The cleansing fires of Beltane

Beltane, the Celtic festival marking the beginning of the summer's fertility. It falls around Mayday. Cleansing, purifying fires are lit, burning away old dead growth, preparing the soil for new growth. The festival is held in the gap between spring and summer,the interval between the youth of spring and the adulthood of summer. The fires are lit in this space between seasons. It's not only a void in time, but also in space. Worlds collide in this gap, and the fires purify not only the soil, but anything that passes over them. Man and beast cross the fires, purifying themselves, ridding themselves of evil. Spirits from the dark underworld are cleansed.

My poor monk Paoquan tried to leap across the flames on the eve of the day of the dead, trying desperately to escape from the misty world of the great turtle Shen-zin Su's back, where she had been trapped for a year and a day, and into our world. She leapt across the fires, trying to cross the void. But fell into the interstitial gap between worlds, to perish forever. Or so I thought at the time. This Mayday, the spirit of Paoquan drifted through the void into our world again and was burned and cleansed by the fires of Beltane, and was reborn, not as a childish level 10, but as an adult level 90. The Beltane fires renewed  and revitalized. But the rebirth brought another change. She is now a he.

The Day of the Dead

Halloween is a Celtic Festival, and based on the Celtic calendar. It's the greatest of the four main festivals, marking the start of Winter. I want to tell you why that is the greatest of the festivals, but first, I need to tell you something about the Celtic day. It's simple. It ends at sunset. Not midnight. Sunset. That also means that the day actually begins just after sunset, as well. As the sun dips below the horizon, one day ends and the next begins. The Celtic calendar day begins with the darkness of night.

Now back to why Halloween is the most important of the four festivals. The four festivals fell on the interstices between the seasons. The seasons are based around the solstices and equinoces. Let's start with winter. It lasts for three months, centred around frosty midwinter's day, the shortest day of the year (that's December 21 in the northern hemisphere).

Spring also lasts for three months and is centred around the vernal equinox, the day when it is light for 12 hours and dark for 12 hours, which is March 20th. What is the day that is halfway between those two centres, and marks the interstice between those two? It is February 3 And don't forget, that day actually starts at dusk on February 2. This day was celebrated as the day on which we left the cold winter behind, and marched into spring. . Originally known to the Gael (the Celts of Scotland and Ireland) as Imbolc or Imbolg, it's now conflated with the Christian saint Brighid's day and Candlemas. It is still traditionally the day when spring begins in Ireland.

The other fire festivals were calculated in the same way. The Beltane festival is now celebrated as May Day almost universally (but no longer in Ireland!) halfway between the Vernal Equinox and midsummer's day, the summer solstice. Lughnasa or Lúnasa marks the end of summer and the beginning of the harvest (and at one time the celebrations included the Tailteann Games, the Olympic Games of the Gael), and Samhain marks the end of the harvest time and the beginning of winter. Oíche Shámhna in Irish Gaelic. Samhain's night. Halloween.

I mentioned that these were fire festivals, almost by-the-bye; in passing; but they were fire festivals, all right. They were interstitial celebrations, held in the gap between one time and another, and the light of the fires purified that gap. Imbolc: the festival of candles. Beltane, the festival of fires (it seems to have been translated in Ireland to St John's eve, near midsummer, nowadays), when bonfires are lit on hills and on beaches, and hearth fires would be doused and renewed from the bonfires. Lughnasa, when the first corn is harvested, ground, and baked on the hearth. And Samhain, Halloween. More bonfires.

Especially at Halloween and on St. John's eve, bonfires burn from dusk until dawn. Young men and women still jump through them at the end of the evening, through the flames and over the embers (or occasionally miss their step and end up in Accident & Emergency).

These festivals were held in the gap between times, and the Halloween festival fell on three gaps: the moment between one day and the next; the crack between one season and the next; and the interval between one year and the next. Because just as the Celtic day begins in the darkness of the dusk after the sunset of the previous day, so the Celtic year begins with the darkness of Winter. In these three apertures in time, worlds can open. The souls of the dead might come from their plane of existence to ours. Hence the purifying fires and bonfire leaping and general divilment. It is the start of the day of the dead.

