Memories of Vanilla #18 - Enter, the Warrior

Hey dudes! Silvite Soltis back again for another installment of Memories of Vanilla, my reflective series about what I remember of my adventures in original World of Warcraft back in 2005-2007.

Aoyamamotoko, 2006

Now that I've covered pretty much everything I remember from level 1-40 on my main character, I think it's time that I introduce my first, and most played, alt: Aoyamamotoko. Before that though, remember to follow my blog for more updates when additional stories are posted, and check out my video content over on YouTube. I'm sure you'll enjoy it!

But without further ado, join me as I take a journey from Shadowglen all the way to Elwynn as I recount the beginnings of my female night elf warrior's story...

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I don't actually remember when this story took place, but I know it was before I got my own account. You see, back when Leika and I still shared our account, he actually decided to buy a second account, so he could level two characters together when he was playing, as well as to allow us to play together by each of us having our own characters on the other account (i.e., my priest could help his paladin, and his mage could help my soon-to-be warrior). And so, rather than me just getting my own account, we began sharing two accounts (ToS violation!!!!!!).

A Teenage Gamer's Fuel

Anyway, one day I was over at Leika's house, as was pretty common on days I didn't work. The night before, he'd told me how he'd gotten the second account, so I came over to make my first real alt in the same place that I'd created Silvite several months prior. Having played for a while at this point, I always thought one race kind of stuck out a bit more than the rest - the night elves. So, while I sat at his computer desk, drinking a Mountain Dew in classic gamer teen fashion, I clicked that purple race and began making my new character.

Similar to Silvite, I wanted a female avatar for...obvious reasons. Hey, I was 15 - what do you expect? Anyway, I now had to pick a class. Since Silvite was a priest, I thought maybe I should try something completely different from a ranged or a caster. Plus, I knew that most dungeons took warriors to tank, so my decision was made rather quickly.

Aoyama Motoko (from the Love Hina Anime)

I quickly flipped through the features, finding a cool set of face markings I liked (now called "Bear" I think, though I'm not 100%), decided on a name based off my favorite character in a manga series I was into at the time, Love Hina, and boom - Aoyamamotoko the Night Elf warrior was born!

I entered the world and was immediately greeted by the wonderful sight of Teldrassil, as well as the backstory of the night elves that I had never heard until this point. And when the screen faded and I was greeted with the user interface, I knew this was the beginning of a new adventure.

I ran around the purple forest for some time, following the instructions of the quest-givers around the area and slaying boars, cats, and spiders to my heart's content. However, after reaching level 5 or so and heading home for the night, I had reached a decision - I was going to go to Elwynn.

Because One Horse Wasn't Enough

You see, somewhere along my adventures on Silvite, I'd learned that if one got enough reputation with the other cities of the Alliance, the other mounts could be obtained. I had already started working on Darnassus reputation on Silvite (probably a good part of the reason it took so long for me to level, now that I think about it), so I thought it would be fun to work on Stormwind reputation on my night elf.  

So, once I got back home, I called Leika up and asked for his assistance. Logging onto his account, I saw my new warrior stood in wait. I entered the world, and within seconds was whispered by my mage friend. Was I sure I wanted to do this?

Absolutely!

With that, he ran from Darnassus and met me right there in the starting zone. Casting a portal, he waved as I cheered IRL. I was going to level up in Elwynn again! As a night elf! How weird! 

Well, that's how it felt at the time anyway. 

And that's the story of how Aoyamamotoko went from Teldrassil to Elwynn Forest in 5 levels, 1 hour played, and without making the Wetlands run.

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Aoyamamotoko on a Boat, 2007

I hope you enjoyed this short story of my first alt. Actually, Leika and I had played a bit on a couple of other alts before this, like an undead warrior and a night elf hunter (we joked around during the intro cutscene, hence my not knowing what the night elves were about), but none that ended up being characters I really played. Ao was my first, and still is my only, real warrior in World of Warcraft, as well as the only character that ever became my main other than Silvite (briefly for Karazhan in TBC). And the memories I have with her are all fond ones to this day.

But anyway, if you enjoyed this story, remember to follow my blog for more content going forward in the future. Also, leave a comment telling about your first alt in World of Warcraft. I look forward to your stories. Check out my YouTube channel for Classic WoW videos, and follow me on Facebook and Twitter for updates!

That's all for today! Until next time everyone, take it easy!