Crime is Pride

Think: all men make mistakes

But a good man yeilds when he

Knows his course is wrong,

And repairs the evil: The only

Crime is pride.



The Greek playwright of Sophocles wrote these immortal words within Antigone. Before I get into whether or not this statement has actual validity or not, let's analyze this quote. I think we can all agree that men make mistakes. The quote notes that even though this is true, it only matters what is done to make up for those mistakes. The only crime is having too much pride to admit that what you've done is wrong.

 

Now, as for the validity of this statement, I believe that it carries some weight to it, but isn't entirely correct. Sophocles seems to impress upon his readers that no matter what has been done it can be fixed by what the perpetrator does to correct it. In this regards, I don't agree with what he says in this quote. Regardless of what is done to correct a wrongdoing, there are still repercussions to one's actions. For instance, take a common thief stealing a simple lighter. If they get caught, they will face the authority of the law. If they are successful, however, there have been cases where they return to the clerk and admit their crime. While their actions redeem them of their action of stealing, they still must deal with the possible punishment that the clerk chooses to bestow upon the perpetrator.

However, while the above may be true, I think the statement made by Sophocles also has a sort of validity to it in one aspect. While people should still face the consequences of their actions, there is a sense of salvation in attempting to correct any harm done to anyone or anything. To revisit the anecdote of the clerk and the thief, he showed honesty and courage by telling the clerk that he took and admitted it was wrong to do so. By doing this, he still has to face the person he stole from and, by apologizing, may have lessened his punishment by doing so, demonstrating that there is some redemption depending on how one handles the situation.

My dad always told me that it's not what you do to mess up, it's what you do to fix it. And being a man is having the courage to deal with the consequences of your actions. I'd like to offer this as a counter-quote to dear Mister Sophocles, for there is little that can be fully redeemed by undoing what has already been done.

I Wish I Had a Portal Gun

Perhaps one of the most unconventional genres of games are puzzle games. From the classics such as solitaire and Minesweeper to more recent developments like Bejeweled, people of all kinds and all ages partake in the occasional puzzle game from time to time. However, a gaming franchise has taken the notion of a puzzle game to an entirely new level. Valve Corporation, company known for games such as the Team Fortress and Half-Life franchises and their content delivery service, Steam, developed a game that revolutionized the meaning of a puzzle game with the Portal series.

In Portal, the primary objective of the game was to navigate your way through the Aperture Science Enrichment Center designed by an artificial intelligence known as GLaDOS. To do this, you must use the Aperture Handheld Portal Device, or "portal gun" to create wormholes between two flat planes. In some cases, the only way to solve a puzzle was to carry momentum through a portal, a key game feature that was developed for the game. In the second installment, they added more features such as repulsion and propulsion gels that allow the player to jump higher and accelerate much faster respectively. They combine to make a challenging game that requires some thought as opposed to the shoot first without thought games that most first person games end up being.

The Blame Game-Football and Hockey

Many people love to watch sports in this country. Whether it be the American pastime of baseball or the ridiculous notion of curling, everyone has their preference, or lack thereof, towards sports. But when it comes right down to it, there are certain things that tend to occur within teams that deal with victory and loss conditions. In many cases, there is a primary focal point around one player that always seems to take the fall. In golf, it is typically the player (or the wind if you're a dishonest golf player). In baseball, it may be the outfielder that misses the game-ending catch. But the two sports that have the most black and white, clear cut player that get blamed the most are football and hockey.

In football, the star player of any team is almost always the quarterback. They have to make the right move, keep track of the plays and make the right call as to which option is the best. Not to mention they have to throw the ball to their receiver with enough precision that they can hit their mark and not turn it into an interception for the other team. These are the players in football who, I believe, receive the largest portion of the blame even if it's not entirely their fault. I've seen games where people blamed the quarterback for a bad throw when, quite honestly, the receiver was a high enough caliber player he could've caught it no problem. But he didn't and the quarterback is blamed for the mistake that was made by his teammate. Now, don't get me wrong there are definitive times when the quarterback is at fault for a bad play, but in general they get blamed way too often for a teams success.

Goalies are another great example, being victims of the "blame game." No doubt a good hockey team needs a good goalie in order to be successful, just like football with their quarterback. However, just like football, it's not all about the one player, it's also about the team overall. While a good goalie can make or break a team, sometimes they get too much credit or, in some cases, not enough credit. For instance, the other day in a Penguins game, they lost to the eighth seeded team, the Islanders, in the playoffs four to three. Two of the goals were made, not because Fleury wasn't good enough, but because of the skill of the two players that scored. the game-winning goal was scored on a fluke, yet Marc-Andre Fleury will still be blamed for the ersatz goal.

I Hate Tanks (The Zombie Kind)

Perhaps one of my favorite games is Left 4 Dead. The game is based around four heroes fighting off the zombie hordes, or infected as they are called, in a sort of post-apocalyptic world. Bill, the unofficial leader, is an older man in his fifties or sixties and relies on his skills in the US Special Forces in Vietnam to survive. Opposite him is Francis, the rebellious biker covered in tattoos revealing him to belong to the biker gang "Hell's Legion." Behind him is Louis, a junior systems analyst in the IT department of his company. And last but not least, Zoey, the freshman in college working in filmmaking. Each of them have different relationships with one another that can help or hinder their survival in a number of ways and help them defeat the infected.

In addition to different characters with individual traits, there are also various types of infected called special infected. Each one has mutated differently from the common infected, thus giving them certain abilities others don't. The boomer can vomit bile onto a target, attracting infected and temporarily blinding them. It also emits this when killed, causing an eruption of it within a small radius. Hunters are the opposite, being very small and nimble, capable of pouncing on survivors and pinning them to the ground until knocked off or killed. One of the more disgusting types is the smoker, who strangles its victims with its incredibly long tongue. Then there's the tank; a virtual Hulk of a zombie minus the radiation and regenerative properties. But perhaps the most dangerous and unassuming of them all is the witch. These thin little women sit crying and moaning but once provoked can incapacitate the survivors with one swipe of its long sharp claws. However, none of these infected, including the common type, should be underestimated.

Due to the success of the first one, they made a second, this time with a few changes. They added a new cast of characters; Coach, the PE teacher at the local high school, Ellis the mechanic, an ex-prisoner named Nick and a minor associate producer for a news station by the name of Rochelle. They also added three new special infected to add to the challenge. The charger will charge forward with an over-sized forearm and use the respective hand to grab survivors and pummel them. Jockeys will jump onto your back and attempt to ride you into packs of infected or other dangerous obstacles. One of these threats could be the product of the final special infected, the spitter, who spits a potent acid that forms into a pool on the ground. The sequel also adds several new scenarios and weapons available for use.

Brooklyn - Youngblood Brass Band

I Wanna Be a VIP in Brooklyn

If you couldn't tell by my last post, I've been on a major jazz kick lately and would like to address it. The jazz band that has captivated my attention for a while now is called the Youngblood Brass Band. It consists of two trumpets, two trombones and, albeit they are actually woodwind instruments, two saxophones. Their percussion section is actually three people with the various parts of a drum set, but not arranged into an actual set (in fact the bass drum is a marching bass drum worn on the chest). And no one who listens to them could ever forget their legendary sousaphone player Nat McIntosh who is renowned for his use of polyphonics* in a sort of beatboxing almost. They all combine in a glorious amalgamation to form one of the top New Orleans-style jazz groups. However do not be fooled as they are no jazz group.

Youngblood Brass Band incorporates several other genres of music into their style, most notably hip hop. This shows in a lot of their music, but one that exemplifies this the best is in the song "Brooklyn." As with all their songs, it has layers of sounds done by the various instruments, the musical lines erratically lining up, especially in the intro. During the verse and chorus, they use call and repeat lines and repetition between instrumental parts to drive home melodies with a constant bass line running though the sousaphone, although the trombone is the featured and most prominent voice among the band in this piece. Then comes the bridge with all instruments playing everything in unison, blasting out a virtual barrier of sound before turning the volume down for the trombone and sax solos, ending with some antics from Nat and a repeat of previous elements.

And All That Jazz

Perhaps one of the greatest styles of music is also probably one of the most underrated styles out there in the music world. Jazz music typically incorporates trumpets, trombones, saxophones of all types drums, bass and sometimes piano, guitar and vocals. Everything in jazz music seems to form together using harmonies that fit sometimes and sound dissonant at others to form a sort of controlled chaos. To quote my friend Bel, "[Jazz is] a ton of melodies bouncing off each other [with] several unique features blending to make utter glory. It can convey any feeling." The last portion of this statement is especially true, as jazz truly can express every emotion from happy to sad to angry to relaxed. But when it comes to the overall sounds that accompany jazz I separate it into four groups: jazz bands, jazz singers, jazz guitarists and swing bands.

The jazz band is the average jazz band that most people probably think of when the word "jazz" comes to mind. It is the conventional jazz band with four or five trumpets, four trombones, three altos, two tenors and a bari accompanied by drums, bass, guitar and piano. This style of band tends to focus mostly on  the instrumental aspect of their music with no words. Some of the most famous bands that made this style famous are big names like Duke Ellington, Thelonius Monk, and Count Basie, among many others. They essentially turned the music world on its edge and reinvented the way music was played.

Jazz singers are one of my personal favorites in the jazz world. Unlike many of the auto-tuned "wonders" of our musical world today, singers back then actually had to have at least something that resembled talent, especially with this style. The other thing I greatly admire about this style is the choice of words and how they convey their feelings. One image that I always like to use as an example compares how lyrics used to convey feelings compared to today. "With each word your tenderness grows, tearing my fears apart." This is how the first song goes, "The Way You Look Tonight," originally performed by Fred Astaire and covered by numerous others, including the legendary eponymous voice of Frank Sinatra. This is compared to what's now considered "genius" by some (aka mostly teenage girls), "baby, baby, baby, oooooh." See the difference? One is well thought out, conveys much more meaning in a much more meaningful way and lasts throughout the ages while the other is just "kinda catchy." Some other famous jazz singers are Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald and, more recently, Michael Buble.