As you might remember, my Pandaren monk has been stuck for a year and a day in the gap between our world and the mists surrounding the great turtle's back on which all Pandaren begin their adventures. Poor Paoquan was faced with having to help the Yaungol (they call themselves Tauren) to progress beyond her level 10 story on the concealed island that is Shen-zin Su's back.

She cannot. Every time I've tried to find an alternative understanding of this story, or an alternative way of advancing Paoquan, I have failed. This Halloween, I hoped she might leap through the flames, through the void between her old dilemma and her new future, might with one bound be free. She did not. She fell into the underworld, into the abyss of lost souls. Never more will I see her. 

Edit: What's this? By the cleansing power of the summer flames, Paoquan returns!

Timeless Question

I was off sailing for the last month (from Booty Bay to Menethil Harbour), when patch 5.4 arrived and the Timeless Isle was discovered, so I only got to the Timeless Isle this weekend. Since then, I've spent all my time there, following the legendary quest-line. I'm not sure what to do apart from that, though. The gear that's dropping isn't better than I already have. I can see that it's great for gearing up alts quickly, but for me, what is the value of these Timeless Coins, or reputation with the long-dead Emperor Shaohao? It's not a rhetorical question, I haven't learnt enough over the weekend to figure out what I should be doing next!

Chinese Subscribers and MoP

Shogun: Total War is still one of my favourite games. I would love to play a game in a samurai-based virtual world similar to Japan's Sengoku period. I would definitely subscribe to that (especially one that was created by a Japanese games studio, seeped in the culture).

Imagine that you, too, loved such a game. How would you feel if, after playing it for several years, the publishers announced that the next expansion would be set in a world like medieval Europe. Only, because they're a Japanese gaming house, it isn't like the Europe that you know. Instead it's full of Japanese stereotypes of medieval Europe, where people wander about, intoning to you "Priests, pilgrims, pastries. These are what matter most."

Yeah. Now you've got it. You bought the game for its samurai milieu, now you've got samurai wandering around medieval France.

The Chinese subscribers to WoW were originally joined because they were interested in a high-fantasy medieval european-style world. Otherwise they'd have taken up any of the other Asian MMOs. They don't want a Chinese-as-imagined-by-Americans MMO, with a side order of Japanese Pokemon. No wonder they're off to League of Legends.

Gear Plan revisited

I listed my gear plan, just over a week ago. I want to keep track of how that's going.

I started out unable to get into heroic dungeons, as my ilvl was too low. A few JP purchases fixed that, and I got some nice heroic drops, despite very little activity on my part over the last week.

Head:
I'd planned to make myself the 
Contender's Silk Cowl (ilvl 450).  But as it turned out, I got 
Fallout-Filtering Hood (ilvl 463) from a boss in heroic Gates of the Setting Sun, instead. I got a cheap common gem for the blue socket, but I had to go the whole hog on the meta, and buy the Fleet Primal Diamond, which cost more than I wanted to spend on a non-epic hood.

Neck:
Skymage Circle (ilvl 450), bought from the Auction House, as planned.

Shoulders:
I made the the 
Contender's Silk Amice (ilvl 450). I really should get a Crane Wing Inscription for it, as they're so cheap.

Chest
Contender's Silk Raiment  (ilvl 450) As I'm a tailor, I made this for myself immediately.
Still waiting to get to Honored with the Golden Lotus, to buy the pattern for
Robes of Creation (ilvl 476) .

Cloak:
Cloak of Ancient Curses (ilvl 458) was my first JP purchase, as planned.
Cloak of Snow Blossoms (ilvl 489) when I get the Valor Points.

