Tempered News

You have 55 seconds to live - oh dear...

Othar — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 00:05:00 GMT

Well, the tail end of summer has hit us for six. After having some numbers issues over the past several weeks, our quality time with the cuddly denizens of the Temple was slightly restricted. So, it's actually quite nice to come back with a bang and be killing new bosses again.

It's funny how the Gorefiend encounter instills real dread in some people. I can almost hear entire portions of the raid thinking "Not me please, not me, not me...."

Anyway, after some good teamwork and communication, there were more of us alive than there were of him!

Special thanks to Myrrh - the camera angle has been carefully chosen to show him dead and offline in the foreground!

Onward!

<Tempered> - Your ISP has been afflicted with Shadow of Death - you have 55 seconds before line-death.

Checking the boxes

Othar — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 23:22:00 GMT

With the removal of BT and Hyjal attunements back in 2.3, a whole avenue of previously unavailable progression opportunities opened up. Looking back at what activity we've had since then, the progression choices we've made and the kills we've achieved, I think we've got our pacing more or less right concerning what works for us.

The removal of attunements was a good thing, in my opinion. While it wasn't strictly necessary, the parallel progression lines kept raiding fresher than perhaps being stuck on an attunement boss. We were able to mix up our options, splitting our focus across a few zones to keep stuff fun.

When it comes down to it though, the gatekeepers to T6 content are always there, hovering in the background if you don't knuckle down and tackle them, and I feel that the two encounters are worth seeing, and worth beating. I know that maybe we're doing them later than other guilds, or we may be doing them with some better gear, but at the end of the day, that's another box checked for <Tempered> and it's a milestone reached.

Congratulations and thank you for the hard work.

<Tempered> - Onward and sideways.

Hail to the King

Othar — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 17:34:00 GMT

Mid foray through the lower sections of Karabor, our merry group came across a disturbing sight. Us in the caster ranks were already low in spirits, being without one of those oh so useful shadowpriests to keep us happy. So when we turned the corner and noticed a figure in shadow-form being held captive by these guys shooting lasers at him, we were naturally outraged!

Hey laser guys - shadow priests is friends, not food! Besides, he's rather huge - just think of the mana we'd get back from something that size!

So with these thoughts of mana-larceny seething in our grubby little souls, we charged - eager to free the noble shadowpriest and save the day. Bunch of heroes.

Well, as usual, stuff didn't go to plan. Friend shadowpriest turned out to be fiend, not friend, and was rather eager to beat up some other random guy hiding in the corner. So, we had to lay the beat down.

Seems random guy was quite important to someone, so we played along in pretending to give him respect and stuff in the hope of material rewards. Hey King! ./grovel

<Tempered> - It's good ta be da King

Feelin' Hot hot..

Othar — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 01:26:00 GMT

Remember the episode of Calvin & Hobbes where Calvin saves a snowball in the freezer for 6 months? With loving care, he moulded just the correct combination of ice, snow and grit over 6-7 months, until it was an awesome weapon of stealth destruction! Of course, just at the opportune moment, he manages to completely miss his intended target from a distance of all of 2 yards...

<RESISTED>

Anyway, what brings this to mind is the lovely weather in Outland, driving us all to sorbets and ice-cream. And of course, what ice-cream is complete without those little coloured bits of sugar - Hundreds and Thousands! Or, if you grew up in Gnomeregan, we used to refer to it lovingly as "sand and gravel"

Luckily - there was plenty of sand and gravel lying around when we were finished with Supremus - allowing us to cool ourselves in comfort!

Ah! Refreshing!

<Tempered> - Demolitions Are Us...

It's the future, Baby!

Othar — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 21:20:00 GMT

I'd like you all to examine the below photo quite closely...

Please observe, standing among the "alpha-row" of ultra-important gnomes at the front, the existence of the guild's first gnomish paladin. Yes, after much farming of instances, and praying to the light, and blowing stuff up (this is important to gnomes) Esaelli has managed to metamorphise into a fully fledged dispenser of justice in inquisitor-like (purple) T2 Paladin trappings. Of course, the Unholy enchant he's put on that healing staff is a subtle, understated comment on what he may believe on the state of those human type paladin orders. Still, he looks good, as only a gnome can!

This is obviously far more important than the first-evening kill of some smelly Naga dude with lots of shells. So hurrah!

<Tempered> - Do you want wings with that?

Tips for raiding in TBC

Othar — Sat, 24 May 2008 15:30:00 GMT

1. Fire is bad
2. You have to not stand in the fire.

That is all...

Using these sneaky tactics, we were able to knock down Archimonde's last defender. They really work!