Jazz guitarists are somewhat of a synecdoche as they typically also have a band accompanying them. They may not be as big as your typical jazz band (Brian Setzer Orchestra being a great example), but have some brass and/or saxophone and almost always with drums and bass.They are guitarists that play a multitude of jazz styles, typically blues or rock, but add it to accompaniment of other instruments. Some of the most influential of these would be B.B King, Jeff Beck and T-Bone Walker.

Perhaps one of the most fun are the swing bands, specifically the nineties revival era bands. These are bands that have very energetic melodies and songs that come in both major and minor keys with few slower songs. These bands have vocalists and use them extensively, but also have some members of the band sing background. With some songs they will also omit vocals for the song, but keep the energy that goes in tandem with their other music. The major three that emerged were Squirrel Nut Zippers, Cherry Poppin' Daddies and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy.

World at War (Kind Of)

Perhaps my favorite and most played real time strategy game is actually a franchise of games. The Command and Conquer series follows various campaigns, starting with the struggle between the the military organization created by the UN, the Global Defense Initiative (GDI) and the radical religious extremist terrorist group known as the Brotherhood of Nod. The other conflict that makes up the bulk of the series is the age old war between the Allied nations and the Soviets, specifically the US and Russia. However, one of the most recent installments in the series, Command and Conquer Generals, takes a different turn. It includes the USA as a faction, but the enemies are instead China and a middle eastern faction called the Global Liberation Army, a terrorist organization that wishes to tower over all other nations. They also give units abilities to utilize and add generals powers that can be unlocked through skill points earned, adding a brand new dimension to the game. And if that wasn't enough, the expansion pack, Generals: Zero Hour adds three specific generals to all three factions, each with their own modifications that pertain to their specialties.

The USA rely heavily on technology and innovation to overcome their enemies. Their primary means of defense are small missile batteries capable of attacking both land and air targets accompanied by fire bases which can hold up to four infantry. Primary infantry used are US Rangers and missile defenders backed by snipers known as pathfinders. Their armor consists of crusader tanks and humvees with mobile tomahawk missile carriers as artillery. All vehicles can be upgraded with a drone that either increases sight range or fights and repairs the parent vehicle. However, America's true power lies in their air force with their ability to build Raptor fighter jets and Aurora bombers, along with the Comanche attack helicopter and stealth fighters. Using its abilities, the US can also call in an A10 airstrike and paradrop. But all of this pales in comparison to their superweapon, a new technological development known as the particle cannon which focuses a high powered laser onto satellite which redirects it to the intended target.

China, like its live action counterpart, takes pride in its military might and computer prowess. Their basic infantry units are the Red Guard and are trained two at a time, alongside the tank hunter. They can also train hackers, which have the ability to either disable building or provide a free, steady stream of cash. Battlemaster tanks are the workhorse of their armor section, accompanied by dragon and gatling tanks to take care of pesky infantry. In terms of artillery, they're certainly no pushover either, raining down fire upon their enemies and launching nuclear shells out of nuke cannons. The most feared tank in their arsenal, however, is the overlord, capable being upgraded with a gatling gun, bunker or speaker tower to regain health and already loaded with twin cannons that can level most buildings in seconds. Their explosive power doesn't stop there as they can also call in artillery strikes and drop cluster mines in strategic locations. And, their most destructive explosive, a missile tipped with a nuclear warhead. They combine to make a potentially deadly foe.

The GLA may not be as advanced as their enemies, but they are not to be taken lightly. Their primary strength lies in mobility and unconventional tactics. This is made easy through tunnel networks with a mounted machine gun and demo traps that explode when an enemy gets within range. They can create a lot of mayhem with units like the terrorist, which is a suicide unit that can also enter civilian cars to increase damage potential. Another unit that can be utilized well is the hijacker with the ability to take over enemy vehicles. They can also train angry mobs that gain a bonus when upgraded and attacking buildings. Their means of attack and transportation is a small truck with a mounted machine gun called a technical. Scorpion tanks are typically accompanied by their primary anti air unit, the quad cannon, which can also be used en masse. These vehiclescan also collect salvage materials from destroyed vehicles to upgrade weapons and armor. Perhaps their greatest strength, though, lies in toxin technology that can either be pressurized and released through a hose such as the case with the toxin tractor (and yes it is exactly as it sounds) or put in a warhead and used in a missile such as the SCUD launcher. These missiles can also be launched several at a time from what is known as a SCUD storm.

Queen is King

Everyone knows the legendary band Queen and their greatest hits. Everything from the simplistic beats of psychage that come from "We Will Rock You" to the victorious theme of "We Are the Champions;" from the tune that emphasizes women with large rear ends "Fat Bottomed Girls" to the one that cries out for love in "Somebody to Love." And who could forget the iconic riff of the bass in "Another One Bites the Dust." But perhaps one of their most famous, and my personal favorite of theirs, is the most musically intensive and well written of them all.

"Bohemian Rhapsody" is a great song that exhibits some of Queen's best qualities. The song starts with a five-part harmony among the group members, remaining mostly a cappella with a light piano background joining in halfway through the intro. The song continues into a ballad, ending with a guitar solo that leads into a key change from B♭ to A major. The second part in the new key also switches styles from ballad to operatic and reincorporates a liberal use of harmonies. The voices that generate the harmonies somewhat battle with the lone voice of Freddie Mercury, Queen's lead singer. After this, they lead into a style closer to the style of the era, a hard rock sort of feel, going back to and ending with the original ballad feel it started out with.

One thing about Queen that they do really well in their music that prominently stands out, in this song especially, is how well they showcase the talents of all their members. Roger Taylor (drummer) and John Deacon (bass) are both featured throughout, mostly in the rock section of the piece. Brian May (guitar) shines through in one of the greatest solos in rock history at the end of the ballad portion as well as the hard rock section and transition back to ballad. And Freddie Mercury shows off not only his piano skills, but his amazing five octave vocal range. The other part of this that adds to the overall musicality of the song are the dynamics. Vocals get soft when they need to be soft and increase in volume when it needs an increase in volume. It gives the song that much more power and emotion that sets it apart from most other songs.

The Wall

1. Another brick in the wall is what some people say

2. About people's lives and much to my dismay,

3. I'm now stuck at the Wall, being bricked off for years

4. Saying I'm comfortably numb but I still wish you were here

5. But still after everything I can't seem to find

6. They way to my problem and leave it behind

7. Until I encountered the obstacle I needed

8. To carry out my actions, outcomes unheeded.

9. Smash goes the Wall so I may let myself shine,

10. Smash goes the Wall that I might claim what is mine

11. And as I step through the hole atop bricks and debris

12. I stand a shining new man, the man I wanted to be.


Lines 1-12: Analogy. Meant to convey the message of overcoming an obstacle.

Line 1: Metaphor. Another brick in the wall is used to describe life events that occur that build upon a "wall" used to separate yourself from others.

Line 3: Symbolism. The Wall represents a physical representation of an abstract barrier that one must overcome.

Line 4: Oxymoron. Comfortably numb contrasts the two words.

Lines 1, 3 and 4: Allusion. "Another Brick in the Wall," "Comfortably Numb" and "Wish You Were Here" are all songs by the band Pink Floyd and The Wall is one of their albums. The first builds upon the Wall that represents the problem at hand. The other two songs are used to contrast, showing that while he says he's fine with the problem he wishes it was gone.

Lines 9 and 10: Onomatopoeia and Anaphora. These were used to emphasize the overcoming of the obstacle through a loud "noise" and the repeated act that caused it.

Lines 11 and 12: Imagery. I wanted to give the final image of standing triumphantly over the now conquered obstacle.

Go to Prom With Me!

It's that time again where people are buying dresses, renting tuxes and making reservations for dinner. What could possibly bring about these events? One word says it all: prom. It seems that it's every girl's dream to go to prom and parade around in a fancy dress on the arm of some guy who asked her. But in order for that to happen, one of you has to ask the other to this momentous occasion. If you recall my post a while back, Acception of Rejection, I stated that I didn't really enjoy school dances and, having gone to a prom last year I wasn't terribly impressed. However, one aspect I do love about prom especially is seeing how people ask. Asking someone to prom can nerve wracking and exciting at the same time, but it's usually an enjoyable thing for both people involved. If you tend to be someone who is nervous about asking, here are some tips that might help you nail a date with that special someone.

1. Ask in a clever/cute way
There are numerous ways to ask a girl to prom. While asking them in the halls is all well and good, it can easily be improved upon by going the extra mile. Make it something that plays to your strengths and appeals to their interests. For instance, if she likes music and you are musically inclined then write her a song or modify a song to ask her and perform it for her. This works well as it can be performed as publicly or privately as you wish. Not to mention she'll probably be impressed that you took the time to create come up with something as creative as that.

2. Plan it out
No matter how you decide to ask them, make sure you have just a basic plan of how it will go. Rehearse it in your head or even in front of a mirror. Whatever helps you, do it. It also wouldn't hurt to have a backup plan in case initial planning goes awry.

3. Be confident
This is perhaps one of the most important points of asking your date. Even if you are deathly scared of asking them, act as if you are the most confident person in the world. Wear something that boosts your confidence level. Pick a day of the week that makes you feel happy. However, there's a difference between confident and cocky, so try not to be the latter.

4. Don't be afraid of rejection
I know you may feel like I've beaten you over the head with this one, but it really does apply to many scenarios. The best way I'd describe it is this: convince yourself that they will say yes, but be prepared for them to say no. It will give you an extra boost to your confidence and ready yourself for any rejections.

Assassino! Revisited

If you remember back in October when I wrote about the game Assassin's Creed, I feel I didn't do the game justice as to how great it actually is. This time around, I'd like to discuss the gameplay and game elements that make it such a fun game to play with a short introduction to the actual plot of the story.

As I mentioned in the original post, the entire game is based around the life of a young adult by the name of Desmond Miles, a man that was born into the Brotherhood of Assassins and, thereby, an ancient war. You see, the Brotherhood had a grudge with another order known as the Templar, as they only wanted power and greed rather than what they claimed was a mission from God. In order to learn the proper skills and uncover the secrets required to defeat the Templar, he must relive the memories of his ancestors through a machine known as the Animus. His journey puts him through several trying situations including a kidnapping, escape, and even the death of certain people. The plot twists and turns in every installment of the series, but those are for you to find out.

