just in case they're needed. Are you good enough at the forge to wangle up something like that?" he asked.
"I've never tried making that sort of thing before, but I'll certainly give it a try!" I told Jones with a little more enthusiasm than I really felt. I was tired and sore, but I’ve got a soft spot for animals, so I’d do my best.
"I appreciate it, please hurry," the halfling said.
"I will," I reassured him.
So back to the forge I went. The fact that no experienced metal smiths capable of making the bolt cutters worked at the port really made me wonder about how well organized this Teren fella really was. Then I dealt with the merchants again and realized that maybe the problem was that the merchants had chased away all of the crafters. Even after the dickering I did with them, the prices were much higher than I would have normally willingly paid. If Lynchpin didn’t need help, I would have just walked away.
Any crafter would really have to bring their own supplies to Dreg’s Landing with them if they wanted to make any kind of profit off their work. You can be sure I mentioned that to the gang back at the Ironforge Exchange!
So after another aggravating session figuring out how to make something, I returned to Jones. At least the chain cutters were lighter than the chest of ore.
"Hail, Jones," I called.
"Thank you so much for working on those chain cutters for me," the Teren’s Grasp official told me as I handed over the chain cutters.
"You're welcome," I said. "I hope she gets back safely."
"As do I! I'll hand these out straight away, there's a party just about to leave now."
A party about to depart? Looks like I finished just in time. "Let me know how it goes!" I said.
"If they're successful, the party will most likely return to the main Teren's Grasp outpost where they can keep her safe and check her for any injuries," Jones advised. "Next time you're in that area, look for Stewlin Vincent at the sokokar post up there. He'll be able to let you know how it goes!"
"Thanks, I'll ask Stewlin next time I pass through," I told him.
"I hope the news will be good!" Jones exclaimed.
"I'm sure it will be," I assured the halfling.
So I finally got to go fishing. I have to say that the fishing around Dreg’s Landing is pretty good and within a few days I had caught my fill of king prawn. Instead of returning to Qeynos though, I decided to head up to the main Teren’s Grasp outpost. I figured that the bank there had a relationship with my bank in Qeynos and I could arrange to have my goods shipped back to the city while I continued my vacation.
The trip wasn’t too bad, if you don’t mind the cold. I headed up the road out of Dreg’s Landing to the mountains and followed it until it seemed to end. I then headed cross-country, avoiding the yeti I saw in the distance. After a time the road looked safe so I followed it to the outpost, stopping to pay my respects at the druid ring just outside the entrance.
Did I say outpost? A small city is a better description. I entered Teren’s Grasp looking for directions when I spotted a figure next to a post accompanied by a sokokar. As I got closer, he fit the description of Stewlin Vincent that Jones gave me.
"Hail, Stewlin Vincent," I called out.
"Lynchpin is back safe and sound!!!" Stewlin exclaimed.
"She is?” I replied. “Wonderful news, congratulations."
"Thank you so much, Jones told me all the help you've been,” Stewlin told me. “I'd like to thank you with this young sokokar I've been training. He's one of Lynchpin's offspring. Not quite as fast as Lynchpin, but he's got good blood!"
"Thank you very much," I told the sokokar trainer, touched. I really wasn’t expecting that.
"Listen,” Stewlin continued. "I wonder if you have time to take the good news up to our folks up at Kunzar's Edge. I haven't had the time to send a message yet, and I know they'll want to know Lynchpin is safe. Would you mind?" Stewlin asked.
"Sure, if I can get there safely," I replied. I remembered my daughter’s tales of travelling through the Kylong Plains. I’m a woodworker, not a hero. The little scouting trip I took to Karnor’s Castle was as much excitement as I really wanted. "Can I take the sokokar there?"
"The sokokars can only take you to landing points they've already visited," Stewlin explained, "so you won't be able to fly your young sokokar there directly yet, he hasn't traveled that far. However, I can teleport you directly there. Let Hroar know the good news and he'll spread the word. Oh, and there should be a sokokar post nearby that you can use to get back safely."
After making sure my new sokokar knew the landing point in Teren’s Grasp, I told the trainer, "Sure, I'm ready to go."
One second I was in Teren’s Grasp, the next I was on top of a watch tower at Kunzar’s Edge next to a figure in a suit of black plate armor watching a road headed north.
"What do you mean by suddenly appearing here?" the suit of armor growled, the breath visable in the cold. I had found Hroar.
"Sorry to drop in so suddenly," I said hurriedly. "Stewlin Vincent in Teren's Grasp sent me to let you know that Lynchpin has been recovered."
