Trial of the (Grand) Crusader
Heavy, black clouds chased across the sky as a harbinger of the coming storm. A cold, stabbing wind swept through the rocky mountains hidden under the gray blanket of snow. He carried with him a message whispered in howling sounds in the cracks of rock. A single lone snowflake fell on the snowy ground from time to time.
The warrior took a deep breath, took a slow breath, and looked around. There was some steam coming out of his mouth. Even here, in the lee of a huge building, partially hidden between tents, nothing could dull the tip of the wind, and the ice crystals stabbed the warrior in the exposed faces. He looked up. In front of him, against the background of dark storm clouds, stood a circular stone building. The grey standards hung from its walls contained one single motif. A star. Argent. Flags mounted on the roof masts fluttered violently in the wind and then plummeted down as the wind calmed down for a while. In almost perfect silence, the warrior felt that he had heard the distant roar of the crowd. They've been waiting. There was almost nothing else, except the creaking of harnesses, the occasional rustling of a cloak, the trampling of horses, the calm breath of his companions, and the creaking of armor. He looked back. Together with him twenty-five carefully selected, trusted and exceptional warriors, magicians and healers of all kinds. Some were waiting for him. It was time. Still he hesitated. A huge draenei rushed his paladin horse and put his hand on his shoulder. All right, thought the warrior. Toward destiny.
The darkness in the entrance to the arena blinded him for a moment before he entered the gloomy daylight again. The crowd, watching from the elevated tribune, made a noise. The warrior and his companions dismounted from their animals. The warrior again took that long breath and took off his shield from his shoulders. Then he drew his sword from the scabbard and gazed long on its blade. They won't have much time for the first three fights. Three minutes from the first monster before he unleashes the next. Northrend Beasts. He sighed again, then shook his head. He looked at his companions. They seemed ready. The flags on the roof fluttered again as the wind rose. Down here, in the cover of the stone walls, he couldn't feel it. He took a deep breath, then nodded to Argent Master.
Later, he never remembered this chaos. Four monsters, four Northrend creatures, unleashed three minutes in a row. Endless battle with Gormok the Impaler, a gigantic magnataur, chaotic battle with two jormungary, Acidmaw and Dreadscale. Their sudden crawling under the ground surprised many. Their poison was much more dangerous, but they were able to withstand it. The warrior shook his head to clear it. The crowd roared in the stands, but he heard it as if through a mist. They probably gave them a good show. He watched as they towed away the corpse of the last of the Northrend Beasts. Icehowl, mountain yeti. He was still breathless from the way he had hit them all on the arena wall. He looked around and decided to wait a while for his companions to recover.
Maybe he fell asleep for a while. He raised his head and faced the eyes of a white-haired elf. There was a cross on her neck. She stood by Argent Master. Everyone else was ready. He sighed and stood up. There was a fight with Lord Jaraxxus.
The moment when a portal appeared in the middle of the arena and Lord Jaraxxus stepped out of it, it was like a nightmare revelation, like the return of Archimonde. After the initial shock, they all went into battle. The fight with him was like the Burning Legion. Infernals, fiery volcanoes, nether portals, from which the giant Mistress of Pain stood out. The fight ended faster than expected.
The warrior raised his head. At times it snowed during the fight, but in the fire that was spitting around Lord Jaraxxus and the infernals, all the flakes melted. But now they fell to the ground and formed a light dust. He took the sword in his hand until the handle closed. He cast a quick glance at the tall hunter, who was just coming from Argen Master, and then turned sharply to fend off the cut. They were here. Ten champions, each different occupation, as their own images. Fighting them was like fighting yourself or maybe against yourself. They had their healers. They did what they did. In the end, the tactic was decided. And the count. As always.
The sky tightened even more, but the snow stopped. The crowd in the stands hadn't heard for a long time. He was overwhelmed by combat madness. It helped him. He turned to Argent Master. The time has come again. He hoped this would be his last fight. Black and white. He looked at the Draenei paladin, and they both nodded and stood on the opposite side of the arena. The others split up with them. It's time. Four portals appeared in the arena objevil two black and two white. Each side took one color. And then Twin Valkyrs v Fjola Lightbane and Eydis Darkbane entered the arena. Light and darkness separated, and at the same time blended. From time to time, light and dark balls of reinforcement entered the arena. For how long, though? When the warrior struck Valkyrie one last blow, he looked triumphantly around. Finally, he heard the crowds, storming. His companions basked in the glory and success of the struggle. But he had a strange feeling. His eyes turned to Argent Master, and he shook his head. It wasn't over yet. But before he could fully realize it, the floor fell under their feet.
Water came into his lungs. He rose to the surface and coughed. They all fell into the water, and except for being soaked, they were fine. The warrior crawled ashore. He looked around and froze. He was not the only one. There were several gasps for breath. So they met again. With a supposedly dead monster. Anub'arak. He was waiting for them. The warrior gripped the shield tightly in one hand and the sword tightly in the other. The wet grip closed, but he knew it wouldn't slip out. He looked around. In the eyes of his companions he read only one thing. Determined. He took a deep breath and shook his head. Then he ran. To the unknown...
