Giveaway #4 Finals - Vote for the Winner *True Thread*

[Hagglebaron]

Sorry for the delay on this one, been finishing up and exams and too lazy to find time to go through the submissions. But here they are, the three up for winning the prize. Vote for your favorite and make him some money


First selection submitted by Blackmartin
__________________________________________________
The Dwarf and the Hare

It was a long and fateful night in rathe mountains, a land plagued by giants, skeletons, and creatures alike, where I first stumbled upon Hasten Bootstrutter. He moved with such swiftness that I had to converse with him. "Good sir, how is it you strutt with such haste?" I asked. Hasten replied "Give me your cash, weapon, and a nice ring and I'll give you my secrets." This began what would be the longest journey of my life as a paladin.

As bards have always ran circles around me, laughing and pointing at how slow my stubby dwarf legs move, I began my journey for a chance at hasten's secret. Having recalled an old tale of a one eyed monster who carried a rare ring, I thought this might impress Hasten. I ran for what seemed like days, out of the mountains and through the swamps. With mud still on my boots I set foot into the desert, almost losing my life to a gang of rabid crocodiles. When I finally set foot in Freeport I was greeted with hostility (I had just killed thei captain a week before you see). I drank a special potion to cloud me from sight and it held just long enough for my feet to meet the hard wood of the docks. It was a forte night before the boats finally picked me up. Thank brell for giving me enough iron rations to last me through the night. As I set foot upon that vessel I knew the dangers that awaited.

The salty air felt good on my nostrils. It had been years since my last voyage and i was not accustomed to the oceans sway. I poked my head over the side of the ship, held my beard back, and retasted some of the Dwarven ale I had consumed on the docks. By the time we arrived on sister island my nerves were shaken. The sickly sound of specters wailing carrying on the cool ocean breeze, the dark figures in the water, and the goblins all ran through my mind.

The water was cold. It soaked every crack of my armor by the time I reached the next island. Jumping out of the water, exhausted, I proceeded to fight every pirate and cyclops that I met without recourse. The warm blood splashing in my face drew me into a fervor. Excited from the ensuing battles, I had but one foe left to conquer. At last! An ancient cyclops! It was a monster of legend, one I had only heard about in stories passed on by generations of dwarfs. After a long skirmish I took the ring from his lifeless hands and made my journey back to rathe mountains.

When I finally arrived Hasten greeted me with a hearty hello. It was then I handed him the ring, my prized rapier, and a mountain of cash. To this day my footprints can still be seen all across faydar. All you need do is look for the blur with a beard and you shall see me, Blackmartin... Proud to be the fastest dwarf in my home town.
__________________________________________________


Second selection submitted by West42074
__________________________________________________

"Why would you make up a human?" he asked me questioningly. "I know how much you like elves and Lord of the Rings and all of that mess, but here is this awesome new game and you want to make up a regular human in the most regular setting possible..."

By this time I had tuned him out. It was 1999 and my friend Jake was responsible for inspiring me to buy Everquest. Of course I had to buy a new computer first because the graphics were absolutely top of the line and my old desktop just couldn't handle all the graphics. The first time that I saw Jake play the game and watched his wood elf character running through the dark and hoary wood of Greater Fay I knew I had to get it; even if it meant the misappropriation of scholarship funds (well, I did use the computer for some school stuff so I sufficiently justified it). I set up the computer and agonized through the installation and finally made up my character: Vidden, human agnostic wizard from Qeynos.

Of course I had manufactured a whole background for Vidden. Nothing spectacular, the son of a Karana fisherman who was born with some magical talent and was sent to apprentice under Nohstala Westfend. When I explained my narrative to Jake he didn't seem to understand that either; it was simple and plain compared to the lustrous backdrop of Norrath.

"See, that's just so plain" he continued. "I'm going to go logon and I'll see you there"

I just nodded and logged in...

Much like the Shire for Frodo, Qeynos created a simple and quaint backdrop for my character Vidden. With time and more adventure he slowly radiated out from his rustic home and humble start. One of the voyages I made was to Erudin. A tall, swarthy wizard who curiously carried around an ornate stein was kind enough to give me a few pointers. He told me about a great library in the city of Erudin, filled with most of the lore I would need to become ever more powerful. I waited forever on the boat and when it finally came I climbed aboard and found a quiet place to sit down. There were several Erudites on the boat as well; they quietly kept to themselves. I'd heard that they were a bit aloof around humans, and certainly didn't see us as equals in the practice of magic.

To my surprise we made a stop at a very small island stranded amidst Erud's Crossing. I walked to the edge of the boat, curious about where we stopped and what strange island this could be; standing on the dock and staring back at me was a strange creature - a kerran - who mewed pawed at the air and glowered dubiously at me. I decided it was best to not venture onto the island. Suddenly a scream resounded in ALL CAPS and I bounded away from the edge of the boat. Running like mad across the dock was another human in robes and following close behind him were three buzzing spheres of light. I had seen them in Qeynos Hills and the Karanas but they were always so peaceful. I couldn't imagine why they were attacking him. The will-o'wisps flit against him continuously; his steps faltered and finally he collapsed at the edge of the dock, just short of the boat. He was dead. The wisps hovered ominously over his corpse then slowly drifted back toward the dusk illuminated isle as the boat lurched forward again. My stared at the corpse until the island faded from view. The Erudites whispered among themselves and cast a few chastising glances over their shoulders.