"Oh, working for Teren's Grasp are you?" Hroar asked, his tone changing to something sounding more friendly. "Well, that's different. Thanks for the news, I'll pass on the word. Make yourself at home here, and you'll find the sokokar post on the coast up by the west wall there. And watch your step climbing down the tower, we don't need to be scraping up any more clumsy crafters who think they can fly," he added.
I think Hroar might have done something to make those crafters clumsy. "Er, thanks, I think," I told him and proceeded to make my way carefully down the tower.
I followed Hroar’s directions to the sokokar post, bound my young sokokar to it, and flew off to Dreg’s Landing. The sokokar took a route that led us past Karnor’s Castle and over a sea of drolvargs that I had earlier wove a path through to release a scouting hawk. Looking down at the scene, I thought to myself I’d never do anything that again!
To be continued…
Related posts
EQ2 Tradeskill Epic: Yonger's Vacation
EQ2 Tradeskill Epic: Working for Teren's Grasp
EQ2 Tradeskill Epic: Yonger Gets a Sokokar
EQ2 Tradeskill Epic: New Lands, New Profits
"Hail, Jones," I said.
"Thanks so much for your hard work, this should be perfect for the job," the halfling official said. "I'll let Borbin know we're all ready to arrange the deal. I hope I can get his attention, he's been very distracted since he heard the bad news this afternoon."
"What news was that?" I asked, letting my curiosity get the better of me.
Jones replied, "Lynchpin, one of our sokokar, was captured today by a drolvarg ambush. She's one of our best breeding stock and I imagine the drolvarg are planning to get a high price for her from the Sathirians. Everyone in Teren's Grasp and Dreg's Landing alike absolutely adore her, so the whole outpost is talking about it and making plans to get her back."
"What can be done about it?" I asked.
"We sent out a few more hawks to gather information, and we think they have her chained up inside one of the hollow trees near Karnor's Castle," Jones told me. "They're probably awaiting further orders on where to take her. We probably don't have a lot of time before they move her again, so we're sending out a few adventurers to try and get her free. Actually, I was rather hoping you might be able to make some sturdy chain cutters they could take with them, just in case they're needed. Are you good enough at the forge to wangle up something like that?" he asked.
"I've never tried making that sort of thing before, but I'll certainly give it a try!" I told Jones with a little more enthusiasm than I really felt. I was tired and sore, but I’ve got a soft spot for animals, so I’d do my best.
"I appreciate it, please hurry," the halfling said.
"I will," I reassured him.
So back to the forge I went. The fact that no experienced metal smiths capable of making the bolt cutters worked at the port really made me wonder about how well organized this Teren fella really was. Then I dealt with the merchants again and realized that maybe the problem was that the merchants had chased away all of the crafters. Even after the dickering I did with them, the prices were much higher than I would have normally willingly paid. If Lynchpin didn’t need help, I would have just walked away.
Any crafter would really have to bring their own supplies to Dreg’s Landing with them if they wanted to make any kind of profit off their work. You can be sure I mentioned that to the gang back at the Ironforge Exchange!
So after another aggravating session figuring out how to make something, I returned to Jones. At least the chain cutters were lighter than the chest of ore.
"Hail, Jones," I called.
"Thank you so much for working on those chain cutters for me," the Teren’s Grasp official told me as I handed over the chain cutters.
"You're welcome," I said. "I hope she gets back safely."
"As do I! I'll hand these out straight away, there's a party just about to leave now."
A party about to depart? Looks like I finished just in time. "Let me know how it goes!" I said.
"If they're successful, the party will most likely return to the main Teren's Grasp outpost where they can keep her safe and check her for any injuries," Jones advised. "Next time you're in that area, look for Stewlin Vincent at the sokokar post up there. He'll be able to let you know how it goes!"
"Thanks, I'll ask Stewlin next time I pass through," I told him.
"I hope the news will be good!" Jones exclaimed.
"I'm sure it will be," I assured the halfling.
So I finally got to go fishing. I have to say that the fishing around Dreg’s Landing is pretty good and within a few days I had caught my fill of king prawn. Instead of returning to Qeynos though, I decided to head up to the main Teren’s Grasp outpost. I figured that the bank there had a relationship with my bank in Qeynos and I could arrange to have my goods shipped back to the city while I continued my vacation.
The trip wasn’t too bad, if you don’t mind the cold. I headed up the road out of Dreg’s Landing to the mountains and followed it until it seemed to end. I then headed cross-country, avoiding the yeti I saw in the distance. After a time the road looked safe so I followed it to the outpost, stopping to pay my respects at the druid ring just outside the entrance.
