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I was aware that he had passed away. The reason for a tie-in isn't that I wanted a student-teacher dynamic or anything. It's more that Krogon is (was) the one and only blademaster of ORB. I want to honor that legacy while giving my own little twist to it.

And shucks, at sea till April?! That's insane. I'm sure he won't mind then...

[Name:]

Name: Ozurok the Red Whirlwind
Level: 110

Tell us something about your (role)playing experience:
Hey gang! Nice to see you up and running again!

Some of you may know me as Gnash. I've been a part of ORB since the Defias Days. The last few years I've been playing quite casually on a few characters. I've joined in on a few events after you all moved to Argent Dawn, but never could invest the time to become a stable member of the guild again.

Now, I'd like to join up once more on my orc, Ozurok. The introduction below is pending on Krogon's approval since I wanted to give my character ties to the fabled Redblade Blademaster but haven't discussed it with him.

And finally, please write a short story and/or (IC) introduction about your character:
Ozurok the Red Whirlwind is a blademaster, and former apprentice to Krogon Devilstep. Although he once saw great potential in Ozurok, the grizzled blademaster grew more and more frustrated by his student's brash nature and lack of discipline. Eventually, this accumulated into a heated argument in which Ozurok tried to strike his teacher down in anger. To this day, a scar running down his back reminds him of his folly.

In the decade that followed, Ozurok travelled the known world in search of adventure and worthy adversaries to hone his skills with the blade. Since the faithful day that he was bested by Krogon, he has not come across a foe that he could not defeat in battle. As time went on, Ozurok's hot-headedness got tempered by experience and wisdom. He started to feel overwhelming remorse on how he had treated his former teacher, and set out to uncover what had happened to him.

Which ultimately lead him to encounter a clan unlike any other...

[Orgash]

I'm speaking from the heart so apologies in advance if at some point this post results into the ravings of a nostalgic sonovagun.

Understandably, the most applause here is being given to the orcs who organize events, and rightfully so. Still, I want to make a shout out to some of the more obscure orcs that really managed to add to the atmosphere during my glory days in ORB.

Orgash: Thickest and coolest blackrock on the block. An orc who measured everything by honor and dishonor, which caused quite a lot of tension because he was also stubborn as fuck.

Saurok/Nekrul: He was Saurok before Saurok became a thing in MoP, which probably makes him the first orc hipster. I still remember his oath of blood fondly, in which he carved up his own face, giving himself a Glasgow smile.

My favorite events include the Arathi war (no idea which one, since there have been so many) in which Gnash headed to the gates of Stromgarde alone and planted a banner there as a challenge. Three Arathorians rode up to him and accepted his challenge to combat -- imagine my surprise when I actually managed to kill all of them in PvP (I should say wound, shouldn't I?).

Another event I am proud of in retrospect (I hated doing it at the time) was the path of conquest storyline in Cataclysm, in which we basically turned the whole of Kalimdor in a PvP map. I felt gutted at the time, because it was so much work and I basically coordinated the thing on my own (and I was far to stubborn to let anybody help!) in our faction. It ended up being a bit too deep, with battle objectives and alternate scenarios depending on the outcome of battles. In the end, I'm glad I tried it. I wouldn't do it again, but I'm glad I tried!

I haven't been part of ORB for a while now, but I try to check what you're all up to from time to time. I'll always be grateful of ORB because you all tried to push your RP further, while also respecting those who are still learning the ropes. Because of people like Morgeth, Mazguul, Kozgugore, Sadok, and many more, I've always tried to improve myself in my RP, to try and reach their standards of RP. It rubs off on people, is what I'm trying to say. And, moreover, without the risk of the guild turning into an auto-fellating-elitist-clique -- the orcs are a grounded people, after all!

God damn you, Disney soundtrack! You make everything so emotional!

Hey orcs, been a while we since we last spoke, but I just wanted to say thank you for keeping my profiles and those of other dormant red blades intact on the forums. I was just reading a couple of them and it hit me right in the feels. We had a lot of good times over the years, haven't we?

At any rate, I haven't been playing the past few months, but perhaps we shall see each other again on Argent Dawn in time. Thanks for all the memories and good luck with the move!

