Looking back from Hyjal Summit

[Golden!]

It is exactly 6 months since I first joined Echoes of Lordaeron, and now from the dizzy heights of Hyjal Summit we can look back and see a view of the past six months.

It seems that EoL began at the end of April 2007 and I joined in mid-June, just 4 days after Eldare. I clearly remember that even in the early days, Liesje was the guild ‘motivator’ and administrator. We often were unable to gather the 10 players together to raid Karazhan but Liesje always found someone at the last moment and made sure that things happened.

It used to take us a full evenings raiding to take three bosses in Karazhan, (Attumen, Moroes and Maiden). Then when we finally faced Nightbane and Prince Malchezaar, and wiped all evening, we consoled ourselves by saying that ‘some guilds took several weeks to learn this boss’! We said the same about Vashj and Kael’thas six months later. But in hindsight no boss has taken us as long as we feared, we have worked as a team; our leaders have studied the strategy and we have progressed. In those days Cauluintur was our main raid leader and took us forward until we eventually cleared Karazhan.

Last week I was in a guild group that cleared the whole of Karazhan in an evening, no wipes and every boss done in one attempt – how we have progressed!

Older member will remember the dilemma of growing large enough to take on the 25 man raids, how we started by talking two groups into Karazhan. Then our reputation began to be known in the Realm and players were eager to join us. For a while we grew in numbers a bit too fast; so many new people joined that it was impossible to get to know everyone. And then we tried Magtheridon! It was a disaster! We couldn’t even down the adds and gloom spread over the guild for a short while. At that stage 3 or 4 of our distinguished members left, although reasons were given that no-one quite believed, many of us felt deserted.

At that stage, with the support of Felidra, Liesje really came into her own - until then she had been just one of the group of leaders, but now she became THE leader. A new structure of leaders was developed and Eldare naturally became the main raid leader.

Eldare wisely took us away from the gloom of Magtheridon and we turned our attention to Gruul and within a few attempts we left Gruul lying on his back - we had fistfuls of epics and guild morale went sky high once again. Nothing seemed impossible and so with we set about The Eye and Voidreaver. That was in September, but it was during October and November that we conquered another 9 or 10 new bosses in The Eye, SSC, etc. Of course during that time we laid Magtheridon to rest to make sure that he/she could never haunt us again.

Only six months ago we were wearing mainly blues, a few greens and a scattering of treasured epics!

As you look eagerly into the future it often is beneficial to look back to remind yourself of our progression. We all have different memories of the past and I have shared some of mine, but our future is together. Let’s put behind us any critical thoughts - lets be a team – not blaming each other but helping each other to achieve the same goal.

I SO enjoyed the riot of fun in the centre of Shatrath last evening after we downed Kael’thas. Handing in the quest to attune me to Hyjal Summit was brilliant! Riding though the portal into a new and exciting instance was a kinda dream!

I just looked back over six months – I can’t help wondering what will happen in the next six months.

[Nikolaos]

Very beautiful and well written Golden. It still seems weird to think how far we've progressed, from those days we struggled to get 10 for Kara, to extra people wanting in on Kael. It is amazing to see how far we're come and nice to know that some many are still with us, and that there is still some much to do and try and more always on the way..

Golden! wrote:

out leaders have studied the strategy and we have progressed.

*giggle* considering recent events

[Eldare]

*pinks away a tear*

Golden how you put that in words.
I true eye candy to read.
Thank you

[Waluin]

With writing skills like that I'd get by the national exams without any kind of worry. Will you teach me? =)

Inspiring stuff to read for one who doesn't have that kind of history in this guild. And I agree, let's make the next 6 months even better.

[Chillchaos]

The paradox...!
Reading such words seems to leave me quite speachless...

But you're so right Golden, things have been great lately, and from here, I think we all can only see it getting better!

[Algorath]

*salute* I regret not being a member since the first attumen kill, since that brings us closer together in a way, but i am sure pleeeenty of new bosses will come together, and i look forward to hyjal, bt and sunwell with you guys and girls <3

[Felidra]

Well, what can I say?