The primary style of gameplay for the Assassin's Creed series is what is known as an open world or "sandbox" game where you are given set objectives with, for the most part, no set way to carry it out. This combines with the genres of action, adventure and stealth to create a game full of secretive missions to complete the objectives of side quests before continuing on with primary quests if one wishes to do so, or completing them later after they've completed the storyline. To carry out these missions, you must gather new weapons, armor and items to better prepare yourself for the coming dangers.

In the first installment, you must progress through the storyline to gain better equipment, which is free of charge and willingly given to you. While it was fairly efficient, as you didn't really need them until they were given or added the challenge of going without them, it didn't give much diversity or choice as to what could be used. This was fixed in the later games as items were bought rather than earned, different items still needing to be unlocked at the shops by going through the storyline. However, especially with the weapon system, it allowed players to decide what they wanted to use for their weapon and omit things that they might not use.

Another aspect they started adding on to was the various ways that his ancestors could carry out an assassination. In the first one, it was mostly the use of a hidden blade, sword, throwing knives or your bare hands. As the games got more complicated, they added a wider variety of weapons that encompassed swords, axes and daggers as well. But they didn't just stop there. Later games added new methods of assassination through poison, crossbows, a hidden gun, bombs with various uses and most recently flintlocks and tomahawks. They continue to improve upon the combat systems in other ways too, incorporating various defensive mini games such as defending Assassin dens and naval combat.

Be My Escape, Sadie Hawkins

When listening to music, I often times tend to find something I'll listen to over and over again because I like it so much. This happens especially when I rediscover old bands that I haven't listened to in a while. My recent music craze has been over the christian rock band Relient K. This band is one of my favorites because they convey quality, sometimes complicated messages through fairly simple and easy to understand lyrics without being cheesy. The other aspect of their music that I like is that it combines these life messages with just random songs about coping with ADD, females asking males to the Sadie Hawkins, or Women Pay All dances as they are more commonly called in modern times, or even just telling someone they love them. Combined with vocal harmonies, guitars, bass and drums, they combine to make a musical cornucopia of fantastic music.

For example, if you look at a song like "Be My Escape," it can most easily be interpreted as someone who thought that the only way out was suicide, but found God and, although wasn't sure where their life was headed, relied on their faith to create an escape through God. However, if you look at a song such as "Sadie Hawkins Dance," it's just about a dance and all that goes along with it from the planning to the asking, using random humor in the mix to add a sort of comical effect.

Perhaps one of my favorite songs of theirs is off their fifth album, Five Score and Seven Years Ago, entitled "Must've Done Something Right." Right off the bat, the song opens with single piano chords, a fast moving bass line and the lead singer's vocals, adding clean guitars into the mix after the first few lines. The entire song, as with many Relient K songs, has a bit of a double meaning. At the surface of the song, it seems like a typical love song, professing that this girl is out of his league, makes him a better person and wants to express his love in a way that's not so cliche. But the meaning doesn't stop there. It can also be used to describe a close relationship with God. If you really think about it, he really is so far out of our league it's not even funny and we probably don't deserve his love and affection. While I'm not very religious myself and tend to interpret this song more in the former rather than the latter, I still understand the hidden meaning in the song about God. I think this double meaning that is found in this and other songs is important as it gives a wider variety of people to relate the song to their own lives, something I look for in music all the time. They do a great job of it and I hope they continue to keep up the good work as their career progresses.

StarCraft 15th Anniversary Celebration: The Races

The world of StarCraft can most easily be broken down into three aspects: the races. There's the innovative and endurable terrans, the technology and knowledge-driven protoss and the ever-changing, overwhelming zerg. Each has its strengths and weaknesses both in lore and in-game and utilize them to their fullest extent.

The terrans started off as a crashed expeditionary force that developed into three branches: the Confederacy, the Kel-Morian Combine and the Umojan Protectorate. Since then, it they have sprawled out across the Koprulu sector, the Confederacy having been replaced be the newly developed Terran Dominion, headed by Emperor Arcturus Mengsk I. While they don't possess the natural ability to adapt to their environment like the zerg, they have been able to survive through internal and external conflicts by incorporating new technology into their weapons and production. Their military covers a wide base of everything crucial to victory. The bulk of their military is made up of marines, resocialized criminals wielding a power suit and a gauss rifle, supported by marauders with arm-mounted grenade launchers as well as siege tanks behind them and medivacs above them. Their "air cavalry" as its called is made up of viking fighters that can transform into robotic mechs and banshees that are able to cloak themselves and turn invisible. But these don't even compare to the flagship of the terran fleet, the battlecruiser. Along with other supporting units, they have every role covered from full on assault to hit-and-run tactics.

The protoss are incredibly advanced in almost every single way. They communicate through a telepathic link that they all share, they are lightyears ahead of most, if not all, civilizations technologically and were thought to be the most powerful species in the galaxy. However, the recent emergence of the zerg has proved that even the most skilled warrior can fall to numbers. In order to preserve their society, the protoss have reluctantly broke thousand-year-old tradition to survive. They've developed new technologies to further increase the potency of their already superior army. The primary warrior of the protoss is the zealot, using years of physical training and two blades of psionic energy as its weapons. It is supported by stalkers, a recent development modeled after the dragoon from the dark templar. Immortals are the replacement for the dragoons, adding stronger offensive and defensive capabilities to it. However, the real strength of the protoss lies in its array of aircraft. Phoenixes are small, fast anti-air ships that work with void rays, large ships that require to be charged to achieve their full power. Carriers are the most legendary, known for fighting with eight computer-controlled fighters that can be manufactured within the hull of the ship. When the protoss unleash the full power of their military, not many can stand against them.

The zerg bring a new meaning to the word "adaptable." All strains of the zerg were originally creatures indigenous to planets that it landed on, having been infected by a sort of virus. The subsequent mutation assimilated the creature into the Swarm and created a new strain of zerg. What they lack in power they make up for in sheer numbers. The most numerous and perhaps most infamous is the zergling, a tiny, dog-sized zerg that can be created two at a time and can mutate into a baneling, a large, mobile sac of acid. Hydralisks are the primary ranged forces, shooting spines from their mouths at high velocities. Their other primary assault force is the roach, a heavily armored creature that has amazing regenerative properties. Their air power mainly consists of mutalisks, flying worm-like creatures that expel projectiles from its abdomen. But what truly strikes fear into the hearts of their enemies is the dreaded ultralisk, a hulking beast that lumbers into battle with four massive scythe-like blades projecting from its mouth. They are a force to be reckoned with and not to be taken lightly, especially under the control of such an intelligent being.

StarCraft 15th Anniversary Celebration: The Story Part 3

As Kerrigan's first act, she returned to Shakuras and kidnapped the matriarch Raszagal. In order to destroy the cerebrates that controlled the broods, she needed Zeratul and the dark templar as only the energy they possess is capable of doing so. Zeratul complied with Kerrigan in an attempt to save their matriarch. The Overmind and its cerebrates were destroyed at the hands of the dark templar, giving complete control of the Swarm to Kerrigan. But things took a turn for the worst when she brought the matriarch to the planet's surface. When asked if she wished to return, Raszagal wished to serve Kerrigan. Realizing that her mind had been poisoned, Zeratul had no other choice but to reclaim the matriarch and, with great reluctance, kill her. She thanked Zeratul with her dying breath, who then left the planet vowing to avenge her death.

Before disappearing, Zeratul went to investigate protoss life readings on an uncharted moon in the area. But what he discovered was much more disturbing. Inside stasis chambers were what appeared to be a genetic amalgamation of zerg and protoss; a project led by Samir Duran. Most ominous of all was Duran's response as to what was going on. Duran said that he served a "far greater power" than Kerrigan or anyone else. That the hybrid were nearing the end of development across thousands of worlds and they signaled the last stage in the end of a cycle that would shake the universe. He destroyed the facility, but Duran had disappeared.

Meanwhile, Kerrigan was under heavy assault from a vengeful Mengsk and an angry UED. However, despite all their might, Kerrigan proved superior in numbers alone, as well as power. Mengsk, knowing he could not win, retreated, as did the dark templar and Aiur protoss. The UED were not so lucky, however. Seeing as they were outmatched, they made their journey back to Earth, fleeing as well. Kerrigan decided to humor them, sending the Swarm after them once a reasonable amount of time had passed. Not one ship made it back to Earth to report what had happened.

Kerrigan went to ground on Char, having recalled her Swarm to the planet. The past four years had been ominously silent without the zerg terrorizing everything in sight. Some speculators say she had been clinging to her humanity, but many are ever the skeptic. The Aiur protoss returned to their refugee home of Shakuras, using the xel'naga and dark templar technology, as well as their own, to improve their weaponry for the ensuing war with the zerg. Zeratul withdrew for a long while until he befriended a terran archaeologist. Since then, he has uncovered a number of revelations related to the xel'naga, creators of the protoss and zerg, that are very foreboding. Arcturus Mengsk focused on rebuilding his Dominion with a revenge target painted on the back of Kerrigan's head. The UED was almost completely wiped out with only a few survivors remaining. As for Jim Raynor, the former marshal started a resistance movement against the tyrannical Dominion known as Raynor's Raiders. However, it has been a fleeting movement due to Mengsk's control over the media and his rampant propaganda to turn him into an enemy to the public. Because of this, in tandem with previous events, he has been drinking heavily and losing faith. Many people who know him well would say this; "There's one part of that won't rest until Kerrigan is dead and another part of him that refuses to let her go."

StarCraft 15th Anniversary Celebration: The Story Part 2

Before I continue with the StarCraft epic, I should note that when I wrote the first part it actually was the fifteenth anniversary of the release of the original StarCraft. Now on with the story!

In the aftermath of the battle, the Aiur protoss to the dark templar homeworld of Shakuras where Zeratul offered them shelter. The peace did not last long, however, as Kerrigan appeared and demanded to speak with the matriarch, Raszagal. She sought the help of the protoss refugees to destroy a new Overmind being formed by remaining cerebrates. After she was able to convince them that she was no longer a killer and that she would revert if the Overmind was formed, Raszagal agreed to her proposal. Many of the protoss, Zeratul included, had high suspicions of Kerrigan and her ambitions, particularly after discovering her true motives. Ultimately, as part of her plan to take over the Swarm herself, she used the protoss to eliminate a potential threat to her rule before departing the planet entirely. The protoss then had no choice but to activate an ancient xel'naga temple to annihilate the invading zerg and leaving much of the planet's surface barren.

