Mon Jul 30 08:01:17 2001


5 o''clock AM, Day of the Sun, 20th of the Month of Winter on the Theran calendar Bladjix perished, never to return.

Race:	svirfnebli
Class:	warrior
Level:	51
Alignment:	Neutral
Ethos:	Neutral
Cabal:	NEXUS, Nexus, Seekers of Balance
Age:	507
Hours:	402
PK Ratio:	50% (closer to 100% is better)

I loved talking to you especially calling you liek "Greets Old Man." I always caught your attention even when you were fighting. Hope to see you around.

Later Old Man

You were in a sense a friend, from the day I met your charge set. One of the few nexites I as a player, or Paelnor as a character ever liked and respected. You stuck it out, were one of the ones who *actually* cared about some sort of balance, and wouldn't attack the grove one day when we had the sceptre. Hell, there were 4 wood elves and a gnome, and you cared. I hope there's a reincarnation in the works, if there isn't, it'd be a shame.

-Paelnor, ranger third class, beneath Kiac and Flontinot.

Bladjix had simply run his course. That is the only reason for his deletion.

When I created Bladjix, (flail spec svirf warrior) I wasn't intending on being any kind of killer. I was looking to play a hard core svirfneblin(roleplay the race) and possibly join the Nexus, which is a concept that I have thought should be a cabal for about 5 years now. But the combination of being able to avoid bashing and tripping, everyone underestimating me, and the very powerful flail skills (choke, strip, strip, lash) surprised me, and I ended up doing quite well until I hit the hero ranks.

Hero ranks were another story, flail spec was weakened significantly by a big change to one skill, and I needed to learn new tactics. Being in the Nexus was similar to being uncaballed up to this point. I got beat on a lot, but learned and eventually hero'd with hero bondmates(thanks Sanorik and others). When I was bonded with an offensive transmuter, it was nasty. Add flail spec lash to any lion or tiger, and you have a deadly combination. I think the bond should bring the bondmate during pounce and pull, btw.

As you can see, his focus shifted significantly from when he was created. I was expecting a character who would con die young, having brought the courage and tenacity of a svirfneblin zealot of the stone to the Nexus, perhaps, before dying. I may still have done this, but I also ended up being a competent warrior. The classes are so well balanced in Thera these days, its almost sick.

He was a throw back character to the second age when things were simpler. He roleplayed through his actions, not many emotes, conversations, and speech patterns. He had all those things, they just weren't the core of his roleplay. Even though he had a role, which I explained in detail to many who asked(including Trasthe who seems to have left the pantheon), I didn't put it into the role command until Hero rank, when I tried to Immort. Didn't practice "skills" much, but I definately went for any fight I had a chance of winning, and many I didn't. This is where I learned true skills.

Here is a portion of his role:
Deep beneath the surface of the earth, there lies a glorious civilization unknown to the surface world. The deepest reaches of the underdark are vast and untamed, yet there are those who raise families and live happily, surrounded by the stone.

Knickitygranbere is a wondrous place to see. Over 300 mapped miles of tunnels, caves, and vast caverns were once home to streams, rivers and reservoirs. Only the stones tell tales of those days, and now the tunnels flow with svirfnebli, perhaps several hundred thousand all told. One cannot begin to describe the civilization, it is so diverse that I could spend my life cataloguing its sundry features and end in failure. But it does have everything you would expect from a svirfneblin culture, in abundance. The Knickitygranberebusjinans (as the denizens call themselves) know they owe everything to the stone, and worship is part of their daily lives. Mining is the fundamental exercise of this “religion,” and precious gems are the only currency of the markets. Mining expeditions, however, must leave the boundaries of Knickitygranbere proper, and therefore are extremely rare. Knickitygranbere is perhaps the largest settlement of svirfneblin in existence, and its denizens live without fear. The Knickitygranberebusjinan illusionists are the reason for this, and they are both the artists and the guardians of this society. Anyone who, purposefully or accidentally, wanders into their tunnels, will at best find themself headed back where they came from, and at worst wander lost for the rest of their lives in a maze that exists only in their minds. The miners who leave this protection, therefore, are the brave and faithful, with a fanatical devotion to the stone.

