By Leilani "Gwen" Grayson
This year at Feast of the Leviathan XVII the Heroes of the Western Flank were recognized for their service to the community. This organization is brand new, and its purpose is to publicly thank those people who regularly serve as NPCs on quests. I hope that it will both show how thankful we are as well as encourage others to become heroes in their own right. The role of the NPC is a vital one to our game: without monsters to kill, the heroes of the Realms would have very little to do. NPCing is accessible to all players, regardless of skill or experience, and it is the way that many players begin their service to the Realms, and still more players continually give back by acting behind the scenes in this manner. Despite the importance of NPCs, we often forget to recognize them for their hard work. Anyone who has served on the Western Flank knows that it can be an exhausting day and those that come back again and again deserve our commendation.
Recognizing the Heroes of the Western Flank is done in two main ways. All heroes who were present at Feast of Leviathan and submitted a form that day indicating the number of events they NPC’d were called up during Rhiassan Court to receive a black belt and pin. The black belt symbolizes that someone is considered a regular contributor to the Western Flank. It is meant to be worn while NPCing, and is a symbol of that person’s commitment to helping the community. The pins will be awarded annually for those people who NPC’d a significant number of events that year. This year, belts and pins were awarded to people who NPC’d four or more events. Every subsequent year, those who maintain their status as heroes will be awarded a new pin. New heroes will be recognized with both a belt and a pin.
In an attempt to further thank and reward those who make the game a better place by acting as trolls, goblins, and quest facilitators, the Heroes of the Western Flank are invited to participate in a raffle. Each hero is given a ticket equal to the number of events that they NPCed the previous year. Therefore, the more you NPC, the more likely you are to win in the raffle. This year, raffle items ranged from things that will make NPCing easier and more fun to things that a wandering hero might have picked up on his or her travels. For example, this year we auctioned off black slip-cover masks to be worn under hockey masks or similar, as well as black NPC shirts, black socked weapons, shield covers, and even a couple of magic items. Each item is a token of our gratitude.
If you, or someone you know, did not receive a deserved belt or pin this year, please contact me at lani.gwen@yahoo.com.