Did I say outpost? A small city is a better description. I entered Teren’s Grasp looking for directions when I spotted a figure next to a post accompanied by a sokokar. As I got closer, he fit the description of Stewlin Vincent that Jones gave me.
"Hail, Stewlin Vincent," I called out.
"Lynchpin is back safe and sound!!!" Stewlin exclaimed.
"She is?” I replied. “Wonderful news, congratulations."
"Thank you so much, Jones told me all the help you've been,” Stewlin told me. “I'd like to thank you with this young sokokar I've been training. He's one of Lynchpin's offspring. Not quite as fast as Lynchpin, but he's got good blood!"
"Thank you very much," I told the sokokar trainer, touched. I really wasn’t expecting that.
"Listen,” Stewlin continued. "I wonder if you have time to take the good news up to our folks up at Kunzar's Edge. I haven't had the time to send a message yet, and I know they'll want to know Lynchpin is safe. Would you mind?" Stewlin asked.
"Sure, if I can get there safely," I replied. I remembered my daughter’s tales of travelling through the Kylong Plains. I’m a woodworker, not a hero. The little scouting trip I took to Karnor’s Castle was as much excitement as I really wanted. "Can I take the sokokar there?"
"The sokokars can only take you to landing points they've already visited," Stewlin explained, "so you won't be able to fly your young sokokar there directly yet, he hasn't traveled that far. However, I can teleport you directly there. Let Hroar know the good news and he'll spread the word. Oh, and there should be a sokokar post nearby that you can use to get back safely."
After making sure my new sokokar knew the landing point in Teren’s Grasp, I told the trainer, "Sure, I'm ready to go."
One second I was in Teren’s Grasp, the next I was on top of a watch tower at Kunzar’s Edge next to a figure in a suit of black plate armor watching a road headed north.
"What do you mean by suddenly appearing here?" the suit of armor growled, the breath visable in the cold. I had found Hroar.
"Sorry to drop in so suddenly," I said hurriedly. "Stewlin Vincent in Teren's Grasp sent me to let you know that Lynchpin has been recovered."
"Oh, working for Teren's Grasp are you?" Hroar asked, his tone changing to something sounding more friendly. "Well, that's different. Thanks for the news, I'll pass on the word. Make yourself at home here, and you'll find the sokokar post on the coast up by the west wall there. And watch your step climbing down the tower, we don't need to be scraping up any more clumsy crafters who think they can fly," he added.
I think Hroar might have done something to make those crafters clumsy. "Er, thanks, I think," I told him and proceeded to make my way carefully down the tower.
I followed Hroar’s directions to the sokokar post, bound my young sokokar to it, and flew off to Dreg’s Landing. The sokokar took a route that led us past Karnor’s Castle and over a sea of drolvargs that I had earlier wove a path through to release a scouting hawk. Looking down at the scene, I thought to myself I’d never do anything that again!
To be continued…
Related posts
EQ2 Tradeskill Epic: Yonger's Vacation
EQ2 Tradeskill Epic: Working for Teren's Grasp
EQ2 Tradeskill Epic: Yonger Gets a Sokokar
EQ2 Tradeskill Epic: New Lands, New Profits
Thursday, August 6, 2009
EQ2 Tradeskill Epic: Working for Teren’s Grasp
"It was nothing, really,” I bragged. “All in a day's work for a crafter."
My daughter Rosemarie tells me that I get a little full of myself sometimes. I might have gone a little too far this time, because as my thoughts started to turn to fishing and king prawn, Jones brought me back to reality.
"Really, thanks again for the help, I know I couldn't have done it anyway!” the little halfling told me. “I tell you what though, Borbin's been talking with Hailena Hoss, who trains the native essarr hawks. She dropped one of them off this morning, Borbin was planning to ask one of the adventurers to release it near Karnor's Castle to do some surveillance."
"And ...?" I asked.
"Well, the thing is, they're all still busy killing drolvargs, you'd think they're enjoying it or something,” Jones said, then paused like he was steeling himself up to ask another favor. He was. “So I was thinking, you're clearly resourceful and fast moving, I'm sure you could do it just as well. Plus, you're here! Just sneak up close to the castle and release the hawk, it's trained to do the rest."
Fast moving? I know the ranger training I received before the accident helps hide my limp, but not so much that it’s not noticeable. He must be getting desperate. "And where exactly is this castle?" I asked.