While the two alien species were doing battle, there was a unification of sorts back on planet Earth. As it would turn out, they had been watching the events taking place and formed a new government known as the United Earth Directorate. The UED had been monitoring their progress and decided, with the always present alien threat, that intervention by their hands. Through this surveillance, they also concluded that they could control the zerg and set out to control the newly forming Overmind on Char. They set out to establish a staging point on Braxis where they were met by fighters of the Confederate Resistance led by Samir Duran. They teamed up to destroy the Dominion, starting by breaking their foothold in the capital city of Braxis. They recovered several weapons diagnostics and readouts that allowed them to lead a successful assault on the Dylarian Shipyards where much of the Dominion's battlecruisers were docked. The UED then used their new additions to crush the capital city of the Dominion, Augustgrad, on Korhal IV and forced a parley. Not too long after Mengsk's fleet was surrounded, Jim Raynor and a small protoss fleet arrived and rescued him from the UED. Jim made it clear it was only because a "mutual acquaintance" wanted him alive. Raynor made off with the emperor, but the UED was not discouraged. The assault on Char was successful and, using powerful neurostims, captured control of the Swarm.

This in addition to the psi disruptor, a device that prevented Kerrigan fromtaking control of other rogue broods, gave the UED a major advantage over the Queen of Blades. However, Kerrigan had foreseen this and contacted Jim Raynor, enlisting his and the protoss' help to rescue Mengsk and his dwindling fleet. Kerrigan then struck a bargain with the emperor; if he lent his psi emitters to her, she could amass an army to destroy the psi disruptor and gain enough power to reinstate Mengsk and eliminate the UED threat on Korhal. The plan went off without a hitch as the UED were driven off the planet the Dominion was reestablished in Augustgrad.

Kerrigan assembled her massed forces and, with the advisory of revealed spy Samir Duran, attacked Terran settlements across the sector. When Mengsk denounced her, she merely justified it as revenge for the pain he had caused her back on Tarsonis. After much fighting, Raynor fled swearing that some way, somehow, he would kill Kerrigan to pay for her crimes.

Rad Ads

StarCraft 15th Anniversary Celebration: The Story Part 1

Perhaps one of the biggest names in the history of real time strategy games is the StarCraft series. Having been made made by Blizzard Entertainment, the same technological wizards and creators that brought you Warcraft, Diablo and World of Warcraft, it was one of the first games to incorporate their extensive BattleNet network into a game, allowing easier access to online play against human controlled opponents. While the graphics were very limited at the time (1998), they have upgraded dramatically since the release of StarCraft 2, utilizing more of a 3-D plane and models to the gameplay. This is the story of StarCraft.

It all started when long ago (which is actually some four hundred years into the future) four ships housing inhabitants of Earth crash landed in a remote region of space known as the Koprulu Sector. The three planets that were colonize were Tarsonis, Moria and Umoja. They quickly set up a government system known as the Terran Confederacy, but it was very oppressive with its power. A group rose up against it, later known as the Sons of Korhal, led by a former supporter by the name of Arcturus Mengsk. However, they'd soon learn that the Confederacy wasn't the only thing wrong with the area.

The Confederate colony on Chau Sara was suddenly incinerated by a fleet of warships that belonged to an advanced species called the protoss. While this was happening, a marshal named Jim Raynor on the nearby world Mar Sara was reporting strange alien creatures on the surface, eventually being called the zerg. The Sons of Korhal helped evacuate the citizens and liberate Raynor before the protoss did the same to the sister planet. As an official induction into the group, Jim Raynor and turned Confederate GHOST, Sarah Kerrigan, led an assault on the Confederate base on Antiga Prime. They planted psi emitters to lure the zerg to the base and destroy it before the protoss incinerated the planet as well, the rebel group zooming off before the fireworks began. This all turned sour, however, when Mengsk duplicated the act on the Confederate capital on Tarsonis. He left Kerrigan to take care of the overwhelming zerg presence and the protoss forces arriving, leaving her to die when she called for an evac. Mengsk had gained the support of many and had turned the Sons of Korhal rebellion group into the new Terran Dominion, declaring himself emperor and running on a campaign of combating the alien forces present. Jim on the other hand wanted no part and decided to run away, stealing Mengsk's flagship the Hyperion in the process and still grieving over the loss of Sarah. Little did he know, the zerg had other plans for Miss Kerrigan.





Kerrigan was actually reconstituted with the zerg virus that had corrupted so many other species into the alien species, transforming her into a being of psionic power that could be used as a puppet of the Overmind, the entity that controlled all parts of the Swarm. He did this through other beings called cerebrates, one of which was killed by a protoss dark templar known as Zeratul, causing its brood to run rampant and turn feral. The Overmind had no choice but to eradicate it entirely. But it was not a complete loss for the Overmind. It revealed the location of the protoss homeworld of Aiur, where they overtook the valiant efforts of protoss resistance and established their new base of operations.

Feeling desperate for help, Tassadar, executor of the protoss, teamed up with Jim Raynor to defeat the hulking mass of alien flesh. They rallied their troops and assaulted the Overmind, but their defensed proved too strong to defeat. In a last ditch effort, Tassadar gathered the energies of all Aiur and forbidden energies of dark templar into the hull of his ship, the Gantrithor, and crashed it into the Overmind ending the reign of both rulers. However, there was little time for celebration, as Aiur was still in ruins and having sensed the Overmind's death, it was now time for a new ruler to take command of the Swarm: the Queen of Blades.

To be continued....

Put Down the F@#$%&g Phone!

One thing I've never understood even as a teen in the digital age of society is the constant obsession with social media. Yes it can be useful to keep in touch with family members and continue old friendships from not-so-long ago times in middle school. But by the same token, it can also have seriously detrimental effects on society and, a point easily arguable, already has. It's completely taken over the lives of the youth of America as a group with their noses buried in the latest and greatest smartphone perusing their Twitter account or sending random and pointless things through Snapchat. Because of this, there are numerous reasons why we need to put down the phone and get into the real world.

Firstly, cell phones, smart phones in particular, are a huge distraction everywhere we go. In school it distracts heavy users of it to ignore important lessons required to do assignments. But it doesn't just apply to scholarly institutions, but also public places. Has anyone ever had problems watching a movie at the theater because some inconsiderate person thinks their conversation is more important than other moviegoers? Being a kid with ADD, I find a brightly lit screen in a dark movie theater a huge distraction. Heck, my friend started texting someone in the middle of a movie once while they were sitting right next to me! But it's not just phones, it's also what they may be looking at on their phones. Social media sites can also be a huge distraction. Many of my classmates have admitted to having Twitter up and constantly checking updates during class and while doing homework.

Another thing that a lot of people don't think about is how social media and modern communication technology has killed social interaction. One example is how people have learned incorrectly that it's okay to stop and text someone in the middle of a conversation with another person. It's rude and disrespectful, essentially telling them that their text is more important than what you have to say. The digital age has been teaching youngsters that behaviors that should be viewed as socially unacceptable are actually acceptable. Another example is how most people text all the time so when they actually hang out with people they have nothing to talk about.

In the digital age, romance seems to be fading into a lost cause as well. One article from The New York Times discussed how a girl missed out on an opportunity with a guy because she was too engrossed complaining about how she couldn't find a nice guy to date over text message. There was another article we had to read for our AP Lang class that explained how this woman (the writer) had a sort of relationship with a guy, practically a polar opposite to her with no reason that they should have been friends. But she explained how they would always write to each other through letters and how they would completely open up to each other in these letters. Nowadays, we just hop on our phones and text away, leaving the anticipation, the flaws and the romantic aspects behind, presenting what is essentially a superior version of ourselves. Having had a similar experience myself, I can say without a doubt that waiting for a letter is far superior romantically than any text could ever convey.

So the next time you feel like texting in a movie theater or complaining about your love life, don't just sit there and text about it, do something. Sit back and enjoy the movie, your friend will be there afterwards. Listen to what other people have to say; you might just learn something interesting. Instead of getting your coffee and heading back home, sit down at the cafe and chat up some girl/guy you think looks hot. But most importantly, put down the f@#$%&g phone.

Hats Make the World Go 'Round

Perhaps one of the most successful first person shooters is the famed Call of Duty. However, if you're one of the "few" that prefer other such games, then you should try Team Fortress 2. The game is a fairly simple concept similar to many first person shooter games; choose the way to play, customize your character, shoot the opposition. However, there are obvious differences in the way the two games are played.

First of all, the class system is vastly different. Most games in the genre have preset classes that become more customizable as different weapons and items are unlocked or bought using in-game credits. Team Fortress 2 on the other hand has nine set classes that each have a specified weapon type that it can use. These classes are divided up into three groups. Offensive classes are mainly used for mobility and, well, offense. The subcategory is made up of the Scout, the Soldier and the Pyro. Defensive classes are best used to defend or block the movement of opposing forces and are made up of the Demoman, the Heavy and the Engineer. Supporting roles are there assist their fellow teammates through other means, unable to hold the line steadily themselves. Their makeup consists of the Medic, the Sniper and the Spy.

The second difference is the weapon system. As I mentioned in the above paragraph, most first person shooters use a leveling system to unlock weapons which are then available for purchase with credits. Also, while there are preset classes, they can usually be altered to fit any purpose the player desires. The weapons that are unlocked also tend to get stronger along the way. This is completely contradictory to the system incorporated into Team Fortress 2. The number of items received is based on a "time played" basis, receiving an item every thirty to seventy minutes with an average drop rate of one drop every fifty minutes. Also, most items are tied to a certain class, as each class serves its own individual purpose within the group. There's also no distinct tier of weapons system, as each is supposed to have its advantages and disadvantages for balance reasons.

