Witch

There will be an event on Friday, March 2nd, at 8:30 PM EST (2:30 AM server time)! The first in our series of upcoming short stories has been published! "Barathen's Bank: Timely Encounters" can be read here. Be sure to give it a read if you plan on attending and want a bit of additional background lore. As the phase develops, more short stories will be published, and they will correlate to events in-game! Presently, Captain Pritchard and several of his footmen are soliciting able adventurers and passersby for their aid in escorting a caravan through Elwynn Forest. The delivery is scheduled to be made once the sun has set several days from now.

Be sure to check out the mega-thread for Barathen's Bank, the Alliance township in phase 4127! On the outskirts of quaint little Barathen's Bank, the body of a cow dangled from a treetop. Its hind legs were bound together by a rope and its stomach had been sliced open, causing its intestines to spill and form a puddle on the ground below. This was only the most recent in a string of macabre attacks on farmsteads, and Darien Pritchard was growing irate. As captain of the local militia, it fell to him and his twenty footmen to safeguard the good folk who called Barathen's Bank home. Derreck, a lithe soldier in his mid-twenties, wrapped his legs around the base of the tree and made the slow climb up. Elwynn Forest was known for its tall, bushy canopies, and it took several minutes for him to reach the branches and cut the rope with his dagger. Pritchard watched the beast drop to the ground with a thud. He gazed into its lifeless eyes for a moment and finally spoke. "Get a wagon out here and haul this off before the sun rises. Light willing, we'll prevent a panic yet." From his perch high in the canopy, Derreck watched the captain turn on his heel and depart. His chest rose and fell with a sigh, and he began his descent. He knew of a sizable ditch dug not far from here where the soldiers dumped these carcasses. As he slid down the bark of the tree, he wondered how long they could continue to hide these attacks from the farmers. Pritchard wandered the gardens of a luscious estate with a solemn expression. The first rays of the sun slithered over the horizon, and he knew that he would soon be made to answer for his latest failure. He found a bench by a polished marble fountain and allowed himself to have a seat and enjoy a brief respite. He closed his eyes and his thoughts soon drifted to the past. For two decades he fought behind crumbling walls, struggling to mete out an existence in the unforgiving wastelands of Hellfire Peninsula. By volunteering for the Alliance Expedition, he had left behind a wartorn world with one solace: knowing their sacrifice would save the rest of humanity from annihilation. Countless still were lost to the guerrilla tactics of the fel orcs, their monstrous adversaries who fed on the blood of demons. He had not expected to survive or to be here today. The persistent voice of a young girl drew Captain Pritchard from his wartime recollections. He blinked several times and immediately spotted Abatha Townsend, the daughter of the magistrate. She was a bright and cheery girl with rose-tinted cheeks, braided locks of amber hair, and fine silk dresses which implied her noble upbringing. "Why, if it isn't the Little Lady," Pritchard began with the hint of a smile. Although it was against his better judgment, the captain had bestowed this nickname on the magistrate's daughter whom he was charged to protect. He was not knighted in her service, but the prospect had grown on him, especially in the absence of children he could call his own. "Good morning to you, sir," she responded. Folding her hands behind her back, she arched forward on the tips of her toes. "Father has requested your presence in his study posthaste." "I should not keep him, then," the captain answered and rose to his feet. Abatha accompanied him to the foyer of the estate and then returned to her room, leaving Pritchard to cross the foreboding hallway leading to the magistrate alone. Once at the heavyset oak doors, he paused and took a deep breath. Then, he raised his gauntleted fist to the door and announced his arrival. "Come in," replied a hollow voice. Pritchard complied, pulling on the silver door ring. He entered an impressively large chamber lined with rows of bookshelves and mounted boar heads. The air was stuffy and a roaring fireplace bathed the room in an unsettling crimson light. Henry Townsend, the magistrate of Barathen's Bank, rose from a tall throne chair and faced the captain. Pritchard knew the magistrate as a shrewd and impatient man with narrow features and deep-seated eyes. He draped himself in flowing robes and, when angered, had a certain fondness for threatening to imprison his enemies in the Stockades. "Your latest failure speaks volumes for your ability to lead effectively," Townsend spoke, his dark eyes piercing Pritchard's with a glare. "I deserve answers, captain. Indeed, the good people of Barathen's Bank deserve answers." "These are unusual attacks, sir," Pritchard mustered in response. Townsend gave the captain an unimpressed huff. "You jest, surely! You mean for me to believe that a band of vagabonds who sneak about in the middle of the night have not been captured by now? Do you even know who you are looking for?" "Gnolls. There were paw prints in the field." Pritchard took a single step forward, narrowing his eyes at the magistrate. "We should petition the crown for reinforcements, and–" "Excuses!" Townsend roared. "You and your men are soldiers, captain! Meanwhile I am up to my neck with supplicants who seek to understand why their cattle have disappeared suddenly!" The magistrate's face turned red and the veins of his forehead bulged. "I do not know why these gnolls are harassing the livestock, and I do not care to know either. What I do know is that you will eradicate them or I shall have your rear end mounted to my wall! Am I understood, sir?" The captain nodded, which appeared to ease the magistrate's frustration. He watched Townsend sweep across the room in his long robes and pull a small jewelry box down from a shelf before beckoning Pritchard forward. "My dear daughter Abatha sees a great deal in you that I do not," the magistrate acknowledged in a condescending tone of voice. "Even so, I have chosen to give you one chance to return to my good graces. Make arrangements with Postmaster Drews to have this packaged and delivered to Goldshire one week from today. Do not disappoint again, captain." Accepting it from the magistrate's bony hands, Pritchard looked the jewelry box over. So far as he could see, it was a plain wooden box lacking any features. He knew better than to peek inside it, and quickly acknowledged the request. "I will see it done." "Excellent," Townsend sighed. He returned to his chair and waved his hand in a gesture of dismissal at the captain. "Begone, Captain Pritchard. I am certain you've much to do right about now.”