"You can just about see it from here,” the little official said, pointing to the north-east. “Head north between the hills and the river till you pass the ruins, then turn east, you should see it from there easily enough."
"Well, I'll give it a try!" I told him, sounding a lot more confident that I felt. Rosemarie did warn me about entering the Dreadlands, and the directions sounded like I’d be coming real close.
Jones handed me the essarr hawk. "It'll be a bit dangerous for you I'm afraid,” Jones began, “but since Borbin has all the adventurers busy collecting more fangs, I don't think we want to wait around for them to get back. I do appreciate your help, and good luck!"
"Thank you," I told the halfling and started off down the path.
I headed north down the path past the ruins almost to the mountains when I looked to the east. Sure enough, I could see a castle on a hill through the trees. But as I walked east getting closer to the river I could see why Jones told me this was dangerous. On the other side were drolvargs lining the banks and I didn’t like what I saw in the water. The only way across looked like a fallen pillar that fell across the river where it feeds into Ryjesium Lake. To get to it required getting close to the ruins, which I could see were occupied by some unfriendly-looking skeletons.
By staying on the riverbank I was able to avoid the skeletons and stopped halfway across the makeshift bridge. Looking back, it was a pretty stupid thing to do because I didn’t know what might happen by, but I used the position to observe the drolvargs as they patrolled around the castle. Fortunately the drolvargs were even dumber than I was being at the moment, as after a couple of minutes I could discern their patrol paths. I snuck through the route I had picked out and released the hawk near the castle. I then snuck back through the drolvarg lines and returned to the docks of Dreg’s Landing.
“Hail, Jones,” I said as I reached his usual duty post.
"Did you release the essarr hawk?" he asked.
"Yes, I did," I replied.
"Oh, great!” the halfling exclaimed. “Well done, I hope it wasn't too dangerous for you. Erm... say ...” Jones continued with one of those pauses I was coming to associate with another request. “I don't suppose you happen to know anything about mountain giant metalsmithing?"
I’m a woodworker, not an armorer or a weaponsmith, but I do work with small amounts of metal in my craft. "Er ... what exactly about it?"
Jones explained, "The mountain giants have been at war with the drolvargs for a long time. Borbin has been trying to negotiate with the giants to help us fighting the drolvargs, and it looks as if he might finally be making some progress. Apparently they use some kind of magically imbued ore to forge special weapons that give their fighters an edge in combat. If we can provide them with enough ore, I think the deal will be sealed."
I was afraid of where this conversation was going. Making friends with the local authorities is good for business. Getting killed isn’t. "And where do I come in?" I asked.
"Well, seeing how you did such a good job with those arrows, I was hoping you could make up some imbued ore for us to trade,” Jones said. “What do you think?"
"I'll give it a try," I told the little official, sounding more confident that I felt. I’m pretty good at that, if I do say so myself. Raising three kids gave me a lot of practice.
"Thanks, you're a lifesaver!” Jones exclaimed, his smile widening. “And don't worry, we'll send some burly axe-wielding type out to actually do the trade, just bring it back here when you're done."
"I'll get right on it," I replied.
My leg was still aching from all the sneaking around I did around Kanor’s Castle, but I figured I’d better make the ore before those axe-wielding types left and Jones figured that I should be the one to deliver the chest. So back to the forge and those price-gouging merchants I went to make a chestfull of imbued ore. I really need to go back and thank Kezlack Cogturner for all the lessons he gave me when I started out my career in Wayfarer's Stockpilers.
When I finished I picked up the chest and headed to drop off this last request to Jones. I had some serious fishing to do!
To be continued…
Related Posts
EQ2 Tradeskill Epic: Yonger's Vacation
EQ2 Tradeskill Epic: Working for Teren's Grasp
EQ2 Tradeskill Epic: Yonger Gets a Sokokar
EQ2 Tradeskill Epic: New Lands, New Profits
My daughter Rosemarie tells me that I get a little full of myself sometimes. I might have gone a little too far this time, because as my thoughts started to turn to fishing and king prawn, Jones brought me back to reality.
"Really, thanks again for the help, I know I couldn't have done it anyway!” the little halfling told me. “I tell you what though, Borbin's been talking with Hailena Hoss, who trains the native essarr hawks. She dropped one of them off this morning, Borbin was planning to ask one of the adventurers to release it near Karnor's Castle to do some surveillance."
"And ...?" I asked.