Article written by Kihiro
Repairs
10.8.2011 – 00:30
1) Fixed killing of boards in the form of Spirit of Redemption - especially in battlegrounds, pvp (pvp shutdown) and other situations
2) Fixed account administration - sending password not working yet, please players not to spam me unnecessarily I know about problems and I solve them
3) Final and cosmetic repairs to the ToCr instance
4) Instance will open at 20:00 - 10.8.2011
5) Fixed login of some players to the server
10.8.2011 – 18:30
6) Fixed the final details in the ToCr instance - known bugs that cannot be fixed with the current systems: Tranquility => in heroic versions the player doesn't heal all opponents, only the druid (it's a party spell and NPC can't form a party), Snoboldi jumps on the player but doesn't stay on the player's back - only the graphical error (the system doesn't support the player to have a veh).
7) Fixed administration and sending e-mails to all players both when creating an account and during changes - Gmail still throws spam - we solve
11.8.2011 – 12:45
8) Fixed ToCr instance reset time for raids
9) Fixed champion disappearing when changing to dead target
10) Fixed the disappearance of spawns and bosses after several wipes
11) Instances can now run only raid leader (thx Bubulak per info)
12) Fixed some effects for example in Jaraxxus
13) Fixed possible server crash at Anub'araka
14) Reworked Twin's Pact system at Valkyr - it should now always be interrupted (even graphically) and changing the functions will hopefully fix even unique wow errors
15) Perhaps fixed the overall targeting of only the players at the bosses
16) Fixed occasionally jamming combat and not opening gates
17) Fixed destruction of Fortress towers in WG with half HP
18) Spike at Anub'araka now continues where he stopped
19) Maybe fixed Fel Fireball interrupt
20) Removed Champions immunity in ToCr
12.8.2011 – 12:30
21) Fixed Summons at Jaraxxus
22) Fixed floor destruction system with effects and perhaps without occasionally jamming players if they had thready debuffy still on
23) After the end of Valkyr now raid leader launches the next stage
24) More attempts to fix the Fireball abortion at Jaraxxus - it seems that nothing really helps either hacks or official ways
25) Fixed Spike reset and speed after crashing into Permafrost
26) Fixed spell Mistress' Kiss a interrupt part
27) Matched times with Jaraxxus DBM combat start
28) Really fixed targeting of boss players only
17.8.2011 – 00:05
29) Fix interupt Fireball spells at Jaraxxus
30) Added replacement for correction of wow errors at Valkyr - fixed spell targeting all players in raid if there will be errors - reports!
31) Fixed non-molding at Anub'araka on Permafrost
32) Fixed Jaraxxus and attacking before the end of the event - thanks Tarenas for kicking in the right direction, as with the interupt
33) Fixed taunt immunity for champions in Heroic
34) Added diminishing return flag to all champions
35) Added check to trigger the champion's pet, if a hunter or warlock appears, they instantly trigger their pet now every time
36) Leeching Swarm has bosse heal even from dmg, which player absorbs!
37) Modified timers for champions + small repairs to their system
17.8.2011 – 12:50
38) Fixed targeting at Anub'araka in the Permafrost phase - Spike added to the new system targeting only players not petes or totems + fixed today's server crashes associated with it
39) Updated TeamSpeak server to the final version 3.0 - we recommend updating to the final version and your clients before logging in
17.8.2011 – 18:30
40) Fixed interrupt for bosses and correct display, including called mobs, if visually wrong interrupt still appears somewhere or even the spell is not broken at all - report the fact - you need to deploy all similar spells on the new system, but most of them are
41) Better adjusted control for attacking only players, both for bosses and again for triggered mobs - fixes, for example, Spike at the final boss
42) Little changed threat system in champions
20.8.2011 – 02:00
43) Fixed interrupting Valkyr cast if they still have shield
44) Once again improved work with threat in champions
45) Portals now appear before the arrival of Valkyr
46) Valkyr Live Target Checker (hopefully fix recent errors)
47) Added fixes to ICC + Mark of the Fallen Champion
48) Reworked system of displaying and applying increased (percentage) dmg for players from talents and bosses from additional auras such as enrage
49) Deployed the first phase of retargeting system (1/3) - not my job - can bring trouble - from Trinity - please report all
50) Items from world events will now be deleted at the end of the event - players who now have them will be deleted after the relog
51) Fixed quest You'll Need a Gryphon
52) Fixed Shaman T10 Restoration 4P Bonus
53) Fixed Magic Eater Food
54) If a pet attacks, it now throws the owner into the combat
55) Fixed Immunity in Burrowers
56) Fixed despawny bosses in TOC to standard values
57) Fixed unmounting players while learning Dual Talents
58) Fixed Touch of Light/Darkness removal after essence change
59) Fixed occasional battle jam after the end of the Beasts
