I first left the game in 2003, not long after Age Of Shadows due to disliking the itemisation shift. I came back in 2009, 6 years away, and found myself completely naked except for the newbie wizard hat I'd started the game with, on the island of Occlo where I'd logged out near my first my home, long since fallen and gone. I'd given away everything else I owned, but I found my old guildmaster and he'd saved a blue beetle, and a bag of personal memories and the book I'd written the meanings of each item in. Even the book itself had meaning, as I'd found it on and a lot of items belong to a player called "Pluvius" who'd died near the Ophidian Temple and then been looted by a Stone Gargoyle. I'd stayed an hour to return his things... only he never came back, and I never found him in game afterwards.
So what wonders where in my keepsake bag and now sit in a Vanity by my bed? Feast your eyes on these fantastic treasures!
* An Bronze Marble eagle statue. It was a gift from a neighbour of the small tower that was my first home, his name was apparently "Pernix Ultor"
* The first ever treasure map I completed...
* A fireworks wand, my first ever reward from my newbie ticket; and the note that "it's been locked away to stop people from using it" as it used to be that when on display it could be triggered. Interestingly, the charges had reset over the years and it's back to 100 now.
* An Invulnerable Leather tunic given as a gift by "Anya Mirathaya" when we'd met and chatted by the Arctic Ogre Lords. The stats of it now? Self Repair 1, 6/8/7/7/7 resists. Sigh. Damn you AoS. But reading this, I'd said when I left I thought she'd stopped playing, but I realise now that the character was at EM events today until very recently, and I'd not clicked why the name seemed so familiar! I must chase her up again!
* A Katana. Originally poisoned, but it's lost that attribute over the years; used in a 2002 Sam Vs Bob fight for which I created a Sam, and who I still have today (Sam Slade). It's crafted by "Menendil"
* 2 pieces of cut leather, dyed red. They were the only decoration left in my first home when I moved in
* A pair of scales. The first ever Tinkered thing marked with my crafters name.
* A bag with a greater healing wand, 2 cure and 2 heal potions, and a rune for Empath Abbey. I met a person handing these out by the winery, for the Plague Of Despair event as a way to get people back into the fight quicker. It was here that the Sosaria Red Cross was formed as a guild, which I'm still in today.
* A dead fireplant; I won this (when they were new) for coming first in a guild event, a naked marathon across the lands... but didn't notice it wasn't decorative so I'd forgotten to feed it.
* A "Green Floppy Hat" crafted by myself as a prize for Herding race from Trinsic to Britain... which I ended up winning back for coming first in! I would later be told these are now actual rares? Woo hoo then!
* "The Golden Ankh", a small dragon ship named after Lord British's ship in Ultima VII, my first ship and the ship I first sailed around the entire world marking my own runes to islands as an adventure on. She sails again every now and then today; If you see my Europa video elsewhere, it's the ship on the right when Osiredon pops, so people without High Seas could come too...
* A goblet, from an evening drinking with a guildmate. I can't remember what we talked about or why the goblet should be kept...
* Another Greater Healing Wand, which was inside the chest that I GM'd lockpicking on back in 2002
* A Pile Of Snow; this I kept because it just mysteriously turned up in my backpack... I can't read when though as the red-leafed books don't work properly even to this date, and much of the text has been cut off. It wasn't during Xmas holiday I think, hence why it was so mysterious!
* A fire coloured Sash crafted by "Bijtje". It was a reward for a Guild event again I think...? Another naked Marathon, and I've got it marked down as being awarded for being a "Good Sport". But I can't recall why!
So many simple items... but so many happy memories! Or just wistful wondering of what they once meant... No, I can't throw any of this away!
