It all came down to pally versus pally.

On Sat 8/29, members of Force Recon joined together with friends and met in the Stranglethorn Arena to slug it out in individual and team PVP competitions.

First came the individual competition. After several minutes of freewheeling practice, we got down to business. It was every man, woman, cat and tree for themselves out on the arena floor. Many went down quickly. Soon there were only two left standing - Nathelien and Brigan. Brigan was in trouble from the beginning with low health and low mana. As Nathelien wore down on him, it seemed that Brigan was always able to sneak in that heal and suddenly he was at full health again. They continued to battle, but only one could emerge victorious. And in the end it was Brigan who stood triumphant on the field. Congratulations Brigan!

After we had all dusted ourselves off, we met again in the archway of the arena entrance. Kori called each contestant forward, they ate the fish, and were transformed into either a Pirate or a Ninja. The teams ended up being:

Pirates: Stele, Forgiven, Ceora, Koriander, Brigan (and Cathleen, Founder & honorary spectator)
Ninjas: Sydonie, Terrandil, Nathelien, Verdantine, Nestra

Here are the two teams:

We squared off. Many intimidating glances were thrown at the opposing team. Back to our corners we were sent. And then - GO! The teams rushed at each other. Forgiven went down quickly in a tangle of leaves and branches. The Ninjas swept mercilessly through the remaining pirates and finished with all standing.

We decided to try a round 2. The Pirates were up again, scowling at the Ninjas, and making plans in their corner. The Ninjas plotted as well to try to gain a second victory.

Then the fight was on again. Forgiven was a bear and lasted longer! Ceora immediately began to cast aoe spells, trying to break Nestra's and Verdantine's stealth. Kori set traps. There were casualties on both sides as the Pirates took their revenge! Eventually it was all pallies again as Nathelien and Sydonie of the Ninjas wore down Brigan from the Pirates. With two against one, Brigan wasn't able to pull off another upset victory. He fell, and the Ninjas were victorious again. Congrats to the Ninjas! And congrats to everyone for making it such a fun and sportsmanlike competition.

After all that blood and sand, we adjourned to the Wellspring Lake in Teldrassil. It was a great party and even more friends were able to show up to partake in the festivities. Stele and Terrandil turned the water solid for us and we danced, ate, drank, and lit fireworks to celebrate Force Recon's 4th Anniversary & Founder's Day.

Here we are posing on the boat in the lake:

Thanks again to everyone who attended. We especially thank our friends from other guilds who went out of their way to celebrate with us. It's these types of bonds that make this a fun and memorable game to play.

Here's to another great year!