Hallow's End Screenshot Story Competition

   Well, the competition has come to a close. I received some really great entries! I was surprised by the creativity of everyone, and, to be honest, the diversity. I saw poems, I saw stories, I saw familiar tales. It was really wonderful to read them all, and to see the screenshots illustrate the stories. You all did a truly great job and I would definitely hold a contest like this again. Perhaps for Christmas!

   But anyway, I'll jump right in. There are three winners for this competition, and while the prizes aren't incredible, I hope you all at least had fun participating, and those that didn't, like I said, I'll try this kind of contest again, but the loot card will be set to a Landro's Gift loot card, and I'm thinking Christmas!

So, the winners, and their submissions are:
The Harpy's Nest - How Sprout Got Her Squash
Navimie - Azeroth and Hallow's End
Rinike - The Hounds of Baskerville

   Congratulations, ladies! I'll be in touch asap regarding prizes! Do read their entries, they're really very clever!

   Anyways, Happy Halloween guys! Don't eat too many sweets. I won't be dressing up, but Koruth and I have a movie to watch and a big bucket of chocolate. I'm going to have to workout hard next week to get rid of it all! But it'll be worth it.

Remembering Stratholme

   I'd never been able to appreciate Stratholme before the Culling of Stratholme came out. In truth, I was afraid of the original instance. It was too dark, filled with undead, and at the time I was unfamiliar with the game. It really unnerved me and I avoided it like the plague. The same went with Scholomance. Now, however, they're some of my most favourite dungeons, though I haven't played Scholomance at level 90 - you know what kind of a player I am!

   And so it wasn't until I saw Stratholme for what it used to be that I saw the original instance in a different, fiery light.

   I didn't know that you can go into the Culling of Stratholme and walk around in there. If you just don't speak to Chromie and run right past her, you have almost free reign. You only need to start the instance to get through the bookcase Arthas opens for you.

   So I decided to snoop about, since I'd only ever been in there with a group. And then I decided to add a narrative. Enjoy.

Remembering Stratholme.

   I had been away from the city when the plague had struck, and I count myself among the lucky ones. But it pains me to think back and remember the faces of my family, who had also been killed in Arthas' slaughter.

   I have been back to the city since then, once, in an attempt to see what remained of my family and to collect sentimental valuables, but I wasn't allowed in. The last time I saw my family was when I waved goodbye to them. My wife, Stephanie, waving with Jessemine at her side, my young girl. I was in a bit of a rush that day because a storm was about to set in, so I didn't spend as long saying goodbye as I might usually have. It was only a three day trip to a nearby travelling market and back. I thought I'd see them again soon.
   I live now in Redridge - far more than a stone's throw from the city. I have to admit, I've never been able to make my mind up about how I feel about that fact. On one hand I'm glad to be so far from the wretched place, and from what transpired there. But on the other, all I have left of my family is in that place. Afterall, all I took with me were the clothes on my back.

   The road has changed significantly. The colours of the plants - though it's mostly just fungus living off of the rotted vegetation that still manages to hang on, allowed to live, seed and then die just to keep the fungi alive. The buildings are in ruin, too. Homes of friends of mine no more now than rotten wooden beams and rubble. The roads are uneven, and the horizon...it's alien to me.

   I continued along the road and soon reached the familiar stone face of the city's wall, though I suppose 'familiar' is loosely used at this point. The foot of the path, once flanked on either side by towers, are now replaced by Scourge Ziggurats. I steeled myself and continued onwards along the bridge, and soon reached the gate. The banners are still hanging, But, I guess, why would anyone take the time to remove them?

   I stopped at the end of the corridor, hot air quickly weighing down upon me. But that wasn't what caused me to stop. The sight before me shook me to my core. Guards would usually be posted on either side of the gate, ready to stop and question anyone suspicious, and keep the peace. Citizens would go to and from The Stone Crow tavern at the far end of the road and everyone would live in relative safety.
   I had expected a ruin, but not like this. Fires burned everywhere, the air was thick with smoke. I had to tie a cloth about my nose and mouth to clean the air, but I knew I couldn't stay here for long. Another thing I couldn't make my mind up about.
   Buildings that were once so familiar had crumbled to ash or were simply still burning. I forced back the wondering at how the fires could still burn after so many years. It was not an answer I wished to have.