Your story has an interesting premise. It seems like the human intentionally dropped his knife to lure the elf into a false sense of security; a move which turned out to be fatal for the sleep-deprived human. Good job writing this! I hope we'll find out more about your character in the future.

Thank you so much to the people who have attended our phase and made it a smash success! I have a lot on my plate to balance but I want to let everyone know the phase is being worked on daily and I have several events in mind (along with a series of short stories to expand on the town's lore). On that note, I've improved word flow in the last paragraphs of the first post and elaborated more on the town's history: "Without a clear successor to Lord Reginald's line, Barathen's Bank exists today as a municipality of the Stormwind crown. While the region's apparent immunity to banditry is a topic of fascination for many, knowledgeable scholars speculate that more than a handful of relatives and operatives of the now defunct Defias Brotherhood have originated from the hamlet." Expect a communique with details regarding our first few events in the near future, but until then, try talking to some of the NPCs while we're hosting -- there are unmarked mini-quests available throughout the phase! P.S. -- I forgot to credit Tiariana for his wonderful graphics in the initial posting, and wanted to take the opportunity to do so now!

Hi Bobby, If you have registered an account and cannot log in-game, double-check your config.WTF file in the WTF folder of the Epsilon directory. Make sure this line is present: SET portal "play.epsilonwow.net" Be careful that it has not reset to the default live portal. If it is set correctly and you still cannot log in-game, try logging into your game account from the main web page (click here) to verify that your account was successfully created.