<Tempered> - So that's how it works....

Extra Extra!

Othar — Wed, 14 May 2008 20:14:00 GMT

Good Evening.

Tonight on Tinkertown Gnews, we bring you a shocking, and disturbing exclusive. Be warned, the following report contains imagery which some of you may find offensive.

Late last evening, reports began to circulate northern Kalimdor of a disturbance on Mt. Hyjal. We immediately scrambled to send a reporter to the scene, but unfortunatly, a strange eldritch green shield prevented him from entering the mount until later - by which time the damage was done. Nevertheless, our top wizarding minds are now attempting to decipher the strange coded message encountered by our intrepid agent - something about aborted transfers and capacity. We're as baffled as you are.

Our reporter did manage to finally get past the strange shield, but as we said, the disturbance was over. He brought back a horrific tale of butchered residents, carcasses strewn all around, and the wilful murder of our dear friend and colleague, Kaz'rogal the Tender.

No more will Kaz (as he liked to be called) come to our garden parties, he won't be able to pet the fluffy bunnies with the children, and you can throw out that green tea he was so fond of.

Also, Molly, from Tarren Mill? - your husband, Bob the Landscape Architect, who was working on the Mount... won't be coming home this evening....

<Pause, and sounds of sniffling>

The only evidence we have of the perpetrators of this cruel and malevolent act is this image, captured on Cosmic Central Thaumaturgivision.

Who are they, and who will bring them to justice?

We apologise for the disturbing image of Human Paladins getting their wings out in this report.

<Tempered> - We're Bad (occasionally)

Thoughts in the Deep

Othar — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 17:13:00 GMT

Cheers sounded. Raised voices in a frenzy of jubilation - the cacophony of warriors glad to have survived. Between the cheering group of dwarven priests, and the hunter pack tending to their beasts, Othar sat quietly on a rock at the peak of the hill, breathing deeply. It had been touch and go there for a while.
His clothes were wet - Hells, everyone was soaked through. The very air in this gloomy hole in the bedrock was saturated with damp. What had she said again? "Water is life!"? For Othar, that phrase conjured up images of deep, glacial lakes in Dun Morgh, of icy streams, pregnant with snowmelt, of dark still pools deep within the mountains at Gnomeregan - at least, before the troggs came. The rank, tepid lakes of the Cavern, thick with the filth of the snake-folk, was only a parody of life - much in line with its mistress.

Othar glanced up, casting his eye over the stiffening form of the Coilfang Matriarch. A layer of slime, slowly congealing in the underground heat lent to the stench of decay pervading the cave. Those ever-moving snake heads still moved, denying the truth of death. Othar shuddered, and looked away - at the lake, at the walls, at the group of people gathering around the snake.

So many faces - it was hard to look at one face without remembering all the others who were not present. The dwarven priests, busily tending to the wounded, scattering their blessed water (brewed strongly) across the crowd; the short hunter, sawing off one of those waving head-snakes to make a soup; the indominatable gnomish warrior, resharpening her weapons; and all the others, starting to examine the spoils of victory. So many new faces, so many old faces, and those fallen along the way.

Reaching into his pocket, Othar brought out the vial he had removed from the snake. Containing a tiny amount of clear liquid, this was reason for the struggle. Did the dragon-folk really know the efforts and sacrifices needed to retrieve this little drop of water? How many more groups had they sent out, to their demise? Was it really worth the sacrifice?

The faces of the fallen ran through his mind, as Othar turned the vial in the dim light of the cavern. As the liquid turned in the vial, overlarge for his hand, pinpoints of light sparked within, conveying aspects of depth and possibility, belying the appearance of a simple liquid. As the radiance grew around him, so did Othar's confidence in what might be. With this power recovered from the snakes, there was no telling what aspects of the future were beyond this group of people.

Othar stood, fixing the faces of the group present with the faces of those not. What was, may come again. Those who fell, may return. What is growing can continue to mature, especially with the light of the vials to power it.

Taking a deep breath, Othar moved toward the crowd, satisfied in the light of Possibility.

<Tempered> - Enduring

Pressing on

Othar — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 14:40:00 GMT

Progress on the Mount continues, with Anetheron falling to the sustained battering of <Tempered> steel. Certain reporter-gnomes were missing from the encounter, but a stunt-paladin was drafted in and given an Automagic Ultra-Vista-Recombobulator and managed to capture the below scene.

Looks like the vantage point is too high. I vote we cut him off at the knees for next time.

<Tempered> - Stop the press!