I say hurray for Liesje. And the others who've worked long and hard to get this guild into the state it is in now - Not just the well known people, like Eldare or Quendis. But also people like Silaz, Dedee, Caul, Ethoz, Riv.. The ones who've stuck with us from the beginning and worked so hard to get us where we are now. People like you, Golden, or you, Nikolaos. I know how much work it was for me in the past to get things to start running smoothly (and really, most of it consisted of somehow getting everyone to just stop bickering at each other ..) but now I can almost hang back and let the new kids on the block take over

[Golden!]

As I lay in bed thinking about our past 6 months, many names came into my mind. But the truth of the matter is that I was afraid to start mentioning lots of individuals, simply because I didn’t want to accidentally leave anyone out. So I played it safe and only enthused about the obvious leaders.

Felidra is right (he always is, damn it) - many other people have contributed to making EoL a successful guild. Liesje once pointed out to me, “mostly you notice the noisy or troublesome children and the quiet and nice ones escape attention”.

EoL is not made up of Tanks, Healers and DPS, it is made up of people! People that sit at computers somewhere in distant countries but that are joined to each other by a common interest – by a friendship – by a shared ambition.
Some are noisy! (I smiled as I typed that) Some are troublesome! Some are quiet and some may seem insignificant. Some are confident that they are brilliant players and others feel rather insecure. You can think of names for each of those categories - but we are all important because it is a team effort.

I am concerned about the pressure that Felidra and Liesje will be under with the arrival of a little daughter. But I am equally concerned about them “hanging back and letting the new kids on the block take over”. The stability of an organisation/guild is within its leadership and my desire is that they should remain firmly seated as the King and Queen who oversee their selected parliament of hands-on leaders (I think it works like that anyway)!

Gosh, I am getting excited about the next six months!

[Scumsalot]

Golden! wrote:

Some are noisy! (I smiled as I typed that) Some are troublesome! Some are quiet and some may seem insignificant. Some are confident that they are brilliant players and others feel rather insecure.

and some are named Ruzzle

[Samoraz]

nicely put Stoutarm

I just checked the joining dates of people.. and i've actually been around from like a week after Myrawen, Kenu and so joined.. but still i never realised i've been in from like the moment Eldare joined, guess it all went pretty quick. But i think we learned alot during all this time, and we got alot closer to our bigger goals.
though there's one day in EoL i really doubted wether we gonna remain standing, that was ofcourse when 4 good players decided to pack their bags. but i got to say i'm glad i stayed, not even cause we rock at raiding. You just rock at being awesome people

[Felidra]

I joined about a day or two after Liesje joined. Liesje was one of the founders, who joined because Survivors of Azshara no longer had a real future for her.

(Still don't really have specifics of that episode as I was still levelling to 70 at that time .. and I'm glad that I don't)

And SoA .. now that really is ancient history. Aside from us two, who do we have left from that era? Silaz? Ethoz maybe?

[Saraesa / Liesje]

Felidra wrote:

And SoA .. now that really is ancient history. Aside from us two, who do we have left from that era? Silaz? Ethoz maybe?

Sullín, Lightmane, Skylar.....

[Dargno]

he means the ppl that have been in the guild during that time and skylar joined us after that so i wouldnt count that way ^^

anyways i've been in the guild since it had kara just about on farm so i've seen a lot too and i like the dedication, and the helpfullness of others mostly, the feeling you are not alone and people are there to help you out when you ask something. The idea of thinking constructively together and putting team effort in things als the lately downing of vash and kael.

I've leveled allmost 3 characters in this guild now; from level 63, 50 and 64 to 70, 70 and 67 now even though its a 70-only guild and i'm very fond of the guild spirit.

So a big hooray for EoL !

[Rovasti]

Golden thanks for all the nice words; you're our best members, modest, trustworthy, compassionate.

My own arrival is 3 hours after Felidra, about a day before Sullin.

[Sullin]

Yeah, it took a while before i realized everyone i knew moved to echoes.

but before that, I remember me and Liesje leveling in stv when an epic dropped, and she shared the profit (hugz!!).
Not to mention the spelling error in SoA when i joined there. Now that is oldschool. As was our first ZG runs.

Other than that I'm extremely happy that I'm an EoL member. The atmosphere is just awesome, as is our progression.

Thanks everybody!!