"Well, the thing is, they're all still busy killing drolvargs, you'd think they're enjoying it or something,” Jones said, then paused like he was steeling himself up to ask another favor. He was. “So I was thinking, you're clearly resourceful and fast moving, I'm sure you could do it just as well. Plus, you're here! Just sneak up close to the castle and release the hawk, it's trained to do the rest."
Fast moving? I know the ranger training I received before the accident helps hide my limp, but not so much that it’s not noticeable. He must be getting desperate. "And where exactly is this castle?" I asked.
"You can just about see it from here,” the little official said, pointing to the north-east. “Head north between the hills and the river till you pass the ruins, then turn east, you should see it from there easily enough."
"Well, I'll give it a try!" I told him, sounding a lot more confident that I felt. Rosemarie did warn me about entering the Dreadlands, and the directions sounded like I’d be coming real close.
Jones handed me the essarr hawk. "It'll be a bit dangerous for you I'm afraid,” Jones began, “but since Borbin has all the adventurers busy collecting more fangs, I don't think we want to wait around for them to get back. I do appreciate your help, and good luck!"
"Thank you," I told the halfling and started off down the path.
I headed north down the path past the ruins almost to the mountains when I looked to the east. Sure enough, I could see a castle on a hill through the trees. But as I walked east getting closer to the river I could see why Jones told me this was dangerous. On the other side were drolvargs lining the banks and I didn’t like what I saw in the water. The only way across looked like a fallen pillar that fell across the river where it feeds into Ryjesium Lake. To get to it required getting close to the ruins, which I could see were occupied by some unfriendly-looking skeletons.
By staying on the riverbank I was able to avoid the skeletons and stopped halfway across the makeshift bridge. Looking back, it was a pretty stupid thing to do because I didn’t know what might happen by, but I used the position to observe the drolvargs as they patrolled around the castle. Fortunately the drolvargs were even dumber than I was being at the moment, as after a couple of minutes I could discern their patrol paths. I snuck through the route I had picked out and released the hawk near the castle. I then snuck back through the drolvarg lines and returned to the docks of Dreg’s Landing.
“Hail, Jones,” I said as I reached his usual duty post.
"Did you release the essarr hawk?" he asked.
"Yes, I did," I replied.
"Oh, great!” the halfling exclaimed. “Well done, I hope it wasn't too dangerous for you. Erm... say ...” Jones continued with one of those pauses I was coming to associate with another request. “I don't suppose you happen to know anything about mountain giant metalsmithing?"
I’m a woodworker, not an armorer or a weaponsmith, but I do work with small amounts of metal in my craft. "Er ... what exactly about it?"
Jones explained, "The mountain giants have been at war with the drolvargs for a long time. Borbin has been trying to negotiate with the giants to help us fighting the drolvargs, and it looks as if he might finally be making some progress. Apparently they use some kind of magically imbued ore to forge special weapons that give their fighters an edge in combat. If we can provide them with enough ore, I think the deal will be sealed."
I was afraid of where this conversation was going. Making friends with the local authorities is good for business. Getting killed isn’t. "And where do I come in?" I asked.
"Well, seeing how you did such a good job with those arrows, I was hoping you could make up some imbued ore for us to trade,” Jones said. “What do you think?"
"I'll give it a try," I told the little official, sounding more confident that I felt. I’m pretty good at that, if I do say so myself. Raising three kids gave me a lot of practice.
"Thanks, you're a lifesaver!” Jones exclaimed, his smile widening. “And don't worry, we'll send some burly axe-wielding type out to actually do the trade, just bring it back here when you're done."
"I'll get right on it," I replied.
My leg was still aching from all the sneaking around I did around Kanor’s Castle, but I figured I’d better make the ore before those axe-wielding types left and Jones figured that I should be the one to deliver the chest. So back to the forge and those price-gouging merchants I went to make a chestfull of imbued ore. I really need to go back and thank Kezlack Cogturner for all the lessons he gave me when I started out my career in Wayfarer's Stockpilers.
When I finished I picked up the chest and headed to drop off this last request to Jones. I had some serious fishing to do!
To be continued…
Related Posts
EQ2 Tradeskill Epic: Yonger's Vacation
EQ2 Tradeskill Epic: Working for Teren's Grasp
EQ2 Tradeskill Epic: Yonger Gets a Sokokar
EQ2 Tradeskill Epic: New Lands, New Profits
Thursday, July 30, 2009
EQ2 Tradeskill Epic: Yonger's Vacation
Sometimes people just don’t change with the times. The same holds true for wood elves. When Antonia Bayle began the construction projects that made moving into guild halls fashionable, an old wood elf named Yonger Celli just couldn’t bear to leave North Qeynos. He liked working outdoors at the woodworking table, and with the Ironforge Exchange, bank, and broker within easy walking distance, why should he move? That easy walking distance was important as Yonger’s adventuring career was cut short by a leg injury he suffered in the mage tower when he first arrived in Qeynos and walking from the bank to his home in the inn was as far as he really wanted to travel.