Erudin was ominous. From the magical skiff that carried me from the boat through shark infested waters to the teleportation gems that moved me through the marble halls and libraries. I decided to stay there for some time and earn the respect of the Erudites there. Toxxulia was a brutal land for a young adventurer to make a name for himself but I found close camaraderie with the folk of Erudin and joined them on many adventures against the Kerrans and Kobolds. I eventually gained the respect of the Craftkeepers, and even undertook several quests for the masters of Wizardry there. The famed city was one of my first sources of wonder in this world.

To continue my adventures I would have to cross the Karanas. I wanted to travel to Freeport. I'd heard that it was the Jewel of the East, a cosmopolitan city where elves and humans, and even dark elves and ogres could be seen walking down the same streets together. I had never met an ogre and the prospect was exhilarating. I had found a bard, I think his name was Laay who was going to group a bunch of us together and run us across the continent. There were people who could teleport us but they were very rare - the bard was the best chance we had. We all gathered and paid our donations and the bard set off across the Karanas. The trip itself was exciting but things began get worrisome when we came to a huge gorge. We climbed a mountain pass that moved higher and higher; I clung to the walls like lichen afraid get too close to the sides. We were moving so fast as the bard continually beat his drum, setting a mad rhythm for feet that moved faster than they ever had before. Suddenly there was a scream, another ALL CAPS cry. One of the group had fallen into the chasm; I think she must have clung to the side as she fell. She was a barbarian woman named Freja I think, and I wasn't surprised she lived; she was really hurt however. Laay set us off in the opposite direction, determined to go back to the beginning of the gorge and meet the poor woman. He was determined not to abandon her.

Another ALL CAPS cry "CLEAR THE WAY, RUN!!" (I've learned to tremble at the "sound"). Barreling down the gorge floor was a small party of adventurers - I even noticed the swarthy wizard with the odd mug from ages ago among them - barreling down behind them, shaking the ground with the weight of his thunderous green legs. A cyclops. A cyclops! He charged down the chasm and before him, the fleeing party met lethal ends. We watched from the safety of our perch as one by one the party was slain. Freja ran for her life but to no avail. A single swat of his mammoth fist and Freja crumpled beneath the weight of his blow. We all stood there on the cliff edge, stunned. I was sorry that it happened but Laay said that we couldn't go all the way back now. We continued on the way, but the rest of the trip was fairly silent.

Freeport was everything that I had heard. It was huge in comparison to Qeynos. Freeport teemed with people of every type. Dark elves, ogres, trolls, elves! And the bazaar was incredible! The tunnel to the Commonlands held every type of person with every kind of magic, weapon, and spell for hire! I wide-eyed stared at ogre shamans who walked on air and dark elven enchantresses who hocked elaborate magical jewelry. I had no idea that there were that many people in the world of Everquest, and the thought that they would all convene in one place like this was mind-blowing. Freeport was the metropolis of Norrath and every wonder imaginable seemed to be available there. I spent quite some time in and around Freeport; exploring the Deserts of Ro, running the Commonlands, and even diving into the dark depths of Neriak. As a wizard with no particular religious conviction I thrilled at walking into the alien land of the Tier'Dal and laying eyes on sites that no human rarely ever saw.

After all of this though, there was still the land of the elves. The Faydark - the mystic isle where high magic reigned and immortal royalty still held court among the Fay. Once again I found myself on another boat and traveled far again and was not disappointed. Kaladim was the first. The great dwarven statue was a testament to the building power of the dwarves and their immortal home. But it was Felwithe, so perfectly blended into the forest and Kelethin raised high and hidden among the trees that won my heart. With Felwithe as my new base of operations I helped bring down the orc chieftain and his cohorts, I travelled the darkened halls of Unrest and battled the horrors in the depths, I scorched the flesh from the bones of Castle Mistmoor's dread residents . I explored the lands with wide-eyed wonder and every new sight was more wondrous than the last.

To my friend Jake. Why do I make up a human? I made up a human because I wanted to vicariously live through actions and explorations of my character. I wanted to thrill at viewing an elf, an ogre, or even a dragon for the first time with the all the astonishment and excitement of so many other heroes before me that started in the quaint and humble beginnings of their homelands and ranged far and wide in the course of their adventures. Like Frodo in the court of Galadriel or Tanis in Qualinost, I truly experienced a heroic journey. Everquest in 1999 was an incredible gaming experience for me, one that no other MMO has been able to match regardless of where I looked or what games I tried.

Anyway, last month Jake called me up and said "Hey, you've got to go to this website. Project1999.org ."