60) Fixed reset instance for final boss after multiple wip
20.8.2011 – 11:11
61) Corrected the sequence of gossips in ToCr to work correctly after adding a gossip after the death of Valkyr, which is not automatically triggered by the leader after repair (enough time for loot) - also corrects possible accidental discovery of double bosses - in case of problems, as always report :-)
62) Fixed interference of aur from essences after wip at Valkyr
63) Spike Attack at Anub'araka
64) Worms spawn positions fixed
65) Repair skinning, mining and others after repair 49)
66) Corrected behavior of petitions after correction 49)
67) Fixed possible server crash after 49)
21.8.2011 – 00:30
68) Corrected pet behavior and attack
69) Fixed dmg caused by falling from a height
70) Fixed double immunity to machines in WG and causing immunity to everything
71) Fixed achievement Just Can't Get Enough
72) Added weekly quest from ToC to random selection
21.8.2011 – 16:00
73) Updated Linux kernel to version 2.6.38-11
74) Fixed residual problems after update 49) - the first part - the second part will be even worse we have something to look forward to and you must not fall asleep on the laurels with reports - fixed most problems (systems and AT mounti) - however, changes are necessary for the final revision of the entire spell system
75) Fixed talent Heart of the Wild
76) Fixed another fall from past weeks - last known
77) Other minor corrections to the upcoming instances ;)
22.8.2011 – 04:00
78) Fixed auto-attack behavior and jamming
79) Fixed Spike and speed reset after player's death + revamped system for non-targeting and yet now recognizes Permafrost
80) Fixed Touch of Light/Darkness spells to not cause wow errors in instance after application - set only one target and simplified system
81) MMR rating differences for team unification are now +-400 from earlier +-300 - waiting period if the difference is bigger is now 5 min
82) Perhaps fixed instance reset and boss jam in ToC
83) Reworked the Spirit of Redemption system to avoid affecting systems
84) Fixed non-attack on Lich King in the ToC intro
85) Fixed Vortex in EoE instance
23.8.2011 – 23:30
86) Improved fix 83) now does not interfere with the selection of Threat Targets
87) Bosses and npc now return to their positions after death or wip - also wards off problems with stuck "Encounter is in progress"
88) Reworked/repaired system reset/reset any of the Faction Champions in ToCr - NPCs now do not reset immediately after losing an agra or a goal (this can happen to them during a fight), but only if the real wipe raid and NPCs return to their home positions - together with fixes 83 and 86, champions will now not disappear in any other way
89) Fixed Leeching Swarm at Anub'araka - temporary solution so far, thank you for the idea Saringo - used system to remove resist dmg for heal + are now alikaty bonus healy from players on boss + pay reduction healy from ability players
90) Valkyr's special abilities system is now random
91) Spike at Anub'araka now correctly resets speed and target if he loses the current target, hits permafrost or the target dies - also now he does not target totems, pet and others at all (not even temporarily) and it is not possible to target or attack him or slow him down or limit him in any way
92) Added new check for Burrowers to not burrow if they are on Permafrost, also fixed bug on Spider Frenzy spell system
93) Fixed crashes and freezes after repair 90)
94) Fixed Exorbitant Armor from Survival of the Fittest
95) Fixed dismounting and loss of stances in warrior after talking to some NPCs - caused by Dual Talents repair - found another solution
96) Fixed problems with jamming autoattacks and melee - I recommend after this change and after all the previous strongly lubricate Cache
25.8.2011 – 11:00
97) Fixed crashes caused by conversion and regeneration of DK runes
98) Fixed crashes caused by placing objects outside LoS
99) Fixed HP sharing at Valkyr now completely revamped this system and thus ruled out the last possibility of wow error caused by the server - Cache
100) Valkyram Power of the Twins
101) Snobolds now target only players
102) Fixed some visible triggers in the game
103) Fixed recovery from players for players
27.8.2011 – 01:00
104) Fixed some channeling spelling issues
105) Fixed some previously working quests
106) Fixed another server crash
107) Fixed Disarmament Problems at Bladestorm
108) Fixed some final issues in ToC
28.8.2011 – 12:00
109) Fixed most bad visual spells after past fixes
110) Fixed spell reflection + stun effecty with charge
111) Fixed Paladin quests for revival
112) Added fixes to ICC - still a lot of work
30.8.2011 – 00:05
113) Fixed triggering of many secondary spells such as hunter traps, some auras, debugs, auxiliary auras, etc. after repair 49)
114) Fixed targeting of some targets that did not count towards quests or launch aur - a complete fix of this type will still come with a complete restructuring of unit flags in the kernel system, which will be deployed later
115) Fixed Aspect of the Beast
116) Fixed HP sharing at Valkyr - last fix to ToC
117) Fixed Mind Control spells manual interference