The third main difference is the style of play. While games such as Call of Duty and Halo have other modes, the most played always seem to be kill the other guys or free for all. Team Fortress 2 doesn't have this. Instead, they have more goal-oriented modes. The most basic of these is King of the Hill. The goal of this is to capture and hold a main control point in the center of the map that is locked for one minute. After that, the first team that holds it for three minutes (non-consecutive minutes count) wins. The second mode is called Capture the Flag. Each team has a briefcase that they must protect and bring their opponent's briefcase back to their base. The third method of play consists of two different styles. In Standard Control Point, both teams start with two points and must claim all points, including the center point that locks at the beginning. In Attack/Defend, one team starts with all control points while the other attempts to reclaim them. The fourth game mode is also divided into two parts. Payload maps require one team to "push" a cart carrying a bomb along a track to the enemies' base while they try to stop you. Payload Race is a similar concept, but both teams are attempting to push a cart towards the opposing base.

The final and perhaps most important difference that separates this game from others is the requirement of teamwork. In order to win, you have to have the ability to know which class is needed when and be prepared to switch to that class even if it's not your best class. It offers an additional challenge that isn't found in many other first person shooter games.

Oh Lord, I Like It

Last term, I said that I would try and keep you updated on the wonderful world of football every week. As you may have noticed, that didn't exactly work out very well as I found it incredibly taxing and found Ididn't have the proper knowledge to elaborate on the games. So from here on out, I think I'll stick to what I know best: gaming and music.

I'm sure everyone knows the band Queen, having written famous tunes such as "Bohemian Rhapsody," "We Are the Champions," or perhaps the most well known "We Will Rock You." While they are a fantastic band, they are not the main focus of this post. Rather, I'd like to bring the spotlight upon an artist that most people probably haven't heard of. They're called Foxy Shazam and they make a wonderful flashback to seventies-era rock. The reason I brought up Queen to introduce this band is because of one reason: the lead singer sounds so much like him. He even mimics similar mannerisms as Freddie Mercury did back in the day. However, don't take them as some copycat band as they have plenty of variety among their music. The first song I heard by them was called "Oh Lord" and is stark contrast to some of their other, more rock-oriented songs.

First of all, the song, and band in general, contains instruments that the average conventional band doesn't have. For instance, the typical band doesn't have a trumpet, yet the song opens with a trumpet solo. They utilize this unique trait to great effect in not only the song but their music in the general sense. The song also shows a bit of a softer side to some of its other material, being about the lead singer's son. Which brings the question forth of the meanings of their songs. While their meanings may not always be very clear, they are typically fairly simple meanings. Before one of their live performances of "Evil Thoughts," lead singer Eric Nally told the audience that it's about how everyone cries and it's okay to cry if you feel like it.While I'm not sure if the message gets across in the song, still a simple message that carries weight for most people. These are the things, I think, that make Foxy Shazam a band worth listening to.

Book vs. Movie

When I was growing up, one of my favorite movie series was the Harry Potter series. It started with the renowned book by the author J.K. Rowling and snowballed into what is now a multi-million dollar movie franchise behind a national bestseller. But Harry Potter isn't the only book series that's done this. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and (as much as it pains me to use it as an example) the Twilight saga by Stephanie Meyer have been made into hit blockbusters among several others. But the primary question that underlies the hardcover to hard disc way of thinking can divide people into two categories: the movie lovers and the book lovers. That sole question is which one is better?

At the time all the Harry Potter movies were coming out, my sister, an avid reader of the author, seemed to get worked up at some of the inconsistencies between the story and the movie, such as the learning of the spell "levicorpus" too early on in the movie series. I couldn't understand how one could get upset over something so trivial. Then the movie Eragon came out, where friends of mine who had read it described how completely horrible it is when compared to the book. I could still relate somewhat, having heard about the blasphemous comparisons, yet still couldn't quite understand. You see, as a lad, I wasn't much of a reader. In fact, I barely read anything until about three or four years ago when I happened across a book called Brimstone by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child.

The authors captured my attention and I soon found that it was actually book five in a series (the Pendergast series) and book one in a mini-series. Seeing this, I decided to pick up the first book in the series entitled Relic. It was about a string of grisly murders that happen at the Museum of Natural History in New York after the arrival of a supposedly cursed figurine for part of a new exhibit opening. A book or two in the series later, I found that they made a movie of the very same book; except the details I read of it made it look anything but the same as the book.

First of all, they altered the appearance of the beast from a simian-reptilian hybrid to more of an insectoid appearance. Secondly, key story elements were altered, such as characters carrying out actions in the movie that other characters in the book originally executed. Thirdly, and most importantly, they removed the main character of the series, Pendergast, and combined elements of his personality with the main character of the book, Vincent D'gosta, completely eliminating any chance of further continuation of the series. It was at this moment that I finally realized what my sister and my friends were talking about. At least in Harry Potter it was only as small as a spell. This is just one reason why I prefer books to movies.

Many people like watching movies because of the imagery and the attention to detail that they put into it, some more appealing than others. However, reading the book allows you to create your own image rather than have someone create it for you. It actually required imagination to synthesize the picture the author was trying to paint in your head. Sometimes, the movie rendition does a good job of meeting the description of the setting, such as the movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory based on the Roald Dahl book. But other times, the setting doesn't always match up with what its portrayal is in a movie. If this is the case, then the movie can ruin the scene for the reader if the book is read after seeing the movie rendition. Yet another reason to choose books over movies.

One of the main things that bugs me about some of these books turned movies is that they can leave out key elements that aren't understood unless you've read the book. One such occasion is in the case of the Harry Potter series. In the seventh movie of the saga toward the beginning, Harry is seen turning a mirror shard over in his hands, looking into it. According to my sister, Sirius gave it to him in the fifth book, but it was never shown in the movie, despite being a key part to understanding the importance of the fragment.

So they next time you want to watch the movie rather than just read the book, I'd advise against it. Not only are you robbing yourself of the value of actually reading something worthwhile, but I've also yet to see a movie that quite lived up to its paper counterpart.

The Whispering Door

Mephala's sphere of influence is not quite known, the only common theme being interference with mortal affairs. She has a tendency to create intricate and intertwining plots between them, believing that all of their lives are also intertwined in some way. It is because of this that she is considered the sibling of the Daedric Prince of knowledge, Hermaeus Mora. She was essentially the prime founder of the secret group of assassins known as the Morag Tong before they changed loyalties to Vivec. It has also been suggested that the Night Mother the Dark Brotherhood follows is none other than Mephala herself. While she is generally known as female, Mephala may also take on the form of a male depending on her target. Her Daedric artifact is the Ebony Blade, which absorbs a portion of health from any wounds inflicted, starting at ten points and ending with thirty.

This quest is perhaps the shortest of the Daedric quests and one of the shortest in the game. It starts by hearing a rumor in the local inn, The Bannered Mare, about the Jarl's children. upon further investigation by talking with the Jarl, he will tell you how they have became somewhat estranged as of late, especially his youngest son Nelkir. He describes him as "brooding" and "violent" and wants you to talk to the lad. The boy will come straight forward and reveal secrets about his family, such as his father's hatred of the Thalmor, illegal worship of Talos and his own being born of a different mother than his brothers and sisters. When questioned about the source of his information, he tells of a whispering door in the basement that might talk to you as well.

Go down the stairs to what appears to be a servant's quarters to find what the bow spoke of. A voice will speak to you as if from behind the door, revealing herself to be the voice Mephala. She says that a piece of her power lies beyond the door she speaks through and was waiting for someone more worthy to than the boy to retrieve it for her. To access the area, talk to Nelkir. He shows his further knowledge of the castle by telling you only two people hold the key to the door: Jarl Balgruuf and the court mage, Farengar Secret-Fire. While he does not state it outright, he makes the implication that the court mage "would not be missed." Kill Farengar or pickpocket the key from him, then return to the door and open it. Grab the Ebony Blade and, if you want, read the warning text laid before it. Mephala will speak to you one last time. According to her, the blade must be recharged to full strength with the "blood of deceit" by killing those that you gain the trust of.

(Note: The original absorption is ten points. Each viable person killed will increase the absorption by two up to thirty points, upon which Mephala will inform you that the Blade is back at full strength.)

Pieces of the Past

Mehrunes Dagon is the Daedric Prince of destruction and is one of the most well-known Daedra in all of Tamriel. He is associated with all natural disasters and is known best for his role in the Oblivion crisis, having plotted the total annihilation of the Septim line and his ill-fated attempt to invade the entire realm and reclaim it, Nirn supposedly being his in the first place. His actual plane of Oblivion, the Dreadlands, fits his demeanor well in both name and appearance, as it is a giant sea of lava with isles of blackened land upon the surface. He commands a number of fearsome and dangerous minions, none more feared than the fabled Dremora. His appearance pertains to that of a giant, four-armed humanoid with several horns atop his head, wielding a large axe in one of his hands. His primary Daedric artifact is a dagger known as Mehrunes' Razor, having a one percent chance to kill anything in one hit.

This quest is easily started anytime after reaching level twenty when a courier delivers a message from Dawnstar about a new museum opening up. The museum is revealed to be about the Mythic Dawn, a cult that worships Mehrunes Dagon to an extreme, the original cult having assassinated the Emperor at the time to bring about their lord's coming. The owner of the museum, Silus Vesuius, will reveal that he had ancestors in the cult and offer a tour of the museum, showing you the robes pages from Dagon's book, Mysterium Xarxes, in the display cases. He will also reveal that the pieces of the Daedric Prince's artifact, Mehrunes' Razor, are scattered in various locations throughout Skyrim and would be very grateful if you'd return them, as they would be an invaluable addition to his museum.

There are three parts to the legendary dagger: the hilt, the pommel and the shards of the blade itself. The hilt is easily retrievable, only needing a speech check from Jorgen in Morthal to get the keys to his house. The other two require clearing two areas: Dead Crone Rock where a Hagraven holds the pommel, and Cracked Tusk Keep where the shards are on a pedestal guarded by a bandit chief. Return the pieces to Silus and travel with him to Dagon's shrine, where he will summon communication with his master. Mehrunes Daagon will order you to kill Silus, then reforges the blade when he is dead. As one final test, he summons two Dremora to kill you and ceases communication.

(Note: You may choose to spare Silus' life, but Dagon will still summon the Dremora and you will not receive his artifact.)

