I began playing World of Warcraft at the beginning of the Vanilla release, maybe a week or two in. That was when I made my first mistake. I started my account under a fictional name from a Dungeons and Dragons-style game my friends and I had been playing, thinking, “Eh, I’ll check it out, hate the game after 30 days, and never play again, so why should it matter?” I made my first rogue and instantly fell in love with the game.I played him alone for a time, enjoying what I could do by myself, until I decided it was time to find a guild. I hopped around a few until I landed myself in a position in a guild that was based on the Scarlet Crusade. Something of an offshoot after the corruption from within was revealed. I spent the better part of four years with these guys, became an officer, and helped with several aspects. Here’s where the real story begins.
About a month before Wrath of the Lich King came out, my account was hacked. They managed to fix it twice, but the hacker kept getting in. I knew what I had to do, but I didn’t want to. I finally gave in and decided to close the account til I got this mess figured out. The night before my final guild meeting, my Guild Master and I gathered with friends from outside our guild and ran Naxxramas. This was during the time the raid was relatively fresh, lvl 70 was max, and it was still a full raid group run. Some of you may remember the Corrupted Ashbringer, and one ability it had due to faction rep while wielding it, it caused the Scarlets to bow to you as you were near them, allowing you to mercilessly slaughter them and laugh about it after. Anyways, we ran through naxx, and the blade drops. As this was the cause for us to gather so many people, he was given it without question, and we finished the raid.
At the guild meeting the next day, my rogue was hiding in stealth at the back of the meeting area, appearing to be late. Here’s where the RP aspect came in. As my Gm was giving his speech at the front, about halfway in, my rogue walks in, apologizing for his late arrival, and approaching the GM. He knelt before him and offered up a large, cloth-wrapped object, saying he was happy he had helped the Crusade, but it was time to move on. he brought a gift as a thank you. The GM, a paladin, took the object and looked it over, confused. My rogue stated that he would understand soon, and left, vanishing into the shadows. My GM, keep in mind this is still in /e form, unwrapped the object and then equipped the sword so he was holding it in front of the guild. No one was sure what had happened or how we got it, but he had it. It was that night my account was suspended indefinitely, since I had no way to prove I was the owner. But better to end the account that brought me joy, than have someone else use it for malicious means.
I came back at the end of Cataclysm, after a much needed break, as I had just started a family and a new life. And with all things, life moves on, things change, expantions are released, and we find others to enjoy our gaming with. I am happy with my new account, characters, guilds and friends, and look forward to many new memories in Warlords of Draenor.
