Terrible news. The community lost a great person today. Often times we forget that these are real people behind their avatars, and this is a harsh reminder. Based on the overwhelming amount of posts speaking to his personality however, you can immediately feel the impact he had here.
The internet is often a great equalizer when it comes to meeting people. You cannot see their face, judge them on their appearance, their social status, their past… anything. There are no preconceived notions – you initially base your friendship off of personality alone. This is why the news is so devastating to so many people here.
Rygrim was a shining example of someone with an amazing personality and the ability to bring out the best in those around him. Like many have said, he truly cared about the relationships that were forged as opposed to just in game progression. He simply enjoyed hanging out, helping out, and making the game more enjoyable for so many people.
It’s easy to look at Rygrim and see what an asset he was from a gaming perspective. One of our main tanks since the beginning, stellar attendance – he will not easily be replaced. When you look at the intangibles that Rygrim brought to Empire, you begin to realize that he will NEVER be replaced. We will never be able to replace his consistently positive attitude, his calming voice and demeanor. We will never be able to replicate his willingness to help anyone at any time with literally anything they needed. We will never be able to replace the warmth of just sitting in TeamSpeak with him, bullshitting about sports, music, beer, Chaturbate, etc.
Not only was Rygrim an asset to Empire, but to the server as well. Those on the opposing side of Rygrim should have nothing bad to say, as he was always honorable and willing to chat with anyone. He never let the toxicity of the server get to him like so many of us have. New players to the server may have also come across him quietly leveling characters in their newbie groups, offering them help by just being a good group mate. His reach was extremely wide. His presence felt by many.
My stomach sinks when I think about never being able to talk to him again, never being able to /tell Rygrim, or see his character in game again. Something as meaningless as EverQuest suddenly becomes extremely powerful. When events and relationships transcend P99, you know you had something special. Rygrim was special to so many people here, and even though most of us only knew him through EverQuest, we are better people for having had the opportunity to be his friend.
While Empire will never be the same without his good vibes, his personality is deeply ingrained in our guild and our interactions with each other. He showed us how to strive to be better people overall, and he will forever be with us in spirit.
To his family and friends – all the best.
To Rygrim, Kohl – rest well, brother.
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