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Well it's not looking hopeful so far.

I won't be playing on the RP-PvP server Marogg. Despite choosing an RP-PvP server to create OotRB, years of playing other MMOs has forced me to the conclusion that the quality of RP is often better on RP-PvE servers. You can do everything in an RP-PvE server that you can on an RP-PvP server, except randomly attacking people while they're questing (and I never did that on WoW anyway).

I will probably go ahead and create my own guild regardless of the outcome here. I've done it in every MMO I'm played seriously simply because I've not found the guild I want to join, so made it myself. If there is no support for it here though, I just won't link it with OotRB.

Loial, I did think about creating a military guild full of troopers. Several of those exist already, but I don't like the look of any of them. I mean, why insist on uniforms when everyone looks like a trooper anyway? As for their "You've fought your way across the galaxy, but we're going to treat you like some rookie fresh out of boot camp" attitude ... well no, not for me. So, I'm thinking Imperial (probably because I'm English) and perhaps a guild based on Imperial Intelligence.

Eh, a few thoughts of mine.

Firstly, we're all here (at least partly) because we were drawn to the concept of orcs and/or the Warcraft universe. Establishing a consensus for a similar RP concept in an entirely different MMO will be nigh impossible; at the very least, I've never been terribly drawn to the SW setting (even after playing the rather hit-and-miss KotOR games), nor have ever had an inclination to RP a Jedi/bounty hunter/Sith (I'm a Trekkie, sue me ).

Secondly (and more importantly), both SWTOR and WoW are subscription-based games, and as such I doubt maintaining two guilds in two games is a sustainable endeavor without ultimately splitting ORB in half (indeed, some of our members have problems paying one subscription fee).

Frankly, the most such a proposition would do is irreparably fracture our guild's base between two subscription fee-based games.

I totally take your point. I am sure many of your members over the years wanted to play an orc first and chose to join OotRB as a result. Personally that was never the motivation for me. OotRB just happens to be orcs because it seemed to be the race which might work. What drove me to create this guild was the idea that an RP guild is not just a guild full of roleplayers. To me an RP guild at its best is an organisation that would actually realistically exist in the game setting. It has a clearly defined theme and role in the world and requires its members to fit that theme.

Now it is really not my intention to split up OotRB, but the reality is that people leave. People always have left and will continue to leave. OotRB still exists because those those people have been continually replaced by new members. The idea of having a guild presence in another game is that when people leave OotRB they have an option to go play with people they already know.

This does not mean however that a SWTOR version of the Red Blades would only accept OotRB members. What it does mean is that the two guilds would be officially linked, founded on the same principles and share the same philosophy.

Anyway, I appreciate your feed back. So far two people think its a bad idea and one in favour. What do the rest of you think?

Hello thar Orcs. I'm kicking around a few ideas and I need a bit of info from you lovely people to see if it would be worth pursuing.

Basically, what impact is SWTOR having on you? Have you tried it? Will you continue to play it? Perhaps you've tried it but didn't like it, or maybe you you like it and intend to subscribe? Will you play both WoW and SWTOR from now on, or do you intend to give up WoW and move over to SWTOR?

... and the most important question (and why I want to know your views), if there was a gild over on SWTOR that was a sister guild to OotRB, would you be interested in joining it? Would you still be interested if that meant you had to roll on a specific server, a particular faction and perhaps even roll particular classes, or do you think, "When I start a new game, I want to start afresh with a new guild, new people"?

I know of guilds in the past which have successfully existed in more than one game at once. However, these guilds have not usually been RP guilds. Is is possible for us to have a guild in both WoW and SWTOR and for both to be successful? I want to know your views.

Regards

Akesha

A very merry Christmas to all the orcses, especially you. Yes, you there *waves*

Haha, I pop in and spot this thread. Maybe we can make this a 'former members say hello' thread? Hope you are all well. I'm a little bored waiting for SWToR to come out. I did think about coming back to WoW for a couple of months until I get my blaster and space ship, but when I went on the WoW official site and saw Kung Fu Panda and Pokemon, I thought better of it.

Anyway, glad you orcs are still enjoying life in the Horde.

Akesha

For the ..erm ..me!

I've got my account sorted out and bought a month of gametime, so I'll pop by and say hello soon. I wonder if Blizzard will mind if I make a guild called <Only here until SWTOR>

Joking about the guild, not joking about the SWTOR bit.