   I reached the end of the path and noticed movement. I froze, uncertain at what was going to happen. I had heard that some Scourge still dwelled within the city, but up to this point I hadn't had sight 'nor sound of them. I was in the middle of the road - a rather obvious mistake - and wouldn't be able to hide without drawing attention to myself. Fortunately - perhaps - while I was busy panicking, I finally saw what had caught my eye. A woman. I was still unsure how to react, but I soon noticed something odd about her. She was casually dressed, and walked as though she was quite at home in the burning city. It wasn't until she passed a burning pile of lumber that I realised that she was translucent.
   I began to walk onwards, slowly at first, but I began to realise that she was oblivious to her surroundings. I watched her head to The Stone Crow tavern and stand at the door, making casual movements of her arms as if speaking - though there was no sound. She appeared to be laughing at one point, and continued her silent conversation with the boarded up door for some time. I slipped past while she was occupied, rounded a corner and felt a sudden chill. It took me a moment to realise that another ghost had walked straight through me.
   My heart began to race, and I was considering leaving, but my legs marched onwards and I, of course, had to go with them. I wanted to see it all, see everything that had become of the city.

   I stood, then, in King's Square. Stephanie used to sell her fruit and vegetables at a little stall here. There's no trace of it anymore. I wonder if she had been here when the Plague hit...no. I can't think about that. I haven't come here for that alone. I've come here for closure.
   Fras Siabi's place, which used to have the odd little robot outside, is the only recognisable place left in the square - aside, of course, from the old statue and fountain. Having noticed one, then another, I'm seeing more and more ghosts roaming the area. They seem unaware of the state of the city, and go about their business as if they were alive and all was well. Rather unsurprisingly, many ghosts of men seem to head in and out of Siabi's.

   I turned and left, continuing to Festival Lane. I'm coming to terms with the ruin now. While at first I had no bearings at all, made worse by expecting to recognise these surroundings, I have finally found them again. Despite the smoke, I can recognise places I visited regularly - Goodman's, Angelista's Boutique, Leeka's Shields and Axes, and not to mention Aaren's Flowers, a place frequented whenever I was in trouble with Stephanie. I couldn't help smiling to myself. Women could be so complicated, but they could also be so simple, too.

   I passed by Market Row, and soon found myself in Crusader Square. Or, rather, near it. As I drew nearer I could hear voices. At first I thought it was Scourge, and I was going to turn back, but something came over me. Some kind of hungering - for revenge or simply curiousity, I couldn't decide. Both, I suppose. I don't know what I thought I could do if it was Scourge. Though I was armoured in leather and I had a sword at my side, I didn't have all that much training in combat. I couldn't go unarmed, though, and I was too determined to change my mind.
   I hid around the side of the gate and peered around the corner. There were Undead there - Horde or Scourge I still don't know. Surely it could only be one or the other. They were milling about outside of the Cathedral, but they seemed to be some kind of purpose. I don't know what it was and I didn't want to find out. There was no way they'd be friendly.
   I turned to leave. I'd been there for a few hours already, and though the cloth around my face was doing a fine job keeping the dust and smoke out of my breath, I was sweating profusely, and growing very tired. I took a shortcut through Market Row this time, glancing back and noticing the Kirtonos Brother's Funeral Home, looking just as miserable as it always did, despite now being aflame.
   A sudden gutteral noise sounded to my left - far too close for comfort. As I glanced in the direction it came from I saw a disgusting rotten face grinning at me - though I don't truly know if it was grinning, but it didn't seem to be able to control any sort of expression with what little muscle it had left. My heart stopped, but I thank my lucky stars that I was able to pick my feet up and run. I heard the sound again, and this time it sounded like laughing. More joined it, but I didn't look back. I ran and ran, and only half noticed the ruins of my old family home as I darted past it. I ran out from the city, and back down the road. I hadn't noticed what sort of time had passed while I was in the old city, but when I got outside of the veil of smoke, I found the sun to be shining directly into my eyes. It was late afternoon, I noted, but as I took the time to process this, I tripped on an old bone in the road, and landed at the end of the bridge.
   I glanced back towards the city as I scrambled back to my feet, but there was no sign 'nor sound of my pursuers. It was silent around me. I don't know if they lost me, didn't want to step out into the sun's light, or simply got bored, but I was left alone as I ran back to the nearest Argent post - the nearest point of safety.

