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<html> <head> <title>Interview With an Amazing Man!</title> </head> <body>Interview With an Amazing Man!
I finally did it. I got the first interview with Sonomas very own Ravenloff. Took alot of pestering and bothering but he finally gave in to me. I think it was the "Please, please, please Raven, I will give you my soul" that actually got him to do the interview with me. Here is everything about The Man!! <blockquote>Ravenloff: hello
Shadow Moon: hi hun
Shadow Moon: Where was Ravenloff born?
Ravenloff: outside Trinsic, Felucca
Shadow Moon: and how old are you? (Ravenloff)
Ravenloff: 39
Shadow Moon: Tell me about your history as Ravenloff.... How you got started and what were the first skills you learned?
Ravenloff: Well I have a whole back ground wrote up if you would like me to start at the beginning.
Shadow Moon: yes please
Ravenloff: Lets go to the castle; no interruptions and we can sit down hehe
</blockquote> This is where we traveled to his huge castle. This place holds more rares than Lord British has gold. Ok back to the interview... <blockquote>Shadow Moon: Ok now tell me about your past as Ravenloff?
Ravenloff: My dad was Big Bad John Sr. He was a blacksmith. My Mother was Lor'el Ravenloff a high sorceress on The Trinsic Council. We have a big family and I’m the oldest.
Shadow Moon: How many siblings do you have?
Ravenloff: 14
Shadow Moon: Wow big family indeed!!
Ravenloff: Some were cousins and nieces staying with us but all together 7 kids, other 7 stayed with us after their parents died by pks and my parents adopted them. Anyways at an early age I noticed I liked magery, mystic stuff and inscribing like my mom. Now my dad, he was a merchant and did mostly blacksmithing. He wanted me to learn his trade, like he did from his father and so on. I liked the merchant part but not the other stuff so he wasn't too happy when I took up magery & inscribing. About a year before the Trinsic wars in Felucca Dad noticed I wasn't going to learn his trade and he got mad. He told mom I had to leave, he wasn't going to have no sissy warlock hanging around here mooching off of him.
Shadow Moon: Ah, that is sad!
Ravenloff: Mom tried to smooth stuff over but Dad had a one-track mind. He figured training magery & inscription was a waste of time & cost too much and he wasn't going to waste his hard earned money on it. So I’m as stubborn as he was. I packed up my few items and left. Mom slipped me a few things, some food, a few gold pieces, a communicator to keep in touch, a crystal ball, a few regents that she could spare, some blank scrolls, ink & pens, and she talked to a few scribes up in Yew she knew at the Abby. So I went there and I worked around the Abby for room & board. They started teaching me the art of magic & inscribing. I would go to Britain late at night to the bank & try to peddle some of my goodies, recalls scrolls mainly, as I was learning. It was a tough journey from Yew to Britain with all the reds around back. Then when I got to Britain I had to watch for thieves. On my first few trips I wasn’t so lucky, being new and all to the outside world, I lost my goodies a few times to pks or to thieves. But I learned from my mistakes.
Shadow Moon: Well that is a good thing.
Ravenloff: I dropped off my first name to just Ravenloff and I did learn something from my Dad, to be a good merchant, you always have to be nice, kind & helpful when ever you can be to people, you never know when they will be a customer.
Shadow Moon: True!
Ravenloff: Well this went on for about a year. While I was studying with them I met a beautiful lady named Tara Vindel. I fell in love with her and we eventually got married. I also joined a small chaos guild while I was with them, the guild abbreviations were P^P.
Shadow Moon: Was it love at first sight?
Ravenloff: You better believe it. She had long blonde hair and a golden tan.
Shadow Moon: How long have her and Ravenloff been married?
Ravenloff: We have been married 4 years as of last April. Then I learned about all I could from the scribes & monks there at the Abby and I figured I needed to move closer to Britain since my recalls & mark scrolls were in demand all of the time. I was building up a nice reputation as a merchant.
Shadow Moon: Nothing could compare to the reputation you have today.
Ravenloff: Thank you
Shadow Moon: Can you tell me a little more about that guild you were in?
Ravenloff: I think the name of the guild was <a target="_blank" href=http://uo.stratics.com/content/interviews/prophet.shtml>Prophet</a> Posse. It might still be a guild but I don't think so. That guild broke up along time ago. Its' sister guild HDr is still going strong. HDr stands for House of Drago. I was in that guild for a little while after P^P broke up. I still talk to the old guildmaster Kaun.