Ill Met by Moonlight

Hircine is best known as the Daedric Prince of the Hunt and all things related. He is also closely associated with all those that contract "therianthropic diseases," or were-creatures, having been the one who created them in the first place. While he chooses to appear in many different aspects, his typical appearance is that of a man with the head or skull of a deer, wielding a large spear. His realm, as most realms do, reflect his title as it is mostly forests and open plains areas, perfect for a hunting ground. Hircine is one of the few Daedric Princes with more than one artifact and the only one that offers two in Skyrim. One is the Ring of Hircine, which allows werewolves to transform an unlimited number of times, as opposed to the original once per day. The other available artifact is a piece of light armor known as Savior's Hide with a fifteen percent resistance to magic and a fifty percent reduction of poison damage. Whichever one you receive is based on certain quest elements.

This quest may be started by talking to a man named Mathies in Falkreath, a farm owner whose child was killed by one of his laborers named Sinding. You will find him in his jail cell in the Falkreath hold where you will need to talk to him. He reveals that he is a werewolf and that in order to control his transformations better, he stole the Ring of Hircine. However, before he stole it, Hircine put a curse on it, making his transformations completely random and uncontrollable. He will proceed to inform you that he's been tracking a rare creature-a white stag-that he believes will win Hircine's favor if it is hunted and killed. He'll give you the ring, which is automatically equipped and cannot be removed, transforms and escapes out the top of his cell, leaving you to hunt for the stag.

To hunt for your trophy, search around Pinewatch bandit camp until it appears. After killing it, Hircine will appear in a similar form as what was just hunted and express his disapproval of Sinding's behavior. His will is that you track down the rogue werewolf to Bloated Man's Grotto and skin him. When you find him, he will ask your help to kill the group of hunters that are after him. If you choose to assist Sinding, Hircine will appear once more as the stag at the entrance of the cave and remove the curse from the ring, allowing unlimited transformations and the removal of the ring. If you choose to follow Hircine's will, he will manifest himself as a ghostly form of Sinding and turn his skinned hide into the Savior's Hide.

(Note: You can receive both artifacts by assisting Sinding first, receiving the first artifact, then returning to the area and killing Sinding to skin him.)

The Cursed Tribe

Malacath is the Daedric Prince of the outcast. He is the "patron saint" of those that have been persecuted and ostracized, specifically the much understood Orc race. His supposed origin fits his sphere, allegedly being born from the excrement of Boethiah after eating Trinimac. He is a prime embodiment of power, as are the might race that seems to be modeled after him. Malacath's most well-known Daedric artifact is Volendrung, a large warhammer that absorbs fifty points of stamina from the enemy.

This quest is started by encountering the Orc encampment of Largashbur. Help the inhabitants fend off the giant attacking the tribe and speak with Atub. She will require you to bring a daedra heart and troll fat to her in order to contact Malacath. Upon your return with these items, she will gather with you and Chief Lamarz for the ritual. The Contact with the Daedric Prince is successful, but he sounds less than thrilled to find that the chief allowed giants to defile his shrine in Giant's Grove and has set a curse upon the entire tribe. He tasks Yamarz to kill the leader and return his club as an offering. Yamarz will complain and demand that you accompany him to eliminate the threat, offering you a large sum of gold for a reward.

Travel to the grove by going through Fallowstone Cave and battling a few bears or trolls. Once the giant's leader is in sight, Yamarz will attempt to strike a deal with you; kill the giant yourself and he'll up the reward. If you choose to do this, then Yamarz will let you in on a secret when you return to him. The chief is planning to kill you and take credit for the entire ordeal to regain his honor. Kill him and Malacath will give you praise for taking care of the weakling. Return the leader's warhammer to the shrine at the encampment and place it in the antlers of the deer skull, where Malacath will transform it into Volendrung.

(Note: You may also try to persuade Yamarz to fight the beast, but he will die very quickly leaving you to fight the giant alone.)

Discerning the Transmundane

Hermaeus Mora is the Daedric Prince of knowledge and fate. Rather than a human form, Hermaeus Mora prefers to appear as either a swirling vortex of purple or a grotesque mass of green tentacles and eyes. His plane of Oblivion is a vast library of forbidden texts known as Apocrypha. Unsurprisingly, his Daedric artifact is book of knowledge called the Oghma Infinium, which levels all skills in one of three areas by five.

This quest is started by finding Septimus Signus inside his outpost north of Winterhold. Inside, he is studying a large Dwemer lockbox, which he says requires an Elder Scroll to see through it. He will send you off to the Dwemer ruin of Alftand to retrieve the Elder Scroll, along with an attunement sphere and a blank lexicon to give him the knowledge to read the Elder Scroll. Be prepared for the dangers that lie within Alftand as it covers a vast expanse of ground with numerous dangerous enemies including Falmer and the always deadly Dwemer centurions. Trek your way through the ruin and the treacherous underbelly of it known as Blackreach to the Dwemer puzzle. Put the lexicon its stand, solve the puzzle by pushing the buttons in the correct order, grab the scroll and the lexicon, and return to Septimus.

Septimus will require you to extract the blood of the different races of elves; the Altmer, Bosmer, Dunmer, Falmer and Orsimer. However, before you leave his outpost, you must first speak with the form of Hermaeus Mora, a purple vortex that bars your way. He informs you that Septimus has outlived his usefulness and wishes for you to take his place as champion. He will disappear and let you continue with the search for the elven blood.

Retrieving all the blood samples can take some time, but can be found by knowing which races are typically found in different factions. For example, Dunmer are typically necromancers, while Orsimer and Bosmer can usually be found as bandits in any encampment. Falmer are almost always in Dwemer ruins and all corpses can be found in various dungeons throughout Skyrim. Collect their samples and give the mixture to Sigmus, who will use the concoction to open the lockbox. Inside sits the book on a pedestal in the center of the "room." Septimus will approach the pedestal, only to get disintegrated by the Daedric Prince of knowledge. Claim his gift to you and your rightful place as his champion.

(Note: This quest will also start during the progression of the main storyline. Before retrieving the elven blood, you must be level fifteen to continue. If you return the lexicon to him beforehand, he will dismiss you and send a courier when you are the appropriate level.)

A Daedra's Best Friend

Clavicus Vile's specialty is wishes, particularly ones that require pacts and invocations to grant power. He is usually depicted as a small, jovial fellow with small horns projected from his head. He is almost always accompanied with his loyal companion Barbas. Although he has the ability to shapeshift to any form, he prefers to choose the form of a dog. Clavicus has also mentioned that half his power resides inside of the powerful pooch, although this rarely stops his tendency to abandon his faithful follower. While the Daedric Prince is known for "liking souls for the sake of having them," he will graciously reward those that annihilate general threats. His Daedric artifact is the Masque of Clavicus Vile, which grants twenty percent better prices at all vendors, increases the the chance of passing a persuasion check, and increases magicka regeneration by five percent.

This quest can be started by traveling to the capital city of Falkreath, named after the region in which it resides, upon reaching level ten. A guard will approach you on your way into town and ask you about a stray dog that's been running around and direct you towards Lod, the blacksmith of the place. Chase down the dog by traveling a short ways down the road. The dog, soon revealed to be none other than Barbas himself, will ask for your help. Apparently a group of cultists, that also happen to be vampires, have taken refuge in the cavern known as Haemar's Shame. This also just so happens to be the location of a shrine to the Daedric Prince of Clavicus Vile. Journey to the cavern with Barbas and kill all opposition, including the master vampire in the shrine room.

Speak to Clavicus through his statue who will tell you that he was glad to rid them of their insufferable disease that turned them, Sanguinare Vampiris. He will offer you a way for Barbas to return to his side by giving you several choices. If you ask for power, he will bring up the fact that you are Dragonborn and have much more power than most. If you ask for an end to the Civil War in Skyrim between the Imperials and Stormcloaks, he will reply that if he had his full powers it would be trivial: one snap of the fingers and everyone's dead. No matter what, the only thing that the Prince wants is an axe: the Rueful Axe.

The next location is a place called Rimerock Burrow. Along the way, Barbas will give you a background of the axe and how it was given to a wizard by Clavicus Vile to kill his daughter-turned-werewolf. Enter the cavern, kill the wizard known as Sebastian Lort and his conjured minions, and return to the Daedric Prince. He will then give you two options; kill Barbas and keep the axe, or return the axe to him and receive the Masque of Clavicus Vile. To finish the quest, return to Lod for a small reward of gold.

Inadequate Representation

In our AP Lang class, we've been watching bits and pieces of a film; a documentary called Miss Representation. The claim of the film seems to be that how women are represented in the media affects the way females look at themselves and what they can achieve. One way they attempt to lure watchers into their point of view is through the use of various "experts" on the subject. Another is the sudden flashing of media clips from various sources bashing females because they supposedly can't think of the idea of a female in power. But I can't help but question a few things about the tactics they use, specifically these two.

First of all, the media clips they flash in rapid succession is a bit suspicious. In particular, certain clips presented by people such as Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck. Now anyone that knows Rush Limbaugh knows that he is largely conservative and, logically, wouldn't be that fond of a very democratic speaker of the house. But one of the clips they used to make their point was used incorrectly. During one of his radio shows, he played the famous song "Ding-Dong the Witch is Dead" from The Wizard of Oz, portraying the talk show host as sexist against female politicians. However, if you listen to the rest of the broadcast, he makes it clear the celebration was for a blow to the democratic party, NOT an attack on the gender of the politician. Check out the clip here (0:57-2:34).

The other thing I couldn't bring myself to believe were a few of the representations in the movie. One such person is Katie Couric, reporter for ABC and formerly CBS. During her first appearance in the film, she makes several baseless claims about the subject with no reference to any source of information. However, after a little searching, I'd be much more inclined to believe her than one of the other representatives shown in the film. While the movie does a lot to show examples of men bashing positive female roles, there are examples of female on female bashing as well, surprisingly enough from one of the reps themselves. Already losing her credibility being introduced as a comedian, Margaret Cho made a pretty clear attack on both Sarah Palin and her daughter. In this video, (1:07-2:47) she says that the family should "stay in reality television." If you follow the movie's claims, then how does this not fit the bill? If she's such an advocate of this, why is she contributing to the problem?
WC: 425

Boethiah's Calling

Boethiah, also known as the Prince of Plots, is the Daedric Prince of numerous unlawful aspects including deceit, conspiracy, treason, assassination and secret plots of murder. He is typically depicted as male, but is sometimes referred to as female. His Daedric artifact in Skyrim is the Ebony Mail, which muffles your movement and shrouds you in a cloud of poison that damages nearby enemies.