   While I never got the chance to search my old home, I can say that I am satiated. I don't feel the need to return to the city, a need I had felt for years before. I have seen what has become of it, and I don't believe that, even if it could be rebuilt, I would ever set foot there again. I will pass this on at Stormwind. They will want to know what I've found. The city cannot be saved.

The Five Most Haunted Places in WoW

   Haunted means different things inside and out of WoW. For us, 'haunted' implies strange activities, or the frequent presence of even just a single ghost, be they aggressive or not. In WoW, there are undead everywhere, and so the term 'haunted' would be frequently used to describe many places. As such, I'm not counting those places here.

   Instead, I'm using the term 'haunted' to mean that an area has strange activity and the frequent presence of even just a single ghost, with the echos of the past. Undead roaming around doesn't count. Phantom church bells do.

5. Caer Darrow

   Caer Darrow is doubtlessly haunted. The inhabitants of the island are cursed to relive the happiest moment of the island's history - Uther's visit. The inhabitants were killed by the Plague and the Scourge that followed, and through the severity of their situation were unable to find rest. However, rather than relive their deaths and the strife of the place, they're at least a little better off, to be reliving the better moments, even if they can't be put to rest.

   The ghostly inhabitants can only be seen if you have the Spectral Essence trinket, which is no longer obtainable in-game. I also believe that the individual who could replace the orb is no longer there either, so it's totally unobtainable as of Cataclysm. As I explained in my recent post, Caer Darrow, none of the inhabitants appear to realise that they're dead, except from Rory.

4. Darrowshire

   During the Third War, Darrowshire was attacked by the Scourge. The people who lived there, whether they fought or not, were all slaughtered, or thought to have been. Carlin Redpath is one of the few, if not the only survivor, and was found by the Argent Dawn, gravely injured. The battle of Darrowshire was re-enacted pre-Cataclysm and was more complicated than it is now, and usually required a group, but I never experienced it.

   Ghosts still roam the area, but only spawn, or reveal themselves, when you walk into their homes. The ghost of Pamela Redpath, another individual who seems unaware that she is dead, and unaware of the aftermath of the war, is also there, and sends you off to find her doll and get her father's sword back so that she can give it to him when he comes home. She knows that her father has gone off to war, and that she was told not to leave where she's currently found, but that's where her memory seems to end. It makes me wonder, how did she die? Did she die early on, or did she suffer some kind of trauma first? Did she watch the house burn down around her?

3. Karazhan

   Karazhan is considered the only true haunted house in WoW, and that's quite true. There's that spooky piano music playing for the most part, and there are all kinds of ghosts, invaders, cobwebs and so on, but these can be found almost anywhere. What makes it a haunted house, I believe, is the history of the location, knowing what went on in there. If it weren't for that then it would seem like just about any other ruined building in WoW with ghosts and undead.
   Medivh went mad, we all know this, torn between himself and Sargeras, and ransacked the place. His ghost still remains within the instance, and, in a way, the fact that you can't progress without playing his game is a little bit of a sadistic haunt itself - being forced to play a game that you may not want to, or many not know how to play, for the enjoyment of someone no longer living.
   Individuals such as Moroes still 'live' there as undead, and they continue to host banquets for the ghosts therein, refusing to move on or to accept what has happened to their master and his home.