An Alliance township in phase 4127. HISTORY Seventy-five years before the opening of the Dark Portal, the military outpost of Barathen's Bank was established to fortify the kingdom of Stormwind's defenses against rampant gnoll attacks. The soldiers stationed there fought to protect local farmers and quell the gnoll population: Local legends tell of the Battle of Forest's Edge in which the king's army routed Riverpaw forces and ultimately slew their chieftain, Bearclaw, achieving relative peace in the southwestern region of Elwynn Forest. Following the Gnoll War, the foundations for a keep were lain and farmsteads grew to surround the area. Barathen's Bank was granted a royal charter ten years later and developed into a thriving trading hub. It was at this point in history that the region first became famous for its sheep exports: the lamb chops from Forest's Edge were a delicacy, owing to the rich water and fertile soil, and the wool plentiful and soft. In the First War, Barathen's Bank was overrun by the Orcish Horde and left to burn. It was not until the peoples' return to Stormwind after the Second War that an ambitious nobleman sought to revitalize trade in the region, beginning with Barathen's Bank. With his vast coffers, Lord Drivett Reginald of the House of Nobles granted commoners free land and commissioned a nearby chapter of the Stonemasons Guild to rebuild the town. The original keep was made of stone and had held through the war, but was refurbished to reflect the lord's extravagant tastes. Before long, Barathen's Bank became a center for trade throughout Elwynn Forest once again. As it continued to expand, the humans' idyllic lifestyle was even known to draw curious adventurers from the reclusive mountains of Khaz Modan to the far reaches of Lordaeron. The construction of Lord Reginald's estate was overseen by a chief officer of the Stonemasons Guild. The lord was thought of as a benevolent man and beloved by his subjects, who initially flourished under his rule. As a token of the peoples' affection, baskets of local goods were often bundled and delivered to him. However, shortly after the completion of New Stormwind, footmen were deployed to collect heavy taxes from the citizenry. The farmers, many of whom were poor and had little enough to spare, were badgered and often physically beaten if they could not meet the lord's demands. The Stonemasons Guild was refused payment for its services in Barathen's Bank, and the chief officer executed as a political enemy. With the aid of the Stonemasons, riots soon became commonplace. Rocks were gathered to be thrown at the soldiers, and mysterious blockades would appear overnight to delay traveling merchant caravans. Brandishing pitchforks, torches, and other makeshift weapons, the farmers were trained to ransack these caravans in the middle of the night to ensure their supplies never reached those loyal to the crown. A red bandana was used to indicate loyalty to the cause, and many homes soon adopted the symbol, hanging it from their doorsteps. In response to the backlash, taxes were raised even higher and soon became an unbearable burden. In addition, public demonstrations were made of any caught in acts of rebellion. These were often gruesome tortures carried out in the gardens of Lord Reginald's newly finished estate, prompting many to refer to the area in whispers as "The Tyrant's Perch." On the eve of the Bloody Dagger, it is said that the citizenry stormed the Tyrant's Perch and ended Lord Reginald's life in his bed. The aftermath is poorly documented, for the townsfolk professed ignorance of the murder. What is known is that Augustus Gale and other prominent members who spearheaded the rebellion immediately formed a congress and drafted a new charter in the wake of the lord's demise, a move which the Stormwind crown proved unable to contest as the threat of the newly founded Defias Brotherhood grew to occupy their attention. Without a clear successor to Lord Reginald's line, Barathen's Bank exists today as a municipality of the Stormwind crown. While the region's apparent immunity to banditry is a topic of fascination for many, knowledgeable scholars speculate that more than a handful of relatives and operatives of the now defunct Defias Brotherhood have originated from the hamlet. Credit is due to Tiariana for the spectacular graphics he created for this forum posting. As the phase develops in-game, short stories will be published that tie in to events. Timely Encounters

Hi Rogan, I'm very proud of you for turning over a new leaf and taking a stand to apologize to the community. I think anyone who reads your post will be genuinely touched by your sincerity. Epsilon has always been a server that believes in second chances, and while our reputations aren't always perfect, we grow and learn from the mistakes we've made. Although you seem to think we have a static community, I look forward to seeing you in-game again and I hope you'll feel comfortable reaching out and making some new friends. In summary, don't be discouraged -- life is too short to sweat the small stuff!

I would not opposed to a 24/7 .rp list channel. For example, as you are preparing to host your phase you can opt to list it and then advertise independently of that list using that .eventann channel. What is more important right now is a method by which players can find and attend role-play. We have been told the administration will reconsider this command. Let us hope it becomes a priority.

That remains to be seen. But yes, for the time being I think our best course of action is to stop acting stingy and give the players a modifiable client. 7.3 and 8.0 will happen in time. While we are waiting let's not inhibit players or their creativity.

It is an issue the modding community will have to contend with regardless. Battle for Azeroth will have technical hurdles in the same vein that Cataclysm overhauled the ADT file structure or how Warlords of Draenor introduced the CASC file system. When WoD came out the modding community had absolutely no idea how to access or modify the client, and today we can stream directly to it in real time -- while you are playing the game no less! 7.3 will be cracked and so will 8.x and beyond. I do not understand the hesitation of the administration and some of the players; 7.2.5 will not become the new 3.3.5a simply because Blizzard has created new obstacles for us. If we could crack CASC and create the CDN, do you think 7.3 will hold the modding community back?

Why wouldn't we? I realize what Azarchius believes to be true about 7.3, but it is inevitable Darknest or some other community will crack the launcher in time. If anyone recalls, vanilla private servers were extremely difficult to connect to when they first came out. Today the process is seamless. Modding is not going anywhere any time soon, and it is important for us to continue to move forward as a server.

I typically would not post twice, but I feel this deserves its own post as it is a separate point: As we move forward into 7.3, we should continue to use the CDN server to a bare minimum. Our CDN should be used to publish additions ONLY to the game files, e.g. building and water tiles. No edits should be published which overwrite existing files, such as character m2s. The exe, which is connected to Epsilon's CDN and allows local changes, can be used for players to modify existing files in the client. This is how character edits, model edits, map edits, item edits, overcloaks, etc., can be used again.