This quest starts after being attacked by a cultist of Boethiah soon after turning level thirty. Read the book on his corpse entitled Boethiah's Proving. Then travel to the Sacellum of Boethiah, located in the mountains east-southeast of Windhelm. On the path upwards to the main Sacellum, there will be two cultists fighting inside a pit encircled with wooden posts sharpened at one end. Talk to the priestess watching them, who will need proof of your combat abilities. Join the fight between the two cultists already battling and the many more that were previously watching. Kill them all and report back to the priestess. She will hand you a small dagger and instruct you to lure an unwitting person to the sacrificial post before Boethiah's statue and kill them with the dagger. After making the sacrifice, she will take on the form of the sacrificial subject. She reveals that she is in dire need of a new champion and would like to appoint you as being worthy of such a title. Go to Knifepoint Ridge and dispose of her soon to be former champion and his cohorts. While it is not a requirement, she also asks you to kill them stealthily, preferably without being detected. Kill the opposition, take up the Ebony Mail and bask in the Prince's glory as she grants you the privilege of being her champion.

(Notes: The quest will sometimes require you to dispose of the cultists after the sacrifice in the fight to the death rather than before. Regardless of this,  you are still required to do both before being tasked with Knifepoint Ridge)
WC: 333

The Black Star

Azura is the Daedric Prince of dawn and dusk. She always appears as female and is considered one of the few  "good" Daedric Princes. Her artifact is known as Azura's Star, a soul gem that can be reused an unlimited number of times.

To begin this quest, simply talk to the innkeeper of any town or city. Travel to the location they will direct you towards, a shrine to the Daedric Prince among the snowy mountaintops south of Winterhold. There you will find a Dunmer, or Dark Elf, named Aranea Ienith. The follower of Azura will speak a cryptic message before directing you towards the inn at Winterhold, The Frozen Hearth. It is here that that you will find the mage Nelacar. At first, he will be resistant to your advances towards information, but a bit of coin or roughness ought to loosen his tongue a bit. Whether you intimidate or bribe him, he will give you a background on soul gems and how they are destroyed after use. He then tells of a story about one Malyn Varen, an old professor at the College of Winterhold and his examination of the legendary artifact known as Azura's Star. Nelacar told of how Malyn descended into madness while attempting to save himself from illness and ultimately grant himself immortality. The experiment eventually escalated to the point where he killed a student as a sort of test subject, resulting in his banishment from the College. He and a few of his disciples fled to what is known as Ilinalta's Deep, a fort half submerged in Lake Ilinalta. This is where you must travel to retrieve the artifact.

Upon arrival at the decrepit and sinking fort, enter through the hatch atop one of the sunken towers. Unsurprisingly, you will find many necromancers and undead waiting for you throughout the dungeon. Kill them all and make your way towards the dead body of Malyn Varen, laying supine in a pool of his own blood. Grab the Star on the chair behind his body and return to the Shrine of Azura. Aranea will tell you to communicate with Azura, who informs you that the Star cannot be used until it is purged of the evil within. She will transport your soul into the Star where you will deal with Varen and his Dremora minions. Once you've killed them all, you will be transported out of the now renewed Star, given Azura's blessing, and the quest will be complete.

(Note: You may bring it to Nelacar, who instead will turn it into The Black Star, capable of holding human souls as well. Regardless, no matter who you choose to bring the Star to, you must confront Valen within)
WC: 452

Daedra Aren't So Bad

For the next several segments in my Skyrim series, I'd like to be on items known as Daedric artifacts and the corresponding quest for it. But in order to do so, I feel I should give some background on where they come from and the Daedra to which they belong. I will go into more depth on each realm in the explanation of each quest, as well as which leader rules over which realm.

The Daedra are defined as not having taken part in the creation of Mundus, the realm of Oblivion in which the Elder Scrolls takes place. There are many forms of Daedra, however only a few are encountered within Skyrim, mainly the elemental atronachs and the highly intelligent and deadly dremora. Among the Daedra, there are certain elite beings, or true Daedra, that rule over the different realms of Oblivion called Daedric Princes. There are seventeen princes, all associated with a characteristic that reflects themselves and their realm. For example, Sheogorath is the Daedric Prince of Madness, ruling over the realm known as the Shivering Isles. The DLC in the Elder Scrolls IV revealed that he was, indeed, quite mad, (insane), and that his realm was split in two to symbolize his somewhat split personality.

While they are generally considered to be evil and demonic, Daedra are just interpreted as such. They have a tendency to go to extremes in many cases, leading many people to believe such things. However, in reality, Daedra are infinitely incomprehensible to mortals, meaning Daedra are completely devoid of true good or true evil. Only six of the seventeen Daedric Princes actually take pleasure in such extremities, most of them contributing to the mortals' four pillars of destruction.

A Daedra cannot ever be truly killed. When a Daedra is "killed," it actually undergoes what is called banishment. Banishment is when the physical form of a Daedra is interrupted in such a way that it causes the being to fade into the void of Oblivion until it can return in another physical form. It essentially removes the Animus, or soul, of the Daedra until it can find a way to reincarnate itself.

Daedra are not only very skilled fighters and magic wielders, but also master craftsmen. Their weaponry and armor are renowned by many for being practically indestructible. They attain this legendary masterwork by using only raw ebony of the highest quality and infusing it with the soul of a Daedra through a dark ritual.
WC: 412

Pffft, Sexism

In our AP Lang class, we've been watching a documentary called Miss Representation and dealing with various other topics regarding gender and gender roles. Because of this, I'd like to touch on something that can be quite the hot topic: sexism. A lot of people think that this is still a major issue in America right now and to some extent it still exists. But this notion that women aren't getting the same representation as men starts to get ridiculous and redundant. The same arguments always tend to come up, like how there are more men in political, scientific and mathematical professions and how it's completely based on sexism towards women or that women can't make their way up the ladder. I can't tell you how sick I am of hearing these claims.

The first part of this is gender discrimination of females in the workforce. In the documentary, they state several little factoids about the matter, specifically within politics. The video makes it look as if the reason more men are in politics than women is because of discrimination. If you are a woman in America and you're reading this, think about this. Do you have a desire to go into politics? If you do, then I wish you the best of luck in all your endeavors. If not, why do you think that is? The reason you don't see many women in politics is probably the same reason you don't see very many in math and science professions; they're simply not interested in the topic. The other part of this is that nowadays they have the option if they are interested. There's nothing stopping them but themselves from being anything, really.

Following up with my last point, there's also been an argument made that females in the workplace can't make their way up the metaphorical ladder due to gender. While this claim has more weight to it than the related one above, it still has little validity. For instance, if there was so much discrimination within such professional areas, how do you explain this? A lot of people don't know this, but there are more and more females rising through the ranks to the top spot of CEO in companies. But this doesn't just apply to the business world. Take the music industry. Rock is usually considered to be dominated by men and male frontmen. I hereby present to you the exception and proof that this is becoming less true. The female-fronted band Halestorm has reached fame, dominating the charts themselves over a number of male groups, including a number one song on iTunes and a top spot on Billboard's hard rock album list. Look at details of their success from Interactive Guitar magazine here.
WC: 457

The Writing Snowball Effect

One thing that a lot of people don't know about me is that I love writing stories, fiction to be exact. It's said that, if you look hard enough, a thousand story ideas are laid out in front of you every day, you just have to look for them. While I may not know the identity of said person, I've found his insight incredibly accurate. I can't tell you how many ideas I've come up with just from everyday happenings, not to mention all the various locations I've visited. For instance, something as simple as watching a ski show down at Ellis Park triggered the following idea: what if one of the people in the show was kidnapped on the water? What if it was the main character's job to save them? What if he had to look into his family history to discover the whereabouts of the kidnappers and what they want with him? And what would happen if it spanned across the country from the Midwest to New Orleans to the capitol city ending in a showdown of epic proportions?

In order to put this idea into actual words, as with anything else, I had to start somewhere. So I developed a sort of pre-writing ritual to get into a writing mood. I suggest you to find one if you find trying to sit down and write a challenge. Here are some suggestions that I use in my ritual.

1. Pick a time to start writing. My favorite, yet tragically scarcely used, times are late night and, to quote the great Sinatra, "the wee small hours of the morning."

2.  Find your favorite spot in the house, or even in the neighborhood. The optimum spot for me is the desk under my loft bed.

3. Make yourself a hot (or cold) beverage. Coffee is the idealistic drink by my count, but if you're not a coffee drinker hot chocolate will suffice.

4. Choose some good music to listen to while you gather your thoughts. Personally I prefer the musical stylings of Billy Joel, Owl City, Frank Sinatra and Jack's Mannequin.

I hope these help you in your writing endeavors as they have with myself.
WC:366

Hopes and Predictions

The regular season is long gone, wild card weekend passed, and the divisionals have come to a close, weeding out the elite of each conference. The championships begin next week with the San Francisco 49ers playing the first-time playoff winners, the Atlanta Falcons followed by a game reminiscent of the previous year between the New England Patriots and the unforeseen Baltimore Ravens, the winners advancing to face off in the Superbowl. Who would I like to see in the Superbowl? Falcons and Patriots without a doubt. I haven't had the pleasure of watching Matt Ryan and co. until today and I was fairly impressed, throwing accurate passes to a number of receivers. Also, if their rush game can do what they did today, they just might pull it off. I also chose the Patriots because he's had tons of experience and can connect with his receivers with as much, if not more, proficiency as Ryan. They're defense has only been getting better, as has their rush game, giving them a more versatile style of play. Not to mention they have a few Superbowl visits including three wins out of five visits. Sadly, the actuality of it will probably be 49ers rather than the Falcons. They have a better run game, demonstrated by quarterback Colin Kaepernick's record-breaking rushing yards, and have even more options with him than they had with Alex Smith.