2. Stratholme

    Stratholme, like four out of five on this list, is within Lordaeron. The Culling of Stratholme took place something like 16 years ago. I don't know the precise date, but according to the unofficial timeline (constantly updated and tweaked, while any official timelines are extremely broken and also inconsistant), the Culling took place around the 617th year of the King's Calendar, and we are currently in the year 633. Apparently.
   Regardless, we know that when Arthas became the Lich King, which was perhaps a couple of years after the Culling, he sat and waited for a long time, gathering his forces before launching any assault. He was at that for a while before we killed him, and since then, the Cataclysm has happened and so on. And due to Cataclysm having redesigned the world, it's safe to assume that something supernatural is happening within Stratholme, since it's still on fire.
   The city, like many places in Lordaeron, suffered from the trauma of the Plague, the worst thing to ever happen to, for the majority, Human civilisation, though the High Elves were certainly also affected. But the city was razed 16 years ago, and somehow it still burns. And ghosts of those who were killed before they turned still exist there, unable to move on, and who continue to walk around the city, going about daily business and talking to people who aren't there anymore.

1. Throne room of Lordaeron

   You all know that I believe King Terenas' throne room to be the most haunted place in the game, and this list was put together by myself, numbered by my own opinion, and I may well have missed a place or two out that would better fit. But regardless, I place this as the most haunted.

   My reasoning is that nowhere else will you find history repeating itself so constantly, and so unaided. There are ghosts in the courtyard, invisible, but present. If you cast an AOE out there, whether you can see them or not, you'll get into combat. The two large bells are destroyed, but they still ring. An inanimate object continues to ring as it did the day Arthas returned. Crowds are still cheering, but no one is there, and some of them may well have died peacefully, or have gone to rest at any rate, but their voices continue to cheer. The voices of Arthas, Terenas and Medivh can still be heard in the throne room itself, snippets of two pivotal points in Human history - Arthas' betrayal, and Medivh's warning. And the blood stain on the floor to the throne's left, which was left on the ground after Terenas' crown rolled away, trailing the blood of the Last King of Lordaeron. It has seen the most trauma for such sounds and voices to linger, and while, certainly, none of the three specific participants died peacefully, and their spirits could very likely never be at complete peace, it is not their spirits that continue to linger there, but rather the echos of the past. It's the location that's doing it, not the spirits. And so I mark this as the most haunted place in WoW. And the majority of people who pass through don't even realise it.

Hallow's End Screenshots

WCC: Hallow's End Sweets

   This week's WoW Crafting Challenge is a bit late, I admit. The reason for this is because I wanted to make a Hallow's End special piece, and due to the fact that I thought of it a bit late, couldn't make it too far in advance. So I started making these pieces about 2 weeks ago, but things went wrong here and there, to the point that one of the four final pieces weren't completed (took three goes) until Saturday afternoon - yesterday afternoon.

   But, I managed. The four Hallow's End sweets - the Soothing Spearmint Candy, the Chewy Fel Taffy, the Pyroblast Cinnamon Balls, and the G.N.E.R.D.S - were no easy feat, and I had to improvise on a few pieces due to a lack of appropriate description. And so, the Soothing Spearmint Candy are spearmint fudge - they're better than they sound - the Chewy Fel Taffy is in fact taffy, the Pyroblast Cinnamon Balls are cinnamon flavoured hard candy, and the G.N.E.R.D.S. were originally supposed to be hard candy too, but due to difficulties presented by the mould I was using, they became fondant instead.

  The Soothing Spearmint Candy came first. I made a simple white chocolate fudge and added a dash of spearmint flavouring and green food colouring. It actually went wrong first, because I wasn't reading my candy thermometer correctly. For some absurd reason I thought the thermometer went up in 100 intervals, rather than 20, and so when I had to cook to 113C, I only actually cooked to 105C, and that makes all the difference. I was supposed to cook to just under 'Soft Ball' but only cooked to 'Jam' - needless to say that it just didn't set. But on my second attempt they worked much better, were firmly set and the exact consistancy that fudge should be. I used Lor Ann oil, however, which is potent, and added a little too much so they're very minty, but fortunately my dad is like a dog - he'll eat anything. So they didn't go to waste.