Almost came online for a bit of WoW nostalgia today, but when I went to buy a bit of game time, I discovered my account was banned for some reason

I've decided to put this project on hold for a while. Obviously there is a lot more to tell but I'm not sure how many people are actually interesting in hearing it. The real problem though, is where, and indeed whether, this story should be told. It is as much Akesha's own backstory as it is the story of this tribe.

Since none of this has yet been revealed IC and seeing as Akesha is no longer a member of the guild ... you see my dilemma?

I think some thinking time is needed. For now though I'll say goodbye and good luck. I may or may not come back to this forum in the future. Time will tell.

Cya round

Akesha

I can't remember if I've posted this before, but for me this is one of the stand out tracks of 2010. A beautiful mix of northern soul and rap, all wrapped up in gangster chic, Brit style. I love it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wauIGhax9xg

Part 3 â€" The Battle of Khadur

Githya made his way back to his camp, being careful to avoid the patrols sent out by Mugruk. The corpulent old chieftain had now vowed that he would stop at nothing to finish off this upstart. While Githya rallied the men he had left, Mugruk mustered every Ironfoot orc of fighting age in his clan and armed them for battle.

Between Mugruk's lands and Githya's camp, lay the hills of Khadur. High in those hills there was a great hole in the earth like a bowl, made, it was said, when a star had fallen to earth centuries before. It was towards this crater that Githya led his forces.

The mercenary army made such a clamour as they moved, that Mugruk's scouts had no trouble tracking them. Mugruk's army was vastly bigger than Githya's but as a result, it moved slowly and Mugruk feared that Githya would try outmanoeuvre him. So when his scouts reported that Githya's men had made camp in the bottom of the crater, just a few hours march away, he could not have been more pleased. He broke camp that instant and marched his men to the lip of the crater.

Looking down on Githya, Mugruk laughed aloud and turn to his captains, “See what the fool has done? His tiny force sits at the bottom of a hole with no escape. We shall charge down there and slaughter every last orc.”

“Look how short his line is,” piped up one of Mugruk's captains. “This Githya is a fool. We shall easily outflank him. The battle is already won.”

Down in the crater, Githya had packed his warriors into a tight, short line it seemed. High above on the rim, Mugruk's army formed up according to all the rules of war; a long line designed to outflank a smaller foe. They charged.

What Mugruk did not see was that each of Githya's men had been equipped with a large heavy shield, big as a door. They stood tight, shoulder to shoulder, forming an impenetrable wall. Mugruk's orcs swept down the slope, breaking like a wave against cliffs as they hammered into the shieldwall and were stopped. Now, the flanks of Mugruk's longer line wheeled round to close the net. Githya's army was surrounded. Yet, the Ironfoot orcs did not find unprotected flanks to attack. They quickly realised the reason that Githya's line seemed so short. His orcs had in fact formed up in a square, each side of which was a solid wall of shields. Within the square now, young gruntlings armed with short spears, dropped to the ground and began stabbing under the shieldwall at the legs of the Ironfoots.

This was not the easy victory Mugruk had expected. His army now surrounded something more akin to a fortress. At least it seemed that Githya would not escape this time.

What Mugruk the Fat did not know was that Githya was not there. The noise and clamour of his force had done its job and lured the whole of Mugruk's army to attack these well defended warriors. Now was the time for Githya to strike. He had hidden half his force in the woods above the crater and, while The Ironfoots pushed against and cursed a wall of solid wooden shields, Githya's best warriors came running down the slope and smashed into their undefended backs, right at the point where Mugruk himself stood.

Mugruk the Fat found himself caught between two forces with most of his army busy fighting the sides and back of Githya's square and unable to come to his aid. The contest was swift and bloody. Mugruk quickly fell and his warriors fled. On all sides of the square, there was now panic as word of Mugruk's death spread. Many Ironfoots tried to turn and run and were cut down by the mercenaries. A confident victory had turned into a rout.

It's said that it was one of Mugruk's captains who presented Githya with his old chieftain's head. Half the Ironfoot survivors now swore allegiance to Githya. The rest fled into the hills and probably never stopped running. Soon all the northern clans were talking about Githya, the mercenary general who had destroyed an army five times the size of his own. Githya Redblade, they began to call him and it became a name regarded with a mixture of respect and fear.

So, Githya earned his fame amongst the northern clans. Great wealth soon followed, but he also made many enemies; not least of which was the Overlord of the Northern Clans himself.

Part 2 – In Mugruk's Hall

Githya's fame as a mercenary quickly grew. With Rorlug at his side, more and more orcs joined his army until it began to rival some of the smaller clans in size and strength. This did not please Mugruk the Fat one bit and he began to plot his revenge on the warrior that had once been his favourite.