Wrists:
I unaccountably still the Mindbender Cuffs (ilvl 434), and haven't yet made myself the 
Contender's Silk Cuffs (ilvl 450) . Other than that, I need to hope for random drops, and save my Valor Points for
Minh's Beaten Bracers (ilvl 489)

Hands:
That heroic Gates of the Setting Sun dungeon run was great. As well as the Fallout-Filtering Hood, I also won 
Bomber's Precision Gloves (ilvl463). Still waiting on
Spelltwister's Gloves (ilvl 476) which I can craft for myself when I'm honored with the Golden Lotus (I'm not honoured by anybody yet!)

Legs:
I made myself some
Contender's Silk Pants (ilvl 450). Otherwise
Leggings of the Poisoned Soul (ilvl 489) cost 2250VP. I've put that purchase on the long finger.

Feet:
Everyone should easily get the ilvl 476 boots that are a guaranteed reward from your first Sha of Anger Kill. I have, anyway. Nothing more to get here right now.

Fingers:
Lionsfall Ring (ilvl 450), crafted by jewellers, was so cheap, I bought it.
The Horseman's Ring (ilvl 470)  dropped for me from the Headless Horseman. When I have the Valor Points,
Simple Harmonius Ring (ilvl 483) will be a good buy.

Trinkets:
Coren Direbrew provided me with a
Mithril Stopwatch (ilvl 470) which is pretty good. The account-bound Archeology item
Quilen Statuette (ilvl 463) is also mine. I have not yet bought either the
Relic of Yu'lon (ilvl 476) made by scribes at the Darkmoon Faire, or
Relic of Chi Ji (ilvl 476) also made by scribes at the Darkmoon Faire.


Staff:
I went out to track down the
Dissector's Staff of Mutation (ilvl 450) waiting to be found in the Dead Wastes. It turns out that that's quite a job. It's usually not there, spawning only rarely. Instead I got lucky and won the 
Staff of Trembling Will in a heroic Temple of the Jade Serpent run.
Scribes will want to make themselves the Inscribed Serpent Staff(ilvl 476).


Main Hand + Off hand:
For main hand, go into the world and if you're patient, you'll find
Blade of the poisoned Mind (ilvl 450) in the Dread Wastes. Meantime get yourself to elite with the Klaxxi, so you can buy:
Amber Saber of Klaxxi'vess (ilvl 463).
For off-hand, only this will do:
Inscribed Jade Fan (ilvl 476) made by scribes.
However, as I won a reasonable staff, I'll skip Main+Off until an ilvl 463 main drops for me.

[Edit: Gear Plan in 5.2]

Golden Lotus Notes

Questing in Pandaria was pretty good fun. But once you reach level 90, what's the next step? Gearing up, of course!

If you have not already done so, you must open up the gates to the Vale of Eternal Blossoms. To do this, you must complete the quest chain that starts with "Temple of the White Tiger" in Kun-Lai Summit, where you meet Anduin Wrynn. If you haven't already got this quest, you can get it in Binan Village (in south eastern Kun-Lai Summit). Once you meet Anduin Wrynn there, complete "A Celestial Experience" at the Temple of the White Tiger, pick up "A Witness to History" and go south for the opening the Gate of the August Celestials into the Vale of Eternal Blossoms.

At the gates (on the Kun-Lai Summit side), pick up the start of the Black Prince Wrathion questline "Stranger in a strange Land", if you don't already have it, and start on it as soon as you can.

By the way, while you are in Kun-Lai Summit, listen out for raids forming to kill the "Sha of Anger". Ask the raid leader for an invitation. When you kill the Sha of Anger for the very first time, loot his body and pick up the "Claw of Anger". You can turn this in at the Shado-Pan Garrison later for ilvl 476 boots. This is a forty-person raid, and nobody will care if you aren't well-geared.

Go into the Vale, picking up quests on the way. They'll direct you to the Shrine of Seven Stars (it's in the south-east). This is the most important city in Pandaria (and has portals to the old world). Pick up the flight-point from the flight master on the upper floor. The flight trainer (Cloudrunner Leng) is right next to the flight master: pay 2500 gold to him and learn "Wisdom of the Four Winds". Now you can use your flying mounts again!