Shadow Moon: What is the guild you are in now?
Ravenloff: Ravenloff's Enterprises
Shadow Moon: Did you talk to your parents alot while you were at the Abby?
Ravenloff: I kept in touch with mom through the crystal ball or communicator. She use to tell me dad would never admit it but he heard about me & my business reputation growing in Britain and that he was proud of that but he still wasn't proud of me not being a blacksmith or carpenter or any other skill that was worthwhile. He just didn't think scribing was one of them. Then one day I get a call from the communication crystal from mom. It was very faint; I couldn't quite hear what she was saying except to come quickly to Trinsic. I was at the Britain bank selling my wares, so I packed my stuff up as fast as I could & off to Trinsic I went. By now I had learned to gate so I opened a gate and went through. As I came out of gate in Trinsic, there was nothing but people running all around the place screaming, magic bolts & flames streaking the night air. I saw mom with some other mages trying to hold back the undead that were trying to over run Trinsic. They were healing warriors and throwing magic at the undead. Then I saw dad in back at his anvil, repairing armor & weapons. He seemed to be ok. My brother Big Bad John Jr. was there at his side helping him so I ran to help mom and the other mages. It was a mess! Finally someone gave the order to retreat after hours and hours of fighting. My sisters, other brothers, mom & I ran back to the house so they could get some of their stuff then we were all leaving Trinsic for good. When we got to the house, it was burning. Some of the undead had broken through the lines. We found dad in back, he was hurt real bad. My brother was trying to help him. Mom was so weak from fighting and the rest of us tried to heal him but it was to late.
Shadow Moon: Ah that is so sad as well!!
Ravenloff: We grabbed what we could and we all headed to Britain. When we got there we were lucky that there were some rooms left at the inn. I helped mom get everyone tucked into bed. Then Mom and I went and met with some other mages and warriors and started planning on taking back Trinsic. That is when Lord British arrived and told us “ No we are not taking back Trinsic. There have been new lands discovered, so we are moving there. We will let these fiends have Felucca.” So we all moved to Trammel, and we built a log cabin. We started a shop at the cabin to start earning money for the family. Big Bad John Jr. took up dad’s crafts. I sold magic stuff. Angel (the littlest sister) liked fishing, so she found sunken treasure and goodies to sell. Evil Ares, as mom called him, was always into trouble. He liked adventuring, so he hooked up with a treasure hunter and they explored maps together. Evil Ares twin was also named Ares, he was a warrior. He liked archery and mace fighting, but to get him to clean his room, well you might as well forget it. Mom’s spirit grew weaker with each passing day. The fight in Trinsic, then losing dad, was just too much for her. She just wasn’t the same.
Shadow Moon: Sorry you lost your father that away...
Ravenloff: Starting the shop was my way to prove to my dad that I could become a merchant even though I was just a warlock. I was determined to make it one of the best shops in the land. I’m still thriving for that everyday. I know everyday I can do a little better. I guess it’s just my stubbornness trying to prove my dad wrong.
Shadow Moon: It is one of the best shops hehe. On an average day how much does your shop bring in?
Ravenloff: I really never kept up with that,
Shadow Moon: hehe
Ravenloff: I spend it to fast trying to decorate this place hehe Shadow Moon: lol
Ravenloff: But even if I do say so myself I think I have come along ways from those Felucca bank-selling days.
Shadow Moon: I agree with you there.
Ravenloff: Over 36650 customers have been to the shop by the house sign.
Shadow Moon: Wow!! How do you manage to keep up with your shop? I am surprised you or your siblings get any sleep. Things seem to sell fast there.
Ravenloff: Well I have certain friends like Guin that helps out if I get big orders on stone craftable stuff or I have other friends that help out like Stinky Dork Fish. He is an old scribe friend. He helps me with big orders on scrolls.
Shadow Moon: Wow!! What types of things interest you in game?
Ravenloff: Well I have done about everything that I want to in the game and now I just turn my attention to running the shop, meeting new players, catching up with old customers, and just chatting away about the old days.
Shadow Moon: Do you participate in new things that the gods come out with?
Ravenloff: When I can, hard with real and most of that is done at night.
Shadow Moon: Besides the log and castle what types of homes have you owned?