Love,
Gnash

João Donato - Bananeira
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4EBcQOSOSs

Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 - Roda
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfXOas6BJZQ

Nina Simone - Sinnerman
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bn5tiuZU4JI (I love this song)

(( I thought this was for real for a moment there, haha! ))

roflteeheehee! 

Hello all.

Firstly, my apologies for disappearing without notice. The past months have been hectic. What started with some time off to finish writing two reports and doing a short internship, gradually evolved into a quick peek at SWTOR to a move to another city. At any rate, thinking of coming back to the game. Anybody interested in a spectral mount? I wouldn't mind a boost to level 80 either.

http://eu.battle.net/wow/en/services/scroll-of-resurrection/

[The Clash - Train in Vain]

I'll have a go at this too!

The Clash - Train in Vain
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3Yl4ehzX-o

Pixies - Here Comes Your Man
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCYkveGQUcY

The Velvet Underground - Pale Blue Eyes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nir4BnNIFmg

Max Romeo & The Upsetters - I Chase the Devil
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N505JczoEGI

Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons - Beggin'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qN3kC_4xURA

I have a complaint about our colors. Since the Cataclysm brought us fancy guild cloaks and banners, I have been unable to distinguish our guild logo on them, because of the fact that it is the same color as our background color. Can this be looked into? Heck, we could even use it in RP to distinguish a certain rank, if we would be able to tell it apart!

[need]

Like I stated before, I'd be more interested in a broad guild in which we can house the whole lot of goblins, trolls and tauren that are willing and able to role-play. Role-playing guilds in it current form are hard to hold together and I get the impression that ORB is the only guild succeeding in that regard, simply because of the great devotion our members have to role-playing like bawsses.

Yeah, we'd have to let go of our concept as it currently is -- but I really don't think this is change for the sake of change as people above me have stated. We could make a difference if we try, I am sure of it. Just look at all the great events our officers come up with on a monthly basis. No other guild can top that. So why not let go of the concept and keep it in our background story while coming up with something a bit more managable for more types of role-players? Race-specific role-playing guilds were a great idea in the glory days of DB, but we have to accept that we've ran into a turning point some time ago. Activity is reduced, and we need a change some way or the other.

And, seeing Kozgugore's last post just now -- I have to agree this all sounds mad and indeed a bit like trying to pump water out of a ship that's already sunk. Perhaps it would be best to move away and just try again in a different community. I don't think we can count on the other RP guilds in this matter anyway.

Lastly, we shouldn't underestimate an effect I like to call the bandwagon effect.

New guilds have few members, which in turn discourages people from joining. People desire companionship and having a lot of people online at the same time is essential for that. A guild like ORB which is established and has a bigger player base, benefits from the opposite, because it is more succesful people are inclined to 'jump on the bandwagon' -- meaning they want to coast on a succesful guild rather than one that still has to prove its merit. I'm not saying that it's impossible for a sister guild to work, but I just think it's highly unlikely to succeed.

[change the concept]

And finally, I know I'm probably breaking a huuuge taboo here but I've got to say it anyway: If you fear that allowing trolls and tauren will water down the concept, perhaps we should change the concept then.

Man, I feel dirty for writing that down...

None taken. It's just that no new guild can grow in today's fucked up system. Sadly, people care about guild perks and therefor getting anybody to join a new guild is generally harder than making an elephant disappear in a crowded theater. Granted, the concept I've sketched above is not a role-playing guild in the traditional sense. It's more of a role-playing community united under a single guild tag. Is it the best option? Probably not. Is it a viable alternative? Maybe. Are the banners fancy? Quite fancy.

PS. <The Tribes> sounds lame.

EDIT: and ask yourself this question -- where are those other guilds we can collaborate with now? The only guild I can think of we can collaborate with is the Blackblood Clan, and the Red Blades and the Blackbloods aren't exactly as thick as thieves. Moreover, I think creating a sister guild will not be succesful either. I've already adressed the fact that no new guild can succeed, but apart from that why would a tauren or troll role-player join a RP guild in which all the strings are pulled by orcs? Frankly, I'd think twice before joining a guild that serves as coming as extras to orc-lead events. The difference is the measure of equality.