Bladjix was a young miner when he was chosen to go on an expedition. This was a great honor, and it would be the only expedition of his generation, most likely. As he, his fellow miners, and their guide began their journey, there was great fanfare and celebration.

But soon after they left, tragedy struck when an earthquake separated him from his fellow miners and their guide. Earthquakes are not uncommon, but earthquakes that are unpredicted are cataclysmic. The stone should have warned them. But the stone was in agony.

Bladjix was left with no options. Without his guide, he would never come near his homeland again, as the guide alone knows the way. He was alone in the uncaring undardark.

This was a time of great trial for the young miner. He relied upon instincts he did not know he had, and, somehow, survived. Years passed as he wandered, and he escaped death and enslavement many times before reaching Blingdenstone. There he found sanctuary, and told his tale. The wise gnomes of Blingdenstone were struck by his tale, as they knew of events on the surface as well as the deep. They knew of the wars in Asgaard. They knew of the imbalance that had sundered cabals, and of the new armies that risen.

Bladjix now learned of the cause of the stone’s agony. As the nature of the svirfneblin is that of balance, the nature of the stone is that of balance. When the balance is threatened, the stone is threatened. A lone svirfneblin miner does not survive in the underdark. Bladjix now realized that he was not alone. The stone was with him, shaping him, and guiding him to the surface. He was to be a soldier, not a miner. He was to defend the Balance.

Joining the Nexus, Bladjix battled as a fanatic. He is uncompromising, and accepts his fate with stoic devotion. But Bladjix also grew within the Nexus, through conversation with many of the other Seekers of the Balance. He came to grasp many other perspectives, such as the concept of Symmetry espoused by Lord Trasthe. He now battles with the fervor of a zealot, but also with sound reason.

When I saw you about to begin with I would think "Flail spec svirf warrior? Meat." Well I was wrong. It's good to see anyone who can do well with a warrior at the hero ranks after so many speak of how they get trounced on. We kept on speaking terms even when the balance would have us enemies, I just tried to avoid you and focus on those that were always my foes. No uber sneaky ##### from you, I ask where do we stand and you let me know. Not once did I see you try to take advantage of the shifting scales. All in all well done and I'll be seeing you in the fields.

Sorry to see you go.. I always kinda saw you around, but never got do to much with you personally. Mad props for playing a svirf pole spec in the face of all the leet folk on Dio's who would no doubt tell you that it was the worst combo ever - but you pulled off a 50% ratio with a hero warrior.

I really am sorry to see you go, but I can kind of understand it.. nexus is a kind of lonely cabal lately :P But I hope this didn't have anything to do with that reequipping note?

The reequipping note was just an attempt to become a better Seeker. I knew a lot of Seekers, including myself, ignored the balance while gathering armor from mobs, and this is wrong, so I stopped. Too little too late though.

It was good to see you in Thera. I always was happy to see other seekers who actively hunted to aid the balance whenever they could, and you seemed to be one of those.

Sad to see you go, though I didn't see you much recently.

I really enjoyed travelling with you, partly because of your relatively interesting weapon specs, but mostly because of the courage and tactical awareness you displayed. I also liked the way you didn't full loot victims.

I especially enjoyed our battle where we fought the warrior (who I'll not mention in case he's still alive) and Amberion in the battlefields. (The one where someone was convinced Seidedk was the assassin.) I have to say, I was not expecting you to charge into battle like that at all, given your condition and my rank! Your advice at the time was invaluable as I'd not seen a whip spec then. Don't think we'd have won without you passing me those tips.

Hope your next character is as good as this one. I notice even your pk ratio is balanced.

HARSH
I'll miss you, at least the times when I wasnt avoiding you. . .

Holy crap, I didnt think you'd live THAT long. ;)

Sorry to see you go. I will miss being bonded to you...
You really influenced me a lot.