Go to the ground floor and pick up all the "reputation" quests there. The most important reputation to work on initially is the Golden Lotus reputation, as it gates all the dailies for other factions' reputations.

If you haven't yet killed the Sha of Anger, go and do so now (see above), and once a week thereafter. His drops are seductive.

Fly over to the Shado-Pan Garrison in Townlong Steppes and pick up your new ilvl 476 boots.

A little further west is the Niuzao Temple, where you should find Commander Lo Ping. He sells ilvl 458 gear for Justice Points. Spend all your JPs here, now! You'll never get better use out of them later.

Now you should be geared for Heroic MoP dungeons. They require you to have ilvl 435 on average. If you're not there yet, you can either queue for normal MoP dungeons, for scenarios, or buy ilvl 450 PvP gear to get your ilvl up.

Once you get into heroics, you'll be picking up ilvl 463 gear, which will get you into LFR raids.

As you're building up rep with the various factions through dailies, you'll also be earning 5 Valor Points per daily. Note that you can't spend these until you have built up sufficient reputation with the faction to which the quartermaster belongs. Different gear requires rep with different factions, so check with Commander Lo Ping (who sells gear for all factions) to see what rep is most important for you, and work on that rep second (first rep you should work on is the Golden Lotus rep, to unlock rep dailies with the other factions).

I assist at an explosion

And it's 1, 2, 3, what are we fighting for?
Don't ask me, I don't give a damn,
Next stop Jinyu Ut-Nam
And it's 5, 6, 7, open up the mantid gate
Well there ain't no time to wonder why,
WHOOPEE we're all gonna die

It's just two weeks since the Fall of Theramore, when the horde dropped a mana bomb, a weapon of mass destruction, on the city. It killed everyone in it, man, woman and child. This was a world-changing event, wasn't it? I mean, the peace brokered by Thrall and Jaina Proudmoore was blown to pieces by this, along with the inhabitants of the largest Alliance city outside the capital cities. Rhonin, the leader of the Kirin Tor died protecting Jaina.

What did we do? We assisted Jaina in picking up the pieces in the aftermath of the mana bomb, ironically dropped by a little boy, juvenile goblin Sky Captain "Dashing" Dazrip. At least we killed him. We got some fireworks to celebrate, though what exactly we are celebrating is unclear.

What has been Varian Wrynn's response to this? He invaded Orgrimmar. Ah, no. I mean he invaded a peaceful newly-discovered island, after his son went missing, believed captured by the horde. Okay, I can understand a father wanting his son back, but I found him the same day I arrived. The teenager is safe. Since then, what have we been doing to defeat Hellscream and give justice to the innocent citizens of Theramore? We're running around killing the inhabitants of a country that doesn't belong to us and has done us no harm. Or we're playing farmers with the more docile of them, planting peas and killing vermin. Has the Alliance gone soft?

I like Pancakes nailed it with an excellent series: R.I.P Theramore, More Theramore Thoughts, Hopefully ... and especially Yawning. Her conclusion? Yes: the Alliance has gone soft since defeating the Lich King. Our response to every outrage since then has been to ignore it. It is easy to blame Blizzard for this, and with reason; but it's not just them. It's us. What has our response been to these outrages? What has your response been? Have you taken your comrades to Orgrimmar to bring Garrosh Hellscream to justice? When I mention it in Stormwind, I get predictable responses. "Who cares about Theramore, anyway?" Same as I got when Sylvanas wiped out Gilneas, and when the orcs invaded Astranaar.

The horde are, of course, complicit in Garrosh's genocide. They participated in the attack on Theramore. Their leaders have not repudiated him, and in fact Sylvanas, the leader of the undead, is no less genocidal than Garrosh, as her use of biological weapons showed in Gilneas. The tauren leader Baine Bloodhoof still backs Garrosh, the slayer of his father. And why has Lor'thremar Theron of the Sin'Dorei stayed silent? Vol'jin remains as invisible as ever. And what of you, horde adventurers? Where do your morals lead?