Ravenloff: I bought my brother BBJ Jr. a mini tower hidden back in the mountains, so he can make stuff and mine without being disturbed. I just built a place in Malas. With it I started a BOD trading and selling house. I have been hosting a BOD swap meet once a month for the past 3 months. So it is still catching on.
Shadow Moon: Wow, that place is amazing!!
Ravenloff: Thank you. A lot of work went into that place. I was able to do it all myself.
Shadow Moon: I can just imagine. How did you acquire your castle?
Ravenloff: Well I bought a tower from an old veteran named Stonewall about 3 years ago. I’m a pack rat and I needed space. He was buying a tower behind his brothers’ tower and he needed to sell off his old tower so he gave me a great deal on it. I was happy there but as all pack rats I started piling up stuff again.
Shadow Moon: hehe
Ravenloff: I was wondering what to do. Then one day I was at the tower trying to find some room for some stuff I had just collected and Stonewall appeared out in my front yard. I hadn't seen him in months. He had changed his hair color and was riding some funny looking llama I think.
Shadow Moon: hehe
Ravenloff: Anyways Stonewall, a merchant through and through, doesn’t just come visiting too much without some reason but I had known him for a long time so I knew not to push the reason. He would tell me eventually. We got to talking about the old times and I asked how Grom, his brother, was doing and the rest of his family. He said they were all doing fine. Then he told me he had sold his tower & bought a castle and now he was sick of it and he wanted to know if I would be interested in buying the castle. Of course it was all I could do to keep my mouth from dropping to the ground.
Shadow Moon: lol
Ravenloff: He said since I had bought the tower from him that he would give me first option on the castle as long as the price was right. hehe
Shadow Moon: hehe
Ravenloff: So we worked out a deal. I made house payments for about 6 months or so and here we sit. Now I have owned this place over a year & I’m still in awe over it.
Shadow Moon: It is a grand place!!
Ravenloff: I don't believe I own it, I have to keep checking the house sign. hehe
Shadow Moon: Oh wow!! What started you on collecting rares?
Ravenloff: Well back when I first opened the shop, I needed something to bring in customers. To get their attention. So one day I was out roaming the lands, helping my brother Evil Ares with a couple of t-maps and the merchant I am, I ran across this huge tower. It had like 7 to 10 vendors in it. So I went to look and check out prices. Well I looked at the first vendors’ wares and I saw all of this stuff I had never seen before: Full jars, fruit baskets, whips, ropes, rocks & rock. As I was looking through the other vendors’ wares, some people came in and looked at the rares vendor first, then they looked around at the other vendors, then left. But it seemed they all went to the rares vendor first. As I was standing there watching, my one brain cell activated and I came up with an idea. Then I heard a noise. It sounded like water pouring into something. So I asked out loud “Anyone here?” Then right in front of me a beautiful lady on a pure black stallion appeared. She later said her name was Lady Harmony. I jumped back startled; don't know if it was from her appearing or how beautiful she looked on that pure black horse. She said hi & laughed when she noticed I was startled. Then out of the blue before I could say anything, she asked “Are you the Ravenloff with the small log shop near Britain?” I was like “ Yes, how did you know?” and she said, “ Well I’m a merchant, I like to shop, and wander around an I have been by your place a few times.” So we got to talking and I asked her how could I find stuff like she had on her vendors. She said she had suppliers that furnished them to her. Where they got them she didn't know but she could work out a deal with me to buy from her an resell on my vendors. So there I got my gimmick to get players to come to my shop. But I hadn't started collecting yet for myself. Once a week I would go to Lady Harmony’s and we would deal on stuff for my vendors. Well one day I went by there and she was cleaning out some chests. She asked if I had ever seen anything like this & she put a barrel down in front of me, I said “Sure I see barrels all over the place.”. She said “No silly, look inside it.”. So I looked, inside the barrel was a hanging piece of chainmail armor east facing. I had never seen anything like that before. She told me she had two of them and she was going to sell one of them and wanted to know if I wanted it. Well I fell in love with it and bought it from her. Then I locked it down in my shop. Well customers would come to the shop and look into the barrel and see the armor. Then they would go get their friends to show them the hanging armor. That is when another idea hit me. Why not start collecting a few things and lock them down here. So I started collecting and collecting and collecting hehe.
Shadow Moon: lol What is your most favorite rare?
Ravenloff: Well that’s a hard one but I guess to me that piece of hanging armor. It has more sentimental value because Lady Harmony doesn’t play any more.
Shadow Moon: Ah that is sad, I am sorry.