Thank you, Jake. I'm going to make up a human in Qeynos...
__________________________________________________


Third selection submitted by Broot
__________________________________________________

I had purchased EQ shortly after the release of Kunark. After some cajoling, I managed to get my friend to also pick up the game. He began his level 1 High Elf Wizard - and being the good friend I was - I decided to pack my bags as a level 9 Human Paladin and meet him on Faydwer to show him the ropes.

I recall that I had just hit level 9 and was feeling good with my Minor Healing. I was a big man who could swing a sword AND cast a spell. How cool is that?!? I was a rare Human daring to play something non-fantasy in a fantasy world. I was confident in my vast wisdom in hours spent of slaying rats and orcs. I could show him how it was done.

By the end of the long, arduous journey, I arrived at Greater Faydark and my friend had hit level 5. He was smoothly icing the various pests of the forest to death and feeling pretty smug. Mr. Wizard relayed to me that, sadly, small vermin were no longer yielding him experience.

I thought to myself, "Hell- with our powers combined, we can get things done. We're ready for the big leagues!" I busted out the physical map that came with the game and did some pondering. After a short glance I realized quickly where we needed to be. Lesser Faydark. Surely the next zone over would provide some real challenge to 2 seasoned warriors such as ourselves. We went there straight away.

Upon entering the Lesser Faydark, a wave of uncertainty and anxiety passes over me. It's dark - oh so dark! My human eyes cam see nothing in these woods, but I did not want to back down or show weakness.

"Follow me," I said, as I blindly run face first into trees and get stuck on logs.

After some minutes, both of us were feeling rather disappointed. We had not encountered a single creature to award us those alluring experience points. In hindsight, however, what luck we had not encountered any denizens of the Lesser Faydark!

As my heart was sinking lower and lower as I was failing to provide my friend true adventuring, I suddenly began to make out a white shape in the distance. What's that? "A pained unicorn"?!

He spotted it, too. "What do you think, should we kill it?", my wizard friend asked.

"Well- he's pained. He must be injured already. I'm sure he'll go down easy." I replied.

"Ok."

"Well, you have the ranged spells, how about you attack it and I will engage after he comes!" I announce, smiling smugly at my brilliant tactics.

"Ok, here goes!", he says.

I see orbs of ice encase my green robed High Elf friend. Short seconds after, WHAM, the ice hits the pained unicorn. Yet...something isn't right! The unicorn is still at 100% health. My heart flutters and I realize - I've made a huge mistake.

The pained unicorn moves deftly and quickly for being in such an agonized state. I too begin to close the distance. The unicorn reaches my High Elf brother and - in one swoop motion - gores my friend upon his brilliant horn. The wizard's body crumples, leaving a sad, frail, lampshade-green corpse where my mighty friend had once been.

The unicorn promptly walks away, unfazed. I turn, watch him go, and sheathe my sword, hands shaking. And then the laughter starts. It starts as a slight chuckle, but eventually the explosion of laughter can not be contained and I am slapping my knee thinking about the unfortunate turn of events. I felt guilty, but it was just too funny!

The humor was short-lived though. I realize immediately how lucky it was that I didn't make it in time to engage, and that I was bound very, very far away. My mood turns somber within milliseconds, and I quickly scrape my way blindly back to the Greater Faydark, defeated both in body and spirit.

My friend failed to recover his body 4 or 5 times and I was too scared to go back in for fear of returning to Antonica naked. He ends up quitting his wizard that night, and starting a cleric. He was much happier in the long run.

Shortly after, I had a bomb of knowledge dropped an me as I learned about the "Consideration" function and how I could prevent having angry unicorns mow down my party. My teeth were shattered as I was punched in the face by the mighty fist of humility. I realized then, that level 9 was very small, and that I knew nothing about this new world.

This story stills makes me and my friend laugh when we remember it. It is the most vivid early experience I have with EQ and takes me back to a nostalgic feeling of true exploration into a scary world I knew nothing about.
__________________________________________________


Good luck guys

[Hagglebaron]

Next contest will be a naked run across some dangerous godforsaken zone, by popular request. It'll be a shitshow, but should be entertaining.

[kazroth]

Originally Posted by Hagglebaron [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Next contest will be a naked run across some dangerous godforsaken zone, by popular request. It'll be a shitshow, but should be entertaining.

LOL, sounds fun.

[Dacuk]

good reads, very hilariously nostalgic.

[quido]

Send me a PM if one of you three wish to buy my vote.

[Broot]

Is it poor style do vote on your own? Cause I just did :-O

[Wotsirb401]

looks like they all voted for their own except Blackmartin

[Blackmartin]

If you tell a good story you dont need to rig the numbers! [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

(but then again politicians do it....)

[Faywind]

Originally Posted by Broot [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Is it poor style do vote on your own? Cause I just did :-O

Yes, this is why you lost! [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

[falkun]

We've only had 60 votes! Cast your votes for your favorite story, they're all pretty good!