Winter came early one year. The snows lay thick upon the hills and it was time for Githya's and Rorlug's soldiers to settle down and wait for spring to come. Their army had much to celebrate. Each orc's purse was heavy with gold, paid by Hurgan Grimbrow, Overlord of the Northern Clans. Hurgan's enemies had raided his farms that summer and Githya had made them pay in both blood and gold for their audacity, earning the Overlord's gratitude in return. One cold evening, as dusk fell, a messenger rode into Githya's camp.

“My chief, Mugruk of the Ironfoot Clan, bids you good health General Githya”, announced the messenger. “Further more, he wishes it to be known that he bears no ill will towards his former warrior. In fact, he commanded me to invite you and your captains to feast with him in his hall.”

Githya could not refuse without offending Mugruk, who was still a powerful clan chief, so he set out with Rorlug, his captains and an honour guard of orc warriors. Three days later they arrived at Mugruk's Hall to be met by the Chieftain.

Mugruk made a great show of welcoming Githya as if he were a long lost son returned. He and his orcs took off all of their weapons and armour and left them outside the hall. Then he bade Githya and his captains to do the same as a sign of trust. The orcs went into the hall where a great fire raged against the cold and a feast was laid out ready.

The orcs ate and drank and sang and soon old rivalries seemed forgotten. All was not as it appeared however, for while Githya's orcs had grown drunk on Mugruk's ale, the Ironfoot orcs had only given the pretence of drinking. At a signal from Mugruk each of his orcs drew out the dagger that they had hidden in their sleeves and made to attack Githya's captains. Many were killed before they even had time to react and although the rest tried to fight back, unarmed and drunk on ale, they quickly fell.

Githya barely escaped. Pulling a flaming brand from the fire, he whorled it about his head, driving Mugruk's orcs back. Then, smashing one great Ironfoot soldier to the ground, he fled to the door and out into the night. No other orc escaped Mugruk's trap that night. Rorlug the Black and all of Githya's captains were slain, but Mugruk would come to regret his treachery.

The History of Clan Redblade

Mok'ra Orcs. The time has finally come to tell the story of the old Clan Redblade, This is the story of the legendary origins of the Red Blade Tribe and I hope it will inspire, interest and maybe even entertain a few of you. To save you from walls of text, I'm going to tell the tale in short and (hopefully) weekly parts.

Regards

Akesha

Part 1 â€" The Rise of Githya

Many, many lives ago on Dreanor, the world of our birth, there was a small but proud clan of orcs. The Ironfoot Clan they were called and in that time, their leader was Mugruk the Fat, Mugruk was a vicious orc, prone to violent rages, He was more feared than loved by his people. Yet, there was one of Mugruk's house that the people did love; a young warrior named Githya. He had a noble face and was a fine warrior, but he was perhaps a little too proud.

Now, the time came for the Ironfoot Clan to pay tribute to the Overlord of the Northern Clans. Swords, gold, luxurious furs; all were loaded onto wagons for the journey to the Overlord's Hall. A band of warriors was assembled to protect this valuable cargo and Githya, Mugruk's favourite, was made to lead them. They set off, but the wagons would never reach their destination.

In the hills north of the Ironfoot's lands, there were bandits. One sunset, as the wagons had stopped to make camp, these bandits attacked in overwhelming force. The Ironfoot warriors could not stand against such numbers and were killed, but the bandits spared the life of Githya, recognising that he was an orc of some importance. They took him prisoner and decided that they would ransom him back to his clan.

The first messenger sent by the bandits did not return. Mugruk flew into a rage on hearing his news and beheaded him on the spot. The second messenger found Mugruk in a better mood and returned to the bandits saying that Mugruk had offered a thousand pieces of gold for Githya's safe return. Mugruk expected that the riders he saw approaching his hall, some days later, would be Githya returning, but it was not. More messengers from the bandits had come and were taken to see the corpulent chieftain.

Somewhat nervously, they told him that one thousand pieces of gold was not enough and he must offer more. Mugruk went into a rage and beat his fists on his chair. The messengers were more than a little afraid, but when he calmed himself, Mugruk told them that he would offer two thousand pieces of gold. The bandits returned home with the message and their lives.

Four days later, six bandits rode up to Mugruk's hall and asked to see him. They knelt in respect before the feared chief and said that two thousand pieces of gold was not enough. They said that only five thousand pieces of gold was the equal to Githya's worth as a warrior. Mugruk was furious. He stood up and taking his chair, he smashed it into firewood and then beat the messengers to death with the legs.