Ravenloff: I even turned down an empty castle for that armor.
Shadow Moon: How have you gotten most of your rares? Hehe I would of to, if it meant so much to you.
Ravenloff: Some people might think that was nuts.
Shadow Moon: hehe I don’t.
Ravenloff: Well I built my reputation day by day as a merchant then I started buying rares here & there. Players learned I was collecting them so I use to sit at my shop making scrolls, a player would need some gold and would come by the shop an ask if I would like to buy this item or that item. Word of mouth I guess, is what I can sum it up as.
Shadow Moon: hehe
Ravenloff: Someone would be selling something at the bank and one of my customers would notice it and they would send them my way.
Shadow Moon: Hehe
Ravenloff: Or tell me about it and then I would go hunt them down.
Shadow Moon: Do you role-play?
Ravenloff: Everyday I role-play that I’m a big famous merchant haha
Shadow Moon: lol true. Real quick, can you tell me a little bit about you and Tara before I end this.
Ravenloff: We bought our first one room plaster house off of the footwear she sold from fishing. Then she loaded it down with piles of 60k of fish everywhere haha.
Shadow Moon: LOL
Ravenloff: To the right of Trinsic, just a little above trinsic there are 3 islands together not far off the coast. Well right there on the mainland across from an island is a small point of land. We had the closest house to the water. That was our first house.
Shadow Moon: cool, Did she sell the fish?
Ravenloff: Everyone came to her for fish, from guilds we were in, to people we didn’t even know. She mostly gave it away, a lot of times they would hand her some gold anyways.
Shadow Moon: cool
Ravenloff: I swear when we sold the place she had to of had at least 6 to 8 piles of 60k fish left in there.
Shadow Moon: Well hun that is the last of my questions.... Do you have anything you would like to add?
Ravenloff: Just remember Ravenloff's House of Wares when shopping. If what you are looking for is not there then just ask me, I will find it for you hehe
Shadow Moon: hehe ok hun
Ravenloff: Also don’t forget 2nd Saturday of every month is the BOD swap meet.
Shadow Moon: Ok hun, talk to you soon.
Ravenloff: Ok, Thanks.
</blockquote> There you have it folks. So much info and background on a man that most of us know. Hope you enjoyed getting to know the real Ravenloff. Until next time this is Shadow Moon from the castle of Ravenloff. </body> </html>
I finally did it. I got the first interview with Sonomas very own Ravenloff. Took alot of pestering and bothering but he finally gave in to me. I think it was the "Please, please, please Raven, I will give you my soul" that actually got him to do the interview with me. Here is everything about The Man!! <blockquote>Ravenloff: hello
Shadow Moon: hi hun
Shadow Moon: Where was Ravenloff born?
Ravenloff: outside Trinsic, Felucca
Shadow Moon: and how old are you? (Ravenloff)
Ravenloff: 39
Shadow Moon: Tell me about your history as Ravenloff.... How you got started and what were the first skills you learned?
Ravenloff: Well I have a whole back ground wrote up if you would like me to start at the beginning.
Shadow Moon: yes please
Ravenloff: Lets go to the castle; no interruptions and we can sit down hehe
Ravenloff: My dad was Big Bad John Sr. He was a blacksmith. My Mother was Lor'el Ravenloff a high sorceress on The Trinsic Council. We have a big family and I’m the oldest.
Shadow Moon: How many siblings do you have?
Ravenloff: 14
Shadow Moon: Wow big family indeed!!
Ravenloff: Some were cousins and nieces staying with us but all together 7 kids, other 7 stayed with us after their parents died by pks and my parents adopted them. Anyways at an early age I noticed I liked magery, mystic stuff and inscribing like my mom. Now my dad, he was a merchant and did mostly blacksmithing. He wanted me to learn his trade, like he did from his father and so on. I liked the merchant part but not the other stuff so he wasn't too happy when I took up magery & inscribing. About a year before the Trinsic wars in Felucca Dad noticed I wasn't going to learn his trade and he got mad. He told mom I had to leave, he wasn't going to have no sissy warlock hanging around here mooching off of him.
Shadow Moon: Ah, that is sad!