I wish you luck in becoming a developer! However, it wouldn't fix the immediate problem the other players here face. Our modding sub-community has shriveled since the decision was made to switch to a CDN server. Most of my work is showcased here; I lost access to months' worth of work -- as a result I have barely modded on 7.2. Azshara Crater, tweaking Queen Azshara's dress to conform to the night elf model, re-UVing the models, beards, etc., almost everything I began has sat unfinished. My hairs were not finished, these were all works in progress until it became impossible to use them in-game. The administration has been indecisive on this issue and there has not been a substantive discussion since the CDN server went live. Deramyr has said publicly before that players will not be punished for cracking the exe themselves. Other things have been said, albeit not publicly, but I would advise you not to get your hopes up on any sort of support coming out of the staff team. Unofficial modding has effectively been abandoned on this server.

I like this suggestion! If the dev team finds the time and resources to dedicate to this, it should absolutely be a focus.

I'm not certain this would contribute to the role-play scene. What I see happening is particular phases emerge more popular than the rest. While X phase is not actively role-playing, it is hosted and players idle in it for its established popularity making Y and Z phases, which are actively role-playing, fall behind. I like the idea of the #roleplay-ads channel on our Discord server, you can advertise your phase and say that it is open at all times. But I do not think inactive phases should be competing with active phases in the game channels.

Welcome to Epsilon, Golduck! I'm aware of who Kralian is. I'm glad to see players are spreading the word about us! If you have any questions while you're settling in please feel free to ask. I look forward to seeing you in-game!

h i i i e e e e e e e e Alaska Thunderfuck - Your Makeup is Terrible (Anus) Alaska Thunderfuck - Come to Brazil (Poundcake) Violet Chachki - Bettie Adore Delano - Hello, I Love You Legally Blonde - Omigod You Guys Courtney Act - Welcome to Disgraceland Latrice Royale - Weight Nicki Minaj - Anaconda Willam Belli - RuPaulogize

There was a Fall of Lordaeron guild on my previous server. I enjoyed it very much; my high elf was supposed to have died during the events of the guild, but the storyline was never finished. I'd love to see another guild or phase set in the Third War era!

Hi kitty, While this is not the proper way to inquire about bans, there is no ban history on your account. You should be able to log in fine. If your problem persists please let me know in private and I can assist you further.

Hi Sandon, Welcome to Epsilon! We're thrilled to have you here with us. If you need any help getting back into the swing of things, please let us know! I'll see you around in-game. (:

>not dying in Queen Azshara's name w e a k

I'll forward this thread to Azarchius for review. I have noticed the issue with phase skyboxes and hopefully he can look into NPC auras. Thanks for posting!

Hi Insomnia, I'm certain that anything I say about the Phase Manager you will have heard previously. It is a work in progress. We don't have an ETA for its completion. As for the .appear and .summon bug, thank you for the suggestion. This should absolutely be a priority, it worked without issue in the past and I will ask Azarchius to investigate. The other items you've suggested, i.e. cloaks, weapons, meshes, are things the developers may or may not already be working on. I can't spoil anything, but there have been some interesting screenshots! Thank you for the post. I'm sorry it took me so long to get around to reading it, the last few days have been very hectic. I appreciate the time you put into writing this!

I remember this!! I dug up your videos and you were my guiding hand through Blender, a program I had never used before. All of the character model edits I made were possible because I'd watched you. I have a showcase here: I've always wanted to properly thank you for everything. Your work is amazing!

Hi Matt, Client-side modding will be impossible in patch 7.3. The decision to switch to a CDN server was a matter of whether we wanted to remove the ability to do so now or later. We try not to harp on this because we realize it was always going to be an unpopular decision; unfortunately, we do not have access to the World of Warcraft game engine, and we have no control over what Blizzard decides to do with their game. Modding has always been a workaround and now is no different. We will be one of the first servers to upgrade to patch 7.3, and we will likely be one a small handful with access to custom content in future expansions. We did not want patch 7.2 to become the new 3.3.5a because we are scared of the technological hurdles. Moving forward is essential to Epsilon. Most of the time we will not announce decisions that most people would not find any value in, such as purchasing a new dedicated server or testing changes that are not ready to be published, but those who are looking for progress should tab into the #dev-updates channel on Discord. The Gossip Corner showcased only a fraction of what is being worked on and I do not think it would be fair to force developers to announce their projects in their infancy. I want us to showcase progress, you're right about that, and once our developers have come closer to the completion of their projects (some advanced programs are being worked on), you will likely see these in a future edition of the Gossip Corner. Like Azarchius said, NPC auras were recently introduced. There is a list of things that we are working on daily. Render distance and more are all things we have heard about and want to push forward. The Gossip Corner should cover these exciting changes and more. EDIT: You all might find this thread from the retail forums to be an interesting read. Modding isn't something we're changing because we want to. We have no choice.