But a careful look at Yonger makes one realize that the old wood elf didn’t just stay in Qeynos running the family business. The fine cloak and striking earring he wears could have been bought, but his companion gives the lie to the image of a stay-at-home merchant. For following Yonger around on his daily activities is a sokokar. Sokokars are usually found in the lands of Kunark, a place most consider inhospitable to all but the most experienced travelers and adventurers.
I finally got up the nerve to ask Yonger about his pet sokokar and this is the tale he spun.
The whole thing started because I like king prawn. Now, I should know better than listen to my daughter Rosemarie about travel plans. Just because she’s travelled to the far corners of Norrath doesn’t mean she gives the best advice about where to go. But a fishing trip where I could catch all the king prawn I wanted sounded so good. My son Boyrdi can do wonderful things with king prawn and perhaps I let my stomach do my thinking for me.
So I went down to the Antonica docks and boarded the Maiden's Grace bound for Dreg’s Landing in the Kylong Plains. The trip didn’t cost me anything but time. I suspect that the ship owner is in league with those Gibblegobbler goblins that run a gambling operation on the docks and that is how he is able to provide free transportation, but who am I to gainsay popular wisdom about the ship owner's generous nature?
When I arrived at the docks, I started looking around for some official looking person. Rosemarie didn’t tell me if I needed anything like a fishing license from the local authorities and I don’t like king prawn so much that I’m willing to land in the local gaol. So I looked around until I saw a little halfling in what seemed to be the local uniform and hailed him.
"Hello there stranger!” the halfling said. “Good to see more friendly visitors coming to the area. Just call me Jones, everyone else does! I work for the Lieutenant here, we help maintain this landing for Teren's Grasp. And who might you be?"
"I'm Yonger, nice to meet you,” I replied. “And what is Teren's Grasp?"
"That's our main outpost, along that path up to the west,” Jones said, pointing up toward the mountains. “As you may have heard, there's intense fighting going on between the Di'Zok sarnak and the Sathirian iksars around this area. Those of us who aren't allied with either can find it quite dangerous. Fortunately, Teren's Grasp is tucked out of the way up in the hills and so far they've left us alone."
"Sounds as if you're pretty safe up there then," I told him.
Jones replied, "Well, Teren says that's just because they don't know about the outpost yet. With Bristlebane's blessing it'll stay that way! But we're ready for any contingency if they do decide to attack us. I think we're fairly safe for the moment though."
"Why's that?" I asked.
"Well, as you can see, we're not exactly hiding our port here,” the halfling pointed out. “I think the iksar and sarnak are just too busy killing each other to worry about us. Now, when one of them finally wins the war, then we may have to worry about the outpost. In the mean time, I have more pressing worries on my mind ... like what to do with five hundred and twenty-seven bags full of drolvarg fangs!" Jones exclaimed.
I was starting to think Rosemarie had forgotten to tell me something important. Of course news of a mysterious group of invaders arriving in the Kunark might have made her disregard some of the more mundane dangers. "What's a drolvarg?" I asked.
"Filthy dog-like beasts, vicious with a weapon and barely intelligent enough to hold it the right way up. The Sathirians sometimes use them as mercenaries, though you'll often find them causing problems all on their own," Jones explained.
Halflings are famous for collecting jum jum, not body parts, so I asked, "And, uh, why on Norrath do you have five hundred and twenty-seven bags full of their teeth?"
"Oh, well,” Jones began, taking a deep breath. “Borbin here, he's always encouraging visiting adventurers to go hunting them down, and they bring back the fangs as proof so they can collect the bounty. He used to ask them to bring back the ears, but I put my foot down on that! Bags full of rotting ears is not something you want lying around on a hot day, let me tell you. At least the fangs keep well. But I'm at my wits' end what to do with them, I tell you."
I don’t always think about business, no matter what my children say. But the poor little halfling looked just a bit desperate, so I asked, "Ever considered making them into something useful?"
"Oh, a bit of a crafter are you?” Jones asked. “I never had the patience for it myself, but if you can figure out something to do with all these fangs, I'll be eternally grateful."