How:
120g white chocolate; 60g unsalted, cubed butter; 1 cup sugar; 1/3 cup of evaporated milk; colouring; flavour
Line an 8x8 tin with baking paper. Combine broken white chocolate and butter in a bowl and set aside. Mix sugar and evaporated milk in a medium saucepan and heat to a boil, stirring constantly. Stop stirring so often and continue cooking until 113C on a candy thermometer. Once it hits 113, empty it into bowl of butter and chocolate and stir until butter and chocolate has melted, then add a dash of colour and flavour. Mix it together and pour it into the lined tin. Let it set at room temperature for a few hours until firm, then cut it into pieces.

   The Chewy Fel Taffy came second. This went badly the first time around for the same reason that the Soothing Spearmint Candy did, because I made them one day apart, and it wasn't until the taffy failed that I realised my mistake. I used a recipe that involved the American product Kool-Aid, and I was surprised to actually find it on Ebay for only about £1.37 a sachet. It's awful stuff, though, there's no way in hell any of the stuff in it is natural, the colour stains like crazy, and the smell is so strong. Either way, I had used lemon and lime flavour first since it was the only bright green one they had, but it smelt like the green fruit pastels, which is one of the worst smells in the world to me, so when I made it a second time around, I decided to buy a blue drink mix and add yellow colouring, which worked out fine. I used...I don't remember, something to do with ice, blue and lemonade. It smelt much better but stains awfully. I can see why people use this stuff to dye wool and hair. Seriously, it's insane stuff.

   It took a lot of work, and was...really horrible to make to be honest. Despite being a crafter, I hate getting my hands dirty, and pulling that taffy, even with my hands smeared in butter, it was vile. Kids would love it, though, but it is also very gloopy to start with, and I had to work over a large buttered plate so that I could prevent a mess when I did drop parts. In the end it turned out perfectly, though. To start with I was worried because the mixture was very dark green, and very translucent, but after some pulling, the colour lightened and the translucency went away completely. I do think I should have pulled it more, though, but it worked in the end.

How:
2 1/2 cups sugar; 3 tablespoons cornstarch; 1 cup light corn syrup (light meaning clear in colour); 1/13 cups of water; 2 tablespoons butter; 1 teaspoon salt; packet of Kool-Aid drink mix (standard 6g packet)
Butter a large pan. Stir sugar and cornstarch in a large pan and then add the corn syrup, water, butter and salt and stir over a medium heat until all has melted and combined together. Bring to a boil at medium heat and stop stirring, letting it reach 120C, 'Hard Ball' on a candy thermometer. It heats up really quickly between 115 and 120 so keep a close eye on it the whole time. When it reaches 120C, remove it from the heat immediately and stir in the Kool-Aid. Add additional food colouring if you wish to mix the colour. I used a blue drink mix and added yellow colouring to make it green. Pour the mixture into the buttered tin and leave for about half an hour. When you come back to it it should be touchable, and it should be soft but not runny. Butter a large plate, then butter your hands like crazy. Seriously, treat it like soap. Gather the taffy mix out of the pan with your gross, buttery hands and start pulling it about above the plate. If any drops on the plate, the buttered surface will stop it sticking. Rebutter your hands as often as you feel you need to and keep pulling the taffy about until it stiffens. The colour will change. It was quite dark and looked a bit watery/translucent in the tin, but after pulling it about, it became lighter in colour, and very opaque. When it's been pulled about enough, leave it in strands and cut apart. If you didn't pull it enough, like me, then keep it in the fridge, it will help firm it up. I used waxed paper to wrap all of these sweets.

   I made the Pyroblast Cinnamon Balls and the G.N.E.R.D.S. together a few days ago using a very simple hard candy mix, but I had difficulty with the G.N.E.R.D.S. (I'm going to get very fed up typing that out) because of their mould. I could only find one with gem-like cavities and it was plastic, while the half-sphere moulds I bought for the Pyroblast Cinnamon Balls were made of silicone (very bendy, soft rubber, keeps its shape and can withstand high temperatures, and due to its flexibility, it's always easy to remove solid items from the moulds).