Ravenloff: Mom tried to smooth stuff over but Dad had a one-track mind. He figured training magery & inscription was a waste of time & cost too much and he wasn't going to waste his hard earned money on it. So I’m as stubborn as he was. I packed up my few items and left. Mom slipped me a few things, some food, a few gold pieces, a communicator to keep in touch, a crystal ball, a few regents that she could spare, some blank scrolls, ink & pens, and she talked to a few scribes up in Yew she knew at the Abby. So I went there and I worked around the Abby for room & board. They started teaching me the art of magic & inscribing. I would go to Britain late at night to the bank & try to peddle some of my goodies, recalls scrolls mainly, as I was learning. It was a tough journey from Yew to Britain with all the reds around back. Then when I got to Britain I had to watch for thieves. On my first few trips I wasn’t so lucky, being new and all to the outside world, I lost my goodies a few times to pks or to thieves. But I learned from my mistakes.
Shadow Moon: Well that is a good thing.
Ravenloff: I dropped off my first name to just Ravenloff and I did learn something from my Dad, to be a good merchant, you always have to be nice, kind & helpful when ever you can be to people, you never know when they will be a customer.
Shadow Moon: True!
Ravenloff: Well this went on for about a year. While I was studying with them I met a beautiful lady named Tara Vindel. I fell in love with her and we eventually got married. I also joined a small chaos guild while I was with them, the guild abbreviations were P^P.
Shadow Moon: Was it love at first sight?
Ravenloff: You better believe it. She had long blonde hair and a golden tan.
Shadow Moon: How long have her and Ravenloff been married?
Ravenloff: We have been married 4 years as of last April. Then I learned about all I could from the scribes & monks there at the Abby and I figured I needed to move closer to Britain since my recalls & mark scrolls were in demand all of the time. I was building up a nice reputation as a merchant.
Shadow Moon: Nothing could compare to the reputation you have today.
Ravenloff: Thank you
Shadow Moon: Can you tell me a little more about that guild you were in?
Ravenloff: I think the name of the guild was <a target="_blank" href=http://uo.stratics.com/content/interviews/prophet.shtml>Prophet</a> Posse. It might still be a guild but I don't think so. That guild broke up along time ago. Its' sister guild HDr is still going strong. HDr stands for House of Drago. I was in that guild for a little while after P^P broke up. I still talk to the old guildmaster Kaun.
Shadow Moon: What is the guild you are in now?
Ravenloff: Ravenloff's Enterprises
Shadow Moon: Did you talk to your parents alot while you were at the Abby?
Ravenloff: I kept in touch with mom through the crystal ball or communicator. She use to tell me dad would never admit it but he heard about me & my business reputation growing in Britain and that he was proud of that but he still wasn't proud of me not being a blacksmith or carpenter or any other skill that was worthwhile. He just didn't think scribing was one of them. Then one day I get a call from the communication crystal from mom. It was very faint; I couldn't quite hear what she was saying except to come quickly to Trinsic. I was at the Britain bank selling my wares, so I packed my stuff up as fast as I could & off to Trinsic I went. By now I had learned to gate so I opened a gate and went through. As I came out of gate in Trinsic, there was nothing but people running all around the place screaming, magic bolts & flames streaking the night air. I saw mom with some other mages trying to hold back the undead that were trying to over run Trinsic. They were healing warriors and throwing magic at the undead. Then I saw dad in back at his anvil, repairing armor & weapons. He seemed to be ok. My brother Big Bad John Jr. was there at his side helping him so I ran to help mom and the other mages. It was a mess! Finally someone gave the order to retreat after hours and hours of fighting. My sisters, other brothers, mom & I ran back to the house so they could get some of their stuff then we were all leaving Trinsic for good. When we got to the house, it was burning. Some of the undead had broken through the lines. We found dad in back, he was hurt real bad. My brother was trying to help him. Mom was so weak from fighting and the rest of us tried to heal him but it was to late.
Shadow Moon: Ah that is so sad as well!!
Ravenloff: We grabbed what we could and we all headed to Britain. When we got there we were lucky that there were some rooms left at the inn. I helped mom get everyone tucked into bed. Then Mom and I went and met with some other mages and warriors and started planning on taking back Trinsic. That is when Lord British arrived and told us “ No we are not taking back Trinsic. There have been new lands discovered, so we are moving there. We will let these fiends have Felucca.” So we all moved to Trammel, and we built a log cabin. We started a shop at the cabin to start earning money for the family. Big Bad John Jr. took up dad’s crafts. I sold magic stuff. Angel (the littlest sister) liked fishing, so she found sunken treasure and goodies to sell. Evil Ares, as mom called him, was always into trouble. He liked adventuring, so he hooked up with a treasure hunter and they explored maps together. Evil Ares twin was also named Ares, he was a warrior. He liked archery and mace fighting, but to get him to clean his room, well you might as well forget it. Mom’s spirit grew weaker with each passing day. The fight in Trinsic, then losing dad, was just too much for her. She just wasn’t the same.