Eventually he calmed and realised that he must pay or never see his favourite warrior again. So, he charged two of his soldiers with the task of taking the five thousand pieces of gold to the bandit camp. They rode north with heavy bags of coin, but when they arrived they found a strange thing indeed.

You see, these bandits had treated Githya as an honoured guest. Each evening he ate with their leader, Rorlug the Black. They would talk long into the night about battles and deeds of great heroes. When the messenger first returned with Mugruk's offer of one thousand coins, Rorlug considered this price. He thought it was not a bad offer. One thousand coins was a lot to bandits in those days, but Githya said,

“I hope you are not going to accept it.”

“What's that?” asked Rorlug. “Why should I not? It is a lot of money, more than we make in a whole summer of robbing merchants.”

“I am worth more”, said Githya. “In fact, I would take it as an insult if you thought that one thousand coins was a good price for me.”

Rorlug pondered this a while and decided to send back more messengers. They returned with an offer of two thousand gold coins. This time Rorlug was happy to accept. Two thousand coins was a fortune and the bandits would all be rich. He went to tell Githya the news.

“If two thousand coins is a fortune to you, then you are in the wrong trade”, retorted Githya.

“What trade should I be in then?” asked Rorlug, growing slightly annoyed at Githya's arrogance.

“You risk you lives for poor rewards. You're hunted and hated by all the northern clans, for the scum that you are. Now calm yourself”, said Githya, seeing Rorlug's growing anger. “Do you want riches and power? Then do what I ask.”

And so it was, that when Mugruk's soldiers rode into Rorlug's camp, they were shown into a tent to find Githya and Rorlug sitting side by side, like comrades in arms.

“You have brought our gold?” asked Githya. “Excellent. That will set us up nicely in our new trade.” He smiled broadly at Mugruk's warriors and said, “I give you a new task now. Go tell all the chiefs of the north that I, Githya, have pacified the bandits of the hills. Tell them that they are bandits no longer. We are mercenaries now … and we are for hire.”

I've been delaying this too long, but I'm going to grasp the nettle, as we say in the UK.

When the Shattering hits, much will be lost. Places will be destroyed or changed forever. Many people will either be killed or go missing. Some of those missing will never be found. Among them will be Akesha, daughter of Akesh the Poisoner.

When the Shattering occurs, Akesha will not be seen again, her body will never be found, but she will be presumed amongst the dead.



OOC  - I'm removing Akesha from the guild as soon as the Shattering happens and race changing her into another a character to keep my lvl 80 huntard. I hope Kozgugore doesn't spank me too much for this. The truth is that since I've returned, I've found that the guild has evolved in my absence and I feel a little lost. I think the best place for Akesha to be is in the tribe's past.

As Akesha, I still have many stories I'd like to tell and many ideas - but about the tribe's semi-mythical past. The future of the tribe does not belong to me. It belongs to all of you who are active members of this fabulous guild.

I would love to play an active part in that future, but I think the best way i can do that is as a new character. I've been planning to create a new character ever since I found out about Cataclysm, so I will be making a new orc and applying to join as a Newblood. I feel like I want to experience the Tribe as it is now from the ground up, not as an ex-leader just hanging around because they have nowhere to go.

I'm still not sure exactly what will happen to my hunter. Part of me wants to experience new avenues of RP and perhaps join a different guild. However, it will not be a case of main and alt. I'm planning on splitting my time equally between the two characters.

In the end, this might be the last of Akesha, or she may return in some form down the line. Either way, it will not be the last of me (the player). I'm looking forward to being more active in the tribe in a way that only a new character will make this possible. That is unless Koz decides to kick me for not okaying this with him first ;-)

Regards

Akesha

I took my time replying to this, simply because I don't think there is anything I haven't already said to both you and Rehbande. I just want to publicly acknowledge though, the huge contribution that the two of you made to this guild, along with Kad.

In the earliest days of Orcs of the Red Blade, I do not think I could have built a successful guild without first Kad and then Rehbande, Vargukha and Oznack giving me so much help an assistance.

Like you said, times change and people move on. Just like you I now find myself not knowing most of the members and not knowing how to fit into this new tribe.

It is absolutely right that a guild belongs to its current members. It should change and evolve and grow. Those of us who were not here to take part in this evolution now return to find ourselves in a guild that is not the old familiar one we left. I shall make my decision about my future in WoW and this guild soon. You have made the decision which is right for you. I wish you all the best.

Big hugs

Akesha

I had a play with this to check out the animations for the new races. I had a good chuckle when I discovered the female goblin dance is based on this;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyHVQT8aIBM