Mage Power. The Random Epic. Baron Geddon

—
My night began in Coldshire where Garbanzo was running a few errands out of Anvilmar Inn.

Bald, green moustache, cool blue eyes, Garbanzo put down troll after troll of the Frostmane Tribe. Seems they’d made off with some parts and such from the clumsy gnome in Anvilmar Inn. “Dude! Wipe the grease off your hands and keep a grip on them. Or next time get them yourself!”

But it proved a good opportunity to get out and practice my mage skills. Very effective at level 4 let me say.

Fun as that might have been, the Molton Core was calling a certain Tauren Shaman I know, and Garbanzo retired for the night.

—

It at long last happened. A random epic world drop.

There I was, waiting for the guild to assemble in Kargath and I was just out in the Badlands gathering herbs and killing scalding whelps there in Lethlor Ravine.

The Scalding Whelps will actually drop a small pet whelp and that’s what I was hoping for. They sell very well in the Auction House.

But it was not to be.

And here’s where good karma paid off for me.

See, on the way to the Ravine, rather than kill a Night Elf Hunter I’d ran across on the way to the Ravine, I stopped but did not kill her. Instead, I killed the 3 creatures that were attacking her. She appeared to have died anyway and I was rather disappointed. I hadn’t saved her. But then I noticed one of the cats still fighting the other and it had two lines in it’s name. Do hunters not realize feign death does not fool anyone when their pet remains there? Perhaps she feigned to avoid death at the jaws of the creatures. Anyway her cat and I killed the attacking mobs and I left her after bowing graciously. As I loped away in Ghost Wolf form (I can gather herbs in that form, very handy) I looked over my shoulder saw her stand back up. My Worg Pup announces my level for those in-the-know.

A little later, in the Ravine, after I’d killed a few Scalding Whelps I saw a mounted rider go past. A level 50 Priest. Human. An Honor Kill. I mounted up and set out to follow. But as I neared her, ready to leap off and cast a slowing Frostshock, I reconsidered. I wasn’t going to take the easy kill, for a single HK. For what? One HK? I can dozens of HK’s with just a little time in the Battlegrounds. Why kill one Priest? Let her live. Maybe she’ll show mercy on the next Horde character who’s path she crosses.

I merely followed her a bit more, up a gulley in the side hills and waved. I then rode on to continue on the Whelps. In a small gully right next to where the Priest was I saw another Alliance player. I caught the name, the double red line is such a giveaway in contested lands, but paid no mind to the class or level. I wasn’t going to engage anyway and instead moved on.

So I wound up back in the Ravine killing more whelps. The priest rides out of the Ravine. Then a level 60 Alliance player rode out, and this was the one that was near her earlier. Had I attacked her, he right there and both together might have imposed somewhat on my survivability. What comes around goes around.

A few more whelps and another Night Elf rode past. This one was level 43 or so. I saw him after he’d ridden past, and then saw him suddenly stop. Without turning to me I did see him pause and his mount shrugged. I figure he was analyzing the situation. A moment later he rode on. I guess the skull in my level frightened him off. Lesson: Always inspect your opponent first, before attacking. If he’s ?? or Skull to you, best just move on, quickly. I ignored him and continued with the Great Whelp Slaughter. (I will say being level 60 has it’s advantages sometimes. Soloists tend to leave you alone.)

And then I killed another whelp.

And then the miracle. A first for me in a little over a year playing. A random epic world drop.

The Staff of Jordan

I think, for sparing these folks tonight, and being helpful as I could, I was at last rewarded with an epic drop.

Alas, it’s of no use to me now. My wife’s shaman is a few levels yet from using it, but the money it might earn in the Auction House has me wanting to sell it. That’ll definitely buy some fancy blue items for her and my alts here on Smolderthorn.

– On reconsideration whether this Karma earned me the staff, the other night, as I moved to join my raid into Black Rock Depths to get some guildmates Attuned for Molton Core, I’d entered the area, made my way down the chain, and then proceeded all the way to the back where the BRD entrance is. After I passed the Blood Elf, and heading to the hallway, I caught sight of a level 54 Alliance player killing a dwarf. I kept going since my raid had already started. That one Alliance player turned into ten players, and I thought to myself, “Uh oh.” I wasn’t going to accomplish anything against them, I, as I’d already intended anyway, continued to run onward. Halfway down the tunnel one of the Black Iron Dwarves attacked me, not the Alliance players though. This dwarf managed to daze me and I slowed to a walk. Then it netted me. I could outrun this trouble I knew so I ignored it and continued on. Then came the dreaded Hunters Mark. One of the Alliance hunters was 1) preparing to kill me, 2) urging me onward, or 3) wishing me godspeed, and providing me incentive. Then came another net from the accursed dwarf. The Alliance players never moved in, and the dwarf eventually lost me as I entered the BRD instance. We got our guys attuned and there was great rejoicing. Maybe I’d already taken out a loan against the Karma I was going to earn. —

The raid to Molton Core was fun. We already had 4 of the bosses down and today we attempted the Baron Geddon.

Darkhoof in Molton Core. Just before the battle with Geddon.

As you might know, the Core Hounds stop spawning after you kill Magmadan. The Lava Surgers stop spawning after you kill someone else. Some Rock guys stop spawning after killing Garr. So we simply had Molton Giants, Fire Lords, and Rock Annhilators to get through on our way to meet Baron Geddon.

The battle was fun. Every now and then the word goes out: “Darkhoof, you’re the bomb.” That of course is my cue to turn around and run to the back wall of the cave where I know I will explode. If the 3200 points of damage doesn’t kill you, the fall from a great height will. Hence the trick is to run to the back wall, where the cieling is low, and explode by yourself there. The blast won’t lift high enough to hurt you there. And if you can survive the 3200 hit, you can survive being the bomb. Alas, the Baron survived the encounter, but only after giving up valuable experience and lessons to us. Next time, as is the guilds habit, he’ll go down.