Shadow Moon: Sorry you lost your father that away...
Ravenloff: Starting the shop was my way to prove to my dad that I could become a merchant even though I was just a warlock. I was determined to make it one of the best shops in the land. I’m still thriving for that everyday. I know everyday I can do a little better. I guess it’s just my stubbornness trying to prove my dad wrong.
Shadow Moon: It is one of the best shops hehe. On an average day how much does your shop bring in?
Ravenloff: I really never kept up with that,
Shadow Moon: hehe
Ravenloff: I spend it to fast trying to decorate this place hehe Shadow Moon: lol
Ravenloff: But even if I do say so myself I think I have come along ways from those Felucca bank-selling days.
Shadow Moon: I agree with you there.
Ravenloff: Over 36650 customers have been to the shop by the house sign.
Shadow Moon: Wow!! How do you manage to keep up with your shop? I am surprised you or your siblings get any sleep. Things seem to sell fast there.
Ravenloff: Well I have certain friends like Guin that helps out if I get big orders on stone craftable stuff or I have other friends that help out like Stinky Dork Fish. He is an old scribe friend. He helps me with big orders on scrolls.
Shadow Moon: Wow!! What types of things interest you in game?
Ravenloff: Well I have done about everything that I want to in the game and now I just turn my attention to running the shop, meeting new players, catching up with old customers, and just chatting away about the old days.
Shadow Moon: Do you participate in new things that the gods come out with?
Ravenloff: When I can, hard with real and most of that is done at night.
Shadow Moon: Besides the log and castle what types of homes have you owned?
Ravenloff: I bought my brother BBJ Jr. a mini tower hidden back in the mountains, so he can make stuff and mine without being disturbed. I just built a place in Malas. With it I started a BOD trading and selling house. I have been hosting a BOD swap meet once a month for the past 3 months. So it is still catching on.
Shadow Moon: Wow, that place is amazing!!
Ravenloff: Thank you. A lot of work went into that place. I was able to do it all myself.
Shadow Moon: I can just imagine. How did you acquire your castle?
Ravenloff: Well I bought a tower from an old veteran named Stonewall about 3 years ago. I’m a pack rat and I needed space. He was buying a tower behind his brothers’ tower and he needed to sell off his old tower so he gave me a great deal on it. I was happy there but as all pack rats I started piling up stuff again.
Shadow Moon: hehe
Ravenloff: I was wondering what to do. Then one day I was at the tower trying to find some room for some stuff I had just collected and Stonewall appeared out in my front yard. I hadn't seen him in months. He had changed his hair color and was riding some funny looking llama I think.
Shadow Moon: hehe
Ravenloff: Anyways Stonewall, a merchant through and through, doesn’t just come visiting too much without some reason but I had known him for a long time so I knew not to push the reason. He would tell me eventually. We got to talking about the old times and I asked how Grom, his brother, was doing and the rest of his family. He said they were all doing fine. Then he told me he had sold his tower & bought a castle and now he was sick of it and he wanted to know if I would be interested in buying the castle. Of course it was all I could do to keep my mouth from dropping to the ground.
Shadow Moon: lol
Ravenloff: He said since I had bought the tower from him that he would give me first option on the castle as long as the price was right. hehe
Shadow Moon: hehe
Ravenloff: So we worked out a deal. I made house payments for about 6 months or so and here we sit. Now I have owned this place over a year & I’m still in awe over it.
Shadow Moon: It is a grand place!!
Ravenloff: I don't believe I own it, I have to keep checking the house sign. hehe
Shadow Moon: Oh wow!! What started you on collecting rares?