"I believe I do have an idea ...", I said. I’m a woodworker, so the answer was obvious. Arrows, with the fangs as the arrowheads! I can make arrows in my sleep. So I just do a little work, gain some favor with the local authorities, and then sit on the docks, enjoy the sea breeze and fish for some yummy king prawn.
"I'll be happy to give you a bit of coin for your troubles,” Jones offered, handing me bags of drolvarg fangs. “Oh, and I should warn you, the merchants around here do tend to overcharge strangers though, if they don't like your face. I doubt my budget can extend to refunding the kinds of fuel prices they charge if you get on their wrong side, so you might want to shop around a bit."
"Thanks for the tip, I'll be back in a bit," I told him and wandered off in search of the crafting area.
I wasn’t worried about dealing with the local merchants. I always have some sort of crafting materials we woodworkers use on me. Heck, even when I think I have everything put away, I always seem to have something tucked away in a pocket I forgot about. So I just strode over to the crafting area and …
Did I forget to mention that Dreg’s Landing is small? I’d grown so used to Qeynos where even the outlying villages have everything a crafter needs to ply his trade that I never considered what it's like trying to make things out in the boondocks. Dreg’s Landing is no Qeynos and all the small port had was a forge. No tools for woodworkers to make masts and replacement parts for ships damaged by storms? No looms available to repair sails? I was beginning to get the impression that Jones and his group needed help with more than disposing of some unwanted teeth.
But I did promise to do something about those fangs and one thing I learned in business is to not go back on a promise if you can at all keep it. I did happen to know a way to make arrows using a forge. They wouldn’t be my best, but they would be a lot more useful than what Jones had now. But that meant dealing with the local merchants who naturally jacked up the price of coal for the stranger. Ugh!
After taking a lot longer than I’ll ever admit to the guys back in the Ironforge Exchange, I finished and headed back to the docks and Jones.
"Did you get rid of those fangs for me?" Jones asked.
"Yes, I did. Ta da ... fang-tipped arrows!" I said as I handed him the arrows.
"Oh, that's brilliant!” Jones exclaimed. “I can hand them out to the drolvarg hunters when they go out to get more fangs. I'm sure the rangers in particular will use up hundreds of these arrows in one outing. And here's some coin towards your fuel costs, thank you so much."
"It was nothing, really,” I bragged. “All in a day's work for a crafter."
To be continued…
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But a careful look at Yonger makes one realize that the old wood elf didn’t just stay in Qeynos running the family business. The fine cloak and striking earring he wears could have been bought, but his companion gives the lie to the image of a stay-at-home merchant. For following Yonger around on his daily activities is a sokokar. Sokokars are usually found in the lands of Kunark, a place most consider inhospitable to all but the most experienced travelers and adventurers.
I finally got up the nerve to ask Yonger about his pet sokokar and this is the tale he spun.
The whole thing started because I like king prawn. Now, I should know better than listen to my daughter Rosemarie about travel plans. Just because she’s travelled to the far corners of Norrath doesn’t mean she gives the best advice about where to go. But a fishing trip where I could catch all the king prawn I wanted sounded so good. My son Boyrdi can do wonderful things with king prawn and perhaps I let my stomach do my thinking for me.
So I went down to the Antonica docks and boarded the Maiden's Grace bound for Dreg’s Landing in the Kylong Plains. The trip didn’t cost me anything but time. I suspect that the ship owner is in league with those Gibblegobbler goblins that run a gambling operation on the docks and that is how he is able to provide free transportation, but who am I to gainsay popular wisdom about the ship owner's generous nature?
When I arrived at the docks, I started looking around for some official looking person. Rosemarie didn’t tell me if I needed anything like a fishing license from the local authorities and I don’t like king prawn so much that I’m willing to land in the local gaol. So I looked around until I saw a little halfling in what seemed to be the local uniform and hailed him.
"Hello there stranger!” the halfling said. “Good to see more friendly visitors coming to the area. Just call me Jones, everyone else does! I work for the Lieutenant here, we help maintain this landing for Teren's Grasp. And who might you be?"
"I'm Yonger, nice to meet you,” I replied. “And what is Teren's Grasp?"
"That's our main outpost, along that path up to the west,” Jones said, pointing up toward the mountains. “As you may have heard, there's intense fighting going on between the Di'Zok sarnak and the Sathirian iksars around this area. Those of us who aren't allied with either can find it quite dangerous. Fortunately, Teren's Grasp is tucked out of the way up in the hills and so far they've left us alone."
"Sounds as if you're pretty safe up there then," I told him.