Zerg mode - Activated

Othar — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 03:56:00 GMT

Ok, so we've not killed Vashj or Kael yet - let's just get that out of the way at the start. We know. It's on the todo list. But, regardless, with the lifting of the attunements, we decided to poke our heads in to Hyjal Summit to see what it was like.

I'd probably have a better impression if I could actually see what was going on at more than three frames per second, but there were lots of mobs, and they were all bunched up together, and I had the oppertunity to blow them all up together, so it gets a gold star in my book.

Oh, there was some kind of lich dude there too. I kind of lost track of him in between screen refreshes, and when I looked again, he was dead (again).

Yes, I know it looks like a bunch of noobs standing around Felwood, but liches don't leave much in the way of evidence when they are blown up by rampaging hordes of gnomes.

<Tempered> - Regular, or Extra Crispy?

Here there be dragons, and/or other fiery things

Othar — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 04:49:00 GMT

TBC is missing dragons. Or at least, it's missing enough dragons. Oh yeah, plenty of orcs, demons by the boatload, and some other rather bizzare things, but it's kinda low on the old dragons. Back in the good old days, when men were rather silly looking, and gnomes ruled the world (or has that changed at all?) you knew that the dragons were the bad guys, and we had tons of them all crammed into a zone with the biggest baddest guy at the top.

But TBC is about snakes, and ogreythings, and little pansy elves, and is definitely lacking on the big'n'scalys - and the ones that are actually there are more skelly than scaly. So it was good to find a nasty fiery thingy - almost retro. We were only missing piling on 500 fire res to really get a throwback feeling.

I've even taken this screenshot in as blocky and rubbish format as possible to get that whole "C64 in 16 colours" feeling. It's not cos my graphics card sucks. Honest.

<Tempered> - Feeling nostalgic

Not with a bang

Othar — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 23:43:00 GMT

After aiming most of our collective raid effort at Vashj over the last few weeks, I guess some people decided they needed a change of scenery.

So, taking advantage of the rare absence of a certain gnome, who was busily wrestling with his zapmatic data partions at the time, they thought it'd be a great idea to go and try a previously untried boss while he wasn't there. So off they went, to the great pink palace in the sky, and zoomed off down the corridor toward where Solarian was lurking. Two attempts later, she resembled a great smoking piece of armour on the floor, and the guys were left waiting for the next phase to come...

Lads, seriously - if ye're going to kill a boss without me, might as well take some time and enjoy it, instead of going and two shotting it...

No patience, these youngsters...

<Tempered> - /yawn

Agoraphobia?

Othar — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 17:26:00 GMT

We've spent so much of our raid time snuggled up in nice comfy instances, chatting with the various bosses and "equally interesting yet non-epic-dropping non-boss" designated denizens, that one might have confronted us with being somewhat reluctant to venture outside.
Indeed, the weather is not all it could be, and night-elf ears are terribly prone to wind-chafe, and of course those ghastly netherdrakes are everywhere, with their noise and huge wings blocking the view (and don't mention the smell - those things poo everywhere), so one could hardly blame us for staying inside.

However, one must venture out every now and again, even if it's just to pop to the pub or pick up some groceries. As we passed through the Hellfire and Shadowmoon neighbourhoods, the local rabble popped out, shouting and swearing all over the place - so with ASBOs in hand, we decided to take matters in hand and sort them out.

Kazzak and Doomwalker suitably chastened, we finally got to the pub for a celebratory Darkmoon Reserve.

<Tempered> - You call that a line-up?

Blitz

Othar — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 16:45:00 GMT

The Tempered blitz of SSC continues with the 3rd first kill in as many raids. Returning to Hydross after a good 6 weeks of leaving him to the side, just for a little re-aquaintance, the Tempered meat-grinder had him decomposed to his constituent elements within half an hour.

Gather them in, and sweep them up - SSC is clean, the bridge is open, and a certain Lady Vashj awaits.

<Tempered> - Going fast enough to give me Writer's Block

Fathomless

Othar — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 17:12:00 GMT

There are many things that are beyond comprehension in the Warcraft world. Why doesn't Netherstorm float apart? Why do instance guards conveniently hang around in groups of twos and threes, waiting to be pulled? Why the hell haven't they finished that bridge in Redridge yet?

Our steady progress in SSC however, is perfectly fathomable, due to 2 parts awesomeness, a pinch of dedication and a dash of sheer good looks (from the gnome department). Karathress hitting the floor makes it 4/6 for <Tempered>, and with some legwork put in on Hydross already, the big blob's days can be counted rather quickly.

After the work put in on Leotheras, Karathress was almost anticlimactic, going down "not with a bang, but a whimper". Still, we won't complain, but temper our resolve toward the next target.

<Tempered> - Next!