   I made the mixture regardless, seperated it into different pyrex measuring cups to add the colour and flavour and poured them into the moulds. This was my first mistake. I did the Pyroblast Cinnamon Balls first, but they took some time to fill all the cavities, which gave the G.N.E.R.D.S. mixtures a chance to cool...and harden. I managed to pour them out because I had worked fast in the first place, but it came out thick and made a mess, a thick sugary trail from one cavity to the next. It did set, however, but I couldn't get them out of the moulds without them breaking into several pieces because of the trails left behind. When they were snapped off, they broke off parts of the gems. I tried it all again the next day, this time without the Pyroblast Cinnamon Balls since they had worked out fine, and the mixture was a lot friendlier when it came to pouring it, but because they didn't have a thick trail leading from one to another, I couldn't get them out of the moulds at all. Turns out you're supposed to use non-stick spray - I hadn't read that anywhere, and I didn't have any anyway (I'd have bought some if I knew I needed it) - or put the tray in hot water to expand the plastic, but nothing worked at all. In the end I had to soak them out and ended up racking my brain for a few days before deciding on something I was more confident with: fondant. I'm not the biggest fan of fondant, but I'd rather have that over marzipan, so I gave it a go. I coloured balls of fondant red, green and blue, and pressed them into the moulds. I hardened them in the oven (pre heated it low, then turned it off, then put the tray in for about 10 minutes. The dry, hot air removes the moisture from the fondant) and they all came out of their moulds. Sadly, they don't have the gem-like translucency they would have had with hard candy, but at this point, I'm just glad I can say I made them, be it right be it wrong.

   I coated the Pyroblast Cinnamon Balls in sherbet to make them easier to handle since they were everso slightly sticky. I admit that I have no idea how that would work with the cinnamon flavour but regardless, I'm not eating them, I'm not a fan of cinnamon. The G.N.E.R.D.S. are also candy floss flavoured, and actually quite nice.

How:

250ml water; 500g sugar; colouring; flavouring.
Spray a mould or tin with non-stick spray. Mix the water and sugar together in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Add the candy thermometer and bring to a boil and increase the heat, letting it cook to 150C - just under 'Crack'. It will cook fast until about 100C, then it'll slow down to a crawl. It will speed up a lot between 140 and 150, though, so keep your eye on it. Between 140 and 145C, add a dash of colour and flavour, but don't stir it. The boiling mixture will do a remarkable job of this itself. As soon as it hits 150C, take it off the heat and pour it into a tray. Alternatively, if you're using moulds like I was, transfer it into a heat-proof Pyrex measuring jug - it'll stop it cooking and it will give you a more precise pour. Let the mixture set for a few hours and then pop them out of their moulds. I used half-ball moulds, but found that they stuck together just fine. I then rolled them in sherbet because, well, frankly they were a little messy and I wanted to cover it up. To clean the pans and jugs, just soak them in hot water. The sugar mix will dissolve away. Store the sweets in an air-tight container.

For the fondant pieces, just use powdered colour with store-bought fondant, mix until colour is even, then press into moulds. Pre-heat your oven at a low temperature for about 5-10 minutes, then turn it off and put the moulds inside. The dry heat will remove the moisture from the fondant and make it harden a lot faster. Otherwise, you're looking at an overnight setting time, and the possibility of it not setting anyway if your home happens to be humid.

   I'm proud of how it all came out. The only ones I'm disappointed in are the G.N.E.R.D.S. because they didn't work as hard candy. I might retry them one day and update this post, once I have some non-stick spray,  but I am very pleased that I managed to make them all in the end, or close enough. I even bought a pumpkin pail to photograph them in, so enjoy the awful pictures and be glad I'm not forcing you to eat them! I admit to looking forward to digging into the taffy, though.