Jones replied, "Well, Teren says that's just because they don't know about the outpost yet. With Bristlebane's blessing it'll stay that way! But we're ready for any contingency if they do decide to attack us. I think we're fairly safe for the moment though."
"Why's that?" I asked.
"Well, as you can see, we're not exactly hiding our port here,” the halfling pointed out. “I think the iksar and sarnak are just too busy killing each other to worry about us. Now, when one of them finally wins the war, then we may have to worry about the outpost. In the mean time, I have more pressing worries on my mind ... like what to do with five hundred and twenty-seven bags full of drolvarg fangs!" Jones exclaimed.
I was starting to think Rosemarie had forgotten to tell me something important. Of course news of a mysterious group of invaders arriving in the Kunark might have made her disregard some of the more mundane dangers. "What's a drolvarg?" I asked.
"Filthy dog-like beasts, vicious with a weapon and barely intelligent enough to hold it the right way up. The Sathirians sometimes use them as mercenaries, though you'll often find them causing problems all on their own," Jones explained.
Halflings are famous for collecting jum jum, not body parts, so I asked, "And, uh, why on Norrath do you have five hundred and twenty-seven bags full of their teeth?"
"Oh, well,” Jones began, taking a deep breath. “Borbin here, he's always encouraging visiting adventurers to go hunting them down, and they bring back the fangs as proof so they can collect the bounty. He used to ask them to bring back the ears, but I put my foot down on that! Bags full of rotting ears is not something you want lying around on a hot day, let me tell you. At least the fangs keep well. But I'm at my wits' end what to do with them, I tell you."
I don’t always think about business, no matter what my children say. But the poor little halfling looked just a bit desperate, so I asked, "Ever considered making them into something useful?"
"Oh, a bit of a crafter are you?” Jones asked. “I never had the patience for it myself, but if you can figure out something to do with all these fangs, I'll be eternally grateful."
"I believe I do have an idea ...", I said. I’m a woodworker, so the answer was obvious. Arrows, with the fangs as the arrowheads! I can make arrows in my sleep. So I just do a little work, gain some favor with the local authorities, and then sit on the docks, enjoy the sea breeze and fish for some yummy king prawn.
"I'll be happy to give you a bit of coin for your troubles,” Jones offered, handing me bags of drolvarg fangs. “Oh, and I should warn you, the merchants around here do tend to overcharge strangers though, if they don't like your face. I doubt my budget can extend to refunding the kinds of fuel prices they charge if you get on their wrong side, so you might want to shop around a bit."
"Thanks for the tip, I'll be back in a bit," I told him and wandered off in search of the crafting area.
I wasn’t worried about dealing with the local merchants. I always have some sort of crafting materials we woodworkers use on me. Heck, even when I think I have everything put away, I always seem to have something tucked away in a pocket I forgot about. So I just strode over to the crafting area and …
Did I forget to mention that Dreg’s Landing is small? I’d grown so used to Qeynos where even the outlying villages have everything a crafter needs to ply his trade that I never considered what it's like trying to make things out in the boondocks. Dreg’s Landing is no Qeynos and all the small port had was a forge. No tools for woodworkers to make masts and replacement parts for ships damaged by storms? No looms available to repair sails? I was beginning to get the impression that Jones and his group needed help with more than disposing of some unwanted teeth.
But I did promise to do something about those fangs and one thing I learned in business is to not go back on a promise if you can at all keep it. I did happen to know a way to make arrows using a forge. They wouldn’t be my best, but they would be a lot more useful than what Jones had now. But that meant dealing with the local merchants who naturally jacked up the price of coal for the stranger. Ugh!
After taking a lot longer than I’ll ever admit to the guys back in the Ironforge Exchange, I finished and headed back to the docks and Jones.
"Did you get rid of those fangs for me?" Jones asked.
"Yes, I did. Ta da ... fang-tipped arrows!" I said as I handed him the arrows.
"Oh, that's brilliant!” Jones exclaimed. “I can hand them out to the drolvarg hunters when they go out to get more fangs. I'm sure the rangers in particular will use up hundreds of these arrows in one outing. And here's some coin towards your fuel costs, thank you so much."
"It was nothing, really,” I bragged. “All in a day's work for a crafter."
To be continued…
Related Posts
EQ2 Tradeskill Epic: Working for Teren's Grasp
EQ2 Tradeskill Epic: Yonger Gets a Sokokar
EQ2 Tradeskill Epic: Yonger Gets a Sokokar
EQ2 Tradeskill Epic: New Lands, New Profits
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