Ravenloff: Well back when I first opened the shop, I needed something to bring in customers. To get their attention. So one day I was out roaming the lands, helping my brother Evil Ares with a couple of t-maps and the merchant I am, I ran across this huge tower. It had like 7 to 10 vendors in it. So I went to look and check out prices. Well I looked at the first vendors’ wares and I saw all of this stuff I had never seen before: Full jars, fruit baskets, whips, ropes, rocks & rock. As I was looking through the other vendors’ wares, some people came in and looked at the rares vendor first, then they looked around at the other vendors, then left. But it seemed they all went to the rares vendor first. As I was standing there watching, my one brain cell activated and I came up with an idea. Then I heard a noise. It sounded like water pouring into something. So I asked out loud “Anyone here?” Then right in front of me a beautiful lady on a pure black stallion appeared. She later said her name was Lady Harmony. I jumped back startled; don't know if it was from her appearing or how beautiful she looked on that pure black horse. She said hi & laughed when she noticed I was startled. Then out of the blue before I could say anything, she asked “Are you the Ravenloff with the small log shop near Britain?” I was like “ Yes, how did you know?” and she said, “ Well I’m a merchant, I like to shop, and wander around an I have been by your place a few times.” So we got to talking and I asked her how could I find stuff like she had on her vendors. She said she had suppliers that furnished them to her. Where they got them she didn't know but she could work out a deal with me to buy from her an resell on my vendors. So there I got my gimmick to get players to come to my shop. But I hadn't started collecting yet for myself. Once a week I would go to Lady Harmony’s and we would deal on stuff for my vendors. Well one day I went by there and she was cleaning out some chests. She asked if I had ever seen anything like this & she put a barrel down in front of me, I said “Sure I see barrels all over the place.”. She said “No silly, look inside it.”. So I looked, inside the barrel was a hanging piece of chainmail armor east facing. I had never seen anything like that before. She told me she had two of them and she was going to sell one of them and wanted to know if I wanted it. Well I fell in love with it and bought it from her. Then I locked it down in my shop. Well customers would come to the shop and look into the barrel and see the armor. Then they would go get their friends to show them the hanging armor. That is when another idea hit me. Why not start collecting a few things and lock them down here. So I started collecting and collecting and collecting hehe.
Shadow Moon: lol What is your most favorite rare?
Ravenloff: Well that’s a hard one but I guess to me that piece of hanging armor. It has more sentimental value because Lady Harmony doesn’t play any more.
Shadow Moon: Ah that is sad, I am sorry.
Ravenloff: I even turned down an empty castle for that armor.
Shadow Moon: How have you gotten most of your rares? Hehe I would of to, if it meant so much to you.
Ravenloff: Some people might think that was nuts.
Shadow Moon: hehe I don’t.
Ravenloff: Well I built my reputation day by day as a merchant then I started buying rares here & there. Players learned I was collecting them so I use to sit at my shop making scrolls, a player would need some gold and would come by the shop an ask if I would like to buy this item or that item. Word of mouth I guess, is what I can sum it up as.
Shadow Moon: hehe
Ravenloff: Someone would be selling something at the bank and one of my customers would notice it and they would send them my way.
Shadow Moon: Hehe
Ravenloff: Or tell me about it and then I would go hunt them down.
Shadow Moon: Do you role-play?
Ravenloff: Everyday I role-play that I’m a big famous merchant haha
Shadow Moon: lol true. Real quick, can you tell me a little bit about you and Tara before I end this.
Ravenloff: We bought our first one room plaster house off of the footwear she sold from fishing. Then she loaded it down with piles of 60k of fish everywhere haha.
Shadow Moon: LOL
Ravenloff: To the right of Trinsic, just a little above trinsic there are 3 islands together not far off the coast. Well right there on the mainland across from an island is a small point of land. We had the closest house to the water. That was our first house.
Shadow Moon: cool, Did she sell the fish?
Ravenloff: Everyone came to her for fish, from guilds we were in, to people we didn’t even know. She mostly gave it away, a lot of times they would hand her some gold anyways.
Shadow Moon: cool
Ravenloff: I swear when we sold the place she had to of had at least 6 to 8 piles of 60k fish left in there.
Shadow Moon: Well hun that is the last of my questions.... Do you have anything you would like to add?
Ravenloff: Just remember Ravenloff's House of Wares when shopping. If what you are looking for is not there then just ask me, I will find it for you hehe
Shadow Moon: hehe ok hun
Ravenloff: Also don’t forget 2nd Saturday of every month is the BOD swap meet.
Shadow Moon: Ok hun, talk to you soon.
Ravenloff: Ok, Thanks.
</blockquote> There you have it folks. So much info and background on a man that most of us know. Hope you enjoyed getting to know the real Ravenloff. Until next time this is Shadow Moon from the castle of Ravenloff. </body> </html>