Costumes

   I decided I'd make a costume post for Halloween. It didn't really work as I'd planned, though, since none of them were scary - not really that easy in WoW, to be honest - and decided intsead to try a different tact. Instead of Halloween costumes, they are simply costumes.

   I initially decided I'd focus on people I admired, but I can't find many people I admire, let alone anyone who I could work with in WoW. So it eventually ended up turning into costumes of my favourite characters this year. I only managed three, but they're three ladies that I came across or rediscovered this year.

Galadriel
Mooncloth Robe,  Frigid Mail Circlet,  White Swashbuckler's shirt,  Styled white hair

   I obviously didn't only recently come across her. Far from it. But I did only see The Hobbit on around January the 5th. I remember that because it's when Koruth and I celebrated our birthdays together, him on December 28th, and me on January 9th.
   I'm not really a fan of Elves. I've grown quite tired over them, and a few years ago I lost interest in them. You'll be hard pushed to find any elves in any stories I write (you know, except Atherya's diary), whereas one of my best friends writes nothing but Elves. But, I like Galadriel. She's very odd, but she's so pleasant. She's not a horrible person at all, not remotely stuck up, and yet she knows so much - but, not enough to keep her from ever being surprised. She's beautiful, she's generous, she loves everyone regardless of race (there are exceptions, though *ahemorcsahem*). She's fabulous. But, as she demonstrated, she is not as strong as she could be. She knows what would happen if she were to take the Ring, she knows it would consume her, and she knows that while she would use it for good, it would manipulate her, and she wouldn't be able to stop it. But she was strong enough to turn away from and remove herself from the presence of its influence.
   This costume was...well, no, not easy either really. The robe was hard to make because felcloth is difficult to farm, and if you look at it too long the shirt beneath the robe starts to stand out, and the circlet is a little odd. I went for the simplest head piece I could, and it took me hours to farm. I ended up with a complete grey plate set with extra pieces before it finally dropped! I was killing stormcrest hatchlings, which is a pain because you have to wait for them to spawn, so I waited at the top of the waterfall in Bor's Breath. Still, I'm very happy with the outcome here.

Sephrenia 

White Wedding Dress,  Parted long black hair

   Sephrenia is a character from David Eddings' Elenium Trilogy, which I read early this year. I have small issues with Eddings' work, I feel it could be written better (and I don't say that with the idea that I could do it any better), but, his ideas were phenomenal, and that is half of the importance. To be a successful writer, you need to be able to write, and you need to have unique ideas. If one of these is greater than the other, it can carry the weaker half. Eddings is my second favourite author, and any book I ever read by him is always better than the last one I read. Sephrenia is a very interesting character, with pale skin, long black hair, and of a race that uses magic and are looked down and mistrusted on by everyone else. She's exceptional.
   I love the Elenium Trilogy - it's my favourite trilogy, second to the Lord of the Rings. I actually have a reference to the trilogy in Atherya's diary: her horse's name, Styric, is in fact the name of the race that Sephrenia herself is.
   The costume was an easy one. She's a very simple individual, and wears a white robe, but it was hard to find one that was plain, just white and covered all. Her back is open, but a white shirt can cover that up no problem. I kept her barefoot for lack of any simple enough shoes that didn't clash, but given the ending of the book, bare feet are appropriate.

Delilah Copperspoon

Silver-Thread Armour,  Silver-Thread Pants,  Silver-Thread Boots,  Simple black hair,  Red Rose .

   Delilah was the best part of Dishonored. I had been looking forward to the game so much and was totally disappointed by it, but I enjoyed Delilah Copperspoon in the DLC. I find the general design of the witches to be just generally amazing, I really love them, and Delilah's insanity and goals are amazing. She's one of the few female villains I've ever been able to take seriously.
   The costume wasn't easy, and I'm not satisfied, but what can you do? There are no all-black, large-collard coats/suits in the game. I went with silver-thread (bloody ridiculous to find) because it was very black, but also because the silver pattern was a good option to cover the silver/grey vines that covered her. Sadly I can't adorn her with flowers, so I had to make do with just holding one. I really wish black hair was actually black!