This Class is Actually Relevant!

One thing that I hear a lot of kids complain about classes is the classic, "When am I ever going to use this?" Just over the past week or two, I've actually found myself applying quite a few thing from classes to things in the real world. These connections have been made not just in applying AP Lang, but various other classes including AP Psych, Japanese, and Sociology.

For instance, over the summer I went to the ELCA gathering in New Orleans where Lutheran churches from all over the nation come together under the Superdome to worship God and do service for the community. One of the days we were there, we had to share a bus with members from other churches, including one from a small town in Georgia, and were forced to sit next to someone we had never met before. As it turned out, the girl I had worked with was the daughter of a woman from Japan. As a result, she also spoke Japanese and we were actually able discuss difficulties in the language and even have a short conversation in the foreign language. It was a good application and test of what I had learned in the past few years of study.

The previous example is also a good starting point for a good application of sociological principles as well. Research has shown that even a complete stranger can be connected to you by an average of six people. The study went like this: one person was given the name of a random stranger and was only allowed to send it to one person asking if they knew that person. If they didn't, they would do the same, so on and so forth until the e-mail got around to the person. The point of the experiment was to show just how interconnected everyone is and it is most likely a result of events such as the aforementioned gathering.

On a slightly different note, some things can even be applied to something as simple as television show. Many youths and adults alike are watching the hit show Big Bang Theory, which is actually pretty informative as far as information goes. Just last week, we were learning about logical fallacies in AP Lang and watched a few clips of the show demonstrating them, specifically post hoc and reductio ad absurdum. However, as with most informative shows, it does have its errors. In one episode, Sheldon attempts to condition Penny by giving her chocolates for what he perceives to be good behavior. While the original premise, is sound, he slips up on one aspect of it. At one point, he says that using  positive and negative reinforcement techniques, he could reduce a certain behavior pattern of Penny's. The problem is reinforcement is used to increase a behavior, the opposite of what Sheldon would be attempting. What he would want to use is positive or negative punishment if he wished to obtain the desired result of decreased behavior.

Damn Jester!

WARNING:SPOILERS

The Dark Brotherhood is a shadowy organization of secret assassins, said to be disbanded from a group based in Morrowind known as the Morag Tong. Although the missions they conduct aren't as "legal" as their older cousins, they can carry out a contract just as discreetly and have just as much power and influence. Instead of receiving writs of assassination like the Morag Tong, agents of the Dark Brotherhood are summoned by performing the Black Sacrament, a ritual in which an effigy of the victim is created using human bones, flesh and organs rubbed with the nightshade flower and stabbing it repeatedly while reciting the following:  "Sweet Mother, sweet Mother, send your child unto me, for the sins of the unworthy must be baptized in blood and fear." This plea then goes through their prime entity, the Night Mother, who passes the message on to the Listener, who in turn continues the chain to the collective. Their leader is a female Nord by the name of Astrid, a Redguard named Nazir being the second in command. Their headquarters is located in their Falkreath Sanctuary, later moving to Dawnstar.

While in the snowy city of Windhelm, you may overhear guards or other passersby mention a young boy holed up in his house, performing something called the Black Sacrament. Having piqued your interest, you decide to do a little B&E into the residence of Aventus Arentino. Upstairs, you will find him with all the fixings for the ritual and will assign you the contract, yourself posing as the assassin summoned. He will tell you about his escape from Honorhall Orphanage in Riften and insists that the old crone running it, Grelod the Kind, is anything but. Travel to Windhelm, kill the witch, and return for your reward. Rent a room in Candlehearth Hall and rest. But do not do so lightly, for you will surely be in for a surprise when you wake.

Upon awakening, you will find yourself in a small shack you will later discover is outside the city of Morthal. A female, revealing herself to be Astrid, is laying on top of a bookcase telling you the contract you accepted was originally meant for her organization. In order to repay her for your actions, she will direct you towards the back of the room where there are three people kneeling with hoods over their heads and instruct you to kill one of them (note: you may instead choose to kill Astrid, opting to destroy rather than join the Dark Brotherhood). She will then give you the key to leave the shack and invite you to their sanctuary near Falkreath. It is there that you will be officially inducted into the shadows and given your first set of assassination contracts. Complete them and report back for your next assignment.

You may notice something amiss in the main sanctuary area; specifically a man dressed as a jester (the Keeper, Cicero) with a large box containing the Night Mother. Astrid welcomes him in with reluctance and gives you your first real assignment as an agent of Sithis. You are to travel to Markarth and speak with a woman named Muiri about an ex-lover she wants taken care of, a bandit leader hiding in the Dwarven ruin of Raldbthar named Alain Dufont. Kill him, suggestedly using the crossbow traps on the ledge above him, and collect your reward from Muiri and Astrid.

Astrid will tell you that she senses something wrong with Cicero, who's been locking himself in his room at night and talking to himself. Hide in the Night Mother's coffin and listen to what Cicero says, apparently having been talking to the Night Mother all the time before. But something happens that's not anticipated: the Night Mother will start to glow and speak to you, informing you that you are the next Listener and to pass on a call made by Amaund Motierre in the ruin of Volunruud. Cicero soon discovers you and calls you a traitor, until he learns of the Night Mother's declaration of the Listener, information that causes him to dance jauntily in place. Inform Astrid of the Mother's given contract, who will tell you to receive new contracts from Nazir while she thinks it over.

When you return for your rewards from the preceding contracts, Astrid will approach with her decision. Follow the Night Mother's orders and go to Volunruud, where you will receive a very intriguing contract; no doubt a milestone in their history and just what they'd need to gain much needed influence and fear: assassinate the Emperor of Tamriel. He will hand you a jeweled amulet to cover expenses and a letter to Astrid. Return to the sanctuary and give Astrid the letter. She will read it and tell you to get the amulet appraised by an old friend in the Thieve's Guild, a fellow by the name of Delvin Mallory. Find him in the Ragged Flagon and give him the amulet. He will identify it as belonging to a member of the Elder Council and will comment on your "friends in all sorts of places." He'll give you letter of credit in exchange for the amulet, as per his and Astrid's "standard arrangement." After receiving the letter of credit, you will be given your first task in the assassination of the Emperor: kill a cousin of the Emperor on her wedding day.

Before taking on this special occasion, it is recommended to talk to other members as they give rather good strategies for eliminating the target. If you seek the seemingly young alchemy master Babette, she will suggest dropping the statue hanging above where she will be standing on the balcony. If you consult with Gabriella beforehand, she will tell of a bow, a few arrows and an archery potion on a parapet with a clear shot for a long-range kill. Whichever method you choose, kill her and get the hell outta dodge with Veezara covering your escape. Your next task in the intricate weaving of the plot to kill the Emperor is espionage work. Kill the commander of the guard's son Gaius Maro and plant a false letter on the body, placing him in a plot against the Emperor. While everything seems to be going according to plan on the assassination attempt, something's gone wrong among the group.

Cicero has apparently made an attempt on the lives of many members, including herself and the now grievously injured Veezara. Check his room for clues to where he went, the final journal revealing he has hidden away in the sanctuary outside of Dawnstar. Take up Astrid's horse Shadowmere and ride off to the sanctuary. Outside, you will find an injured Arnbjorn saying they injured each other and to "follow the blood."
Fight your way through the ghosts of former members and past a unique troll, the Undefrykte, towards Cicero. You will find him in the final room in a fetal position, begging you not to kill him. If you choose to, he reveals he is indeed uninjured and will fight back. Having dealt with the jester, continue with the contract.

The next step to this mission is to kill and impersonate the Gourmet, the highest up on the Emperor's kitchen staff, and poison the Emperor's food with the highly lethal jarrin root. Obtain the identity of the Gourmet, kill him, hide the body, and take up his role. Present the note looted from his body to Commander Maro to gain entrance to Castle Dour in Solitude. Assist the other chef in conjuring the concoction of death and watch as the two of you bring the Emeperor his last meal. Sneak out of the room as he tastes it and cross the bridge where a surprise in the form of information is awaiting you. Commander Maro appears with a tale of betrayal. on both parties. As it turns out, someone inside the organization had informed them of their plan. So they used a decoy and let them carry on with the operation in exchange for your life. The other betrayal? Maro intends to wipe out their organization as revenge for killing his son.

Arrive at the sanctuary to find several of the Emperor's guards outside and Festus pinned to a tree by the entrance by dozens of arrows. Enter the sanctuary and move past the bodies of Veezara and Gabriella, past a werewolf Arnbjorn fighting a losing fight, all the way to Nazir fighting a Penitus Oculatus Agent named Arcturus. Assist him in killing the agent and talk to him. Find an escape route, during which the Night Mother will tell you to hide in her coffin for protection. Several explosions and rumbles later, Nazir will open the coffin with Babette standing next to him, telling you Astrid is still alive and wishes to see you. She can be found in an alcove inside of her old room. She is found laying on the floor, body completely burnt with a circle of candles around her, having performed the Black Sacrament on herself. She reveals that she is the traitor for she didn't yet believe in the Night Mother and was jealous of your being named Listener. Take up her blade and deliver her will of the mercy killing. The organization still requiring it, you must continue the original job and finish what was started.

Travel to Whiterun and meet with Motierre on his ground floor room in the The Bannered Mare. According to Amaund, the Emperor is aboard is ship, The Katariah, docked in the Solitude inlet. He will also inform you that Commander Maro is on-board if you would like to exact revenge. Sneak aboard the ship, kill Maro if you wish, and tiptoe your way past several PO agentsto the Emperor's quarters. The Emperor will greet you immediately after entering, having been expecting you knowing it is his destiny to die by your hand. However, he will request one last thing before you kill him; he wishes that you kill the one who orchestrated this attempt as he may be doing it for personal gains. Kill the Emperor and meet back in Amaund's room. His reward is revealed to be in a dead drop in the room where you first met him. If you so desire, you may fulfill the Emperor's last wish and kill him. Regardless, collect your reward of 20,000 septims and return to Nazir, now based in the Dawnstar Sanctuary. The Dark Brotherhood has now gained influence and fear over many once more, thanks to you.