DoV: Mock Turtle Soup

Niami DenMother was up to her eyeballs in alligators when she heard rumors of the newly-rediscovered land -- and the alligators were fighting back! She was also trying to deal with a lovelorn ogress, who had just suffered another Erollisi Day rejection. Much as she wished to go check for new crafting techniques and products, she just didn't see how she was going to fit everything into her already-busy days. Unless ...

Cautiously, she backed away from the medicated Ykeshan alligator, blue eyes alert in case of trouble. "All right, Ngranna-lass. That be th' last o' them. Hopefully that will help them fight off whate'er's been ailing them. I'm still nae sure why th' trolls couldnae do this themselves, but at least it be done now."

Ngranna clambered off the back of the groggy gator with none of her usual bounce. Even her green mohawk was drooping, and tears were once again leaving large streaks down her muddy green face. "Dey jus' wanna see 'Granna all muddy, to laugh at her. Everybuddy laugh at secksi ogress," she said sullenly.

Yep, definitely time to give Ngranna a project to distract her. The last time she got this distressed, everyone in the neighborhood had resorted to earplugs for a week, due to her extremely loud wailing and moaning.

Thinking about all that wailing, Niami spoke quickly, trying to forestall another round. "Now that I'm done helping ye, lass, I'm wondering if ye could help me a bit. It seems we've found a way back tae Velious after all this time, an' I'd like th' crafting checked out."

Ngranna nodded, lower jaw jutting out as she mumbled, "Sure, Mum. Not like 'Granna has hot date now."

"Och, lass. Think o' all th' new folks ye could meet while there. I'm sure, being cut off like they have, they've ne'er seen th' likes o' ye. Ye're a skilled jeweler, an' a fine figure o' an' ogress!" Mum coaxed, appealing to the large woman's wounded vanity.

Ngranna perked up a bit, lifting a meaty green hand to primp at her drooping hair. "Dat true! 'Granna go clean up, den will head out. Will send back report soon!" With that, she stomped off through the swamp, making a big enough splash as she did so to thoroughly coat Mum in mud and swamp goo.

"Och!"

~~~~

A couple days later, just as Mum was getting worried that she'd heard nothing from Ngranna, a package arrived containing a battered travel journal.

Quickly, she flipped through it, a frown growing on her face as she read. As usual, Ngranna's habit of hiding her true self was strong, and she loosened her "dumb ogre act" only a little when she wrote ... at least for the first several entries.

Giant turtle too old and stringy to make good stew. Fish have possibilities.
'Granna no want food that talks back, so left otter-men alone. Had nice crab stew snack, though.
Preserved parsnips ok, but 'Granna wonders about candied gnoll ears.
Would dwarves get mad if 'Granna snacked on spy-bird? Goat-man got angry about wooly spiderling crunchies, so 'Granna not want to risk it.
Brontotherium steaks! Dat hit the spot!

"Och! I should ha'e packed her a picnic basket afore she left. She's thinking wi' her stomach again!" Mum shook her head ruefully as she tucked a loose strand of red hair back into her braid and continued reading.

Suddenly, her eyes widened as she read the next, clearly-written entry.

I found a group of gnomish pirates on the docks of Thurgadin, and amongst them, one who called himself a gnome, but was as large as I was. Oh, his green muscles, how they ripple as he works. Such a thoughtful frown on his face as he concentrates on his "inventions." I yearn to learn more of this mysterious Oomba, and think I may stay here a while, making myself useful. (See enclosed picture, Mum - isn't he a cutie?)

"Gnomish pirate? Um, riiiiiggggght. An' distracting enow that she forgets tae act dumb? An' what about th' non-food crafting? Either she's been taken wi' snow-sickness, or she's in love ... again."

With a heavy sigh, Mum started mentally rearranging her schedule so that she could travel out to Velious for herself. Once again, she was reminded that, if she wanted something done right, she had to do it herself.


Next week marks the release of the first Velious expansion for EQ2, Destiny of Velious, on January 22.

The non-disclosure agreement was finally lifted - for most stuff, and I can finally talk about all the crafting goodness coming our way. Unfortunately, the "most stuff" doesn't yet include the crafting eye-candy that everyone eagerly awaits, and I am waiting for image approval before I put any screenshots up. ((Edit: approval was received after this article was published - thanks Amnerys and whomever else made this happen!)

In the meantime, consider this a placeholder -- I will be dropping in lots of preview information here as time permits over the next couple of days. There's a huge amount to cover, and I am still trying to get it organized into something semi-coherent. As I get things ready to read, I'll drop links in here at the bottom of the page, so you don't have to go hunting for it all.


Updates

Created: 2011-02-16 12:34:00          
Last Modified By: Niami Denmother          
Last Modified on: 2011-02-28 06:14:31          


© 2003-21 Niami Denmother.
The fine print. This is a research and information site. All of the information on this site has been gathered and submitted by the players and Niami Denmother. While we try our best to keep the information here as accurate and up to date as possible, rely upon it at your own risk. By submitting information and graphics to this site, you are granting us permission to use the materials in any way that we deem appropriate. EverQuest is a registered trademark of Darkpaw Games LLC. Except as is disclosed on the "about" page, this site has no official connection with EverQuest or Darkpaw Games LLC. All information, articles and graphics on this site are the copyright of EQ Traders Corner, its owners and/or Darkpaw Games LLC and may not be copied or reprinted without the express written approval of the copyright holder. This site is not meant to represent official EverQuest (Darkpaw Games) policy, and we are not responsible for errors and/or omissions that occur due to changes in EverQuest trade skills or information that we recieved from the community that is in error.